Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/30/2014)

Saturday afternoon after a busy morning, I settled in on the glider on my back porch and read a little as Mouse played at her water and sand table. Not much reading actually got done, as you can imagine. Three year olds like attention.  Plus, there was a not to be missed tea party.  Still, it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Sunday we went to a local museum to check out the dinosaur eggs. It was not much of a museum, truth be told, and was rather disappointing. They had a Biblical Garden that we strolled through that has clearly seen better days. Mouse seemed to enjoy herself, just the same. The weather was perfect for being out and about.

It is hard to believe today is the last day of September. The month always flies by for me. Mouse is already talking nonstop about Halloween. We put up some of the decorations around the house this past weekend. Mouse wants to be a princess this year, and I have a feeling there will be no last minute changes like there were last year. Luckily, we still have last years dress which still fits her. One less expense to worry about. Somehow we have ended up with at least three or four crown choices. I am not sure where they all came from . . .

I finished reading A Penny for a Hangman by Tom Savage this weekend. I enjoyed the thriller, and look forward to sharing my thoughts with you in a couple weeks.

Yesterday I began reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters for the read-a-long hosted by Literate Housewife this coming month. Set in Victorian England, Fingersmith is the story of orphan Sue Trinder, who becomes a maid for a wealthy heiress in a plot to steal her fortune. I fell right into the novel and am enjoying it so far. I am excited to finally be reading something by the well-liked Sarah Waters. At various points in the past, I have had plans to read The Little Stranger and Night Watch, but it just never worked out. Not yet, anyway.

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it something you would recommend?





Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts 
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where  
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a 
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.


The first paragraph of my current book, Fingersmith by Sarah Waters:
My name, in those days, was Susan Trinder. People called me Sue. I know the year I was born in, but for many years, I did not know the date, and took my birthday at Christmas. I believe I am an orphan. My mother I know is dead. But I never saw her, she was nothing to me. I was Mrs Sucksby's child, if I was anyone's; and for father I had Mr Ibbs, who kept the locksmith's shop, at Lant Street, in the Borough, near to the Thames.
 Would you continue reading?


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Bookish Thoughts: If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. ~ Opening to If I Stay


If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
Dutton Juvenile, 2001
Fiction (YA); 201 pgs

When I first saw the movie trailer for If I Stay, I dismissed it as one I did not need to see.  It looked like it would be heartbreaking, not to mention another teenage romance, one in a long string that has made it to theaters in recent years.  And yet, for some reason, I found myself buying a copy of the e-book one day and with days to spare before the movie's release, I read it.

Mia is a truly gifted musician, a trait that seems to be passed on down through her family genes. She has a true aptitude for playing the cello and those around her know it. Music is what first brings Mia and Adam together, but it also may be what tears them apart. His dreams taking him in one direction and hers in another. Then one fateful day, Mia and her family are in a terrible car accident in which Mia must make an even bigger decision, one of life and death.  

Mia has the perfect family. It was hard not to fall in love with them and want to be a part of their family the more I read about them. They support and encourage each other's dreams.  They have fun together and truly love one another.  Mia's Adam seems perfect too--he is attentive and thoughtful.  

Told from the perspective of Mia as she stands over her body, remembering her life and weighing whether life is worth returning to or if peace lies with death, makes this both a heartbreaking and inspiring story.  It would be unfair to say this is a love story between a boy and a girl.  It is also a love story between a girl and her family.

The author, Gayle Foreman, takes a tragic and deeply sad story and tells it in such a way that brought tears to my eyes and also made me smile often.  If I Stay is a reminder of how fragile life is, but also of how great life can be.

I had every intention of seeing the movie soon after reading the book, but then Mouse and I both got sick, company was in from out of town, and then we went out of town . . . Suddenly when I had the opportunity to go see it in the theater, I decided against it (I saw The Guardians of the Galaxy instead).  Maybe I will catch the movie when it comes out on Netflix or cable.  For now, I'm content with having just read the book.  I'm not even sure I want to read the sequel, as much as I liked this book.  I have heard it is really good too.  This just seems like one of those books that is fine on its own.  I don't need to know what happens next.

Rating:  * (Very Good)

You can learn more about Gayle Foreman and her books on the author's website.

Source: I purchased an e-copy of the book for my own reading pleasure.


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Mouse's Corner: Library Favorites


Fire Engine for Ruthie by Lesléa Newman, Illustrated by Cyd Moore
Clarion Books, 2004
Fiction (Children's); 32 pgs

I think I loved this book more than my daughter did, although she did enjoy the story.  It's just that my daughter is very much a girl who loves dolls and dress up and tea parties.  She also enjoys playing with fire engines and trains too though, so she does not quite understand why anyone would not want to play with them ALL.  

Fire Engine for Ruthie is about a little girl who is visiting her grandmother.  Her grandmother has such wonderful plans for the two of them, only Ruthie, on a walk with her grandmother, sees a neighbor boy, Brian, playing with a fire truck. She plays at home with her grandmother, only she'd much rather be playing with the fire truck.  On and on it goes until one day the grandmother asks Ruthie what she wants to do. Ruthie asks if she can play with Brian--and off they go.   

What I liked about this story most is that it shows a girl who doesn't necessarily like to play designated girl games or with girl oriented toys. It's okay for a girl to want to play with trucks and motorcycles and trains!  And some do. I like that Ruthie doesn't fit into that stereotype of a girly girl--and I think a lot of other girls (and boys) would be able to relate to Ruthie's character.

I especially loved the way Ruthie turned her grandmother's games of dress up and dolls and the tea party into a game she could enjoy--even if it wasn't what the grandmother had envisioned.  It showed imagination and outside the box thinking.

I admit I wish the book ended sooner than it did.  At the risk of spoiling the book, the grandmother at the end takes Ruthie to the store to buy the toys Ruthie wants.  I would rather the book have ended a couple pages earlier--with the grandmother playing with Ruthie and the neighbor boy.  I think the message would have been just as powerful.


The illustrations are eye catching, not to mention well done.  Mouse loved picking out various details on the pages.

Fire Engine for Ruthie is a fun story, one I think will especially appeal to young children who don't always (or at all) fit into stereotypical behavior when it comes to play.

To learn more about author Lesléa Newman and her work, please visit her website
To learn more about illustrator Cyd Moore and his work, please visit his website

Source: We read this book at the public library.



Chalk by Bill Thomson
Two Lions, 2010
Fiction; 40 pgs

Mouse and I are of the same mind when it comes to Bill Thomson's Chalk.  It's is one of our favorites.  After the first couple readings of this one at the library, Mouse begged her dad and I to buy it for her.  We haven't yet, but we did check it out of the library.


The illustrations are amazing.  They are very detailed and realistic.  I like that the children are of different races.  Most of all, I love the story this book tells--all without words.  It's the story of three children who are walking in the rain.  They come across a gift bag full of chalk, hanging from the mouth of a dinosaur at the park.  Each of the children takes a piece of chalk and draws a different picture.  The first girl draws the sun--and magically, the sun raises from the ground and into the sky, chasing away the rain clouds.  The second girl draws butterflies and soon the children are surrounded by the beautiful butterflies.  The boy decide to draw a dinosaur who comes to life--and scares them, forcing them to hide in the park.  

It's a beautiful story about the magic of our imaginations and problem solving. Mouse enjoys telling her dad and I the story just as much as we enjoy telling it to her. I can't recommend this book enough.

To learn more about author Bill Thomson and his work, please visit his website

Source: We checked this book out from our local public library (after reading it a few times at the actual library)




To share your children's book related posts stop by Booking Mama’s feature,
Kid Konnection and leave a comment as well as a link to your posts!


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Bookish Thoughts: A Matter of Mercy by Lynne Hugo

The dune fence between their house and the beach still tilted toward the water. ~ Opening of A Matter of Mercy


A Matter of Mercy by Lynne Hugo
Blank Slate Press, 2014
Fiction; 278 pgs

From the Publisher:  
Caroline Marcum thought she’d escaped the great mistake of her life by leaving Wellfleet harbor, but is forced to face it when she returns, reluctantly, to care for her dying mother. Ridley Neal put his past-and his prison term-behind him to return home to take over his father’s oyster and clam beds. Casual acquaintances long ago, when a nor’easter hits the coast, Rid and Caroline’s lives intersect once again. When Rid and two other sea farmers are sued by the wealthy owners of vacation homes who want to shut them down, and Caroline accidentally meets the person she most wronged, they each must learn to trust-and love. Inspired by a 1996 lawsuit, A Matter of Mercy is a riveting novel about treasuring the traditional way of life in the shallows of beautiful Cape Cod bay by discovering where forgiveness ends. And where it begins.
A Matter of Mercy appealed to me on several levels, including the fact that it is based on an actual lawsuit in which local aquaculturists were sued by wealthy homeowners over the land they farmed. I knew nothing about aquaculture or the lawsuit before reading this book, but I was curious, nonetheless. I have a soft spot in my heart for the underdog, and it seemed to me that the aquaculturists were just that. I was also drawn to this book because of Caroline Marcum and her troubles.  I enjoy books about redemption, especially when it comes to finding a way to forgive oneself.

Lynne Hugo has written a multi-layered novel full of complexity. I was instantly drawn into Caroline's story as she cares for her dying mother. It isn't easy to say goodbye, especially to the person who you feel you most need in the world.

Years ago, Caroline made a horrific mistake that has continued to haunt her--and it rears up to slap her in the face one day when she visits the library. Caroline goes about looking for some sign that her mistake has been forgiven, but what it does is only bring up more grief for all parties involved.

Ridley and Caroline are drawn together because of a storm. For Caroline, life is already complicated. For Ridley, they are about to become so. Ridley has long since come to terms with his past, finding hope and a future in aquaculture. The lawsuit could take away everything Ridley loves and has worked hard for. He doesn't have time for a seemingly needy woman who just might be the enemy too--after all, she's one of the homeowners living on the beach too. Misunderstanding after misunderstanding ensue.  It isn't until Ridley discovers that Caroline's home is being vandalized and her life threatened that they are able to set aside their differences and really talk.

The characters are rough around the edges, and not without their faults. I loved that about them. Caroline and Ridley's relationship is a bumpy and awkward one.  I liked Ridley for his strong work ethic and loyalty to his friends.  I could really appreciate Caroline's desire to help and learn as much as she could about aquaculture. The other characters in the novel are also well developed, including Theresa who, as a mother, my heart ached for. In her shoes, I imagine I would have a hard time of it too, especially where Caroline is concerned.

The setting of the novel is such an important part of the book and the author really made Wellfleet and its surrounding towns in Massachusetts come to life.  I loved her descriptions of the area, including the weather the characters encountered. It brought the book even more alive for me.  It is obvious the author did her homework in learning about the aquaculturists and exactly what it is they do. I came to really care for their plight and hope they would come out on top.

A Matter of Mercy is full of emotion, both grief and angst. It is also a book about forgiveness and letting go. This is not a fast paced novel, but it is engrossing. I connected with the characters and their stories. I wanted so much for them to find peace and hope in the end. I am curious to know what else Lynne Hugo has written and will be reading more by her in the future.

Rating:  * (Very Good)

To learn more about Lynne Hugo and her books, please visit the author's website

I hope you will check out what others had to say about A Matter of Mercy on the TLC Book Tours route!



Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour. The publisher provided me with an e-copy for review.


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Bookish Thoughts: Confessions by Kanae Minato

Once you finish your milk, put the carton back in the box.  ~ Opening of Confessions


Confessions (Kokuhaku) by Kanae Minato
(translated by Stephen Snyder)
Mulholland Books, 2008
Crime Fiction; 240 pgs

I first heard mention of this book via the publisher's Facebook page. I generally get my recommendations from fellow book bloggers and readers, but occasionally a publisher's announcement will catch my attention like this one did. Confessions by Japanese crime fiction author Kanae Minato sounded perfect for both A More Diverse Universe and the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge.  And while I tend to take comparisons of books to other well known books with a grain of salt (okay, so maybe a shaker full), I was still curious about Confessions when it was compared to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

I hesitate to post the synopsis of this book because it really is one that is best read with little knowledge of what to expect. But then, even I was surprised having read what the book was about. As a result, my review will be rather vague.

Confessions by Kanae Minato opens with teacher, Yuko Morguchi, lecturing her students, telling them the story about why she has decided to resign, about the death of her four year old daughter, and how she believes it was murder. Each chapter is narrated by a different character, each one providing a new layer to the story.

The characters are not especially likable. In many ways, this book is more like a horror story--seeing just how cruel people, especially the young, can be in certain circumstances.  Even so, I loved this book. If I had any negative thoughts about it, it would be about the ending, but that would be nit-picky and completely a personal preference. Given the nature of the book and its contents, the ending fit. I found the book to be very dark and intense and impossible to put down. At the risk of spoiling anything with a vague statement: the twists were enough to make me say, "Oh my gosh!" a couple times. At least.

Described by some as a book that delves into the subculture of Japanese youth, it really can be applied to American culture as well. The book offers a character study of the dark side of human nature from multiple perspectives, including possible causes. Guilt, jealousy, despair, anger and exhilaration are just a few of the emotions touched upon throughout the novel. The story told in Confessions also demonstrates how one action or thought can lead to another, setting off a chain reaction. For every action, there is a consequence.

This is not a book for everyone. The stark writing style and dark themes will put off some. Still, I found it a fascinating read, one I will not soon forget.

Confessions has been made into a short film, which I would like to see at some point.

Rating: * (Very Good +)

Source: I purchased an e-copy of this book for my own reading pleasure (and realized days later I had a review copy from Netfix.  Go figure.  I guess I really really wanted to read this book!).


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/23/2014)

Autumn is here at last! It was a beautiful weekend. I opened all the windows in the house, and let the breeze carry through the rooms. It is nice to finally be out of the triple digit heat. Now we get to enjoy mid-to-high 90's weather for the next couple days.  Summer's last ditch effort to hang on?

I took advantage of Aarti's two week event, A More Diverse Universe, to get in some extra reading.  I reviewed a couple of children's books, When Gorilla Goes Walking by Nikki Grimes and Shane Evans and Round Is a Mooncake by Roseanne Thong and Grace Lin, to start off the event, and have since also read a young adult fairy tale re-telling of Cinderella called Ash by Malinda Lo, a fiction novel about a Pakistani woman living in New York City during the 9/11 attack called Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah, and a thriller, Confessions, by Japanese crime fiction author Kanae Minato (review will post tomorrow).  It just so happened that one of my From the Archives reviews met the requirements of being a book by an author of color as well: A Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar.

I am now back to my regularly scheduled reading, having finished a new one by Heather Graham called The Betrayed for an upcoming tour. It's the fourteenth book in her Krewe Hunter series, a paranormal cozy mystery romance series featuring ghosts.  This one is set in Sleepy Hollow in New York, drawing on the area's history.

My current read has taken me to the Caribbean where I have joined a reporter for a look into an old crime in which two boys brutally killed their parents.  Murder and mayhem ensue in A Penny for the Hangman by Tom Savage.


What are you reading at the moment?  Is it something you would recommend?



Oh!  Read-a-longs are hit and miss with me, but when I saw Samantha  from Booked on a Feeling mention the Fingersmith Read-A-Long hosted by the Literate Housewife scheduled for next month, I decided to take the plunge.  I already have a copy of the book, so what's to stop me?  Not to mention I have wanted to read something by Sarah Waters for forever and a day.  It's about time, don't you think?  And what better month to do that than in October? Have you read it?  Do you want to?





Each Tuesday during the month of October the Literate Housewife will be hosting a Fingersmith discussion (my own posts will likely go up Wednesdays):

October 7: Chapters 1-5
October 14: Chapters 6-10
October 21: Chapters 11-14
October 28: Chapters 15-17




Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts 
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where  
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a 
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.


I thought I would share the opening of A Penny for the Hangman by Tom Savage:
Rodney Harper's Diary
May 26, 1958 
This is a day unlike any other day, ever, in the history of the world. It is my birthday, and it is my new beginning. I, Rodney Lawson Harper, am 15 years old old today, and I have a wonderful plan. I must write it down. The ideas are arriving so thick and fast, my mind is so feverish with them that it is all my hand can do to keep up with my head. But my hand will prevail. As on a chessboard before a match, I'll set the pieces out in order, row on row.  Everything will be perfect.

 Would you continue reading?


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Bookish Thoughts: Saffron Dreams by Shaila M. Abdullah

I decided to carry out the first task on my list when fall was about to lose its hue. ~ Opening of Saffron Dreams



Saffron Dreams by Shaila M. Abdullah
Modern History Press, 2009
Fiction; 248 pgs

I had not intended to read this book for A More Diverse Universe, but when I was browsing my shelves the other evening--just because, as I often do--I pulled Saffron Dreams out and decided the timing could not be more perfect, both for A More Diverse Universe, but also because of the recent anniversary of September 11, 2001, a day that needs little explanation at this time in our history.

Saffron Dreams is fiction, but it felt so real as I was reading it.  It is the story of Arissa Illahi, a Pakistani woman who was living in New York City at the time the World Trade Center was brought down by terrorists.  She was barely awake when her husband left for work that morning.  She had no idea she would never see him again.

Arissa and her husband were Muslim, having married in their home country and moving to the U.S. to start a new life. They were expecting their first child. The loss of her husband devastated Arissa, not surprisingly so.

Shaila Abdullah paints a picture with words that is extremely visceral. The grief and anger and loneliness left by the death of Arissa's husband made my heart ache. Arissa wanted to hold onto his memory as tightly as she could. It is through her grief and her reminiscing that we get to see how the couple met, how their marriage was arranged, and how they were living their life once married. They had their ups and downs, but they were so in love.

As if the loss of her husband was not enough of a burden to bear, Arissa learns the child she is carrying has birth defects, the extent of she will not know until the child is born.  It frightens her, but she knows it is something she must come to terms with.

Arissa is fortunate not to be alone through all of this, even in those moments she feels most alone. Her family surrounds her, working through their own grief and helping her through hers.  I felt the love and respect she felt for her parents-in-law.  Arissa and her mother, however, are estranged; yet another conflict in Arissa's life she must struggle with.

Saffron Dreams tells the story of how easily life's course can be changed by unexpected events.  It is Arissa's story of how she met with one such horrible event and other challenges that forced her to re-evaluate her life and decide what direction to go next. She has to come to terms with what's happened and what is,  It isn't easy for her and she makes mistakes, but she is a strong woman even in her weakest most doubtful moments. I admired this about her.

The author captured the cultural and ethnic tensions well during a time when they were quite high (and to some extent, still are). Arissa's decision to wear a veil in public marked her as the enemy in the eyes of some. The veil was a symbol of faith and tradition for Arissa. It was a part of her. She endured threats and nasty looks from people who unfairly judged her. It angered me to see her treated in such a way.

I was not entirely satisfied with one small aspect of the ending, admittedly.  I think though that was more my wish for a happier ending on that front than anything else when the reality of it is that the Abdullah's version is probably more true to life--and deserved.  I also felt that the flow of the novel changed a little too abruptly just past the mid-way point of the book.  It was a place in which a major change in the characters' lives had occurred, and so to some extent that could be expected.  It was as if there was a shift in the narrative voice even though the entire book is written in first person, in Arissa's voice. Those were minor things though.

Overall, I found Saffron Dreams to be an emotionally charged novel, one that will stay with me for a long while. I still remember where I was and what I was doing the morning of September 11, 2001, as I am sure many of you do.


To learn more about author Shaila M. Abdullah and her work, please visit the author's website


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

From the Archives: Two Favorite Authors' Works

I began keeping a reading journal several years before I began blogging. I find it interesting to sift through my thoughts of books that I read back then. My reviews were often brief and contained little substance, but I thought it'd be fun to document them here on my blog as well as share them with you. Here are two from November of 2005: 


The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
Scribner Book, 2005
Fiction; 263 pgs

The Last Days of Dogtown is the story of a small New England backwater town on its last legs during the early 1800’s. This is more so the stories of some of the eccentric people who once lived there, their histories, fates and relationships with each other. Anita Diamant has a gift for creating characters that worm their way into the hearts of the readers and take root. Although the book got off to a slow start, I enjoyed it quite a bit in the end. This was a touching book that seemed to be made up more about character stories than an actual novel itself.



The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
William Morrow, 2006 (ARC)
Fiction; 321 pgs

From the inside cover of The Space Between Us: “Set in contemporary Bombay, The Space Between Us tells the story of Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife, and Bhima, the woman who works as a domestic servant in her home. Very little has changed in the last century. A ruling-class exerts power over a working class in any way possible, but nowhere more than the middle-class households.” The author, Thrity Umrigar, has written a powerful and moving novel of suffering, disappointments, and survival. Her characters and the descriptions of the culture and setting brought the story to life. This definitely an author I would like to read more of in the future.

[I am really sad I did not record more of my thoughts about The Space Between Us as I utterly loved the book.  It was one of my favorite reads of 2005.]


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Booish Thoughts: Ash by Malinda Lo

Aisling's mother died at midsummer. ~ Opening of Ash



Ash by Malinda Lo
Little Brown, 2009
Fantasy (YA); 272 pgs

I chose to read Ash by Malinda Lo for A More Diverse Universe this week in part because it also meets the criteria for the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge.  Killing two birds with one stone so to speak.

From the moment I began reading Ash by Malinda Lo, I knew I would like it. I was immediately taken in by Lo's writing and swept into her world.  Ash is a retelling of the Cinderella tale, and much of it was familiar and yet quite a bit was different as well.  One quality I enjoy about retellings is just how familiar they are. It can also be their downfall if the story is just a rehashing of the original, of course, but the ones that stand out are the stories that take on a life of their own.  Malinda Lo's Ash does just that.

Aisling, or Ash, is a sweet girl, lost in her grief.  She first loses the mother she adores and then her father, being left in the care of a stepmother who obviously sees her more as a burden than anything else.  While the youngest of the two stepsisters is mostly kind to Ash, the eldest is not.  Locked in the cellar when she talks back to her stepmother and made into the family slave, Ash hates her life and longs to be with her mother. She turns to the fairies for help, remembering the stories she had heard as a young child and continued to read and dream about as a young adult.

One fairy in particular takes a special interest in Ash, although she isn't sure why. Sidhean seems to be a sort of protector, and yet Ash knows that protection and guidance comes at a cost. With fairies, there is always a price to be paid.  Sidhean is beautiful and yet dark; Ash is not quite sure she can trust him. Yet, she begs him to take her home with him, to save her from her miserable life. He refuses each time.  At least at first.

Then Ash meets the King's Huntress, Kaisa, and things change for Ash. A friendship evolves between the two young women, and Ash finds herself looking forward more and more to her visits with Kaisa.  The more time they spend together, the more their feelings for one another grow.

Sidhean waits patiently and when called upon to grant a wish, he binds Ash to him. Ash agrees in desperation, but worries the cost will be too high. Promised to Sidhean but longing to be with Kaisa, Ash is not sure what to do.

Elements of magic and magical beings have faded in Ash's world, not fully believed in and yet there are those who still cling to the old ways. Fairies are just characters in stories, some argue, as a way to teach children how to behave. Ash's mother was of the old ways, however, and Ash believes. Her fairy Sidhean is proof of the fairies' existence.  I loved how the author inserted the stories of magic and fairies into the novel by the characters telling the stories themselves.

There is a subtleness in the author's writing that really drew me in. Admittedly, the characterization in the book wasn't its strongest suit, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway.  I loved the world the author created around her characters. Lo's descriptions made me feel as if I was right there in the pages of the book. I came to really care about Ash and Kaisa, their love evolving from friendship so naturally. It was beautiful and sweet, without being overly so.  It is a quiet novel. There is definitely darkness in this tale.  No fairytale is without it.

I was sad to see Ash come to an end.  I was not ready to leave Aisling's world.

Rating:  * (Very Good)

To learn more about Malinda Lo and her books, please visit the author's website


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Gracie Gets Comfy









© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Bookish Thoughts: The Night Visitor by Dianne Emley

Junior Lara saw the doves and knew something was wrong. ~ Opening of The Night Visitor



The Night Visitor by Dianne Emley
Alibi, 2014
Crime Fiction; 240 pgs
From the Publisher: 
Gorgeous and successful, Rory Langtry seemed to have it all. Daughter of a movie star and sister of a supermodel, Rory was engaged to sexy artist, Junior Lara. But her bright future went dark one terrible, bloody night that left her sister dead and the accused murderer—Junior—in an extended coma. 
Now, five years later, Rory appears to have put the past behind her. She has a wonderful new fiancé and heads a successful cosmetics company. Yet dark secrets threaten. Across town, Junior lies close to death but before he departs he seeks to clear his name. 
It starts with a feeling. It turns into a vision. Soon Rory is having sensations that only Junior could experience—from the horrifying to the erotic. Then she learns details about the awful night that only Junior could know, newfound knowledge with potentially fatal consequences. When another act of violence rocks her family, Rory plunges deeper into the unsolved mystery, led by an inexplicable visitor to a dangerous time and place where all will be revealed at last. But until then, Junior will not let her go.
Sometimes a book is just not a good fit for the reader. I enjoy a good paranormal mystery and was looking forward to reading The Night Visitor since I first heard about it.  It sounded different--and it was.  It sounded suspenseful--and it was.  Some of you may like this one, and I hope you do.  It just wasn't for me.

What I did not like: The novel is told in third person, each chapter alternating between characters so the reader gets an overall view of everything that is going on for all the major (and some of the minor) characters involved.  While this can be great, I found it created a distance between the characters and me.  I never really connected with any of the characters nor did I feel like I got to really know them.  I felt like I was watching a day time soap opera the entire time I was reading the novel.  I wanted to like the main protagonist, Rory, but I never quite did.  Not completely, anyway.  As a result, I was not quite as invested in the story or the characters as I wanted to be.

I had other issues with the book: a too predictable plot line in terms of the mystery, which I had figured out almost from the start, and the lack of attention given to a particular character/relationship in the end.  It's minor really (the author did a good job tying up most of the loose ends), but to say more would spoil the end of the book. Unfortunately, as minor as it is, it was enough to hurt my enjoyment of the book in the long run.  I imagine both of these issues could be more me than the book given what I do for a living (and if that's the case, it's a credit to the author for her accuracy in getting so many of the markers right).  I say this because it seems like most others who have read and loved the book were taken by complete surprise and didn't seem to mind the issue I had with the ending.

What I did like: While I thought the story thread in the beginning with Danny was a bit over the top and confusing (you will have to read the book to know what I mean), I thought the author did a good job in building on the possession story line.  Possession is probably not the right word, but that's kind of how I interpreted Junior Lara's "visits" to Rory. The possession came on slowly and became all consuming as time went on. Emley's depiction of those moments, how they impacted Rory, and the reactions of those around Rory were extremely believable.

I found Anya's character the most interesting in the novel, and perhaps the most well developed of all the characters.  Then there was Tom, Rory's current fiance, who was such a nice guy.  It was impossible not to like him.

While overall I was disappointed with The Night Visitor, I liked it enough to finish reading the book. It was compelling at times and quite suspenseful. The book has gotten a number of positive reviews, and high praise from other book bloggers.  This was just a case of the book and the reader not being a good fit for each other.  Please check out the other reviews on the tour.


Rating: 

To learn more about Dianne Emley and her books, please visit the author's website

I hope you will check out what others had to say about The Night Visitor on the TLC Book Tours route!



Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour. The publisher provided me with an e-copy for review.



© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Mouse's Corner: Mooncakes and A Cat Named Gorilla

When I first considered joining A More Diverse Universe Event, I started going through my daughter's shelves in search of books that might qualify. My daughter is fortunate to live in a community and go to a school that is fairly diverse. As a parent, I think it is important to continue to expose my daughter to a variety of cultures and ethnicities, and that includes through literature.  I would like her to have an appreciation for the differences as well as to know just how similar we all are as well.


When Gorilla Goes Walking written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Shane Evans
Orchard Books, 2007
Fiction (Children's); 32 pgs

We have two cats, one of which has been with us since before Mouse was born. She's never known life without a cat. She is also an only child, like the main character in Grimes' book. When Gorilla Goes Walking seemed like the perfect book for Mouse, a collection of poems telling the story of Cecilia, an African American girl, and her cat, Gorilla. It is a fun (and funny) story, with bright playful illustrations. Mouse and I both enjoy the rhythm of the verses as we read together. Gorilla is a bit more bold and mischievous than our own cats, but in some ways they are similar. Mouse really likes Cecelia and can relate to her in many ways. Especially when Cecelia is sick or sad, and her cat comes to comfort her.  Mouse particularly loves the page in which Cecelia and Gorilla get into the paints and make quite a mess. She always points out the colorful paw prints.  

My daughter and I are definitely interested in reading more by Nikki Grimes and Shane Evans.

To learn more about author Nikki Grimes and her work, please visit the author's website
To learn more about illustrator Shane Evans and his work, please visit his website



Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong, illustrated by Grace Lin
Chronicle Books, 2000
Fiction (Children's); 40 pgs
From the Publisher:  
A little girl's neighborhood becomes a discovery ground of things round, square and rectangular. Many of the objects are Asian in origin, other universal: round rice bowls and a found pebble, square dim sum and pizza boxes, rectangular Chinese lace and very special pencil case. Bright art accompanies this lively introduction to shapes and short glossary explains the cultural significance of the objects featured in the book. Perfect for read-alouds or one-on-one sharing.

My daughter has long known her shapes, at least the basic ones. She has a little trouble with differentiating between squares and rectangles sometimes, although mostly gets them right. I wish the author had gone with the triangle instead of the rectangle, but there are triangles to be found on some of the pages. As a result, I sometimes ask Mouse to identify them as we read through the book.  

Her favorite shape to point out is the circle. She loves finding the lanterns and moon. Mouse often asks questions about the objects she finds in the illustrations, and I do my best to explain what they are, including the "chop's inky mark" and the abacus.


I love the illustrations in the book. The colors are bright and big. For me, they make the book more than the actual words on each page. I think this is a book that will grow with Mouse over the next few years as she gets older and begins to notice different things.  

To learn more about author Roseanne Thong and her work, please visit the author's website
To learn more about illustrator Grace Lin and her work, please visit her website


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Bookish Thoughts: The Last Policeman Trilogy by Ben H. Winters

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
Quirk Books, 2012
Crime Fiction; 316 pgs

Opening Sentence ~ I'm staring at the insurance man and he's staring at me, two cold gray eyes behind old-fashioned tortoiseshell frames, and I'm having this awful and inspiring feeling, like holy moly this is real, and I don't know if I'm ready, I really don't.
From the Publisher: 
What’s the point in solving murders if we’re all going to die soon, anyway?

Detective Hank Palace has faced this question ever since asteroid 2011GV1 hovered into view. There’s no chance left. No hope. Just six precious months until impact.

The Last Policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre-apocalyptic United States. The economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields. Churches and synagogues are packed. People all over the world are walking off the job—but not Hank Palace. He’s investigating a death by hanging in a city that sees a dozen suicides every week—except this one feels suspicious, and Palace is the only cop who cares.

The first in a trilogy, The Last Policeman offers a mystery set on the brink of an apocalypse. As Palace’s investigation plays out under the shadow of 2011GV1, we’re confronted by hard questions way beyond “whodunit.” What basis does civilization rest upon? What is life worth? What would any of us do, what would we really do, if our days were numbered?

Many thanks to Nancy from Bookfoolery for recommending this book to me.  It was such an enjoyable read and I just love Detective Hank Palace, the main character.  Harry Dresden will have to share me.  I have a new literary crush now.

Everyone has a different way of coping in stressful situations.  For Detective Palace, his method of coping is to focus not on the stressful situation (the coming asteroid and possibly the end of the world) but rather to focus on something more immediate, that of his case. In fact, Hank does not want to talk about the asteroid at all if he can help it.

While the main plot line in the novel is Hank's investigation into the murder of an insurance man, the book, to me, seemed to be more about how Hank and the people around him were coping and living with impending doom.  Ben H. Winters has painted a very clear picture of the panic and terror a society might face in a similar or the same situation.  I admit to having a hard time believing things would go to hell so quickly, but, that aside, I was pulled into Winters' world immediately and didn't want to put the book down.  I also really liked the depth Winters put into many of his side characters and their varying situations.  

As Hank tries hard to prove to himself and to those around him that the insurance man was murdered and that his death wasn't just another suicide, he also has to deal with his sister and her problems.  She calls him when her husband goes missing, and while Hank would like nothing more than to just stick with his case, his sister talks him into helping her.  

For being a pre-apocalyptic book, The Last Policeman did have a few humorous moments, which added levity to the more serious side of it.  I am eager to dive into Countdown City, the second book in the trilogy.



Countdown City by Ben H. Winters
Quirk Books, 2013
Crime Fiction; 316 pgs

Opening Sentence ~ "It's just that he promised," says Martha Milano, pale eyes flashing, cheeks flushed with anxiety.

I am still in love with Hank Palace.  In the second installment of the trilogy, we find Hank out of a job.  Despite his reluctance to take on the case, Hank gives in to his former babysitter's request to find her missing husband.  Like so many others since news of the asteroid's coming, it is most likely her husband is off to fill some bucket list request or perhaps he met another woman.  Or committed suicide.

Hank sets out to find the missing husband, just the same, hitting the streets in a time when computers and cell phones are almost obsolete. His investigation takes him into dark and desperate places, where he meets people from all walks of life, each doing what they can to survive.

In Countdown City, the reader sees the continuation of civilization falling to pieces under threat of destruction.  Winters, again here, does an amazing job of capturing an array of responses to such a situation, his characters raw and desperate, good and bad.

Hank continues to be a rock, persistent in his task, almost single minded in his goal to find the husband.  He nearly always takes the higher moral ground, which is another reason I admire him. He's trying to hang on to decency and responsibility.  Something that seems to be deteriorating rapidly around him.

During his investigation, always taking detailed notes, Hank enlists the help of his estranged sister, Nico who is more than willing to give her brother a hand.  She has her own agenda, of course, and Hank doesn't like it at all.  It is clear the two love each other, and Hank wants so much for his sister to be safe.  She has always been a free spirit, and Hank knows he cannot control or contain her.

Can I just say poor Hank?  He goes through so much in Countdown City.  He went through a lot in The Last Policeman too.  But, really.  Ouch!

Countdown City was just as good The Last Policeman.  Even those who do not generally read pre-apocalyptic books but who like mysteries might enjoy this trilogy.


World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
Quirk Books, 2014
Crime Fiction; 319 pgs

Opening Sentence ~ "Are you here about the dust?"

Will the asteroid hit?  How will Hank fare?  What about his dog, Houdini?  These were just some of the questions that went through my mind as I started reading World of Trouble, the third book in The Last Policeman Trilogy.  With less than two weeks until the asteroid is supposed to hit, we find Hank in Ohio, making camp in a police station where he believes his sister once stayed.  It has been awhile since he last saw her, and he is determined to find her, to make amends, and to spend his last days with her.  Coming along with him is a former thief, Cortez, who is both cunning and violent.  Cortez is a resourceful man to have around in the end times, but, like Hank, I wasn't sure I could trust him.
From the Publisher: 
There are just 14 days until a deadly asteroid hits the planet, and America has fallen into chaos. Citizens have barricaded themselves inside basements, emergency shelters, and big-box retail stores. Cash is worthless; bottled water is valuable beyond measure. All over the world, everyone is bracing for the end. 
But Detective Hank Palace still has one last case to solve. His beloved sister Nico was last seen in the company of suspicious radicals, armed with heavy artillery and a plan to save humanity. Hank's search for Nico takes him from Massachusetts to Ohio, from abandoned zoos and fast food restaurants to a deserted police station where he uncovers evidence of a brutal crime. With time running out, Hank follows the clues to a series of earth-shattering revelations.
Down to his last page of his notebook, himself hanging by a thread, Hank will do anything to find his sister. He is met with hostility and violence as well as kindness along his journey.  No matter what, he will get the answers he needs.  He has to.  Hank changes over the course of the novel, however, he never loses his sense of decency and need to do the right thing.  He grows harder and more resourceful.  He takes more risks.

In World of Trouble, the end is near and the desperateness and fear are even more at the forefront than they were in previous books.  Even Hank is feeling it, despite his manic persistence in finding out what's happened to his sister.  It is sad to say how true to reality I imagine some of what Winters' writes about in his book would be if we really were facing the end the world.  The chaos and violence, the selfishness and greed. And yet there is also the softer side--how people are willing to help each other.  The trilogy offers an interesting case study on human behavior.

The ending.  Just that.  I have nothing else to say about it.  At least not without spoiling anything.

I liked each book in the trilogy equally, but for different reasons.  This one hit me harder emotionally. Maybe because of the heightened tension, but I think that is only part of it.  It was more about the personal nature of Hank's investigation, the search for his sister and everything that follows. There is one scene in the book in which an entire family is sitting on the roof of their house, together, waiting to see if the asteroid will hit.  I think that would be me and my family.  Or perhaps my husband would convince me to wait it out in a bunker, hoping for the best.

While I think a reader can jump in at any point and read a satisfactory mystery (and the author does a good job setting up each book, including the necessary back story in the later books), I truly feel this is a series best read in order.  The overreaching themes and story line are an important part of what makes this trilogy as good as it is.  I think readers trying to read the books as stand alones will miss out on the greater experience.

Rating: * (Very Good +)

You can learn more about Ben H. Winters and his books on the author's website.

Source: I received copies of all three books from the publisher for my honest review.   I also purchased e-copies of the book with my own money.


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Time for Art





© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/09/2014)

I bought my first Christmas present this weekend. It is a silly gift, but one I think that will be well received. Now that I have a tentative surgery date, I have to buckle down and get my Christmas shopping done before then. I will be in the middle of recovery come the holidays.  

We had an extremely busy weekend. The new soccer season began Saturday. Mouse moved up an age level and is now in the "big" kid class. She had a lot of fun that first class and said she cannot wait until next Saturday. Mouse did very well in the older class, without a parent by her side. It is amazing how much she has learned since she first started the classes when she was two years old. We also spent a little time at the park and the library. The library air conditioning felt so good after being in the summer heat!  We followed that up with a visit to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate the beginning of the soccer season.  It's one of Mouse's favorite places to go.  I just hope she doesn't expect us to go every Saturday.

Sunday was just as busy. The morning was perfect for a day at the pool with Mouse and her best friend, our usual summer Sunday routine. I watched as the storm clouds begin to roll in in the distance. The wind had picked up just as we were leaving, and, by the time we were on the freeway headed for lunch and ice cream to celebrate an early birthday, the rain started coming down hard and fast. We later learned of reports of flooding of city streets, trees had come down, closing roads and damaging property, and the power was out in some areas. It hadn't even rained that long.

Today my daughter is officially 3 1/2, and I am, well, I'm a year older.


Weekends tend not to be the time I get much reading in, unfortunately, and this past weekend was no different.  I currently am reading two books for A More Diverse Universe Event hosted by Aarti of Booklust, which begins next Sunday. The first is One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories, which includes stories written by a variety of different authors, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jhumpa Lahiri, among others. The short stories span many continents and cultures. The few I have read so far are quite good. The book I am reading is Ash by Malinda Lo. Ash is a re-telling of Cinderella about a young girl, abused by her stepmother, who longs for the fairies to take her away from it all.  She doesn't have a fairy godmother per say, but there there is a fairy who takes an interest in her, and, of course, the required love interest, a royal huntress. It is a young adult fantasy type novel. I am already in love with the writing and care deeply for young Aisling. 

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it something you would recommend?



Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts 
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where  
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a 
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.


I thought I would share the opening of Malinda Lo's Ash with you today:
Aisling's mother died at midsummer. She had fallen sick so suddenly that some of the villagers wondered if the fairies had come and taken her, for she was still young and beautiful. She was buried three days later beneath the hawthorn tree behind the house, just as twilight was darkening the sky.

 Would you continue reading?



© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.