Library Loot – Small Loot

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Small loot this week. Actually, it’s a combination of two weeks worth of loot. I’ve still got a few books out from my last post and I’m trying to get through those before taking anymore out which is the reason for this short stack.

The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming – I was walking by the new arrivals shelf at the library and saw this just sitting there and I had to take it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I think I’m probably the last person to read this book. I saw my library had it and put in a hold which finally came in this week.

The Kingdom of Ohio

The Hunger Games

Well, that’s it for me. Anything interesting for you this week?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Booking Through Thursday – Twists & Turns

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This week’s Booking Through Thursday asks — Jackie says, “I love books with complicated plots and unexpected endings. What is your favourite book with a fantastic twist at the end?”

So, today’s question is in two parts.

1.Do YOU like books with complicated plots and unexpected endings?

2.What book with a surprise ending is your favorite? Or your least favorite?

Yes, I do like books that have unexpected endings and keep me guessing or try to anyway. As I said here before, when a book pulls me in, I sometimes read ahead when I want to know what’s going on. I like to get concerned about the characters, wonder and worry about what’s going to happen, and then, when it’s all over, be satisfied and still want more.

Revolutionary Road

One of my favorite books is Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. I wasn’t fully expecting the ending, or at least I kept hoping it wouldn’t end that way, and it was heart-wrenching. If you haven’t read it, it’s an absolutely fantastic book and I highly recommend it.  If you’re interested, you can read my review here.

Know a book with an unexpected or great ending?

Heart and Soul

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Heart and Soul

Heart and Soul

By Maeve Binchy

Alfred A. Knopf

ISBN: 978-0-307-26579-1

4 stars

Dr. Clara Casey was passed over for the position of head cardiologist at the hospital. Instead, she ends up appointed the director of the new heart clinic and she’s less than thrilled about the prospect. She promises herself it will only be for a year, she’ll get through it, and move on.

The new job is just the beginning of her troubles. She has two selfish daughters who are wrapped up in their own lives. Her estranged husband, who left her to live with a much younger woman, is finally asking for the divorce she won’t grant, and Frank Ennis, the hospital board member overseeing the clinic, is an incredible thorn in her side.

At the clinic, she begins assembling a diverse and wonderful staff. Clara is a force and you begin to see the clinic find its home in the community and become a touchstone for so many of the characters in this book.

Maeve Binchy is a comfort read for me. She creates such immensely likable characters that I want to pick up and go to Dublin to meet these people. In this book, as with most Binchy novels, the story is told from several perspectives and you know what’s going on in the lives of all the characters. Some of their stories are more interesting than others but it’s the way they are all tied together that makes it work. Binchy does a good job of folding you into the story and you’re hooked before you know it. The ending of this one felt a bit abrupt and the characters all work out their problems fairly quickly but that may also have been me not wanting to see this story come to an end at all.

This book does include characters from previous novels but you don’t need to have read them all to understand what’s going on here. It stands on its own but if you’ve read the other books, it’s nice to see the characters you’ve met before are all doing fine.

Teaser Tuesdays

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

1.) Grab your current read

2.) Open to a random page

3.) Share two teaser sentences from that page

4.) Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

Be careful not to include spoilers. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!

Ultimately, however, Neptune is a greedy glutton who’ll do anything for a scrap of turnip or crust of stale bread. When his mistress leads him past the garbage can room, he pulls frenetically in the direction of said room, tongue lolling, tail wagging madly.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, page 66.

I’m hoping to start The Elegance of the Hedgehog later this week so it’s a teaser for me too.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

The Black Tower

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The Black Tower

The Black Tower

By Louis Bayard

William Morrow

ISBN: 978-0-06-117350-9

3.5 stars

What happened to Louis the Seventeenth, the young Dauphin of France? A child when he and his family were taken prisoner by the French people, his body was never identified after his death was announced. In 1818, years after his supposed death, the monarchy has been restored but the city is still tense and citizens unsure of their new rulers.

Hector Carpentier is a medical student living with his mother and the borders they share their house with when Vidocq, a well-known and well-feared detective, approaches him on his way home one afternoon asking why a dead man had his name. Hector has no answers and Vidocq wants them. He drags him along on his investigation, disguising him when necessary, and pulling him deeper into the mysterious disappearance of the young Dauphin. When a young man is found who may indeed be the true Dauphin, Hector is torn between finding the truth and wanting to protect the terrified and simple man.

I don’t read many mysteries but I found this one to be rather satisfying. I didn’t care as much for the characters as I did the setting here though. I like stories from this time period and anything where Marie Antoinette is featured. She doesn’t play a big part here, it’s more her memory, but I found the mystery surrounding the events of those times appealing.

Vidoq is a great detective character. He’s a former criminal and part of a new plain clothes police division in Paris. He obeys no rules, is uncouth, and terrifying in his means. Torture has no negative connotations and he feels liberal use is what is called for when dealing with criminals. He’s not a likable person, although he has his moments, but he does add a dark and unsuspecting air to the story.

If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read, The Black Tower works. It moves fast, the setting is interesting, and the characters are engaging.

The Sunday Salon: The Short Post

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Today is going to be a short re-cap since my day is turning out to be much busier than I anticipated it would be.

So, here’s what I read this week:

Finished Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell. I liked it but not as much as a few of his other books but still good.

Read The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel by Sarah Jane Stratford. Vampires trying to bring down the Third Reich…it was not what I expected but interesting.

In honor of Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday, I read two short stories of his — Legeia and The Fall of the House of Usher.

I also read a book on my new Nook, Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler. I liked it and reading it on the Nook was a nice experience. I plan to do a longer post about the Nook itself to let you know what I thought of it. It’s still new and I think I need to give it a few more days before I rush into a review of it. I’m still trying to figure out all it’s little quirks after all.

I’m moving on to Conspirata by Robert Harris this week and I hope to start The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery at some point.

That’s it for me this week. Happy reading!

Lord of the Rings Read-Along – Re-Visiting the Adventure

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The Lord of the Rings Read-Along is continuing this month with The Hobbit. Eva from A Striped Armchair is hosting the discussion for this book and has posted a second set of questions and discussion points for all of us participating.

Where are you in the story? So far, has the book lived up to your expectations (for first-timers)/memories (for rereaders)? What’s surprising or familiar?

Have you been bogged down anywhere in the book?

Let’s talk about the songs…are you skipping over them to get back to the prose? Why or why not?

What do you think of the narrator’s voice?

Does your edition have illustrations or maps? Have you been ignoring them or referring back to them?

Now it’s time to play favourites! Who’s your favourite main character? Who’s your favourite minor character (i.e.: villains, random helpers, etc.)? What’s your favourite scene? Do you have a favourite quote to share?

Off we go…

I finished the book earlier this month. I tried to take it slow but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop. And, yes, it once again lived up to my expectations — it’s funny, full of wonderful characters, and it’s an adventure! Having read the book several times, I don’t know if I can say I found anything surprising, but I did find it comforting. Reading The Hobbit brought back a lot of good childhood memories and I love when a book does that.

Having finished the book already, I can’t say I was bogged down anywhere. I raced through it. 🙂

The songs, oh, the songs. I have to admit that I usually skip them, but this time around I did read them. This may in fact be the first time I ever read the songs and I feel odd admitting that because I’m sure at some point I must have read them but I found all the songs new to me this time around — so maybe that was my surprise on this re-reading. I’m not a music person, in fact I have no musical talent whatsoever (my parents who had to listen, painfully, to my failed attempts to play the clarinet as a child can attest to this) and when I read the songs, I read them as poetry. My brain is so musically disinclined that I don’t even know where to start with a melody. My husband would attest to this as well since I can barely name my supposed favorite song when I hear it! Any wonder I skipped them before? I think not but I am glad I read the songs this time.

I always thought the narrator’s voice sounded sort of fatherly and, after this re-reading, it still sounds that way to me. I don’t find it intrusive in anyway, it’s just there.

My edition does have maps in the front and back of the book. I do look at them but don’t reference them too much. I have an odd map in my head of what Middle Earth looks like and I like to keep it that way. 🙂 My book also has illustrations but I don’t spend too much time looking at them with the exception of one — the illustration of Bilbo’s hobbit hole at the end. It looks like a most magical place to live.

Favorites! How to choose? Well, if I must…it is Bilbo and running a very close second, Bombur. I always feel so bad for him and sort of cheer the chubby dwarf on. I won’t say anymore for fear of spoiling it for others but let’s just say I have a soft spot for him. Beorn is another wonderful character, the food alone at his house just sounds so tasty.

My favorite chapter is Riddles in the Dark. I find Gollum so creepy and it marks a turning point for me — the story takes on a slightly darker tone from this point on. More troubles, the adventure is not so much fun anymore, reality sets in, and death becomes a distinct possibility. I love the game played between Bilbo and Gollum and the way that Bilbo gets out of the situation. The little burglar indeed!

My favorite quote also comes from this chapter. In my edition, page 65.

“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.

I always wondered how one would go sideways but that’s another topic. I just love that he gives himself a little pep talk and trots off as if this was all part of a normal day. Can’t you just picture Bilbo holding out the sword in the dark shuffling slowly along the wall?

There will be one more post about The Hobbit at the end of the month and then we move on to The Fellowship of the Rings. If you’re curious, here’s more info about the read-along.

Got any memories to share of The Hobbit?

My Nook Arrived!

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Yeah, my birthday present has finally arrived! My birthday was in the beginning of December so I’ve been waiting a while and not always patiently. 🙂

After spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get the thing out of it’s packaging (Hi, Barnes & Noble, do you need to make it so difficult? You know that some of us just want to read right?) and letting it charge, I spent some good quality time with my little Nook. Until my husband, (who admitted that my birthday present was a bit of a ruse since it was him that really wanted one of these things, although to be fair, it didn’t take much to convince me) got home and completely took it over.

We got it registered (Again, Barnes & Noble, why so many steps?) and ordered two books — True Compass by Ted Kennedy for him and Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler for me. No, the compass theme was not planned, we did that separately. I didn’t add any additional books last night since I want to take a look at my list to see what I really want. When I finish a book on it, I plan to do a longer review to let you all know how I like it.