Why yes, it’s been an unreal amount of time since the last time I posted an “Adventures in Parenting” post. Let’s just say that my parenting life has had so many adventures since the last post, I don’t even know where to start!
Those that know me, be it on Twitter, Facebook, or here on the blog, know how important sharing the love of reading with my children is to me. I’ve talked endlessly about how John, my eleven year old, transformed from a reluctant reading into an avid reader. I haven’t talked much about my five-year-old, Justin, because he’s ALWAYS had a love of reading.
For this edition of Adventures in Parenting I’d like to show a video taken of Justin by Erica Perl, author of CHICKEN BUTT and CHICKEN BUTT’S BACK (among many others). Those who follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr may have already seen this, so I apologize in advance (not really, I’m darned proud of him!) This video was taken in April when Erica paid a visit to One More Page Books. Justin discusses his love of these picture books!
My future bookseller in the making 🙂 Looks like all my hard work has paid off!
It’s the summer of 1969 (yes, Bryan Adam’s song definitely comes to mind). Twelve year old Brody is spending the summer before starting junior high as most kids did at that age: swimming at the local pool, listening to music on the radio and hoping for more playing time on the football team. Around him, however, the world is changing. We’ve just landed on the moon, the Mets start their trek to the World Series.
But most importantly, the Vietnam War is raging on. His older brother, Ryan, is just weeks away from reaching eighteen years old and at risk for being drafted to go to war. Ryan battles with their father on a pretty continuous basis: he doesn’t want to be forced to go to college in order to avoid being drafted, but he also doesn’t believe in the war, as many did during this time period.
It’d be different if the war was over here,” Ryan says. “If they were tyring to kill Mom or Brody or Jenny. I’d be the first in line then. But I ain’t about to get ambushed over in that swamp…get bayonet stabbed between my ribs. Why in the hell are we even over there?”
When Brody joins Ryan on a trip to upstate New York for this amazing live concert called Woodstock, he suddenly becomes aware of the real world around him. People are dying in a war they don’t believe in, a war that could take his older brother away. Brody is already at a pretty difficult and trying age for a young boy and being forced to deal with the potential reality of losing his older brother to war is pretty frightening. Through Brody’s voice, the reader relives the summer and fall of 1969, a truly challenging time in America’s history.
Brody writes to to detail & express his feelings:
Woodstock Flock Marching
Not to battle
Marching
All night long
Marching
Past barns and cattle
Marching
To hear a song
Marching
With my brother
Marching
With thousands more
Marching
To hear another
Marching
Against the War
When I heard about this book, I was drawn to it for some reason. I didn’t grow up in the late sixties, I wasn’t born until nearly a decade later. What drew me to this book was Brody’s story. I feel compelled to read coming-of-age stories, especially those involving young boys. I myself have two young boys, one nearing Brody’s age.
It was my intent on reading this book along with my oldest son, John. The publisher lists the age range from 8-12 years but I tend to disagree. The subject matter, in my humble opinion, is more appropriate for 12 and above. There is mild language, talk of beer and smoking pot, and while my son & I have open discussions about these topics, I just didn’t find it appropriate for the age range for which it is “advertised.” Therefore, I believe this book would be more suited for the higher end of the middle grade age range or the lower part of the YA age range, around the 12-15 age range.
That said, I do think this is a book that should be read by young adults, and adults as well, frankly. It is a completely honest and engaging look at a critical part of our nation’s history. Don’t let the subject matter cause you to believe this is a dark and depressing book; since we are experiencing it through a teen boy there is a great deal of levity and humor. Bottom line: Recommended.
Thank you TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour. Learn more about this book and the author & check out the other blogs on this tour on the book’s blog tour page.
A man wakes up, naked and cold, on a isolated beach. He doesn’t recall why he is there or how he got there. Actually, he remembers nothing at all. He finds an abandoned BMW and climbs inside; the car seems familiar and while rummaging through the glove box he finds the registration is made out to Daniel Hayes. Assuming this is his car, he continues rummaging through the glove box and finds a gun. Becoming more and more concerned by the minute, Daniel is dead set on discovering the course of events that led him to this beach.
The registration he finds indicates he is from California; a check of the license plates confirms this. Based on the temperature, Daniel assumes he’s somewhere along the upper east coast. Most people would call the police, but Daniel has a nagging feeling he should avoid the police at all cost. His feelings are confirmed when the police bust in to his room at a motel; luckily Daniel isn’t in the room at the time. He sees flashes of images of a young, beautiful woman, so he does what seems logical: go back to California; answers will be found there.
Along the way, he discovers why the police are after him: his wife, a gorgeous actress is dead. When the police wanted to question him about her death-a murder-Daniel turns up missing. Daniel is forced to rediscover his identity while at the same time evading the police.
This is the part of the review where I say JUST GO BUY IT. For real! I discovered Sakey about a year or so ago, based on a recommendation by Jen Forbus (Jen’s Book Thoughts) who just happens to also appear in the book as a character. Here is one of the passages in which she is mentioned:
“You’re going to get a lawyer. A criminal lawyer. I’ll call my friend Jen Forbus . She makes Johnnie Cochran look like Mr. Bean.”
Those that know Jen well know that she’s the queen of crime fiction. If she says you need to read a book, you need to read that book.
As I was saying…I discovered Sakey’s writing nearly a year ago. I loved every single book he’s ever written, my favorite being Good People, so I knew that I would love The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes. What I didn’t know was how much I would love this book. I was literally knocked off my feet with excitement and anticipation within the first few lines:
“He was naked and cold, stiff with it, his veins ice and frost.”
Hello, if that’s not enough to get your attention, I don’t know what is! That’s just the tip of the iceberg…the genius continues through every page of this book. What impressed me the most was the development of the characters: we discover who Daniel is as he does, we experience his recollection of memories along with him. Sakey does it at a moderate pace, not rushing through to the reveal. The reader feels the anguish and fear that Daniel feels as he’s slowly uncovering the horrid turn of events that caused his amnesia.
I’m known to attempt to figure out the ending as I read, usually I’m pretty successful. However this time I was stumped, each time I thought I knew the “culprit” I was thrown for another loop. When I finally came to the end, the only words I could utter were: “Holy Sh*t!” Still, two days after reading this book, those are still the only two words I can use to describe how this book made me feel.
So go now, preorder this book. I guarantee you won’t regret it.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
Last Tuesday, One More Page Books welcomed Rebecca Rasmussen, author of The Bird Sisters, for a reading and signing. The weather was quite atrocious: we were in the midst of a thunderstorm.
As always, I arrived early as to avoid traffic. My boys & husband (who was celebrating his birthday that day) joined me for the event. We were all just hanging out in the store, waiting for Rebecca to arrive.
Then, a huge bolt of lightning blazed across the sky. Within minutes, the fire alarm system in the store started blaring. You know the sound: loud blips that cause your brain to ache? Yep, that’s it.
Rebecca arrived within minutes of the alarm going off. By this time, we were all outside in the horribly hot & muggy day. Two fire trucks arrived (one of the high points of the evening). After many minutes of waiting, we learned that the sensor for the fire alarm was under water and the firemen were unable to shut it off. We would have to wait for someone from the building management to turn off the alarm.
By this time, it was well past the start of Rebecca’s reading. The alarm was still blaring. She had several adoring fans (including me) who wanted the event to go on. So, we all eventually moved across the street to a delightful Italian cafe who had a room large enough to accommodate us all.
Rather than read a passage from the book, Rebecca decided to answer questions from the group. She discussed her motivation/inspiration for the book, her experience in writing and selling the book, etc.
All in all, I think this was one of my my favorite signings. All the unforeseen circumstances (rain, fire alarm, etc) served as an icebreaker, allowing us all to feel like we were old friends. Overall, a wonderful experience.
I didn’t take many pictures, but you can view several at One More Page Books’ Facebook page. You can see the humidity in some of the pictures!
Thank you to the lovely staff at One More Page for keeping it all together, and to Rebecca for being flexible in how/where her event took place!
In case you missed it, here’s what happened on the blog last week:
Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Feel free to grab the button & join in!
This week’s Frightful Friday selection is The Ridge by Michael Kortya:
Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (June 8, 2011) ISBN-10: 031605366X Source: Publisher
In a lone stretch of land lies a lighthouse, owned by the local drunk, Wyatt French. The lighthouse has never really served a purpose other than to serve as a local landmark.
When French’s dead body is discovered by deputy sheriff Kevin Kimble, he also uncovers a long hidden town history as well. Dozens of car accidents have occurred on the desolate road near the site of the lighthouse, known as the Ridge. Countless people have died, deaths that go back generations. Somehow all these deaths, spanning decades, are tied together.
Audrey Clark owns a big-cat sanctuary and is in the process of moving it to the land across from the lighthouse. Her husband, the founder, died before the move and Audrey is desperate to follow through with her husband’s dreams.
French’s death is just the beginning of the strange occurrences to take place at the Ridge: the cats grow restless at night, frightened by something out in the darkness. There’s an evil that exists in the night. Sheriff Kimble and a former newspaper reporter must find the source of this darkness, digging through decades of the town’s history to find the answers.
Kimble has his own share of secrets; he continues to visit a woman in prison…a woman who shot him. He’s obsessed with her, can’t get her out of his mind. She’s tied to all of this strange activity somehow. This connection makes Kimble strive even further to find the truth.
Let me start out by saying Koryta is one talented author: he combines the thriller and supernatural genres into one terrifically written package. It’s got ghost stories, mysteries, love..and somehow he succeeds to get it all to blend together so eloquently!
Since reading his previous “supernatural thrillers” So Cold The River and Cypress House, my appreciation of Koryta’s writing has done nothing but increase. While So Cold The River is my favorite of the three, The Ridge has something the others don’t: magic. Not magic in the sense of pulling rabbits out of hats, but the magic found within powerful, majestic creatures. The amount of research and observation Koryta must have done to be able to detail this power so eloquently has to have been tremendous. This hard work pays off, however. The detailed description of the cats, the way they moved, the way they reacted to their new surroundings, literally sent chills down my spine. Koryta made them seem as though they were mythical beings, themselves. All in all, this unique characteristic really added to the supernatural feel of the book.
Another difference, in my opinion, is the spook factor. Koryta’s previous two books were pretty spooky. While The Ridge definitely has a supernatural flavor, in my opinion the spook factor has decreased. This isn’t a flaw; I actually think more readers would be apt to read this book for that reason.
So, if tend to scare easy (you know who you are!) don’t be afraid to pick up this book. There are a few scenes of an “other worldly” nature, but definitely nothing excessive.
When Julie was just twelve years old, her sister disappeared, never to be found. Her once perfect family started to crumble. Her mother became obsessed with searching for her daughter; when she died, Julie continued the search, keeping in regular contact with the officer on the case.
As an adult, working in a New York auction house, she meets Monica Guidry, a struggling artist from Mississippi. Her depictions of her family draws Julie closer to her and they become close friends.
When Monica dies of a heart ailment she kept secret, she gives Julie custody of her five-year-old son, Beau, as well as a valuable payment and a piece of property in Biloxi, Mississippi. Julie is devastated; it is like she’s lost another sister. Biding by Monica’s wishes, she takes Beau back to Moncia’s hometown. But when Julie & Beau show up in Biloxi, they see that the property is destroyed, never rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.
Julie is devastated; she’s given up everything she has to bring Beau back to the family that Monica always talked about, yet been estranged from for years. She is now left without a home and an adorable young boy in her custody.
Before her death, Monica instructed Julie to find Ray Von, an elderly woman who has been a friend of the family for decades. Upon meeting Ray Von, she is given a portrait that Julie’s own great grandfather, Abe Holt, painted. Julie reluctantly decides that he best course of action is to sell the painting in order to obtain enough money to get by.
Julie and Beau aren’t in the town long before a buyer for the painting is found: Monica’s maternal great grandmother, Aimee, and her brother Trey. Within reason, they are a bit hesitant of Julie; they haven’t seen Monica in years and now that she has passed, they want Beau to become part of their lives.
After much trepidation, Julie agrees to stay in New Orleans, where the family now lives, while the family beach property, River Song, is rebuilt. During her stay, she discovers that the portrait she has inherited unlocks a long-hidden family secret and the likely cause of Monica’s estrangement from her family. She also learns that meeting Monica wasn’t as coincidental as she thought; her own family has ties to the Guidry family.
The Beach Trees is a heartwarming tale of family, love, loss & deceit. Julie, a Massachusetts native, can’t comprehend why the victims of Katrina’s wrath continue to rebuild. Why stay somewhere when you know it’s going to be destroyed yet again? White so eloquently portrays the hope in people of Mississippi and Louisiana, their strong-will and determination to continue to live in a town so often devastated by hurricanes. It is then she sees the true meaning of family and of “home”, and discovers a family of her own.
The storyline is told in two parts: Julie in the present and Aimee in the 1950s. These storylines are so intricately woven, yet also completely independent. The parallels between the two are uncanny. Both women lost someone so near and dear to their hearts. The parallel disappearances in each of the families is a bit startling as well. I’m all about mystery and family secrets in the novels I read. I particularly enjoyed how White allowed the mystery to unfold, slowly revealing details along the way.
As with her other books, White’s characters are extremely detailed and well developed. One couldn’t help but fall for Julie and Aimee, both incredibly strong minded and independent women. They made quite the duo; I appreciated how the past was revealed to Julie through stories Aimee told her. The act of passing down stories among generations is quite compelling; so much history is held in memories.
The descriptions of the setting allows the reader to feel they are there: the sounds of of the ocean, the smell of the sea water, the tactile feeling of the sand between their toes. White has the unique abilty to transport the reader into her story, despite their location.
There hasn’t been a book Karen White has written that I haven’t fallen head over heels for. I often say that, despite my “Northern” upbringing, that I must have been a Southern girl in another life. White herself notes Karen notes that “searching for home brings me to the south again and again.”
I doubt I need to tell you this, but I can’t recommend this book enough. A perfect read for book clubs, it covers so many topics worth discussing. It would be a delightful summer read, one that leaves your heart warm and full of hope as you turn the final pages.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please be sure to check out the other stops on the tour.
In the two years since her husband’s death in a climbing accident, computer security expert Diana Banks has become a bit of a recluse, holed up in her home, not daring to take a step out into the real world. Her only taste of the real world comes with her interactions on Otherworld, a cyber society, under the identity of Nadia, her cyber avatar.
Diana continues to work with Jack, a business partner in the agency, Gamelan, she co-owned with her now-deceased husband, Daniel. Previously, they made their money by selling virus solutions to companies whose systems they themselves hacked. When a patient is killed after they hacked a hospital’s computer system, Diana’s conscience kicks in and, after some arguement, their company turns a new leaf and instead becomes one that protects their clients from hackers like themselves. It is after this decision, on a celebratory rock climb, that Charlie falls to his death.
Daniel’s death sends Diana into a horrible spiral, now suffering from PTSD. All interactions, including business meetings, are all held in Otherworld. She now lives in the refuge of her parents home, surrounded by a high-tech security monitoring system created by Jack. The only person she really sees face-to-face is her sister, Ashley. Ashley, along with her online psychiatrist, attempt to assist Diana in reintroducing herself into the “real” world.
When Ashley disappears after assuming the role of Nadia in real-life, Diana is forced to step out of her comfort zone in order to find, and save, her sister. She soon realizes that the safe confines of Otherworld arent’ as safe as they seem. Everything Diana has believed to be true is a lie; she’s forced to use all her hacking skills & knowledge to find Ashley.
Come and Find Me is a suspenseful, heart-pounding look at the false security of the cyber world. In today’s society, we all assume that by protecting ourselves with cyber-identities and high-level passwords that we are safe. Ephron shows, with astounding ease, how easy it is to hack into one’s personal world.
Ephron also does a stunning job of detailing and describing the life of a person suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The reader feels Diana’s panic and unease at stepping into the outside world. I think my heart was pounding just as fast as Diana’s the first time she stepped outside the safety of her own home.
While I figured out the ending pretty early on, this didn’t detract from my experience; the journey Diana took was well worth the ride! My only complaint was the lack of depth of characters. I’m hoping this is resolved in a sequel or follow-up novel! Be forewarned: if you are already pretty paranoid about the cyber world, this probably isn’t the book for you! That said, I still highly recommend this book!
The Literary Road Trip is a project in which bloggers are volunteering to showcase local authors. This showcase can be anything you want to make of it – book reviews, author interviews, giveaways – as long as you’re working with an author local to you.
For those of you who did a blog post on a local author, be it a review, interview, guest post, etc. during the month of May, please link it up here! I’ll then do a post summarizing all of these great posts next week!
Please follow the following format Blog Name (Author Name/State) & the direct link to your post.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
Books Completed Last Week
BEA. Enough said. Absolutely no books were read or finished last week!
