Wordless Wednesday

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Are You Who, What, Where or Why?

You Are Where

You are a very adventurous person, and you're happiest when you're able to travel freely. You're interested in the whole planet, and you want to see as much of it as possible. You believe that you have to see some things to truly understand them. You know that travel makes you a better, more well rounded person. You are off to see the world whenever you can, and when you're not, you're dreaming about it.

Are You Who, What, Where, or Why?

Wordless Wednesday

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The Pasture Test

You Are Peaceful and Content

You have reached a point in your life where you've accepted things and found bliss. You cultivate a sense of gratitude, and you believe that each day you're given is special. You have a low tolerance for drama, and you have been known to cut troublesome people out of your life completely. You are a daydreamer, but there is nothing lofty about your dreams. You can be perfectly happy just watching the clouds.

The Pasture Test

Are My Roots Showing?

Have all of you heard of Carina's excellent weekly feature called Reading Roots? Each week on her blog, Reading Through Life, Carina has one book blogger talk about their early reading influences and experiences, letting us catch a glimpse of the “roots” that each person has built upon in forming their identity as “a reader”. It's a feature that I really enjoy, so I was thrilled when she asked me to participate.

This week it's my turn to talk about my early days as a beginning reader. One of the things that made this so much fun is that Carina very graciously allowed me to include small photos of the women who helped me become the bookaholic I am today.

I hope all of you take the time to visit Reading Through Life to read my guest post. If you've never been there, I hope you take a look at all the other content Carina has to offer. She has a wonderful blog!

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Note to Newcomers and Regulars:

If you've never visited Kittling: Books before, welcome! I hope you'll spend a bit of time wandering around and seeing what there is to see. It's not all crime fiction here; there are posts about my growing up in a library, going out on unpaved trails here in Arizona, some of my personal photography... it's not all about whodunit!

To my regulars: I'm not sure when I'll be back in the saddle. I have some weekly posts that are scheduled all the way into next spring, but it may take me a while to get back to normal. I spent nine hours in the hospital emergency room Saturday, and although I'm feeling much better, some of my parts need to be overhauled. While all that's being scheduled, I'm going to take it very easy by reading lots of books and taking lots of naps.

Enough of all that. I've never been a fan of doctors! Please go take a look at my Reading Roots!

Taking a Break

I'm having some health issues at the moment and just don't have the energy to sit at the computer and blog. I am, however, lying in the sun and reading, which means I'll have a boatload of reviews to post when I come back.

Here's hoping I'll be back soon with lots of posts and other goodies. If I don't make it back by Thanksgiving, I hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day!

Scene of the Blog Featuring Misha of My Love Affair With Books!

No matter where I look, I seem to find helpful book bloggers. When I needed volunteers from the studio audience to participate in Scene of the Blog for November, I put an alert out on Twitter, and Misha came to my rescue.

When I went to Misha's blog, My Love Affair With Books, which concentrates on Young Adult, Literary, Contemporary and Historical Fiction; Paranormal Romance; and Thriller/Suspense/Mysteries, I liked  how much fun it was and all the content she has on her blog. If you haven't visited My Love Affair With Books, please take the time to do so. Don't forget to say hi to Misha while you're there!

Just a tiny reminder before she shows us her blogging spaces: If you'd like to see the photos full size, just click on them. Take it away, Misha!

First of all a big thanks to Cathy for letting me participate!

This is where I do most of my blogging. That’s my laptop on my bed. Though I have a study table, I feel most comfortable on my bed. This is also my favorite reading spot. My bed , as you can see, is always cluttered with my books, random college assignments and of course, my laptop. I try to be more organized, but it always ends up like this, so I have stopped trying. Hehe. One of the reasons I love reading and blogging in my room is because it's on one corner of the house and it's really peaceful here. It's also always bright in here. I have a sort of notice board on my bedroom wall with reminders for my blog and college work. I can be pretty forgetful at times. I do most of my blogging in the evening and early morning around 5 am.

This shelf contains all my to-be-read books. Being a hoarder, I buy books faster than I read them. It's almost like a disease; I just have no self-control! The top shelf contains historical fiction and literary fiction. The middle shelf contains YA fiction and the last shelf contains random genres.This is the only proper shelf I have. I love the color black so that explains the color. On the top of the shelf are my CD and DVD collection along with pen stands. That palace thing is actually a pen stand. My sister made it for me.

These 2 shelves contain all the books I have read from childhood till now.They are really disorganized but I sort of like it that way. (That’s weird, I know). It's almost like a tunnel inside these shelves. You will find more stacks of books behind the books on the front.

These shelves also contain my books from childhood - my collection of Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew books. I used to love Enid Blyton as a kid. These shelves also have my fairy tale books , which I used to read when I was around 6-8 years old.

I used to be addicted to fantasy books once upon a time and this shelf contains only fantasy books. It's kept in my sister’s room. She reads those books now and also adds to the collection. In fact my sister will soon be joining me on my blog. It will make things easier for me because my college work makes me too tired to blog at times.

The sofa is my second favorite reading spot. I love lying down on it and reading. This also happens to be my sister’s favorite reading spot and we have fights over it. hehe. Thank you again, Cathy, for letting me show off my books and my reading space.

And a huge thank you to you, Misha, for coming to my rescue. I love the progression of your photos and the fact that you didn't say anything about the sofa until you'd mentioned being so busy that you were too tired to blog. With the light shining in, it looks like a very comfortable spot to read, and I can easily picture you and your sister fighting over it. I look forward to your sister joining you in blogging, by the way!

Since you are keeping all the books you read as a child, are you saving them for your own children? You know me-- I just have to ask a nosy question or two! I also admire you for being able to have a brain that works coherently at 5 AM!

Thanks so much for sharing your creative spaces with us, Misha. We love seeing where bloggers share their love of books, and we appreciate each and every one who allows us to glimpse into their homes!

Note: Scene of the Blog is taking a week off for Thanksgiving and won't be back until Wednesday, December 1. To all of you who celebrate, have a wonderful holiday! If you do find yourself needing a fix before December 1, check my sidebar and click on the Scene of the Blog graphic. Right now, you can search through all those who have participated by the blog name, and soon you'll be able to search by location as well!

Wordless Wednesday

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Quiltscapes II by Rebecca Barker

Title: Quiltscapes II
Author: Rebecca Barker
ISBN: 1574328786
Publisher: American Quilter's Society, 2005
Trade Paperback, 80 pages
Genre: Art, Crafts
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

First Line: The first Quiltscapes book received so many requests for more pictures and patterns that a second one was inevitable.

I, for one, am very glad it was inevitable. Back in October, I posted about one of my favorite books-- the very first Quiltscapes. When I discovered that there was indeed a second book, I couldn't resist buying it.

As an artist, Rebecca Barker has a unique vision, one that combines landscapes and quilts. Taking a traditional quilt pattern and blending it into a landscape painting sounds unusual, but with her keen sense of color and eye for detail, her work is beautiful.

Just take a look at "Delectable Mountains" to the right. The quilt draws your eye back into the painting, slowly becoming meadow grass being eaten by elk, a clear running stream, trees, and the mountains beyond.

Barker's work can often bring a lump to my throat. Probably because I view quilts not just as works of art, but as pieces of history. The numbers of women who pieced quilts as they traveled across this country by covered wagon will never be known for certain. But each scrap of cloth and each stitch carried hopes, dreams, trail dust, sorrows, chores, and joy.

My mother had my great-grandmother's crazy quilt all through my childhood. My Grandma Brookshier could point at each scrap of cloth and tell you whose shirt, dress, petticoat or trousers it came from, and the beautiful stitching binding the pieces together was traced by my childish fingers over and over again. My mother finally threw away this crazy quilt because it was, literally, falling to pieces. It had been completed in the 1890s and kept four generations of our family feeling warm, safe and loved. To this day I wish my mother had kept at least one small corner of it.

What is so marvelous about Barker's Quiltscapes books is that, not only do they contain wonderful pieces of art, they also contain patterns for the quilt blocks used in each painting-- making it very possible for quilters around the globe to make history and memories for their own families.

I think this book and its predecessor would make wonderful gifts for quilters and art lovers alike. The range of Barker's paintings means that there should be something for everyone: all four seasons, pastoral farm scenes, mountains, prairies, the desert, village life, wildlife and-- some of my particular favorites-- lighthouses and the sea.

If you click on the author link at the top of this review, you'll also see Barker's line of prints and notecards as well.

Sample Rebecca Barker's Quiltscapes. I think you'll be hooked.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from Alibris.

What Language Are You?

You Are Spanish

You are fairly popular and well understood. And you're only getting more and more popular as time goes on. You have an appreciation for history, but you also look toward the future. You are easy going and not uptight at all. You tend to say things simply and quickly. You like to get your point across without being too flowery about it. But when you need to, you can bust out some pretty impressive wordplay. You are just as beautiful as all the other languages.

What Language Are You?

White Tank Library and Nature Center Now Open

Maricopa County opened a brand-new library this weekend. What makes it different from many others in the country is that the building is meant to be a part of its Sonoran Desert surroundings, it's as ecologically friendly as possible, and it's part of a nature center that will happily tell patrons about the wildlife that surrounds the library.

Books and critters. That is definitely my kind of library, and somehow I feel a visit coming in the future. However, there's no way I can tell you all about the place, so I thought I'd let the folks who work for Maricopa County tell you about it for me. Enjoy the video!

Mailbox Monday-- Down to a Trickle

My favorite weekly meme is on tour. For the entire month of November you'll be able to find Mailbox Monday on Knitting and Sundries. If taking a look at the books other people discovered in their mailboxes intrigues you, and if you'd like to participate, this just might be the meme for you. Thanks for hosting, Julie!

I've been busy making Christmas ornaments and doing a bit of work on the blog (mostly behind-the-scenes sorts of things), so it's been rather quiet on the book front. If a few hadn't come through on my Paperback Swap (PBS) wish list, I would've been bookless last week-- something that's unheard of. I sent 2 books to new Paperback Swap foster homes and received 3. Here's the scoop on the three books I received:

Dying Fall by Judith Cutler (PBS). "Sophie Rivers has a job she enjoys, a satisfying life and a close circle of friends. Then things go suddenly wrong; one of her students is murdered on college premises, and her best friend George meets a tragic end which everyone believes to be an accident - everyone, that is, except Sophie." Judith Cutler has been one of my favorite crime fiction writers for several years now, but her books are difficult to find over here in the US. I'm always thrilled when I can get my hands on one!

The Arsenic Labyrinth by Martin Edwards (PBS). "DCI Hannah Scarlett returns to crack open another cold case. Ten years after the disappearance of a local woman, Emma Bestwick, a stranger comes to the Lake District and offers up tantalizing clues that could lead to a solution to the mystery. Meanwhile, historian Daniel Kind is researching the life of John Ruskin, the nineteenth-century poet, art critic, and philosopher. As usual, Scarlett's mystery and Kind's research intersect, this time at the Arsenic Labyrinth, a group of mining tunnels built by friends of Ruskin that could hold the answer to Emma's disappearance. And let's not forget the mysterious stranger: villain or concerned citizen? The Scarlett-Kind novels rely heavily on their beautiful Lake District setting, but Edwards never lets the atmosphere outshine the stories." Another excellent series and writer that can be difficult to obtain. Once again, I'm tickled at getting this book!

Shadow Pass by Sam Eastland (LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program). "It is 1939. The world stands on the brink of Armageddon. In the Soviet Union, years of revolution, fear and persecution have left the country unprepared to face the onslaught of Nazi Germany. For the coming battles, Stalin has placed his hopes on a 30-ton steel monster, known to its inventors as the T-34 tank, and, the 'Red Coffin' to those men who will soon be using it. But the design is not yet complete. And when Colonel Nagorski, the weapon's secretive and eccentric architect, is found murdered, Stalin sends for Pekkala, his most trusted investigator. Stalin is convinced that a sinister group calling itself the White Guild, made up of former soldiers of the Tsar, intend to bring about a German invasion before the Red Coffin is ready. While Soviet engineers struggle to complete the design of the tank, Pekkala must track down the White Guild and expose their plans to propel Germany and Russia into conflict." Looks like this one is being published in the UK as The Red Coffin, so be careful!

That's it for this week. Now it's time for me to start roaming the Internet, checking out the other participants' goodies. This is fun!

Weekly Link Round-Up

I'm not as late as I was last week, which is a good thing, I reckon. We now have stacks of new shingles and other goodies sitting on the driveway, so Casa Kittling's makeover is looming in the headlights. The only really "exciting" thing I saw occurred today in our back garden over the swimming pool. A pair of hummingbirds was chasing each other all over the place. A pair of dragonflies was doing the same thing. Both pairs forgot about the other and SMACKDOWN! One hummingbird and one dragonfly collided over the pool. The hummingbird looked stunned and confused and went off to perch in the oleanders for a couple of minutes. The dragonfly fortunately landed on the hose of the pool cleaner and rested there for a while. I could swear I saw five or six constellations of stars revolving above its head. Those creatures are always so beautiful and graceful that it was nice to see that they, too, have their ungainly moments!

Enough of this! I have a ton of links this week. You may look at the sheer numbers of them, but I did prune before posting!


Bookish News & Other Fun Stuff

• Send a message (and a book) to an American Hero with the help of Penguin.
• 18 Iconic Products that America Doesn't Make Anymore.
• How to make a birdhouse out of children's books. The results are cute and a good way to recycle those Little Golden Books that may be too chewed, slobbered upon or just plain raggedy to keep.
• The bookseller who doesn't read novels.
• 40 beautiful coffee table books for foodies.
• The five best books on book collecting.
• 18 Unspoiled Coasts Around the World. (drool)
• Johnny Depp + Tim Burton = Dark Shadows?  YES! 
• "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Director Niels Arden Oplev Knows What Women Want (to be): Lisbeth Salander.
• 5 reasons you don't need an e-book reader. 
• 10 essential books from the last 25 years.
• Have you seen the trailer for the Jane Eyre movie due out next year?
• What happens when the libraries die?
• Trying to avoid getting stuck in a bad job? Don't apply for the position as book censor in Iran.
• Next year The New York Times will rank e-book best sellers.
• You'd better watch out: Amazon patents a "bad gift" converter.
• The many covers of Anna Karenina.
• Scientists have designed a Harry Potter-style invisibility cloak.
• The Smithsonian has an article about a murder in Salem that inspired Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
• I wish I had one of these vases lying about Casa Kittling....

Blogging & Social Media Tips

• The importance of images within a blog.
• 11 Twitter and Social Media Tools to Try in 2011.
• Company accused of firing employee over a Facebook post.
• Site Jabber's mission: to help people avoid fraudulent websites.
• The 10 riskiest places to give your Social Security number.
• Read Twitter as a daily newspaper.

Around the Water Cooler in the Book Blogosphere

• The Bumbles Blog: What does your desktop say about you?
• The Betty and Boo Chronicles: Happy Thanksforspending!
• Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?: Things I Don't Understand in Books #1.
• The Book Smugglers: Crossing a Line: Is Banning Books Ever OK?

New to My Google Reader

• nomadreader

Take a big sip of whatever you're drinking and give yourself a pat on the back. You've made it all the way to the end. I certainly hope you found a thing or two that tickled your fancy. Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll have a fresh batch of links for your surfing pleasure. See you then!

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley

Title: The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Author: Walter Mosley
ISBN: 9781594487729
Publisher: Riverhead, 2010
Hardcover, 288 pages
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program

First Line: "Hello?" the very, very old black man said into the receiver.

91-year-old Ptolemy Grey is a forgotten man. Forgotten by his family, his friends, even himself. Advancing with tottering steps into dementia, he lives in Los Angeles, in an apartment stuffed to the ceiling with mementos of his long life.

Things don't look good for Ptolemy. His physical frailty and his faulty memory make him extremely suspicious of everyone, but when he meets Robyn, his niece's 17-year-old lodger, the two of them seem to recognize in each other a kindred spirit.  With lots of persuasion and elbow grease, Robyn cleans Ptolemy's apartment and moves in to care for him. She pushes him outside to interact with others, and somehow this leads Ptolemy to a doctor with an experimental drug. If Ptolemy takes this drug, he won't live to see 92, but his mind will be clear and will function properly. Ptolemy has things he wants to do before he dies, and without hesitation, he signs up.

It took me a few pages to get into this book. Mosley does a masterful job of portraying an elderly person suffering from dementia. There were so many stops and starts and false trails in Ptolemy's speech that, after a few pages, I was worn out and had to focus on something else. But those pages passed quickly, and I found myself lost in a spellbinding tale.

The second I read this character's full name, I loved how evocative it is: Ptolemy Usher Grey. Cleopatra's father, Edgar Allen Poe's House of Usher, Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey.  Mosley treated his title character with such sensitivity, patience, and faith that it was difficult to believe Ptolemy wasn't a living, breathing human being.

It was interesting to witness life and history through Ptolemy's eyes-- a man who lived through lynchings, burnings and the Klan and a time where all his people knew they had to stand together in order to survive... to a man living in Los Angeles, the land of make believe. A land where his people are now fragmented and tearing each other apart.

The only thing that didn't quite ring true in the entire book was the experimental drug Ptolemy took in order to get his mind back. Fortunately the rest of this book is so strong and real that the drug was easy for me to shove to the back of my mind.

If you love memorable characters, please sit down with Ptolemy Grey. This frail old man will stay in your mind for a very long time to come.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

Rural Britain Then & Now by Roger Hunt

Title: Rural Britain Then & Now: A celebration of the British countryside featuring photographs from the Francis Frith Collection
Author: Roger Hunt
ISBN: 9781844034222
Publisher: Cassell, 2006
Paperback, 208 pages
Genre: Historical Photography
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Bookcloseouts.com

First Line: Britain was born out of the countryside; from hills and fields, streams and mountains, moors and downs, fens and forests: places where nature's architecture and man's industry have, over millennia, combined.

1859 marked the beginning of Francis Frith & Co.-- the world's first specialist photographic publisher. In 1860 Frith embarked on a monumental project: to photograph every town and village in the United Kingdom. Today anyone with an interest in British history and photography is in for a treat when they visit the Francis Frith website... where it's almost impossible not to make a purchase.

When I saw that this book was available, I had to snap up a copy because, to me, the best part of Britain is its countryside-- its fields and villages-- and page by page, photograph by photograph, I was led on a marvelous journey throughout rural England.

The before and after photos are wonderful, but there is a lot to be learned from the text as well. The origin of pubs, popular sports, how the farmers and villagers lived together, worked together, and played together.

This book is such a rich source of material that I know I'll be referring to it again and again. If you have the slightest interest in British history or historical photography, you'll get a lot of enjoyment from Rural Britain Then & Now, too.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

Remember

The Flanders Fields Red Poppy was first created as a symbol of Remembrance by an American teacher, Miss Moina Belle Michael.


Moina described the way that the idea for a memorial emblem of the red poppy came to her in a moment of revelation. Moina's fascinating autobiography, The Miracle Flower, The Story of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy was published in 1941. Moina dedicates the book to the late Colonel John McCrae, whose poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ was the inspiration for her idea of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy.


As a result of Moina Michael's tireless campaigning, her complete dedication to the cause and the inspiration her idea gave to others, the delicate flower of the red field poppy has become an internationally-recognized symbol of Remembrance and welfare for war veterans.

I found the above information at The Great War website. I was stunned to discover that the poppies were an American idea. Why? Two reasons, I suppose:

(1) I haven't seen poppies for sale in the United States since I was a child.

(2) The ones you see in the photo to the left? Denis and I bought them in England, where their Remembrance Day celebrations are something very special.

So often Veterans' benefits in this country-- to be blunt-- stink. Why can't we sell poppies again and make sure all the profits go to disabled veterans? Are we so materialistic and selfish that we can't afford the change from our pockets and purses? Have we as a nation really forgotten that freedom isn't free?

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Scene of the Blog Featuring Vicki of Reading at the Beach!

Looking through the blog rolls on others' blogs can be an excellent source of new reading material, and that's exactly how I found Vicki and her blog Reading at the Beach. I think anyone who loves books and loves the beach would be drawn by the name of her blog!

I could go on about the excellent content in Vicki's blog, but I'd rather talk about something else right now. There has been a death in her husband's family, so she probably won't be able to respond to comments. That's only to be expected. Family comes first. Please keep Vicki and her family in your thoughts and let her know in comments here or on her own blog. I know she will appreciate them.

Before Vicki shows us where all the Reading at the Beach magic happens, I wanted to remind you that you can click on each photo in this post to view it full size. Show us the magic, Vicki!

A huge "Thanks" to Cathy for asking me to participate in "Scene of the Blog". I'm honored!

This is where I spend my time reading blogs and getting reviews and stuff posted. I thought about getting a laptop, but I love my huge computer screen so decided not to. This is where I do most of my reading too! Thanks to CSN.com, I now have a comfy computer chair that has a 3-speed massage!

I sometimes like to read in bed or in my big comfy chair in the living room, but my doggie is jealous and wants all the attention, so it's hard to read unless I'm where she can't get to me. This is her bed beside my computer desk. She loves being in the same room with me.

The small bookshelf with the globe on top is where I keep my audio books. Looks like I might need to buy another on soon! I never read an audio book until a little over a year ago, but I absolutely love them. My favorite time to listen to them is on the treadmill. It makes time go by so quickly!

Here are a few of my bookshelves. Everyone who knows me well can't believe they aren't are the same color because I've always liked things to match. I guess I'm changing as I get older. My style the last year or so has turned eclectic. 

I don't know what was going on with the coloring of the photos. They were all taken in the same room but they sure don't look like it.

Thanks Cathy! This was fun!

I'm so glad this was fun for you because it's always fun for us!

Lighting can have me ripping my hair out from time to time-- especially inside the house. I've finally learned that the sun is so strong here in Phoenix that I'm better off waiting until dark, turning on some lights, and keeping my fingers crossed.

My husband shares your love of audio books. Reading is something he'd always done in the past, but he'd gotten away from it somehow. When we married and he saw from day to day how important reading is to me, he wanted to get back to it, but was having trouble finding success-- until he tried audio books. Now I think he's going through books faster than I am!

I think I may be a wee bit envious of your desk chair with 3-speed massage. I didn't even know there was such a beast! And those of us who have or have had pets know all about jealous, loving guardians of our time and space.

Thank you so much for taking the time to show us your creative spaces, Vicki. We certainly appreciate the glimpse into your home and your blogging life.

Who will be featured next on Scene of the Blog? There's only one way to know for certain-- See you next Wednesday!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Life Magazine, June 1917

Those who have defended our freedom deserve our respect.

Veterans Day. It's not just a day off work.

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Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Title: Bud, Not Buddy
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
ISBN: 043940200X
Publisher: Scholastic, 2002
Paperback, 245 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Here we go again.

It's 1936 in Flint, Michigan, and the Depression is in full swing. People don't have the most basic of necessities, so it's not all that surprising that children keep turning up on the doorsteps of orphanages. Ten-year-old Bud (don't make the mistake of calling him Buddy!) has been in the orphanage for a while, so he's a pro. He's also tired of going to new foster homes to be used as a servant and to be treated badly.

When he's beaten up by the spoiled son of the latest couple to take him in and then locked in a shed and attacked by a nest of angry hornets, he's had enough. He manages to get out of the shed and into the house where he finds his battered and beloved cardboard suitcase-- and then he's on the road to Grand Rapids. You see, from the important things his mother kept, he's figured out whom his father is, and that man is a musician who has his own club. All Bud has to do is make it to Grand Rapids.

Bud, Not Buddy is the first novel to receive both the Coretta Scott King Award and the Newbery Medal.  Although the grim conditions of the Depression and the harshness of Bud's circumstances as both an orphan and an African-American child are depicted honestly, Curtis surrounds the unpleasant facts in a spirit of hope and optimism. Bud can be in the midst of a very serious situation and still have the power to make a reader smile with his habit of referring to "human beans" or mopping a floor and pretending he's reenacting the action of "Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea." (I have to admit that, even though I have a great tolerance for gore and violence, it was nice to read something that contained neither. A discerning reader can easily recognize the ugly bits and shudder, but the focus never moves from that little boy.)

At the end of the book, Curtis admits that two of the characters were based on his own grandfathers-- and that most of what he learned about the Depression came from research and books. When he was young and the old folks started talking, he made a bee-line in the opposite direction because he didn't want to hear those "boring tall tales."

Bud, Not Buddy is a wonderful book, filled with love, laughter and truth-- and the most important truth of all may be the very last paragraph of Christopher Paul Curtis's book:

Be smarter than I was: Go talk to Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad and other relatives and friends. Discover and remember what they have to say about what they learned growing up. By keeping their stories alive you make them, and yourself, immortal.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

Is Your Brain Old or Young?

Your Brain is Young

No matter what your actual age is, you've done a good job keeping your brain young. You know that the key to a healthy brain is exercising it, and that's something you just do naturally. You're the type of person who is curious about everything, and your curiosity makes your brain healthy. Keep reading, learning, and engaging with the world. You've figured out the secrets to being mentally sharp.

Is Your Brain Old or Young?

Thank You, Uncle Gene

Yes, I've been at the family photos again (and of course you can click on them to view them full size). The young man in the middle of the back row happens to be my maternal great-grandfather. The rest of the group are his brothers and sisters. Good-looking bunch, aren't they? You'd never guess that, just a few years before this photo was taken, these children were orphaned. No one had much money at the time, so basically they were taken into the nearest town where relatives came and took the children they wanted.  Something mean-spirited happened to Aunt Sadie in the front row on the right, but that's another story. This story involves the little boy in the middle of the front row. See him? Meet Eugene Brown, known by all his family and friends as Gene.

I was digging through a box of family photos and papers when I ran across this photo on the right.

This is Gene all grown up and part of the US Army in France during World War I.  I didn't even recognize him until I turned the photo over and saw "Eugene Brown" in my grandmother's handwriting. Then I could see that little boy in the group photo.

Uncle Gene was sent to Camp Zachary Taylor right outside of Louisville, Kentucky, so he didn't have far to travel from southern Illinois for basic training.

Camp Zachary Taylor was the largest training camp in the United States at that time, and they tried to make sure the men had everything they needed to stay in contact with their families.

Almost the very next thing I found in the box was this postcard you see to the right. Picturing your loved ones relaxing in such a homelike atmosphere would be a lot easier on the nerves than thinking of them in the trenches, attaching bayonets to their guns and getting ready to go over the top. Postcards like these were undoubtedly a bit of propaganda for both the men and their families.

One thing I wish Camp Zachary Taylor had provided all their men was ink pens because, after almost one hundred years, this pencil has almost faded to complete illegibility!

This letter was written in France a little more than a month after the end of the war. Let's see how much of it I can read...

Dear Bro. & Sis.


As I am not busy this evening I will scribble a few lines to you. I am OK. and hope all of you the same. I have seen quite a bit of France and more of England than I want to any more. You know I always wanted to cross the pond, well I still want to cross it & then I think I will shut my eyes when I even cross the Okaw River [now called the Kaskaskia River] ha ha. For I have seen enough water & foreign country.


We sailed from Montreal Canada the 2nd of Sept. & got 900 miles on our way & then went back to Quebec & got on another boat & landed in England the 25th of Sept. so you see we wasn't in any hurry crossing. & talk about riding the waves we did. We were in England till the 1st of Oct & then we landed in Cherbourg, France & then we had a train ride, (rode in box cars) south, down close to Spain. We were treated fine by the French. Slow days & then our Div.  were [illegible] & sent to LeMans, France. From there I started for the Front, but the Armistice was signed before we got there so we went to the 29th div & we are still in the north eastern part of France & don't know when we will leave for the states but hope it will be soon. 


In this country it rains nearly every day, so we have mud instead of dust or at least it is that way since I have been here. I was in one place 13 days & it rained every day we were there. We just left a place where it was muddy, about knee deep. There isn't very many American farmers that would keep hogs in a place like it, but now it is O.K. for we are in a town.


We had a good Xmas dinner but the day didn't seem like Xmas. We didn't have any snow that day but it snowed a little the next day. We haven't had any winter yet but it gets chilly here & [illegible] but it will get cold if we don't leave here soon.  I hope you are having some real winter snow, but don't have to be out in it all the time.


Well I am going to close. From your bro.

To the left you can see the envelope the letter came in-- as well as the stamp and signature of the censor who read it before it was put in the mail bag.

Even though Uncle Gene didn't really talk about much-- travel, weather and food-- it was obvious he was homesick. An Illinois farm boy so very far away from home.



Finding these papers from Uncle Gene was a very potent reminder.

Thank you, Veterans, for your service and your sacrifice. If not for you, I wouldn't be enjoying the life I am now.

I remember. I am thankful.

Mailbox Monday-- The Mail Carrier Must Hate PBS

My favorite weekly meme is on tour. For the entire month of November you'll be able to find Mailbox Monday on Knitting and Sundries. If taking a look at the books other people discovered in their mailboxes intrigues you, and if you'd like to participate, this just might be the meme for you. Thanks for hosting, Julie!

As is often the case, I'll think a slow book week is coming... and then a bunch of books come through on my PBS wish list. I'm not complaining because I love receiving books. I'd just love to report once-- just once-- that I received zero books one week. I think it would be fun to listen to all the stunned silence!

I sent 3 books to new Paperback Swap (PBS) foster homes and received 8-- all from that same source. Here's the scoop on the books I received:

1. Takeover by Lisa Black (PBS). "When high-level executive Mark Ludlow is discovered beaten to death in front of his house in Cleveland early one morning, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean and her fiancé, homicide detective Paul Cleary, investigate. Paul immediately heads downtown to interview Ludlow's co-workers at the Federal Reserve Bank and walks right into a botched robbery attempt and hostage situation. Lucas Parrish and Bobby Moyers want $4 million, but top hostage negotiator Chris Cavanaugh isn't ready to give in to their demands. When Paul is shot in the leg and becomes a hostage, Theresa breaks protocol and convinces Lucas to let Paul go and take her instead. It's up to Theresa on the inside and Chris on the outside to uncover the motive behind the robbery and Ludlow's murder before anyone else gets hurt."
2. Good Time Girls of the Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush by Lael Morgan (PBS). "Klondike Kate Rockwell, a good-time girl with a heart of gold, came to the Yukon in 1900 to find wealth and fame in the same mad scramble for gold that had lured many an adventurous young man. Her story of money made and lost, of multiple marriages and scandal, is one of the many similar tales chronicled in this well-researched and deftly written work by journalist Morgan. Women who followed the gold fever trail from Dawson to Nome to Fairbanks may have shared their male counterparts' ambition and courage, but their means of achieving success were severely limited. Legally unable to stake a claim or own a saloon, most chose to make their fortunes by "mining the miners." Some became showgirls and prostitutes, others became rich through marriage or multiple liaisons, while still others led lives of desperation culminating in murder or suicide. Although there is a sadly repetitive quality to the accounts, this work's unique perspective and splendid period photos make it a recommended purchase for academic and public libraries." (Or folks like me!)
3. A Small Death in the Great Glen by A.D. Scott (PBS). "The time, 1956, is fairly calm but close enough to WWII to have residents still recovering from its devastating effects. The main characters cluster in the tiny newspaper offices of the Highland Gazette, a local weekly that is supposed to concentrate on livestock prices, auctions, and obits. Scott brings back the sounds of a precomputerized newsroom, the smells of ink and acid, and the feel of banging out stories on an old Underwood. When a little boy is found murdered in the canal just outside the village, the newspaper’s new editor in chief recruits the part-time typist, whose daughters know the murdered child, to help him investigate the case. They uncover a host of secrets and a number of people with a vested interest in keeping the mystery of the boy’s death unsolved."
4. Wake by Lisa McMann (PBS). "In Lisa McMann's first title in a projected series, we are introduced to 17-year-old Janie who has a rare ability to see other people's dreams whether she wants to or not. The episodes are growing more frequent, and the dreams she falls into vary from boring to sexy to disturbing. When she is drawn into a classmate's nightmare, Janie is forced to address her ability and how it may affect her future."
5. Harmony in Flesh and Black by Nicholas Kilmer (PBS). "First-timer Kilmer has concocted a certified winner featuring secretive Beacon Hill art collector Clayton Reed and his man-of-the-world assistant, Fred Taylor. Since they suspect that an uninteresting New England landscape destined for auction may have been painted over a "lost" Vermeer, they scheme to win the work without competition. Meanwhile, when Fred picks up another painting purchased by Reed, the two become unwittingly involved in the murder of a seedy photographer. Dry wit, unruffled prose, and uncomplicated plot recommend this title."
6. Deadly Sin by James Hawkins (PBS). "Emotions run high when Queen Elizabeth II attempts to heal the schism between Christians and Muslims by attending a London mosque for Friday prayers. David Bliss, newly returned to duty while he tries to find a publisher for his novel, has the task of protecting the royal couple, but is caught off guard when an attack comes from an unexpected quarter. Meanwhile, Bliss's aging friend Daphne Lovelace needs help. Her elderly neighbours have died and apparently left their house to the family from hell. While Bliss desperately tries to protect the queen, Daphne puts on her oldest coat and takes up residence in a seniors' home as she tries to discover what really happened to her neighbours. Age apparently catches up with her, and in no time she appears as senile as the other inhabitants, but Trina Button in far-off Canada smells a rat and forces Bliss to take action."
7. Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett (PBS). "Mystery bookstore owner Tricia Miles has been spending more time solving whodunits than reading them. Now a nearby gas explosion has injured Tricia's sister's boyfriend, Bob Kelly, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, and killed the owner of the town's history bookstore. Tricia's never been a fan of Bob, but when she reads that he's being tight-lipped about the 'accident', it's time to take action."
8. Deadly Will by Marion Moore Hill (PBS). "History meets mystery in this clever novel in which the American Revolution, murder, and antiques all play a part. In 1789, Nathan Henry, neighbor of Benjamin Franklin, drafts a will modeled on Franklin's, leaving his fortune and possessions to all of his future descendants alive in two hundred years. In 2001, single mother Millie Kirchner, poor and virtually alone, is summoned to Philadelphia to learn about her inheritance in an elaborately staged weekend the trustees have designed in accordance with Mr. Henry's wishes. At first, Millie is thrilled to tour Philadelphia, but before long her thrills turn to chills as one by one the other heirs are killed. Unable to trust anyone, she must find the killer or risk becoming his next victim."

Good Time Girls is a gorgeous book, and I love reading about the Gold Rush. I've been in the Great Glen more than once and always love a good book about the Highlands. Lorna Barrett's Booktown mysteries are always good. What's a bookaholic to do?

Now comes the fun part-- going to see what glorious books everyone else received!

Weekly Link Round-Up

I've been bad this week, paying more attention to other things than getting my links posted to you on time. But here they are-- I hope you enjoy them!

Bookish News & Other Fun Stuff

• For some reason, if someone posts a list I have to look at it. I don't know why. Here's one from Forbes: The 13 Top-Earning Dead Celebs.
• Want to understand the Internet? Take a look at this flowchart. (It might help if you're a Charles Dickens fan.)
• This old dog just can't warm up to these weird bookcases. (Maybe because I'm looking at too many lists.)
• Holy treasure hunt, Batman! An apartment in Paris had not been touched in 70 years. Among other things, it contained a painting worth over €2 million.
• I love this photo of a Parisian bookseller in 1920.
• Photos of 21 of the Coolest Book Covers This Year.
• For the most part, I agree with these 7 Movies That Are Better Than the Book.
• Uh oh. Here's a video for you: John Cleese, Bookseller.
• The Salt Lake Tribune has a very nice interview with one of my favorite authors, Craig Johnson. The New York Times interviewed another: Colin Cotterill.
• Where Cliches Come From.
• Love, love, loved this blog post from Scott Westerfeld: Genre Cooties, especially the paragraph that begins "THIS is why I don't write for adults...."
• Seems as though a magazine editor who stole a blog post and plagiarized it believes "everything on the web is considered public domain." What's really sad is that I know thousands of people agree with her.
• Top 10 Amazon Kindle irritations.
• Harry Potter being blamed for India's decreasing owl population.
• Flavorwire's Top 10 Sidekicks in literature.

Blogging & Social Media Tips

• You may not want to see this: Online services security report card.
• For those of you who use Twitter: Writing killer content in 140 characters or less.

Around the Water Cooler in the Book Blogosphere

• I enjoyed this article about Voice on the Roux Morgue blog.
• A subject on BlogAnon from The Bumbles: how trying to leave comments on blogs can have you talking to yourself.
• Did you happen to see my first-ever guest post on Leeswammes' Blog's Book Bloggers Abroad?

New to My Google Reader

• Book'd Out
• Sarah Reads Too Much
• Book Lovers Inc.
• Chapter 16

That's all for this week. I hope you found something to tickle your fancy. Hopefully I'll be in a more timely mood next weekend when I'll have a fresh batch of links for your surfing pleasure!

I'm Featured on Book Bloggers Abroad!

Judith has an excellent weekly feature on her blog, Leeswammes' Blog, called Book Bloggers Abroad where she shines the spotlight on book bloggers from around the globe. Imagine my surprise when she asked me to participate!

Head on over to take a look at my words and photos, and don't forget to read what other participants have had to say about their own countries.

Combine Book Bloggers Abroad with the other fine content on Leeswammes' Blog, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if you become a subscriber. That is, if you aren't already!

Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill

Title: Curse of the Pogo Stick
Author: Colin Cotterill
ISBN: 9781569474853
Publisher: Soho Crime, 2008
Hardcover, 256 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery, #5 Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery
Rating: B-
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

First Line: As there were no longer any records, the Hmong could not even tell when they actually misplaced their history.

Dr. Siri and his boss have traveled to the north in Laos to attend a Communist Party meeting. Dr. Siri would rather undergo a series of root canals without anesthesia.

Back in Vientiane, a booby-trapped corpse intended for the 73-year-old coroner has been delivered to the morgue. Only Nurse Dtui's quick thinking saves everyone in the morgue from being blown to bits.

On their way back from the meeting, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers so that he can exorcise a demon from the headman's daughter. While Judge Haeng gives jungle survival a try, Dr. Siri has to arrive at the solution to the curse of the pogo stick.

I think this may be the first Dr. Siri mystery that I haven't rated an A-- and I'm feeling extremely disloyal. The wit and the humor are still here in abundance, but having Dr. Siri separated from his friends and co-workers for almost the entire book just doesn't work. Especially when a dinner has to be held at the end for readers to discover what was going on with the booby-trapped corpse and other incidents that occurred in Vientiane. One of the greatest strengths of this series is the interplay between all the characters. Without that the book feels out of kilter.

All series have a book that's not quite as strong as the rest, and in all honesty, if this had been the first Dr. Siri mystery I'd read, I would've loved it and rated it higher. It is still a wonderful read (I learned quite a bit about the Hmong culture), and I urge everyone to give this series a try. Cotterill has written a marvelous series that's one of my all-time favorites. 

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

The Mercy Seat by Martyn Waites

Title: The Mercy Seat
Author: Martyn Waites
ISBN: 9781933648002
Publisher: Pegasus Books, 2006
Hardcover, 421 pages
Genre: Thriller, #1 Joe Donovan series
Rating: B-
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Tosher opened his eyes.

Two years ago, Joe Donovan was a respected investigative journalist in Newcastle and destined for great things. Now he's on the fast track to total obscurity, completely demoralized by the still-unsolved kidnapping of his young son. The case of a missing research scientist has people tracking Donovan down in his remote Northumberland lair, promising him access to any and all information in his son's case if he'll focus his talents on finding the scientist. Donovan takes the bait, little knowing that he'll soon meet a young rent boy who stole the wrong disc player, a couple of private investigators trying to keep their business afloat, a loathsome pedophile, and a vicious psychopath known as Hammer.

Waites has a talent for characterization, but nothing really started clicking for me until I'd read three-quarters of the book. The weight of the plot and sub-plots almost sank the ship.

Newcastle tends to get short shrift in crime fiction, so I did appreciate the book being set in that northern city. Violence, torture, pedophilia all play a part in the action, but none are so graphic that they tripped my gruesome meter. After reading The Mercy Seat, I would have to say that I'd like to see if the next book in the series streamlined the plot in order for those very interesting characters to be able to strut their stuff.

Buy from Amazon.

Buy from The Book Depository.

Buy from an Indie Bookseller.

On a personal note, I realized something about myself while reading this book. I've reached a stage in my life where I simply cannot stomach characters who derive great pleasure from torturing others. (The character of Hammer led me to this revelation.) The torture doesn't make me squeamish; it makes me furious. As I was trying to give voice to this opinion of mine, the first thing that popped into my head was, "If I could, I'd wish all these characters into the cornfield!"

I then wondered where that bit about the cornfield came from. After a little digging, I found that it's from an episode of the classic television series, The Twilight Zone, called "It's a Good Life." Perhaps you'll remember it, too.

Don't worry. I won't be wishing any of you into the cornfield. Just characters like Hammer!