Everybody sees the Ants? ...

I just finished reading this book, Everybody Sees the Ants. WOW! it gets  a 5star rating from me.  I believe I read the review originally on Nise's blog, Under the Boardwalk.  Excellent recommendation.  I also planned on reading it for my What's in a Name Challenge 2012, but only just got it from my library (waiting lists) this past week.  Well worth the wait.
Lucky is a young boy who is relentlessly bullied. He has a big secret though, he is going to rescue his grandfather from a Vietnam POW camp.

Do read it, you won't be sorry.

I'm linking up to Theme Thursday, for which Ants are the Theme this week.

Year of reading total...

1.   I read an all time personal best this year, abaondoned one "running with sicissors, and left This is where I leave you for another time in my life.  Not bad.
I    A Thousand Splendid Suns

2.       Alice Hartley’s Happiness

3.       All Shall be Well

4.       Book Thief, The

5.       Charms for an Easy Life

6.       Code Name Verity

7.       Confession, The

8.       Copper Beech, The

9.       Crimson Room, The

10.   Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

11.   Dublin 4, The

12.   Emerald Atlas

13.   End of the Alphabet, The

14.   Every Last One

15.   Halloween Party

16.   Hanging Shed, The

17.   House at Tynford, The

18.   Hunger Games, The

19.   Impartial Witness

20.   Jim the Boy 

21.   Knife of Never Letting Go, The

22.   Lottery

23.   Mysterious Affairs at Styles, The

24.   Ophelia

25.   Prayers for Sale

26.   Private Peaceful

27.   Quietly in their Sleep

28.   Running with Scissors (abandoned)        

29.   Sandal Wood Tree, The

30.   Scarecrow in Gray

31.   School of Essential Ingredients

32.   Secret Daughter, The

33.   Skippy Dies

34.   Sleeping with Ward Cleever

35.   Stand, The

36.   Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The

37.   The Secret Adversary

38.   Thirst

39.   This is Where I leave You (saved for another time.

40.   Watch that ends the night, The

41.   Water for Elephants

42.   Yellow House

43.   You Are My Only

II have no freekin' idea what's going on with the numbers by my book list, and I'm not patient enough to figure it out.  Can't tell you which book is my fav, can tell you I'll not be reading Stevie King anytime soon.  Loved Private Peaceful, went out and bought a copy for my own library, after reading a loaner.  Plan on reading a few more of the Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie Series, love Flavia. Found Sleeping with Ward Cleaver a little tiresome. Really began to "feel" for the couple in Thirst,  Cried through You Are My Only, did not want to run away and join the circus after Water for Elephants and I could go on... enjoyed my reading and have big plans for 2013 challenges.

WWW Wednesday...

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?
I currently reading a book I was about to donate, then someone started to discuss Earnest Hemingway, and I realized I knew little about the man, so...
I can't post a photo of the book cover, my darling handy Andy and his sidekick S. Vincent changed the desk top computer and who knows where the scanner is?  Anyway suffice it to say, not the most exciting book I've read, yet the Titanic was mentioned, and Earnest is in the forefront... The title is The Case of the  Uninvited Guest,  Sam McCarver.  It's a post WWI Paris, murder mystery.

I recently finished Agatha's, Halloween Party.  You know I loved it.

Up next is A Dog Named Christmas, Greg Kincaid.

I need to get in the mood for the festive season, after all that murder.

Saturday Snapshot... and Sunday Salon

The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.

I don't know why this verse comes to mind whenever I see the roots of trees, but it does. My parents have certainly given me these "gifts" I wish sometimes they hadn't, the old wings are in need of a overhaul, and sometime you'd just like to say "to Hell with the responsibility, it's not my problem".  But, being who they were, this is who I am.   This photo was taken by me (with my crappy camera) at The Ancaster Old Mill.  We recently had taken our guests for Sunday Brunch and enjoyed the scenery afterwards.  

I don't know what I did this week, other than a very little bit of geography for a job that I may or may not be doing in the next few months, I didn't even finish my laundry/ironing.  I was thinking the other day, I haven't even baked this week, so at 9p.m. I baked a cake.  I can tell you visions of chocolate swirl cake danced in my head as I slept. 

On the reading front, I finished Thirst.


I read the review for Thirst on Shonna's web page Canadian Book Worm.  Thoroughly enjoyed this one.  

And then I'm on to Skippy Dies, not sure where this one is going but it is consuming me entirely.  Better be a "big bang" ending.  Jenners recommendation usually are. I won't review either of these books at any length since I will never do a better job than these two awesome book ladies. 

I'm halfway finished my mailbox, but that's another post. And the most disappointing bit of news this week is, we've been kicked out of the school board.  So my upholstery class won't happen any time soon since, the school board in it's infinite wisdom, thinks we're making too much money and they want a piece of the action.  Who knows where this will go, I've got a full piece taken apart and sitting in my living room waiting.  I think my boy and I'll have to visit Atlas tools. (new machines).  I liked being at the studio with everyone else, it's inspiring and we share equipment that would otherwise and will otherwise be sitting and getting rusty.  Nasty, nasty unions. How disappointing.  

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce.

Teaser Tuesdays...& Top Ten Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
 Here's mine.
"I came because of the casa di cura.  Because of what I saw there."  Brunetti's heart surged across the distance to his mother's side, and he was immediately alert for any hint of peril.

 But before he could form his terror into a question, she said, "No Commissario, it's not your mother.  Nothing will happen to her." She paused then, embarrassed at how that sounded and at the grim truth contained in her words:  the only thing that could ever again happen to Brunetti's mother was death.  "I'm sorry," she added lamely but said nothing more.
 from:
Quietly in Their Sleep, Donna Leon.  I'm not sure I should be reading this, I'll be looking at the Nursing Home staff with a crooked eye, particularly the DREAM TEAM, (we call them that, because if they moved any slower they'd be asleep)  And I have no doubt this could be true. 

Top Ten Favorite Books Irene has read During The Lifespan Of Her Blog

Future Top Ten Tuesdays

So it's time to honor those favourite books you've read since you started your blog. The books that made you go over the moon and just maybe made you write a fangirl/fanboy review about. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish  I'm sure I'll miss a book I loved more, and these will be listed in no particular order. I'll list ten of my favourites below!
1. The Bells, Richard Harvel
2. The Prince of Mists, Carols Ruiz Zafon
3. Rat King, China Meilville
4. The Josephine B. Trilogy, Sandra Gulland
5.  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Allan Bradley, ( I love pie)
6.  The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
7.  Child of the Northern Spring, Persia Wooly ( I so loved this book that I almost forced my niece to name her baby Persia).(I have a thing for King Arthur)
8.  The Girls, Lori Lansen,  Loved this one too!(could easily be persuaded to re-read this one)
9.  A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaleed Hosseni
10.  The Watch that ends the Night, Allan Wolf
oh I could so keep going.  I should probably be doing top ten for each of the years I've been a blogger.

How did I choose my list, well if I've borrowed a book read it and loved it and then gone out a bought it to keep!  My bookshelf overflows.

For Today...Teaser Tuesday

FOR TODAY... Hosted @ The Simple Woman’s Daybook
Outside my window... it's hotter than Haitii

I am thinking... I should turn the air on, my husband will be complaining that it's too hot.

I am thankful...for a cool breeze.

From the learning rooms... I learned last week that I'm not sixteen, and can't finish everything I want to in one day, so this is day two in my husband's office.  It's shredding time. I did windows yesterday.

In the kitchen...General Tao Chicken with peppers and couscous

I am wearing...really comfy clothes, for cleaning

I am creating...WELL,  I'm creating order.  I hope!

I am going...no place.

I am wondering...can you die from a broken heart?  Last week during my visit with my mom, her table mate got very upset because my mom had me and her daughter was not there.  She speaks Italian mostly, with the odd word in English, it was heartbreaking for me, for all. Don't get me wrong, the daughter often is there when I'm there, just not that day. This is when I'm thankful my mother's dementia is so progressed that she doesn't seem to know what is happening. I understand completely how heart breaking it is not to see your child.  When my eldest moved out I thought I'd run out of tears. Now I'm just mad.

I am reading...All Shall Be Well, Deborah Crombie.
Here's my teaser: "Then we discovered that Jasmine had asked a young friend to help her commit suicide, but had backed out at the last minute, I ordered an autopsy."  Teaser Tuesday

I am hoping...to get the laundry done and finish this dang room, and my poor cat gets rid of all these hairballs, poor thing can't seem to get past it this season.  

I am looking forward to...getting back to my painting, it's really starting to look like something..

I am hearing...bird chirping, they NEVER shut up. They've had me awake since 4:30 a.m.  I've started to have evil thoughts. (yes, this is still the same from last week, they seem to have gotten stronger voices) I love animals but give me a break.  I had such a hard time hearing the 6p.m. news, I finally set my cat on them, of coarse he doesn't know what to do. But they quieted down for a bit.  Heaven forbid if I put the sprinkler on, their all have a shower.  It's like the local splash pad at my house.

Around the house...just stuff, 

I am pondering... adding another day between Sunday and Monday.

One of my favourite things...a newly cleaned room, desk tidy, no filing to do, for at least five minutes, you know when my husband comes home he'll have to stand at the entrance with his cases, and junk. What am I saying he'll be dumping them on the table.

A few plans for the rest of the week: same ole same ole, I'm off on retreat for Friday .

 Here are photos I'm sharing with you.

The corner of our pond, the Irises are in full swing and as you can see the water lilies are doing well also.

This is suppose to be my moonlight garden, I wanted a moonlight garden, because it's often dark before I sit to enjoy it.  Well! Those white flowers you see seduce me each spring.  They really are invasive, and you can't leave even one or this is what happens.  They look so good right now, but in a week it will be just a mess.  Last year I THOUGHT I pulled each one out.  What to do? And see those evergreens, well they were all planted at the same time and were the same size, some grew tall and some did not.  I think my only option is to have a gazebo built in that spot and hide the runts.  Wait till I tell handy Andy.


One of my favourite sayings... If you can't beat em' join em'.

Prayers for Sale... Happy Mother's Day

I just finished reading Prayers for Sale.

Product Description

Hennie Comfort is eighty-six and has lived in the mountains of Middle Swan, Colorado since before it was Colorado.  Nit Spindle is just seventeen and newly married.  She and her husband have just moved to the high country in search of work.  It's 1936 and the depression has ravaged the country and Nit and her husband have suffered greatly.  Hennie notices the young woman loitering near the old sign outside of her house that promises "Prayers For Sale".  Hennie doesn't sell prayers, never has, but there's something about the young woman that she's drawn to.  The harsh conditions of life that each have endured create an instant bond and an unlikely friendship is formed, one in which the deepest of hardships are shared and the darkest of secrets are confessed.

My thoughts:

I believe I put this in the TBR pile when I was reading the Civil War Challenge and I've only just got to it now.  While the story takes place in   1936 well after the end of the war, some of the memories of the horror linger into the hearts and minds of the characters, certainly the Punch Line as it were happened during the Civil War, and I must say, I was not expecting what the end brought forth.  A well written, quickish read, a few tears, and a great deal of colloquialism, some of which will make you smile loudly.  I enjoyed my visit with Hennie and Nit, and thought what a good read just before Mother's Day. 

The House at Tyneford... Part one

Welcome to our first read-along discussion of The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read the first ten chapters. If you’re still considering joining us, it’s not too late – you can see the read-along schedule here.
Let’s start with our first impressions. You can leave your thoughts, answers to my questions, or a link to your own post in the comments section.

What do you think of the writing?
I've  not read this authors previous works, but I'm enjoying her descriptions and easy flow style.

Have you learned anything surprising?
I'm always surprised to learn of the pecking order of servants in upper class homes. I think this probably why I am so stunned by the "tell all" biographies we read about the royals today.  Does this mean that loyalty and confidentiality to ones Mistress/Master is no longer the demand  among the serving class. (if there is such a thing?) I have watched Downton Abbey, finally caught up, and am surprised at the levels authority involved.

What are your first impressions of Elise?
I agrre, that the author has made her likeable, but just for me.  I do think she is a rather spoiled brat, for lack of a better word.  She is certainly suffering from culture shock.  I even think the staff a Tyneford are kind enough, considering she is a foreigner, I'm not sure that is all that truthful.  I've heard real stories quite to the contrary.  But, I believe she thinks she is there only temporarily, and I understand why she doesn't think she needs to read that book on how to.  She thinks she will never need to know.

Do you think Elise will ever see her parents or her sister, Margot, again?

I’m not sure.  I'm having a hard time believing her parents will get out of Vienna.

Want to make any predictions?
I think it’s fairly obvious that we’re headed for a romantic storyline involving Elise and ? not sure if it might not be Mr. Rivers.  I don't know about Kit.

Thanks to Carrie of Books and Movies for hosting this read a long.

Dublin 4...

It's the last day of March and my Irish event.  I decided this year to start with Maeve Binchy's books from the beginning.  I wanted to see her characters develop.  This particular one was an early work and consisted of 4 short stories.  A very nice read.

Book Description from Amazon.ca

A society hostess invites her husband’s mistress to dinner. A country girl savours the delights of city life. A student faces the dilemma of unmarried pregnancy. A drink-ridden photographer tries to relaunch a shattered career.

I have to tell you they all spoke to me. But the last one had me in tears.

Dublin 4 has all of Maeve Binchy’s intimate grasp of human feelings, her marvellous ear for dialogue and her subtle sense of life’s confusion. The stories bubble with fun and wit — yet sometimes leave a taste of sadness.

I read this book for my Ireland Reading Challenge. Photo of book I own.

The Yellow House a read along, Part 4

Well this is my last post about his very good book.  Carrie at Books and Movies has been hosting a read along and this is our final discussion post.  Carrie asked us the following questions:
Welcome to our final read-along discussion of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey. If you’re following our schedule, you should have finished the book. (You can read our previous discussions here: part one, part two, and part three.)
Spoiler alert: We will be discussing the book in detail, so if you haven’t finished it and don’t want to read any spoilers, you should skip this post and the comments section.


:
Were you as angry as I was when Eileen slept with James while pregnant with Owen’s baby, in order to pass the baby off as his?

I don't think I was angry, I sort of saw that she felt for James, and that maybe this was one time she had to be absolutely sure she was not in love with James.  I do understand her reasoning for trying to pass off Owen's baby as James, considering the dangerous time.
Was Owen’s reaction to that justified, in your opinion?

Yes I think Owen is justified.
 
Did you understand why Eileen was so torn about reporting what she knew about James’ plans for the mill?

Yes, I understand she didn't want to betray "the cause" but at the same time she was sympathetic to the lives that might be affected were James to be successful. 

What about her hesitancy to marry Owen?

I think this might have been her wisest decision, it was way to easy getting involved with James and hopefully she would not have been so quick to decided.  Owen would wait I would assume. 

What did you think of how things ended for the following characters: Frankie, Lizzie, Terrence, Fergus, and, of course, James?

I found the only good ending was Lizzie's. I'm afraid that you cannot give someone back their lives, and even though Eileen was going to look after Frankie, it was just sad.  James I think was expecting to die for the cause, and quite honestly I think the reader expected that too.  Terrance and Fergus, well it was just sad.

Were you satisfied with the way things ended for Eileen’s mom?

Eileen's mom will of course not regain her sanity, she may have come out a little but should she look around at Frankie and her husband, surely she would loose it again.  Just sad. 

And, lastly, were you happy with how things ended for Eileen?
Well Eileen did get the Yellow House back, and her family is all together again, but what a cost.  I'm not sure she'll forget anytime soon.  Missing Owen, well I suspect that's a good thing, how will things continue, realistically, life will not be easy. 

my thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I couldn't follow the designated schedule, I just needed to know what happened.  I found the historical references very enlightening and interesting, and I'm glad I didn't have to root for one or the other team.  I only had to let Love take it's course.  Thanks to Carrie for hosting and for the great questions.  It was a blast!


I also am linking this book up to the WWI challenge hosted by War Through the Generations although this book isn't specifically about an incident in the WWI, it certainly gives us a glimpse through Owen's eyes, about the whole affair.   You can read all my reviews Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3 and the discussions that ensued.

Photo of book I own.

The Copper Beech...

For some of my leisure reading I thought I'd write my review as the Show me 5 that was previously the Show Me 5 Saturday formula, even though it's Sunday and I believe the meme is no longer...

1. The Book I read was The Copper Beech, Maeve Binchy

2 Words that describe the book: Irish Fiction

3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:  The book is set in Shancarrig, Ireland a smallish rural town not far from Dublin.
The characters include the Parish Priest, Father Gunn, and then the new priest Father Barry, An Attorney and his family (mostly his son) The doctor,  The Hotel owner and one of the daughters, The school teachers, The wealthy family on the hill, and a couple of school mates from the poorer part of town.

4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:  There is little I disliked about the book, I really enjoy how Binchy weaves the town together, their relationships with each other, to tell only the story of the Beech Tree in front of the school.  The storyline leads us to really get involved with each character and come to either like or dislike them.  We feel their pain and happiness all while learning of the way of life in their small town.  This particular book takes us through the lives of the characters from an early part to adult and even old age.  There is always a secret, and always a body, and more unplanned pregnancies that you can shake a stick at.  I always like to see the underdog come out strong and morally responsible. Yeah Maeve.!

5 Stars or less for your rating?
 I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars, because it kept me entertained, didn't upset me, or make me wild, was not politically correct all the time, was just enjoyable.

 One of my favorite lines from early in the books is: Thinking of Mrs. Kennedy standing there hatted and gloved and sorrowfully disapproving he asked God to let the thing be done right, to inspire young Jim and Nora Kelly, the teachers, to set it up properly. And to keep that mob of young savages that they taught in some kind of control.

I read this book for my Ireland Challenge, TBR Challenge, I decided I wanted to read Maeve's books in the order in which she wrote them, and just for fun.

Photo of book I own.

The Yellow House a read a long... Part Two

Welcome to our second read-along discussion of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read the first four sections of the book, and be finished with the section titled “Insurrection, 1919-1920.”
Spoiler alert: We will be discussing the book in detail, so if you haven’t read this far and don’t want to read any spoilers, you should skip this post.

Were you surprised by the turn the romantic storyline took?
  OCH! is all I want to say, (I'm slowly becoming Irish)I can't tell you what a dork I must be, I never saw that coming.  I too thought Owen and Eileen would be a romance like Romeo and Juliet, where on earth did |James come from, I mean really, he was suppose to be in the seminary and then off to war and back to the seminary.  And didn't he turn out to be a gem of a son and brother.  She must have seen some warning signs, she's a bright girl, but then again, when one thinks with their underwear! 
What do you think of James? Is his treatment of his family – all in the name of the cause – justified?
  I admire people who can commit to an important cause, BUT not at the expense of your family. I firmly believe one should make a choice.  While the cause might be very important, we owe our family's the protection and loyalty of a parent/husband/wife.  I think James is a horrible, self important individual who should have remained single, and left Eileen, who already had a sad existence, alone. But then there might not be a story to tell.

W hat do you think of Eileen’s reaction to James’ final betrayal – the emptying of her savings account?
I wanted to jump through the pages and beat the CR_P out of him.  And imagine the likes of that woman handing over her money to James and then gossiping about it.  I guess confidentiality was not a issue in those days, but really.  How horrible do people need to be to each other?  The nerve!  I too am worried about Eileen's sanity.  I hoping that a she finds the strength to carry on, in spite of that creep she married.  And I remind myself that she is Catholic and no divorce is in the horizon,  there are some thing that only a funeral can solve. (Aren't I awful).

How do you think the author is handling the intricacies of the political situation?
I too think that Falvey is doing an excellent job in informing the reader of the current political unrest in Ireland. She's created an incredible balance in the situation, so we are not cheering for one or the other side.  And I also agree that both sides could have sat down and talked a little more effectively to prevent such senseless violence. 

I'm having a horribly difficult time dragging out this book, I WANT to finish it.  (Pst. almost have). 
 I'm still enraged with James, and where on earth is that saintly mother of his that's probably just kneeling and praying for her beloved golden boy not to get hurt.  Get in there and smack him up side the head and tell him to get back to his family.  But, then again any woman who would make a step-son sleep in a shed so her golden boy is comfortable is not a Christian in my eyes.  And imagine the witch changing the baby's name to suit herself.  Well all I have to say she better not give Eileen power of attorney over her health, I sure would be pulling the plug on her.  And what's all this with P.J. Mullens and Terrance and the mad mother.  I see a secret in the works.


I'm thoroughly enjoying this book, it's making me wild, and now if my son choose to do his masters in Ireland, I think I might be moving. If you haven't joined us, there is still time.  Thanks to Carrie for hosting.  I'll be enjoying a green beer whilst finishing this one up today..
For next week, we will read through page 238 in the hardcover edition, which includes these sections: “Truce, 1920-1921? and “Passion, 1921.”

The Yellow House a read a long... Part One

Carrie over at Books and Movies is our hostess for The Yellow House  read-along by Patricia Falvey. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read the first two sections of the book: “Glenlea, County Armagh, 1905″ and “Queensbrook Linen Mill, 1913.” 

Spoiler alert: We will be discussing the book in detail, so if you haven’t read those sections and don’t want to read any spoilers, you should skip this post.

What do you think of the writing?

I'm thoroughly enjoying the writing of this portion of the book. I find it easy to read and hard to put down.  I've not yet mastered the art of reading more than one book at a time so I'll be having a difficult time this week waiting for the next post.  I love the vivid descriptions of the landscape, and I do believe that parents told their children long drawn out tales of the geographical and historical aspects of their existence .  My mother could have easily been one of these people, we use to get some really action packed stories about the who's who and where and why for.  Were they the real thing? don't know, but like Carrie I agree that a young girl with a father who seemingly was not all that learned could know the correct terminology.  this didn't seem to bother me all that much, I just thought it was an author's creative license.  Non the less I've enjoyed the book to this point..

.

What do you think of Eileen’s parents?

 I'm saddened by this whole relationship.  I mean I knew that there had to be some drama, but how unfortunate.  I was half expecting this Irish family to be on the dole ( not sure of the spelling) and the father being a drunk and abusive, so it was a nice change that this Da actually loved his wife and children, and was just not very capable at providing for them.  The whole thing is just sad.

It seems that the book is heading in a romantic direction when it comes to Eileen and Owen Sheridan. What do you think of this potential romance?

This is a romance with true troubles ahead!  I may actually have to sit down and map out the relationship according to my professors guidelines.  I hope they have the good sense to move to another part of the world like the U.S. to be together if that's where the author leads them, but if not it will be an unrequited love. Reminds me a little of the movie An Officer and a Gentleman.   If they decided to fight society and remain in their homes it may be history repeating itself.

Of coarse for me after having just finished reading Water for Elephants, I want everyone to run away and join the circus.

As we closed the second section, the world is on the brink of the First World War, and Ireland is being torn apart by the fight for Home Rule. Have you learned anything about Ireland or the world at this time period that was new to you?

 I'm not very knowledgeable about Irish history, so I am glad that the author is giving us glimpses of what was happening, again I feel like I need to do a little more research into this matter, but Yes, I am learning a fair bit about the historical aspect of Ireland in relation to their involvement in the war.

These are all the questions  Carrie came up with  for this section. Check out what the rest of the group have to say at Books and Movies  and if you haven't joined us, there is still time. 

Photo of book I own.

Secret Daughter...

 Product Description, from Amazon.ca
On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to Asha. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son. Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband Krishnan see a photo of baby Asha from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion for her. Somer knows life will change with the adoption, but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles. Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and Asha, "Secret Daughter" poignantly explores issues of culture and belonging. Moving between two worlds and two families, one struggling to survive in the fetid slums of Mumbai, the other grappling to forge a cohesive family despite their diverging cultural identities, this powerful debut novel marks the arrival of a fresh talent poised for great success.

My thoughts.
I liked this book.  I was happy to see that a mother is a mother regardless of what the circumstances are.  I read this book mostly because it was a new Canadian Author for me, even though the book setting is California and India.  I learned a great deal again about India and relationships in that setting once again.   I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.  

Photo of book I own.

Teaser Tuesday... Water for Elephants

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by

  MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser: Water for Elephants.

Age is a terrible thief.  Just when you're getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back.  It makes you ache and muddies your head and silently spreads cancer throughout your spouse.


I love how this author in these very few lines establishes the background of the major character. 





I should note that I have not seen the movie.

I'm back...

It's been a very long time since my husband and I have had a sucessful vacation, well since our honeymoon,.. 33 years ago.  Most of our down time was spent in personal development, or personal hobbies.  For my husband it was a hunting trip with the Latvian Anglers and Hunters, or a shoot with the Latvian shooting club, or a police conference of some kind or other, all of which gave him a break from his stressful job, but did nothing for me or US.  I on the other hand slipped away for a scrapbooking weekend or a painting seminar, or work related training.  So.... our home and kids have never been without us, or we together just vacationing, not sightseeing or attending meetings.  Well for years my sister and her husband have asked us to join them on a restful vacation and this was the year... WE DID IT!.  It was most restful, and enjoyable, lovely and warm and like Vicki I would rather be reading at the beach.  There is something about the soothing sounds of ocean waves, and a cool breeze and a warm sunshine, and swaying palm trees and waiters catering to my every whim in the refreshment department.  I haven't pulled apart my luggage yet, still freezing out any creepy crawlies that might have found a home in our clothes (I'm a little annul), and it's - 20 degrees here in Canada, but I'll post a few photos later in the week.  In the mean time, I finished several books, the first of which was Jim the Boy, Tony Earley

My Thoughts:  This was a nice little story.  It didn't grip me into wanting to read it in one sitting, in fact I needed to "focus" on just it.  I've yet to train myself to read more than one book at a time.  I loved that Jim's uncles stepped in to be his "dads", I love their sense of responsibility, and love for him.  I didn't always like Jim, but then again he was a 10 year old boy, perhaps it was a more realistic portrayal than I expected. If you need to read a nice little story then by all means pick this one up,  I would suggest this to a young reader.  For me it was just MEH! ( I borrow that term from Jenners)

Thanks, I needed that!... Alice Hartley's Happiness

Thanks Ms. Philippa, I needed that read.

P.S. I love Alice, and Aunty Sarah what wonderful characters.  I wish I had given birth with dolphins.

My question today to you all is,  Do you have an author you go to, when you know you just need a good read?  I have several, thank goodness.  One of whom is Philippa Gregory, I know I'm going to enjoy the book.  With this particular one, the only thing I couldn't figure out was the time line,  Princess Di and Charles were already having marital difficulties, but magic mushrooms were quite the thing, and herbalism, hmm. Did the U.K. have hippies longer than North America?  

Photo of book I own.

Abandoned... Running With Scissors

I felt I should read some non-fiction, I mean really, there must be stories out there that I would enjoy.  Well this was not the one!  Hated it, didn't finish, felt my time was too valuable to waste on it.

Scarecrow in Gray... Barry D. Yelton

Show me five:

1.  the book I read was Scarecrow in Gray, Barry D. Yelton

2.  Two words to describe it:  Civil War Fiction

3.   The book is set in the south, we follow the last 8 months of the civil war with a young man from Rutherford County who has volunteered, reluctantly to join General Lee's army.  Francis, walks to meet with the army, he meets a neighbor and they stay together throughout the duration of the war.  

4.  What I liked about the book an what I didn't like about the book.

I liked the characters for the most part, I like the fact that these men hated killing in the war, that they felt for the enemy, and each other.  I liked their loyalty to one another, to their families, to their country, and how honorably they served.  I like the faith in God they had, and were willing to share.

I didn't like the fact that it was a bit slow.  It was quite graphic, and I found I had to read it in bits.  The characters were very stereo typical southerners.  I'm ever so glad there were no banjos.  I think anything bad that could happen, happened to this group, a little unbelievable, particularly in the short span of their travel.  Almost like the author needed to tell all the stories he could think of through these characters.  I would have liked to know a little more about what happened to them after their arrival at home. 

5 five stars or less for the book.  While I liked this book, I needed to finish it, just to see what happened.  I knew the main character would live, (too many spoilers throughout the book). I give it a 3.5 stars.  I read this book as part of my Civil War Challenge, I felt I read so many books from the point of view of the Northerners I needed to see the Southerners point of view.  I think the scene that will be in my mind for some time is the "piles of limbs" amputated from many a young soldier on both sides of the battle.   Horrific.

Photo of book I own.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie ....

There are a number of reason why I chose this book, most significantly probably it was that I'm a mystery junkie, I've been trying to read books by Canadian authors more frequently and then of course it has gotten raving reviews.  I thoroughly enjoyed it (thanks Jenners).  I love Flavia, what a colourful imagination. 

I can't buy/borrow the next in the series as I'm reading from my shelves until April 1st. Drat!