Birchwood Inn » Books

Read Any Good Books Lately? Yes, I Have!

Ellen Chenaux — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:42:13 +0000

When I was growing up, one of my favorite places was the old Barron Library in Woodbridge, NJ. The architect had built churches but never a library so the Barron looked like a church. But it smelled deliciously like old books.

Step into Birchwood Inn’s spacious library, and you instantly know I’m a life-long avid reader. I love books. I love authors. And my tastes are eclectic – literature, fiction, poetry, non-fiction, biographies, autobiographies. Science fiction? Not so much. And I always have book or Kindle with me.

Read any good books lately? I just so happen to have read, am reading, and will be reading a number of excellent books in the past few weeks. Here are a few of my summer reading recommendations:

If you think you have/had an unconventional family, think again. Blood Bones and Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton, the owner/chef of Prune in Brooklyn, had a most unusual childhood and a unconventional young adulthood, which all comes to together to create this acclaimed chef and writer. Gabrielle’s “story is told with uncommon honesty, grit, humor, and passion.”

Ayana Mathis, a treasured guest, has written her first novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, which could also be entitled The Twelve Trials and Tribulations of Hattie. This story of a black mother of 11 children in Philadelphia was Oprah’s second Book Club 2.0 selection. Each child is unique and troubled yet engaging in his or her own way. Hattie begins with a tragedy and ends on somewhat of a hopeful note. Ayana truly has an elegant way with words – dead leaves hanging like bats from the trees, and I can’t wait to re-read this book, just as I can’t wait to see Ayana and her partner Nikki at Birchwood Inn again.

Sitting on my night table is my next read. Another extra-special guest is J. Courtney Sullivan, whose third novel, Engagements, is just out. Her first novel, Commencement, was set at her alma mater Smith College. Her second, Maine, was selected by TIME as one of the 10 best books of the year. Engagements captures four unique marriages and the different reasons people marry.

My childhood friend Marc Mappen has written five books on New Jersey, and his latest book, Prohibition Gangsters: The Rise and Fall of a Bad Generation, has a wider focus – those fascinating gangsters of the Prohibition era.

What are you reading? What’s on your night table?

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here Read Any Good Books Lately? Yes, I Have!.

We Girls Have A Lot to Celebrate in March

Ellen Chenaux — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:20:15 +0000

Quinn says: Even though the only thing I write is this blog (I have other priorities such as rolling in the snow — yes, it’s still here! — alerting my mom to certain sounds, looking cute to get cookies, greeting guests at the door), I am celebrating my voice and the voices of other Berkshire women writers this month.

Yes, The First Ever Berkshire Festival of Women Writers takes place throughout the Berkshires from March 1 to April 1. Workshops. Readings. Exhibits. This is going to be FAN-tastic!

Come celebrate with us!

www.simons-rock/iwd

Innkeeper Ellen meets Ruth Reichl, local author, former NYT food critic, former editor of Gourmet, and the ultimate foodie.

TRAVELS WITH QUINN

Ellen Chenaux — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:54:03 +0000

I know it has been a long stretch between posts, but it was a very busy summer! Lots of wonderful guests giving Piper and myself lots of love, toys, and treats, not to mention the crumbs in the dining room.

This was the summer we put an end to Piper’s Lenox wanderings with an Invisible Fence. I really didn’t think it would work for my most stubborn canine friend, but it did and in record time! She only needed two or three “adjustments” (broke Ellen’s heart). For a week or so, Piper was neurotic, refusing to go outside! But nature eventually took its course, and she has become a homebody. I will really miss the lobster shells she used to find and bring home!

Just after Labor Day, Ellen and I drove to Philly to participate in a photo shoot. In the spring, Ellen and seven other innkeepers (who share a passion for food) from across the US have created a blog, www.bedandbreakfastfoodie.com, with their best recipes. The “Eight Broads” descended on Philly friends for the event. Each of the innkeepers wore a T-shirt saying “Foodie” on the front and “Eight Broads in the Kitchen” on the back. What am I? Chopped liver? Not! I had my own T-shirt that said “Eight Broads and A Dog!” I’ll post photos shortly. We set up our shots and did lots of posing but most of all we had a lot of laughs.

Then Ellen and I set off for the Jersey Shore and some quality beach time. It was not to be. We had bad vacation karma, with the beginning, middle and end of a viscous nor’easter!Ellen read a great vacation novel, The Help, and highly recommends it. We did manage to get to two of Ellen’s favorite Shore restaurants, Red’s in Point Pleasant, and Klein’s in Belmar.

We’re back at the inn, and having an early but great fall. The leaves are changing, and the colors are brilliant. According to leaf-peeping experts, this is going to be one “wow” foliage due to the never-ending summer rains. Come and see for yourself!

A Must Read

Ellen Chenaux — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:37:01 +0000

I’m sorry to interrupt you, Quinn, but I would like to tell your fans about a wonderfully engaging book I just finished — Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brook’s People of the Book.

It happens to be a wonderful coincidence that I read this book just before Passover. The famed Sarajevo Haggadah (a Haggadah is the book read during the Passover Seder) is most likely more than 500 years old, and amazingly it has survived the Inquisition, exiles and wars.

The Haggadah was most likely created in Spain, and its journey to Sarajevo is shrouded in mystery. Brooks takes you on that journey, the one she that she imagines based on known facts.

Cuddle up with a Good Read

Ellen Chenaux — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:38:47 +0000

Big (hopefully last) snowstorm forecast. As you know, I can’t read but Ellen can and does! A lot! I have overheard her recommend a winter’s worth of reading. Grab some popcorn, light the fire, and curl up and read.

Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson. If Not Now, When?, Col. (Ret). Jack Jacobs (an old friend). A Mercy, Toni Morrison (actually anything by Toni Morrison). The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The Story of Edgar Sawtell, David Wroblewski – gripping! The Hour I First Believed, Wally Lamb, an incredible storyteller. [Gotta go. I smell popcorn!]