Tuesday, October 11, 2016

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Harmony; Carolyn Parkhurst


Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros sharing the first paragraph or two, from a book I'm reading or will be reading soon. 


Harmony; Carolyn Parkhurst
Pamela Dorman Books/Viking - 2016

Prologue

"In another world, you make it work.  In another world, you never even hear the name 'Scott Bean.' Or you do, and you maybe even subscribe to his newsletter, but on the night that he comes to speak at a library not far from your house, Iris is sent home from school with a stomach bug, or Josh is out of town and you don't want to hire a sitter.  You figure you can catch him next time. Later, when you hear his name on the news and it sounds familiar, you shake your head and think, 'What a wacko.'  It doesn't even occur to you to say, 'That could have been me.' Because you know yourself, and it goes without saying.  You would never get mixed up in something like that. End of story."

Based on this intro, would you read more or pass on this book?

Feel free to join in by posting your own First Chapter First Paragraph Intro and linking below.


Sunday, October 9, 2016

Sunday Blatherings


It's beginning to look a little more like fall here but, the foliage is kind of late this year. I'm loving the 60 degree temps and cool nights.  Hope to get in a fall trip to Cape Cod this month. There is nothing like visiting seaside towns once the tourists have gone home.


I'm someone who has never enjoyed exercise (even grade school gym) but, I've always wanted to try Yoga.  Last month I started going to yoga 3 mornings a week and am loving it.  I can't believe I found some exercise I love.  I started out in a regular class (not gentle yoga) but, only found 2 positions that are a little tougher for me so I'm very pleased.  Do any of you do yoga?

READING


  • The Heavens May Fall; Allen Eskens - fantastic mystery finished this week (review next week)
  • Leave Me; Gayle Forman - now reading (I'm enjoying this one but, the protagonist is annoying. She should be feeling grateful but she's bitchy instead IMO)


NEW BOOK ARRIVALS





POLITICAL HUMOR



Have a great week!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

They May Not Mean To, But They Do; Cathleen Schine


Macmillan Audio - 2016
Cynthia Darlow (narrator)

They May Not Mean To But, They Do is an intergenerational story about the Bergman family. Joy and Aaron Bergman are now in their golden years having raised their son Daniel and daughter, Molly in New York City.  

The truth is Aaron's health is failing quickly, he suffers from dementia and has been doing some embarrassing things. His wife Joy is strong-willed and believes she can care for him alone at home while maintaining her part-time job at a small Jewish museum. The reality is that's just not possible long term.

Molly, left her husband Doug back in NYC and now is in love with a woman. They have moved across the country to Los Angeles.  Joy misses not having her daughter close by even though Molly does comes home when crisis calls. Daniel and his wife and children still live nearby but, as often is the case parents tend to rely on daughters more than sons in times of crisis.

The novel addresses serious issues yet the author infuses humorous moments among the seriousness of what life is like for aging parents and their adult children.  There are lots of issues and emotions running through this novel: loss, loneliness, money worries and moving on to name a few.  The characters were well developed but, I thought the adult children were a bit annoying at times. They did seem to mean well and wanted to make sure their mother would be okay, but often went about things in a less than ideal way.  The audio book was pleasant to listen to but, the plot seemed to drag a bit at times.

3.5/5 stars
(library audio)

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Damaged; Lisa Scottoline

Damaged; Lisa Scottoline
Macmillan Audio - 2016
Rebecca Lowman - narrator

Damaged is a mystery/thriller that held my interest from beginning to end.

In this story Mary DiNuzio is a busy Philadelphia attorney with a lot on her mind. She's about to be remarried and, a new case she's taken on has her emotionally involved.  Mary's new client is Edward, a retired veteran who is the guardian of his 10 year old grandson, Patrick O'Brien.

Patrick is a small boy, shy, and dyslexic; he's the perfect target of bullies at school.  His grandfather has been Patrick's guardian since his mother was killed in an auto accident. Edward only wants the best for his grandson but, now Patrick has been accused of attacking a teacher's aide. The aide has resigned and is now suing Patrick, his grandfather and the school district.  Mary knows quite a bit about special education and disability law so she agrees to take on this case. She quickly discovers that there is much more going on behind the scenes than she could have anticipated for.  To say much more might lead to spoilers.

This is a fast paced thriller/mystery with unexpected twists along the way. I enjoyed the writing, the characters and the story even though a few things seemed a bit contrived.  I hadn't realized that this novel was book #4 of the Rosato & DiNuzio series but, that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. The audio was a delight to listen to.

4/5 stars
(library audio)

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Leave Me; Gayle Forman


Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros sharing the first paragraph or two, from a book I'm reading or will be reading soon. 


Leave Me; Gayle Forman
Algonquin - 2016

"Marybeth Klein was working late, waiting to sign off on the final proofs of the December issue, when she had a heart attack.

Those first twinges in her chest, however, were more a heaviness than a pain, and she did not immediately think heart. She thought indigestion, brought on by a plate of greasy Chinese food she's eaten at her desk the hour before.  She thought anxiety, brought on by the length of tomorrow's to-do list.  She thought irritation, brought on by the conversation with her husband, Jason, who when she'd called earlier was having a dance party with Oscar and Liv, even though their downstairs neighbor Earl Jablonski would complain and even though keeping up the twins up past eight upped the odds that one of them would wake in the night (and wake her up, too)."

Based on this intro, would you read more or pass on this book?

Feel free to join in by posting your own First Chapter First Paragraph Intro and linking below.


Sunday, October 2, 2016

Wintering; Peter Geye

Wintering; Peter Geye
Knopf and Blackstone Audio
Suzanne Toren (narrator)


Wintering begins in the fictional town of Gunflint, MN, on the shores of Lake Superior.  Harry Eide is a man suffering from dementia. His mind takes him back to an earlier time when he and his young son Gus left home for the wilderness. At the time Harry was fleeing a bad marriage.  This time however, it's the middle of the night and the dead of winter and Harry is not the man he was 30 years earlier.  He leaves his home and is never heard from again.

The story is told in both time periods.  As Gus visits Berit Loving, Harry's lover for several decades, to tell her about his father's disappearance, we learn about the dangerous adventures of father and son 30 years earlier as they traveled by canoe, in freezing conditions exploring the wilderness the way the French voyagers did long before them.

I enjoyed this audio and I couldn't imagine anyone living through such harsh conditions as Harry and Gus.  I liked the part of the story told by Berit, flashing back to her relationship with Harry and also learning the secrets and backstory of some of the people of Gunflint, including Harry's own grandmother who Berit had cared for.

For me, this novel was all about the atmosphere, the desolate snow covered wilderness. It's a rather slow, reflective story but, one that was well executed. This is my first time reading this author but, I will definitely consider other books by him in the future.

4/5 stars
(library audio)

Saturday, October 1, 2016

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary; Simon Winchester

Harper - 2005

I cringed a bit when I learned what our book group selection for September was. Clearly, it seemed like a book that I would have little interest in especially considering the shelves and shelves of little gems I need to read from my shelves.  However, I gave it a shot, but, in the end it was just not for me.

(Description from Amazon Website)

Hidden within the rituals of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary is a fascinating mystery. Professor James Murray was the distinguished editor of the OED project. Dr. William Chester Minor, an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War, was one of the most prolific contributors to the dictionary, sending thousands of neat, hand-written quotations from his home. After numerous refusals from Minor to visit his home in Oxford, Murray set out to find him. It was then that Murray would finally learn the truth about Minor – that, in addition to being a masterly wordsmith, he was also an insane murderer locked up in Broadmoor, an English asylum for criminal lunatics. The Professor and the Madman is the unforgettable story of the madness and genius that contributed to one of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters.

Here's what are group thought of the book.


  • Only (9) people showed up to discuss this book, normally we have about 15.
  • Only (3) people enjoyed it; one of the 3 was fascinated and stated she has a new fascination with word origins
  • Those of us who did not care for the book gave the following reasons ----
  • Not enough time spent on the actual compilation of the dictionary which took some 70 years to complete
  • Writing was too simplistic and repetitive 
  • For a non fiction work, the author often seemed to know what others were thinking
  • Would have been nice to see references for things represented as fact
  • No footnotes
  • Seemed embellished and sensationalized
Have you read this one?  If so what did you think?


2.5/5 stars
(library book)