I had never heard of the Fukú until I met Oscar Wao. You see, the main character in Junot Díaz’s first novel, the unlikely Dominican-American “ghetto nerd” hero Oscar, along with his entire family, is cursed with it.  I’m pages away from finishing “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao“, handed down to me by a friend.  I breezed through the novel who’s author penned “a book of sexy, diamond-sharp stories called “Drown,” shows impressive high-low dexterity, flashing his geek credentials, his street wisdom and his literary learning with equal panache.” [NY Times] And I love Oscar more than ever.

The cold winter nights are full steam ahead…anyone else interested in me forming a GofG book club?

Jodi Wing’s debut novel The Art of Social War goes on sale today.  I started reading the book last week after being mailed a hand copy and so far, it’s been an effective procrastination tool. The reason you may be interested is that it’s a relevant topic: L.A. versus New York, what happens when East meets West, and having to mesh these two very different worlds together.  Social wars, whether they take place on Madison Avenue or Rodeo Drive, provide entertaining fodder.  More»

[Go HERE to buy this chair/bookshelf.  I WANT!]

Does anyone else have a habit of starting numerous books at once?  I have a serious problem. What I’m currently reading:

• Asian Dining Rules, by Steven A. Shaw:  Because I ALWAYS play it safe at Japanese, Chinese, Indian, etc restaurants and I’m getting sick of California Rolls and Pad Thai.  This life long New Yorker is teaching me how to be an “insider”.
• The Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra: To keep me spiritual.  I started this in March.  Taking me awhile to get into.
• The Post Birthday World, by Lionel Shriver: I am halfway through and thinking about calling it quits.  It’s hard reading about a woman having her mid life crisis when I’m 25.  My mom would love.

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Anisha Lakhani’s debut novel, Schooled, is a riveting, knowing, and clever introduction into the privileged world of Manhattan’s elite private schools, tutoring, homework and education.

The novel is also a peephole into a class of Manhattan’s privileged elite. Of course, Ms. Lakhani’s novel is an exaggerated version of the private school world, but I can’t help but say that there is a hint of truth to the protagonist “Anna Taggert’s” experiences.

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Warren Buffett’s Biography “Snowball” was released today and it seems perfect that I will be purchasing it at the Barnes & Nobles store in Omaha, NE.  After (very) coincidentally running into fellow New Yorker, Heist Gallery owner, and Omaha native Talia Eisenberg this weekend (we happened to be eating in the same sushi restaurant in Omaha’s Old Market without even realizing the other one was there!), I find she is just as excited about Mr. Buffett’s tell-all.  She and her father (a Berkshire investor) “raced” to the bookstore today to buy a copy of Alice Schroeder’s book.

Alice was on the Today show earlier this morning and I like how she noted that Warren took a HUGE bet on her and had no changes for her when he read the final draft.  In fact, he told her that if she had more than one account of an event on his life to pick the LESS flattering version to highlight.

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There’s nothing chicer than spending Fashion Week in a bookstore. This evening, Border’s Bookstore on 57th Street and Park Avenue is hosting a reading and signing of Anisha Lakhani’s novel Schooled.

Ms. Lakhani’s appearance is scheduled from 7:00pm-7:45pm, but take it from me: get there early! At her previous signings, guests lined up outside to get a peak and meet the author. Perhaps this time around, it’ll be a more intimate gathering, but who knows, there might be more closet nerds out there than expected.

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From: hamptons.guestofaguest.com:

The Dangerous Book For Boys by two grown boys: Conn and Hal Iggulden is indeed the “perfect book for every boy between eight and eighty.” Because, “In this age of video games and cell phones, there must still be a place for knots, tree houses, and stories of incredible courage.”

“Is it old-fashioned? Well, that depends. Men and boys today are the same as they always were, and interested in the same things. They may conquer different worlds when they grow up, but they’ll still want these stories for themselves and for their sons….The camp you make today will be there forever. You want to learn coin tricks and how to play poker because you never know when the skills will come in handy. You want to be self-sufficient and find your way by the stars. Perhaps for those who come after us, you want to reach them. Well, why not? Why not?’” [Cal and Hal Iggulden]

For knowledge on the stars, insects, go-carts, famous battles, stories of courage, and how to play chess well, along with so much more; this is a book that every boy in your life deserves. My favorite part? Advice on Girls which I felt the need to copy in its entirety…

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The “Borat of Wall Street“, Amit Chatwani chose a smart career in blog land.  His site Leveraged Sell-Out, one of my favorite banker blogs, is a look at the insides of what it means to be a young banker living in New York (he draws on the experiences of all of his friends).  This week, Amit has unleashed his first book based around his ever-popular site. “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Banker, And Other Baller Things You Only Get To Say If You Work On Wall Street” is a must read for anyone working in finance, anyone that knows anyone working in finance, or anyone that wants reassurance that their job outside of finance was the right decision.

Below, some of my favorite excerpts from the book and a photo guide to a banker’s evolution:

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A few years ago, a family friend slipped us a copy of A Taste of the Somerset Club Cookbook, an unintentionally hilarious peak into the veal demi-glace and pungent lobster-stocked kitchen of Boston’s venerable old-boys club (Planning to pair your sauce poivrade with venison? “See if you can obtain some venison stock from the club”). In The WASP Cookbook, dyed-in-the-wool prepster Alexandra Wentworth goes further, giving us the stories behind the nummies, the eggnog, and the Easter ham -indeed, the recipes themselves are often somewhat of an afterthought.

Wentworth has divided the cookbook into seasons, and the seasons into subsections like Head-of-the-Charles Picnic, Raquetball Brunch, Opening-Up-the-Summer-House Dinner, and Blessing of the Hounds.

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From:hamptons.guestofaguest.com:

Rory and Elie Tahari hosted a wonderful party Saturday at their East Hampton flagship store for good friend Simon Doonan who is releasing his book titled “Eccentric Glamour.” Doonan himself was there signing books as well as The Real Housewives of New York’s Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, Jonathan Adler, and of course, Doonan’s pup Liberace.

Also in attendance were Guest of a Guest friends Rob Banning (Martha Stewart media) and Scott Currie (Tahari’s PR hero). The drinks were wonderful, the clothes were stunning as always, and Lady Bunny’s energy brought in quite a crowd.

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From: hamptons.guestofaguest.com

I heart Roald Dahl.  I was hooked on him since before I could even read his words.  We had all of his books, and many of the poems I could recite from memory.  Which is why, I was ecstatic to see he made the beach read of the day by Claire. I had no idea that he even had a book of short stories for adults (I have been living under a rock apparently) , but I can not wait to get my hands on this and make it MY new bedfellow.

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