Mamzel in 2013, Part 4

Driving around yesterday I saw the leaves on the grapevines are starting to turn their autumn colors. I found this pretty picture to share. Thanks for following me to my new thread.

1. ROOTs - 8
2. Mysteries - 17
3. Speculative Fiction - 19
4. ERs and ARCs - 9
5. Graphic novels - 11
6. Nonfiction - 9
7. Food related - 2
8. Plays - 1
9. Classics -3
10. Non-American authors - 15
11. Short story collections
12. YA literature - 11
13. HUB challenge - 26
Total to date - 131


I. Books from the piles in my room (ROOTs) - no minimum

1. Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore (2012)
2. Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (2007)
3. Run by Ann Patchett (2007)
4. Exit A by Anthony Swofford (2007)
5. A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke (2004)
6. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (2013)
7. An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears (1998)
8. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (2012)



II. Mysteries - no minimum

1. Heartstone by C.J. Sansome (2010)
2. Restless: A Novel by William Boyd (2007)
3. Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach by Colin Cotterill (2012)
4. City of Secrets by Kelli Stanley (2011)
5. The Woman Who Wouldn't Die by Colin Cotterill (2013)
6. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker (2009)
7. Here She Lies by Katia Lief (2011)
8. A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn (2012)
9. Inferno by Dan Brown (2013)
10. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (2013)
11.The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido (2013)
12.How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (2013)
13. Heresy by S.J. Parris (2010)
14. Ape House by Sara Gruen (2010), audio version read by Paul Boehmer
15. Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen (2013) audio read by Artie Johnson
16. The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn (2013)
17. The Seven Wonders by Steven Saylor (2012)



III. Speculative fiction - no minimum

1. Storm Front by Jim Butcher (2000)
2. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (2001)
3. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (2001)
4. Redshirts by John Scalzi (2012)
5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi (2007)
6. Hong on the Range by William F. Wu (1989)
7. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (2011)
8. Hounded by Kevin Hearne (2011)
9. Hexed by Kevin Hearne (2011)
10. The Age of Miraclesby Karen Thompson Walker (2012) )
11. Hammered by Kevin Hearne (2011)
12. Tricked by Kevin Hearne (2012)
13. Two Ravens and One Crow by Kevin Hearne (2012)
14. Trapped by Kevin Hearne (2012)
15. Dead Ever After by Charlain Harris (2013)
16. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (2013)
17. Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik (2013)
18. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (orig. pub. 2001, rereleased 2011),
19.The Circle by Dave Eggers (2013)



IV. ERs and ARCs - no minimum

1. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (2013)
2. Keeper of the Black Stones by PT McHugh (2013)
3. An Infidel in Paradise by S.J. Laidlaw (2013)
4. Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi (2013)
5. Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie (2012)
6. Fallout by Todd Strasser (2013)
7. A Girl's Guide to Fitting in Fitness by Erin Whitehead and Jennipher Walters (2013)
8. The Tenth Witness by Leonard Rosen (2013)
9. Rough Passage to London by Robin Lloyd (2013)

V. Graphic novels - 10

1. Morning Glories by Nick Spencer (2012)
2. Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book One by Bill Willingham (2009)
3. The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (1995)
4. Habibi by Craig Thompson (2011)
5. The Unwritten Vol. 1 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (2010)
6. Unwritten: Inside Man by Mike Carey (2010)
7. Saints (Boxers & Saints) by Gene Luen Yang (2013)
8. Boxers by Gene Luen Yang (2013)
9. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (2013)
10. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 Volume 1 by Scott Tipton (2012)
11. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 Volume 2 by Scott Tipton (2013)



VI. Nonfiction - 5

1. The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester (2008)
2. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" by Richard Feynman, read by Raymond Todd (orig. 1985)
3. The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace (2008)
4. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (2012)
5. The Lady and Her Monsters by Roseanne Montillo (2013)
6. The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb (2013)
7. Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli (2008)
8.Thrice Told Tales by Catherine Lewis (2013)
9. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (2008)



VII. Food related - 5

1. Cooking Light Slow-Cooker Tonight! by Cooking Light Magazine (2012)
2. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (2010)



VIII. Plays - 5

1. Angels in America, Part One, Millenium Approaches by Tony Kushner (1993)
Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika by Tony Kushner (1993)

IX. Classics - 3

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)
2. The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson (2012)
3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2012)



X. Non-American authors - 3

1. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (1977)
2. Anatomy of Murder by Imogen Robertson (2011)
3. Instruments of Darkness by Imogen Robertson (2009)
4. The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry (1990)
5. A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry (1991)
6. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (2011)
7. Those in Peril by Wilbur Smith (2011)
8. The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (2011)
9. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende (2011)
10. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson (1954)
11. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch (2011)
12. The Dark Monk by Oliver Pötzsch (2009)
13. Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder (A Felony & Mayhem Mystery) by Shamini Flint (2011)
14. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (2003, translated 2009)
15.The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarcky (2011 in Australia, 2013 in U.S.)

XI. Short story collections (still no luck picking a representative pic) - 3



XII. YA books for work - no minimum

1. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (2012)
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2005)
3. The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan (2012)
4. "Who Could That Be at This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket (2012)
5. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (2013)
6. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley (2011)
7. Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko (2013)
8. Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Bock (2013)
9. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (2013)
10.Ship Out of Luck by Neal Shusterman (2013)
11. The Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings (2004)

XIII. YALSA Reading Challenge

1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2012)
2. Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross (2012)
3. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (2011)
4. After the Snow by S.D. Crockett (2012)
5. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (2012)
6. Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie by S.J. Adams (2011)
7. Ultimate Comics, Spider-Man, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and others (2012)
8. Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby (2012)
9. Heist Society by Ally Carter (2012)
10. Boy 21 by Matthew Quick (2012)
11. The Diviners by Libba Bray, read by January LaVoy (2012)
12. Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg (2011)
13. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney, read by Ramon de Ocampo (2011)
14. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (2012)
15. The Night She Disappeared by April Henry (2012)
16. Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright (2011)
17. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2012)
18. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (2012)
19. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (2012)
20. The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez (2012)
21. The Round House by Louise Erdrich (2012)
22. Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks (2012)
23. Daredevil, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid et al, (2012)
24. Squire by Tamora Pierce (2001)
25. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (2012)
26. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (2013) )

My friend, my daughter, and I went to the SF Library's book sale yesterday. I found about 20 books for library and added three to my own collection:

The Scarlet Pimpernel in immaculate condition
The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman
The Last Days of Newgate by Andrew Pepper

Either the books were not as enticing as in previous sales or I was showing great restraint. After, we enjoyed decadent deli sandwiches at Miller's East Coast Deli.

New thread! Whoop whoop! :-)

Love your shiny new thread!

Maybe you were ill. . . :-) Did you check your temp?

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Those classics for toddlers were adorable! I'd get some for my currently-pregnant best friend if either she or her husband were readers. As is, I'm tempted to get them for myself!

Congrats on the shiny, new thread! William Shakespeare's Star Wars sounds fantastic.

Happy new thread! Fall is indeed in the air, although summer seems to be trying to hang on a bit longer here.

@ 5 -- The Scarlet Pimpernel FTW!

Ah, fall colors. I left those behind in Europe, unfortunately, so I appreciate the picture. Signs of SoCal fall is having a heavy brownish palm-frond fall on your car. :)

Saints (Boxers & Saints) and Boxers by Gene Luen Yang (2013)

I am fortunate enough to have been extended an invitation to a pizza party tonight with this author so I was eager to read these before I went.

Saints is told from the viewpoint of Four-Girl, the fourth and only surviving daughter of a poor village family. To say she doesn't have much value to them is an understatement. So it is understandable that she was attracted to the words of a European priest offering a different life. She has visions of Joan of Arc which gives Four-Girl the courage to become a girl warrior. Instead, she runs away to a village with a priest and helps in the orphanage there.

Boxers is told from the viewpoint of Little Bao, the youngest of three sons, and no less valuable to his family than the older ones. However, he is lured from the village by a kung fu master named Red Lantern who trains him and instills a philosophy that gives him the courage to stand up to the European invaders during the Boxer Rebellion. I really loved how Little Bao's love of Chinese opera gives the fighters a mystical transformation when they face their enemies.

If either should be read first, I think it should be Saints, but it isn't necessary. The two characters encounter each other and this event is portrayed in both books.

Yang won a Printz and was a National Book Award finalist for American Born Chinese. I would not be at all surprised if these books earn him another award or two.

I would recommend these to fans of graphic novels and historical fiction.

CATEGORY: GRAPHIC NOVELS

Looks like it's time for new threads all over the place. The picture in your first post is gorgeous.

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (2013)

There was only orange juice in the fridge. Nothing else that you could put on cereal, unless you think that ketchup or mayonnaise or pickle juice would be nice on your Toasties, which I do not, and neither did my little sister, although she has eaten some pretty weird things in her day, like mushrooms in chocolate.*
*She did not actually like eating them. And I had not actually told her that there were mushrooms inside the chocolate. It was an experiment.

This was an adorable book that just begs to find a young person to curl up in a big comfy chair and read aloud to while drinking mugs of hot chocolate. Line drawings add to the sharing experience. The narrator and his sister are left alone with their dad when mom goes on a trip. The only direction the dad forgets is getting milk so when they were out one morning, he goes to the corner store to buy some. It takes him, what seems to them, a really long time to return and they demand to know what took so long. He tells them.

The story involves aliens, pirates, a stegosaurus in a hot air balloon, and natives with a volcano god. The kids are skeptical but he emphasizes how he held on to their milk through everything.

I highly recommend finding any excuse to read this book. It will be a bright moment in your day.

CATEGORY: GRAPHIC NOVEL
(well, it is illustrated!)

Fortunately, the Milk does look very sweet - I'm in line at the library for it, but I may just pick up a Kindle one if it takes too long. :)

The Yang books sound very interesting! I've not read any of his books, but being a Canadian-born Chinese, the title American Born Chinese intrigued me and I've been wanting to read some of his books.

Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Bock (2013)

The Building has gold columns and a massive doorway, a mural depicting Giants, with bodies sticking out of their mouths like limp cigarettes. Someone besides me has studied their Goya.

Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Marauders. Genetically modified giants. Evil scientist. Magic butterflies. Transgender teen. Odyssey references. Teenage angst.

There was a lot packed into this little book. At times I felt confused since I was surprised at the directions this book took. Since it was so short there there was little development, the reader was plunked down in the middle of a maelstrom.

I followed to the end because I enjoyed all the references to the Odyssey and the blatant similarities. I felt like I was just picked up by a tide and carried along.

CATEGORY: YA

Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli (2008)

Harris said he'd be at the cookbook party by 7:00 p.m., which gave me an hour to hang out with him there before I headed uptown to have dinner with another old friend and his family.

At that dinner the author met a man named Sebastien who ultimately invited her to advise a national radio station (the only radio station) in Bhutan, the remote Asian kingdom on the border between India and China.

At this time in her life, the author was not happy and desperate to find a way to be happy. The latest therapy she had recommended she write three things that made her happy each day so she could see that there were good things in her life. When researching Bhutan she discovered that they called their country the Happiest Kingdom on Earth. That decided it for her. She had to investigate.

What surprised me was that one of the only sources she found about the country was an article from a 1914 National Geographic magazine. How had she not found the 2004 BBC mini series about the Himalayas by Michael Palin? His expressions when examining the penis art on the sides of houses was respectful but amusing.

I loved the parts of the book where she talked about the country, its fledgling radio station, and the people. I was not so interested in her personal journey. For someone who was living a life full of her choices, with family and friends galore, she was pretty whiney.

CATEGORY: NONFICTION

> 19 - Love the cover for the Block book!

#16 Thank you for the review of Fortunately, The Milk. Would this be good for 5th grade readers? My friend teaches 5th grade language arts and I thought I would tell her about it.

Lori, It's not until you get well into the book that you realize the significance of the butterflies. I seem to like covers with profiles.

Caroline, I think it would delight from age 5 up as a read aloud. The reading level is grade 4.2.

Just had this charming visitor try to come into the library. Sorry my camera isn't any better.



a 4-inch praying mantis

Thank you. I just emailed my teacher friend.

That is a whopper of a praying mantis! Not big on bugs, but I know they are one of the good guys.

Praying mantis are the coolest of the bug kingdom, IMO!

I haven't seen one of those in years - and so big too!

4-inch!? Yikes. At least it's not a spider. :)

Luckily there weren't many kids around to harass him. We moved him to a tree.

Hi Mamzel, I am just dropping by to check out your new thread. I love the picture of the grape leaves. Living on the west coast, there are times when we have to search to find fall color and often the best colors are in the low lying bushes and domestic plants.

Lovely review of Fortunately, the Milk, I will definitely be on the lookout for it.

Judy, and if I remember correctly poison ivy is one of those that change color. Our poison oak certainly does.



The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (2013)
First of series

Lilly's lamp blew out as she bolted down the hallway. She threw the lamp aside, splashing oil across the painted wall and fine rug. The liquid glistened in the moonlight.

Sanderson was the author who worked on the epic Wheel of Time series by the late Robert Jordan. In this book for teens, he attempts to create a new world and system of magic.

Rithmatics is a system of magic that can be performed by a select few and involves drawing special shapes with chalk. Each chapter of this book is introduced by one of these defensive designs with a explanation of how it works. I found it a little difficult to get excited about a form of magic that does not have the elegance and drama of wands, spells, and potions but I stuck with the book to the end and the final battle scenes of the story.

Joel is a student at a school where rithmatics and nonrithmatics attend. His mother is able to afford his tuition by cleaning. When he was eight, circumstances interfered with Joel's ceremony where he would find out if he was a rithmatist or not. However, he sneaks into classes and studies any books he can get his hands on. When summer comes he is assigned to assist a Professor on a special project. Another student, Melody, is also there because she needs a lot of help with her drawing. Together they make an unbeatable team that help uncover a sinister plot where students were being abducted.

The comparisons with Harry Potter are unavoidable. Young man at school yearning (but unable) to learn about magic. Another professor (think Snape) may or may not be responsible for the disappearances. I think we may be changing our mind about him several times over the span of the series.

I will be interested to see if this series is accepted and how it grows.

CATEGORY: YOUNG ADULT

Hi Mamzel, as far as I know, we don't get Poison Ivy here in B.C., but we do have Poison Oak so I better not go crawling around in the bushes!

Sorry. I missed that you were on the Pacific coast. Someday I would like to visit your neck of the woods.



October Mourning by Leslea Newman (2012)

RECIPE FOR DISASTER
Take two local boys
(with hearts removed)
Place in bar
Add one pitcher of beer
Bring slowly to a boil

Toss in one gay college kid
(sweet and on the small side)
Add more alcohol
Stir together
Remove from bar

Add equal amounts
rage
hatred
ignorance
fear

Place heated mix in cab of truck
Wait for things to go sour

It won't take long

This slim and quickly read volume of poems refer to the heinous beating death of Matthew Shepard days before the author arrived in Wyoming to speak at a Gay Awareness event. Each poem is from the viewpoint of a different person or artifact (like the fence Matthew was tied up to and the rope used to tie him).

It took very little time to read this book but I know the images will stay with me for much, much longer.

Ape House by Sara Gruen (2010), audio version read by Paul Boehmer

The plane had yet to take off, but Osgood, the photographer, was already snoring softly.

This first line, unfortunately, should have foretold how I would find the rest of the book. Except for learning about the great ape called the bonobo, I found little else of interest in this book. I could not warm up to the characters and I found the language and plot bordering on juvenile. I did not read her first book, Water for Elephants so I can't comment on whether this book may have been rushed to capitalize on the success of her first book.

Part of my problem with this book may have come from the fact that I was listening to this in the car and reading American Gods at home. Gaiman is pretty hard to compete with. I cannot recommend this book. Sorry.

CATEGORY: MYSTERIES

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (orig. pub. 2001, rereleased 2011),

Shadow had done three years in prison. He was big enough and looked don't-f***-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time.

An American road trip written by an English author, an immigration experience story, and the biggest show down ever for a climax. And along the way we see how the vision of the American melting pot includes the beliefs and gods that have come to America with the huge variety of cultures. In the middle is this large, gentle, quiet man who has been singled out as necessary for the show to begin. Known as Shadow, he mostly goes with the flow as he is released from prison to bury his wife who had been killed with his best friend. Shadow is offered a job to be a driver/body guard for a man who calls himself Wednesday since they met on that day of the week (or is there another basis for the name).

The reader follows them as they bounce around this continent meeting characters who are camouflaged gods, nearly forgotten by the immigrants who had come to America voluntarily or not. These gods refuse to go away without a fight and are coming together for an ultimate battle against the new gods of media, money, and technology. IMHO the old gods are far more interesting and imaginative.

This was a long book but it moves along and kept me enthralled. It's the kind of book that made me want to be at home reading it when I was at work. Fantastic!

CATEGORY: SPECULATIVE FICTION

A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke (2004)

My good friend Chris told me not to come to France. Great lifestyle, he said, great food, and totally un-politically correct women with great underwear.

That wasn't the very first line of the book but the first line of the second paragraph that gave me a sinking feeling that this would not be a fun experience.

I should have followed my first impression and thrown this book across the room. I finished it because I really thought this young man might gracefully adapt to his surroundings. Whether it was because he was British or just a run-of-the-mill git, that was not to be and I feel like I wasted 5 hours on this book.

Stephen Clarke was given (what would be to me) a fabulous opportunity to live in Paris for a year, advising a company on creating tea shops in a coffee drinking city, food and board all paid. However, he can't get over himself and derides the English-speaking French for their terrible accents, even though he can't speak more than a few basic words of French himself. He complains about everything and it just flabbergasts me that he managed to bed no less than four apparently sane and whole French women and finagle living with them. He bitches about the food, the expenses, the treatment of tourists, the traffic, and on and on. I had to keep reminding myself that at least it wasn't an ugly American.

Another one I can't recommend.

CATEGORY: ROOTS

What a stooge! Why do people like that even travel? What made the publishers think this would be interesting?

Sounds like Mr. Clarke is a little high on himself... not the book for me so thank you so much for reading and reviewing this one and pretty much taking this one for the team!

"I was just glad that for once it was not an American who was the ugly tourist."
LOL! Sounds like it could have been hilarious, but not if you can't point out a people's oddities and make jokes about them without being whiny.

It's really easy to knock the culture you're living in as a foreigner. I run into that every so often in a group of English-speakers here in Munich, where the topic turns to all the ways Germans suck. And then there's the opposite and equally annoying tendency to talk about how horrible our home country is. The truth, of course, is somewhere in between and places can have radically different ways of doing things without one being better than the other.

And, seriously? What a privileged situation that guy was in. To get to live in a foreign country and really get to know it, while also knowing that the time there is limited and that you get to go back home? So many people have to leave their home country permanently-how stressful would that be? And others who would love to have that opportunity and never get to go.

Glad to hear you enjoyed American Gods, as it's on my TBR shelf. I also read your review of the Sanderson book with interest. I'd never read anything of his until this summer, when I read The Emperor's Soul, a novella that won the 2013 Hugo in that category. I did like that story very much so I'm willing to try more of his work.

Hi, everyone. Thanks for dropping by.

I think his problem boils down to putting all the blame on the country, not any on himself.

My eyes were really bleary from all my weekend reading but are better after a good night's rest.

I know when I first moved to the US, my fellow Europeans and I had great chats about all the nutty things Americans do and we had quite a few laughs, but I can't remember us ever being condescending about it (it was more a general state of wonder, I think), because we had all chosen to come here, after all.

Americans do nutty things? :-) Who knew?

I always feel slightly off balance when I am in a foreign country, even the things that seem 'normal' are slightly different. I always wish that I could find someone to 'hold my hand' for a few days and explain how things work.

Maybe he was compensating for being 'off balance' but really why write about it then?? And I second the - why do people like that travel????

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Before Monsieur and I were married we went to Paris for a week. He had never been and wanted to take advantage of my (very) rudimentary French. I was quite surprised when I was asked no less than 3 times for directions. Normally an American tourist sticks out like a sore thumb but we had blended in nicely. In San Francisco it's easy to spot the tourist because they are always underdressed. I am also guilty of leaving my house where temperatures are in the comfortable 80s, going to town with a short sleeved shirt, and freezing in foggy 60s. I have lived in this area for 3 decades and should know better!

Sometimes I think that it is OK to embrace being a tourist (as long as it's not "that loud, obnoxious, American tourist. . ." ) Who knows what you might find or meet. I have even started to 'play' being tourist at home, taking the camera out and looking at things as if I was from someplace else.

My daughter blended in quite well in Istanbul, everyone was very surprised when they found that she wasn't Turkish. Her father is from Beirut, so then they decided that she was like a cousin. Alas I am obviously of Swedish descent, it didn't take a camera for everyone to know I was a tourist. Which considering we went to quite a few non-touristy areas probably wasn't a bad thing. Because there was certainly a difference when people realized she wasn't Turkish.

Layers are a lifesaver. . .

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (2013)

I was sitting outside the Commodore's mansion, waiting for my brother Charlie to come out with news of the Job.

This is one of those books that I only know about because of wonderful LTers who share them. I doubt if I had ever come across it I would have read it if it weren't for the intriguing descriptions of it I've read here. Thanks, LT.

Eli and Charlie are guns for hire in what has been described as a Western noir. They have been instructed to find a man named Hermann Kermit Warm and kill him after getting some information from him. They travel from the Oregon Territories to the San Francisco and the Sierra gold fields looking for him and meet all sorts of different people along the way.

Eli tells the story of their adventure in a dry way that almost reminded me of Sargent Joe Friday.

'He describes his inaction and cowardice as laziness,' Charlie said.
'And with five men dead,' I said, 'he describes our overtaking his riches as easy.'
'He has a describing problem,' said Charlie.

I laughed out loud and enjoyed following them on their journey.

CATEGORY: ROOTS

I loved The Sisters Brothers! The cover is great, too.

@ 47 -- I'm another one who never would have read The Sisters Brothers without some (ahem) gentle encouragement from fellow LT-ers. Glad I did, though! :)

So many people on LT love The Sister Brothers that I had to pick up a copy when I saw it at my local friends of the library bookstore. Thanks for the review!

Thrice Told Tales by Catherine Lewis (2013)

STORY
Three blind mice ran after the farmer's wife. She cut off their tails with a carving knife.
Snip of the Tale: On the most basic level, a sequence of events.

This is a very cute book which uses the well known (well to most, anyway*) nursery rhyme to illustrate literary terms and devices. Simple line drawings portraying the poor mice are included.

I would highly recommend this for school libraries (all levels) and would make a great gift for a budding author.

CATEGORY: NONFICTION

*I was blown away by the number of students I talked to about this book who were not familiar with this and other basic rhymes. What are they teaching in kindergarten these days???

I was blown away by the number of students I talked to about this book who were not familiar with this and other basic rhymes. What are they teaching in kindergarten these days???

Some of it is cultural and some of it is political correctness run amok. Would you want to explain to a bunch of 4 year olds why the farmer's wife used a carving knife to cut off the tails of 3 visually impaired rodents?

@ 52 -- I thought the farmer's wife just didn't want mice in her kitchen! :)

52> Most nursery rhymes are not exactly pleasant. As a child I never questioned why a giant egg sat on a wall in the first place or why someone lived in a pumpkin or ate a pie with 24 blackbirds in it. I guess I learned very early to "suspend belief" and just accept them at face value. Much later when I learned that they were based on historical events I think I felt a little disappointed that they weren't just nonsense.

Has anyone participated, or heard of someone who has participated in Rooster.com? It involves writing reviews for Kindle books for Amazon. Your comments about your experience would be appreciated.

OCTOBER SUMMARY

1. ROOTs - 6 - DONE
2. Mysteries - 14 - DONE
3. Speculative Fiction - 18 - DONE
4. ERs and ARCs - 8 - DONE
5. Graphic novels - 9
6. Nonfiction - 8 - DONE
7. Food related - 2
8. Plays - 1
9. Classics -3 - DONE
10. Non-American authors - 15 - DONE
11. Short story collections
12. YA literature - 9 - DONE
13. HUB challenge - 26 - DONE
Total to date - 119

11 books completed this month.

Really good -



Really bad (IMHO):
Ape House by Sara Gruen
A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke

Great reading month!

Excellent reading month! avatiakh read those Yang-books as well - I am officially intrigued.

Mamzel I can't wait to see what you will be reading in November. I'm ready for some book bullets.

Lori, Indeed - lots of fun!
Eva, They are worth a little time to enjoy! He is now on the short list for the National Book Award.
Roberta, I'm almost finished with Outliers which has some fascinating theories and I have to post praise about Silence of the Grave. I have started The Circle which I got on my Kindle because the hold queue at the library was too long.

I got The Circle on Kindle for the same reason. I will waiting for your review of Outliers and Silence of the Grave.

Here's one of them, Roberta.



Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (2008)

In this book, Mr. Gladwell hypothesizes why some people succeed way ahead of others. He takes the research of others and presents it in a clear and logical way that makes perfect sense. For some people it is the luck of their birthday which gave them an edge but for all of them it was a combination of luck and hard work. Very hard work.

I just bought his latest book, David and Goliath which I will get to some day.

Now, if I could believe that the thousands of hours my son has spent playing video games could somehow result in enormous success I would be very happy.

CATEGORY: NONFICTION

I enjoyed Outliers too. Some of Gladwell's conclusions might be questionable but his essays are really thought-provoking. He's a bit of a hero in my area, as he grew up in this region. He's giving a talk here in a few weeks but it sold out days after the tickets went on sale.

Last night two other library clerks (one elementary and one middle school) and myself spoke to the school board about the importance of restoring funds to the libraries to staff them full time, add more teacher librarians, and allow us to order more books and update equipment, get new furniture, etc. It might be naive hope, but I think they will consider us as budget money returns.

Mamzel, I noticed that it's your Thingaversary today. Have a good one!

Woo hoo, happy Thingaversary! :D

Happy Thingaversary Mamzel!

Happy Thingaversary Mamzel!

#64 I sympathize with you. My husband told me that in his school district this year they let go of some of the librarians. The librarians that are left all service two elementary school libraries. No elementary school has a full time librarian. They are going to have the kids do self check out. Just imagine the number of books that are going to go missing!

Happy Thingaversary from me too!

Happy Thingaversary! I have my fingers crossed that your funding presentation hit is mark and more funds are made available for the library.

From me too.

I had honestly forgotten that it was my Thingversary! Thanks for the reminders and well wishes.

>68 craso: Our elementary schools have never (to my memory) had a librarian, only part time library clerks. The district presently has two librarians, one for the three high schools and one for five of the six middle schools (one is a charter school and doesn't contribute to the librarian's salary). They are stretched so thinly and it's the students who lose out the most.



Rough Passage to London by Robin Lloyd (2013)
Received from Early Reviewers program.

April 7, 1814. Darkness descended as the British sailors leaned their backs into the rowing. Weathered faces grimaced as they pulled in unison.

This was the type of book that makes me so happy to participate in the ER program. I was given a final copy of the book complete with a dust cover featuring a painting of one of the Captain's ships, the Victoria.

Having spent most of my early years on or near salt water, this story was a true delight for me. The author based the story on his ancestor, Capt. Elisha (Ely) Morgan, a man who left life on his family farm in Connecticut to work his way up from cabin boy to captain and eventually manager of the line. The time was the 1800s when American and British relations were strained but lucrative and the horrid trade of human trafficking was in full swing.

We follow his life from a boy on a farm, eager to follow his older brothers to sea, to serving as a cabin boy in the Black X Lines, to quickly rising in rank to captain on packets sailing from New York to London. Along the way he is searching for his older brother who supposedly went down on a ship and a friend of his who was shanghaied. We feel the fear and motion of hurricane winds, smell the fog of the Grand Banks and the back alleys of London. We are also treated to some famous acquaintances of the good captain who hosted members of the Sketching Club, British artists, Charles Dickens, and even Queen Victoria.

A thoroughly delicious book.

CATEGORY - ARCS AND ERS

Ship Out of Luck by Neal Shusterman (2013)

Don't ask me because I don't got an opinion.
I'm not red, I'm not blue; I'm not an elephant or donkey; I'm not left or right; and I' ain't center either. I'm not even in the ballpark. If it's a ballpark, then I'm playin' hockey.

There's nothing very deep about this book except for the bursts of laughter that you might experience as you read it. The narrator is a smart aleck teen with a keen talent for attracting trouble.

My first thought was how great it would be to bring Tilde up here and do the exact same thing with her that the fluid-exchanging couple had been doing. It irked me that my thoughts went immediately there. People always say guys only have on thing on their mind. That's not exactly true. It's just that the "one thing" doesn't move out of the way for other thoughts. It's like a giant boulder in a river that everything else gotta go around.

Try it. You might like it.

CATEGORY: YA LITERATURE

The Circle by Dave Eggers (2013)

My God, Mae thought. It's heaven.

I had a rather convoluted journey getting into this book. When I first learned about the story I was intrigued. Google and it's endeavors has fascinated/scared/awed me for some time. Then when I read some of the comments by the people who started it before I did, I didn't think I wanted to be annoyed by it. I went off to read two other books. Then I saw the article written by Margaret Atwood I figured I should go back and give it another chance.

Except for the glaring problems with reality it was an intriguing story with good action. (If a man needs an extremely well designed submersible to visit the Marianas Trench, why wouldn't denizens of that place not need something more than what's available at the Monterrey Aquarium when brought to the surface?) The main character, Mae, a young woman totally smitten with the glamor of the company, gets a job in Customer Experience thanks to her college friend, Annie. She starts out answering emailed questions from customers who advertise on the search site and the networking sites. She then finds out that she is expected to participate in these networks and she comes to love the attention and visibility she attains there.

Either Mae isn't paying attention or her supervisors miss informing her of some of her duties (intentionally or not?) and she misses meetings and contacts and is repeatedly called on the carpet. That doesn't ever make her want to quit but spurs her on to perform better and better. She gains the attention of a creepy/mysterious man who she encounters on the Circle's campus but she can't find his true identity anywhere. Kandel warns her of dire consequences if the Circle "is completed" Will what she observes and learns about the company's plans impel her to cause sabotage or will she continue marching to the company's tune? Read the book to find out.

This was read to participate in the One LibraryThing, One Book group read.

CATEGORY: SPECULATIVE FICTION

Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 Volume 1 by Scott Tipton (2012)
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 Volume 2 by Scott Tipton (2013)

Alas, my library system only owns the first two of this 8 part series. Take note - don't start this unless you have access to the entire series.

My nerdy little self squealed in delight to learn of this collaboration between Captain Pickard and Dr. Who to battle two of the most evil races ever imagined: the Cybermen and the Borg. I have succumbed to temptation and ordered a hard copy of the entire series from Amazon.

I actually read these while ST:TNG was playing on my TV so I had the voices of the crew of the Enterprise in my head. I didn't really need it since the dialogue of the characters in the graphic novel rang so true to the characters of the TV series. What a blast!

CATEGORY: GRAPHIC NOVEL

You actually make me want to read The Circle now.

I'm not a Trekkie by any means, but a big enough Whovian to put those comics on the wishlist for sure!

Love this series. I'm a big nerd loving both Star Trek and Dr. Who. I have 1-4 on my Nook.

luvamystery - It's not too late to join the LT read of the book.
Eva - It might make you a Whovian. Have you seen any of the most recent iteration of the Doctor?
LA12 - When I saw that all 8 were in one compendium I decided to go for it. Much more economical than buying each one. I don't have a color Kindle so that was not an option, alas. *listening for mailman at the door*

All 8 together? Thanks, I'm going to Amazon.

I am such an enabler!

I had so much fun yesterday. One of our teachers brings in her classes once a month for book talks. I had read about this idea and decided to give it a shot. It is based on the style of speed dating except the kids get 30 seconds to look over a book before swapping for another. First we talked about what we look at when we consider reading a book - the cover art, the author, the blurbs on the back, the inside fly cover, the font, the type of book, etc. 5 kids at each table see each book then discuss them for a couple of minutes and write down the title of one of the books they might actually consider reading. They then moved to a different table and did it again. We gave them time to check out any of the books at the end. A few actually did.

What was very surprising is that the books that got the most number of mentions did not get checked out. Red Kayak got the most mentions with Some Girls, Some Hats, and Hitler coming in second. I liked the fact that a nonfiction book was so popular.

The teacher liked the idea and the librarian gave me some tips that really helped. I will definitely do this again.

What a good idea. Kids love non-fiction, especially if there are lots of illustrations.

Yes, I am indeed a Whovian. Not a mad one, but very nearly. :)

That's an excellent idea to show them a lot of books in a short amount of time.

Eva, I told my family I will be unavailable Saturday afternoon. Made sure my popcorn supply is adequate and box of tissues handy, just in case.

Dang! I just realized that's tomorrow. WooHoo!!!

LOL! We're prepped over here as well! :)

The more Doctors, the better!
Fantastic show!

Interesting article in yesterday's SF Chronicle about this new destroyer. Kicker is the name of the captain - Capt. James Kirk!!! Look at the price tag on that tub, however. Talk about sticker shock!

The Day of the Doctor was quite brilliant, wasn't it!? Moffat did very well with his modification of canon, I must say. I am SO looking forward to the Christmas special - it's going to be GOOOD!

I LOVED The Day of the Doctor!!!!! A friend and I went to see it at the movie theater on Monday night, and it was so great to see so many fans (mostly dressed up, including one dead ringer for David Tennant), selling out at least 5 movie theaters, laughing and crying and cheering together. Very heartening for this lady to see, since for most of the time that the show has been on (again), I've been watching by myself, and until the last year, I didn't know anyone else in real life that watched it too. I think that made it extra exciting for me, to see so many others like me, in my city, totally into this excellent show.

Steven Moffat hasn't made a mis-step so far, has he?!? Brilliant man!

How cool was this?

Eva, I think the date for that show will come quickly. This time of year always seems to fly.

Laura, I was mentioning how I anticipated watching the show at school and was pleasantly surprised at how many students actually knew him. One of them was a ninth grader with Asperger's who only recently had deigned to acknowledge my greetings. One of the teachers was actually sporting a famous scarf! Another teacher changed her Facebook picture wearing a red fez a student had worn to school that day. I don't know if she understood the significance.

I would have loved to attend the theater showing. If only I had known about it before they were sold out and if I could have talked someone into going with me. (Woulda, coulda, shoulda...)

That picture is going to haunt me!

I do love me some Capaldi! His face is on the poster for the Christmas episode, but he's well hidden - anyone else spot him already??

Did you watch the Five(ish) Doctors Reboot by Peter Davison? I thought it was hilarious. Very cheeky and affectionate.

Also, I am so ridiculously excited about Peter Capaldi being the Doctor. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I like Matt's portrayal very much but I love Peter Capaldi himself, and love that he's been a fan for so long. Also, Caecilius was great. ;)

Capaldi is great! I'm so excited to see his Doctor, though I'm really sad to see Matt Smith go. Tears will fall, along with Silence. ;)

I found Peter on the poster - he's on there twice! Wish I didn't have to work or do anything, and could watch the ENTIRE series, beginning to end, between now and Christmas. I think I need some kind of a total Doctor Who info book, if one exists. Does one exist?

I'm not as familiar with Capaldi as you all are but I am definitely looking forward to his portrayal based on your enthusiasm!

I went to see The Book Thief yesterday. Absolutely heart wrenching and heart warming. I highly recommend it. I went with someone who mistook the title for Inkheart. Boy was she in for a surprise!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! My pies are baked, the dressing is done, the creamed onions and cranberry sauce are ready, and the turkey is in the oven. My son and his girlfriend will be joining Monsieur, daughter and myself. This is our favorite holiday.


glitter-graphics.com

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears (1998)

Marco da Cola, gentleman of Venice, respectfully presents his greetings. I wish to recount the journey which I made to England in the year 1663, the events which I witnessed and the people I met, these being, I hope, of some interest to those concerned with curiosity.

These are the first lines of the first narration of four in this volume. Each is told by a different man with different slants on events and different motives. At the surface of the story is the murder of Dr. Grove and the accusation of a young, beautiful, intelligent, poor woman named Sally Blundy. As we follow deeper into the story we are shown many levels of political and religious intrigue.

This book slogged in parts as at least one of the narrators was extremely proud of his ability to put words to paper and did not stint one iota. Every thought, every possible fact, every conceivable machination was shared with the reader. The effort was, indeed, well worth it. Don't let this guy stop you from finishing the book!

For those anxious to delve into a deep, long (almost 700 pages), wordy, historical story, look no farther. Be prepared to dedicate most of your life to reading and forgo housecleaning, visiting with friends, dog walking (well, maybe not that), sleeping, etc.

Whew!

For without certainty what is science except glorious guesswork? And without the conviction of certainty, total and absolute, how can we ever hang anyone with an easy conscience? Witnesses can lie, and, as I know myself, even an innocent can confess to a crime he did not commit. (594)

CATEGORY: ROOTS

It's been years since I read An Instance of the Fingerpost, but I do remember liking it enormously and completely changing my mind with each new narrator.

I keep on meaning to read An Instance of the Fingerpost. Maybe next year will be the year that I do. Very enticing review, Mamzel!

It's been on my TBR list for years and years. Maybe next year will finally be the one?

It was in my wishlist for years, and I finally found it on sale so I'm up for reading it in 2014 also.

I have An Instance of the Fingerpost on Mt. TBR and I have heard that it's a bit slow at time, so I'm happy to see it ended up with a 4+ rating for you.

For those of you who haven't read AIotF, you're in for a treat. Especially if you are a fan of historical fiction, especially with a mystery involved. Eva, that third narrator is quite verbose. But he adds a lot to the larger story and it's worth it. I would say if you've read Hilary Mantel's books, this one is on a par.



Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings (2004)

After all this time, I still ask myself: Was it my fault?

This book is the one that received the most mentions in my "speed dating with books" event. My friend who works in a middle school library has raved about it for years so I figured I should give it a go. It was worth it.

Brady Parks is the son of a man who makes his living by carpentry and catching crabs on the Chesapeake Bay. Brady helps with his own boat and traps and knows the waters well which is why he is asked to help search for a little boy (who he babysits for) who was kayaking with his mother when their craft sank. Brady found the boy and tried CPR while getting him to the rescue party in town. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain.

The boy's family had bought their waterfront property from the family of one of Brady's friends, Digger, and they had always treated it as their personal beachfront. Digger was quite resentful that they had to sell the property. Brady's other friend, J.T., had his own anger issues. The boy's father left the mother so Brady helped her with yardwork and setting up a butterfly garden which helped his own mother deal with the death of his baby sister.

While cleaning around the boathouse, he comes across evidence that leads him to believe his friends were responsible for the tragedy. He now had a dilemma. Should he inform on them? Could he be held responsible if he didn't?

I would definitely recommend this to tweens and teens looking for a mystery without telling them that it is also about ethics.

CATEGORY: YA BOOKS

Almost forgot my monthly totals!

1. ROOTs - 7 DONE
2. Mysteries - 14 DONE
3. Speculative Fiction - 19 DONE
4. ERs and ARCs - 9 UP-TO-DATE
5. Graphic novels - 11 DONE
6. Nonfiction - 9 DONE
7. Food related - 2
8. Plays - 1
9. Classics -3 DONE
10. Non-American authors - 15 DONE
11. Short story collections
12. YA literature - 11 DONE
13. HUB challenge - 26 DONE

Total to date - 123

Outstanding for the month:

I'm finally catching up with your thread and the ST:TNG and Dr. Who collaboration caught my eye! I'm a huge TNG fan and just recently started watching Dr. Who, so these graphic novels sound great.

Mathgirl, thanks for stopping by. I think you would get a kick out of them.

It is uncharacteristically cold here today! Our students don't have the proper clothes for it and even though it got below freezing this morning, a few still sported shorts today! What can their parents be thinking??



Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen (2013) audio read by Artie Johnson

On the hottest day of July, trolling in dead-calm waters near Key West, a tourist named James Mayberry reeled up a human arm. His wife flew to the bow of the boat and tossed her breakfast burritos.

I listened to the audio book read by the irrascible Artie Johnson, best remembered for his roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. His scratchy voice with a slight New York accent was perfectly matched with the lead character of the story.

Andrew Yancy was a police detective who was demoted to restaurant health inspector, a job he took very seriously as he vacuumed roaches with his Dust Buster and gagged at the sights he found in the walk-in coolers. When a tourist snagged a man's arm, he took it upon himself to investigate what appeared to be a murder staged to look like an accident.

Taking place in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, Mr. Johnson was able to regale us with Latino, Calypso, and even Swedish accents as Yancy tracked down the owner of the arm while fighting battles with his neighbor who built an enormous spec house.

The characters are what make this book so much fun. Hiaasen has a wonderful supply from his stomping grounds in south Florida. I highly recommend listening to this book but beware of laughing aloud in public since people might worry about your sanity.

CATEGORY: MYSTERIES

Mamzel you hit me again lady! I love a well narrated title that makes me laugh out loud in public. I don't worry about the sanity issue. Life is too short to worry what the public will think of me.

ETA: Is this a series?

Luvamystery - I didn't get that feeling. Who knows, Yancy may come back for another investigation, though. I would love that!

My son prefers shorts to long pants. He claims he needs his legs free to run and pants make his legs too warm. Last winter, in SC, he successfully lived in shorts. He tried that here in Munich, but it eventually grew cold enough for him to switch to long pants. Up until then, he would wear several layers up top, but stuck to the shorts. I guess I'm defending the parents who tried their best but do have to let their children experience the natural consequences of insisting on dressing their way. If the cold snap continues, they'll decide to wear pants.

One young man who is usually waiting for me in the morning, had long pants on this morning. I saw another boy wearing a tank top (not dress code!) and flip flops! Whatever!

The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn (2013)
A Chet and Bernie Mystery - #6

"One thing's for sure," the lawyer said, handing Bernie our check, "you earned every cent."
Bernie tucked the check in - oh no - the chest pocket of his Hawaiian shirt, just about his nicest Hawaiian shirt, with the hula dancers and the trombones, but that wasn't the point. The point was, we'd had chest pocket problems in the past, more than once. And possibly more than twice, but I wouldn't know, since I don't count past two. What I do know is that checks have a way of falling out of chest pockets.

While many of Chet's canine asides can be tiresome, he is still such a great character I have to pardon them. For those of you who haven't met him yet, Chet flunked out of police dog school and was adopted by Bernie Little, a private detective. We read these stories from Chet's point of view which is full of smells and sounds that are out of human's sensory range. He makes the perfect partner, never arguing, and picking up helpful facts in areas where Bernie fails. They also manage to save each other's lives on a regular basis. This time they are hired to find a missing person in Louisiana which gives Chet contact with a new critter, the alligator.

If you are interested, I recommend beginning the series from the beginning, Dog On It since Chet often refers to older cases, most of which have been written about.

CATEGORY: MYSTERIES

The Iggy Chronicles, Volume One by Spencer Quinn (2013)

This short story features Chet's next door neighbor and buddy, Iggy, a little yappy dog who lives with an elderly couple. Mr. Parson knocks on their door one night and asks for Bernie's (and Chet's) help in finding Iggy. Mrs. Parson has returned from the hospital and is distraught over his absence. An investigation turns up problems at the hospital where patients' belongings have been stolen. Could Iggy's disappearance have anything to do with this?

Still more Chet and Bernie fun!

This is one BB I won't get from you Mamzel. I read the first two Chet and Bernie this past year. Adorable.

I thought I owned Dog On It, but apparently not. I'll keep an eye out for it.

>112 luvamystery65: I'll try to aim better next time!

>113 RidgewayGirl: Hint - it's got a dog on the cover. ;-)

FYI, the Dog On It e-book is currently priced at $2.99 for Kindle and Nook.

Chet and Bernie sound like two dogs I need to get to know better. Dog on It is off to Mt. TBR.

I've got Dog On It sitting on my Nook, just waiting to be read - can't wait to get to it!

Inge - Sorry about any misrepresentation - Chet is a dog and Bernie is his human. I hope you will enjoy them.

Eva - Chet is a really good sitter! ;-)



The Seven Wonders by Steven Saylor (2012)
Novels of Ancient Rome, prequel

"Now that you're dean, Antipater, what do you plan to do with yourself?"

Steven Saylor has brought back his wonderful series which take place in ancient Rome and centered around the Finder named Gordianus. This time we meet Gordianus as a young man leaving to travel around the Meditteranean with an old Greek poet who has pretended his own death so he could travel incognito. They leave to visit the sites of all the seven man-made wonders of the world. At each site Gordianus has an opportunity to use his budding detective skills and grow in other ways. (Wink, wink)

The author has done a lot of research to present these sites to the reader as they must have been two thousand years ago. While some are already in ruins (the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Colossus of Rhodes) some are still in one piece (the Pyramids and the Lighthouse at Alexandria).

The next of this new series comes out in May and I'll be there!

CATEGORY: MYSTERIES

For anyone contemplating buying an ereader for themselves or someone else, Kindle is selling their basic model for $49! Today only.

>118 mamzel:, Not a problem. I enjoy reading books about people as well as dogs. :)

Yesterday I came home to a package containing the BBC radio presentation of Neverwhere. Squeeeee! Started listening this morning on the way to work.

^121 like, like, like!!!

>121 mamzel:: Yay! I strongly approve. Enjoy!!!

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (2012)

Wolverine River, Alaska, 1920
Mabel had known there would be silence.

I read this book in my chilly room, comforter pulled up to my chin and I was still unable to feel warm as I read this story about a couple of Alaskan homesteaders. Mabel and Jack had left their Pennsylvania farm after their only child was stillborn and settled in the wilderness of Alaska, far from the reminding sounds of children. But for the assistance and generosity of their neighbors, they may not have survived the first winter.

One snow fall gave them the perfect snow to build a snowman so they fashioned one as a little girl and dressed it with mittens and a scarf. The next morning the snowman was smashed up and the mittens and scarf were gone. The only tracks led away from the site and seemed to be made by a child. This reminded Mabel about a story her father had told her when she was a child using the illustrations of a Russian book. This told the story of an older couple who built a snow child which turned into a real girl.

This slow, tender book followed the years that followed as they made progress with their farm and became closer to their neighbors and their relationship with the mysterious snow girl grew. It is quite a departure from my usual fare and I really loved it. Thanks to the LTers who read this last year and raved about it. When I saw it on the sale table, I snatched it up. I will donate this to my high school library. I think teens would love it, too.

CATEGORY: ROOTS (because it doesn't really fit anywhere else)

That ends my 2013 challenge. My next book will be for the 2014 challenge but I will continue to lurk here, picking up more BBs no doubt, until the end of the year. Thanks to all my friends here for their wonderful comments which always encourage me to read more and more widely. I won't feel too bad about the unfulfilled categories since others were overflowing. I read more nonfiction than ever, a trend I will be sure to continue and I am committing to read books from the list of 1001 books to read before you die. See you all in the next challenge!

Final tally:
1. ROOTs - 8 - DONE
2. Mysteries - 17 - DONE
3. Speculative Fiction - 19 - DONE
4. ERs and ARCs - 9 - DONE
5. Graphic novels - 11 - DONE
6. Nonfiction - 9 - DONE
7. Food related - 2
8. Plays - 1
9. Classics -3
10. Non-American authors - 15 - DONE
11. Short story collections
12. YA literature - 11 - DONE
13. HUB challenge - 26 - DONE

GRAND TOTAL - 131!
TOTAL # OF PAGES - 42,710

Adult - 85
YA - 41
Children's - 6

Audio books - 5
Books on Kindle - 23

Books from the high school library - 33
Books from the county library - 38 (made good use of them this year!)
Books bought this year or from my shelf - 21

(Numbers won't add up since there was overlapping, like books borrowed from the library for the Kindle.)

Favorites:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Round House by Louise Edrich
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny


glitter-graphics.com

Congratulations on completing your challenge, mamzel!

Congrats on completing your challenge!

Congratulations and Happy Holidays!

Hooray! Congratulations.

Hurray, congrats! And season's greetings to you too! :)

Congratulations. We read a lot of the same books this year. On to 2014...

Congratulations on completing your challenge, Mamzel. Looking forward to following you over to the 2014 Challenge soon.

Congrats on finishing your challenge!

Congratulations -- 131 books is impressive!

Congratulations on finishing, Mamzel!

Congratulations on finishing your challenge Mamzel!

Congratulations!!!!

Merry Christmas Mamzel!

Well done on completing your challenge!

Thank you all!