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!.
Some new print books arrived last week. Also, I’ll be hosting a giveaway in the upcoming weeks for a copy of Sweet Nothings for a reader with a US address. And speaking of giveaways, be sure to check out the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop. It runs through Wednesday of this week.
New Arrivals
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick from Harper.
For thirty-eight years, Bartholomew Neil has lived with his mother. When she gets sick and dies, he has no idea how to be on his own. But how does a man whose whole life has been grounded in his mom, Saturday mass, and the library learn how to fly?
The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane from Amazon Vine.
A tale that soars above its own suspense to tell us, with exceptional grace and beauty, about aging, love, trust, dependence, and fear; about processes of colonization; and about things (and people) in places they shouldn’t be.
The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch from St. Martin’s Press.
A young American embarks on a year at Oxford and has an impassioned affair that will change his life forever.
Sweet Nothings by Janis Thomas from FSB Media.
When Ruby McMillan’s husband announces one morning that he’s dumping her for another woman, she’s unable to decide which indignity stings the most: the dissolution of their eighteen-year marriage or the deflation of her white-chocolate soufflé with raspberry Grand Marnier sauce.
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
What is Project FeederWatch?
“Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broad scale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.”
The 2013-2014 FeederWatch count begins this weekend and continues through April 4th. It’s not too late to join. Participants can start at any time during the program.
Who Can Participate?
Anyone in the US or Canada with an interest in birds! FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.
What will I need to do?
1. Put up a feeder.
2. Count the birds that visit.
3. Send your data to scientists.
Sign up for the Project FeederWatch program. There is a $15 fee which supports the program. Project participants receive a bird-identification poster, bird-feeding information, and instructional materials.
Why should I participate?
This is a great opportunity to learn more about winter birds. Plus you will contribute to the science and conservation of North American feeder birds. FeederWatch results are regularly published in scientific journals and are shared with ornithologists and bird lovers nationwide.
I’ve been participating for six years now and am still amazed at the variety of birds that visit my feeders. A large time commitment is not necessary. Counting can be for as long or as little as you like.
Are you or someone you know participating?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Welcome!
Welcome to The Literary Blog Hop hosted by Judith at Leeswames Blog.
The hop will run from November 9th – 13th. Each participating blog will be offering a book or bookish items of a literary nature. There is a linky list of participants below and many giveaways are open internationally.
New visitors, feel free to take a look around. I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys a wide range of subjects and genres. Regular visitors already know I’m especially fond of audiobooks and love to photograph birds.
Giveaway: Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
Genre: Contemporary Literature/China
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Publish Date: July 2, 2013
Format: Advance Reading Copy | 400 pages
A 2013 Man Booker Prize Nominee for Longlist.
Five Star Billionaire is a dazzling, kaleidoscopic novel that offers rare insight into the booming world of Shanghai, a city of elusive identities and ever-changing skylines, of grand ambitions and outsize dreams. Bursting with energy, contradictions, and the promise of possibility, Tash Aw’s remarkable new book is both poignant and comic, exotic and familiar, cutting-edge and classic, suspenseful and yet beautifully unhurried.
Click HERE for my review
How To Enter
- Fill out the form below. The giveaway is open to anyone 18+ years of age with a US mailing address. You do not have to be a follower, although new followers are always appreciated.
- For an extra entry, leave a comment on this or any other post.
- The deadline for entry is midnight November 13th. A random winner will be chosen and notified by email. Winner must respond within 48 hours.
[Giveaway has ended]
Winner: Suz Reads
Read more…
Seeing Flowers: Discover the Hidden Life of Flowers
Photography by Robert Llewellyn
Written by Teri Dunn Chase
Genre: Science, Photography
Publisher: Timber Press
Publish Date: September 24, 2013
Format: Hardcover | 302 pages
Rating: 5 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Seeing Flowers is a visual feast that gloriously highlights 343 popular garden flowers. Using a unique photo process that includes stitching together large macro photographs, Robert Llewellyn reveals details that few have ever seen: the amazing architecture of stamens and pistils; the subtle shadings on a petal; the secret recesses of nectar tubes. Teri Dunn Chace s lyrical and illuminating essays complement these images and offer insights on each flower, by exploring its distinguishing characteristics and sharing fascinating tidbits, tales, and lore. Together, Llewellyn and Chace give the reader a deeper appreciation of how and why flowers have become so deeply embedded in human culture.
My Thoughts:
We are surrounded by flowers. They are everywhere. We glance at them and marvel at their beauty but do we really see the complexity of each bloom? Seeing Flowers takes a close-up look at over 300 popular garden flowers, revealing detail rarely seen in photos.
I’d experienced Robert Llewellyn’s remarkable photography in Seeing Trees and expected the book to be a glorious display of photography. I wasn’t expecting the wonderful, informative and interesting essays complimenting the photos, each written in an easy to read, breezy style. As a gardener I thought I would already know much of this information, but there is always much more to learn.
The beautiful, unique photography in this book must be seen to be appreciated. Each photo is composed of many small images shot at a different point of focus, then stitched together using special software to create incredibly sharp, detailed images.
The book is organized into 28 plant families and accompanying photos. We get an intimate look at the distinguishing features of the plants in each group. Along with the botanical details of each flower we are treated to quotes, tales, folklore and fascinating bites of information: Different ways plants are pollinated, how seeds are dispersed, what’s edible and what isn’t, and some interesting factoids. I knew the flowers of nightshades are poisonous and that tomatoes are in the nightshade family, but I didn’t know early Americans considered tomatoes themselves to be poisonous and wouldn’t eat them, or that a Loyalist chef tried to poison George Washington by preparing a meal using tomatoes.
Both factual and entertaining, this is a gorgeous book and a worthy addition to anyone’s bookshelf.
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Source: eGalley provided by Timber Press.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: This is one of the largest hornet’s nests I’ve ever seen. It was safe to approach – in late summer or autumn they leave the nest.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Preservationist
by Justin Kramon
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publish Date: October 10, 2013
Format: Hardcover | 284 pages
Rating: 4 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
To Sam Blount, meeting Julia is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Working at the local college and unsuccessful in his previous relationships, he’d been feeling troubled about his approaching fortieth birthday, “a great beast of a birthday,” as he sees it, but being with Julia makes him feel young and hopeful. Julia Stilwell, a freshman trying to come to terms with a recent tragedy that has stripped her of her greatest talent, is flattered by Sam’s attention. But their relationship is tested by a shy young man with a secret, Marcus Broley, who is also infatuated with Julia.
Told in alternating points of view, The Preservationist is the riveting tale of Julia and Sam’s relationship, which begins to unravel as the threat of violence approaches and Julia becomes less and less sure whom she can trust.
My Thoughts:
The Preservationist is a captivating psychological thriller that accelerates with every turn of the page. Short, suspenseful chapters slowly built the characters and kept me riveted to the story. I liked the use of alternating viewpoints to gradually reveal the thoughts of Julia, Marcus and Sam, divulging just enough to get to know them but remaining uncertain of the motives of each of the men. The tension accelerates and as I approached the end this became a real page turner with a final twist.
These were not very likable characters but that didn’t prevent me from getting hooked on the story. All three were flawed, carrying secrets and a traumatic past. I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for Julia, she seemed more than a bit naive for a college student. She should have been leery of Sam, a much older man who liked to hang around with college students, but Julia is recovering from a tragic accident, is recently out of therapy and her judgment is suspect. Marcus has problems too and Julia wasn’t ready to be involved with anyone.
The familiar love triangle is turned into a dark tale in a haunting setting. Scary at times it had me looking over my shoulder in my own house. I read this late into the night in a quiet house and that only accelerated the creepiness. The ending was not what I was expecting and had me a little surprised. A nice twist even though I didn’t find it satisfying.
Overall, a quick read and a compelling plot. Recommended to fans of the genre.
About the Author
Justin Kramon is the author of the novels Finny (Random House, 2010) and The Preservationist (Pegasus, 2013).
A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he has published stories in Glimmer Train, Story Quarterly, Boulevard, Fence, TriQuarterly, Alaska Quarterly Review, and others. He has received honors from the Michener-Copernicus Society of America, Best American Short Stories, the Hawthornden International Writers’ Fellowship, and the Bogliasco Foundation.
He has taught undergraduate and graduate fiction writing courses at Gotham Writers’ Workshop, Haverford College, the University of Iowa, Arcadia University, and elsewhere.
Connect with Justin
Facebook | Goodreads | Webpage
Tour Schedule HERE.
Giveaway
Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of The Preservationist to giveaway to readers 18 years of age or older with a mailing address in the US. To enter, fill out the form below on or before November 13th. For an extra entry tweet or blog the giveaway and include the link. I will draw a random winner who will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond.
[Giveaway has ended]
Winner: Shelly
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Source: Review copy from TLC Book Tours
© 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.
With the 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy assassination approaching I’ve noticed quite a few new books on the topic last month. The historical what-ifs have always fascinated me. The two I’ve received are both fictionalized accounts.
Print Books
Top Down by Jim Lehrer from LibraryThing.
November 22, 1963. As Air Force One touches down in Dallas, ambitious young newspaper reporter Jack Gilmore races to get the scoop on preparations for President Kennedy’s motorcade. Will the bubble top on the presidential limousine be up or down? Down, according to veteran Secret Service agent Van Walters. The decision to leave the top down and expose JFK to fire from above will weigh on Van’s conscience for decades. But will it also change the course of history?
Audiobooks
We Are Water by Wally Lamb from Harper Audio.
With humor and breathtaking compassion, Wally Lamb brilliantly captures the essence of human experience in vivid and unforgettable characters struggling to find hope and redemption in the aftermath of trauma and loss.
Blowback by Valerie Plame from Penguin Audio
Covert CIA ops officer Vanessa Pierson is finally close to capturing the world’s most dangerous international nuclear arms dealer: Bhoot, alias the ghost. One of her assets has information about Bhoot’s upcoming visit to a secret underground nuclear weapons facility in Iran-in only a few days. But just as Pierson’s informant is about to give her the location, they’re ambushed by an expert sniper. Pierson narrowly escapes. Her asset: dead.
If Kennedy Lived: The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy: An Alternate History by Jeff Greenfield from Penguin Audio.
What if John F. Kennedy had not been killed on that fateful day in Dallas a half century ago? How would America and the world have been different? One of our most insightful and well-known political commentators, Jeff Greenfield, offers a fascinating, thought-provoking, and above all thoroughly plausible response to those questions.
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Under My Apple Tree 