Almost wordless: Taken at Cantigny Gardens few weeks ago on one of the last nice days before the hard freeze.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week. Currently on tour, it is hosted by a different blog each month.
The November host is Crystal @ I totally paused!.
I received some audio downloads and a print book from LibraryThing.
Audiobooks
Quiet Dell by Jayne Ann Phillips from Simon & Schuster
In Chicago in 1931, Asta Eicher, mother of three, is lonely and despairing, pressed for money after the sudden death of her husband. She begins to receive seductive letters from a chivalrous, elegant man named Harry Powers, who promises to cherish and protect her, ultimately to marry her and to care for her and her children. Weeks later, all four Eichers are dead.
Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton from Penguin
Nick Bilton of the New York Times takes readers behind the scenes with a narrative that shows what happened inside Twitter as it grew at exponential speeds. This is a tale of betrayed friendships and high-stakes power struggles as the four founders went from everyday engineers to wealthy celebrities.
Print Books
Still Life with Bread Crumbs
by Anna Quindlen from LibraryThing.
A wry and knowing portrait of Rebecca Winter, a photographer whose work made her an unlikely heroine for many women. Her career is now descendent, her bank balance shaky, and she has fled the city for the middle of nowhere. There she discovers, in a tree stand with a roofer named Jim Bates, that what she sees through a camera lens is not all there is to life.
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
If Kennedy Lived
The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy: An Alternate History
by Jeff Greenfield
Narrated by Tom Stechschulte
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publish Date: October 22, 2013
Format: Audio, 8 hours | 19 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 3½ of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
November 22, 1963: What if Kennedy were not killed that fateful day? What would the 1964 campaign have looked like? Would changes have been made to the ticket? How would Kennedy, in his second term, have approached Vietnam, civil rights, the Cold War? With Hoover as an enemy, would his indiscreet private life finally have become public? Would his health issues have become so severe as to literally cripple his presidency? And what small turns of fate in the days and years before Dallas might have kept him from ever reaching the White House in the first place?
My Thoughts:
The story begins on the morning of November 22, 1963, with the assumption that all events prior to that date happened just as they did in history. However, one fateful decision would be made this day, a change that would alter the course of history. It was something that very possibly could have happened: The bubble top was left on Kennedy’s limousine and he survived the assassination attempt in Dallas, similar to what happened to Ronald Reagan years later in the actual historical timeline.
The author goes on to imagine the Kennedy presidency maintaining plausibility by using real events and actual quotes from history. I was hoping for a fictionalized story about an alternate America, but that is not what this book is about. The focus is on political issues and predictions, on how they would have turned out had a Kennedy Administration been making the decisions. For example, knowing that Kennedy wanted to avoid an all out war in Vietnam, how would that have affected his relationship with Congress and the ability to pass other legislation such as the Civil Rights Act.
To become truly immersed in this book the reader needs a good foundation in the history of the era. Political junkies will appreciate the detail and the research that went into this novel. The casual reader may not catch a lot of twists in history and I’m sure I missed a few of them myself. I liked the author’s use of actual quotes from real historical figures and attributing them to other people, times or places. For example a joke told by Johnny Carson about Nixon was attributed to Johnson in the alternate time line. There were more but I was listening to the audio and didn’t write them down.
The book was written as if it were non-fiction and is read in a news documentary style. Tom Stechschulte did a nice job with the narration. His clear tone and authoritative voice made it easy to believe I was listening to an investigative report.
It’s been fifty years since John Kennedy’s assassination but the topic is as fascinating and timely as ever. If Kennedy Lived will be appreciated most by political buffs but you don’t have to be a historian to enjoy this speculative tale.
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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The American Goldfinch is a familiar sight across much of North America. They are year-round residents in most of the Midwest and Eastern US, are friendly, don’t mind people, love backyard gardens and readily come to feeders and birdbaths.
The males are bright yellow and black in the summer with the females a more subdued color. In the winter they are both a drab, dull, grayish brown.
I’ve often wondered why some birds molt into brilliant breeding plumage and other do not. Turns out there isn’t a simple answer and it varies by species. The goldfinch, though, is an exception to its own species rule. They are the only finch that molts, or completely replaces its feathers, twice a year. Other finches, such as the House Finch and Purple Finch, only molt once a year and retain the same coloring year round.
Autumn
I have noticed that their change in plumage often matches their natural food source. In autumn, the flowers turn brown and so do the goldfinches. A few weeks ago a flock of about 50 goldfinches filled the prairie, flitting among the dying Coneflower and Goldenrod, munching on seeds.
An interesting note, goldfinches are vegetarians and only eat seeds. If they do eat an insect it’s probably by accident. A sure way to attract goldfinches to your backyard is to put up a thistle feeder.
Summer
The photo above is Yellow Coneflower growing in my backyard. There is a male goldfinch in there eating seeds. I saw him fly in but if I wasn’t watching I may not have noticed him. I’m sure there is an evolutionary reason more complex than just camouflage, but it is convenient for them that they can hide in plain sight.
Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. For the summer it will be hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Rosie Project
by Graeme Simsion
Narrated by Dan O’Grady
Genre: Humor/Contemporary
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publish Date: October 1, 2013
Format: Audio, 7 hours | 32 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 5 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.
My Thoughts:
From the moment I started listening to the audiobook, Don reminded me of Sheldon from the comedy series The Big Bang Theory. If you’re familiar with that show, you’ll understand what I mean when I say that Don, like Sheldon, is a socially challenged, exasperating individual, but he can also be delightfully endearing. Unlike Sheldon, Don became more appealing as the story progressed and we got to know him a little better.
Don’s method of searching for a suitable wife was to create a sixteen page questionnaire to eliminate any unsuitable candidates. At the same time he was completely unaware, clueless actually, that his questions will filter out almost every woman on the planet. Then Don meets Rosie, who conforms to none of his Wife Project criteria, and yet she is the perfect match for him, he just doesn’t see it.
This is a quick, light read with sharp, clever writing and likable characters. Written in the first person, Don’s witty observations and annoying logic often made me laugh out loud – at other times it made me cringe. I listened to the audiobook which was delightfully narrated by Dan O’Grady who expertly captured Don’s spirit and quirkiness, and with an Australian accent.
Much more than a romance, this is a witty, humorous story that will appeal to a wide range of readers and listeners. It’s one of my favorites this year and highly recommended for something a little lighter and a bit of fun.
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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter my giveaways the past few weeks. Here are the winners which were selected by random.org.
Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
Literary Blog Hop hosted by Judith @ Leeswammes’ Blog
Winner: Suz Reads
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The Preservationist by Justin Kramon
Thank you Pegasus Books and TLC Book Tours
Winner: Shelly
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Songs of Three Islands by Millicent Monks
Thank you Prospecta Press and FSB Associates
Winner: Suko
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I will have more giveaways scheduled later this month and in December.
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: I have no idea what kind of tree or shrub this is but the flowers are pretty.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Under My Apple Tree 