Please Note:  I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Eighties New York springs to gritty, vibrant life in this piercingly romantic and compulsively readable coming-of-age novel. A beautiful, sad, funny, altogether bewitching debut

Francesca "Chess" Varani is an ultra-bright, sassy, but vulnerable Barnard freshwoman from a blue-collar background in the vibrantly gritty New York City of the mid-eighties. She strikes up a volatile and somewhat toxic friendship with drama-queen classmate Kendra Marr-Löwenstein, and falls into the bewitching orbit of her Salingeresque, high-toned family. Upon graduation, she moves into the Marr-Löwenstein house in the West Village as a secretary/girl-of-all-work to the soignèe literary intellectual Clarice Marr (think Susan Sontag but blondly coiffed and dressed in Chanel) and receives the sentimental education and emotional roughing up New York bestows on all of its new arrivals—including a love affair with Clarice's glamorously damaged son, Jerry.The story is related by Chess in sadder but wiser fashion from the distance of a financially beset 2008 and the depths of a crap job taken of necessity, tinged with the poignancy of time and choices made and not made.

Review:
When comparing themselves to the British, American's often pride themselves that their country doesn't have a rigid class system.  Rich and poor, alike, can mingle.  No one really cares about if your family has money or not.  To which I say:
                          
via GIPHY

Time's a Thief, by B.G. Firmani, explores themes of entitlement and assumptions, between working-class and wealthy college co-eds at Columbia University.  It is a love letter to 80's New York City, and the optimism that only twenty-somethings can possess.

Characters:
Chess dreams of going to school in New York, and quickly assimilates into college life at Barnard College.  With her working class background, she is easily dazzled by her rich new friends, particularly Kendra.  Always a people pleaser, she becomes enmeshed in Kendra's family and nearly becomes their servant.  She puts up with this treatment because of her own insecurity.  I liked how Chess finally comes to terms with her background, and whether Kendra's family will ever consider her their equal.  She has a road to travel to understand her own worth.

Jerry is Kendra's brother and later becomes involved with Chess.  He is the charming bad boy that everyone wants to save.  While I didn't "like" his character, I think he served a purpose in this book.  He demonstrates how entitled people make assumptions about others.  The bubble he lives in is indicative of white male privilege.  He is clueless as to how much Chess does for him, and what she sacrifices to be with him.

Character progression:
Chess narrates the story that spans over twenty years.  One of the things I found fascinating was how she went from an optimist to a pessimist, and then found some peace.  I think most twenty-somethings have the outlook that the world is their oyster and they will all accomplish great things.  As we get older and realize that most of us won't make a serious impact, we can become bitter.  I liked how Chess worked through those feelings.

1980's New York:
While I have never been to New York, I was a young person at that time.  New York always seemed like the most glamorous place in America.  With all the characters going out, even when they don't have money, New York nightlife is showcased.  The author does a wonderful job of evoking this time and place.
Do all rich people need to be jerks?  It seems like every single rich person in this novel is terrible.  Each and every one of these characters were truly awful people.  I don't think I would want to hang out with them.  I found this to be a bit extreme. 






Rating: 




Release Date:  May 2nd, 2017

Genre:  General Fiction

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This would be a wonderful book club selection.  I think it beautifully expresses the transition from student to adult. 

Please Note:  I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

Synopsis (From Goodreads):
 On a blistering day in the twenty-sixth year of Augustus Caesar’s reign, a young chef, Thrasius, is acquired for the exorbitant price of twenty thousand denarii. His purchaser is the infamous gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius, wealthy beyond measure, obsessed with a taste for fine meals from exotic places, and a singular ambition: to serve as culinary advisor to Caesar, an honor that will cement his legacy as Rome's leading epicure.

Apicius rightfully believes that Thrasius is the key to his culinary success, and with Thrasius’s help he soon becomes known for his lavish parties and fantastic meals. Thrasius finds a family in Apicius’s household, his daughter Apicata, his wife Aelia, and her handmaiden, Passia whom Thrasius quickly falls in love with. But as Apicius draws closer to his ultimate goal, his reckless disregard for any who might get in his way takes a dangerous turn that threatens his young family and places his entire household at the mercy of the most powerful forces in Rome.

Review:
Feast Of Sorrow, by Crystal King, combines two things I am fascinated by:  ancient Rome, and food.  So it should be no surprise that I found this a very enjoyable novel.  Filled with vivid descriptions of a noble household in ancient Rome, this book had lots of excitement too.

Ancient Rome:
The author goes into the intricate details of what a noble Roman house must have been like.  From the food, to the clothes, and even to the furniture, Crystal King seems to have done some thorough research of the time period.  But she also must be an accomplished writer because I know that there must have been gaps in her research.  She writes everything so well, that I can't tell what is factual, and what is from her imagination!

Characters:
Ancient Rome had several classes of people.  This book focuses almost completely on the noble class and the slave class and how they interact with each other.

I found the female characters in this book to be so memorable.  I loved the description of Apicius's mother, Popilla, "She looked as if she regularly bathed in unhappiness."  This perfectly  encapsulated her personality as a thorn in everyone's side.

The matron of the house, Aelia, is a spoiled housewife.  But we see her depth as she subtly guides her husband through the tricky politics of the time, all the while submitting to her husband's whims.

Passia is a slave who takes care of Apicata, the noble child of the house.  She has no control over her body, as the master of the house can "give" her to anyone for the night.  When Thrasius expresses an interest in her, Passia is automatically sent to service the chef.  I loved how the relationship between Thrasius and Passia became one of equals. 

Characters:
The narrator of the story is Thrasius, a slave who is also a masterful chef.  He begins his story at the age of nineteen when he is sold into the household of Marcus Gavius Apicius.  Apicius ambitiously wants to become the food advisor to Caesar, and he sees Thrasius as the key to his success.

Thrasius is a passive character for most of the novel.  Most of the action takes place around him.  But I did enjoy his own obsession with ingredients and cooking techniques.   He was also kind to other slaves and rather humble about his talents in the kitchen.  But, as the book progresses and his friendship with Apicius grows, he makes excuses for his master's cruel behavior.  It seemed a little like Stockholm Syndrome to me!

I found it hard to connect with some of the noble characters such as Apicius and his daughter Apicata.  Apicius is so obsessed with food that he wastes a fortune seeking only the best ingredients for his table.  

Apicata must do her duty and marry someone she doesn't love.  She then goes on to say that slaves have it better because they are "free" to love whoever they want.  Um, what about all the beatings, forced sex, and the possibility of being sold and sent away at a moments notice?  And the fact that any children one had would become slaves as well. 

I wondered if the author was trying to say that the noble class was as "trapped" as the slaves were.  Sorry, I don't buy that. 

Even with this strange correlation, this book was a wonderful historical novel.  I loved descriptions of the elaborate feasts, and the attention to detail made this time period come alive for me as a reader.





Rating: 




Release Date:  April 25th, 2017

Genre:  Historical fiction

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-book

Recommendation:  If you love food and are intrigued by ancient Rome, you are going to find this a satisfying reading experience. 

Due to the enormous size of this list, I only show events about four weeks in advance.  The master calendar will continue to show all the events I can find that are listed on each bookstore's site.

Bookstores in this list may include:  
Barnes & Noble (various Bay Area Locations)
Book Passage (Corte Madera & San Francisco)
The Booksmith (San Francisco)
Books Inc. (various Bay Area Locations)
Pegasus Books (Berkeley & Oakland)
Hicklebee's Children's Books (San Jose)
A Great Good Place For Books (Oakland)
Kepler's Books (Menlo Park) 
Diesel, A Bookstore (Oakland)   
Orinda Books (Orinda) 
I am attempting to make this a one stop place to find book signings in the San Francisco Bay Area! I will mostly focus on YA books, but I will also include some general fiction if I think it will be of interest.  I do not list non-fiction books (There are simply too many events of those to list).  I think this is an extensive list, but there is always the possibility that I missed an event (Hey, I'm human). If you think there is an event that I should include, please leave me a note in the comments section. Thanks.

All  book graphics have links to GoodReads so you can check them out.

As always, it is a good idea to call the store a day or two before to confirm that the scheduled event is still on.  I have learned that these events change constantly.