Almost wordless: I planted a patch of Bee Balm in my garden to attract hummingbirds. So far, no hummingbirds but lots of bees. A few days ago a Hummingbird Clearwing, which is actually a moth, stopped by for some nectar.
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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.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The July host is Tasha @ Book Obsessed
Here’s what arrived last week.
Print Books:
My Bibliofile: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers from Potter Style which arrived unexpectedly.
This journal offers space for readers to fill in their own reading and offers lists of recommended books to read next.
Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes. A win from Lucy @ The Reading Date.
After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed. The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over.
The Wedding Gift by Marlen Suyapa Bodden from St. Martin’s Press.
When prestigious plantation owner Cornelius Allen gives his daughter Clarissa’s hand in marriage, she takes with her a gift: Sarah—her slave and her half-sister.
Bread and Butter by Michelle Wildgen from Doubleday.
Kitchen Confidential meets Three Junes in this mouthwatering novel about three brothers who run competing restaurants, and the culinary snobbery, staff stealing, and secret affairs that unfold in the back of the house.
Audiobooks
The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison from Audiobook Jukebox and Blackstone Audio.
Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in theirbeautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim,rush haplessly toward the main event.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty from Penguin Audio.
The Husband’s Secret is a funny, heartbreaking novel of marriage, grief, love and secrets.
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Killdeer is a large, graceful Plover that can be found across most of North America. Although they are considered shore birds, they are also happy in dry habitats and on the edges of ponds and muddy lagoons. They don’t visit backyards but can be found in mown fields, athletic grounds and on golf courses.
I took this photo a few months ago in May when my bird club had an outing on a local golf course. Golf courses are a great place to see birds and after four hours we had spotted 71 species. This bird was foraging in a muddy area near the clubhouse.
A few interesting facts
- Killdeer are usually found running on the ground and can often be heard before being seen. When excited they will make a shrill kill-DEER sound, which is how they got their name.
- The Killdeer builds it’s nest on the ground and hides it in the open. They scratch out a hollow depression, lay their eggs and then add sticks, rocks or other debris to the nest.
- When their nest is threatened, the bird will pretend to be hurt and struggling, moving away from the nest in an attempt to draw predators in that direction.
The bird I was observing must have had a nest near where I saw it foraging. After a few minutes it tried to distract me with the broken-wing display, fanning its red tail feathers and moving sideways along the ground. I scanned the area for a while but couldn’t see the nest. Since they lay their eggs on the ground I didn’t want to walk into the grass and stayed on the path.
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.
Frozen In Time
by Mitchell Zuckoff
Narrated by Mitchell Zuckoff
Genre: Narative Non-Fiction
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publish Date: April 23, 2013
Format: Audio, 8 hours | 57 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
On November 5, 1942, a U.S. cargo plane slammed into the Greenland ice cap. Four days later, a B-17 on the search-and-rescue mission also crashed. Miraculously, all nine men on the B-17 survived. The U.S. military launched a second daring rescue operation, but the Grumman Duck amphibious plane sent to find the men vanished.
In this thrilling adventure, Mitchell Zuckoff offers a spellbinding account of these harrowing crashes and the fate of the survivors and their would-be saviors.
My Thoughts:
Mitchell Zuckoff brings to life a little known story of courage and heroism from the WWII era, a story that has been forgotten in time. For 148 days these brave men fought to stay alive after their plane crashed on the ice off the coast of Greenland. During that time several perilous rescue missions were attempted and failed, eventually succeeding in returning some of the survivors.
The book alternates between the past, with the story of the crash and rescue attempts, and a present day search to recover the plane and the remains of the men who didn’t survive. I found the parts of the books that detailed the past much more interesting and compelling than the present day events, which was more about funding and convincing the military that this search should be undertaken. It wasn’t until the end, when they went to Greenland to conduct a search for the plane buried under 50 years of ice, that the portion in the present got interesting.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author in a pleasant voice and even pacing. I generally find narrative non-fiction to be some of the easiest to listen to in audiobook form. In this book the listener needs to be alert to the shifts back and forth in time and the numerous characters, making it a little more complex but for the most part an easy listen.
Zuckoff has expertly pieced together the events of the crash to create a riveting account, one that reads like an adventure story. Recommended, especially for those who enjoy WWII history and real life adventure stories.
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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: These lilies are growing wild in a local forest preserves. One of the people in my bird group knew they were native prairie plants found in the Eastern US and not an escaped garden lily. I thought it was a Michigan Lily, but my readers tell me Tiger Lily.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Countdown City
by Ben H. Winters
Genre: Detective / Mystery / Pre-apocalyptic
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publish Date: July 16, 2013
Format: Paperback | 320 pages
Rating: 4½ of 5
In Countdown City, book two in The Last Policeman trilogy, we return to Detective Hank Palace’s pre-apocalyptic world.
The asteroid collision predicted to destroy most of earth is now only 74 days away. Hank has been laid off from his job in the Adult Crimes Division of the police department. There are still plenty of officers patrolling the streets on alert for the ever-increasing acts of violence, but no one cares about solving crimes anymore. No one except Hank.
Martha’s husband has gone missing. Hank wants to help his old friend but he no longer works for the police department. There’s no way to conduct a proper investigation even if he did. Society has almost completely broken down. There’s no way to put out an APB or access a database. Martha is desperate so Hank offers to ask around and see what he can find out. Soon Hank is digging into the case and putting the pieces together.
The underlying theme in the second book is the same – what happens to society when there are no longer any rules. But now, with only 75 days until the asteroid strikes, there is more urgency than in the first book. The pace has picked up. Hank is pushing himself because he knows time is limited. While many people have abandoned their responsibilities and gone Bucket List, Hank is one of the few who remains stable while the world around him crumbles.
The book is a fun mix of genres: A pre-apocalyptic detective thriller; a blend of speculative fiction and police procedural. I wouldn’t classify it as science fiction although the asteroid strike may have some people thinking in that direction. There is a well-drawn cast of characters, fast pacing, a mystery to solve and an intriguing premise.
Unlike most dystopian novels where we are thrust into the story after the disaster occurred, in the pre-apocalyptic world we experience the events that contribute to the crumbling of society and the destruction of civilization. One of the big questions for the reader to consider is what would you do in this situation? Keep your promises to friends, family and society? Continue living life as usual? Plan to survive? Give up? Or run off and seek your passion, ie go Bucket List?
While the mystery was good, it wasn’t the strongest part of the story. I was just a little disappointed in the resolution, a slight twist that I found a little improbable. The real story, and the reason to keep reading, is the crumbling world around Hank and how people respond to the upcoming disaster. Scam artists, survivalists, entrepreneurs – lots of interesting characters. Preparations are being made by some to hunker down when the asteroid strikes. These people intend to survive and start over.
This is the second book in The Last Policeman trilogy. While this does continue at the point in time where the first book left off, it is a self-contained mystery/detective story that can be enjoyed on its own. To get a good understanding of the pre-apocalyptic aspects, I recommend beginning with the first book to get a flavor for the progression of the end-of-the world scenario. I am anxiously awaiting the final installment.
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Source: Review copy.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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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.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The July host is Tasha @ Book Obsessed
Here’s what arrived last week.
Print Books:
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert from Viking
A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of >Eat, Pray, Love and Committed.
Breathless by Anne Sward from Viking
In the tradition of Housekeeping and Tinkers, award-winning Swedish author Anne Swärd’s American debut blends the lyricism of youth with the darker desires of age.
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink from Crown Books
Pulitzer Prize winner Sheri Fink’s landmark investigation of patient deaths at a New Orleans hospital ravaged by Hurricane Katrina – and her suspenseful portrayal of the quest for truth and justice.
Night Film by Marisha Pessl from Random House
In this novel, the dazzlingly inventive writer Marisha Pessl offers a breathtaking mystery that will hold you in suspense until the last page is turned.
Audiobooks
The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas from Penguin Audio
Commissaire Adamsberg takes on a case far outside of his jurisdiction: the disappearances of evil-doers who have been visited by a band of ghostly horsemen.
The Humans by Matt Haig from Simon and Schuster Audio
The critically acclaimed author of The Radleys shares a clever, heartwarming, and darkly insightful novel about an alien who comes to Earth to save humans from themselves.
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Under My Apple Tree 