Yellow, by Janni Visman

July 15, 200910 Comments

Finished 7-11-09, rating 3.5/5 , fiction, pub. 2004

I put my orange down and roll it around the plate. “You must have loved her very much.”

Ivan nods his head slowly. It reminds me of a child whom one asks, “Are you lost?” who is unable to answer, the admission too great to contemplate. He takes a sip of his water and then takes my hand in his. “No more than I love you.”

He should have said, “Ilove you more.” I understand that this is the deal in these situations.

Wednesday

Stella is an aromatherapist whose clients come to her London flat for treatment because Stella cannot step outside her building. She’s tried and fainted from a panic attack before reaching sunshine. When Ivan, the gas man, comes to work in her apartment she convinces him to stay and he moves in.

Things are going well. She has regular clients, she has her sister and nieces to visit her, George her cat to love her, and a good relationship with Ivan. At least until he shows up at the breakfast table wearing a gold bracelet with an inscription from an old flame and a new neighbor becomes too interested in George. Stella becomes paranoid about the old flame and the new neighbor. Is she just unhinged or is thre truth to her suspicions?

Stella’s jealousy leads her to ask her sister to follow Ivan and her insecurity leads her to extreme behaviour. Over the course of the week Stella finds just as many questions as answers and she feels her old, safe life slipping away.

This book is only 173 pages amd covers the span of five days. Stella is obviously a troubled woman, one that I wanted to shake a few times, but she was also a sympathetic character. The language was sparse, but beautiful and the book was a joy to read. I admit that I did not see the end coming. Which is part of my small problem with the book. The end seemed to come out of nowhere, with little warning. It felt a little off from the rest of the novel.

It was haunting and strange and I enjoyed it very much until the very end, which was a little lacking for me.

I picked this up because of the review over at Fleur Fisher reads. Sometimes I actually get around to reading books from my wishlist!

Teaser Tuesday- When Venus Fell

July 14, 2009September 30, 200915 Comments

Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!). Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This was no small thing, in the southern sense of that word. If a person visited a home in the South for any length of time, whether for a mere one-night stay or weeks, months, even years of habitation, that visitor achieved the status of Company, meaning he or she received deluxe treatment.

When Venus Fell by Deborah Smith, page 4

This is my final book for the Southern Reading Challenge and I am really enjoying it! So, what pages are you turning this week?

Visit MizB for more teasers.

What Book is That? Take Three

July 13, 2009July 15, 200917 Comments

Answers to last week’s quiz here.

Can you identify these books by their censored titles? Leave a comment with the number, title and author.

censored titles july 09 1

1. Stitches by David Small – Beth

2. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe – Debbie

3. The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent – Kathy

4. Eva Luna by Isabel Allende – Kathy

5. Duma Key by Stephen King – Heather

censored titles july 09 2

6. The Jane Austen Book CLub by Karen Joy Fowler – Violet

7. Testimony by Anita Shreve – Debbie

8. Life of Pi by Yann Martel – Kathy

9. Wrack & Ruin by Don Lee – Gwendolyn

10. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey – Kathy

Slightly Shady, by Amanda Quick

July 12, 20096 Comments

Finished 7-10-09, rating 3/5, historical romance, pub. 2001

She had to swallow twice before she could speak. When she did eventually manage to utter a few coherent words, her voice sounded thin and it easily cracked.

“Did you murder that man?”

Tobias glanced at the body. “No. I got here after the killer, just as you did. From what I can determine, Felix was killed on his front step. The murderer must have dragged him back into this room.”

The news did little to reassure her. “What are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same question.” He contemplated her with a considering air. “But I have a hunch I already know the answer. You are obviously on of Felix’s blackmail victims, are you not?”

Chapter 2

Lavinia Lake and her niece, Emeline, have been stranded in Italy and have had to make ends meet my opening an antique shop. One night, the mysterious and brusque Tobias March barges in and demands they must leave for their own safety. As he sends them back to London, the last thing they see is him smashing up the valuables in their shop.

Lavinia Lake is obviously still smarting from his behavior months later when they meet again, over the body of a dead man. The two headstrong widowers are both used to taking care of things on their own and when they are forced to work together anger and resentment make it challenging for all involved. The two are on the trail of a the last remaining member of a criminal gang and cannot stop even when it becomes dangerous because their client is paying them to protect her from harm.

I loved the witty dialogue and the mystery, but was disappointed with the romance. Tobias was a good character, but Lavinia was such a cold fish that I never did warm up to her. Although I guessed the murderer pretty early on there were still many aspects that I didn’t figure out til the end.

This is the first in a trilogy featuring Lavinia Lake (don’t you just love that name?) and Tobias March. This book set up the trilogy nicely and although this book is not a favorite of mine I am curious enough about some of the characters – such as her niece and client- that I may look for the next book. The two next books in the series are Don’t Look Back and Late for the Wedding.

The 8th Confession, by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

July 9, 2009July 9, 20096 Comments

Finished 7-8-09, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2009

Book 8 in the Women’s Murder Club series

“Cindy, you can’t work a homicide, okay? Rich, tell her.”

“I don’t need your permission at all,” Cindy said. Then, eyes brightening, “Here’s an idea. Let’s go to Susie’s and map out a plan we can all live with-“

I rolled my eyes, but Conklin was shaking his head and grinning at Cindy. He liked her!

Chapter 48

The four ladies of San Francisco are back in a new novel and there are a whole lotta murderers running around town. Lindsay and her partner Conklin are trying to make headway in the numerous cases involving very wealthy victims with no known cause of death. Claire is stumped and demands more police work. Cindy is on the trail Bagman Jesus. He’s a homeless man who was murdered and no one seems to care. She also demands more police work, but finds she must do the heavy lifting herself. Yuki is back in court trying to win her first case and she finds a love connection with a doctor who sees her at her worst. She doesn’t demand more police work.

Once again Lindsay is waffling over Joe’s marriage proposal. He is out of the country for a month and Lindsay is tempting fate and encouraging the sparks to ignite with Conklin. Conklin, while still in love with Lindsay, is still a man and keeping his options open. Cindy would like to be one of those options.

Another fast, easy read that is enjoyable, but not memorable. Actually this one had so many storylines that it barely focused on any. These books are great if you don’t want to read anything heavy or too time consuming. It doesn’t come much lighter than this. Great for summer vacations.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt

July 8, 2009July 9, 200916 Comments

Finished 7-7-09, rating 4.5/5, true crime -ish, pub. 1994

“Some years ago she ordered a pair of iron gates for her house, They were designed and built especially for her. But when they were delivered she pitched a fit, said they were horrible, said they were filth. ‘Take them away,’ she said, ‘I never want to see them again!’ Then she tore up the bill, which was for $1,400 – a fair amount of money in those days.”

“The foundry took the gates back, but they didn’t know what to do with them. After all, there wasn’t much demand for a pair of ornamental gates exactly that size. The only thing they could do was to sell the iron for its scrap value. So they cut the price from $1,400 to $190. Naturally, the following day the woman sent a man over to the foundry with $190, and today those gates are hanging on her gateposts where they were originally designed to go. That’s pure Savannah. And that’s what I mean by cheap. You mustn’t be taken in by the moonlight and magnolias. There’s more to Savannah than that. Things can get very murky.”

Chapter 1

This is non-fiction book that reads like a novel. New York reporter, Berendt is charmed by his first trip to Savannah, Georgia in the early 1980’s, and decides to rent a house there and split his time between there and New York. What he finds is a town full of old Southern charm, ideas, and eccentric characters.

There are the local society blue bloods and successful blacks who are always polite, but rarely mix. Luther Driggers is a misfit with a bottle of enough poison to kill all of Savannah and demons enough to make the town nervous. Lady Chablis, a beautiful drag queen, likes to take her drama around town. Jim Williams is an arrogant self-made millionaire who is accepted mainly because he throws the party of the year. The piano playing, check bouncing, forgering lawyer Joe Odom befriends the reporter and Minerva, the voodoo witch, takes the reporter to the graveyard at midnight to cast her many spells.

Savannah is more than the citizens that inhabit it – the beauty and richness of the city itself is on display. I am already trying to figure out when my husband and I can plan a trip there! It is part travel guide and part true crime story. When one of the main characters murders a lover in self-defense the town becomes consumed with the trial. There was never a question of whether he did it, but of his intent. Old rivalries heat up and a simple self-defense case turns into a circus, more than once.

I loved this book. It captures the spirit of this small southern town. I loved the meandering stories of the first third of the book as we got to know the town and its people. The murder was a nice change of pace and it became a book with purpose.

I loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough for those of you who didn’t read it when it came out. I saw the movie when it came out years ago and don’t remember much about it but that I was a little bored. Don’t let the movie scare you off. The book, as usual, is so much better.

A reminder of a few giveaways…

July 7, 2009July 10, 20093 Comments

Eva Etzioni-Halevy participated in my 9 in ’09 and is giving away her latest book, The Triumph of Deborah. Go to the post and enter HERE

I am also giving away my used book, Children of Eve: The Shocking Story of America’s Homeless Kids by Kevin Casey HERE

Children of Eve (Covenant House program of public awareness)

Both giveaways end this Friday – July 10th

Teaser Tuesday – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

July 7, 2009September 30, 200917 Comments

We have a saying: If you go to Atlanta, the first question people ask you is, ‘What’s your business?’ In Macon they ask ‘Where do you go to church?’ In Augusta they ask your grandmother’s maiden name. But in Savannah the first question people ask you is ‘What would you like to drink?’

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, Chapter 2

I don’t know what’s taken me so long to read this, but I am loving it! What are you reading this week?

The July 4th ish Quiz

July 6, 2009July 13, 200910 Comments

I hope all of my fellow Americans had a wonderful fourth of July celebrating our country’s freedom. See if can identify these books by their first lines. I’ve given you hints already. Here’s how to play…Identify these famous books by telling me the book and author. Leave a comment with the # and the title and author of the book and I’ll cross it off the list. No Googling, that’s cheating and no fun!

1. It was just before 4:00 a.m. on a weekday. 4th of July by James Patterson, Debbie

2. You like to have some cup of tea?- July’s People by Nadine Gordimer, Hilarie

3. I won Dribble at Jimmy Fargo’s birthday party. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume, Kathy

4. “Waiting sucks.” Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty, Literature Crazy

5. The little village of Obscurity is remarkable only for its unremarkableness. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde, Hilarie

6. Imagine a young man on his way to a less-than-thirty-second event– the loss of his left hand, long before he reached middle age. The Fourth Hand by John Irving, Debbie

7. Apart from life, a strong constitution, and an abiding connection to the Thebu royal house, the only thing my father bestowed upon on me at birth was a name, Rolihlahla. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, Debbie

8. Oribel Scully had shown him into the kitchen at the rectory. COLD DAY IN JULY BY STELLA CAMERON

9. There isn’t a part of our lives that money doesn’t touch–it affects our relationships. the way we go about our everyday activities, our ability to make dreams reality, everything. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suzie Orman, Kathy

10. The Swede. AMERICAN PASTORAL BY PHILIP ROTH

So, let’s hear your guesses!

Children of Eve : The Shocking Story of America’s Homeless Kids, by Kevin Casey

July 5, 2009July 6, 200910 Comments

Finished 7-5-09, rating 4/5, nonfiction, published 1991

This book charts the fallout from our shifting culture as seen throught the eyes of our counselors on the front lines of this struggle. These are caring adults who try day and night to reach these kids, to re-connect them to society, to healthy lives, to the love of God.

The founder of my religious order, St. Vincent de Paul, taught us that before we can teach the poor about God we must first take care of their bodily needs. At Covenant House, we can’t tell a kid God loves her if she’s dirty, cold, hungry, and sick.

Words like love don’t work on our kids. We are challenged as Christians to show our kids we love them, not tell them.

from the introduction written by Sister Mary Rose McGeady

I do not know I came to have this book. It is Book 2 in the Covenant House Program of PublicAwareness, which I am in no way familiar with. But somewhere over the years this slight book (only 116 pages) made its way into my house. I don’t think it’s easily acquired, so after reading my review if you would like me to send it to you free of charge, leave a comment telling me you’d like to read it. If there is more than one person interested, I will draw a name on Friday, July 10th.

Instead of telling you about Covenant House I encourage you to visit the website.

The book is written by a man who drives the van around all night long to feed, talk, listen to the homeless kids that are on our streets. He is there to offer them a way out, but most accept the food and friendship, but reject the help. The book contains short stories of how the kids arrived on the streets of LA (although Covenant House is in many other cities) and they are often shocking and always heartbreaking. Casey has the greatest respect for these kids and you will gain the greatest respect for Casey and the others that do the hard work at Covenant House.

The last chapter is written by a worker in the New York Covenant House and what a life altering decision it is. They agree to live on the premises and pray 3 hours a day for 13 months. Talk about a commitment!

Although this book is 18 years old, Covenant House is still going strong and there are still kids on our streets, stuck with no easy way out. This book was eye-opening and it introduced me to Covenant House and I am so glad that it snuck its way into my TBR pile! Let me know if you’d like my copy.

Stacy's Books

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Tag: Books