Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Weekly Mewsings: October's TBR Poll Winner

What I Am Reading: Stepping away from the ghosts for a brief moment, I read Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill, the first book in the Heirs of Chicagoland Vampires series this week, which I enjoyed. I was worried I might feel a little lost not having read the original series this new one was spun off of, but fortunately, that wasn't the case. I am now in the middle of this month's TBR winner.

What I Am Watching: I started season 14 of Supernatural and am immersing myself in Sam and Dean's world for their final season. I am hoping to catch the new Nancy Drew series one of these days. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think? I hear it is on the dark side. At least in comparison to the books I grew up reading.

Off the Blog: It was a rather ordinary week in my world. Work has been extremely busy, but it is nice to finally have that vacant supervisor spot filled. It means things have been a little less crazy at the office. But only just a very tiny bit of a little.

I feel like we live at the dance studio these days. Rehearsals are going well. My husband is playing Drosselmeier in the Nutcracker Ballet, and he has a lot more to do than he did in the summer's production of Don Quixote. My daughter continues to amaze me with her energy and stamina. I wish I had half of it. It's become sort of a ritual of ours to go out for dinner with a couple other families from the studio after the weekend rehearsals, and tonight we enjoyed dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Tomorrow will be catch up day. Mouse has Girl Scout homework to finish up for this coming week's meeting, and I am sure there are errands that need to be taken care of.

I am feeling much better than I was these past two weeks. Thank you for all the well wishes.

We had a fire scare not too far from my workplace. Fortunately, the fire and rescue crews were able to work quickly enough to get the fire under control. We were worried one of my daughter's friends might have to evacuate as the streets just north of hers were mandated to, but they were allowed to stay. The air quality is awful from that and another fire not too far away. The winds are keeping the skies blue, but we've been warned to avoid too much outdoor activity for the time being.

Tell me what you have been up to! I hope you are all well. What are you reading, listening to and watching?

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).

October seems like the perfect month to read a book featuring a ghost, and so all my choices for this month's poll included a ghost of some kind. It just so happens each of the books is a mystery--which makes them all even more appealing in my mind. It started out as a close race. Two of the books were tied initially, but one quickly took the lead.

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost received six votes to The Summoning's seven. The majority of you voted for Death Overdue. I do not think could resist a library setting either. I started reading it today and am already half way through!

Death Overdue (The Haunted Library Mysteries #1) by Allison Brook

Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.
The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie's determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it's the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.
Now it's due or die for Carrie in Death Overdue, the delightful first in a new cozy series by Allison Brook. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

© 2019, 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, October 08, 2019

Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Witch's Trinity/Penny for Your Secrets/Laughter at the Academy/The Christmas Keeper

The Old(er)

I have an embarrassing number of unread books sitting on the shelves in my personal library. Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight and discuss those neglected books in her Books from the Backlog feature. After all, even those older books need a bit of love! Not to mention it is reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!

The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman (Broadway Books, 2007)

The year is 1507, and severe famine strikes a small town in Germany. A friar arrives from a large city, claiming that the town is under the spell of witches in league with the devil. He brings with him a book called the Malleus Maleficarum—“The Witch’s Hammer.” It is a guide to gaining confessions of witchcraft. The friar promises he will identify the guilty woman who has brought God’s anger upon the town, burn her, and restore bounty.

The elderly Güde Müller suffers stark and frightening visions; none in the village knows this, and Güde herself worries that the sharpness of her mind has begun to fade. Yet of one thing she is absolutely certain: She has become an object of scorn and a burden to her son’s wife. In these desperate times, her daughter-in-law would prefer one less hungry mouth at the family table. As the friar turns his eye on each member of the tiny community, Güde dreads what her daughter-in-law might say to win his favor, and that her secret visions will be revealed. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I cannot remember how this landed on my TBR shelf, but there it sits and has for awhile. The mention of a witch is always going to attract my attention. This sounds like it will be heart wrenching.

Have you read The Witch's Trinity? If not, does it sound like something you would enjoy?

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Penny for Your Secrets (Verity Kent #3) by Anna Lee Huber

Release Date: October 29. 2019 by Kensington

England, 1919. In Anna Lee Huber’s latest mystery, former Secret Service agent Verity Kent is finding that life after wartime offers its own share of danger . . .

The Great War may be over, but for many, there are still obstacles on the home front. Reconciling with her estranged husband makes Verity sympathetic to her friend Ada’s marital difficulties. Bourgeois-bred Ada, recently married to the Marquess of Rockham, is overwhelmed trying to navigate the ways of the aristocracy. And when Lord Rockham is discovered shot through the heart with a bullet from Ada’s revolver, Verity fears her friend has made a fatal blunder.

While striving to prove Ada’s innocence, Verity is called upon for another favor. The sister of a former Secret Service colleague has been killed in what authorities believe was a home invasion gone wrong. The victim’s war work—censoring letters sent by soldiers from the front—exposed her to sensitive, disturbing material. Verity begins to suspect these two unlikely cases may be linked. But as the connections deepen, the consequences—not just for Verity, but for Britain—grow more menacing than she could have imagined. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I loved the first book in this series and while I haven't yet read the second book, I cannot help but feel excited about the upcoming release of the third. Verity is such a great heroine. I look forward to visiting her again.

Laughter at the Academy by Seanan McGuire
Release Date: October 31, 2019 Subterranean Press

From fairy tale forest to gloomy gothic moor, from gleaming epidemiologist’s lab to the sandy shores of Neverland, Seanan McGuire’s short fiction has been surprising, delighting, confusing, and transporting her readers since 2009. Now, for the first time, that fiction has been gathered together in one place, ready to be enjoyed one twisting, tangled tale at a time. Her work crosses genres and subverts expectations.

Meet the mad scientists of “Laughter at the Academy” and “The Tolling of Pavlov’s Bells.” Glory in the potential of a Halloween that never ends. Follow two very different alphabets in “Frontier ABCs” and “From A to Z in the Book of Changes.” Get “Lost,” dress yourself “In Skeleton Leaves,” and remember how to fly. All this and more is waiting for you within the pages of this decade-spanning collection, including several pieces that have never before been reprinted. Stories about mermaids, robots, dolls, and Deep Ones are all here, ready for you to dive in.

This is a box of strange surprises dredged up from the depths of the sea, each one polished and prepared for your enjoyment. So take a chance, and allow yourself to be surprised. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Seanan McGuire has fast become one of my favorite urban fantasy authors, and so of course this upcoming release of short stories caught my attention. While many of these stories have been out for awhile, they will all be new to me.

The Christmas Keeper (Happily Ever After #2) by Jenn McKinlay
Release Date: October 29, 2019 by Berkley

True love and holiday cheer combine for an unforgettable romance in this second Happily Ever After novel featuring a North Carolina bookstore from the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Ones.

All he wants for Christmas...

The second Joaquin Solis saw Savannah Wilson, he knew she was destined to be his wife. Unfortunately, Savannah's sights are set on a happily-ever-after of another kind: skewering the boss who got her fired. Until then, she won't act on the scorching sexual chemistry that is brewing between them, leaving Joaquin scrambling to find a way to capture her heart.

When the opportunity arises to use his ranch to boost Savannah's publicity career, Joaquin doesn't hesitate to invite her into his world at Shadow Pines and woo her with all of his Christmas loving mojo. It's a gamble since the holidays aren't really Savannah's thing and helping her might also mean losing her as she plans to shake the dust off of their quaint town in North Carolina and head back to New York City the first chance she gets.

But Joaquin believes in the magic of Christmas and he knows with a little help from his friends at the Happily Ever After Bookstore, he can convince the woman of his dreams that he's a keeper... [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I really like Jenn McKinlay's mysteries and look forward to trying her romance novels. I really like the sound of this one.

Do any of these sound like novels you would like to read? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

Saturday, October 05, 2019

Weekly Mewsings: Ghostly Reads and October's TBR List Poll

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading.

New to My Shelves:

I finally got around to spending a gift card to my favorite local independent bookstore my husband and daughter gave me for Mother's Day and picked up four new books (admittedly, two were my daughter's picks):

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Murder on Millionaires' Row by Erin Lindsey

Flurries of Fun (Frozen Adventures)

Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami, Priya Kuriyan

A friend hosted an online Usborne Books for Kids party this past week and I picked three books to add to our family book collection:

Usborne Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare

Usborne Illustrated Ballet Stories, illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert Nanos

Secrets of the Seashore: A Shine-A-Light Book by Carron Brown & Alyssa Nassner

What I Am Reading: October has started off as the month for ghosts. I recently finished reading Rose Pressey's Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece, which was a great way to start of October--a ghostly cozy mystery set at a craft fair. And Mouse and I are currently reading Ivy + Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go by Annie Barros and Sophie Blackall.

Off the Blog: I have been feeling under the weather recently. Nothing a little pain medication and antibiotics can't fix. Other than that, we have been on the go quite a bit between work, dance, Girl Scouts, and school. Mouse and I have resumed our usual visits to the public library, which was long overdue. Rehearsals for the Nutcracker ballet have been kicked up a notch, and my husband was talked into taking the stage again. This time there will be some actual dancing, which he's not too sure about, but I am sure both he and my daughter will do great.

Here is what I finished reading in September:

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
The Journey by Francesca Sanna
The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss
The Taken (Celestial Blues, #1) by Vicki Pettersson
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Ivy + Bean (#1) by Annie Barrows & Sophie Blackall
The Girl in Red by Christina Henry
Goldilicious by Victoria Kann
Merry Christmas, Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
The Ten Thousand Doors by Alix E. Harrow

This Past September In Reading Mews:

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your September? Do you have anything planned for this month?

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

You've dropped your favorite book while being chased by a herd of zombies. Would you go back to retrieve it?

Only if they are far enough away, and I knew I could get away with the delay. Even a favorite book isn't worth my life.

Would you stop and pick up the book under the same circumstances?

Everyone has a favorite and then we also have something we dislike. Like a coin, there are two sides to every question. Each week, Carrie at The Butterfly Reads and Laura from Blue Eye Books ask participants to list what they like and don't like about that week's topic.

This week's topic is Best/Worst Read of September

It was another good month for me reading wise, and there were no books that really were the worst. My favorite by far, however, was The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.

EVERY STORY OPENS A DOOR

In a sprawling mansion filled with exotic treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

But her quiet existence is shattered when she stumbles across a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. As each page reveals more impossible truths about the world, January discovers a story that might just be the key to unlocking the secrets of her past. [Goodreads Summary]

If I had to pick a least favorite, I suppose it would be Dr. Seuss's The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories. My daughter and I enjoyed all the stories, but none really stood out for us.

What’s better than a lost treasure? Seven lost treasures! These rarely seen Dr. Seuss stories were published in magazines in the early 1950s and are finally available in book form. They include “The Bippolo Seed” (in which a scheming feline leads a duck toward a bad decision), “The Rabbit, the Bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga” (about a rabbit who is saved from a bear by a single eyelash), “Gustav, the Goldfish” (an early rhymed version of the Beginner Book A Fish Out of Water), “Tadd and Todd” (about a twin who is striving to be an individual), “Steak for Supper” (in which fantastic creatures follow a boy home in anticipation of a steak dinner), “The Strange Shirt Spot” (the inspiration for the bathtub-ring scene in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back), and “The Great Henry McBride” (about a boy whose far-flung career fantasies are bested only by those of Dr. Seuss himself). An introduction by Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen traces the history of the stories, which demonstrate an intentional move toward the writing style we now associate with Dr. Seuss. Cohen also explores the themes that recur in well-known Seuss stories (like the importance of the imagination or the perils of greed). With a color palette enhanced beyond the limitations of the original magazines, this is a collection that no Seuss fan (whether scholar or second grader) will want to miss. [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read either of these books? What did you think? What was your favorite and least favorite reads this past month?

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

Halloween is the perfect time for the supernatural, including ghosts. Since I am in the mood for something on the lighter side, I thought one of these cozy mysteries would make the perfect October read. Which one do you think I should read this month?

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost (A Salem B&B Mystery #1) by Traci Wilton

Charlene Morris knew Salem, Massachusetts had a spooky reputation. But when she decided to open her B&B there, she expected guests--not ghosts...

A grieving young widow, Charlene needed a new start--so she bought a historic mansion, sight unseen, and drove from Chicago to New England to start turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. On her first night in the house, she awakens to find a handsome man with startling blue eyes in her bedroom. Terror turns to utter disbelief when he politely introduces himself as Jack Strathmore--and explains that he used to live here--when he was alive. He firmly believes that someone pushed him down the stairs three years ago, and he won't be able to leave until someone figures out who. If Charlene wants to get her business up and running in time for the Halloween tourist rush, and get this haunting houseguest out of the way, she'll have to investigate. Though truth be told, this ghost is starting to grow on her . . . [Goodreads Summary]

The Summoning (Krewe of Hunters #27) by Heather Graham

A CALL FROM BEYOND…

When Kristi Stewart inherits a property in the old part of Savannah, she knows it comes with stories of hauntings. But she doesn’t believe in ghosts, even while she runs seances for the guests of McLane House Bed-and-Breakfast. Until the inexplicable midnight appearance of one of her infamous ancestors. Terrified, she flees into the night—and right into the arms of Dallas Wicker.

Dallas is trying to uncover the truth about a colleague who died under suspicious circumstances. As strange happenings continue to plague Kristi’s home, it is soon clear that there’s a very living threat in the neighborhood—several people have disappeared without a trace. Dallas can’t find any connection between the victims, but someone wanted them gone, and it might be linked to the history of McLane House. And that means Kristi should be very afraid. [Goodreads Summary]

Death Overdue (The Haunted Library Mysteries #1) by Allison Brook

Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.

The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie's determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it's the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.

Now it's due or die for Carrie in Death Overdue, the delightful first in a new cozy series by Allison Brook. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

Tuesday, October 01, 2019

Waiting to Read Wednesday: Every Dead Thing/Can't Judge a Book by its Murder/Finding Home Again/Secrets of the Chocolate House

The Old(er)

Every Dead Thing (Charlie Parker #1) by John Connolly (1999)

Tortured and brilliant private detective Charlie Parker stars in this thriller by New York Times bestselling author John Connolly.

Former NYPD detective Charlie "Bird" Parker is on the verge of madness. Tortured by the unsolved slayings of his wife and young daughter, he is a man consumed by guilt, regret, and the desire for revenge. When his former partner asks him to track down a missing girl, Parker finds himself drawn into a world beyond his imagining: a world where thirty-year-old killings remain shrouded in fear and lies, a world where the ghosts of the dead torment the living, a world haunted by the murderer responsible for the deaths in his family—a serial killer who uses the human body to create works of art and takes faces as his prize. But the search awakens buried instincts in Parker: instincts for survival, for compassion, for love, and, ultimately, for killing.

Aided by a beautiful young psychologist and a pair of bickering career criminals, Parker becomes the bait in a trap set in the humid bayous of Louisiana, a trap that threatens the lives of everyone in its reach. Driven by visions of the dead and the voice of an old black psychic who met a terrible end, Parker must seek a final, brutal confrontation with a murderer who has moved beyond all notions of humanity, who has set out to create a hell on earth: the serial killer known only as the Traveling Man.

In the tradition of classic American detective fiction, Every Dead Thing is a tense, richly plotted thriller, filled with memorable characters and gripping action. It is also a profoundly moving novel, concerned with the nature of loyalty, love, and forgiveness. Lyrical and terrifying, it is an ambitious debut, triumphantly realized. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: This has been sitting on my TBR shelf for years now. I read a novella by the author, which I really enjoyed and was determined to read his popular series, which had come highly recommended by so many. I still haven't managed to get to this one, but it is one I still hope to read. Someday.

Have you read Every Dead Thing? Does it sound like something you would like to read?

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Can't Judge a Book By Its Murder (Main Street Book Club Mysteries #1) by Amy Lillard

Release Date: October 29, 2019 by Poison Pen Press

Not every murder is by the book…

As Sugar Springs gears up for its all-class high school reunion, Mississippi bookstore owner Arlo Stanley prepares to launch her largest event: a book-signing with the town’s legendary alum and bestselling author, Wally Harrison. That’s when Wally is discovered dead outside of Arlo’s front door and her best friend is questioned for the crime.

When the elderly ladies of Arlo’s Friday Night Book Club start to investigate, Arlo has no choice but to follow behind to keep them out of trouble. Yet with Wally’s reputation, the suspect list only grows longer—his betrayed wife, his disgruntled assistant, even the local man who holds a grudge from a long-ago accident.

Between running interference with the book club and otherwise keeping it all together, Arlo anxiously works to get Chloe out of jail. And amidst it all, her one-time boyfriend-turned-private-eye returns to town, just another distraction while she digs to uncover the truth around Wally’s death and just what Sugar Springs secret could have led to his murder. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: A bookstore cozy mystery! How can I resist?!

Finding Home Again (Catalina Cove #3) by Brenda Jackson
Release Date: October 29, 2019 by Harlequin Romance

First love. Second chances. In Catalina Cove, anything can happen…

Bryce Witherspoon’s heart races every time she sees Kaegan Chambray. Everyone in town knows they can’t stand each other, but the truth is, even though the man broke her heart ten years ago, she still feels that irresistible, oh-so-familiar jolt of desire.

When Kaegan returned to Catalina Cove to run the family business, he knew there’d be no avoiding Bryce. The woman he thought he’d one day marry was instead the biggest heartbreak of his life. But when Bryce lets slip a devastating secret, he discovers just how wrong he was to let her go all those years ago.

He knows they both still feel the spark between them, but it’ll take more than attraction to convince her. Kaegan will pull out all the stops to show Bryce he’s the man who can give her the future they once dreamed of—if only they give love a second chance. [NetGalley Summary]

Why I want to read this: I love a good second chance novel and this one sounds like it will be an emotional and heartwarming one.

Secrets of the Chocolate House (Found Things #2) by Paula Brackston
Release Date: October 22, 2019 by St. Martin's Press

New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston’s The Little Shop of Found Things was called “a page-turner that will no doubt leave readers eager for future series installments” (Publishers Weekly). Now, Brackston returns to the Found Things series with its sequel, Secrets of the Chocolate House.

After her adventures in the seventeenth century, Xanthe does her best to settle back into the rhythm of life in Marlborough. She tells herself she must forget about Samuel and leave him in the past where he belongs. With the help of her new friends, she does her best to move on, focusing instead on the success of her and Flora’s antique shop.

But there are still things waiting to be found, still injustices needing to be put right, still voices whispering to Xanthe from long ago about secrets wanting to be shared.

While looking for new stock for the shop, Xanthe hears the song of a copper chocolate pot. Soon after, she has an upsetting vision of Samuel in great danger, compelling her to make another journey to the past.

This time she'll meet her most dangerous adversary. This time her ability to travel to the past will be tested. This time she will discover her true destiny. Will that destiny allow her to return home? And will she be able to save Samuel when his own fate seems to be sealed? [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I have to confess: I haven't read the first book. Yet. I want to. And I want to read this one as well. Time travel and chocolate . . . What better combination?

Do any of these novels sound good to you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Bookish Mewsings: After the Flood by Kassandra Montag & I Could Use a Reading Day

Along with my mini reviews, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader and Friday 56 hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
William Morrow, 2019
Fiction; 432 pgs

Book Beginnings:

Children think we make them, but we don't. They exist somewhere else, before us, before time. They come into the world and make us. They make us by breaking us first.

Friday 56 (excerpt from 56%):

A bullet splintered the trunk next to my head. I didn't turn to look; I broke into a run.

My thoughts:
A century or so from now, floodwaters have overtaken much of the land. Coastal cities and even the much of the inlands are covered in water. People have been forced to take to the water, living on boats or in small mountain towns, the only landmasses left behind. Myra and her family had been living in Nebraska when the floodwaters came. When her husband takes off with their young daughter, Row, a pregnant Myra is heart-broken. Along with her grandfather, Myra and her youngest daughter Pearl go in search of Row—a mission that seems fruitless at the best of times. Seven years later, Mrya hears a rumor that her oldest daughter may still be alive, reigniting Myra’s determination to find and rescue her. Avoiding the raiders who steal, rape and murder is no easy task. Myra reluctantly joins forces with a group of other travelers who are seeking out a place to form a community when there seems no other choice. Life has taught her to trust no one, even the kindness of strangers.

Earlier this week news headlines read: "UN Report on Earth's Oceans Confirms The Catastrophe Is Already Unfolding Around Us":

Hundred-year floods will become an annual occurrence by 2050 in some cities and small island nations, according to the IPCC. Several of those cities are in the United States, including its second largest, Los Angeles.

It makes novels like After the Flood all the more frightening. Such a seemingly worst cast scenario and impossible idea does not seem all that far-fetched after all.

Initially I found myself having to take the occasional break from this novel because of the apparent hopelessness of Myra’s and Pearl’s situation. Kassandra Montag’s world seems so real and vivid. I loved Pearl’s wild-ness, spirit, and her unique take on life. Myra is fierce and protective. She has had to numb herself to the anger, desperation, and pain of the past and the present in order to survive—and keep Pearl alive. She is tough and hard. She is teaching Pearl to be the same, including how to best survive in their current environment. It was impossible not to feel for both Myra and Pearl. I admired Myra for her strength and fortitude and could relate to her need and desire to protect her children. But at what cost? Was Myra’s obsession with finding her lost child causing her to overlook the child she had in her care? And what do we lose when we close ourselves off emotionally? I did not always agree with Myra’s choices, but I could understand why she made them. And as much as I wanted to reach through the pages and give Pearl a hug, I imagine she would not have found it comforting.

As the novel is written from the perspective of Myra, the reader has a limited view into most of the other characters lives, which is the cost of a first person narrative. I think this novel was best told in that perspective, however, I would not have minded more of a glimpse into their lives as well. Each of those characters has their own story and has found a way to survive, both emotionally and physically in this world they now live in. But then, it was not really their story.

After the Flood was an interesting mix of literary fiction and suspense. While at moments in the beginning I thought of McCarty’s The Road, by the middle I was thinking of The Walking Dead (but this one without the zombies). Of course, After the Flood is its own book and completely different—don’t let my comparisons fool you. Overall, I enjoyed After the Flood quite a bit.

Does this sound like something you would enjoy reading? Have you read After the Flood?

Have you ever wished that there were official government bookish holidays, and that, by law, employers HAD to give their workers a paid day off? If so, what kind of bookish holiday would you like to have?

My employer would probably argue that I do receive paid vacation and can use those days however I want, including as reading days. I know not everyone is so lucky. Now, if we did have a mandated reading for leisure day, I wouldn't argue with that. It would give me an excuse to spend the day with my books without the guilt of all the usual work and life obligations hanging over my head. Maybe. Although, if it was a national holiday, it would mean school would be out and the chances of me being able to read all day (or even half a day) would be slim. Seriously though, I often wish there were more hours in a day for reading. And for blogging, for that matter.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!