June 2016

The Lover’s Knot

by Clare O’Donohue

The Lover’s Knot is the first in Clare O’Donohue’s Someday Quilts Mystery series.  After receiving a Lover’s Knot quilt from her grandmother, Nell Fitzgerald suddenly finds herself un-engaged and off to upstate New York.  There she finds solace and a fresh start at her grandmother’s quilt shop.  The Lover’s Knot has all of the elements for an enjoyable cozy mystery, including the small town of Archer’s Rest and all the quirky members of the Friday night quilting group.  There’s murder, romance, and personal growth for Nell.  The reader even gets a little introduction to quilting along with Nell.  It’s predictable and ends a little abruptly, but a good debut mystery.  I’ll definitely continue with the series.

A Drunkard’s Path

By Clare O’Donohue

A Drunkard’s Path is the second book in Clare O’Donohue’s Someday Quilt Mystery series.  The book continues with Nell Fitzgerald’s adventures in Archer’s Rest.  The cozy mystery involves two murders.  The romance with police chief Jesse Dewalt is on and off, again and again.  Nell’s interest in art is explored through a class, a mural and her expanding interest in quilting.  She receives encouragement and help with her quilting and solving crime from the Friday night quilters.  It was a fast and easy  cozy mystery.

The Double Cross

by Clare O’Donohue

The Double Cross was my favorite in Clare O’Donohue’s Someday Quilt Mystery series.  For me, it seemed like the most developed of her mysteries, so far.  The setting changed to a quilting workshop at a bed and breakfast in another town, still in upstate New York.  The main characters were all there: Nell, Eleanor, Jesse Dewalt and members of the quilting group.  I enjoyed the concept of journal quilting that was sprinkled throughout the story.  There were several interesting twists.  The Double Cross was a good read!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Written & Narrated by Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was my introduction to Neil Gaiman, who is my current favorite author.  I listened to the Audible version and loved it.  Gaiman’s narration is spellbinding.  It’s like listening to the best bedtime story ever.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane has a fairy tale quality, but is definitely an adult story. 

Told in flashback format, the middle-aged narrator looks back at his childhood while visiting for a funeral.  The story is suspenseful and dark, yet deeply moving.  It evoked memories of childhood longings and fears.  Gaiman’s writing and narration were totally engaging.  Even though a seven-year old boy was the main character, I loved the Hempstock women. Their strong maiden, mother and crone characters were central to the story for me.  There was a lot of suspense and several major twists.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a great introduction to Neil Gaiman and left me wanting more!

Stardust

Written & Narrated by Neil Gaiman

I loved the Stardust audiobook version!  Neil Gaiman is a great writer and his narration was awesome.  I liked this audiobook even better than the movie.  While the movie followed the book very closely, there were differences.  As is usual, there were more details and character development was stronger in the book.  I liked the ending in the book better than that in the movie, too.  Stardust is definitely a fairy tale for adults… and one of the best.  Definitely an awesome listen!

Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost Bk. 1

by Cornelia Funke

I picked up Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost by Cornelia Funke (Foon-kah) at our local library, along with stack of other books.  My nine-year old grandson, who is a Ghostbusters fan, picked it out immediately.  I have to say that we both enjoyed the book equally.  He was so engaged in the book that he read it to me while I was packing up to take him home, following me from room to room. 

The plot is simple.  An ICR (Incredibly Revolting Ghost) has taken the place of an ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghost).  Eleven-year old Tom joins forces with Hetty Hyssop, his grandmother’s friend, to foil the ICR, so that the ASG can leave Tom’s cellar and return home.  His parents are clueless and pretty much absent from the story.  His big sister, Lola, is a pain.  All of the elements make it very appealing to seven to ten-year olds. 

I found the story engaging for as adult, too.  Cornelia Funke is German and the story was originally written in German.  I was impressed by the interesting and advanced vocabulary used by the translator.  The words were presented so that they were easily understood in context.  It was definitely not ‘dumbed down’ for kids.  It was a great shared reading. I’m sure my grandson would have gone through it quickly without me, but it was fun to share.  I’m a Cornelia Funke fan and I’m sure my grandson is, too.

Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost Bk.2

By Cornelia Funke

Narrated by John Beach

After reading Cornelia Funke’s first Ghosthunter’s book, we purchased the other three books in audiobook form from Audible.com.  This book continues the adventures of eleven-year old Tom and Hetty Hyssop, with the addition of Hugo, an ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghost), to their team.  Alvin Bigshot calls them to his seaside resort to deal with, what turns out to be, a Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost (GILG).  Any seven to ten-year old Ghostbusters fan will appreciate their suspenseful escapades.  As in Ghosthunters Book 1, I appreciated the advanced and unique vocabulary sprinkled throughout the book. John Beach’s narration makes the audiobook equally appealing to adults.  The entire Ghosthunters series is definitely a good listen… and great for long car trips!

Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness! Bk. 3

By Cornelia Funke

Narrated by John Beach

Our nine-year old grandson loved the entire Ghosthunters series.  Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness continues the adventures of eleven-year old Tom, Hetty Hyssop and Hugo, the ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghost).  This time the team is called to Gloomsburg Castle, where they encounter the stinky Totally Moldy Baroness and Tiny Biting Ghosts (TIBIGS).  There is an Indispensible Alphabetical Index at the back of each Ghosthunters book, which our grandson took very seriously in Book 1.  Since we were listening to the Audible versions of books 2-4, he had to be satisfied with the notes at the end of the book.  The notes and the index are definitely an indispensible part of the Ghosthunters experience.  Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness is definitely a good listen for kids and adults, and I’m sure it would be an equally good read.

Ghosthunters and the Muddy Monster of Doom Bk. 4

By Cornelia Funke

Narrated by John Beach

Ghosthunters and the Muddy Monster of Doom is the fourth book in Cornelia Funke’s Ghosthunters series.  The Audible version helped make a long car ride with a nine-year old go more quickly and smoothly.  Cornelia Funke is a great children’s author and this series is perfect for seven to ten-year old Ghostbusters fans.  There is just enough suspense to keep that age group totally engaged.  There is also enough humor to keep adults happy.  In this adventure, eleven-year old Tom is working on the final exam for his Ghosthunting Diploma.  The exam turns out to be much harder than he or his partners, Hetty Hyssop and Hugo, the ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghost), ever imagined.  The audiobook is a really good listen, and I’m sure it would also be a great read.

May 2016

Brooklyn

By Colm Toibin

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

I listened to the Audible version of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and found it to be an enjoyable listen.  It is basically a ‘coming to America’ story of an Irish girl, Eilis Lacey.  There were no great moments.  Eilis was seemed like a very ordinary girl, dealing with universal issues.  The descriptions of both Eilis’s life in Ireland and post WWII New York City seemed colorful and authentic. It was made into a movie that was nominated for Academy Awards.  I haven’t seen the movie, but it made a good audio book.  Definitely an enjoyable listen!

Red For Love: Molly Sutton Mysteries #4

Nell Goddin

Once again, I was so happy to receive an advance copy of Red for Love by Nell Goddin and am equally happy to submit this hones review.  I’ve grown fond of Molly and all of the Castillac regulars. Descriptions of life in the French village are great!  I’d love to live in Molly’s B & B.  Her garden sounds like one I would enjoy.  Her dog, Bobo, and the orange cat add to the cozy feeling.  Molly’s friend, Frances, played a more prominent role in this book, as did the owner of the local patisserie, Monsieur Nugent.  Molly remains a strong and independent character.  Castillac would be perfect … except for an occasional murder or two.  The mystery is light with just enough suspense and very little actual violence or gore.  Red for Love was a pleasure to read and to review.  I hope the next installment in the series comes soon.  I’m wondering what is going to happen with Molly and Ben. 

We’re All Damaged 

By Matthew Norman

We’re All Damaged by Matthew Norman would not be my normal choice for reading material. That being said, I have to give it 5 stars because I couldn’t put it down and I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s a kinky story about a damaged young man finding himself.  The damage was extensive and deep, not normally a cause for laughter.  However, Norman wove the trauma into one of the most hilarious stories that I’ve read recently.  There are definitely sad passages, but they are followed by surprisingly funny twists.  There are also some true moments of wisdom.  My favorite:

“Mixed in with all of its silly bullshit, Facebook is the literal manifestation of all our regrets, looping and looping for free, on our computers and phones.  People who should be safely out of our lives forever are there again, one cryptic little glimpse at a time, reminding us of all the things we should or shouldn’t have done.”

Be aware that the language might be offensive to some and that there is definite sexual content.  As I said at the beginning, this is not my normal read.  I got it through Kindle First.  Once again, I’m glad that Amazon offers the program.  I read a great book that I wouldn’t have chosen otherwise.  Definitely a good read!

The Stolen Child

By Keith Donohue

Loreena McKennitt first introduced me to the poem, ‘The Stolen Child’, by W. B. Yeats through her song of the same name.  McKennitt’s music brings the perfectly enhances the magic of the poem.  With that in mind, I began The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue, our June library book club selection.  I really wanted to love the book, but it got off to a slow start for me.  The first half of the book introduced the faeries and the initial ‘stealing’ of the child.  Personally, I didn’t get hooked until the middle of the book.  I first felt the magic in Henry Day’s descriptions as he revisited the woods, searching for another lost child.  Seeing through his heightened sensitivity brought magic into the woods and into the book for me. 

From that point on, I was hooked.  I followed the stories of Aniday and Henry Day, along with their partners, Speck and Tess.  Their parallel stories of the wild child and the tormented adult can be approached on many levels: childhood vs. adulthood, inner vs. outer lives, nature vs. civilization, and the universal theme of letting go.  I stayed up much later reading than I should have, and picked the book up first thing in the morning.  I couldn’t put it down until I was finished. Maybe there was something I was missing in the first part of the book, but I’m not up to rereading that section again.  It’s worth hanging in for the second half of the book.  For those who love the magic of faeries in Stolen Child, I highly recommend Loreena McKennitt’s song, The Stolen Child, on her Elemental CD.  Stolen Child by Keith Donohue got off to a slow start, but was a good read.