Almost wordless: This guy was hiding in the zucchini patch in my garden. He blended in with the wood chips and I didn’t see him until he popped up and scared the bleep! out of me. Annoyed by my presence, he hopped into the acorn squash. I haven’t seen him since.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
The Little Stranger
by Sarah Waters
Narrated by Simon Vance
Genre: Mystery, Gothic
Publisher: Books on Tape
Publish Date: January 1, 2009
Format: Audio, 15 hours | 52 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 4 of 5
“THE LITTLE STRANGER follows the strange adventures of Dr. Faraday, the son of a maid who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. One dusty post-war summer in his home of rural Warwickshire, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the once grand Georgian house is now in decline. But are the Ayres haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Farady know how closely–and how terrifyingly–their story is about to become entwined with his.”
I’m participating in RIP VII, an annual event at Stainless Steel Droppings, and this was one of the books for Peril the Group Read, hosted by The Estrella Society.
After reading the description of the book I was expecting a scary ghost story. At first, I didn’t find it very frightening at all. The story started out slow and while more than a few disturbing things happened, it wasn’t terrifying in the Stephen King or Dean Koontz way I am accustomed to experiencing. Instead, it built up an increasing level of unease and creepiness as the story progressed. By the last quarter of the book, the evil, whatever or whoever it was, became a heavy presence and the story much more compelling as we sped towards the almost inevitable but ultimately unexplained conclusion, one that I kept thinking about even after I had moved on to my next book.
The story was narrated by Dr. Farady, and now, looking back, I think that is what contributed to my feeling that the story was moving along slowly. I was following the narrative and believing the story from his point of view. Once I started questioning his interpretation of the events, they took on a new meaning. Was I observing things through his delusional perspective or was he perfectly sane and the house itself possessed? Or were the members of the Ayers family all crazy?
The house at this point had taken on a life of its own and became one of the characters. It too became suspect. Then I became frustrated and annoyed with Farady, and worried for the Ayers family. I began talking to myself… “No, don’t do that” or No, don’t go there”.
I listened to the audio version and Simon Vance’s excellent narration, which I highly recommend. The narration kept me interested enough to keep going through what I considered a slow beginning, but it is well worth continuing listening to this book. There is a lot going on in this story, one only has to give it time to build and think about what is happening beyond what we are told by Farady.
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Source: Public Library copy.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Mailbox Monday
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 September host is BookNAround.
For review from Atria Books:
The Secret Keeper
by Kate Morton
1959 England. Laurel Nicolson is sixteen years old, dreaming alone in her childhood tree house during a family celebration at their home, Green Acres Farm. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and then observes her mother, Dorothy, speaking to him. And then she witnesses a crime. Fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to Green Acres for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by memories and questions she has not thought about for decades.
For review from Audiobook Jukebox:
The Three-Day Affair
by Michael Kardos
Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan are lifelong friends. Each has gone their separate ways as adults, living their own lives while forging their own careers. They have no reason to believe anything extraordinary will befall them. Until one shocking moment changes everything. Will is a part-time drummer who spends the rest of his time in recording studios. Then one night Jeffrey attempts to rob a convenience store, drags a young woman into Will’s car, and shouts a single word: “Drive “
From Penguin Audio:
Winter of the World (The Century Trilogy #2) by Ken Follett
Severe Clear (Stone Barrington #24 by Stuart Woods
A Murder of Quality: A George Smiley Novel (George Smiley #2) by John le Carré
The Tombs (Fargo Adventure #4) by Clive Cussler
Gone (Hannah Smith #1) by Randy Wayne White
NW by Zadie Smith
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.Share what you read last week and what you are currently reading.
Last week I listened to The Little Stranger for the RIP Readalong at The Estella Society and Cascade by Maryanne O’Hara, historical fiction set in 1935 Massachusetts.
I also read The Last Policeman, some excellent apocalyptic fiction. An asteroid is on a crash course with the earth. Does anyone care about investigating a murder if the world is ending in a few months? I enjoyed this one! Review coming soon for all three.
Reading/Listening This Week:
This week I’m planning on reading Innocent Victims, psychological suspense novellas for RIP VII and The Dog Stars.
I’m also listening to Roots of the Olive Tree.
Giveaway
Last week I posted a giveaway of American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar.
The giveaway is open for entry until Sunday, September 23rd for readers with a US or Canadian mailing address. (Sorry International folks, the publisher is mailing the books.) I have three trade paperbacks and one audiobook to give away.
What Are You Reading?
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
It’s been a very busy past few days so there’s no featured bird this week. Instead I have a few shots of some of my regular backyard visitors.
The first is a female Red-bellied Woodpecker. She was busy exploring the apple tree, probably looking for insects to eat. If this were a male the top of the head would also be red. In females there is only a patch of red on the back of the head. The birds are named for the reddish tinge on their belly, but it’s often difficult to see.
Below is one of the Mourning Dove families that regularly visit my feeder. The parents are on the left and the youngster is on the right. The young dove’s feathers are edged in white giving them a scalloped look and it is slightly smaller in size.
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.
Bel Canto
by Ann Patchett
Narrated by Anna Fields
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publish Date: Audio CD: Sept 2007, Orig: 2001
Format: Audio: 11 hours | 24 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 3 of 5
A birthday bash is in full swing in honor of a Japanese businessman in the hopes that he will build new factories and bring employment and business to an unidentified South American country. The party is being held at the home of the country’s vice president and the entertainment is provided by one of the world’s greatest opera singers, Roxanne Coss.
When the house lights go down at the end of the performance, something doesn’t feel right. The guests soon realize that a group of terrorists has taken over the building and the guests are now hostages. The terrorists wanted to capture the president of the country, but he decided not to attend the party, opting instead to stay home and watch a soap opera.
It soon becomes apparent that these terrorists are not killers. They are mostly young, inexperienced children. Now they are faced with negotiating and compromising but instead the ordeal becomes a standoff. Hostages and terrorists become friends and everyone begins to settle in to this new way of living. As we watch the relationships evolve it becomes unclear whether or not the hostages want to be freed and if the terrorists even want to come to an agreement. Things can’t go on like this forever.
Much of the story is about the evolving relationships between the hostages and the terrorists, and the relationships among the hostages themselves. It’s written in the third person so we, the reader or listener, are observers, watching the drama play out. We can only assume what the hostages were feeling. The book was beautifully written in Ann Pachett’s lovely, lyrical style; the audio was a pleasure to listen to, but the story itself was not that memorable or compelling.
The story started out strong but after a few hours of listening it began to drag. I feel I should have cared more about the characters, but I didn’t. I just couldn’t put myself in their position or relate to their actions. And when the story ended, I was happy to move on to my next book. I didn’t have a problem with the ending, which others have said they disliked, and could see it coming; there were few solutions left at that point.
Many people have loved this book and I admit my problem was with the story itself, not the writing. Did I like the book? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes, with reservations. If one is looking to read a cerebral, thought-provoking book and is interested in the topic, this might be a good choice.
I read this book as part of a read-along with Sheila at Book Journey. There will be more discussion in the read-along post at Book Journey on Saturday, September 15th.
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: This might be Elderberry. Not sure, and I didn’t get a shot of the entire plant. Anyone know?
Photographed at Lyman Woods
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar
Now available in Trade Paperback and Audiobook.
The publisher, Little, Brown & Company, has made available three trade paperback copies and one audiobook to give away to my readers in the US and Canada. How exciting is that?
Before I get to the giveaway, here is a little information about the book and the author:
About the Book
Hayat Shah is a young American in love for the first time. His normal life of school, baseball, and video games had previously been distinguished only by his Pakistani heritage and by the frequent chill between his parents, who fight over things he is too young to understand. Then Mina arrives, and everything changes.
Mina is Hayat’s mother’s oldest friend from Pakistan. She is independent, beautiful and intelligent, and arrives on the Shah’s doorstep when her disastrous marriage in Pakistan disintegrates. Even Hayat’s skeptical father can’t deny the liveliness and happiness that accompanies Mina into their home. Her deep spirituality brings the family’s Muslim faith to life in a way that resonates with Hayat as nothing has before. Studying the Quran by Mina’s side and basking in the glow of her attention, he feels an entirely new purpose mingled with a growing infatuation for his teacher.
When Mina meets and begins dating a man, Hayat is confused by his feelings of betrayal. His growing passions, both spiritual and romantic, force him to question all that he has come to believe is true. Just as Mina finds happiness, Hayat is compelled to act — with devastating consequences for all those he loves most.
American Dervish is a brilliantly written, nuanced, and emotionally forceful look inside the interplay of religion and modern life. Ayad Akhtar was raised in the Midwest himself, and through Hayat Shah he shows readers vividly the powerful forces at work on young men and women growing up Muslim in America. This is an intimate, personal first novel that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.
Preview the book and audio by clicking on the links below.
About the Author
Ayad Akhtar is an American-born, first generation Pakistani-American from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He holds degrees in Theater from Brown University and in Directing from the Graduate Film Program at Columbia University, where he won multiple awards for his work. He is the author of numerous screenplays and was star and co-writer of The War Within, which premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay and an International Press Academy Satellite Award for Best Picture – Drama. American Dervish is his first novel.
Learn more about the author:
Visit Ayadakhtar.com
Follow @ayadakhtar on Twitter
Like him on Facebook.com/AyadAkhtar
Like the book on Facebook.com/AmericanDervish
View the video where the author talks about writing American Dervish
Download the Reading Group Guide
Giveaway Information
- Contest is open to those with an address in the US or Canada (No PO boxes). You may enter for both the audiobook and the paperback but you can only win one of them. (I will be drawing the audio winner first.)
- To enter fill out the form below. For an extra entry, tweet or blog the giveaway prior to 9/22.
- The deadline for entry is Sunday, September 23rd. Winners will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address. One winner per household.
[Contest has ended]
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Under My Apple Tree 