Saturday, August 31, 2019

Saturday Snapshot: Carroll Creek Linear Park - Frederick, MD

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at A Web of Stories (same host as always but with a new blog - check it out!). And I am also participating now in the #WeekendWanderlust Travel Blog Party.

Last weekend, my husband and I finally managed our long-awaited (and much postponed) mini 24-hour getaway. We probably should have postponed again because my bronchitis was worse by Sunday morning, but we still enjoying getting away and exploring a beautiful town, Frederick, MD. Though we have driven through Frederick on our way to Shenandoah National Park many times, we'd never seen more than a favorite diner in the suburbs, just off the interstate. So, we were shocked to discover that Frederick has a gorgeous and thriving historic downtown area, with tree-lined streets filled with unique shops, fabulous restaurants (we ate some amazing food!), historic sites, and even live music out on the street. We thoroughly enjoyed our brief visit and definitely want to go back.

Frederick is also home to plenty of parkland, and before leaving Sunday, we took a nice walk along Carroll Creek Linear Park, a beautiful brick-pathed walkway along the water that runs right through town. You can read more about its history at the link - it actually started as a flood control project in the 1970's! - but here are some photo highlights of the unique beauty of this park, filled with outdoor art, waterfalls and fountains, and an amazing water lily garden throughout the creek. We definitely want to go back to explore the rest of this unique city!

(click photos to enlarge)

One of the waterfall features along the park

Selfie in front of the water lilies

This water lily looks kind of Seussian!

Purple water lilies

Classic pink water lilies - we see this type often when kayaking

Tall water lilies and another waterfall
A sculpture along the water

Water lily-filled creek, bordered by brick path, with clouds reflected in the water

More outdoor artwork on one of the lovely bridges

Water lily close-up

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/weekendwanderlust/ 

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

TV Tuesday: In the Dark

Serendipity worked in our favor recently. We've had a dearth of summer TV this year, and we finished several shows we were enjoying on streaming services. A show we'd never heard of popped up on Netflix right when we were in the mood to try something new - In the Dark - and it turned out to be a real winner! This mystery/thriller about a blind woman with a serious attitude problem is suspenseful and compelling but also funny - a perfect combination for us!
Murphy, played by Perry Mattfeld, is a blind woman with a serious chip on her shoulder. She was an unwanted foster child for many years, finally adopted by loving parents, Joy, played by Kathleen York, and Hank, played by Derek Webster. They love her dearly, in spite of her prickliness, though they are over-protective even now, when she is a grown woman. They opened up a business training service dogs, where Murphy is employed, though she doesn't do much there or take the job seriously. She is, though, beginning to bond with her own service dog, Pretzel, even if she doesn't like to show that affection openly. Murphy has only opened up to two people and allowed them to get close. One is her roommate, Jess, played by Brooke Markham, who works as the veterinarian at the dog training school. The other is an unlikely friend, Tyson, played by Thamela Mpumlwana, a teenaged black boy who works in the alley near her apartment building selling drugs for his older cousin, Darnell, played by Keston John. Murphy has a habit of smoking cigarettes in that alley and, against all odds, she and Tyson starting talking one day and became good friends. She also has a habit of getting drunk in a local bar, and one night, heading home from the bar, she stops for a cigarette in the alley and stumbles over Tyson's prone body. She kneels down and feels his face and is certain he is dead. By the time the police are called to the scene, though, Tyson's body is no longer in the alley, and all they have is the word of a drunk, blind woman. Despite their insistence that there is no evidence of a crime and Tyson probably just ran away, Murphy begins hounding the lead detective, Dean (or That Cop as he is labelled in Murphy's phone), played by Rich Sommer, one of our favorite supporting actors from Mad Men and GLOW. Murphy continues to do her own investigating of the crime, as the police mostly ignore it and the tension and danger grow.

There is so much depth to this show that it's difficult to write a brief synopsis. Yes, it's a mystery/thriller about what happened to Tyson, but the show is also very much about Murphy's unique character and her relationships. During the course of the first season, she develops her first-ever dating relationship (she's generally more into angry, anonymous sex with strangers) and shows a softer, kinder side when she meets Detective Dean's teen daughter who is newly deaf. Viewers also learn more about her friendship with Tyson and what else was going on in his life before this incident. Add to that, drug dealers, criminals, real danger, and a complex mystery, and you have a first-rate show. The acting is excellent all-around, though Mattfeld as Murphy is outstanding, playing her complex character perfectly. Finally, despite the serious subject matter and depth of emotion, this show is also really funny at times! Several shows we have watched this summer were just unrelentingly dark, but we love when a show can combine humor (perhaps dark humor!) with the suspense and action - it just makes it so much more entertaining.

So far, we have watched seven episodes of the thirteen episodes in season one, and I was excited to see that a season two is planned as well! A CW show, episodes 9 through 13 are currently available at the CW website. The entire first season is available on Netflix, and it is also available on Amazon for $1.99 an episode or $14.99 for the first season. Season 2 is planned to run on the CW sometime in 2020 - no release date has been announced yet. We are really enjoying season 1 and can't wait for more.

In this brief trailer, you get a good idea of Murphy's prickly personality (to put it mildly!), her special friendship with Tyson, and both the suspense and the humor of the show.

Monday, August 26, 2019

It's Monday 8/26! What Are You Reading?

What a week! Lots of unexpected ups & downs. My sons were away with their grandparents last week, so it was supposed to be my quiet, productive writing week, but I caught my father-in-law's respiratory virus and bronchitis. Just mild symptoms the first few days but then it hit me HARD, as is typical with my immune disorder. I was mostly incapacitated Thursday and Friday, when we also got the news that my husband's first cousin died. He had late-stage Parkinson's, so we knew this was coming, but he is the second cousin (the other was this guy's brother) that my husband lost in the past few months, leaving him with almost no family members left. We scrambled to try to make travel plans for this weekend, but last-minute flights - and on a holiday weekend - were outrageously expensive. We finally had to admit defeat (we even considered driving, which would have been kind of crazy - about seven days of driving round-trip for less than a day at the funeral), and booked just my husband on the cheapest flights we could find (thank you, Southwest!).

We had plans to go away for the weekend to Frederick, MD - plans we'd postponed LAST weekend when my FIL got sick - and by Saturday morning, I was feeling a bit better, so we went. It was just a little 24-hour getaway about two hours away, but we probably should have stayed home so I could rest. We DID enjoy it and discovered an amazing town we'd driven through before but never explored, but by Sunday, I was much worse again. Guess I should have been reading on the couch instead of walking all over town! So, we enjoyed it, ate some outstanding meals, and loved the town, but I paid for it. Today, I am back on the couch, awkwardly typing while lying down.

My husband and I in beautiful Carrol's Creek Linear Park - Frederick, MD
The upside of sick days is...lots of reading time! Having to set aside my laptop and lie on the couch isn't so bad when I can pick up a good book. And I have been reading some great ones! Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

I finished my 9th Big Book Summer book, the fast-paced, post-apocalyptic thriller, The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin (review at the link), which is the third and final book in the trilogy that began with The Passage and The Twelve, about a government experiment gone wrong and a really nasty virus that turns people into vampire-like (but not exactly vampires) "virals." I love this series, as do my husband and son (my husband already finished it, and my son, like me, finished the first two). I loved this novel, even more than the second one! It was engrossing and compelling, and it's so much fun to get completely absorbed in a novel like this! I read its 600 pages in record time and loved every minute of it. It was a very satisfying ending to a favorite series.


I am now reading a book which will be my transition book from Big Book Summer to my dark & creepy fall reading for RIP Challenge: The Likeness by Tana French. This is the second book in her popular Dublin Murder Squad series. I read the first one, In the Woods, way back in 2013 (review at the link) - I don't know why I waited so long to get to book 2 because her writing is just so good! She has a special talent for writing intricate mysteries/thrillers filled with surprising twists that are also beautifully written (see a sample in my review at the link). This one has a super intriguing premise: a young woman shows up dead in the first pages, and she looks exactly like Cassie, one of the main detectives in the series, AND she is using an ID that Cassie used years ago in an undercover assignment, an identity that was completely made-up by Cassie and her boss. Creepy set-up, right? But it gets even better as they quickly decide that the only way to solve the case is for Cassie to go undercover again...as the woman who was using her old fake identity! Totally twisty and so far, completely engrossing.

I am still listening to my last Big Book on audio, The Desert Sky Before Us by Anne Valente. I received an ARC of this book for possible review in the spring, and I was interested in it but didn't have the time to fit it in, so I was glad to also get the audio for review this summer. It's the story of two very different sisters who take a road trip, arranged by their mother before her death, to travel from Illinois to Utah, where they have permission to have a second funeral at a dig site. Their mother was a paleontologist, one sister is a former race car driver, and the other one just got out of prison for arson. The reader knows from the start that both sisters have secrets, though I suspect that more secrets will be revealed. I was most enticed by the road trip aspect of this novel, and it is even better than I hoped so far, with the women following a kind of geocaching scavenger hunt their mother left for them. Interesting and with plenty of emotional depth, too.


My husband, Ken, is also reading his last Big Book of the summer, though he's not sure if he'll finish this one by Labor Day next week. He's reading Creole Belle by James Lee Burke, a prolific and well-loved novelist that neither of us has ever read before. I bought this one for him for Father's Day at Northshire Bookstore during Booktopia because I was looking for a new thriller series he might enjoy. The series features Detective Dave Robicheaux on the Gulf Coast and from what I read, it sort of combines elements of westerns and thrillers. There are more than 20 books in this series, but I chose this one because it was recommended by the booksellers and it is set in New Orleans, where we used to live. We always enjoy reading books set in our favorite city, and my husband also lived in the Houston area for almost ten years, so I think he'll really like the Gulf Coast setting. He seems to be enjoying it so far.

Our 24-year old son, Jamie, is enjoying Death's Merchant, book one in the Common Among Gods series by Justan Henner. He says it's a really original story about gods and humans, but not the familiar Greek or Roman gods. I see it's been described as an "epic fantasy" and "1200-page doorstopper full of captivating characters and humor." Yup, that sounds right up his alley! I can tell he's enjoying it because he's been reading a lot. He probably didn't have much reading time out on the boat with his younger cousins last week, but I'm sure he fit in a little bit!




Blog posts from last week: 
Movie Monday: Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood - my son and I both loved this original, fun movie that overlaps the Golden Age of Hollywood with the reign of Charles Manson

TV Tuesday: The Widow - a fast-paced thriller set in central Africa

Fiction Review: The City of Mirrors - an exciting and satisfying end to The Passage trilogy

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?


Just one week left (until September 2), so if you've been participating in the Big Book Summer Challenge, finish up your Big Books and post reviews and/or in the Goodreads group. All the details, including the review links list and the link to the Goodreads group are on the Big Book Summer Challenge page.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Fiction Review: The City of Mirrors

I just finished my 8th (I think?) Big Book Summer book, The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin, which is the third and final book in the trilogy that began with The Passage and The Twelve. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, twisty post-apocalyptic thriller and read its 600 pages in record time, staying up too late every night reading with my headlamp! I liked it even better than book 2, and it was a satisfying conclusion to an excellent trilogy.

The Passage trilogy is about a government experiment gone wrong and a really nasty virus that turns people into vampire-like (but not exactly vampires) "virals." The first book (review at the link) is mostly about everything leading up to the apocalypse: where the virus came from, how it became used for nefarious purposes, what exactly happens to people when they turn into virals, etc. It then jumps forward 90 years after the virus is released into the general population, well into the post-apocalyptic world. Book 2, The Twelve (review at the link- no spoilers), goes back and forth between what happened after the virals first got out and where the first book ended, 100 years later, with small populations of humans left scattered around the U.S. Book 3, The City of Mirrors, begins just a few years after book 2 ended and is focused mainly on a group of survivors who have built a community in Kerrville, TX. Some sections also flashback to Patient Zero, Dr. Timothy Fanning, before he was infected with the virus. For the first time, we see Dr. Fanning as multi-dimensional, from his childhood to his escape to Harvard to the great love of his life, instead of just as a grotesque and evil creature. The narrative moves back and forth between Dr. Fanning's past and the Kerrville group's present, 100 years after the outbreak. They are living a peaceful existence by then, though there are small signs and odd premonitions in a few characters that foreshadow an end to that long-fought-for peace. Eventually, the story moves back and forth between Kerrville three years later and Zero, at the same time, waiting in New York City. But waiting for what, exactly?

As I explained in my review of The Twelve, I found that novel to be a bit convoluted and confusing, though I still enjoyed it and found it engaging. To prevent that same problem (and since it's been 6 years since I read book 2!), I read a detailed synopsis online before I started book 3 and this time, I knew to look for a list if characters at the back. But I also think Cronin did a better job of both updating readers on what happened earlier (in a way that is neatly tied up with the ending of the book, too) and of keeping the focus on a smaller cast of characters this time. The effect was that I was instantly pulled into the action of this third novel and had trouble setting it down for the next 600 pages! As with the earlier books, this novel is fast-paced, action-packed, and filled with suspense. The author has perfectly combined elements of thriller, post-apocalyptic survival fiction, paranormal fantasy, and just plain character-driven drama. I have always loved the way this trilogy creates in-depth characters that you come to care for - in this case, I even had some empathy for the bad guy! Most of all, this well-written, engrossing story is filled with surprises around every corner that often had me gasping or talking out loud to my book (and my husband laughing at me!). It was a very satisfying ending to a unique and compelling series. My husband and son also love this trilogy (my son is next in line for book 3!).

598 pages, Ballantine Books

NOTE: We were excited to see season 2 of The Passage TV show (which we also loved), but I just read it was cancelled - no season 2! Since it was our favorite show last winter, this is a huge disappointment, and I can only hope that a streaming service picks it up and decides to continue it. Season 1 is well worth watching (still available on FOX website and on Amazon - links provided to both in the review linked above).


Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.



Listen to a sample of the audio production of The City of Mirrors. I read all three books in print, but the audio sounds excellent and engaging.
 
You can purchase The City of Mirrors from an independent bookstore, either locally or online, here:
Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

Or you can order The City of Mirrors from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

TV Tuesday: The Widow

Adrift without any of our favorite On Demand shows on network or cable this summer, my husband and I have been trying out some new shows on streaming (we have Netflix and Amazon Prime). I recently wrote here about Hanna, which we both loved, so we decided to try another new show on Amazon, The Widow, a fast-paced thriller that we both enjoyed.

Kate Beckinsale plays Georgia, a widow living a solitary life in a remote corner of Wales and still clearly grieving over her husband's presumed death three years earlier in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), when a plane crashed and everyone on board was killed. She sees a news story about a riot from DRC on television, and becomes certain she spotted Will, her husband, on the streets. She flies to DRC herself and connects with one of Will's old colleagues, Judith (played by Alex Kingston, one of our old favorites from the days of ER), in the aid organization where he used to work. She also contacts Emmanuel, played by Jacky Ido, whose wife was also killed on that same flight; the two got to know each other in the days after the crash, while waiting for news of its victims. No one else believes that Will is still alive, but Georgia's friends offer to help her, as she follows leads through DRC and Rwanda. She quickly zeroes in on Pieter Bello, played by Bart Fouche, another person she met in the days after the crash, who seems to be somehow involved. Meanwhile, the audience sees flashbacks and present-day scenes of exactly how the plane crashed (hint: not the way it was reported) and that there was one survivor, Ariel, a man from Iceland, who kept his survival a secret because he knew too much about the crash. Georgia follows clues across central Africa, while one dangerous secret after another is revealed.

We both enjoyed this action-packed international mystery-thriller that is something of a mini-series, telling a complete story in just eight episodes. It's one of those stories that is built on a house of cards of lies, secrets, and illegal activities, so there is plenty of suspense that kept us coming back every night to find out what was going on and what really happened to Will. The acting is good, we liked the characters (except the ones we were meant to hate), and we enjoyed the unusual setting, in places we personally know little about. Some of the motivations and explanations for characters' actions seemed a little far-fetched to us, but we went with the flow. On the other hand, there is a very moving plotline about child soldiers, with an outstanding performance by a young girl, Shalom Nyandiko, that we both found very powerful and well-done. There are lots of surprises in this twisty and entertaining thriller, and we enjoyed this short series filled with adventure and suspense.

The Widow is an Amazon Prime original, so it is available only on Amazon, free with a Prime membership.


Monday, August 19, 2019

Movie Monday: Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood

My birthday gift from my son was lunch and a movie, just the two of us, so we planned a day off last week, before he starts his senior year of college and things get hectic. Since I need to nap in the afternoon, we went to a 10 am showing at a local recliner theater. It was decadent seeing a movie right after breakfast (and having popcorn in the morning)! We saw Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood, and we both loved it, in spite of our different ages and experiences. It has been called Quentin Tarantino's love letter to old Hollywood, and it is that - and a whole lot more.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Rick Dalton, an actor who has made his career mostly in westerns and other action thrillers, including as the star of a TV western called Bounty Law. Now, he is worried that the best years of his career are over and is upset when director Marvin Schwarz, played by Al Pacino, suggests he move to Italy to star in a "spaghetti western." Rick's best friend and stunt double is Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt. Their careers rise and fall together, though Rick is a well-known star, and no one knows who Cliff is, but that doesn't seem to bother the easy-going, always-grinning friend. The two hang out at Rick's house, which is next door to the home of director Roman Polanski and his wife, actress Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie. For now, Cliff is driving Rick around town, and Rick is trying to get Cliff hired as his stunt double, though Cliff's reputation gets in the way. One day while Rick is working, Cliff picks up a pretty hitchhiker named Pussycat, played by Margaret Qualley, and drives her to where she lives, at the Spahn Ranch, which had been rented out for many western movie and TV sets in the past, including Rick's Bounty Law. Since Cliff knows the place, he wants to look around and say hello to the owner, George Spahn, but the ranch is now the home of Charles Manson's "family," and they are not happy about this stranger poking around. As Rick and Cliff continue with their lives, tension builds with Manson and his family in the background.

We both loved this movie, though as my son whispered to me during the first half of it, "this isn't like the usual Tarantino movie!" He was referring to the graphic violence that Tarantino is known for in films like Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, and Django Unchained. And he's right...until the last scene in the movie, and then we said, "oh, yeah, this IS a Tarantino movie!" But for much of the film, the renowned director has recreated the Golden Age of Hollywood in a way that completely immerses you in the darkened theater (this is a great movie to see on the big screen) with the sights and sounds of 1969. Sure, he's got the cars and fashions, but he goes way beyond that, with classic Hollywood places, billboards, and neon, plus the sound background of 1969, not just in the music in the soundtrack, but in ads heard and the patter of the radio DJ playing songs barely remembered while Cliff drives around town in his car. It's all just so much fun. Of course, most of us remember what happened on August 9, 1969, and the presence of Charles Manson and his crew provide an ominous threat behind the scenes, but Tarantino has some unexpected and clever surprises in store for the audience.  And, of course, the all-star cast is just outstanding, especially DiCaprio and Pitt. Besides the actors I mentioned above in major roles, there are plenty of other big-time stars in minor roles, including Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, and Luke Perry in his last role. In addition, many Hollywood stars of the time are depicted, like Bruce Lee and Steve McQueen. The historical aspect was lost on my son (though I filled him in a bit), but we both still thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this engrossing, funny, gripping two-and-a-half hour immersive experience that left us with smiles on our face and still talking about the movie days later. Highly recommended. Oh, and be sure to hang around for the credits for a bonus scene.

Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood is currently showing in theaters. You can check for local showtimes and locations and buy tickets (go for those recliner seats!) through Fandango:




You can also pre-order Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood on streaming and DVD (both due out sometime in mid-fall) through Amazon.And don't forget that fabulous movie soundtrack, which includes both music and classic ads and is available now (you can listen to a sample of the album at that link).



It's Monday 8/19! What Are You Reading?

I know this is an unpopular opinion and makes me sound like an old grump...but I am SO glad the end of August is approaching and summer is almost over! Friends are posting on Facebook about how they never want summer to end, but I have had enough of this unbearable heat and humidity. This week, we are back in the mid-90's with the heat index back over 100. I miss my walks! I miss my outdoor time! I want to wear jeans and sweatshirts and SOCKS again! OK, I am done ranting. Just two more weeks...

Meanwhile, we had another crisis-filled week with several issues with family members and lots of rushing around and emotional stress. Our sons left on Friday for their annual week with my mom and her husband (and their cousins), sailing to Block Island, RI, aka The Grandchildren's Cruise! This is the highlight of the summer for them every year, even though they are both now in their 20's, and all crises seemed to be resolved by the time they left, so hopefully, they will have a wonderful and relaxing week. And I have five weekdays alone in the house with plenty of quiet time for writing! My husband and I did have to cancel our planned weekend getaway because his elderly father has been sick, but we managed to have some fun this weekend, having dinner with good friends and going to see The Art of Racing in the Rain, adapted from a novel that we both loved. The movie was excellent (I sobbed my eyes out), and on Sunday, we went out for breakfast and then to a local museum we'd never been to before, The Brandywine River Art Museum, which features the work of local artists, especially three generations of Wyeths. We really enjoyed it, and N.C. Wyeth's many stunning book illustrations (especially from Treasure Island, which we read with our kids) were our favorites.


So, the week ended well. One good thing about summer is my Big Book Summer Challenge, which we are all enjoying here. Here's what we've been reading:

I am still reading the fast-paced, post-apocalyptic thriller, The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin, which is the third and final book in the trilogy that began with The Passage and The Twelve, about a government experiment gone wrong and a really nasty virus that turns people into vampire-like (but not exactly vampires) "virals." I love this series, as do my husband and son (my husband already finished it, and my son, like me, finished the first two). I am LOVING this book, even more than the second one! It begins just three years after The Twelve ended, and though I learned my lesson and read a long synopsis of the last book online before I started this one, it did a decent job of reminding me how the last one ended and who everyone was (this time I knew to look for a list of characters at the back). It's engrossing and compelling, the kind of book that's making me stay up too late every night and talk out loud to the book (which my husband finds hilarious). It's so much fun to get completely absorbed in a novel like this!

On audio, I finished listening to another Big Book, Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman, a YA book based on the real-life lives of Vincent Van Gogh and his beloved younger brother, Theo. This was a freebie from SYNC this summer. I have heard great things about this book, but I enjoyed it even more than I expected to. It's a fascinating biography of Van Gogh, but it is also an in-depth look at his family and his childhood and of the time (Europe in the 1860's-90's). It's so interesting to hear how his artistic talent and career began but also how his mental illness began to show small signs even from childhood. References to particular paintings as his artistic talent grows kept sending me to my laptop to look at them, though once I realized there were drawings in the print version, I requested it from my library and pored over it - some books just demand both audio and print! The book is based on over 600 letters between the brothers and between them and other members of the family. I was so inspired that I used a birthday gift card to buy myself some Starry Night sneakers this week.


Now, I have moved onto one last Big Book on audio, The Desert Sky Before Us by Anne Valente. I received an ARC of this book for possible review in the spring, and I was interested in it but didn't have the time to fit it in, so I was glad to also get the audio for review this summer. It's the story of two very different sisters who take a road trip, arranged by their mother before her death, to travel from Illinois to Utah, where they have permission to have a second funeral. Their mother was a paleontologist, one sister is a former race car driver, and the other one just got out of prison for arson. The reader knows from the start that both sisters have secrets, though I suspect that more secrets will be revealed. I was most enticed by the road trip aspect of this novel, and it is even better than I hoped so far.

My husband, Ken, decided to read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein before we went to see the movie. I read this wonderful novel back in 2009, about a year after its release and absolutely loved it. I didn't remember all the plot points (until we saw the movie Saturday), but I remembered laughing and crying and writing down quotes - all signs of a great book for me. It's narrated by a dog named Enzo (not usually my thing, but this is an outstanding book - see my review at the link) whose owner, Denny, is a race car driver. My husband also enjoyed it very much last week, and he finished it on Friday so that we could see the movie this weekend. The movie was also excellent (more laughter and more tears!), and our two friends who had not read the book enjoyed it, too. Movie review coming next Monday here.

Now, Ken has turned his attention back to Big Books, though he's not sure if he'll finish this one by Labor Day in two weeks. He's reading Creole Belle by James Lee Burke, a prolific and well-loved novelist that neither of us has ever read before. I bought this one for him for Father's Day at Northshire Bookstore during Booktopia because I was looking for a new thriller series he might enjoy. The series features Detective Dave Robicheaux on the Gulf Coast and from what I read, it sort of combines elements of westerns and thrillers. There are more than 20 books in this series, but I chose this one because it was recommended by the booksellers and it is set in New Orleans, where we used to live. We always enjoy reading books set in our favorite city, and my husband also lived in the Houston area for almost ten years, so I think he'll really like the Gulf Coast setting.

Our 24-year old son, Jamie, is enjoying Death's Merchant, book one in the Common Among Gods series by Justan Henner. He says it's a really original story about gods and humans, but not the familiar Greek or Roman gods. I see it's been described as an "epic fantasy" and "1200-page doorstopper full of captivating characters and humor." Yup, that sounds right up his alley! I can tell he's enjoying it because he's been reading a lot. He won't have a lot of reading time out on the boat with his younger cousins this week, but I'm sure he'll fit in a little bit!




Blog posts from last week:
Fiction Review: Three New Novels - a catch-up post with reviews I wrote for Shelf Awareness of three new novels that I enjoyed.

Teen/YA Review: Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman - wonderful biography of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother.

Saturday Snapshot: Still Hot, Hot, Hot! - photos from our local nature center in full summer lushness.

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?

Just two weeks left (until September 2), so if you've been participating in the Big Book Summer Challenge, finish up your Big Books and post reviews and/or in the Goodreads group. If you haven't signed up yet but want to join the fun, there is still plenty of time to fit in a Big Book before summer ends, especially a 400-500 pager. All the details, including the link to the Goodreads group are on the Big Book Summer Challenge page.


Saturday, August 17, 2019

Saturday Snapshot: Still Hot, Hot, Hot!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at A Web of Stories (same host as always but with a new blog - check it out!).

After our lovely, cool camping trip to Rickett's Glen State Park a few weeks ago, I was determined to keep enjoying the outdoors at home, in spite of continued heat and humidity. I'm trying, but it is still so uncomfortable here! One day last week, I left the house right after breakfast for a short hike at our local nature center "before it got too hot." It was already jungle-like outside, with unbearable heat and humidity plus loads of tiny, biting gnats in the air, so I can't say it was a very enjoyable hike...but it was still beautiful! Everything is green and lush. Here are a few highlights from our lovely Ashland Nature Center in Delaware, in hot August:

Stairs to the start of the trail

Flowers in full bloom in the butterfly garden

Path through the lush greenness
Boardwalk is overgrown now but we used to look for tadpoles here when kids were small!

One of Delaware's two covered bridges

Boardwalk through the trees

Hope you are enjoying the weekend and staying cool! (we plan to hit the movie theater later today)

Friday, August 16, 2019

Teen/YA Review: Vincent and Theo

I want everyone to read this marvelous, award-winning book and feel that my post title is misleading because although this fascinating history about the lives of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother is written and published as a YA book, it will appeal widely to adults as well. To be clear, I am not much of an art enthusiast and really know very little about art, though I can recognize a few of Van Gogh's best-known paintings and like them. But I kept hearing great things about Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman, so I downloaded a free audio from SYNC this summer. I loved every minute of this engrossing audio book, and when I realized the print edition has drawings and paintings in it, I got a copy from my local library and pored over that as well.

Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853 to parents Anna and Dorus. Younger brother Theo came into his life four years later, followed by other brothers and sisters, but Vincent always had a special bond with Theo. The two brothers would take long walks outdoors as children and as they grew, had long talks about their lives and their futures. Though Vincent's path in life was a windy, oft-changing one, Theo started working in the art world when he was still a teenager, working for galleries first in the Netherlands and later in Paris, in the heart of the art scene. Meanwhile, Vincent moved around Europe, working as a teacher, wanting to be a minister, and only gradually focusing on the drawing and painting he had done since childhood, carefully and slowly honing his craft through lessons, mentorships, and lots and lots of practice. Eventually, Vincent and Theo lived together in Paris, as Vincent's talent grew and, more slowly, his reputation built. Of course, his mental illness (he is thought to have probably had bipolar disorder) also grew during those years, though he fought hard against the "melancholia" that sometimes gripped him and recognized the importance of sunlight and nature in his life. Even when they were living in separate cities, Vincent and Theo stayed connected through constant, often daily letters. Theo was not only close to Vincent personally but worked hard to promote his work in the art world. The dedication in this book reads, "The world would not have Vincent without Theo."

This engaging, fascinating story of two brothers who cared so deeply for each other (in spite of not always agreeing) is told beautifully. The author based the book on more than 650 letters between the brothers and between them and other friends and family, and she uses their own words to bring their lives to life on the page. The book is framed as a series of Galleries, each representing a certain phase in their lives (and in Vincent's art, too), and the print book is filled with Vincent's drawings and rough sketches (with a section in the middle with full-color photos of some of the paintings mentioned in the book). The end of the print book is filled with additional information: people in their lives, a timeline, author's note, and bibliography. Learning the background of such a famous painter is fascinating, as is the history behind some of his well-known works of art, and I was often setting down my audio book to pick up my laptop and look at the paintings. But, this is ultimately a story of unwavering dedication and love between brothers that is tender and loving and often, heart-breaking. Despite my usual lack of interest in art, I was completely engrossed in this compelling book, both listening to it and perusing the drawings in the print edition. I was so inspired that I bought myself a pair of hand-painted sneakers based on The Starry Night!

427 pages, Henry Holt and Company

Dreamscape Media (audio)




Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Do yourself a favor and listen to this sample of the compelling audio book. It begins with a prologue and gives you an idea of how the story is told from the brothers' perspectives.


You can purchase Vincent and Theo from an independent bookstore, either locally or online, here:
 Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

Or you can order Vincent and Theo from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Fiction Review: Three New Novels

With such a busy spring and summer here, I got a little bit behind in sharing my book reviews that appeared on Shelf Awareness, so here is a little catch up. I reviewed these three novels this spring. They are each very different from each other, but I enjoyed them all.

A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas (full review at the link) is a slow-burn psychological thriller. Ruth is a therapist who works in London for the National Health Service, but she is suffering at least as much as her patients because her own son went missing a year ago. When a young man is assigned to her reminds her of her son, she knows she should ask another therapist to take the case, but she is drawn to helping him. You know all along that something bad is going to happen, but the tension of this suspense novel keeps you reading, with flashbacks to before her son's disappearance and plenty of creepy foreshadowing.

Abi Maxwell was one of the wonderful authors featured at Booktopia 2019 in Vermont this May, and I had the chance to read and review her second novel, The Den, in time for the event (full review at the link). This is the story of two sets of sisters, set 150 years apart on the same piece of land in New England, one modern story and one historical one that are interwoven in a clever way. You can read the details in my review; I enjoyed this atmospheric and intriguing novel. I also enjoyed meeting Abi at Booktopia and talking to her about the novel (including that haunting picture on the cover!). Now, I'm interested in reading her first novel, Lake People.

Last Day by Domenica Ruta (full review at the link) is an entirely different kind of novel. The world that Ruta has created in this novel is pretty much the same as ours, with one big difference: every year on May 28, the whole world celebrates Last Day. This unique holiday assumes that the world will end the next day, and while some cultures still celebrate the spiritual aspects of the day, in the modern Western world, the day is mostly celebrated with beer and barbecues and all kinds of excess. Despite the oddity of the plot, this is a character-driven novel, about several different people in the Boston area whose paths cross on this particular Last Day. It's a thoughtful novel that I enjoyed.

So, that finally catches me up (and I can finally close those windows in my browser!).

Have you read any of these books yet? Or any other new releases that you enjoyed recently?