Embarrassment of Riches Challenge – January 31st Check-In

I‘m doing a quick WWW Wednesday and leaving this post so that everyone can post their January “Embarrassment of Riches” stats!

Okay, my WWW is:

Reading: A Crown of Lights (Merrily Watkins 3) by Phil Rickman and 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King and The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. (I barely started it and actually liked it, but have been spending all my time reading Stephen King, first. So much for my “chapter a day” idea.)

Finished reading: Midwinter of the Spirit (Merrily Watkins 2) by Phil Rickman and Blackwood (Strange Chemistry)  by Gwenda Bond.

Reading next: Something from the TBR list.

The best part of the Embarrassment of Riches Challenge is that it makes reading books I really want to read feel like I’m doing something “worthy.” (That’s not the right word, is it? I’m groping for the word here… ETA: WORTHWHILE. I was so close.)

ECRTBR January reads:

Twelve Drummers Drumming. 1/4/13 Contemporary cozy mystery I liked despite an annoying habit of author to cut away when something important is revealed or about to happen and start the next chapter later, and backtrack to let us know what we missed. Yes, that. And still liked the book. (ebook)

Between the Devil and Desire. 1/4/13 Historical romance I liked. You should definitely read the first in series before this one, but this one has the Artful Dodger as hero.  (audiobook)

Unraveled. 1/10/13 Story is fascinating and relationship between intense, and I am seeing why I keep finding Milan’s name on lists of favorite romance authors. (audiobook)

Votes for Vixens. 1/15/13 Sympathetic characters dealing with emotional and physical trauma, rich detail, and an unpredictable plot made it worth the while.  (ebook)

Blackwood (Strange Chemistry). Twisty plot, high-concept idea, solid YA paranormal. I likey.  (ebook)

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. A free gift from audible, Sherlock Holmes narrated by Alan Cumming. Wonderful.

My goal is silver, and I’ve now read 6 out of 24.  I think I may switch to platinum at this rate.

Kindle Samples:

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo. (Verdict, love what I read and will definitely BUY.)

My goal is platinum and I’ve now read 1 out of 50. (Ooops!)

Post your January stats in comments. Link back to your blog or goodreads or anywhere else you have it, if you want!

Leave your stats in comments, and/or use Mr Linky to link to your stats and reviews!

2012 and Books I’ve Loved

This was originally posted at the Book View Cafe Blog on Dec 20, 2012.

These books weren’t all published in 2012. And they aren’t exactly “the best” for several reasons. One, because as soon as I hit “post” I’ll remember something I forgot. Two, because I’m writing this on December 17 and I’m fully prepared to read something before the end of the year that belongs on this list, because I am an optimist. Three, because I decided I was not going to list anything written by a friend, cohort in crime or colleague.

That said, here are some of my favorite reads from the year 2012.

First, a library ebook loan,The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, by Barry Lyga. Fanboy is a high school sophomore with more than his share of burdens to bear. A geek who loves comics and is the smartest nerd in school, he only has one friend, and that friend doesn’t acknowledge him if others are around. I can tell you more, but it makes him sound pretty pathetic. And honestly, he’s so wicked smart and wicked funny (with an emphasis on wicked, if you consider that he had Planned Parenthood send his mother abortion brochures when he found out she was pregnant with the “step-fascist’s” baby) that this book sucked me in from the first words. Oh, and he meets Goth Girl, which gives him another friend. (Not spoiling anything there. Read the title.) I read this in June and may go ahead and buy the book so I can reread instead of checking it out again.

Blogging The Casual Vacancy, in conclusion

Yes, I am finally putting my final thoughts on paper, without spoilers, because even if I warn for spoilers, it bothers me that I might actually spoil someone’s discoveries and pleasure in reading. I do know people who won’t read the beginning of a book before they read the end. They want to know it ends in a way that is satisfying to them before they invest themselves emotionally in a book. All I can say about that is–I’m not sure this is your book, anyway. And yes, in my opinion, in ends brilliantly. But to jump ahead and read it out of order? Makes me shudder.

My earlier posts:

The Casual Vacancy, Part One

The Casual Vacancy, Olden Days

And then I stopped blogging my progress for numerous reasons.

The Casual Vacancy is social commentary, just as Dickens was social commentary. JK Rowling writes teenagers with such brilliance, and in this case, such brutality. This has none of the happy gloss that protected the reader in the Potter books, and instead, shows the vicious class warfare that exists in many adult hearts, and how it often shapes the lives of the young making it difficult to find a future beyond that of the narrow scope of their parents.

The Casual Vacancy also explores death, and how a community’s perceptions of an unexpected death or deaths can shape the future of the community–whether it’s three steps backward or one step forward.

The biggest problem in this book is the very deliberate choice to make this a story of various members of a village, rather than the story of a single member. We have no likable Oliver Twist or Harry Potter to give us an underdog to root for. Instead we have several equal points of view, none of whom are portrayed so generously. They are each portrayed with warts and flaws that make us eventually like them–if we do–despite their humanity, rather than because of it. The book is compelling, but it’s not comfortable.

I think it will make a powerful movie, and the movie most likely will choose one or two characters as its focus, as movies do.

Finally, at its heart is a young girl I knew from the beginning would possibly break my heart. She is the epitome of the kind of underdog that captures my imagination and heart in real life. And as I read her tale, it made me think of (forgive me) a few Dallas Cowboys who came from difficult circumstances and found fame and fortune–and in at least one case, whose story has yet to be fully lived. And I thought, how lucky–how absolutely lucky they were–to have athletic skills in a sport that has so much money involved. To be singled out and lifted up when so few are.

How fortunate, to be football players and not rowers.

Did I mention the end of the book was brilliant? Finally, the emotional catharsis I needed, the release.

I can’t figure out whether I would have liked this book better if it had been by an unknown author and I didn’t have any expectations about it, or whether I gave it extra credit because JKR wrote it. It could go either way. But the bottom line is, I never could erase from my mind who wrote it and how different it was from the Potter books, but by the end, I gave it full marks for being a damned good book that moved me.

I’d love to know what you thought about this book. Please start your comment with SPOILER if you use one.

Do you have piles of books to be read, and want to join a mutual challenge to actually read some of them in 2013? Join us here! Any kind of book, as long as it’s in your possession on January 1, 2013. Let’s get this party started!

WWW Wednesday (November 28, 2012)

I‘ve been reading a lot but not keeping up with WWW Wednesday. So I thought today was a great day to stick my toe back in the water. Hey, if you haven’t done this before, why don’t you? It’s a great day to start, too! Hosted by shouldbereading, as always.

And even though I have always made my WWW posts all pretty like she does before, this time I won’t, just to show that it doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated.

1) What am I reading?

I’m finishing Grave Mercy and mama mia, is this a fabulous, fabulous book.  Assassin nuns. Poison and daggers and garrotes, oh my! With a bit of romancey stuff and lots of kick-ass adventure. I’m really loving this and am glad it’s the first in a trilogy. Ismae rocks. Here’s my suggestion. Read the opening two or three pages and if that doesn’t grab you, move on. Because it has a great opening.

Also, I’m listening to Daughter of Smoke & , another kick-ass heroine in a solid story. This time it’s contemporary rather than historical, and in Prague rather than Brittany, but the world is fascinating with monsters and hot guys, ooh la la.

2) What did I finish reading?

The second book in a romance series, Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage. A lot of people love this book. I listened to it in audio and am not sure if I would have liked it better had I read it, instead. We were introduced to Lady Isabella and Mac in The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie, knew they loved each other but were estranged after a short marriage. So this was their book where we found out what had happened to break them up. My reaction was, you know? I’d have rather read a book about their relationship from the beginning and experienced it with them–because it was actually some interesting stuff going on. But instead, we see them six years later trying to get things back together and having trust issues and, meh. I felt the distance of time dimmed my emotional connection to what was happening.

I also read Little 15, “a dark tale of first love,” by a local Dallas author, Stephanie Saye. Lauren is a 15-year-old basketball star who ends up having an affair with her coach, a married guy with kids, more than twice her age. The book explores the reasons why Lauren would be vulnerable to such a situation and does so in a compelling way. If that sounds like your cuppa tea, check it out.  It’s a tough little book that  was banned from a literary event once the powers that be actually read it and realized what it was about. Cowards.

3. What will I read next?

As usual, I have no idea. I may finally get around to reading some of the books I’ve been claiming I’m going to read (and wanting to read) over the past few months.  But since next week my book SCANDALOUS will be available for sale, I hope it will show up on your lists! Watch this space for more info and the big cover reveal. (Yes, I’m holding back on the cover so that when you see it and are WOWED by it, you can immediately “click” and buy! Because I am helpful like that.)

Finally, not an official entry in my “Out of Paisley’s Closet” Contest, but shall we say an official exhibition? How about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders like you’ve never seen them before–in costume! The longer you watch, the better it gets. Have fun!

Blogging The Casual Vacancy: “Olden Days”

I continue my efforts to blog my reactions to The Casual Vacancy.

Part One is here.

Of course now that I’m deeper into it I figure out that the next section for my consideration, “Olden Days,” looks like it’s still “Part One,” because when it ends, “Part Two” begins. Meh, I’m not going to try to explain.

I will tell you this, though.  I am much further along than this and finally had to force myself to stop reading in order to write this. This is a compelling book. The views of the characters are ruthless, brutal and honest.  Jo doesn’t make any attempt to make them sympathetic.  The deeper we get into the book, the more sympathetic they become, but that’s despite their flaws, despite the harsh reality of their lives and their actions.  And these are very deliberate choices she’s making. I still am really fascinated to see where she goes with this, what kind of ending we’re going to have.

In my UK edition “Olden Days” starts on page 51 with another definition:

Trespassers

12.43  As against trespassers (who, in principle, must take other people’s premises and their occupiers as they find them)…

Charles Arnold-Baker
Local Council Administration
Seventh Edition

This is where to bail out if you haven’t read it and/or don’t want to read farther. If so, see you next post when I will probably be talking about something else!

This is where to bail out if you haven’t read it and/or don’t want to read farther. If so, see you next post when I will probably be talking about something else!

WWW Wednesday (October 17, 2012)

Again, this meme is from shouldbereading:

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

• What are you currently reading?

As I said Monday, I’m reading The Casual Vacancy, and blogging my reactions, section by section. Guess what, the further I get into it, the more I like it. This is not magic, it’s not “nice,” it’s not fun, it’s not kid stuff. And I finally got far enough into it to see that it’s a timely subject, the needs of the haves vs the have-nots. Or at least that’s how it seems right now. Join me here if you want to start the ride with me. I look foward to your reactions, whether you hate it, love it, or are somewhere in between.

I am also reading a book that is classified as the “New Adult” category. Easy, by Tammara Webber. This is another one of the self-published books that became a huge success on Amazon, and now is being picked up by Penguin and published in print. I wanted to see what it was like. So far I like it and can see why it’s popular with its target audience.. What it’s like is… hmm, a young woman gets almost raped in the opening, and doesn’t call the cops because she’s at a house where a lot of her underage friends are drinking and she doesn’t want them to get in trouble. I have a feeling this will come back to haunt her, don’t you?  She’s a college sophomore which is where the “New Adult” theme comes in. I don’t know how explicit it might get, but so far we know that she has been sexually active with her longterm ex-boyfriend, she drinks on occasion, and her friends toss around profanity a bit. I’ll let you know what I think when I finish.

Also, I’m listening to a medieval thriller, Martyr: A Novel of Tudor Intrigue, by Rory Clements. It’s the first in the “John Shakespeare” series.  I don’t yet know why the hero’s name is Shakespeare. So far, no references to Will that I’ve picked up on. This has some graphic violence against women (alas that seems to be a defining characteristic of most thrillers, including the one on my own back-burner). So far I like it. The story, not the violence against women. Just in case I needed to clarify that.

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished The Ringed Castle, the fifth of six books in the Lymond Chronicles. So many things happened in this book that I wanted to happen and now I want to see what happens next, but–I’m postponing the sixth book because it is the last and I want to savour it. I also think I’m going to start buying this series in hardcover for my personal library which (other than research materials) is a collection of books I want to possess and caress, not just any book I happen to buy. Those days ended when I bought my Kindle and started using it for those kinds of reads. Building my library is becoming a truly enjoyable hobby.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll move onto the last of the Lymond books or if I’ll grab something else. Only time will tell.

Warning: My notifications aren’t working. If you leave a comment, I will reply to it! But you won’t know unless you check back to see. Sorry. I’m having wordpress issues!

NOTE: I am running another contest to reward reviewers on Amazon. If you’re interested, here is your chance to win a $20 Amazon gift certificate.

Harvest Monday (October 15, 2012)

We were still bringing in okra but not doing anything with it.  I finally pulled it up to prepare for the winter garden. Pulling up a 12-foot okra tree was not easy. Wearing my fitbit while pulling it up? Made it worthwhile.  For some reason fitbit interpreted my unusual grunts, groans, heaves and snarls as taking flights of stairs and gave me a little bit of extra credit. Hey, I will take any I can get!

In the meantime Daphne’s Dandelions, the host of this meme, is still bringing in lots of goodies!

Once the basil, okra, peppers and such were yanked up, I planted brassica of various types. For you non-farmers out there, that means broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and such. Here is the bed that was previously an eggplant/okra jungle.

It looks rather insignificant now. And I’ve been told that I need to move about 1/3 of them to another bed because these will grow too big. Okay, I can do that. I also have concerns that if each of these plants presents a single veg (cauliflower, for example) I really don’t have much in the way of meals here. But live and learn!

On the other hand, the red and green mustard I planted a few weeks ago (also bedding plants) is doing beautifully.

I’ve harvested and cooked the first bunch and it was tasty enough, though I should have added a bit more salt to the water because salt added after isn’t quite the same.  I prefer them sauteed or stir fried but the Resident Storm Chaser prefers them cooked with bacon drippings like nature intended. There was also a bit of a facebook discussion about whether or not to eat them after Jake decided they were his personal urinal, and if so, the best way to clean first. Feel free to chime in on that one!

Ratty radishes.

Un-thinned carrots.

Radishes and carrots grown from seed. And finally, the bed that has a few herbs and things in it that I addded various lettuces and greens to.

Hopefully it will keep us going for a long time as long as we don’t let it freeze.

So, that’s our Monday harvest, which is actually a glimpse at harvests to come. What’s up with yours?

In other news, if you want to read JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy with me, go here. If you want to find out more about my own new e-book, go here. And if you want to find out how to win a $20 Amazon gift certificate, go here!

Blogging The Casual Vacancy: “Part One.”

I‘ve decided to blog my reactions to The Casual Vacancy.

Not because I think they are particularly meaningful to anyone but me, but because I think I might want to look back on them later for various reasons. This will not be any sort of literary approach. I don’t do literary criticism. This is just how a Texas writer who has a deep passion for all things English, whose dream is to spend time living in an English village, and who owes some of her most wonderful reading experiences to JK Rowling views her first book post-Hogwarts.

If you think it’s interesting or want to join in, please let me know; please do. Without some sort of feedback I may slip into not writing about it and I know I’ll regret that later. I do ask that you not spoil me on things that haven’t happened in the section I’m discussing. I’m going to employ a “more” type command here in wordpress that will allow me to put all my own “spoilery” specifics behind a cut and label well so that you can click to read more, or stop and come back later if you haven’t begun your reading yet.

I ordered my copy from the UK so if some details seem different, please say so. It would be interesting to see how it was changed for the American reader.

First, the title. This much I think can be said without spoiling anything. The book begins with a definition of “casual vacancy”:

6.11 A casual vacancy is deemed to have occurred:

(a) when a local councillor fails to make his declaration of acceptance of office within the proper time; or
(b) when his notice of resignation is received; or
(c) on the day of his death…

Charles Arnold-Baker
Local  Council Administration
Seventh Edition

Since all I knew before the book arrived was that it is some sort of murder set in an English village, I assume that the murder results in (is caused by a desire for?) a casual vacancy on the local council or governing body.  Local politics.

Okay, and, we’re off!

In which I ramble a bit about my reactions to Part One (pages 3-50 in the UK edition)…  This is where to bail out if you haven’t read it and/or don’t want to read farther. If so, see you next post when I will probably be talking about something else!

WWW Wednesday (May 23, 2012)

After skipping last week, due to “no change since week before syndrome,” I will now carry on.  I haven’t been spending a lot of time reading, but at least I do have stuff to show that I haven’t already shown before.

From shouldbereading:

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

• What are you currently reading?

First, a library ebook loan, A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness.  This one started off great. I loved the Oxford setting, the ongoing research in “Bodley’s Library,” the Ashmolian tie-in… it was smart and fun. A tenured professor from Yale is researching in Oxford. She is a witch denying her magic, but it seems magic will not be denied. She puts in a request for an obscure text, Ashmole 782, and it comes. And every witch, daemon and vampire in England seems to descend upon the library in an attempt to get it.

I’m in the middle now and it’s feeling more like a romance novel. This is actually somewhat in Twilight-territory if you consider that the heroine  is now in deep trouble, and a vampire has made an unhealthy connection with her and is determined to protect and save her.  In this case, however, the witch does not allow herself to be carried around like an infant, ahem.  I won’t say I’m not still enjoying it.  I am. But as I said, it’s feeling more like a romance than a straight fantasy, so if that’s your thing, you’re gonna love this one.

As for audiobooks, I’m listening to Anita by Keith Roberts. This is from the Neil Gaiman Presents collection on audible, and he says he chose it because, “Anita is an almost forgotten novel by one of the finest UK writers. It works on two levels. The stories are a product of the 1960s – they come out of a swinging world and a ‘Georgy Girl’ time, and Keith Roberts, then a young art director, has captured that feel. At the same time, it’s about a teenage witch being brought up her Granny. He writes about her falling in love, getting her heart broken, about change and growing up and compromise, about what magic is and how you can lose it sometimes and how you can get it back.”

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished listening to Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs, Book 2 in the series), by Jacqueline Winspear.  Maisie (and for some reason that sounds like an old woman in Brooklyn to me, not England) is a private investigator between the World Wars. She served in a field hospital (and was injured) during WWI, where she also lost her fiance. She’s seen a lot. I find these books difficult to judge because I do enjoy them. I enjoy the worlds, the characters, the era–but then, is anybody surprised? England. Need I say more?  I was bothered in this one by the fact that our pov character finds things or does things while leaving the reader in the dark, which is manipulative and a cheat from the author.  It wasn’t enough to ruin the book for me, but it was enough for me not to give it highest marks. It may have been a little less annoying because I think this is true of early mysteries, so it felt a little bit “period” in the author’s handling of these things, and I forgave it. Mostly.

It is the spring of 1930, and Maisie has been hired to find a runaway heiress. But what seems a simple case at the outset soon becomes increasingly complicated when three of the heiress’s old friends are found dead. 

The mystery itself was rooted in the tragedies of the Great War, and was fascinating as it unfolded.  There are plenty of shady suspects around, as well. My guesses at the secret in the past came nowhere near the mark. Anyway, if you like British mysteries you should check these out.  Winspear has won a number of awards including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs,  according to her Amazon page.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

From what I’ve been reading lately, you’d assume something with witches.  If so, it might be The Hedgewitch Queen, by Lilith Saintcrow.

Vianne di Rocancheil has been largely content to play the gawky provincial. As lady in waiting at the Court of Arquitaine, she studies her books, watches for intrigue, and shepherds her foolhardy Princesse safely through the glittering whirl. Court is a sometimes-unpleasant waltz, especially for the unwary, but Vianne treads its measured steps well. Unfortunately, the dance has changed. Treachery is afoot in gilded and velvet halls. A sorcerous conspiracy is unleashed, with blood, death, and warfare close behind. Her Princesse murdered and her own life in jeopardy, Vianne must flee, carrying the fate of her land with her…

Or it might be something entirely different.  I guess we’ll all know next week!  (Okay, I’ll know before you do. Because I have the Power to Choose.)

What about you? What are your WWWs? If you post on your blog, leave a link below! Otherwise answer here.

Note:  My notifications aren’t working. If you leave a comment, I will reply to it! But you won’t know unless you check back to see. Sorry. I’m having wordpress issues!

We have winners!

Thanks to all of your support, we have winners in the “Reward the Reviewers!” contest. Believe me, I’m going to do this one again!

First prize: A $20 gift certificate to the online book source of her choice goes to:

Tara, the Book Babe!

Second place, her choice of any book in Book View Cafe goes to:

Annie Talbot!

And I also have a winner from the new subscribers to this blog who will receive the book of her choice from Book View Cafe:

Marina!

This has been so much fun, and by coincidence, it has also let me highlight three terrific blogs.  We have everything we need here for a beautiful salon of the un-hairy persuasion. Great books, fascinating conversation, and delicious food. Check them out.

And thanks to all for making this such a success!