If you’ve been reading with us for any length of time – say, 20 minutes or so – you know that Mom and I are singularly unimpressed by the words “Best-selling author.” Or its kissing cousins, “(fill in the blank) Award Winner” and “Over a bazillion copies in print.” The fact that everyone and their neighbor’s cat is crowing about a new release impresses us about as much as a plate of overcooked arugula.
Yea, verily. We’ve heaped praise on unknown indie authors who’ve earned it. We’ve also panned Pulitzer Prize winners who deserved it. Ya just never know.
Hey, Kimster! Is the tea hot yet? And will you kindly quit hogging the fleece blankie?
Bother. The things I do for Mom. We’re both hunkering down to read this gripping and intense tale of mind-numbing cold, desperation, myth, legend and survival by Dan Simmons.
The Basics
First, if you’ve never heard of Franklin’s ill-fated expedition, The Terror might be a good place to start. We were pretty familiar with the history before starting the book. So some bias there.
Before we dive in to specifics, you may want to know that The Terroris a fictionalized account of Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition to the Arctic to find the Northwest Passage. The expedition’s two ships are the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. Franklin is the overall expedition commander. James Fitzjames captains the Erebus. Franics Crozier captains the Terror. They set out to find the elusive Northwest Passage in 1845. The ships – and all hands – disappeared without a trace in the summer of 1848.
By Ann Rule (Simon & Schuster – First Edition 1992)
Genre: Non-Fiction – True Crime
Via: Library
Pages: 528 (print); 16 discs (audio)
It’s all about the moola in this intense and gripping thriller by the Grande Dame of True Crime, Ann Rule.
The Basics
Scarlett O’Hara Wannabe Pat Taylor Allanson is whatcha might call a “Georgia peach.” Strikingly beautiful with enough Southern charm to knock a mint julep off its feet a mile away, Pat dreams of a Tara-like plantation where she and new hubby Tom can raise horses, grow roses, and float around the highest echelons of Atlanta society. Pat even costumes herself and Tom as Scarlett and Rhett Butler for their wedding photos. Less than two months later, their dream explodes in terror and murder: their beautiful home is mysteriously burned to the ground and Tom’s convicted of the brutal slaying of his mother and father.
“Stop what presses, Kimster? We don’t do presses around here.”
“So? I’ve just always wanted to say that. Especially when I have a super-duper, extra-crispy bacon worthy announcement!”
“Okay, Kimmi. Spill it.”
“Well Mom, I wantcha to meet my two new best buds: War Horse and Big Love.”
“What?”
“Yeah. You see, there’s this awesome new book out called Big Love and War Horse. War Horse is a Doberman pup. Big Love is a senior Great Pyrenees, and…”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope! In fact this book is so good, I’;m gonna tell ya all about it myself! So here is the Official Unabridged Kimber the Magnificent Version of a book we absolutely LOVED (with a little help from the one with opposable thumbs. Cuz, ya know. Mom): Like this:
One of us has been wanting to say that for the longest time. Like, whoa. Gnarly, dude. Totally.
Anyway, She Who Is Older Than Dirt came up with a harebrained idea the other day. Another one.
“Hey, Kimmi!” says Her Royal Momness. “Let’s do a post on best books published in the 1960s. As in, most memorable titles of that decade. You know. The Classics.”
And that’s how we got here. The short version. Sort of.
Official!
So here, without further ado – whatever that means – is The Official Mom and Kimber List of Most Noteworthy and Pawsome Books From the 1960s (original publication date, not anniversary or later versions). Yes, we’ve read them all. More than once. Like, totally. Recognize any of these?
You know how Her Royal Momness and I love historical fiction, right? Could scarf it up with a spoon. Forget to eat breakfast. Lunch. And dinner. Stay up all night until The End. Forego another round of extra-crispy bacon.
It’s Official!
Wait. Belay that last one. But suffice it to say that of the bazillion historical fiction titles we’ve read lately, Melissa Cole’s A Grain of Hopeis one of the most compelling. In fact, we’re giving A Grain of Hope The Official Mom and Kimber Must-Read Stamp of Approval. Here’s why:
In The World According to Her Momness, the Four Basic Food Groups are:
Dark Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
White Chocolate
Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake.
Who’s got a fork?
Remembering Mom’s penchant for all things chocolatey and chuckle-worthy, someone recently suggested we check into author Karen Scalf Linamen. Linamen published several popular faith-flavored books in the 1990s and early 2000s “offering unique insights and humor.”
So we scoured the shelves of our local library. Zip. Zero. Nada. Not to fret. We ordered a coupla Linamen titles via Interlibrary Loan. It took a while. But they finally arrived. Both recommended titles are “best sellers.” They are… drum roll please:
Genre: Fiction – Children’s Christian Mysteries & Detective Stories, Children’s Fantasy & Magic
Via: Author Request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
How do you know when a book wants to be read?
The Edge of Everywhen brings readers face-to-page with this question and many more in this delightful new fantasy by A.S. Mackey. Also enchantment. Loss. Danger. Family. Hope. Redemption. Why everyone’s story matters. And a really, really good read!
Splendid
Indeed, The Edge of Everywhen is a splendid romp through all things bookish, magic, and true. Clever and convincing without being Pecksniffian, The Edge of Everywhen is a literary tour de force any bibliophile will love. (If you’re not a dyed-in-the-ink bibliophile at the start of this charming novel, chances are you will be by the end.)
If you’re saying “three-fer,” then you’re in luck. Cuz today we’re featuring a children’s “three-fer.” Two are fiction. One is non. One is a creative and clever story about friends and family. And sneezing. Yep, sneezing. The other is the story of a real-life heroine. The third is The Kimster’s new favorite. It’ll become readily apparent once you read the title.
So, are ya ready? Great! Let’s dive in with The Sneeze Collector, Yaa Asantewaa: The Warrior Queen, and Emma and Lily, Dog-Talk Detectives:
So there I was. Minding my own business. Snoozing away. When Her Royal Momness comes bouncing down the stairs with a Royal Stroke of Genuis:
“Kimmi! I have a great idea! You know those last six books we read? The True Crime thing, the post-apocalyptic thing, the second True Crime thing, the “self-help” motivational thing, and the other two True Crime thingies? All pretty diff, huh? Let’s do a combo post on all six!”
Well. As long as we’re here, let’s dive in to six of the most unusual books we’ve read so far this year. They’re “unusual” cuz they’re genres we don’t typically select.
One other thing. With the exception of the last title, all of the books below are 3.5s. In case you’re wondering. No extra charge:
Pages & Paws 