Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie


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GUEST POST: ‘How my tomgirl childhood inspires my writing today at 60’

By Raven Howell

Author of Blink and Glow.

Review up tomorrow!

Author Raven Howell

Sprawled behind a rickety chair at the side of the old shack in the woods, I barely breathe. Even as a third grader, I know that keeping absolutely still and silent is the key to not being found. Crickets are settling in for the night, and an owl hoots in the distance. I also know there’s a bat that lives in this abandoned shack. I’m sweaty, dirty and there’s a rip somewhere on my pant leg. Yup, there it is. I notice it across my knee where I’ve cut myself, as I’m swiping off the spider crawling across my sneaker. Twigs crack. Someone’s coming! Probably my pursuer – the neighbor who’s “It” tonight in our evening outdoor hide and seek game.

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‘Camino’ & ‘Calamity’: Titan Two-fer?

If the genre is “thriller,” then two authors often come to the forefront: John Grisham and David Baldacci.

Grisham is the king of the legal thriller/courtroom drama. Has been for decades. Baldacci is a king of thriller fiction. Both are expert storytellers and hugely popular. Both authors have had their books turned into movies. And in 2024, both authors’ most recent releases focus on race relations and the courtroom, either directly or indirectly. It’s kinda like a “Titan Two-fer.”

This is noteworthy cuz legal thrillers are usually Grisham’s bread and butter, as is the case in his latest novel, Camino Ghosts. But Baldacci makes a memorable contribution to the genre too, with A Calamity of Souls. More on that in a min. So kindly keep your shirt on, Toots.

First, Grisham’s newest book, Camino Ghosts:

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Lost & Found: Dark Fantasy Percolates with Potential

Princess:

Light and Shadow Beginnings

By Katrina J. Daroff (Indie author, 2023)

Pages: 366 (Print)

Via: Library

Genre: Fiction/Romance/Dark Fantasy/Coming of Age

Mom’s a sucker. I know. This isn’t exactly news. If you’ve been reading along with us for any length of time, you know that Her Royal Momness is a sucker for pretty much any well-written ‘dog book.’ (Because, hey! Me!) Also horse stories. Good, solid action/adventure/outdoor-ish tomes. Historical fiction. Legal/crime thrillers. Children’s and YA books. Faith-flavored titles that aren’t preachy. Ghirardelli chocolate…

Almost smells good enough to eat! Almost…

But didya know that Mom’s also a sucker for ‘lost books’? Well, she is.

Lost

Like the other day when we were visiting The Book Place. (I have to wait outside. Something about ‘service dogs only.’ So annoying.) Anywho, Mom’s cruising along the shelves and comes to a sign that says:

Use You Library Card to Grab These Never-Before Checked Out Books

Well, Who can resist that?

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And The Winners Are… The Official Mom & Kimber DNF List 7.0

One of us used to feel a wee bit guilty about our Did Not Finish list. But then I says to Mom, “Look, Cupcake. We get zillions of requests for book reviews every day. We don’t have time to slog through sludge!”

Well. I finally talked Mom into realizing that if a book doesn’t grab us in the first few chapters, we’re unlikely to keep going. Or if we do, it’s through gritted teeth. (Hi, Mom.)

Well, again. Life’s too short. Who wants to waste their time on sludge? Skunkers and clunkers? Especially when there are so many other good books around. Nowadays, we don’t bat an eye at chucking a book into our DNF pile. (For more, see 4 Reasons Why We’re World Champion ‘Book Bailers.’)

Complete Wastes of Time

So here’s the latest Official Mom and Kimber DNF List. We ploughed through this sludge so you don’t have to. As in, don’t waste your time on the following Complete Wastes of Time (in no particular order):

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Karen Kingsbury Novel Doesn’t Disappoint

 

Forgiving Paris

By Karen Kingsbury

Simon & Schuster, Inc., October 2021

Genre: Christian Fiction

Pages: 273

 

Her darkest secret.

Her gravest mistake.

Can she make peace with herself… and Paris?

Kimber here, being my usual Magnificent Self. Telling you that Her Momness is doing that sparkly-eyed, sniffly nose thing again. Cuz of a book she just finished. Hang just a sec while a grab a hankie for Mom.

Ready, Mom? Okay. I’ll let her tell you more:

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Age 1-1/2 years ... with a book, of course!


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How to Get the Most out of Goodreads

 

Hey buddy and buddy-ette!

Can you spare five minutes? Good. Cuz that’s about all the time I’ve got on this Reading Goods thing. Ya see, Mom has her I’m Reading: Do Not Interrupt on Pain of Death face on. You know. With those eye glass do-dads and a furrowed brow. (No idea what that means. If you do, kindly holler.) So I gotta get this in like, pronto!

Squirrel!

Wait. Where was I?

Oh yeah. Reading Goods. You may know it as Goodreads. But let’s not get picky here, Buttercup.

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Linamen ‘Deja Nu’ or 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall?

“I love, love, LOVE Karen Linamen books!” gushed She Who Shall Remain Nameless. “They’re funny. Warm and relatable. Down to earth and practical.” She paused. “But…”

Her Momness raised an eyebrow. Cocked her head (looks a lot cuter when I do it. Nobody’s perfect). “But what?” chirpeth Mom.

We’ll get to the “But what?” part in a min. So kindly keep your hair on, Cupcake. Cuz we’re gonna take a look at two more Linamen books today. First….

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Why ‘The Ivies’ Needs a Mommy Very Badly

The Ivies

Alexa Donne (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2021)

Via: Library

Genre: YA/Fiction/Dark Academia

Pages: 309 (Print)

Ever want to just smack an entire cast of characters? That’s what we felt like after 309 pages of The Ivies.

Eau de Skunk

Now, The Ivies is the kinda book that’s gonna nab rave reviews all over the place. Not here, Toots. We don’t do that gob-smacked slobber stuff over a book that smells like Eau de Skunk. Walks and talks like it, too.

We’re just funny that way. Like:

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25 U.S. Historical Fiction Books That’ll Rock Your 4th

Kimber here. Mom is busy rustling up some Independence Day eats. I’m not too sure about the potato salad and corn on the cob thing. But I’m all over the grilled burgers! Yeah, Lassie!

Kimber here. Bein’ all magnificent and everything.

Well, the subject of “best U.S. historical fiction” came up the other night. We were watching last year’s fireworks or somethin’. You know. The stupid Big Boom things. (Why do humans do this every Independence Day? I don’t get it.)

I was all ears. (For the book list. Not the Big Boom things. Mom got me a Thunder Shirt for that.)

Anyway, just in time for Independence Day, Mom and I put together a list of the best historical fiction reads set in the U.S. Not P.C. Mom says we aren’t even going to try to cover books by decade, social movement, issue, or what not. That’d take us like, till the cat comes home. Gag me with Meow Mix!

This is our not-PC, totally unscientific, 100 % subjective list of great historic-ish reads for a great American holiday! To make the cut, titles have to be good stories. Well-written. Based on or interweaving actual events, people, or epochs from U.S. history. (Not sure what that means. But it sounds delish!)

Ready? Set? Let’s Go!

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Summer Reading Olympics & Going for GOLD!

 

If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re either: 1) A humungous book lover, 2) A humungous dog lover, 3) Both, or 4) Tired of kitty-sitting the neighbor’s feline.

Well. Have we got a deal for you.

The Challenge

Ya see, Her Royal Momness stumbled upon this “Summer Reading Challenge” thingy about three months back. (Stumbling. Ya know. Like Mom finds most things. Don’t tell her I said that, okay?)

Bronze, Silver, or Gold?

Anyhow, this SRC Challenge ’24 is hosted by the 52 Book Club. Since 2024 is a Summer Olympics, this year’s reading challenge had an Olympics-ish flavor. With 24 sports-inspired book prompts. Participants chose which “medal” they wanted to aim for, based on the number of books they planned to read during the summer in line with select Olympic-ish book prompts: Bronze, Silver, or Gold?

Via The 52 Book Club:

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