This Too Shall Pass, by Milena Busquets

Did absolutely nothing for me-- had to force myself to keep reading out of courtesy to LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program who sent me the book. But, as I told myself when I forced myself to turn the page, "This too shall pass."

Tags: 2016-read, give-me-my-time-back, early-review-librarything, advanced-reader-copy 

Cats in Paris: A Coloring Book of the Felines of Paris

I was seduced by the cover of this coloring book: cat on a bookshelf (pictured below). It's my favorite of the drawings, that will give great pleasure to fans of coloring, cats, and Paris. An interesting mix of line drawings and scanned art. I've come to the conclusion that though I like to draw art for coloring, I'm not such a big fan of coloring, itself.

Thanks to blogging for books and the publisher for sending a copy my way.

Tags: 2016-read, art, blogging-for-books, read, thought-i-was-gonna-like

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

This is a novel rich in images, focused on two girls growing up in a working class section of Naples in the 1950's. Their friendship is hard-won, but true. The interactions with family members and with other characters who inhabit that neighborhood captured me. If you're wanting a fast-paced action novel, look elsewhere. This has the rhythms and feel of the novels I studied at university, the story unspooling and reweaving slowly on its loom. It starts with a bit of a mystery (one of the girls, now a middle aged woman has gone missing) and the other travels back through time and memory to their girlhoods. As I understand it, the other Neapolitan Novels cover different periods in their lives. I'll keep reading, not just for the beauty of the language (even translated into English) but to find out which of the two girls is the brilliant friend. My opinion kept switching.

I've also heard that there is a bit of a debate about who Elen Ferrante really is. The novel was pretty much dismissed by the Italian Literary world, but became a runaway favorite with the rest of the world when it was translated.

Tags:  read-on-recommendation, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, thank-you-charleston-county-library, 2016-read, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, made-me-think, translated

Patterns of the Wheel Preorder Discount ends Februay 20 - offer no longer valid

Just a reminder to anyone thinking of  ordering: preorder discount ends when February 20th is over everywhere on earth. Thanks for your consideration. The book will remain available at czukart.com until sold out.

The Hanging Girl (Department Q #6) by Jussi Adler-Olsen

This is a series I love. Not only are the cases interesting and full of their own quirks and twists, but so are the central characters. The cases assigned to Department Q are all cold cases, lying unsolved for years. The main team of characters are all broken in one way or another, with foibles and fears, secrets and sins, all wrapped up in many, many layers that Adler-Olsen carefully dissects away. And while some of the cases have the dark noir aspect of other Scandinavian writers, some are less vitriolic, but just as interesting to read. Sometimes you like a good mystery/detective novel that doesn't rip your guts out or give you nightmares. Jussi Adler-Olsen has proven to be able to craft a tale that grabs attention, and unfolds in a way that grabs interest, builds suspense, and defines characters beautifully. 

Tags: 2016-read, a-favorite-author, currently-reading, nordic-noir, thank-you-charleston-county-library, translated-mystery

Pop Painting: Inspiration and Techniques from the Pop Surrealism Art Phenomenon by Camilla d'Errico

Though Camilla d'Errico's  art is vastly different from what I make, I found this an interesting book, with good suggestions that I intend to try. The panels showing her process were fascinating.  I've been wanting to try birch panels, and after finishing the book, went out and got a few to give it a whirl.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for sending me my copy. It's a keeper!

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

I know straight off this book won't be for everyone, but it certainly was for me. Charlie Jane Anders has created wonderful mix of science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism with a bit of real magic and a dystopian slant. There's also a little romance thrown in, and I've heard that some people, based on the beginning, were thinking it was YA. I liked the characters. I liked their interactions. I liked the conflict that was set up (as a storyline, not as a potential reality.) I admit to being a sucker for books set in San Francisco, and this one, unlike some others, actually got the location right. If I'm not being that eloquent it's because I woke up at 2:30 and didn't get back to sleep last night.

For those that need a plot summary, the story starts with two misfit kids finding each other in middle school. That one understands the language of birds and nature, and the other is tuned to building the perfect AI is yet another mismatch. But events unfold so that they separate, only to meet up again, in San Francisco, on opposite sites of an undeclared war about how to save humanity. Plus, there are witches, robots, two second time travel, and good writing. What more could you wish in a book?

tags: 2016-read, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, dystopian-ish, fantasy, great-cover, made-me-think, magic, magical-realism, places-i-have-been, read, read-on-recommendation, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-provoking, tor, want-to-re-read, will-look-for-more-by-this-author