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Sunday, June 10, 2012
TSS: All Is Quiet on the Southwestern Front
7:49 AM
Outside my window: It's a bright, beautiful morning. Yesterday, we discovered a cute little (well, not little) quail family in the backyard and watching them has kept us smiling. There are two adults and seven (SEVEN!) babies. It's fun to watch the babies toddle all over the place, although they gave us a scare yesterday when they decided to jump into the pool. To our surprise, they glided around in the water for a little bit, then hopped right back out! No harm done.
I am listening to: The glorious sound of silence. With three of my four kids gone, the house has been quiet all week. Almost too quiet.
I am reading: I'm scheduled to review An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd in July, so I'm trying to read the first three books in the series before then. I finished A Duty to the Dead the other day and am now working on An Impartial Witness. If you haven't read this series about a forthright WWI nurse who can't stop getting entangled in the lives of the patients she tends, you should. I'm really enjoying it.
I am going to read: I'm going to finish An Impartial Witness and probably move right on to A Bitter Truth. Although, I just got an ARC of Crewel by Gennifer Albin, so I *might* have to read that one first. We'll see.
On the blog this week: I (well, random.org) will be picking the winner in my giveaway of I Believe in Jesus Too by Mark S. Nielsen on June 13th. Lots of my IRL friends have entered, so I'm excited to see who will win the book. If you haven't entered yet, do it now!
Around the Book Blogosphere: I didn't officially sign up for Armchair BEA this year, but I enjoyed reading lots of posts about it. I still dream of attending BEA for real. Maybe next year? Better start saving my pennies ...
I am thinking: I need to go wake up my 13 year old. He's been at Scout camp all week and now he's flying off to Utah to join his grandparents and two of his siblings in Happy Valley. This is the first time he's ever flown alone—I'm nervous for him, but he's been cool as a cucumber. He'll be fine, I know he will be, I just can't stop worrying. I'm a mom, it's what I do.
I am grateful for: My in-laws. They graciously volunteered to have my three oldest stay with them in Utah for about three weeks. It will be a nice break for me, I just worry (see, there I go again) about how my mother and father-in-law will survive all the excitement.
Around the house: Like I said, it's been pretty quiet. The husband and I have had only one kid at home all week. It's weird. She's three, though, and very busy with swimming lessons, dance class, princess movies, etc. She misses her siblings, but she also seems to be doing just fine having all of her parents' attention to herself.
In the kitchen: Not much going on there. It's too hot to turn on the oven. I'm also trying really hard to stick to my Weight Watchers eating plan, so I've been dining on lots of fruits, veggies and chicken. My blood sugar has been excellent ever since I (re)started WW—I'm trying to keep that in mind when the chocolate/ice cream/Mt. Dew cravings strike.
High of the Week: Listening to my husband and son talk about all the fun they had at their respective Scout camps. Also, taking the 3-year-old to Olive Garden. She was hilarious! Wiggly, but really funny.
Low of the Week: So, I got Poopendous by Artie Bennett in the mail the other day. My daughter was so excited to see a children's book ("Is it for me?" she kept asking) that she insisted I read it to her right away. Guess what our new gotta-read-it-before-every-nap-and-night-night book is? Yep. Poopendous.
(I know that's not much of a low, but, really, it's been a good week, so I had to work hard to come up with something to fit the category.)
Family Matters: We're planning our upcoming road trip. First, we'll stop in Utah to retrieve our kids, then we'll head to Washington State to see my parents and then, after a week or so, we'll head back to Provo for the 4th of July. Eventually, we'll wander back to Arizona, possibly via Nevada. At any rate, I haven't been "home" in about four years, so I'm excited to visit the Motherland.
The coming week: Not a whole lot is going on. Basically, my busy three-year-old and I will be keeping each other entertained while the husband works. I foresee lots of swimming, baby bird-watching, reading about poop, and watching movies.
Words of Wisdom: Have a great week, everybody!
Labels:Misc,The Sunday Salon | 10
bookworm(s) said...
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Just As I Feared, Things Are Not Well in the FAYZ ...
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for Fear, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier books in the Gone series. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
The FAYZ is many things—violent, scary, strange, dangerous—but there's one thing it never is: peaceful. And yet, four whole months have passed without any major problems. It's almost ... boring. Sam Temple, leader of the kids at Tramanto Beach, can't quite handle it. He should be thrilled with the relative calm, but he feels jittery, too keyed up to just relax and enjoy the unexpected break in the chaos that usually defines life in his crazy, domed world. Maybe it's because Astrid, the one person who keeps him sane, has decided to strike out on her own. Or, because he doesn't really trust Cain, the self-appointed king of Perdido Beach, to not be up to something. More probably, it's because Sam, like every other kid trapped in the FAYZ, knows nothing good ever lasts in the nightmare land they call home.
When Astrid returns to Tramanto Beach bearing disturbing news—a weird darkness is crawling up the walls of the dome that encloses the Perdido Beach area, slowly squeezing out all available light—chaos returns in full force. The thought of eternal night scares everyone, especially Sam. Desperate to control his own fear, Sam throws himself into finding a solution to the dwindling light problem. In the meantime, there's plenty of other things to worry about, among them Diana, who's pregnant with a very powerful baby; an out-of-control Freak playing lethal mind tricks; the ever-present Gaiaphage; and a little boy who's playing God with the "avatars" in Perdido Beach. So much for peaceful.
But that's life in the FAYZ.
It's no secret that I love the Gone books by Michael Grant. It's not the best written YA dystopian series out there, it's true, but the story never fails to engage me. And surprise me. Just when I think the author must be out of horrifying ways to torture his characters, he comes up with something—or someone—even more sinister. Fear, the 5th book in the series, also offers a glimpse of what's happening on the outside, which creates greater chaos, bigger risks and an even more absorbing story. I know I'm not going to shock anyone when I say I loved it. Because I did. I do. No matter how bleak and awful it is, I adore the Gone world and can't wait to see how Grant wraps it all up in the next—and last—book.
Grade: B
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence and sexual content (more implied than graphic)
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
When the Butterflies Came Cover Reveal: Isn't it Pretty?
7:33 AM
One of the things I like best about my "job" as a book blogger is that it gives me the chance to know and work with some wonderful authors. Kimberley Griffiths Little happens to be one of my favorites. Not only is she incredibly sweet and personable, but she's also a very talented writer. She's published several middle grade novels, two of which (The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets) I've raved about recently here on the blog. Her next, When the Butterflies Came, will be available in April 2013. Forbidden, her first YA novel, also releases in 2013.
When I saw Kimberley in May, she gave me a sneak peek of the beautiful When the Butterflies Came cover. I'm excited to be able to share it with you now:
Isn't it pretty?
The story sounds intriguing, too, don't you think?:
Everybody thinks Tara Doucet has the perfect life. But in reality, Tara’s life is anything but perfect: Her dear Grammy Claire has just passed away, her mother is depressed and distant, and she and her sister Riley can’t seem to agree on anything. But when mysterious and dazzling butterflies begin to follow her around after Grammy Claire’s funeral, Tara just knows in her heart that her grandmother has left her one final mystery to solve.
A strange butler shows up to take Tara and Riley to Grammy Claire’s house, where Tara finds a stack of keys and detailed letters from Grammy Claire herself. Note by note, Tara learns unexpected truths about her grandmother’s life. As the letters grow more ominous and the keys more difficult to decipher, Tara realizes that the secrets she must uncover could lead to mortal danger. And when Tara and Riley are swept away to the beautiful island of Chuuk to hear their grandmother’s will, Tara discovers the most shocking truth of all — one that will change her life forever.
In conjunction with the big cover reveal, Kimberley's also hosting a giant giveaway on her blog. She's giving away THREE autographed copies each of The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets. Also, if you're a blogger with a significant following of your own, you can enter to win one of THREE When the Butterflies Came ARCs. Awesome, right? Visit Kimberley's blog to throw your name into the hat.
Even if you don't win, you definitely want to check out Kimberley's books. The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets are both beautifully written and wonderfully atmospheric (they're set in the bayous of Louisiana)—they're excellent stories for readers of any age.
Monday, June 04, 2012
Depressing Hoarding Novel A Ho-Hum Read
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Trish Dietrich, a divorced mother of two boys, knows she has a clutter problem. She also knows it isn't that bad. After all, she's the daughter of a hoarder—she's only too well aware of what a real problem looks like. It's true that her husband, Ron, left partly because he could no longer stand Trish's mess. And that her oldest son, 17-year-old Drew, bunks at his girlfriend's house since his own bed disappeared under his mother's piles a long time ago. So, okay, maybe Trish is a tad untidy, but what single working mom has time to keep a spotless house?
It's only when a social worker shows up on Trish's doorstep demanding that she clean up her act (literally) or lose her 7-year-old son, Jack, that Trish begins to realize just how serious her hoarding has become. Jack is the only one who still loves Trish unconditionally—she can't lose him. But cleaning up her home is a huge, overwhelming project, the very thought of which causes Trish to tremble with anxiety. How can she let go of so many treasures, so many memories? She can't. And yet, in order to keep her son, she must.
Trish isn't thrilled about accepting help from anyone, especially not her self-righteous younger sister. Neat, meticulous Mary can't abide hoarding—she fled their mother's packed-to-the-rafters home when she was only 15 and she hasn't set foot in Trish's house in rural Michigan for almost 20 years. But Trish is desperate. So—in her own way—is Mary. As the two dig their way through Trish's mess, they'll uncover more than just years worth of junk. They'll unearth the anger, the hurt, the bitterness and the dark family secrets that drove them apart in the first place. Can caustic Trish and sensitive Mary put the past behind them long enough to create a healthy home for Jack? Or will the attempt be the very thing that tears them apart forever?
Here's the thing about hoarding: it's depressing. Fascinating, but depressing—a phrase that could also describe Keepsake by Kristina Riggle (available June 26). Only the author's fourth book is more of the latter, less of the former. The story definitely kept me reading, but I struggled to really empathize with the characters, most of whom are unlikable. Trish, especially, is so confrontational and whiny that it's difficult to feel much for her. Even Mary, with whom I identify much more than Trish, isn't particularly warm or sympathetic. Because of this, I had a tough time really getting into this novel, even though I find the themes it explores (not just hoarding, but sister/sister relationships as well as the effects of parental obsessions/addictions on children) interesting. So, yeah, I'm kind of ho-hum on this one.
(Readalikes: Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu; parts of Keepsake also reminded me of The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language and intense situations
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Keepsake from the generous folks at William Morrow (an imprint of Harper Collins) via Netgalley. Thank you!
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