Top Ten Tuesday: Debut Authors Who Had Me Anxiously Awaiting Their Future Releases!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme established by The Broke and the Bookish. I don't always participate (mainly due to lack of time), but was particularly interested in this one regarding authors whose debut novels have me anxiously awaiting further releases! 

Yes, there are many authors I've read who have impressed me so much that I search out everything else they've ever written and/or schedule myself to purchase their future release(s) just as soon as they're available! 

I will begin this list in reverse chronological order since I have experienced several debut novels just this year that have impressed me so very much! Just another note: for virtually all of the authors I have identified as spectacular, I have also loved their sophomoric and further releases! Usually, just as much as the debut. That IS impressive! :)

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
I loved this book! Amazing characterization and the interconnectedness of humanity that Clegg was able to depict was eye-opening. I think this would especially be true for those who may not yet be convinced that, in effect, we humans are all connected in one way or another. I heard on NPR not so long ago that there is a project to genealogically map the human race, demonstrating that we are all indeed related...to some degree! Currently, we have many ways to connect with each other that extend our 'reach' way beyond face-to-face relationships! Any relationships can be very strong and provide much social support...and though we may not realize the force of certain connections, even in our daily lives, we dare not overlook them, for they are genuine. We do need to keep ourselves open to others to create, develop, and maintain relationships, however. And never put off until tomorrow, or even the next hour or minute, telling that bit of positivism to someone you love, or like, or appreciate, or barely know very well at all. Don't miss your opportunities to make life better for yourself and others!

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

This book was so bittersweet. I remember thinking within the first few pages--so where is this author going to take me now? I already know what happened... Oh, but I was in for a "ride" with these people! Another book of relationships, relationships, relationships, and inevitably, interconnectedness. And how we can be oblivious to the true nature of those with whom we live and love dearly. Not that we necessarily mean to be negative,  but due to preconceptions, expectations, and perhaps especially, unrealized dreams. 

I was so glad for the ending! To know what Lydia was really feeling...thinking...and planning! :) Ah...my heart expanded with hope and love! Much like Clegg, Ng urges us to pay attention to each other and truly get to know and care for one another.  

Crooked River by Valerie Geary

Valerie Geary is one of the most approachable authors I've encountered. Period. Not only was she gracious enough to grant me an interview, but she also provided a free copy of her book to a lucky reader and she mailed it! Amazing! 

And what an incredible mystery! Though that isn't what most impressed me...it was the way she made me feel as if I personally knew these characters...and the place, the setting. Not many authors can make me feel as if the setting is a character in and of itself, but she did! I don't know how any reader couldn't root for Sam, Ollie, and Bear! These three make quite the trio and unexpectedly set some wrong things right! This is soooo much more than just a murder mystery! Sometimes that parent who seems so "attentive" and "good" can be so...bad! But others may never know until they get close enough...which could be too close!

Another mystery writer I 'discovered' this year was actually raised in the local area where I now live, though she currently makes her home in Chicago. That is Lori Rader-Day and her debut novel is The Black Hour which was an absolutely amazing plot of deception, betrayal, and psychoses! (I have the best intentions of composing a more detailed review for this blog, but for now, only have my Goodreads review to share!) This was one of the best mysteries I have ever read. To imagine this is the first book she ever wrote...well, that is nothing short of amazing! Since I was going to meet the author, I also went ahead and read her second novel which had just been released, Little Pretty Things. It was also impressive, though I believe her first novel may be my favorite thus far. I don't know how you couldn't relate to Juliet! I am proud of her progress by the book's end, however! And, if you ever have the opportunity to meet Ms. Rader-Day and/or hear her speak...be sure you don't miss it! She is a hoot! :) It is my hope that we can get her to present at our local library (which was her local library as a child!) over the holidays. And she also agreed to an author interview. These are projects for later this month! 

Two of my favorite reads from earlier in the year, were both debut novels and two of my favorite books ever! And, no, I have not yet shared these on my blog. It is more difficult for me to compose reviews of those "favorite" books for some reason...as if I just want it to be "perfect" to depict exactly how much I love them! :) (Doesn't that make you feel better to be you?!? I sometimes feel it is utterly exhausting being me!)  :) I was also lucky enough to meet both of these authors and speak with them about their books, writing, and publishing! It was fascinating and I promise to share all that in the forthcoming blog posts/reviews!

Growin' Up White by Dwight Ritter

One of the best books I have ever read! 
If you haven't, you should read it, in my humble opinion!

I was fascinated by the synposis of this book and particularly to learn the author had used his own life experience as a child in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the '50's as inspiration for this book. Oh, my...who could NOT love Georgie? 'Cause I definitely do! My grandmother was my main caregiver and I love(d) her dearly, but Georgie has many of the same characteristics! I found Ritter's writing to be forthright and so much more than just poignant! I felt that Ritter not only had me sympathizing with these characters, but I actually had the same visceral reactions I might have had if I'd been present at these scenes. Hatred can be so damaging and overwhelming at times. I keep telling myself our world is now so much better than it was in the openly racist '50's, but sometimes I wonder...just how much better? Though overall, I have faith in humanity. I believe we will reach a pivotal point at which the "good" accepting and appreciative souls will outnumber those who remain hate-filled to an overwhelming degree! And, really, perhaps we already have! :) That's the eternal optimist in me!

Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon

This was another absolutely excellent read! It was dense and complex, yet easily read and felt so personal! I could relate to Simon's thought processes, especially doubts and yet faith in his own son. Perhaps because I have raised children and been through some rather tough times with them I could empathize to some degree and definitely sympathize with him. And Jake. Ah, Jake. I cried with both relief and grief...You should really read this one if you haven't! When I met Mr. Reardon, I pulled out my phone and read him my one-sentence summary...and he just looked at me, his jaw kinda dropped, and he said, "That's exactly what I was going for." I will share that sentence in the forthcoming blog post. I was thrilled with confirmation that I had 'gotten the message the author intended,' since that is always my goal! 

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Although I have read several books whose protagonists exhibit symptomatic behaviors associated with autism or Asperger's Syndrome, this was one of the first that concentrates on an adult entering into a "romantic" (hopefully long-term) relationship. Those others that I can heartily recommend: The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry, Love Anthony by Lisa Genova, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Quite naturally, there was much potential for humor, and Simsion does an excellent job of allowing Don to tell his story while also depicting much humor and satire inherent in the social situations in which he finds himself. The reader also gets a glimpse into Don's thought processes, including many of those initially socially inappropriate reactions he has...and attempts to control and adjust to become more "socially acceptable" to the other humans with whom he must interact, no matter how irrational or illogical this may seem to him! Such an enjoyable read while educating readers about a very misunderstood disease. Our book club loved it! And I felt the sequel, The Rosie Effect was almost as enjoyable as the debut! Both of these books have so much to say about learning to accept, appreciate, and even love those who may seem so very "different" to us initially! My advice: read them! :)
The other debut novel that truly made an indelible impression upon me in 2015 was The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. I loved this book so much that when it came to posting a review, I created two blog posts, Part 1 and Part 2, 'cause seriously, I just couldn't cut any more out of what I wanted to say and what all I wanted a reader to know about this book! I was the anomaly among our book club members--no one else even really liked it, and two of them didn't like it at all! But it's okay, I can handle being in the minority, so to speak! :) Although this book tackled many complexities and complications about life overall, it did it in a very subtle low-key manner which I found fascinating. I felt this story could be analyzed on so many different levels and should encourage discussion about so many aspects of such a journey. First, the commitment to complete such a spur-of-the-moment spontaneous very long trek! Then the people Harold meets along the way, both those who want to and do help, those who won't help, and those who actually high-jack it to serve their own purposes, sometimes with good intentions and other times with not-so-good intentions. And the unending curiosity regarding Queenie's health and fate. Perhaps one of the most poignant aspects of the story was Harold's wife and their marriage relationship--such spontaneity on his part was totally unknown to her within their lifetime spent together. They had had their own share of heartbreak as parents and partners. And what is the final result of this seemingly outrageous journey? I loved this book...such an untenable premise developed into a beautiful novel, in my opinion! Confession: I own the sequel, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey and have yet to read it! :( Hopefully I will have read it by year's end! 

A book I just finished reading and loved is not actually a debut novel, but the 24th in a series and I love the very first novel in the Kinsey Millhone series, A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton, originally published in 1982. It is always the one book I recommend people read to see if they like this series, since it is an amazing introduction to Kinsey. So I recently read and reviewed X, 24th in this 'alphabet' series. I believe it to be one of Grafton's best in this series! Though I haven't disliked a single one! I believe one of the main things I find so appealing about her writing is that she develops her characters and her books are so much more than just a "whodunnit," in my opinion!


The last debut novel is again not one I read in 2015, but years ago. Tana French is one of my absolute favorite writers. She is one of the few mystery writers who can use some of the same "investigators," but create very different scenarios and story lines within each book. What impressed me so much with In the Woods was the fact that the setting felt like another character to me. And I remember thinking, before I picked up this book when I was working as a bookseller in Borders, "Ooohhh. Will that be too scary for me?" Due to the cover image, which I thought was very scary... :) Her second novel, The Likeness was one of the most unusual scenarios ever, in my reading experience and had me on edge the whole time... The third in this series, Faithful Place, read more like a family saga to me with a mystery included. It is one of my favorites in this series. Then the fourth installment, Broken Harbour, is my least favorite in this series. That has nothing to do with French's writing skill, in fact, probably EVERYTHING to do with it! This is because for me, an extreme wuss, it was just a bit too creepy. And, another confession, I own a copy of her fifth and most recent release, The Secret Place, and have yet to read it! I do intend to read it before the end of this year, however! 

Have you read any of these? Have I managed to introduce some new titles and/or authors to you? I hope so. What debut novels have you read this year?

R.I.P. X Closeout for Fall 2015!

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril X

Remember this from my introductory posting September 2nd?
It is RIP X and ends today, October 31, 2015!
Thank you to The Estella Society for hosting!

You should know by now that I do NOT read horror 

and do NOT like to be scared!

However, I DO love mysteries!
You could select books from any of the following categories.


The books must be from any 
of these categories:

Mystery

Suspense

Thriller

Dark Fantasy

Gothic

Horror

Supernatural

Although this was my goal:

to read at least 4 of the 5 books

I had listed....

This was my result:

I read 3 of those 5 books

and am only "Peril the Second"!

However, given the fact that you only had to read 2 books to earn "Peril the Second," I feel certain my category should be "Peril the First and One Half"! :)

If you've been following along on my R.I.P. X page, you would know I read and reviewed the following 3 books:

The October 2015 Literary Wives read was a perfect fit for this!

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Though I initially feared this might be too scary and/or creepy for me...since I'm such a wuss...I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't scare me all that much! I found it fascinating!

Second was a book I have wanted to read ever since discovering it at a library sale. 

The Red House Mystery,

a mystery written by none other than 

A.A. Milne! 

Yes, that's correct, the creator and author of the Winnie-the-Pooh series

also wrote a mystery!

It was enjoyable. Written in the same tradition of  Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh.

A nice little English countryside murder

and resulting investigation! 

And last, but by no means least...X by Sue Grafton!

This 24th installment in the Kinsey Millhone series

was one of the best, in my humble opinion!

I love Grafton's writing and her protagonist, Kinsey.

Upon reading the publisher's blurb, I initially feared that Grafton had veered into territory I would not like, being inside a sociopath's mind for most of the book. Fortunately, however, my fears were not realized!

Grafton hits one out of the ball park yet once again!

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and After Her by Joyce Maynard

are still on my TBR list and I'm confident that, provided I live long enough,

I will have read and reviewed them both. The sooner the better! :)

Did you participate in this scary challenge?

If so, what did you read?

Any you would recommend?

October Library Checkout

October 2015

A great monthly check-in about Library reading by Shannon of River City Reading!

This has not been a good month for my reading goals! Very poor as a matter of fact, but that's okay. Life sometimes has a way of preventing you from doing as you would like every moment of the day! I feel as if I will now be able to get back into the swing of things and I'm grateful for that feeling and hope it comes to pass. :)

Books Read: 

1) Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

I love listening to this so much that I'm on my 3rd time! I'm truly considering purchasing the audiobook to have in my car at all times! I would issue one warning, just in case (like me) you rarely do much research prior to 'reading' or 'listening'... Language! "Bad" words bother me not at all! They're some of my favorites, actually! However, if you are bothered by them, you probably will not appreciate this one at all. I laugh and laugh!! It really helps lighten my mood! I am dictating notes into my phone to compose a review in the near future. 

2) Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Another audiobook, as with Yes Please, Woodson is the narrator. Though this is not humorous, but rather a simply told and genuinely stated autobiography that made me feel very glad for the author. She has managed to find her creative spirit in life. I plan to listen again and then will post a review.

3) Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

Although this was not a library book that I checked out, it was a newly released book that I purchased, read, and have now donated to my local library. (Trust me--no more room in our house for books! lol) I loved it!

4) Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin 

 Read in September, but review posted in October...does that count? ;)

Currently Reading: 

1) Jam on the Vine by LaShonda K. Barnett

Reading this for a campus book club meeting in November

Checked Out, TBR:

1) Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt

A mystery and first in a series!

2) Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively

Man Booker Prize winner in 1987.

3) Andrea Martin's Lady Parts by Andrea Martin

Looked like it might be humorous and enjoyable--a break from some more intense reads.

4) Last Wool and Testament (A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery) by Molly MacRae

I'm certain this is what most would call a "cosy." I cannot remember how I got onto this author/series/book, but I hope it will be enjoyable!

Three books I'm reviewing in preparation for the Little House Series Read-Along, cohosted by myself and Bex of An Armchair By The Sea, beginning this next January! :) I have NEVER read a Wilder book and after participating in Reeder Reads' Green Gables Read-Along last year, I decided reading one of the Wilder books per month would be a great way to read them all during 2016! Then both Bex and I posted on the Classics Club site that we planned to host the same read-along, a cohosting team was born! Stay tuned for awesome introductory posts from both of us in November! :)

5) West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder to Almanzo Wilder, San Francisco 1915 by Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Roger Lea MacBride.

6) On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

7) A Wilder Rose by Susan Wittig Albert.

Returned Unread:

None. One huge perk to serving on the Board of Trustees is that I never accumulate or owe fines! So I can keep books as long as no one else places a hold on them, with no penalty. :) However, in all fairness I have only taken advantage of this a few times over the past few years! :)

On Hold: 

NONE!! Did you see that mountainous "Checked Out, TBR" list?!? 

Who is your "family"?

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

The Socratic Salon discussed this one!
Other reviews: 
Catherine of The Gilmore Guide to Books
Lauren of Malcolm Avenue Review

I loved this book! The cover image is so deceptive--so simple...and yet, much like each of us, so very complex as we navigate the layers of our life and being. The who of who we are. I noticed that the jacket and the paper covering the inside of the front and back are made to look worn and even water damaged. And perhaps that is the purpose? To denote that each of us is damaged, as is the book itself. And we all are, just in different ways and to varying degrees. 

This book demonstrates the many layers of existence each of us portrays. Much like our skin. There is the surface layer, mainly known by those who truly do NOT know us at a personal level at all, only basically know 'of' us. Under that is a layer known by those who know us very little, but at least have some direct contact with us in one way or another: as a professional, within our scope of employment, as a volunteer, as a blogger, etc. And then there are those who really know us! These are the people who must endure us day in and day out, those with whom we connect. There are varying levels of connection within and among these groups. Clegg does an excellent job of depicting just those dimensions of 'knowing' and forming/maintaining relationships with one another. He compares and contrasts them to demonstrate that we are all connected to some degree, whether we realize it or not. 

When a tragedy strikes, there are always those who feel they might have been able to avoid it...if only...they had... In this case, there were several people feeling as if they could have prevented what happened, none more so than June and Silas, I feel certain. And the resulting losses were so very great...as they always are for those people 'closest' to the victims. Though, how do we judge our 'closeness' to others? I believe one of the reasons each character seemed so real is that each revealed something about themselves, often something from their past they could or did regret...and that, after all, is something we all share--we all have regrets.                                                             

Merriam-Webster's definition of FAMILY: 

1) a group of people who are related to each other

2) a person's children

3) a group of related people including people who lived in the past

There are so many people I consider to be 'family'--more than just those with whom I share a biological link! One of my friends introduced me to the phrase, "Friends are family you choose!" And the older I get, the more I believe that and realize it is so true in my own life. Don't get me wrong--I love my children, their partners, and their children/my grandchildren. Always have and always will. However, I have much closer interpersonal relationships with others than I have with them. I honestly don't know how much of that is a function of who I am, who they are, or just simply our personalities and attraction to each other. In adulthood, I believe compatibility is key to forming and maintaining relationships that are long-term and truly meaningful and rewarding. 

June had "crossed a line" by "starting up" with Luke, whose 
looks came from the fact that he didn't look like anyone else around here. He was like a wild orchid growing in a hayfield. No one ever knew who his father was, but they sure knew he was black. I hate to say what it suggests about this town that there is virtually no one who could have been the father. (24) 

Definitely not an area where someone who appears to be "racially different" from the mainstream would necessarily feel comfortable. [June] was, she sensed sharply as she reached the far side of the parking lot, an untouchable. Not from scorn or fear, but from the obscenity of loss. It was inconsolable, and the daunting completeness of it--everyone, gone--silenced even those most used to calamity. (11) 
It is often true that others tend to avoid those who are left...the survivors of extreme tragedies. June does run away. Really, I didn't blame her at all. How ironic that she ends up finding the letter and staying where her daughter had been, and there she makes a "friend" of Cissy.                                                                  

Edith, the florist, had cut the daisies for Lolly and Will's wedding herself, to place in the 50 or so jelly jars the couple had collected since they first became engaged. Although she disapproved, since daisies are not truly acceptable wedding flowers, she was going to do it for them. After all, she was getting paid... As she describes the exhausting lives of those living in a 'resort town,' noting they were also
...too busy performing their roles as jolly country folk on the weekends for the pampered and demanding New Yorkers, spending every last drop of civility and patience on these strangers with none left over for their wives and husbands. The weekenders from the city not only take the best houses, views, food and, yes, flowers, our little town has to offer, but they take the best of us, too. (22-23)
I can imagine that to be true. When I was teaching, there were more days than not that I had to have just 15-20 minutes or so of 'veg' time in front of the TV, or outside doing something once I reached home, to regain sufficient emotional energy to deal with my own children! We do tend to 'give' much of ourselves to our work. 
...we no longer live in a town, not a real one anyway. We live in a pricey museum, one that's only open on weekends, and we are its janitors. (25) 
I think Edith spoke for many others in her local area--the population overall felt subservient to the New York upper echelon who invaded their community on weekends and vacations. 
No one ever accused me of being a soft touch, but when something like what happened at June Reid's that morning happens, you feel right away like the smallest, weakest person in the world. That nothing you do could possibly matter. That nothing matters. Which is why, when you stumble upon something you can do, you do it. So that's what I did. (29) 
She used all those daisies in funeral arrangements, or whatever was ordered--she made them work! 

Ah...and Luke. How could you not love Luke? He was hard-working and conscientious, even as a teenager when many of us are irresponsible to a fault! Not Luke! And he had a scholarship and was off to college. Until...well, I won't spoil it, but there are times when we allow "outsiders" to manipulate us to the woe of those we love most. As Rick states,
One thing about Luke is that he never talked shit about other people He could be moody and sometimes lose his temper, but he didn't talk trash. (51) 
He was too big, too handsome, too something for the likes of us. No one around here looked like he did, and I don't just mean because he was black. I caught Sandy looking at him more than a few times, and I thought what the heck, who can blame her? (52) 
...facts never got in anyone's way when it came to Luke, so I guess it should be no surprise that the story of what happened that night would be no different. (58) 
Lydia (Luke's mother), six months after the accident
takes a long, late-day look at the town where she has lived her whole life, where there are no friends, no family, but where her feet are famous to the sidewalks. (46)

The relationships! I have a Goodreads shelf: Relationships-relationships-relationships. Relationships between and among characters is one of the things I love most about books! And this one is extraordinary! George and Lydia. How bittersweet, especially with regard to Luke. I can relate to a lack of connection to your biological father, having never met my own and learning he died some 18 years ago. Rebecca and Kelly. Kelly and Penny. Cissy and Ben. Will and Cissy. June and Cissy. Dale and Mimi. Dale and Will. Perhaps most unlikely, June and Lydia... The resulting interconnectedness of our lives is undeniable. For me, the theme of being kind, respectful, and genuine was uppermost...for you never know just how you or someone you love may be connected with that person or another who is important to him or her. And besides, that should be our overall motivation--to put kindness and goodness into the Universal energy flow. It does matter. 

As Dale describes Lolly and Will:
I think Will sensed that despite her girlish manner, something was broken in her. Mimi says wounds can sing a beguiling song, and for Will--who from boyhood felt compelled to fix and help and take care of nearly everything and anyone in his path--Lolly's song was irresistible. (210)
Of Lolly and Will June believes: 
This is the pivot between youth and age, the thrilling place where everything seems visible, feels possible, where plans are made. On the one side you have childhood and adolescence, which are the murky ascent, and, on the other, you have the decline that is adulthood, old age, the inch-by-inch reckoning of that grand, brief vision with earthbound reality. (163) 

My final take-away: do not delay. Communicate with those you love...today. Now. You may well never have another opportunity in this lifetime. Don't leave your love, respect, or appreciation of others unstated. The next time you communicate with them? That could be the last time. 

Keep writing, Mr. Clegg. I am definitely hooked! If you've read this one, what did you take away from the experience? 

The Alphabet series continues...with X!

X by Sue Grafton

I admit that I was curious as to how Grafton would entitle the 24th installment of her Kinsey Millhone series. I first discovered this series about 20 years ago and read them all once I had read A is for Alibi, which, as you might expect was the first in this series... ;) I loved them all and ever since then have read the newest release in the series as soon as I can once it is released! (I read this one a bit later, since I have over-committed myself with a large list of books to read and review per a self-imposed schedule...as happens with some bloggers!) But no matter how long I waited to read it, it was still one of the best mysteries ever! And not just the 'mystery' portion, but Grafton is, in my opinion, one of the best writers I have ever read. Her characterization is thorough and well-defined, and that is the one thing I most appreciate and hope for with each book I read! Now...as to the title, Ms. Grafton wisely allows X to stand on it's own...
X: The number ten. An unknown quantity. A mistake. A cross. A kiss. (Book jacket/summary blurb) 
X truly is a symbolic letter. As with R.I.P. X, for which this is my third book! (Appropriate, huh? X...and...X!) 

And, as we learn, 
The boat itself...was known as a xebec, a small three-masted ship having an overhanging bow and stern and both square and lateen sails. (5) 
I was thrilled with this bit of information since I had just learned a great new word to use in scrabble and scrabble-like games! Which I play quite often! A new word with 'X' as the first letter! Yes! This ship was the main subject in a painting that Hallie was trying to have declared an original by a famous artist so it's true value could be determined. Her initial motivation was to determine whether it was worth stealing from her ex-husband! 

Grafton inserts philosophy every once in awhile in her books, and yet not intrusively, simply as a matter of daily life. I believe this is one of my favorite aspects of her writing. Her characters 'think,' they don't just 'do'! As Kinsey is remembering about a former co-worker:
While I disliked him, I was then twenty-seven years old and newly employed and didn't feel it was my place to make my thoughts known. Besides which, no one asked and I doubt they'd have listened if I'd volunteered my views. (10)
How many times have I felt the same way about a job or work place? Many...trust me...many! :)
  Pete's name was never mentioned, and neither of us made reference to our little chat the night before. This is not a bad strategy. The practice of baring all, analyzing every nuance embedded in a quarrel, is a surefire way to keep an argument alive. Better to establish a temporary peace and revisit the conflict later. Often, by then, both parties have decided the issue isn't worth the relationship. (139)
I would definitely agree with Kinsey on this! Better to let it rest a bit, if at all possible...
As Kinsey considers her former co-worker:
I did take note that even as I was exonerating him, I continued to condemn him in equal measure, proof positive that our prejudices are nearly impossible to scotch. 
  The best I could manage for the moment was to concede he could be guilty of bad deeds and still retain a basic goodness at the core. (208)
Isn't it true? Once we have formed an opinion it is extremely difficult to alter it much. As a person said to me at the Storytelling Festival about 10 days ago, "Well, I guess none of us is totally good or totally bad, we're all a mixture of both." Well stated and oh, so very true. 

After meeting with a client, Kinsey is home, eating soup and a sandwich and reading, 
In hindsight, I marvel at how clueless I was at the shit storm to come. What I ask myself even now is whether I should have picked up the truth any faster than I did, which was not nearly fast enough. (15)
But Kinsey was not the only one who was unsuspecting. Poor Ruthie...she was so very naÏve! While I would like to think that I might have put two and two together much more quickly than she did, I'm sure there is a good chance I might have been just as easily fooled as she was! I could appreciate the fact that she did not enter her house when she arrived home and the door was standing wide open. Again, I'm not sure I would be that smart, especially given the fact that I have five kitties in residence! I would be concerned about them first of all and that would probably motivate me to enter the house immediately. I can't imagine how creepy it would be to discover that someone had purposefully misplaced virtually all items in your home or office (any of your personal spaces), just to freak you out, like leaving a note stating "I was here and obviously, I can return at any time!" Now that is just mean and so scary! And yet, changing locks and installing security systems doesn't necessarily guarantee your safety either, as Kinsey learns.  

Humor is always included in a Kinsey tale--not too much, but just enough. Henry, Kinsey's landlord and an octagenarian "hunk," has acquired Ed, a cat. Ed keeps escaping from the house and Henry has been frustrated in his search for the escape route:
  "I made a discovery today. You know how Ed's been getting out?"
  "No clue." 
  "Dryer vent. The tubing came loose and I spotted the hole when I was crawling through the bushes checking water lines."
  "You close it up?" 
  "I did. He'll probably find another way out, but for now, he's housebound." 
  Apparently, Henry hadn't noticed the cat at his feet, and I made no mention of him. (56-57)
Ha! This made me laugh out loud! Poor Henry! Fooled by a feline! But we all know kitties can be tricky! :)
Of the receptionist Kinsey thinks...
...I was so irritated with the way she'd treated me, I might have bitten her on the arm. I'd been a biter as a kid, and I can still remember the feel of flesh between my teeth. It's like biting a rubber bathing cap, in case you're curious. (106)
All-righty then! My oldest son went through about 6 months of biting, then suddenly stopped...thank goodness! :) Though he seemed to only do this in public, selecting strangers as victims! <shakin' my head>

While on a stakeout, Kinsey ponders...
...I knew my bladder would be right there living in the moment with me and clamoring for relief. To distract myself, I thought about all the cusswords I knew and arranged them in alphabetical order. (178) 
Maybe that's why I love Kinsey; at times I'm sure she and I are twins! I can easily imagine creating that same task for myself as a distraction! 
I drove back to the hotel motor plaza, where I left my car for the night. My clean underwear was still damp, so I set up the ironing board and iron and sizzled them dry. (191)
Now that, I have never done, nor do I believe I would have ever been smart enough to think of it. Besides...I'm not sure I know how to wield an iron any more! :) Nor do I think I want to find out! 
As one of his former high school classmates describes the perp:
"I'm not sure anybody knew him well. He was one of those guys you see on the street and you can't remember his name to save your soul. There's only so much room at the top of the heap. The rest of us are fill dirt." (246)
That definitely had me laughing aloud, right along with Kinsey! 

I love the fact that Henry could contribute by using his puzzle-solving skills to create the main piece of evidence for Kinsey to follow. He may not be great at keeping Ed in the house, but he is a master puzzler! :) After all, he has even been known to create crossword puzzles! Using this list of women's names, and some personal artifacts, Kinsey tries to piece it all together to identify not only a villain, but also determine just what crimes he has committed! At the same time she becomes more and more leery about her newly installed next-door neighbors. They appear to be well-practiced 'users,' sucking well-meaning Henry into 'helping' them all the time. Kinsey was determined not to get involved, though quite naturally, she does, if only in the guise of helping Henry initially! In doing so, she discovers some valuable information that motivates her to initiate her own 'pro bono' investigation, with some interesting and rather scary results! 

And finally, when April is discussing her father and stepmother:
  "[They're] very compatible. He's a bully and she's a mouse.They act like everything's fine, but it's not." (296) 
When Kinsey asks if April thinks the birth of their grandchild will change anything...
  "Like we'd see them more often? I'm sure he's hoping so, but I don't."
  "I never know what to make of conversations like this,...I sometimes have this fantasy that life would be wonderful if only my mother and my father were alive. Then I hear stories like yours and I want to get down on my hands and knees and rejoice." (297)
Even as this conversation transpired, neither April nor Kinsey had an inkling of the truth--what kind of person her father truly was... And I could so relate to Kinsey. Having never met my own father and then learning that he died 17 years ago, I believe I have such fantasies myself every once in awhile...

If you've never read Grafton and you enjoy mysteries with more than just "action," I can highly recommend this series! I always advise starting at the beginning, because I don't think any of the later books introduce Kinsey to the reader nearly as well as the first one does...so go read A is for Alibi and give Kinsey and Grafton a try! 

If you've read this one, how would you feel about Ned if you were April? Yikes!! I doubt there will be a way to track him, since he abandoned his own easily-identifiable vehicle. 

A venture beyond Pooh Bear...

The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne

I will admit that until I discovered this book at a library sale, I was unaware Milne had ever written anything other than the Pooh Bear books. Since I love mysteries and I was very curious to see what kind of mystery the creator of Winne-the-Pooh might write, I brought it home! I was very pleasantly surprised! To me, this book was comparable to a mystery written by Agatha Christie, the first mysteries I ever read beginning at age 12, or Ngaio Marsh, another mystery writer I discovered several years ago through a library book sale! I have now read this as a Classic and also a book for R.I.P. X.  

As one might expect, Mr. Albrecht's murder occurred in a Red House! Robert, Mark Albrecht's estranged brother, no more than arrives for a visit with his brother than a gunshot is heard and he is found dead! The reader learns that Robert had been living in Australia for the past 15 years. Rumor has it he was the 'bad seed' or 'black sheep' of the Albrecht family and left under questionable circumstances. Meanwhile, most of Mark's adult life has been made quite easy financially due to his patron's death. This man bequeathed his entire fortune to Mark and died As Mark entered only his third year working as a "writer." Though no one seemed to know what he had ever "written" other than letters and other such personal compositions. 

Call him a snob if you like, but not the worst kind of snob; a hanger-on, but to the skirts of Art, not Society... (19)

We learn that Mark was not only a patron and supporter of the arts, but also self-published a slim volume every now and then (all at his own expense), and he even 

took a theatrical company on tour, playing host and "lead" with equal lavishness. (19)

Mark's generosity also extended to Matthew Cayley, the cousin he took in at age 13, having realized the boy's circumstances were just as limited as his had been. He educated and provided for Matthew until he reached age 23, at which time the boy "looked after" his cousin's affairs for him.

By this time Mark had bought the Red House and the considerable amount of land that went with it. [Matthew] Cayley superintended the necessary staff. His duties, indeed, were many. He was not quite secretary, not quite land-agent, not quite business-adviser, not quite companion, but something of all four. Mark leant upon him and called him "Cay," objecting quite rightly in the circumstances to the name of Matthew. Cay, he felt, was, above all, dependable; a big, heavy-jawed, solid fellow, who didn't bother you with unnecessary talk--a boon to a man who liked to do most of the talking himself. (20) 

Ha! I appreciate the sarcastic humor Milne inserts. 

We are then introduced to each of Mark's guests: Major Rumbold, Bill Beverly, Ruth Norris, and Betty Calladine. As typical, we also learn something about the servants: Mrs. Stevens, Audrey, and Elsie. Enter Antony Gillingham, a friend of Bill Beverly's who had been invited to visit him at the Red House while Bill was a guest there. Antony is self-sufficient financially and occasionally works in different jobs as the mood strikes him. It is Antony and Bill who actually investigate the murder, in tandem with the local police. Antony decides to become a "private sleuthhound" and assumes the position of 'Holmes,' to Bill's 'Watson.' Through the course of the investigation, we learn the details of the topography of the land directly surrounding the house as well as the floor plan of the house itself--all of which helps the reader follow pertinent and/or misleading discoveries as they are made. This is much as one would expect when reading Christie or Marsh. Milne does an excellent job of depicting the bits and pieces of memories and observations that aide Antony and Bill in their progress to identify the murderer. Inspector Birch follows all leads and even drags the 'lake' (perhaps over-sized pond might be a more accurate term), and interviews everyone with any connection to the Red House and/or Robert Ablett. 

There are secret passages, ghostly appearances, suspicious shadows in the hallways/rooms, new underwear (?!?), mysterious boat trips in the middle of the night, as well as night-time underwater searches performed by 'Watson' (Bill) per 'Holmes' (Antony's) insistence! In addition, there are love triangles, revenge, and resentment to be considered and factored into the final equation that will solve this murder. In the end of it all, Antony is quite gracious and even a bit understanding of the murderer's motivation. 

This was such a quick read and really enjoyable with tinges of humor here and there and a solid murder mystery with many twists and surprises along the way. I would recommend it. Have you read this or any other of Milne's works outside of Pooh Bear? 

So many times, people are not as they appear...

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

In honor of Banned Books Week 2015: September 27-October 3, I offer my review of this very informative and masterful work! (Yes, I realize that was last week! A bit late...but just as heartfelt!) I don't feel anyone has the right to deny any of us access to reading materials. While there are certain publications I don't choose to read, we should all have the right to select from everythng published! I admit to being glad I had read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides two years ago since it had given me an introduction to some of the issues associated with 'intersex' physical features, especially medical considerations, and the extreme social isolation due to lack of acceptance for all...regardless of 'gender'/sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, SES, whatever... The Socratic Salon posted a book breakdown September 21st. (Though it looks as if there weren't many others who had read it, since there were few comments posted...) I loved this book in so many ways, but honestly, by page 50 I was wondering if I really wanted to continue reading. The initial event was so horrific to me, I was afraid the whole book would be nothing more than one such event after another, but I had nothing to fear, for it was from that initial trauma that the rest of the story played out... I like the cover image, two bicycles representing the two main genders considered 'normal'/definitive by society.

So, my husband and I were at A Music Festival the last weekend in September (as I was about 3/4 through this book) and being the extremely shy and reticent person I am (hmmmm...okay, maybe NOT!) I struck up a conversation with a couple and their two daughters in line directly ahead of me. My motivation? Mom had multiple tattoos, facial piercings, creatively multi-colored hair, and her oldest (14-year-old) daughter was READING a book!!! Right there, standing in line!! I love this girl!! She's an even harder-core book nerd than I am!! YAY!! It was Paper Towns by John Green, so she and I started discussing his books, the movie adaptation of The Fault In Our Stars as well as the book, and then to her favorite book ever, and the one she has reread most, The Diary of Anne Frank. Then her parents got in on the conversation and asked what I was reading...oh, my, was that ever an interesting conversation that transpired as I explained about Golden Boy and its various themes related to intersex, etc., and these parents were so very cool--rather than squelching any talk of such issues around their children, they openly involved them in the conversation--and that, my friends, in my humble opinion, is exactly how it should be! Why is it that so many parents are petrified to openly discuss sexuality/gender with their own children?!? Who the f&%# do you think will do that, if you don't? Besides, if you never work to get outside your own comfort zone, it's a sure bet your children won't! At least not until they're older and hopefully realize for themselves... Ah...but I digress. End of rant. (At least for now...) 

I don't know who couldn't help but love Max! I was immediately struck by his seemingly androgynous personality and emotional outlook. Max's brother Daniel (almost 10 years old) wants to be a robotic engineer with plans to create robotic parts to make humans 'perfect.'

  I told my brother what I wanted to be, and he said that it was cool but unfortunately, he wouldn't let me add extensions to him, because he wanted to be who he was and see how that played out. I said that was stupid. Who wouldn't want to be perfect? Or a robot?

  And this is why I have chosen to write my class essay about my brother. Sincerely, Daniel Alexander Walker, age nine and four-fifths. (5)
I had to chuckle at the "nine and four-fifths"! Definitely a scientist in the making, eh? :) No rough estimates for this child! 

Steve and Karen, Max and Daniel's parents, are best friends with Hunter's parents. In fact, Hunter's mom Leah and Karen are closer than Karen is to her own sister, Cheryl. Karen relies on Leah and vice versa. At one point Karen thinks to herself:
I know if anything happened to me, Leah would be there for my children, and I would be there, if anything happened to Leah, for her son, Hunter, who, like many children without siblings, can be moody and controlling. I don't share that thought with Leah obviously, because we all like to believe that our children are perfect, and personally, I wouldn't want to be disabused of that notion. (7)
Little did Karen or Leah realize what was in their future, especially regarding their children's relationships. And, being an 'only child' myself, I must take offense at the idea we're all "moody and controlling"! Hmph! ;)

And I can't remember when I have despised a character as much as I do Hunter! I was happy that he did not escape unscathed, though I did feel for his oblivious parents. (I hope he was prosecuted and successfully rehabbed.) Although the physical act was heinous, I believe it was the emotional betrayal and lack of interpersonal loyalty and, most of all, the exploitation that most hurt Max. 
...and it's just me, lying, legs apart, like a dead bug, flattened to the mattress by pain and blinking rapidly with my mouth open. Like I can't believe what just happened happened. Like I don't know where I am. Like I am in some alternate reality where there is a possibility that Hunter is a bad person, my average little bedroom is the scene of a crime, I could be quietly forced into something so abhorrent I can't even think the word in my mind and that it could all be over in five minutes. (21)
Such confusion and inability to take it all in for what it was felt very real to me. 

This is much as I pictured Max...

Max is so brave to get help for himself, without telling anyone else, not even his parents. And...that is when he meets Sylvie, and that was a blessing for him in his life! Without her would the truth have ever been revealed? I seriously doubt it. 

Another person who truly helped make Max's life better is Archie. Every doctor should be like Archie! She thinks to herself:
...medical approaches to trans, intersex and asexual people can vary greatly between jurisdictions.
  I know that our practice is ahead of most in our approach to these teenagers, but there are some areas where I know I do not know enough and we need improvement. Like most clinics, like the curriculum, like the policy makers, we are struggling to keep up with scientific advancements, and also with our patients. (46)
I venture to say that paragraph is much more than the majority of medical providers would ever think about such issues...ever! Unfortunately, most people, including the majority of healthcare professionals, only consider the possibility of two genders/sexes, when the reality is so much more diverse, with many variations between these two seemingly absolute opposites. 
  He's oddly despondent, actually. I study him carefully. Something just doesn't fit in this scene, an uncaring mood, a lack of eye contact, blankness. As I watch him avoid my eyes, shuffling in his chair uncomfortably and worriedly chewing a nail, I remember seeing him before. (55)
She had seen him at the local movie theater holding hands with and kissing a girl. If not for Archie noticing Max's nonverbal communication, she would have never caught on to the idea of this sexual act not having been consensual for him. And without her hint about this to Karen much later and Sylvie's intervention, this predator would have probably never been identifed. No one might have even believed Max had he made accusations without anyone else to support him. 

Tarttelin's prose is succinct and yet poetic at times...as Max writes...
I prefer summer to the other seasons, for the heat. You can be out all day playing football and not even have to worry about bringing a T-shirt. But autumn is loveable. It's summer's dying cousin. It's somehow vulnerable, for the world to die so publicly. You feel tender about autumn. (40)
I love this passage for the symbolism and the poignancy and emotional content that Max depicts! He is empathetic, kind, and caring. He is so very sensitive to and communicative with his little brother, Daniel! I love that about Max so much! Is 'he' a typical 16-year-old male who is the beloved football player, 'pretty boy' etc., in his school? 

Again, Max is so very courageous as to purchase a pregnancy test kit himself without involving anyone else. Unfortunately, one of the girls who sometimes deigns to speak to Sylvie is the person working at the register when he pays for it. Of course, she spreads the word that Max got a girl pregnant and everyone begins guessing who it might be. His father, Steven, is running for political office, forcing both Max and Daniel to attend many events, and Karen to worry about anyone discovering Max's secret after they've worked hard to allow Max to grow up without any more attention to the matter of his mixed genitalia than he already endured as a child for the sake of medical professionals' curiosity. 

I might envision this as a younger
Max/Maxine--many times infants and
toddlers appear very androgynous!

As a parent and grandparent I was a bit bothered by Max's parents' lack of follow-up/communication with and attention to his sexuality/gender as he matured into the teen years. I understand the reticence to do so, and it was disheartening (though not unbelievable) to learn that they disagreed on how best to handle the matter and Max's future, even as a newborn infant! Most of the doctors Karen and Steve dealt with believed they should decide upon and complete "infant genital reconfiguration surgery" on Max, making him biologically/physically a boy or girl as an infant. His father wanted nothing to do with this, allowing Max to decide as he grew and developed, especially if s/he could have children, he didn't want to deny his child that opportunity. They chose a gender-neutral name, Max/Maxine to allow for flexibility and gender choice. Though Karen disagreed to a great degree, she acquiesced to Steve's wishes and they allowed Max to develop 'naturally' with only a bit of surgery to remove some testicular tissue and some hormone therapy at age 14--the hormones altered Max's personality to a great degree and he finally refused to continue... For the past two years neither parent has evidently really talked to Max, nor has he been seeing a therapist or psychiatrist. (Wouldn't therapy just make sense?) And, unfortunately, our society basically demands that each individual be strictly classified as male OR female. I couldn't help thinking so many times as I read this book--it is difficult enough to raise children, especially throughout the teen years, but to have these additional issues would make it so much more challenging, particularly since his mother and father disagreed on how to handle the various intersex issues and, in my opinion, did not adequately follow-up or provide him/her with healthy emotional outlets. 

It was heartrending to watch Karen deal with her belief that Max has been having unprotected sex with males, and is therefore, gay. I was rather amazed at her inability to accept this. The decisions regarding medical procedures virtually drove this family apart in so many ways. And then Sylvie must digest this knowledge as well and it is...well, at the very least difficult for her, as his 'friend':
  How is this even possible? He always looked totally boyish before, but now I'm looking him over and thinking, This is a girl, and trying it on for size, and I'm noticing, yes, there are some major similarities between being seductive in a pretty-boy way and in a girl way, I knew the guys I had dated before were more...guyish, but I thought that was because they were in uni and older and more mature. Max has no facial hair at all. Didn't I think that was weird? Why didn't I? What does this say about me? 
  Well, I just thought he was blond and blond people don't have much excess hair, and he was younger than all my other boyfriends. I just thought he was sexy, supersexy, and I didn't stop to think, like I am now, that if you brushed his hair over to one side, and those amazing green eyes with their Bambi-long lashes, and those pouty lips, and that big, sweet smile, and the soft, soft, skin, and the kind of thin-ish neck and not-massive chest and delicate, long fingers and cute, round arse... (244)
Really, this isn't all that unusual. There are many 'females' who have many 'male' features, and vice-versa if you openly consider individuals prior to classifying them as strictly male/female. I have wondered about people I've met and dealt with before...but truly it is none of my business and it is immaterial to me. I evaluate/judge people based upon their personalities once I get to know them, not upon their looks, gender, etc. It really is a much easier and nicer way to approach life overall. :)

Have you read this one or Middlesex? I'm sure there are others... What are your reactions? I would heartily recommend this one!