Some of you might remember last fall when Michelle of Bleeding Espresso and I kicked off a blog tour for Calabrian-American journalist and book author, Justin Catanoso. Justin’s debut book, My Cousin the Saint had just hit the shelves and my newly-found Calabria pride encouraged me to share this book-and the story of Calabria’s newest saint-with my little corner of the blogosphere.
 
I’ve actually had the book for some time, sitting on my bookshelf, with Padre Gaetano‘s hand-pained image and haloed face smiling out at me, but between other book reviews, Italian language classes and the non-stop adventures that come with life in Calabria, I hadn’t yet read it.
 
And I’m so glad I waited.
 
I am a strong believer in the power of timing and of the idea that things come to you when you most need them. You see, I wasn’t quite honest in my introduction when I told you it was my Calabria pride that motivated my previous posts. The truth is-I liked Justin. He is a newspaper man, the lone male in a family of women, a writer. He reminded me of my own father and for that, I wanted to see him succeed.
 
I can’t explain why I picked up the book when I did … perhaps it was motivated by my impending trip back to the US and by the fact I’d be returning to a home no longer shared with my father, but it resonated with me in ways I couldn’t have understood a year ago.
 
From Patrizia’s miracle description on page one, through Saint Gaetano’s vision of a better Calabria, to Justin’s personal struggle of coping with the loss of an immediate family member … I was absorbed. And I couldn’t stop reading.
 
I found myself laughing, biting my nails and crying-all on an airplane, thankyouverymuch-as the story of Justin’s American family intertwined with the Italian ancestors his grandfather had left behind. His depiction of southern Italy, both the landscape and its people, were flawless and more than once I recognized my own Italian family members in his descriptions.
 
But I think what resounded with me the most was Justin’s unending search for faith. Although I’ve spent my life as a more-devout-than-not Catholic, these last six months have challenged my faith, and I understood Justin’s doubts-and hopes!-that faith can be restored.
 
I’m not sure if he meant for his book to motivate Catholics or re-inspire the faithful, but I can’t help but think there is a humble, Calabrese parish priest who is happy about it … who is smiling down on us from above as he is hurriedly answers his newly-sainted hot line.
 
Want to learn more about My Cousin the Saint? You can peruse Justin’s photos of Reggio Calabria, the village of Chorio and Saint Gaetano’s canonization, visit Justin’s website or read other reviews. Want to read the book yourself? Click here to buy My Cousin the Saint-now available in paperback!
 
You can thank me later.
 
 
* My Cousin the Saint cover design: Emin Mancheril; photograph: Stefano Stefani / Getty Images
 

 
The best thing about living in a foreign country is the number of great people you meet. Expats abroad tend to form an alliance based on a mutual understanding, or in many cases misunderstanding of the new society and having that network is an invaluable source of comfort for many of us.
 
The second best thing about living in a foreign country is the new food … especially in a country like Italy, where fresh produce and homemade dishes are celebrated and appreciated. And expected!
 
So when you put best thing #1 with best thing #2 and you find a fellow expat who is not only a good listener and helpful friend, but who is also a fantastic chef with mouthwatering recipes … well, you’ve hit the mother load.
 
And so we have.
 
Judy Witts Francini has been a Tuscan chef for 25 years and although we have yet to meet in person, I’m looking forward to the day we can shake hands, or well, we are in Italy, so kiss cheeks, share a glass of wine and she can cook for me. (What? She’s a pro?)
 
Until that day, though I’ll have to get by with her new cookbook “Secrets From my Tuscan Kitchen.” And let me just say, I think I’ll manage just fine.
 

 
The cookbook is a collection of 93 of Judy’s favorite Tuscan recipes and features pasta and risotto dishes, second plate meals, recipes for homemade bread and pasta and an extensive dessert section.
 
I’ve already jumped into the book and prepared a few summer favorites while my husband is planning ahead for the cold-weather months to try some of the heartier Tuscan stews and soups … and he’s been eyeing her homemade gnocchi recipe, as well.
 
The recipes are in American measurements, but the front-of-the-book conversions make it easy to whip up these treats, regardless of which continent you are on.
 
So if you are looking for a new cookbook that won’t gather dust on your shelf, head over to DivinaCucina and order your copy today. Or better yet, buy two and share one with the Tuscan wanna-be chef in your life.
 
Buon Appetito!
 

 
Who’d have thought writing a book review could be such a tough thing? On the surface it is simple enough. You read a book, you either like it-or don’t like it, summarize your thoughts and tap ‘em out on your trusty ‘ole laptop.
 
It is not rocket surgery. Or brain science, as might be more the case with my latest read, The Cardboard Universe, by Christopher Miller. I struggled with the book. And with the direction of this review.
 
The dialogue-free Cardboard Universe is written in an encyclopedia format-522 pages!-and spoofs the life of sci-fi writer, Philip K. Dick. The novel chronicles the life of the fictitious author Phoebus K. Dank, who wrote 57 (official) novels, including ”Big Dick,” featuring a character named none other than, Philip K. Dick. It is all very clever.
 

 
The novel starts by introducing the dueling narrators, William “Bill” Boswell, an author, lecturer and ex-roommate of Dank who is widely considered the nation’s leading Dankian and Owen Hirt, a poet and onetime friend of Dank who is the lone suspect in the author’s murder.
 
As Boswell points out early in the encyclopedia’s preface, “Dank’s fiction was a lifelong effort to make sense of his own life …. his fiction was always heartfelt, and even the tales he set in other galaxies were usually provoked by doings in his own backyard.”
 
And I would expect no less. Writer’s often reflect on their lives and search within their inner circles for inspiration, and where I might find material at my local language school or by speaking with my Italian father-in-law, Dank was inspired to create alternative universes-where a woman can transplant her mind and memories to a new, younger, more slender body every two to three years (to deal with her eating disorder), where people agree to battle “Sadiators” (pronounced sad e aters) in a “suicide duel,” where the goal is to kill your opponent with sadness by spitting sharp-tongued comments at them until they kill themselves, or even his novel, “And How Will I Know You?” where a virus called “the Proteu strain” infects the world’s population so everyone’s physical characteristics change each night as they sleep.
 
I hereby proclaim Christopher Miller a creative genius. It is safe to say his imagination isn’t limited to the 57 book summaries he invents in The Cardboard Universe … and as I writer I admire that. I respect that. No, I’m actually in awe of that.
 
But even with my admiration of his talent and creativity, the book didn’t grab me. It didn’t pull me in. It didn’t make me want to miss sleep, skip meals or hide in the bathroom to get through the next entry. It was only when I stopped pushing myself to read each encyclopedia entry in chronological order-like you’d normally read a novel-that I was drawn in. I finally got the humor other book reviewers found and was able to enjoy the book.
 
The Cardboard Universe is especially recommend for sci-fi lovers or Philip K. Dick fans or for those of you who are willing to invest a little time and are looking for something different in your next book purchase.
 
Have you read The Cardboard Universe? What did you think of it? You can purchase your own copy here.
 
Buon Weekend!