AWOL On The Appalachian Trail by David Miller

In 2003, frustrated with his software engineering job and bored with his life in general, David Miller made a decision.  After consulting with his wife who would be left alone with their three children and getting her support, Miller quit his job and dedicated the next half year to hiking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, all 2, 172 miles of it.

The trail runs from Georgia to Maine when hiking northward as most travelers tend to do.  Those who complete the entire journey are called through hikers.  Miller gives the reader a day by day description of the life of a through hiker. 

There were beautiful scenic views, stupendous wildlife and many new friends met along the way.  There was also pain, boredom at times and discouragement.  Miller wore out six pairs of hiking shoes on the trip.  He had a bad sprained ankle, an infected foot from a blister that went septic and lost multiple toenails.  He lost an enormous amount of his pre-hike body weight.

What he gained was a new perspective on life and a sense of accomplishment at reaching the goal he had set for himself.  At the end of the hike, he found himself more likely to take chances in his life and much less attached to material things.   He was more outgoing and more patient.  He made friends that still check in with him years later.

I listened to this book while walking at the gym which was probably the perfect place for it as it made the miles I was walking seem more relevant.  Having retired from an IT job and married to another IT person, I could relate to Miller's job frustrations and desire to break away from the office life to experience more and different things.  This book is recommended for nonfiction readers, anyone contemplating the A.T. hike, and anyone interested in life challenges. 

Kitchens Of The Great Midwest

Eva Thorvald is a very lucky young woman.  Born to a father who is a chef and a mother who is a wine expert, Eva is born with a miraculous palate and an innate ability to cook wonderful food.  The fact that she is raised in poverty and ostracized at her middle school has no effect on her abilities.  She seeks out mentors and some of the best known and talented chefs in the various towns Eva and her father live in take her under their wing.

In Kitchens Of The Great Midwest, the reader follows Eva in her trip from kitchen to kitchen.  Wherever she goes, everyone loves her food and everyone loves Eva, recognizing her as a special person.  Although she may leave people after a short while, each is affected for life through knowing her.

The food is the thing, and it must be fresh and local.  Eva rides the crest of the farm to table food movement and when she needs to, grows her own ingredients.  Each chapter is organized around one dish and tells its backstory, the circumstances surrounding Eva's use of the recipe and how its effect echoes down the years. 

Kitchens Of The Great Midwest has already won accolades.  It is an August Indie Next pick.  The American Booksellers Association has chosen it as an 'Indies Introduce' pick.  It's the number one pick of LibraryReads for July, and is the Penguin Random House 'Title Wave Pick.'  Each organization recognizes it's potential for success with an original story, interesting characters, its interweaving of those characters to make up Eva's life and the documentation of the foodie movement.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and for foodies everywhere. 

The Winter Family by Clifford Jackman

They rode together, dependent on each other's skills with a gun to survive.  The men came from everywhere, forged into a group in the maelstrom that was the Civil War and especially the atrocities of Sherman's March in Georgia.  Powerful men who were willing to do anything to gain an objective; their skills were desirable in the final days of the war and the things they did forged them into a group that would stay together for years.

After the war, when things returned to normal, those actions were condemned as were the men.  But there are always men who need others to do their dirty work and the group never lacked for work.  They were led by Augustus Winter, a man with yellow eyes and hair so white it looked like snow.  There was nothing he feared and nothing he would not do, and men everywhere feared his name.

The men worked against the Klan and those who would derail the Reconstruction.  They were lured to Chicago to help in the elections by those who wanted to win the city and promised pardons to those who were willing to help.  As those promises were broken, the group kept moving westward to open plains and room to roam and became out and out criminals, robbing banks and trains.

Clifford Jackman has written a brutal, honest book about the men who do the deeds not spoken of or claimed in wars and settling land.  The men were loyal to each other, but unemotional about the life or death of any one man.  Jackman explores what it means to be such a man and what drives the creation of someone willing to do horrific acts.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction and those interested in the West and its settlement.

The Long And Faraway Gone by Lou Berney

They are both stuck in the past of Oklahoma City, mired in the violence that shook their lives twenty-five years ago.  Wyatt was a fifteen year old working his first job; an usher in the local movie theatre.  He is the only survivor when armed men break in at closing and kill everyone else during a robbery.  Five people gone in a minute, leaving him to wonder why he was spared.  Juliana lost her beloved older sister that same year.  She left Juliana at the state fair for what she said was 'just a minute' and never returned.  No sign of her was ever found.

Neither have really been able to move on.  Wyatt is now a private investigator, moving around the country solving other people's crimes.  This summer is his first time back in the city since he left at eighteen.  Juliana is still in Oklahoma City, afraid to leave in case some news of her sister should emerge.  Neither has been able to move on, mired in the past and unable to move past the huge event that changed the bedrock of their lives.  Relationships have been transitory as who can be counted on to stay?  Jobs are just something to get money to live and easily jettisoned when something else comes up. 

A job brings Wyatt back to the city and both individuals take steps to solve the crimes that have defined them.  The novel moves back and forth between their stories.  One might expect that they meet and work together, but this is not that kind of story.  Instead, it is the bleak story of how crime affects an individual, one moment's violence changing a life forever. 

Lou Berney teaches writing at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University.  He is a television and film screenwriter.  His two previous books have both been nominated for awards such as The Barry and The Edgar Award.  His ability to draw in the reader and show the real effects of crime makes this novel stand out.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

I don't watch the E! cable channel so I had never seen or read anything by Chelsea Handler.  This book should come with a warning.  I was stared at in various places such as poolside and the local Panera's when I burst out in laughter that could not be contained as Handler detailed various incidents in her life.

Chelsea details stories about her childhood, her relationship with her siblings, how the family deals with an aging father who is, to put it mildly, embarrassing, and her partner and friends.  She details various practical jokes that she plays on those around her.  The stories are full of sex, drinking, drugs, etc.  What shines through, is her complete loyalty and determination to make the lives of those around her better.

This is an entertaining book that reads quickly and leaves the reader determined to seek out more of Handler's work.  Each episode is funnier than the last and the entire book is totally entertaining.  Warning; this is not a book for young readers; there is lots of sex, drinking and drugs.  This book is recommended for those looking for a quick, entertaining read.

Beautiful Death by Fiona McIntosh

Bodies are turning up in London.  Their condition is particularly repellent; the faces have been completely removed along with their kidneys.  Is this a psychopath?  Someone selling organs on the black market? 

DCI Jack Hawksworth is called upon to head up the team investigating the case.  He pulls together members such as Kate, who have worked with him before, and a translator since several of the bodies appear to have been those of illegal immigrants.  But Jack is blindsided the moment he takes over the case.  The latest victim is his lover, Lily.  Their romance has been brief and fated to end soon as Lily is about to marry the man her Chinese family has selected for her.  But Jack and Lily's affair blazed hotly, and he is heartstruck when he recognizes her body on the coroner's table.

The murders continue to pile up and the pressure on the team to produce results increases accordingly.  Can they find out who is committing these murders in time to save more victims?

This is the second in the Jack Hawksworth series.  The pace is brisk but the police procedures are well researched and documented.  There is a twist at the end that most won't see coming.  This is the first mystery I've read by McIntosh, although I've read and loved some of her fantasy before.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Booksie's Shelves, July 18, 2015

Summer marches on, and the heat and humidity have settled in.  North Carolina is sweltering and it is a chore to walk out the door.  Luckily, that makes wonderful reading days.  I scored a major reading triumph this week.  I got an ARC of Salman Rushdie's new novel.  As he is my favorite author, I'm very excited about this one.  Here's what's come through the door this week:

1.  The Summer Of Good Intentions, Wendy Francis, literary fiction, sent by publisher
2.  The Toy Taker, Luke Delaney, mystery, sent by publisher
3.  A Trick I Learned From Dead Men, Kitty Aldridge, literary fiction, purchased
4.  Lum, Libby Ware, literary fiction, sent by publisher
5.  I'm Not Her, Cara Sue Achterberg, mystery, sent by publisher
6.  A Slice Of Quietude, Sharon Cho, fantasy, sent by author
7.  The Kills, Richard House, literary fiction, purchased
8.  The Forrests, Emily Perkins, literary fiction, purchased
9.  The Curse Of Crow Hollow, Billy Coffey, suspense, Shelf Awareness win
10.  My Townie Heart, Diana Sperrazza, literary fiction, sent by publisher
11.  The Woman Who Stole My Life, Marian Keyes, literary fiction, sent by publisher
12.  Woman With A Secret, Sophie Hannah, mystery, sent by publisher
13.  Karma Deception And A Pair Of Red Ferraris, Elaine Taylor, memoir, sent by publisher

Here's what I'm currently reading:

1.  Cartwheel, Jennifer duBois, Kindle
2.  A Dance For Dragons, George R. R. Martin, hardback
4.  Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas, hardback
5.  Blood Moon, Alexandra Sokoloff,  paperback
6.  The Orchid Affair, Lauren Willig, hardback
7. The Winter Family, Clifford Jackman,  hardback
8.  Mystery Walk, Robert McCammon, Kindle Fire
9.  AWOL On The Appalachian Trail, David Miller,  audio
10.  One Evil Act, Elizabeth George, hardback
11.  Meet Me In Atlantis, Mark Adams, paperback
12.  The Long And Faraway Gone, Lou Berney, paperback
13.  Beautiful Death, Fiona McIntosh, Kindle Fire
14.  The Devil In The Marshalsea, Antonia Hodgson, paperback

 Happy Reading!

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison





Maia has been an outcast for his entire life.  One wouldn't think of an emperor's son as an outcast, but Maia's father is the elven Emperor, and he is half Goblin.  His father married his mother out of political strategy, and never loved her.  He sent her away and Maia only saw his father once in his lifetime.  That once, his father made it abundantly clear that he had no feelings for Maia.  Maia's mother died when he was eight and rather than bringing him back to court, the emperor left him at a remote court with only a traitorous cousin as his guardian.  His guardian was cruel and made it clear that he disliked Maia every day.

But now, something miraculous has happened.  The emperor and his three sons, all older than Maia, and before him in the line of succession, have been killed in an airship accident.  Maia, the ignored, the one who never expected anything, is the new emperor.  He doesn't want the job and is woefully unprepared.  He is barely old enough to be emperor, and his youth and ignorance of court procedures is glaringly obvious.  But the lines of succession are clear and before he knows it, he is installed on the throne, his every word law and his every moment guarded.

Maia treads carefully, learning about the land he now rules and its culture and procedures.  Yet his innate kindness shines through and he reaches out to those who have never had a voice; servants, his guards, women of the court who want something more than marriage and children.  Some are pleased with this new emperor's way of doing things, some are appalled.  Maia is in danger that someone will find a way to wrest the throne from him before he learns enough to safeguard it. 

Katherine Addison has created a wonderful character in Maia.  The reader can emphasize with his incredulity at his change in station, and warm to his attempts to reach out and connect with those he rules.  The plots against him are numerous, and watching him maneuver the pitfalls of loyalty and other's ambitions is compelling.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

The Secret Garden and Don Quixote by Jennifer Adams

Up today are two charming board books for toddlers.  Both are by the partnership of Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver.  The words are supplied by Jennifer while Alison does the artwork.  The Don Quixote is a Spanish language primer.  On each page set, a word relating to the novel is given in English on the left and in Spanish on the right.  Examples include windmills, friend, and horse.

 

In The Secret Garden, each set of pages has a different beautiful flower drawing, with an accompanying quote on the opposite page.  Each set is done in a different color, and the entire effect is of color and movement.  It is full of the reasons we grow and love flowers.


Either or both of these board books will provide hours of fun for toddlers, while also teaching vocabulary and picture recognition.  The pair have an entire series of what they call BabyLit.  Other titles in the series include Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice, the Jungle Book, Moby Dick and Frankenstein.  These are fun and entertaining books and are recommended for anyone who has a toddler.

Author Feature: Simone Pond

I'm starting a new feature here at Booksie's Blog.  Periodically, I'll profile an author and have them talk about their books.  The first author is Simone Pond.  Here's her biography:

Simone Pond is an award-winning author of dystopian fiction. Her current series includes The City Center, The New Agenda, The Mainframe, and The Torrent. She also has a short story series called Voices of the Apocalypse.

She grew up in Kensington, Maryland - a small town just outside of Washington D.C. As a young girl, she loved writing in her journal and making up stories, but after reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, everything changed. Amazed that a woman could write so convincingly from a teenage boy's perspective, Pond became determined to become a writer as well.

 

She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and Boston Terrier, Winnie.  She blogs at Simone Says . 

 

Simone's thoughts on writing:

 

Sometimes it gets lonely sitting around all day writing. My little Boston Terrier, Winnie, has been by my feet the entire time I was writing the New Agenda book series. She’s been a support system and comic relief. I love spending time in my novels with my characters, but it’s nice to have a living, breathing counterpart by my side, or feet. While Winnie isn’t necessary contributing to my novels, she is a wonderful reminder when it’s time to take a bathroom break, or go outside to get some fresh air. She lets me know when it’s time to stop hunching over my laptop and pick up a toy and play.

 

Writing has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. When I turned forty, I realized that I hadn’t done a very good job at following my heart. I stopped what I was doing and got serious about novel writing. I had to let go of a lot of preconceived notions, as well as a memoir that I had been working on for years. But once I let go of what was weighing me down, the words flowed fast and furiously.

 

Publishing has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I never had kids (besides Boston Terriers), so my books are like my babies. And now I have an entire family! I’m thrilled to share my New Agenda book series with the world.

 

It’s never too late to follow that voice inside that’s telling you what it needs to be happy. All it takes is a little courage and support.

 

And perhaps a Winnie.

About The Torrent, The Fourth In The New Agenda Series:

 

Grace has survived Chief Morray’s attempt to keep her trapped inside the mainframe, but at a terrible cost: leaving her mother behind. Giving up training at the academy in order to wait for Ava’s return. Grace wants to do the right thing, but it’s never that simple. While Ava struggles against Morray in the virtual reality, Grace is left alone in the real world to fight her own battles. There’s a new corrupt authority figure. A regional council to sway. A war to stop. And a promise to keep to a precious young soul. How can Grace save everyone, including herself?

 

Buy Link For This Book:

The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop

Cyprus is a gorgeous Mediterranean country, and Famagusta it's most desirable tourist location.  There are high-end shops and every luxury a wealthy tourist could desire.  In this land of luxury, the most luxurious and sought-after destination was the Sunrise hotel.  Opened in 1970 by Savvas and Aphroditi Papacostas, it was a fairytale location.

But there was trouble brewing.  Both Turkey and Greece wanted Cyprus as part of their nation.  The Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots got along for the most part, but there was tension.  This was exacerbated by militant groups that wanted different things; some wanted independence from all other nations, some wanted to become part of Turkey and some wanted to become part of Greece.  In 1972, these partisan groups and their escalating tensions boiled over.  The result was war and the Turkish Army taking over the island.  In a matter of weeks, Famagusta went from the top of the heap to a deserted city behind wire barriers, its people having fled with just the clothes on their backs.

Hislop explores this recent disaster in her novel through the actions of three families.  The Papacostas were wealthy and prestigious.  The Ozkans and the Georgious families are working class, and indeed some members of the families worked at the Sunrise.  One family is Turkish Cypriot, one Greek Cypriot.  Each has sons that are caught up in the various fighting factions.  They are able to band together despite the fact that they are on differing sides to get through the worst of the war and its attendant hardships.  Readers will probably find this new territory.  Perhaps they have a vague recollection of Cyprus and its civil war, but this novel takes the reader into a place where those who have everything one day wake to nothing the next.  Each reader will question how they would respond to such a situation and whether they are prepared for calamity to strike.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.

Booksie's Shelves, July 7, 2015

It's hard to believe summer is half over already!  The Booksie family has a few more summer vacation trips planned.  We haven't even been to the beach yet this summer, and in North Carolina, that's a heresy.  Then there are college visits to plan and relatives to visit.  Of course, all that traveling doesn't mean reading stops; the format just changes to emphasize more ebooks.  For some reason, I've gone on a book buying spree in the past few days, and we returned from Boston to find lots of book goodies. Here's what's come through the doors recently:

1.  The Undertaking, Audrey Magee, literary fiction, purchased
2.  Almost English, Charlotte Mendelson, literary fiction, purchased
3.  Devil's Harbor, Alex Gilly, mystery, sent by publisher
4.  The Facts Of Life And Death, Belinda Bauer, mystery, purchased
5.  Barbara The Slut, Lauren Holmes, anthology, Vine review book
6.  Trust Me, Earl Javorsky, mystery, sent by publisher
7.  Blind Justice, Ethan Cross, suspense, sent by publisher
8.  The Tears Of Dark Water, Corban Addison, literary fiction, sent by publisher
9.  The Star Side Of Bird Hill, Naomi Jackson, literary fiction, Vine review book
10. Jonesbridge, M.E. Parker, literary fiction, sent by publisher
11.  Orfeo, Richard Powers, literary fiction, purchased
12.  Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng, literary fiction, sent by publisher
13.  Kitchens Of The Great Midwest, J. Ryan Stradal, literary fiction, sent for book tour
14.  Five Star Billionaire, Tash Aw, literary fiction, purchased

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  Cartwheel, Jennifer duBois, Kindle
2.  A Dance For Dragons, George R. R. Martin, hardback
4.  Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas, hardback
5.  Blood Moon, Alexandra Sokoloff,  paperback
6.  The Orchid Affair, Lauren Willig, hardback
7. The Winter Family, Clifford Jackman,  hardback
8.  Mystery Walk, Robert McCammon, Kindle Fire
9.  AWOL On The Appalachian Trail, David Miller,  audio
10.  One Evil Act, Elizabeth George, hardback
11.  Meet Me In Atlantis, Mark Adams, paperback
12.  The Stranger, Harlen Corben, paperback
13.  Beautiful Death, Fiona McIntosh, Kindle Fire
14.  The Devil In The Marshalsea, Antonia Hodgson, paperback
15.  The Sunrise, Victoria Hislop, paperback
16.  The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison, hardback

  Happy Reading!

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

You go about your life, following your normal routines, seeing the same people and doing the same things.  It's a nice life, maybe not thrilling or breath-taking, but comfortable and enjoyable.  Then he appears.  The Stranger.  He sidles up to you, maybe in a store, a restaurant or a parking lot.  He talks for a few minutes and when he stops, your world has exploded and things will never be the same again.

That's what happened to Adam.  The Stranger comes up to him and tells him a secret about his wife, Corrine.  A secret that she'd never want him to know about.  A secret he doesn't know if he can forgive.  When he confronts Corrine, she refuses to discuss it and disappears, the only clue a text message saying she needs some time apart.

There are others who gets a visit from the Stranger also.  Maybe a high school senior with a big scholarship who cheated on a test.  Maybe a man whose marriage is a lie and is only there as a smokescreen to hide his true sexuality.  Maybe a parent whose child has done something horrendous that surely they never meant to do.  Regardless, he tells the secrets and then walks away.

Harlan Coben has created a situation that is both unimaginable and yet easy to believe in.  Adam is thrust into the role of a detective as he tries to find the Stranger and discover where Corrine has gone.  The reader feels the tension as clue after clue is revealed, and the number of lives that are touched by the Stranger's game mount up.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Panda Theory by Pascal Garnier

Gabriel drifts from town to town.  He makes friends easily, as he emphasizes with their problems and is always willing to do anything he can to help. His cooking skills are legendary and there is nothing he enjoys more than cooking for new friends.   He doesn't get emotionally involved, though.  That is the line he will not cross.

In this new town he finds himself in, he quickly makes friends.  The receptionist at the hotel is lonely and stuck in a dead-end job.  The owner of the café is facing a difficult life with his wife getting ill and unable to care for their children.  A young couple is in love but can't seem to make things work.  Each turns to Gabriel for help and emotional support.

But Gabriel has secrets.  Terrible secrets from his past that slowly evolve.  When they do, each person will realize they never knew Gabriel at all.

Pascal Garnier is a well-known French writer.  He is known for his noir style, and is often compared to Georges Simeon.  Readers will find his style slyly revealing and a bit dark.  He slowly peels back the layers of an individual's character and shows that no one is easily known.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

The Innovators by Walter Issacson

Walter Issacson has written a masterful explanation of the rise of computing.  He covers both the hardware and the software side of things, concentrating on the people who made the advances that those after them built upon.  Some have called this approach a 'serial biography' and that is a good explanation for the writing style.  He begins with the individuals who came up with the theoretical idea of computing; using a machine to automate human tasks and perform calculations more quickly and with more precision than humans bring to jobs.  Some of these early pioneers include Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage.

He then moves to the hardware side of actually building machines that were capable of performing calculations.  Computers went from mechanical relays that had to be reset manually to digital relays or switches to transistors to chips.  Most of these advances were the result of teams of talented individuals with different skillsets in math and engineering.  Early programmers included individuals such as John von Neumann, Grace Hooper and Alan Turing.  They developed strategies such as looping and subroutines that allowed computers to handle intricate tasks in a straightforward manner.

The last third of the book covered material the reader will be more familiar with the rise of the Internet, the World Wide Web, blogs and wikis.  Men such as Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Tim Berner-Lee, J.C.R. Licklider, Alan Page and yes, even Al Gore are profiled as Issacson explores the Internet we all use each day.

Issacson is a former chairman of CNN and managing editor of Time magazine.  His professional skills in taking vast complicated subjects and refocusing them in a manner that is understandable to the average reader is evident in this work.  As an IT professional and teacher, I was familiar with the timelines and individuals, but Issacson brought them to life in a way that makes the material more personal and interesting.  He emphasizes the role that collaboration has played from the start of the field.  Each breakthrough was performed based on the work of those who came before, and often each breakthrough was the result of a team of people rather than a lone wolf laboring away in solitude.  He also emphasized that those who could not make the leap to commercialize their visions were forgotten and their work lost in time.  He talks about the future of computing when a human-machine partnership will become more and more of a reality.  This book is recommended for readers of nonfiction.  It will make the computer revolution both understandable and fun to read about. 

Booksie's Shelves, July 2, 2015

July has rolled around and hopefully will be cooler than June was in North Carolina.  We've just returned from a fantastic trip to Boston where we ate, did the tourist thing and accompanied our daughter to a science and technology conference.  Not as much reading this past week while we were gone, but still books managed to make it in the door.  Here's what's come lately:

1.  Our Man In The Dark, Rashad Harrison, historical fiction, purchased
2.  Ingenious Pain, Andrew Miller, literary fiction, purchased
3.  Pure, Andrew Miller, literary fiction, purchased
4.  Jack Of Spades, Joyce Carol Oates, suspense, sent by publisher
5.  Forensics, Val McDermid, nonfiction, sent by publisher
6.  The Winter Family, Clifford Jackman, historical fiction, sent by publisher
7.  Old Man River, Paul Schneider, nonfiction, sent by publisher
8.  Where Women Are Kings, Christie Watson, literary fiction, sent by publisher
9.  The Tell-Tale Heart, Jill Dawson, literary fiction, sent by publisher
10.  The Painter, Peter Heller, literary fiction, sent by publisher
11.  The Dream Lover, Elizabeth Berg, literary fiction, sent by publisher

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  The Innovators, Walter Issacson, Kindle
2.  A Dance For Dragons, George R. R. Martin, hardback
4.  Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas, hardback
5.  Blood Moon, Alexandra Sokoloff,  paperback
6.  The Orchid Affair, Lauren Willig, hardback
7. Michael Jordan, A Life, Roland Lazenby, hardback
8.  Mystery Walk, Robert McCammon, Kindle Fire
9.  Enchantress, James Maxwell, audio
10.  One Evil Act, Elizabeth George, hardback
11.  Meet Me In Atlantis, Mark Adams, paperback
12.  The Stranger, Harlen Corben, paperback
13.  Emma And Otto And Russell And James, Emma Hooper, paperback

 Happy Reading!