Reading In Appalachia

On My Shelf- The Box Man by Kobo Abe

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:08:00 +0000

The Box Man by Kobo Abe

Book Description from aNobii:

Kobo Abe, the internationally acclaimed author of Woman in the Dunes, combines wildly imaginative fantasies and naturalistic prose to create narratives reminiscent of the work of Kafka and Beckett.

In this eerie and evocative masterpiece, the nameless protagonist gives up his identity and the trappings of a normal life to live in a large cardboard box he wears over his head. Wandering the streets of Tokyo and scribbling madly on the interior walls of his box, he describes the world outside as he sees or perhaps imagines it, a tenuous reality that seems to include a mysterious rifleman determined to shoot him, a seductive young nurse, and a doctor who wants to become a box man himself. The Box Man is a marvel of sheer originality and a bizarrely fascinating fable about the very nature of identity.

Shadow of the Red Moon by Walter Dean Myers

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:38:00 +0000

I have such a huge collection of books at home. I'm just not getting to read them although I think they sound promising and I plan to read them eventually.
So I am starting a new feature, I'm calling it "On My Shelf".
It gives me the opportunity to share information about the many books I own but they just won't have my review yet. I can only hope that by sharing you may discover a book that you want to read.

The first book is:
Shadow of the Red Moon by Walter Dean Myers

Book Description from aNobii:

"If it had been up to Jon, he never would have left Crystal City. But the Fen children had finally broken through the city walls. And the Okalian way would survive only if some of the Okalians survived. So Jon sets out into a strange new world. He's been told to find the Ancient Land, where Okalian civilization began. But he hasn't been told of the horrors he will have to face in the cold Wilderness in order to get there. Now he must face the fact that everything he's been taught might be a lie -- a lie he must face for everything to survive."

Just a side note, I didn't realize it but Myers qualifies as an Appalachian writer, he was born in West Virginia! :D

Mailbox Monday 10/26/09

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:35:00 +0000

Monster Nation: A Zombie Novel by Dave Wellington
Completes my collection of the trilogy. Now if I just need to make the time to start reading them.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
Yes, I checked this out of the library but never found time to read it. But I really want to before I watch the movie and thought I should just get my own copy so I can read it at my leisure.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America by Jon Stewart
To add to my collection of Enterainment Weekly's "New Classics" list, which I am trying to work my way through.

Luna by Julie Anne Peters
It's been on my wish list and I finally found a copy.
Product Description from Amazon:
Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, only reveals herself at night. In the secrecy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change-Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives? Compelling and provocative, this is an unforgettable novel about a transgender teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance.

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
One of my favorite authors because of her beautiful writing.
Synopsis From Library Journal:
For two decades, Sabine has loved the magician Parsifal and served as his assistant. Theirs is an unorthodox relationship, however, for Parsifal loves men. When Parsifal's lover dies of AIDS, he marries Sabine so that she will be his widow. When Parsifal dies, Sabine receives some surprising news about his will. Believing her husband to have no living relatives, she is shocked to learn of a trust fund established for a mother and two sisters in Nebraska. When his family contacts her, she introduces them to the Los Angeles Parsifal. She then visits them in Nebraska to discover the truth about the man she loved and thought she knew, gaining insight into herself as well.

Read-a-Thon Hour 24

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
The last one!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Not really, perhaps only one new mini-challenge per hour so the host would get more participants.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Having a list of people to visit each hour is great!
5. How many books did you read?
3
6. What were the names of the books you read?
Joy School
The Seesaw Girl
Say You're One of Them
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Say You're One Of Them
8. Which did you enjoy least?
I liked them all.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
They did a great job, so no advice.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely, cheerleader only this time :D

Read-a-Thon Hour 21

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:40:00 +0000

Ok my friends who are up late enough, just for Gail's "Take a Break" mini-challenge you get a glimpse of what it looks like to be up at this hour in my house:

First, my dog Ellie Mae goes to bed without me!

And now a never before seen on my blog site- a picture of myself. Take a quick look because I guarantee this post will disappear tomorrow. The things I will do to win a book!

Picture's Gone as Promised!

Now on to more pleasant things, for Dana's "Adison’s mini-challenge" here is a list of my favorite books from this year:

Read-a-Thon Hour 20

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:15:00 +0000

I want to participate in Lynn’s "Give Me Five" mini-challenge. I love children's books and I can't pick favorites but these are 5 that I will always love.

I wanted to be a Pepper too! :D
Sad, sad, sad. Why I continue to read animal stories after what happened to Old Yeller I'll never know.
I loved reading a historical novel that mentioned having the first "water closet" in the neighborhood. It was also the first book I read about Mormon's.
Oh Ramona, you crack me up!
This is where my love of mysteries began, bless you Nancy Drew and your pudgy friend Bess.

Read-a-Thon Hour 18

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:24:00 +0000

I need a break from the computer now. I am going to go read for a little while. I've spent to long in this chair hunched over the keyboard (I need a laptop).
I will come back to cheerleading in about an hour or so. It will feel good to get a little more reading finished before the night's over.

Read-a-Thon Hour 15 For Dewey

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Tribute to Dewey

When I first decided to blog I had two people who took me under their wing and answered my silly questions, J.Kaye and Dewey. I have no idea how she did it but Dewey made time to make everyone who visited her blog feel special. She replied to comments, she created the wonderful social blog events like the Read-a-Thon and Weekly Geeks, and she wrote amazing book reviews. She was also so funny! I loved that she was one of the few people who got my quirky self-depreciating sense of humor.
The one thing I didn't know was how truly sick she was. I think she kept that to those closest to her and therefor I was stunned at her passing. I wrote a memorial post for Weekly Geeks here.

I miss Dewey and I wish so much she was still with us and all of you who didn't get to know her would get the chance but I know she set a standard for book bloggers that many of you follow today without even realizing it. Whenever you reply to comments, share your knowledge and reach out with generousity, then you are like Dewey.

In honor of Dewey, Princess Bookie is hosting a surprise contest.
List 8 of Your Favorite Things! (and you can be unique)
so here is a visual of my favorite things

my son
my dog
books
playing cards
my current crush on Charlie Hunnam
pringles screaming dill chips
WV Mountaineer football
starbucks frappuccino's

Read-a-Thon Hour 14

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:54:00 +0000

I was thrilled to be a reader of the hour! I loved all the comments. :D I am going to focus on more cheerleading for the next few hours, so I don't expect to get much reading done.

I wanted to participate in Jill's A Musical Mini-Challenge.
How obvious can I get, well the song that always comes to mind whenever I think of books is:

I love the Beatles!

Read-a-Thon Hour 13

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:03:00 +0000

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
Poe's Children by Peter Straub
2. How many books have you read so far?
2 and 1/4.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Say You're One Of Them
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Actually didn't get to clear part of my morning.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Spending a little time with my son, who is visiting from college. He's off in his own little world most of the time so it hasn't been much of an interruption. :)
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
I was surprised and very, very pleased at the number of participants this time!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Staggering the mini-challenges. It's better if only one is beginning each hour at least. People work hard to host them but may not get many visitors if three other ones are going on at the same time.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Not sign up as a reader as well as a cheerleader. I should have known better and I almost didn't this time but I caved. I am too social, I don't get enough read when I would rather be visiting everyone and doing challenges.
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Nope.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
New Readers, don't get frustrated with yourself if you find you aren't getting as much reading done as you thought. This is a social activity with fun challenges and an opportunity to visit a lot of new bloggers. It should be fun and if you get frustrated trying to do it all then it won't be an experience you enjoyed. My first challenge I struggled to keep up with my reading because I was embarassed at how little I was accomplishing. Now I don't care about page numbers or book numbers read. I read a little, visit a lot :D!

Read-a-Thon Hour 11

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:36:00 +0000

For Joy Renee’s mini-challenge: Reading is Fundamental
I love their program. I could use the picture that I always use as my avatar (on the right side) but I have promoted RIF programs on my blog and I am always up to promoting their wonderful programs. In April I posted about their Read With Kids Challenge here.

I visited their site and would love to mention the current RIF's Fall Letter Writing Campaign. It is to encourage children to write their congressperson to thank them for supporting RIF. More info can be found here.

I am currently reading The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. The print is too small. I'm definitely in need of reading glasses :( It's keeping me from really getting into it. I've read 45 pages so far. I may switch books.

Read-a-Thon Hour 9

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:33:00 +0000

For Wendy's mini-challenge "Collection Obsession". I used to collect way to many things like a pack rat. I have cut down, so besides books (which is way out of control) my other large collections are Fenton White Hobnail glass (because Fenton is made here in WV, not far from where I live). This is just a representation, I have glass baskets, glass shoes, vases, lamps etc...

I also love my collection of Vintage Chenille Blankets! I have about 30. Here is a pic of one.

_________________________________________________________________________________
For Nicole's mini-challenge: Feed Me Seymour!:
Form Nick Harkaway's book The Gone-Away World from my read-a-thon pile. He's not actually eating it since it's no longer available but he's fantasizing about it:
"That's not bad going, actually, but now I need an Italian trattoria with check tablecloths and linen napkins. I need bruschetta (that's "broo-SKET-uh," not "brushetter", a slender piece of ciabatta toasted and brushed with garlic and oil and covered in fresh tomato and basil-the chunks inevitably fall off the bread and the olive oil runs over your lips and down your chin."

Yumm, now I want bruschetta!

Read-a-Thon Hour 8

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Fun entries in my Giveaway! I hope more people enter, don't worry about being perfect, be silly and have fun.

I finished Joy School (208 pages) by Elizabeth Berg. I enjoyed it but will save my review for another day.

I participated in one challenge so far, Guess The Book Cover. I didn't know that many, I think I got 10 or 11?

I plan on participating in another challenge and making dinner the next hour.

I will also be announcing the winner of my mini-challenge in a couple of hours. Only 15 minutes left to enter.

Mix Up The Titles-Read-a-Thon Challenge

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Hello everyone and I am enjoying visiting your blogs! For the next two hours I get to host a mini-challenge and I hope you just have fun with it. It's called Mix Up The Titles and it's pretty simple.

Go to the "What's in your your read-a-thon pile?" page at the main site. The link is HERE.

1. Visit some of the participants blogs and read their book choices. Then take the titles from different books you see listed and combine them to create your own unique book titles.

2. Write a brief synopsis telling me what the book is about. (4 to 6 sentences is fine- more if you are inspired).

3. The only rule is that you can not add words (like The or And) but you can mix up the titles from as many books as you want.

4. All the participants who complete this challenge will be entered into a random drawing at the end of the two hour time limit for a $10.00 Amazon gift card (e-card from Amazon.us).

5. You can enter as many "new" titles with synopsis as you want, each one will count as a separate entry in the giveaway so be sure to leave separate comments for each one!

6. Don't forget to leave your email in your submission comments so I can contact the winner.

Some suggestions- the longest title (that makes sense), the funniest synopsis, a book you wish really existed...
Sorry this is so similar to Bart's challenge but there is a little bit of a different twist so I hope you have fun.

Read-a-Thon Hour 6

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:08:00 +0000

I love book cover challenges, they are tough but fun!
I have read 71 pages of Joy School. So far so good.
My mini-challenge is coming up at the top of the next hour (similar to Bart's).
I plan to read for another couple of hours then start my cheerleading, I am anxious to visit and socialize!

Read-a-Thon Hour 5

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:53:00 +0000

A bad start to the day. I had to finish an obligation this morning so I got a late start. Then the confusion with my mini-challenge and other issues. I only hope the day gets better. I am settled in and reading a book I picked up from the library yesterday (Joy School by Elizabeth Berg).. so much for my read-a-thon pile, lol.
Also, Hannah and I figured out the Challenge problem and I will be posting it, in about an hour.

Princess Bookie's Read-a-Thon Giveaway

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:04:00 +0000

Don't miss out on Cindy's fantastic giveaway for the Read-a-Thon! Books galore!!! Just visit her blog at Princess Bookie and the link to the contest info is HERE.

An example of what is up for grabs:
4 ARCS
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Voices Of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
I would love to win these because I haven't heard about any of them but I am suffering from cover art lust! Beautiful!

So all you read-a-thoner's be sure to drop in and check it out for yourself.

Friday Finds 10/23/09- Library Sale

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:26:00 +0000

I am tired and this post is late, late. I volunteered to work the library sale this year and today was spent just bringing books up from the basement and setting up. I was the only volunteer to show up so my old bones ache. As whiny as that sounds, I'm actually happy to do it. I love working at my library. Plus the perks are great. I was able to pick out the books I wanted ahead of time! I tried not to go crazy, believe me this list is nothing compared to other years when I brought home boxes of books. But then the sale isn't over yet...let's see what I come up with next Friday.
(BTW, I think I may already own or have read a couple of these now that I've had a chance to really look them over- it happens every time!)

The books I "found" today:

Ship Fever: Stories by Andrea Barrett
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky
The Ultimatum by Nancy Moser
Bellwether by Connie Willis
The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama
Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins
Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
Gabriel's Angel by Nora Roberts
Far Horizons edited by Robert Silverberg
Love Walked In by Maris De Los Santos
Enter Sandman by Stephanie Williams
Bitten Smitten by Michelle Rowen
On Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Morning Light by Catherine Anderson

What's On Your Read-A-Thon Pile

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:51:00 +0000

I signed up as a cheerleader this time because my son is supposed to be coming in from school. However I still want to do some reading (I still may sign up as a reader just in case!) so I decided to come up with a small stack of books and I made sure to include some short story collections because sometimes they are easier to read in short bursts. I don't expect to finish the whole stack, I just wanted a good selection. And frankly if these bore me Saturday then I may just move on to something else. But for now my list includes:

A Tender Distance
Bless Your Heart Tramp
Wide Sargasso Sea
The Gone Away World
Say You're One Of Them
Poe's Children

Love This

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0000

I clicked on www.levi.com/goforth hoping it led to more of the commercial but actually was surprised that it linked to a contest to win $100,000. Not so interested in participating but I still love the commercial so here it is again along with all of the Walt Whitman poem "Pioneers! O Pioneers!

Pioneers! O Pioneers!
BY
Walt Whitman

Come my tan-faced children,
Follow well in order, get your weapons ready,
Have you your pistols? have you your sharp-edged axes?
Pioneers! O pioneers!

For we cannot tarry here,
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger,
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O you youths, Western youths,
So impatient, full of action, full of manly pride and friendship,
Plain I see you Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Have the elder races halted?
Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied over there beyond the seas?
We take up the task eternal, and the burden and the lesson,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

All the past we leave behind,
We debouch upon a newer mightier world, varied world,
Fresh and strong the world we seize, world of labor and the march,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

We detachments steady throwing,
Down the edges, through the passes, up the mountains steep,
Conquering, holding, daring, venturing as we go the unknown ways,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

We primeval forests felling,
We the rivers stemming, vexing we and piercing deep the mines within,
We the surface broad surveying, we the virgin soil upheaving,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Colorado men are we,
From the peaks gigantic, from the great sierras and the high plateaus,
From the mine and from the gully, from the hunting trail we come,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

From Nebraska, from Arkansas,
Central inland race are we, from Missouri, with the continental
blood intervein'd,
All the hands of comrades clasping, all the Southern, all the Northern,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O resistless restless race!
O beloved race in all! O my breast aches with tender love for all!
O I mourn and yet exult, I am rapt with love for all,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Raise the mighty mother mistress,
Waving high the delicate mistress, over all the starry mistress,
(bend your heads all,)
Raise the fang'd and warlike mistress, stern, impassive, weapon'd mistress,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

See my children, resolute children,
By those swarms upon our rear we must never yield or falter,
Ages back in ghostly millions frowning there behind us urging,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

On and on the compact ranks,
With accessions ever waiting, with the places of the dead quickly fill'd,
Through the battle, through defeat, moving yet and never stopping,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O to die advancing on!
Are there some of us to droop and die? has the hour come?
Then upon the march we fittest die, soon and sure the gap is fill'd.
Pioneers! O pioneers!

All the pulses of the world,
Falling in they beat for us, with the Western movement beat,
Holding single or together, steady moving to the front, all for us,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Life's involv'd and varied pageants,
All the forms and shows, all the workmen at their work,
All the seamen and the landsmen, all the masters with their slaves,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

All the hapless silent lovers,
All the prisoners in the prisons, all the righteous and the wicked,
All the joyous, all the sorrowing, all the living, all the dying,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

I too with my soul and body,
We, a curious trio, picking, wandering on our way,
Through these shores amid the shadows, with the apparitions pressing,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Lo, the darting bowling orb!
Lo, the brother orbs around, all the clustering suns and planets,
All the dazzling days, all the mystic nights with dreams,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

These are of us, they are with us,
All for primal needed work, while the followers there in embryo wait behind,
We to-day's procession heading, we the route for travel clearing,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O you daughters of the West!
O you young and elder daughters! O you mothers and you wives!
Never must you be divided, in our ranks you move united,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Minstrels latent on the prairies!
(Shrouded bards of other lands, you may rest, you have done your work,)
Soon I hear you coming warbling, soon you rise and tramp amid us,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Not for delectations sweet,
Not the cushion and the slipper, not the peaceful and the studious,
Not the riches safe and palling, not for us the tame enjoyment,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Do the feasters gluttonous feast?
Do the corpulent sleepers sleep? have they lock'd and bolted doors?
Still be ours the diet hard, and the blanket on the ground,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Has the night descended?
Was the road of late so toilsome? did we stop discouraged nodding
on our way?
Yet a passing hour I yield you in your tracks to pause oblivious,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Till with sound of trumpet,
Far, far off the daybreak call--hark! how loud and clear I hear it wind,
Swift! to the head of the army!--swift! spring to your places,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

What Are You Reading Monday

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:18:00 +0000

I am still trying to work my way through The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I usually speed read through his books but with this one I am struggling so hard to stay interested. Normally I would have just given up but I don't know if it is just something wrong with me (I've have difficulties with my attention span this year, I've mentioned it before) or if it is actually the book. I have read other reviews where people said they enjoyed it so I'm going to assume it is me and keep plugging away. It's due back at the library in two days so I hope I can finish it by the deadline.

A book I have to read this week for my book club is When Madeline Was Young by Jane Hamilton. I'm a fan of Jane Hamilton's writing so I have been looking forward to reading this book. I would have read it a while ago, and probably should have, but I knew it was going to be a book club selection eventually so I put it off. The premise is really intriguing to me.
"When Aaron Maciver's beautiful young wife, Madeline, suffers brain damage in a bike accident, she is left with the intellectual powers of a seven-year-old. In the years that follow, Aaron and his second wife care for Madeline with deep tenderness and devotion as they raise two children of their own.(publishers synopsis)"

Mailbox Monday 10/19/09

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:03:00 +0000

Breaking the Bank by Yona Zeldis McDonough
Publisher Comments from Powells:
MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING
Mia Saul is down on her luck. Dumped by her husband, jettisoned from her job, and estranged from her adored older brother, she and her young daughter, Eden, have had to make a downscale move to a crummy apartment, where their neighbors include a tough young drug dealer and a widower who lets his dogs use the hallways as their own personal litter box. Juggling a series of temporary jobs, wrangling with her ex-husband over child support, and trying to keep pace with Eden's increasingly erratic behavior have left Mia weary and worn out.
EXCEPT WHEN IT IS
So when a seemingly functional ATM starts handing Mia thousands and thousands of dollars — and not deducting the money from her account, because it sure isn't in there — she isn't about to give it back. Her newfound cash stash opens up a world of opportunity, and a whole lot of trouble. Worried friends, family, and in-laws start questioning her judgment about everything, and the cops really, really want to know where all that cash is coming from. And then there's Patrick, a man Mia most definitely would never have met if things hadn't spun out of control. Mia is beginning to think that maybe somebody, somewhere, is trying to teach her a lesson about what matters in life, and what doesn't....

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
Publisher Comments from Powells:
A raw, edgy, emotional novel about growing up punk and living to tell.

The Clash. Social Distortion. Dead Kennedys. Patti Smith. The Ramones.

Punk rock is in Emily Black's blood. Her mother, Louisa, hit the road to follow the incendiary music scene when Emily was four months old and never came back. Now Emily's all grown up with a punk band of her own, determined to find the tune that will bring her mother home. Because if Louisa really is following the music, shouldn't it lead her right back to Emily?

Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts by Cici McNair (thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page
Publisher Comments from Powells:
Growing up in Mississippi, Cici McNair was always more the tomboy her mother supported than the Southern belle her father demanded. She escaped her suffocating upbringing the first chance she had to travel the world. Whether working at the Vatican in Rome or consorting with a gunrunner in Haiti, she lived a life of international adventure. When Cici finds herself in New York, divorced, broke, and fashionably starving to death in a Madison Avenue apartment, she impulsively decides to become a private detective.
But, as Cici soon learns, the world of P.I.s is tight-knit and made up almost exclusively of former law enforcement officers. By nature, they are a highly suspicious group and are especially wary of a newcomer with an untraceable past. Diligently working her way through the Yellow Pages, doggedly pursuing the slightest lead, Cici is finally hired by a private investigator willing to take a chance. The next day she's working side by side with a pair of seasoned detectives and a skip tracer who is scary to meet but like silk on the phone. She quickly realizes she'll need all her energy and wits to succeed in this new world.
Being a private investigator is as exciting and liberating as Cici ever dreamed, from creating a false identity on the spot on her first case in the field to surviving adrenaline-rushing car chases. Working with law enforcement, she goes undercover, dealing with the ruthless Born to Kill gang in Chinatown and the Middle Eastern counterfeiters west of Broadway. A detailed account of the hidden world and real-life cases of a P.I., this action-packed memoir is as entertaining as any detective novel you've ever read.

The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser
Publisher Comments from Powells:
Tom Loxley, an Indian-Australian professor, is less concerned with finishing his book on Henry James than with finding his dog, who is lost in the Australian bush.
Joining his daily hunt is Nelly Zhang, an artist whose husband disappeared mysteriously years before Tom met her. Although Nelly helps him search for his beloved pet, Tom isn't sure if he should trust this new friend.
Tom has preoccupations other than his book and Nelly and his missing dog, mainly concerning his mother, who is suffering from the various indignities of old age. He is constantly drawn from the cerebral to the primitive--by his mother's infirmities, as well as by Nelly's attractions. THE LOST DOG makes brilliant use of the conventions of suspense and atmosphere while leading us to see anew the ever-present conflicts between our bodies and our minds, the present and the past, the primal and the civilized.

Great YA Halloween Giveaway

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Faye at Ramblings Of A Teenage Bookworm is hosting a great giveaway for Halloween. Your choice of 4 books from a great selection:

The Mark by Jen Nadol(ARC)
The Den of Shadows Quartet by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes(PB)
Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger (PB)
Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis(HB)
Shiver By Maggie Stiefvater(HB)
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater(PB)
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick(HB)
Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe(HB)
The Hollow by Jessica Verday(HB)
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters(PB)
Never Slow Dance with a Zombie by E Van Lowe (PB)
You are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay(ARC)
Intertwined By Gena Showalter(HB)
Devoured by Amanda Marrone(PB)
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink(HB)
Reign or Shine (Demon Princess, #1) by Michelle Rowen(PB)

This is one I don't want to miss out on. If you spotted a ton of books that sound good to you (like all of them!) then the link to enter is Here.

Friday Finds 10/16/09

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:01:00 +0000

Today's list of books are a mix of those that I have spotted on blogs and also from a couple other sources that I had to add to my wish list or buy when I found a copy.

Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same by Mattox Roesch - Spotted on caribousmom.
From Publishers Weekly:
Roesch's offbeat debut is set in Unalakleet, Alaska, population 700, a destination that seems like the end of the world for teenage L.A. gang member Cesar Stone, uprooted by his mother after his older brother catches a murder conviction and a life sentence. Navigating without his brother or father, Cesar dwells on regrets while attempting to find himself in the refuge of his mom's native Alaska. Aggrieved at leaving L.A., but also relieved to be free from the gang's demands, Cesar bonds with his older cousin Go-boy, a Native with an optimistic outlook that belies personal tragedies. Go-boy bets a homemade tattoo of Eskimo Jesus that Cesar will stay in Alaska for a year, where he believes Cesar truly belongs. After becoming accustomed to Go-Boy's peculiar dependability, Cesar begins to see troubling changes in his cousin; as he charts Go-boy's drift, he begins to see himself changing as well. Roesch's compelling story, exotic setting and eccentric characters make this coming-of-age tale a fresh, welcome read.

Because I lived in Alaska so many years I have a love of Alaskan Regional Lit. that is just as strong as my love for Appalachian Regional Lit.

Lit by Mary Karr- spotted on BookPage
Product Description from Amazon:
The Liars' Club brought to vivid, indelible life Mary Karr's hardscrabble Texas childhood. Cherry, her account of her adolescence, "continued to set the literary standard for making the personal universal" (Entertainment Weekly). Now Lit follows the self-professed blackbelt sinner's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness—and to her astonishing resurrection.
Karr's longing for a solid family seems secure when her marriage to a handsome, Shakespeare-quoting blueblood poet produces a son they adore. But she can't outrun her apocalyptic past. She drinks herself into the same numbness that nearly devoured her charismatic but troubled mother, reaching the brink of suicide. A hair-raising stint in "The Mental Marriott," with an oddball tribe of gurus and saviors, awakens her to the possibility of joy and leads her to an unlikely faith. Not since Saint Augustine cried, "Give me chastity, Lord—but not yet!" has a conversion story rung with such dark hilarity.
Lit is about getting drunk and getting sober; becoming a mother by letting go of a mother; learning to write by learning to live. Written with Karr's relentless honesty, unflinching self-scrutiny, and irreverent, lacerating humor, it is a truly electrifying story of how to grow up—as only Mary Karr can tell it.

I loved, loved The Liar's Club (even better than the more well known memoir The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls). I can't wait to read this!

Let Slip the Dogs of Love by Eugene Kachmarsky- spotted on Dan's Journal
Product Description from Amazon:
In an urban legend style of storytelling flavored with magical realism, Let Slip the Dogs of Love blends together a thought-provoking collage of mesmeric short stories. It grips your full attention by flinging open, widely, a few infinite portals of perception. It brings an awareness to consider why we feel the things we do. This tapestry of stories reveals the sublime, ridiculous, triumphant and tragic ways in which ordinary people deal with the often extraordinary consequences of their choices and actions. With a rapidly and frequently changing pace and rhythm, taking gentle curves and sudden, unexpected hairpin-turns at full centripetal force, these ironic and karmic accounts tell tales of love, crime, poverty, tragedy, greed and evil in a thoughtful, sometimes playfully humorous, youthful voice. Delve with wonder into the depths that lie beneath the surface of all things in a quiet, sleepy metropolitan suburb.

I enjoy a good short story collection and I am also a fan of magical-realism when it's written well. Dan gave the collection a really good review (the link above is directly to his review) so it's one I don't want to miss.

Maigret Bides His Time by Georges Simenon -recommended by member of my book club.
From AudioFile:
Chief Inspector Maigret has been powerless to crack the bewildering "daylight" jewelry heist cases happening in Paris for more than twenty years. Clifford Norgate's mastery at capturing Maigret, his associates, and the contemptuous suspects encountered throughout the story is outstanding. His impeccable dialects provide authenticity to this absorbing mystery. As he escorts the listener through interrogations, grisly discoveries, and Maigret's thought processes, the city of Paris and the characters spring to life with every word.

As I stated, a friend from by book club turned me on this this great detective series. They are translated from the original French and the first in this series was published in 1932 (called The Crime of Inspector Maigret or Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets) and so I pick up any of this series I am lucky enough to run across. I usually don't like to read out of order but with this series I didn't have much of a choice and they are so good that it doesn't really matter.

Mailbox Monday 10/12/09

waitmantwillie@hotmail.com (Icedream) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:28:00 +0000

I have a lot to catch up on:

Houri by Mehrdad Balali
A Tender Distance: Raising My Son's In Alaska by Kaylene Johnson- From LT Early Review

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
The Everafter by Amy Huntley
Shiver by Maggie's Stiefvater
Girls Acting Catty by Leslie Margolis
Hate List by Jennifer Brown-- all thanks to Cindy at Princess Bookie

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway- thanks to Jill at Fizzy Thoughts