I found myself liking and rooting for every single character. I was so pleased with how each loose end was tied up in this novel. I loved how friends I found myself liking and rooting for every single character. I was so pleased with how each loose end was tied up in this novel. I loved how friends Clementine and Erika both "choose marriage." I thought Liane did a great job of drawing the nuances of being an adult and a child, having responsibilities and dreams but also wanting a break and some madness for awhile. I liked how the dysfunctions of people's backgrounds could actually be helpful to them as adults. This is my favorite book, by this author, that I have read....more
I like this couple so much, Kaveri and Ramu, and their progressive views. I like how they solve the mystery together, using their strengths. The seconI like this couple so much, Kaveri and Ramu, and their progressive views. I like how they solve the mystery together, using their strengths. The secondary characters are very helpful, also. A neighbor named Uma aunty and a constable named Ismail. The setting is Bangalore, India, in the 1920s. I found Kaveri's dictionary most helpful on p. 272 and p. 273. When the murderer was found out, it was very frightening. I am patiently awaiting the second book!...more
A fast thriller...everyone has a reason to want the demise of the groom. But how the characters' motives are revealed slowly but surely is so great. AA fast thriller...everyone has a reason to want the demise of the groom. But how the characters' motives are revealed slowly but surely is so great. And I honestly did not know who the killer was...but when they were revealed it made perfect sense! This would make a super film! The setting of the rugged island was cool....more
The great Meryl Streep and a cast of over 30 voice actors made this a wonderful experience for me! I listened to it all at once while I followed alongThe great Meryl Streep and a cast of over 30 voice actors made this a wonderful experience for me! I listened to it all at once while I followed along with the book (and did laps). It was a great way to spend a winter's morning. This book was simply made to be read aloud! I joined the Timmins book group in the afternoon to talk about it and then watch the 1970s cartoon version, so fun!...more
I loved the voice of the narrator Jacob (I listened to this) who keeps having new, big changes in his life. His mother gives birth to triplet girls, a I loved the voice of the narrator Jacob (I listened to this) who keeps having new, big changes in his life. His mother gives birth to triplet girls, a nanny is hired to help, and eventually he is able to have a dog. The last sentence of the book is "My life begins and my life begins and my life begins." I love that he works through many of his feelings toward the triplets by writing compositions about them in school. Great! ...more
After reading a Joe Grey book by this author I studied her somewhat and found out that she wrote this picture book. So I was curious and it was availaAfter reading a Joe Grey book by this author I studied her somewhat and found out that she wrote this picture book. So I was curious and it was available in Infosoup! I would describe the story as fantastical and wispy. It reminded me of selkies or any other natural creature that can shape shift and marry a human. In this case, the wind is the natural partner. They have a child who looks for their true love one day. Sometimes we seek like and sometimes we seek opposite. ...more
The message of the book, overall, is that beauty is more than skin deep. I liked that. I enjoyed the characters, especially the feeling of family creaThe message of the book, overall, is that beauty is more than skin deep. I liked that. I enjoyed the characters, especially the feeling of family created on the ranch. Read for a book group....more
My friend Deloris Clausen recommended this book to me on Friday, February 17, 2023 and she passed on Saturday, February 18, 2023. I read it as a tribuMy friend Deloris Clausen recommended this book to me on Friday, February 17, 2023 and she passed on Saturday, February 18, 2023. I read it as a tribute to her. She said, "This is a weird one, Elizabeth. The cats are able to use cellphones, talk, and give hints to the police about the crimes. But I think you would like it." I thought she was recommending it to me based on the fact that it had cats in it. But there were also references to Scottish & Irish folklore about cats being very powerful in the past. It was interesting stuff. I would not have picked this up w/o her suggestion. My difficulty was keeping all the characters and all the cats straight. And it was obvious that this was from a series since it referred to past plot points not contained in this volume. I was curious about the author and read about her online. She, unfortunately, passed last year in 2022 @ the age of 94. She had quite a body of work! And, clearly, quite the imagination!...more
I really like the memoir genre. Folks are just so interesting and I like to read about how they look at their own lives, through their own lenses. ThiI really like the memoir genre. Folks are just so interesting and I like to read about how they look at their own lives, through their own lenses. This book was no exception. It was fantastic to read about how Hannah has gotten to where she is and the challenges she has had. Favorite quotes from the book: p. 181 I thoroughly understood the way that life is like an undertow for people who aren't tethered to the world properly. p. 182 Homosexuality might have been legalised the year before but it was clear, even to me, that changing laws do not magically change minds. p. 217 "I don't think there is much point in complaining about the fact that humans really do judge books by their covers; what I find so shitty is the way people will always blame a book for being an exception to a rule before they ever stop and think: 'Hey, maybe my gross generalisation might be wrong!' " p.225 They say that comedy is trauma plus time. p. 281 On the one hand, having artists compete for a prestigious award is a great way to draw attention to an artform and even elevate it in the minds of people beyond the bubble of the industry. On the other hand, naming a "winner" of an artform takes subjective decisions steeped in bias and repositions them as objective, measurable facts. Which is a very big part of why people who don't like my work can reach the conclusion that I must not be funny. But all it actually means is that they don't like my work, and I don't like them. Hooray for opinions. p. 295 I didn't need a pamphlet to understand that the 'conservative' side were already engaging in the same kind of hate-mustering that they did when I was a kid, taking advantage of the desperation of struggling communities, and distracting them with an invitation to channel their frustrations toward the gay community, who all seemed to be living a very lovely life in the cities. We know that there is a strong correlation between low literacy levels and homophobia. But instead of investing in education, leaders were investing in hate, again. I knew that the complexity of this kind of social change was never going to get the care it needed under the kind of combative leadership style that drives the Australian political landscape. And it was breaking me. ***The breaks in the book were very cleverly titled such as, "STOP! FUN FACT TIME" or "STOP! POLITICS TIME"...more
The first part was super intriguing where the main character (an author) had written a flip book where one half was fiction and one half was non-fictiThe first part was super intriguing where the main character (an author) had written a flip book where one half was fiction and one half was non-fiction. I thought this concept was genius. But in the book, one of the reasons that publishers refused to publish it was that book store owners and librarians would not know where to shelve it...fiction or non-fiction, lol...give us a little credit! The story moves on to main character Henry building a relationship with another Henry who is a taxidermist. Obviously the symbolism here was that the other Henry was the main Henry's "dark side". Beatrice and Virgil are a stuffed howler monkey and donkey that is owned by the taxidermist Henry. (I took a break to read about the book and I learned that it is an allegory for the Holocaust. I decided to finish the book to see how that could be.) The last part of the book definitely gets violent and sad. This was a very different book but I was glad to complete it as I never did finish THE LIFE OF PI. Also, a huge insight for me was to learn that the author is a philosopher. Meaningful quotes and I had read the Large Print edition: p.42 There's nothing like the unimaginable to make people believe. p. 61 We thrive or wither depending on how nourishing our environment is. p. 98 But sometimes art comes from a secret self....more
Good news: nothing bad happens to the dog in this story! This is a terrific book for building empathy: 1) What is it like for a family living out of theGood news: nothing bad happens to the dog in this story! This is a terrific book for building empathy: 1) What is it like for a family living out of their car? 2) What is it like for a bum "living rough" in the woods? 3) What is it like for a hoarder? I know this is definitely from my adult perspective. But because my home is my sanctuary and enables me to go out into the world to achieve and succeed, I am always thinking about people's living conditions. ...more
I am a sucker for romance, even if it is between a mouse and a mole, ha ha. These two reviews on the sleeve say it better than me: Kirkus Reviews: "The I am a sucker for romance, even if it is between a mouse and a mole, ha ha. These two reviews on the sleeve say it better than me: Kirkus Reviews: "The friendly, cooperative tone of the text is reminiscent of the Frog and Toad series." School Library Journal: "These two are a lovely addition to the pantheon of easy-reader pals."...more
An interesting exploration of faith. The author reads the book. As usual with Perry, the book is punctuated with laugh out loud moments. I loved the pAn interesting exploration of faith. The author reads the book. As usual with Perry, the book is punctuated with laugh out loud moments. I loved the protagonist Harley Jackson....more
This is a book about finding the joy even in the face of a disaster. Lovely. A tornado comes through and then a family finds happiness by playing withThis is a book about finding the joy even in the face of a disaster. Lovely. A tornado comes through and then a family finds happiness by playing with bubbles. So very sweet and hopeful. ...more
The kind of book that you know the ending from the beginning but wander along to see how you get there. It reads like a Hallmark movie which makes senThe kind of book that you know the ending from the beginning but wander along to see how you get there. It reads like a Hallmark movie which makes sense since the author loves those. The setting is the inside view of the publishing world which is a lot of fun. In this case, there is a very good author (DUSTY) who has doubts about her writing and needs encouragement from her agent. Her agent is Nora and Nora’s love interest is an editor named Charlie. They both happen to land in an idyllic small town called Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August. It is there, with some other characters, that they save a local bookstore. Charming! The cleverest detail I liked was that both Charlie and Nora liked the fragrance called BOOK: “A cedarwood and amber blend called BOOK, meant to summon images of sunbathed shelves and worn pages.” A 2022 Christmas present from Jill Mahlik, thank you!...more
I would love to read this aloud and discuss it with kids. John and Marta are a compassionate couple who enter the world of foster care because of a stI would love to read this aloud and discuss it with kids. John and Marta are a compassionate couple who enter the world of foster care because of a strange experience that happened to them. A mute boy was just dropped off at their house one day and they brought him in and nurtured and loved him. The book is about how curious people can help one another out. And that investing in people, at any age, is worthwhile. Imbued with the lovely spirit that is SHARON CREECH. *I think children would relate to the thoughts that John and Marta were having and how much they desired to "get it right." On p. 67 when they discuss hollering and whipping, and reject both, I thought that was just great!...more
Classic Koontz. Good versus evil. We care about the characters of Katie and Libby when we learn their back stories. We also fall in love with a fox whClassic Koontz. Good versus evil. We care about the characters of Katie and Libby when we learn their back stories. We also fall in love with a fox whimsically named Michael J after, you guessed it, Michael J Fox. There is strife and tension all the way up until the end of the book. At that point Katie, Libby and Michael J have formed a little family of sorts. Then they are absorbed into a larger one that wants to help them out. The evil monstrosity from outer space, Moloch (specifically named meaning: a Canaanite deity associated in biblical sources with the practice of child sacrifice) is a hideous force that can absorb matter, change it, and spit it back out to keep multiplying. The secret operation of scientists that were studying it had not fully understood what it was/is capable of. Which definitely opens up the possibility of another book regarding Moloch! My favorite quotes: p. 217 What good is genius without humility? What value does it have if it isn't married undivorceable to kindness and empathy? p. 333 People are books of a kind, each one a story. Sometimes, with no more than a glance or a gesture or a poignant word, they turn a page for you and reveal a deeper truth about themselves than you've seen beofre. p. 405 Although she is unable to adequately explain what she means by this, she seeks to paint the full beauty of a thing, the beauty lying within as well as what an eye can see, for it is in the beauty of nature that the why of all things is coded for us to decipher if we can. ...more
This important book is a BATTLE OF THE BOOKS book. It is non-fiction about a librarian named Mrs. Breed, in San Diego, who kept in touch with her younThis important book is a BATTLE OF THE BOOKS book. It is non-fiction about a librarian named Mrs. Breed, in San Diego, who kept in touch with her young patrons who were imprisoned in Japanese internment camps. Librarians are like that! They care about their patrons! At the end of the book are the historical artifacts that back up the story. There is a special adult reunion picture of Mrs. Breed along with Louise Ogawa and Katherine Tasaki Segawa who are two of the children featured in the book. We learn a lot about the conditions of the children from the words they use in writing their letters. I used this title for READ ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, 2023. ...more
A priceless giggly book for a frigid day. Cow dresses for winter during Spring, Summer and Fall. When winter comes around, her confusion puts her in tA priceless giggly book for a frigid day. Cow dresses for winter during Spring, Summer and Fall. When winter comes around, her confusion puts her in the mood for summer dressing...a lot of us are thinking about summer today! I used this title for READ ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, 2023....more
Hilarious! Fun verses to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching". Seeing progressively more and more Petes on the pages tickles the funny bone!Hilarious! Fun verses to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching". Seeing progressively more and more Petes on the pages tickles the funny bone!...more
A patron asked today for a good read aloud about camping. I consider this a CLASSIC! It is laugh out loud funny when the bear mistakes the hitch for aA patron asked today for a good read aloud about camping. I consider this a CLASSIC! It is laugh out loud funny when the bear mistakes the hitch for a marshmallow! This book is in rhyme and has wonderful vocabulary included. ...more
Pondering and flexing the age old question: are our lives pre/ordained (?) and if so, can we chart them through tarot readings (if we really want to kPondering and flexing the age old question: are our lives pre/ordained (?) and if so, can we chart them through tarot readings (if we really want to know our futures) ? The protagonist Ann is so interesting as are the three prominent characters she works with at the CLOISTERS: Patrick and Rachel and Leo. A first book for this author, fabulous story and writing. Combination romance and thriller, there are two big surprises at the end of the book and both of them give us pause about Ann. Favorite paragraph, bottom of p. 269 “And it wasn’t just the city, either. Rachel and Leo had shown me a different way of living, and for that, I had fallen in love with both of them. Standing at the edge of the window, looking across the lake, I was caught between the desire to destroy it all and hold on to it forever. The impulses were, I thought, the same....more
Penguin is from Antarctica and Polar Bear is from the Arctic. They agree to meet in the middle. Thus begins a fantastic study in the geography of NortPenguin is from Antarctica and Polar Bear is from the Arctic. They agree to meet in the middle. Thus begins a fantastic study in the geography of North and South America. The character of the arctic tern makes it all happen. Delightful!...more
Demon Copperhead is the protagonist of this book which is patterned after DAVID COPPERFIELD by Charles Dickens. Kingsolver does an amazing job of moviDemon Copperhead is the protagonist of this book which is patterned after DAVID COPPERFIELD by Charles Dickens. Kingsolver does an amazing job of moving the story from London to Appalachia. She addresses the ruthlessness and tenderness of life, in modern times, during the opiate drug crisis. (Demon even talks about Dickens! See quote below from p. 374!) She nails the male voice of Demon which I find astounding & outstanding. Kingsolver had lots of fun with naming all of the characters in her book, by the way. Demon is considered lucky at birth because an old wives tale says he will never drown (because of the manner in which he entered the world). This comes back up again in the book a couple of times. Because Demon’s voice is so believable and strong, I found myself respecting and falling in love with the same characters that he did. I especially loved Maggot and Tommy and I loved Angus from the moment she was introduced. (She reminded me so much of a character that might be created by author John Irving.) I was so pleased with how kind Angus and Demon were to one another. And I was very happy with the ending of this book because of their lovely relationship. Demon’s wish to see the ocean seemed like it would finally be fulfilled! I was glad of Demon’s blossoming talent of storytelling through drawings (graphic novels in the modern age), this was a clever character trait. p. 281 I was born to wish for more than I can have. No little fishing hole for Demon, he wants the whole ocean. And on from there, as regards the man-overboard. I came late to getting my brain around the problem of me, and still yet might not have. The telling of this tale is supposed to make it come clear. It’s a disease, a lot of people tell you that now, be they the crushed souls under repair at NA meetings or the doctors in buttoned-up sweaters. Fair enough. But where did it come from, this wanting disease? From how I got born, or the ones that made me, or the crowd I ran with later? Everybody warns about bad influences, but it’s these things already inside you that are going to take you down. The restlessness in your gut, like tomcats gone stupid with their blood feuds, prowling around in the moon-dead dark. The hopeless wishes that won’t quit stalking you: some perfect words you think you could say to somebody to make them see you, and love you, and stay. p.288 Fast Forward was proof that a kid could keep his head up and survive, no matter how shitty the waters. He’d called me a diamond. I don’t know what he could do for Maggot. It just seemed like this was a situation for Fast Man. p.335 (Angus) You don’t have to trade one cockup for another one. What about like, trading up? Just get this shit over with, looking to better times ahead. p.359 The whole idea of the sermon was how people connect up in various ways, seen and unseen, and that Mr. Peg had tied a lot of knots in the big minnow seine that keeps us all together. Dead but still there, in other words. p. 374 Likewise the Charles Dickens one, seriously old guy, dead and a foreigner, but Christ Jesus did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over and nobody giving a rat’s ass. You’d think he was from around here. p. 424 Certain pitiful souls around here see whiteness as their last asset that hasn’t been totaled or repossessed. p.432 (Miss Annie) One other person can go a long way towards making your world right but the support has to run both ways. p. 496 I thought about what Rose said, wanting to see the rest of us hurt, because she was hurting. You have to wonder how much of the world’s turning is fueled by that very fire. p. 499 (June) It’s not NATURAL for boys to lose their minds. It happens because they’ve had too many things taken away from them. ...more
Holy cow! Brilliant number 18 in the Three Pines series. All of these fragments come cascading down from the first 17 books. And yet Louise Penny alwaHoly cow! Brilliant number 18 in the Three Pines series. All of these fragments come cascading down from the first 17 books. And yet Louise Penny always manages to provide cohesion…it is just remarkable. Three things I had to “fact check” and all true: the massacre in 1989 at the Ecole Polytechnique; the engineer rings given as reminders to do good work; the painting called THE PASTON TREASURE. I was mystified by the subplots and trying to place who was who (really). Again, the writing rocks: P.182 Auden, Evil is unspectacular and always human. And shares our bed and eats at our own table. P.187 She was punished for many things, including being happy. So I wanted to capture that. The power of it. Happiness as an act of defiance. A revolutionary act. P.202 More Auden, And we are introduced to Goodness every day. Even in drawing rooms, among a crowd of faults. P.204 Was this the spot where an exhausted, emaciated, frightened woman, condemned for being strong and wise and independent, had stopped running? P.212 Everyone, he knew, had one. A locked room. Either in their home, or their head, or their heart. Where things that should never see the light of day lived, and waited. For their chance to escape. P.231 It was the bridge. Painted at the very moment it collapsed. Tiny flailing figures were dropping into the cold waters of the St. Lawrence River below. P.266 But now, as the sun rose higher and the scent of lilac filled the air, Jean/Guy looked around at the peaceful village and began to see that maybe the belief in goodness wasn’t a blind spot. It was a bright spot. P. 315 The engineer’s ring, a symbol of what could happen when mistakes were made, was now used to taunt Gamache with his own mistakes. And the deaths that resulted. P.332 It forced him to go deep inside his own cave. And look at what stinking, putrid, rancid creature was curled up there. Watching and waiting....more
I picked this up at the library book sale. Nostalgia. I remember when Andrew Greeley was a BIG deal, especially in Chicago. The stereotypes of the youI picked this up at the library book sale. Nostalgia. I remember when Andrew Greeley was a BIG deal, especially in Chicago. The stereotypes of the young couple falling in love, the Irish/American man and the Russian woman are so broad as to be laughable. Still, there is a sweetness to the story that comes from the attraction of a person with deep faith. Something to contemplate. ...more
This is a gorgeous book about the magic of going to the theater to see THE NUTCRACKER. The illustrations have lots of red and gold in them (colors of This is a gorgeous book about the magic of going to the theater to see THE NUTCRACKER. The illustrations have lots of red and gold in them (colors of the season). The words capture all the sounds you would hear on such a night from loud anticipation to the reverent hush. The book is infused with the excitement and joy of such an evening. This book was a wonderful conversation starter at story time...adults wanted to speak about their magical interactions with the play, also. Wonderful!...more
An alligator joins the dance studio where the children name her Tanya! (After a famous ballerina.) The instructor and kids work around Tanya's deficitAn alligator joins the dance studio where the children name her Tanya! (After a famous ballerina.) The instructor and kids work around Tanya's deficits. And then Tanya takes what she has learned back to the swamp. Charming!...more
I was very impressed with this simplified version of THE NUTCRACKER for the younger set. If I was taking a young child to the play, I would use this bI was very impressed with this simplified version of THE NUTCRACKER for the younger set. If I was taking a young child to the play, I would use this book to introduce them to what was going to happen beforehand. Very good!...more
This is the 13th book in the series and very enjoyable. I would recommend reading in order for the back stories of the characters. However, the authorThis is the 13th book in the series and very enjoyable. I would recommend reading in order for the back stories of the characters. However, the author does a great job of making it a standalone. The scene is set very well by tying together the elements of Halloween, a spooky mansion, an unreliable older woman, a skeleton, Edgar Allen Poe and a lost cat. How the cat gets embraced into Sully and Lindsey’s family is lovely as is their naming it ZELDA! The murder is pretty hideous for a cozy…but I liked how it is left up to the reader whether there was a ghost or not. It seems logical that once the murder was solved the ghost could be freed. I think the mentions of library work are just great. Basically, how it is on your mind all the time as you find ways to help strengthen the community. I like the handoffs (true) where at a shift change information is imparted about what reference questions are “in progress”; alerting each other what a patron may need help with so they can mentally get ahead of it. But hands down, in this book, was the librarians’ love/hate relationship with donations. The descriptions of this were spot on!! This may seem trivial but it is quite irritating, especially in a small, tight library with no space! I LOVED this paragraph on p.19: “She’d had this conversation before with people clearing out their parents’ or their own houses. It was a conversation she dreaded. Yes, she considered books sacred, and she was not the world’s greatest weeder when it came to the collection, but when patrons came to her with water-stained, tobacco-infused, moldy books that were of no value-none-it was frequently difficult to get them to see that the book had ceased to be worth keeping when half of its pages were missing. In fact, people generally believed that if the book was old, it must be worth something. Nope. That just wasn’t how it worked. She braced herself.” *I was gratified to see this series, listed in this article, just this week. 8 Great Mystery Series Featuring Librarians as Amateur Detectives ‹ CrimeReads...more
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