Friday, June 04, 2010

Weekly Link Round-Up, BEA/BBC Edition


Most of you probably know about BookExpo America and the Book Blogger Convention that were both held last week in New York City. I've been having a blast going through my Google Reader and checking out all the photos and experiences of those who attended. The following links are all to book bloggers' posts about last week's events. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. This is by no means a complete listing, and there are still posts appearing daily.

Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Caribousmom

Book Journey

She Is Too Fond of Books

The Book Smugglers
  • BookExpo America, Or: How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Hundreds of Pounds of Books - Day 1
  • Day 2
  • Final Report

write meg!

Crazy for Books

The Story Siren

Bibliophilic Book Blog

The Betty and Boo Chronicles

Savvy Verse & Wit

red headed book child

Reading With Tequila

Reading the Past

My Friend Amy

Hist~Fic Chick

Maw Books

Cindy's Love of Books

Diary of an Eccentric
  • The BEA Post, or I Need Another Vacation to Recover From This Vacation!

pop culture junkie

Eclectic / Eccentric

Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books

Online Publicist

Bermudaonion's Weblog

Steph Su Reads

Presenting Lenore

Restless Reader

Everyday I Write the Book

Stiletto Storytime

Leafing Through Life
  • The Backwards and Disordered BEA/BBC Recap Part 1
  • The Backwards and Disordered BEA/BBC Recap Part 2

The Zen Leaf

Beth Fish Reads

Chick With Books

The Tome Traveller's Weblog

she reads and reads
  • BEA 2010: Books (Part 1 - The 50+ Pounds I Brought Home)

These are the links I have so far, and with my taking time off from the Internet, I doubt that I'll have time to collect any more, so if any of you would like to help me, I'd love it. If you find any BEA or BBC posts that are not included here, please leave me a link to each one in the comments section of this post, and I'll add them when I'm back online. Thanks so much!

Next Friday stop by for a fresh batch of non-BEA-related links for your surfing pleasure!
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bookfinds @ Kittling: Books


Summer's finally finding the Sonoran Desert. Temperatures are predicted to be over 110°F. next week, so it's a good thing that I've planned a little blogging break. Almost as though I knew what was coming, eh?

It is my intention to stay away from the computer for most of next week; therefore, I am busy scheduling posts so everyone will think I'm still glued to the Internet.

This week has marked more progress with the family of Gila Woodpeckers who live in the area and love all things citrus. For the past couple of weeks, the adults have been flying themselves into a stupor to keep the youngsters fed. Then at the beginning of this week, I noticed that the adults weren't flying back to the nest with the orange bits. The youngsters were being enticed away from home. Last night the youngsters were feeding themselves bits of orange, and one of them is most definitely a pig. It's been fun to watch all the proceedings. But I've digressed from books, haven't I?

Since I have been preparing for this break, I haven't exactly been on the lookout for new-to-me books. That doesn't mean that I didn't stumble across any, so let me tell you about the ones I found! Click on the book covers if you want more detailed information about any of the books.


Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard.
"When quiltmaker Ozella McDaniels told Jacqueline Tobin of the Underground Railroad Quilt Code, it sparked Tobin to place the tale within the history of the Underground Railroad. Hidden in Plain View documents Tobin and Raymond Dobard's journey of discovery, linking Ozella's stories to other forms of hidden communication from history books, codes, and songs. Each quilt, which could be laid out to air without arousing suspicion, gave slaves directions for their escape. Ozella tells Tobin how quilt patterns like the wagon wheel, log cabin, and shoofly signaled slaves how and when to prepare for their journey. Stitching and knots created maps, showing slaves the way to safety. The authors construct history around Ozella's story, finding evidence in cultural artifacts like slave narratives, folk songs, spirituals, documented slave codes, and children's' stories. Tobin and Dobard write that "from the time of slavery until today, secrecy was one way the black community could protect itself. If the white man didn't know what was going on, he couldn't seek reprisals." Hidden in Plain View is a multi-layered and unique piece of scholarship, oral history, and cultural exploration that reveals slaves as deliberate agents in their own quest for freedom even as it shows that history can sometimes be found where you least expect it."


Keeping the House by Ellen Baker
"As a new bride in a new town, Dolly Magnuson is consumed with trying to be the perfect wife, as determined by articles in the reigning womens' magazines, and with trying to obtain the perfect house, the abandoned Mickelson mansion, a crumbling Victorian that has captured her fancy to the point of obsession. As Dolly plies her fellow quilters during Monday afternoon sewing bees about the fate of various Mickelson family members, she hatches a plan to restore the house to its original glory in hopes that her husband will buy it for them, a ploy to save her sanity as much as her marriage. But when one of the Mickelson scions returns and catches Dolly dusting the family heirlooms, Dolly discovers more about the family, and herself, than she ever dreamed possible."


All the Wrong Moves by Merline Lovelace
"Samantha, a smart-mouthed air force lieutenant, tests gadgets for the military at a Texas desert facility. On an early morning hike, Samantha finds two badly decomposed bodies, soon identified as a weapons dealer and a smuggler of illegal aliens. After an arsonist burns her test lab, Samantha ratchets up her involvement in the investigation, with handsome border patrol agent Jeff Mitch Mitchell keeping her heart racing as they search for the killer. Well paced, this chatty first-person narrative develops the character of the not-so-military-type heroine who doesn't deal well with authority figures but does the best she can because she knows her job's important."




Whiskey on the Rocks by Nina Wright
"Still reeling from her husband's death, thirty-three-year-old realtor Whiskey Mattimoe is adjusting to a new life, which includes the embarrassing purse-snatching antics of her mischievous Afghan hound. That's bad for business, but not as bad as having clients die on the premises. When one of her properties turns into a murder scene, Whiskey becomes hopelessly tangled in a devious scheme involving identity fraud and priceless art. Dodging a house fire, break-ins, and attempts on her life, Whiskey manages to keep her sense of humor throughout the chaos with help from a part-time police force, her eight-year-old neighbor, and other eccentric characters in the Lake Michigan resort town of Magnet Springs."

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to getting a copy of the last book so I can read about that purse-snatching Afghan hound.

Have you read any of these titles? Would you recommend any of them? If you haven't read any of them, did any of them tickle your fancy enough to add to your own wish lists? Which ones? Do tell!
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Thursday, June 03, 2010

The Mournful Teddy by John J. Lamb


Title: The Mournful Teddy
Author: John J. Lamb
ISBN: 0425211126, Berkley Prime Crime, 2006
Genre: Cozy, #1 Bear Collector's mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: It was just before dawn on Saturday morning, the first day of October, and I again awoke to find myself in a strange bedroom... only this time my wife, Ashleigh, was gone.

The luck of the draw can be amusing at times. Each Thursday I review two books. Today I'm reviewing two cozy mysteries: one about doll collectors and this one about bear collectors. My grandmother had a marvelous collection of antique dolls, and at one time I collected bears, so now you know why both books appealed to me.

Another thing that is a bit strange is that I almost stopped reading this book, too, after a few pages when I deduced the Bad Guys. However, it didn't take much persuasion for me to continue reading because of the voice of the main character. Brad Lyon is a former San Francisco police officer who was seriously wounded and forced to take early retirement. Retirement just happened to take him and his wife, Ashleigh, from "the world's largest unfenced lunatic asylum" (Brad's description of San Francisco) to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Brad's wife makes teddy bears, and the two of them are ready to load up the truck and take all the bears to the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza where the Mourning Bear-- made to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic-- will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Before Brad can even get in the driver's seat, he finds the body of a man in the river, and once he and his wife make it to the Extravaganza, he learns that the Mourning Bear is missing. Add to all this the fact that there are strange goings-on in the small town of Remmelkemp Mill, Virginia, and Brad has his hands full.

I am so glad I kept reading The Mournful Teddy. I fell in love with Brad and his wisecracks and the fact that there are at least 900 reasons why he's madly in love with his wife of twenty-six years. I liked his wife Ashleigh because she's one talented lady who loves her husband just as much in return and also for the fact that she's a policeman's wife-- level-headed, full of common sense, and definitely not the type to sit around wringing her hands.

Although I'd deduced very early on whodunit, the "how" was definitely convoluted and fun to try to untangle. I wish there'd been a bit more about teddy bears and collecting, but you know what? If I have to make a choice between teddy bear lore and Brad and Ashleigh, I'm going to choose Brad and Ashleigh. They're marvelous characters, and I definitely plan to read more of this series.
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Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Dolled Up for Murder by Deb Baker


Title: Dolled Up for Murder
Author: Deb Baker
ISBN: 0425212637, Berkley Prime Crime, 2006
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #1 Dolls to Die For mystery
Rating: B
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Head buried under a mound of pillows, Gretchen Birch struggled to ignore the phone's incessant ringing.

I've been waiting for someone to cough up the first book in Baker's Yooper mystery series for months and months. It seems as though this series is so good that no one wants to turn loose of their copies. I wasn't quite ready to buy my own, so I ordered Dolled Up for Murder instead, and I'm glad I did.

That sounds like a very strange thing to say right about now when I tell all of you that I almost stopped reading the book a few pages in when I identified the Bad Guy. (The author and I like the same Peter Sellers films.) What kept me reading? Oh... things like Baker's writing style, the Phoenix metropolitan setting, and the "doll angle". My grandmother collected antique dolls, and I picked up a lot of knowledge by osmosis.

Anyway... Gretchen Birch gets a phone call from her Aunt Nina in Phoenix. A homeless woman who had previously collected dolls was found dead at the base of a cliff. She was clutching a note in one hand that certainly seems to implicate Gretchen's mother in her death. To make matters worse, Gretchen's mother, Caroline, has disappeared. Gretchen packs a bag and catches the next plane to Phoenix. (Why do I feel as though I'm about to channel Glen Campbell?)

One of the first things Gretchen does when she settles down in her mother's house is to hike up Camelback Mountain. In July. In the afternoon. I began to think this young woman had a few too many screws loose. Then her Aunt Nina who trains purse dogs made an appearance, and the two of them were off to the races, driving all over the Valley checking in with other doll collectors and trying to avoid the detective who's following them.

I'm very glad I didn't stop reading when I figured out whodunit. I'm very glad I remembered that it's not always all about WHO; many times HOW and WHY are every bit as important in a mystery. Gretchen, her Aunt Nina and her mom Caroline were all engaging characters, and I really enjoyed all the information Baker shared about doll collecting. However, I hope that the next time I read about Gretchen hiking up Camelback Mountain, it's not on a July afternoon. Just the thought of it makes me feel a bit woozy.
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Scene of the Blog Featuring Pam of Bookalicio.us!


You know how some folks always seem to know what's going on, and you learn ways to follow them around just so you have a tiny clue and don't embarrass yourself on a regular basis?

I learned that about Pam of Bookalicio.us. Between reading her posts and keeping tabs on her via Twitter, I feel like I have a clue when it comes to happenings within the world of book blogging. Sounds a bit like I'm stalking her, doesn't it? But I swear I'm doing it with her permission!

I love her bookish blog design as well as her content. Pam's back from BEA, and I have to admit that watching her video of a few of her New York BEA adventures simply had to be done before writing this post! If you've never met Pam or visited her blog, Bookalicio.us, please take the time to stop by and say hello. You'll be glad you did!

Let's visit Pam and see where she does all her reading and blogging, shall we? (Don't forget that you can click on each photo to view it full size.)







This chair and corner are mine, the chair was bought broken on the cheap by my husband to repair for himself. He made the mistake of placing it by my 'to read' shelf and I sat down to find my next read from the TBR. Low and behold I can haz chair! I rock a pink Dell, a pink Sony Pocket Reader, and a customized Wordpress CM.














This is Jackie, she likes to sit in my chair too. She does ask permission to visit. We got Jackie when we lived in London in a tiny town house where I didn't have a reading nook. She is almost three now and reading with me has been a steady part of her life.







I don't know about any of the rest of you, but that chair looks mighty comfortable, I have a crick in my neck from trying to read book spines, and I am so very glad that Pam sent a second photo that included Jackie. Jackie looks like she belongs there... and that she secretly thought Pam's feature wouldn't be complete without her. (I agree, Jackie!)

Thank you so much for giving us this peek into your creative space, Pam. We certainly appreciate it!

Who will be featured next week on Scene of the Blog? You'll have to stop by to find out. See you then!
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Wordless Wednesday


Click to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.
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Tuesday, June 01, 2010

The Rebellion of Jane Clarke by Sally Gunning


Title: The Rebellion of Jane Clarke
Author: Sally Gunning
ISBN: 9780061782145, William Morrow, 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction, #3 of the Satucket novels
Rating: B+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: May 6, 1769. Jane Clarke stood in the sedge growth on the lip of the dune and looked out over the half-drained bay, the ribbons of sand rising up through the retreating water.

Jane Clarke is a daddy's girl, but recent events in the small village of Satucket on Cape Cod have made the teenager question her father's motives and integrity. When her father tells her to marry the man he has chosen for her, Jane rebels and travels to Boston to nurse her invalid Aunt Gill.

Aunt Gill lives near the British Custom House, and Jane finds herself in the heart of Boston's revolutionary fervor. She befriends bookseller Henry Knox, meets John Adams, and eventually finds herself in the middle of the Boston Massacre. As the situation grows more and more tense, Jane watches the men around her grow more aggressive in their hatred of British rule-- and less concerned with the truth. It's not long before she's forced to make a decision: which is more important, honesty or personal and political beliefs?

Although this is the third novel concerning inhabitants of the small village of Satucket on Cape Cod, it does not have to be read in order. I've been a fan of Sally Gunning since I read her novel The Widow's War, and now whenever I feel the need to read of Colonial America, I look to her. Gunning is supremely skilled at sharing loads of period detail without weighting the narrative down, and even though you're being steeped in knowledge, the author's writing is fluid and stays focused on her characters and the larger issues of human nature.

Jane was a character that I quickly came to like and to admire, and Gunning gives an entirely new perspective to familiar stories. If you enjoy well-written historical fiction with multi-faceted characters, you should definitely put Sally Gunning on your Must Read list.
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What Hobby Are You?




You Are Reading



You are an interesting mix of curious and relaxed. You have an insatiable hunger for knowledge.

However, you also seek comfort. It bothers you to travel too much and to be away from home. That's why reading is the perfect hobby for you. You can explore the world from the comfort of your favorite chair.

You are comfortable with quiet and being alone. All you need is a good book to keep you company.

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