Almost wordless: This was a gorgeous sunflower a few days earlier. While I plant flowers with the wildlife in mind, it would be nice if Mrs. Goldfinch waited a few weeks for the flower to die naturally so we could all enjoy it!
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 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 July host is Mrs. Q Book Addict.
I’ve been listening more than reading this summer so I’ve been requesting audio rather than print when available.
A win from Criminal Elements:
Granddad, There's a Head on The Beach
by Colin Cotterill
Jimm Juree, who was well on her way to achieving her goal of becoming the primary crime reporter for the major daily newspaper in Chiang Mai, is less than thrilled to have lost her job as a reporter and to be stuck in the middle of nowhere where little of interest happens. So it is with mixed feelings that she greets the news that a head has washed up on the beach. It’s tragic, of course, but this could be the sort of sensational murder that would get her a byline in a major daily and keep her toehold on her journalism career. Now all she has to do is find out who was murdered, and why.
For Review from Audiobook Jukebox and Macmillan Audio:
Shine Shine Shine
by Lydia Netzer
When Maxon met Sunny, he was seven years, four months, and eighteen-days old. Or, he was 2693 rotations of the earth old. Maxon was different. Sunny was different. They were different together.
Now, twenty years later, they are married, and Sunny wants, more than anything, to be “normal.” She’s got the housewife thing down perfectly, but Maxon, a genius engineer, is on a NASA mission to the moon, programming robots for a new colony. Once they were two outcasts who found unlikely love in each other: a wondrous, strange relationship formed from urgent desire for connection. more
For Review from Harper Audio:
Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury
Edited by Sam Weller and Mort Castle
Ray Bradbury–peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America’s most beloved authors–is a literary giant whose remarkable career has spanned seven decades. Now twenty-six of today’s most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder.
For Review from Penguin Audio:
It’s The Middle Class Stupid
by James Carville and Stan Greenberg
Told in the alternating voices of these two top political strategists, It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! provides eye-opening and provocative arguments on where our government—including the White House—has gone wrong, and what voters can do about it.
How was your week?
Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas
by John Scalzi
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor Books
Publish Date: June 5, 2012
Format: Hardcover | 320 pages
Rating: 5 of 5
Although I’m a lifelong science fiction fan, I had not yet read one of John Scalzi’s books. That changed when I won a copy of the recently released Redshirts from goodreads. I put it at the top of the to-read pile and I’m so glad it did. I absolutely loved this book and now I have Scalzi’s large backlist to go through whenever I feel the need for some good scifi.
I can’t summarize the plot much better than the publisher already has:
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship “Intrepid,” flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.
The newest crew members spend a lot of their time avoiding away mission assignments in an attempt to stay alive. But the Intrepid isn’t an ordinary ship and they aren’t living in an ordinary universe.
The premise of the novel is drawn from the original Star Trek television series. The ill-fated Ensign who dies on the away mission is always the one wearing the red uniform shirt. The book is partly a spoof of TV science fiction shows like Star Trek, Stargate and Battlestar Galactica to name a few. Light and fun, it has many humorous moments and more than a few inside jokes that fans of the genre will enjoy.
Clever and meta, it sometimes reminded me of the movie Galaxy Quest, with Tim Allen, where the cast of an old science fiction show are forced to play their roles for real to help an alien civilization. But then the story switches direction a few times as we discover the truth about the Intrepid, the crew and who controls their fate.
Scalzi concludes the story using three codas, or epilogues, each written in a different narrative style: First-person, second-person and third-person. This is a little different and quite creative. And it worked. The codas brought it all together for me.
I’m not going to try to convince anyone that this is a book that transcends genres, because it’s not. It’s definitely science fiction. However, for readers who like science fiction even a little bit, I recommend giving this book a try. It has enough humor and wit that it should be enjoyable to even the casual fan. And audiobook fans, take note: Wil Wheaton is the narrator. Although I haven’t listened to it, it’s hard to believe it could be anything but superb based on what I’ve heard about his narration of Ready Player One. And besides, I really like Wil Wheaton! Especially when he plays himself on The Big Bang Theory. Yes, now I’ve outed myself as a geek.
Anyone in the mood for something a little different, give this a try. And scifi fans, you will love it.
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Source: Review copy
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
As part of last week’s bird walk, we got an up-close look at a Purple Martin colony. The Martins always nest in groups almost exclusively in man-made multi-unit birdhouses. The colonies require monitoring and one of the members of my bird club is a volunteer for a colony established at a local golf course.
Being a Purple Martin landlord means checking the birds several times a week, preventing competing species such as House Sparrows and Starlings from nesting in the compartments or harming the nestlings, and keeping the nests free of parasites. The multi-unit houses are on a retractable pole and can be lowered for nest monitoring.
The birds don’t mind humans and tolerated our presence while we observed their behavior and looked into their home. They roosted on or near the house while one of the other houses was lowered. We got to peek inside a few of the nests and to observe a young nestling up close. This little one is about 10 to 12 days old.
The Purple Martin is the largest of the North American Swallows. They can be found across most of the US and Southern Canada except for the interior mountain areas. They are migratory and spend their winters in Brazil. They return to the same nesting area each spring. This year they returned a few weeks early, probably due to our unusually warm weather.
Below is one of the females who was patiently observing the humans. The males are solid glossy black.
For more information and photos visit last year’s post from the Purple Martin presentation, which has become an annual event for my bird club.
Wren Update
I am happy to announce the birth of an unknown number of nestlings in my wren house. On July 11th I noticed the parents carrying bugs into the house, a good indication that there are little mouths to feed. After about 15 days the babies are ready to leave the nest.
This morning I saw both parents bringing yummy insects. The male has not deserted his mate, tried to start a second family or become a deadbeat dad as they sometimes do (wrens are polygamous). He’s been tending the nest box all week.
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.
Suko,
stacybuckeye
and Carol M
have each won a copy of …
This Bright River
by Patrick Somerville
Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered the contest. Check the sidebar for more chances to win.
Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
Narrated by Anna Massey
Genre: Gothic, Classic
Publisher: BBC Audio
Publish Date: Audio 2008 | Original publication 1938
Format: Audio: Approx 14 hours, 12 CDs
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 5 of 5
I’d always intended to read Rebecca someday, and when Sheila at BookJourney announced a read-a-long, I decided this was as good a time as any. I already have enough print books to keep me busy well into autumn, so I chose to go with the audiobook.
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”
That famous first line of the novel is pretty much the extent of what I knew about the novel. Seriously. I knew it was a gothic, and that it was a classic and was also made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock. What I didn’t know was how chillingly creepy and haunting it would turn out to be. It was 14 hours of long and I found myself grabbing the mp3 player even if I only had a few minutes to listen. That’s when I know a book gets five stars!
The story is told in retrospect by an unnamed narrator. While working in Monte Carlo as a companion to an American woman she meets Maxim de Winter, a wealthy Englishman whose beautiful wife, Rebecca, recently died in a boating accident. After a whirlwind courtship she marries Maxim and returns with him to his estate, Manderley. The presence of Rebecca is everywhere in the mansion. The new Mrs. de Winter feels out-of-place and resented by the staff who adored Rebecca. After a series of incidences she began to feel that Max regretted his impulsive decision to marry her. When a storm causes a shipwreck on the shore of the estate, a grisly discovery is made by the rescue divers, many questions arise, and nothing adds up.
I listened to the BBC Audio production narrated by Anna Massey. Her smooth British voice was a pleasure to listen to and made me feel as if I was visiting an estate in England. The cast of characters were portrayed with emotion and enough change in style that I could easily tell them apart.
One of the read-a-long discussion questions was that
“Du Maurier admitted that her heroine has no name because she could never think of an appropriate one”
At one point the narrator mentions that her name is spelled wrong on some correspondence, and that’s when I realized I didn’t know her name. Since I was listening to the audio I couldn’t flip back to look it up. It wasn’t until later that I realized she didn’t have a name. It was one of those little things that added to the mystery even though the author had said it was not intentional.
There are a lot of little hints and clues left for the reader/listener along the way and a few questions that are never answered. The reader is left to fill-in-the blanks and come up with their own conclusion. I liked the ending, and I feel I know what happened, but it is open to interpretation. I can’t help but feel the book might seem a little different if read again with some prior knowledge. I admit I was shocked with the ‘twist’ in the story was revealed; I did not see it coming.
Overall a wonderful classic that shouldn’t be missed. The BBC Audio production was excellent and as good a choice as reading the book itself. There is an excellent discussion post at BookJourney and all are invited to participate.
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Almost wordless: Mr. Bluebird just finished delivering a yummy bug to the nestlings. Photo taken at Cantigny Golf.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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