Sunday, March 30, 2014

Weekly Book Recap #60

The April showers started this weekend, even though according to the calendar we have a few days left in the month of March.  I guess it's Mother Nature's idea of an early April Fools Day joke.  At least it's not snow. 

That said, here are the books I've finished reading, am currently reading, and bought or picked up from the library this week, along with what I plan to read next. I'm sharing my reading updates on the following blogs:

  Showcase Sunday banner2a
 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  
Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey
  
Finished reading . . .
Everything I Never Told You: A Novel   Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Reading now . . .
The Wives of Los Alamos   The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit
A Long Long Way    A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry

Won from Shelf Awareness/Grand Central Publishing . . .
The Blessings   The Blessings by Elise Juska

Provided by Edelweiss . . .
The Blonde   The Blonde by Anna Godbersen

Downloaded for Kindle . . .
  Lola's House   Lola's House by Suzie Groers

Reading next . . .
The History of Love   The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Enjoy life with books . . .
 
Catherine
 
Weekly Book Recap #60 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  





Friday, March 28, 2014

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #37

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It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from one of my current reads with:
  • Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
  • The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
Today I'm featuring:
 The Wives of Los Alamos  

Beginning:  1943  West
Over the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Pacific, the Arctic, the Atlantic; in sewers, in trenches, on the ocean, in the sky: there was a war going on.  Sometimes it seemed far away, barely happening, but then a mother or wife placed a gold star in her living room window--her brother, her husband, her son, our neighbor--and the war became personal.

*********************
Page 56:  "When we began there were twenty of us, then fifty, then the number of us grew too large to count, and in the first year alone we gave birth to eighty healthy children."
*********************

From barnesandnoble.com: Their average age was twenty-five. They came from Berkeley, Cambridge, Paris, London, Chicago—and arrived in New Mexico ready for adventure, or at least resigned to it. But hope quickly turned to hardship as they were forced to adapt to a rugged military town where everything was a secret, including what their husbands were doing at the lab. They lived in barely finished houses with P.O. box addresses in a town wreathed with barbed wire, all for the benefit of a project that didn’t exist as far as the public knew. Though they were strangers, they joined together—adapting to a landscape as fierce as it was absorbing, full of the banalities of everyday life and the drama of scientific discovery.

And while the bomb was being invented, babies were born, friendships were forged, children grew up, and Los Alamos gradually transformed from an abandoned school on a hill into a real community: one that was strained by the words they couldn’t say out loud, the letters they couldn’t send home, the freedom they didn’t have. But the end of the war would bring even bigger challenges to the people of Los Alamos, as the scientists and their families struggled with the burden of their contribution to the most destructive force in the history of mankind.

The Wives of Los Alamos is a novel that sheds light onto one of the strangest and most monumental research projects in modern history. It's a testament to a remarkable group of women who carved out a life for themselves, in spite of the chaos of the war and the shroud of intense secrecy.


Enjoy life with books . . .
Catherine
Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #37 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    


 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: New Barbara Taylor Bradford Novel

 
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature of the Breaking the Spine blog.  It's a great way to share information about forthcoming books with other readers.
 
 This week's anticipated book:
Cavendon Hall 
 Publisher: St. Martin's Press 
Publication date: April 1, 2014

From barnesandnoble.com Set in Edwardian England, this sweeping story of secrets and lies, honor and betrayal, and love at all costs from blockbuster bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford is one that no reader will soon forget… 

Cavendon Hall is home to two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them. Charles Ingham, the Sixth Earl of Mowbray, lives there with his wife, Felicity, and their six children. Walter Swann, the premier male of the Swann family, is valet to the earl. His wife, Alice, a clever seamstress who is in charge of the countess’s wardrobe, also makes clothes for the four Ingham daughters. For centuries, these two families have lived side-by-side, beneath the backdrop of the imposing stately home in Yorkshire.

Lady Daphne, the most beautiful of the earl’s daughters, is about to be presented at court when a devastating event changes her life and threatens the Ingham name. With World War I looming, both families will find themselves tested in ways they never thought possible. Loyalties will be challenged and betrayals will be set into motion. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: these two families will never be the same again…

My thoughts:  I am jumping up and down waiting for this novel from one of my all-time favorite authors, set in my favorite historical time and locale.

Which book are you waiting for?

Enjoy life with books . . .

Catherine

Waiting on Wednesday: New Barbara Taylor Bradford Novel was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.  


 
 
 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #54

 
First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. It's an opportunity to share the first paragraph(s) of a book I am currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

Today I'm featuring the opening paragraph from Roses by Leila Meacham, which I borrowed from the library.


Roses  

Chapter One

HOWBUTKER, TEXAS, AUGUST 1985

At his desk, Amos Hines turned over the last sheet of the two-page legal document he'd been instructed to read.  His mouth had gone dry as wheat chaff, and for a moment he could only blink in dazed disbelief at his client and longtime friend seated before his desk, a woman he had admired--revered--for forty years and had thought he knew.  He searched her expression for indications that age had finally affected her faculties, but she stared back with all the clear-eyed acuity for which she was renowned.  Working saliva into his mouth, he asked, "Is this codicil for real, Mary?"  You've sold the farms and changed your will?"

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?
This book came very highly recommended by a voracious reader who is a member of two of my book clubs.  When she told me it was one of her all-time favorite books--and this woman reads a lot--I knew I wanted to read it too.  I think the beginning is promising.

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?
 
First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #54 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Weekly Book Recap #59

It's officially Spring, but the weather is still undecided about that.  While the weekend temperatures have been in the 60s, there's talk of snow in the coming week.  Really??  I say enough torture and teasing already.  Bye bye winter--you have overstayed your welcome.  Reading and surrounding myself with new books are keeping me sane at this point. 

That said, here are the books I've finished reading, am currently reading, and bought or picked up from the library this week, along with what I plan to read next. I'm sharing my reading updates on the following blogs:

  Showcase Sunday banner2a
 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  
Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey
  
Finished reading . . .
Organized for Murder    Organized for Murder by Ritter Amers  
  Murder a la Christie by Marilyn Levinson  My Review 

Reading now . . .
A Long Long Way   A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
Everything I Never Told You: A Novel  Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 

Borrowed from the library . . .
                        Still Life with Bread CrumbsThe VisitorsChains             
                                         Going Organic Can Kill You (Blossom Valley Mystery Series #1)Annie Dunne  
Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen, The Visitors by Patrick O'Keefe, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, Going Organic Can Kill You by Staci McLaughlin, and Annie Dunne by Sebastian Barry

Borrowed from a book swap . . .
The Wives of Los AlamosFallen Beauty 
The Wives of Los Alamos by Tarashea Nesbit; Fallen Beauty by Erika Robuck

Downloaded . . .
Widow of Larkspur Inn, The (The Gresham Chronicles Book #1)Room 702A Stranger in the Family (Bardville Trilogy, Book 1)Kindergarten Baby  
The Widow of Larkspur Inn by Lawana Blackwell, Room 702 by Ann Benjamin, A Stranger in the Family by Patricia McLinn, and Kindergarten Baby by Cricket Rohman
 
Reading next . . .
Private L.A.   Private L.A. by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

Still Life with Bread Crumbs   Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen
 
Enjoy life with books . . .
 
Catherine
 
Weekly Book Recap #59 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    
 
 


Friday, March 21, 2014

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #36

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It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from one of my current reads with:
  • Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
  • The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
Today I'm featuring a cozy mystery that I finished this week:
 Murder a la Christie by Marilyn Levinson  

Beginning:  Chapter One
"Write that book if you dare, but you won't live to see it in print!"
 
I stared at the two older women--the usually subdued Gerda Stein, her face flushed with anger, and my dear friend Sylvia--but neither seemed aware that I'd entered the kitchen.
 
*********************
Page 56 (of ARC):  "I cringed at the thought of living with Rosie, Hal, and Ginger like a poor relative.  The pitiful single friend who had no life of her own."
*********************

From amazon.com Professor Lexie Driscoll is conducting the first meeting of the Golden Age of Mystery book club in her best friend’s swanky mansion when another friend is murdered. More members are knocked off as Lexie unravels secret after secret, leading her to believe she's living in Christie's novel, And Then There Were None. Using Miss Marple’s knowledge of human nature and Hercule Poirot’s cunning, Lexie reveals the murderer.
 
 
Enjoy life with books . . .
 
Catherine
 
Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #36 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    
 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Thursday Thoughts: Blog Tour/Review: Murder a la Christie by Marilyn Levinson


great escape tour banner large murder ala christie large banner640

I'm excited to participate in the Murder a la Christie Blog Tour.  In this post you will find book and author information along with my review.

About the Book . . .
 COVER
Murder a la Christie  by Marilyn Levinson
Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  Dark Oak Mysteries

Paperback:  234 pages
ISBN-13: 978-161009135

Synopsis . . .


Professor Lexie Driscoll is leading a discussion of Agatha Christie’s novels at the first meeting of the Golden Age of Mystery book club, when an old friend is murdered. A free spirit, Lexie finds herself outside her element housesitting in the upscale village of Old Cadfield. As she unravels secret after secret, more members are murdered. Lexie employs Miss Marple’s knowledge of human nature and Hercule Poirot’s cunning to find the killer.

My Review . . .
Old Cadfield, a ritrzy suburb in Long Island, New York is the setting for Murder a la Christie, an entertaining new mystery from Marilyn Levinson.   When Lexie Driscoll, an English professor from a local university agrees to facilitate the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club at a friend’s home, little does she know that she will be cast into an unfolding murder mystery that rivals any of Agatha Christie’s books. 

Minutes into the group discussion of Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Sylvia Morris complains of stomach pain and becomes disoriented.  Before the meeting ends, Sylvia is found dead in the guest room where she had been resting after becoming ill.  How could this have happened?  Was it something she ate at the meeting?  Had her heart condition played a role?  Or is it possible that a threat uttered by another book club member during a heated confrontation moments before the meeting commenced was carried out?

Lexie is disturbed by the heinous crime and is determined to find out who killed her friend.  The plot thickens when two other book club members are subsequently found murdered soon thereafter.  Are the murders linked?  Who is responsible?  Can Lexie and the police solve these cases before another murder occurs? 
 
Suspects and motives multiply as Lexie’s investigation uncovers the past secrets, romantic liaisons, and current hostilities of the residents of Old Cadfield.  Attuned to the similarities between Agatha Christie’s plots and the murders at hand, Lexie applies the techniques of Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot to analyze the crimes and reveal the truth.

Murder a la Christie is a smart whodunit and delightful homage to the grand dame of the genre from a contemporary mystery writer.  A comparison and contrast to several of Christie’s novels are nicely incorporated into the storyline, and provide added enjoyment for mystery lovers.  The story is engaging to its satisfying conclusion, although it does leave readers wondering what will happen next in Lexie’s chaotic life, and which of her two romantic suitors she will choose.  Such is the stuff that sequels are made of, and I hope there will be one soon.

Note:  I received an ebook copy of Murder a la Christie from the author in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author . . .
Marilyn Levinson, a former Spanish teacher, writes mysteries, romance, and books for children and young adults.

Her romantic suspense, Dangerous Relations, is a love story entwined with an intriguing mystery. Giving Up the Ghost is an entertaining ghost mystery. A new edition of A Murderer Among Us, which won a Best Indie award from Suspense Magazine in 2011, and its sequel, Murder in the Air, are out with Untreed Reads. A ghost, a mansion, and a feral Maine Coon cat feature in Marilyn’s most recent YA novel, Getting Back to Normal. Three of her popular out-of-print children’s books, And Don't Bring Jeremy, No Boys Allowed, and Rufus and Magic Run Amok are now available as ebooks.

Marilyn is co-founder and past-president of the Long Island chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives on Long Island.

Author Links:
web page: http://www.marilynlevinson.com
Untreed Reads books: http://goo.gl/ktYzs
Amazon page: http://amzn.to/K6Md1O
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson
Purchase Links
AMAZON  

 

Murder a la Christie Tour Participants
March 14 – Rachel Cotterill Book Reviews - Review
March 15 – Melina’s Book Blog - Review, Guest Post
March 16 – Chloe Gets A Clue - Interview
March 17 – readalot blog - Review
March 18 – Queen of All She Reads - Review, Guest Post – Giveaway
March 19 – Must Read Faster – Review - Giveaway
March 20Book Club Librarian – Review
March 21The Bookwyrm's Hoard - Review, Guest Post – Giveaway
March 22 – off
March 23Cozy Up With Kathy - Interview
March 24 - Read Your Writes Book Reviews - Guest Post
 
Enjoy life with books . . .
 
Catherine 
 
Thursday Thoughts: Blog Tour/Review: Murder a la Christie by Marilyn Levinson was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution. 
 
FTC Disclaimer:  Unless otherwise noted, the statements and opinions expressed in reviews and posts on this blog are those of Book Club Librarian. Authors, publishers, and tour guides are welcome to contact me and/or send an ARC or finished copy of a book in exchange for an honest review. All reviews will mention the material source. Opinions shared by others in comments may not reflect my own views, and I reserve the right to moderate comments.








Sunday, March 16, 2014

Weekly Book Recap #58

The weather here continues to be wacky.  One day feels like spring, and then the next, it reverts to winter.  And there's talk of snow for St. Patrick's Day!  At this point I've decided to keep calm and read on. 

That said, here are the books I've finished reading, am currently reading, and bought or picked up from the library this week, along with what I plan to read next. I'm sharing my reading updates on the following blogs:

  Showcase Sunday banner2a


 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  
Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey
  
Finished reading . . .
Wallbanger   Wallbanger by Alice Clayton
Reading now . . .
A Long Long Way   Organized for Murder 
A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry, which is a book club read; Organized for Murder by Ritter Ames and Murder a la Christie by Marilyn Levinson, which are blog tour reads (check back on March 20 for my review of Murder a la Christie).

Borrowed from the library . . .
 Roses   Roses by Leila Meacham

Reading next . . .
 Private L.A.   Private L.A. by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan


Enjoy life with books . . .
Catherine
Weekly Book Recap #58 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.