Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie


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The Magic Room

“I’ll be back soon” Mom chirps as she heads out the door. “Be good.”

No problemo, I bark, tail wagging. You know I’ll be here when you get back. Besides. When am I ever NOT good? (Well, there was that one unfortunate incident with The Powder Puff and a can of unsupervised red paint. Nobody’s perfect.)

Meantime, I’ll just stay here and guard the house. Say hello to the neighbors. Do my puppy eyes thing on the postal carrier (always good for a free treat). I will also protect my turf from stray felines, menacing deer and sketchy-looking plastic bags.

Now, let’s see. Where was I? Oh yeah. Mom and that magic room. The place she wanders off to with an armload of books to do that “reading” thing. It has her favorite reading chair. Lots of books. And a “Summer Reading Program.” Whatever that is.

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‘A Familiar Stranger’ and ‘Old MacDonald’

A Familiar Stranger

By A.R. Torre

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer, 2022

Genre: Crime thriller

Pages: 268

Via: Library

“That’s why this was the perfect murder, and it’s why I will never be caught. Tomorrow belongs to the people who plan for it today, and I planned for this day for years.”

Kimber: Mom was doing that “fly by” thing the other day. That’s when she swoops over to the library. Flies inside like Maverick in Top Gun. Nabs a coupla new books and checks out at warp speed. Also like Maverick. Or maybe Ice.

All this rush cuz Yours Truly is waiting outside with the patience of Job. Sort of. Kinda like this book. Lemme ‘splain:

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John Grisham Trifecta

Kimber: Ever get a tune stuck in your head on auto-play? Like, it goes around and around and around and Will. Not. Shut. Up? (Advertisers spend million$ coming up with this stuff. No idea what that means. But I know this is true cuz Mom says so.)

Anyway, Mom has author John Grisham stuck in her head these days. So we thought we’d share. From three of his novels that one of us finally got around to reading, The Street Lawyer and The Brethren. And The Boys From Biloxi. Here goes:

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15 High Octane Novels With Superstar Heroines

What’s a Superstar or a “Bad Ass Heroine?”

In our literary context, a “BAH” is a main female character who:

  • Doesn’t quit when the chips are down, but digs deep, discovering and drawing on resources she probably didn’t know she has.
  • Is a dynamic, three-dimensional character.
  • Overcomes adversity with valor, integrity, determination, and grit.
  • Isn’t perfect, but learns from her mistakes.
  • Is clever and courageous.
  • Keeps a clear eye, a keen ear, and a level head.
  • Possesses rapier wit. Bonus points for a decent sense of humor.
  • Turns Mama Grizzly in a nano-second if her loved ones are threatened.

Oh yeah. Having a titanium spine qualifies, too. So does not acting like an idiot. Additionally, …

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FRIDAY 56: ‘The Joy Luck Club’

Kimber: I hate to admit it. But it’s true. One of us just got around to reading Amy Tan’s beloved best-seller, The Joy Luck Club. One of us kept passing it up in the library, aiming to get to it “later.” Never mind that it was published back when dinosaurs roamed the earth (in 1989). One of us is a little slow. (Hi, Mom.)

So now that Her Royal Momness finally got around to reading this classic, we thought we’d feature it in today’s edition of Book Beginnings and Friday 56. Besides. We loved this book!

And Mom’s nothing if not quick. (Insert face palm here.)

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ROCK the 4th With These 25+ U.S. Historical Fiction Books

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!

Well. The subject of “best U.S. historical fiction” came up the other night. We were watching videos of 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. 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!

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Mrs. M & Tales of a 4th Grade EVERYTHING

Her name was Mrs. Manderson. Tall, slim, and brunette, Mrs. Manderson was an elementary school teacher. But not just any elementary school teacher. Nope. Mrs. Manderson had a rare knack for opening windows into worlds unknown via books.

She was probably the best teacher I ever had. She was certainly the most memorable. Especially when I was in “Mrs. M.’s” fourth grade class.

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Friday 56: Dive into ‘Home Waters’

TGIF! Time for a Two-fer!

On this last day of June, which also happens to be a Friday, we’re hosting both a Friday 56 and a Book Beginnings as well as highlighting a great outdoors-ish read as we close out our celebration of Great Outdoors Mont!.

Wait. That may have been a three-fer. But who’s counting? Anyway, let’s go!

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‘Buried Secrets’ Digs Up Treasure!

Buried Secrets

By S.F. Baumgartner

Publisher: FB Publishing (June 27, 2023)

Genre: Fiction – Suspense/Thriller Novella

Pages: 102

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A shadowy past. A criminal mastermind. Forbidden love. All join forces to create a lightning-quick plot in S.F. Baumgartner’s gripping suspense thriller novella, Buried Secrets.

A Doozy

A recent college graduate, Dylan Roche just lost his mother and is struggling to keep his head above water financially. He soon finds out that his deceased mother, Margaret, had a secret. And it’s a doozy.

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The Kimber Awards 3.0

You know we’re pretty picky when it comes to books, right? Like, we have Standards. Submission Guidelines. And we chuck out tons of bookish junk all the time, like the neighbor’s cat hawks up hairballs. 

But we also have favorites. And not just books or genres. In fact, we have some fave authors we want to tell you about. Cuz today we’re awarding The Biggest Bow Wow of them all:

The Kimber Awards.

What? You haven’t heard of this prestigious honor? Maybe that’s cuz I, Kimber, just made it up. 

Well, okay. Mom helped. A little. She lobbied for “World’s Most Super Duper, Seriously Splendid, Extra Excellent, Terrifically Talented, Genuine Genius-y, and All-Around Awesome Author Awards.”

I nixed that. After all. Someone has to be the adult in the room. 

Where was I? Oh yeah. The Kimber Awards. … Continue reading →