Bookish Thoughts: When I Found You by Kate James

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea 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. It is also where I share my first impressions about the book I am sharing.

"The pilot's bringing the plane back?" Ariana Atkins, chief of security and asset protective for the San Diego International Airport, swiveled away from her desk and stared at her senior manager.

Every Tuesday, Jenn from Books And A Beat hosts Teaser Tuesdays at which time participants grab their current read, open to a random page, and share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page while avoiding any spoilers.

Teaser from 24% of When I Found You:

"A bomb detonated." 

She'd presumed as much, but hearing it confirmed caused a cold dread to slither up her spine. "Is anyone injured?" 

When I Found You by Kate James

Harlequin Heartwarming, 2016

Romance; 365 pgs

Admittedly, my favorite romances tend to either have a paranormal or mystery element, and this one has a definite mystery thread running through it. Ariana Atkins is more than capable at her job as chief of security at San Diego International Airport. She has worked hard to gain the trust of those under here as well as to improve and update the security in the airport. All of that comes into question, however, when a series of security breaches occur at the airport, including the discovery of bombs. San Diego Police Department's Captain Logan O'Connor and his police K-9 Boomer are assigned to help uncover the latest threats at the airport. Logan isn't sure he can completely trust Ariana the more evidence he and the authorities uncover, but he can't deny his growing attraction to her.

When I Found You is both a sweet romance, with the relationship between the heroine and hero building slowly as the novel progresses, and also a suspenseful mystery with high stakes. I figured out pretty quickly who was behind what, but it did not hurt my enjoyment of this novel. I was frustrated on behalf of Ariana when it came to the lack of support she received from her boss and the board. Ariana is more than competent at her job, having worked her way up over the years. She prides herself on being calm under pressure and is clearly an intelligent woman. Logan recognizes that in Ariana and respects that about her. He is also very capable and skilled in his job. I thought the  two were well matched, even with Ariana's fear of dogs and Logan's fear of commitment. Boomer, of course, was my favorite character in the novel. Well, he and Sabrina, Ariana's cat. Because animals! Overall, Kate James' novel was a fun summer read, light with quite a few tense moments. Perfect for the poolside or maybe by the campfire.

To learn more about Kate James and her work, please visit the author's website. She can also be found on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about When I Found You on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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© 2016, 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.

Mouse's Corner: Books about Princesses

 Mouse's Costumes

Mouse loves to run, climb, ride her bike, get dirty and play soccer and superheroes with the best of them. Like many girls her age, my daughter also is enamored by princesses. She adores the Disney Princesses; although ask her if she wants to see a Disney Princess movie, and she will be the first to say no. It is more the idea of princesses--and the dress and tiara--I think. There are a number of reasons I am not a fan of the princess fad, but as a mother, I had a choice. Fight it and try to steer her in another direction (which I did attempt) or embrace it--with a twist. 

Fortunately, there are a lot of princess books out there that stray from the more traditional view of the princess young girls have been given over the years. Why can't a princess ride a dragon or climb a boulder? 

Here are some of Mouse's favorite princess books:

Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle, Illustrated by Mike Gordon
Cooper Square Publishing, 2005
Children's; 32 pgs
Source: Purchased for my daughter

Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs? is the story of a little girl who goes on a hike with her dad. Along the way, she ponders about what a princess may wear or do or experience along the way. A princess is not so different from you or me. The illustrations are colorful and expressive and the story is simple. While Mouse is fairly adamant that she does not want to kiss a frog, she enjoys the adventure the father and daughter are on in the book. In the back of the book is a guide for a scavenger hunt. Mouse and I like to go back and look for the animals, items, and other things on earlier pages in the book.

Part-Time Princess by Deborah Underood, Illustrated by Cambria Evans
Disney-Hyperion, 2013
Children's; 40 pgs
Source: Purchased for my daughter

This is a fun one about a girl who by day is your average girl and by night is a princess going on adventures. She puts out a fire, enjoys a tea party with a dragon, joins a circus--and that's just for starters. It really is a great book--and I love the ending. This is one of Mouse's and my favorite princess books.

The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2015
Children's; 36 pgs
Source: Purchased for my daughter

My husband actually bought this one for my daughter. He has read and enjoyed Kate Beaton's past work, and liked the sound of this one. It's the story of a little warrior princess who no one takes seriously. When she asks for a real warrior's horse for her birthday, she is disappointed when she finds a pony instead. Mouse took an instant liking to this book (she can't resist mention of a birthday), and she finds it just as funny as I do. The illustrations are in true Kate Beaton fashion and fit the tale well.

Princess Patty Meets Her Match by Charise Mericle Harper
Disney-Hyperion, 2014
Children's; 48 pgs
Source: Purchased for my daughter

I admit I was not a fan of this one at first. A princess goes in search of a prince. Because every princess needs a prince, right? Argh! I hate the message that sends to young girls. Despite that, there are things I do like about this book. Princess Patty isn't one to settle--or wait for her prince to come to her--nor is she helpless. Along the way, she meets several different princes, some you may recognize, and proves quite helpful to each of them. None are her prince, however. Princess Patty is not about to settle. It is a cute story.

Do you know of any princess-related children's books we might enjoy?

Mouse's Costume Collection . . . And a Cat.

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© 2016, 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 Post: Winding Down of Summer & My August TBR Poll

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and gives us all a chance to 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 loving the summer weather here right now. It is in the nineties and sunny. We had one day of an ugly haze which many wondering if it was smog. It turned out it was dust from a dust storm in the eastern desert. This weekend we are kicking back and watching some of the Olympic events. Although I really need to dust. And there's the rest of the laundry to get to . . .

 A souvenir from my mom to Mouse, from her trip to Vietnam

How is your weekend? What are you up to? Are you reading anything worthwhile? Please share!

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.

If you recommend a book to someone, do you also send that person your review? (submitted by Elizabeth) 

No, I do not generally give someone a copy of my review when I am recommending a book to him or her. I might offer a comment about how much I liked a book why I think the person might like the book too, but nothing more than that. I will share a link to my review if asked. To actually send or hand someone a copy of my review unsolicited would make me uncomfortable, actually.

I do post links to my reviews on Twitter and Goodreads, as well as on NetGalley or Edelweiss when appropriate. And occasionally I will include links to my reviews when listing my monthly reads in one of my online book groups (although generally I don't). I also link my reviews when I am discussing a book on my own book blog, more for reference sake than to recommend a book.

What about you? Do you give or send your review when recommending a book?


New to my Shelves: Look what came in the mail this Saturday! I am always excited to see My Lit Box arrive. Look at my goodies this month: A copy of Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn, an image by Xavier Xpayne of Radio Raheem, a character from Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, and a bookmark in honor of what would have been James Baldwin's 92nd birthday if he were still alive. Here Comes the Sun has been on my radar for quite a while now. I am glad to have a copy all my own!

Did any new books come your way this week?

What I Am Reading: I just started reading Susan Spann's The Ninja's Daughter, a mystery set in 1565 Japan. It is my first book by the author, and I am excited to be reading it for an upcoming tour. This past week I finished reading the mystery The Sixth Idea by P.J. Tracy and a romance with a strong mystery element, When I Found You by Kate James. I enjoyed both.

What I Am Watching: We stayed up late to watch the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics on Friday night. We all slept in the next day. I got the chance this past week to catch a couple episodes of Stranger Things, a science fiction horror show set in the 1980's. It is as good as everyone said it is. I am quite enjoying it. I also watched an episode of Zoo (I am one behind now). I admit I am not enjoying the show as much as I did the first season. My interest is beginning to wane.

Around the Blogosphere:

• On Reviewing Less - Memory of In The Forest Of Stories on scaling back
• Thoughts on Thursday: Why I Read What I Read - Charlie of Girl of 1000 Wonders, asks us to explore why we read what we read and how we pick the next book we will read.
• Starting With The ‘Right’ Book - Charlie of The Worm Hole, asks "When was the last time you ‘knew’ you should be starting with a certain book but read another instead?" Particularly when the book is by the same author.

What's Going On Off the Blog: It was a relatively quiet week. The theme at summer camp this week was insects and Mouse came how with lots of pictures she had colored of bugs. Our adjustment and strict adherence to her new bedtime seems to be working as she's a lot more pleasant and cooperative in the evenings when it's time for bed. I would still like to aim for earlier, especially with school starting and her needing to be up a bit earlier. So, we will continue to work on that over the next two weeks.

In just another week and a half, Mouse will meet her new soccer team. Her first official soccer team. She's been playing soccer since she was two, but is was more of a class setting with lots of fun skill-building games but no actual games other than scrimmages amongst each other as the kids got older. I was half dreading to hear when the scheduled practices would be during the week, and it could have been worse. I work in an office that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and everyone's shift is pretty much set to ensure we have adequate coverage at all times. I have some leeway as a supervisor, but not much. I figured it didn't hurt to ask. I went into my manager's office with a couple optional plans, along with the reason why I felt coverage wouldn't be disrupted.

My manager and I had been considering starting me earlier on my shift for awhile now, and so my request to leave earlier one day a week fit in with that as I would need to make up the time somehow (and leaving later was out of the question). So, with approval for the permanent (as permanent as any shift schedule can be) earlier start time, my manager also approved my request to flex my time to attend the soccer practices during the soccer season. I expected a no, to be honest, and so was thrilled when she let me have it. Mouse will be able to attend the weekly practices, and I get to adjust to waking up even earlier (ugh).

My new schedule and soccer start the week after next. Mouse is excited and nervous. There are five other girls on her team and she's eager to meet them.

Mouse's swim lessons are coming along. I have to remind myself that it isn't fair to Mouse or me to compare her progress with other children's. It's hard sometimes when I see her friends picking it up so quickly, and Mouse still struggling. If it was any other sport or activity, I probably would not stress as much about it, but when it comes to water safety and swimming, especially with her grandparents having a pool in their backyard, it's a priority for me that she learn to swim. Mouse loves the water. She loves playing in the water.

But she's so afraid to try swimming on her own. It's easy to blame the instructor last summer whose actions traumatized Mouse and made her afraid to even try further, but I don't know if that's all it is. When I've casually asked Mouse, it generally goes back to that moment.

Her current instructor and I emphasize the fun of learning to swim. I do my best not to pressure her. And Mouse enjoys the lessons. She loves her instructor and is always eager to go to lessons. When I've asked her if she wants to take a break, she always says no. So, I don't feel as if I am pushing her to do something she doesn't want to do. Children learn at different speeds, and Mouse will get there when she's ready. She has come a long way from when she started with the private lessons in terms of her fears. I am really proud of her.

This Past Week In Reading Mews:

• Sunday Post: July Wrap Up, Roses & Another Month of the Comment Challenge!
• Where Is Your Bookmark? (08/02/2016) (Including My Top Ten Books You'd Buy Right This Second If Someone Handed You A Fully Loaded Gift Card)
• Shelf Control: Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park
• Bookish Thoughts: The American Girl by Kate Horsley

Help 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. While I will attempt to post my review that same month, I make no promises--it may go up the following month. 

I originally was  going to list three cozy mysteries for you to choose from, but cozies feel more like fall reads to me. And we are still in the middle of summer. Instead, I went for three rather short-ish books that sounded like fun escapist reads. Will you help me choose which one to read next? I actually have a favorite of this bunch, which hasn't been the case since I started this meme. Can you guess which one it is? (The covers are linked the books' Goodreads pages.)

The Girl's Guide to the Apocalpse by Daphne Lamb

Welcome to the Apocalypse. Your forecast includes acid rain, roving gangs and misplaced priorities, in this comedic take on the end of the world as we know it, from debut author Daphne Lamb. [from Goodreads]

Verdell doesn't sound the easiest of characters to like (self-involved, ill-equipped), but the description of this novel suggests it will be full of laughs--not to mention a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. This sounds like a good escape from today's realities.

Club Monstrosity by Jesse Petersen

Natalie’s one of Frankenstein’s creations and works in a New York City morgue. So of course she needs therapy. She and her friends—er, fellow monsters—have formed the world’s most exclusive, most dysfunctional support group. What could go wrong? [from Goodreads]

When one of their group ends up murdered, the members of Monstofelldosis Anonymous decide to do a little investigating on their own. Petersen's book sounds like it will offer a few laughs, maybe a few suspenseful gasps, and be entertaining all the while.

Lost in Geeklandia by E.J. Russell

She has 30 days to turn her enemy into her boyfriend... [from Goodreads]

Charlie's job is at risk of losing her job unless she can prove that her algorithm for love works. Reporter Daniel, on the other hand, is out to prove this online matchmaking scheme is pure con in order to rebuild his ruined reputation. A light romance with a touch of humor seems like a great summer read.

Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think?




I hope you all have a great week! Happy Reading!

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© 2016, 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.

Bookish Thoughts: The American Girl by Kate Horsley

You ever have one of those Magic 8-Balls as a kid? ~ Opening sentence of The American Girl

The American Girl by Kate Horsley

William Morrow, 2016

Crime Fiction; 352 pgs

It's an intriguing plot line straight from the headlines: an American teenager living in another country with little to no memory of what's happened to herself or the missing host family. Add to the mix a journalist who becomes entangled in the girl's current situation. Told from the perspective of the journalist, Molly Swift, and through blog posts written and video recorded by the girl, Quinn Perkins, The American Girl is a layered thriller that takes some dark and interesting turns.

St. Roch is a suffering coastal town in France, beautiful but with its heyday long behind it. When Quinn wanders out of the woods, battered, only to be hit by a car that takes off without stopping, her story becomes an international sensation. All eyes turn to St. Roch as people try to piece together what happened. Then when it is realized her entire French host family is missing, suspicions are raised. Did she have something to do with their disappearance? Everyone wants to know, including Boston journalist Molly Swift who works for American Confessional, a podcast specializing sensationalized news stories.

Molly stumbles into a way to get close to Quinn, taking advantage of the lax security in the hospital where Quinn is staying. Molly takes an instant liking to the girl, seeing something of herself in her. She feels bad for Quinn whose father seems to have no interest in her, even given her situation, too tied up in his new family. In many ways, Quinn seems like a typical teenage girl. She is insecure and has a crush on a college boy. The more the reader learns about Quinn and the Blavettes, the family Quinn was staying with in France, it becomes clear there is more there than what first meets the eye.

Even despite Molly's questionable ethics, I couldn't help but like her. There was just something about her protectiveness of Quinn and her persistence to find the truth that endeared me to her. I felt for Quinn, although I never completely warmed to her. Given her home life, Quinn was already vulnerable, and then throw her into an unstable situation with the Blavettes who have their own problems--and secrets.

 The American Girl tackles serious and relevant issues of today. I felt the author did a good job of showing how easily it can be for someone in a vulnerable position to fall prey to being taken advantage of and victimized. In addition, the author captures the tone of today's social media polarization, with people on social media so quick to jump on a story, even before all the details are out; act as judge and jury to those who come under scrutiny, sympathies changing so easily; and how easily things can be manipulated and get out of control.

Author Kate Horsley takes the novel in a direction I had not quite expected. It is a layered and complex novel. The pieces fall into place pretty quickly towards the end of the novel, although the details are not as fleshed out as I might have liked. Even before that though, there were moments in which my suspension of disbelief was stretched to the edge. However, I found The American Girl to be an engrossing and suspenseful novel over all.

To learn more about Kate Horsley and her work, please visit the author's website. She can also be found on Goodreads and Twitter.

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

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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© 2016, 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.

Shelf Control: Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park

Shelf Control hosted by Lisa of Bookshelf Fantasies "is all about the books we want to read — and already own! Consider this a variation of a Wishing & Waiting post… but looking at books already available sitting right there on our shelves and e-readers."

Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey is

often referred to as Jane Austen's Gothic parody. Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers give the story an uncanny air, but one with a decidedly satirical twist.*

Austen's Mansfield Park is "a subtle examination of social position and moral integrity"* about a young woman of little means who goes to live with her wealthy cousins.


How I got them: I bought both Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey at Barnes and Noble. (I could have sworn I had a copy of Sense and Sensibility. The last I saw it, it was on my husband's TBR pile, but it seems to have disappeared. We searched high and low and it seems to be nowhere. Did it get donated on accident? Hrmphf. I wasn't very fond of the cover anyway (movie cover), so if it is truly lost, I will happily buy a new copy.)

When I got them: Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey have been with me since July, 2005.

Why I want to read them: Eventually, I want to read everything Jane Austen has written, or just about. Although Pride and Prejudice and I didn't get off to the greatest start, I ended up loving the book the second time around and now count it among my all-time favorites. I also loved Persuasion and Emma. How is it possible I haven't yet read these three?! I keep telling myself I will read at least one Jane Austen novel this year, but I still haven't managed it.

Have you read these books? If so, what did you think? Should I move them up in my TBR pile?


* excerpts taken from Goodreads synopsis

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© 2016, 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.