lit_chick's 2016 Reading (5)

All aboard for 2016's literary adventures, everyone!

This is my sixth year with our most articulate 75 Books Challenge group. I do not structure or plan my reading at all. My book choices are made on the fly and in the moment. One might say I like to fly by the seat of my pants. This works for me!

I live in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley with my magnificent three-year-old, jet black, feline rescue, Cairo. My thread toppers this year will feature Biblio Beauties, a series of paintings of women reading done by assorted artists.



Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940), Woman Reading a Newspaper




October
71. Angelica's Smile, Andrea Camilleri
70. A Lesson in Secrets, Jacqueline Winspear
69. The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards
68. The Mapping of Love and Death, Jacqueline Winspear
67. The Chisellers, Brendan O'Carroll
66. Treasure Hunt, Andrea Camilleri
65. The Chosen, Chaim Potok

September
64. The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
63. Glory Over Everything, Kathleen Grisson
62. The Kitchen House, Kathleen Grissom
61. Did You Ever Have a Family?, Bill Clegg
60. The Glorious Heresies, Lisa McInerney
59. The Dance of the Seagull, Andrea Camilleri
58. Among the Mad, Jacqueline Winspear

August
57. The Marco Effect, Jussi Adler-Olsen
56. The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters
55. When the Moon is Low, Nadia Hashimi
54. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
53. The Age of Doubt, Andrea Camilleri
52. Hell's Bottom, Colorado, Laura Pritchett
51. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

July
50. This Dark Road to Mercy, Wiley Cash
49. The Potter's Field, Andrea Camilleri
48. The Track of Sand, Andrea Camilleri
47. Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith
46. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
45. An Incomplete Revenge, Jacqueline Winspear
44. Ordinary Grace, William Kent Krueger
43. Messenger of Truth, Jacqueline Winspear

June
42. Rules of Prey, John Sandford
41. H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
40. Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi
39. The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis
38. The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis
37. The Mammy, Brendan O'Carroll
36. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis
35. When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalinithi
34. The House of Sky, Ivan Doig
33. Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis

May
32. The Nature of the Beast, Louise Penny
31. The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis
30. The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis
29. The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
28. The Improbability of Love, Hannah Rothschild
27. Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear
26. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante
25. Ruby, Cynthia Bond

April
24. The Book of Memory, Petina Gappah
23. The Widow, Fiona Barton
22. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, Elena Ferrante
21. The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers
20. Our Souls at Night, Kent Haruf

March
19. The Story of a New Name, Elena Ferrante
18. Fifteen Dogs, Andre Alexis
17. South Riding, Winifred Holtby
16. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante
15. The Wings of the Sphinx, Andrea Camilleri
14. All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews
13. August Heat, Andrea Camilleri

February
12. Crooked Heart, Lissa Evans
11. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
10. Road Ends, Mary Lawson
9. Remembering Laughter, Wallace Stegner
8. Birds of a Feather, Jacqueline Winspear
7. Trespass, Rose Remain
6. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

January
5. Crow Lake, Mary Lawson
4. Stars Go Blue, Laura Pritchett
3. Watch How We Walk, Jennifer LoveGrove
2. Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear
1. How It All Began, Penelope Lively

Because one never knows when one might need a fainting couch ...

You must be finished, Nancy, since it's been a couple of hours - so I'M FIRST!!!!
Happy New Thread!!! Love the art, and as always, the fainting couch.
I look forward to following your reading!

>3 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, welcome to my first visitor! Glad you like the art, and you're welcome to use the fainting couch as need be, LOL.

Happy new one. Gorgeous fainting couch. Hope it's also available for short naps?

Happy new thread!

I've always wanted a fainting couch, but I'm fairly certain that the dogs would just take it over...

>2 lit_chick: Looks just the ticket, Nancy.

Happy new thread my dear.

>5 charl08: Hi Charlotte, you are welcome to take a short nap on the fainting couch any time!

>6 scaifea: Thanks, Amber, yes, I expect your dogs (and my cat) would take over the fainting couch, LOL!

>7 PaulCranswick: Doesn't it, Paul? Help yourself, my friend, any time you need to take a load off for a short while.

Happy new thread! I'm so glad the fainting couch is back:)

Happy new thread Nancy.

Happy new one, Nancy!

>9 AMQS: Thanks, Anne, make yourself comfortable!

>10 johnsimpson:, >11 katiekrug: Thanks John and Katie!

Woot! My library has on order three books I've recently requested: The Chisellers, The Granny, and Nobody's Fool. I love it when my library listens to me : ). More great reading!

>13 lit_chick: woo hoo! It's really great that you can request they order something. You inspired me and I just figured out how to do that with my library system. It wasn't obvious until I thought to check their main website not the catalog/request system. But now that I know ... I'm dangerous!

Happy new thread to you, Nancy! Love the new picture at the top of your thread. Hope you're enjoying summer.

I had to laugh at the last post on your previous thread where you advised Montalbano to answer his own phone. He's in trouble for not doing that in the book in which I'm listening at the moment also.

>14 lauralkeet: Oh, make me LOL, Laura: But now that I know ... I'm dangerous!. Exactly, I am too!

>15 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Summer rocks my world : ).

>16 thornton37814: LOL, Lori! Montalbano has very little difficulty getting into trouble!

Your library is amazing, Nancy! I am going to phone the deputy librarian and ask her how long it takes when you have a book " on order " for 3 - 4 months. Perhaps I could be their purchasing agent, if it is so difficult to purchase a book. Order from amazon or walk across the street to the bookstore and get the book if the library states it is " on order".

Happy New Thread! Wonderful new thread topper!

Happy new thread, Nancy. What beautiful colours in that painting, love it.

I also had a good laugh at your Montalbano-review. When will he ever learn? hopefully never :)

>18 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, yes, we have excellent library service here, so I do understand your frustration with your local branch. Glad you like the thread topper!

>19 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, glad you like the painting. I also hope Montalbano will never learn, hehe!

I've fallen behind on LT, Nancy, so was happy to jump into your new thread. I love your reviews and the fainting couches and your lovely thread toppers. I'll try to keep up with you. Life is moving way too fast for me in this summer heat!

Hi, Nancy - Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread, Nancy. I love the painting.

>21 Donna828: Hi Donna, thank you! It's almost impossible to keep up around here, never mind summer busy-ness.

>22 lyzard: Hi Liz, happy to see you!

>23 BLBera: Hi Beth, thanks!

I'm off to Ottawa for a week at o-dark-thirty Wed morning to catch up with a couple of sisters and take in a family wedding. This is an online stock photo, but it captures the city so well: it really is that clean!

I expect to be on LT intermittently, but in case that does not happen ... later, gators!

Gorgeous photo, Nancy! Have a wonderful time in Ottawa!

Say hi to Justin!

Ottawa looks lovely. Hope you have a wonderful time. :)

Wow! Enjoy to the fullest! Safe travels!!

>26 vancouverdeb:, >27 raidergirl3:, >28 nittnut:, >29 LizzieD: Thank you Deb, Elizabeth, Jenn, Peggy! Will say hello to Justin, travels were safe, and am having lots of fun! Have finished a couple of books and will post later. Also, I saw the Booker LL on Deb's thread, so I'm posting that below. Thanks, Deb : ).

Booker Longlist 2016

The Sellout, Paul Beatty
The Schooldays of Jesus, J.M. Coetzee
Serious Sweet, A.L. Kennedy
Hot Milk, Deborah Levy
His Bloody Project, Graeme Macrae Burnet
The North Water, Ian McGuire
Hystopia, David Means
The Many, Wyl Menmuir
Eileen, Ottessa Moshfegh
Work Like Any Other, Virginia Reeves
My Name Is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout
All That Man Is, David Szalay
Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien

>31 lit_chick: Hi Nancy, Oh boy, I'd better get reading! Thanks for the list. Have a wonderful time in Ottawa!

>32 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Deb is to thank for the list.

49.
The Potter's Field, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 4/5

2011, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: from Audible.com
An unidentified corpse is found near Vigàta, a town known for its soil rich with potter’s clay, and a woman reports the disappearance of her husband, a Colombian man with Sicilian origins who turns out to be related to a local mobster. Montalbano remembers the biblical story of Judas’ betrayal, the act of remorse, and the 30 pieces of silver for the potter’s field, where those of unknown or foreign origin are to be buried … and slowly, through myriad betrayals, finds his way to the solution to the crime.

My Review:
Interesting twists and turns here – good story. Something is troubling Mimi Augello – a lot! – and it has escaped Montalbano’s attention until Livia, of all people, points it out to him. Livia is friends with Augello’s wife, Beba, and has picked up some information in conversation with her friend. Then, Montalbano arrives to the office one morning to find Catarella in tears – what on earth? While investigating the identity of the corpse found near Vigata, Montalbano discovers what it is he expects is troubling his friend – and it’s not good …

50.
The Dark Road to Mercy, Wiley Cash



Rating: 4/5

After their mother’s death from drug overdose, twelve-year-old Easter Quillby and her younger sister are adjusting to life in foster care. Wade Chesterfield, their errant father, re-enters their lives unexpectedly – but Wade has previously signed away his legal right to the girls, so he can only get his daughters back by kidnapping them.

Brady Weller, an ex-cop and the girls’ court-appointed guardian, is certain Chesterfield has stolen Easter and Ruby. But when he begins looking for Wade, he uncovers disturbing information linking him to an amoured car heist. And Weller isn’t the only one looking for Wade: Robert Pruitt, a shady character nursing a years-old grudge, is determined to find him and have his revenge.

Set in North Carolina, This Dark Road to Mercy is narrated alternately by its three main characters: Easter Quillby, Brady Weller, Robert Pruitt. Resonating with themes of love and atonement, blood and vengeance, and written in Cash’s fine prose, the novel drew me in immediately and held tight through its conclusion. Highly recommended!

Looks like another good one from Wiley Cash. I really liked A Land more Kind than Home.

Happy new thread!! I really do have to get back to Montalbano sometime....Have fun on your trip!

*wave*

>36 lauralkeet: Yes, another good read from Cash. I loved A Land More Kind than Home, too. Think it might even have been a 5* read for me. I still think about the creepy preacher, whose name escapes me at the moment.

>37 Berly: Thanks, Kim!

>38 nittnut: *waves back to Jenn*

Great reviews, Nancy! Like you, I loved A Land More Kind Than Home and you are spurring me on to read This Dark Road to Mercy. It is already in my TBR pile. I tried to thumb, but the reviews are not on the main page.

Enjoy your holiday!

>31 lit_chick: oooooh, the loooonglist. Cooooool.

How was/Is Ottowa?

Yes, how is Ottawa? It is on the list of "best Canadian cities for Americans to move." Not that I've been researching anything like that lately...

>40 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, I forgot to post the reviews. I've posted them now.

>41 LovingLit: I'm embarrassingly unfamiliar with the longlist, Megan, but there it is, LOL! Ottawa is a beautiful city! I've had a good visit, family wedding was lovely, but I'm nearly peopled out ...

>42 AMQS: Hi Anne! Ottawa is such a beautiful city! Am I correctly reading something about a toupée into your comment, LOL?

Hi Nancy: It sounds like I should pick up a Cash book soon. Nice comments.

Less than a month for me until school starts. :( Summer goes too fast.

Hi Nancy! Nice comments on the Wiley Cash. I liked that one, too, but not as much as A Land More Kind Than Home...

As I finish up the C.S. Harris binge I've been on, I wonder if the Winspear wouldn't be a fine new series for listening to. I'll have to try one, I think.

>44 BLBera: Hi Beth, summer always goes too fast, doesn't it? You will enjoy Cash.

>45 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie, I'm with you on the two Cash novels. I think A Land More Kind Than Home was a 5* read for me.

>46 sibylline: Lucy, I thoroughly enjoy the Winspear series. Definitely worth your while to try the first one; they are not long audiobooks.

Sitting in Ottawa airport waiting to board for Toronto and then Kelowna. Lovely visit but now I am wanting to get home to my little black hoodlum.

Welcome home!! Hope you have a great weekend.

>49 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Happy weekend to you, too.

Happy Weekend Nancy!

Glad it was fun! Glad to have you back where you belong!
Welcome home, Nancy!

>51 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, you too!

>52 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy! It's good to be back where I belong.

Welcome home! :)

"Peopled out"…I liked that and can relate. Spending time with family and friends is wonderful but I find myself craving alone time after awhile. Today is a catch-up on LT day for me. Ottawa looks like a beautiful city. I am long overdue for another visit to Canada.

>54 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn.

>55 Donna828: Exactly, Donna, the time with family is wonderful, but after a time I too find myself craving alone time. Ottawa is indeed a beautiful city.

51.
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson



Rating: 4/5

2002, Tantor Media, Read by Michael Prichard

Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Young Jim Hawkins, who lives a quiet life as the son of an innkeeper, has the adventure of a lifetime after an old sailor takes up lodging at the family inn but dies without paying his bill. Amongst his possessions is a map, discovered to be the key to a fortune. Thus commences a Caribbean treasure hunt, with pirates hot in pursuit!

This novel launched Stevenson on his long and fascinating writing career, and was the beginning of the pirate genre, with peg-legs, parrots, pieces-of-eight and the original Long John Silver. Narrator Michael Prichard does a superb job! Highly recommended.

52.
Hell's Bottom, Colorado, Laura Pritchett



Rating: 5/5

On Hell's Bottom Ranch, a section of land below the Front Range, there are women like Renny who prefer a "little Hell swirled with their Heaven" and men like Ben, her husband, who's "gotten used to smoothing over Renny's excesses." As I was reading, I recalled often a quote from Stars Go Blue that Renny knew the ranch like a chart, but Ben knew it like a poem. That theme is apparent here, too. The ranch has been the site of the births of the Cross children, and of Rachel’s tragic death – just as it has been the site of untold births and deaths of livestock.

Pritchett’s format here is a collection of related short stories which read like a novel. Hell’s Bottom, Colorado is a tribute to life on the Cross ranch – its harmony, its vision, and its heartache. Beautifully written, with characters so relatable I feel I know them personally – Pritchett has established herself as a favourite author, and Hell’s Bottom Ranch a favourite place. Highly, highly recommended.

Great comments on Hell's Bottom, Colorado, Nancy. I'll be reading it soon for my book club, so I'm happy that you liked it so much.

>59 BLBera: Beth, I hope you will love Hell's Bottom, Colorado as much as I did. Should be a great discussion with your book club.

Oh a five for Hell's Bottom . Sounds excellent! Great review and nice to know that the short stories read as a novel. I've read a couple of books by the same author, and the names escape me right now, but I very much enjoyed them. Must move this one higher up on the wishlist.

Edited to add - great going reading the classic Treasure Island. I confess I have never read it.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Treasure Island when I read it a few years ago - I'm glad you liked it, too!

Hooray, another fan of Hell's Bottom! So glad you liked it, Nancy :)

>61 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I think you would love Stars Go Blue and Hell's Bottom, Colorado, such fabulous reads. Thoroughly enjoyed Treasure Island.

>62 scaifea: Yes, it was a wonderful listen, Amber!

>63 katiekrug: Hi Katie, I saw that you'd given this one 5* before I read it ... that was part of my motivation in reading it now!

>57 lit_chick: You've just reminded me that my mum read this aloud to me as a kid. Funny the things you forget. I loved it - properly scary.

>65 charl08: properly scary ... yes, and thanks for the chuckle! Glad Treasure Island holds special memories, Charlotte.

Hmm- my mom always seemed so busy with 5 kids and me the eldest, the only book I remember her reading to me was "Pinocchio." With a sister just 9 months my junior, it was rare that I got to stay up past that sister's bedtime. I recall my mom would read from one chapter , and each started with a " big letter " and my mom would read to me from one "Big Letter " to the next each night. When I was really lucky , I got to stay up " late" and listen to Easter Bunny songs on the record player! ;) Fortunately my parents did try their best and I was self motivated I suppose. Of course by the time I was 5 years old my dad had lectured me on the pluses of attending University and how I would not waste my life as " house wife." Well, I did manage university , but I ' wasted my life " bringing up two sons. :) I remember asking my dad - how did you go so wrong, I have wasted my life by having two kids. It makes me chuckle and of course he said he had no idea how he had failed so badly at parenting. My sister did the same ;)

I loved Treasure Island too!

Welcome home from your travels.

>67 vancouverdeb: Lovely memories, Deb. I had a record player, too, and wasn't I just the cat's PJs because of it, LOL? Like you, I was the oldest, so don't remember a lot of time spent being read to. Got a chuckle out of your dad's quip and failing at parenting! He sounds to have had a wonderful sense of humour.

>68 sibylline: Ahoy, another pirate in our midst! Thanks, Lucy.

53.
The Age of Doubt, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 3.5/5

2012, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: from Audible.com
In this, the most maritime of Montalbano’s investigations, listeners will be struck by the change in the commissioner. One night, Inspector Montalbano dreams of a stormy sea, which he knows represents unease and loss of control. The next day, a boat is found in the port of Vigàta and within it, the body of a disfigured corpse. The waterfront has also drawn in an 85-foot luxury boat passengered by 50 carefree souls and a somewhat shadowy crew. They will have to stay in Vigàta until the investigation is over: the man, it seems, was poisoned. However, right now, it is the yacht’s owner and sailors Montalbano is focused on.

Montalbano must navigate the murky waters of his relationship with Livia while trying to find which seafaring suspect is the real murderer.

My Review:
The Age of Doubt is humourous, suspenseful, and moving in a way I did not expect. Just another day at the office (well, almost), and the Inspector is called into the office of the pain-in-the-ass-Commissioner, who accuses Montalbano of being stark raving mad! Mimi Augello, at the Inspector’s request, plays an undercover role that adds some spice to the maritime investigation. In the last installment, I had some advice myself for the Inspector, which was answer your own phone! I have some wisdom to add to that advice: When answering your own phone, do NOT assume it is a beautiful woman – other than Livia – on the other end! The conclusion of The Age of Doubt is quite sad: I was moved by the Inspector’s display of emotion.

Series continues to be one I recommend!

Another fine read by Andrea Camilleri. I'm glad you are enjoying the series so much. Great review! Hope you are enjoying the summer.

>71 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Definitely enjoying summer! Can't believe it's already mid-August. Boo!

54.
The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins



Rating: 3.5/5

“I can’t risk it. I couldn’t bear to have other images in my head, yet more memories that I can’t trust, memories that merge and morph and shift, fooling me into believing that what is is not, telling me to look one way when really I should be looking another way.”

The girl on the train is Rachel, ex-wife of Tom, ex-public relations consultant, hopeless alcoholic – and wildly unreliable narrator. On her daily train commute, Rachel comes to know Megan and Scott Hipwell, a couple whose townhouse the train rattles past daily – they appear happily married, she thinks, until one morning she sees Megan with a lover. Shortly thereafter, Megan goes missing – and Rachel’s decision to act on what she thinks she knows proves to be catastrophic. As she struggles to piece together her memory of the day Megan disappeared, she is drawn deeper into the lives of the Hipwells – and into a web of lies, deceptions, and betrayals.

Hawkins is an author new to me, but I think she did an good job here – The Girl on the Train is an intelligible read – not Gone Girl psychotic and unhinged, but certainly decent.

>73 lit_chick: not Gone Girl psychotic and unhinged, but certainly decent.
Yes, exactly! I enjoyed The Girl on the Train too, but at the time it was getting so much buzz about being the next Gone Girl, which it wasn't.

Morning, Nancy! I am very late to your new (to me) thread. I love that Camerilleri series you have been reading, and you are reminding me that I need to get back to it. I am ready for book five, I think, so you are WAY ahead of me.

I am another who really loved Hell's Bottom, Colorado - I also gave it 5 stars, and it was one of my top eight reads from last year.

Hoping that you weekend is filled with fabulous!

>73 lit_chick: and >74 lauralkeet: - Exactly! A good read but nothing special. I don't get all the hype about it - just good marketing?

>74 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, I remember hearing the same buzz, and I think it put me off the book for a time. I wasn't even certain I would read Girl on the Train until a few days ago.

>75 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, glad you are enjoying Montalbano too. So glad I read Hell's Bottom, Colorado! It will certainly be on this year's best list, and Stars Go Blue may be on it, too.

>76 katiekrug: I think you've hit the answer, Katie, with good marketing.

Must read Montalbano. Must! Hi, Nancy! Get to some books this weekend.

>78 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, I think you would enjoy Montalbano. I've just started a new book which promises to be excellent: When the Moon is Low.

Spent today at my favourite of our local beaches: this is Juniper Bay, located in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park.

Wow, that's a beautiful place!
I actually stopped by to tell you The Girl on the Train is on President Obama's summer reading list.

>81 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura, just love that spot! Wow, we are in good company with our summer reading, apparently : ).

Wow! I want to hit the Okanagan after seeing those fabulous pictures! Kalmalka Lake is so gorgeous! Just from renewing my ICBC insurance and they have new system which took London Drug about 1 hour to put my forms through. * Sighs. * off to go for an evening walk . Great review of Girl on a Train . I did not read Gone Girl so I can only compare it to The Widow which I slightly preferred to The Girl on the Train .

>83 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, Kal Lake's magnificent blue-green colours: are caused by limestone deposits left by receding glaciers. When the lake warms in the summer, dissolved limestone crystallizes, give the lake a distinctive blue and green hue.

I read The Widow on your recommendation, and quite enjoyed it, a similar read to The Girl on the Train. Gone Girl is a whole other story (i.e. a whole other level of psychotic)!

Before I had kids I wanted to name a possible daughter " Kalamalka " after the lake :) Dave was not keen on it, and we had sons. It is a lovely lake. I had another girls name in my teen - Damaris for a daughter. Good thing I was not a teen-aged mom. :) I read a spoiler about Gone Girl , so I skipped reading it. 29C today with the humidex! Just got in from my walk with Dave and Poppy.

Hi Nancy, the photos of Juniper Bay look absolutely gorgeous my dear and I would love to visit this place, hope you are having a nice weekend my dear and I send lots of love and hugs.

Gorgeous, gorgeous lake, Nancy! It looks so cool!!! *sigh*
(Deb, I've always been partial to Damaris too.)

>85 vancouverdeb: I think Kalamalka would be a lovely name hough I am not keen on Damaris. Perhaps it is a good thing I never wanted children, LOL ...

>86 johnsimpson: Thanks, John, love and hugs back to you and Karen.

@87 Peggy, when I dissected a fetal pig in Grade 11 or 12 Biology, I forget which grade it was, I named my fetal pig " Damaris." So , though I loved the name at the time, I'm not sure if I could have named a daughter after the fetal pig that I dissected in high school. LOL!

>87 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, we cross-posted! Oh, the lake was beautifully cooling, so refreshing ...

>89 vancouverdeb: Hmm, I think your daughter, had you had one, Deb, would have appreciated not being named after a dissected pig, LOL!

>80 lit_chick: Gorgeous!

Happy Sunday, Nancy!

>91 Crazymamie: Happy Sunday to you, too, Mamie : ).

Happy Sunday, Nancy! LOVE the Juniper Bay photos. Wow. And I think you are lucky to have had boys to name. Just saying. : )

>93 Berly: Thanks, Kim, you too! I didn't name boys: I'm kidless (by choice!). That's Deb.

I knew that! Even though I called you the right name at the start of the post, I forgot to clarify that the "you" meant Deb. My bad.

NANCY (See that there?), have a nice day. : )

Beautiful Pictures! Looks like a lovely place for a picnic and a swim. A little question: No bears, right? (Just want to check before I put it on the travel wishlist...)

>80 lit_chick: gorgeous. What a lovely Scence.

>96 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Absolutely there are bears, LOL! And deer, bobcats, cougars, rattlesnakes ... These are not people creatures, so they're rarely spotted, but they do live in our mountain parks.

>97 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan.

Another day, another beach. Did I mention I love summer? This is Kin Beach on Okanagan Lake, located in one of our city parks. (safe for your travel wishlist, Charlotte: no bears, cats, snakes!)

There have been a couple of bear attacks / sighting around Coquitlam and today in the Capilano Watershed area. Eeek! Like Charlotte, I keep well away from bears! :) I think Dave and I are setting off for another beach walk early this evening. Gorgeous photo! Looks lovely! I recall visiting my friend in Kamloops and because she lives fairly high up - I was quite anxious out on a jog, worrying about bears. A fear years ago a bear was spotted at the Airport at YVR, thought to have maybe arrived via a log boom? That made me anxious. There are coyotes are the beach and river areas, but I stick to the well trod path , so I hope to never encounter one.

>100 vancouverdeb: Per Vancouver, it's rare to encounter a bear or other wildlife on the well-trodden paths in our provincial parks, Deb, but it does happen.

>101 lit_chick: Agreed, Nancy. Here in the Vancouver area we had a toddler mauled by a bear while walking a well trodden trail in Coquitlam on Saturday - she was with her father who fought off the bear , toddler still in hospital. One Monday a 30 year old man was jogging in the Capilano water shed area - well used too - and he encountered a bear - and screamed and that brought out other joggers and walkers etc who called 911 and fought off the bear. So far that bear has not been caught - the first bear was euthanized. I guess that bear stuff is just on my mind. I should not watch the news! :)

>102 vancouverdeb: Yikes! Those are closer encounters of the nature kind ... too close for me!

Hi Nancy - I love the beach pictures!

I just finished Hell's Bottom, Colorado and loved it. I'll be looking for more by Pritchett.

ACK for the bears! Another lovely lake!!!!
>89 vancouverdeb: I'm too old to have dissected a fetal pig (frogs were as advanced as we got), but an early student of mine offered me (every day while the project lasted) "cookies that my mother made" wrapped in brown paper hand towels. I gently refused every time, and they turned out to be the day's fetal pig parts.

Just passing through for a quick catch-up. Love the beach photos! Beautiful.

>105 LizzieD: Peggy, you are so wise. LOL *gag*

>105 LizzieD: I'm too old to have dissected a fetal pig
For some reason that made me chuckle! I didn't realize this was a "modern" invention. I experiernced this rite of passage in the early 80s in a university Bio class. At the time, frogs were done at the high school level but my daughters did pigs in high school. By the time they have children, it will be a preschool craft. :)

>104 BLBera: Hi Beth, delighted you also loved Hell's Bottom, Colorado. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend Stars Go Blue, about the same ranch and family. Another fabulous read!

>105 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, make me laugh!

>106 nittnut: Hi Jenn, I know you're a beach fan, too!

>107 lauralkeet: LOL, that made me laugh too, Laura. And you made me laugh with By the time they have children, it will be a preschool craft!

Juniper Bay looks so exquisite!

Thanks for the recommendation, Nancy. I thought there might be more. Is it written in much the same style?

>109 sibylline: It is exquisite, Lucy! Just one of my favourite places ever!

>110 BLBera: Yes, same beautiful writing style, Beth. But the format differs in that Stars Go Blue reads as a novel, compared to the collection of stories presented in Hell's Bottom.

Hi Nancy, hope you are having a good Friday my dear, hoping you have a lovely weekend and send love and hugs from over the pond.

>112 johnsimpson: Hugs back to you and Karen, John. Have a lovely weekend.

55.
When the Moon is Low, Nadia Hashimi



Rating: 4/5

“Maybe this is how it is meant to be: a wife without a husband. Children without a father. perhaps incomplete is the very definition of a normal family. Where did my lofty expectations come from anyway? Afghanistan is a land of widows and widowers, orphans and the missing. Missing a right leg, a left hand, a child, or a mother. Everyone was missing something …” (221)

Fereiba , school teacher in Kabul, is surprised to find love in an arranged marriage. Having lost her mother at birth, her childhood was troubled, her relationship with her father’s second wife imbalanced – and her father either unwilling or unable to upset his wife’s rule. She and Mahmood, a gifted engineer, are delighted to welcome three children: the first a son, Saleem, followed by a daughter and a second son. But their comfortable life implodes when the Taliban rise to power in Kabul, and their family becomes a target for the fundamentalist regime. Travelling with forged papers, Fereiba and her three children make a dangerous crossing into Iran under cover of darkness. But their road to freedom has only just begun; before they reach the safety of England, they need still traverse Turkey, Greece, Italy, and France. In Athens, Saleem becomes separated from his family – and his mother must make a dreaded decision to carry on with her young daughter and son, hoping upon hope that she will see Saleem again.

When the Moon is Low is a compelling read, both frightful and triumphant – and resplendent with the bravery of one woman to save her family. An impressive novel from Nadia Hashimi – an author new to me – but whose other work I will certainly explore. Highly recommended.

“We need only a chance. Somewhere in the world, there must be a place where we will be welcomed as a long-lost sister, not stoned away like an unwanted snake in the garden.” (223)

Oh wow, that's a terrific review of When the Moon is Low, Nancy. On to the list it goes. I can't even imagine.

>80 lit_chick:, >99 lit_chick: what gorgeous lakes!

Happy weekend!

HI Nancy, your beach travels look fantastic, great pictures. Isn't summer just THE BEST! Wonderful book review!

>114 lit_chick: Great review. I've Wishlisted that one!

Hello Nancy - Beautiful photos from your area. I'm slowly coming to the surface after covering the Olympics and have now some holiday which I look forward to.Not reading much but lurking around on LT. Hope to get into the reading mode again soon.

Have a nice weekend.

Great comments on When the Moon Is Low, Nancy. It goes on my list.

>115 AMQS: Thanks, Anne. I think you will love When the Moon is Low. I can't even imagine either ... what a fortunate life we live here.

>116 mdoris: Hi Mary, summer is indeed the best! And the Okanagan beaches are the best!

>117 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte, I think you will enjoy When the Moon is Low.

>118 ctpress: Good to see you, Carsten! Yes, you must have been crazy busy following the Olympics. Very glad to hear you've got some holiday time.

>119 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, I hope you will enjoy When the Moon is Low as much as I did.

56.
The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters



Rating: 3/5

2014, Penguin Audio, Read by Juliet Stevenson

Book Description: from Audible.com
It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned; the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa, a large silent house now bereft of brothers, husband, and even servants, life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.

My Review:
… Lilian and Leonard Barber are the lodgers – a modern young couple of the “clerk class.” Their arrival in the Wray home disrupts decades of routine, but the four manage to co-exist peacefully and, on occasion, even enjoy one another’s company. That is, until Frances, a lesbian, has her passions ignited by the lovely Lilian, and acts on her desires. The two begin an affair that will have ruinous – even fatal – consequences for Lilian and Leonard, and for Frances and her widowed mother.

There’s no question that Sarah Waters can write. The trouble is that I could not bring myself to care about a single one of the characters – or about the fate of any of the characters. Juliet Stevenson, who is her usual extraordinary self, was the best thing about The Paying Guests for me. Not one I can recommend, unfortunately.

Great reviews, Nancy! When the Moon is Low was a fabulous read! Like you, I'm on the hunt for her other works. She has an earlier book and one coming out in the next month or less - I've put a hold on Nadia Hashimi new book at my library. So far not a fan of Sarah Waters as yet, and your review confirms my experience.

>122 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Will look up the title of Hashimi's new book and get it requested at my library, too. Waters is not my thing, I don't think; doubt I will read more of her work. Too many fabulous things to read that are my thing!

>122 vancouverdeb: Deb, Hasimi's new book: A House Without Windows. It's still on order at my library, and there are 19 requests ahead of me. She is becoming a popular author, understandably!

When the Moon is Low looks a real winner, Nancy. I couldn't find it in either of the two main bookstores I frequent in Kuala Lumpur so it'll go on my list of books to keep an eye out for in the UK.

>122 vancouverdeb: I'm 2nd in line for a copy of A House Without Windows at my library! Surprise to me - they already have it in :) Earlier this evening I was over visiting with my cousin who is in town from Winnipeg and I took over my copy of When the Moon is Low for my mom to read. She seemed quite pleased. Had a lot of fun, my older son is back from Kamloops from his power lifting meet and overall - all of us had good time chatting about nonsense.

>125 PaulCranswick: Paul, I hope you are able to find When the Moon is Low is UK. It's one I think you would very much enjoy.

>126 vancouverdeb: Deb, you're library is on the ball with A House Without Windows! Sounds like a fun evening with family.

For once, my library is on the ball!

Hi, Nancy. I haven't heard Hashimi's name, or at least, I haven't paid attention to it before. I'll be on the look-out from now on.

>114 lit_chick: What a great review. Solid BB for me. Wow.

>121 lit_chick: The Paying Guests left me cold as well. Ah well, good thing there are so many books in the world. :)

Skipping The Paying Guests, but hoping to squeeze in When the Moon is Low!

>128 vancouverdeb: LOL, Deb!

>129 LizzieD: Peggy, I think you would enjoy Hashimi.

>130 nittnut: Jenn, happy to help with a BB : ). Glad I'm in good company as relates to The Paying Guests.

>131 Berly: Kim, When the Moon is Low is a fabulous read!

HI Nancy, Saw both Hashimi books in the Courtenay big box warehouse store, (ahem, you know the one I mean) so her books are hot items right now.

Nancy, you got me with that lovely review of The Moon is Low. She will be another new-to-me author…and she has an ever newer book out. Yay! I love the pictures of the Great North Country you have posted. The blues of the sky and water are both so vibrant. Missouri tends to have more muted colors because of the high humidity here. Plus, our little lake has a bad case of algae this summer. Yuk.

>133 mdoris: Hi Mary, good to know Hashimi is hot stuff!

>134 Donna828: Donna, I hope you will love The Moon is Low as much as I did. I've got Hashimi's newer book, A House Without Windows on request at my library. Glad you like the photos : ). The Okanagan is such a beautiful part of the Great North Country.

There seem to be a lot of stories about bears recently. There was a bear hit on the Mary Hill Bypass in Port Coquitlam just the other day. I get nervous around this time of year and tend to avoid the paths by the river - I like to have a better view of what is coming at me.

Fine review of When The Moon is Low. Thwack onto the WL!

>124 lit_chick: Great to read the enthusiasm here. Will have a look to see if I can get hold of the new one.

>136 Familyhistorian: Another bear! Made me chuckle with I like to have a better view of what is coming at me. Words of wisdom, Meg.

>137 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy. I hope you will enjoy When the Moon is Low as much as I did.

>138 charl08: I hope you can find A House Without Windows, Charlotte. My library has The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, which I'll read to at some point.

57.
The Marco Effect, Jussi Adler-Olsen



Rating: 3.5/5

Book Description: from Amazon.ca
A teenaged boy on the run propels Detective Carl Mørck into Department Q’s most sinister case yet. The family of fifteen-year-old Marco Jameson is ruled tyrannically by his Uncle Zola, who forces the children to beg and steal for his personal gain. When Marco discovers a dead body that proves the true extent of Zola’s criminal activities, he goes on the run. But it turns out his family members aren’t the only ones who want to keep Marco silent ... forever.

Detective Carl Mørck wants to save the boy, but Marco’s trail leads him to a case that extends from Denmark to Africa, from embezzlers to child soldiers, from seemingly petty crime rings to the very darkest of cover-ups.

My Review:
My favourite part of Adler-Olsen’s Department Q novels is the camaraderie (for lack of a better word) between Mørck, Assad, and Rose – now that’s an office I’d love to work in! Assad’s misinterpretation of English idiom leads frequently to hilarity, and Rose has found herself a lover, Gordon – whom Mørck instantly despises. There’s trouble in Mørck’s romantic life, too – with Mona – and this takes him by surprise.

The Marco Effect is a far-reaching crime story with a cast of vastly different characters. But Adler-Olsen writes in such a way that it is always easy to keep track of both the cast and the threads of the story – and I appreciate this. Readers who have been following Department Q will enjoy this one.

Nice List!

I also enjoyed The Marco Effect, Nancy. These have been hit or miss with me. He must be about due for a new one.

Glad to hear I have something to look forward to with The Marco Effect, Nancy. My sister has it so I'm going to lay my hands on it soon, I hope.

#142 - nr. 6 is already out and nr. seven is due in october - at least in Danish :)

>141 augustau: Thanks, Kris, and welcome to my thread!

>142 BLBera: Glad you also enjoyed The Marco Effect, Beth.

>143 ctpress: Hi Carsten, think you will enjoy this one. I could be mistaken, but I think The Marco Effect is the last of these presently translated and available in Canada. I must check.

58.
Among the Mad, Jacqueline Winspear



Rating: 4.5/5

2009, MacMillan Audio, Read by Orlagh Cassidy

Publisher’s Summary:
It's Christmas Eve 1931. On the way to see a client, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man commit suicide on a busy London street. The following day, the prime minister's office receives a letter threatening a massive loss of life if certain demands are not met – and the writer mentions Maisie by name. After being questioned and cleared by Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane of Scotland Yard's elite Special Branch, she is drawn into MacFarlane's personal fiefdom as a special adviser on the case.

Meanwhile, Billy Beale, Maisie's trusted assistant, is once again facing tragedy as his wife, who has never recovered from the death of their young daughter, slips further into melancholia's abyss. Soon Maisie becomes involved in a race against time to find a man who proves he has the knowledge and will to inflict death and destruction on thousands of innocent people.

My Review:
Among the Mad is perhaps the best of the Maisie Dobbs novels I’ve read to date. These just keep getting better! The novel looks in depth at the devastating lifelong effects of war on the psyche as well as the body, and at some of the horrid chemical gases used in combat to obliterate human life. Stephen Oliver is one such brilliant mind, employed in the war for his scientific knowledge, but all but destroyed by what he witnessed. Too, the novel looks at the treatment of the mentally ill through Billy Beale’s wife’s malaise since the death of their young daughter – Doreen’s experiences illustrate some of the inhumane treatments employed to shock those suffering from melancholia back into reality. And it is a pleasure to observe Maisie, working with Scotland Yard as well as the Secret Service, hold her own in a man’s world. Highly recommended!

Great reviews of The Marco Effect and Among the Mad. I agree - the Maisie Dobbs books just keep getting better. I have couple of mini - reviews to create and I've been avoiding LT for that reason - and partly just busy. Will get my mini - reviews done soon . Back to school for you soon. Uh oh!

>146 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I can also be a very skilled avoider of things I don't want to do, LOL! Yes, I've been back to school for a few half days already, unpacking, setting up, troubleshooting a new and "improved" student management system that is, per usual, far less effective than its predecessor. WhatEVER!

Hi Nancy - You remind me, I have a couple of Maisie Dobbs books to go. I think the series is going strong because she's allowing the character to change.

>139 lit_chick: Another bear sighting, Nancy. On our first rainy day this week I was looking out my bedroom window and saw what I thought was a big black dog around the trees just in back of me. I looked closer and it was a juvenile black bear scratching himself on the tree trunks. It was cute but I wish it hadn't been 15 feet from my lower deck door!

>148 BLBera: That's a good point, Beth, about Winspear allowing her character(s) to change.

>149 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, that's much too close for comfort!

Agreed, what is up with the wild colours in runners/ walking shoes this year? Comfort and no blisters, that is my plan .

Hi Nancy. You are making the Maisie Dobbs series sound very appealing. I'll have to remember this when I'm thinking about my next crime series.

>151 vancouverdeb: The runner colours are fun, Deb, and no blisters always works!

>152 souloftherose: Hi Heather, I think you would enjoy Maisie Dobbs. It's a solid series, and both she and Billy Beale are great characters.

59.
The Dance of the Seagull, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 3.5/5

2013, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Publisher’s Summary:
Before leaving for vacation with Livia, Montalbano witnesses a seagull doing an odd dance on the beach outside his home – and then the bird suddenly drops dead. Stopping in at his office for a quick check before heading off, he notices that Fazio is nowhere to be found and soon learns that he was last seen on the docks, secretly working on a case. Montalbano sets out to find him and discovers that the seagull’s dance of death may provide the key to understanding a macabre world of sadism, extortion, and murder.

My Review:
The Dance of the Seagull finds the Italian Inspector in search of his missing right hand man, Fazio. It is interesting to observe the team at work with one of their own in danger. Lots of depravity here, too, what with mafia, international waters, murder, extortion, and more. Catarella continues to amuse with chief, chief! and poysonally in poyson. Oh, and Montalbano is distracted by, what else …

>154 lit_chick: After I discovered how much I loved Grover Gardner's reading of the Montalbano books, I can't imagine actually reading them. I love listening to the stories unfold. I do love Catarella. LOL

>154 lit_chick: Hi Lori, I agree that Grover Gardner is perfect for narrating the Montalbano series. Isn't Catarella a hoot?

60.
The Glorious Heresies, Lisa McInerney



Rating: 4/5

“He was definitely dead, whoever he was. He wore a once-black jumper and a pair of shiny tracksuit bottoms. The back of his head was cracked and his hair matted, but it had been foxy before that. A tall man, a skinny rake, another string of piss, now departed. She hadn't gotten a look at his face before she flaked him with the Holy Stone and she couldn't bring herself to turn him over.” (11)

The Glorious Heresies is set in post-crash Ireland, where a messy murder entwines the lives of five social misfits. Ryan Cusack is a fifteen-year-old drug dealer, desperate to get away from – and hopefully turn out nothing like – his alcoholic father, Tony. Tara Duane, their next door neighbour, seduces young Ryan, and, in doing so, makes a mortal enemy of Tony. Maureen Phelan, the accidental murderer, has returned to Cork after four decades away – only to discover that the son she was forced to give up so many years ago is now a fearsome gangster – Jimmy. In an effort to clean up his mother’s mess, Jimmy calls on Tony, a childhood acquaintance, and the cleanup efforts are going not too badly until Georgie, a teenage prostitute – and former girlfriend of the now deceased Robbie Donovan – begins looking for him.

No question McInerney can write: her novel is raw, real, a rough and tumble account of working class Irish life – of life on the fringes of society. It’s a page turner, too! I found The Glorious Heresies certainly worth the read, and hope to have a look at what McInerny does next.

Thanks to Deb for the Giller Prize LL:



13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, Mona Awad
Yiddish for Pirates, Gary Barwin
Pillow, Andrew Battershill
Stranger, David Bergen
The Wonder, Emma Donoghue
The Party Wall, Catherine Leroux
The Two of Us, Kathy Page
Death Valley, Susan Perly
Willem De Kooning’s Paintbrush, Kerry Lee Powell
By Gaslight, Steven Price
Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien
The Best Kind of People, Zoe Whittall

>157 lit_chick: Great review of The Glorious Heresies. I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next!

>157 lit_chick: great review, Nancy. As you know I enjoyed this one, too. You did a great job of describing all the interconnections between characters & plot without giving too much away.

>159 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. I'm curious about what McInerney will write next, too!

>160 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. The interconnections between the characters was definitely a strength of The Glorious Heresies, and well done by McInerney.

Great review of The Glorious Heresies.her novel is raw, real, a rough and tumble account of working class Irish life Perhaps too raw for " this delicate reader" ;) I looked at the bookstore and you know me, to much swearing turned me off. So far, my library does not have it. Thumb, by the way.

I see you are reading The Kitchen House which I loved. I hope you enjoy it. You are also reading Did You Ever Have a Family. I enjoyed that one too.Initially I thought it might be too dark, but I quite enjoyed it.

Happy Back to School!

>162 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, The Glorious Heresies will definitely be too raw for some. I understand your being turned off. So far, and really I've just started listening, but I love The Kitchen House. No progress yet in Did You Ever Have a Family, but I remember you enjoying it.

Thanks for the back-to-work wishes. Totally mental week, LOL.

Hi Nancy - Great comments on The Glorious Heresies - I can't wait to read it.

>164 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Will be standing by to see how you like it!

Well, Nancy, I must say that you're tempting me back to *Glorious Heresies*. Thank you! Not knowing Irish slang was getting to me when I put it down to read something more pressing. I'll try again - in October if not this month!
Also thanks for the Giller long list, which I have favorited. I see that a Donaghue is on it, and I'm currently reading The Sealed Letter. Pretty doggone good writer!

I've been reading about the Donaghue book in the Globe and Mail, and it is not sounding appealing to me, but I guess you never know. " Totally mental week" - must be very bad for you to use that phrase :)

>166 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, oddly enough I didn't find the Irish slang too bad in Glorious Heresies. Hope you'll enjoy picking it up again. The Sealed Letter I've not read, but I did love Room, so it's one that I should definitely read. Thanks for that. Oh, and you're most welcome for the Giller LL (I took it from Deb's thread, LOL).

>167 vancouverdeb: Deb, I'll give the Donoghue a try. In fact, I've put in a library request for it already, but I'm at #31, so I hope it doesn't come in too quickly.

Good and bad on the work front. Good: New location is great, as is my new work space! We had a busy, positive week with students. Bad: We have a new student management system (online, of course) which was sold by administration as an improvement, and it is an absolute nightmare. Can't honestly remember when I've felt so frustrated at my work (and the remainder of the staff feels the same, including our clerical). Not a nice feeling, right at the start of the year.

I am listening to the first Montalbano book. I think I will be hooked. I love Grover Gardner as a narrator. I also have The Glorious Heresies out to be read this month. I usually get my Early Reviewer books read in a timely manner but I have two to read now. Bad Donna! I am not even looking at this month's books until I get completely caught up.

I hope you and Deb will be reading the Giller books and letting us know what ones to read. I wonder if they are available in the U.S. I'm familiar with a few of the authors but none of those titles.

>169 Donna828: Gardner is the best as a narrator for Montalbano! I'm sure you'll be hooked on the audio versions like the rest of us.

>169 Donna828: Tickled to hear that you are enjoying your first Montalbano, Donna. Grover Gardner is fabulous as a narrator! You've got lots of good reading lined up ... but that's never a problem around here, is it, LOL? Now, trying to keep up to the reading, that's another matter entirely.

Not familiar myself with the Giller list, but will be reading a couple based on authors Ive enjoyed.

>170 thornton37814: I agree!

HI Nancy, Where did summer go? Flashed by! Sorry to hear about your work frustrations. I remember when a new IEP format was introduced and it involved hours and hours of computer time. Ugh. Hope you're doing some happy reading.

Oh, sorry about the " new student management system. You are so adept at " computer stuff" that if you are having troubles, I can't imagine what it is like for your colleagues. Take care, Nancy.

>172 mdoris: Where did summer go? Indeed, Mary! Sounds like you can fully appreciate the idea of new and improved in terms of public education.

>173 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. It's definitely a challenging time.

61.
Did You Ever Have a Family?, Bill Clegg



Rating: 2.5/5

Book Summary: from Amazon.ca
On the eve of her daughter’s wedding, June Reid’s life is upended when a shocking disaster takes the lives of her daughter, her daughter’s fiancé, her ex-husband, and her boyfriend, Luke – her entire family, all gone in a moment. June is the only survivor.

My Review:
Did You Ever Have a Family has been well received, but it was not for me. Each chapter is narrated by a different character, all of whom have been touched by the central tragic incident – some closely and some more remotely. Trouble is I did not find any of the characters particularly memorable. The more remote characters I found myself easily losing track of, and I didn’t care enough to back-read to determine their place in the overall scheme of things. I’m not recommending this one, but I also don’t wish to dissuade – many others have thoroughly enjoyed it and given it a stellar rating.

Nice review, Nancy. I enjoyed Did You Ever Have a Family more than you did , but I understand your frustration with the characters. It has been year or more since I have read Did You Ever Have a Family, so I do not remember that precisely. Glad you got some reading time in.

I'm sorry that book didn't work for you Nancy, I'm one of those who loved it. Oh well, on to the next one right?

>175 lit_chick: Hi Nancy, Good review. So good to read an open, honest reaction to a book. Sometimes I feel a bit quilty writing a review of a book that has not been my "cup of tea". So I'm impressed to see an honest write up! Yes, thank goodness we are all different in our book tastes!

>176 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I remember you enjoyed Did You Ever Have a Family?, but as I said to Mary on her thread about a different book: if we all liked the same things all of the time, what a dull world it would be.

>177 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, so many readers here on LT loved this one. But you're absolutely right: on to the next one ...

>178 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I understand what you mean when a book turns out not to be one's cuppa, and it's been well-received and well-loved by so many other readers. But sometimes that just the way it goes! This is not the first such a novel that I've not liked, and I'm sure it won't be the last. We're all accomplished readers, and we all have our own tastes ...

>175 lit_chick: I was not one of those who enjoyed it. Like you, I gave it 2.5 stars. I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one.

Oh, yes, I totally agree that we all like different books. I only gave poor old Ruby 2.5 stars and I kind of sneaked around to do that. It likely deserved more stars, but I felt it went overboard with child sacrifice, sexual abuse etc that started to feel that the author was guilty of sensationalism. It was powerful book, but eventually I thought it went too far.

62.
The Kitchen House, Kathleen Grissom



Rating: 4/5

2010, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin

In early nineteenth century Virginia, Tall Oaks, the tobacco plantation of Captain James Pyke is thriving. It is to this “home,” where seven-year-old Lavinia – white and orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland – arrives to live and work as an indentured servant, along with the slaves of the kitchen house. Captain Pike assigns Lavinia to the care of Belle, his illegitimate daughter, and the young child becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family. In time, Lavinia is accepted into the society of the big house, the home of the Captain, his wife Martha, and his children, Lucy and Marshall. But all is not well: the Captain is most often away, his wife battles a crippling opium addiction, and Marshall – traumatized by the continued and despicable behaviour of a live-in tutor – becomes a hateful and violent young man. Lavinia finds herself in the dangerous position of straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are drawn into question, perilous secrets are disclosed, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a fabulous read, exceptionally narrated by Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin. The characters of Tall Oaks, expertly brought to life by Grissom, are ones I will not forget: Mama Mae, Papa George, Belle, the Captain, Marshall, and, of course, Lavinia. The idea of home and family being shared amongst those of different colour in the era of slavery is beautifully written. But it simultaneously sets one’s teeth on edge, so to speak – surely, such a circumstance is not only dangerous, but can only lead to tragedy. And so the page-turning suspense begins. Highly recommended.

Great review, Nancy. I loved The Kitchen House and I need to read the sequel. I am in awe of your listening skills. I am really not good at audio books. Glad your found a fabulous read!

Great comments on The Kitchen House, Nancy; another one to add to my list.

So glad I've read The Kitchen House so I do t have to add it to my TBR list. You will have to read Glory over Everything now. I liked it even better than the first one. I hope you are having a good week end, Nancy. Are the leaves turning color up your way?

>183 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Couldn't resist listening to Glory Over Everything immediately, so that's now in my iPod, and promising to be at least as good if not better!

>184 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, I think you would enjoy.

>185 Donna828: Hi Donna, I got the idea for The Kitchen House from your thread when you recently read and reviewed Glory Over Everything. Thanks for that! As I commented to Deb above, I just had to queue up Glory Over Everything immediately after finishing the first.

Weekend is lovely, as always. Yes, our leaves are turning colour. I'm a summer person and always hate to say goodbye to July/August, but we have beautiful autumns here, too.

Stopping by to say hi, Nancy . Your thread seems to have gone off the grid, I suppose due to your new student management system. I must tell you that the latest Flavia might be the best ever and I am sure your sister might agree ! How can you resist? :)

>187 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, you're absolutely right as to why my thread has dropped off the grid, groan. Makes me chuckle that you and now Kim are enjoying Flavia so much : ).

HI Nancy, Deborah has me convinced to hunt down the new Flavia. I have enjoyed the others and it's pretty hard once you start a series not to continure. Great that it might be the best ever. Hope all's well in your neck of the woods.

>189 mdoris: Hi May, I hope you enjoy the new Flavia! All's well here, after a very rough start to a new school year. I hope life finds you the same.

63.
Glory Over Everything, Kathleen Grisson



Rating: 4.5/5

2016, Simon & Schuster Audio, Read by Santino Fontana

Having thoroughly enjoyed Grissom’s The Kitchen House, I was compelled to immediately pick up Glory Over Everything. The novel follows the life of James Pyke, illegitimate child of Belle (from the former novel) and Marshall Pyke, heir to the Tall Oaks Plantation. James, whose skin is white, has been raised by his maternal grandmother in the big house – he knows nothing of his negro heritage until he is thirteen years old. Shortly thereafter, he murders Marshall – an unconscionably cruel man – and flees North, where he eventually inherits a prosperous silver business and lives amongst fine society in Philadelphia.

James falls in love with Caroline, a young woman from an aristocratic family, and, when she becomes pregnant, he is much alarmed (and rightfully so) that his true roots will be revealed. At the same time, James becomes guardian to young Pan, the son of Henry, a former acquaintance and slave who once saved James’ life. When Pan is stolen and sold into slavery, Pyke begins a treacherous journey via the Underground Railroad to recover his young ward. He will encounter persons from Tall Oaks, including some family members, but most notably Sukey. At the novel’s conclusion, both James and Pan will know an entirely new life.

What I Loved: Once Grissom introduced the Underground Railroad, I was completely enthralled and didn’t want to put the novel down. It was wonderful to be re-introduced to Sukey. And the novel’s conclusion made me want to stand up and cheer.

Highly recommended.

Taking a couple of hits here, Nancy! Thanks for bringing Grissom to my attention - especially as I wait for #U'grnd RR#!

>192 LizzieD: I think you will enjoy the Grissom novels, Peggy. I've requested The Underground Railroad from my local library, but I'm roughly 160, so that'll be a wait.

64.
The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier



Rating: 3.5/4

English 11 Novel Option: The Chocolate War. Summary from the back cover:

“Refusing to sell chocolates in the annual Trinity School fund-raiser may not seem like a radical thing to do. But when Jerry challenges a secret school society called The Vigils, his defiant act turns into an all-out war. Now the only question is: Who will survive?”

I’m not the target audience obviously, but The Chocolate War was a decent read. Themes include: bullying, peer pressure, power structure amongst teens, “pack” behaviour, and grief. Certainly the potential cruelty of teens comes across clearly, as well as the emotional turmoil that a victim of bullying experiences. In this case, the behaviour of some of the teachers, particularly Brother Leon, is also cruel and inappropriate. The novel dates itself when Jerry is accused of being “queer” – I wonder about the response of our contemporary adolescents in this regard. I like that Jerry consciously ponders the question, Do I dare disturb the universe?

Wonderful review of Glory Over Everything. I really loved The Kitchen House. GOE is on my radar, but I have a lot books in mind read right now. Glad you enjoyed The Chocolate War, not a book that has grabbed me as yet.

I hope things at school are sorting themselves out.

>191 lit_chick:, Just thumbed your review. Hope the school year start is settling down and you can have some clear sailing until Christmas! I'm all for keeping the stress levels down!

>195 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! You will enjoy Glory Over Everything. Yes, things at school are slowly being sorted.

>196 mdoris: Thanks, Mary, thumb appreciated! I so hear you about keeping the stress levels down!

Thanks for reminding me how much I liked Glory Over Everything, Nancy. Now we will have to patiently wait until the third of the trilogy comes out. I am hooked!

>198 Donna828: Hi Donna, I'm hooked, too! It was on your thread that I read about Glory Over Everything, and decided I wanted to read it, but The Kitchen House first. Wonderful novels!

Hi Nancy - Great comments on Glory Over Everything; I need to read THe Kitchen House!

Hi Nancy, hope all is well with you my dear, sending love and hugs.

Stopping by to wish you a good weekend, Nancy . Hope all is going well!

>200 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I think you'll enjoy both of the Grissom novels.

>201 johnsimpson: Love and hugs back to you, John.

>202 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Happy weekend to you, too. Trying to get some reading done!

65.
The Chosen, Chaim Potok



Rating: 3/5

English 11 Novel Option: The Chosen. Summary from Amazon.ca:

The Chosen is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again ...

The Chosen is certainly a respectable read, but it was not a novel I particularly enjoyed – more importantly, it is not a novel I see appealing to my English 11 students. Exploring the characters of Reuven, a modern Orthodox Jew, and Danny, a Hasidic Jew who feels trapped by tradition, it does teach to several important themes: tolerance, compassion, and friendship. But I found the passages, often several pages long, describing the process of studying the Talmud interminable. Potok also writes at length of the differences between the two boys’ fathers; on that note, I found Reb Saunders perfectly unlikeable. Favourite passage: "...the most important things that will happen to you will often come as a result of silly things...ordinary things. That is the way of the world."

Excellent review of The Chosen, Nancy. It must be a challenge to find novels that appeal and are appropriate to teach English 11 - 12 students. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, dear friend.

>205 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Sometimes it can be challenging to find appropriate novels, and, at other times, approved novels are plenty. The next one on the English 11 list I want to read is The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, too : ).

*waving hello*

>207 katiekrug: *waving hello* back to Katie : ).

Great review, Nancy. I think the movie adaptation was great, then I read the novel and I wasn't pulled in as I thought I would. How to fathom a man like Reb Saunders? What a strange world.

But I can recommend My Name is Asher Lev. It was much better, I think.

>209 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. I must see if my library has the movie, I'd be interested in watching. How to fathom a man like Reb Saunders? Exactly.

Oh, I think I remember you reading My Name is Asher Lev. I'll keep that one in mind.

Hi Nancy - Do you have a list you have to choose from for your students?

>211 BLBera: Hi Beth, any novels that we teach must be on an approved provincial resource list (acronym is ERAC, can never remember what it stands for).

66.
Treasure Hunt, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 4/5

2013, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Publisher’s Summary: from Audible.com
Inspector Montalbano is hailed as a hero after news cameras film him scaling a building, gun in hand, to capture a pair of unlikely snipers. Shortly thereafter the inspector begins to receive cryptic messages in verse from someone challenging him to a treasure hunt. Intrigued, he accepts, treating the messages as amusing riddles – until they take a dangerous turn.

My Review:
Treasure Hunt is an excellent, if particularly gruesome, mystery. Montalbano has an aha moment that begins the tale unraveling, as if falling dominoes – and the perpetrator is not one I would ever have suspected of such a crime. The venerable inspector and Livia continue to be a thing, but the relationship is not on firm ground. At one point, Livia accuses her lover of having Machiavellian ways when it comes to their relationship – and I don’t disagree. Catarella, ever confused, continues to delight.

Glad you are enjoying the Andrea Camilleri series, Nancy! Nice review. I expect it would be a challenge to find a book for your students. I checked LT and I have read The Memory Keeper's Daughter, but I did not review itand I gave it 3.5 stars. That means I found it to be a reasonable read - my 3.5 rating - but I forget what the book was about.

Seems like Montalbano is in over his head in both crime and passion. I wouldn't put my money on that relationship:)

I expect Grover Gardner delivers an excellent narration.

>214 vancouverdeb: Yes, not many more to go in the Montalbano series, Deb. I'll have to start renting the DVDs from our library and getting my Montalbano fix that way, LOL! Thanks for your input on The Memory Keeper's Daughter ... still have to get to that one. Was going to start it a couple nights ago, but then The Chisellers and The Granny came in at the library, so, you know, priorities ... (the Agnes Browne novels were another great rec from you!).

>215 ctpress: LOL, Carsten, you make me chuckle. I also would not put any money on the intrepid inspector's relationship with Livia. Grover Gardner is one of those narrators who is perfectly natural, just sublime for the Camilleri books.

Thanks to Deb for the Governor General's SL:



Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien
The Break, Katherena Vermette
The Parcel, Anosh Irani
Willem de Kooning's Paintbrush, Kerry Lee Powell
Yiddish for Pirates, Gary Barwin

Oh, you always find the fancy images, Nancy! The Wonder came in from the library today ( I was on the hold list 0 , but I'm still reading Leaving Everything Most Loved. " My eyes are bigger than my stomach" as far books go these days! :) Too many want to reads vs too little time, which you know all to well. I did enjoy The Memory Keeper's Daughter.

The Wonder came in for me at library today too! I'm also suffering from my reading eyes being too big for my belly. I also just got The Trespasser by Tana French to review. Two of my fav authors!

>219 raidergirl3: Hey there Elizabeth, great to see you! I hope to get to The Wonder in a day or two ( crosses fingers ).

>218 vancouverdeb: My eyes are bigger than stomach as far as books go these days! Now there's a keeper of a line, Deb! I can wholly relate!

>219 raidergirl3: And another keeper of a line: I'm also suffering from my reading eyes being too big for my belly. You ladies are on a roll this morning! Enjoy the new Tana French, Elizabeth.

>220 vancouverdeb: I'm going to have to put The Wonder on request at the library (if I haven't already and just forgotten about it, speaking of reading eyes and bellies, LOL).

Me too with the BIG eyes! I am glancing sideways and seeing the big pile that I recently bought. I bought some goodies! In my new locale I will have to purchase more as the library system has way more pressure. Deborah has said that I should "splash out" and I did. Just started All's Quiet on the Western Front from the local 2nd. hand bookstore which is a gem, the store that is but I think the book will be too. Happy reading!

The Wonder had a very interesting book review (a long one) in a recent New Yorker (Sept. 19th) "Art of Starvation". It made me want to read the book. I was one of those people who tried The Room many times before I was able to carry on with it and I'm sure glad I did.

>222 mdoris: Hi Mary, I'm delighted to hear you splashed out! Our lovely Deb is full of great suggestions! All Quiet on the Western Front is one of my top reads of all time. Must look for the review of The Wonder ... had to check to see whether or not I had requested this from the library, and I am in the queue.

Always glad to " enable ." :) Splashed out, did you, Mary? Good for you! Like Nancy, All Quiet on the Western Front is one of my favourite reads. Carrie was just on my thread and convinced me to " splash out " on A Dangerous Place by merely mentioning it.

LT is a very dangerous place! Happy Thanksgiving , Nancy and Mary! Dave is of course working for the Thanksgiving weekend, my son and his wife have headed to Hong Kong for a week, and my mom headed out to my brother's place in Barrie ON and from there to Cuba for a week. Either I will have a pleasantly quiet Thanksgiving , or else I will try to pull together something small for my sister and my other son. I've yet to decide.

>224 vancouverdeb: Delighted to hear you've taken your own advice and done some splashing out of your own, Deb! Can't go wrong with Maisie Dobbs. I'm just about through another of hers, too: The Mapping of Love and Death. And I'm about to post a review of another rec I took from you: The Chisellers.

You've got a busy family! I'm planning on a lovely quiet Thanksgiving, and looking forward to it.

67.
The Chisellers, Brendan O'Carroll



Rating: 4.5/5

Agnes Browne, O’Carroll’s loveable heroine, returns with her seven children – whom she affectionately calls the chisellers. Readers: prepare for another family adventure as mother and children struggle to make their way in the world, with varying degrees of success. As if raising seven children single-handedly does not keep our heroine busy enough, she is devastated to learn the family will be forced out of its tenement home in the name of urban renewal. The Brownes are moving to Finglas, a suburb some eight miles away – though for Agnes, they might be moving to another continent.

“Agnes still hated the thought of leaving Dublin’s city centre. She had been born, christened, reared, confirmed, wooed, kissed and wed within a one-mile radius of James Larkin Court, and although all her furniture and personal things were carefully packed and ready for the move, Agnes knew that the memories encapsulated in that one-mile circle could not be taken out to the country.” (114)

Fortunately, Pierre, Agnes’ persistent suitor, is on hand to console her. And, on the joyous occasion of a family wedding, he does more than that, when the two hilariously celebrate “with yet another bottle of champagne, and a couple of 'organisms' thrown in for good measure." (168) Of course, in addition to joyous occasions, life will have it way with tears and heartbreak – and, amidst the joys and victories of The Chisellers, Agnes and her family are delivered their share.

Loves this! and look forward to the next in ther series, The Granny. Highly recommended!

Argh! My TickerFactory stopped working; it won't add +1 for my latest read. Has anyone else had this trouble?

Yes, I had that trouble last weekend. I tried a couple of time and nothing happened. Then a couple days later my ticker updated itself as I had tried to do. So, maybe just leave it and let it update in it's " own time." I know John Simpson had the same problem around the time I had the problem. Sorry for your trouble.

Great review of The Chisellers . Maybe I'll start calling my sons my little chisellers! :)

To better explain, I went on the ticker site, and it would not update my count. But I tried twice, nothing happened, so I gave up. A day or two later - lo and behold, my ticker had updated itself . So it seems to have a delay off and on .

I'm another with ticker slowness, Nancy, but it's eventually updated every time.

Happy Thanksgiving to Nancy and to Deborah. Ours will be somewhat quiet too with family far flung.

When our kids were little, I would get exasperated on occasion and in moments of shameful loss of self control would call them "little sh--bags". Now with children of their own (with the associated frustrations) they love the memories of my name calling and understand it a wee bit better! So "the Chisellers", a milder form but understandable too!

>228 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I wrote on your thread that I thought you had mentioned "ticker trouble" but then I couldn't find the post. What you describe is exactly what's happening with mine, so hopefully it will update on its own, eventually.

LOVE that you'll call your sons your little big (?) chisellers!

>229 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy. Hopefully later today mine will have updated as well.

>230 mdoris: Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Mary, and thank you. Oh you made me laugh with your little sh**bags, LOL! All done lovingly, and in good fun, of course!

68.
The Mapping of Love and Death, Jacqueline Winspear



Rating: 4.5/5

2011, Harper Collins, Read by Orlagh Cassidy

Publisher’s Summary: from Audible.com
August 1914. Michael Clifton is mapping the land he has just purchased in California’s beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, certain that oil lies beneath its surface. But as the young cartographer prepares to return home to Boston, war is declared in Europe. Michael—the youngest son of an expatriate Englishman—puts duty first and sails for his father’s native country to serve in the British army. Three years later, he is listed among those missing in action.

April 1932. Maisie Dobbs is retained by Michael’s parents, who have recently learned that their son’s remains have been unearthed in France. They want Maisie to find the unnamed nurse whose love letters were among Michael’s belonging. Her inquiries, and the stunning discovery that Michael Clifton was murdered in his trench, unleash a web of intrigue and violence that threatens to engulf the soldier’s family and even Maisie herself. Over the course of her investigation, Maisie must cope with the approaching loss of her mentor, Maurice Blanche, and her growing awareness that she is once again falling in love.

My Review:
The Maisie Dobbs series does indeed just keep getting better! Winspear writes eloquently of Maisie’s personal experience as she investigates the matter of love and death in a time of war – naturally, the case takes her back to the years she herself spent abroad employed as a nurse during WWI – to the time she met and fell in love with Simon. The sense of family unity portrayed through the Cliftons is endearing, and also makes the loss of Michael the more sad. Billy and Doreen Beale are building a secure home life again, with Doreen getting back on her feet after her decline into depression following little Lizzie’s loss – and they have some wonderful news to share.

Dr Maurice Blanche, who took Maisie under his wing so many years ago and became her mentor, is about to leave this world. And here Winspear’s writing excels. Maisie’s final days with Maurice are so touching. Just as Blanche changed the course of Maisie’s life remarkably at the time she was but an adolescent – he will change her life again. This time, perhaps even more remarkably. And, on that note, I must now read the next in the series to see what immediate decisions, if any, Maisie will make given her new circumstances.

Recommended: Yes, the entire series! Particularly to those interested in the era of the WWI and WWII. The strength of the series is Winspear’s decision to write a strong female lead, particularly in a time when women were not employed as psychologists and certainly not as investigators.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends here on LT!

>157 lit_chick: that one looks interesting. I hear post-crash Ireland and think, crash? Or was that clash? Oh yeah that's right, recent history. I like it when fiction comes in and fleshes out the real issues of lives. The news just doesn't cut it for that. (>226 lit_chick: reading on a theme!?)

>204 lit_chick: one of my fave authors, but not one for everyone. Very introspective.

>234 LovingLit: I did the same thing, Megan, with crash/clash and Glorious Hersies; it certainly does come in and flesh out the real issues of lives.

If you love Chaim Potok, you'll love The Chosen, I expect. I want to read My Name is Asher Lev.

Hi Nancy, I just did a speedy catch-up and got hit with two book bullets.
I'm also a fan of Potok, like Megan, but I agree he's not for everyone. I like the conflict between family and belief and the coming of age. I first came across his work as a high school senior when I substituted it for something else on the AP reading list.

Happy Thanksgiving, Nancy :)

And bravo on the two strikes with both the Agnes Browne-series and Maisie Dobbs-series.

I have to admit I'm only skimming the Maisie Dobbs-review as I hope to get on with the series at some point. I don't want any details of her life unfolding. Curious, but have to read myself :)

a footnote: Good reviews coming out here in Denmark for the new Department Q novel "Selfies" - I'm lagging behind in that series too.

Wonderful review of The Mapping of Love and Death, Nancy! I just finished Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear and even though I'm quite a " hard eyed reader " - you'll never find me crying over a book, I must admit my eyes misted over just a touch. It is such a wonderful series and I find I get myself so involved with all of the characters.

Happy Thanksgiving, Nancy!

>236 nittnut: Hi Jenn, always happy to be of service where book bullets are concerned. Thanks for sharing your experience with Potok.

>237 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. I know you will get to the Maisie Dobbs series when time permits, and I predict it is obe you will really enjoy.

I like the sound of the Danish reviews for Selfies. Will have to wait for that one to becone availabe in Canada. Department Q rocks!

>238 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Sometimes I feel like one of your literary students ... often all the reading I get done has come to me via recommendations from you. Good thing you have good taste, LOL. I understand your response to the latest MD you read: Winspear is a fine wtiter.

LOL Nancy! I think you might be apt to want to take me aside for some grammar and punctuation lessons, never mind spelling! Somehow I've really lost my ability over the years, despite reading. Dangling participles ,misplaced modifiers, where to put the comma? so many !!!! that I just can't help. You are so kind . I rather think I should be in one of your remedial English classes. Even my kids give me a hard time , suggesting that I might actually be an ESL student.

>239 lit_chick: & >240 vancouverdeb: I think you both write splendidly and your recommendations are always followed closely. Deb, I really missed all those trademark !!!!!!!'s when you had your sabbatical from us a year or two back. xx

Have a lovely weekend, Nancy. Btw, Where the heck is Carsten these days?

>240 vancouverdeb: Harumph! Your chisellers think you might actually be an ESL student? Well, I never, LOL!

>241 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I missed Deb terribly too the year she was on sabbatical. Carsten has been a very busy man this past while. Speaking of missing wonderful LT friends ...

Hi Nancy, Happy Thanksgiving my dear.

I had problems with my tickers and now it seems that rather than updating immediately it takes a short while now to update, I can cope with this as long as it updates.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Nancy.

>243 johnsimpson: Thanks, John. My ticker did eventually update, too.

>244 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.

Just letting your know that The Wonder is a page turner! Not yet sure if it is a piece of truly fabulous Can Lit, but a good read that I think you will enjoy.

Edited to add - the kids have told me to update from "ESL" to "ELL" - apparently the new designation. :) I don't think they would even know what I meant if I called them" little chisellers." My daughter in law has given me "social media lessons' as she calls them. It is possible I am too easy going, or possibly the fact that I tend to dissolve in laughter when my kids chide me, might have something to do with it.

Not to say I can't give a good stern lecture with the best of them. But mostly I try to stay on their side, so to speak.

>246 vancouverdeb: Woohoo, I'm excited about The Wonder, Deb! I found Room to be a page turner too, though I know you were not so fond of it.

Yes, I know about the new designation of ELL, but that's splitting hairs, LOL! Make me chuckle that your DIL is giving you social media lessons. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that ...

>246 vancouverdeb:, >247 lit_chick: hmm. We use EAL for 'acquired'. Is ELL for English as a learned language? I teach EAL students, but I have them for math or physics which is easier since numbers are numbers!

>248 raidergirl3: Hi Elizabeth, ELL is English Language Learners.

Thanks, Nancy. I was close! Keeping track of the acronyms is hard. They change the ELL letters as often as they change for STDs. I know they have new letters now, but I haven't kept up.

Oh the social media lessons! :) At first I was taken aback, but then my second social media lesson took place as we were out of dinner in a relatively small restaurant. Afterward Serenade, my daughter - in - law , said to me that she had noticed a lot of people frowning at her while she was giving me my social media lesson and had I noticed? I had not noticed since I was trying to be a " good student "and paid rapt attention. Since that time the social media lessons have ceased. Essentially I was told that I must not ever befriend one of Serenade's friends. I had not really planned to do so on Instagram or Facebook, but I had noticed a fellow who is a really good photographer and asked after "Slictor" to my son and daughter in law. I asked - who is that? That is when the social media lessons began. :) Oh I chuckle. I argued that my mom is on facebook and she has befriended my friends and should I tell her that she cannot do that? Serenade argued that my mom is an " elder" so that's how it is. I asked am I not your elder? Anyway, I am careful not to befriend any of their friends and also to not comment on their stuff. It's all good. I am glad William married a girl that feels comfortable with me. I'd much rather he married a woman of substance than an airhead, even if sometime she oversteps the line a wee bit. I make that mistake myself. :) She does have a good sense of humour and and is very thoughtful is most ways.
Kids!

>250 raidergirl3: Oh, Elizabeth, you made me laugh: They change the ELL letters as often as they change for STDs. Too true!

>251 vancouverdeb: Deb, you made me chuckle, too. Oh my goodness! Yes, I like the argument that you are your children's elder ... how does that not work, when it works for your mom, according to Serenade? I'd have a hard time keeping up with such lessons, LOL. Btw, have meant to say previously and don't know whether I have, Serenade is a beautiful name. And, yes, perish the thought of an airhead marrying into the family!

69.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards



Rating: 3.5/5

English 11 Novel Option: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Summary from Amazon.ca:

… on a winter night in 1964 in Lexington, Kentucky, a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is a respectable read, well-enough written. I did find it very repetitive (and annoying) in terms of the author continually pointing out the emotions of the characters – the characters’ actions spoke for their emotions, the telling wasn’t necessary. That said, the story kept me reading, and I think it is one that will appeal to some of my English 11 students – and this was my motivation for reading it.

>253 lit_chick: I read that book ages & ages ago. I remember liking it and probably would have rated it about the same as you, but this was pre-LT. I can see it being a great choice for your students, one that inspires discussion.

Hi Nancy, hope all is well with you my dear, sending love and hugs dear friend.

Nice review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I agree, it is likely a great choice for your students. Tell your students that it is either that or Social Media Lessons 101 and 102 as my daughter in law taught me. Remember that she also teaches school ;) I believe that the Social Media Lessons were to be more ongoing, but I think the restaurant experience changed all of that. ( Not that I noticed .) LOL!

>254 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura, appreciate your remarks on The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I also think it will inspire some good discussion.

>255 johnsimpson: Love and hugs back to you and Karen, John.

>256 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I think you and Serenade need to write a joint BLOG, perhaps entitled Social Media: Children and Elders' Restaurant Edition Now that's something I'd sign up for immediately, LOL!