Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Cat Thursday: Let Me Have Some!

Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by The True Book Addict that celebrates cats; their foibles and humorousness and the joy they bring. You can join in by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you made or came across, cat art or share with us pics of your own felines, then post your link up at The True Book Addict.

© 2013, 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, May 29, 2013

Bookish Thoughts: The Missing File by D.A. Kishani

The Missing File by D.A. Mishani
Harper, 2013
Crime Fiction; 304 pgs

From the Publisher:

Police detective Avraham Avraham knows that when a crime is committed in his quiet suburban Tel Aviv, there is little need for a complex investigation. There are no serial killers, kidnappings, or rapes here. It’s usually the neighbor, the uncle, the father. The explanation, as he has learned, is always the simplest answer.

But his theory is challenged when a sixteen-year-old boy named Ofer Sharabi disappears without a trace while on his way to school one morning. Suddenly Avraham’s ordered world is knocked off its well-oiled axis and his life consumed by perplexity.

The more he finds out about the boy and his circumstances, the further out of reach the truth seems to become. Avraham’s best lead is Ofer’s older neighbor and schoolteacher, Zeev Avni. He has information that sheds new light on the case–and makes him a likely suspect. But will the neighbor’s strange story save the investigation before it’s too late?

I have mixed feelings about D.A. Mishani’s The Missing File. There was much to like about it, from the way the characters progressed throughout the novel to the descriptions of daily life and culture in a Tel Aviv suburb.

Avraham is an unusual protagonist for a mystery novel. He’s rather ordinary. He comes across as a little burnt out, and it’s clear his head isn’t completely in the investigation of the missing boy. Although he is in charge of the investigation, he doesn’t really take much initiative—the events and mystery sort of unfold around him rather than his pushing them along. Something he admits himself at one point in the novel. And yet, it’s clear Avraham doesn’t want to let go of the investigation. It weighs heavily on him. He fumbles his way through it, and he knows he isn’t giving the case his best. This works for and against the novel, I think. On the one hand it makes the story all the more interesting in that I wanted to see how it would all play out. On the other, it left me feeling a bit detached from the character. The author never really gets into why Avraham struggles so much with this particular case, which I’m sure played a part in my feelings about him. Perhaps future books in the series will offer more insight into where Avraham is coming from. I hope so, anyway.

The more intriguing character in the book is Zeev Avni, a high school teacher and aspiring author. I liked how the author used his character to tell part of the story. It added an interesting dynamic, especially given the twist with his character. His actions left me scratching my head more than once—in a good way.

The characters, particularly Avraham and Zeev, are really what make this book what it is. There is the mystery of the missing boy, of course, but there were moments it felt like the secondary story even as everything that happened was tied to the investigation of his disappearance. Like Avraham and Zeev, Ofer is a bit of an enigma. Avraham struggles to understand who Ofer was and what may have happened to him. He never feels like he’s gotten a complete picture.

While I liked much about the book, I felt dissatisfied with the ending. Maybe it will carry over into the next in the series, but it still seemed rather abrupt, especially with the final twist at the very end. Overall, The Missing File is the type of mystery that would be a good book club pick. There’s much in it that lends itself to discussion.

Rating:

(Good)

You can learn more about D.A. Mishani and his book on the author's Facebook page.

Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Where is Your Bookmark? (05/28/2013)

Mouse is over two years old and only just had her first visit to a zoo this past weekend. It's a little zoo, about 40 miles away from where we live. It's well known for its monkeys. No matter how often her dad and I tried to explain what an anteater was, she insisted the anteaters were elephants (no elephants at this particular zoo), and she was very disappointed that she didn't get to see a hippopotamus. She did like watching the various kinds of monkeys swing from vine to vine, however. Her favorite though was riding the carousel. She was not too happy when it came time to get off.

We also spent some time at the park this weekend, enjoying the pleasant weather--not too hot and not too cold. Memorial Day sees the start of the water fountain play area at the park, and Mouse took full advantage. We didn't take part in any of the city's Memorial Day festivities in honor of fallen soldiers, but our hearts were with them and the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones. Memorial Day is always a difficult one for me now, having lost my father in recent years. He'd been a veteran. And while he didn't die in battle, he had left a part of himself behind just as many who have served their countries do. Memorial Day is just one day, but, really, every day is a day to celebrate and honor those in the armed forces.

I managed to squeeze in a little reading this weekend, although not much. This past week was quite busy at work. I was on the interview panel, interviewing perspective employees, and this is one of our busiest times of year; so I have had plenty of work to keep me occupied.

I have fallen behind in my review writing again. I used to be good about keeping up, needing to write my thoughts about a book right after I finish it as a way to decompress and debrief. Now it seems I let them pile up. I am not sure that's the best idea.

I most recently read the follow up to Jamie Quaid's Boyfriend From Hell with the second book in her Saturn's Daughter series, Damn Him to Hell. I am still trying to decide what to read next. I was toying with the idea of reading World War Z by Max Brooks. Sarah Jio's Violet's of March is calling to me though as is Richard Kramer's These Things Happen. But Chris Bohjalian's Trans-Sister Radio is looking really good right about now too. Choices, choices . . .

What are you reading right now?

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 recently read Laura Lippman's And When She Was Good. What do you think of the introduction? Would you keep reading?

SUBURBAN MADAM DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE

The headline catches Heloise's eye as she waits in the always-long line at the Starbucks closest to her son's middle school. Of course, a headline is supposed to call attention to itself. That's its job. Yet these letters are unusually huge, hectoring even, in a typeface suitable for a declaration of war or an invasion by aliens. It's tack, tarted up, as much of a strumpet as the woman whose death it's trumpeting.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Bookish Thoughts: Never Tell by Alafair Burke

Never Tell by Alafair Burke

Harper, 2012

Crime Fiction; 368 pgs

When sixteen year old Julia Whitmore's body is discovered in her bathtub, it seems like a clear case of suicide. Emergency personnel, the coroner, and even the detectives agree. Julia's mother disagrees, however. She and her husband use their wealth and connections to pull every string possible to ensure their daughter's death is investigated as a homicide. Detectives Ellie Hatcher and J.J. Rogan soon discover that one secret can lead to another. The investigation takes them into the homes of the wealthy elite to the streets and homeless shelters as they try and piece the puzzle together of why a girl like Julia Whitmore might take her own life--or why someone would take it for her.

Never Tell by Alafair Burke is the fourth book in the Detective Ellie Hatcher series, but it is my first book by the author. Like most mysteries in a series, this book stands well on its own. Although, there is reference to past character history that definitely is worth going back to explore further. I liked Never Tell enough to want to do just that.

I thoroughly enjoyed Never Tell, and the way the author brought together several different story arcs. There were quite a few twists and turns, all of which seemed to come naturally as the story progressed. And there was so much to this novel! The author touches on a variety of issues including sexual abuse, prescription drug abuse among youth, marital discord, transgender issues, homelessness, suicide, and disparity between classes, among other things. What I especially liked was the way each of Burke's characters were drawn--as one of the characters described, they were both black and white. Not just gray or black or white. It's what makes this book all the more interesting.

Ellie's own story is one that I wish I knew more about (and why I want to read previous books in the series). This case was particularly hard for her because of her own past. Her father's death had been shrouded in mystery for so long. While she denied it affected her current investigation, it was obvious it weighed on her throughout. The reader is also let in on Ellie's personal life in terms of her relationship with Max Donovan, an Assistant District Attorney. It presents a more complete picture of Ellie, with her tough attitude and fierce dedication to her job.

I had been curious about trying this author's work for quite a while now and am glad I finally gave her a try. Never Tell was everything I hoped it would be--suspenseful and entertaining as well as thought provoking.

Rating:

(Very Good)

To learn more about Alafair Burke and her books, please visit the author's website. You can also learn more about the author by visiting her Facebook page, and Twitter account.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about Never Tell on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour. I read an e-copy version of this book which I purchased for my own reading pleasure.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Where is Your Bookmark?

It is only Wednesday, but already the week has taken its toll on me. Monday was an especially difficult day. The kind of day I can't write about here. The kind of day where I rush home to be with my daughter and hold her close, never wanting to let go. Yesterday was better.

The weekend was nice though. We had Mouse's soccer class on Saturday. It was the second to last class, and I am kind of glad for that. Still, it has been fun. It is a parent/child class, and my husband and I take turns going through the exercises with Mouse. Mouse's attention wasn't quite on the game this past Saturday. She was more interested in following around her friend, another girl in the class. They are quite a pair! During all the goofing off and not paying attention, I was quite surprised then when Mouse stepped forward when the coach asked who wanted to go first and dribble the ball to a designated spot where the child would then kick the ball into the goal. My kid can follow directions when she wants to. Being the two year old she is, Mouse was back to wandering off and chasing after her friend again directly after.

Sundays have become our quiet family days. We do not do much, but they can be fun. I taught Mouse how to play hide and seek recently and that's become one of her favorite games. Her idea of hiding is to curl up in a ball in a corner on the floor--and as soon as you start looking for her, she pops up and says, "Here I am!" When it's my turn to hide, she makes a point of telling me where to hide, will make sure I'm there, and then will proceed to look in all the same places I made a show of looking for her. "Not under the table." "Not under the blanket." "I found you!" It's moments like these that I treasure.

Getting back to the subject--or at least where I intended to go when I first started writing this post--I am no longer going home for lunch during the week (bye, bye audio book time) and instead am camping out in an empty office where I can read uninterrupted for an hour each day. I am enjoying having this precious reading time back again, but confess I do miss going home for that short time too. I may start going home at lunch time once a week at least, depending. We'll see. I used to be such a workaholic and would work through my lunches, full speed ahead. Now I not only want the time away, I need it.

I took advantage of my extra reading time to read Laura Lippman's And When She Was Good. I am still processing my thoughts on this one, but I did enjoy it. Laura Lippman is an author I've read before although not much of. I can see why so many people love her books. Earlier this week, I started reading Menna van Praag's The House at the End of Hope Street, a book I have had my eye on for awhile now. I'm quite smitten with it so far.

What are you reading right now?

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 house has stood at the end of Hope Street for nearly two hundred years. It's larger than all others, with turrets and chimneys rising into the sky. The front garden grows wild, the long grasses scattered with cowslips, reaching toward the low-hanging leaves of the willow trees. At night the house looks like a Victorian orphanage housing a hundred despairing souls, but when the clouds part and it is lit by moonlight, the house appears to be enchanted. As if Rapunzel lives in the tower and a hundred Sleeping Beauties lie in the beds.

It was the description of this book, The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag, that first sold me on it: "Past residents have included Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker, who, after receiving the assistance they needed, hung around to help newcomers—literally, in talking portraits on the wall . . ." I am about a half of the way through this charming book right now. This is one of those books that reminds me to slow down and savor each paragraph--just as I knew it would after reading the first paragraph.

Would you continue reading?