tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19996591256253234942024-03-18T17:23:45.367-07:00Kittling: BooksBirds fly. Dogs bark. Fire burns. I read. (Mostly mysteries.)Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774383554326288663noreply@blogger.comBlogger595913tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999659125625323494.post-88886806996720498932024-03-17T23:30:00.001-07:002024-03-17T23:30:00.132-07:00On My Radar: Michael Connelly's The Waiting!<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0U0x-bw24_udR0z6ufulukAUXHaXWYTFeJGVnrZaqB0vr48sZJK3nNu6rR2uTotq4n46Hjbzzv-j92e2eHy8v8rOoWHL4lV1n3jNGbEYP7a8l1P_qVMzBaB_Naqd9OWTaPS2IPTtgequOkThk5qA8qwvoQ9MV5yrtTcWAqvovoIutRl08Dn38LJmuNqo/s570/radar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0U0x-bw24_udR0z6ufulukAUXHaXWYTFeJGVnrZaqB0vr48sZJK3nNu6rR2uTotq4n46Hjbzzv-j92e2eHy8v8rOoWHL4lV1n3jNGbEYP7a8l1P_qVMzBaB_Naqd9OWTaPS2IPTtgequOkThk5qA8qwvoQ9MV5yrtTcWAqvovoIutRl08Dn38LJmuNqo/s16000/radar.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.michaelconnelly.com/" target="_blank">Michael Connelly</a> is one of my all-time favorite writers who's created one of my all-time favorite characters (Harry Bosch). I well remember wandering the aisles of a bookstore here in Phoenix and idly picking up and then buying a copy of his first novel, <i>The Black Echo</i>. I hadn't even finished reading it when I went back to the bookstore and bought the next two in the series. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With that kind of track record, you know I had to go out and pop a couple of wheelies on the driveway when I found out that there was a new Ballard & Bosch novel on the horizon. Let me tell you more about it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgf65K0sErzqFBx-KOOeeLjPD28hwWT7euPkvCq-kd528D6RjfOlsysuFAS1_mssNk7O7CD9Nxc6a0ScrYXXPOjB9bkl_G-9YUYpgFASzNBZFDgaV4yeHVMNnUaLJpMzErZU36Cg3Y5GNM-ZiJ72TZkpsxlHqG9sjaOxd4-ixxPcBIH8VGb_FlFAGuPM/s450/Waiting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgf65K0sErzqFBx-KOOeeLjPD28hwWT7euPkvCq-kd528D6RjfOlsysuFAS1_mssNk7O7CD9Nxc6a0ScrYXXPOjB9bkl_G-9YUYpgFASzNBZFDgaV4yeHVMNnUaLJpMzErZU36Cg3Y5GNM-ZiJ72TZkpsxlHqG9sjaOxd4-ixxPcBIH8VGb_FlFAGuPM/s16000/Waiting.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;">Available November 5, 2024!</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis: </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"<i><span>Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA
connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and
murderer who went quiet twenty years ago. The arrested man is only
twenty-three, so the genetic link must be familial. It is his father who
was the Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror
in the city of angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their
suspect, they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles.<br /> <br />
Meanwhile, Ballard’s badge, gun, and ID are stolen—a theft she can’t
report without giving her enemies in the department the ammunition they
need to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, but
her solo mission leads her into greater danger than she anticipates.
She has no choice but to go outside the department for help, and that
leads her to the door of Harry Bosch.<br /> <br /> Finally, Ballard takes
on a new volunteer to the cold case unit. Bosch’s daughter Maddie wants
to supplement her work as a patrol officer on the night beat by
investigating cases with Ballard. But Renée soon learns that Maddie has
an ulterior motive for getting access to the city’s library of lost
souls.</span></i>"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Wow! Harry, Renée, AND Harry's daughter, Maddie? I can't wait!<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Cathy G. Cole of <a href="http://www.kittlingbooks.com">Kittling: Books</a> All rights reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than <a href="http://www.kittlingbooks.com">Kittling: Books</a> or <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/KittlingBooks">Cathy's feed</a>, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774383554326288663noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999659125625323494.post-56259149625216758482024-03-14T23:30:00.001-07:002024-03-14T23:30:00.136-07:00The Best Laid Plans Weekly Link Round-Up<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcw7ba7y-kbHH_hUhXWygR2RP5RyFGFTLrMMxIilRGlX25ixQRHOliby_EMpIKnoRpn9-GEHtMC4YFFjGqiW0YJ89zSfl4snXnAgPh1ORt0l3Rdq5baUfqurnnvvWyPY0IiHuGg4dSPGoK1uFjBeeqGogpN3DAh6EOTWOR2U5cTWymID3OsCe_Tr7Ys0/s478/WLR%202018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcw7ba7y-kbHH_hUhXWygR2RP5RyFGFTLrMMxIilRGlX25ixQRHOliby_EMpIKnoRpn9-GEHtMC4YFFjGqiW0YJ89zSfl4snXnAgPh1ORt0l3Rdq5baUfqurnnvvWyPY0IiHuGg4dSPGoK1uFjBeeqGogpN3DAh6EOTWOR2U5cTWymID3OsCe_Tr7Ys0/s16000/WLR%202018.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How do you manage to move a bunch of bulky, awkward, heavy objects and not have your husband (the middle part of whose spine is pinned and screwed together and encased in a metal cage) not try to take over?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Wait until he's gone to a doctor's appointment. Hehehe...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In this case, my best laid plans did not blow up in my face. While he was gone-- and while seated on my scooter-- I picked up and/or moved a trundle bed frame, a large chair, three bookcases, and four twin mattresses. And that's only a partial list, folks. When Denis came home, he walked right past two of the mattresses, and didn't see a blessed thing I'd done. Men...</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvJa3Yf48SXglXChZHb8tEte7yMRvmOw2GXeZrm08nfYkQt-jQlqSlw1IL7l-dE1-VpyoTY7KeZTEci9G2ep8U9jZUnC8pZFTonwtUfNegDYOhxn4ZiHmouupBO_gDgVtcWnTNGMQg2Io222D2OPEZbqKC24mka6H8BLj44iiKBdX9q2AxeELsg-e3NA/s300/Busy-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvJa3Yf48SXglXChZHb8tEte7yMRvmOw2GXeZrm08nfYkQt-jQlqSlw1IL7l-dE1-VpyoTY7KeZTEci9G2ep8U9jZUnC8pZFTonwtUfNegDYOhxn4ZiHmouupBO_gDgVtcWnTNGMQg2Io222D2OPEZbqKC24mka6H8BLj44iiKBdX9q2AxeELsg-e3NA/s1600/Busy-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I've also done more needed chores in preparation for our visitors at the end of the month, so it's no wonder that my hands, arms, and upper back think I've gone nuts. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I said something last week about the marvelous stretch of "Best Reads" that I've had lately, and I'm stunned to report that I've since had another one to add to the list. Moreover, I've fallen under the spell of Stig Abell's <i>Death Under a Little Sky</i>, and it may very well join the rest. How lucky can a person get?!? (I just hope that this doesn't mean I'm due for a run of stinkers...)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Virtual hugs to you all! I'm going to go rest my weary muscles and get back to Abell's book. Enjoy the links!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b><a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/18/libraries-ebooks-hoopla-libby-book-ban-censorship" target="_blank">Libraries</a></b> are on the front lines of America's problems.</li><li>The <b><a href="https://mashable.com/article/kaia-gerber-dua-lipa-digital-celebrity-book-club" target="_blank">celebrity book club</a></b> lives on.</li><li>One writer's winter with <b><a href="https://themillions.com/2018/05/102835.html" target="_blank">Edith Wharton</a></b>.</li><li>What is the dominant emotion in <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-is-the-dominant-emotion-in-400-years-of-womens-diaries-180983834/" target="_blank">400 years of women's diaries</a></b>?</li><li>The real history behind <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-behind-fxs-shogun-180983848/" target="_blank">FX's <i>Shogun</i></a></b>.</li><li>Phillipa Gregory on how the <b><a href="https://lithub.com/phillipa-gregory-on-how-the-norman-invasion-brought-patriarchy-to-england/" target="_blank">Norman Invasion brought patriarchy</a></b> to England.</li><li>A <b><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/cat-photos-replace-library-fines" target="_blank">Massachusetts library system</a></b> will let you pay fines with cat pictures.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/amazon-profits-antitrust-ftc/677580/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></b>'s big secret.</li><li>Why <b><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/daylight-saving-time-2024-brain-health" target="_blank">daylight saving time</a></b> messes with your brain. <br /></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>►Book Banning & Censorship◄</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Redford (Michigan) Union Schools remove a controversial book due to <b><a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2024/02/24/redford-union-schools-remove-controversial-book-amidst-concerns-over-original-publishing-title/" target="_blank">concern over its original title</a></b>. (Think Agatha Christie, and you should be able to guess which book, and... for crying out loud!!!)</li><li>The New York Public Library continues its nationwide <b><a href="https://thecitylife.org/2024/02/22/the-new-york-public-library-continues-its-nationwide-books-for-all-teen-banned-book-club-with-the-downstairs-girl/" target="_blank">"Books for All: Teen Banned Book Club"</a></b> with <i>The Downstairs Girl</i>.</li><li>Shouts erupt in New Hampshire over a <b><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/16/metro/book-banning-process-new-hampshire-house-shouts/" target="_blank">proposal critics said would create a "state-run book banning process</a></b>."</li><li>Tensions still run high one year after <b><a href="https://thesandb.com/46207/article/tensions-still-run-high-one-year-after-the-glass-castle-challenge-in-grinnell-iowa-book-ban-senate-file-496/" target="_blank"><i>The Glass Castle</i> challenge</a></b> in Grinnell, Iowa.</li><li>A Denton, Texas <b><a href="https://dallasexpress.com/education/parent-challenges-library-books-in-local-isd/" target="_blank">grandparent challenges library books</a></b> in a local independent school district.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colorado-town-bans-library-book-bans_n_632533abe4b082746bea5e81" target="_blank">Wellington, Colorado</a></b> has a plan to tackle censorship: banning book bans.</li><li>The Virginia Beach (Virginia) School Board passes an <b><a href="https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-community/virginia-beach/virginia-beach-school-board-passes-amendment-to-ban-sexually-explicit-content-in-elementary-school-libraries" target="_blank">amendment to ban "sexually explicit content"</a></b> in elementary school libraries.</li><li>Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) schools <b><a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article285938401.html" target="_blank">changes eBook app</a></b> over "Parents' Bill of Rights" concerns.</li><li>An <b><a href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/politics/oregon-bill-challenges-book-bans-school-passes-senate/283-776f688e-4af1-4cf4-8790-a4ea4899563e" target="_blank">Oregon bill that challenges book bans</a></b> in schools has passed its Senate.</li><li>Beaufort, South Carolina, schools <b><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beaufort-south-carolina-schools-return-most-books-to-shelves-after-attempt-to-ban-97-60-minutes-transcript/" target="_blank">return most books to shelves</a></b> after an attempt to ban 97 of them.</li><li>In Georgia, a <b><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/01/1234226098/in-georgia-a-bill-to-cut-all-ties-with-the-american-library-association-is-advan" target="_blank">bill to cut all ties with with the American Library Association</a></b> is advancing.</li><li>The <a href="https://literaryactivism.substack.com/p/llano-county-public-librarian-fired" target="_blank"><b>Llano County (Texas) public librarian</b></a> fired for not banning books is suing the county and library commissioners.</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8C1RYEjiDFiKzBELs_xsy79ErLOJd6jdaJG_ia92p1WurmHPJi2DW3qNHBdyKrTkiBTJFg-cG92CvCOn32ckNos2FI8qWMwKb_gH1wfz1dAT_UkB0a31YxtptcKJYo1NES3Zq-kseMh-QEvTaGhzS7qWGokcNK06GHcKNMw2Qob2JijSqWQ7uwqo49I/s1024/bannedbooksstandard_1024x1024.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8C1RYEjiDFiKzBELs_xsy79ErLOJd6jdaJG_ia92p1WurmHPJi2DW3qNHBdyKrTkiBTJFg-cG92CvCOn32ckNos2FI8qWMwKb_gH1wfz1dAT_UkB0a31YxtptcKJYo1NES3Zq-kseMh-QEvTaGhzS7qWGokcNK06GHcKNMw2Qob2JijSqWQ7uwqo49I/w400-h400/bannedbooksstandard_1024x1024.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>This <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-medieval-sword-spent-1000-years-at-the-bottom-of-a-polish-river-180983684/" target="_blank">medieval sword</a></b> spent 1,000 years at the bottom of a Polish river.</li><li><b><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/dozens-ruins-4-000-years-182522906.html" target="_blank">Dozens of ruins-- up to 4,000 years old</a></b>-- have been unearthed in the mountains of Oman.</li><li><b><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/vittrup-man-denmark-oldest-known-133917378.html" target="_blank">Vittrup Man</a></b> violently died in bog 5,200 years ago. Now researchers know his story.</li><li>A <b><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/3-500-old-shipwreck-one-212923475.html" target="_blank">3,500-year-old shipwreck</a></b>-- one of the world's oldest-- sank carrying items in hot demand.</li><li>Archaeologists were amazed to find that a <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1700-year-old-roman-egg-found-in-the-uk-is-still-intact-180983784/" target="_blank">1,700-year-old chicken egg</a></b> still has liquid inside.</li><li>A stunning <b><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stunning-rock-art-site-reveals-that-humans-settled-the-colombian-amazon-13000-years-ago" target="_blank">rock art site</a></b> reveals that humans settled the Colombian Amazon 13,000 years ago.</li><li>Archaeologists say that this <b><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/snake-artifact-used-shamanic-rituals-172726845.html" target="_blank">snake artifact</a></b> was used in shamanic rituals 4,000 years ago.</li><li>Archaeologists have discovered a <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-discovered-a-lauded-1800s-chocolate-factory-in-barcelona-180983807/" target="_blank">19th-century chocolate factory</a></b> in Barcelona.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>The first-ever <b><a href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/rhinoceros/1st-ever-white-rhino-ivf-sparks-hope-that-doomed-species-could-still-be-saved-despite-there-being-no-males-left" target="_blank">white rhino IVF</a></b> sparks hope that the "doomed species" could still be saved, despite there being no males left.</li><li>Civilization without horses: the <b><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/civilization-without-horses-the-epizootic-of-1872/" target="_blank">Epizootic of 1872</a></b>. (Growing up in central Illinois, whenever someone got sick, it was common to hear someone ask, "Got the epizootic?" I didn't know it was a real thing!)</li><li><b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hungry-sea-otters-help-prevent-erosion-on-californias-coast-180983717/" target="_blank">Hungry sea otters</a></b> help prevent erosion on California's coast.</li><li>Fifty years after <i>Jaws</i>, we've learned a lot about <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fifty-years-after-jaws-weve-learned-a-lot-about-great-whites-180983723/" target="_blank">great white sharks</a></b>.</li><li>A twelve-year-old vanished in frigid weather. Then <b><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/12-old-vanished-frigid-weather-183753531.html" target="_blank">Massachusetts police K-9 Biza</a></b> picked up the child's scent.</li><li><b><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/bald-eagle-dad-sees-third-231945463.html" target="_blank">Bald eagle dad Shadow</a></b> has been anxiously waiting for his turn to tend to eggs in a snow-covered nest in California.</li><li>A <b><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/nocturnal-creature-bushy-tail-caught-223027652.html" target="_blank">nocturnal creature with a bushy tail</a></b> was caught in a trap in Madagascar. It's a new species.</li><li>Could <b><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/could-fish-sex-be-keeping-florida-residents-up-at-night" target="_blank">fish sex</a></b> be keeping Floridians up at night?</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>►The Wanderer◄</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Near the <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/near-the-site-of-the-gettysburg-address-these-black-civil-war-veterans-remain-segregated-even-in-death-180983790/" target="_blank">site of the Gettysburg Address</a></b>, these Black Civil War veterans remain segregated, even in death.</li><li>Ninety years of the <b><a href="https://crimereads.com/90-years-of-orient-express/" target="_blank">Orient Express</a></b>.</li><li>Drones fired <b><a href="https://www.upworthy.com/drones-fired-seed-missiles-into-the-dirt-a-year-later-the-trees-are-already-20-inches-tall-rp2" target="_blank">"seed missiles"</a></b> into the dirt. A year later, the trees are already twenty inches tall.</li><li>An Italian photographer <b><a href="https://mymodernmet.com/moon-basilica-mountain-alignment-valerio-minato/" target="_blank">waited six years to get a perfectly aligned photo</a></b> of the moon, a mountain, and a basilica.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2024/02/29/fixer-upper-larry-mcmurtrys-library/" target="_blank">Larry McMurtry's library</a></b>.</li><li><b><a href="https://themillions.com/2024/02/how-english-language-took-over-the-world.html" target="_blank">How English took over the world</a></b>.</li><li>The <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-largest-wildfire-in-texas-history-is-raging-heres-what-you-need-to-know-180983879/" target="_blank">largest wildfire in Texas history</a></b> is raging. Here's what you need to know.</li><li>How a microbe from <b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-a-microbe-from-yellowstones-hot-springs-could-help-feed-the-world-180983872/" target="_blank">Yellowstone's hot springs</a></b> could help feed the world.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>►Fascinating Folk◄</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Why some <b><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/why-some-spartan-women-had-two-husbands/" target="_blank">Spartan women</a></b> had two husbands.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-founder-of-this-trailblazing-opera-company-put-black-singers-at-center-stage-180983828/" target="_blank">Mary Cardwell Dawson</a></b>, founder of a trailblazing opera company, put Black singers at center stage.</li><li><b><a href="https://crimereads.com/juanita-sheridan-lily-wu/" target="_blank">Juanita Sheridan</a></b> and the Lily Wu Quartet: a rediscovered gem from the Golden Age of detective fiction.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/24/mrs-sherlock-holmes-and-the-other-real-female-sleuths-who-were-written-out-of-history" target="_blank">"Mrs. Sherlock Holmes" and the other real female sleuths</a></b> who were written out of history.</li><li>The long-lost story of <b><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/joseph-laroche-only-black-man-on-titanic" target="_blank">Joseph Laroche</a></b>, the only Black man on the <i>Titanic</i>.</li><li>The "sad, happy life" of <b><a href="https://lithub.com/literatures-lonely-hunter-on-the-sad-happy-life-of-carson-mccullers/" target="_blank">Carson McCullers</a></b>.</li><li>How <b><a href="https://lithub.com/how-richard-wrights-native-son-eventually-made-it-to-the-big-screen/" target="_blank">Richard Wright</a></b>'s <i>Native Son</i> eventually made it to the big screen.</li><li><b><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/mark-twains-obsession-with-joan-of-arc/" target="_blank">Mark Twain</a></b>'s obsession with Joan of Arc.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>►I ♥ Lists◄</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>35 <b><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/620638/lesser-known-inventions-famous-inventors" target="_blank">lesser-known inventions</a></b> of famous inventors.</li><li>Eight <b><a href="https://bookriot.com/historical-mysteries-set-outside-the-united-states/" target="_blank">historical mysteries</a></b> set outside the U.S.</li><li>Mysteries where the <b><a href="https://crimereads.com/framed-mysteries-where-the-sleuth-is-wrongly-accused/" target="_blank">sleuth is wrongly accused</a></b>.</li><li>The <b><a href="https://lithub.com/the-literary-film-tv-you-need-to-stream-in-march/" target="_blank">literary film and TV</a></b> you need to stream in March.</li><li><b><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/blog/older-sleuths-get-the-job-done-in-these-mysteries-and-thrillers" target="_blank">Older sleuths</a></b> get the job done in these new mysteries and thrillers.</li><li>Eleven riveting <b><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/blog/riveting-nonfiction-books-similar-to-the-wager" target="_blank">non-fiction books similar to <i>The Wager</i></a></b>.</li><li>Fifteen absorbing <b><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/blog/gilded-age-fiction-books" target="_blank">historical novels set during the Gilded Age</a></b>.</li><li>The best <b><a href="https://murder-mayhem.com/best-mystery-and-thriller-movies-of-the-1970s" target="_blank">mystery and thriller movies of the 1970s</a></b>.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's
all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll be
sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Cathy G. Cole of <a href="http://www.kittlingbooks.com">Kittling: Books</a> All rights reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than <a href="http://www.kittlingbooks.com">Kittling: Books</a> or <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/KittlingBooks">Cathy's feed</a>, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774383554326288663noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1999659125625323494.post-89302188165730652742024-03-13T23:30:00.001-07:002024-03-13T23:30:00.161-07:00The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuOWhkwW5hdBKnZ_cBCzvF1jLNqqm_yZCADlxXSDTXATSR4WpT0utYGVwuaryKMTnkidLCaZPMT8Y436Dz7fjRkT5-RsCh04NRkX5h0gr817Daq0dV08DTkcJgiUkz6A8KKFGJLQXSdMH232CHnbpBHPWrmbq47_W4LjT9aIQww69FV24GJR3KNGZZFE/s380/Frozen%20River.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuOWhkwW5hdBKnZ_cBCzvF1jLNqqm_yZCADlxXSDTXATSR4WpT0utYGVwuaryKMTnkidLCaZPMT8Y436Dz7fjRkT5-RsCh04NRkX5h0gr817Daq0dV08DTkcJgiUkz6A8KKFGJLQXSdMH232CHnbpBHPWrmbq47_W4LjT9aIQww69FV24GJR3KNGZZFE/s16000/Frozen%20River.jpg" /></a></div>First Line: <i>The body floats downstream</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Maine, 1789. Men trying unsuccessfully to get down the Kennebec River before it freezes find a dead man in the ice. Local midwife Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine the cause of death. Through her work, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in town, and her daily diary is a record of every birth, death, crime, and disaster in the area. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The dead man is one of two accused of rape-- both men being prominent and well-respected citizens. When a local physician declares the man's death to be an accident, contrary to Martha's findings, she is forced to investigate the murder on her own.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Over the course of the winter, the trial nears, and the whispers and gossip grow louder. As Martha searches for the truth, her diary is at the center of the scandal as it implicates those she loves and makes her question her own loyalties.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>~</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Ariel Lawhon's <b>The Frozen River</b> came to my attention shortly before its release, but it wasn't until I watched the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/I3dMtI0tX2s?si=OawAMYfhilm8FvGm" target="_blank">author's event at The Poisoned Pen</a> that I knew that I had to read it. I am so glad that I did.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Frozen River</b> is based on the life of <a href="https://www.workingnurse.com/articles/martha-ballard-1735-1812-colonial-midwife/" target="_blank">Martha Ballard</a>, a midwife in Maine who delivered over 1,000 babies without ever losing a mother. Ballard is the great-aunt of <a href="https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/clara-barton" target="_blank">Clara Barton</a> and the great-great-grandmother of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Hobart" target="_blank">Mary Hobart</a>, one of the first female physicians in the U.S. She is a woman who would've vanished from history if not for her diary. In Lawhon's story, Martha's voice is so real, so sure, so compelling, that I immediately fell under her spell.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Frozen River</b> is incredibly rich in historical detail: the sexist laws, the aftereffects of the French and Indian War, and the ebb and flow of life during a winter in colonial Maine. I felt as though I were right beside Martha each and every day. Occasional chapters fill in her backstory. A silver fox Martha named Tempest makes several appearances, and the relationship between Martha and her husband Ephraim is a thing of beauty. Coleman's General Store is the place where Martha barters for books and the latest gossip, and I love how she would gift newlyweds with one of her quilts: "<i>Everyone must sleep, and to do so beneath a warm quilt, tenderly made, is the first thing that helps a house become a home.</i>"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Frozen River</b> is wonderfully evocative of its time and place. It's a compelling mystery. It's based on the life of a remarkable woman. Read it.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The Frozen River</b> by <a href="https://www.ariellawhon.com/" target="_blank">Ariel Lawhon</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">eISBN: 9780385546881</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doubleday © 2023</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">eBook, 448 pages</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Historical Mystery, Standalone</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rating: A+</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Purchased from Amazon.</span></i><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Cathy G. Cole of <a href="http://www.kittlingbooks.com">Kittling: Books</a> All rights reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than <a href="http://www.kittlingbooks.com">Kittling: Books</a> or <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/KittlingBooks">Cathy's feed</a>, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774383554326288663noreply@blogger.com10