Daisy's Book Journal

Grounds for Murder by Sanda Balzo

2012-02-01T16:04:00.000-06:00

In Grounds for Murder, Maggy Thorsen has reluctantly agreed to manage the barista competition at Java Ho, a speciality coffee convention. There's tons of competition going on behind the scenes too, but when Maggie finds a body underneath one of the tables, things get even uglier. She soon finds out that nearly everyone had a beef or argument with the victim, including herself. To clear her name, she talks to all those involved to see if she can smoke out the culprit.

I really liked this cozy mystery, the second book in the Maggy Thorsen Mystery series. The story is interesting and relevant, especially with coffee shops popping up everywhere and the little independent ones trying to contend with the corporate giants. I loved that this one took place at a convention. I could just imagine what that's like! Caffeine, headaches and tons of fun! Well, until someone turns up dead, but you know what I mean.

Balzo's characters are wonderful. Some of them a little larger than life, but that's true in a lot of cozy mysteries. I especially loved Maggy. She's trying to get on with her life after her son goes away to college and her good-for-nothing-cheating husband left her for his hygienist. Her coffee shop is just starting out but she's determined to make a go of it. There were lots of great more minor characters, but my favourites were: her love interest, Pavik, Antonio, the lactose-intolerant milkman and Frank, her oversized dog. All of them were fun to read about.

New Words:
apoplectic (page 9): furious
dragooned (page 128): intimidated

Favourite Quote:

I yelled, thereby joining every fictional character I've ever disparaged for giving the bad guy warning before grabbing them. (page 221)

I also read and really enjoyed the first one, Uncommon Grounds (my review). I have the third one, Bean There, Done That and Triple Shot on my virtual to-be-read shelf. I hope to get to them soon.

Highly recommended. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

For more information about this book, please visit Amazon.com.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Sandra Balzo's website.

Many thanks to the author for sending me this eBook to review.

Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo, Severn House, ©2007. ISBN 9781847510273(e-book/PDF), 224p.

The Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark

2012-02-01T12:03:00.000-06:00

In The Look of Love, Piper Donovan is asked to create a wedding cake for Jillian Abernathy, the owner of Elysium, an exclusive spa in Los Angles. Part of the deal states that Piper gets to stay at the spa the entire week before the wedding. Shortly after she arrives, though, one of the guests is murdered. With the wedding just days away, is doesn't look like Jillian is going to be walking down the aisle any time soon.

I really enjoyed this book. It's such an easy read that I breezed through it in no time. I love how Clark builds suspense by using short chapters and many points of view to tell the story. I also love how she doesn't tell you exactly who everyone is right away. The identities, details and motives are revealed in small bits and pieces, added more suspense. Sometimes I was left wondering how a person fit into the story and had to read several chapters before finding the answer. I didn't mind at all. In fact, I love this style of writing. It's all the more satisfying when I could later say "Aha! I get it now!"

This is the second book in the Piper Donovan mystery series, but the first one I've read. I have the first book in the series, To Have and To Kill on my eReader. I can't wait to read it now. I just loved the protagonist, Piper. It was a little unbelievable that she's making wedding cakes for high-profile clients when she has so little experience, but maybe that's explained a little more in the first book.

The pacing in this book was pretty even until it came to the end. It started to pick up speed until it was at a frenzied pace with extremely short chapters, jumping into all of the different plot lines seemingly at once. I was almost breathless and I couldn't stop turning the pages. Brilliantly done.

My one complaint is that the ending wrapped up a little too quickly. All of a sudden the culprit was suspected, pronounced guilty, and the book ended. I still wanted to know more about the other suspects. However, I guess when you find the guilty party, why look further? Nevertheless, the book was thoroughly entertaining.

I've read a few of Clark's other books: It Only Takes a Moment, When Day Breaks, Dying for Mercy. I've enjoyed them all. I have a number of her other books waiting to be read. I hope to get to them sooner rather than later.

Highly recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Mary Jane Clark's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

The Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark, William Morrow (HarperCollins), ©2012. ISBN 9780061995569(Hardcover), 340p.

Daisy's Best of 2011

2012-01-29T16:47:00.000-06:00

I'm so late in posting this, but better late than never. Right? The only separation I did this year was for fiction and nonfiction. Note that these are books I read in 2011 and not necessarily published that year.In no particular order, here's Daisy's Best of 2011:

Fiction
The Woefield Poultry Collective by Susan Juby
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon
Death Notice by Todd Ritter(I can't remember if I read it at the end of 2010 or the beg of 2011)
Bad Moon by Todd Ritter
The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas
Red Hook Road by Ayelet Walman
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose
The Accident by Linwood Barclay
Room by Emma Donoghue
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
Hush by Kate White
I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg
A Hard Death by Jonathan Hayes
Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

Non-fiction
Four of the five following books come from DK Publishing. In my opinion, you really can't go wrong with any of their books. I read a number of them in 2011 and enjoyed them all. My favourites of those are listed below. The last book in the list is from Random House.
The Best Art You've Never Seen by Julian Spalding
The Cook's Book by Jill Norman, Editor-in-Chief
Fresh Flower Arranging by Mark Welford and Stephen Wicks
The History Book by DK Publishing
Martha Stewart's New Pie & Tarts by Martha Stewart

That's it. Did you read any of these? Did any of them make your "best of" list? Do you disagree with any of my selections? Do you have recommendations? Let me know in the comments.

Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

2012-01-20T12:56:00.000-06:00

In Round Ireland with a Fridge, Tony Hawks goes hitchhiking around Ireland with a fridge in tow on a drunken bet. Along the way, he meets some interesting people, including a phony king, a nun and more town drunks that you can count all the while becoming the talk of Ireland.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't know what to expect from this book when I borrowed it from a fellow book club member. I don't read a whole lot of nonfiction, but when she said she liked it and that was good enough for me. I got a little worried, though, when I brought it home and saw that the Hawks is a British comedian. I don't always get British humour. I'm so glad that didn't scare me away, because this book is really funny and contains a terrific story.

I don't want to give away the story, but if you think that traveling around with a fridge (albeit a small one) would hamper Tony's travels, you should think again. The people he met on his journey were intrigued by it all and Tony got very lucky early on. I'm not sure he would have the same experiences in another country, like the US or even Canada.

The book contains several pages of photos. These were nice to see, however, the quality isn't great in this paperback edition. Some of them were hard to make out. One thing I would have like to see included was a map of his route. If nothing else, it would have been fun to follow along as his adventure progressed...to see how far he's come and how far he had to go. I guess I could have consulted my own map, but then I would have had to get out of my comfy chair. ;)

Highly recommended. You probably won't learn a lot about Ireland, the country, but you will learn how wonderful the Irish people are while you have a laugh or two or several.

For more information about this book, please visit the Macmillan's website.

Apparently, someone made a movie of Tony's travels. For information about it, click here.

For more information about the author, please visit Tony Hawks's website.

I'd like to thank Ana from my book club for lending this book to me.

Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks, Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin's Press), ©1998. ISBN 0312274920(Trade paperback), 248p.

Bad Moon by Todd Ritter

2012-01-19T12:29:00.000-06:00

In Bad Moon, Eric Olmstead, now a famous writer, comes back to Perry Hollow to bury his mother and honour her last request...find his long lost brother, Charlie. Charlie disappeared the night Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and hasn't been seen since. At the time, everyone assumed that Charlie went over the falls and drowned. However, his mother wasn't so sure. Now that Eric's come back to wrap things up, he finds out that his mother may have uncovered a string of disappearances that were related to Charlie's in some way. After all this time, finding witnesses and evidence isn't going to be easy for Police Chief Kat Campbell, but she's determined to help her old flame, Eric, find out what happened to his brother.

I loved this book! It was so good and had everything a great mystery needs: a great setting, great characters and plenty of suspense. The story was exquisitely crafted and carefully laid out to examine everyone and everything from every angle until the case was solved. Even though there were plenty of suspects and lots of evidence pointing in different directions, the twists and turns didn't leave my head spinning. I loved that.

All of the characters in the book were pretty good. I really liked them all. The main characters: Kat, Eric, Nick, the mysterious Glenn Stewart and the Santangelos, all added substance to the story. While characters like Louella, Kat's son, James, as well as a host of other more minor characters rounded out the story nicely.

This is a fantastic follow-up to Ritter's first book, Death Notice (my review). I'd be hard pressed to pick which one I liked better. Both are equally good. Even though it's part of a series, this book can definitely be read as a standalone book. There's some information about the first case/book, but nothing excessive. Just enough details to remind those who've read the previous book of the facts, but not so much so as to confuse or alienate new readers.

New word: stultifying (page 62): diminishing interest - to dull somebody's interest by being repetitive, tedious and boring.

Highly recommended. I couldn't have started the new year with a better book! Look for it on my "Best of 2012" list. I hope to read many more books by this author.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit MacMillian's website.

For more information about the author and his other book, please visit Todd Ritter's website.

Thanks to Dana Kaye from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

Bad Moon by Todd Ritter, Minotaur Books, ©2011. ISBN 9780312622817(Hardcover), 356p.

The Thirteen by Susie Moloney

2012-01-16T20:33:00.000-06:00

In The Thirteen, Paula Wittmore returns home to Haven Woods with her young daughter, Rowan. Paula's mother, Audra, has recently become ill and the two want to visit her. What they doesn't know is that Audra's friends need Paula to return with Rowan to complete their little group and to appease their dark side.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I should state up front that this is not my preferred genre. I've only read a handful of paranormal books in the past and I don't think I loved any of them. Having said that, I liked the first part of the book where the witchcraft was merely suggested or hinted at...just a few unusual things happening. The rest was left up to my imagination. However, later on it got into the incantations as well as some "icky" stuff, which I didn't enjoy as much.

I liked Moloney's storytelling style. She revealed the details slowly and carefully, which added a lot of suspense of the story. A couple of times, though, it came across as a little too cryptic and I couldn't quite figure out what was going on. There were a couple of passages that were awkward and a few that I didn't like at all, but overall it was pretty well written.

The description on the back of the book "The Witches of Eastwick meets Desperate Housewives" was somewhat accurate, only I didn't find the book all that funny. Maybe the humour was so subtle or dark that I didn't quite catch it. Whatever the reason, the humour, which I know exists because I've read about it in other reviews, apparently went right over my head. Also, parts of it seemed a little predictable and the story contained a few clichés that had me rolling my eyes. Only later did I realize that maybe those were the funny bits that I thought I missed. Sometimes I tend to take things too seriously. Really, I have a sense of humour. I just hide it really well.

While this really wasn't the book for me, I think paranormal fans, with a sense of humour, will enjoy it.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author, please visit Susie Moloney's website.

This book was a win from the Editorial Board Survey I filled out from those nice people over at Booklounge.ca (Random House). Thanks!

The Thirteen by Susie Moloney, Random House Canada, ©2011. ISBN 9780679313816(Uncorrected proof), 328p.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy

2012-01-13T13:36:00.000-06:00

In Affairs of Steak, Ollie Paras, the Executive Chef at the White House, is paired up with Peter Sargeant, the White House's Sensitivity Director, to find a venue for the Secretary of State's birthday party. The problem is that they don't get along at all. When they inspect the preferred venue for its suitability, they discover two bodies, both with strong ties to the White House. As rumours and suspicions abound, Ollie and Peter must huddle together and figure out who the culprit is before they become his next victims.

I loved this book! I've read two others in the series and loved them as much as this one. This 5th book in White House Chef Mystery series is so well written and fun to read. I just loved to sitting down with Ollie (and Julie) to see what she's cooked up this time. Pun intended. I may be a little biased because I'm a huge fan of Hyzy's and this series. This one seemed a little edgier or had more dangerous situations in it than the other two that I've read. More of the action took place outside of the kitchen, so maybe that's why it felt different. I like to think of the kitchen as Ollie's safe haven; when she's there she's less likely to get into really serious trouble. Anyway, it's all good.

Ollie always seems to have her hands full. She deals with new people to the job, new regulations, new and old rivalries, not to mention cooking elaborate meals for the President, his family and other dignitaries. And that's just her day job! She also investigates murders and other suspicious activities that happen in and around the White House. She's a gem!

My one small complaint is that the characters didn't spent as much time in the kitchen as I would have liked. As I said above, I thought this added more danger to the storyline and I really liked that. However, I love hearing about the food that Ollie cooks for the President, the first family and other visiting dignitaries. Even when it's simple fare, it sounds so scrumptious. A little of that was missing here.

New word: apologetic (page 91): remorseful (I've looked this word up so many times, but I just can't seem to remember what it means.)

I love that this book contained some recipes. These ones look especially delicious. Who doesn't love (or at least like) puff pastry?! In moderation, of course. ;) It makes every dish look and taste extra special. I love that some of these simple recipes could be used for weekday family meals as well as fancy-shmancy company's-coming weekend ones. I already have my eye on the few of them.

Julie also writes another series, Manor House Mystery series, which is just as fun and wonderful as this one. For all of my reviews of Julie's books, please see the Review By Author page on this blog. You can't go wrong with any of them.

Highly recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Penguin's website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Julie Hyzy's website.

Thanks to Dana Kaye from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy, Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin), ©2011. ISBN 9780425245835(Mass Market), 293p, includes recipes.

Winter, renovations, photos...Oh, My!

2012-01-11T14:43:00.001-06:00

Now that winter has invaded Manitoba (+6C yesterday; -28C "feels like" today), I'm planning on having a case of winter blues very shortly. All I want to do is put on some winter weight (eat, eat, eat) and hibernate. It didn't take much because I was already feeling kind of blah after the holidays.

Our home renovations (gutting and redoing two bathrooms) are on a little bit of a hold while our contractor deals with some personal issues and catches up on some outstanding jobs. The little delay will give some of the back-ordered plumbing parts time to get here. However, I just want it done already. Last January we were planning these changes, only to get postponed because of the flood. How much longer can this go on?

On the blogging front, I've made the decision to move my photography stuff to another blog, Daisy's Photography. Well, not really move. It's more of a from-now-on kind of thing. That includes: Wordless Wednesday, Photo Friday, Snapshot Saturday as well as my 365 Project. It'll mean that I'll have fewer posts here, but at least they will all be book related. It's sort of spur of the moment and I'm not really sure about it, but there's enough of it now to warrant its own space. If it doesn't work out, I can always make some more changes.

As for book reviews on this blog, I haven't posted one in awhile. I've been reading a lot, but I haven't felt like writing lately. I'm slowly starting to get into the swing of things again and should have some reviews done by early next week. That's it.

Saturday Snapshot - More Christmas Shots

2012-01-07T12:04:00.002-06:00

Here are a few more photos from our Christmas getaway.

Open water on Christmas day. Westhawk Lake is a meteor lake, which means it's very deep. We've been to this location a number of times during the winter over the years and have never ever seen open water. Usually there's a snowmobile trail (or several trails) crisscrossing the lake. Not this year. With the unseasonably warm weather we've had, the lake was mostly open water. I'm actually surprised that we didn't see at least one boat on the lake. It would have been suicidal to do so, but I was sure that some yahoo would loved to be able to say "I went boating on Christmas day".

Closed trail sign. If you can see the open water behind the sign, it's obvious the trail is closed, but I guess you can't be too careful when the conditions are so unusual.

Pine Grosbeak - Male. There were lots of females around, but I didn't get a good shot. I love seeing these guys when we are here. We occasionally have grosbeaks in our area, but not this type. These guys prefer coniferous trees; we mostly have deciduous ones.

Wordless Wednesday - Poinsettia

2012-01-04T15:54:00.000-06:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Simon & Schuster's Book Blogger Spotlight

2012-01-03T11:21:00.000-06:00

Guess who is in Simon & Schuster's Book Blogger Spotlight this month? C'est moi! Go have a look!

Thanks S&S!

I'm more of a backstage person, but being in the spotlight for a change was fun. Thanks for asking me.

New Year, New Project - Reading - #50BookPledge

2012-01-02T14:37:00.000-06:00

I loved reading/skimming over all of the challenge posts in my Google Reader. I bookmarked a bunch in the last few weeks to seriously consider at the end of the year. I haven't participated in many reading challenges, but I figured I'd start with this year. There are so many good ones...so many I'd be interested in doing. Some I know I could do pretty easily; others would be fairly challenging. When I sat down to sort through the ones I picked out, it was all too much. It started to get intimidating. I can't do all of the ones I like. Where to start? Which ones do I join? They all looked so good.

That's when I stumbled across The Savvy Reader's #50BookPledge. I heard about this last year, but didn't participate. There aren't a lot of rules to follow, which I like...just read and talk about books. Since I already do that, to me, it sounds like a great place to start.

I haven't counted how many books I read last year (2011). I could go back and figure it out pretty quickly. But, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to join this challenge blindly and hope that I can get read 50 books by the end of 2012. If I don't, that's okay, too. At least I tried.

Have you heard about this challenge? How you joined? How many other reading challenges have you joined?

Weekend Cooking - Roasted Fennel

2012-01-01T16:06:00.000-06:00

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

For more information, see the Welcome post on Beth Fish Reads.

I haven't posted to Weekend Cooking in ages. However, when I tried this recipe last week (twice!! because it was so good), I just knew I wanted to share it. This recipe came on a tag with the fennel. It's so simple with only three ingredients.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan

4 bulbs fennel
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan

Preheat oven to 475ºF. Rinse fennel in cold running water. Trim tops and cut off base off bulbs. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange in even layer over bottom of 9x13-inch pan or roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat fennel. Roast, stirring occasionally, until fennel is just beginning to get tender, about 30 minutes. Scatter cheese over fennel and return to oven for another 10 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.

Until now, I thought fennel was just ok. Now, I think it might be one of my favourite vegetables. With such a high oven temperature, it gets all caramelized and yummy. The cheese definitely makes the dish. I used a jellyroll pan (or as I call it a cookie sheet with sides) instead of the roasting pan as the recipe suggests.

Enjoy!

Have you tried fennel/anise before? If yes, what's your favourite way to cook it?

New Year, New Project - Photography

2012-01-01T15:18:00.000-06:00

Late last year, I read about a great project that I thought was right up my alley. It's photography related rather than book related. It's called the 365 Project. Basically, you pick a theme and then take one photo a day based on that theme. It sounds like a huge commitment, but fun at the same time. There's a more thorough explanation on the website.

My theme is "Life - Up Close". I had tossed around a number of other ideas before settling on this one as it popped into my head this morning. I really like taking macro or close-up photographs, so I wanted to base the project on that. The "life" part is pretty general and that's on purpose. I can basically take a close up of anything.

Don't worry, I won't be posting my photographs daily here. I think I'll do a weekly post with either the photographs themselves or a link to them. I'll see how it goes as time goes by.

As for other photography memes or projects: I had been doing Photo Friday off and on for a few years, something posting the photos here. I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with it. I might check out the theme and if I like it that week, I'll do it. Otherwise, I think I'll have my hands full with this one. I'll probably stick with Wordless Wednesday and Saturday Snapshot hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books because I like participating in both of these and can use some older photos that I won't be using for my 365 Project.

Anyone else thinking of tackling a year long project? Have you done one in the past? Do you have any advice? What do you think of this one?

[I'm also thinking of doing a book related one. Stay tuned...]

Wish me luck!

Saturday Snapshot - Oh Deer!

2011-12-31T11:22:00.000-06:00

Over Christmas, my husband and I rented a cabin in the nearby Whiteshell Provincial Park. It was very quiet and very relaxing. We had a great time. We were greeted by the "welcoming committee" upon our arrival. Here s/he is Christmas morning at our cabin door:

There were about 15 of these white-tailed deer in the immediate area. Probably hundreds, if not thousands, in the whole park. They are wild animals and are not penned. They are free to come and go as they please. However, the owners of the cabins feed them deer chow, I believe - although not usually by hand. Because of this, they stay close and have gotten used to having people around all the time. Most of them will eat right from your hand, as seen above. We were giving them some bird seed we brought along to feed the birds. It's sort of a nice added attraction for visitors from the city to see "wild" life up close.

Here's another photo:

When we were packing up to go, there were four of them waiting at the cabin door to see if they could get one last handout. I wish I had gotten a picture of that, but the camera was already packed away.

Disclaimer: I don't support feeding wild animals, especially deer. It's actually harmful for the animals and for humans. Once in awhile, though, I lose all reason.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon

2011-12-23T17:07:00.000-06:00

In Shut Your Eyes Tight, a bride is beheaded at her wedding reception just after she was wed to a prominent psychiatrist. Dave Gurney, a retired homicide investigator can't resist looking into this one. His wife is opposed to the idea and just wants him to enjoy their move out to the country. Once Gurney learns the details, he finds that it's so bizarre and horrific that soon he can't think of anything else. Through his digging he finds evil very close to the surface. However, as he continues to dig the extent of that evil becomes unimaginable.

I loved this book. I love that Verdon doesn't rely on action scenes to make the story interesting or suspenseful. Much like his first book, this is very much a thinking man's mystery. It sucked me in and made me forget about everything else that I should have been doing. It was so intelligently written and meticulously thought out that it was a joy to read. Verdon's storytelling is amazing. I just love it. He reiterated the facts in the case several times without coming across as repetitive or preachy. It just made it easier to follow. I didn't have to flip back once in the book to remind myself of who was who or what had happened previously, even though the book is 500+ pages long.

The storyline did get a little gruesome at times. Thankfully, it did not feature the action of the beheadings, just the aftermaths of them, which was bad enough. The other main topic or subject matter of the story was sexual abuse. Another uncomfortable topic to read about. This time it was especially sad since the both the abused and the abusers were so young.

The main character, Dave Gurney, is a fantastic protagonist with lots of great qualities and numerous flaws. He suffers terrible guilt over his sons and has quite a unique hobby - using his computer to manipulate portraits/mug shots of serial killers. He also lectures at the police academy. I loved both his lectures and the way his students answered his questions. I find Gurney very relatable and easy to understand. I think I like him so much because he's very much like me...at least according to his Myers Briggs evaluation:

His instinctive route to understanding was primarily through thinking...He was fascinated by connecting the dots...He was energized by solitude...observing was just one tool to enable clearer judging. (page 96)

His wife, Madeline, on the other hand, is pretty much his opposite, which is probably why I have a hard time connecting with her. As for the other characters, I didn't like them very much, but I don't think I was supposed to.

If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like, it was the dust jacket. It's very striking with the rose petals, rose stems complete with thorns, drops of blood and the raised and indented lettering. However, the slightly weird texture (a bit rough) bothered me. I didn't like the feel of it. It wasn't exactly irritating, but it wasn't comfortable either. It's strange because now that I compare it to other books, it's not really that different. It did, however, seem very different when I was reading the book and handling it daily.

New words:
shibboleth (page 180): catchword or slogan
amelioration (page 214): improve
scimitar (page 218): Arab or Turkish saber
cupidity (page 242): greed
loquacity (page 268): tending to talk a lot
physiognomy (page 268): facial features
insouciant (page 382): not worrying about possible problems; carefree
condign reparation (page 485): punishment in perfect balance with the offense. Punishment of an ideally appropriate nature (definition from the book).

I've read one other book by Verdon, Think of a Number (my review). I loved it.

Highly recommended. I'll definitely be looking for more of this author's work.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Random House for this review copy.

Shut Your Eyes Tight: A Novel by John Verdon, Crown Publishers (Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780307717894(Hardcover), 509p.

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter

2011-12-23T16:46:00.000-06:00

In Altar of Bones, Zoe Dmitroff is entrusted with a centuries old very dangerous secret. Just like those who have come before her, this secret will put her life in danger. As she fights to protect it, others will stop at nothing to attain it. The story spans many years, crosses many countries and touches many lives. Even the rich, powerful and famous are not safe.

I enjoyed this one, but only up to a point. It was a good thriller and had the potential to be great, but it's heavy reliance on action sequences, let me wanting. I kept reading because I wanted to hear about this conspiracy in which "everything you believed is wrong...everything you feared is real". Doesn't that sound good? Maybe I was expecting too much and looked at the book the wrong way. Instead of reading to find out about this conspiracy, I should have just relaxed and read the book for what it was...a good thriller. Maybe.

This book offers up another theory (or theories) surrounding the deaths of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. I found that very intriguing. However, the theory is so out there and such a small part of the book, relatively speaking, I was a little disappointed. I wanted substance, planning, deception, plotting...all the things of a good conspiracy. Maybe there was some of that here, but it got lost. As far as I'm concerned, with a few changes the conspiracy could have been about any two famous people, say John Lennon and John Belushi, or Natalie Wood and Abraham Lincoln. Again, maybe I'm being too hard on the book.

Back to the action scenes for a minute. I like said above, this book is packed full of action scenes. It would probably translate beautifully into a motion picture. In fact, it's almost like it was written with making a movie in mind. While I don't mind some action in my movies, here it was too much. Much of that action/running around/car chases etc. was wasted on me. While putting the characters in jeopardy as they race around the world added suspense to the story, I wanted to get to the part about Kennedy and Monroe.

Having said all of that, there were parts I really liked. The story might not be probable or even plausible, but it certainly was entertaining. I didn't once think about stopping and giving up on it. I loved how the different characters took turns telling part of the stories. It fit with the overall theme and made it interesting and suspenseful. Also, I really liked the two main characters, Zoe and Ry. I liked the tension in their dynamic relationship.

Favourite quote:I liked this quote because every time my husband and I dig in the garden and a plant is really hard to dig up, I say to my husband "I wish that Chinese person holding onto the root would just let go already?" It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who thinks like that.

Babe, they're gonna bury it so deep, the only way it'll ever see the light of day again is if some kid in China accidentally uncovers it while digging around in his backyard. (page 312)

Philip Carter is a pseudonym of an internationally bestselling author. I've heard rumours that it's Dan Brown. It certainly could be. The storytelling and conspiracy angle were not unlike The da Vinci Code. Then again, it could also be any one of a half-dozen other writers out there. Anyone have another theory?

Recommended for its thriller aspects.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Simon & Schuster's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Simon & Schuster UK for this review copy.

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter, Gallery Book (Simon & Schuster UK), ©2011. ISBN 9780857202062(ARC), 455p.

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Holidays

2011-12-21T16:32:00.002-06:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot - Dog Sitting

2011-12-17T12:43:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago, we had the pleasure of dog-sitting for our neighbours. Here are a few photos of Dakota:

Isn't she gorgeous? She's the best dog...ever. She's about 10 and loves to chase (and sometimes catch) squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. She's a mixed breed, but I can't remember which ones. She spent 3 days at our house and slept at home. We had a blast!!!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

Photo Friday - Depth Perception

2011-12-15T18:53:00.000-06:00

For more "Depth Perception" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.

For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

2011-12-13T17:26:00.000-06:00

It's Flavia time! In I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, 11 year-old Flavia is busy working on a trap to snare St. Nick and his reindeer, but becomes distracted when the film crew shows up at Buckshaw, her cash-strapped family's mansion, to film a movie starring Phyllis Wyvern, a famous actress. As the whole town gathers to watch the actress perform, a blizzard rages outside. When a body is later discovered strangled with a length of film, the suspects abound. Flavia must once again work her magic to solve this one.

I loved this book! In this 4th book in the series, Flavia is up to her old tricks creating potions and working in her laboratory. I love mysteries like this - the classic locked room type scenario, where the suspects are all trapped in one area by happenstance and the protagonist has to sort it all out, especially when they are as good as this was is.

I was so happy to see Flavia again. She's one of my favourite fictional characters. She's precocious and delightful. I love the way her mind works and love reading her inner dialogue. She's young in age, but seems so mature in her thoughts and dealings with other people. She's seen more dead bodies now than any girl her age should have, yet she's still up for the task of solving the mystery. Besides finding the murderer, she stays true to her passion of chemistry. Her elaborate scheme to catch St. Nick in the act is brilliant!

I'm a huge fan of this series and I love how it's progressing. It doesn't seem to be fading at all and seeing Flavia again is like seeing an old friend. It really doesn't get old. I love that we are learning more and more about the family and their dynamics. I still worry about them between books. I know they are fictional, but I want everything to work out for them. I'm afraid that their future at Buckshaw is in real jeopardy and that Father might not be able to care for the girls much longer. All of those thoughts are for another day, though. They are just too depressing for such a delightful and timely book.

New words:
pantechnicon (page 17): a large moving van (U.K.)
dekko (page 68): a quick look (U.K.)
chaffinch (page 69): European songbird
brambling (page 69): finch (European)
darbies (page 247): British slang for hand cuffs

Other books in the series and my reviews:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (my review)
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (my review)
A Red Herring Without Mustard (my review)

Even though this book is part of a series, it definitely can be read as a standalone book. In fact, this is true for any one of them.

Highly recommended. I can't wait for the next book.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author, his other books and, of course, Flavia, please visit the Flavia de Luce Fan Club website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Random House for this review copy.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley, Doubleday Canada (Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780385668095(Hard cover), 271p.

The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman

2011-12-12T14:07:00.004-06:00

In The Christmas Cookie Club, Marnie and twelve of her girlfriends get together to exchange cookies just before Christmas. Through their interactions at the party, we learn about the women and their loved ones. We see their love and caring as well as their squabbles and troubles.

I'll cut right to the chase. This wasn't my favourite book. Well, I enjoyed parts of it, but others, not so much. With the exception of the prologue, which I'll get to in a minute, it started off really good. I liked the staggered introduction of the characters and that it was all written from Marnie's point of view.

I liked that each chapter was preceded by a cookie recipe and featured one of the club members. I liked that cookie recipes were included at the beginning of each chapter. Who doesn't love cookies? I love to bake and I'm always looking for new recipes to try. However, having them scattered throughout the book makes them hard to find, especially since there's no index or table of contents. Most of them looked delicious, though, so I might end up scanning them in and keeping them with my cookbooks. I was a little disappointed that many of the recipes contained nuts. I really like nuts, but I also like variety. I suppose this happens in real cookie swapping groups as well. (I'm surprised they didn't try to somehow make a rule about that.)

I loved that each chapter finished off with a section about an ingredient: butter, cinnamon, chocolate, salt, etc. These were extremely interesting. It was neat that they, too, were written from Marnie's point of view, but it really wasn't necessary. It's not like they fit in the storyline.

As for the prologue (See? I told you I'd eventually get back to it), I didn't like that the rules were presented at the beginning. They sounded a little harsh and not that much fun. I understand that in order for the group to work the members have to be committed and follow some rules, but if someone had approached me with this list of rules and asked me to join the club, I would have walked away. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like rules. In fact, I'm a rule follower. Perhaps if these rules had been presented at the end of the book, after I had read the story, they might not have seemed so jarring.

All of the characters were okay, but I didn't really connect with any of them. I think I mostly kept track of who was who, but I may have mixed them up a few times, with the exception of Marnie, the narrator. I don't think it really mattered that much.

Most of the women's stories were also okay, but nothing spectacular. The one bright spot in the stories for me was Sissy's story about her son, Aaron. I don't know why it stuck out above the others, but I was quite taken with it. The story line about Sky, Marnie's daughter, was too drawn out. I know it was done to prolong the suspense, but I didn't think it was realistic. One of them should have called the other instead of waiting for hours without word, especially with such important news.

Overall, it's a good premise, but it missed the mark with me. Others might like it, though.

For more information about this book, please visit Simon & Schuster's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Simon & Schuster for this review copy. Sorry it took me so long to get to it.

The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman, Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) ©2011. ISBN 9781439158845(Hardcover), 270p.

Photo Friday - Graceful

2011-12-08T15:55:00.001-06:00

For more "Graceful" photos, visit the Photo Friday website. 70s glass piece. Not quite sure why I removed the colour. It just looked better.

For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

Wordless Wednesday - Bah Humbug

2011-12-07T13:42:00.001-06:00

Almost Wordless: The I'm-so-frustrated-I-don't-want-to-decorate-the-tree Christmas Tree. It looks like a 5-year-old did it. Actually, my apologies to all 5-year-olds. I'm sure you could do better. I can't wait until this is over...it's a long story. More Wordless Wednesday.

One Foot in the Gravy by Delia Rosen

2011-12-07T10:13:00.001-06:00

In One Foot in the Gravy, Gwen Katz has inherited her uncle's kosher deli. Things are going well and she's just got her first catered affair contract - a murder mystery party hosted by social butterfly, Lolo Baker. Things are underway and everyone seems to be having fun when a guess crashes through the ceiling and ends up in Gwen's gravy. Gwen knows that this just isn't a great way to start this new side of her business, so she decided to do a little investigating to clear things up as quickly as possible. She soon figures out that Hoppy's two vices, money and women, have landed him in a heap of trouble and sorting them out isn't going to be easy.

What a fun book! This is the second book in the series, but the first one that I've read. This cozy mystery was definitely a delight. It was a quick read and really quite funny. I never knew the deli business could be so interesting. Gwen's heart is being pulled in two different directions, so there's even a little romantic suspense thrown in. I was entertained the whole way through and kept trying to guess who done it right until the very end.

The story contained some good solid characters. They varied between the ones I loved and ones I loved to hate. Gwen, a transplanted New Yorker gets right to the point with all aspects of her life. She wants this deli business to succeed and she's not about to let a little murder get in her way. I really liked her take charge attitude.

I like it when food related mysteries include recipes. Here there are a few recipes for deli-type items in the back of the book: coleslaw, dill pickles, potato salad. Nothing too fancy, but they are written in a way that will stimulate your funny bone as well as your appetite.

I liked the playfulness of the cover; ones like this always draw me in. However, after I read the story, overall it was a little bothersome. How could a man crash through the ceiling and land under a table?

Favourite quotes:

The lie is best disguised by hiding it in the truth. (page 177)

...the door to hell is locked from the inside. (page 183)

New words:
afikomen (page 44): unleavened bread (in Judaism)
fundament (page 61): founding principle
fealty (page 230): faithfulness

Highly recommended. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more of her books.

For more information about this book, please visit the Kensington Books website.

Thanks to those nice people from Kensington Books for this review copy.

One Foot in the Gravy by Delia Rosen, Kensington Books, ©2011. ISBN 9780758241719(Mass Market), 313p, including recipes.

Wordless Wednesday - Icy Shadows

2011-11-30T14:47:00.001-06:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Photo Friday - Rugged

2011-11-28T13:49:00.001-06:00

For more "Rugged" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.

For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

The Call by Yannick Murphy

2011-11-28T11:04:00.001-06:00

In The Call, a country veterinarian and his family are shaken when their young son is left in a coma after a hunting accident. Despite this, they try to maintain some order in their lives. He goes out on calls to take care of sick animals all the while to trying to find the man who shot his son. Then one day a visitor arrives unexpectedly and disrupts their pseudo-order once again.

I enjoyed this book. It's quite quirky and is written in a highly structured way that I haven't seen in any other novel. It starts off with brief rigid log entries about the vet's calls out to sick animals and gradually expands to include information about the other things, including some of the mundane ones, in their lives. I was amazed that the book kept to its log-like format throughout the whole book. I appreciated the format and author's discipline to keep to that format, but I might have preferred it if she had broken away from it for short periods. There were a few times where that format didn't quite fit with the situations in the book. I can't name them specifically, but I remember thinking that while I was reading.

I liked the characters, especially the vet. I loved reading about the animals he cared for and the owners he had to deal with. I also got a glimpse into the vet's family life, with his comatose son, his young daughters and his wife. It definitely gave me a new perspective and appreciation for those who making their living off the land. The one thing that bothered me was that the vet kept saying he was determined to find the man who shot his son, but I didn't get his sense of urgency. He thought about it a lot and went to talk to people, but his "investigation" was more roundabout than direct.

I didn't quite grasp the spacecraft or spaceman part of the story. I think I got who he was, but I couldn't figure out what "space" had to do with it. I must have missed something somewhere. I'm a little disappointed that some of its relevance was lost on me because it was a major part of the book. It didn't stop me from enjoying the story, though.

Recommended for those looking for something out of the ordinary.

For more information about this book, please visit the HarperCollins website.

This was a win from a newsletter giveaway on Shelf Awareness. Thanks HarperCollins.

The Call by Yannick Murphy, Harper Perennial (HarperCollins), ©2011. ISBN 9780062023148(Trade Paperback), 223p.

The ABCs of Me - Part Deux

2011-11-28T10:07:00.001-06:00

I had so much fun with the ABCs of Me a few weeks ago, I decided to make up another bunch of them. I know a few of these are a stretch, but it was harder than it looks to come up with new items. I'd like to thank Mr. Daisy (aka Gary) for helping me with some of the more obscure ones. Anyway, here are the ABCs of Me - Part Deux:

Athletic abilities: None. Zippo. Like watching some sports, can't do any of them.

Bones Broken: None.

Coffee or Tea: Coffee, but it has to be decaf now. I gave up (mostly) caffeine a few years ago. It was probably the best thing I did for myself (besides quitting smoking). Occasionally, I'll have a cup of fully leaded stuff and end up first buzzed, then sick for the rest of the day. I've just recently started drinking tea again.

Dwarves: Of the seven dwarves, I think I'm most like Grumpy.

Education: I went to a community college for business administration and computer analyst/programmer diplomas.

Flowers: Daisies, of course, but I like most flowers. Lilies are not my favourite cut flowers, though. I don't like the smell.

Geniuses you admire: Many, but my latest is Dyson. Yep, the vacuum guy. Okay, it arguable whether or not he's a genius. I do love his products, though, and when I win the lottery, I'm going to buy one of each. Sure there are others, like da Vinci and Edison, but right now I'm drooling over a new Dyson vacuum. One of the main reasons I go to the casino is so I can use the Dyson Air Blade Hand Dryer.

Hair Colour: Medium Brown mixed with grey. It's been turning grey since my twenties. With the exception of some wash out colours many years ago, I'm an "au natural" kind of girl.

Interests: Reading, crafting, photography. I love to learn new things, so lots of stuff piques my interest. I could surf all day on the internet finding new things to read about.

Joke, favourite: A mushroom walks into a bar and orders a drink. The bartender says, "You have to leave. We don't serve your kind here.". The mushroom says, "Why not? I'm a fun-gi."

Kilograms or Pounds: Despite the fact that Canada went metric many years ago, I still use pounds, as do most people I know. I weigh myself in pounds and talk in terms of pounds. However, when I go to the grocery store or deli, I ask for grams/kilograms of stuff.

Languages you speak/understand: English. Just a few words in French, despite taking it all through high school. I wish I could speak more languages, but I don't have the knack.

Music: Anything in the Baroque period, most stuff performed by a symphony/chamber orchestra and written before the 20th century, Country, some Classic Rock

Nationality/Heritage: Ukrainian/Polish

Own or Rent: Own. The last house we lived in was my husband's. We bought this current house together.

Piercings: Just ears, but I don't even wear earrings anymore because most of them bother me.

Quote, favourite: "This above all, - to thine own self be true." Polonius to Laertes in Hamlet Act I, Scene III. Shakespeare.

Religion: I was raised Roman Catholic.

Smoking: I gave that up years ago. Now, I love that there's no smoking in public indoor spaces, at least where I live. Even some public outdoor spaces have no smoking sections.

Time Zone: Central for North Amercia (UTC-6)

Urban or Rural: More rural, than urban. I live in a small community of less than 40 houses. No stores, or cafes, no communities buildings. Just houses. We are bordered on one side by the river, the other by farm land.

Vacation Spot: I haven't flown that much, so my favourite vacation spot won't be an exotic locale. I love road trips, though. I loved the Black Hills in South Dakota, our trip to Michigan, the drive through the mountains to Kelowna, B.C., the trip to Peace River, Alta and many others.

Wine: Dry and White.

(E)xercise: I hate it, but I've been using the treadmill off and on for a several years. I also do a little free weights from time to time.

Your shoe size: 10, I used to be a 9.

Zuchinni, Yay or Nay: I love it. It's especially good roasted with oil olive, a little salt, pepper and cumin.

What are the ABCs of you? Feel free to post these on your blog or answer them in a comment below. Also, feel free to use the ABCs photo I posted (I took it myself) or create one of your own. Have fun!

Christmas and Holiday Reads

2011-11-28T09:19:00.001-06:00

How many of you read books with Christmas or Holiday themes at this time of year? Do you plan ahead? I have good intentions when it comes to books with holiday themes, but usually don't read them because I don't have a plan. I usually get wrapped up in review books or other books and don't leave enough time. About two weeks ago, I noticed that I have a number of them sitting around here and figured this year that it was time to read a few of them.

My plan is to read as many as I can between now and the end of the year. So far so good. I've already read two of them. By the way, it was these two titles that spurred this desire to create a plan:
1) I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley. I adore Flavia and really wanted to read this one in a timely fashion.
2) The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman. I realized the other day that this review book has been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for two Christmases already. I couldn't let another holiday go by without tackling this one.

Stay tuned for these reviews. I have a few more waiting in the wings; one review book and a bunch of others from my personal collection.

Do you read holiday-themed books at this time of year? Which ones are you planning on reading this year? Have you started?

Saturday Snapshot - More Snow

2011-11-26T16:18:00.001-06:00

It's not unusual for us to have lots of snow at this time of year, so I shouldn't have been surprised to wake up to more of it, but I was. This wasn't the light fluffy stuff, either. It was the really heavy, exceptionally sticky snow. Despite the additional snow, the temperature was hovering just under 0C/32F. It was really nice to be outside. If we could have more winter days like this, I wouldn't complain half as much. I'm sure there were lots of kids out this morning making snowmen. Come to think of it, that's what I should have been doing. Instead, I was manning the shovel, while my husband rode around on the lawn tractor with the snow blower attached to the front.

Every time we get lots of snow, my first priority is to clean off the bird feeders. Those little guys are up early and depend on that food to survive in the cold weather. I was a little late getting out there; I could see that they were already trying to dig out the food themselves. I'm such a bad Momma. Anyway, here are 6 of the 14 feeders we currently have up. It's not too bad. They've been a lot more buried that this.

Photo Friday - Noon

2011-11-24T11:46:00.001-06:00

This was a hard one. How do you convey time? After I took this photo, I came up with a half-dozen other things I could have done. This will have to do. Sorry for the small size, but it's heavily cropped and needs to be squished to fit here. Click to see a larger (and more fuzzy) photo.

For more "Noon" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.
For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

Wordless Wednesday - Water on Lady's Mantle

2011-11-23T14:54:00.001-06:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

2011-11-22T17:25:00.001-06:00

In Before I Go to Sleep, Christine wakes up every day to a man she doesn't know. He reassures her that he's her husband, Ben. He also tells her that she had an accident two decades ago that causes her to lose her memory every night. To him it's normal, to her it's frightening. A little later, Dr. Nash phones Christine and tells her that he's been working with her, unbeknownst to Ben. He directs her to a journal hidden in her closet. Supposedly, she's been taking notes each day for the past few weeks so that she can refer back to them and know what's been going on. As the notes accumulate in her journal, a picture of her former and current life becomes more clear and more unbelievable.

This is such an awesome book. I adored everything about it, but I especially loved how the story unfolded. I'm a real sucker for books that feature memories or memory loss. I can't remember why, though. ;) There were more than a few times that I felt shivers up my spine as details of the story were revealed. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, the author would surprise me and go in a different direction. Absolutely wonderful writing.

I'm so glad Watson decided to write the book in the first person. It made the story more intimate, more real, more believable. I got to hear the story right from the person who was most affected. This decision also lead me astray somewhat. Watson writes so convincingly as a woman that I was shocked (and almost dropped the book) when I saw his picture on the back flap. I was positive, absolutely positive, that the book was written by a woman.

I was a little confused when I got to Part III partly because I was so wrapped up in reading Christine's writings. I had to go back a bit in the story to figure out why there was a shift in the story. By the way, confusion in this case is really good. It was my "aha" moment. Up until then I really liked the book. However at that point, right then and there, I decided that I loved this book.

I really felt sorry for Christine. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a condition like hers - the inability to form new memories. It was painful to learn that it had being going on for decades. I liked Ben for sticking by her and commended him for his patience. That was before, well, you know. I won't say anymore than that lest I let loose a spoiler. I won't soon forget either of them.

Favourite quotes:

The irony: that I am prone to forgetting that I have no memory. (page 254)

Highly recommended. This book will definitely be on my Best of 2011 list. I hope to read many more books by Watson.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins Canada website.

For more information about the author, please visit S.J. Watson's website.

I purchased this book.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson, HarperCollins, ©2011. ISBN 9781443404068(Trade Paperback), 358p.

Saturday Snapshot - Blue

2011-11-19T14:54:00.001-06:00

Last year we bought lots of LED Christmas lights on sale after the holidays. Yippee for sales! A few weeks ago, we decided it was time to put them up. Even though it felt a little early, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful end-of-October weather. Who wants to put up lights in the cold and snow? Anyway, here's a close up of the little guys:

We love them! We've been getting lots of comments from the neighbours on how nice they look. I'm glad they think so because they are the ones that have to look at them. If I can figure out how to properly photograph the lights in the dark, I'll post a photo of the whole house.

Remember last week when I said that winter was on its way? As it turns out I was right! [If you think about it how could I be wrong? I live in the Great White North, aka The Canadian Prairies, and it's November. Winter was bound to come any day...but that's besides the point. We'll just leave it at I was right!] This is what happened in the last two days:

And this...

Don't you just love how snow looks blue in the shadows? I'm mentioning this now because in a month or two, I'll be sick to death of winter and I won't have anything nice to say about it. ;)

For those of you who followed the flood photos, see that wooden stick in the foreground? The one with the little orange thingy on the top? That's where the river was from May-ish to August-ish. See everything behind it? That's part of our yard (some of the neighbour's, too). The river is now back within its banks and is about 600 metres straight back.

These snowflakes (along with 3 trillion or so of their closet friends) will be with us until March or into April.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

Afraid of the Dark by James Grippando

2011-11-18T11:11:00.001-06:00

In Afraid of the Dark, Vince Paulo comes to the aid of his friend's daughter McKenna. As she lay dying in his arms, she utters the name of her boyfriend, Jamal, when asked "Who did this to you?" Minutes later there's a blast that will forever change Paulo's world. Jack Swyteck, a defence attorney, comes to the aid of Jamal after he's been accused of terrorist activity. His alibi for McKenna's murder is a little far-fetched, even to Swyteck, but a lot is possible when terrorism is involved. As more bodies are found, "the Dark" appears and taunts the investigators with mysterious notes, which causes the investigation to grow in scope and intensity.

I liked this mystery/thriller. It was multifaceted and fast paced. It wasn't as tight as I would have liked to see, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I loved reading about the investigation focused on McKenna's killer, but the terrorist aspect was only somewhat interesting. It was almost as if the scope and implications were just beyond me, too big for me to get my head around properly. At times the story seemed to spread out in every direction hitting upon lots of hot topics: politics, terrorism, child porn and more. Much of it unpleasant to read about or even think about.

All of the major characters were well written and edgy. I liked that, but it made a few of them hard to love. I really liked Vince, the blind police officer, but Jack, the main protagonist, and Chuck, McKenna's father, were a little abrasive. I did have a little trouble keeping the characters and their motivations straight, but that's probably because I had some trouble keeping track of the ever-expanding story line. It's all good, though. I'd definitely love to read another book featuring Jack Swyteck.

New Words:polemic (page 27): passionate argument

I've read one other book by Grippando Lying with Strangers (my review). It's one of my very early reviews, mostly just a bunch of jumbled sentences. I had some problems with the story, but if I remember correctly, I enjoyed it. I have a number of books from Grippando's back list as well as his latest (due out in December 2011) Need You Now on my to-be-read shelf. I'll be reading/reviewing his latest as soon as I can.

Recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit James Grippando's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

Afraid of the Dark by James Grippando, Harper (HarperCollins), ©2011. ISBN 9780061840289(Uncorrected Proof), 406p.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2011-11-16T13:09:00.001-06:00

From the back of the book:We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn't. And it's what happens afterwards that is most important. Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how it unfolds. - Random House, from the back of the book.

My synopsis of Little Bee: When Little Bee shows up at Sarah's door step the morning of her husband's funeral, Sarah was surprised to say the least. The last time they saw each, Little Bee was being lead away by some pretty frightening men on a beach in Africa. Sarah assumed she was dead. Even though Little Bee just met Sarah and her husband once, she seeks refuge with them now because she has nowhere else to go. It is both fortunate and unfortunate that Little Bee has found Sarah at such a terrible time. Sarah is so vulnerable and confused that she has little choice but to invite Little Bee to stay. Together they drift and together they find their way through the sometimes chaotic world.

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't what I expected. The back of this uncorrected proof says that the book is "extremely funny". While there are some lighter moments that are amusing, I wouldn't call it hilarious. Then again, Cleave is British and I don't always get their humour or satire.

The story is told from alternating points of view/chapters, that of Sarah and Little Bee, with one exception. One of the characters was relating part of the story when all of a sudden the point of view switched to the other character. I had to read that part no less than three times to figure out what happened. I'm still not sure I got it. Besides alternating between characters, the story unfolds in a non-linear fashion. There were a few times I thought we were close to the end of the story, but I wasn't close to the end of the book. I loved getting the story in bits and pieces. In this case, this style worked really well. Despite being told from the different points of view and jumping around in time, the story was pretty easy to follow.

I liked both Little Bee and Sarah, but my favourite character was Sarah's son, who refused to take off his Batman costume. Being a child and doing childlike things amidst horrific circumstances seemed like the way to go to me. At many times in my life, I wanted to escape and pretend to be someone else rather than be a grown up and face reality.

These favourite quotes are from the uncorrected proof, so they may differ from the final published copy.

Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you from yourself. It's where you run to when none of the principalities of your conscience will grant you asylum. (page 22)

I planned how I would kill myself in the time of Churchill (stand under bombs), Victoria (throw myself under a horse), and Henry the Eighth (marry Henry the Eighth). (page 49)

New words:
vespertine (page 109): active in the evening
inchoate (page 119): unclear
cassava (page 138): edible root of a tropical plant
puerile (page 152): childish
derisory (page 166): ridiculous

Recommended. I have another book by Cleave on my bookshelf that I'm looking forward to reading.

Want to read another review? Here's one by Man of la Book.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Chris Cleaves' website.

This book was sent to me quite awhile ago as a win from a contest in a newsletter. Thanks Random House.

Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave, Simon & Schuster, ©2008. ISBN 9780385665308(Uncorrected Proof), 266p.

Photo Friday - One

2011-11-13T14:26:00.001-06:00

For more "One" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.

For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

Saturday Snapshot - Icy

2011-11-12T16:47:00.001-06:00

After last weekend's wintery weather, my homemade rain chain sported a coating of ice. Thankfully, it's melted now. However, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before it happens again. After all, winter is on its way.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

2011-11-11T10:57:00.001-06:00

Seriously...I'm Kidding is the latest book from Ellen Degeneres. In her usual laid back humorous style, she tackles numerous topics from her Covergirl campaign, American Idol and her talk show to everyday topics like dreams, exercise, meditation and children.

I enjoyed this book. I really like Ellen's style in her comedy as well as her writing. The topics are varied and peppered with her unique humour that had my laughing out loud a number of times. While it's not all funny, it was definitely interesting enough to keep me reading until the end. The book is more like sitting down and talking to her and hearing her thoughts on life, work and whatever rather than listening to a long stand-up routine.

Favourite quotes:

When making a right turn onto a busy street, always check the crosswalk for children's imaginary friends. (page 75, from Random Things That Might Help You But Probably Won't)

What they should do to save us all some time is combine every show into one giant reality show. Who wouldn't watch a show about the next tap-dancing celebrity bachelor apprentice who can survive in the wilderness while singing about losing weight? (page 132, about how watching all of the reality shows takes a lot of time.)

Even though I enjoyed the book, I do have a couple of complaints. You have to live under a rock not to know that she has a talk show. You may not have watched it, but chances are you know it exists, especially if you are reading this book. Yet she mentions her show time and time again. It's a good show and she must be very proud of it, so a chapter on it would be very appropriate. However, it went beyond that and seemed to be repetitive. I just don't see the point. Another repetitive thing was that she thanked the reader for reading the book a number of times. Once in the acknowledgements (or wherever) would be enough. I'd even tolerate another mention to pull off a good joke, but it seemed to me she mentioned it far more often than necessary. I get it, you're grateful. Enough already. Having said that, none of this stopped me from enjoying the book,

Ellen has written two other books: My Point...and I do Have One and The Funny Thing is.... I read and enjoyed the first one. The second one is on my to-be-read shelf. I hope to get to it at some point.

Recommended. Fans will like it. I enjoyed the book even though I'm not Ellen's biggest fan, nor do I watch her show that often. I do think she's pretty funny and really enjoy her work. I'd more than likely read another book of hers should she write one.

For more information about this book, please visit the Hachette Book Group website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Hachette Book Group for this review copy.

Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres, Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group), ©2011. ISBN 9780446585026(Hardcover), 241p.

Photo Friday - Public Space

2011-11-10T13:18:00.001-06:00

The pavillion at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

For more "Public Space" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.

For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

Wordless Wednesday - Taking a Break

2011-11-09T08:58:00.004-06:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot - New Light Fixture

2011-11-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I picked up the newest version of PhotoShop Elements (V9). I don't know how to use it and I really haven't had a chance to even try it out. I thought that I'd spend a few minutes this afternoon playing around with a photo I took today to see what I could come up with. I spent about 15 minutes adding some "special effects" and came up with a photo that wasn't great, but it wasn't bad for my first effort. I then went to save it and I realized that I didn't know how to save it in a format that would allow me to post it here. I tried a few things, but nothing worked. I'm going to have to find a book or a tutorial online before wasting any more time. Apparently, I have a lot to learn about the software.

Because I wanted to post something for Saturday Snapshot, I used my old very limited software to edit a photo of a new light fixture we installed last week. I tried to make the fixture look old, but removing the colour. The fixture isn't exactly what we were looking for, but it's better than what we had, different enough to be interesting (to us anyway) and it was on sale! The glass casts a very odd pattern on the walls due to the bubble glass. I'm still trying to decide if I like the effect.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

I realize that I've been posting more photos than book reviews lately. I hope to have some more reviews shortly.

Wordless Wednesday - Peace Lily - A New Addition

2011-11-02T15:42:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Photo Friday - Wide Angle

2011-11-02T13:38:00.000-05:00

This theme of "Wide Angle" was a hard one. Since I don't have a wide angle lens, I had to come up with something different. I looked up the definition of wide angle and everything I could find had to do with photography and the lens itself. Blah.

Let me apologize for posting such a lame shot, but it's the only thing I could come up with. I'm hoping I can do better with next week's theme.

For more "Wide Angle" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.
Some of them are outstanding, especially those taken with wide angle lens. Maybe it's time for me to invest in one. Hmmmm...

For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

Penguin's Canadian Pie Contest

2011-11-01T08:24:00.000-05:00

Do you like baking? Do you like pie?

Here's your chance to show off your best pie! Penguin is sponsoring a Canadian Pie Contest. All you need to do is make a pie, take a photo, upload it to Flickr and add it to the contest group. Easy peasy!

Here's my entry:

It's a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a lattice top. I'm up against some tough competition (see all of the entries here). There's still time to enter if you haven't already. When it comes to pie, the more the merrier.

Did I mention there's a prize? You could win a book called Canadian Pie by the very funny Will Ferguson and a gift certificate.

Instead of blathering on more, I'll let you get baking. Click here for the details.

Good luck. May the best pie win!

Essential Back Care by DK Publishing

2011-10-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

Essential Back Care is a guide to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of back conditions. The book covers many topics related to back pain. Some of these are: anatomy, causes, treatment options, strategies for preventing the pain, and lots of exercises to help with strengthening and stretching the muscles of the back and neck.

This is a pretty good book. The book is nicely laid out and contains informative text as well as lots of colourful illustrations. All information that readers would need if they had or have back or neck pain. With this book, they should be able to diagnosis the problem (superficially), find treatment, and maintain a healthy back. Those with serious back problems still need to contact a medical professional, but this book could help them understand what's going on and show them how to cope with the pain while they are being treated.

I particularly liked the rehabilitation exercise section. I think stretching and strengthening the muscles is very important for both back and neck health. The exercises are explained well and each position is illustrated and labelled where necessary. There are even advanced stretches and variations to use once the basics are mastered.

There are many Question & Answer sections in the book. For example, on the section for Consulting a Physical Therapist, the Q&A section lists questions (along with the answers) that a reader might have before attending their first session. These parts were very informative.

I think this book would be most useful for those with serious back/neck problems. While it won't replace a doctor or other professional, the book could be used in conjunction with other treatments that have been prescribed. Those with occasional back pain, like me, will find it somewhat useful. I found the anatomy, preventing pain, maintenance and exercise sections particularly interesting and helpful.

Recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit DK's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at DK Canada for this review copy.

Essential Back Care by DK Publishing, Dorling Kindersley (DK), ©2011. ISBN 9780756682644(Soft cover), 224p.

Saturday Snapshot - Autumn Leaves

2011-10-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

I'm back after a short break. Well, I haven't posted a Saturday Snapshot since July, so I guess that's a long break. Anyway, I thought I'd start back with a shot appropriate for the season. It won't be long now before we have snow. Most of our autumn leaves are a drab brown. Nothing like other areas where the colours are so varied...almost like a rainbow.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

Home Herbal by DK Publishling

2011-10-29T17:04:00.000-05:00

Home Herbal: Cook, Brew & Blend Your Own Herbs features everything you need to know about herbs and how to use them to treat everyday ailments. There are also recipes (edible and non-edible) using the featured herbs as well as a recipe chooser to help pick the right herb for ten common health concerns.

Overall, I enjoyed reading and referencing this book. I've known for a long time that herbs are helpful in a maintaining a healthy body. I wasn't sure exactly how to use each herb or when to use it or how much to use, so in that respect this book was extremely useful.

The herbs are presented alphabetically by Latin names. Since most people would probably know these herbs by their common names, I'm not sure how useful that order is. Having said this, the presentation is very good. For each herb, there's a labelled photograph showing the different parts of the plant. Occasionally, there's another photograph showing the plant in a natural setting. The accompanying text lists the parts of the plants used, what the active components are, what the herb does, how to use it, as well as how to obtain, grow or harvest it.

Many, but not all, of the herbs were familiar to me. I knew that some of them had healing properties, but others were total surprises. For example, I was familiar with both Yarrow and Lady's Mantel, but I didn't know about their medicinal uses. I used to have both of these growing in my garden. Some of the herbs like: Gotu Kola (page 40), Cleaves (page 60), melilot (page 82) and mullein (page 127) were new to me.

The recipe chooser section of the book is quite interesting. The section includes 10 common health concerns followed by a list of herbs and a list of recipes (featured in another section of the book) that could be used to treat that concern. The one part I really like is the use of an icon to denote the health concern. Later on in the book, that same icon is displayed on various recipes to show that the recipe and ailment are linked. It sounds like such a small thing, but I really liked it.

The recipes included in the book are of two kinds: edible (heal from the inside) and inedible, (heal from the outside) which can be used topically. For the purposes of this review, I picked out one edible recipe to try: Onion Squash and Ginger Soup (page 213). I used a butternut squash in place of the onion squash (suggested by the authors) and pureed the soup smooth at the end (optional). Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. It was delicious and very easy to make. I'll definitely be making it again and again during the upcoming cold winter months.

I did pick out two other recipes, but after closer inspection I decided to leave them for now. One was for Blackcurrant Walnut Bars (page 242). They have only a few ingredients, but preparing the barley was a two day process, with the bars to be made on the third day. Another recipe Four Fruits Power Bar (page 239), also sounded really good, but the suggestion was to eat it the day it was made. Sorry, but I can't eat 16 power bars in one day! Besides, it too looked like a multi-day process. There are a few other recipes I might try, but I'll have to find the ingredients first.

The information on growing your own herbs is okay, but a little sparse. If you already grow some herbs and know which ones will work well in your area, it might be good for reference. If you are new to gardening or growing herbs, I'd suggest contacting a nursery in your area and asking about growing herbs.

New words: both from the glossary page 344-345
febrifuge: helps to reduce a fever
antitussive: helps alleviate coughing

The table of contents lists the herbs alphabetically by Latin name (as they are presented in the book), but does not offer page numbers. Therefore, it's not really that useful for finding information on particular herbs. There are pages numbers for the other major sections, though. The index, thankfully, is quite extensive and should be very helpful in finding items in the book. The book also includes a glossary which features a limited list of health-related words. Even though it's short, it's informative.

All readers should pay attention to the disclaimer on page 352.

Highly recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit DK's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at DK Canada for this review copy.

Home Herbal by DK Publishing, Dorling Kindersley (DK), ©2011. ISBN 9780756671839(Softcover), 352p.

The Best Art You've Never Seen by Julian Spalding

2011-10-27T13:34:00.001-05:00

In The Best Art You've Never Seen: 101 Hidden Treasures from Around the World, Julian Spalding, a former museum director, takes readers on a trip around the world and highlights beautiful works of arts that is either rarely seen by the public or is underappreciated by the art world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's very well presented and contains fascinating information about the art, the artists, history, geography and much more. The book does a great job in explaining the pieces and the history either of the area or the piece itself. It's very easy to read and simply written with no pretence that can be sometimes associated with the art world.

The art is divided into many sections outlining why the piece is hidden. The various reasons include: chance, place, choice, hate, convention, art, conceptual art, collecting, conservation, and time. Some of the reasons were understandable; some were surprising. All of it was interesting.

For each piece, there's an accompanying article. The content varies, but it might explain the piece itself, the artist, how it was made or the history of the piece/location. Some of the articles touch on many subjects. Also, included are things like a large photo, the medium, date and location.

I found it extremely interesting that many of the artists were unknown, as in no one knows who created this work of art. It's sad that a name didn't survive along with the piece. There were also a few familiar names and pieces in the book. Most notable names: Audubon, Rockwell and da Vinci. Both Audubon and Rockwell were underappreciated, while da Vinci made the cut because the Mona Lisa has been hidden by so many layers of old varnish, not to mention that now it's behind a barrier and a glass screen. It's impossible to see the painting as da Vinci intended.

Favourite quotes:

If a work of art doesn't speak to you, there's a strong chance that it actually has nothing to say. (from the Introduction page vi)

The table of contents not only has the section headings (and page numbers), but also a list of the art objects within each section. The index appears to be fairly functional. The works of art that are described in the book are in bold, making them stand out. I found everything I was looking for. Having said that, there is one omission, which I mention below.

The "How to find them" section near the back of the book offers further directions to either the location for the piece of art itself or the website where it's best viewed. This information could have easily been added to the page specifically designated for that piece of art. No need for a separate section. The index appears to overlook this whole section, so perhaps it was added as an afterthought. For instance, when I look up Chauvet Cave, the index says it's on page 3. However, the cave is also mentioned on page 254 in this "How to find them" section.

Highly recommended for art lovers and history buffs.

For more information about this book, please visit DK's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at DK Canada for this review copy.

The Best Art You've Never Seen by Julian Spalding, Rough Guides, ©2010. ISBN 9781848362710(Soft cover), 276p.

Wordless Wednesday - Cut Wood Pattern

2011-10-26T19:01:00.003-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Photo Friday - Little

2011-10-21T16:21:00.001-05:00

For more "Little" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.

For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

Room by Emma Donoghue

2011-10-21T14:31:00.000-05:00

In Room, Jack, who has just turned 5, and his Ma live in Room. To him, Room is his home, but it's also the whole world. He was born there and has never left. Everything else, including the stuff he sees on TV, is make-believe. That includes trees, rivers, Dora the Explorer...everything. Even though Jack has spent his whole life in Room, it hasn't always been that way for his Ma. Room is a prison where she's been kept for 7 years. Between his imagination and her determination, it's only a matter of time before Room will no longer be able to contain them.

I loved this book, however, it wasn't love at first sight. At first, I shied away from it because I thought the subject matter would be so intense that I wouldn't be able to get through it. I needed to be in the right frame of mind. When I was finally ready and picked it up to read, the language in which it's written bothered me. It's written from Jack's point of view and is very much like a five-year-old talking. I found it hard to get into. Maybe I wasn't ready after all. A few weeks later, I gave it another try. Finally, I could hear Jack speaking to me. From then on there was no turning back.

This story could be ripped from the headlines and that's what made it fascinating and believable. It's so sad that something like this could happen. While the parts of the story were definitely horrific, there were parts that were somewhat (strangely) uplifting and humorous. I couldn't help but laugh at some of Jack's antics. I love that is was written from his point of view. It would have been a very different story had it been written from Ma's point of view.

Jack and Ma were both wonderful characters. Despite Jack's limited exposure to the real world, he turned out quite normal. In some ways, he was more mature than other kids of the same age. In other ways, he was behind them. He didn't realize what he was missing in the outside world, because Ma had taught him that Room was everything. I think Jack was Ma's saviour. Without him, she was lost. Without him, the outcome of the story would have been very different. As for Ma, I can't imagine what she was going through. She knew there was more to the world than Room, yet here she was, trapped in a 11x11 room with her 5-year-old son. They couldn't leave. Old Nick, her captor, was a constant threat and besides Jack she had no one to talk to or to comfort her.

I had a couple of quotes marked down to put in this review, but I realize now that they just might spoil the ending.

I have been recommending this book to number of people, but have been deliberately vague about anything that happens in the book. I've tried to do the same here in this review. The ending and the way it unfolds is best discovered by the reader.

Highly recommended. I have a few more books by Donoghue on my to-be-read bookshelf. I'm really looking forward to them.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins Canada website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Emma Donoghue's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins Canada for this review copy.

Room by Emma Donoghue, HarperCollins, ©2010. ISBN 9781554686319(Hardcover), 321p.

The ABCs of Me

2011-10-21T11:23:00.001-05:00

I don't usually do memes. However, when I saw this one on Cathy's blog, Kittling: Books, I figured I'd give it a shot. Here are the ABCs of Me:

Age: 47

Bed Size: Queen. The plan was to buy a King when we got to the new house. Didn't happen.

Chore that you hate: I hate housework. You do it, then two months later it has to be done all over again. What's up with that? I do as little as possible and live in a dusty house.

Dogs: Nope. No cats, either. Achoo! Love them both dearly, though. We had dogs and cats when we were growing up, though. Cats: Tina, Duchess. Dogs: Sandy and Oscar. We were thinking about getting a pet despite the allergies, but I'm not sure I want to put up with the hair. (See Chores you hate).

Essential start to your day: A good night's sleep. I love mornings. It's quiet. I love being outside before the rest of the neighbourhood starts making noise.

Favorite colors: I like all colours. I wouldn't necessarily wear a particular colour or paint a room that colour, but all colours have some merit.

Gold or Silver: Silver or white gold. I prefer brushed metals. I don't particularly care for shiny things...except my diamond ring.

Height: 5'5".

Instruments you play: Flute. I played (mostly carried it around) in Grade 7 band class, but didn't take it up again until after age 30. I took lessons and played for about 7 years. At that time, I wasn't progressing as much as I wanted to and was mostly bored with it. So I stopped. Cold turkey. I haven't picked up the thing in a few years. I still love it, though.

Job Title: My official job title is: Make-Work Project Coordinator. I manage the Honey-Do list and break (unplanned) things around the house so that my husband has to fix them. It doesn't pay, but it keeps me busy.

Kids: None.

Live: Cartier, Manitoba, Canada. It's a rural municipality, not a town. Up until two point five years ago, I lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where I grew up.

Mother's name: Sophie.

Nicknames: MeMe (as a toddler, it was all about me), Moody (college, I was and still am).

Overnight hospital stays: Pneumonia when I was <5. Tonsils out when I was around 5. Nothing since.

Pet Peeves: Lots...people who are perpetually late...those who say they are going to do something, then don't...the misuse of the word "myself"... to name a few.

Quote from a movie: "For all the times you pulled my ears?" (Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Roger to Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) after Eddie apologized for pulling Roger's ears for the umpteenth time).

Right or Left handed: Left.

Siblings: Four. I'm the youngest. Well, I sort of share that "honour". I have a fraternal twin sister, but she was born 10 minutes before me so I still consider myself the youngest.

Time you wake up: Lately, usually about 8:30am. I used to wake up around 7am and loved having an hour or two to myself before my husband rolled out of bed (he's retired). I've been having a little trouble sleeping consistently lately, so I've been sleeping in.

Underwear: Ummm...yes.

Vegetable you hate: Hate is a strong word. Let's just say I dislike celery. It's a little too stringy for my tastes. A few years ago, I found out I was allergic to it. Nothing major...just a little sneezing. Now I don't have to make myself eat it. I love it when things work out like that.

What makes you run late: I'm usually not late. I'm an early bird. However, we've recently met some people who are more relaxed about time, so we've mostly adopted that same attitude when dealing with them...5pm generally means 5:15pm or even 5:30pm. I'm not that crazy about it, but I'm learning to go with the flow.

X-Rays you've had: Chest, neck, ankle, probably others ones I've forgotten about. Do ultrasounds count?

Yummy food that you make: I love to cook, therefore, I cook a lot. Nothing gourmet...just good homemade food. I mostly follow recipes, but I'm not afraid to improvise or change the recipe to suit my tastes. Some of my favourites are: homemade tomato sauce, creamy sausage and peppers with spaghetti, scones, pizza, shepard's pie, homemade pie.

Zoo animal: Not fond of zoos. I like seeing the animals and I realize that zoos do a lot for conservation and protection, but still it bothers me.

That's it for now. This was fun. I really enjoyed reading other blogger's answers, too. I've even made up a few of my own ABC questions. I'll be posting those at a later date. What are the ABCs of you? If you want, you can put your answers or links in the comment section.

Photo Friday - My Baby

2011-10-20T15:36:00.000-05:00

With no children (I like quiet) or pets (aCHOO!), it was a toss up between my camera (obvious) and my flute. I haven't played in a few years, but she's still my baby.

For more "My Baby" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.
For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

The Accident by Linwood Barclay

2011-10-20T14:57:00.001-05:00

In The Accident, Glen's wife, Sheila, is late getting home from her night class. When the news comes that she's been killed in an accident, Glen's in shock. The real shock comes, though, when the police tell him that she caused the accident and was drunk at the time of the crash. As he talks to friends, neighbours and family, he learns a little more about the woman he lived as well as others in her life. Slowly, but surely, he unravels the mystery, unveils the truth and works through the layers and layers of deceit.

Great book. No, make that sensational book! It's filled with twists and turns and a fantastic I-didn't-see-that-coming ending. While it's not action packed like some mysteries I've read, the intensity level is certainly there, albeit a little slow to build. That's not a bad thing. Setting the scene and getting just the right tone was essential. I was compelled to get to the end to see what exactly happened to Sheila and to see what she was up to. I kept telling my husband that I was reading this fantastic book and couldn't wait to get back to reading it.

The story itself wasn't particularly scary, but the premise/overall theme about deceiving those around you definitely was. It definitely got me thinking about how much I really know about the people in my life. It also got me wondering if I could pull something like this off. Not the dying part or criminal part, just the deceiving part. ;)

Barclay's characters are exceptional. I got a bad vibe from some of them right away; others seemed like angels who could do no wrong. It's a little weird because a few of them were both above reproach and suspicious at the same time!

I've only read one other book by this author, Never Look Away (my review). I loved it, too! It has a similar theme to this one. I'd definitely recommend it. My one complaint about Barclay's books is that they are over too soon. I don't necessarily want them to be longer, I just wish I could slow down and savour them more. They are so good that I read into the wee hours of the night just to see how it turns out.

Highly recommended. The last time I was at a used book sale, I scooped up all of the Barclay books I could find, so I have a few of his backlist books on my to-be-read bookshelf. Should definitely be some good reading there.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Linwood Barclay's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Random House for this review copy.

The Accident by Linwood Barclay, Doubleday Canada (Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780385670586(Trade paperback), 386p.

Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner

2011-10-20T14:41:00.001-05:00

In Vaclav and Lena, Vaclav, who's 10 years old, wants to be a world famous magician. He enlists the help of his friend, Lena, to be his assistant. Together they hatch a plan to one day perform on Coney Island. One day, however, Lena disappears without so much as a goodbye to Vaclav. Years later when they are reunited, Yaclav discovers the ugly truth behind Lena's disappearance, while the two of them try to pick up where they left off.

I really enjoyed this book. This story about the Russian immigrant experience, through the eyes of children, was extremely fascinating. I think there's more to this book than what first appears on the surface. The story was presented in a light and fun manner, but the situation for Lena at home with her Aunt was anything but. My heart broke for Lena and her situation as well as for Vaclav, who lost his best friend with no warning or explanation.

I love short chapters, so the ones in this book were perfect for me. I especially liked the names of them. It was almost like Vaclav himself titled them. They definitely made the book fun to read.

Both Vaclav and Lena were wonderful main characters. Vaclav loves magic, lists and Lena. His enthusiasm was infectious. I was silently cheering him on. Lena is an orphan, who's home life is very troubled. I didn't get a sense that magic was that important to her, but she went along with it because she cased for Vaclav and wanted to appease him.

Recommended. I'd love to read another book by this author.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author, please visit Haley Tanner's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Random House for this review copy.

Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner, The Dial Press (Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780679603870(Advance Reader's Edition), 285p.

Wordless Wednesday - Watery

2011-10-19T19:05:00.001-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Photo Friday - Slick

2011-10-12T19:21:00.002-05:00

Super Lube - a slick business

For more "Slick" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.
For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

You're Next by Gregg Hurwitz

2011-10-09T16:23:00.000-05:00

In You're Next, Mike Wingate seems to have it all; a wife, Annabel, a daughter, Kat and a construction company that is on its way to completing a green community. He hasn't always had it good, though. His childhood was very rough. Now that things are finally going his way, a part of his past that he barely remembers comes back to haunt him. He knows things are bad when he contacts the police and they are more interested in him and his past than they are in the people who've been creating havoc in his life. Mike then turns to the one person he can depend on, his old childhood friend Shep, who's not exactly been an upstanding citizen. Together, they do everything they can to keep the family safe.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was extremely suspenseful, scary and intense. It starts off alternating between the past and the present, giving the reader the much needed background information on Mike's childhood. The book was easy to read, but parts of the writing were a bit too clipped for my liking. I know the author was going for a particular effect, but it didn't work for me. Fortunately, those sections were few and far between, so it really wasn't that bad and didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

I've read a bunch of thrillers this year, but for some reason, this one scared me the most. I don't scare that easily, especially when I'm reading. I can usually keep a little distance between myself and the characters, but this one got under my skin. Even though it scared me, I didn't want to put the book down even for a second. I had to know how it turned out in the end. I was not disappointed.

All of the characters were well written and believable. I really liked Mike. He had such a rough go of things in his early life that it was nice to see he was finally turning things around. When it all started to go bad, it was unsettling. Shep was okay, but he scared me. He was like a loose cannon that could go off at any minute. Maybe Mike trusted him, but I didn't...not totally anyway. The "bad guys" were very well written. They, too, scared me. I just wanted them to leave Mike and his family alone.

New words:
atavistic (page 122): uncivilized
suppurating (page 192): ooze pus
insentient (page 269): unconscious
paucity (page 330): rareness

Highly recommended. I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the St. Martin's Press website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Gregg Hurwitz's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at The Book Reporter for this review copy.

You're Next by Gregg Hurwitz, St. Martin's Press, ©2011. ISBN 9780312534912(Hardcover), 406p.

Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman

2011-10-07T13:31:00.001-05:00

In Mystery, Milo Sturgis, a police detective, asks Alex Delaware, forensic psychologist, for his thoughts on a brutal homicide. The body has been mutilated and with no DNA match or ID on the body, her identity is a mystery. Stranger still, Alex has seen this striking young woman before. Two nights previous, she caught his attention at the Fauboug Hotel in Beverly Hills, where she had been sitting all alone obviously waiting for someone. As they try to determine her identity and solve this crime, Alex and Milo stumble upon some sleazy information about the victim and the world in which she lives.

I mostly enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained and I really wanted to see this mystery through to the end. The storyline was a bit complex, though, so it was a little hard to follow at times. It was complicated even further by the fact that the victim had many aliases, which made it difficult for the police to determine her real identity. Part of the story dragged as it seemed to take an extraordinary amount of time to get to the truth. I found myself hoping for a speedier conclusion. However, I realize that this is probably more like real police work than other books I've read. I can appreciate that.

Kellerman has written many books, but this is the first one of his that I've read. Alex Delaware was likeable enough. He's featured in a number of books going back all the way to 1985, so he definitely has some appeal. I really like Detective Sturgis and liked that he was portrayed as a police detective, who just happened to be gay and not the other way around. The fact that he was gay was a mundane tidbit, as it should be, in my opinion. I also really liked Gretchen and the part she played in the story.

While I enjoyed the book, it wasn't my favourite. I've read other reviews by fans who've said that this isn't the best one in the series. Perhaps I started with the wrong one. Therefore, I'm not going to write off Kellerman just yet. I have a few more of his books on my to-be-read shelf and I'm going to give one of those a try.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author, please visit Jonathan Kellerman's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Random House for this review copy.

Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman, Ballantine Books (Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780345505699(Hardcover), 320p.

101 Uses for an Old Sandbag...or Two by Jason Howell

2011-10-07T11:40:00.000-05:00

101 Uses for an Old Sandbag...or two was written just after the Flood of the Century in 1997. Using humour, it illustrates the various ways to use sandbags that are no longer needed for holding back flood waters. At the time, the net proceeds were donated to Manitoba Flood Relief.

This is a really cute book. The illustrations are pretty simple, but they are nicely done. The only bad thing I can say about the book is that it's somewhat dated now. The material is still mostly relevant, but the specific politicians mentioned are no longer in office. I'm pretty sure, though, it's the same old politicians with the same old politics, just with different faces. *sigh*

My favourites uses for an old sandbag:

7. Host flood re-enactment dramas in your backyard, and encourage the audience to take home the "props" after each show.
13. Just lay them out in a circle in the nearest field and call the media.
28.Dike your driveway to minimize the effect of snow drifts.
49. Drink a few beer and see if you can move the bags with your mind (it make take a "few" dozen).
67. Be a prankster and dike a neighbour's home when he's out. He'll get a kick out of it.

I really like the cover. It's funny, but also very real for us. Personally, I was very close to waving that white flag several times during the flood and sandbagging operations.

If you've been through a flood (like we recently have) and have a sense of humour, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of some of these suggestions.

I picked up this book at a used book sale sometime ago. It remained packed away in a box until recently. Since some of my neighbours are still dealing with leftover sandbags, I thought it was a good time to review the book.

101 Uses for an Old Sandbag...or Two by Jason Howell and Pete McCullough (Illustrator), Permanent Press, ©1997. ISBN 096929720X(Soft cover), 101p.

Photo Friday - Animal

2011-10-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

I've taken so many photos of animals in my backyard and on vacations that we've taken that for this challenge I really wanted to do something different. Besides I have a cold and didn't feel like staking out an animal to get the right shot.

For more "Animal" photos, visit the Photo Friday website.
For more of my submissions, please see my PhotoFriday set on my Flickr page.

Welcome Book Clubbers!

2011-09-30T11:04:00.001-05:00

So, last night we had our first neighbourhood book club meeting. It was a blast. When Karen, Susan and I first talked about it a few months back we had no idea how many neighbours would be interested. Even though we come from a very small neighbourhood/community (3 streets, less than 40 households), it turned out that quite a few of them were readers. While a few people had other commitments, there were 13 of us at the meeting! How cool is that?

Rather than all read the same book, we thought we'd try something a little different in that we'd just get together and talk about books. Our favourites and not-so-favourites were all game. No pressure, no staying up until 3am the previous night trying to finish the assigned book.

We ate, drank and talked about books. There were lots of recommendations and I had trouble keeping up with them all. I managed to scribble a few of them down, though. Some people even brought books to share or talk about. That was awesome! Lots of different books with lots of different tastes, although I was secretly pleased that there were at least a few mystery lovers, like me.

Besides telling the group about this blog, I recommended two books:

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Buchanan. To see my review, click on the link. To start reading, there's a link near the bottom of the review that will take you to the HarperCollins Canada website. I also told the group how gracious and approachable Cathy is. She really is wonderful. I can't wait for her next book.

Room by Emma Donoghue. I haven't written my review yet, but this book is unbelievable. To start reading, click on the link. I hope to post my review within a week.

I wish now I had taken a picture of us all so I could have posted it here. Someone remind me for next time!

Well, that's it for now. If you were at the meeting last night, thanks so much for stopping by. I still have most of the books that I've reviewed here, so let me know if you'd like to borrow one or two of them and I can bring them to the next meeting. See you next month!

Wordless Wednesday - Terra Cotta Thermometer

2011-09-28T19:41:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

The Silenced by Brett Battles

2011-09-27T13:09:00.000-05:00

In The Silenced, Jonathan Quiinn is a professional cleaner. No, not the janitorial type. He job involves removing bodies from crime scenes to make sure they are never found again. He's not a killer, but his hands are not exactly clean either. He's just been hired to remove a body from a building that's scheduled to be demolished. The thing is that the body has been there for 20 years already. When he discovers that he's being watched and his family is threatened, he realizes that this is no ordinary job. He has to get to the bottom of this intricate web to not only save his life, but save the lives of those around him.

Awesome book! It was fast paced and well written with a smart, complex and edgy plot. The story alternated at times between the bad guys and Quinn and his team. I loved this method of storytelling. It added lots of suspense to the story and kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot was filled with twists and turns while the action was non-stop.

Even though the part of the story takes place in numerous international locations (Asia, Europe and the US) I was thrilled to see that one of the locations in the book was a place I'd actually been to, Warroad, Minnesota. I was even more thrilled when my home town, Winnipeg, was mentioned (page 252). Believe me, that doesn't happen very often. Later on, the Lake of the Woods was mentioned, which is where I spent many summers during my teenage years. Who knew that part of an international plot could reach into my own backyard? Very cool.

Jonathon Quinn was a very appealing main character. He's already been in a number of books, so I guess lots of readers like him. Now that list of readers includes me. I loved reading about his job and the way he does it. Even though what he does in on the shady side of the law, he does have his limits. He's an expert at getting himself and his team out of jams. He's a man of mystery with a secretive past. Besides, Quinn, the book has some other interesting characters, namely Orlando and Nate.

Highly recommended. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the other books featuring Jonathon Quinn.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Brett Battles's website.

Thanks to Dana Kaye from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

The Silenced by Brett Battles, Dell (Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780440245674(Mass Market), 401p.

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

2011-09-18T14:39:00.000-05:00

In State of the Onion, Ollie Paras, the White House's Assistant Chef, hits an intruder with a frying pan. She did what the Secret Service couldn't - stop him in his tracks. There's something unusual about this guy, though, and later when he contacts her to meet up with him, she can't resist. What she doesn't realize is that this one act could jeopardize her relationship with her Secret Service boyfriend and put her in a lot of danger.

This is the first book in the White House Chef Mystery series and the second one I've read from the series. It always amazes me when I pick up one of Julie's books. I've read enough of them now that I know I'm going to like it, but it still surprises me that I love it so much. This book is very well written with a well thought out plot and believable characters. I found it interesting and inviting from the first few pages.

One of my favourite characters is Ollie. She isn't the type of amateur sleuth who ignores her job to go snooping around to solve the mystery. No, she takes her job very seriously and does it exceptionally well. It's just that the mystery and clues to solve it just seems to come to her. Well, sometimes she does a little digging, but not to the point where she does everything but her job.

I like the White House setting very much. Even though it's fictional, it's still interesting to read about the inner workings of it, especially the kitchen and its staff.

I love it when authors include recipes in their books, especially when food figures prominently in the story. Julie has included several in this one. I love that they are simple enough to make in an ordinary home kitchen. My mouth was watering over the discussion on Brussels Sprouts and goat cheese. So much so that I immediately turned to the back of the book to see if that recipe had been included. Darn, no such luck. Nevertheless, I'm going to try a few of the one that were included, like Garlic Mashed Potatoes and maybe the Baklava Stuffed with Almonds, Pecans and Pine Nuts for dessert. Yum.

Julie also writes another series, Manor House Mystery series. It, too, is tons of fun and exceptional as far as cozy mysteries go. So far I've read two books in that series. For reviews, please see the Review By Author page on this blog. I'd recommend them all.

Highly recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Penguin's website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Julie Hyzy's website or her blog.

State of the Onion by Juile Hyzy, The Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin), ©2008. ISBN 9780425218693(Mass Market), 325p (includes recipes).

The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones

2011-09-17T18:07:00.000-05:00

In The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, Holly, a writer/poet, is up against a wall. Not only is her agent is pressuring her about writing her new book, but she's also being squeezed between an ailing mother and a daughter who's off to college. Did I mention an irritating husband and a fast-approaching fiftieth birthday? Poor woman is near the end of her rope. It's a good thing she has a creative outlet.

I adored this book. Sonya Sones is absolutely hilarious. I'm naturally drawn to books that are a little quirky. This one certainly fits the bill. If someone would have told me that I was going to love a story that was written entirely in verse, I would have told them that they were nuts. I don't even read poetry, never mind enjoy it. However, I'm so glad that I ignored my inner cynic and tried this one. I'm still not sure I'm going to enjoy other books like this, but it certainly has opened my mind in regards to at least giving them a shot.

I loved Holly and could sort of relate to part of her plight. My fiftieth birthday is still a few years off, but I already feel like it's looming over me like a dark cloud. I could definitely connect to her poems about her irritating husband and how he was driving her nuts. The poems were priceless. I commiserated with her about feeling overwhelmed with everything that was going on. I know the feeling.

As for favourite sections, there were a bunch of poems that made me laugh out loud. However, I don't really want to whole poems in my review. Besides, they probably won't be as funny out of context. I did find one line from a poem titled What to Expect When Your Husband Goes Into Therapy that made me smile:

Your self-esteem
will reach such an all-time low
that you'll send yourself emails
and report them as spam.

Highly recommended. I'd love to read more of Sones's work.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollinswebsite.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Sonya Sones's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones, HarperCollins, ©2011. ISBN 9780062024671(Uncorrected Proof), 416p.

Wordless Wednesday - Ribbbbit!

2011-09-14T10:23:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

The Library - Part One Complete

2011-09-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

I have lots of books. Way too many really. When we moved 2.5 years ago all of those books got packed into boxes. Well, some of them were already in boxes because I didn't have enough shelves or even places to put them in the old house. While space was no longer an issue after the move, I still didn't have bookshelves for the books. So the books sat packed away in boxes again. That is, until recently. Our 2 1/2 story house has a wonderful attic area that we turned into a library.

Bear in mind that it's not done yet. We still need to remove the texturing on the ceilings and sloped walls, paint, then put in flooring, baseboards and new lighting. That's going to be a year or two away. Also, right now, the area is only accessible by a pull down ladder in the hallway. Eventually, we want to install a spiral staircase that goes between the master bedroom and the upper library floor.

Anyway, here are some before and after photos. The angles of the shots are different so it'll be a little hard to see that they are the same areas:

There are three more bookcases tucked into the storage area on the left hand side above.   There's another storage area on the right hand side, but it doesn't contain any books. There's one more area that's not pictured above. It will eventually have the spiral staircase coming up into it and possibly a window seat/reading bench.

Like I said, we still have work to do, but at least the books can breathe and I can see them. Hopefully, at some time I'll have time to review the bookcases we purchased and assembled.

I think I have some weeding to do. Book weeding, that is.   As much work as this was, getting rid of them is going to be harder.   I'll let you know how that goes, too.

A Hard Death by Jonathan Hayes

2011-09-09T10:49:00.000-05:00

In A Hard Death, Edward Jenner moves to Florida and works as a medical examiner after having his medical license suspended in New York, where a terrible incident has left his career and life in tatters. He needs a break but he's not about to find it here. First, he finds the bodies of his boss and the man's wife in a car, then a phone call leads to more bodies in the swamp. This forensic pathologist, turned medical examiner, must navigate new ground in order to solve these murders.

This was such a good book. Great in fact. It was fast paced, edgy, exciting and all round fantastic thriller. I had a hard time putting the book down. I loved all of the forensic details that Hayes includes. Being a veteran forensic pathologist, he doesn't shy away from the details about the bodies and the deaths. I don't think it was overdone or too much, but other readers might feel differently. I loved it!

I don't know a lot about Florida or about the immigrants who work in the fields there. The information that Hayes provides is interesting as well as troubling. It's hard to believe that the workers could be treated so badly. I'm sure this isn't typical (or at least I hope it's not), but their lives in general can't be easy.

I liked Jenner. I liked him despite the fact that he wasn't a fun-loving, easy-to-like type of guy. He seemed a little rough around the edges and a tad broken by his experience in New York. As for the other characters, there seemed to be a lot of them. That's my one complaint about the book. I had a bit of trouble keeping them all straight. After awhile I started making a list of the new ones I encountered. That helped a lot.

I love short chapters and was thrilled to see them in this book. However, the storyline and writing style didn't exactly fit with them as much as I would have liked. That is, they didn't add as much suspense as they could have. Having said that, I still appreciated them and enjoyed the book.

New words:
allée (page 82): promenade, French
etiolated (page 167): feeble and spiritless
guayabera (page 210): light shirt
clerestory (page 238): top of a wall with windows
vulpine (page 349): fox like

Highly recommended. I can't wait to read more of Hayes's work. I'm definitely going see if I can find a copy of the first book featuring Edward Jenner, Precious Blood.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins website.

For more information about the author and his other work, please visit Jonathan Hayes's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

A Hard Death by Jonathan Hayes, HarperCollins, ©2011. ISBN 9780061691768(Uncorrected Proof), 409p.

Needlework Tuesday - On Wednesday

2011-09-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

It's time again for another instalment of Needlework Tuesday, hosted by Heather at Books and Quilts . Yes, I realize it's Wednesday, but I figure it's better late than never. Right?

Heather was kind and generous enough to send me a couple of knitting/crochet books. I already have my eye on a project (or several projects) in the knitting book, however, I'm going to have to brush up on my crocheting before attempting anything out of the other book. It should be fun. Thanks a lot Heather. You inspire me.

The next set of projects comes from the "vault". Because I'm still moving/unpacking boxes from our move 2.5 years ago, I'm finding "new" stuff all the time. Just the other day, I found a small box labelled Hardanger.

I fell in love with this craft the first time I saw it. It's amazing. Here are two of the projects I've completed. There are a few more, but they must be in another box somewhere. I hope by the time I move again, I'll have unpacked all of the boxes from the last move. *sigh*

Doily

Small pillow

Close up of the detailed section.

I still have some of the supplies and a couple of books. However, it's been many, many years since I've attempted this stitching. I really hope to pick it up again one day.

That's it for now. Don't forget to pop over to Heather's website Books and Quilts to see her finished boxer shorts. How cute! Also, Lit and Laundry is working on a beautiful autumn needlepoint.

Wordless Wednesday - Leapin' Lizards - Another creature because of the flood

2011-09-07T09:46:00.007-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Wordless Wednesday - Almost Wordless

2011-08-31T17:01:00.001-05:00

My backyard - My 6' tall husband next to tree with water line(s) from the Manitoba Assiniboine River Flood 2011. More Wordless Wednesday.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

2011-08-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

The Glass Castle is the memoir of Jeannette Walls. The narrative opens with Jeannette seeing her Mom, who's been living on the street, digging through a dumpster. She goes on to recount her life with her dysfunctional family.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well written, easy to read and extremely fascinating. It serves as a good reminder about how resilient we can be and that not everyone grows up in a stable household. The memories are presented in relatively short vignettes. I liked this, but sometimes I wanted to know more about what happened or how Jeannette felt about the incident.

Even though I liked the book a lot, in general I have trouble with childhood memories. First of all, children see the world differently than adults. They don't have the mental capacity to understand everything that goes on so their views on things come out a little skewed. Secondly, I find it hard to believe that someone could remember so much from their childhood. I certainly don't. I had to remind myself several times that a memoir is just a collection of that person's memories. It may not (and doesn't have to) accurately represent what actually happened.

While reading the book, I wondered many times about Rex's and Rose Mary's love for their children. How could they claim that they loved their children when they were going hungry and had to dig through dumpsters for food? They had nothing and wanted for everything. The capacity to earn a living was apparently there, but it wasn't what they did. By the end of the book, though, I realized that love comes in many different forms and packages. They believed they did the best they could. I don't want to reveal the ending, but a few pages near the end of the book, just about broke my heart.

I realize Jeannette did what she had to do to survive, but I'm not sure I'd have the strength to change my life the way she has. I also don't think I'd be strong enough to let my mother live on the street. I don't know what I'd do, but I'd probably lose a lot of sleep over it.

Favourite quotes:

They make it too easy to be homeless. If it was really unbearable, we'd do something different. (Rose Mary, Jeannette's Mom, page 264)

[Jeannette:] I asked about the property in Phoenix.
"I'm saving that for a rainy day."
"Mom, it's pouring."
"This is just a drizzle," she said. "Monsoons could be ahead!" She sipped her tea. "Things usually work out in the end."
"What if they don't?"
"That just means you haven't come to the end yet."
(exchange between Jeannette and her Mom, page 259)

New words:
simony (page 105): trading in sacred things
caryatid (page 208): female-shaped supporting pillar

Highly recommended. I have a copy of Half Broke Horses, Jeannette's next book, on my to-be-read shelf. I'm really looking forward to it.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Simon & Schuster's website.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Scribner (Simon & Schuster) ©2005. ISBN 9780743247542(Trade Paperback), 288p.

Wordless Wednesday - Sunflower

2011-08-24T09:49:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Flood Watch - 2011 - Two Months Later

2011-08-21T11:51:00.001-05:00

Wow! Has it really been two months since my last flood update? It seems like only yesterday. I won't go into all of the reasons for the lack of posts, but I will say that up until last week, not much had really changed. While we weren't completely surrounded by water anymore, there was still lots of it around. The backyard was pretty much the same as the photos I posted previously and the driveway was impassable. Like I said, though, things have changed in the last week or so.

Here are some highlights from past two months:

End of June - We lost our boat (the one we were using to get across the driveway). The municipality stopped paying for it and we didn't think it was worth paying for it ourselves. We had pretty much stopped using it because using hip waders was easier than paddling the distance. I only had to dip my paddle into the water about 5 times. We were still using it occasionally to haul groceries in and garbage/recycling out. Not fun, but not a huge deal.

July 13 - My husband walked down the driveway with boots. Not hip waders. The water had dropped about 6-8 inches in just a few days. This was a big deal. Slipping on boots was a lot better than having to put on hip waders every time we wanted to get to the car. Walking with groceries, bottled water etc. wasn't fun, but we got it done.

July 17 - The water dropped even more to the point where 95% of the driveway was not underwater. There was still a small section that had about an 1" of water on it. Wearing sneakers to the car, though, was still about two weeks away.

Next four weeks or so - Nothing. No drop in water, no rise in water, just frustration at the water not moving.

August 13 or so - Water started dropping in all parts of the yard. Several inches a day! We knew it was coming and were expecting it around the first week in August. Even though it was a few days late, it was very welcome.

August 18 - We drove the SUV down the driveway and parked in the garage. We hadn't done that since late April. This is a very, very big deal. Even though the water was mostly off the driveway for a whole month already, it was way too soft to drive on.

We haven't really started cleanup yet because it's pretty mucky and slippery. Once it dries out a bit, we'll be gathering up all of the debris that floated in. I'll post more about that later this week.

This part of the yard has the most water in it. The small lake extends about 300 feet to the left, all the way to the neighbours house. It's most likely land locked now. We'll either wait until it soaks in (a long time) or we'll pump it out. Not sure yet. Some of the trees have started to turn. It's early, but it's probably because they are water logged. We are hoping they aren't dying. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the water lines on the trees.

You can see the two distinct water levels on the bottom of the large tree. The top one until mid July, the lower one until mid August. The line on the grass is less distinct, but it too shows the two water lines.

Lots and lots of wood to pick up. I hope we don't find anything gross.

We are relieved that the river is finally receding, but we're a bit frustrated that it took so long for the province to make it so. That's it for now.

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

2011-08-18T08:07:00.000-05:00

When Freddy Delinn is charged with embezzling billions in a Ponzi scheme, his wife, Meredith, is frantic. She swears that she didn't know anything about the scheme, but the authorities are not convinced and start investigating her possible involvement as well as that of her sons. She knows that she must go into hiding and contacts an old friend, Connie, whom she hasn't seen in years. Together they spend the summer in Connie's summer house on Nantucket while they discover "the power of friendship, the pull of love, and the beauty of forgiveness."

Silver Girl is the latest book from Elin Hilderbrand and a perfect summer read. I really enjoy books set on the east coast and this one was no exception. I loved the 'ripped from the headlines' premise. When people like Meredith's husband Freddie (much like real life embezzler Bernie Madoff) are caught and dominate the headlines for weeks, what happens to the wife?

Alternating the narrative between Meredith and Connie, the story focuses on their summer, but also delves into their pasts to help the reader understand their tenuous relationship and how they got to where they are today. I loved how Hilderbrand constructed the story and kept details back until absolutely necessary adding a level of suspense to the book.

I really loved the characters in the book. They were flawed and believable. I thought about them when I wasn't reading about them. I couldn't wait to pick up the book again to see what they were doing. I wasn't totally convinced by the relationship between Connie's brother, Toby, and Meredith, but it was passable.

There were just a few things in the story that just didn't make sense. I'll only go into one of them so I don't reveal any major plot points. Several times throughout the book, Meredith mentions that she's had the same glasses since Grade 8; they have become her trademark. I can see having a certain style of glasses, but not the exact same pair. I wear glasses and I know that prescriptions change and the glasses wear out. Besides, her husband had embezzled billions of dollars. Surely, she would have updated them in the last 30+ years. That's just one of the little things that bothered me about the story. There were a few more, but as I said before I don't want to reveal any spoilers.

New words:
espadrilles (page 164): casual summer shoe
moldering (page 196): rotting
peripatetic (page 329): travelling, nomadic
avuncular (page 333): resembling an uncle
louche (page 380): Of questionable taste or morality

I also read and really enjoyed The Castaways (my review), which was also written by this author.

Even though I had a few problems with the story, I'd still highly recommend the book. However, it probably won't be making it to my "Best of 2011" list as I had anticipated it would. I still plan on reading more books by Hilderbrand. In fact, I have a few of her older books on my to-be-read shelf that I can't wait to get to.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Hachette Book Group website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Hachette Book Group for this review copy.

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand, Reagan Arthur Books/Little, Brown and Company (Hachette), ©2011. ISBN 9780316099660(Advanced Reader's Copy), 417p.

Wordless Wednesday - Prairie Dog

2011-08-17T13:32:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Wordless Wednesday - Moose

2011-08-10T16:45:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey

2011-07-31T16:24:00.000-05:00

In We All Fall Down, a light bulb filled with a pathogen drops from the ceiling of the subway tunnel in Chicago and people start dying. Parts of the city are sealed off with fences to keep the spread limited to that area while the scientists try to determine how to stop it and figure out what's going on. Private Investigator Michael Kelly goes looking for answers and winds up finding crooked cops, ruthless gangs and a government secret that could destroy many lives.

After reading The Third Rail (my review), I was so looking forward to this book. I was not disappointed at all. I loved it! The story pretty much continues on from where it left off in the previous book. It's hard for me to tell if this book can be read as a standalone book because I read the two books back-to-back. On the safe side, I'd suggest reading The Third Rail before reading this one.

Anyway, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading this book. I read it in just a few sittings and didn't want to put it down. The overall story is pretty scary and left me wondering what would happen if this were to really take place. Harvey suggests that we are ill prepared to deal with an attack such as this. The information on black biology, the research and the development of bio-weapons, was extremely fascinating. It was just believable enough to add to the scare-factor. I didn't think everything in the book was plausible, but that doesn't make it any less scary.

Once again, Harvey offers insights into the city of Chicago and highlights the problems that the city faces: gang violence, drug use, poverty and corruption. I especially enjoyed reading about the city's underbelly. It's definitely not the kind of thing you'd find in any travel or tourism brochure.

One my complaint is that some of the conversations were a little abrupt. There was a bit too much back and forth with very short sentences. It was sort of like watching a long rally at a tennis match. This appears to be Harvey's style, but I didn't notice it as much in his other book. It was really only a little annoying.

I loved that the last section of the book was called "Loose Ends". Given how the last book ended, I wasn't sure if Harvey was introducing more loose ends or was going to clean up those still outstanding. I won't tell you the outcome, but I will tell you that I was wholly satisfied with the ending.

New words:
stygian (page 254): pitch-black and frightening

Highly recommended. I'd really like to go back and read the first two books (The Chicago Way and The Fifth Floor) in this series. I'll have to keep my eye out for them. Harvey is definitely one of the best thriller writers around.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Michael Harvey's website.

Thanks to Dana from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey, Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780307272515(Hardcover), 298p.

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

2011-07-31T16:01:00.001-05:00

In A Lesson in Secrets, Maisie Dobbs takes an assignment from the British Secret Service and goes undercover as a professor in at Cambridge. She's there to monitor the activities "not in the interests of His Majesty's government". When Greville Liddicote, the founder and principal, is found dead, Maisie investigates and follow leads even after MacFarlane and Stratton, her handlers, tell her to stick to her assignment. That's really hard for her to do since the death appears to be linked to everything else that's going on at the college.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm not a huge fan of war or espionage type stories. That stuff just doesn't usually interest me. However, I found this one really good. It helped that it was a quaint British mystery and featured a wonderful lead character, Maisie. This is the 8th book in the series, however, this is the first book I've read. It can definitely be read as a standalone book. However, I'm sure I'd know a lot about more Maisie and her life had I read the others. I'll be looking for the other books in the series.

The story takes place pre-WWII and some of the characters belong to the Nazi party in Britain. While Maisie is suspicious about it, their activities and Hitler himself, apparently others haven't quite caught on yet. It was very interesting reading about the situation as it was back then. It was also quite interesting to read about the pacifists, Liddicote's book and the sensation it caused.

I loved Maisie. She reminded me of both Mrs. Pollifax (featured in mysteries by Dorothy Gilman) and Miss Marple (Agatha Christie) albeit she was a lot younger. She had lots on her plate and was juggling teaching, spying, her friendships, as well as a love interest, James. She handled it all so well without appearing frazzled.

Even though I enjoyed the book, it didn't hold my attention the whole way through. My mind tended to wander while I was reading. I'm not sure why this was happening. I really like these types of books and found the subject matter fascinating. I'm sure I missed some parts of the story because of this.

New words:
comestibles (page 37): food
inculcating (page 41): impress on somebody's mind
counterpane (page 53): quilt
equanimity (page 123): calmness
conchie (page 128): UK - conscientious objector - somebody whose conscience forbids military service
costermonger (page 186): UK - fruit and vegetable seller
frippery (page 187): treat
cheongsam (page 205): Chinese dress
vociferous (page 213): loud
imperturbable (page 232): calm, cool, composed
cloche (page 262): woman's hat with a narrow brim

Highly recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Jacqueline Winspear's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins for this review copy.

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear, HarperCollins, ©2011. ISBN 9780061727672(uncorrected proof), 321p.

Wordless Wednesday - Rrrrribbit

2011-07-27T10:44:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Big Questions by DK Publishing

2011-07-26T19:01:00.001-05:00

Geared towards 10-14 years-olds, Big Questions tackles the questions kids might have about life and the world around them.

This book is awesome! I really enjoyed reading it. It wasn't quite what I expected, though. I knew it was going to be tackling some big questions that kids have, but I was thinking more along the lines of "Why do elephants have wrinkled knees?", "Why does the sky change colour?", "Why are my eyes blue?", "How are girls and boys different?". Stuff, like that. However, this book asks even bigger questions and is much more philosophical and analytical than I thought it was going to be.

Questions include:
- What is reality?
- What is beauty?
- What is love?
- What is art/music?
- How do colors make you feel?
- What is imagination?
- Is there a god?
- Does where I'm born make me who I am?
- Can you step in the same river twice?
and many, many more!

Each question (or series of related questions) and answer is written in easy to understand language and is presented on a two-page spread, which makes it easy and fun to read. I loved that the book contains some questions that I hadn't even thought of. Maybe kids are more sophisticated than I was when I was younger; I was amazed at some of the questions that are asked and answered.

I found one question, "So, who wears the pants?" (page 54-55), to be a little odd. The answer/content is quite good and explains the roles of men and women in different cultures. However, I'm thinking that the question is outdated. While it might have been appropriate a generation or two ago, kids today might not even know what this means. If kids did have questions about gender roles, I don't think they'd ask the question in this way.

There are many really good questions and answers in the book, but one of my favourites was the question "Where do phobias come from?" (page 78-79). It was really interesting. I enjoyed learning the names of the different phobias, many of which I didn't know. For example, alektorophobia = fear of birds, chronomentrophobia = fear of time.

The illustrations in the book are quite cute and very colourful. I love all of the little characters and can imagine that many of them will find their way into kids' doodles on notebooks, desks and whatnot!

The book also contains a table of contents, glossary and index. All of these are pretty good.

Highly recommended. Even though the book is geared towards kids, it definitely got me thinking.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit DK's website.

I'd like to thank Chris at DK Canada for this review copy.

Big Questions by DK Publishing, Dorling Kindersley (DK), ©2011. ISBN 9780756675790(Hardcover), 128p.

Saturday Snapshot - Daylilies

2011-07-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

My daylilies have been blooming like crazy. We moved four plants from our old house as we heard that deer don't bother them. So far, so good.

The one pictured below has just finished blooming. (I took this about two weeks ago). This morning, I did the final deadheading and cut back all of the stocks...75 in total. I think each one had somewhere between 4-8 flowers on it. That means there were between 300-600 blooms!!! Furthermore, this type of daylily will bloom a second time, although so far, I haven't seen any new shoots. The photo below shows finished blooms, open blooms, and buds waiting to open tomorrow or the next day.

My other daylilies (here's one) aren't quite prolific, but they are also doing well.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

Needlework Tuesday - Rain Chains - The Finished Product

2011-07-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

It's time for another instalment of Needlework Tuesday. Yes, I have another non-needlework project. Back in June in this post I mentioned that I was working on a rain chain . Well, I finally finished it and the rock garden where the chain meets the ground. The rock garden could use some tweaking/jazzing up, but it's basically done.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a good before photo of the really awful downspout that was there. It didn't have much support so it sort of just hung there at an odd angle. I'm so glad it's gone.

Here are the photos of the rain chain/rock garden:

There hasn't been any rain to test it out, but we did pour some water into the eaves trough with a watering can. It looked pretty good. It remains to be seen how it's going to perform in a down pour or on a really windy rainy day.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather on her blog, Books and Quilts. There's an open invitation for other needle workers/crafters to join at any time.

New Michael Harvey Book!

2011-07-19T08:48:00.000-05:00

I don't often write about a book I've yet to read, but I'm so looking forward to this one that I can't contain my excitment. Since reading The Third Rail by Michael Harvey last month, I've been anxiously awaiting the next book We All Fall Down, which went on sale last week, July 12, 2011. Harvey left a few things unanswered in the last one and I'm just dying to find out what happens.

Here's the synopsis from the publisher:

Chicago cop turned private investigator Michael Kelly is racing to save his city from a deadly new foe: a biological weapon unleashed underground.

When a lightbulb falls in a subway tunnel, it releases a pathogen that could kill millions. While the mayor postures, people begin to die, especially on the city’s grim West Side. Hospitals become morgues. L trains are converted into rolling hearses. Finally, the government acts, sealing off entire sections of the city—but are they keeping people out or in? Meanwhile, Michael Kelly’s hunt for the people who poisoned his city takes him into the tangled underworld of Chicago’s West Side gangs and the even more frightening world of black biology—an elite discipline emerging from the nation’s premier labs, where scientists play God and will stop at nothing to preserve their secrecy.

It’s a brave new world . . . and the most audacious page-turner yet from an emerging modern master. From Knopf Publishers.

Doesn't that sound fantastic?

I going to have to bump this one to the top of the to-be-read pile.

Saturday Snapshot - Evergreen?

2011-07-16T18:42:00.001-05:00

The flood has brought some new creatures into our backyard. One of these happens to be a beaver. We haven't seen this guy yet, but he did make his presence known.

One of our newly planted (last year) evergreens:

Close up of the damage:

He didn't have the decency to use it or take it with him after he chewed most of the way through it. Little bugger.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

Express Housekeeping by Anna Shepard

2011-07-16T14:50:00.000-05:00

Express Housekeeping provides detailed instructions on how to clean your house. Whether it's vacuuming, decluttering, doing the dishes, doing the laundry or cleaning every room in your house, this book shows you how to do it correctly and efficiently.

I really enjoyed this book. Reading it was definitely more fun than to do any housework. It gave me some good tips on how to keep on top of the never ending list of cleaning jobs around the house. I'll be the first to admit that my house is not the cleanest on the block. I don't specialize in housework. I don't take pride in house where you could eat off the floor. Dust bunnies are my friends. Having said that, we don't live in a pigsty. We pick up after ourselves and don't leave things laying around. It's generally tidy, not antiseptic.

The book is filled with lots of great stuff. I really liked the pages picturing the cleaning kits, which show the items need to perform some of the many household chores. For instance, the Oven Kit pictures paper towels, cream cleaner, oven cleaner, laundry detergent, rubber gloves, baking soda and much more. There are also some explanation about what each item is used for.

The book also has some pretty good tip pages that offer a list of tips for doing a particular chore. Using the same chore above, the Oven Cleaning page features 10 tips including wearing rubber gloves, protecting the floor, cleaning the racks etc. The other type of page in the book has the specific steps to perform that chore. Again, sticking with the oven, the Clean the Oven page lists the steps to a clean oven that doesn't need a deep cleaning. That is, it just needs a touch up. I particularly like that the author included an approximate time for each task. A touch up on the oven should take about 15 minutes.

There are also sections on extra tips, what to do before you begin a particular task, what to do when, and lists of bare essentials that are needed for cleaning.

Like I said above, I'm not the best housekeeper. It's not surprising then that I learned a thing or two while flipping through this book. Did you know that you should air out the bed for 30 minutes (page 80) before making it in the morning? I didn't. I also learned how to properly wash whites so that they come out gleaming white instead of dingy, like mine sometimes do.

The table of contents is sparse and only lists the major section headings. The index is definitely more substantial and should be helpful in finding specific items in the book.

Highly recommended.

This book would be great for those just starting out on their own or people like me who dislike housework and appreciate tips to make the job easier and less time consuming. Even seasoned cleaners might learn something.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit DK's website.

I'd like to thank those Chris at DK Canada for this review copy.

Express Housekeeping by Anna Shepard, Dorling Kindersley (DK), ©2011. ISBN 9780756671778(Trade paperback), 224p.

Wordless Wednesday - Daylilies

2011-07-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Needlework Tuesday - Mosaics

2011-07-12T19:51:00.001-05:00

It's time for another instalment of Needlework Tuesday. I haven't been doing much crafting or needlework lately, but I wanted to show you some pieces I did in the past. I recently came across them when I was unpacking some boxes of books. Yes, I still have some boxes I haven't unpacked from the move 2+ years ago. These were leaning against the wall behind the boxes. Anyway, as you can see they are not needlework. Heather, I promise that one day I'm going to get back to doing needlework so that I can feature it here.

Anyway, today I have photos of the mosaics I did a few years ago. All of them are made with leftover tile; some from projects around the old house or single tiles we acquired from various sources. They are adhered to plywood and grouted with black grout.

The green spheres making up "Canada" were supposed to be used for flower arranging. The green tiles in this piece were leftover from our tub surround in our old house.

More green tiles from the tub surround. The lines are not as fluid as I would have liked. It's hard to get straight-edged tiles to form a curve. It's supposed to be reminiscent of waves and/or ripples. [See the last piece re: my water period].

This one was pretty much a disaster. I left the grout on too long and had a really hard time chipping it off after it dried. You can see a couple of places where I didn't quite get it all off. I don't mind the effect that much, but I never made that mistake again.

This last one is actually the first one I did. I made during what I call my "water period". For some unknown reason, I was attracted to water and things associated with it. Many of the crafts I did at this time, as well as things I bought for the house, all have water in common. When I saw this fish image on the internet, I knew immediately it would be my first mosaic.

I'm still working on the rain chain. I added more rings to the chain and we've laid out a basic outline for the "rock garden". We've had some really hot, sunny days here and since that part of the yard happens to be in full sun, we've been procrastinating. It's still on the list to-be-done, though.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather on her blog, Books and Quilts. There's an open invitation for other needle workers/crafters to join at any time. Please go visit her blog today. She has a wonderful memorial quilting post about her nephew/god son.

The Third Rail by Michael Harvey

2011-07-06T15:19:00.000-05:00

In The Third Rail, a sniper is killing people in Chicago. Michael Kelly, a former Chicago cop turned Private Investigator, just happens to be on the scene of the first shooting. As more bodies drop, Kelly becomes personally involved when the killer contacts him directly. It leaves him wondering how he could be connected to all of this. Maybe it's something in his past. He becomes even more motivated to find out what's going on when his girlfriend is kidnapped and he must find the killer before Rachel becomes the next to die.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was so good. There's plenty of action, lots of great characters and a plot that kept me guessing right until the very end. I like how in the Harvey switches point-of-view from Kelly to the bad guys and back again. It sort of gives the reader a leg up on the detectives. This is the third book in the series, but it can certainly be read as a standalone book. I haven't read the other two, but I plan to track them down and read them as soon as I can.

One of my favourite characters was Hubert Russell, the 20-something cyber hacker. You just got to love those guys who can find out anything about anyone at anytime.

The book is based in Chicago and contains lots of details about the city. I really liked all of the city references and felt a little like I had traveled there myself while reading the book. That was pretty cool. However, I've only been to Chicago once. A native or those more familiar with the city will probably enjoy those parts and get more out of them than I did.

There were two chapters in the book that stood out for me, Chapters 24 and 57. In chapter 24, I loved the
explanations of the victims' lives unfulfilled. It was really well done and though provoking. As for Chapter 57, the author eluded to the man's identify. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out if the man's identify was purposely left open or if I was supposed to know who this was. I quickly searched the book looking for a few clues I found in the chapter, but didn't have any luck. Finally, I contacted the publicist who put me in touch with the author. He quickly cleared up everything for me. Thanks so much Michael!

Normally, I like my mysteries all tied up in nice little packages by the end of the book. Harvey doesn't do this, though. He has purposely left a few loose ends. I like the way it was done. Even if those ends are not dealt with in the next book, the tension is tense and I can use my imagination as to what happens next. Having said that, I hope that the next book in the series does continue on with the open storylines and ties up a few of the loose ends. It should be an exciting ride.

Highly recommended. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, We All Fall Down.

For more information about this book, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Michael Harvey's website.

Thanks to Dana Kaye from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

The Third Rail by Michael Harvey, First Vintage Crime (Random House), ©2010. ISBN 9780307473639(mass market), 366p.

Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy

2011-07-06T08:30:00.001-05:00

In Grace Interrupted, a group of Civil War re-enactors have set up on the grounds around Marshfield Manor. When one of the them turns up dead, Grace's groundskeeper and love interest, Jack, is suspected of the murder. Even though Grace is convinced he's not guilty, things don't look good when details of Jack's past are revealed. Grace wants desperately to prove Jack's innocence and find the culprit all while keeping things running smoothly at the manor.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Right from the first chapter, there was no doubt in my mind that this was going to be an enjoyable read. Besides the well-paced plot, it had all of the things a perfect cozy mystery should have including a well-written, intelligent, witty, fun to read story and a wonderful, likeable cast of characters.

I like how this series is progressing. In this instalment, Hyzy has introduced two new interesting characters: Davie, Jack's brother, and Bootsie, a tuxedo kitten Grace found on her doorstep. I hope she has plans to keep these two around for awhile. It'll be interesting to see if Davie fits in at the manor. It'll also be great to see what mischief Bootsie gets into as kittens are prone to do. In addition to these new characters, Hyzy has included some more information about Grace, her background and her feelings about her past, present and future. I particularly enjoyed getting to know Grace better.

I really liked Frances, Grace's assistant. Even though she's a little gruff and rough with Grace, I loved her reserved enthusiasm for her undercover work at the camp. Her antics and attitude were entertaining. She's certainly made herself indispensible around the manor.

One thing that I found a little unrealistic was that Grace was able to find who was she looking for at the camp right away, even though there were at least 3000 people there. This happened a number of times. That's quite the talent, considering I have trouble finding my husband in Wal-Mart.

New words:
docents (page 4): tourist guide
peplum (page 208): flared part at the waist (of a jacket or blouse)
snood (page 209): decorative hair net

I've read two other books by Hyzy: Grace Under Pressure (my review) and Buffalo West Wing (my review) and loved them both.

Highly recommended. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

For more information about this book, please visit Penguin'swebsite.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Julie Hyzy's website.

Thanks to Dana Kaye from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy, The Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin), ©2011. ISBN 9780425241905(mass market), 278p.

Saturday Snapshot - Our New Neighbours

2011-07-02T17:47:00.000-05:00

Meet our new neighbours! These guys showed up about 1 week ago and visit us every day. They have been dining on cracked corn and a variety of mixed bird seeds. In return, they are leaving us with lots of "fertilizer", which makes walking in the yard without boots a little hazardous. We don't mind one bit. We don't get to see this kind of thing every day.

Canada Geese with gosling....

...while the others remain on shore. This pair has 5 little ones. They get bigger every day.

Another pair of Canada Geese with 6 much older goslings.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. To participate – post a picture that you've taken (or one taken by a friend, or a family member) then add your link on Alyce’s site using Mr. Linky.

[I hope everyone likes these photos better than the snake ones. ;)]

The Hypnotist by M. J. Rose

2011-06-28T15:02:00.000-05:00

In The Hypnotist, Lucian Glass, working with the Art Crime Team (ACT), goes undercover to investigate the destruction of some very old and valuable paintings. While he's undercover he submits to being hypnotized. It's during these sessions that he travels back in time and learns of his past lives. As he does so, he learns new information that just might help him solve the mystery in his current life.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It grabbed me on the very first page, which doesn't usually happen. I usually need a few pages to warm up to a book. Not so with this one. The story remained compelling throughout the whole book and carried me right through to the very last page. There are many facets and plotlines to follow with this one; it's very intricately woven. I found the storytelling similar to that of James Rollins in that both of their stories jump around in time and follow different plotlines simultaneously. I love books written like this as it makes me work a little to follow the story, remember the characters and decipher the plot. In this case, the extra effort was well worth it.

This is the third book in The Reincarnationist Series by this author, but the first one I've read. From reading the outlines about the other books, the stories don't appear to be connected. However, more than a few times while reading this one, I felt like I was missing something in the story, as though something relating to this story had happened in a previous book. It didn't at all stop me from really enjoying this book, but perhaps I should have read the others first.

The book contains interesting information about reincarnation, art work and painting in general. I'm not sure I totally believe in reincarnation, but I do find the subject matter extremely fascinating. As for the art and artists featured in this book, I don't know a lot about it and can't say I'm a huge fan. I do, however, find the whole art scene very intriguing. Equally intriguing was the explanation of Hypnos's third eye and its potential connection to the pineal gland, "which produces melatonin, the hormone that affects the modulations of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions"(page 171), as well as other more elegant and mythical explanations. All fascinating stuff.

I love learning new words. This book contained a few that were new-to-me. Here's a sampling:
Persian satrap (page 20): a governor of a province in ancient Persia
partage (page 22): the act of portioning out or sharing
manse (page 57): rectory
ormolu (page 57): gold-coloured copper alloy
ephemera (page 66): something short-lived
aegis (page 88): guidance
oculus (page 128): circular architectural feature
rheostat (page 130): an adjustable resistor
métier (page 158): profession
shtetl (page 203): small Jewish community in Eastern Europe
miasma (page 221): haze
invectives (page 376): criticism

I read this book in eBook form on my Sony eReader.

Highly recommended. I already have The Memorist on my to-be-read bookshelf and can't wait to dig it out and read it. I'll keeping my eye out for The Reincarnationist so that I can read that one, too.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Mira's website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit M.J. Rose's website and blog.

I'd like to thank Tracee Gleichner from Pump Up Your Book and the author for this review copy. Click here for information on the blog tour.

The Hypnotist by M. J. Rose, Mira Books, ©2010. ISBN 9780778329206(eBook), 412p.

The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma

2011-06-26T17:58:00.000-05:00

In The Map of Time, Andrew Harrington is desperate to save Marie Kelly, his lover who has been killed by Jack the Ripper. Claire Haggerty wants to escape her Victorian restraints and falls for a man who lives in the future. Others want to see what life is like in the year 2000. Set in Victorian London, this historical fantasy novel uses real and fictional characters to investigate time travel and the ability to change the history. It also questions what would happen if we do so. Leading the way is H.G. Wells, who because of his novel The Time Machine, is seen as the authority on the subject.

I loved this book. Really loved it! It's one of the best ones I read this year. The story was intelligent, creative and witty. The author has a wonderful, healthy sense of humour. I never would have thought history and fantasy would make such a good pair. After reading the last page, I immediately wanted to start over again at the beginning. At over 600 pages, it could have been intimidating for me. However, it wasn't at all. I felt so immersed in the story that I didn't want it to end. While I love historical novels, I'm not that fond of fantasy novels. They just don't appeal to me. However, the fantasy aspect of this novel is handled in such a way that I found it a joy to read.

The three sections with interrelated plots lead the reader through the whole story. I simply adored the first two sections. The stories were approachable and relatable while the characters seemed real. However, it took me a little while to warm up to the third section. At first, it had a different feeling than the others and that interrupted my rhythm a little. However, that soon passed and I enjoyed reading the final section as well.

Rather than follow a linear path, the story jumps around quite a bit. I love books written this way. They really make me think. I don't mind "working" a little to follow the story and if the author has constructed a well built story, as Palma has, it makes the extra effort very worthwhile. Having said that, most of the story was easy to follow, but there were a few sections that were a little tricky. I really had to pay attention so I wouldn't lose the gist of the story.

One of my favourite parts of the book is when the narrator/author talked directly to me, the reader. He doesn't do it that often, but when he did I was overcome with joy. Reading is such a solitary pursuit that it was nice to be acknowledged.

I love it when authors used real-life characters in fictional works. Even if it's not someone I'm familiar with or someone I even like or admire, I still get a kick out of it. In this book, Palma uses H.G. Wells as a major character, while Joseph Merrick plays a more minor role. There are also brief appearances by both Bram Stoker and Henry James. I'm not that familiar with any them, but I feel that I got to know them a little better through this work despite the fact that the story is fictional. Palma has definitely peaked my curiosity about Wells and Merrick and I'm going to be looking into their lives further. Not only has Palma uses real characters, but he also incorporates some real life events like the crimes of Jack the Ripper. Again, I found this fascinating.

Favourite quotes:

No, the orchestra of life would carry on playing without him, because in reality his part had never been important to the score. (page 433)

New words:
panegyric (page 380): extravagant praise
pilloried (page 483): denounced
fin-de-siècle (page 481): the last years of the 19th century
perspicacity (page 526): perceptiveness
callow (page 584): inexperienced

Highly recommended. Honestly, I could go on and on about how much I love this book and what I love about it. I'm so looking forward to reading more works by Palma. Look for this book in my "Best of 2011" list at the end of the year.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Simon & Schuster's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Simon & Schuster for this review copy.

The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma, Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) ©2011. ISBN 9781439167397(ARC), 609p.

Wordless Wednesday - Dining Ducks

2011-06-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot - Snake Ecdysis

2011-06-18T09:46:00.001-05:00

When we first moved from the city to a more rural area, I was pretty skittish about the creepy, crawly, slimy-looking things I was finding in the yard. Bugs of all kinds, frogs and lots of garter snakes. While I still don't like to be surprised by these things, I'm getting used to a few of them...sort of.

Yesterday, while I was checking out the yard (the little that isn't flooded), I found the results of a snake ecdysis (shedding) in the grass. I think it's amazing! My husband was extremely surprised that I picked it up and moved it to an area more suitable for photographing it. I'm sort of surprised, too! I've come such a long way.

Anyway, here are two photographs of my find. I've also included a photograph of a garter snake that I took awhile ago.

Needlework Tuesday - Rain Chains

2011-06-14T18:20:00.001-05:00

It's time for another instalment of Needlework Tuesday. Ok, so this isn't exactly needlework, but it is sort of crafty. I figure that's close enough since I haven't posted in a long, long time.

I'm working on making a rain chain. Can you believe that I'm actually doing a craft that involves water? Today my motto is "If you can beat 'em, join 'em". Anyway, I first noticed rain chain at a local bird supply store (food, houses, feeders). The one they had was made of copper and quite beautiful, but also quite pricey. I decided to look online to see if they could be made more cheaply at home. Sure enough I found a couple of different models to make. (If you are interested in seeing some really beautiful ones, google "rain chains" and a bunch of images will come up.)

I choose the simplest one using binder rings. I already had a bunch of rings but I knew I needed more. We checked out both Staples and Office Depot and found that the prices were a tad high (Staples 12 rings for $6). My husband then had the idea to check out Wal-Mart (8 rings for $1.89; two different sizes) and a dollar store (8 rings for $1). We picked up a bunch at the last two stores.

The chain is basically done. Since it's pretty simple and I have some additional rings, I thought I might jazz it up a bit and randomly add a few more rings without making it longer. I was also thinking of adding some beads and trinkets, but I don't want to make it too heavy, so I'm going to forgo those for now.

Here's the chain so far:

Basically, I just need to remove the downspout and replace it with the chain (attached with a bracket). That part is simple. The hard part is deciding how to finished the bottom part where the chain meets the ground. I certainly don't want the water trickling back towards the house. I'm toying with the idea of making a smallish rock garden sloped away from the house. Perhaps I'll add a copper bowl or vessel to catch the water, which will then spill over into the rock garden.

When I get the rock garden done and the chain installed, I'll post another picture. With days of rain in the forecast, it might be awhile. :(

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather on her blog, Books and Quilts. There's an open invitation for other needle workers/crafters to join at any time. Go see her work. It's beautiful.

Motion to Kill by Joel Goldman

2011-06-14T15:48:00.000-05:00

In Motion to Kill, Lou Mason is a lawyer who's been with the Sullivan & Christenson just a short time, when one of the partner's, Sullivan, is found dead. When another partner turns up dead and a criminal investigation into the firm's transactions is uncovered, Mason is left wondering what he's got himself into with this new job. As he starts digging around, he uncovers a lot more than he bargained for including corruption, a sexual scandal and organized crime to go along the two murders. What's this lawyer to do, but dig deeper and uncover the truth about why the partners are being investigated and picked off one by one.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was suspenseful and exciting, especially the action scenes. They were intense. The story wasn't really straightforward; there were lots of different angles and motives to consider. However, it was still pretty easy to follow. The author moved the story along at a really good clip and with so much going on, it certainly wasn't ever dull or boring. The whole thing was very well written.

The characters were all pretty good; I especially liked Lou Mason. He didn't have to dig around to uncover what was going on, but did so anyway, even when his life was in danger. He was pretty tenacious in his investigation, too. I liked that. I especially liked the way he interacted with Sheriff Kelly Holt, whom I also liked a lot. Wilson "Blues" Bluestone, piano player and ex-cop, was another favourite. Besides his interaction with Mason, which was terrific, I loved his general style and his thoughts about music.

The ending was full of surprises and wonderfully written. It was perfectly timed and wrapped up the story nicely. It was a great way to end the story and leave just a little bit open with Mason to appear in the next instalment of the series.

Favourite quotes: Because I have an inner geek, I couldn't resist the following:

The glistening effect was a mixture of a Madonna-halo and a Star Trek transporter.

Another favourite quote of mine involves Jerry Springer and the type of guests he had on his show. It appears on page 298. However, I can't include it her because it gives away a plot point. I'll just say it's vintage Jerry and priceless.

New word:
pogroms (page 165): massacre of a particular ethnic group, particular that of Jews in Russia or eastern Europe.

I also read No Way Out by this author and really enjoyed it. I'd definitely recommend it.

Highly recommended. I'll be keeping my eye out for more of Goldman's books.

This book was originally published in 2002. Since then Goldman has "updated the book but kept the story intact."

For more information about this book, please visit Joel Goldman'swebsite.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Joel Goldman's website.

Thanks to the author for this review copy.

Motion to Kill by Joel Goldman, ©2002. ISBN 0786014474(eBook), 301p.