The Thirteen by Susie Moloney

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.

The Call by Yannick Murphy

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.

Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield

Simon's Cat is a collection of cartoons featuring Simon's cat, naturally.

The book is hilarious. If you have a cat or know a cat, you'll likely recognize many of these scenarios. Ok, so a few of them are slightly exaggerated, but only a little.

I'd never heard of Simon or his cat before this book made the rounds on the book blogs. I love cats as much as the next person (make that cat lover) so I figured it was going to be something I'd like. As it turns out it was especially good for me. Cats make me...make me...m..ACHOO! Even though I think they are the most fascinating domestic creatures, I can't have one in the house. Having this book around is almost like having a cat. I said, almost. There's definitely less hair (even though my hair seems to get everywhere, no cat hair means no sneezing), no scratched furniture, no litter box to clean, no disgusting cat food to scoop out. Hey wait a minute! This book is BETTER than having a cat around. ;) Just kidding. I love cats and this book.

I can't wait to follow Simon's Cat on YouTube.

Highly recommended.

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

For more information about the author, please visit The Official Simon's Cat Website.

I won this book over at A Sea of Books. Thanks Gwendolyn. I'd also like to thank those nice people at Hachette Book Group for sponsoring the giveaway.

Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield, Grand Central Publishing, ©2009. ISBN 9780446560061(Paperback), 240p.

One Hundred Butterflies by Harold Feinstein

In One Hundred Butterflies, Harold Feinstein presents a collection of photographs of butterflies and moths from around the world. Quotes and information about the insects accompany the images.

This an absolutely gorgeous book. The photographs are exquisite. The layout with one butterfly/photograph per page is an ideal way to view these beauties. All of the glorious colours and shapes really standout against the black backgrounds. Even the endpapers are beautiful.

Inside, you'll find butterflies with odd names, such as: Welling's Gaudy Checkerspot, page18; Anna's Eighty-Eight, page 52; Drury Callicore, page 53; Painted Jezebel, page 84; Stinky Leaf Wing Butterfly, page 91; and the African Blue Salamis, page 99. I was amazed and surprised by the butterflies that have very different colouring on their top and bottom sides. I had no idea these existed. Examples include: Owl Butterfly, page 34-35, which is yellow and blue on the top, but has owl-like features on the underside; Blue Morpho, page 37; and the Variable Cracker, page 38. I was also taken aback by the unique shapes of the Indian Leaf, page 92-93, and the Dead-Leaf, page 98; the luminous beauty of the Jungle Queen page 94-95; the batik-dyed quality of the Lacewing, page 118-119; and the stained glass effect on the Glasswing page 124.

There are lovely quotes scattered throughout the book, which make a great addition to the images. Some of these quotes have to do with butterflies; others with nature and beauty. I loved them as well as the interesting and relevant information about the butterflies and moths.

Of all of the photographs, I'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite. I'll just say that my favourite is the one I looked at last. ;)

One nice addition for the book would have been a scale of some kind to give me and other the viewers an idea of the size of these marvellous creatures. I found this especially true of the Pandora Sphinx Moth. As first I thought it was not only unusual, but also quite beautiful. As I wondered about it more, I thought it could also look quite scary if it was shown full size (which I hope it's not.)

I loved the following line from the author's note at the beginning of the book:
The earth laughs with flowers, but it dances with butterflies (page 7).

Recommended. This book would make a lovely gift and/or coffee table book. Butterfly lovers, nature photographers, artists and those interested in these subjects would especially love this book. I'll be on the lookout for Feinstein's other books.

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

For more information about the author and his other works, please visit Harold Feinstein's website.

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

One Hundred Butterflies by Harold Feinstein, Little, Brown and Company, ©2009. ISBN 9780316033633(Hardcover), 128p.

Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg

In Bear Portraits, Jill Greenberg presents a series photographs featuring a variety of bears in a outdoor studio setting. Some of the expressions she captures are almost human-like; others exhibit the raw and unforgiving power of these huge beasts. Her subjects range from the 40 pound European Brown Bear, 4-month-old Amos to the 1600 pound Grizzly named Koda. In between, there are Kodiaks, polar bears, brown bears and black bears. The text accompanying the images comes from various sources: ancient proverbs and well-known persons such as Shakespeare, Elvis Costello, and many more.

Beautiful book with marvellous subjects. The gorgeous images in this unique setting allows the viewer to see the bears up close and personal. Something we rarely, if ever, get to do. After glancing at the first couple of photos, I flipped to the introduction because at first I thought that these bears were stuffed. The author explains that they are indeed real and was surprised herself "that the bears didn't look alive or real in the pictures." All of them have, however, been raised by humans from birth and judging from the credits at the back of the book, each has some previous experience in front of the camera.

The one minor flaw in the book is in the images that span two pages. Some of the beautiful details are lost to the spine of the book. That's a shame. The only other thing is that it would have been nice to know which bear appears in which photograph. A label might have been too intrusive, but a listing in the back of the book might have accomplished this nicely.

If I had to pick a favourite, it would be "Silly Old Bear". The photograph is wonderful, but the reference (Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh) makes it special.

Recommended. This book would make a delightful coffee table book.

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

For more information about the author and her other photography projects, please visit Jill Greenberg's website.

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

Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg, Little, Brown and Company, ©2009. ISBN 9780316031882(Hardcover), approximately 60 photographs.