Saturday Snapshot April 2, 2011

Alyce from At Home With Books hosts a weekly meme called Saturday Snapshot. To participate all you have to do is post a photo taken by you (or a friend or family member.) Please make sure it is clean and appropriate for all eyes to see and leave a direct link to your post at the Mr Linky on Alyce's blog. Was searching for something on the ground when this bird started making a terrible fuss. It was then that I noticed the eggs she was protecting. (You can see them in the photo right behind her legs.)

Somebody Else's Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage *Review*

A young couple, strung out on drugs and one dying of AIDS decide to give up their infant daughter in the hopes of giving her a better life. And all seems to go well for Willa as she grows up. Her parents are wealthy and able to give her what she wants and they love her very much on top of it all.

Her biological father, Nate, now clean from drugs and living a respectable life as a teacher and struggling writer has a yearning to get close to her. He doesn't want her to know who he is, he just wants to be able to see her and reassure himself that she's doing okay and he's done the right thing. He accepts a position as a teacher at the same private school that Willa attends. In fact, she is one of her students.

But Nate is not the only one at Pioneer Academy that has secrets. And some secrets could be deadly!

Somebody Else's Daughter was not what I had thought it would be about. I was hoping for more of a focus on the father/daughter/biological father relationship as the dust jacket had hinted. Instead I was broadsided with something I was not expecting about halfway through the book. It made me squirm... it was a little uncomfortable... and quite graphic but having already invested enough time to get halfway through I decided to stick with it and see where it was heading. I still don't believe the book needed this "secret" to get to where the story needed to go and because it was not a subject I felt comfortable with I chose to give this book 2/5 stars.

Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern *Review*

Two children disappear into the woods beside Woodside Elementary School. Hours later one of them, nine-year-old Adam, is found alive, the sole witness to his playmates murder. But Adam is autistic and can say nothing about what he saw. Only his mother, Cara, has the power to penetrate his silence. When another child goes missing and Cara's unsettling past emerges from the shadows, she has to ask herself whether her efforts to protect her son have exposed him to unimaginable danger.

Cara has tried to protect her son all of his life. When he has a fear of digital clocks, she tries to walk ahead of him and cover up the ones she sees before he does. When Adam is upset by the erratic movements of skateboarders, she drives blocks out of her way to avoid the places they tend to congregate. Cara works for hours teaching him to make eye contact, to answer people's questions and to try to make friends even though "friend" is a concept foreign to Adam. But when a murder happens just outside the school in the woods next to the playground, Cara wonders if she should have done more. Has she, in her eagerness to help Adam verbalize his thoughts and to trust in people because they want to help you taught him the wrong things? Like maybe you shouldn't talk to strangers? That possibly there ARE bad people that could hurt you?

The author, Cammie McGovern, is the mother of an autistic child. She knows the ins and outs of the autistic mind and how thoughts can take different pathways to get to the same conclusion that we would come to. Her insight is what made this book so real. I have read a couple of books featuring autistic characters and none of them came close to helping me understand the complexities of the human mind and the difficulties that the children and their parents face on a daily basis. The fact that parents of autistic children have to learn the subtle cues of facial expressions, for instance the raise of an eyebrow or the slight tilt of the head, as a form of communication was incredibly revealing.

As a murder mystery, Eye Contact starts out strong. There are a number of characters involved who could have done it, and at various times you are convinced they have done it. The conclusion of the book however gets a little confusing. The story took so many different twists that I found myself getting a little lost and at the end not really caring that much who the killer actually was.

It's strength instead is in the relationship between single mother Cara and her son Adam. The love with which Cara will do or try almost anything to draw Adam out of his silent shell is potent. For that reason alone I give this book 3/5 stars.

Saturday Snapshot March 26th, 2011

Alyce from At Home With Books hosts a weekly meme called Saturday Snapshot. To participate all you have to do is post a photo taken by you (or a friend or family member.) Please make sure it is clean and appropriate for all eyes to see and leave a direct link to your post at the Mr Linky on Alyce's blog.







My husband has seen a couple of robins in the last week. I haven't seen a one but I am so ready for spring that I thought I would post this picture in the hopes it would "call" one in!

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez *Review*

Four slave women meet up every year at a resort called Tawawa House. Brought as mistresses by their slave masters, these ladies share a special bond. Not only are they faced with the same circumstance, but they finally have someone they can talk to who understands the different role they play in the lives of their masters.

More privileged than the field slaves and more special than the other house slaves, the mistresses are resented not only by their master's wife, but by some fo the other slaves as well. Their children, being part white are not accepted by the other slave children, and not quite accepted by their own father's as well.

Wench is the story of Lizzie, Sweet, Reenie and Tawu who spend 3 months each year sharing their hopes and their dreams for the future. The dream of one day being free. The dream of their children not having to suffer the same indignities they have. The dream of never having to suffer at the hands of their masters again. But just how far are they willing to go to make their dreams come true? And what will happen if they try?

Wench is a uniquely different angle to the slave sagas I had read in the past. It is one that was seldom written about or talked about but most certainly existed. It is a story that touched me deeply as I read about each character's tragic and confining life.

The book club that I am in reviewed this in March and I think most of the women were pleasantly surprised by the book. To see another review, and to see how our book club puts a fun spin on the books we review go to my friend Sheila's website Book Journey. The club's overall rating was a 4, my rating 4/5 stars.

Unsolved Crimes by John Wright *Review*

True Crimes. Is there anything that makes your hair stand on end like a true crime? How about a true unsolved crime with the murderer still lurking about?

Unsolved Crimes, a Reader's Digest Book written by John Wright is filled with the creepy and the mysterious. Broken down by sections like Murders, Assassinations, Kidnappings, Robbery's, etc., John Wright gives a detailed background of the victim, the evidence (or lack thereof), the list of suspects and an included sidebox of lingering doubts.

The lingering doubts section really intrigued me because it drew on what was known of the murder or suspects and asked some additional tough questions that haven't been answered, and probably never would be. Filled with the well known- Jon Benet Ramsey, the Black Dahlia and D.B. Cooper, as well as some not so well known victims from all over the world, Unsolved Crimes is a detailed account of some of the most famous crimes of the century. With photographs and information on DNA processing John Wright had me transfixed from the very first page. 3/5 Stars

Saturday Snapshot March 19, 2011

Alyce from At Home With Books hosts a weekly meme called Saturday Snapshot. To participate all you have to do is post a photo taken by you (or a friend or family member.) Please make sure it is clean and appropriate for all eyes to see and leave a direct link to your post at the Mr Linky on Alyce's blog.





















Our Boy Scout Troop has an annual St Patrick's Day party where everybody is encouraged to bring a "green" dish to share. This is a picture of my Corned Beef Casserole. I put green food coloring in the water when I boiled my noodles. Trust me, it tastes a lot better than it looks!

Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza *Review*

Growing up, Immaculee never realized she was different from some of her childhood friends. During ethnic roll call in her school one day she was asked to stand up and proclaim whether she was from the Hutu or Tutsi tribe. She couldn't respond because she didn't know. Her parents had never taught her the difference, because to them there was none. People were people and God loved them all.

Unfortunately, not all Rwandans felt the same way, and by 1994 after the death of their Hutu president a genocide of the Tutsis started that would last a little more than three months and would leave over 1 million of her friends, neighbors and family members dead.

Left to Tell is the horrifying account of how Immaculee spent 91 days hiding in a pastors bathroom with 7 other women while Hutu rebels hunted for them right outside their door. Immaculee's courage as she prayed, read the Bible and even learned English during her "captivity" is an incredible inspiration.

Even more inspiring is how she has put her life back together after her parents and 2 brothers were brutally murdered and how she has helped people get back on their feet and continues to help them today.

Imaculee is an amazing woman who has put God in the center of her life and has become richly blessed because of it. This Lenten season, if you're looking for a book to fill your heart and enrich your soul I recommend you read about Immaculee's harrowing 91 fear-filled days. You won't regret it. 5/5 Stars

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris *Review*

Framboise's tale starts decades ago, in the village of Les Laveuses during the German occupation of France. Masterfully, she tells us about her childhood, playing along the river Loire with her brother Cassis, her sister Reinette, and her childhood friend Paul. She describes her obsession with catching Old Mother, the large pike rumored to curse anyone who sets eyes on it, but if caught will make your wish come true. Days are long, but happy until the darkness that is their mother envelops them.

Framboise's mother, Mirabelle Dartigen, is a widow struggling to keep the family orchard going after her husband is killed in the war. She's a stern, unyielding woman who is plagued by intense migraines that start with her smelling oranges, real or imagined. She is not loving or comforting to her children and that's why Framboise feels no shame in hiding orange peels around the house to help trigger one of her mother's migraines. The quiet, idle time while their mother recuperates is one they look forward to.

But just how do they spend their days alone? And with whom are they secretly meeting? And how does this mystery figure play into the war, the deaths of 10 people in the town, and the public outcry of the rest of the townsfolk while at Framboise's door with torches and rocks? And why, after 55 years, is Framboise still desperate to hang onto this secret?

The tragedy that weaves itself throughout this book will have you turning page after page to get to the end of the mystery that is Mirabelle Dartigen, and maybe more importantly, who is Framboise.

An excellently crafted story that flashes subtly from present day Les Laveuses to past, Joanne Harris is an author whom I have never read, but am now eager to explore. 4/5 Stars

Sunday Confessional February 27th

I confess. I hate TV. If it weren't for my love of hockey, mainly the Minnesota Wild, I wouldn't ever turn it on. Regular TV shows, movies, and series do not appeal to me.

Part of the reason, I'm sure, is because I work in the electronics department of a big box chain. from the time I get to work until the time I punch out I am listening to TVs, stereos, cell phones, portable DVD players and video games. When I get home I CRAVE peace and quiet.

Books are my love partly because they are quiet! Another reason for my love of books over TV is that books don't seem to slam you in the face with sound effects, crass characters and bright imagery. Books slowly unpeel layer after layer of a character and take their time to vividly describe that characters surroundings and environment.

Nope, I will take books any day over TV. How about you?

Saturday Snapshot February 26th

Alyce from At Home With Books hosts a weekly meme called Saturday Snapshot. To participate all you have to do is post a photo taken by you (or a friend or family member.) Please make sure it is clean and appropriate for all eyes to see and leave a direct link to your post at the Mr Linky on Alyce's blog.

I took this picture during a Boy Scout weekend two years ago and it reminds me of the famous Robert Frost poem The Road Not Taken.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Has worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel *Review*

Lilly and Val are young friends who write back and forth about their hopes and dreams, their loves and losses, their families, their friends, and recipes.

The Recipe Club takes the two friends from 1963-2003 in the epistolary style that I so enjoyed in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What starts as a young innocent friendship turns into almost a competitive, resentful relationship between the two.

Lilly's mother is a mostly absent, self absorbed woman who has multiple affairs throughout the book while Lilly's father spends the majority of his time with Val's mother trying to cure her of her mental illness. This leads to Lilly being jealous of the attention Isaac (her father) lavishes on Val, and you see how Lilly easily turns into a spoiled, demanding young woman who just like her mother can easily drop relationships when she has nothing more to gain from them.

Val, who's agoraphobic mother loves her but is never there for her in other ways (piano recitals, school conferences) strives to hold onto the friendship she has with Lilly, the one person she feels has always been there for her. As Val excels in school and love- Lilly competes for her attention yet at the same time leaves her hanging in things they have always done together.

To me, Lilly did not seem like a friend I would want and Val's neediness and dependency on Lilly's friendship began to irk me. The one redeeming factor of this book were the recipes. There were a lot of recipes sprinkled throughout the book and while not all of them were much different from what you find in any other average cookbook, the names given to them were lighthearted and fun.

By flipping to any recipe in the book I can tell you what happened in the preceding chapter by the name given the recipe. Lovelorn Lasagna, Conspiracy Apple Pie, Diploma Dip with Veggies, Confetti Spaghetti, and First Kiss Caramel Almond Kisses are all recipes that reflect their feelings or what was going on in their lives at the time.

While not a great book, it was an easy read so I'll give it 2/5 stars.

Sunday Confessional

I confess. I hate getting my hair cut. I'm one of those people who are usually doing two things at once. When I'm cooking supper I'm also reading the paper. When I'm playing cards I'm writing out my menu plan while my son shuffles and deals. I can't stand sitting in the chair at the hair salon and doing nothing for a half hour except look at myself in the mirror. So I put it off for so long that my family is about ready to put a leash on me I look so shabby.

Once cut I have another problem. I am going prematurely gray. I'm only 43, I shouldn't have a head of gray hair but it's starting to go that way and after it's cut the shorter look just emphasizes it. So after the cut I head for home to color it, which I confess, I also hate. I don't like the look of my hair when first colored because it seems so one dimensional. After a few days the different colors start coming through but at first...bleh! I told my son one of these days I'm going to get the guts up to do something really daring- at least for me. I saw a young lady the other day with short semi-spiky black hair and a patch of neon pink right up by her bangs and I loved it! So next time you see me I just might look like this:

Saturday Snapsot

Alyce from At Home With Books hosts a weekly meme called Saturday Snapshot. To participate all you have to do is post a photo taken by you (or a friend or family member.) Please make sure it is clean and appropriate for all eyes to see and leave a direct link to your post at the Mr Linky on Alyce's blog.

I took this picture on Round Lake in Minnesota a couple of years ago. It makes me laugh because it's hard to tell the birds legs from the sticks!

One Second After by William R. Forstchen *Review*

One Second After is a horrifying novel about life after an EMP.

John and his family are surviving. John has started moving on after the death of his beloved wife Mary four years ago to cancer. He is raising his two daughters Elizabeth and Jennifer with the help of his mother-in-law Jen, who is also finding a way to adjust to life without her husband who is now in a nursing home.

Life is good. It's not easy, but it's good. That is until the day America collapses from an EMP strike. EMP-Electromagnetic Pulse is a high altitude explosion caused by the detonation of a nuclear bomb in the atmosphere. Anything electronic can no longer operate. This means more than TV, video game systems and radios. This means electric stoves, refrigerators, cell phones and even automobiles.

Suddenly John's little mountain town of Black Mountain is cut off from the rest of the world. Once word gets out to the residents that this is more than your average power outage, people begin to panic. They loot the local grocery store and raid the pharmacy to get supplies knowing this could last not only for weeks, but possibly months or even years.

Eventually the food starts to run out and the town is put on rations. Plans are made to not only determine how to survive for an extended amount of time with no food being shipped in, but how to grow a new food supply, prepare for the future, rebuild, and protect the community from other desperate citizens of nearby areas who are in the same boat as they are and are also starving.

One Second After is chilling. Even the book's Afterword gave me goosebumps. It's so chilling because this absolutely COULD happen. How prepared are we to handle a catastrophe of this magnitude? 4/5 Stars