Advice from Izzy (for my American friends)

I think just about everyone I know has already voted but we have no early voting, here, and no COVID exception for those who are concerned about their health. So, we'll be masking up and out the door, shortly. Wishes for strength and peace to all my American friends as we await the results. 

©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.

Fiona Friday - Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a peaceful and happy holiday season!

©2018 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.

No malarkey

I haven't been reading or receiving enough books to feel like a Malarkey post is worthwhile, this week, so Monday Malarkey will return next week, October 2. In the meantime, here is cat photo of apology (one that just happens to make me smile):

©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.

Iris Grace by Arabella Carter-Johnson

I've followed Iris Grace Painting on Facebook since a friend posted a video of this talented little girl painting. Iris lives in England and is on the severe end of the autism spectrum. During her first years, she had difficulty interacting at all and she was behind her peers in several skills. Frustrated with her inability to function in a preschool environment her mother, the author, decided to work on teaching Iris at home and gradually exposing her to social activities. But, it was painting that offered the first breakthrough. Iris had a natural talent and painting made her happy. Gradually, she began to open up.

The second breakthrough came when the family adopted Thula, a Maine Coon kitten. Thula is an adventurous kitty who goes on bike and boat rides, climbs into the tub with Iris, helps Iris sleep by napping with her and curling up with her at night, and even goes swimming with her. Thula has helped calm Iris when she needed to be soothed and provided a friendly presence.

The book Iris Grace tells her story, beginning with her parents' first meeting and proceeding to the present. Carter-Johnson is a professional wedding photographer and the book is absolutely beautiful, packed with gorgeous photos, paintings by Iris, and pencil illustrations at the opening of each chapter. Even the end papers are charming. While I do think the book suffered a bit from at least one first-time author flaw (the overuse of the word "so"), that single flaw and a couple of minor editing errors were the only problems I found with the book and I gave it 5 stars. I enjoyed learning a bit about how a child with severe autism reacts physically. I knew some of the behaviors but not all and I found Carter-Johnson's teaching methods fascinating (but expensive -- sounded like she spent an awful lot of money on props for learning experiences).

I hope, more than anything, I've learned enough from Iris Grace to know how to react if I'm ever in public when an autistic child has a meltdown and/or to be more understanding in a public venue. I found it particularly interesting learning about how Iris Grace reacts to music. Carter-Johnson has mentioned frustration with people who are not shy about saying their experience has been ruined by young Iris's movement and vocalization during concerts. While I can understand how they might feel and would never criticize parents in public (I had high-energy children and was occasionally criticized by strangers, myself; I keep my mouth shut), it's helpful to be educated about that kind of behavior and why, when they take her out in public, they're actually being good parents, carefully exposing their child to challenging situations. It's far too easy to judge.

Highly recommended - Iris Grace is one of the most beautiful books I've seen. Gorgeous photos, paintings, and pencil sketches make it a pleasure to page through. The memoir portion is quite well-written, with only minor first-time author flaws and is quite compelling. I enjoyed the learning experience and admire the author's efforts to help her daughter open up socially and learn to cope with the situations that overwhelm her senses. Cat lovers will also enjoy reading about Thula's part in helping Iris.

Note: Iris Grace has not yet been published in the United States. I pre-ordered a copy from Book Depository when the author talked about it on Facebook.


©2016 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.

Monday Malarkey - A book pile, a cat photo, a week off

I knew this was going to be a big week for arrivals because Huzzybuns went to the UK and I sent him with a list of Persephone Books to purchase if he had time. I was not expecting quite this many arrivals, though!

Recent Arrivals (top to bottom):

• Weirdo Simpatico: Little Stories for Short Attention Spans by Katy Bourne - sent by author
• The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski,
• Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski,
• Maman, What Are We Called Now? by Jacqueline Mesnil-Amar, and
• The Hopkins Manuscript by R. C. Sherriff -  all purchased from Persephone Books (thanks, Huz)
• Alfa Romeo 1300 and Other Miracles by Fabio Bartolomei - Purchased
• The Secret of Raven Point by Jennifer Vanderbes - Purchased 
• All Stories Are Love Stories by Elizabeth Percer,
• Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear, and
• Don't Let My Baby Do Rodeo by Boris Fishman - all from HarperCollins for review

I don't normally accept books directly from authors but I noticed my high school classmate, Katy, had written a book of flash fiction when a member of our graduating class was killed by a drunk driver and I visited a few pages of other classmates on Facebook, a couple weeks ago. I read an excerpt of Weirdo Simpatico and loved it so I planned to buy a copy but Katy offered to send a copy to me. So far, I am finding it a tiny, brilliant gem. I like to let short stories rumble around in my head rather than whip through them quickly, so I'll take my time reading and then I'll probably read it a second and third time because, frankly, I'm already in love with her writing.

Alfa Romeo 1300 and The Secret of Raven Point were both on my Paperback Swap wish list. I've decided to go ahead and try to buy as many of those that I've most eagerly awaited (secondhand, if possible) as I can. I discovered that a few are not only not in print but also priced so high it's no wonder they didn't become available after 8 years of sitting on my wish list. The two I've bought so far were affordable and arrived in like new condition.

Last week's posts:

• January Reads in Review (2016) and How Those Goals are Shaping Up (monthly review)
• Change of pace - Making corner bookmarks (bookish craft attempt)
• Fiona Friday - Building the castle (cat photos)
• What Remains of Me by Alison Gaylin (book review)

Books finished last week:

• What Remains of Me by Alison Gaylin - Just one book, ugh. Insomnia is killing my reading.

Currently reading:

• Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham and
• Weirdo Simpatico by Katy Bourne

I have some other books with bookmarks in them but I haven't touched them for at least a week.

In other news:

It's been too cold to paint a second coat on the kitty castle and according to the weather forecast it won't be warm enough till Thursday. So, the castle project is on hold till then. The cats don't seem to care.

Since I've already reviewed my most recent read, I'm going to take a week off from blogging to focus on reading and writing (fiction, not blog posts) and painting and cleaning, blah, blah. Here's an early Fiona Friday pic of Isabel peeking at me through the windows of the castle. I'll be back next Monday. Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

©2016 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.

HitRECord TV, Season 1 and a Friday Cat

First things first: a description for those unfamiliar with HitRECord. HitRECord.org is a website created by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to which anyone can subscribe. Artists, musicians, illustrators, writers, filmmakers, poets and cartoonists all work together in a collaborative creative effort. HitRECord is responsible for the Tiny Book of Tiny Stories book series (I have read and loved all three and hope they'll publish more, in the future) and the HitRECord production company also has released this TV series, an auditory and visual feast.

Second things second: I have a confession to make. I got Season 1 of HitRECord TV from HarperCollins' Dey Street imprint in late 2014 and hesitated to write about it because I wanted to buy a copy of the season for a friend. He's a blog friend and I couldn't bear the thought that he'd read my gushy review and buy it before I got around to sending it to him. So, I dragged my feet.

Fortunately, Season 1 of HitRECord TV is memorable. The boxed set contains 9 booklets. One of those is a general guide; the rest are books with bits of art much like that in the Tiny Book of Tiny Stories series but with some background information about the episodes, lyrics to songs, and brief blurbs from contributors (illustrators, musicians, composers, etc.) that add a bit of dimension to the episodes. They're not stories in and of themselves but material to accompany the series.

I absolutely loved watching Season 1 of HitRECord TV. There are touching stories, funny skits, illustrated songs and poems, people playing games. Each episode is centered around a particular theme: "Games", "Money", "Trash", "Patterns", "Fantasy", "Space", "The Number 1", and "The Other Side." I had particular favorites amongs those songs, skits, stories and such -- and even favorite episodes. But, in general, I just loved being swept away, listening to the songs, thinking about the topics, singing along, being entertained by this massively creative collaborative effort.

The only thing I dislike about the HitRECord TV, Season 1? The episodes are downloaded to computer. I am old school and absolutely hate watching things on the computer. Plus, I like to have a physical copy of any television series I own. Downloads don't feel entirely real to me; and, I'm not even sure where exactly to locate them on my computer, now that I've watched them and stepped away for a couple months. The download code is on a small piece of paper that falls out when you pull out the booklets. I'm going to tape mine to either the case or that first booklet. It would definitely be much nicer to have this series on DVD.

Otherwise, I have zippo complaints, although I would have personally preferred a single book to a set of booklets. No big deal, though. It works. Highly recommended. I keep thinking "visual and auditory feast" and can't get beyond that description but let me say this . . . it will not only entertain you, HitRECord on TV will make you want to pull out your paint box, sit with your guitar, put pen to paper. It's inspiring.

Also, it's Friday, so have a cat:

©2015 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.

Monday Malarkey

As a child, I used to stand on tippy-toes when I sang high notes. Isabel says it also works to look up.

I know the cat singing a high note (or, if you want to get technical, "yawning") is not book-related but I managed to clear a bookshelf specifically for ARCs, this weekend, and I don't want to drag last week's arrivals out here to photograph them. So, you get a cat photo. 


Recent arrivals:

From HarperCollins for review:

• Insurrections of the Mind, ed. by Franklin Foer
• The Way Inn by Will Wiles
• Deep Shelter by Oliver Harris
• G. I. Brides by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi
• The Rescue at Dead Dog Beach by Stephen McGarva

Others:

• I Have a Bad Feeling About This by Jeff Strand - sent by friend
• The Good Girl by Mary Kubica - sent by friend
• The Yeti Files by Kevin Sherry - from Scholastic via Shelf Awareness

Last week's posts:

• The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland (review in self-interview form)
• *Announcement* and a grumpy cat (just what it sounds like - an announcement and a cat photo)

I seem to be alternating weeks when it comes to quantity -- good week for reviewing, bad week, productive, unproductive. Last week was a migraine-dominated week. Some weeks I just don't feel like writing. Hopefully, this week will be a productive one.


Last week's reads:

• How Strong is an Ant? and Other Questions about Bugs and Insects by Mary Kay Carson
• Why is the Sea Salty? and Other Questions about Oceans by Benjamin Richmond
• Ghost Hunting by Hawes, Friedman and Wilson

Seriously, two children's books and a quick-read book about a TV show I've never seen. Told you it was a lousy week. The children's books were great. I was underwhelmed by Ghost Hunting, although I enjoyed it enough to finish.


Currently reading:

• Season of the Dragonflies by Sarah Creech
• Second Form at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
• Spillover by David Quammen

I've had Spillover on the "currently reading" list for weeks but I didn't actually read a single page, last week. It's a great book; I will definitely finish it. I'm just not in any hurry, since it's from my personal library. Season of the Dragonflies is a book I'm reading for tour and I initially thought I was going to have to force my way through it because it began with two scenes that fall into territory I despise (stories about actors; graphic sex). However, I DNF'd my last TLC Tour book so I decided I was going to get through this one, no matter what. And, what do you know?  I started to like it about 1/3 of the way in.

Second Form at Malory Towers is a book I bought at a discount bookstore in the UK.  Having heard so many people gush about Enid Blyton being their favorite childhood author, I just grabbed one at random out of curiosity. Second Form at Malory Towers is the second in a series about 10 girls sharing a room at boarding school and it's interesting from a cultural perspective but I probably would have been better off choosing one of Blyton's adventure books -- or, possibly, paying attention to order. I do feel like I missed something by jumping to the second in the series. Maybe I can find one of her adventure books on a future visit to England.

Blog plans:

I'm hoping to review The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar, Paramédico by Benjamin Gilmour and a few children's books, this week. I'm going to skip reviewing Ghost Hunting because I don't feel like I have anything to say about it. Hopefully, this week will be an improvement over last week. So far, so good -- no migraine but it's so hot I've been looking at photos of Alaska to try to cool myself off. I may have to drag a portable fan to the desk. The air conditioner is just not enough, right now.

No TV or movies worth mentioning, this week.  We did watch the first episode of the new PBS mystery series, Breathless, starring Jack Davenport of the British Coupling. I'm not sure what I think of it, just yet.

Happy Monday!

©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.

The Return of Monday Malarkey - mostly in cat photos

Hello, blogging world!  Hello, new year!  Goodbye, hilarious Christmas kitty-photo opportunities!

I'm going to dive right into reviews, tomorrow. I've already read 4 books in 2014 and Huzzybuns has cooked 3 recipes from Bold: A Cookbook of Big Flavors by Hoffman and Wise (received via Shelf Awareness) so I have much to tell you!  Hope everyone's having a fabulous year, so far.  I haven't kept up with my sidebar but I'll try to get that updated by tomorrow, as well.  Eventually, I hope to get a 2013 Reading in Review post written but I haven't even begun to write that.  I'm fussy about waiting till the year has actually ended before I start writing about favorites, just in case I happen to finish a new favorite on December 31.  You just never know.

It's sunny, windy and in the 20s, here - apparently quite balmy by comparison with much of the nation. No pollen, no sweat and sunshine?  I'm happy.  Hope the rest of you stay warm and safe and get in some extra reading time during the cold snap!

©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.

Monday Malarkey - Books, Christmas Spirit, Cats in Trees

A little Christmas spirit for starters, today:

That's part of my mantle decoration.  

I had only received 2 books until today and then Kiddo came in bearing a stack of books.  He just happened to be outside when the mailman arrived.  

This week's arrivals:

• The Gods of Heavenly Punishment by Jennifer Cody Epstein from Norton for TLC Book Tour
• Brownie Groundhog and the Wintry Surprise by Susan Blackaby and Carmen Segovia - from Sterling Kids, for review (have already read this and I love it).
• The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen - from Bethany House for tour.  This one's an 8 1/2" x 11" bound ARC -- the early-early kind like what you get if you have a binding done at your local office supply store.  Haven't seen one of those in a long time!
• The Annotated Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, annotated by Rod Scher -- Rod is husband to Les of Prairie Horizons.  It's a stunning hardback (sent by the publisher).  I can't wait to read it!  
• Reached by Ally Condie - via Paperback Swap

I can't currently load photos to my computer ("full hard drive" again!!!!) or I'd take a shot of those. 

Last week's posts:

• The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason (review)
• Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh (extremely gushy review)
• Fiona Friday - Comfy on the Couch (pic of Fiona)
• Labor Day by Joyce Maynard (review)

I'm currently about 5 reviews behind.  As soon as I finish my backlog, I'll probably shut down for the holidays, although there's no hurry.  Kiddo is home from school but working so I don't feel like I'm neglecting anyone.  

I am currently reading:

• The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
• Ancient Egypt: Everyday Life in the Land of the Nile by Brier and Hobbs

Still haven't picked up the Calvino but I keep carrying it from room to room. I have the best of intentions.  I finished reading Jack Absolute by C. C. Humphreys and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, last week, and also read Brownie Groundhog and the Wintry Surprise pretty much the moment it arrived . . . in the rain . . . and the UPS guy didn't ring the doorbell.  I thought I had those guys trained!  Thank goodness for bubble-wrap envelopes.  

The cats have been holy terrors:

I have had to extract Isabel from the tree, at least twice.  We have a pre-lit artificial tree and I worry about those cords.  She's occasionally tried to bite them but when she hangs around the tree (only when it's lit, I've noticed) I'm always lurking . . . usually with the camera, of course, but also prepared to clap or use my stern voice.  If she ignores me, I reach for Izzy and she'll usually back away -- obviously not always or I wouldn't have had to pluck her from the tree at all.  Fiona has spent her time knocking rocks out of the fireplace and occasionally declaring herself Guardian of the Christmas Tree, which is actually helpful. She'll occasionally chase Isabel away.

That's all the malarkey I've got, for now.  Happy Monday!

©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.

Monday Malarkey - Another kitten update, the books I read, one I set aside and review links

Three weeks of kitten malarkey, and counting.  

We have good days and bad ones, cat-wise.  Yesterday, Isabel kept waking up every time I tried to let the kitten out of her room (Prissy is an energetic little critter and needs space to run and play).  Since I couldn't let her out, I went to her room to keep her company but Prissy kept jumping up on me and biting me.  I finally had to leave.  It's just pent-up energy but I'm not going to sit around getting chewed on.  

Our best day was also one of the worst.  Isabel and Prissy had a little Eskimo kiss (I held Prissy up to let them sniff each other) without Izzy fluffing up or hissing, but later in the day Isabel got fed up and went after Prissy with claws.  Nobody was hurt but it's disappointing that we still have to either stand between the two kitties and prepare to spirit the kitten away if things heat up or only let Prissy out when Isabel's sound asleep. 

This is the look Isabel gets when she's looking down at Prissy from the kitty tree:

I think she makes it pretty clear what she thinks about The Little Invader, don't you?

Reading-wise:

I only read three books, one of which was a children's board book that I'll review eventually.  The other two were Well Wished by Franny Billingsley and Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson.  I read 90 pages of Godiva by Nicole Galland before DNF'ing it.  I usually only give a book about 50-75 pages to grab me but in this case I held on a little longer, hoping it would eventually become the book I wanted it to be. After setting Godiva aside, I moved on to The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway and I am absolutely loving it.  

On the blog:

I've posted quite a bit, this past week so I think some links are needed.  Today I reviewed:

Everybody Has Everything by Katrina Onstad and

The Bohemian Love Diaries by Slash Coleman

Yesterday I wrote three mini-reviews in one post:

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson, Well Wished by Franny Billingsley and French Leave by Anna Gavalda

My Fiona Friday post showed Isabel and Fiona checking out their new cat carrier.

And, I wrote two reviews on Wednesday:

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy (Favorite Writer alert!) and
Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt

That leaves me with only two reviews to go and I want to reread The Ocean at the End of the Lane before reviewing it, so I think I'll take a few days off from the computer to dive deeply into The River of No Return and swim through The Ocean at the End of the Lane a second time before tackling the last of the reviews I need to complete.

One more photo for good measure:

Just after I took this photo, Fiona looked down at Prissy and lazily reached out to her with one paw.  Fiona is completely at ease with the kitten and doesn't even mind if Prissy follows her around.  Isabel often shadows Fiona, as well, so I guess she's used to it.  

Back when I'm done reading books with bodies of water in their title.  Happy Monday!

©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.

Monday Malarkey - Books, reading and a stalker kitten

I figured someone out there is hankering for a kitten photo, so here you go.  Prissy was stalking the laser.  

I've gotten quite a few books, recently.  Some are not very photogenic (one in terrible shape, two others ARCs with ugly covers) so I'll just list them:

From Paperback Swap:

The Confessions of Catherine De Medici by C. W. Gortner
Blasphemy by Sherman Alexie
Virginia Woolf: A Writer's Life by Lyndall Gordon

From AbeBooks:

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson (this is the book that came in terrible shape; I ordered a "like new" copy but got a beat-up, dirty thing) for F2F discussion

ARCs:

Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
Lighthouse Island by Paulette Jiles
The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly
Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat
Paris Was the Place by Susan Conley
Goat Mountain by David Vann
Winning from Within by Erica Ariel Fox
The United States of Paranoia by Jesse Walker

I haven't requested a book for about 2 weeks and last book I requested has not yet arrived, but there should be a gap in arrivals after that shows up. I'm hoping I can stay on an "ARC diet" long enough to finish everything I've received.  That could take a while.  

Reading/review-wise:

I seem to be in a bit of a writing slump.  I've begun several reviews and am not satisfied with any of them, possibly because I've had a marvelous run of 6 wonderful books in a row.  I don't think that's happened to me in a very, very long time, so I'll just list my recent favorites and you can ponder them (or run as fast as you can to buy them) while I'm working on my reviews.

Books that have recently blown my mind, they were so awesome:

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy - Love his writing so much.
The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas - An emotional read; couldn't see for the tears, at one point.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - He's an iffy author for me but I loved this book so much I plan to reread it before I review. I usually only do that with Simon's books.
Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt (my #1 - and that's really saying something, given the quality of this list)

And, two that were excellent:

To Be a Cat by Matt Haig (a middle reader)
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell

One more cat photo:

Not very good, but here's one of my first pics of Fiona with the kitten.  Izzy has not calmed down one bit.  Still hoping, though. It's nice that at least one of my girls doesn't mind Prissy.

©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.

She Rises by Kate Worsley

She Rises by Kate Worsley

Copyright 2013 

Bloomsbury - Historical Fictionl/LGBT

421 pp.

Publisher's description:

A panoramic historical novel of love, adventure and identity--with an astonishing twist.

It is 1740 and Louise Fletcher, a young [dairy] maid, has been warned of the lure of the sea for as long as she can remember--after all, it stole away her father and brother.  But when she is offered work in the bustling naval port of Harwich serving a wealthy captain's daughter, she leaps at the chance to see more of the world.  There she meets Rebecca, her haughty and fascinating mistress.

Intertwined with Louise's story is that of fifteen-year-old Luke, who is beaten and press ganged, sent to sea against his will on board the warship Essex in the service of His Majesty's Navy.  He must learn fast and choose his friends well if he is to survive the brutal hardships of a sailor's life and its many dangers, both up high in the rigging and in the dark decks down below.

She Rises brings to vivid life both land and sea in Georgian England but explores a thoroughly modern and complex love story.  Bold, brilliant and utterly original, She Rises is an accomplished and gripping search for identity and survival.

What that description doesn't tell you:

There should be some kind of warning about graphic sexuality, crude language and violence for people like me (softies, that is).  You know, maybe just little icons of a boob, a mouth and a knife.  The thing about She Rises is that it's about people who lived the harshest type of lives in the 18th century and it's told so well that you are there.  Just to say the characters are men pressed into service for the British Navy and a young dairy maid who falls in love with her mistress doesn't cover it.  You climb under the sheets (so to speak), listen to the swearing, see the cruelty and murder, hear the women scream as they're raped, walk through . . . gross stuff.  Whether or not you can cope with that depends on the reader, of course, but I dislike graphic sexuality and the language in this book was about as vulgar as it gets, not to mention the bullying and violence.  I could have used a little warning.  I did finish the book, though, because . . .

Things I liked about She Rises:

There are two parallel stories about Louise and her brother Luke, as in the above description.  Louise was happy as a dairy maid but couldn't turn down the offer to advance to a position as a ladies maid.  The descriptions are always graphic and heavily descriptive.  By the time Louise left her place in the kitchen, I was firmly convinced I knew how to make butter and wishing my mother had not sold her antique butter churn in a garage sale (something she always regretted, as well). She Rises has a seriously amazing sense of place, in other words.

Luke's story was one I tolerated well for a while because it's not so very different from some of the more frightening scenes in Hornblower or Master and Commander. If you've seen the movies (I've read one of the Horatio Hornblower books but none of the Aubrey/Maturin series), you know that living in close quarters in a boat is a lot like being trapped in a junior high locker room. There are bullies and fights, filthy language and crude jokes. You have to expect some of that.  I was impressed with the depth of historical detail and I applaud the author's research and skill.  However . . .

The things I didn't like outweighed the mind-boggling research and writing:

Unfortunately, a dairy maid's sweet affection eventually became a graphically-described lesbian affair.  I'm okay with love stories but I don't like graphic sex scenes.  If you've read my blog for any length of time, you're already aware of that.  It didn't matter that the affair was between two females. The problem was that it was not only graphically described (I'm not interested in reading about what people do in bed, period -- brief scenes, fine, but just don't give me detail) but it was an extremely obsessive relationship between the two young women, not a healthy one, in my humble opinion.

And, on the ship . . . oh, Lord, the language, the conditions, the smells so well-described you wanted to hold your breath, the violence, the creeping terror that someone will kill you and toss you overboard in the night.  Too much, too much for this gal.

However, and this is a big however:

If you can tolerate or don't mind the graphic sex, the crudity and the violence, She Rises does indeed have one of the most truly astonishing and unexpected surprise twists I've ever encountered.  When I was struggling to decide whether or not I should go on, I skimmed a couple reviews and people mentioned "the twist" in a way that made me think it must be a rare surprise and they were certainly right about that.  One of the reviewers said she skipped Luke's scenes because of all the blood and vomit, etc..  To do so would cause one to miss the point completely.  You have to read the entire book and the shocking twist followed by the ending . . . they're exceptional.

The bottom line:

Iffy about recommendation - She Rises is a harsh read that is not for the faint of heart, but it is also a truly stunning and unique piece of writing with one of the most amazing twists I've ever read.  It's raunchy, crude, violent, graphic and cruel and the "romance" so sadly unhealthy that the bad overshadowed the good for this reader, but I'm a softie so I know that won't be the case for everyone.  I simply don't know who I'd recommend this book to, so I have to go with the "iffy" designation.  It's a shame that something so stunningly researched and vivid is also in many ways repulsive.

Cover thoughts:

That is the coolest cover, ever, definitely one of my favorites of the year.  If this book sells like hotcakes, I'll credit the cover for a good portion of its success.

My thanks to TLC Tours and Bloomsbury for the chance to read and review this title.

In other news:

As of Saturday, we are fostering a kitten currently named "Prissy" (if we get to the point of adoption, that name will change).  She is a little ball of fire, energetic and spirited, personable but feisty. She's a people-cat who was bottle fed.  I'm surprised Prissy wasn't immediately snapped up for adoption after her first owner returned her. Since we were the first people to pass muster and there's a special place in my heart for kitties that are adopted and then given back, I asked if we could give her a trial run.

First attempts to expose Miss Priss to Isabel and Fiona had a 50/50 success rate.  Fiona hissed a little to make her place clear but was otherwise unruffled.  Isabel pretty much went off her rocker.  Prissy currently has a room of her own with toys, her bowls & litter box, a window and a nice little West Elm couch thingie (with that blanket she's lying on in the photo).  We take turns going into the room to spend time with her so she won't get lonely and we'll try to let her out again, little by little, but she'll stay in her own room for a few days.  Hopefully, the other kitties will get used to the new scent and not freak out.  Well, the other kitty . . . Isabel.  Fiona the Zen Kitty would let her hang out, no problem. Isn't Prissy a beauty?

©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.

The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace

The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace
Copyright 2013
Touchstone Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) - Fiction that's really hard to classify: a little historical, a little paranormal, a lot brilliant
277 pp.

Source:  Touchstone Books 

Warning:  Gushy love forthcoming

What The Kings and Queens of Roam is about (in my words):  

Helen and Rachel McAllister live in a dying town established by their ancestor, a devious man who built his home and his fortune by kidnapping a Chinese man and stealing his secret.  After the death of their parents, Helen is charged with taking care of her younger sister, Rachel.  Helen is the ugly sister and her temperament matches her looks.  Rachel is blind, innocent and a stunning beauty.  But, Helen tells Rachel stories that make her fearful and just a bit sad.  Rachel, Helen is convinced, could never live on her own.  But, she's bitter at what she perceives as the loss of her own independence. Even as Helen convinces Rachel that the world is dangerous and she could never survive alone, she makes it nearly impossible for Rachel to develop the strength to forge her own path.

Then, one day Helen leaves for a short time and everything changes.  When Rachel decides to take her chances, what will happen to the two sisters and their fading world?  

The Kings and Queens of Roam moves between the past and maybe-not-quite-present, describing the heartless ancestor who cursed his line by choosing greed rather than kindness and the two young women upon whom his legacy has fallen.

Why a blurb can't possibly describe the magic:

There is much more to Daniel Wallace's writing than a boilerplate description of The Kings and Queens of Roam will allow.  It is absolutely magical.  While the book is partly about a sisterly relationship, partly about their greedy ancestor, it's also about a string of tragedies and how we choose darkness or light.  It's the most bizarrely wonderful story of tragedy and hope.  There are ghosts walking around and a magical river that may or may not cure people or mice of various ills.  When Helen and Rachel's parents' death is described, it's so strange it's almost humorous. "Tall tales and folklore" is a part of the cover flap description.  Yes, I'll buy that. It reads very much like folklore with a dash of fairy tale.  There are no dates (so I found myself placing the more modern portion of the story in the 50s or 60s, 'though I can't say if I'm anywhere close) and no concrete geographical links.  You know you're in a world apart.

What I loved about The Kings and Queens of Roam:

I loved the experience of escaping into Daniel Wallace's strange and magical story as much as the story itself.  The reason I took a photo of the book lying face-down on my bed has to do with the fact that I was so in love, so immersed in the story that I wanted to take the book's portrait.  And, the only way I could set it down was in a manner that left it remaining open.  I couldn't even bear to put a bookmark in The Kings and Queens of Roam.  When I photographed it, I had to do something necessary -- I don't know, maybe move a load of laundry or make a meal?  Something you can't get out of doing.

What I disliked about The Kings and Queens of Roam:

Nothing.  I never knew exactly where the author was taking me and that's a good thing.  I like to be surprised.  I don't mind being able to figure out an ending in advance if the entire book is not so transparent as to end up being dull, but to keep drawing in a reader and surprising him, over and over, is a rare and wondrous thing.  "Rare and wondrous" are actually excellent descriptors for The Kings and Queens of Roam.

See, I told you gushy love was coming.

It happens.

This is my first Daniel Wallace book.  I actually have a copy of Big Fish, but I've never read it.  I plan to do some digging, in the coming weeks.  You know we moved in September of 2012?  Still haven't unloaded all the books.  Nowhere near.

The bottom line:

Highly, enthusiastically recommended - Exceptional writing and storytelling: a tale of darkness and light, tragedy and hope and how far we will go for those we deeply love.  A rare and wondrous gem, magical and immersive, brilliant and beautiful.

A friend asked me if The Kings and Queens of Roam is a children's book because of its cover (which also should get a large dollop of adoration because it's lovely, whimsical and relevant to the story) and the answer is "no".  The Kings and Queens of Roam is very much an grown-up fable, but it's certainly not one that I would advise anyone to hide from the kids.

I also took this while I was in the midst of reading TKaQoR:

Both kitties were my reading buddies, that day.  Fiona was sprawled on the floor, Isabel curled up on her favorite blanket beside me, much of the afternoon.  Not much else but reading was accomplished, once I opened up the book.  It's definitely a new favorite.

©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.

Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke

Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke
Copyright 2013
Touchstone Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) - fiction/general
372 pp.

I'm going to go uber-casual on this one and say up-front that it's a book about sisters . . . which I usually hate.  I've never had a great relationship with my sister (her choice).  We get along fine but the word "close" is just not happening.  However, my dud sister relationship really didn't bother me much in this case because I was totally sucked into the story pretty quickly.

Swimming at Night is told from alternating viewpoints.  As the book opens, Katie is receiving news that her sister Mia has committed suicide in Bali.  Mia's been touring the world with her good friend Finn for several months, but Bali wasn't on her agenda and Finn was no longer with Mia when she died. What happened on Mia's trip? Why was she in Bali and what led to her death?

Katie is convinced that Mia could not possibly have killed herself.  When she's given Mia's backpack, which contains her journal, Katie quits her job and follow's Mia's path, reading the entries as she follows in Mia's footsteps.  She never reads ahead, which was the one thing I couldn't buy into about Swimming at Night.  Your sister dies of a suspected suicide, you've got her journal and -- seriously? -- you don't sit right down and read it cover to cover to try to figure out what on earth happened?  I can't fathom not reading the journal immediately; that's the first thing I'd do.

Beyond that oddity, though, Swimming at Night is a story of betrayal and lies, love and friendship, facing fears and grief and learning what's important in life.  There's quite a bit of s*x but not the graphic variety. Although there were moments that I was pulled from the book due to a relationship that I couldn't relate to and the odd choice not to read ahead in the journal, I found Swimming at Night quite gripping and the ending perfect. The chapters alternate between Katie's viewpoint and Mia's, as events unfolded on Mia's journey.  I thought that the alternating chapters worked very well and the story was handled skillfully.

Highly recommended - Yeah, the ploy of having the main character choose not to immediately read her sister's journal to keep events mysterious is a bit of a stretch, but Swimming at Night is a good story that will make you want to grab a backpack and go explore the world.  The writing style is above average -- not brilliant and quote-worthy, but there's just something about the way the book unfolds that makes the pages fly.  I gave Swimming at Night a 4.5/5 at Goodreads because it grabbed me, held on and had a satisfying ending.  Love, love, love the changing settings.

My thanks to Jessica at Simon & Schuster for the review copy!

In other news -- and this is very important:

I got a new pair of flip-flops, today (Tuesday - yeah, I'm pre-posting, again).  They're white.  Kind of boring, actually, but they were cheap and had the kind of fabric thingy-that-goes-between-the-toes, which is crucial because everything else causes blisters.  Anyway, that's a relief, since we've already crept into the 80s and I discovered our new pebble-dash sidewalk and driveway are Really Freaking Painful to walk across barefoot.  And, I keep stepping on sweetgum balls on the deck.  Actually, I finally picked those up, but seriously . . . you don't want to step on those suckers.

Currently reading:

Poison by Bridget Zinn - Scratch that.  I stayed up late finishing this one.
Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick

Loving both, so far.

No idea, but it must have been interesting:

©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.

Writing with Friends

Today, I decided to go back to basics with my writing.  I took a new pad and pen outside with a large mug of coffee and my camera.  I can't go out on the patio without my camera.  I managed to write 5 pages of a new story that's been brewing in my head for weeks.  These are the friends who kept me company while I wrote (you can click on the image to enbiggen):

And, this little gal was very irritated that I didn't bring her outside to explore.  I did at least open the windows so the kitties could enjoy the air.  Our weather was pretty much perfect.  Have to enjoy it while it lasts.

©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.

Monday Malarkey - Maybe things will get back to normal, now

Totally for fun:  A shot of Isabel sitting in the window on our snow day.  I thought the light behind her created a lovely, soft effect.  

Believe it or not, this is my first post since Kiddo returned to school from Christmas break.  Seriously, school is just beginning tomorrow! Hopefully, that means blogging and blog-hopping will get back to their regular pace.  We tagged along behind Kiddo, this weekend, to help him move back to Oxford with one brief stop in Water Valley, MS:

We went to The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery because Huzzybuns read about it in Food & Wine magazine.  It's the kind of place you go when you want food fresh from the farm and we emerged with cream, milk, freshly-baked bread and some gorgeous strawberries.  The milk was from Billy Ray's Farm.  This might not mean much to anyone who hasn't read the late Larry Brown, but Larry wrote a book of essays entitled Billy Ray's Farm.  At the time the book was published, Billy Ray was still working on fulfilling his farming dream.  It's been quite a while since I read the book but I loved it. I thought of Larry Brown as kind of an "Everyman Mississippi" and just walking out the door with a glass bottle of milk from his son's farm was a kick.

After stopping at Kiddo's apartment, we dashed off for what was intended to be a quick trip to Memphis that became a little bit of a nightmare.  Our first stop was no big deal, a road block to check validity of drivers' licenses.  Mine is all in order and the highway patrolman thanked me politely and said, "Drive carefully."  So, it was a pleasant road block, as road blocks go.  But, after we finished up at our destination (the Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma outlet stores), we had a little trouble getting out of Memphis.  Five patrol cars with flashing lights passed us and a million FedEx trucks that were stopped on the same route south (Memphis being a major distribution hub) before Huz decided perhaps The Wife was right and opted to go the long way around.

The other route, as it turned out, was also backed up but at least traffic was moving.  There was a point that we started to theorize about why everyone was trying to leave Memphis and nobody was succeeding. Had the plague arrived? Was the zombie apocalypse beginning? Did the ghost of Elvis head back to Mississippi?  At any rate, it was a long day but we arrived home safely with a new end table from the West Elm portion of the Pottery Barn outlet store and the next day I bought a lamp. So, now I have a nice, new reading corner.

It looks better with coffee on the coaster and a pile of books next to the lamp.  I tossed some change in the bowl and Isabel promptly showed up to check out the table and play with the coins.  This may have just become one of my all-time favorite cat photos:

You're probably wondering when I'll mention reading, at this point. Now is the time. As you can see from my sidebar, I'm way behind on reviewing. Again. Hopefully, not having family around will help me knock out some reviews, this week.  I've read 12 books, so far, in 2013 -- 16 if you count the 4 children's books I stopped to read as I was sorting through old children's books to purge.  January is always my best month and then the number I read per month tends to drop off until July or August -- always my low point because the heat makes everything slow down.  I'm currently reading The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin.  It's an ARC and the release date is February, so even though it was sent by a friend rather than the publisher, I thought it would be fun to read and review before everyone starts talking about it. 

Three books arrived, this week:

Well Wished by Franny Billingsley from Paperback Swap
Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate for tour
The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James for review

I am waiting on two other books, one for tour and one for my book group to share (I'm receiving quite a few copies and they've already all been claimed -- our group leader had to create a first-come, first-served list).  They seem to be taking their sweet time arriving and I confess I'm getting a little anxious about them.  One of them is due for tour in 9 days but it's not here yet.  The box of books for my book club will need to be distributed for February discussion.  I hope neither has been lost in the mail.  I'll let you know what happens.

UPDATE:  The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen has arrived!  Woot!  It's the book I'm to tour on the 29th.  

I missed the presidential inauguration, today, so I'm off to read a transcript of Obama's speech.  I've heard it was uplifting.  Happy Monday, MLK, Jr. Day and Inauguration Day!  Even if you're not from the U.S., at least one of those works.

©2013 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.

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley

Oh, boy.  This one is going to be rough.  I think I'll let a coffee mug interview me.  Sound good?  I haven't been interviewed in a while.

WARNING:  I've tried to keep this interview as spoiler-free as possible, but if you want this book to be totally surprising or plan to read The Promise of Stardust right away, I'd advise you to skip down to the bottom line.  Sometimes I screw up and give things away, in spite of good intentions.  This part's probably not a spoiler:

Coffee Mug:  What is The Promise of Stardust about?

Bookfool:  The Promise of Stardust is about a moral dilemma -- to remove from life support or not?  When neurologist Matt Beaulieu is called to the emergency room after his wife Elle has fallen and hit her head, he knows immediately that she is never coming back; she is brain dead.  Elle's mother was obviously in terrible pain, even when comatose, as she lay slowly dying, and Elle has always made it clear to friends and family that she absolutely does not want to be kept alive in a comatose state.

BUT . . . Here's where it starts to get potentially spoilery.  Skip this bit if you're nervous that I'll say something I shouldn't!  I'll let you know when it's safe to come out from under the table.

CM:  Why does Matt choose to leave Elle on life support?  What's the dilemma?

BF:  Elle is pregnant; without pregnancy, there would be no question about how to proceed. Matt understands his wife's instructions but knowing, as a neurologist, that she is brain dead and can feel no pain, he feels that she would want to be kept alive to give her unborn child a chance.  She's had numerous miscarriages and one stillbirth.  The chances that her body will continue to function till delivery are stacked against the baby's survival.  And, yet, Elle desperately wanted a baby, so Matt believes it's important to attempt to keep her alive long enough to deliver.

CM:  So . . . okay.  Matt is the husband.  What's the problem?

BF:  Just about everyone disagrees with Matt.  His mother, her brother, Matt's family, Elle's former boyfriend . . . everyone but Elle's father.  And, Matt's mother takes legal action to have her removed from life support.  Matt's mother is in possession of Elle's advanced medical directive.  But, is it still valid?  Does Matt have any say in what happens to his unborn child?

CM:  What makes this book resonate with you, as a reader?

BF:  My father died of the latent effects of a head injury and was removed from life support.  I can relate to this kind of tragedy.

CM:  Whose side were you on?

BF:  I thought Elle would want to be kept alive, but only because of her unborn child and her lack of pain.  It does enter into the bounds of the whole "personhood" controversy, about which I have mixed feelings.

CM:  Are you going to tell us how the court case and/or dilemma was resolved?

BF:  Of course not!  You really have to read the book, yourself.  Even if you're a coffee mug, I suggest bringing tissues along to the reading of this book.

END WARNING!  It's safe to emerge from your closet, or whatever.  The rest is just my opinion.

CM:  The bottom line?

BF:  Highly recommended.  I loved The Promise of Stardust.  It is a thought-provoking book worth talking about.  The dilemma is obviously a controversial one in many ways, but . . . I wanted to talk to someone about it.  I think it would make a terrific book club read.

CM:  What book do you recommend reading in tandem with The Promise of Stardust if you're in the mood to generate a really noisy discussion?

BF:  When She Woke by Hillary Jordan would be a great book to discuss with The Promise of Stardust -- that is, if your reading group can handle controversy.  My group is very enthusiastic and sometimes they'll just holler right over each other.  I don't know what would happen with the abortion/life support topic, but I think it would be interesting to pair the two books for discussion.

CM:  Dude.

BF:  Sweet.

CM:  I have to go, now.  I have coffee duty.  But, speaking of mugs . . . shall I pose?

BF:  Another time, but thanks for the offer.  I think a photo of someone mugging for the camera sounds ideal:

©2013 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.