Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump

I pre-ordered Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump, the current president's niece, and then waffled over whether or not to cancel the order because I've been reading about him since the 1980s. I figured I'd already know most of what she had to say. As it turned out, I was correct in some ways but not others. Too Much and Never Enough is more of a family history than a book specifically about the president, although the author explains very nicely the reasoning for his behavior in a way that others have only guessed at. So, it's marginally different from the other psychological assessments (Mary Trump is a psychologist) and explains his actions more broadly by digging into how his domineering father and absent mother formed him into the man he is today.

It was fascinating reading about the family history because Too Much and Never Enough went deeper into the dysfunction of the family than I've ever read about in any article and made sense of many things that were a little fuzzy on detail. I knew, for example, that the president's eldest brother was an alcoholic, that he died fairly young, and that the president cut off the insurance for Freddy's family members at some point in time. I didn't know much beyond that; and, the story of Freddy Trump is much, much sadder than I realized.

At any rate, I don't want to go into too much detail but there were some little bits and pieces that I found of interest. For example, I was aware that the president was not being honest when he referred to himself as a self-made man and said he'd gotten "just a million dollars" from his fabulously wealthy and controlling father. But, I didn't realize that he pretty much lived off his father's money and was allowed to spend extravagantly because he was, after Freddy failed to live up to expectations, the chosen son. Nor did I know that he was really only the publicity man and the face of the family business while his father was alive. Too Much and Never Enough also nicely explains how and why Freddy fell from grace and the president took his place, as well as why the president was held up as a success by his family and the press, even when he wasn't actually making business decisions and, later, after he'd failed so thoroughly at his own ventures that the only banks that would loan to him were outside of the country.

The author does a good job of laying out the growth of the family's wealth and how they are all about money and power. She vaguely describes their tax evasion; talks about how they've used political and mob connections to their advantage; and, describes their decadent spending contrasted with cheapness in buying gifts (often regifting unwanted items or giving items that were wholly inappropriate to each other).

There's also this paragraph, a portion of which a friend on Facebook posted and I went to look up (I'd forgotten all about it):

While thousands of Americans die alone, Donald touts stock market gains. As my father lay dying alone, Donald went to the movies. If he can in any way profit from your death, he'll facilitate it, and then he'll ignore the fact that you died. 

~p. 209

Recommended - Too Much and Never Enough was much better written and more informative than I expected, if a little uneven, as it jumped back and forth in time. But I can't say I enjoyed the reading because the family is described as such a greedy and vicious bunch (the kind of people who spend a holiday together making cutting remarks about each other, except the favored child, to whom praise is expected from everyone) that I was sick of them by the time I was halfway through the book. Still, I think it's worth the read and I have no regrets.


©2020 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The Size of the Truth by A. Smith, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters by Salinger, Collage and Construction by H. Weiss

Well. This is a hodgepodge. I looked back over the list of books I've read and found that there are 4 I haven't reviewed. One is The Mueller Report, which I think I'll start quoting, next week (you should see the number of flags in that book). The rest are random and none are ARCs; all were purchased at some point, so there's no need to say much.

The Size of the Truth by Andrew Smith is a middle grade story about Sam, a boy who fell down a well when he was 4 years old and was so traumatized that he didn't speak for years. While he was in the well, he encountered a talking armadillo.

Now 11, Sam has been moved 2 grades ahead and is feeling traumatized all over again. Everyone is bigger, especially James, the boy Sam blames for his fall into the well. Sam's father wants him to go to the science and math magnet school and MIT but Sam wants to be a chef. Gym sucks and the teacher seems to hate him. Everyone is making him feel like he has no control over his life.

As the present-day story is told, the tale of Sam's time in the well with Bartleby, the talking armadillo, unfolds. Of course, the armadillo was all in his mind (or was it?) The Size of the Truth is a fun read and all the way through the book I was so convinced that the armadillo was real that I kept stopping myself to question how on earth it was that someone had managed to convince me a clearly-not-real character was, in fact, real and not a figment of the child's imagination.

I do recall having a bit of trouble with the fact that the 4-year-old knew so much, including how to swim. But, obviously Sam is a pretty sharp kid or he wouldn't have been bumped up 2 grades. I still had trouble swallowing his level of knowledge, although I shouldn't because I knew a little girl who was that far ahead of her age range at 5.

Recommended - Smart and entertaining with some terrific lessons. I particularly liked what Sam learned about James and how memories can be distorted.

Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour, an Introduction by J. D. Salinger is a book of two novellas (I think), which I read during a weekend readathon. I posted a couple photos of the book to Instagram but chose not to do any updating at the blog because I figured it would be too time-consuming and the whole idea was to read as much as possible, after all. There's something very real about Salinger's writing and the moment I read that opening paragraph, I was hooked. I loved "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters". I love the Glass family and it was nice to revisit them.

"Seymour, an Introduction" was a bit more philosophical, much like Franny and Zooey but without the nice stretches of description in which the family is just being human, so I didn't care for the second story as much. The great thing about Salinger was his straightforward descriptive ability and characterization. The awful thing was that he was too smart for his own good. I find his philosophical meanderings exhausting. But, it was great to go back in time and learn a bit about Seymour, his love of poetry, and how he and his friend kept getting in trouble for going off to talk poetry when they were in the military. In general, I kind of adore Salinger.

I definitely recommend Salinger, in general, and particularly loved "Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters", of the two stories.

Collage and Construction by Harvey Weiss is an ugly old book that I bought in the library sale so long ago that I didn't even recall owning it. I came across the battered copy while I was going through books, trying to find some to donate. It's a children's book that describes the difference between collages and constructions, gives examples by the author and other artists (often with photos of museum pieces), and describes how to come up with a theme, the items needed to create them, and the actual process of creating or building.

I looked up Harvey Weiss, after I finished reading the book. He was an interesting man. He wrote quite a few how-to books and I wouldn't mind finding more of them to read but they were mostly published a long time ago, like this one (1970 is the copyright date). I also looked up some of the artists whose works were included and I'd like to read more and see more of one of those artists' works. I'm still not buying from Amazon but it's a book of one of the featured artists' work that I might break my boycott for . . . eventually.

At any rate, the book was fascinating and informative enough that I'd probably keep it if I didn't need to get rid of books and it didn't happen to be so grubby. Recommended, if you can find a copy.

©2019 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton

I feel like this review needs a disclaimer. When What Happened came out, I had no interest in reading what I presumed would be a rehash of what happened in the 2016 election to make it go wrong for Hillary Clinton. But, then seemingly every old, white male in America (or, at least, those with access to Twitter) and everyone on Fox simultaneously appeared to tell Hillary Clinton to "sit down and shut up", "take up knitting", or simply said her days in politics were over and she should be ignored. I ordered a copy of What Happened, then, in defiance of the narrative that told the candidate who got the most votes in the 2016 election that she shouldn't be heard. But, again, it wasn't a book I was all that interested in reading so it went on the stacks and sat there for about a year. I picked it up to read when I realized March was Women's History Month. As a long-time public servant and the first female presidential nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton has certainly made history for women.

What Happened is not just about the election or the election season as a whole. In the book, former Secretary Clinton reflects on her many years of public service, her beliefs and their roots (including how her beliefs as a Methodist influenced her decision to go into public service), her mother's influence, and her own experience as a mother, wife, and female. Here, for example, is a quote in which she reminds readers of the real meaning of the word "feminism", which has recently become badly distorted:

While we're defining things, let's take a moment for feminism: "the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes." Not domination. Not oppression. Equality. Or as the English writer and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft put it 225 years ago, "I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves."

~p. 132

And, here's a quote that I thought described how the other candidate managed to dodge scandal while Clinton was buried in a controversy (also described in detail -- how and why Clinton chose to use a home server and why her choice to use a personal phone was not unusual at the time).

Most of the press was too busy chasing ratings and scandals, and Trump was too slippery to be pinned down. He understood the needs and impulses of the political press well enough that if he gave them a new rabbit every day, they'd never catch any of them. So his reckoning never came. 

~p. 232

I was surprised how much I learned from the reading of What Happened. There were a lot of subjects from which I'd skimmed the surface but Hillary Clinton, having been a First Lady, a senator, and a Secretary of State, knows the dangers of Putin intimately, for example. She knows his history, his methods, and has interacted with him on many occasions. She understands his motivation. I knew enough to say, "Uh-oh," when I heard that the Republican platform had changed in a way that benefitted Putin, and I knew much of Trump's history with the Russians but my knowledge lacked depth. I also had a vague understanding of the connection between what she calls "Christian morality and white nationalist purity and power" and Putin, and had connected the dots with the help of some people I follow (to what Trump is doing: suppressing LGBTQ and women's rights) but she clarified it nicely.

And, finally, there were plenty of stories that were reported so badly that I always wondered what on earth the reporters and my right-wing friends were going on about -- she explained these well. For example, I had friends who said that Hillary Clinton planned to put coal miners out of business and that she was evil for taking away jobs. I'd seen the clip but was never able to find the context of what was said. She repeats the entire paragraph from which her comment -- making it sound like she was happy to be putting people out of work -- was taken, so that you can see how the context was about her understanding that a move to clean energy would put people in the coal industry out of work, so it was important (in her viewpoint) to make sure those people were taken care of with transitional help and job training in order to make sure they were able to continue to survive. This particular story certainly shows how poorly the press covered Hillary Clinton. I couldn't even locate the full transcript online, at the time when friends were talking about Hillary "gleefully" putting people out of work. I presumed the full story wasn't being told but reading her book was the first chance I had to truly understand what she was attempting to get across to viewers.

I've seen similarly misleading stories happening in my own world in real time. When the Mississippi River was flooding, a few years ago, we went to downtown Vicksburg to see how far the water had gone. Vicksburg used to have the nickname "The San Francisco of the South" because of its steep hills and while there are still homes in various flood zones (at least one entire subdivision, away from the river, was bought out because it flooded so frequently), most of the city and surrounding area sits well above the flood plain. So, what did you, the viewer, see on the national news during this historic flood? The cameras were positioned on a hill, where tons of people were happily walking around, looking down upon a former train station (now a museum) that floods every single time the Mississippi leaves its banks. It was incredibly misleading but dramatic. This is the way Hillary Clinton says her email "scandal" was portrayed. You didn't get the full story, ever. It was nice to read the full story.

Highly recommended - Written with grace and humility, Hillary Clinton's memoir of the election, with reminiscences of her life in public service, is both nicely written and informative. I was surprised how much I learned and how much I enjoyed her voice. I have only two small complaints. It appears that the book was rushed to press. There are a few errors. Most are not major; they just jumped out at me for their inaccuracy. She said, for example, that Narcan "can save lives by helping prevent overdoses". Narcan actually reverses the effect of narcotics on the system (often painfully so, depending on how skillfully it's administered) but it doesn't prevent overdose. I hope this misstatement has been changed in subsequent printings. The other complaint is that I thought she hammered James Comey's influence on the election a little too hard. I agree with her that he made some mistakes and they likely swung the election but two mentions would have been enough. I counted four. Otherwise, I found What Happened so interesting that I may reread it, at some point.


©2019 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

I have to hurriedly write about Faithful because it's due back at the library, today. Hurry, hurry! I'll be posting a Tuesday Twaddle post, tomorrow, instead of Monday Malarkey because I want to go ahead and get this review posted.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman is the story of Shelby Richmond, a teenager who is involved in a terrible car accident with her best friend, Helene. Shelby was only slightly injured. She has vague memories of seeing an angel and being covered with a warm coat, then finding out she was really fine while her friend was permanently damaged. Some think Helene works miracles and people wait in line to see her, hoping for miracles of their own. Shelby is skeptical of Helene's ability to work miracles and can't bear to see her.

Shelby has received postcards encouraging her to start living, again, since her accident. But, she doesn't know who is sending them and she is unable to determine how to move on. 

After Shelby's accident, she becomes so deeply depressed that she's hospitalized for several months and then she turns to drugs and spends most of her time sleeping. Her drug dealer is a boy from her high school, Ben. When Shelby and Ben begin to spend time together, it becomes clear that Ben wants much more than to be her drug dealer. But, Shelby is not sure she will ever be able to function, again. Can Ben help her through her crisis? Who is sending Shelby the encouraging postcards that are the one light in her life? 

I'm just going to quickly tell you what I loved about Faithful. It goes from the time when Shelby is depressed, post-hospitalization, to sometime in her twenties. While she eventually comes to terms with her guilt and depression, Shelby is forever changed. But, what transforms her is her love of animals and this I loved with a passion. I'm an animal lover and I know how good it feels to take in a fur friend who has been rejected and may not otherwise have ever found a home. I could relate to the way her rescue of animals served as her salvation.

I won't give away the details of the book but Shelby also becomes involved in an unusual and lasting friendship, and is loved by Ben in a way that helps her to take the baby steps back into life that she might not otherwise have been able to make. You're never certain whether or not she and Ben will last because Shelby is still so damaged, but in that regard the book felt oddly realistic, if a bit disappointing.

Highly recommended - I liked Faithful more than most of my friends did, partly because of the fact that the pages flew and I cared about Shelby, partly because I found it plausible and oddly satisfying, even though parts of the book are disappointing. You may want her to make a certain decision, for example, and she goes the opposite direction. I overlooked those discomforts because Faithful is, in the end, a book that peers around dark corners to find the bright rays of light that keep a person going after a life-changing crisis.

©2017 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The Heaven of Animals by David James Poissant and Fiona Friday

The whole round world will funnel into nothingness, and you will see the truth in his eyes: that life, that living, is more than what's come before.  That all you have is this moment, this sun and this sand, these seagulls overhead and white clouds and blue sky, and don't look away or he'll disappear. The world is here only as long as you look for it, only as long as you keep your eyes open.  Keep your eyes on him and he'll never leave you, will stay if you can just keep from blinking.

And your eyes will ache, they'll burn from holding them open for so long, and when you blink, like that, he'll be gone.

~p. 156,  "How to Help Your Husband Die"

First things first: The Heaven of Animals by David James Poissant is one of the best short story collections I've read in a long time - one worth buying to read over and over, again - and I'm a big short story fan so I don't say that lightly. I wanted to mention how excellent it is up front, just in case my review is too boring to get through.  

The Heaven of Animals begins with a slightly quirky story about fathers and sons called "Lizard Man", in which two men go to the home of Cam's deceased father. Cam refused to see his father for years and he just wants to check out his dad's house, maybe take something as a memento. But, the two men discover a sickly alligator caged on the property and Cam decides he'd rather help the animal than steal the TV. His friend wraps his snout with electrical tape and as they take the alligator somewhere to let him loose, a storm breaks out.  

There's so much depth to "Lizard Man".  It's not just about compassion for an animal; it's about fathers and sons, how they hurt each other, why it's important to keep a connection.  Cam's friend is putting his life back together after time in prison for throwing his gay son through a window, while Cam had a rocky relationship with his now-deceased father. Through their conversation about the relationships and the storm that terrifies Cam's young son, left home alone, Cam's buddy comes to a realization about himself and his own estranged son.  It's deeply touching.

It wasn't till I was writing this review that I realized the storm may well be a metaphor for stormy relationships and the damage they can do. 

The rest of the collection is equally touching, shattering, meaningful and incredibly resonant. There's an emotional truth to David Poissant's stories that is so stunning it makes you wonder how on earth such a young-looking author can possibly understand emotion so well. There's a lot of pain in his stories but there's also hope and beauty (although some of them certainly leave you feeling gut-punched).  

From the publicity material sent by Simon and Schuster:

In each of the stories in this remarkable debut collection, David James Poissant delivers a moving portrayal of a relationship in turmoil. His strikingly true-to-life characters have reached a precipice, chased there by troubles of their own making. Some stand frightened, some ready to fight. Some seek atonement, others the atonement that is owed them. But, brought to the brink, each must make a choice: Leap, or look away? Lee Martin writes that Poissant forces us “to face the people we are when we’re alone in the dark,” and, from the two men racing to save the life of a sick alligator in “Lizard Man” to the girl helping her boyfriend face his greatest fears in “The End of Aaron,” from a son grieving his father in “100% Cotton” as he stalks death on an Atlanta street corner to a brother’s surprise at the surreal, improbable beauty of a late night encounter with a wolf, Poissant’s invented worlds shine with honesty and dark complexity, but also with a profound compassion. These stories are hell-bent on hope. As bestselling author Kevin Wilson puts it, “Poissant is a writer who knows us with such clarity that we wonder how he found his way so easily into our hearts and souls.”

Highly, highly recommended - Stellar writing; the characters are so true to life that you can't help but care about them. 

I received a copy of The Heaven of Animals from Simon & Schuster in return for an honest review. I'm so grateful I got the opportunity to review this book. If you're a short story fan, this is one for the good shelves. 

It's Fiona Friday!  Have a comfy cat on a scratcher:

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano (Book 1 of The Internment Chronicles)

Holy Toledo. I am so freaking far behind you'd think I'd have completely forgotten Perfect Ruin, over a month after I closed it.  But, no.  Lauren DeStefano's memorable latest release starts a new series on a unique world, a floating city called Internment.

Just from the name of the floating city, you can get an idea of what it's like to live there -- a bit like a prison. This island in the sky is ringed by a train track and surrounded by some sort of force field. It's against the law to go past the train tracks and if you try to jump off your little world, you're lucky if you survive at all.  Morgan's brother was a pharmacist before he became a jumper and barely survived, now he's blind and a little bit on the crazy side.

So you've got Morgan, young and betrothed to Basil, living at home with her parents on this tiny little island city in the sky.  Her blind brother and his wife live upstairs.  Her best friend isn't entirely besotted with her own future husband but it's not clear why. Pen is a fabulous character, though. Lauren DeStefano has mentioned that people have written to her, begging her not to kill off Pen. I love that.

The two couples -- Morgan and Basil, Pen and Thomas -- ride the train to school, on dates, shopping, etc., occasionally walking if they feel like skipping the train. Morgan's father is a policeman. Her mother is drugging herself to the gills and sleeping her life away. That's the background, the "normal" in Internment. Then, unsettling things begin to happen: a murder, a fire, the king reassuring everyone that the murderer will be caught.

It's not entirely unexpected that people who can barely see things on Earth below might get a little cranky and feel the urge to escape. After her safety begins to feel threatened, Morgan is totally creeped out. Here she is, stuck and well aware of how damaged you can become when you try to escape, but wanting to get out.  When she meets the young sister of the murder victim and the fellow who is being sought as the murderer, Morgan becomes curious and starts to stay out when she shouldn't, seeking answers. And, when she begins to put the pieces together and bad things start happening to her own family, suddenly escape seems to be the only option. But, is it even possible?

Well, you'll just have to read to find out. There were things I liked about Perfect Ruin and things I didn't but, in general, I loved Perfect Ruin.  It's a quick read that sucked me in.  I cared about the characters and I thought the ending held promise for its sequels.

Highly Recommended - particularly to fans of YA.  I love the idea of a floating island, the characters, the way Lauren DeStefano tugs the reader forward, urgently needing to understand what's happening and why, and I love her writing style. I was less enamored of the scenery as it was described. At the beginning of the novel, I had my own mental image of the architecture on a floating city -- futuristic, shiny and rather beautiful -- and I was quickly disabused of my fanciful architectural notions. I hated to say goodbye to my mental image but it is what it is, this Internment, and I liked the story.  I hope the series holds up.

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Catch-up post - The Dalai Lama's Cat, Coventry, Level 2, Purple Hibiscus & Scarlet

It's about time I did some serious catching up. All of the following are books from my personal collection and all 5 are books that I enjoyed and recommend.

The Dalai Lama's Cat by David Michie is a fictional tale told from the point of view of a cat.  Jenclair's review of The Dalai Lama's Cat was so positive that I ordered a copy of the book and, fortunately, I did love it.

The cat tells how she was rescued from certain death to become a part of the Dalai Lama's household.

In a way, The Dalai Lama's Cat is almost a primer in Buddhism.  As she roams around her home and explores a local cafe, the cat known alternately as Rinpoche, Snow Lion and Bodhicattva charms everyone in her path but also absorbs and shares lessons learned through observation of the monks, the Dalai Lama, the man who owns the cafe and other creatures.

The Dalai Lama's Cat is a lovely, reflective, uplifting tale.  Kiddo also enjoyed it.


Coventry by Helen Humphreys is also fictional, but with a very genuine and terrifying historical setting -- the bombing of Coventry, England by the Luftwaffe on November 14, 1940.

Harriet Marsh begins the evening standing on top of Coventry Cathedral.  It is peaceful but the moon is full, a "bomber's moon". Harriet and a young fire watcher named Jeremy meet on the cathedral and spend the evening helping people, fighting fires, running for their lives.

A little bit love story with an odd sort of connection that leads back to a time when Harriet was young and newly married and briefly befriended Jeremy's mother, Coventry is emotional, graphic and incredibly, horrifyingly vivid.

Highly recommended to those who love reading WWII stories.  Sad and slightly strange writing but it grew on me and the book is utterly gripping.

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans is one that I can't believe I didn't sit down and write about immediately -- our Lenore wrote it, after all!  I pre-ordered Level 2 and read it almost immediately.  

Felicia Ward is stuck in a strange afterlife in which the dead spend much of their time in pods, reliving their memories or viewing the memories of others.  Most of the time, Felicia focuses on memories of Neal, the boy she loved.  But when one of her friends disappears from a neighboring chamber and a boy named Julian offers to help her, she goes from reliving the past to moving forward.  

It took me a while to become accustomed to the world of Level 2 and wrap my head around what was going on (fallen angels called Morati fighting to keep the dead from moving to the next level) but once the book became more action-oriented, I really got sucked into it and ended up loving the book.  Way to go, Lenore!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer is another pre-order.  I don't actually pre-order books very often, but I absolutely loved Cinder, the first of the Lunar Chronicles, and couldn't bear to wait for a swap copy.

Cinder is a futuristic tale of a cyborg based on "Cinderella" and Scarlet is obviously based on "Little Red Riding Hood".  In Scarlet, Cinder has been imprisoned and is scheduled for execution.  Meanwhile, Scarlet's grandmother has gone missing and when Scarlet encounters a street fighter named Wolf, she is captivated by him.  

Wolf isn't what he seems, Cinder escapes, and eventually you find that the stories of Cinder and Scarlet are interconnected.  I absolutely loved this second entry in the YA series.  I'll probably end up pre-ordering the next book.  If you loved Cinder, you'll enjoy Scarlet.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a coming-of-age story, the kind of book I usually abhor.  But, in this case I had trouble putting the book down long enough to sleep.

Everyone assumes Kambili and her family have a wonderful life because her father is wealthy and revered.  They own several huge homes in Nigeria and her father is known for his generosity, faith and political activity.

But, behind the compound walls lives a family in terror.  Kambili's father is a religious zealot who cannot be pleased.  The slightest infraction (even visiting their grandfather, whom he considers a sinner, for too long) leads to horrific abuse.  The backdrop of this family tale is a military coups; it's as if you're reading about two different wars, although the main storyline is told from Kambili's point of view.  After Kambili and her brother go to visit their aunt, they discover laughter and love -- and knowing those things exist will change their lives forever.

I have never been so angry at a character as I was at Kambili's father, an evil, deceitful man who masqueraded as a kind and loving man of faith.  Purple Hibiscus is truly an amazing work of writing.  

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Casper the Commuting Cat by Susan Finden

Casper the Commuting Cat: The True Story of the Cat who Rode the Bus and Stole our Hearts

By Susan Finden

Copyright 2010

Simon & Schuster UK - Nonfiction/Memoir

228 pages

I knew nothing about this particular cat of British "national celebrity" but saw the book at a reasonable price in a Tesco and, being a cat fanatic, decided it would be a fun vacation read. The subtitle gives you a good idea of Casper's favorite antic, riding on the No. 3 bus around Plymouth in England, on regular 11-mile journeys.

Casper was particular about bus lines and drivers and he regularly waited politely in the queues to board the bus, where he would nap or watch the passing scenery. Eventually, Casper become a favorite of both passengers - even some with allergies - and drivers of the First bus line. Because his story spread by word of mouth and then through the news, Casper became so well known that he became the bus line's mascot. Drivers and passengers did their best to see that Casper returned safely to the bus stop across from his home.

Casper the Commuting Cat tells about author Finden's history of cat ownership and love of cats, how Casper came to join her family and why he may have been prone to straying so far, as well as details of his rise to fame. It also tells about his tragic death, which is so sad I was really glad the cover blurb gave fair warning.

What I liked about Casper the Commuting Cat:

I liked reading about Casper's adventures and loved the photos of Casper and the author's other cats. I was also very impressed with the author's commitment to give older, unwanted cats homes rather than choosing the adorable kittens that are easy to place. In general, the book was a little awkwardly written but entertaining.

What I disliked about Casper the Commuting Cat:

The author is rather adamant about the fact that most cats simply cannot be convinced to stay indoors. I disagree. Provided plenty of playtime and attention, I've found that many cats are quite satisfied to stay indoors -- some are even afraid of the outdoors.

Please bear in mind that I used to have exactly the same mentality! I've had a big change of heart in recent years. Our little Sunshine was an indoor-outdoor cat for a time, simply because she felt obligated to go through a door if it was opened (and I thought I was required to let her do so). Spooky was always insistent about going out (my fault - I introduced her to the outdoors) and was injured not once but several times.

Eventually, Sunshine decided the Great Outdoors was scary and not worth the trouble. Both Sunshine's resistance to the outdoors and Spooky's injuries (two of them very serious) convinced me I needed to alter the way I looked at caring for valued pets. We decided in advance that our next cats would be indoors-only, after Miss Spooky's death. Fiona has been a little challenging, occasionally sneaking out but frightened enough of the unknown that she's never gone more than a few feet from the door. Isabel is simply curious and will look outside but bolt away from the door when I walk in or out.

Casper was apparently determined to go outside -- to the point of breaking windows and cat doors, so it's understandable that the author let him out when she left for work. If the alternative is frequently replacing broken windows, what do you do? But, I was frustrated that she was so insistent that most cats can't be kept indoors. She also said it's impossible to humanely restrain them outside. While I wouldn't do it myself, I've seen a cat humanely restrained in a fenced yard. She had a leash attached to a wire that ran the breadth of her yard. I would never restrain a cat in a yard with no fence, but I thought that was a brilliant idea and the cat seemed content. We saw that particular feline when we were house-hunting.

A mild sort-of rant:

Cats are vulnerable little creatures. Besides automobiles, there are other animals and humans who will harm cats, poisons they can get into, places they can get stuck, etc. It's not unusual for a small cat to curl up under the hood of a car, next to a warm engine. Car engines can be death traps. A lot of people think the new-fangled "catio" concept (enclosed patios specifically for cats, with things to climb on and play with, but screens to let in outdoor smells) are silly. But, if you truly love a pet and can afford such a thing? I think they're a terrific concept. I can't. But, if I had the money, I'd have a catio built for my little beasties, or a little playroom built into my garage. Having pets spayed or neutered also keeps them closer to home and happier, as well as keeping the unwanted pet population down, so I'm a huge advocate of spaying and neutering.

~~End of rant

The bottom line:

I enjoyed reading Casper the Commuting Cat, but it's not a favorite pet memoir because I am so strongly opposed to the author's opinion that a cat's desire to roam cannot be overcome. I just don't think that's necessarily true. Some cats are difficult to restrain but I don't think it's good to advocate giving them an option. I do, however, understand that Casper was an older cat who was set in his ways and it's certainly true that I have to work to keep my own little gals entertained. I've found that if you give them plenty of exercise and keep them well-fed, they're perfectly happy to "hunt" stuffed toys, a bird on a stick, a laser. It's the joy of the chase that they love if they're not hungry. Good reason to keep them indoors, away from our rapidly-dwindling songbird population.

A side note:

My hometown in Oklahoma has leash laws that are imposed on both dogs and cats. I was surprised when I found that out, but I think it's an excellent idea. Cats can do damage to property (particularly gardens - we've had a bit of trouble with neighborhood cats deciding our kitchen garden makes a lovely litter box) and they have a natural instinct to hunt. Running loose is also hazardous to their health. I'm impressed with my hometown.

In other news:

Well, actually, there is none. I'm in a mood to whip out reviews, so this is the third post I've written, today. Monday is a day off from my exercise program, so I suppose I'll get quieter as the week progresses and Rachel (our fearless exercise leader) slowly tries to kill me. I'm just going to go ahead and set this one to post mid-morning on Tuesday.

What's up with you? Read anything brilliant, lately?

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Copyright 2011

Atheneum - Historical Paranormal Fiction

Middle Reader (Ages 9-12, that is)

295 pages

Stephanie Burgis' website

If my plan had worked, I would have woken up the next morning in a stagecoach heading toward London, with a whole new life waiting to unfold before me. I would have breakfasted on apples and cheese with the passengers around me, heard all their stories and been halfway adopted as an honorary nephew into all their families by the time we reached London.

Instead, I had to face my own family.

I walked into the breakfast room at eight o'clock and Stepmama's jaw fell wide open, exposing a mouthful of mashed toast.

"Katherine Ann Stephenson!" she uttered in a dreadful tone. "Whatever have you done to your hair?"

Book Description:

Kat's older sister Elissa is almost certainly going to be married off to some dreadful old geezer. The family is in dire straits thanks to big brother Charles, who has gambled the family into debt. But, Kat needs a better idea than running away. When she finds out her other sister, Angeline, has come up with a plan that involves casting spells from their deceased mother's magic books, Kat decides she needs to figure out some magic of her own. But, when she discovers she's inherited her mother's genuine magical gifts, chaos and danger ensue.

While Angeline casts a romance spell that doesn't work quite right and Elissa prepares to meet the man she will marry, Kat finds herself in all sorts of trouble. And, Elissa's potential fiance is showing a strangely sinister interest in Kat's magical powers. Will Kat be able to control her power in time to save the family?

What I loved about Kat, Incorrigible:

Kat, Incorrigible is a fascinating mix of magic, romance, adventure and slapstick fun in the Regency time period. I don't know that I had any idea what I was in for when I opened Kat, Incorrigible, but I absolutely loved everything about the book. The dialogue is witty and believable, the characters are a bit exaggerated (but in a good way), the story action-packed, sometimes hilarious, sometimes a little scary, always magical.

One of the things I adored about Kat, Incorrigible was the fact that the author successfully kept the secret of who was trustworthy and who was dangerous dangling for the majority of the book.

What I disliked about Kat, Incorrigible:

I think I would like there to be at least 2 more books about Kat available, right now. Other than that . . . nothing that I can recall. Kat, Incorrigible is, according to Amazon, the first in The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson, so someday I'll be satisfied. The author manages to keep a consistent tone and the characteristics of her nutty cast fall within the bounds of reason. Kat, Incorrigible is playful, hilarious, paranormal fun.

The bottom line:

Highly recommended. Magical, adventurous, entertaining and clean reading. If Kat, Incorrigible had been around when I was young, I might have read it around the 3rd-grade age range. And, then I would have reread it and reread it and reread it till it fell apart. I have always loved a book that makes me smile. My thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy, which I received via Shelf Awareness.

In other news:

We had quite a weekend. My plans to whip through Till I End My Song (poetry, edited by Harold Bloom) and share a poem fell flat when I came down with a nasty migraine on Friday. Mid-afternoon on Friday, I discovered Fiona had a raw, bleeding bald spot between her shoulder blades -- confirmation that she did have a nasty reaction to her shots. But, I couldn't drive because I couldn't see straight and husband arrived home too late to take us to the vet. By morning, the dime-sized patch had grown four-fold.

We rushed Fi to the vet, where her wound was pronounced "abscessed" and she received a cocktail shot of anti-histamine, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory . . . all of which are painful to inject. My sweet kitty just put a paw on my chest and said, "Meow?" The vet said, "She is a good cat." I know!!! We dosed her with painkillers and rubbed some hydrocortisone cream on her ouchie. Today was really the first day Fiona's been her normal, energetic self in a week. But, she obviously still has some recovering to do, poor baby. And, next time she gets shots, she is going to have one nervous slave.

I missed the royal wedding . . .

thanks to a migraine hangover. But, I watched some video clips and that was enough for me. Was Kate's dress perfect, or what? I think she earned the "princess" title, myself, just by dressing the part. But, I'm in agreement with the American comedian who said seeing the royal wedding was a reminder of how great it is that we live in a country where people don't wear weird hats to weddings (not his exact wording).

I did finish one book:

It wasn't much of an accomplishment, since the book is a quick and fairly silly read, but I managed to finish the mental_floss Genius Instruction Manual. John Green fans may be interested to know that he contributed to the book and is listed as one of the three authors.

Here, have a lizard:

It's been a long time since I shared a lizard pic, so there you go. This next couple of weeks will be overwhelming, so I'm going to do my best to inundate you with reviews during the next couple of days. If I fail, it'll be a few weeks before I can catch up. But, I'll give it the old college try. I'll probably take off next week from the internet. We shall see. Happy Monday!

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Fade by Lisa McMann

Fade by Lisa McMann
Copyright 2009
Simon Pulse - Young Adult fiction
248 pages

I bought the first book in this series, Wake, and ended up staying up so late to finish it that I just knew I had to read on. It took a week or two, but I managed to buy a copy of Fade. I don't regret it, but I will say that it was a totally different experience from Wake in that most of the secrets that tug you through Wake and, thus, make it compulsively readable have already been revealed by the end of the book.

Having said that, I like the protagonist, Janie, and the boy she falls in love with, Cabel.

Warning: This paragraph may contain some information that could spoil the reading of Wake. Please skip this part if you plan to read Wake, soon. I'll tell you when it's safe to continue reading.

In the first book, Janie's "dream-catching" has gotten totally out of hand because she's in high school and wherever she goes, there are sleeping students. If someone is sleeping nearby, she falls into their dream. By the end of Wake, Janie is learning to control her ability and she and Cabel are using her ability to help try to put a drug dealer in jail.

Okay, it's safe, now. You can come out from under the rug.

In Fade, Janie and Cabel continue onward with their on-again, off-again relationship -- a rocky one because they both have their own demons to fight, metaphorically speaking and, this time, Janie must put herself in a dangerous situation in order to discover whether or not a crime is being committed by one of the teachers at her high school. She also finds out that her dream-catching ability is causing her physical damage.

I liked this book almost as much -- but not quite as much -- as the first in the series, in spite of the fact that much had already been revealed and I thought it didn't work quite as well. I think there are a couple of reasons I like the continuation of the series. For one thing, I really like Janie, Cabel and most of the side characters. I find Cabel a little hard to believe in because he's almost too perfect and when he does tear himself a way for a time, his reasons never quite click with me. But, he's such a wonderful character that Janie and I keep forgiving him. The other reason I think I like this series so much is its uniqueness. Maybe this has been done before, but if it has, I haven't read it. I like the whole concept of dream-catching and the way it plays out in the books.

I'll wait for the next in the series, Gone, to go to paperback because I really kind of hate hardback books, but I do plan to read on.

©2010 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The Human Bobby by Gabe Rotter

The Human Bobby
by Gabe Rotter
Copyright 2010
Simon & Schuster
General Fiction
289 pages

Bobby Flopkowski has everything a man can want: a lovely wife, a dream house in Beverly Hills and a new baby. He's a successful physician who shares a practice with a good friend. Then Bobby's first love shows up and as one small but meaningful mistake leads to a complicated set of events, disaster and heartbreak, Bobby's life is altered, forever.

At the beginning of this novel, Dr. Flopkowski is a homeless addict living on a beach. He's been sharing a tent with a friend and is completely cut off from his old life. Now, without a wife, a child or a home, he reflects on how his life unraveled and eventually has a revelation about the crime that led to his downfall. Convinced he can get back the life he used to love, Bobby sets out to gather evidence. Will anyone believe Bobby has discovered the truth? Or is Bobby simply too far gone on drugs to know what's going on?

I had a terrible time trying to decide what to write about this book because of its ending. I don't want to give away the ending, but let's just say you're expecting one thing and then the author completely turns the entire concept on its head. Like? Dislike? Rough question. Initially, I was stunned and dismayed by the ending because I felt like Gabe Rotter had been yanking my chain, and yet I flew through the book and felt prone to forgive the ending and mentally rework it on my own. The Human Bobby is well-written with believable, often annoying, characters. As Bobby makes mistake after mistake, you get the urge to talk to him. "Noooo, Bobby! Don't do that! Your wife will never forgive you! That person might be dangerous!" I felt very invested in the life of the protagonist.

So, apart from that ending, I loved the book. I'm still waffling about the ending. If you don't mind having everything thrown totally out the window and a new concept dumped in your lap at the end, The Human Bobby is a good book, a bit of a quick drag behind a fast car and surprisingly hard to put down. But, there seem to be an awful lot of doctor-gone-bad books, so I wouldn't say it's wholly original. The characters are unique, the ending has a "used" feeling and was a bit of a let-down.

The bottom line:

Good writing, interesting characters, and a bit of a page-turner as the reader anxiously speeds to the conclusion. But, that ending . . . I just didn't care for it. The more I think about it, the more I wish he'd taken the reader to the expected ending. However, The Human Bobby would be a decent book club read, simply because I think the reaction to that ending would be mixed and make for interesting conversation. What if it hadn't ended the way it did? One could discuss Bobby's downfall, as well. Did everyone see it coming? What choices should he have made? I think there's a lot of fodder for discussion.


©2010 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Wake by Lisa McMann, aptly entitled as I am unable to sleep till I write about this book

Wake by Lisa McMann

Copyright 2008

Simon Pulse - YA

210 pages

Seriously, I'm awake because of Wake. How nutty is that? I bought Wake yesterday (not having been to bed, yet, it still feels like Thursday, but okay . . . it's Friday), primarily because I haven't finished a single book, this week, and am nowhere remotely close to finishing any other book, although I'm naturally fiercely enthralled with Désirée because it's an all-time favorite re-read. It's just been a stupidly busy week.

Point being, I needed to finish something, anything, because not finishing something is very unfulfilling and leaves a girl with a hollow sensation that cannot be tolerated. I'm sure some of you know that feeling.

Wake is the first book in a trilogy and it tells the story of Janie, a teenager who is uncontrollably sucked into the dreams of those who fall sleep and dream within a certain proximity. Whether she's awake or asleep, she is unable stop herself from falling into dreams. Janie has suffered from her dream-sucking misery since she was 8 years old. Now 17, Janie is finding it increasingly difficult to keep her secret.

Complications:

• There's this really cute guy she can't decide whether to love or hate.
• Janie's the dirt-poor child of an alcoholic and is madly working and saving money for college but it's kind of rough keeping your head above water when teenagers are falling asleep around you while you're trying to study or pay attention in class.
• She is repeatedly pulled into a gruesome nightmare and may not be able to handle visiting the twisted mind of a stranger.
• When she's sucked into a dream, it looks like she's having a seizure.

What I loved about this book:

Could. Not. Put. Down.

Admittedly, I wasn't going to put the book down anyway, unless it turned out to be such a slog that I wasn't going to finish it before dawn. And, I definitely should have started reading before 9:00 PM and not stopped to talk to my husband or play with the cats merely because both were bothering me and too unbearably cute to ignore. But, man . . . what a ride. I absolutely loved the concept, the uniqueness, the characters, the pacing. It is going to kill me not being able to rush right out to buy the second book, Fade, but there is no way I can justify going to the Big City to buy a single book after all the time I've spent driving, getting pummeled and shopping, this week. Darn.

What I disliked about Wake:

Picky little things, like the fact that I know a little too much about dreams and one very critical scene absolutely does not make sense given the facts (plus, I can't figure out the timing in that scene -- I think I'll write the author about that). I am such a vivid dreamer that I started reading up on dreams, what they mean, where they come from, etc., decades ago. So, it's not perfect on that score but if you're not someone who has taken the time to research dreams, I'm sure that won't matter one whit.

Warnings:

Profanity (including the annoyingly-common "f" word), frightening imagery and drug and sexual references make this an R-rated book but please bear in mind that the protagonist is a person of strong character and the violent images and sexual references aren't that bad. I was quite pleased that the protagonist was focused on her studies and very hard-working; I would definitely hand this one to my teenager because, apart from a bit of occasional heavy drinking, Janie is so admirable I'd call her role-model material. I do wish people would leave out the gosh darned swearing, though, dagnabbit -- or at least tone it down.

The bottom line:

Boy, that was fun. A page-turning read with well-developed, believable characters and situations, a unique storyline and an admirable heroine.

Cover thoughts:

It fits. I'm so tired I can't think of much else to say, but I think it's eye-catching. It's definitely making me crave my own pillow.

I'm planning to write one more review before posting a Fiona Friday photo, but we'll see if I can stay conscious long enough to type, tomorrow. I mean, later today. Gah. Need sleep. Need to learn how to bang out a quick review and quit editing my reviews to death. Gotta go.

©2010 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.