Matthew Amster-BurtonRezensionen

I'd read this when your baby is around 4 months old. The early part of this book captures some things I've learned the hard way in getting our baby started on solid food. When do you start? When she's staring at the food you put in your mouth. What do you feed her? The baby-friendly parts of whatever you're eating.

It's certainly flawed, but it's a light read about calm, happy parenting, and the recipes have actually been tested by home cooks.

I'm a toddler dad and casual fan of Japanese food and culture, and I liked this quite well. MAB gets on my nerves now and then, but I think it's just part of his authorial affect - I really appreciate his underlying perspective on parenting, food, and travel.

Nick told me this was a great book, so I gave it a try. A few pages in the author is talking about his daughter Iris, food, Seattle, and it hits me - I've read this author before! Awhile ago I read his book "Hungry Monkey" and found it utterly delightful, which boded well for me enjoying this book. Then, a chapter or two into this book, the author mentions his addiction to a manga series called "Oishinbo A la Carte" - I have the first book of the series waiting on my bedside table! All the forces were aligned to bring me to this book, and for me to fall in love with it. Done and done.

This was so interesting as it was written in 2 hour increments by so many authors who wrote in a public setting one after the other. I wanted to write a chapter, too. More of a read for how a book could be a collective writing and for the experience.

This was a pretty charming and funny "blog turned book" by a food writer with a hilarious/precocious kid. It mostly made me want to write down everything my kid says (well, once he starts talking, so this is a futuristic want) in the hopes that I can write a charming and funny book about him. The food sounded good although most of it was meaty and alas, did not do my vegetarian household much good. There's a chapter in here about the author being the only man who has to be "snack mom" for his daughter's preschool since he's the only stay at home dad that my husband found pretty amusing.

Light and fun. A good, episodic book for filling free moments. Reminded me of Japan.

> If I were married to a tempura chef, I would encourage her not to shower after work. Perhaps this is what Napoleon meant when he wrote Josephine, "Ne te lave pas. J'arrive."

So wanted to like this!

36 authors, 1 story

I want to go to Japan and EAT.
I want to go to Japan and EAT with Iris.

Honestly not sure how to feel about this book. It wasn't what I expected, so I think that my own expectations (and to be honest, my experience with the ebook publisher) filtered my experience with this story too much to be an honest reviewer. However, if you enjoy books with a quirky atmosphere and don't mind consciously knowing when a story changes authorial hands, then you might very well enjoy it!

Somewhere in the middle of the chapter about chicken on a stick (yakatori), I realized that I was completely sold on Tokyo, Japanese food, and this book. A fun (and funny) read that renewed my childhood fascination with all things Japan.

I love books that reinforce my own prejudices, and this book does so in spades. I love books that star people I know and like. I especially love books that make me laugh and follow my family around to read aloud to them. Amster-Burton strikes all the right notes in this memoir-cookbook hybrid. He's wryly hilarious and sweet without being treacly. His recipes are clear and readable and mostly appetizing, though I remain unconvinced regarding polenta. His loving, warm descriptions of his 4-year-old daughter may come back to haunt him when she's a teenager (Oh. My. God. Dad, how *could* you?) but it will have been worth it to the rest of us. Highly recommended for people who have ever had children or have ever been children.

My initial interest in this book came about through my love of Karen Finneyfrock's poetry, but it grew once I learned that this book was created as a part of The Novel: Live. The project was an attempt to have 36 writers take part in a week-long writing marathon live on stage, in which the story would be passed from writer to writer and result in a complete novel. Hotel Angeline is the result of those efforts.

Due to the nature of its creation, there are some holes in the plot here and there and some slight disjointedness, and you definitely get a taste of each writer's style (one author presented their chapter in comic book format), which was most recognizable in the dialog. But I was surprised by just how coherent the story is. Each chapter is by a different author and most are written from Alexis' point of view, but her character remained consistent. She's a girl caught up in the madness of her situation, who becomes very lost very quickly.

There are a slew of interesting characters, including a woman who lives as a pirate, Habib the rave, LJ the not-all-there hippy, and many more. If you ignore the unique process of creation, you still have a good story thats twists into surprising and unexpected directions with an unlimately satisfying conclusion. A good read.

I didn't expect to like Hotel Angeline. After the first couple of chapters I was tempted to put it down. OK, it was funny and a brave effort at performance art by 36 authors writing in 2-hour stretches in front of an audience, but that doesn't make it a great or even a good novel, right? I was very frustrated by the inability of Alexis to learn from the people around her what her reality was. Are all 14-year olds this dense?! Somewhere around the middle of the book, I began to care about her, to hope that she would somehow get herself out of this unholy mess. Finally, I began to see her yearning for normalcy, the desire to be a child again - protected, cared for, loved. We all wish for this sometimes and I am glad that Alexis had the good fortune to find a way. Definitely worth it in the end.½

Alexis Austin is taking care of the tenants of the Hotel Angeline in her mother's absence, an absence that Alexis doesn't want anybody to figure out just quite yet. The tenants of the Hotel are a great big mixed eclectic bag of eccentrics who rely maybe a little too heavily on Alexis (and before her, her mother) but who make up the only family that Alexis has ever known. Alexis is too young to have all this responsibility (she's only a teenager, after all), but to her, the alternative is grim to say the least. There's a reason that Alexis doesn't want people to find out where her mother is. However, when Alexis finds out that her uncle may be trying to purchase the Angeline out from under her and the tenants and that he needs to speak to her mother, Alexis finds her life quickly unraveling at the seams and it takes a series of slightly implausible events and the love of her "adopted" family at the Hotel for her to be able to make her life livable again.

OK, so this book took me forever to read. Through most of the book, I had a hard time finding it kept my attention for more than a chapter at a time, and that was being generous. I think part of that had to do with the same fact that held me to reading it; the book is written by a total of 36 authors from the Seattle area. The book was written during an event called The Novel, Live!, where 36 authors, over the span of 6 days, wrote a novel, each taking a chapter at a time. The whole idea was broadcast over the internet and was a fundraiser to help fight illiteracy. The idea was very cool, and the novel, while feeling rather disjointed throughout, is still an impressive feat. The authors had a basic plot to follow, and each was allowed to read what the previous author had written, and then they knew where their chapter was supposed to take them, but other than that, each author had free reign to more or less write whatever they wanted. I think this is what made the novel so long for me to read. There was the definite plot running through the whole thing, but sometimes the chapters didn't quite seem to line up with each other, as each author's distinct writing flavor took over at each new chapter. I will admit, however, that by the end of the story, I was surprised to find myself attached to Alexis and the tenants of the Hotel Angeline and was concerned and happy for their outcomes.

I'm impressed with the whole thing, and if they ever do another one of these I'll definitely read it, but I'm hoping that the next would maybe have a little more tighter editing, maybe? I don't know, just something to make it all seem a little more cohesive as a whole.

Recommended if you enjoy something along the line of experimental writing.½

What a great concept! 36 chapters by 36 authors in 6 days. I loved it! There were some chapters/authors that weren't as great as others, but overall it was a fun read.

I will admit that if I read the book without knowing the gimmick, I would have thought it a bit disjointed, but knowing what I was getting into just made it fun.

Quite a feat - that I didn't realize that this book was written by multiple authors until I finished it! This might have been because I was reading an early reviewers copy on my kindle - and assumed the random names at throughout the book were reviewers - but I didn't even notice a change in writing style or theme! Definitely an enjoyable read

I was very interested in receiving this book. What a concept, a novel by 36 authors! Given the time line it was well put together and the story flowed well. It was quite easy to get the feel of each writers style without losing the readers interest. My favorite chapter was the dream sequence, which was a visual departure from the rest of the book.
I do feel rather badly to add a criticism to a project that was a experiment and a fund raiser but I was reminded of the school projects that our teachers all ways had us do this novel really did read as a juvenile book. Maybe I missed something and that was the object of the novel.
All in all a quick fun read½

In late 2010, 36 well-known Seattle authors came together to write a novel as part of a local arts festival. A book designed by committee? Nope. The overall book plot was planned by Garth Stein and Jennie Shortridge, along with the goals for each chapter. Each author was then assigned a chapter and met with an editor to ensure everyone was on the same track. And then each author wrote their assigned chapter on a public stage in Seattle during their 2-hour time period. Knowing all of this, I was intrigued by the idea but I was still skeptical that it could result in something I’d enjoy reading. To read the rest of my review, go to http://popcornreads.com/?p=1146

What a novel (no pun intended) idea! A book written by different authors. I am always on the prowl for different types of books and this hit the bull's eye for me, quirky enough to keep me guessing.

It's not unusual for me to predict where a story will go which often kinda spoils the ending for me. That did not happen this time. I felt that each chapter was unpredictable even though, at times I thought , the writing was a little uneven, expected when you have a variety of personalities and sensibilities writing.

That being said, I would recommend the book to other readers. In fact, I have!

Hotel Angeline is a fascinating experiment in writing -- crafted by 36 different authors in front of an audience through the course of a week, it's certainly not your typical book. I love the premise, and I enjoyed the opportunity to examine the differences in each chapter and each author's portrayal of the characters as the story progressed. If you are interested in immersing yourself completely in a story, this may not be the book for you. With each chapter comes a new writing style, the characters' voices change noticeably, and the pacing has many fits and starts that made it difficult for me to become absorbed in the book. This is not to say that there isn't some wonderful writing in these chapters -- the characters are fun and quirky and the plot has many unexpected twists.

Overall, I'm happy I read Hotel Angeline, but I'm also happy to be done with it so that I can move on to a more evenly written novel.

Death can arrive abruptly and unexpectedly, and it could not come at an inopportune time for Alexis and the family-owned Hotel Angeline. Left to her own devices, how is a 14-year-old supposed to take care of herself and figure out how to prevent anyone from selling the hotel? The answer lies in the hands of 36 authors who tackle the challenge of writing about the same characters and story but still putting their own unique twists and turns.

Hotel Angeline reminds me that I still need to read Naked Came The Manatee at some point. I think these Seattle writers have pulled together a good story that will delight those of us who love a good surprise turn of events, which include a few illustrations or two. The writing is unquestionably splendid, and Alexis stayed in character despite being passed from one author to the next. I only wished there had been a little more humor stirred into the story, but understandably multiple authors from multiple genres may have difficulty with writing the same comedic energy and that would destroy the fluidity of the story.

An entertaining story about a young girl (fifteen) whose mother dies leaving her to care for an aging hotel and an equally old set of long term quirky hotel residents. Of course she is much too young for this responsibility but, has inherited a misunderstood sense of loyalty to both the old hotel and the eccentric residents. I was impressed that thirty six authors could put together this entire book in six days working from a coordinating center in Seattle. It was a work of charity for raising awareness of Northwest literature and give back to the community by doing good works for the literacy causes. The cooperating authors gave their time, creative efforts and cooperation to complete this notable effort. I was amazed that the characters continuity was so faithfully maintained throughout the work. The test was to see if you could recognize the changes in voice as the story progressed but, I became so engrossed in the story, I lost track of that objective and just enjoyed the flow of the story. Kudos I say! I just loved the characters.

The concept for this novel is a twist on the writing process more than a twist on plot or character; thirty-six writers from the Seattle area each wrote one chapter (and I think the whole novel was written, in public, in a week). For a literary experiment in collective authorship, this is lots of fun. It concerns a young girl who lives in a hotel with her mother and the requisite collection of bizarre boarders, mostly hippies. After an unfortunate incident, the girl is left in charge of the hotel, and must discover secrets about her past. I read it on a long plane trip; it requires the perfect level of concentration for a beach or airplane read. Especially for $1.99 on Kindle. It didn't ask me for more time than it was worth, and entertained throughout.½

What happens when you cross improvisational theatre with a literary event looking to create a truly collaborative novel? For me, the answer to that question is Hotel Angeline, a novel written in chapters penned by each of 36 participating authors - including two chapters with a graphic approach to the story - over the course of 6 days. A writing marathon, if you will. The end result: a fun, refreshing and quirky coming-of-age story that has its unexpected left turns while still retaining a unified, collective voice.

The story focuses on 14 year-old Alexis Austin, our narrator. Alexis lives in the Hotel Angeline, a run down residential hotel/apartment building her mother Edith runs, with Alexis' assistance, on Seattle's Capitol Hill. The Hotel Angeline has an interesting past, as a former mortuary, and an eccentric group of residents that are as much a part of the building as the creaky stairs and the bad plumbing. While only fourteen, Alexis has been doing more around the hotel to help out since her mom became sick. When one of the residents, LJ, informs Alexis of a phone message he took for Alexis' mom, Alexis takes on adult responsibilities in an effort to keep the life she knows at the Hotel Angeline.

That is all I will mention about the plot as it is difficult to summarize the plot without giving away the interesting plot developments. I loved this novel for a number of reasons. First off, The characters are fantastic. Second, the story is unpredictable, which provided an extra level of interest for me as I am not a fan of formula plots where I can predict what will happen next. Third, it is not just a coming-of-age story. It has a nice mix of mystery, YA, fantasy, comedy and tragedy. Lastly, I loved the fact that you could feel the story shift and develop in unique and wonderful ways under the pen of each author as they took they turn picking up the story where their fellow authors had left off, and just running with it!

If you are expecting exceptional literature, well, as mentioned in the forward written by Garth Stein, "It was never our intention to accomplish in six days what took James Joyce eighteen years to accomplish with Ulysses; we knew we were not writing a literary masterpiece. It was our intention to build a solid, fun story that was a collaboration between three dozen writers, various editors, and an audience both live and virtual - what we created was a community." I think the group hit their mark with Hotel Angeline and I can confidently say that this is a novel I recommend for anyone that is looking for a fun, offbeat and endearing coming of age story.