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 November host is Kathy at BermudaOnion’s Weblog .
For review from the publisher and Vine:
The Things That Matter
by Nate Berkus
In The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus shares intimate stories from his life, introduces us to people who influenced him and helped him forge his sense of style, and opens up about the remarkable experiences that have left him forever changed, all of which find expression in how he lives today. From his most cherished flea market finds, to his beloved books and photos, to the many extraordinary mementos he’s collected in his travels, every piece defines who he’s become … more
For review from the publisher and Vine:
The Science of Good Cooking
by Cook's Illustrated
In this radical new approach to home cooking, we use science to explain what goes on in the kitchen. Unlike other food science books, we make a direct and practical connection between the science and the cooking. We divide the book into 50 core principles, support them through detailed yet friendly explanations, bring them alive with color illustrations and inventive experiments, and reinforce them through recipes that put the principle to work.
For review from St. Martin’s Press:
The Winter Witch
by Paula Brackston
Paula Brackston’s debut novel, The Witch’s Daughter, was the little book that could—with a captivating story, remarkable heroine, and eye-catching package, it has now netted over 40,000 copies in all formats. Now Paula returns with The Winter Witch, another enchanting tale of love and magic, featuring her signature blend of gorgeous writing, a fabulous and intriguing historical backdrop, and a headstrong and relatable heroine readers will cheer for.
What are you reading?
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Project Feederwatch
Every year from November through April I participate in the citizen science project called Project FeederWatch. Anyone with an interest in birds and that lives in the US or Canada can participate. All you need is a bird feeder and be willing to count birds two consecutive days a week. It can be all or any part of those days. At the end of the season scientists analyze the data submitted by FeederWatch participants to study bird migration and behavior.
Backyard Birds
I keep a few feeders out year-round but they don’t get a lot of use in the summer months. There is plenty of natural food and many of the summer residents are insect eaters and won’t go to a seed feeder. I do get the occasional parent stopping by for an easy meal after a long day of caring for nestlings.
In the cold months I add a few more feeders with different types of seeds. Sunflower seeds, peanuts and a tray of mixed seeds are out year-round. Last week I added thistle and safflower, which the finches love, and a suet feeder.
This past week I noticed a lot more birds at the feeders. Some of them were nice enough to pose for photos. On the right is a beautiful male Red-bellied Woodpecker. These birds are year-round residents in the area, but this individual is new to my yard. He showed up a few weeks ago and loves the peanut feeder. He’s not at all fearful of me. I walked right up to him and took this photo.
The Blue Jay stopped by for some peanuts. I put a handful of whole peanuts in the tray with the seed and he (or she, they look alike) was picking them out. If there are no peanuts when he arrives, he sits in the apple tree and calls until I bring out more peanuts. Seriously.
The Goldfinches were on the thistle feeder. They have changed to their winter plumage which is a dull greenish-yellow. Males and females look similar during the winter but males are still a little bit brighter in color.
Mr. Cardinal stopped by for some sunflower seeds. Mrs. Cardinal was also here but she was in the apple tree on the safflower feeder and I couldn’t get a good photo of her. The cardinals are very shy and always fly off when they see me.
I have lots of House Sparrows who are here every day, all day, year-round. They eat pretty much anything and are not shy at all.
As the winter migrants show up in my yard I’ll try to get some photos of them too. These are the birds that spend their summers in Canada and think Chicago is a good place to go for the winter!
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Here are the winners of the giveaways that ended this week. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter.
[Winners were selected by random.org.]
What the Zhang Boys Know
Winner: windicindi
Sex on the Moon
Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
Winner: Debbie
This is How You Lose Her
Literary Giveaway Hop
Winner: Rikki from Rikki’s Teleidoscope
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Shortest Way Home
by Juliette Fay
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Penguin
Publish Date: October 30, 2012
Format: Paperback | 416 pages
Rating: 4½ of 5
Sean Doran has spent the last twenty years as a nurse living and working overseas in some of the poorest places imaginable. Leaving home as a young man, Sean never married fearing he was a carrier of the Huntington’s gene, the disease which caused the death of his mother.
Lately Sean has been suffering from chronic back pain and feeling burned out from the stress of the job. He decides to make a trip back to his childhood home in Belham, MA for a short rest and to take some time to decide where to go next. But when he arrives he finds that his elderly aunt, younger sister and quirky nephew are each having a crisis of their own and his sister expects him to step in and help out. She’s been taking care of their nephew and aunt for many years while he was away and now it’s his turn. She will be leaving home soon to pursue a career as an actress.
The story is told from Sean’s point of view, a little different from the usual women’s fiction as we instead see events through the eyes of a man. Throughout the novel Sean thinks back and fills us in on his family history and his feelings: His younger brother’s death 6 years ago, his nephew’s problems with a sensory disorder condition, his days back in high school, being raised by his Aunt Viv and his father abandoning the family. Eventually we realize that despite all his travels across many continents, Sean finally expands his horizons only after returning home.
These are well-developed, slightly flawed, but very likeable characters. Most, probably all, families are far from perfect and the Doran family has their share of problems. Add in a believable setting, a little romance and some conflict and we have a touching story and a very readable novel that flows from start to finish.
This truly is a “slice of life” story exposing the complex nature of family, life in general and of finding out after many years who you really are.
Win a Copy of The Shortest Way Home
The publisher has generously offered a copy to give away to one of my readers. If you would like to be entered in the drawing let me know in the comments. US/Canada only, no PO Boxes. Enter through midnight, CST, Sunday, November 11th. One random winner will be chosen and notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address.
[Contest has ended]
Winner: Carol Wong
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Source: Review copy provided by FSB Associates
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Full Moon
Spooky Moon
Almost wordless: Playing around with the moon.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving
by Jonathan Evison
Narrated by Jeff Woodman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Humor
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Publish Date: August 28, 2012
Format: Audio, 9 hours | 14 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5
Benjamin Benjamin (not a typo, that’s his name) has lost everything: his job, his wife, his children. Ben is depressed and for over a year he didn’t even bother to look for work. But now the former stay-at-home dad is almost flat broke and down to his last few thousand dollars. In desperation he enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving at a local church where her earns a certificate making him a licensed caregiver.
The Department of Social services lined Ben up with an interview and he soon had a job caring for 19-year-old Trev, a young man with Muscular Dystrophy. Trev is looking for someone he can relate to. Ben needs a job as soon as possible. And so begins the unlikely relationship between Ben and Trev, which becomes much more than patient and caregiver, and turns into a friendship and an adventure as they hit the road to visit Trev’s dad.
Humorous, even comic at times, I enjoyed the way the author handled serious subjects. Trev’s attitude in spite of his many disabilities is uplifting and inspiring, and his influence on Ben is a positive one. Together they deal with what life throws at them as they embark on their road trip. There’s a little bit of crude humor, what I call ‘guy stuff, but it lightens the tone and makes what could have been a tragic and depressing story into a fun time.
From the beginning we know that something tragic occurred which caused Ben to lose his family, an event he refer to as ‘The Disaster’. Bit by bit Ben reveals what happened and how he feels responsible. At the same time his relationship with Trev is helping him to heal.
The characters of Ben and Trev are likeable, nicely developed and supported by a group of fun minor characters that add more than a little life to their adventure. The audio production was fantastic. Jeff Woodman did a great job narrating and moved the story along at a nice pace. His voice conveyed just the right amount of emotion and seriousness while easily shifting into comic adventure and excitement.
I almost overlooked this book because the cover didn’t call out to me in any way at all. I saw the groovy script and a bus and thought ‘hippie road trip’. After I read a few reviews I realized I had it all wrong. So the lesson here is don’t judge a book by its cover. Read this one, you’ll enjoy it. And maybe the next edition will have a more attractive cover!
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Source: Review copy.
© 2012 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 October host is Marcia at The Mailbox Monday Blog.
For review from Penguin Audio:
Cold Days: A Novel of the Dresden Files
by Jim Butcher
After being murdered by a mystery assailant, navigating his way through the realm between life and death, and being brought back to the mortal world, Harry realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad. Because he is no longer Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard. He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness.
The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy
by David Nasaw
Drawing on never-before-published material from archives on three continents, David Nasaw—the renowned biographer of Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst—unearths a man far more complicated than the popular portrait. Though far from a saint, Joseph Kennedy in many ways exemplifies the best in American political, economic, and social life. His rags-to-riches story is one of exclusion and quiet discrimination overcome by entrepreneurship, ingenuity, and unshakable endurance.
Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You
by Dolly Parton
The legendary Dolly Parton shares for the first time her deeply held philosophy of life and her heartfelt hopes for everyone. Based on the hugely popular commencement speech Dolly Parton gave at the University of Tennessee that became a sensation, Dream More is a deeper and richer exploration of the personal philosophy she has forged over the course of her astonishing career.
A win from Beth Fish Reads:
Witch of Babylon
by D.J. McIntosh
John Madison is a Turkish-American art dealer raised by his much older brother, Samuel, a mover and shaker in New York’s art world. Caught between his brother’s obsession with saving a priceless relic looted from Iraq’s National Museum and a deadly game of revenge staged by his childhood friend, John must solve a puzzle to find the link between a modern-day witch and an ancient one. Aided by Tomas, an archaeologist, and Ari, an Iraqi photojournalist—two men with their own secrets to hide—John races against time to decipher a biblical prophecy that leads to the dark history behind the science of alchemy.
What are you reading?
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Under My Apple Tree 