Almost wordless: Cow Parsnip is a biennial and a member of the carrot family. It’s a plant to avoid contact with – they can cause a rash similar to poison ivy. I found these plants in the wet woodland area in the nature park. They are about 4 feet tall already and will grow to a height of 8 or 9 feet.
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May Rapid Reviews
Even though I was busy with projects around the house and gardening, I still read nine books in May, about average for me. However, last month the majority of them were audiobooks.
Once again I am reading faster than I am writing, so I am going to use the Rapid Review format to get caught up with a quick, concise overview of what I enjoyed or didn’t enjoy plus a little about the narration if was was an audiobook. Here are two books I read early in the month, and I have a few more May rapid reviews coming later this week.
Waiting for Wednesday by Nicci French
Publisher: Penguin Audio | May 2014
Format: Audio Download | 14 hours | Rating: 4 stars
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Ruth Lennox, housewife and mother of three, is found dead in a pool of her own blood. Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson can’t piece together a motive and calls in Frieda, hoping her talents will offer a new angle on the case. When it emerges that the mother was hiding a scandalous secret, her family closes ranks. Frieda herself is distracted, still reeling from an attempt on her life, and struggling with her own rare feelings of vulnerability. Then a patient’s chance remark sends Frieda down a dangerous path that seems to lead to a serial killer who’s long escaped detection.
We find Freida recovering from an injury she received at the conclusion of the last novel, Tuesday’s Gone. She should be relaxing and taking it easy while she heals, but that is not in Frieda’s nature and her obsession drives her to investigate this murder. Frieda is a complex, interesting character. There is plenty of suspense, good pacing and a supporting cast of equally complex and sometimes quirky characters.
This is the third book in the series which continues to remain fresh and strong. The background story and relationships between the characters carry through from the previous novels, Blue Monday and Tuesday’s Gone. While it’s not absolutely necessary to have read the first two books to enjoy the murder mystery, I recommend beginning with the first book to fully appreciate the connections between the characters. Pertinent background information is provided for the reader, but be warned, they are spoilers for the first two novels.
Audio production:
The narration was performed by Beth Chalmers, who also read the first two books in the series. As previously, she did an excellent job with the accents, and I especially enjoyed her voice for Josef, Frieda’s handyman. The significant number of characters requires the listener to pay attention to detail, but it was not difficult to follow the story.
The Here and Now by Ann Brashares
Publisher: Delacorte Press | May 2014
Format: Hardcover | 242 pages | Rating: 4 stars
This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.
I don’t know if it was the time-travel, or the premise of the story, but I enjoyed this one a lot more than many of the other reviews I’ve read. Yes, events did come together a little too conveniently, Prenna was often an unbelievable character, and the myriad of “society rules” imposed on Prenna and the other members of her community would never be obeyed in the real world; however, I was able to put enough of that aside to enjoy the book.
By viewing this as a children’s book, as it is being marketed, and not a YA book, the simplicity of the story was more palatable. Although the storyline came to a conclusion, the ending was open enough to see a possible sequel in the future. And yes, I would like to read it.
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Source: Review copies provided by the publishers.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
It feels like May just arrived and now June is here. I am so ready for warm weather and long sunny days.
I received a couple of books in the mail and some audiobook downloads last week. I read nine books last month, which is pretty good considering all my outdoor and garden projects, plus last week I spent a good chunk of time participating in Armchair BEA. I would rather have gone to the real BEA, but that will have to wait a couple more years until it comes to Chicago.
New Arrivals
Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch from Hogarth Books.
When a medical mistake goes horribly wrong and Ralph Meier, a famous actor, winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser is forced to conceal the error from his patients and family. After all, reputation is everything in this business.
William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher from Quirk Books.
Return to the star-crossed galaxy far, far away as the brooding young hero, a power-mad emperor, and their jesting droids match wits, struggle for power, and soliloquize in elegant and impeccable iambic pentameter.
Audio Downloads
From Penguin Audio
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams.
Passion, redemption, and a battered suitcase full of secrets: the New York Times-bestselling author of A Hundred Summers returns with another engrossing tale.
The Vacationers by Emma Straub
An irresistible, deftly observed novel about the secrets, joys, and jealousies that rise to the surface over the course of an American family’s two-week stay in Mallorca.
The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker
The #1 internationally bestselling thriller, and ingenious audiobook within an audiobook, about the disappearance of a 15-year-old New Hampshire girl and, 30 years later, a young American writer’s determination to clear his mentor’s name – and find the inspiration for his next best seller.
How was your week?
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Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter the giveaways last week. Winners have been selected for the following books and have been notified by email.
The Chronicle of Secret Riven
by Ronlyn Domingue
Winner: Michelle
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The Map Thief
by Michael Blanding
Winner: Anne
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Last Saturday I spent the morning at the river where I monitor birds searching for an elusive Snowy Egret, an uncommon migrant, that was reported in the area. There really is a bird hotline like the one mentioned in the The Big Year, a movie about three competitive bird watchers, which is how I find out about rare birds.
While I was scanning the river for the egret, a gull swooped past me. It looked slightly different than the very common Ring-billed Gull that I usually see. A closer look with the binoculars revealed a Herring Gull. The bird flew past me a second time and I was able to get a couple of photos.
Curious Herring Gull
In flight the Herring Gull and the Ring-billed Gull look similar, especially if they are high in the sky. The Herring Gull is slightly larger, has a red dot on its beak and pink legs. The Ring-billed Gull has a black ring on its beak and yellow-green legs.
Close-up – red dot on beak
Although this seems like just another gull, this is a bird I don’t see very often inland, along the river. They prefer coastal areas and the Great Lakes, and are very common along the north Atlantic Coast. They are far less common along the west coast where you are more likely to see the similar-looking California Gull. They are short to medium-distance migrants and some will move inland across Canada and Alaska to breed.
Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. It is now hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to Day 4 of Armchair BEA
For those of us who are unable to attend Book Expo America in New York this week, there is Armchair BEA, an online networking event for bloggers worldwide.
Today is the highly anticipated Giveaway Day, a favorite from past years. Bloggers host a giveaway on their own site and post a link on Armchair BEA.
Win a copy of The Map Thief
The Map Thief, by Michael Blanding, is true crime at its finest, full of twists and turns, historical details, and the kind of writing that will have you frantically turning the pages. The book releases today and, courtesy of the publisher, I have one copy to giveaway to a reader with a US address.
About the Book
The Map Thief
by Michael Blanding
Genre: True Crime
Publisher: Gotham Books
Publish Date: May 29, 2014
The story of an infamous crime, a revered map dealer with an unsavory secret, and the ruthless subculture that consumed him.
Maps have long exerted a special fascination on viewers—both as beautiful works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world. But to those who collect them, the map trade can be a cutthroat business, inhabited by quirky and sometimes disreputable characters in search of a finite number of extremely rare objects.
Once considered a respectable antiquarian map dealer, E. Forbes Smiley spent years doubling as a map thief —until he was finally arrested slipping maps out of books in the Yale University library. The Map Thief delves into the untold history of this fascinating high-stakes criminal and the inside story of the industry that consumed him.
Giveaway Information
Courtesy of the publisher, I have one copy of The Map Thief to give away to a reader with a US mailing address. To enter, fill out the form below on or before midnight, May 31st, one entry per person. The winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond.
[Giveaway Has Ended]
Winner: Anne
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Source: Giveaway provided by Gotham Books.
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Almost wordless: Painted Turtles enjoying a morning in the sun at the Morton Arboretum.
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