Saturday Snapshots - Dec 15th

Saturday Snapshot

is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.  This week my theme is wreaths.

I wanted something I could use after the holidays

 as well and this one seemed perfect.

I came across this one while holiday shopping (it wasn't for sale)

but, I thought it looked pretty against a charcoal colored wall.

( positioned about 8' above my head & tough to photograph)

The Panther; Nelson DeMille

Title: The Panther

Author:  Nelson DeMille

Publication Year: 2012

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Edition: audio book and eGalley

Reader: Scott Brick (excellent)

Setting: NYC and Yemen

Source: NetGalley

Date Completed: December/2012

Rating: 4/5 

Recommend: yes

I've been a long time fan of Nelson DeMille novels.  Although his suspense novels tend to be long, 600+ pages, his chapters are short.  His writing is usually peppered with witty and sarcastic comments which make the reader chuckle, as well as anxious to turn the pages, or in this case listen on -- his audio versions are always a treat. This one was narrated by Scott Brick who always does a fantastic job.

His latest novel, The Panther, features John Corey, an agent for the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force based in New York City, as well as his wife, Kate Mayfield, an FBI special agent.  The couple have been selected for an assignment and sent to Yemen to track down and capture an Al Qaida operative know as The Panther. He was the terrorist behind the USS Cole bombing, an immigrant who had been living in New Jersey.  That is not all John and Kate need to worry about though, as they are on the terrorists targeted list as well. Corey killed a Libyan terrorist know as The Lion in one of his earlier novels.  His wife Kate, has also been involved in events that make her just as unpopular among terrorists.

There are other intelligence agencies at work as well throughout the novel, some involving secret missions and others unique agendas of their own. One character who made the story all the more interesting was Paul Brenner, an embassy DSS Chief who has also served two tours of duty in Vietnam. Corey and Brenner seemed to feed off one another making for some interesting dialogue and suspense filled thrills along the way.

Although, I enjoyed  this audio version a lot and as well as the eBook, I thought the novel seemed way to long. One of the things that draws me back to DeMille time and time again is his wit and sarcasm, which always makes a commute that more enjoyable when listening to his stories. For some reason the wit and sarcasm seemed to have been over done in this story, and after a while I grew tired of the wise-cracks.  Despite that, I thought the ending was very good and I was happy I took the time to finish this one. I don't feel like it is necessary to read his series novels consecutively, for those interested, the (6) books in the series featuring John Corey are:  Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Lion and The Panther. I've read/listened to them all and enjoyed each of them.  If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to these.

Nutcracker; E.T.A. Hoffmann, Maurice Sendak

Title:  Nutcracker

Author:  E.T.A. Hoffmann, Ralph Manheim and Maurice Sendak

Publication Year: 2012

Publisher: Crown Publishing

Edition: hardcover

Source: sent by publisher

Date Completed: December/2012

Rating: 4.5/5 

Recommend: yes

This is a beautiful reissued edition  of the Nutcracker, (Crown Publishing - October 2012) of the timeless story by E.T.A. Hoffman, originally written in 1816 is truly a beautiful book.  It's release is perfect timing for 2012 gift giving.

Although most of us have read or at least had someone read the Nutcracker to us at some point in our lives,  it's always a treat to revisit the story around the holidays. I also love the way the ballet has brought this story to life in new ways at this time of year, and will never forget my experience seeing it on the New York stage with my own children and as an adult.

Rather than detail the story yet again when it's so familiar to many, I'll just say the story is about a young girl  around the age of seven, who grows attached to a somewhat ugly looking nutcracker that the family received on Christmas Eve from an uncle. When her slightly older brother breaks the jaw of the nutcracker, the girl is saddened. She puts the nutcracker to bed on Christmas Eve, but not before trying to repair it.  That night strange things happen and the nutcracker seems to come alive in her room.  It's not all dancing sugar plum fairies and beautiful magic though, as there is some darkness related in part to some evil mice in this story.
 

There is also another tale called, The Story of the Hard Nut, which give the reader the background story of the Nutcracker and the mice. Although the story is timeless and does have a happy ending, it isn't a story for very very young children, in my opinion.  But what does make this book special is the colorful and awesome illustrations created by Maurice Sendak in 1984; Sendak passed away in 2012. A minor problem for me was that not every illustration was inserted to flow along with the text on the particular page it is found. However, the illustrations are stunning all the same (classic Sendak) and would make for good conversation when cuddled up with a child.  The translation by Ralph Manheim for the original German version is extremely well done. This one is a keeper for the holiday collection.

Thanks to Crown for providing me with a copy.

Cascade; Maryanne O'Hara

Title:  Cascade

Author:  Maryanne O'Hara

Publication Year: 2012

Publisher: Viking

Edition: eGalley

Setting: MA and NYC

Source: NetGalley

Date Completed: December/2012

Rating: 4.5/5 

Recommend: yes

Desdemona (Dez) Hart Spaulding, is an independent woman, a gifted young artist who has studied in Boston and even Paris.  Her dreams of living in the big city and making it big in the art world are set aside because of a promise she made to father, John Hart, a former actor,  who lost his fortune and was even forced to close his Cascade Shakespearean Theater when the Depression hit. 

Following her father's advice Dez marries the older, but sensible Asa Spaulding, a pharmacist who is anxious to start of family, something Dez is not ready for.  When her father dies just two months after their marriage, she learns that he has left his theater to her husband, but wants Dez to see that it opens once again.

At the same time, something else is going on that has the potential of affecting the town of Cascade. Her father's dream of his theater reopen in Cascade, MA may not happen if plans by the state to build a new reservoir by flooding several small towns goes through.  Dez begins throwing her energy into her painting and art by capturing Cascade as it is (pre-flood) in the form of postcards.  When a Jewish artist from New York, now traveling salesman, breezes into town, he and Dez feel a bond because of their love of art, but townspeople with anti-Semitic views see him as a suspicious outsider.  For Dez, when a New York magazine seems interested in her art, she must decide what to do. Stay with Asa or pursue her dreams.

This was an wonderful debut novel which appealed to me for several reasons. The author beautifully detailed life in New England in the 1930s as well as what Greenwich Village in New York must have been like at that time as well.  The author really creates a realistic dilemma -- doing what's right or following one's heart.  The characters as well as the impending doom surrounding the flooding of the towns seemed believable as well. Oh, and I almost forgot, a surprise ending as well.

Another reason I found the story so interesting was that, although this was a work of fiction, the story, at least in part, was based on a similar event that occurred about 20 miles from where I grew up in Western Massachusetts around the same time (1936). The Quabbin Reservoir resulted when larger cities like Boston were in need of a larger drinking water supply. The Quabbin is one of the largest suppliers of drinking water in the United States. It's a beautiful place to visit and spend time with nature and family.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Every Tuesday, I'll be posting the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book I decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s). Feel free to grab the banner and play along. For today's First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intro, I'm featuring an intro of a book I picked up from the library yesterday. It's new for 2012 from Penguin.

The Cat Who Came Back for Christmas

Julia Romp

(from Prologue)

" When it came to first impressions, Ben didn't exactly shine.  He wasn't a small, pretty kitten with a blaze of ginger hair or even a sleek adult cat with a shining tortoiseshell coat.  In fact, his black and white fur was covered in dried blood, his red rump was completely bare and his thin tail looked more like a hairy twig.  Thankfully, I couldn't tell by looking at him that he was also home to scores of fleas and ear mites.

But as off-putting as he looked, when the sickly stray started visiting my garden I left out food, because I've always had a soft spot when it came to animals.  Even my pet rabbit Fluffy lives in a shed that I painted with bright flowers --it's like the Ritz for rabbits--so I made up a bed for the cat in a carrier, which I left in the shed, hoping it would sleep there.  The stray was looking worse each day and, I thought, once it felt at home in the carrier, I'd shut the door and take it to the vet. " 

Would you keep reading this memoir?

Please feel free to grab the logo and join in by posting the first paragraph (or 2) of a book you are reading now or hoping to read soon.

December Holiday Giveaway

Happy Holidays

I've been thinking that it's been a while since I had a giveaway and December seems like the perfect month, since most everyone is busy buying others gifts, how about a chance to win something for yourself.  I'm giving away an unabridged book on cds of Barbara Kingsolver's wonderful new book, Flight Behavior.  (If interested you can checkout my review here. )

 

Flight Behavior; Barbara Kingsolver

 

(This giveaway is made possible thanks to the good people at Harper.)

 

TO WIN

• Open to US and International Readers
• Leave a comment with an email address to contact you.
• Tweet about it for an EXTRA entry
• Drawing will be on Sunday December 16th
• Good Luck to Everyone who Enters

Saturday Snapshots - December 8

Saturday Snapshot

is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.

A short video of our future knitting prodigy.