Jemez Springs, New Mexico
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September 25, 2013
September 17, 2013
Bloggy Break
Rod and I are heading to New Mexico for an early 25th anniversary getaway! I'll be back with lots of photos early next week.
September 15, 2013
Calling Me Home
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
Fiction
2013 Blackstone Audio
Readers: Bahni Turpin and Lorna Raver
Finished 7/25/13
Rating: 4.5/5 (Terrific!)
If Julie Kibler's novel Calling Me Home were a young woman, her grandmother would be To Kill a Mockingbird, her sister would be The Help and her cousin would be The Notebook. But even with such iconic relatives, Calling Me Home stands on her own; this novel uncovers a painful past that tells us so much about who we are, where we're going, and the people who are traveling with us. –Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of A Land More Kind Than Home
Publisher’s Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Isabelle McAllister longs to escape the confines of her northern Kentucky hometown, but after her family's housekeeper's son rescues her from a Newport drunk, the boundaries seem smaller than ever.
Falling for a black boy in late 1930s Kentucky isn't just illegal, it's dangerous. Signs at the city limits warn Negroes, “Don’t let the sun set on you here.” Despite repeated warnings, Isabelle and Robert disregard the racial divide, starting a chain of events that threatens jobs, lives, and generations to come.
Decades later, black hairstylist Dorrie Curtis agrees to drive her elderly white client cross-country to a funeral. Over the years, Miss Isabelle has become more than just a customer, but the timing couldn't be worse. First, Dorrie's seeing a man she's afraid she could fall for, but one thing is more obvious than ever: Trust is not her strong suit. Second, she knows her teenager's in big trouble; he just hasn’t told her yet.
When a phone call from home confirms Dorrie's fears, Miss Isabelle's tale of forbidden love illuminates Dorrie’s dilemma, merging the past and present in a journey with unexpected detours and a bittersweet destination.
I’ve always been an avid reader, but prior to joining online book groups and blogging, I’m not sure where I found recommendations for a good book. I think more than anything else, I relied heavily on the publisher blurb and the praises on the back covers of books. Now, whenever I start to think about all the extra time I’d have to read if I were to give up blogging (posting as well as following), I remember all the great recommendations I’ve found through my blogmates, particularly those for audio books. I’ve listened to 13 audio books this year and most of those were chosen based on reviews and recommendations by other bloggers. I’ve really come to rely on JoAnn, Joy, Trish, Kathy, Diane, Juli and Staci for my on-going audio fix!
I first learned about Julie Kibler’s debut novel, Calling Me Home, from JoAnn (of Lakeside Musing). She wrote:
Multiple reader productions are usually a hit with me. In Calling Me Home, two stellar narrators team up to deliver an audio performance that is sheer perfection. I enjoyed Bahni Turpin in both The Help and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, but Lorna Raver, a popular reader whose name I instantly recognized, was a new narrator for me. I have since added several of her other credits to my audio wish list.
This (and her 5-star rating) was all I needed to read. I loved Turpin in the audio production of The Help and I recently discovered Raver while listening to The Aviator’s Wife. Both of these women are now among my favorite audio readers. Once I downloaded the book from my library and started listening while shelving books at work, I was completely hooked! Once again, JoAnn’s recommendation did not disappoint. I laughed out loud and felt my heartstrings tugged, and yet this is not a sentimental story. It’s a compelling story, rich with authentic characters and dialogue, full of thought-provoking themes, and one which I can strongly recommend to readers looking for a meaty book to discuss with friends or a book club.
Calling Me Home is not only about racism and forbidden love, but also about trust and the power of friendship. While it’s difficult to mark passages while listening to an audio book, I did take note of this:
It’s funny how sometimes you find a friend— in the likely places—and almost immediately, you can talk about anything. But more often than not, after the initial blush, you find you really have nothing in common. With others, you believe you’ll never be more than acquaintances. You’re so different, after all. But then this thing surprises you, sticking longer than you ever predicted, and you begin to rely on it, and that relationship whittles down your walls, little by little, until you realize you know that one person better than almost anyone. You’re really and truly friends.
Final Thoughts:
In a perfect world, this book would not exist because, in such a world, there would be no conflict here, and hence no story. In a perfect world, the color of one’s skin (or for that matter, one's gender) should not be an issue when it comes to love and marriage. In a perfect world, the right to marry should not be dictated by bigotry, ignorance or fear. While we may never live in a perfect world, we’ve certainly come a long way. Highly recommend!
Click here to read an excerpt.
September 11, 2013
September 8, 2013
The Violets of March
The Violets of March by Sarah Jio
Fiction
2011 Plume
Finished on 7/22/13
Rating: 3/5 (Fair)
Publisher’s Blurb:
In a mystical place where violets bloom out of season and the air is salt drenched, a heartbroken woman stumbles upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.
In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world; she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.
Nearly a decade later, the tide has turned on Emily’s good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.
A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and an intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.
Sarah Jio and her debut novel, The Violets of March, have been on my reading radar for a couple of years now, thanks to a few of my favorite bloggers. After returning home from two wonderful vacations in the Pacific Northwest, I decided there was no better time to give the book a read and return to Bainbridge Island.
How is it that Pam, Marcia, Staci and Kay all loved this novel and I came away from it feeling so let down? Unlike the others, I found the opening chapters lacking in substance and the overall story somewhat trite. The mystery is convoluted and I spent far too much effort trying to figure out which current day character might be representative of the people mentioned in the diary. This is a quick read, but it was a bit too fluffy for me.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re in the mood for a light, fluffy read this might be just the ticket. I don't know if I'll ever try any other books by Jio, but I do know that I'll return to Bainbridge Island!
September 4, 2013
September 2, 2013
The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Teen Fiction
2012 Dutton
Finished 7/17/13
Rating: 4.75/5 (Outstanding)
Publisher’s Blurb:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
I’m not a very eclectic reader. I tend to stick to general fiction, mysteries, and memoirs. Every once in a while, I’ll pick up a book about World War II or a highly recommended science fiction novel, and this past year I’ve joined my granddaughter in some young readers. But I don’t usually read teen fiction. Oh, I got sucked into the Twilight series, as well as The Hunger Games, but I wouldn’t consider myself an avid fan. The teenage angst annoys me and I find myself getting impatient with the drawn out tension between the characters. However, in just three months, I’ve read three teen novels. Three! Since the first two were such big winners, and after hearing so much praise for John Green’s works, I decided to give The Fault in Our Stars a try. I didn’t read the jacket blurb and I ignored all the online reviews and dove in cold. Well, I knew it was about two teens with cancer, but that was it.
In a word, this was unputdownable! After only reading 70 pages, I knew I wanted to read everything by Green.
Yes, it’s sad (ok, heartbreaking) and it made me cry, but it’s a beautifully rendered story about friendship and first loves and, yes, loss. The writing is intelligent and humorous. The dialogue is authentic and tight. The characters come to life and I came to care about Hazel Grace and Augustus as if they were people I knew.
But I can’t tell you any more. It’s a book you have to discover for yourselves. And if I can’t convince you, take a look at all the accolades this novel has received:
TIME Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of 2012
An Entertainment Weekly Best Fiction Book of 2012
John Green is one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year, 2012
#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
International Bestseller
#1 Children’s Indiebound Pick
New York Times Editor’s Choice
The Huffington Post Best Books of 2012
A Booklist Books for Youth Editor’s Choice
The Horn Book Fanfare List
A Publishers Weekly Best Book
A School Library Journal Best Book
Unprecedented EIGHT starred reviews
And, from the author of one of my all-time favorite books ever:
A novel of life and death and the people caught in between, The Fault in our Stars is John Green at his best. You laugh, you cry, and then you come back for more.– Markus Zusak, bestselling and Printz Honor–winning author of The Book Thief
Final Thoughts:
When I realized I had turned to the final page, I cried out, “No!” I wanted more. I wasn’t ready to leave these people and their story. So, I will buy a copy for my keeper shelf and I will read this book again. And I will share it with my granddaughter when she’s older. And I will anxiously await the release of the movie.
August 28, 2013
August 26, 2013
Mailbox Monday
I've been trying to ignore all the new ARCs at work (and I haven't requested any from Shelf Awareness for months), so my stack for the past month or so is pretty meager. But I'm not complaining. I have more than enough to read! As a matter of fact, looking back on my last Mailbox Monday post (dated February 2013), I am embarrassed to admit that I have not read one single book from that large stack! And looking back even further (Mailbox Monday dated July 2012), I realize that I've only read four of those books. You all know how that goes, though, right?
So, I'm hoping to get to these three gems before my next Mailbox Monday post. I'm a big fan of Joyce Maynard and quickly snatched up the ARC of After Her when it arrived at work earlier this summer. I thoroughly enjoyed Labor Day, which I read almost four years ago, but my all-time favorite is The Usual Rules. That coming-of-age novel hit my Top Ten List for 2005 and it's one that I hope to find time to eventually re-read.
My dear friend and fellow blogger, Bellezza, sent me a copy of Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. As you might recall, I fell in love with Rowell's Eleanor and Park earlier this summer and will make certain to read Attachments before the end of the year. As a matter of fact, I may just have to jump right into it as soon as I finish my current book.
Bellezza, ever so generous, also sent me a copy of Beth Hoffman's Looking for Me. I wasn't as enamored with Saving CeeCee Honeycutt as other readers, but Bellezza has convinced me to give Hoffman's latest novel a chance. I think she knows me well and I trust her judgement, so I'm happy to give this book (with its lovely cover art) a read.
Many thanks to Bellezza for the lovely books and big thank you to Kathy of BermudaOnion's for hosting this week's Mailbox Monday.
What's in your mailbox this week?
Click on the links to go to my earlier reviews.
August 25, 2013
The Sunday Salon
It's been at least a couple of years since I've participated in The Sunday Salon, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to catch up on a variety of topics, with hopes of rejuvenating my blogging mojo. If you've been a faithful follower, you might have noticed that the majority of recent posts have been photographs. While I haven't been reading nearly as much as usual, I still have several books to review. They are:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (loved it!)
The Violets of March by Sarah Jio (not as good as anticipated)
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler (wonderful audio book)
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (can't wait to read more by this author!)
The Good House by Ann Leary (perfect reader for the audio)
It's been nice to have a lot of winners in the stacks, although I did give up on a couple, as well:
Run by Ann Patchett (couldn't get interested)
Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas and Found Happiness by Dominique Browning (yawn)
I'm currently reading Sea Creatures by Susanna Daniel (author of Stiltsville). I loved her debut novel, but have yet to be sucked into this one. However, I'm holding out hope. I love the Florida setting!
I haven't been listening to very many audio books this month, as I've been on vacation since the 10th. (I typically listen to audios during the first two hours of my shift at the bookstore.) Yesterday, on my drive home from the Omaha airport, I started Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides. This non-fiction title came highly recommended after a good friend learned about my upcoming trip to New Mexico. I've only listened to a little less than an hour, so I'm anxious to get back to it and see what's in store for Kit Carson.
In other news, it is hot, hot, hot! And windy! We've been very fortunate this summer, enjoying lots of mild temps and rain, but August and September are typically brutal. It looks like we'll be in the upper 90s/triple digits for the next five days. I'm already longing for fall and, yes, winter.
In spite of the heat, I spent a large chunk of my day sitting on the porch with a cool drink and my current book. Our 11-year-old granddaughter was here for two weeks and flew back home yesterday morning. We had another awesome summer visit with this sweet girl and I was feeling a little lonely. She's such a smart, articulate, funny, and thoughtful person. I thoroughly enjoy her companionship and wish she lived closer! Anyhow, I probably should have run to the grocery store and done some housework, but I threw my back out on the last day of our road trip and I've been trying to take it easy, hoping it will feel better so I can return to work tomorrow! Hard to ignore all the dust bunnies and dog hair from the past two weeks, though.
I plan to post pictures from our five-day road trip to South Dakota (Black Hills and the Badlands) later this week. We had a great time, with the exception of the last day. Not only was my back killing me, but the drive home from Valentine, Nebraska is long and boring. We were all happy to get home and sleep in comfortable beds!
If you've read this far, you deserve a couple of photos, don't you think?
Alliance, Nebraska
Beautiful granddaughter
(soon to be in Middle School!)
Stretching our legs!
South Dakota
South Dakota
Valentine, Nebraska
And now it's time to head out to the porch with my book and a glass of wine. I hope you all have a wonderful week!
August 21, 2013
August 14, 2013
August 9, 2013
Under the Dome
Under the Dome by Stephen King
Fiction
2009 Scribner eBook
Finished on 7/9/13
Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)
Synopsis:
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away.
Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a selectwoman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.
I’ve read quite a few books by Stephen King, but I’m not a diehard fan who anxiously awaits his new releases. I’ve never read the Dark Tower series, and I’ve let a lot of his early works go unread. However, I’ve enjoyed quite a few from his extensive backlist (a list of my favorites can be found here), but it’s been six years since I visited King’s scary world. And, as I re-read my review for Dreamcatcher, I noticed that it had been many, many years since I’d read anything by King. I suspect the length of his more recent works has something to do with this. When Under the Dome was released, I gave it a cursory glance, but was put off by the sheer enormity of the novel. But I’ve recently read a few chunksters (The Passage and The Twelve), so when a few blogmates suggested a read-along, I decided it was time to give it a try. I chose to read the book on my husband’s Simple Touch, which turned out to be a blessing and a curse. I doubt I would have hauled that tome (1088 pages in the paperback edition) around with me on vacation, but I was frustrated with King’s large cast of characters and trying to sort out their relationships was more difficult with the eBook. I’m used to being able to flip back and forth in a book and it took me longer than normal to get a sense of who was important and who was a throw-away character. I also kept glancing down at the page number (a total of 1349 in the eBook), feeling anxious that it was going to take me forever to finish the book. Well, it wasn’t forever, but it did wind up taking me 6 weeks! The first half was a challenge, but once I hit the halfway mark, I was fully engrossed and couldn’t put it down. With that said, though, I also couldn’t wait to start reading something new!
Overall, I enjoyed the storyline, and was somewhat relieved that it wasn’t a typical horror story. I could read the book at night, walk my dog without getting freaked out by the storm drains, and look through a photo album without worrying about the people coming to life. I also liked the frequent nods to other books (Alas, Babylon; On the Beach; and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series) and writers in general. Fun stuff! I didn’t spend too much time trying to figure out the cause of the Dome and was a bit let down with the final explanation, but not so much that it ruined the experience of reading such a long book.
Final Thoughts:
A big thanks to Natalie from Coffee and a Book Chick for hosting the DomeAlong. Also, a huge thank you to Trish and SuziQ for keeping me motivated via Twitter. Without their encouragement, I may have quit long before I got hooked. While I enjoyed reading Under the Dome, I’ve decided to skip the TV series. I’ve heard it’s based very loosely on the novel and I have a feeling I’d wind up disappointed. Maybe after a year or so, when the story isn’t as fresh, I can give it a try.
August 7, 2013
August 3, 2013
The Aviator's Wife
The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin
Fiction – Historical
2013 Random House Audio
Reader: Lorna Raver
Finished 7/4/13
Rating: 4.75/5 (Terrific!)
From the author’s website:
For much of her life, Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister, who often steals the spotlight. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles's assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong.
Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever. The two marry in a headline-making wedding. Hounded by adoring crowds and hunted by an insatiable press, Charles shields himself and his new bride from prying eyes, leaving Anne to feel her life falling back into the shadows. In the years that follow, despite her own major achievements—she becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States—Anne is viewed merely as the aviator's wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life's infinite possibilities for change and happiness.
Drawing on the rich history of the twentieth century—from the late twenties to the mid-sixties—and featuring cameos from such notable characters as Joseph Kennedy and Amelia Earhart, The Aviator's Wife is a vividly imagined novel of a complicated marriage—revealing both its dizzying highs and its devastating lows. With stunning power and grace, Melanie Benjamin provides new insight into what made this remarkable relationship endure.
I believe I may have been a fighter pilot in another life. I’ve always been fascinated with jets and especially marveled at their amazing speed when I lived in Southern California. We were often treated to flybys when we lived in Tierrasanta, which is southeast of Miramar Air Station (formerly known as “Fightertown USA”). While most of my girlfriends were drooling over Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer in the infamous volleyball scene in Top Gun, I was getting my thrills watching the mock dogfights with F14s, flown by Maverick (Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards).
I was also a huge fan of the Blue Angels, attending their air shows at Miramar, but also enjoying their practice runs as they prepared for their shows, flying low over University Towne Centre when I worked for a biotech company in the area. I never grew tired of watching those amazing jets as they flew overhead, practicing their formations, startling as the roar of the jets approached.
The irony, though, is that I am actually afraid of flying. But, apparently, I’m in the minority, at least in my family. You see, I come from a long line of pilots. My great Uncle Kris flew in the Air Force (retired as a General), as well as for Pan American Airlines. My great Uncle Ed (he and Uncle Kris were married to my grandmother’s sisters) flew in the Army Air Corps during WWII and the Korean War and was also a pilot for Pan Am. Both of Uncle Kris’ sons flew; Kraig was a Navy pilot, flying off aircraft carriers and Kris was an Army helicopter pilot.
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Nate Searles
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Nate and Mardi Searles
My grandfather was also a pilot. He started out flying biplanes in the Army Air Corps and flew for Pan Am, flying to South America doing mapping and also carrying passengers. He flew the Clipper ships to Hawaii and wound up flying 707s, all for Pan Am. It was when he was with Pan Am that he met Charles Lindbergh. My grandparents always had big Christmas parties and Lindbergh was invited to come to their home in Woodside, California in 1947. My mom, who was 14 years old, got his autograph, which I now have framed and hanging in my house.
So, that was a very long-winded way of telling you that I’ve always been fascinated with flying in general and with the Lindberghs in particular. I tried to read Bring Me a Unicorn: Diaries and Letters of Anne Morrow Lindbergh 1922-1928 many years ago, but couldn’t get past the first few chapters. I didn’t abandon hope, though, and later went on to listen to her classic memoir, Gift from the Sea, which I thought was marvelous. When Melanie Benjamin’s historical novel, The Aviator’s Wife, was released, I knew I’d have to give it a try. I listened to the audio and thought it was exceptionally good. Yet, as I became completely immersed in Anne’s world, I grew to dislike her husband more with each passing chapter. Some may argue that he was a product of the times, but I say he was a complete cad! There’s a part of me that’s almost embarrassed to have his framed autograph hanging in my home, but in spite of his seemingly fascist political views and numerous infidelities, one can’t argue that he wasn’t a genuine aviation hero. But it was Anne’s story that appealed to me and I look forward to a second reading of Gift from the Sea. I’m also curious about their children, especially daughter Reeve, and have her memoirs, Under a Wing and Forward from Here, in my stacks, which I hope to get to later this fall. I’m not sure, but I may eventually try Scott Berg’s Lindbergh, although it’s not high on my list.
Charles and Anne Lindbergh
Anne and baby Charles
Final Thoughts: There are so many new historical novels focusing on the wives and lovers of famous men and I was a bit skeptical about The Aviator's Wife, having had a slightly disappointing experience with The Paris Wife. I was hesitant about reading The Aviator’s Wife, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It’s an excellent novel and audio book! I was familiar with the bits and pieces of trivia/gossip centered on this famous family, but Benjamin brought their stories to life and I learned a great deal, inspiring me to read even more about their lives. I wish I belonged to a book club. This would make an excellent choice for a lively discussion! Highly recommend!
Audio Notes: Lorna Raver’s performance is exceptional and I look forward to listening to more books read by her. As a matter of fact, the next book on my Nano was Calling Me Home, read by Lorna Raver. What a lovely surprise!
July 30, 2013
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