Sunday Salon: Black Water Lilies and Gardening

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I finished reading 

Black Water Lilies by Michel Bussi, February 7, 2017, Hachette. Translated from the French.

An unusual crime novel set in Giverny, France, the town made famous by the artist Claude Monet and his water lilies. The lives of an old woman, of an attractive young teacher, and of an 11-year-old girl intertwine in a mystery involving art, artists, talent, Monet's water lilies, and romantic as well as an obsessive love that changes their lives. I learned a lot about Monet and Giverny, his art and how he created his famous water lily paintings. 

I Found You  by Lisa Jewell, April 25, 2017, Atria Books.
My comments: 

This was an interesting mystery involving amnesia and an old crime that is slowly revealed as a lost man regains his memory. 

Alice, a single mother with three children find and take in a man they call Frank, a man who cannot remember who he is. They help him as he unravels his past and a horrific crime. I gave this 4 stars. 

Gardening:

I had no new books in the mail, but spent time gardening, weed-whacking, and tree trimming. I must say the yard looks better today, especially after the rain last night seemed to make everything greener, if that's possible. 

What are you doing this Sunday?

2017 Big Book Summer Challenge

The 2017 Big Book Summer Challenge is held by Sue Jackson at Book By Book. Click here to read the rules and join up. I have a book in mind that is over 400 pages long - 

Edgar and Lucy by Victor Lodato, March 7, 2017, St. Martin's Press is my choice for this challenge. It's 526 pages long. 

"...a stunning examination of family love and betrayal. Eight-year-old Edgar Fini remembers nothing of the accident people still whisper about. He only knows that his father is gone, his mother has a limp, and his grandmother believes in ghosts ."

The challenge runs through Labor Day, so I will begin reading very soon! It's open to everyone, even those who don't have a blog but are goodreads members. 

Sunday Salon: How I Became a North Korean by Krys Lee

How I Became a North Korean by Krys Lee was a lucky find at the library, informative, revealing, and easy to read. The story involves a Korean-American student Danny who returns to his parents' former hometown in China, partly to run away from his separated parents and partly to escape the bullying in his California high school.

Danny meets runaways from North Korea who have crossed the river separating their country from China, and he tries to become one of them, befriending them while living as one of them, refugees in fear of discovery by the authorities. When Christian Koreans offer them shelter and food, Danny continues his subterfuge, unwilling to tell the pastors he is not a North Korean orphan, as his father is in America and his mother in China.

The novel reveals the plight of many North Korean refugees who make it across the river to China, but are there illegally, in fear of being returned to their oppressive home country. They often live in pitiful conditions in their newfound "freedom" and are taken advantage of by unscrupulous people while they wait and hope to be repatriated to either South Korea or another welcoming country.

The novel is written by South Korean writer, Krys Lee. I gave her intriguing and eye-opening novel five stars.

Other new books: a few cozy mysteries are also on my reading list.

Once Upon a Spine by Kate Carlisle, June 6, 2017, Berkley Books

San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright stumbles through the looking glass in a tale of murder, rare books, and a quest for the perfect pie 

Only Skein Deep by Maggie Sefton, June , 2017, Berkley

Kelly Flynn and her boyfriend and The Lambspun Knitters are eagerly awaiting the birth of Kelly's bouncing baby boy but find themselves having to solve a crime instead. 

A Just Clause by Lorna Barrett, June 13, 2017, Berkley

Tricia Miles, mystery bookstore owner and amateur sleuth, is in for a surprise when her ne er-do-well father, John, comes to town and becomes a prime suspect in the murder of a woman with a scandalous past. 

I got a galley of an historical mystery for a TLC book tour coming up.

Betrayal at Iga by Susan Spann, July 11, 2017 by Seventh Street Books.

Book description: Autumn, 1565: After fleeing Kyoto, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo take refuge with Hiro's ninja clan in the mountains of Iga province. But when an ambassador from the rival Koga clan is murdered during peace negotiations, Hiro and Father Mateo must find the killer in time to prevent a war between the ninja clans.

What books are you reading? 
Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also visit It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Book Date Also visit Mailbox Monday.

Book Beginning: Everybody's Son by Thrity Umrigar

Everybody's Son by Thrity Umrigar, June 6, 017, Harper

When adopted son Anton discovers the truth about his life, his birth mother, and his adoptive parents, this man of the law must come to terms with the moral complexities of crimes committed by the people he loves most. (publisher)

Book beginning:

The room where he was to meet the boy was painted a cheery blue, its walls covered with posters promoting the county's foster care program, but David Coleman barely noticed any of it as he walked in, escorted by the social worker. He was too nervous. The two men made their way to the maroon couch, and David eased his lanky frame onto it. They made small talk for a few seconds, and then the social worker looked at his watch and stated the obvious: The boy was late. 

Page 56:

In reply, Anton said, "Can I just go to my old apartment and get my things?""Afraid not, son.":

The excerpts are from an uncorrected proof and may differ from the final publication. 
Memes: The Friday 56. Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% of your eReader. Find any sentence that grabs you. Post it, and add your URL post in Linky at Freda's Voice. Also visit Book Beginning at Rose City Reader.

Sunday Salon: Diets, Books, and Gardening

A few new books this week:

The Destroyers,  a thriller by Christopher Bollen, June 27, 2017, Harper is an interesting read so far. 

Arriving on the Greek island of Patmos broke and humiliated, Ian Bledsoe is fleeing the emotional and financial fallout from his father’s death. His childhood friend Charlie—rich, exuberant, and basking in the success of his new venture on the island—could be his last hope.

Kiss Carlo by Adriana Trigiani, June 20, 2017, HarperCollins
... the story of an Italian-American family on the cusp of change in 1949 South Philadelphia.

I recently finished 

Crosstalk by Connie Willis, Sept. 20, 2016, DelRay

My comments: 
A clever fantasy novel about the idea of mental telepathy as an inherited trait, the pros and cons, and the implied dangers of over-communication in our technical world. An engrossing book that ran a little long. But it was an enjoyable and innovative book, nevertheless. 

I also finished The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman, a light but enjoyable romance about gardening helping a woman looking for a new life in a small town.

I am now also reading Today Will Be Different by Maria Sempe, contemporary women's fiction. There are at least 10 other ebook borrows from the library that I have to get to soon! Speed reading?

In other news, I am trying to follow a high fiber diet and have lost three pounds, eating only legumes, oatmeal, beans, veggies, and fruit. My favorite dish so far has been a papaya salad with tomatoes, green beans, and lots of hot pepper. And also a Thai red curry with prawns and pineapple chunks and a coconut milk base.  

What books are you reading and what are you snacking on while you read? 
Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also visit It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Book Date Also visit Mailbox Monday.

Book Beginning: Edgar and Lucy by Victor Lodato

Edgar and Lucy by Victor Lodato, published March 7, 2017, St. Martin's Press

"...a stunning examination of family love and betrayal. Eight-year-old Edgar Fini remembers nothing of the accident people still whisper about. He only knows that his father is gone, his mother has a limp, and his grandmother believes in ghosts "

Book beginning:

Having a life meant having a story. Even at eight, Edgar knew this. 

What he didn't know was his own beginning. Newborn brains were mushy. If you wanted to know how your life had started, you had to get this information from other people.

But what if these people were liars?

"I kept falling asleep," said Lucy. She was speaking of Edgar's birth. The boy liked this particular story, and so he made sure to roll his head in feigned boredom.

Page 56:

Florence had dropped her watering can and nearly fallen into the tomatoes. She'd clutched her chest, fearing she might be dying. Just this morning she'd thought of her childhood friend - and now the spastic girl was chanting Nelly's name like a mob about to burn down a building. 

Memes: The Friday 56. Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% of your eReader. Find any sentence that grabs you. Post it, and add your URL post in Linky at Freda's Voice. Also visit Book Beginning at Rose City Reader.

First Chapter: White Lies by Susan Barrett

White Lies by Susan Barrett, August 31, 2016.
White Lies explores the joys and hazards of adoption, told from the perspectives of three women over half a century.

First chapter:

Beth: The Beginning 

Through the white light of pain Beth sees Joe. He stands at the foot of her bed, a forlorn, useless figure. Why did they let him in? Do they think he's the father? Six purple flowers flop their heads from a bunch clutched in his hand. Flowers are the last things she needs. Their name hovers in the gust of her pain. They'll need water, but what can she do about that? She cannot think of anything beyond the present colossal pain of agony. It overwhelms her. She is a single, screaming universe, pelvic bones pushed to their limits. Bodies are not designed for this. Her unwanted baby's head is stuck, it will kill her. Nothing gives. There is no release. 

"Daisies," Joe says, kneeling beside her. "From your mom's balcony."

Author SUSAN BARRETT has had seven novels published in UK and USA. Other work includes travel writing, television drama, and wildlife and children’s books illustrated by her husband Peter. They have two adopted children, now middle-aged. She has mentored new writers, held creative writing workshops, established a website for the writers and readers of quality fiction, and continues to write while practising as a counsellor.

Based on the beginning paragraph of the novel, would you read on?

MEME: Every Tuesday Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros sharing the first paragraph or two, from a book you are reading or will be reading soon.