Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Bookish Thoughts: All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

So, the thing is, I come from the world we were supposed to have. ~ Opening of All Our Wrong Todays

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

Dutton, 2017

Science Fiction/Literary Fiction; 384 pgs
Source: E-copy provided by publisher via The First Reads Program for an honest review.

From the first chapter, I fell into the novel quickly, enjoying the conversational style of the narration, written as a memoir by the lead character, Tom Barren. He's witty, kind and a bit self-deprecating, which only adds to his charm. At thirty-two, Tom has little ambition. His mother died recently and his father cares more about his work than he does about his son. Still Tom's father, a noted scientist working on a time travel machine, gives Tom a plum position in his organization as the understudy to former astronaut turned chrononaut, Penelope. A reckless decision leads to catastrophe, and soon the course of the world as Tom knows it is changed forever.

Tom comes from a utopia version of 2016, a time and place that looks a lot like the science fiction we dreamed about in the 1950's. Imagine a world with flying cars, teleportation, and space vacations. Tom's impulsive actions disrupt the timeline continuum, and he finds the future completely changed. You and I recognize it as our own reality. Tom sees a dystopian wasteland. All is not bad on this altered timeline, however. For once, his life seems to have purpose. Tom soon finds himself faced with a difficult decision: to try to fix the break in the timeline that he helped create or do what he can to hold onto his newfound family, love, and life.

After a great start, the novel slowed down for me a bit, and I began to question whether I would be able to finish the book. Given the narrative style of the novel, the reader spends a lot of time in Tom's head. His internal dialogue and thought processes seemed to go in circles at times. I am glad I stuck with it though because the novel does pick up again, and from then on I was hooked right until the very end.

I admit I wasn't completely sold on Tom at first, but the more I got to know him, the more I came to like him. Seeing him grow and develop as a character over the course of the novel helped with that. His experiences helped shape him as did the people in his life. His distant father in his version of 2016 left a lot to be desired, but like Tom, I was smitten with his family in our version of 2016. Both his mother and girlfriend are quite bookish--and that may have had something to do with it. His family proves to be very supportive of him, even as they question his sanity. Heck, even I found myself questioning his sanity a time or two.

At times I found the technical aspects a bit confusing, but, in many ways, this only added to the credibility of the narrator, who for all intents and purposes is writing a memoir of the events he experienced throughout his life, particularly his time traveling exploits. I am not sure I ever fully understood the intricacies of how Tom was able to keep his own consciousness and memories throughout the process, although he did attempt to explain it.

All Our Wrong Todays is a fascinating literary novel, weaving science, science fiction, romance, family drama, and a little bit of action in. Mind-bending is an apt description too. Overall, I enjoyed All Our Wrong Todays and will be curious to see what Elan Mastai writes next.

To learn more about Elan Mastai and his work, please visit the author's website. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook.

© 2017, 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, February 06, 2017

Where Is Your Bookmark? (02/07/2017)

One of the books I am in the middle of is Tessa Arlen's A Death By Any Other Name, the third book in her Edwardian mystery series featuring Lady Montfort and her housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson.

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.

Coming home after a holiday is almost as enjoyable as the holiday itself, Edith Jackson surveyed the familiar comfort of her bedroom and parlor, her eyes lingering over her beloved objects that she had collected over the years. Here it all was, just as she had left it: her small library in one corner, a pretty writing bureau by the window that she had been given by Mr. Hollyoak, the butler, to celebrate her appointment from first housemaid to housekeeper ten years ago. She sat down in a deeply cushioned wing chair, a present to herself four years ago: a fireside chair that offered deep comfort for long winter afternoons with a good book. However humble or simple these simple objects appeared to be they nevertheless made her homecoming a welcome one.

Every Tuesday, Ambrosia from The Purple Booker hosts Teaser Teaser at which participants grab their current read, open to a random page, and share two or more sentences from that page while avoiding any spoilers.

Teaser from page 6% of A Death By Any Other Name:

Mrs. Jackson said nothing, knowing that there was more to come, but she tilted her head in sympathetic encouragement.

"The reason why I have come here, Mrs. Jackson, is that I don't believe it was accidental food poisoning at all."

and at 13% of A Death By Any Other Name:

She flipped her notebook shut, but kept a finger in place, in case she might need to refer to her notes again. And Mrs. Jackson remembered that whenever Lady Montfort wanted to forestall any arguments in the process she intended to take with an investigation, she always cited Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as if she had just had a conversation with him on the telephone.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

I just love this series, especially Mrs. Jackson. She isn't ever thrilled to be dragged into these investigations of the Lady Montfort's, but she's quite good at gathering information.

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.

For this week's Top Ten Tuesday I am going with my Top Ten Secondary/Minor Characters I Wish Could Have Their Own Books.

1. Mma Makutsi from Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series ~ I am not caught up in the series by a long shot, but every book in the series in which she appears, Mma Makutsi steals the spotlight. She starts in the agency as a secretary and works her way up to assistant detective. She is diligent, loyal and hard working.

2. Jane from The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys ~ She is such an interesting character, a lost soul as she waits for news about her boyfriend to come back from the war. She loves with all her heart.

3. Laura Wheeler from Last Words by Rich Zahradnik ~ I am quite fond of Laura Wheeler, another reporter, who, unfortunately, because of the time period, isn't being taken as seriously as her skills and intelligence deserve. She is very capable, however, and part of me hopes she shows up that patriarchy that holds women back in future novels in the series. Yes, I know she's not the main character in the series. But one can hope.

4. Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling ~ I nearly went with Luna Lovegood because she's one of my favorite characters from the series, and I really would love a book featuring just her (with secondary roles by other familiar characters, of course). But Neville Longbottom won my heart early on in the series as well. A bit clumsy and bullied--he is a character I think many can relate to. And yet by the end of the series, he is a formidable wizard and friend.

5. Alosha from Uprooted by Naomi Novik ~ Time spent with the mage and sword-master Alosha is too short in Uprooted, if you ask me. I want to know more about her character, where she came from and what she's been through. She seems to have a level head and sees beyond the obvious. She's a heroine I could get behind.

6. Kylie from The Gargoyle Guardian Trilogy by Rebecca Chastain ~ She's Mika's bestfriend and a journalist who knows how to wield her magic. She's a loyal friend and not afraid to jump into the fray when needed.

7. Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling ~ She's my favorite character after Hermione, and I wish there had been more of her in the books. I would love to spend more time with Luna and get to know her. She is both curious and brilliant and seems to see the world in a very Luna sort of way.

8. Noeme from Slaying Dragons by Sasha L. Miller ~ Noeme plays a major role in Slaying Dragons, and so I am not sure "minor" or even "secondary" is the most appropriate label for the character. Still, Devi is more at the forefront, and I would really like to know more about Noeme who loves her books and is always ready with a smile.

9. Any character--or even a new character!-from The Fairwick Chronicles by Juliet Dark. Please? Why hasn't the author written more set in this world?! I love the world Juliet Dark has created in this fantasy series. It's light and fun and there really needs to be more books!

10. Mycroft Holmes, brother to the famous fictional Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ~ a brilliant mind and a mystery himself, working for the government. There's much more I would like to know about him.

What secondary characters would you like to see in their own books?

Sunday, February 05, 2017

Mouse's Corner: Flat Stanley Series (I Can Read! Level 2)

Flat Stanley (Flat Stanley - I Can Read! Level 2) Series by Jeff Brown, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan

Books in the series:

Flat Stanley and the Haunted House (HarperCollins, 2009; 32 pgs)
Flat Stanley at Bat (HarperCollins, 2012; 32 pgs)
Flat Stanley Goes Camping (HarperCollins, 2013; 32 pgs)
Flat Stanley Show--and-Tell, Flat Stanley! (HarperCollins, 2014; 32 pgs)
Flat Stanley on Ice (HarperCollins, 2015; 32 pgs)
Flat Stanley and the Very Big Cookie (HarperCollins, 2015; 32 pgs)

Flat Stanley first came into our lives a couple years ago when a friend asked if his Flat Stanley could visit us for awhile. We've since had another Flat Stanley visit. He's great company. He isn't a picky eater and he easily fits in a book or my purse for traveling purposes. He's quiet and clean and always wears a smile on his face. I hadn't heard of Flat Stanley before he first came to visit us, a boy who was flattened by a chalkboard and never filled out again, or so the story goes. When we took him to Disneyland one year, the cast members at the Park knew just who he was--he is famous!

The character Flat Stanley is evidently a phenomenon of sorts. Children can put together their own Flat Stanley and take him on adventures or mail him to a friend to explore the world. I love the idea and have had a lot of fun posing Flat Stanley in various locations. Admittedly, Mouse's interest in the paper figure has lessened over time, but she seems to enjoy the books. From what I've heard, there is also a Girl Scout version out there that we may have to give a try.

Mouse received the above six titles for Christmas this past year to help her with her reading. The stories are cute. Flat Stanley and his brother find themselves in all sorts of predicaments, whether it be as they are helping the local baker, scaring a bully, struggling with self-image issues, or what have you. Flat Stanley is often the one who saves the day, his flatness coming in handy.

Mouse and I or her dad (or her grandmother) have been reading the books together. The stories certainly hold Mouse's attention, and she likes to see how Flat Stanley solves each of the problems he encounters.

To learn more about author Jeff Brown and his work, please visit the author's website.

To learn more about illustrator Macky Pamintuan and his work, please visit his Facebook Page.

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!

Saturday, February 04, 2017

Sunday Post: Welcome February (With February TBR Poll)

New to My Shelves: I couldn't pass up recent Kindle Deals when they popped up for two books on my wish list: China Dolls by Lisa See and A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay.

I also signed up for an upcoming book tour for Tessa Arlen's A Death By Any Other Name, the third in her Lady Montfort mystery series. I very much enjoyed the two earlier books and am excited to read the latest.

January in Review: I took a much needed break from blogging this past month, but I was reading. I finished 7 books (not including children's books), including 1 audio book, and none in the bunch was bad. It was a good mix too: a couple of nonfiction books, two fantasy novels, a graphic novel, a classic, and a fiction novel. Look for my reviews of each book in the near future.

January 2017 Reads:

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Monstress, Volume One: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman

I am trying to track the children's books I read this year as well, but may have missed a few at the very beginning of January. Here's what I remembered to log (many of which I read multiple times throughout the month, sometimes back to back):

Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers: A Collection of Classic Stories That Are "Just Right" for Young Learners by Liza Charelesworth
Flat Stanley: Flat Stanley Show-And-Tell, Flat Stanley! by Jeff Brown
Flat Stanley and the Very Big Cookie by Jeff Brown
The Princess in Black (#1) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham
The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party (#2) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham
The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde (#3) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham
The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation (#4) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham
Merry Moosey Christmas by Lynn Lourde & Russ Cox
I've Seen Santa! by David Bedford & Tim Warnes
Santa's Reindeer Games by Samantha Berger & John Manders
Kindergarten, Here I Come! by David Steinberg & Mark Chambers
The Littlest Elf by Brandi Dougherty & Kirsten Richards
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Kevin Whitlark
Secret Santa by Margaret McNamara & Mike Gordon
Itsy Bitsy Christmas: You're Never Too Little for His Love by Max Lucado & Bruno Merz
Strawberry Shortcake comics, Issues 0 - 4
The Nian Monster by Andrea Wang and Alina Chau

What I Am Reading: Earlier in the week, I began reading Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, which I am reading as part of a read a-long. I am also reading the third book in Tessa Arlen's Lady Montford mystery series set in Edwardian England called A Death By Any Other Name.

What I Am Listening To: I thought I would keep it light and try a historical romance on audio. I am listening to Julia London's The Devil Takes a Bride at the moment.

What I Am Watching: I re-watched the first season of Orphan Black this past month. It's a show that never gets old. The main actress does an amazing job, playing so many different parts. It's a science fiction show about clones and conspiracy. I have only seen the first two seasons, but want to re-watch the first two before diving back in and catching up. I also binge watched The Travelers, a Netflix show about a group of people from the future who have entered the bodies of recently dead people in present time and are trying to change avert the future.

This past month in movies, I got to see Hidden Figures, The Butler and The Imitation Game, all of which were very good historical films based on real people and events. If you haven't already, I highly recommend seeing each of them.

What's Going On Off the Blog: January was a very wet month in Southern California. It rained, and rained, and rained some more. Streets flooded, school districts were closed (although not my daughter's), and the winds caused a bit of damage in the area (fortunately not any for us). The snow on the mountain tops is a beautiful sight.

Even though I have not been blogging or around much this past month, life has gone on. I hurt my back while cleaning up spilled orange juice and ended up missing a week of work as a result. The doctor was very adamant in her orders to "rest and do nothing", repeating it several times as she stared me down to be sure the message sunk in. Sitting was impossible. I was most comfortable laying down or standing up--although the getting up and down was a problem. I still have some pain and discomfort and so have to limit my activities, but I am getting better day by day. One of my daughter's reports for school last month went something like "My mom broke her back. It hurts her a lot. She cannot play with me now." Mouse is now learning how to write narrative sentences in school, writing three sentences a night. It is fun to see what she comes up with.

It is Girl Scout cookie selling time, now through the first half of March. Mouse will be taking part in her first booth sale this Sunday. She's been out walking the neighborhood some, and I have to give a lot of credit to my coworkers for supporting her by buying cookies. If this keeps up, Mouse may just meet her goal!

Soccer started up again this weekend, and Mouse is excited to be playing again. We were able to spend some time at the park after as well. You'd think playing soccer would wear her out, but that girl never runs out of energy.

This Past Week In Reading Mews:

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

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.

Read or Clean? Read or Bake? Read or Make Dinner? What would be your choice?

Why, reading, of course! Cleaning the house is much more fun with an audio book playing on my cell phone. My husband is the family cook and baker--and so reading would be my pick over those two activities any day. I am not good in the kitchen. Unless it's cleaning dishes, and even then I'd prefer to read. So, yeah, no competition there.

What about you? Which would be your choice?

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

As I thought about which books to choose for this month's poll, I kept coming back to my book-related cozies. All three of these sound like great comfort reads, don't you think? I really need to settle in with a comfort read right now. I can't wait to curl up with whichever one of these you pick for me!

In Kate Carlisle's Books of a Feather, San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation of the man who has asked her to restore a book of Audubon drawings. Trouble seems to find Brooklyn at every turn in this cozy mystery.

On the other coast, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, Terrie Farley Moran's Read to Death features Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield, owners of a bookshop cafe. Upon returning from a day outing, the women and their book club find their driver murdered. All suspicion falls on the book club members--could a killer really be among them? And if so, who?

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flowers is the first in a new cozy series about a magical bookshop, where the books choose their readers. There to visit her not-as-ailing-as-she's-led-to-believe grandmother, Violet Waverly doesn't expect to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation with her grandmother as the prime suspect.

Thank you for voting!

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

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.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Where Is Your Bookmark - The Handmaid's Tale Read-Along

Goodreads Summary:

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

We slept in what once had been the gymnasium. The floor was of varnished wood, with stripes and circles painted on it, for the games that were formerly played there; the hoops for the basketball nets were still in place, though the nets were gone. A balcony ran around the room, for the spectators, and I thought I could smell, faintly an afterimage, the pungent scent of sweat, shot through with the sweet tang of chewing gum and perfume from the watching girls, felt-skirted as I knew from pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then in one earring, spiky green-streaked hair. Dances would have been held there; the music lingered, a palimpsest of unheard sound, style upon style, an undercurrent of drums, a forlorn wail, garlands made of tissue-paper flowers, cardboard devils, a revolving ball of mirrors, powdering the dancers with a snow of light.

Teaser from page 33 of The Handmaid's Tale:

Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

The opening paragraph of The Handmaid's Tale brings back memories of my own high school and college gymnasiums, Atwood's words painting a more visceral picture. The author has also done an effective job of setting the time line, describing how things have changed over time, making me wonder what is happening in the novel's present.

I picked a random teaser as I have barely begun reading the book. The one I share immediately jumped out at me. It has an ominous sound to it, doesn't it?

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

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, along with George Orwell's 1984, has been in the news a lot lately. Parallels are being drawn to events, actions taken, and opinions being expressed in our world today. My own reason for wanting to read The Handmaid's Tale is not completely related to current events as I have wanted to read the book for a number of years now--add to that my husband's occasional reminder that I should give it a try--but the timing seems right. So, when I saw mention on Facebook that Michelle of Gather Together to Read is hosting a read-along of The Handmaid's Tale in February, I thought the timing couldn't be more perfect. This is a modern classic begging to be read and discussed.

Although the read-along is part of Michelle's 13 Ways Challenge, which I am not participating in, the read-along is open to anyone who wants to take part. There is a Facebook group for discussion, and she will be posting discussion posts on the main blog as well for those not on Facebook. For the full schedule, details and to sign up, please visit The Handmaid's Tale - The #Resistance Read-Along. I hope you will join in!