Where Is Your Bookmark? (08/18/2015)

This past week was a stressful one. My senior cat, Parker, has not been feeling well, and so I took him to the cat hospital Friday afternoon. He has lost just over two pounds in the past four months and was feeling somewhat lethargic. He was throwing up again, and hiding under my daughter's bed (something he does when he is feeling bad). The veterinarian ran the usual tests to see what was wrong, wanting to see if his kidney disease had progressed or if his thyroid was functioning appropriately. As with the last several times we have gone through this with him in the last couple years, the tests were rather inconclusive in terms of what is wrong. He will likely need another ultrasound. He is on his usual medication along with two new pills. I haven't seen too much difference yet, other than he hasn't thrown up since being at the vet (he gave them a demonstration while we were there). That's at least one good sign. We are trying to remain optimistic. If you have an animal companion you love, you know the frustration and helplessness of not knowing what is wrong or exactly how to help.

Gracie and Parker playing with Lego

Other stress came by way of Mouse's swim class. She was promoted to the second level, which she excitedly but nervously began last week. She was especially glad to finally have a female instructor. At the beginning of the summer, Mouse had been afraid to get in the pool, screaming and kicking those first few days, and by the end of her level one classes, she was loving every minute of being in the water. It took one exercise during her first level two class and one bad instructor, to undo most of that. I will save you the sordid details, but needless to say, Mouse is back in level one--for Mouse's and my sanity. Mouse was disappointed, feeling like she had failed somehow. I told her that wasn't the case at all. It wasn't about failing at anything. I want her to learn how to swim, but she has to be comfortable in the water. And that means having fun in the water. She and I talked it out, and she agreed level one would be better all around. I kept my few choice words about the instructor to myself. And, boy, do I hope she has another job or is at another pool if we do this again next summer!

Mouse at her friend's pool this past Sunday

Over the weekend I read Ella Carey's Paris Time Capsule which I am reviewing for an upcoming tour next month. I was in the mood for something lighter than what I had been reading, and this seemed a perfect fit. A young American woman receives a surprise inheritance from someone she has never heard of and must travel to Paris, France to claim it. There she meets the good looking and charming grandson of the deceased woman. Working together, the two try to piece together their families' histories to understand why Loic's grandmother would give her estate to a complete stranger. Paris Time Capsule is a mix of mystery and romance.

First Paragraph of Paris Time Capsule:

The parcel was wrapped in brown paper and tied with an unblemished silk ribbon. This was quite a feat, given that the package had traveled all the way from Paris to New York. A tiny bow perched on top, its ends snipped short--almost, Cat thought, as if the person who had wrapped it was attempting to be economical. The sender's details were written in faded sepia pen: Monsieur Gerard Lapointe, ninth arrondissement, Paris. Cat had never heard of him.

Teaser from Paris Time Capsule at 15%: 

"But no one in ze building know who own zis apartment."

"No one knew Mademoiselle de Florian? How long have you lived here, Mademoiselle?"

"I've been here these twelve years," the woman announced. "Never have I seen a person enter zis apartment."

What do you think? Would you keep reading?  

I was curious right away what might be in the package, and couldn't wait to find out. This was a relatively quick book to read. After finishing it this past weekend, I was not quite ready to move away from France, and am now reading: Death in Brittany (Kommissar Dupin #1) by Jean-Luc Bannalec.

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

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at Broke and Bookish.

This week's  Top Ten Tuesday theme is Top Ten Of Your Auto-buy Authors. I had to think long and hard about this week's topic. At first, my immediate thought was about buying new releases. Truth be told, it has been a long time since I have bought books when they are first released, even books by favorite authors. It just doesn't happen. If we are talking books I buy based on author, regardless of what the books are about, there are quite a few of those. Generally they are authors who write in genres I love, and whom I know I want to read everything by. This doesn't mean I own all an author's books, however. Someday perhaps. Let's see if I can come up with ten . . .

1. Ilona Andrews ~ I love the Kate Daniel series and have read one of this writing couple's Edge series books, which I enjoyed. I love the mix of urban fantasy and romance.

2. Patricia Briggs ~ Another urban fantasy author I cannot get enough of.

3. Jim Butcher ~ Even though I have only read the author's Dresden Files,  I have every intention of reading his other books, whether it be urban fantasy or high fantasy.

4. Michael Connelly ~ One of the finest crime fiction authors around today.

5. Edwidge Danticat ~ If you want beautiful writing and heart wrenching stories about mother-daughter relationships and diasporic politics, look no further. I fell in love with this author's work several years ago, and she continues to be on my must read author list.

6. Sue Grafton ~ She is the author of one of my favorite crime fiction series, featuring P.I. Kinsey Millhone.

7. Craig Johnson ~ He is a sweetheart in person (I had the opportunity to meet him at a book festival one year) and I cannot recommend his crime novels enough. His series is set in rural Wyoming with well developed characters you can't help but love.

8. Elizabeth Haynes ~ It goes without saying that every on this list is a favorite, right? Elizabeth Haynes is one of my newer favorites. I love a good crime fiction novel set in England. She writes both stand alone novels and a series.

9. Sarah McCoy ~ I will read everything this author writes. Her books weave history with the present, and her characters have a way of getting under the reader's skin.

10. Lisa See ~ She is the author of one of my all-time favorite books, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I have enjoyed everything I have read by her so far and hope to one day read her entire backlist and everything else she writes. While her most recent books have all been historical fiction, she has also written crime fiction novels and a nonfiction book as well.

Once I started making this list, it was hard to stop. I went with the first ten that came to mind. There are so many more authors I want to read everything by who came tumbling out of my head the more I thought about it. Kelley Armstrong. Thrity Umrigar, P.J. Tracy, Linda Fairstein, Jane Austen, Patrick Ness, Sarah Waters, Anne Bishop, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, and on and on.

Have you read any of these authors? Which authors are on your auto-buy list?

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