“Batter up!”
In case ya missed it the first 6,897 times, She Who Must Be Obeyed is what ya might call a Baseball Nut. Once the season starts, it’s Dodgers Girl from here to kingdom (or Series) come! (Don’t tell her I said that, okay?).
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Baseball book. Anyway, when we heard about this cute little book narrated by a talking baseball named Bennie – I’m not makin’ this up – one of us stepped right up to the batter’s box and started swingin’. Like this:
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The fourth of seven daughters, Shisei is an outcast. Is she truly “sacred poetry,” a “bridge between the seen and unseen” as her late mother said? Or is Shisei something else?
Dontcha just love scene stealers? That person or critter that outshines the rest of the cast, especially unexpectedly? You know. Like me?
All modesty aside, Mom and I have been keeping a running tally of literary scene stealers in recently read books.
Some of the books they appear in are great. Some are awful. Not a main character, a scene stealer outshines everyone else, including a bad script.
Here’s a brief list of our top 6 scene stealers from recently read historical non-fiction and fiction fiction (that’s not a typo). A brief synopsis of each book is included:
A silver star badge. A little red train. A cave in Afghanistan. A “sniffer dog” named Shadow. An incredible story of escape, adversity, courage, and love. The kind that never gives in and never gives up.
Kimber here, saying “Happy Spring” – finally! I’m also ready to introduce you to my new BFF: Shadow the springer spaniel. Aka: “Polly.” She’s a special bomb-sniffing dog. (Okay, she’s not quite as special as I am. But let’s not get picky here, okay?)
Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. Shadow. She gets lost in Afghanistan during the war and is finally reunited with her old unit from the U.K. But not before finding her way into the heart of young Aman.
C.H. Armstrong’s The Edge of Nowhere is set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl days of the “Dirty Thirties.” The protagonist is a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners spitfire named Victoria Hastings Harrison Greene.
Victoria is a graduate of the School of Hard Knocks. Now elderly, she has a tumor on her pancreas. So the novel opens with a letter. It’s penned by Victoria and addressed to her grandchildren. Dated November 12, 1992, the epistle begins:
“I know you refer to me as ‘the meanest woman you’ve ever known.’”
The rest of the book – 261 pages – fills in the blanks. What emerges is the fictionalized story of a woman who refused to be a victim.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well Yabba-dabba-doo and Glory Hallelujah! spake I, Kimber the Magnificent. That’s what I said when the author contacted us for a review request for his book about a little girl who lives on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. Little’uns and a remote island off the coast of Scotland?! Does it get any better than that?! As in, these are a few of my favorite things..
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mom: Kimmi, what are you doing?!
Kimber: No interruptions, Mom! I’m practicing the Ruskan hopak and scouting up my balalaika.
Mom (eyes rolling): Hate to break it to you, Kimster. But you’re a dog. Dogs don’t dance the hopak. Or play the balalaika.
Kimber: Wanna bet?
And that’s where we were after turning the final page of M.L. Farb’s mesmerizingly masterful fairy tale/fantasy novel, Vasilisa. One of the main themes that shimmers throughout this witty and uber engaging story is a question: Is the heroine Vasilisa the strong or Vasilisa the good? Can she be both? How?
Pssst! Yeah. You. Kimber the Magnificent here. Asking if you can keep a secret, bub? Cuz I’m gonna letcha in on one today. But first ya gotta promise not to tell She Who Must Obeyed, okay? Agreed? Pawsome. Here goes:
One of us – the one with opposable thumbs- started this here Magyk book under shall we say, less than optimal conditions?
Okay, okay. The conditions were downright lousy. I’m talking ruff here. (Not a typo.) Cuz the one with opposable thumbs started reading this book while waiting for news about a sweet furry face we all know and love undergoing emergency care at the vet. Fur (also not a typo) background, see: The Patient Is Home & Resting Comfortably.
You’re kidding, right?
I say this to Mom a lot. Especially when she gets The Look. You know. That Look. It usually precedes a mile-long description of her new favorite book. Of course I listen. Because, ya know. That’s my job. Well, that and being beautiful and brilliant. (It’s a tough job. But I’m up for it!)
So when Mom came up with yet another harebrained idea for Fine Wine Fridays – where do these things come from? – I just smiled and listened.
Mom’s latest brainstorm? A list of really cool murder mysteries/whodunits.
Being the brains in this dynamic duo, I reminded Mom that she doesn’t typically gravitate toward either genre. But you know Mom!
So here, in no particular order, are Mom’s version of Fine Wine Friday murder mysteries/whodunits. (See more Fine Wine Friday picks here.)
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Kimber the Magnificent here. Giving you a quick heads up: The hero of this story isn’t a hooman. It’s Pharaoh the Rottie. You’ll get that if you read the book. Cuz Pharoah’s like, Pawsome! And my new best friend! Oh yeah.
Pages & Paws 