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 May host is Abi @ 4 the LOVE of BOOKS
A few review books and a couple of wins this week:
For review from Random House:
Enon
by Paul Harding
Powerful, brilliantly written, and deeply moving Paul Harding has, in Enon, written a worthy successor to Tinkers, a debut which John Freeman on NPR called “a masterpiece.” Drawn always to the rich landscape of his character’s inner lives, here, through the first person narrative of Charlie Crosby (grandson to George Crosby of Tinkers), Harding creates a devastating portrait of a father trying desperately to come to terms with family loss.
A win from Algonquin Books:
The Third Son
by Julie Wu
It’s 1943. As air-raid sirens blare in Japanese-occupied Taiwan, eight-year-old Saburo walks through the peach forests of Taoyuan. The least favored son of a Taiwanese politician, Saburo is in no hurry to get home to the taunting
and abuse he suffers at the hands of his parents and older brother. In the forest he meets Yoshiko, whose descriptions of her loving family are to Saburo like a glimpse of paradise. Meeting her is a moment he will remember forever, and for years he will try to find her again. When he finally does, she is by the side of his oldest brother and greatest rival.
A win from Stacy’s Books:
Chocolat
by Joanne Harris
In tiny Lansquenet, where nothing much has changed in a hundred years, beautiful newcomer Vianne Rocher and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive and instantly begin to play havoc with Lenten vows. Each box of luscious bonbons comes with a free gift: Vianne’s uncanny perception of its buyer’s private discontents and a clever, caring cure for them. Is she a witch? Soon the parish no longer cares, as it abandons itself to temptation, happiness, and a dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity and the pagan gaiety of a chocolate festival.
For review from Penguin Audio:
Detective Carl Mørck has received a bottle that holds an old and decayed message written in blood. It’s a cry for help from two young brothers, tied and bound in a boathouse by the sea. After floating in the ocean for years before turning up, the bottle sat forgotten, unopened, on a police department windowsill, before the seal was cracked and the gruesome message, written in Danish, was analyzed. Could it be real? Who are these boys, and why weren’t they reported missing? Could they possibly still be alive?
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Robin Family
Last week for Wordless Wednesday I posted a photo of a bird’s nest. I thought it might be a robin’s nest but there weren’t any birds in the area and it was too high up for me to see if there were any eggs.
A week later I was walking on the same path and this time the nest was occupied. The Crab Apple tree now had leaves, the blossoms were beginning to open, and an American Robin was sitting on the nest. A robin on a nest in May is not an unusual site in my neighborhood, but this one was so pretty I had to stop and take a few pictures.
In some bird species both the male and the female will incubate the eggs. In the American Robin, only the female sits on the nest.
I hid behind a shrub so I wouldn’t disturb the birds and watched for a few minutes. Soon the male showed up with a worm, mom left for a short break and the nestlings got a meal.
International Migratory Bird Day
Today is International Migratory Bird Day, an annual event that highlights and celebrates the migration of nearly 350 species of migratory birds between nesting habitats in North America and non-breeding grounds in Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Many events and programs are taking place today. I will be out with a group of birders exploring a golf course and searching for migratory birds.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Reconstructing Amelia
by Kimberly McCreight
Narrated by Khristine Hvam
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publish Date: April 2, 2013
Format: Audio, 12 hours | 15 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
When Kate, single mother and law firm partner, gets an urgent phone call summoning her to her daughter’s exclusive private school, she’s shocked. Amelia has been suspended for cheating, something that would be completely out of character for her over-achieving, well-behaved daughter. Kate rushes to Grace Hall, but what she finds when she finally arrives is beyond comprehension. Her daughter Amelia is dead.
My Thoughts:
Kate is devastated, her only child is dead and she is told it was a suicide. But when she receives a mysterious text message saying Amelia didn’t jump from the roof of the school, she begins her own investigation.
The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Kate, in the present as she pieces together what happened, and Amelia, during her last few months. The author used the technique of presenting the story through text messages, email, facebook updates and even some very nasty blog posts written by an anonymous source. Kate and Amelia were well-developed characters with Amelia the more likable and sympathetic of the two.
As the mystery of what happened to Amelia unfolds, the story becomes disturbing and often heartbreaking but at the same time compelling. I cringed at the meanness of her schoolmates, and wanted to yell at Amelia for not seeking help or advice. Most of the characters were not very likable and in many ways despicable people, with the story taking a darker tone than I was expecting. I did not figure out the ending until the last moment and felt the author did a good job presenting the clues and at times distracting the reader.
The audio was excellent. This was the first book I listened to that was narrated by Khristine Hvam and I was impressed. There were a lot of characters and she was able to vary her voice and tone so that I had no trouble differentiating between them. I even liked her portrayal of the male characters, something I often gripe about, and I especially enjoyed her snarky reading of the nasty blog posts. My only caution on the audio is that one needs to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of the chapters as the timeline moves between Amelia and Kate.
I wasn’t sure if this was a YA or adult novel, but it is very well-written and would easily find an audience among either group.
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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: No idea what these two were arguing about but it ended as quickly as it began and everyone was friends again.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Parrots Prove Deadly:
A Pru Marlowe Mystery
by Clea Simon
Narrated by Tavia Gilbert
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Publish Date: April 2nd 2013
Format: Audio, 8 hours | 46 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 4 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
When bad-girl animal psychic Pru Marlowe is called in to retrain a foul-mouthed African gray after its owner’s death, she can’t help hearing the parrot’s words as a replay of a murder scene. But the doctor on call scoffs at the idea, and the heirs just want their late mother’s pet to quit cursing. The only other possible witnesses being an evasive aide, a blind neighbor, and a single-minded service dog, Pru is stuck with what may be a featherbrained theory or is it really?
My Thoughts:
Pru is an animal behaviorist. She has a special gift when it comes to animals. She understands them, she can talk to them and she can hear their answers. She doesn’t always know exactly what they are trying to tell her but give her some time and she will figure it out.
Pru owns a classic muscle car and knows how to drive it, likes to put away a drink or two and in her younger days hung around with a fast crowd. She says she’s reformed now, but not everyone believes her. She hasn’t entirely given up living on the edge and doesn’t mind breaking a few laws if she feels it’s necessary to get to the truth.
This was a fun book to listen to and an easy read. No complex mystery, just an entertaining cozy. I had a very good idea who the ‘bad guy’ was but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story. The conversations between Pru and the animals were a hit with me. Pru’s cat and the parrot were instrumental in solving the mystery but there were other helpful animals too… a guide dog and a raccoon that she rescued, illegally, from animal control.
The novel’s pace was fast and at only nine hours the story moved along quickly. Tavia Gilbert’s narration was delightful. She did a great job on the many characters plus created unique voices for each of the animals. Especially memorable was Wallis, Pru’s snarky cat, and Randolph, the foul-mouthed African Gray Parrot.
This is the third novel in the Pet Noir series but the first one I’ve read. It has no trouble as a stand alone so feel free to jump in here with number three for a fun break from the heavy books and a good summer read.
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Source: Review copy
© 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 May host is Abi @ 4 the LOVE of BOOKS
This was a great week for audiobooks. Since half of the books I read are audio, I was thrilled to receive this great assortment of titles. I’m not good at sitting still for very long so audio is the perfect format for me.
For review from Houghton Mifflin:
The Testing
by Joelle Charbonneau
Sixteen-year-old Cia Vale is honoured to be chosen for The Testing – a series of exams set by the United Commonwealth that selects the brightest young adults to become leaders of their war- stricken world. But when candidates start disappearing and Cia witnesses unimaginable horrors done in the United Commonwealth’s name it becomes clear that these are no ordinary exams, and Cia is forced to realise the truth: this is no longer about winning, but surviving.
For review and tour from JKSCommunications:
Lucky Bastard
by Deborah Coonts
Lucky O’Toole, the newly promoted vice president of Customer Relations for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s primo Strip property, has never met a problem she couldn’t handle. But when a young woman is found dead, sprawled across the hood of a new, bright red Ferrari California in the Babylon’s on-site dealership, a Jimmy Choo stiletto stuck in her carotid, Lucky’s skills are maxed out. Of course her life is already on overload. Her mother, Mona, is pregnant, hormonal, and bored — a triple threat. A song that Teddie, Lucky’s former lover, wrote for her … more
For review from Harper Audio:
Waiting to Be Heard
by Amanda Knox
She spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit. Separated from her family, she was demonized by the international press and treated harshly by the Italian justice system, including disdainful police. She endured humiliation, injustice, and loneliness thousands of miles fromher home. Now, with intelligence, grace, and candor, Amanda Knox, the young Americanexchange student, tells the full story of her harrowing ordeal in Italy-a labyrinthine nightmare of crime and punishment, innocence and vindication-and of the unwavering support of family and friends who tirelessly worked to see her win her freedom.
Frozen In Time
by Mitchell Zuckoff
Frozen in Time places us at the center of a group of valiant airmen fighting to stay alive through 148 days of a brutal Arctic winter by sheltering from subzero temperatures and vicious blizzards in the tail section of the broken B-17 until an expedition headed by famed Arctic explorer Bernt Balchen attempts to bring them to safety.
For review from Penguin Audio:
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Silken Prey by John Sandford
A Delicate Truth by John le Carré
Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson
The Black Country by Alex Grecian
The Other Typist Suzanne Rindell
What are you reading?
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© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Written in Red
by Anne Bishop
Narrated by Alexandra Harris
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publish Date: March 5, 2013
Format: Audio, 18 hours | 32 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Rating: 5 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans.
As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.
Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.
My Thoughts:
I read a fair amount of science fiction but I’m fussy about fantasy. I don’t like the romantic vampire and paranormal stuff that is everywhere today. This novel was a refreshing surprise. It is filled with preternatural beings and I loved it. It’s all in the way the world is built. I like a well-constructed world and this one is fantastic.
The story begins with an introduction, A Brief History of the World, which provides background and sets the stage for the novel. Also provided is some geography: A few maps and a legend of names of land masses, rivers and days of the week, which are helpful but not essential to enjoy the story. However, having this frame of reference does make it easier to become oriented.
There are multiple story lines but the main focus is on Meg. As a blood prophet she has spent her entire life locked away. As she learns more about the world on the outside, so do we, the reader. There are a lot of other characters, some quite well-developed, and story lines that I can see evolving in future novels. There are shape-shifting owl, crows, hawks and wolves, plus The Others, which include vampires and werewolves. The one thing we don’t have is romance. Nope, no romance. No sexy vampires. Just great storytelling. Well, the door is open to a possible romance, but not in this novel.
I listened to the audiobook and I’ve said this many times before, and I’ll say it again, the inclusion of a simple pdf file with the maps I just mentioned above would be a very nice addition. The audio was narrated by Alexandra Harris. It was nicely paced and pleasant to listen to. The multiple story lines and complexity of a new world might make this difficult to follow for those not already comfortable with audiobooks. The book runs over 18 hours, but I was completely engaged and the time flew past.
It’s probably pretty obvious that I loved this book. I haven’t enjoyed an urban fantasy novel this much since I found The Dresden Files. This is book one of a new series and I’m already looking forward to book two. For those who enjoy adult urban fantasy, or want to try a different genre, this is highly recommended.
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Source: Review copy
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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