Oct 20, 2013

Sunday Salon: Rainy Days

The Sunday Salon.com Welcome to the Sunday Salon! Also visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer; Showcase Sunday at Books, Biscuits, and Tea; and  It's Monday: What Are You Reading? at Book Journey. And Mailbox Monday hosted this month by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair.

It got colder, rained almost all day today, and washed out a day of events planned by local businesses in one area of town. The late night music scene was still going on though as the skies cleared at 4 p.m. though I didn't see many people around even at 5 p.m. Maybe we were spoiled by previous warm days and aren't used to the sudden drop in temperatures.

I finished reading a Soho teen novel, Dancer Daughter Traitor Spy by Elizabeth Kiem, and found it just so-so as a mystery novel. I was interested in it most of the way through but didn't like how the plot took you through several thrilling possibilities but then let you down at the end. This was Kiem's first novel.

My current read is Killer Librarian, the first in the mystery series by Mary Lou Kirwin, and plan to read the follow-up, Death Overdue, both in paperback to be released in November. I like the bookish setting.


Last week I received two ARCs for review:
The Bird Skinner by Alice Greenway, fiction: "the story of Jim Carroway, a World War II Vietnam Vet once called Jungle Jim, who has moved to a tiny island in Maine to seclude himself from his former life.  Once Jim was a noted ornithologist collecting and skinning birds as specimens he sent back to the Museum of Natural History in New York where he worked. Since his amputation, his lifelong work has become impossible. Now hiding out on Fox Island, away from his adult son and grandchildren in Connecticut and his colleagues in New York, he is depressed and in pain.

Jim’s slowly deteriorating mind unravels memories that take him back to the war in Guadalcanal, where he was with Naval Intelligence, spying on the Japanese for Admiral Halsey on a remote Solomon Island. There he became friends with a young native, Tosca, who taught him about the islands. Now in Maine, Jim finds out that Tosca, whom he hasn’t heard from in thirty years, is sending his daughter Cadillac to stay with him for a month before she starts Yale on a scholarship. Cadillac arrives to Jim’s consternation, but she is utterly captivating, totally original. She will capture his heart and the heart of everyone she meets."

The Girl With a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson, mystery
and two finished review books:
The Unidentified Redhead by Alice Clayton, romance
Unthinkable by Richard Cibrano, historical novel

A couple of these I requested and a couple were unsolicited.
As for book tours, I have a few left this year and scheduled a children's book for January. I hope to keep the number down to a minimum in 2014, one of my blogging resolutions for the new year!

What are you reading and what books arrived last week?

11 comments:

  1. Our temperatures are beginning to drop too, but so far we've been lucky with only a light shower of rain. Hard to believe cold weather will be here to stay before too long.

    I'm finishing State Vs Lassiter by Paul Levine on my Kindle and am also listening to Gone by James Patterson.

    Hope you have a warm and sunny Sunday.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  2. I'm not quite ready for rain, but I love the cooler weather. I'm not familiar with your books, but they do look tempting. Enjoy.

    Here's MY WEEKLY SUNDAY/MONDAY UPDATES

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  3. Sounds like plenty of rain over there. Too bad the Elizabeth Kiem book was a letdown.
    Enjoy your Sunday!

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  4. Happily we still have sunny days here on Long Island.

    The Bird Skinner sounds like a fine character study. I look forward to your review.

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  5. I've started thinking about what I want out of blogging next year too. What's the children book you have planned for in January? The Girl With a Clock for a Heart is a great title.

    Enjoy your day.

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  6. Sounds like you've been having nasty weather. We've been lucky.

    I've been wanting to read Killer Librarian. That one looks so good. Have a great week!

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  7. I am anxious to try The Bird Skinner - I like the sound of it. Have a great week Harve.

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  8. I am finding difficult to find a comment link and leave comments. Anyway, after clicking your heading a couple of times, I found it. Sorry to hear your last mystery had a disappointing ending. I hope you enjoy your new books and have a great week.

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  9. Hi Harvee,
    Enjoyed your blog very much, it's so newsy.
    If you get a chance, stop over at my blog and say hi. I'm still fighting the lung cancer and just began a new regiment of treatment. Hearing from friends is like a medicine.
    Thanks.
    Mike Draper http://mikedraperinguilford.blogspot.com

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  10. It gotten much colder here to. Thankfully we don't have your rain. I have Killer Librarian to read too. It sounds good. Hope you have a good week.

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  11. I have seen THE BIRD SKINNER around. I hope you like it.

    Have a terrific week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Mailbox Monday

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I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

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