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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Review: The Crossley ID Guide Eastern Birds by
Labels:
Author A-E,
reveiw
Hardcover, 544 pages
Published February 21st 2011 by Princeton University Press
From the publisher:
This stunningly illustrated book from acclaimed birder and photographer Richard Crossley revolutionizes birding by providing the first real-life approach to identification. Whether you are a beginner, expert, or anywhere in between, The Crossley ID Guide will vastly improve your ability to identify birds.
Unlike other guides, which provide isolated individual photographs or illustrations, this is the first book to feature large, lifelike scenes for each species. These scenes--640 in all--are composed from more than 10,000 of the author's images showing birds in a wide range of views--near and far, from different angles, in various plumages and behaviors, including flight, and in the habitat in which they live. These beautiful compositions show how a bird's appearance changes with distance, and give equal emphasis to characteristics experts use to identify birds: size, structure and shape, behavior, probability, and color. This is the first book to convey all of these features visually--in a single image--and to reinforce them with accurate, concise text. Each scene provides a wealth of detailed visual information that invites and rewards careful study, but the most important identification features can be grasped instantly by anyone.
My Thoughts: Obviously, a weighty book of this size (8" x 10" x 1 3/4") is not meant to be stuck in your backpack or pocket while out bird watching but it's to be savored at home in a comfy spot.
The Crossley ID guide contains a wealth of info in the introductory pages telling you all you need to know in interpreting the data. I liked the way the cover and first few pages break the guide down into categories and sub-categories such as: waterbirds; swimming, flying and walking. Game birds, raptors and songbirds are several more categories. There are almost 200 pages alone on songbirds. Just gorgeous photos!
Covering eastern North America and Canada, the book contains some 640 color plates showing the birds in lifelike scenes in their natural habitat, from close ups to far views. It's the way we see birds in nature. Below each plate, are the common names, scientific names of the species and th 4 letter abbreviations used commonly in bird guides. Also included is the average length of the bird.
Although there is a map with every plate showing the habitat of that particular bird, the back cover page shows a large map of the areas covered in the entire guide complete with color key. An extensive index is also included at the end of the guide.
My only quibble, and that's just me, is that I found the print to be quite small. Be sure to have your reading glasses handy. I found the book to be a lot easier to use than The National Audubon Field Guide for North American Birds that we currently use. What a wonderful gift this would make for beginner birders or for those very experienced. It is not only informative but truly a feast for the eyes.
For an interactive website you can visit here.
Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by PT Reviewer rewards in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Mini-reveiw: Orchestrated Murder by Rick Blechta
Labels:
Author A-E,
Cozy Mystery
Paperback, 128 pages
Published October 1st 2011 by Raven Books
When Detective Pratt arrives at Symphony Hall to see what all the brouhaha is about, he is told that Luigi Spadini, the orchestra leader is dead; not of natural causes judging by the cello wire wrapped around his neck. Detective Pratt and his rookie squad member, Ellis, start the investigation in the normal way but are flummoxed when they find out the entire orchestra has confessed to his murder. Really? Seriously? I ccouldn't get 4 people to agree on dinner, never mind getting a large crowd to lie about committing a major felony. A little implausible to say the least.
As it turns out, of course, everyone hated Spadini; admittedly a genius but he was a tough taskmaster, a womanizer and just a plain old SOB. It seems the orchestra members used to joke about the different methods of doing him in. I guess someone really meant it!
Even though Ellis is brand new in the department, he is skilled in technology while Detective Pratt is pretty much just putting in time until his retirement and thinks technology a waste of effort. Good old-fashioned police work should suffice. You guessed it! The rookie shows up the veteran detective.
Quite the clichéd plot we have here. No sense of place and with little character development along with a few weak plot points, this book was a "meh" read for me. The best thing about it is it's brevity.
Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Raven Books/ LT in exchange for my honest opinion.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Waiting on Wednesday: A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama
Labels:
Waiting on Wednesday meme
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating! Want to participate? Post your own WOW entry on your blog, and leave your link at Breaking the Spine.
A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama
288 pages
Expected publication: August 7th 2012 by MPS
ISBN 1429961694 (ISBN13: 9781429961691)
Ever since I read Women of the Silk and the sequel, Language of Threads, I've been a huge fan of Tsukiyama's books. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is one of my all time favorites. It's been a long wait for this new one but I'm sure it will be worth it.
*Sigh* Is it August yet?
From the publisher:
A powerful new novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Y ing’s husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, T ao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for “reeducation.”
A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles thirty feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg. As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband’s absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
2011 Wrap up
Labels:
Year end wrap up
So, lets get to it. Although I read a lot of excellent books this year, ones that I just couldn't put down for anything were few and far between. Only 4 books earned that elusive 5* rating from me.
- The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
- Summer in the South by Cathy Holton
- The Peachkeeper by Sarah Addison Allen
- The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston
Most Disappointing: I had read positive reviews and was really hoping for better.
- The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
- Cemetery Girl by David Bell
- The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
- Front Porch Prophet by Raymond Atkins
- Home to Woefield by Susan Juby
- A Pinch of Love by Alicia Bessett
Worst book read:
- I Shall Not Want by Debbie Viguié ( a cozy mystery, no less)
Here is just a reiteration of how I rate books, mainly to remind myself how I felt about the book while reading.
Ratings criteria or what I call the "put down, pick up factor":
- 1* put it down and leave it down, couldn't stand it, best used as a paperweight, doorstop or kindling.
- 2* meh, could take it or leave it but mostly leave it. I could put it down and not care if I picked it up again or not
- 3* okay enjoyable read, although I liked it, I could put it down easily and not rush back to continue
- 4* I really liked this one, I could put it down but reluctantly and was somewhat anxious to get back to it
- 5* Loved it! Couldn't put it down and if I absolutely had to ( if something was on fire or flooding) I couldn't wait to get back to it.
I'd also like to take this time to thank each and every person who stopped by for a visit here at Pudgy Penguin Perusals. Your thoughts and comments are always much appreciated.You all make the on-line reading community the special place that it is. I've really enjoyed reading your blogs; your thoughts, friendships, creativity and posts that let me get to know you better and for all of your recommendations that expanded my reading. Here's hoping for a fantastic year ahead with good books to read and share, good health and happiness to all of you and yours.
I'd also like to thank every publisher who sent me a review book, provided 52 copies for giveaways, and every author who graced these pages with their thoughts in a guest post.
There you have it! I can't wait to see your lists. What were your faves and disappointments? Loves and hates? Do you have any plans to do anything differently in 2012?
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Mailbox Monday
Labels:
Mailbox Monday
Mailbox Monday, originally started by Marcia is now on a rotating schedule. December's host is Let Them Read Books.
Caveat: MM can lead to exponentially exploding TBR lists.
Received from Berkley for review/giveaway
Paperback, 304 pages
Expected publication: January 3rd 2012 by Berkley
ISBN: 0425245853 (ISBN13: 9780425245859)
edition language: English
series: Gram’s Country Cooking School Mystery #1
From the publisher: Gram's Country Cooking School, Betts and Gram are helping students prepare the perfect dishes for the Southern Missouri Show-Down, the cook-off that draws the first of the summer visitors. Everything is going smoothly until they discover the body of local theater owner Everett Morningside in the school's supply closet, and Everett's widow points an accusatory finger at Gram. Now, Betts has to dig deep into Broken Rope's history to find the modern-day killer-before the last piece of chicken is served.
Received from Berkley for review/giveaway
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Expected publication: January 3rd 2012 by Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN: 0425245837 (ISBN13: 9780425245835)
edition language: English
series: A White House Chef Mystery
From the publisher: White House chef Olivia Paras and her arch nemesis, White House Sensitivity Director Peter Everett Sargeant, must work together to solve the double murder of one of the First Lady's assistants and the Chief of Staff-before they become the next victims of a merciless assassin with a secret agenda.
Received an ARC from SA/Viking
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published June 23rd 2011 by Michael Joseph (first published May 2011)
From the publisher: Monday, the lowest point of the week. A day of dark impulses. A
day to snatch a child from the streets ...
The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is left troubled: one of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew.
Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson doesn't take Frieda's concerns seriously until a link emerges with an unsolved abduction twenty years ago and he summons Frieda to interview the victim's sister, hoping she can stir hidden memories. Before long, Frieda is at the centre of the race to track the kidnapper. But her race isn't physical. She must chase down the darkest paths of a psychopath's mind to find the answers to Matthew Farraday's whereabouts. And sometimes the mind is the deadliest place to lose yourself.
Won from Bookreporter.com Holiday contest
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published October 27th 2011 by Penguin Group USA, Inc
ISBN: 0670023116 (ISBN13: 9780670023110)
From the publisher:
An evocative and stunning photographic tribute to America's railroad stations.
For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the railroad station or depot was the communal hub of every American town that could boast of train service. There, citizens gathered before they sent loved ones off to college, marriage, or war-and where they greeted them on their return. Most of these buildings were architectural gems, and while many are still in service, certain others now house museums, banks, restaurants, and more. In fact, in cities like Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, renovated stations are destinations unto themselves even for those not boarding the train. And in other places, whole sections of towns have been remade around these structures, restoring their vitality in novel and interesting ways long after the last train has left the station.
In America's Great Railroad Stations, award-winning photographer Roger Straus III, and two lifelong railroad buffs, Ed Breslin and Hugh Van Dusen, join forces to tell the astonishing story of these enduring structures and the important role they still play in the country's landscape. Journeying from the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Union Pacific to Michigan Central and more, readers will be dazzled by the Beaux Arts monuments of New York and the adobe buildings of the Southwest. Filled with both new and archival photographs and drawings, this volume is a glorious salute to the institution that transformed our nation.
This one made a nice little gift to TBG as he is a railroad fanatic.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Review & Giveaway: The Last Word by Ellery Adams
Labels:
Author A-E,
Cozy Mystery,
Giveaway
Paperback, 304 pages
Expected publication: December 6th 2011 by Berkley
From the publisher:Olivia Limoges and the Bayside Book Writers are excited about Oyster Bay's newest resident: bestselling novelist Nick Plumley, who's come to work on his next book. But when Olivia stops by Plumley's rental she finds that he's been strangled to death. Her instincts tell her that something from the past came back to haunt him, but she never expects that the investigation could spell doom for one of her dearest friends...
My thoughts: What worked so well for me, besides an extremely good mystery plot with some wonderful characters, was the emotional growth in Olivia. It's as if her formerly cold heart has been melted. Meeting the half brother and his family she didn't know existed a while ago, has really changed her. She's not the aloof loner she once was. Finding some family has done Olivia a world of good. It's made her into a very likeable and vulnerable character.
I loved the fact that the author took historical facts from WWII and wove a story around them. During WWII POW camps existed throughout North Carolina. In the author's note, Ellery tells how quickly and easily assimilated the prisoners became to the area even though the camps were very secretive and not a lot of Carolinians knew about them.
Their story comes to life as Ellery's character, Olivia, searches for a reason why the famed author, Nick Plumley, was so interested in the house her friend, Harris Williams was buying. Did Nick have ties to the house or the area? Digging into the house's past and Nick's past leads Olivia in some very interesting and exciting directions while looking for clues to Nick's murder. Even her writer's group is put on hold as Ellery conducts her investigation.
"Talk to the chief." Olivia rose and carefully shouldered the tote bag. "And forget about critiquing my chapter on Saturday. We've got more important things to do."
Harris absently put a hand to his throat. "Like staying alive."
Hmmm... ayup, that could be the tricky part!
This is one of Ellery's best books so far in my opinion. Ellery has developed her characters fully and placed them in a lovely shore setting. Another of the elements I appreciated in the story was the sense of place; Ellery has the beach setting feel down to perfection. Elley Adams, pen name of J.B. Stanley is one of my favorite cozy writers and has been for years with her supper club series but this latest Books by the Bay series is outdoing the supper club. The first book, Killer Plot, set in Oyster Bay was good, but this one tops that by a mile. Well done, Ellery! I can't wait for # 4, Written in Stone. 4****
For more about the author, you can visit her at her website or FB page.
Due to the ever so generous Berkley, I am able to offer a giveaway of one copy of this book. Open to US only with the deadline to enter being Dec 28th at 5 PM (est). Bonus entries are as follows:
+2 for being a follower, old or new. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.
+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.
If you cannot comment you can still enter by sending me an e mail with Win The Last Word in the subject line. Include your name and e mail and send to florida982002[at]yahoo.com
Good luck!
Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Review and Giveaway: Threadbare by Monica Ferris
Labels:
Author F-L,
Cozy Mystery,
Giveaway
Hardcover, 272 pages
Expected publication: December 6th 2011 by Berkley Hardcover
From the publisher:
When an elderly homeless woman is found dead on the shore of Lake Minnetonka, she's wearing something that holds the key to her identity but also opens up a mystery. Embroidered on her blouse is her will, in which she bequeaths everything she owns to her niece-Emily Hame, a member of the Monday Bunch at Betsy Devonshire's Crewel World needlework shop!
Emily's aunt turns out to be the second homeless woman to be found dead under mysterious circumstances. It's up to Betsy to discover the common thread between the deaths-and to determine if a murderer may strike again.
Betsy gets drawn into the investigation at the bequest of Margaret, one of her customers. The first homeless woman was Margaret's cousin and there was a bit of bad blood between them. Of course, the police upon hearing of this determined that Margaret was a person of interest. She begs Betsy to look into it since Betsy has the reputation as a successful amateur sleuth.
The problems begin when numerous motives are uncovered and suspects start to pop up. With the help of Annie, another homeless woman who knew the two deceased women, Betsy carries out her investigation from Excelsior all the way to Fargo. One of the big problems is who was the intended target? The first body found or the second? Who actually died first? Since they were both found frozen in the snow, it's hard to determine. Even with some "inside" help, it's going to be a case that is all tied up in knots and Betsy has her work cut out for her untangling all the threads in the lives of these two women.
Although this is # 15 in the series, I don't feel like I missed anything by only having read a couple of the previous books. This one is easily a stand-alone. As far as the mystery goes, this was a good one due to the two deaths that had a lot of things in common. The fact that the women knew each other, both had relatives in town, and both had stayed at the same shelter made for some intriguing reading. The reader is not quite sure who the intended target was if not both. Why on earth would someone have it in for homeless women. Why would a homeless woman who owns next to nothing even make a will in the first place? Veddddy vedddy interesting!
Due to the ever so generous Berkley, I am able to offer a giveaway of one copy of this book. Open to US only with the deadline to enter being Dec 27th at 5 PM (est). Bonus entries are as follows:
+2 for being a follower, old or new. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.
+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.
If you cannot comment you can still enter by sending me an e mail with Win Threadbare in the subject line. Include your name and e mail and send to florida982002[at]yahoo.com
Good luck!
Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Saturday Snapshot: One more
Labels:
Saturday Snapshot
Snapshot Saturday is hosted by Alyce of At Home with Books. To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
 |
| I can't believe Christmas is only a week from tomorrow! |
Friday, December 16, 2011
Giveaway/guest post by Susan Frasier King, author of Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland
Labels:
Author F-L,
Giveaway,
Guest Post,
Historical fiction
I'd like to welcome Susan Frasier King to PPP today. I asked her to tell us a little bit about Margaret, the lead character in her new book, Queen Hereafter. Here's what Susan has to say. Giveaway opportunity at end.
Researching Margaret
Queen Hereafter tells the story of Margaret of Scotland, queen of Scots in the 11th century—a Saxon princess, Hungarian-born, she was descended from Alfred the Great and became a refugee from the Norman Conquest. Shipwrecked with her escaping family along the Scottish coast, she married her protector, King Malcolm Canmore, who had defeated Macbeth for the throne of Scotland. Margaret succeeded Lady Macbeth as queen of Scots, and so she seemed a perfect subject for a sequel to my novel about Lady Macbeth—and Margaret was an intriguing woman in her own right.
A good deal is known about Margaret, which is unusual in an early medieval queen and made the research and the writing easier in some ways than my novel about Lady Macbeth—and in some ways more complicated, as so much was known that some, inevitably, had to be cut from the novel. The contrasts in Margaret’s life and character were fascinating—piety and worldly power, gentleness and temper, obedience and mischief, saintliness and temptation: all those angles were part of her. She emerges from history as a real young woman thanks to a rare medieval biography written by her friend and confessor, Bishop Turgot—who seemed a pretty dry character in history until I discovered that Turgot, or Thorgaut, was a Viking name, and that this priest and monk had previously escaped from a Norman prison and had been shipwrecked and rescued by monks, so that he joined their order after his recovery. Tor, as he’s called in the novel, idealized his friend Queen Margaret, but in his biography of her, he left tantalizing hints of a vital, fascinating young woman.
Her biographer seems to have fallen under Margaret's spell—which says something about her personality. Reading between the lines of Turgot’s biography, Margaret comes across as a very real and fascinating character. And there is a lovely fairytale element to her true story that has such naturally romantic elements that a story was easy to develop: a beautiful, exiled young princess, a shipwreck, love at first sight (so says Turgot!), a brawny royal husband who adored her, eight healthy children, and enough charm and determination in this foreign queen to win the affection of the resistant Scots and then change them, bringing them from the Dark Ages, basically, into the Middle Ages. Margaret’s influence in that transition was quite significant, as medieval historians note about her. Yet some inner torment kept Margaret from being truly happy despite all she had – her story was hard for a historical novelist to resist.
Margaret is a crucial part of Scottish history at a critical moment, the period of the Norman Conquest of England, which threatened Scotland’s well-being too. She had a cosmopolitan upbringing in Hungary and then the English court; Edward the Confessor was her uncle, and after his death, when the Normans invaded England, she and her mother and siblings fled. Their ship wrecked on the Scottish coast and they came under the protection of Malcolm Canmore – and Margaret’s contribution to Scottish history, and to the history of women in power, began.
Turgot created an amazing document in his Vita S. Margaretae, written for Margaret’s daughter—it’s full of wonderful anecdotes about her, insights into her character, and verifiable facts. Other sources mention Margaret and her family, such as in annals and charters. The rest of the picture is provided by historical events and the actions of her husband, Malcolm Canmore, her brother, Edgar the Aetheling, and others.
Despite the amount of information available about the real Margaret, writing a novel about her required filling lots of historical gaps, extrapolating and leaping in order to bring history to life. I wanted Margaret to emerge in the novel as a real, vulnerable, sympathetic character. Part of the challenge was that she was represented as perfect and virtuous in her lifetime, a woman who later was named a saint. But along with the perfection were hints of flaws and quirks, such as her temper, her sharp intelligence, her impatience, her tendency to be very hard on herself and others, all revealed by her biographer along with her more idealized qualities. I was looking for the real Margaret, a young woman in a strange land, who was not always so sure of herself—a young woman who fell in love with a man who was very nearly her complete opposite—a love match that even the earliest historical sources attest—and a woman who loved deeply, passionately, not only her husband and children, but her loyalties, her causes and charities, and her adopted country of Scotland. I discovered that Margaret of Scotland was a complex woman who seemed very real to me—and I hope she seems that way to readers of Queen Hereafter too.
Thank you, Susan, for visiting today and letting us see how you did such extensive research. Quite fascinating!
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published December 7th 2010 by Crown (first published December 2nd 2010)
ISBN:0307452794 (ISBN13: 9780307452795)
edition language: English
characters: Saint Margaret of Scotland
Like what you read? Would you like your own copy? Thanks to The generosity of Crown Publishing, 2 giveaway copies are available. Open to US only. Just leave a comment saying you would like to be entered. Be sure to leave an e mail in your comment. Deadline to enter is Dec 23rd.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intro
Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the sea posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s). Feel free to grab the banner and play along. I like this meme and decided to play along with her this week.
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published December 7th 2010 by Crown (first published December 2nd 2010)
"Caught between two willful queens, I am, and should have taken more care to tread lightly--like crossing a stream over slippery stones when the current is strong and cold. Now that I have stumbled deep, who can say whether my two queens will forgive me or condemn me for what I did at each one's bidding. No servant, I am free to do as I please. Margaret and Gruadh disagree."
Wow! I know I want to keep reading to see what the narrator did that needs forgiveness or will bring condemnation. What do you think? Keep reading or say "no way" and chuck the book aside?
The author, Susan Frasier King, will be guest posting here shortly and the publisher is allowing me to hold a giveaway. Don't miss Susan's post!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Mailbox Monday
Labels:
Mailbox Monday
Mailbox Monday, originally started by Marcia is now on a rotating schedule. December's host is Let Them Read Books.
Hardcover, 544 pages
Published February 21st 2011 by Princeton University Press
This stunningly illustrated book from acclaimed birder and photographer Richard Crossley revolutionizes birding by providing the first real-life approach to identification. Whether you are a beginner, expert, or anywhere in between, The Crossley ID Guide will vastly improve your ability to identify birds.
Unlike other guides, which provide isolated individual photographs or illustrations, this is the first book to feature large, lifelike scenes for each species. These scenes--640 in all--are composed from more than 10,000 of the author's images showing birds in a wide range of views--near and far, from different angles, in various plumages and behaviors, including flight, and in the habitat in which they live. These beautiful compositions show how a bird's appearance changes with distance, and give equal emphasis to characteristics experts use to identify birds: size, structure and shape, behavior, probability, and color. This is the first book to convey all of these features visually--in a single image--and to reinforce them with accurate, concise text. Each scene provides a wealth of detailed visual information that invites and rewards careful study, but the most important identification features can be grasped instantly by anyone.
Received from PTA Reviewer Rewards for review.
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published December 7th 2010 by Crown (first published December 2nd 2010)
From publisher:
Shipwrecked on the Scottish coast, a young Saxon princess and her family—including the outlawed Edgar of England—ask sanctuary of the warrior-king Malcolm Canmore, who shrewdly sees the political advantage. He promises to aid Edgar and the Saxon cause in return for the hand of Edgar’s sister, Margaret, in marriage.
A foreign queen in a strange land, Margaret adapts to life among the barbarian Scots, bears princes, and shapes the fierce warrior Malcolm into a sophisticated ruler. Yet even as the king and queen build a passionate and tempestuous partnership, the Scots distrust her. When her husband brings Eva, a Celtic bard, to court as a hostage for the good behavior of the formidable Lady Macbeth, Margaret expects trouble. Instead, an unlikely friendship grows between the queen and her bard, though one has a wild Celtic nature and the other follows the demanding path of obligation.
Torn between old and new loyalties, Eva is bound by a vow to betray the king and his Saxon queen. Soon imprisoned and charged with witchcraft and treason, Eva learns that Queen Margaret—counseled by the furious king and his powerful priests—will decide her fate and that of her kinswoman Lady Macbeth. But can the proud queen forgive such deep treachery?
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Saturday snapshot: Waste not, want not
Labels:
Saturday Snapshot
Snapshot Saturday is hosted by Alyce of At Home with Books. To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
I like the fresh look of the real leaves and the berries are just enough color to tie in with the penguin's scarf and santa hat. Isn't he a cutie? He's made out of wood and when I first saw him, I knew he would be going home with me. Seriously, I could not leave him in the store!
Could I???
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intro
Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the sea posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s). Feel free to grab the banner and play along. I like this meme and decided to play along with her this week.
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published September 20th 2011 by Crown (first published January 1st 2011)
ISBN:0307452891 (ISBN13: 9780307452894)
edition language:English
These two paragraphs are from the preface to Death in the City of Light by David King.
"A thick black smoke streamed into Jacques and Andrée Marcais's fifth-floor apartment at 22 rue Le Sueur in the heart of Paris's fashionable 16th arrondissement. The smoke had begun five days before, but now, in the unusually warm weather, it was getting worse, seeping through closed windows and soiling the furniture. In the air was a nauseating smell described variously as burnt caramel, burnt rubber, or a burnt roast of poor quality. The source of the disturbance, it seemed, was a building across the street. "Do something," Andrée Marcais told her husband, when he returned home just before six o'clock that evening, and she sent him over to investigate.
Neither Jacques nor his wife knew who, if anyone, lived in the neighboring, two-and-a-half storey townhouse at 21 rue Le Sueur. A man was sometimes seen riding there on a green bicycle, towing a cart whose contents were concealed under a heavy canvass. On rare occasions, he appeared to receive visitors, who arrived almost invariable at night curiously lugging a couple of heavy suitcases. "
What do you think? Would you keep reading or say "meh" and toss it aside? My first thoughts were what is in the suitcases and what is hidden under the canvass? Nosy, aren't I? I'd just have to keep reading to find out more.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Review: A Pinch of Love by Alicia Bessette
Labels:
Author A-E,
Fiction
Paperback, 320 pages
Published October 25th 2011 by Plume
If I could only use two adjectives for this book, they would be charming and delightful.
First published under the title, Simply from Scratch, A Pinch of Love is Alicia Bessette's debut novel. It sure didn't read like a debut novel; Bessette managed to grab my interest right away and then my heart with such characters as: Zell, a young work-at-home medical illustrator whose husband Nick has been dead for close to a year. Zell is having a real hard time getting back into the mainstream of life. She's clinging to Nick's memories and still reads the e-mail he sent her prior to his fatal accident in New Orleans while on a relief mission.
Her new neighbors, single father, Garrett Knox, and his nine year old daughter, Ingrid, are instrumental is bringing Zell out of her grieving despair. When Garrett needs a babysitter, he begs Zell to keep Ingrid for a night while he attends school. Zell, being childless, has no clue what to do with a pre-teen until Ingrid gets her interested in trying to come up with a winning recipe for a bake-off. Ingrid is obsessed with Polly Pinch and her cooking show as she is convinced Polly is her mother and this make for some sticky but ultimately heart-warming moments.
Coming up with a winning recipe looks hopeless at first until they get a little inspiration from Ingrid's step-grandmother, Trudy, who just happens to be Zell's old home ec teacher. Back in the day, she was known as Ye Olde Home Ec Witch but now she's a chain saw wielding sculptor. I adored Trudy; what a hoot she was.
Zell has some very caring friends in town who also want her to get back into life. EJ, Nick's friend who was with him in New Orleans, knows eventually Zell will be able to resume their friendship. There is a minor romantic sub-plot with EJ and the woman he met in New Orleans that enhances the sweetness of the story. I just fell in love with these characters and was rooting for them all the way.
Bessette captures the small New England town feel perfectly, with characters that know each other and their families well and who all seem to have a vested interest in the well being of their neighbors and friends. At times, predictable but that's okay as the characters made the reading journey truly pleasurable. I hope to see more stories from Ms. Bessette in the near future. 4****
Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Plume in exchange for my honest opinion.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Weekend cooking: We like it chunky!
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Weekend Cooking
This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
What's one of the best sides with pork? Home made applesauce! None of that overstrained stuff in the jar from the grocery store for us. We like to make a big batch of our own and then freeze what we don't eat that night. I put a serving for two in a sandwich bag, lay flat on a tray and freeze. When the bags are frozen I then put them in a larger bag and vacuum pack it. Stores easily in the freezer this way.
When we get the consistency right, I add a little sugar and cinnamon to taste. TBG was mashing them and I reminded him not to get too vigorous because . . . . WE LIKE IT CHUNKY! Just reminded me of this song. So for a little silliness and your listening pleasure . . .
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