At Last!

Kindle Voyage - image from amazon

There's good news for kindle owners today. No, not the announcement of 7 new devices (although the new Kindle Voyage looks good to me), but at long last kindle owners have been granted the ability to share books. It's called "Family Library" and will be available for all Kindle eReaders released since August 2010, from the Kindle Keyboard onward. A software update is all that's required.

Your "family" may consist of two adult accounts and up to four kids accounts. Since my kids are technically adults, I wasn't aware of amazon's designated kids accounts. However, this still presents a dilemma... I must now choose between linking my library with my mother or my sister. It's a good thing my daughters don't read on kindles.

P.S.  Don't worry, Mom. I've got you covered!

New to My (Virtual) Shelf

I love reading on my kindle paperwhite. It's perfect for travel, I can use it in bright sunlight, plus I can read in bed without using the book light my husband finds so annoying. Amazon has made it easy and inexpensive to add new titles to my virtual shelf with their Kindle Daily Deals, too. The problem is that without seeing the books on my physical shelf, it's easy to forget about them.

Amanda employed a strategy last month that I thought might work for me, too. In an effort to stay accountable to myself, I'm listing my February kindle purchases here on the blog. They include:

We Are Water by Wally Lamb
I originally borrowed this from library (after being the hold list for months, so I'm still still good with the TBR Dare), but didn't want to lug the nearly 600 page hardcover on a recent plane trip. I ended up paying the regular kindle price. Read, but not yet reviewed.

The Mouse-Proof Kitchen by Saira Shah
This one has been on my wish list since Diane reviewed it last  year, but it will have to wait until after the TBR dare. The last I checked, it was still $2.99.

The American Home Front: 1941-1942 by Alistair Cooke
This daily deal just sounded interesting. I also purchased the audible edition for 99 cents!

Honeymoon in Paris: A Novella by Jojo Moyes
This has a regular price of $2.99. I read it (taking a one day break from the TBR Dare) and wrote a quick review!

The Summer without Men by Siri Hustvedt
I've wanted to read this for a while now. The price is still just $3.99

What's new on your virtual shelf?

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

A Hundred Summers
by Beatriz Williams
ebook, 396 pages
Penguin Group USA, 2013
source: purchased

Quick Thoughts:

An utterly perfect, totally engaging summer read!

I loved this book from the opening paragraph to the  very last line. The setting (1930's Manhattan and coastal Rhode Island), characters, story, and structure added up to my most satisfying reading experience of the summer. I was surprised when amazon offered such a new release as a "kindle daily deal" - this book is worth the full price.

Read the plot summary and more reviews at goodreads.

My rating:

Note: Amazon is offering the kindle book for $2.99 again today.... not sure how long this deal will last.

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

The Violets of March
by Sarah Jio
Plume, 2011
304 pages
source: purchased e-book

Summary: (from goodreads)
A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.

My thoughts:
One of the best things about my kindle is the Daily Deal email from amazon which offers four books specially priced (usually $1.99 or $2.99) for one day only.  It encourages impulse purchases of books I've been meaning to read or authors I want to try. And at that price, I allow myself to ignore my "only buy books I will start today" rule. Violets of March was a recent Daily Deal and Sarah Jio is an author I've been meaning to read, so I couldn't resist.

Traveling home from NYC last month, I was craving something a little lighter and remembered Violets of March on my kindle. For the next five hours, I was transported to the idyllic setting of Bainbridge Island, Washington and became lost in the novel's dual story lines. A present-day tale of love and mystery blended seamlessly with one from the past, told through the pages of a recently-discovered old diary.

Violets of March was the perfect diversion. I didn't mind that we were delayed, or that the guy behind me talked constantly (and loudly) on his cell phone, or even the close quarters of a very full train. Although I didn't quite finish by the time we pulled into the station, I managed to carve out just enough time the next day to reach the satisfying conclusion.

On a side note, I love when other books are mentioned in my reading. Here, Year of Grace  by Margaret Ayer Barnes, a 1931 Pulitzer Prize winner, played a role in both stories. It seems to be out of print now, but I'm keeping an eye out for a used copy.

My experience with Violets of March  was definitely a case of the right book at the right time. Thank you, Staci for recommending this author to me. I plan to read more by Sarah Jio.

My rating:

Bottom line:
A little more romance than my usual fare, but a delightful change of pace.

Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer

Lorca 

 "I was pretending to read the paper. I thought that if I didn't say anything, my mother might stop glaring at me, burning a hole in my face. 

I was home from school. I'd been sent home. 

And though I hadn't gotten myself caught on purpose, as soon as Principal Hidalgo said "suspended" my first thought was of my mother waking to the smell of homemade croissants. I'd be in an apron, piling the hot pastries high in a breadbasket, just beside the cranberry-sage brown butter I'd whipped up. I was suddenly happy, hopeful, thinking of the time we could spend together."

So begins Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots  by Jessica Soffer, a new novel which releases today. I requested an uncorrected proof from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley based upon the following description:

Two women adrift in New York—an Iraqi Jewish widow and the latchkey daughter of a chef—find each other, solace, and a new kind of family through their shared love of cooking. 

Lorca spends hours poring over cookbooks, seeking out ingredients for her distracted chef of a mother, who is about to send her off to boarding school. In one last effort to secure her mother’s love and prove herself indispensable, Lorca resolves to replicate her mother’s ideal meal, an obscure dish called masgouf. 

Victoria, an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant, teaches cooking lessons; Lorca signs up. Grappling with grief over her husband’s passing, Victoria has been dreaming of the daughter they gave up forty years ago. 

Together these two women — a widow and an almost-orphan — begin to suspect they are connected through more than a love of food. In these lessons and their separate investigations, they will be forced to reckon with the past, the future, and the truth — however complicated and unimaginable it might be. 

Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots is a novel of loss, remembrance, and revival. It is the heartrending, heartwarming story of two cast-off characters who find in each other a way of accepting the people we are meant to love-- even ourselves.

So, what did I think?

This sure sounded like a novel I'd love. However, early on, I discovered that Lorca is a "cutter". I have a strong aversion to reading books with this type of character, and would not have requested this one had I known beforehand.

Since it was a review book, I persevered through the first third of the novel. The story was enjoyable (especially the food and cooking angle) and I had no problem with the writing, but the self-mutilation was too much for me - I could not continue. I have an idea how these characters might eventually resolve their issues, and look forward to chatting with someone who has finished the book.

Although I was clearly not the right reader for Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots, if you enjoy novels told from alternating perspectives or stories with a strong emphasis on food and have no problem reading about "cutters", you just might be. The early reviews look promising.

It's All Over...

...the TBR Double Dog Dare, I mean. Three months of reading from my shelves met with mixed success this year.

Success #1:  I did not 'stock up' on new books in December.

Failure #1:  Fall of Giants  by Ken Follett
Discovered on the bookshelf in our Florida condo last January. Hey, that's somebody's TBR shelf, right? Besides, the 1,000 page novel was already on my wish list. I ended up purchasing the e-book to finish on the way home... a perfect vacation read.

Success #2:  Mudbound  by Hillary Jordan
My book club selected a book from my TBR pile. Mudbound  is my favorite novel so far this year, and my only 5-star read. Our discussion, originally scheduled for February, was postponed until last week. I'll post a few final thoughts soon.

Failure #2:  A Glass of Blessings  by Barbara Pym
Another slip occurred in February when I received an email from Open Road Media asking if I'd be interested in reviewing a new electronic edition of a Barbara Pym novel. How could I refuse? Of course, that meant joining NetGalley and subjecting myself to a whole new form of temptation, the e-galley! I'm not apologizing though, the novel was excellent.

Success #3: Vanity Fair  by William Makepeace Thackery
With encouragement from my read-along buddies, I was able to remove this 800 page classic from the 'to be read'  shelf. There were ups and downs, but I ended up enjoying it quite bit.

Failure #3: High Rising  by Angela Thirkell
Thirkell has been on my radar for quite some time, but I finally made the purchase after reading Audrey's irresistible review. By last Friday evening, I could resist no longer and had to start reading. The TBR Double Dog Dare came to an end a few days early.

I could go on like this for a couple more rounds, but these highlights certainly give you the general idea. Successes and failures aside, my third year participating in the TBR Dare has proved every bit as challenging and rewarding as the previous two. Thanks again, James.

The Sunday Salon: TBR Double Dare Strike Out, New NOOK, and Zelda Update

Not one strike, but three. Twenty-nine days ago, I took up James' dare to read from my shelves for three months. Today, I admit defeat.

Strike #1:  My library hold of The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright arrived. The plan was to read a few pages, send it back, and check it out again after the dare. I read the whole book.

Strike #2:  The Odds by Stewart O'Nan, pre-ordered months ago, appeared in my mailbox. I will start reading it this afternoon.

Strike #3:  I bought a NOOK Simple Touch and downloaded Clarissa for our group read (not technically a strike since the book is already on my shelf). Then, at Sandy's suggestion, I impulsively downloaded a sample of 11/22/63 by Stephen King... it's only a matter of time before I click 'buy now'.

So much for the TBR Double Dare. But, early dropout status notwithstanding, I will still continue to read from my shelves as much as possible.

The new NOOK:
On the plus side, I love my NOOK Simple Touch! It's very lightweight and easy on the eyes. I'll never try to read a book on my iPad again. Just looking at the pink case makes me happy, but will I need a 'wardrobe' of them?  Kate Spade has some very attractive, albeit pricey, offerings.

I've had great fun exploring the Girlebooks link Audrey sent. Lady Audley's Secret  by Mary Elizabeth Braddon was my 'practice download' and there are several others that caught my eye, including Selected Stories by Katherine Mansfield.

Are there any other websites I need to know about? Or NOOK tips in general?

Zelda update:
Zelda is not happy wearing the dreaded Elizabethan collar, but her paw is finally beginning to heal. This week she started to put a little weight on it... very tentatively, of course, but a good sign. The vet has prescribed another two weeks of antibiotics and we'll reassess the collar in another week. It looks like Zelda is going to make it!

I finally decided to visit the doctor this week, too. Antibiotics are helping some with the sinus infection and bronchitis, but the killer cough lingers. It looks like another day on the couch for me - reading, blogging, and drinking tea.  Are you up to anything exciting today?

I got an iPad!

It's Sunday morning and I should be writing a Sunday Salon post. There are reviews of The Optimist's Daughter and The Easter Parade in progress. I'm anxious to continue reading both To the Lighthouse and Notes on a Scandal. A post could be written for Short Story Monday tomorrow, but these things aren't happening today. I have a new toy.

We purchased an iPad for our upcoming trip to London. The idea is to stay connected without lugging around laptops, but I'll also give it a try as an e-reader. If you already own one, do you read using iBooks, the Kindle app, or something else? Are there other apps I shouldn't miss? Any hints and suggestions for getting started?

This is going to be fun...