THE GLASSBLOWER OF MURANO

THE GLASSBLOWER OF MURANO by Marina Fiorato

From Booklist (Emily Melton)

Switching between modern-day and seventeenth-century Venice, Fiorato's novel is an intriguing mix of history, mystery, art, music, poetry, romance, and politics.  Corradino Manin's family was brutally murdered by Venice's Council of Ten; Corradino was only saved because his patron saw in the young boy a prodigious gift for glassblowing.  Corradino quickly learned to make exquisite glass mirrors and chandeliers for which the Venetian island of Murano soon became renowned.  The process of making Murano glass quickly became a secret jealously guarded by the government, but when Corradino is invited to use his talents in the court of King Louis XIV, he is sorely tempted, even though it means leaving his beloved little daughter, Leonora, and endangering his life.  This gripping plot is interwoven with a second, similarly intriguing story revolving around another Leonora, this one a modern-day descendent of Corradino.  Leonora has come to Venice to escape an unhappy marriage, enhance her skill as a glassblower, and learn more about her mysterious ancestor.  Writing with charm and authenticity, Fiorato produces a blend of historical mystery and modern romance that is thoroughly entertaining.

I had never heard of this book or author until it was mentioned by a friend and was chosen as an online book club choice for this month.  And I had never heard of Murano glass.

There are two distinct stories interwoven in this book.  Of the two, I was a little more interested in the story of Corradino.  He was taken to France to design and make the mirrors for the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.  Reading about this, I had to look up more about the glass and the mirrors at the Palace.  I love books that make me want to learn something new.

I'm sure I'll never visit the Hall of Mirrors, and after looking at some pieces of Murano glass and seeing the prices, I don't think I'll be getting any in the near future.  But it's fun to look and dream.

MINDING FRANKIE

MINDING FRANKIE by Maeve Binchy was read for the Pub 2011 Reading Challenge and the Ireland Reading Challenge 2011.

From the book jacket:

Maeve Binchy is back with a tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community.

When Noel learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once she's born.  But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel can't do it alone.

Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friend, family and neighbors:  Lisa, his unlucky-in-love classmate, who moves in with him to help him care for little Frankie around the clock; his American cousin, Emily, always there with a pep talk; the new retired Dr. Hat, with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with; Dr. Declan and Fiona and their baby son, Frankie's first friend; and many eager babysitters, including old friends Signor and Aidan and Frankie's doting granparents, Josie and Charles.

But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home.  Not it's up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie.

This book is another fun book by Ms. Binchy.  If you have read some of her older books, notably QUENTINS and SCARLET FEATHER, you'll recognize many of the characters.  It felt like old-home week, catching up on the lives of these people.

And of course, there were new characters to meet, some good times, some sad times.  Overall, a good story of people helping others and realizing that a family is often much more than a mother, a father, and a child.

KNIFE DAY PART II

Today is lipo day.  Sorry, but no pictures of the spare tire that is being deflated.  Just imagine a spare tire for an 18-wheeler!

The swelling of my eyes continues.  The right eye isn't too bad but the left is swollen above and below, consequently it is almost completely shut.  If I went out in public without dark glasses, my husband would probably be arrested for assault and battery.

But all this will be worth it when the healing is complete.  I know it will!

UPDATE:  All done!  The doctor got a lot of fat out.  My tummy is a little sore right now, and I expect tomorrow to be worse.  I have pain meds and something for nausea.  My left eye is starting to open, but that should go down soon.  But what a shiner!  I'm just glad this is all behind me now.

KNIFE DAY PART I

Goodbye droopy eyelids!

UPDATE

The surgery is over.  Doctor is very pleased.  Right now I look like I went 10 rounds with Mohammed Ali!

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie

From Amazon.com:

Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to a lonely mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear.  On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives.  One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts.  And one by one, they die...

Many years ago, when I was in 7th or 8th grade, the senior class of my high school presented "Ten Little Indians" as their class play.  The play, of course, was taken from this novel.  I remember sitting there enthralled by the mystery and not being able to figure out who the murderer could be.  When the ending revealed the identity of the guilty party, I was shocked.  And I couldn't wait until the next night so I could see the play again, this time watching closely for hidden clues.

I had never read this book.  I saw it mentioned on some blog during the past week or so and decided it was high time I read it.  I knew that the killer was one of the guests on the island, but the name escaped me.  Remember, it had been many, many years since I had seen the play.  As I read the book, I kept in mind that things were not as they seemed, but I still did not figure out "whodunnit."

I've read quite a few books by Ms. Christie, but this one tops the list for me.

SAVE ME

SAVE ME by Lisa Scottoline was read for the Pub 2011 Reading Challenge.

From the book jacket:

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline's Save Me will touch the heart of every woman, as its heroine, the unforgettable rose McKenna, makes a split second decision that alters the course of her life - and makes you wonder what you would do in her shoes.

Nobody could have foreseen what would happen the day that rose McKenna volunteers as a lunch mom in the cafeteria of her daughter's elementary school.  Rose does it to keep a discreet eye on her third-grader, Melly, a sweet, if shy, child who was born with a facial birthmark that has become her own personal bull's-eye.  Melly has been targeted by the mean girl at their new school and gets bullied every day, placing Rose in a no-win position familiar to parents everywhere:  Do we step in to protect our children when they need us, or does that make things worse?

When the bully starts to tease Melly yet again, Rose is about to leap into action - but right then, the unthinkable happens.  Rose finds herself in a nightmare, faced with an emergency decision that no mother should ever have to make.  What she decides in that split second derails Rose's life and jeopardizes everyone she holds dear, until she takes matters into her own hands and lays her life on the line to save her child, her family, her marriage - and herself.

I have read every one of Ms. Scottoline's books and loved them all.   This one was different from her others. Instead of writing about lawyers as she usually does, this book dealt with the relationship between a mother and a daughter and what the mother would do to save her child.

Without giving away too much of the story, the book begins with Rose acting as a lunch mother when a terrible explosion occurs in the kitchen.  Rose has to choose to save the little girl who has been bullying her daughter and is right there in front of her or save her daughter who has run into a nearby restroom.   Her choice and the legal implications of that choice make up just part of this story.  Rose is determined to clear her name, and while attempting to do so, she uncovers some secrets that put many lives in jeopardy.

Another winner from one of my favorite authors.

GETTING READY FOR THE BIG CUTS

I'm trying to get caught up on everything before my surgeries next week.  Eyelids on Monday, lipo on Wednesday.

It's the end of our winter bowling league and the beginning of the summer league.  I had to get all the prize money ready to be distributed on May 4, plus line up a sub for me for April 27.  Set up the end of season luncheon.  Get ready for the summer league meeting.

I went in this morning and prebowled 12 games - 2 weeks for my Monday ladies league and 2 weeks for the new summer league.  The more tired I got, the better I bowled.  My teammates should be happy with the scores.  My Wednesday team is tied for first place and the deciding games are next week.  My Monday team is currently in first place with 4 weeks to go.

I still need to get all the laundry done and the house dusted and vacuumed (yuck!).  Make sure I have enough food in the house and that Maggie has her medications.  I don't plan on going out of the house for a few days, at least until some of the swelling and the black eyes go away.  I'm not going to be a pretty sight!

But I am really looking forward to having this work done.  I'm so tired of looking tired all the time - the eyelid surgery should help in that aspect.  And to be rid of this spare tire I've been carrying around - that's worth any pain and discomfort I might have.

I'll take some pictures after the surgery and might post them if they're not too bad.

Bring on the knife!!!

OOGY; THE DOG ONLY A FAMILY COULD LOVE

OOGY:  THE DOG ONLY A FAMILY COULD LOVE by Larry Levin was read for the Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2011.

From the book jacket:

In 2002, Larry Levin and his twelve-year-old twin sons, Dan and Noah, brought their ailing cat into the neighborhood animal hospital to be put to sleep.  What began as one of their family's saddest days took a sharp turn for the better when the oddest-looking dog they'd ever seen bounded into the waiting room and into their arms.

Larry and the boys assumed that this white puppy had been in a fire - he was missing an ear and half his face was covered in scar tissue - but they were soon told a different story.  He had been near-fatally injured as part of a dog-fighting ring in the area, discovered by the police, and left at the after-hours service of the hospital.  When the hospital administrator found him in the morning, he was so bloodied and battered she knew he had a slim chance of survival.  But, determined to keep him alive, she convinced her veterinarian boss to perform a series of surgeries and readied him for adoption.

The Levins - Larry, his wife Jennifer, and their sons - accepted him as one of their own from the moment they met him.  As the rambunctious puppy matured into a loyal and protective member of the family (dubbed the "Third Twin"), he marked himself indelibly on their lives, healing long-held wounds and showing the twins, themselves adopted as infants, that unbreakable bonds can be formed in all kinds of families.

OOGY is about the power of redemption, and how animals and people can overcome the greatest of odds.  And Oogy is an incredibly special animal, whose sense of security and being loved has persevered despite his trials.  This one-in-a-million dog and his story will enter your heart and stay with you for a long time.

This book was sent to me by a friend and fellow dog lover, who thought I would enjoy reading it.  She was right.  Although Oogy's early life was so hard to read about, he was brought into this family and shown unconditional love which helped him heal and overcome his fears and pain.  And Oogy returned that love a hundred-fold.

Some people have criticized me for spending so much time and money on Maggie, on her special diet and medications and tests.  But she is a part of my family and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her.  She gives us such love and peace and joy and she depends on us for so much.  There is no way I wouldn't do everything for her.  The same way the Levin family did everything for Oogy.  I guess you need to be a pet owner to understand.

THE APOTHECARY'S DAUGHTER

THE APOTHECARY'S DAUGHTER by Julie Klassen

From Amazon.com:

Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides.  She also longs to know the truth behind her mother's disappearance, which villagers whisper about but her father refuses to discuss.  Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London.  Exposed to fashionable society and romance - as well as clues about her mother - Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside.  Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions.  But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her.  As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart.

I wasn't too thrilled with this book.  It was interesting to learn about the different remedies used for specific ailments, including the disgusting leeches, but the rest of the story didn't keep me entertained.  It might have been the style of the writing to show the formality of the interactions between the characters that turned me off the book.  I just couldn't form any attachment to any of the characters.

This was read on my Kindle and worked as a book to be read while waiting for an appointment, but I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it - it was a free book.

SUNDAY WAS FUNDAY

Dom and I had such a great day yesterday!

We had tickets to see The Wedding Singer at a small theater in Duluth, GA.  We went early so we could have lunch first.  We had lived in the Duluth area a few years ago, and it was fun to see how things had changed.  We wound up eating lunch at a small hole-in-the-wall called Rexall Drugs.  It's a drug store on one side and a restaurant on the other.  I used to eat lunch here at least once a week.  The place looked the same, the menu was exactly the same - except for the prices which, of course, had increased.  We had a fun lunch - grilled cheese with tomato for me, pancakes and eggs for Dom.

Then on to the theater.  It's a tiny theater, with chairs on either side of the stage and movie-type seats in the center.  The stage is floor level.  We had front row seats (Dom will have no other) and the stage was about 3 feet in front of us.

You might remember last summer when we saw The Music Man at the Cumming Playhouse.  The girl who played Marion had such a fantastic voice.  I think Dom developed a little crush on her!  Anyway, she was playing the lead in The Wedding Singer, so of course we had to go.

This was a completely different type show.  Full of singing and dancing - a lot of dancing - 80's type music, Boy George, Madonna, Sammy Hagar, Prince, Billy Idol.  The cast was terrific.  So full of energy!

And Lauren (Dom's girlfriend) was terrific.  In The Music Man, she sounded exactly like Shirley Jones from the movie.  In this show, her voice was completely different.  She sang in a lower octave and pulled off the rock music perfectly.  So versatile and so talented.  She even blew a kiss to Dom!

We spoke to her after the show.  She told us that she's looking for professional roles now, and is auditioning for Theater of the Stars this week (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Fiddler on the Roof), and also auditioning for the Lyric Opera.  We wish her all the best, but hope that we'll see her in more community theater too.

Just a super fun day!

ROSES

ROSES by Leila Meacham was read for the Chunkster Reading Challenge 2011.

From the book flap:

Spanning the twentieth century, this is the tale of the powerful founding families of Howbutker, Texas, and how their histories intertwined over three intriguing generations.

Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timer magnate Percy Warwick fell in love but because of their stubborn natures and Mary's devotion to her family's land, they unwisely never wed.  Now they must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies that surround them, and the poignant loss of what ight have been - not only for themselves, but also for the children who follow them.

On an unabashedly big canvas, author Leila Meacham has penned a deeply moving love story of struggle and sacrifice set in a time when honor and good manners were always the rule.

I needed a book for the Chunkster Challenge and saw this one in a store.  The size was right, and it looked like it might be interesting.  I had never heard of the book or the author.

It turned out to be a good choice.  Full of great characters - some I loved, others made me furious at times.  It was a story of wrong timings, miscommunication, doing the right thing for the wrong reason, missed chances, and misplaced devotion.  For a big book (609 pages), it was very easy and enjoyable reading.

This book purchase was definitely money well spent.

THE JOURNEY HOME

THE JOURNEY HOME by Michael Baron

From Amazon.com:

Joseph, a man in his late thirties, awakens disoriented and uneasy in a place he doesn't recognize.  Several people are near him when he opens his eyes, all strangers.  All of them seem perfectly friendly, but none of them can explain to him how he got there.  They offer him a delicious meal and pleasant conversation in a beautifully decorated room.  This would be a very nice experience if not for one thing:  Joseph doesn't know where he is and he has no way to contact his wife, who he is sure is worried sick over him.  Thanking the people for their hospitality, he leaves to make his way back home.  The only problem is that whatever happened to him has stripped him of most of his memories.  He knows he needs to get back to his wife, but he doesn't know how to find her.  He sets out on a journey to find his home with no sense of where he's going and only the precious, indelible vision of the woman he loves to guide him.

Antoinette is an elderly woman in an assisted living facility.  She's spent the last six years there since her husband died, and most of those years have been happy.  She enjoys the company of others in her situation and her son comes to visit often.  But in recent months, she's had a tougher and tougher time leaving her room.  Her friends seem different to her and the world seems increasingly confusing.  She spends an escalating amount of time on a journey inside her head.  there, he body and mind haven't betrayed her.  there, she's a young newlywed with a husband who dotes on her and an entire life of dreams to live.  There, she is truly home.

Warren, Antoinette's son, is a man in his early forties going through the toughest year of his life.  His marriage ended, he lost his job, and in the past few months, his mother has gone from hale to increasingly hazy.  Having trouble finding work, he spends more and more time by his mother's bedside.  But her lack of lucidity both frustrates and frightens him.  With far too much time on his hands, he decides to try to recreate his memories of home by attempting to cook his mother's greatest dishes using the rudimentary appliances available in her room.  He finds the challenge surprisingly rewarding, especially because the only time he feels his mother is truly with him anymore is when she is eating the meals he prepares for her.

Joseph, Antoinette, and Warren are three people on different searches for home.  How they find it, and how they connect with one another at this critical stage in each of their lives, is the foundation for a profound and deeply moving story.

I really enjoyed this little book, which was a pleasant surprise for me.  I had seen this book advertised as a free book for Kindle, and thought why not?  I'm reading another book right now, a Chunkster which is too big to fit in my purse, so I started reading this one on the Kindle as I was waiting for different appointments.  I had no high expectations, but found myself involved in the story and the characters.

At first, it was like reading a couple different stories.  I could see no connection at all between the characters.  But as the book progressed, I could finally see where it was all headed, with a little unexpected twist thrown in for good measure.

Sometimes it pays off to take a chance on a book you know nothing about and a new author.

THURSDAY THINGS

Can you believe it's April already?  I swear, the older I get the faster time goes by.

I have a pre-op appointment today with my dermatologist for my eyelid surgery and lipo.  Only a couple more weeks till I get them done.  I'm a little anxious about the eyelid surgery as I'll be awake.  The thought of someone cutting the skin directly above my eyeball is a little scary.  But the doctor has done this surgery plenty of times and he knows what he's doing.  I trust him.

Dom and I went to the Blue Willow Inn for lunch on Tuesday.   We had a great meal.  I had mostly vegetables - green beans, fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy (and a little bit of roast beef), candied sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese (OK, that's not a vegetable but it's delicious).  Dom had a couple pieces of fish that he said was fantastic.  Finished off the meal with some coconut custard pie and some pecan pie and a mixed fruit cobbler for Dom.  Well worth the price and the drive.

We bowled yesterday and took 4 of the 8 points, which keeps our team close to the top with 3 weeks left in the season.  My last game was good - I had 5 strikes in a row and wound up with a 201.  That's my first 200 game this season in this league.

We're planning a trip down to the zoo in Atlanta soon, hopefully next week.  Our little panda cub, Po, is now out in the dayroom all morning.  He's at a really cute age right now, so I want to see him and take a bunch of pictures.  There's also a new tiger area that I want to see.

My daughter Donna has been remodeling her bathroom since just before Christmas.  She's been so busy at work that she hasn't had time to do much on it.  She finally bit the bullet and hired someone to help her finish. He'll be out today to move some plumbing pipes, install her vanities, baseboards and quarter round, and paint.  The whole room (except for a shower door) should be finished by the weekend or early next week.  I'm sure she'll be happy to have it done.  It's going to look really nice.

My niece Melissa and her husband Jon welcomed a new addition to their family on Tuesday.  I saw her picture, and Miss Emma is beautiful.  Congratulations Missy and Jon!  My brother Paul and sister-in-law Joann are in Lexington to give Missy a hand.  I bet Joann can't keep her hands off that baby!

And that's about all that's going on in our neck of the woods.

A HEARTBEAT AWAY

A HEARTBEAT AWAY by Michael Palmer was read for the Medical Mystery Madness Challenge 2011 and the Pub 2011 Reading Challenge.

From the book jacket:

On the night of the State of the Union address, President James Allaire expects to give the speech of his career.  But no one foresees the horrific turn of events that leads him to quarantine everyone in the Capitol building.

A terrorist group calling itself Genesis has unleashed a highly contagious virus into the building, and the only one who fully knows its deadly consequences is the president himself.  Desperate, he turns to virologist Griffin Rhodes, who is currently jailed in a maximum-security prison for the alleged theft of the microbe from the lab where he worked.  Griff knows he is innocent but is forced to barter with the government:  his attempt at a cure in exchange for his release.

The situation grows more terrifying by the minute.  Every single person in line for presidential succession is trapped in the building - everyone except the Director of Homeland Security, the so-called Designated Survivor for this event, who is tucked away safely in his Minnesota home.  With the enemies both named and unnamed closing in, and the security of the entire nation at stake, Griff must unravel the mysteries of this virus as one by one those imprisoned in the Capitol begin to die.

Good book!  This book kept my interest from the first page.  From the beginning, I was certain of who was behind this attack, only to find out I was so far from the truth.  Would they be able to find the cure?  Would it be in time?  And what was going on with the government?

Next January, when the President gives his State of the Union address, look at the audience.  All the members of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Cabinet members - they're all there.  What would happen to this country if something like this premise of this book really happened?  Without going "political," this book makes you think.  What would happen if a terrorist attack took out the entire Presidential succession except one?  Would that one remaining person be qualified to lead this country?

This book is another winner by Dr. Palmer.

MARCH BOOKS

I cannot believe that March is over already.  I really don't like getting older, as the days fly by so much faster.  On top of that, March wasn't a great reading month.  I managed only 6 books, however one was a great big one that took a lot of my time.

Here's what I read this month:

PALE ROSE OF ENGLAND by Sandra Worth (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge)

NEW YORK by Edward Rutherford (Chunkster Challenge 2011)

HEARTWOOD by Belva Plain (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge)

UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand (Just for Fun Reading Challenge 2011) (Kindle)

THE POSTMISTRESS by Sarah Blake

MEDICAL ERROR by Richard Mabry (2011 Medical Mystery Madness Challenge) (Kindle)


The best book this month without a doubt was UNBROKEN.  Fantastic story and great writing.  The worst would be MEDICAL ERROR, which really wasn't a bad book, but definitely not a great book.  The biggest disappointment  had to be NEW YORK.  I had high hopes for this one, and it failed to deliver.  I struggled through close to 900 pages and it never came close to what I thought it could be.

How was your reading month?  Any surprises?