Hot Pink

Finished December 29
Hot Pink by Adam Levin

Have to say that this collection of short stories didn't do anything for me. They are all a bit off the wall and more violent than I normally am comfortable with. The writing was okay, but nothing special, so that didn't make up for the other issues I had with it.
The collection includes ten short stories, and everyone seems disturbed or has lots of issues. They don't seem to communicate well with the people around them, and they all seem to have some kind of issue in how they react to certain kinds of behaviours from others.
Definitely not my thing.

I Could Pee on This

Finished December 28
I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano

This short collection of poems is all written from a cat's point of view. It is divided into four chapters: family, work, play, and existence. and the poems are all amusing and spot on. The author really gets into a cats head for these. I could see my cat and others I know in these verses. Light-hearted and fun, a good choice for any cat lover.

A Shtinky Little Christmas

Finished December 28
A Shtinky Little Christmas by Patrick McDonnell

This short collection of cartoons is from Mutts and depicts the story of the young cat Shtinky. The cat Mooch finds Shtinky in a garbage can, lost and hungry. He and Earl discuss the situation, ask the young cat some questions, give him a name and take him home. At home, the humans note that this cat is missing and a reward is offered and call up the owner, but Shtinky feels guilty about causing his rescuers trouble and makes an escape. Earl and Mooch go after him, and get lost themselves until they find someone who helps bring them all home and all is well. A nice little collection from my favourite comic strip.

The Yellow Duster Sisters

Finished December 28
The Yellow Duster Sisters by Susan Kennaway

This memoir covers the years of World War II when Susan and her older sister Gyll were evacuated from Watford to Africa and then their return to England.
The decision is made to send the girls to Africa where their mother's sister works as a governess. They stay with the family she works for, who have a son and a daughter. The daughter, Mavis, is the same age as Susan. They hadn't previously met their aunt, and find her hard to warm up to. Their new guardian treat them as poor relations, forcing them to wear patched up clothes, adhere to strict rules, and go to bed at six. Unbeknownst to the girls, their father had sent the guardians money for their upkeep, but they were made to feel as charity cases. When the letters from home grow further and further apart and then stop coming altogether, the sister feel completely abandoned and find comfort only in each other.
In the fall of 1942, the girls are sent from their guardians in Rhodesia to a boarding school in South Africa. By the spring of 1943 ships heading to England are starting to take civilians, and with the girls desperate for their old life they manage to work with their guardians to arrange a chaperoned passage back to England.
The second part of the book covers their return to England until the end of the war.
The girls are disappointed that no one meets their ship, but manage to get to London on their own where their father meets them. Their mother is in Scarborough working with Polish servicemen and the father living alone with servants. Neither parent seems glad to see them, and their father soon packs them off to a very strict boarding school where once again only being together makes it bearable.
The unhappiness with this time in their lives comes through clearly and looking it back on it several decades later hasn't dulled the pain for Susan. This amazingly open and honest memoir brings the loneliness felt by those girls to life.

The Doctor Rocks the Boat

Finished December 27
The Doctor Rocks the Boat by Robin Hathaway

This is part of the series featuring Doctor Fenimore. Fenimore is a cardiologist in Philadelphia, and one day passing the Schuylkill River, he sees a rower out and remembers how he found rowing to be a great destressor when he was an intern. He decides to take it up again. When he goes to Windsor Club boathouse to rejoin, he finds his old classmate Charlie Ashburn there. Charlie has to quit rowing years ago because of a heart defect, but now is son is vying to compete at Henley and Charlie is his biggest supporter. Fenimore can't help but wonder if Charlie's son Chuck was checked to see if he inherited the defect or not after he sees how drained Chuck is after rowing.
Easing into his return to rowing, Fenimore finds it difficult to find the time to row during hours when he knows others will be around. Talking to others, he finds the Victorian boathouses are under threat from developers who want to build a marina in their place. The Historic Commission has a proposal in the works to register Boathouse Row as an historic landmark, but it may not get through the process before the decision to develop takes place.
Fenimore's young office assistant has taken a fall on his skateboard and broken his leg, but also seems to be hiding something. Has he started hanging out with a bad crowd again?
All these things worry Fenimore and he gets involved in both professional and personal ways.
The setting was interesting with the information provided on rowing and the lovely natural setting and historic buildings. The different storylines offered many different possible plots behind attacks on Fenimore and others, I liked the characters and found the mystery a good one.

Still Alice

Finished December 26
Still Alice by Lisa Genova

I've had this novel on my shelf for awhile, and am glad I finally got to it. The Alice of the title is Alice Howland, a full professor of psychology at Harvard University, world-renowned expert in linguistics, and mother of three children in their twenties. Her husband is also a professor at Harvard and the two have even written a book together. Alice turns 50 a couple of months into the novel.
As Alice has several issues of forgetfulness and disorientation she begins to worry, and takes herself in for a checkup. As other causes are ruled out, Alice finds she has early onset Alzheimer's, something she never dreamed of. It takes her a while to accept it, and her family also struggles with what this means, not only for her, but also for them. Early onset Alzheimer's has a strong genetic component, and there is a high possibility at least one of her children might have the gene as well.
As the disease progresses, we see how the different family members handle the changes, how it affects Alice's career, and her life. We see her struggle and her plans for the future.
This is a novel that had me silently weeping as I read it, totally involved in the lives of these characters and the reality they were now dealing with.
I know someone with a parent who had early onset Alzheimer's and can't help but wonder if she and her siblings have looked at the genetic possibilities for themselves.

The Cottage at Glass Beach

Finished December 25
The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri

This novel is set on an island, Burke's Island, off the coast of Maine one summer. Nora Keane was born on the island, but left when she was a young child after her mother disappeared. Now the wife of the youngest attorney general in Massachusetts history, she is back to the island for the summer with her two daughters, taking refuge from the media onslaught back home after her husband's infidelity is uncovered.
Annie is seven, full of imagination and daring. Ella is twelve, sassy and already showing signs of coming teen rebellion. Nora finds herself full of grief, for her marriage, for her renewed sense of loss of her mother, and for all the time she missed with her aunt, who wrote the letter that brought her back home.
Nora's aunt Maire is the island midwife, a family tradition, and while living alone, tied tightly into island life. This is a life with a sense of the unknown, a life where generations have been tied to the sea for their livelihood. A community where legends aren't dismissed out of hand.
So, when a quiet fisherman washes ashore in an apparent shipwreck and Nora finds him, her aunt's suggestion that he is a selkie summoned by her tears doesn't seem that farfetched a possibility. And what did really happen to Nora's mother, did she leave of her own accord, or did something happen to her. As Nora gradually begins to figure out her own future, her daughters go on a dangerous adventure that will draw Nora's courage beyond what she imagined.
The selkie legend surfaces several times in this book, but never really releases its mystery. An interesting novel, but it didn't capture me entirely.

Call Me Mrs. Miracle

Finished December 24
Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

This short novel is set in New York City near Christmas.
J.R. Finley runs a large department store and his son Jake is currently managing the toy department. Despite the advice from others, Jake has bought a large quantity of a toy that he believes will be the toy to have this Christmas. The toy is called Intellytron and is a programmable robot. J.R. is unhappy with Jake about this and makes is clear that this will be a test of Jake's skills.
The two men haven't celebrated Christmas personally in years, since the death of Jake's mother and younger sister in a car accident on Christmas Eve.
Jake finds a new seasonal salesperson in his department and isn't sure of her suitability. She is an older woman and her name tag reads Mrs. Miracle, although she says that that is a mistake and her name is really Emily Merkle. But Jake finds that she may be more helpful to sales than he expected.
Meanwhile Holly Larson is struggling as she tries to fulfill her work obligations to fashion designer Lindy Lee, and serve as temporary caregiver to her 8-year-old nephew Gabe. Gabe's mother died when he was a baby and his father Mickey is in the National Guard, called to serve in Afghanistan for the next 15 months, on leave from his normal job as a manager of a large grocery store.
Holly wants to make Gabe feel happy with her, and is determined to make this a good Christmas for him.
When Holly and Jake meet in a Starbucks line-up, a connection is made and Mrs. Miracle helps things along.
A feel good novel with real Christmas spirit.

Lona

Finished December 23
Lona: a fairy tale by Dare Wright

This book is a fairy tale told in photographs. The author is a model and photographer and she poses herself as the Princess Lona of the book's title.
In the story there are 3 kingdoms living in peace: Muirlan "of the green fields and quiet villages", Lasair "with its deep forests and clear streams", and Yarmailt "where the sun was never too hot and all the rains were gentle". On the edge of these kingdoms is a tower where the evil wizard Druth lives. Druth is always casting spells on the people of the kingdoms turning them into other creatures and such. But something happened when he was casting a spell in his youth and he cannot turn princesses into other creatures. This is something that he is enraged and obsessed about.
As the story begins, he has tried again to change two princesses and failed and irritated cast the three kingdoms under terrible spells, and taken one young princess to try on when she gets older, Lona. One young prince of the kingdoms, Rogan, has been exploring the world beyond and he tries to stop the wizard only to be changed into a creature himself. Despite this, Rogan goes to the princess and offers help, making treks to powers beyond to learn what he can about the wizard and how to defeat him.
The princess Lona is a determined young woman and puts the welfare of the kingdoms before her own life, doing whatever is necessary to achieve their release from the spells they are under.
I really enjoyed this story, and loved the photography illustrating the story.

European Reading Challenge 2014

I'm glad to see this challenge offered again, and will definitely be jumping in for 2014.

The gist: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. (See note about the UK, below)

What counts as "Europe"? For this challenge, we will use the list of 50 sovereign states that fall (at least partially) within the geographic territory of the continent of Europe and/or enjoy membership in international European organizations such as the Council of Europe. This list includes the obvious (the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy), the really huge Russia, the tiny Vatican City, and the mixed bag of Baltic, Balkan, and former Soviet states.

Note: Technically, the United Kingdom is one country that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  So one book from any one of these four should count as your one book for that one country. I'm not going to be a stickler about it because challenges should be about fun not about rules. However, when it comes to winning the Jet Setter prize, only one book from one of the UK countries will count.

Here is the list, in alphabetical order: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City. 

LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION

Five Star (Deluxe Entourage): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

Four Star (Honeymooner): Read four qualifying books.

Three Star (Business Traveler): Read three qualifying books.

Two Star (Adventurer): Read two qualifying books.

One Star (Pensione Weekender): Read just one qualifying book.

JET SETTER PRIZE

The participant who reads and reviews the greatest number of qualifying books (more than five) will get a $25 gift card to Powell's Books (can be used in store or on line).  Participants living in Europe will get a $25-equivalent gift card to the Amazon store in your country, if possible. If you live in a country where neither Powell's nor Amazon will work, then sorry, you are out of luck.

Each book must be by a different author and set in a different country. This means that only one book from one of the four UK countries will count.  Only books reviewed count towards the prize.

OFFICIAL RULES

• Read all books between January 1, 2014 and January 31, 2015.  I like having 13 months so there is extra time to finish after the holidays.  However, if you participated in the 2013 European Reading Challenge, you can only count books read in January 2014 for one year -- either the end of the 2013 challenge or the start of the 2014 challenge -- you don't get to count one book for both challenges. 

I will be going for the Five Star level this year again, and trying to get some of those countries I haven't got before.