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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Library Books

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike #3).  I like this series largely because of Cormoran and Robin, but the plots keep me interested as well.

I could have done without the body part delivered to Robin at the beginning--a wee bit too much of an opening, but it does demonstrate how personal the attack is.  And although the leg (uh huh, uh huh, a leg) is sent to Robin, the real target is Cormoran Strike.

The first dilemma is discovering who hates Strike enough to send him a leg (not overly fond of dismemberment); there are four possibilities that have to be investigated.

While the police focus on one suspect, Strike and Robin investigate the other three that Strike believes more credible.  Several subplots are entwined with the central plot, and  along the way we also find out more about the backstories of both characters.  In the acknowledgements, Rowling mentions how much she enjoyed writing this installment.  It is certainly more grisly than the previous two books and definitely not Harry Potter.

Library copy.

Mystery/Suspense.  2015.  498 pages.

No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd.  I've been reading this series since the first one was published in 1994, and I've read quite a few, but not all of the 18 books (mainly the ones my library has purchased) about Inspector Ian Rutledge.

A bit of the background:  Ian Rutledge suffered from shell shock during WWI and continues to do deal with some of the effects.

Sooo--four young women are boating when they realize a young man is in distress--he can't swim and his boat is rapidly sinking.  They attempt a rescue, but several details are curious.

As two of the girls attempt to get the young man in the boat without tipping themselves over, a farmer witnesses the situation and swims out to help.  He accuses the young women of trying to kill the young man, and when the group reaches shore, the girls are taken into custody.  Detective Rutledge is called in to investigate.

Because the victim is in a coma, Rutledge needs to find out what actually happened. The girls say they were trying to rescue the young man; the farmer says they were trying to kill him.

There is also a secondary plot involving a mysterious young woman who was staying in the village, but has moved on.  In fact, this young woman never stays in one place for any length of time and is difficult to locate.  Another curious situation.

There are some several holes in the novel, but I enjoyed it.  I'm quite fond of Inspector Rutledge and of Hamish, the young Scot Rutledge was required to execute during the war for refusing to obey an order.  Hamish remains a voice in Rutledge's head, but has received less time as the series has continued.  He is, nevertheless, an important character.

My favorite in the series remains the first one, A Test of Wills, but I've enjoyed at least 9 of the novels in this series.  The effects of shell shock were so severe that some men never recovered.  The Todds have also co-authored the Bess Crawford series.

Library copy.

Historical Mystery.  Feb. 2016.  336 pages.

Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear.  Another series I've followed since the first book.  Set in the period between the two world wars, the early books deal with some of the same issues the Todds write about concerning the first world war.  The later books begin anticipating the inevitability of WWII--which is what this one does.

Maisie is sent to Munich in 1938 to retrieve a man the British Government believes will be useful in the war effort.  Maisie must navigate Hitler's Munich, a frightening and dangerous place.

I'm not sure where this series is going.  Will Maisie get back to her detective work or continue working for the Secret Service?

Probably both, but for some reason, I would prefer more on the detective side.

The later books have been uneven, and I find myself preferring the earlier entries in the series. I like the historic details that have been a part of the series, but Maisie as an undercover or intelligence agent doesn't appeal to me as much as Maisie the detective.

Library copy.

Historical Mystery.  March 2016.  309 pages.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Snail Mail, Mail Art

Two books that I've read in the past several months, but haven't reviewed:

Snail Mail by Michele Mackintosh is a fun and crafty book with some good ideas for spicing up mail art and some free stickers, too.

I enjoyed it, and when I'm in the need of a little inspiration, I can check it out again.

Always First Class: The Pleasure of Personal Letters by Lois Barry is about letter writing, not mail art, and is full to the brim with the most wonderful quotes!

It's uplifting to get a letter--like an 'ooh!' in your mailbox.
            --Kate Spade

Everything is good, even having to write letters, because there are things one can write that one can't say just as there are things one can say that one can't write.
           --May Sarton to Margaret Foote Hawley

I live a solitary life.  My gregariousness is letters...
                                                       ---Donald Hall

I write to my mother every day, and of course in a daily letter you end up telling everything--stories, dreams, recipes, family, politics and the world.  I never read them again.  When I sit down and write while thinking about someone, the writing is much easier.
           ----Isabel Allende
     (who has written to her mother every day for thirty years)

A few examples of incoming mail:

From Wendy--
with a bookmark
a bookmark (front & back)
hand-made by the Marvelous Mouse!

from Suzie--
a cool postcard she found at Jazz Fest

Since this beautiful skyline is in Singapore,
you may have guessed Melody
from Connie, who always has creative envelopes

A couple of outgoing pieces.

Sending letters and postcards has been keeping me remarkably busy!  Many more examples are on my other blog. So much fun to make postcards and envelopes--and even more fun to find something cheerful in my mailbox, sit with a cup of tea, and read the letters!

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

3 Mysteries

 Gone by T.J. Brearton.  A family has gone missing.  Things are looking bleak as Detective Rondeau and his team consider the possibilities, including murder/suicide or kidnapping.  Or is it a government conspiracy?

Interesting and tense.  There were red herrings, but they were as often for Detective Rondeau as well as for the reader.

The father of the missing family is a documentary filmmaker, who had recently finished a documentary about factory farming and was investigating toxic waste disposal when the family disappeared.

The novel mentions that factory farming is worse for the environment than any other single factor.  Although I have read similar statements and a few articles before, a little research made me appropriately ill:  11 Facts about Factory Farming, Factory Farming and the Environment, Factory Farming and Human Health, and there is plenty more out there--including the "humane" treatment of animals.
via Your Food Is Medicine

Anyway--Brearton has a tense novel (although the conclusion was a bit too psychological), but what I mainly took away was more  what occurs in the real world, and it isn't pretty.  Fiction can make the government's role in allowing these abuses more offensive than simply reading articles by environmentalists.

NetGalley/Joffe Books

Mystery/Suspense.  May 2016.  Print length:  212 pages.

By the North Door by Meg Elizabeth Atkins is a strange and creepy novel about a young woman who goes missing. Originally published in 1975, it is both a little old-fashioned and very modern for its time.

Inspector Henry Beaumont has a family connection to the missing woman and makes discovering what happened to her a personal mission outside of his role with the police.

Strange characters and modern witchcraft.

Not sure what I really think about By the North Door, but I wanted to know what happened!

NetGalley/Endeavor Press

Mystery/Paranormal.  1975.  2016.  Print length:  182 pages.

Stephen Booth's Cooper & Fry mysteries are uneven; some I've liked a lot, some not so much.  I liked Scared to Live better than the last one I read, partly because Fry, always difficult, is less waspish and irascible in this one.  Cooper, as always, provides the calm and empathetic element, but he has some concerns of his own.

The murder of Rose Shepherd, a recluse, and a house fire that kills a mother and two of her young children initially have no connection. Eventually, however, the two investigations intertwine.

A Bulgarian connection, two separate worries about mental illness, an odious neighbor, baby smuggling, blackmail....

* I was totally unaware of Schengen countries (borderless countries that don't require a passport)!  I've been to the UK several times, but never to the European continent and was unaware of the treaty in 1990.

*Booth refers to a meal of homity pie, a dish with potatoes, onions, and leeks, and covered with cheese.

*He also mentions crantsies, or maidens' garlands, so I checked with Wikipedia and discovered a crant/crantsey/maiden garland:  is a crown-shaped garland used as a funeral memento for, usually female,virgins.

An interesting history of the practice can be found at A Vintage Green Life.

Booth's books always include descriptions of the Peak District sometimes in detail, as he does with the town of Matlock Bath in this novel, or in a simple mention of something that might seem common to him, but unfamiliar to the reader.  :)  I love tid bits.

Mystery/Police Procedural.  2014.  Print length:  594 pages.

Monday, May 16, 2016

The Golden Age of Murder and The Wicked Boy

The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards provides an absorbing glimpse into the lives of the men and women who wrote crime and detective novels during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction between WWI and WWII.  The three grand dames of this period are Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham--creators of Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Peter Wimsey, and Albert Campion.

The Detection Club, "an elite but mysterious group of crime writers" was formed in 1930 and initially included 39 members including G.K. Chesterton, Anthony Berkeley, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers.  This community of writers had standards, rules concerning their novels (which they often broke), and a sense of camaraderie.  Edwards explores the source of many of their ideas, the fact that they wrote books together; he details incidents in the authors lives that occurred in their books and delights at the way they had of mentioning their colleagues and their colleagues' books in their own novels.

Full of fascinating material about the members of the club and the period between the wars, the book entertains as well as informs.  In fact, there is so much significant information that it should perhaps have been two books!  Because the authors were much influenced by real crimes, Edwards spends a good deal of time on those true crime stories that inspired elements of many of their novels.  One crime Edwards spends time on is the murder of a three-year-old child in 1860 that was investigated by Inspector Jonathan Jack Whicher (the prototype for the modern detective) and mentions Kate Summerscale's well-researched The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher.

Other than the fact  that there are so many digressions that interrupted the flow, I  loved the insight the book gives and was intrigued by much of what Edwards discovered about the Detection Club and its members.

Edwards gives an introduction explaining how he became interested in crime fiction very young and read all of Christie's books.  Since he is now the president of the Detection Club and a well-known crime writer himself, it is easy to see that his impeccable research began long before he decided to write The Golden Age of Murder.

Nonfiction.  2015.  Print length: 528 pages.
Almost as soon as I finished The Golden Age of Murder, NetGalley offered Kate Summerscale's The Wicked Boy!  I do love serendipity.

I found it strange and a little confusing that the book opens with a Prologue about an event in 1930, but at the very end of the book, the relevance of the incident is revealed.

In 1895, thirteen-year-old Robert Coombes killed his mother.  The murder, in and of itself, is shocking, but perhaps even more so is that Robert and his brother Nattie paid the rent and attended cricket matches and coffee shops for ten days as the body of Emily Coombes lay in her bed upstairs.

When the boys could no longer conceal the crime, the nation was shocked by both the matricide and the fact that Robert was so young.  The press coverage was astonishing and virulent.  Our current relationship with the press has many of the same problems, but present day press coverage (at least in the legitimate press),  is actually quite restrained when compared to the newspaper articles in 1895.

Summerscale gives well-documented and compelling accounts of the way the legal system of the time operated.  In the meantime, the press continued its garish coverage of details and possible causes for Robert's behavior--from physiognomy and the shape of Robert's head and features, to insanity, to a "preponderance of brain matter" (this from Robert's father as a diagnosis from the physician who treated Robert's headaches), to the influence of Penny Dreadfuls,  to the school systems that were (gasp) educating the poor.

Summerscale's research of the case and the time period is extensive (and not always relevant to the case at hand), but this tidbit caught my attention:

"In 1892 two Dundee runaways aged twelve and fourteen were apprehended in Newport, Wales, in possession of a revolver, a hundred ball cartridges, a travelling rug and a handwritten document:  'Directions for skedaddle:  Steal the money; go to the station, and get to Glasgow.  Get boat for America.  On arriving there, go to the Black Hills and dig for gold, build huts, and kill buffalo; live there and make a fortune.'"

I can see why Summerscale could not resist including it, even though it is the only truly humorous item in the book.

The opinions about children being pure and innocent had changed by the late 1800's.  Havelock Ellis wrote in 1890 that "Children are naturally egoists; they will commit all enormities...."  Psychiatrist James Crichton-Browne states that children are "diamond editions of very remote ancestors, full of savage whims and impulses...."  And Henry Maudsley, another pre-eminent psychiatrist wrote "Give an infant in arms power in its limbs equal to its passions, and it would be more dangerous than any wild beast."

There were a few others who took a different view, but psychologist James Sully believed that the treatment a child received from adults was "decisive in forming their characters and fate."  He also observed that "the young confused fact and fiction."  Sully's opinions were advanced for the time.

I'm almost always intrigued by educational philosophies and standards and was a little stunned by the requirements of the time.  "To achieve this standard [fourth standard], a child needed to recite eighty lines of poetry, read with fluency and expression from a passage chosen the the school inspector, write from dictation..." and much more.  Robert, obviously a bright boy was on the seventh level with even more rigorously stringent requirements and was also liked and respected by his teachers.

At his trial, Robert's lawyer asked one of his teachers if Robert were precocious in attempt to get an insanity plea.   According to the Dictionary of Psychological Medicine very precocious children were"more prone to madness than others."   Grantham was hoping for a verdict of insanity.

This review is getting quite long, so I'm going to try to curtail it a little.

Robert was found guilty by reason of insanity, but you will hate the judge.  Sentenced to Broadmoor, the "fortified criminal lunatic asylum that housed the most notorious killers in Britain," Robert was the youngest inmate there.  Many at the time thought this sentence was possibly worse than hanging.

What surprised me here is that the prevailing philosophy of Broadmoor under superintendent Dr. David Nicolson.  Nicolson humane view of his inmates was unusual, but supported by a few others who were making progress in the area of mental health, especially of the criminally insane.  Much of the information the author has gathered on the asylum at the time might be of use to our own illogical treatment of criminals.  The documented information shows the progressive attitudes of both Nicolson and Richard Brayn, who succeeded Nicolson.

(digression--Oscar Wilde is mentioned on a couple of occasions in the work, and Nicolson and Brayn were asked to assess Wilde's mental condition.  The two doctors decided that Wilde was not mentally ill, but thanks to their suggestions, Wilde was transferred from Wandsworth prison to Reading gaol and at their recommendation, given "more food, more space, and more books.")

I keep saying I'm going to be brief and then adding more and more.  And this is just barely touching all of the important and significant information.

The book continues through Robert's release when he was 30 after 17 years in Broadmoor, his emigration to Australia, his exemplary service during WWI, and his life after the war. Even at the beginning of the book, there is very little from Robert himself.  Most of the information comes from transcripts of the investigation and the trial, from his teachers and doctors, from documents at the asylum and from the military, and only at the end, information from one who knew him well.

The motivation for the murder is never truly available.  In the asylum, Robert had learned a skill, kept an allotment and grew fruits and vegetables, played cricket, learned new instruments, and became an excellent chess player.  His war service was courageous.  He could have been hanged for the murder, and there were frequent outcries at the time saying he should have been, but seeing what Robert survived, the circumstances he conquered, and the courage he exhibited as a stretcher bearer during the war makes the horror of the murder recede.

The book is about so much more than a boy who murdered his mother at thirteen--it is about the British social, legal, educational, and mental health systems at the turn of the century.  If you like history, especially Victorian history, I highly recommend The Wicked Boy.

NetGalley/Penguin Group

Crime/Nonfiction.  July 12, 2016.  Print length:  352 pages.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Catching Up

In 2012, I read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and enjoyed it.  My intention was to follow up with this series, but somehow that didn't happen.

Recently, I decided to catch up with Celaena, Chaol, and Prince Dorian and ordered Crown of Midnight.  Throne of Glass is one of those books that left a strong enough impression that even four years later gave me no problems feeling right at home with characters and events.

Crown of Midnight is a YA fantasy that is often brutal, but has such well-developed characters and such a mixture of evil, secrets, friendships, and suspense.  Although I enjoyed the first book, the second book twists so many of the stereotypical elements of the first.

The sequel is actually much better than the first novel.  Both plot and characters become more complex, more interesting, and more difficult to predict.

An exciting adventure with plenty of threats to overcome, secrets to unravel, and characters to worry about.

Fantasy.  2013.  Print length:  418 pages.

Yep, ordered the next one immediately.  Unexpected events. New characters.  Longer.

Next one, please.

Fantasy.  2014.  562 pages.

Even longer!

What kind of map must be required to manage all of the characters (major and minor) and plot developments throughout these 4 books?

Tension increases as the reader has to wonder who will survive the wickedness of the king and the evil he has summoned into their world.

Manon's character becomes even more intriguing.  Maybe not realistic to see this kind of change in such a short time, but she became a major interest over the course of the last few books and will definitely have a place in the next one.

I love that Maas includes so many strong female characters--I'm even thinking Lysandra deserves a book of her own.

Of course, the three friends from the initial book are still working through betrayals and failures and threats.

Looking forward to the final(?) entry which is due out in September.

Fantasy.  2015.  Print length: 648 pages.

The Body Reader by Anne Frasier features Jude Fontaine, a detective who was kidnapped and held captive for three years before managing to escape.

Learning to read her captor's body language helped her survive, and even though she comes back to a world a changed person, Jude is determined to get her job back.

Maybe she has something to offer that she didn't have before.

Goodread reviews are extremely positive, but this quote from Publishers Weekly is more on target:  "... Jude persists on her own as connections between cases old and new lead to results both surprising and unlikely."  I added the italics.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Crime/Suspense.  June 21, 2016.  Print length:  289 pages.

Ink and Bone is a paranormal mystery, the first in a series set in The Hollows.  Finley Montgomery has had some problems in her life and has moved to The Hollows to live with her grandmother in order to gain control of her psychic powers.

In short order, Finley finds herself aiding in the investigation of a missing girl.

A fast read, but the last portion of the book was a little over-the-top for me.

Paranormal Mystery.  June 7, 2016.  Print length:  352 pages

I've read like a crazy person throughout April and still seem to be stuck in that mode.  I still have not caught up on reviews.

Thursday, May 05, 2016

Blood Defense and Missing, Presumed

Blood Defense by Marcia Clark.  I have really enjoyed each of the 4 books in Clark's Rachel Knight series, but this is a new series with a very different protagonist.  Both Rachel Knight and Samantha Brinkman are lawyers, but their personalities, their legal roles (Knight is a prosecutor; Brinkman is a defense attorney), and their approaches to the legal system differ drastically.

Clark begins illustrating the difference between Rachel Knight and Sam Brinkman in the first chapter.  There is also an incident in the second chapter that could be dismissed as a "throw away," but something about "it" reminded me of Checkov's gun trope, and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Other subtle hints occur in the course of the book that explain not only that incident, but other events in the past.

By the time I finished, I knew I'd probably eagerly read the next in the Brinkman series, but mostly to see if I  could decide whether or not I liked the characters enough to continue.    Reviewing the book without giving spoilers is difficult, but Clark's storytelling sometimes overcame my ambivalence about Sam and about some of the developments in the plot.  The twist at the end was one I had picked up on early and that Clark had hinted at throughout--and has a great deal to do with Sam's character.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Legal Thriller.  May 1, 2016.  Print length:  400 pages.

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner.

Beautiful post-grad student from wealthy, influential family is missing.  Lonely female detective (who spends a lot of time looking for a partner by trying internet dating) is determined to find her.

I'm OK with a flawed protagonist, but Manon's desire for a partner is too desperate.  I'd rather feel empathy than pity. I also found it difficult to much to like about Edith, the spoiled post-grad student who is missing.

The discovery of the body of a young black man provides the opportunity for a couple of side-plots and "the twist."

The pacing is slow and the various plot lines didn't work well for me.

NetGalley/Random House

Police Procedural.  2016.  Print length:  400 pages.

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

A Death in Winter by Jim McGrath

A Death in Winter: 1963 by Jim McGrath is not always easy reading.  Set in Handsworth, an inner city area of Birmingham in the Midlands, the novel introduces two unusual and unusually appealing characters:  Constable Clive Clark, who at 5'7" appears to have been accepted in the police force despite the height requirement, and Constable Michael Collins, a probationer from Ireland.  Clark is put in charge of showing Collins the ropes, and the reader quickly gets a sense of character from each man.  The author obviously likes his characters, and there quite a few humorous moments as the two adjust to their partnership.

Nevertheless, this is book about some brutal crimes and some depraved individuals.  We think of "grooming" in connection to the internet, but there were earlier methods of grooming young people before sexual abuse. Then, as now, those responsible for the abuse are often from areas of life we assume to be respectable.

When Clark and Collins become involved with the murder of a young girl, the investigation appears to be stymied by someone higher up; just how high up is the question.  Is the pressure coming from the government itself?

Our intrepid protagonists are not going to give up that easily, but a heavy sense of darkness overhangs elements of the investigation.  Nor do Clark and Collins adhere to legality once the people they love are threatened.

(I've read many mysteries and crime novels set in the UK, but I believe this is the first I've read actually set in Birmingham, and I realized I knew very little about it other than familiarity with the name of the city.  A little research revealed a long and interesting history.  Both W.H. Auden and J.R.R. Tolkien were brought up in Birmingham and the Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movements are also associated with the city.)

McGrath has created some memorable characters and a fascinating book that reveals that in spite of all of the changes that have occurred in the last 50+ years, many things remain the same.  I look forward to more from Jim McGrath.

Read in April; blog review scheduled for May 4.

NetGalley/Troubador Publ.

Crime/Police Procedural.  April 25, 2016.  Print length:  274 pages.

Monday, May 02, 2016

The City of Mirrors (The Passage #3) by Justin Cronin

The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin concludes The Passage trilogy.  If you've read the previous books in the series, you realize that the books are very long and that there are a great many characters.  The Passage was published in 2010, The Twelve was published in 2012, and this final book will be available May 24, 2016.

 So...I wish I had reread the series from the beginning before starting The City of Mirrors; there are so many characters and so many years pass between books.  (A suggestion to those of you who are hooked on the series, at least review the first two books before reading the final installment.  :) Another tip:  it is still offered on NetGalley and there is a give-away on Goodreads.)  If you haven't read the earlier books, read them and save this last one for later.

Fortunately, I remembered enough scenes so vividly that the characters and events came back pretty quickly, but I still wished I'd reread the previous books, especially The Passage, which remains my favorite.

OK--The Twelve have been vanquished, and for years, nothing has been heard from Zero. The author brings the reader (not the characters) up-to-date about Zero, devoting nearly 200 pages to filling in his backstory.   Does it evoke empathy?  Is/was Zero an evil monster?

The beginning is a little slow, partly because the reader has to re-acclimate to characters and events, but eventually all of the familiar characters' lives are fleshed out.

Alicia of the Blades and Amy have disappeared and life in Kerrville has gone on without them.  While the other characters wait and wonder what happened to them, the reader is much more informed.  Years pass; the lives of characters change with the times.  Kerrville grows, then depletes, as years go by without viral activity and people form new settlements and townships, moving outside the walls.

Peter, Michael, Hollis, Sarah, and Greer's roles also change over the years, and a few new characters are introduced.  People eventually begin to believe/hope the world is safe again.

Lucas Greer has a vision, and he and Michael work to make it happen.  Peter Jaxon continues his role as leader, but in a different capacity.  Children grow up.

Time, however, is growing short.  Something is coming....

It is easy to become involved with the characters, especially those who have been there since the beginning.  We already feel as if we know these people, and we certainly care what happens to them.

 The premise of a military experiment gone wrong (as explained in the first book) is believable and frightening.  The perversion of science to the point of threatening humanity is certainly not a new theme, and yet Cronin's world-building and character development can place the reader firmly in this dystopian framework.

I'm happy to have this epic trilogy completed and to have the details of so many characters wrapped up.  There were a few things that bothered me, but I'll omit them for now;  I'd like to see how others feel about the novel.   Overall, I'm satisfied.

Read in April; blog post scheduled for May 2

NetGalley/Random House/Ballantine

Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic.  May 24, 2016.  Print length:  624 pages.


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In recent years, the majority of the world's Critical Infrastructures CIs evolved to become more flexible, cost efficient and able to offer better services and conditions for business opportunities. Towards this evolution, CIs and companies offering CI services had to adopt many of the recent advances of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) field. This adaptation however, was rather hasty and without thorough evaluation of its impact on security. The result was to leave CIs vulnerable to a who the new set of threats and attacks that impose high levels of risk to the public safety, economy and welfare of the population.

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Value Proposition:

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Crolla v Linares Odds

CrollaAnthony Crolla headlines a night of boxing on Sky Sports 1 this Saturday, as he takes to the ring for his rematch with Jorge Linares at the Manchester Arena.

It’s the same venue that hosted the original bout 6 months ago, which saw Venezuelan fighter Linares win a deserved points victory to take Crolla’s WBA lightweight belt after a gruelling 12 round fight.

There was nothing controversial about the decision, with Crolla admitting he was outfought by the ‘best lightweight in the world’ and the bookmakers think it unlikely Manchester’s Crolla will be able to turn the tables on Linares this Saturday.

Coral make Linares their 8/15 favourite to retain his title, with Crolla 2/1 at Unibet to reclaim his belt. Linares by decision or technical decision again is at 6/4 with Bet365.

Earlier on the bill, Jack Arnfield is 8/11 with BetVictor to beat fellow Blackpool fighter Brian Rose in their WBA international middleweight clash. Rose is at 6/4 with Unibet.


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Daphne’s favoriete YA summer reads

Elk jaren komen er weer nieuwe uit: heerlijk boeken om te lezen tijdens de zomer. Ik vind een boek echt een summer read, wanneer het beschikt over een flinke dosis romantiek, het luchtig en vlot is geschreven en ik er een feel good gevoel van krijg. Door de jaren heen zijn er heel wat heerlijke summer reads verschenen. Omdat de zomervakantie vlak voor de deur staat, deel ik met jullie graag mijn favoriete summer reads.

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Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend

Auteur: Kasie West
Pagina’s: 346
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publicatie: HarperTeen, december 2015
ISBN: 9780062336385

When Gia Montgomery’s boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable…convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. The task is simple: two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

The problem is that days after prom, she can’t stop thinking about her fill-in boyfriend. But can Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?

Smartly observed and wonderfully romantic, Kasie West’s talent shines in this tale of one girl’s unexpected quest to find love…and possibly herself. (Beschrijving Bol.com)

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Review: The Distance Between Us

TDBU Auteur: Kasie West
Pagina’s: 312
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publicatie: Zilverspoor, juli 2013
ISBN: 9780062235657
3 Eikels
Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom’s porcelain doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence – he’s tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can they close the distance to each other?

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Review: On The Fence

on the fence coverAuteur: Kasie West
Pagina’s: 296
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publicatie: HarperTeen, juli 2014
ISBN: 9780062235671
4 Eikels
Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, has always been more comfortable calling the shots on a basketball court than flirting with the opposite sex. So when her police officer dad demands she get a summer job to pay for the latest in a long line of speeding tickets, she’s more than a little surprised to find herself working at a chichi boutique and going out with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game. Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with her neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden, sitting back-to-back against the fence that separates them. Braden may know her better than anyone. But there’s a secret Charlie’s keeping that even he hasn’t figured out-she’s fallen for him. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

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Something in Excess ? : Priapea 50, 2

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Something in Excess ? : Priapea 50, 2, Page 1 of 1

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Affiliations: 1: BOSTON University

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As Socrates Shows, the Athenians Did Not Believe in Gods

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This paper reopens the discussion of key terms of the Socratic indictment, such as "worship" or "belief," from the point of view of Athenian religiosity. It addresses the content of the accusation itself: the main contention is that the accusations of "atheism" and "disbelief " are indeed opaque when understood against the background of the sources and in the context of Greek religiosity. The investigation includes a detailed inquiry into the categories of faith and belief and into the cultural reasons underlying the choice of these terms in Socratic scholarship.

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Theoretical Studies on Molecular Recognition and Self-Assembly

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Supramolecular chemistry now has become a central part of the research activities. Basically, it mostly concerns molecular recognition and self aggregation by non-covalent weak intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, and van der Waals interactions. The computational applications on such large systems are limited for their structural complexity. Several examples of the computational approaches to understand molecular recognition and self-aggregation are discussed. Firstly, bifunctional (fluorescence and visible light absorption) anion sensing mechanism is supported by the DFT calculations. Secondly, an experimentally observed selective recognition of Cu2+ by an azobenzene-appended receptor, which can exhibit Cu2+ selectivity by color change, is discussed based on computational approach. Finally, the intermolecular interaction, which is useful for predicting the self-assembled structures, can be understood by replicating the monomer unit and manipulating the translation and rotation.

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Influence Des Conditions De Milieu Sur La Fecondite De Caenorhabditis Elegans a Differentes Temperatures

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When grown under xenic conditions, the fertility of the free living nematode C. elegans is somewhat insensitive to the living part of the oligidic agar-medium. However the influence of the total concentration of the inert fraction of the medium is important. For a given temperature, there is an ideal concentration, below and above which the fertility decreases significantly. This ideal concentration is much higher at elevated temperatures (23-23.5° C) than at 13° C. Among the constituents of the agar-medium, only the variations in concentration of the agar seemed to have an effect comparable to that of the total concentration. Variations in minéral salt and organic compound concentration showed no effect. Hence, we are lead to hypothesize that changes in concentration of the agar upset the nature of the physiological exchanges between the animal and the medium by completely transforming the physical properties of the nutrient medium in which the nematode lives and reproduces. It appears possible that the increase in concentration of the medium causes a decrease in percentage of the free water of proteins. This dehydration, in turn, could account for an increase in heat resistance.

Affiliations: 1: Section de Biologie générale et appliquée, Faculté des Sciences de Lyon, France

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Monday, March 26, 2012

'The Book Of Lost Fragrances: A Novel Of Suspense" By M.J.Rose

 * * * * *
  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Atria Books (March 13, 2012)
  • ISBN-13: 978-1451621303
  • Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
  • Also available as an e-book

I wish I could have adjusted my 'star ratings' to add a 6th star - because that's how much I enjoyed this book. Riveting stuff!

I have to admit to being a long time fan of M.J. Rose but I think that this is her best yet, although I was, and am, a huge fan of The Reincarnationist. Ostensibly this book it is to be one in a series but I find that this is a solid stand alone book. MJ Rose has an excellent trailer video about the book on her website - and you also find information about about the Joya fragrance that was inspired by the book.

When I was given the opportunity (thank you Amy Bruno!) to review this book I have to admit to not having any idea what it might be about. The minute I began reading though - I was hooked and could not put the book down until I finished... and I have to admit that I was sad when it ended!
Author M.J. Rose
This book has all of the elements that make heart sing when I read a book. Fragrance - I am a 'nose' and the industry of fragrance has intrigued me for many years. My memories are tied to scent. What a perfect addition to the book's theme!  Other titilalting  elements of the book include an ancient artifact from Egypt and the book is set in one of the world's most glorious cities - Paris. This book is a thriller to be sure, but it is also a story about families, love, the creation of fragrance, the bonds between people and how thin the veil between now and then can be. It's an irresistible combination that flows strongly from the first page through to the last gripping scene.
I found this book to be unstoppable, "un-put-downable and thoroughly engrossing from the first page to the last ! You simply can't miss with this book!
The synopsis:
A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra--and lost for 2,000 years.

Jac L'Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances--and of her mother's suicide--she moved to America. Now, fourteen years later she and her brother have inherited the company along with it's financial problems. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing--leaving a dead body in his wake--Jac is plunged into a world she thought she'd left behind.

Back in Paris to investigate her brother's disappearance, Jac becomes haunted by the legend the House of L'Etoile has been espousing since 1799. Is there a scent that can unlock the mystery of reincarnation - or is it just another dream infused perfume?

The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra's Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet's battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac's quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past.

Comments about the book from well known people:

"From 18th-century Egypt and France to present-day Paris, New York, and China, Rose's deliciously sensual novel of paranormal suspense smoothly melds a perfume-scented quest to protect an ancient artifact with an ages-spanning romance. Rose imbues her characters with rich internal lives in a complex plot that races to a satisfying finish." Publishers Weekly, Starred and Boxed Review

"Amazing... utterly engrossing. Elegantly written, with unforgettable characters. Will keep you up all night—and leave you with powerful feelings of revelation, wonder, and the infinitude of human possibility." New York Times best selling author Douglas Preston
"Compelling... suspenseful tale. Once you catch a whiff, you will be enchanted". Associated Press

"Rose has entered another realm and written what is bound to be one of this year's best books." Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Follow the book blog tour

About the author, M.J. Rose:
M.J. Rose ( is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her next novel THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES (Atria/S&S) will be published in March 2012.

Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio.
A note about the author's fascination with fragrance:
M.J. Rose:  I've been fascinated with lost fragrances since long before I started writing The Book of Lost Fragrances... since I found a bottle of perfume on my great grandmother's dresser that had belonged to her mother in Russia. Here is one of those lost fragrances that stirs the senses and the imagination... (reasearched and described  with the help of the perfume writer  Dimitrios Dimitriadis
The most coveted and rare perfume from the Guerlain portfolio, Djedi was launched in 1926, right on the heels of Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. Presented in a flacon resembling a golden sarcophagus with its lid being raised, Djedi is an exploration into decomposition and decay. Gloomy and desolate, Djedi has a dry, arid quality like the shifting desert sands… a "closed over the ages" feel furnished by dry vetiver, oakmoss, musk, and leather. This olfactory requiem pays hommage to fallen ancient Egyptian dynasties that have been lost to the sands of time.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Give-A-Way from Lark ! "Beaded Fantasies" by Sabine Lippert

What could be better than a great book? A great book that offers you a chance to win it !

Lark Books, one of my favorite craft publishers is offering a great chance to win a copy of this book!

The opportunity closes on March 15th at 9pm EDT. Go HERE for all of the information. Good luck !!


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Back of Beyond
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The Edgar® Awardwinning and New York Times bestselling author delivers a thriller about a troubled cop trying to save his son from a killer in Yellowstone.Cody Hoyt, while a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his mentor and AA sponsor Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like the suicide of a man who's fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that. Sober for fourteen years, Hank took pride in his hard-won sobriety and never hesitated to drop whatever he was doing to talk Cody off a ledge. When Cody takes a closer look at the scene of his friend's death, it becomes apparent that foul play is at hand. After years of bad behavior with his department, he's in no position to be investigating a...
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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Princess in the Spotlight

Mia Thermopolis, the klutzy-yet-lovable royal heroine of bestselling novel The Princess Diaries is back in this hilarious sequel by Meg Cabot. This time, the unlikely princess has a lot to cope with: first of all, her mother is pregnant with Mia's Algebra teacher's baby; Mia's grandmother (the dowager princess of Genovia) is setting up a ridiculously outlandish wedding for the new couple; Mia is receiving mysterious notes from a secret admirer (whom she hopes is Michael Moscovitz); and then there's the usual princess stuff. Poor Mia! However, this fun teenager manages to handle all situations with passion and humor that readers will love! Bookworm Readers gives two thumbs up to Princess in the Spotlight!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Caitlin McCourt wants to be a diva. No, not the kind of diva that's super-rich and snobby. An opera diva. One day, she wants to sing in front of huge auditoriums of loving fans that will cheer and throw her flowers. But in order to do this, she must have the proper training. And that's why she just HAS to get into The Miami High School of the Arts. And it's not just to sing. She wants to get away from her old life with her former fatgirl image, abusive boyfriend, and cheerleader friends who don't accept her for who she is and what she loves-opera. But when Caitlin gets into the MHSA, her problems haven't completely vanished. Her mother is still dressing like a fourteen year old, dating a horrible man, Caitlin has to take dance class (which she is terrible at) three times a week, and the only boy she actually likes at her new school can't like her back. So Caitlin takes on the name of Opera_Grrrl in an online journal and pours her heart out daily. Then things change for Caitlin: she makes some awesome friends who like her for who she actually is, her teacher talks to her about a summer opera program that Caitlin could possibly have a shot at, and Caitlin finds her true self: she no longer has to pretend that she's someone who she's not. This YA novel by Alex Flinn is an amazing kick-butt story about being yourself with a hearty dose of friends, fun, and opera.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Nim At Sea

Nim Rusoe, the heroine from bestselling children's book Nim's Island, is back in this fantastically fun sequel! This time, Nim has made a huge mistake-she and her dad (Jack)'s new writer friend, Alex Rover, leaves the cozy, private island. And then Selkie, Nim's beloved sea lion friend, is kidnapped by the terrible Troppo Tourists, setting up a major adventure for Nim and her pet iguana, Fred. They must leave the island and stow themselves away on the ship in order to rescue Selkie. This time, the dynamic duo is headed towards a new island-a big, bustling city island-New York City itself! Along the way, they'll find friendship, fun, a scheming and evil Professor who is holding Selkie captive, and lots of rollicking adventure! Can Nim and Fred rescue Selkie in time (with help from their new friends Erin and Ben)? Can Jack find Nim? And can Nim find Alex in the big city before it's too late to apologize? This heartwarming tale by Wendy Orr will soon be a favorite of kids all over the world and as beloved as Orr's first novel!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

When You Wish

Meet Star Beck-she's a multimillionaire, is an internationally famous pop star and oh, yeah-she's only sixteen. But Star is sick of her life as a super-celebrity. She's sick of all the lies and diets and "romances" with people she hardly knows. And she's especially sick of her pushy mother, who as never let Star live a normal childhood ever since her dad left and Star got her big break. So when Star finds out that her mother has lied to her about her father her whole life, Star decides she's had it. So she changes her look, buys a bus ticket, and sets off on a quest to find her father-and her true self. She starts doing normal things like getting a job at a small Italian restaurant, meeting an adorable (and very nice) boy, living in cheap motels, eating fatty foods, wearing whatever she wants, and going anywhere without being recognized and hassled by the press. Can Star find her father-and her true self? Kristin Harmel's first YA book is sweet, heartfelt, and awesome--readers ages 12 and up will love to indulge in it!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Night I Freed John Brown

Josh's life is full of secrets. First, there's the huge Victorian mansion, full of mysterious happenings and lies, that stands over the town. There's something strange and haunting about it, something scary and odd... Then there's his difficult father, secluding his family from the rest of the world, hiding them from the the tourists that mob their town. And the tourists are a whole other matter themselves-they come to admire the statue of John Brown (the man that Josh's father despises for an odd reason) that makes Josh's small West-Virginian village so famous but seems to drive his dad so crazy. Can Josh figure out the secrets of Harpers Ferry, his dad's web of lies, and the secret of John Brown before it's too late? This enthralling and intriguing mystery by John Michael Cummings is a beautiful story that readers ages 11 and up will adore. The Night I Freed John Brown will come out later this month.

The Ashleys #2: Jealous?

Are you jealous of the Ashleys? You know you are...It seems like everyone at Miss Gamble's Academy is jealous of the Ashleys, including that dorky Lauren Page, who is still trying to fight her way to the top. So, basically, there's a lot going on this February for A.A., Lili, and Ashley Spencer, the three girls who make up the über-popular clique "The Ashleys". Then, a new website called "" pops up out of nowhere, and people start following it like a 90's boy band. This site that ranks the seventh-grade girls at Miss Gamble's by smile, style, intelligence, and social presence opens a window for all of the Ashleys: Lili and A.A. find a way to overthrow Ashley, Lauren finds a way to finally get "in" with the popular crowd, and Ashley finds a way to keep her queen bee status and push everyone else out of the way. Plus there's boy trouble, catfights, and a whole lot of drama...This novel is the second book in the fantastic Ashleys series by Melissa de la Cruz.

Interview with Lesley MM Blume, Author of "Tennyson"

Thanks to Lesley MM Blume for the great interview on her new book, Tennyson! *Spoiler Warning*! If you haven't read this fantastic book, then read no further! We don't want to ruin the fabulous ending for you!

Bookworm: What inspired you to write Tennyson?
Lesley: The influences for Tennyson were many and have been in my life for a long time, such as two photography books titled Immediate Family and Ghosts Along the Mississippi. The idea for the characters and the plot just occurred to me one day, and within weeks, I was down in southern Louisiana's river road plantation country, doing research. I stayed at some incredible, haunted plantations while I was there...and in the end could only use about 1/1ooth of the material that I gathered from these places. I loved writing Tennyson and really, really miss that world now that the writing is over.

Bookworm: Are any of the characters in the book based on real-life people?
Lesley: For the first time in my life, no. My first two books, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters and The Rising Star of Rusty Nail, were based on my personal history and that of my family. Tennyson is wholly fictional. There are, of course, homages in some of the characters...savvy readers might detect a touch of The New Yorker's Alexander Wolcott in my character, Bartholomew Prentiss. And the main character, Tennyson, and her younger sister, Hattie, were partly inspired by the two daughters photographed in Immediate Family. But as far as being based on people in my own circle: no.

Bookworm: Why does Sadie leave in Tennyson?
Lesley: Sadie is a very complicated, sad, character...and I remain completely fascinated in her. As readers of Tennyson learn in the first chapter, Sadie is a failed writer, and she blames this on her family. She imagines that if she could just get away from the burdening responsibilities of family life, she could realize her talent.
   Most of my readers despise her, but I feel terrible for her. Not every woman is equipped to be everything at once: a wonderful mother, a successful artist, a devoted wife. Many of us have to make choices among those categories. It's not always an easy choice. And Sadie was obviously not the most centered person to begin with.
   But I hope that my readers will view her with a little bit of compassion, despite the fact that she abandons her children and husband. I truly believe that in her heart, she felt it was the best thing for everyone, and that Emery would do a better job raising the girls alone, without the stain of Sadie's bitter disappointment and instability.

Bookworm: Are there any new/upcoming books of yours that will be published soon?
Lesley: I'm working on a few things all at once (which is difficult, by the way). I'm working on a book for young readers, which is quite different from the first three novels...I'm also working on an adult novel. Incidentally, I've also written an adult short story based on the relationship between Sadie and Emery (the parents in Tennyson)...but it hasn't been published yet.

Check out Lesley' book Tennyson at your local bookstore or library!

The Ashleys

Meet The Ashleys: they're the snobby, mean, and super-popular queens of the ultra-elite private school Miss Gamble's Academy in San Francisco. There's Ashley Spencer, the queen bee, Ashley "A.A." Alioto, the super-tall tomboy, and Ashley "Lili" Li, the super-organized, busy competitive one. But then Lauren Page comes to Miss Gamble's, and she's nothing like the dork she used to be...The former geek is now ultra-chic, rich, and ready to fight her way to the top of the clique. She'll stop at nothing, but what she doesn't know is that they Ashleys don't want her in, and have a few tricks up their designer sleeves...
Fans of Lisi Harrison's The Clique will love this addictive new book by Melissa de la Cruz! We can't wait for #2!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of Mother's Day, Bookworm Readers has selected a few excellent books involving mothers and their children. Happy Mother's Day to all!
- The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick
- Julep O' Toole: Miss Independent by Trudi Trueit
- 12 Again by Sue Corbett
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The Diary of Melanie Martin by Carol Weston
- From the Files of Madison Finn by Laura Dower
- My Life Starring Mum by Chloë Rayban
- As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President! by Donna Gephart
- Tennyson by Lesley MM Blume
- Dizzy by Cathy Cassidy
- Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
- Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary
- Poor Little Witch Girl by Marie Desplechin
- So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Princess Diaries

Mia Thermopolis's life is tough for a high school freshman. She's being ignored by her crush, is the least popular person in the school, doesn't have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance, is completely and utterly flat-chested, and oh, yeah-her mom is dating her algebra teacher! Sounds pretty bad, huh? Well, think again. As if all of THAT weren't bad enough, Mia has just found out that she is the heir to the throne (yes, a PRINCESS) of a tiny European country, and of course she's the most un-princessly person in the whole world! Now Mia's having to take "princess lessons" with her obnoxious grandmother (the queen)! But the one good thing is that she's being accepted by the popular crowd, which might not do good things to she and her best friend's relationship...Can Princess Mia sort things out before the Cultural Diversity Dance and learn that being a princess isn't always a bad thing? Meg Cabot has created a royally witty and humorous novel that will have readers wanting more!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Sisters Grimm #6: Tales from the Hood

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm (the Sisters Grimm) are back in the kick-butt sixth novel of this bestselling fairytale/mystery series by Michael Buckley. This time, the Grimm's friend, Mr. Canis (the Big Bad Wolf) is being put on trial for crimes in the past. Granny Relda is frantic-she hates seeing Canis surrender to the Wolf inside of him, and won't give up. But Sabrina has other thoughts-how could this killer be a friend of the Grimms? She starts wondering if it really would be better to lock him up, much to Relda's dismay. Can the Grimms plead Mr. Canis's innocence before it's too late? Daphne and Sabrina must investigate the story of Little Red Riding Hood to find evidence for Canis's case that might just surprise them and change the whole story...

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Tennyson Fontaine and her little sister, Hattie had always lived happily with their dad, Emery, their moody poet mother, Sadie, and their wild dog, Jos, in their rickety little house called Innisfree in Mississippi. But then one night, Sadie disappears, and Emery must send his daughters to their strange old Aunt Henrietta's home so he can search for his wife. But Aunt Henrietta's house, Aigredoux, holds many dark secrets of the Fontaine family's past, which Tennyson learns through her peculiar dreams. Tennyson is haunted by the once-great plantation, so she decides to bring Aigredoux's past forward for all to see, in her own words. Can Tennyson ever bring back the safe family she loved? And can she free herself of Aigredoux's web of secrets and lies? Lesley MM Blume (author of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters and The Rising Star of Rusty Nail)'s new novel will suck readers in just like the Mississippi River.

The Sisters Grimm #5: Magic and Other Misdemeanors

Big trouble has come to Ferryport Landing, home of sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm (the great-great-great-great grandaughters of the original Brothers Grimm) and their grandmother, Relda. These fairytale detectives have a couple of big problems on their hands: first, magical items that have been mysteriously disappearing from local Everafters, which in the wrong hands could cause lots of bad and dangerous things to come to Ferryport Landing...And the evil mayor, Queen of Hearts, is taxing ridiculous amounts of money to humans in an evil plot to get rid of the Grimms (the founding family of Ferryport Landing) once and for all! And, finally, dangerous "tears in time"-portals to the past and future-are appearing all over town, and could cause major trouble, confusion, and pain.
   Can Sabrina and Daphne save Ferryport Landing (and all of its citizens) from the future before it's too late? This quick and intriguing mystery by Michael Buckley is fantastic, enchanting, and difficult for readers to put down! A five-star book indeed!

Soccer Chick Rules!

Tess Munro is a total soccer chick. So when the school district puts her schools' sports program on hold, Tess and her pals Ibby and Bo known that they need to step in. So now Tess is stuck with levy meetings, a peppy cheerleader club president, an evil next-door neighbor, and an impossible fundraiser in the form of a Halloween haunted house. But on Election Day, will the levy pass? And can Tess's soccer team defeat their rivals and win the last game of the season-or forever?
Dawn FitzGerald has written an awesome, kick-butt sports story that soccer chicks (and non-soccer chicks) of all ages will love!

Interview with the Awesome Donna Gephart!

Guess what, readers? This month, Bookworm had the honor of interviewing the oh-so-awesome (A-W-E-S-O-M-E) author, Donna Gephart, who  wrote As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President! Enjoy!

Click here for a review of Donna's book.

Bookworm: What inspired you to write As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President!
Donna: As If Being 12 3/4... started as a short story about a mother/daughter relationship and blossomed into a coming-of-age story about a gawky, klutzy spelling bee whiz whose mother just happened to be the governor of Florida and running for the President of the United States.

Bookworm: Are you like Vanessa in any way?
Donna: Do you mean other than my size 9 1/2 feet? Okay, size 10 feet...and being occasionally klutzy...and loving the color purple? Yes, growing up, I had a close relationship with my mother just like my main character, Vannessa, and often wished she weren't so busy working. But I've never been followed everywhere by a bodyguard or fielded serious death threats. Thank goodness!

Bookworm: Do you have any experience in politics?
Donna: I follow politics and worked on a political campaign shortly before writing this book.

Bookworm: What are your favorite YA (young adult) books today?
Donna: There are so many wonderful ones! Some of my favorite authors are: Jerry Spinelli, Christopher Paul Curtis and Louis Sachar. Two novels I recently read and enjoyed are: Skin Deep by E.M. Crane and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

Bookworm: Have you ever been in a spelling bee?
Donna: A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y. In third grade, I lost on the word "meant". I thought it was spelled "ment" and Cindy Brown went on to win that spelling bee. And my son was also in a spelling bee in third grade. Like Chester Fields in the opening chapter, my son couldn't spell "thoroughly". While doing research, I interviewed an amazing speller at my son's school who went to the National Bee in Washington, D.C. twice.

Many thanks to Donna for the great interview, and good luck with future books!


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Saturday, August 20, 2005

Conspiracy Theory 10: Stupidity Exists

From Lianhe Zaobao 12/8/2005

Unfortunately, for Singapore's superb education system, stupidity still exist.

Anonymous steven said...

its "policemen" not "police"..

dats a refreshing piece of news man.. i thot i'd never see any protest in S'pore ever again=P

aniwae wad does "GIC" mean on the guy's shirt? pls enlighten mi~

20/8/05 10:46
Blogger bornappleT said...

Mr steven, cant you show some sense? What's the purpose of being enlightened when you cant change anything that's supposed to be problematic? That will only leave you distress yet helpeless about it. Ignorance is bliss applies here, and my wish is that I did not flip the newspaper that day.

20/8/05 23:35
Anonymous balex said...
GIC suppose to be some Singapore's govenment's investment funds.

20/8/05 23:38
Anonymous dev! said...

hmm.. in that case, shldn't u stop fretting on such political agendas then? It'll just be a fruitless attempt at 'criticising' wad was intended for us (the ignorant, helpless citizens)

20/8/05 23:53
Anonymous steven said...

thanx dev=P
hate politics~

21/8/05 00:39
Blogger bornappleT said...

'fret'is not quite an appropriate word because I was totally amused by such an occurrence and pitied those 4 criminals. Right now, I am disgusted by those 4 because Singaporeans are supposed to be clever and smart.
We should be happy that such incidents will not happen again in Singapore.

21/8/05 00:59

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Responding to Mary Fairchild

In this post, I don't tackle theology or politics, analyze current affairs or ask questions of ultimate concern. In this post, I'm going to talk about vent about an email I got this morning from Christianity moderator Mary Fairchild; for such venting was the blog invented.

Mary is sweating bloody bullets -- it seems the Church is once again being threatened by the cosmic might of U.S. representatives. One wonders why her omnipotent deity doesn't simply smite the armies of secularization, instead of waiting for the pleading prayer of the pious to pass a critical threshold before acting to preserve religious liberty. Mary's panicked report:
If the plan proposed in H.R. 1592 (The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007) is passed in Congress tomorrow (May 3, 2007), according to its opponents, it will severely hinder religious freedoms, including the ability to openly express the doctrines and beliefs of the Christian faith.

Already on the website poll, more of the Christians have voted that H.R. 1592 is not going to undermine freedom. Now, I don't think it's prudent to legislate civic values, but I am bemused by the spectacle of Mary's histrionic performance. She writes:

What happened to America? I thought we had religious freedoms here, not to mention free speech? What do you think? Is it a crime to be a Christian now? Should believers be prosecuted for expressing the convictions of their faith?

One hopes that the answer to her question, "What has happened to America?", is that we are beginning to want to shrug off the cloak of idiocy called dogma. Just as we have religious freedom, there is a freedom from religion -- don't be surprised if the modern population realizes is far more free without religion than with. We have free speech -- don't be surprised if others exercise that freedom by making speeches declaiming the untruth of the Bible (and the Torah, and the Book of Mormon, and the Vedas, and the Qu'ran, etc).

I wrote a little note to Mary, confront her with a different perspective:
I fully believe that adults should have religious freedom. For if I would grant myself the authority to permit or prohibit certain actions as a campaign against nonsense, I'd be hard put to explain why my neighbors would not have a similar authority. And surely they'd soon begin to call my habits nonsensical and therefore prohibited as well. As I do not trust the voting public to leave me unmolested, I shall continue to support the broad protection of civil liberties. So believe what you will; worship as you like. But don't expect that I'll be as willing to acknowledge your "right" to cultivate in your children all the old superstitions, prejudices, and cosmological confusion that we call "church," or that I see some compelling legal reason to exclude anti-gay and anti-female (to name two of many biases) from public criticism.

Believers should, indeed, be prosecuted for expressing their convictions -- for those convictions are medieval, false, and injurious to civic health, and deserve to be prosecuted in the court of public reason. Let us hope that judgment is passed in favor of reality, and that religion can finally be sentence to eternal ignominy, as one of those curious institutions that any society must grow out of if it is to call itself truly civilized.
I don't think this bill should pass, but neither should we be afraid to be increasingly intolerant of rationally indefensible belief in our daily private lives.


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BOTF RABBITFOOT / Aug 05, 2013
Infinity Ward executive producer Mark Rubin has tweeted a seven-second teaser featuring what appears to be a menu for “squad” gameplay in Call of Duty: Ghosts.

The clip shows various menu options in an unknown game which read “online play,” “options,” and “squads.” Rubin failed to state what game the clip is taken from, but it stands a pretty good chance that it has something to do with Call of Duty: Ghosts.

Infinity Ward confirmed last week that it would officially unveil Ghosts‘ multiplayer component on August 14.
BOTF RABBITFOOT / Oct 02, 2012
Hey all BOTF members we are going to have a costume contest to celebrate halloween. To enter upload a picture of you in your costume to the clan website ( If you think your to old take a picture of a younger sibling or child in you family in a costume. If we have Prizes will be determined by the ending date which is october 31st.


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See our websites at ElyOutfittingCompany.com and BoundaryWatersGuideService.com.

We are a Boundary Waters canoe trip outfitter, Quetico outfitter, and guide service in Ely, Minnesota. This Boundary Waters blog shares photos, stories, humor, skills, and naturalist insights from guiding in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

Most entries are from our founder and head guide, Jason Zabokrtsky. He is the Boundary Waters Blogger.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Launching a Six Day BWCA Canoe Trip

Today I launched a six day BWCA canoe trip with a dad and his two sons. We put in at crystal-clear Snowbank Lake. This photo shows David proudly watching his sons, Eric and Peter, paddle away from our lunch spot on Ahsub Lake.

1 comment:

Kim said...

What a great lake to start your trip on.


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Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

If the eyes are truly the windows to the soul, heavy, drooping eyelids or under eye bags can serve as unattractive window dressings. Many of our patients complain of having tired looking eyes, even though they feel energetic and healthy. With age, eyelid skin stretches, muscles weaken, and fat pockets bulge and become more prominent. Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) is very popular among our Jacksonville patients who want to improve these common signs of aging for a more alert, youthful eye appearance.

An Eye-Opening Procedure

Blepharoplasty can rejuvenate puffy, sagging, or tired-looking eyes by removing excess fat, skin, and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids. It may be performed for cosmetic reasons or to improve sight by lifting droopy eyelids out of the patient’s field of vision. Blepharoplasty can be combined with BOTOX® treatments to raise the eyebrows or reduce the appearance of wrinkles, crow’s feet, or dark circles under the eyes.

Eyelid surgery can open up the eye area and produce cleaner, smoother eye margins. However, if there is significant sagging of the brows, this may require an additional surgical procedure.

Treatment to Transformation

Upper lid blepharoplasty involves making a fine incision concealed in the eyelid crease and removing a crescent of skin. At the same time, fat can be removed or repositioned and muscles altered for natural-looking, lasting results. The incisions are closed with sutures which will be in place for approximately 7 to 10 days.

Lower lid blepharoplasty typically utilizes a small incision made just beneath the lashes. This incision allows for the removal of skin and fat as well as muscle alterations. If there is no excess skin, a transconjunctival incision may be an option. This is an incision made inside the lower lid which produces no external scar.

This procedure is performed in our surgery center with local anesthesia and lasts 45 minutes to a few hours depending on how much work is done. Upper lid blepharoplasty is sometimes covered by insurance if the excess skin is interfering with vision and daily activities. The effects of blepharoplasty can last for a long time and are sometimes even permanent.

Find Out if Eyelid Surgery in Jacksonville is Right for You

Schedule an Aesthetics Consultation online or call our office at (904) 296-0098.


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The Best Furnace Services in Widener, Arkansas 72394

Welcome to our Widener, AR Furnace installation website, the best place for info about reliable services related to home heating systems in the 72394 area.

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Looking for another city? You might be interested in:

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  • Furnace Repair Contractor Monroe, MI – 48161
  • Furnace Repair Contractor Feesburg, OH – 45119
  • HVAC Repair Contractor Stryker, OH – 43557
  • Air Conditioning Repair Contractor West Newfield, ME – 04095
  • HVAC Repair Contractor Gastonia, NC – 28051
  • Air Conditioning Repair Contractor Copake Falls, NY – 12517
  • Furnace Repair Contractor Dinwiddie, VA – 23841
  • Furnace Repair Contractor Palm Bay, FL – 32911
  • HVAC Repair Contractor Cincinnati, OH – 45223
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Murrierta's Canmore Presents BV SPCA with Donation from Charitable Gold Tournament

Murrietas suported the Bow Valley SPCA with the proceeds of their annual invitational golf tournament.  Cody Marks, the general manager of Murrieta's Canmore presents a cheque for $3600 to Ed Mrozek, the treasurer of the Bow Valley SPCA, on August 8, 2017.

Their donation will make a difference to the lives of the dogs and cats we rescue and to the families that adopt them.  The Bow Valley SPCA is extremely grateful for Murrieta's support.  Without community support, like Murrieta's, the positive changes the Bow Valley SPCA provides to lives of dogs and and cats, and the positive change they, in turn, bring to their adopting families would not be possible.


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Web services (basics)

Web services are web application components that allow different software applications to communicate with each other using open protocols. They use XML to code and to decode data, SOAP to transfer data, WSDL to describe services and UDDI to list the available services. Web Service facts Web services are available over the internet or private […]


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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I'm Not Crazy, I'm Just A Little Unwell...

OK, well maybe I'm a tad bit of BOTH...crazy AND a little unwell!

I haven't posted any music on CHEESE for quite a while and, of course, my dead mother would argue MatchBox 20 is NOT music...but, this particular song has been wafting through the air in my brain like a bad earworm (that link explains my made up word) today. AND earworms always make me wonder why/where they are coming from.

I'm home again from work today. Fatigue (which SHOULD be a four-letter word, like "F-TEG", with a line over the letter "e" for pronunciation purposes!) has been kicking my rather large, lily-white butt for several days now. It's true...I HAVE been burning the candle at both ends (mindful to keep the flame away from my "end", aka, lily-white butt) of late. I continue to wage war against Club Med and their Tysabri billing practices, I have finally managed to put BACK all of the items littering my home and left over from the MS150 weekend, my friend AND her brother visited for 5 days from Houston (ah, the "bro" was an unexpected guest and you KNOW how I fear change/things unpredicted! LOL), I taught an all day class at work yesterday requiring some physical and mental exertion (and 10 hours of my time from 7:30AM to 5:45PM...and you KNOW how I love mornings?!?), and I've had various other work, personal, and life stressors on my plate as well as dealing with some new and uninvited MS symptoms like stuttering speech, etc...my proverbial *candle* is, quite frankly, used up and burned out.

Unfortunately, what happens in my thinking *head* when I become this fatigued physically and mentally is a pure, unadulterated MIND GAME. I begin to *wonder* if perhaps I AM depressed? Have I finally fallen into that great abyss called "mental illness" where I might scrape my fingers raw trying to climb out? Has my life sunk to an all time low and I will now have to learn to live with this level of fatigue or be damned to a life bedridden? And there is also the Guilt Monster lurking around in my brain, poking me in the shoulder and yelling, "Get up! Stop being a lazy a$$ and get out of bed!! You are a sloth...", etc., etc. The more I lend focus to these thoughts/ideas, the MORE fatigued I feel.

Joan over at A Short In The Cord , writes quite eloquently about her battle with MS fatigue...and I shamefully must admit, I did NOT have a basis of understanding about her situation until these past few weeks. Don't get me wrong, I have HAD various degrees of fatigue over the past 5 years of my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. I just have NOT experienced it on the level I feel fatigued NOW as I've always been able to "stop being lazy" (spoken like the truly MS ignorant!) and FORCE myself into action.

Today?...today, MS fatigue has punched me right in the face and is looming over me sneering and saying, "Stay down", like a boxer in the ring who knows they have just won the fight. The count to 10 has occurred and the bell has been rung...I feel dejected and "unwell" that I have lost this fight today.

I can only kick myself in the a$$ OR shoot myself in the foot so many times before body parts become numb and the act of mental self-flagellation becomes an ineffective response to my fatigue. Hindsight is also of no use when I become this exhausted and assuring myself I will NOT allow *me* to be over-taxed, over-worked, over-stressed, and over-active again does not resolve the current situation. Telling *me*, "You need to take better care of yourself", serves NO useful purpose at this juncture...I am HERE and this is NOW. And I simply must deal as best as I can WITH the "here and now" (too bad I am NOT a Zen Buddhist...this idea might be easier to incorporate if I were!).

It is helpful to rely on my years of training and experience to recognize I am NOT *crazy* or careening recklessly down that particularly dark road...I am not even necessarily *depressed* in the practical sense of the word. But I AM sad...this feeling is VERY real.

I am sad Multiple Sclerosis exists and I am sad it is in my life. I am sad to admit I must now make necessary adjustments in my life to fit MS in. I am sad MS accompanies me everywhere I go and makes itself known in everything I do. I am sad I even have to fight Tysabri battles OR take the medication at all. I am sad I MUST force myself at times to get to and through long days at work to support myself when my body insists on other things. I am sad I cannot be and do all of the things I once did with ease. I am sad to admit any of this to anyone.

But...I'm NOT crazy. I'm just a little unwell...

Joan said...

I'm sorry that you really understand that F word now. I'm thinking about you! I'm having a very bad fatigue period right now or I would send you some backup energy.

Spaz Attack said...

What the...Fatigue is a frickin MS epidemic these days! An MS friend and I, d No. 1 Multiple Sh*t SPAZ, are feeling it more than usual, too. Is it something in the air? OUr soil? OUr water? (LOL)

I missed reading your words Cheeze Splat! Glad to hear from you. Sorry about your F!
Hang in there.

Miss Chris said...

Your schedule always seems so full it's no wonder you're suffering from fatigue.

By the way, I too am suffering from an ear worm at the moment... Karma Chameleon by Boy George. I hate that song but it's stuck in my head!

Denver Refashionista said...

I totally get where you are coming from. Mornings have been hell for me of late. I have the guilt, I have the angst and I am mad at MS. Please take a long rest for both of us.

Patrick Leer said...

MS fatigue absolutely RULES my wife, Patti's day. As a family we have had to adjust around her 'power naps' probably for over 15 years.

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/

Jen said...

Brain Cheese--

I almost posted this same video! I love this song and I admit that I have the hots for Rob Thomas (who doesn't?)

Now let me go backwards and read this post (I'm a bit backwards in my mentality you see....)

Hang in there. You're a great example of a selfless giver (I don't know any other psychiatric nurses who contend with MS. Rare breed. Keep this in mind.)

Jen, who is trying to read quicker to keep up with blog posts

have myelin said...

I was wondering if you ever....got tired?

But I hate to see you're normal like the rest of us. I hate the F word too.

natalief said...

Just thought I'd comment to tell you that 'earworm' is not your made up word - it actually comes from German originally! More here:

Blindbeard said...

Sub "mad" for "sad" and I can relate. My mom always says that depression is just anger at yourself... not sure if that is true or not. Somedays I am such a mix of the 2 I really don't give a hoot where one ends and the other begins.

Bubbie said...

I get fatigued hearing about your work/life hours. I don't know how you do it. How truly greatfull we are for those "good" days. Maybe I'm just getting used to feeling crappy?


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