Hey! Hey! Whaddya say? It’s Friday! Woop! Woop! Time for another Book Beginnings and Friday 56!
This week our Book Beginning and Friday 56 are from the same book: One-Eyed Cat. By Paula Fox. Never heard of it? No worries. We gotcha covered. Even if it is about a feline. Sort of. (Nobody’s perfect.) Let’s buckle up and jump in:
The Liar in the LibraryWhen a West Sussex retiree accepts an invitation from an old friend to attend an Author’s Lecture at the local library, Jude has no idea she’s about to be implicated in his subsequent murder. As evidence stacks up against her, Jude must enlist the aid of her prickly neighbor and fellow amateur sleuth, Carole Seddon. Can the two amateur sleuths solve the murder and clear Jude’s name before she winds up in the slammer?
When the Day ComesWe received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When’s the last time you finished a book and just wanted to go, “Ahhhh”? Or in one furry case, decided the tome is almost better than bacon? Almost. (Hi, Kimber.)
Well. Gabrielle Meyer’s When the Day Comes is that kind of book. Here’s why:
End the Divide:By Dwight Clough
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Tired of the strident, bellicose voices blasting their way into your head every day? Weary of the divisiveness, pugnacity and acrimony over political parties and elections, of being riled up – or hearing from those who are riled up – over partisan talking points?
Have we got a deal for you. It’s called End the Divide. This new book ‘explores how people of faith can lead the way to end the toxic polarization in our culture.’
Oh boy! Oh Bowzer! Oh Rin Tin Tin!
Kimber the Magnificent here. I’m doin’ my tornado tail-waggin’ thing today. Know why? Cuz today’s one of my favorite kinda days! It’s a Guest Post Day with a New Favorite Author! It’s also a day when we get to find out where an author gets her ideas – setting, characters, plot and stuff like that. Have you ever wondered about that? We have!
So today’s your Bow-Wow Day! Yes siree, Lassie! We’re getting to know Mary Alford, author of Among the Innocent. (Read our full review here.) And she’s goin’ to answer that question and more! (Think of it as Sirloin Steak Day with a side of T-bone!!)
Ready? Set? Let’s go!
![Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable by [Zain E. Asher]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T2/images/I/41Edadfzw-L.jpg)
By Zain E. Asher
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Publisher: Amistad 35, an imprint of Harper Collins, 2022
Pages: 212
Via: Library
Where the Children Take Us is the compelling true story of two remarkable women, mother and daughter.
One story recounts the life of Obiajulu, the author’s mother. A widowed immigrant from Nigeria, Obiajulu (“my heart is at peace”) raises four children alone in South London while also running a small business six days a week. She is determined to carve out a better life for her children. With remarkable grit, tenacity, and dignity, Obiajulu does exactly that as recounted in this powerful, heartfelt memoir.
The second narrative focuses on the author. Zain is a first-generation African immigrant “raised by a single mother who struggled to keep the heat on in a gritty home in East London.” Via lessons learned from her mother, Zain graduates from Oxford University, earns a graduate degree from Columbia, and becomes a CNN news anchor.
My humans were doing the backyard barbecue thing the other day. Something about “summer’s last hurrah.”
Public domain
They plopped some burgers and four delicious “New York steaks” on the grill. Yes, four steaks. Clearly that meant one each for Mom and Dad. One for The Kid. One for me. Right?
Rather than waiting for my hunk of happiness to fall off the grill, I figured I’d just hop right up and help myself. No sense standing on ceremony, right? So I didn’t.
Speaking of which, I thought “fall” was something you do. Apparently that’s not always the case. For example. Mom says “fall” is her favorite season. Something about leaves changing. “Crisp.” Curling up by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book.
“I thought maybe it was just me,” frowned Her Momness. “Then I read some other reviews. And it’s definitely not ‘just me.’ So there!”
Here’s why Mom found To Be Where You Are so disappointing. (The short version).
Do you do Summer Reading Programs? Mom used to. She’s been kinda straddlin’ the fence on SRPs since about 2018. Why? Cuz she set a personal record for books read that summer: 156 books. From June 1 to August 31. No. really. Click here for more.
She hasn’t jumped into an SRP full-bore since. “Cuz Kimmi, how in the world am I gonna top 156 books in three months?”
Well. You know Her Momness. I bribed her with chocolate.
So. Did Mom set a new personal record for Summer Reading?
Well, not quite. We tried. Really. And we got close.
But there was so much other stuff goin’ on this summer, if ya know what I mean. (And yes, I totally aced that semi-annual check-up at the vet’s. Thanks for askin.’)
Including audio books and read-alouds, Mom read 139 books this summer. It’s not 156+. But not bad, eh? (Apparently, some people will do almost anything for a Triple Chocolate Meltdown a la mode.)
You can find some of Mom’s summer favorites at 6 Best Reads of Summer.
I’d let Mom tell you more herself. But she’s snoozing right now. Or “resting up.” Or something.
Mom hasn’t tackled a Goodreads Reading Challenge since shortly after the Ark made landfall. The last one she did was in 2018: 383 books. In one year. She says, “No way can I do that again, Kimster. Not even close.”
But I’m scouting up new supplies of chocolate. Just don’t tell Mom yet, okay?
You gonna eat that?
Pages & Paws 