Intasar's Give Away and Two Reviews

Attention school librarians:  Intasar Khanani is having a give-away for high school libraries.  She is offering five sets of books (Thorne & Sunbolt),  Both are excellent, and I have reviewed them here  and here.  

The give-away is only for high school librarians who will be able to share the books with students.  If you are a high school librarian, you can enter here: Library Love Giveaway.

Reviews

French Rhapsody  (translated by Emily Boyce) is the third book I've read by Antoine Laurain.  I loved The President's Hat and enjoyed The Red Notebook.   

I thought I was going to love this one as well, but alas, not so.  It started out so well, but around half way I felt like I was plodding through it.  The premise is excellent and I enjoyed much of the first half of the book, but then...I started skimming certain sections (too much about Lapelle and the Bubble and Vaughn).  I was still interested in JBM, but  the other characters--not so much.

NetGalley/Gallic Books

Satire.  Oct. 11, 2016.  Print length:  232 pages.

The Moth Catcher by Ann Cleeves has D.I. Vera Stanhope and associates (D.S. Joe Ashworth and D.C. Holly Lawson) investigate first one murder...and then another.  What connects the two victims in a way that merits murder?

As usual, Cleeves makes great use of secondary characters. This ability to bring the secondary characters to life is what, for me at least, separates Cleeves' novels from many others in the same genre.  

A community of retirees, all with secrets, provide Vera with the opportunity to satisfy both her own innate curiosity and to unravel the circumstances behind the two related murders. Vera, unlike Joe and Holly, loves to observe people, to indulge her inquisitive nature; her ability to sit down and talk to people on a personal level often yields just the information she needs to put the puzzle together.

Vera, unattractive and overweight, is a fascinating character who makes nosiness an art form.  I thought there were too many disagreeable descriptions of Vera in this installment, but otherwise, another fine addition to the series.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Police Procedural.  Oct. 4, 2016.  Print length:  400 pages.

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I'm still having great fun with my snail mail.  Have been creating some autumn/Halloween envelopes and making a huge mess in my studio.  October will see quite a few Halloween letters and postcards going out.  And each day, I look forward to seeing what might be in my mailbox!

Guardian Give Away

Just used the Random Number Generator to choose the Give Away winner.  The winner is #2, Raych of Books I Done Read! 

 

I'll need your address, Raych, and will get this little girl in the mail as soon as I can.  Hope you like her! She is small in stature, but large in heart.
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I've been reading and enjoying my library books, but continue to put off reviews from last week.  I'm going to force myself to a couple tonight, and just keep them short.

Guardian Give Away

  I've finished the guardians and decided to give away a small one on each blog.  This one is just a smidge over 5" tall.  Cloth head, covered with paper clay.  Paper clay body.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post.  I find all the other requirements on a give away too tedious, especially at this time of year.  On December 6, I'll use the Random Number Generator to select the winner.  Good luck and please be sure that I have a way to contact you if you do win!

The Winner

of The Lost Hours is Deslily! As soon as I get your address, I will drop this in the mail, I have it packaged and ready to go as soon as I add the address!

Give-Away & TBR

I've received two ARC copies of The Lost Hours by Karen White in yesterday's mail. If you would like one, just leave a comment saying so on this post. I'll use the Random Number Generator for a drawing next Friday.

White is the author of The House on Tradd Street, which I have not read, but I remember having read some favorable blog reviews for it.

Received my Amazon order yesterday, too. Now I have some books for the Once Upon A Time Challenge III. I couldn't resist beginning The Thief by Megan Whaley Turner (because I don't have enough books in progress!) and am really enjoying it.

So... more books join the stacks (there are currently way too many already in those stacks).

Two for the Once Upon a Time: The Sharing Knife and TheThief from last year's lists (both are first books in a series); two new ARC copies of The Lost Hours (one for a give away); and one more "brain" book (How the Mind Works by Stephen Pinker via So Many Books).

And the Winner Is...

Linda! I will get The Reluctant Widow in the mail to you tomorrow. Congratulations!

The TBR List Grows (and Grows)

More books that sound good:

Two Guys Read Jane Austen by Steven Chandler & Terrence Hill (via Nicole)

Broadcasts from the Blitz: How Edward R. Murrow Lead America into War by Philip Seib
(via Jenny's Books)

Fudoki by Kij Johnson (via Nymeth)

Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly (via The Vigorous Mind & Unruly Reader)

The Real Life of Mary Ann Evans by Rosemarie Bodenheimer (via So Many Books)

Making a Good Brain Great - Daniel Amen (via a podcast)

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (via Nymeth)

Cool video that shows a little of what technology can do. The fMRI is discussed in The Brain that Changes Itself that I just reviewed.


Don't forget that if you are interested in a copy of The Reluctant Widow to go to this post and say so.

Another Give-Away, Abandoned, In Progress

Time for another give-away: The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer. If you are interested in this one, just leave a comment (be sure to mention your interest). I'll use the Random Number Generator to choose the winner next Monday.

I've begun and discarded several books lately in keeping with this year's policy of abandoning books that don't live up to expectations. While I don't like abandoning books, especially when I've read 50-100 pages, there are too many books in my stacks that I'm eager to read. Unfortunately, Drood by Dan Simmons is one that is going back to the library unfinished, as are The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith and Knit Two by Kate Jacobs.

In progress:

Exploring Other Worlds: Margaret Fox, Elisha Kent Kane, and the Antebellum Culture of Curiosity by David Chapin. This one continues the research I began on the Franklin Expedition (that digressed into other areas). Chapin takes a decidedly different approach from Barbara Weisberg in Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism.

Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge by Alan B. Wallace. Another look at neuroscience from a different perspective.

Deep Thinking the Human Condition: New Ideas We Can't Do Without an ARC by S. A. Qdunsi. This one deals with problems concerning underdevelopment and poverty in third world countries the search for viable solutions. While this one has been put aside several times, I hope to get back to it.

and Yoga as Medicine by Dr. Timothy McCall, which I love and also has elements of neuroplasticity, but which has also been neglected as I try to get through the books I have on interlibrary loan.

I've been working on my review of The Brain that Changes Itself for several days; I have too much to say about it and have to keep pruning it! (Oops - thanks to Dark Orpheus for noting the wrong link here - should now be correct)

And the Winner Is...

I numbered the names that were entered for the give-away of My Lady of Cleves and used the Random Number Generator for the selection.

The winner is Bloduedd, Bookgirl at the Court of Mur-y-Castell! Isn't the name appropriate for a book about a queen? So My Lady of Cleves will be making the journey to Finland soon.

Sometimes there is a surfeit of good books! So many great choices in the TBR stack that choosing becomes a dilemma.
Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear (Newest Maisie Dobbs adventure. Thanks, Danielle, can't wait to begin this one!)

The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone (an ARC- have to wait to read this one as they want the review posted in May)

The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge (Interlibrary Loan - I couldn't resist reading the first chapter - amazing!)

Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge by B. Alan Wallace (another ILL and part of the Columbia Series on Science and Religion)

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (ILL - and oops, this shouldn't have been in the stack because I read this little jewel the other night- need to review it)

Becoming Enlightened by the Dalai Lama (ARC - I've read a bit of this one, but I'm so inundated with great possibilities that I haven't gotten very far)

Drood by Dan Simmons (I'm 168 pages into this one, but have to admit that it is not really grabbing me)

Still in progress: Claire Tomlin's Jane Austen: A Life and Yoga as Medicine, both of which I'm really enjoying.

And a Give-Away - Leave a comment if you'd like a copy of My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes. I'll draw a winner on Monday, March 9th.

There were only two people who commented on The Fatal Waltz give-away post, and Teabird was the winner. Send me your address, and I will get the book in the mail!

Give-Away (sticky post)

Time for a give-away. This one is A Fatal Waltz (uncorrected proof) by Tasha Alexander. I reviewed it here.

Hmmm. The drawing will be on Sunday, August 10. If you are interested leave a comment on this post.

This Week's Winner Is...

Paula! If you send me your address, I'll get The Shape-Changer's Wife off to you on Monday. Congratulations!

Give-Away (sticky post)

...is The Shape-Changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn. It will fit in perfectly with the Once Upon a Time Challenge and is an excellent short novel with fairy tale/ folk tale elements. It is easy to see why it won the Locus Best First Fantasy Novel of the Year in 1995. If you are interested in receiving this copy, leave a comment on this post. The drawing will be next Friday (or Saturday). :)

Nymeth is giving away books to celebrate her first year in blogging! Go see.

And the Hugo Nominations are out. The only thing nominated that I've read is The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon...very strange, but I liked it. However, The Last Colony by John Scalzi is there (Scalzi is one of Carl's favorite authors); I really must get around to reading his series.

The Winner of...

a copy of Forgive Me is Megan! Please email me your snail mail address, and I will get it on the way to you on Monday.

Give-Away

This week's Give-Away is Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward. If you'd like this one, leave a comment on this post indicating so. That is, if you can...

For some reason, I'm unable to comment on some blogs today. Couldn't comment on Sam's, for example, but was able to comment on others. I can't even respond to Dark Orpheus' comment on the post on Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be -- on my own blog.

And the winner is...

Raych! Send me your snail mail address, and I' ll try to get your copy of Immortal out on Monday!

Lights Out

I was out most of the morning and early afternoon. On the final leg of my various errands, I noticed the traffic lights were out and police were directing traffic. When I got out to Garden Court, all of the lights were out, but I was able to talk to the supervisor about a Geri chair for Laddie.

When I finally got home, I realized that electricity was out in my neighborhood, too, and the garage door wouldn't open. The lights didn't come back on until nearly 6:00. The overcast sky meant that from 2:30 when I got home until the electricity came back on it was pretty dark in the house, and outside the wind was strong enough to be scary. I read in the dining room for a while because the light was better there, then gave up and took a nap.

Here's the link to the Give-Away post, if you would like a copy of Immortal by Traci L. Slatton.
It wasn't a book that I particularly enjoyed, although it did have its moments, but most people have reviewed it positively.

Give-Away

I need to whittle down some of my stacks of books. If you are interested in a copy of Immortal by Traci L. Slatton -- leave a comment on this post. I'll draw a name on Friday and send the book to the winner.

I can't keep up with reviews. Still to be written are reviews on Notorious by Michele Martinez, The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin, Dance of Death by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.

And the winners are...

Whew! When I got home from yoga last night, I went straight to work on the yoga bag, I started a couple of hours before class. Time flew and the drawing slipped my mind. This morning, the names were cut apart, folded up and put in two different piles. Then eyes closed, I drew two names: Jenny and iliana.

The Sonambulist goes to Jenny, and Nameless Night goes to iliana. I will need your snail mail addresses and will try to get the books out by Friday. Les, I'll get In An Instant out at the same time. That makes 3 books that will leave my book-cluttered house and find new readers!

My thanks to Christine Casccio at Harper Collins for review copies of The Sonambulist and Nameless Night and to Anna at FSB for In An Instant, which I will review later today so I can get in the mail (I've already reviewed the other two).

Strangely, although my husband has never complained about the over-flowing book shelves or the stacks of books on every available surface, when he got home last night, he had some plans for the new addition we've been discussing (we'll be adding a master bedroom/bath...at some point).
"And here, see, these two walls will be book shelves and cabinets! What do you think?"

Uh, I think that will be great! I also like that he says, "And we can also add shelving and cabinets in your sewing room while we're at it."

Sooo...right now, I love this man. We will see how I feel when, and if, this project ever gets started.

Right now, I'm looking forward to a visit this weekend from our daughter and grandchildren, Mila and Max. Which means, I have to get all the stuff off the bed in Erin's room. We will also be keeping baby Bryce on Saturday night, so there will be a full house this weekend. ~I have a 5 shelf bookcase in the foyer area that contains children's books and toys, but they will soon be all over the house again.~