October is breast cancer awareness month in Canada. I must say it feels a bit strange to have a single month during the year dedicated to breast cancer awareness if you consider the recommended practice of monthly self-exams. Breast cancer has been one of my "causes", or more aptly put, one of my concerns, since my mother's diagnosis at an early age of 47. It's been 22 years since she's been cancer-free so, basically every year that passes I say whew, and also yippee!!!
October is drawing to an end as I write this but like the saying goes, better late than never, right? That could also be said for getting your mammogram. I'm usually such a stickler for making my 2 year appointments but somehow, someway, life just got in the way. So there was delay after delay, until almost 6 months after my April 24th birthday "reminder" I finally "remembered" to have my mammogram. My appointment was made and I had to cancel on a friend for an event planned on the same night. Always the one to make light of a heavy situation, I told him I had a "pressing engagement".
So, if you're thinking "when was the last time I had one?", or "Sheesh, I should get around to it someday.", then maybe it's time to make an appointment with your doctor, just saying!
Random House Canada has a great selection of memoirs and non-fiction titles that deal with the topic of breast cancer so I thought it would be fitting to share this list. Please pass it along to your mom, your aunt, your friend, or your sis. These books are full of hope, happiness, despair, and dark humour. You will laugh, you will cry, but best of all these books don't lie.
When My World Was Very Small: A Memoir of Family, Food, Cancer, and My Couch by Ruth Rakoff (shown above)
Eating Pomegranates; A Memoir of Mothers, Daughters, and Genes by Sarah Gabriel
Her-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer by Robert Bazell
BOOKALICIOUS BOOK GRAB GIVEAWAY
Random House Canada has a Bosom Books prize pack containing Eating Pomegranates and When My Life Was Very Small to give to a lucky Bookalicious reader who leaves a comment sharing their story below.
Yummy Rules and Regulations
You must be a Yummy Mummy Club member to win. Click to sign up! It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries accepted until November 7, 2011. Contest open to Canadian residents. Winners will be picked using www.random.org. Please mark the email [email protected] as a "safe sender" when you enter a Bookalicious giveaway and respond within 1 week to claim your prize!
Follow Random House Canada on Twitter: @RandomHouseCA @BookLounge and find them on Facebook: BookLounge.ca. Cover images published courtesy of Random House Canada.
Relish reading,
Wanda Lynne Young
"
A trip to Israel inspired Alice Hoffman to write about her visit to the archaeological site of Masada, also known as the symbol of the ancient Jewish Kingdom of Israel. Hoffman may have gone to Israel as a tourist, but after her experience she left as a storyteller, as one would expect from this prolific author of the novels, Practical Magic and Here On Earth, just to name a few.
Hoffman's new novel The Dovekeepers tells a tale from the perspectives of four women who manage to survive the 70 C.E. ( A.D.) Roman rule of their desert fortress home of Masada. The Dovekeepers is a work of fiction but it's also a hers-torical tale of the few resilient women who survived the real events. It's a mesmerizing story of faith, hope and the celebration of life in the face of repression, despair and strife.
"Yael’s mother died in childbirth, and her father, the greatest assassin of his day, never forgave her for that death. She falls in love with a married man, another assassin, and he, too, dies as they flee from a Jerusalem under siege by the Romans. Revka is a village baker’s wife who witnesses the horrifically brutal rape and murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers, and who raises her twin grandsons, also witness to the atrocity, and rendered mute. Aziza is a warrior’s daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and expert marksman, who finds extraordinary passion with another soldier. Shirah is the Witch of Moab, born in Alexandria, wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power."
It took Alice Hoffman five years to write her novel The Dovekeepers. She painstakingly researched the historical writings for facts and accuracy but the real draw comes from her ability to get into the heads of the four women. Hoffman shares their daily routines, shows us samples of their domestic duties, their spiritual sides and their love lives. It's actually amazing how modern women can resemble these women from this ancient time. We have similar passions and desires and we share an innate need to protect our families. Even with the routine of day-to-day, we want to make our mark on the world even in some small way.
"The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets - about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love."
You can view Alice Hoffman's video for more insights into The Dovekeepers.
To read more about The Dovekeepers you can check out the excerpt on Simon & Schuster Canada.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Visit Alice Hoffman's website for more information on her books and you can find Alice Hoffman on Facebook.
AUTHOR APPEARANCE
Alice Hoffman will be in Toronto on October 26, 2011 for a special event and conversation with Heather Reisman!
Venue: Indigo Manulife Center, 55 bBloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario
Time: 7:00 pm
Check out the Meet Alice Hoffman Facebook Event Page for more details!
YUMMY MUMMY BOOK CLUB
The Yummy Mummy Book Club is reading The Dovekeepers for the month of October. Our Twitter virtual book club chat is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2nd, and runs from 9:30 -11:00 PM (Toronto time) so mark your calendar! If you want to participate in the #YMBC discussion on Twitter just follow my @YMCbookalicious tweets and use the hashtag #Dovekeepers during the chat. Participants will have the opportunity to "RT" tweets to win a copy of THE DOVEKEERERS or THE RUM DIARY.
BOOKALICIOUS NEWSLETTER and FACEBOOK PAGE
If you want a heads up on future book club updates, hear about author events and get in on book giveaway perks then join the Yummy Mummy Book Club by signing up for the Bookalicious Newsletter and/or the Bookalicious Facebook Page!
BOOKALICIOUS BOOK GRAB GIVEAWAY
Simon & Schuster Canada has copies of The Dovekeepers to give to two lucky Bookalicious readers who leave a comment expressing why you would like to read The Dovekeepers.
For more Simon & Schuster Canada books and author information visit their website www.simonandschuster.ca, follow @SimonSchusterCA on Twitter and find Simon & Schuster Canada on Facebook.
YUMMY RULES AND REGULATIONS
You must be a Yummy Mummy Club member to win. Click to sign up! It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 pm EDT on October 14, 2011. This contest is open to Canadian residents. Winners will be picked using www.random.org. Please mark the email address [email protected] as a "safe sender" when you enter a Bookalicious giveaway and respond within 1 week of notice to claim your prize!
This blog is proudly sponsored by our friends at
Simon & Schuster Canada
Printer-friendly version