Cat Thursday-- Cat Crashes Orchestral Performance!

Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

This week I bring you a story from Limelight about a cat who crashes an orchestral concert in Turkey! Here are a couple of videos about the incident. One is a news report; the other is footage captured by an audience member.


This cat does not want to be caught! Look how she keeps everyone at bay. Love!

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

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Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Published: October 15th, 2019 by Penguin Books

Genre: Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction, Myth

Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:

Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he’s going to spend on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, where he’s being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie’s journal. Tristan chases after it — is that a doll? — and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American gods John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?

My Thoughts:

Rick Riordan and his publishing company along with Disney Hyperion are producing some amazing myth-based stories right now. They're giving platforms to people of color and allowing readers more opportunities to see other stories and people come to life.

Tristan Strong is a powerful showcase. Tristan is a kid who's grieving the death of his best friend Eddie. His dad and grandfather have taught him how to box but he loses his first match and they send him to live with family down south for the summer.

Soon Eddie's journal begins to glow strangely and he starts seeing things. He wakes up one night to find a small moving doll named Gum Baby stealing his best friend's journal! This sets him on a journey to save his world of stories. Along with Gum Baby, we meet Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, John Henry, High John, Anansi, and other gods and goddesses all come into play.

Kwame Mbalia is able to weave a story that is poignant, powerful, and heartfelt. He does not shy away from the power of stories and gets to tell them. Racism and slavery are powerful metaphors throughout as well as grief and trauma.

The story is funny. Gum Baby is a wise-cracking, loveable, fierce and loyal. She has the best lines in the whole book.

I didn't read this one aloud with G but we both read it within a few weeks of each other and he loved it too. He even cried over Tristan's best friend Eddie. It's got it all. I am definitely reading the rest of the series!

In the Woods by Tana French

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In the Woods by Tana French

Published: May 17th, 2007 by Penguin Books

Genre: Crime Fiction

Format: Kindle, 430 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspense.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children. He is gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.


My Thoughts:

In my opinion, Tana French has a beautiful way with characters and world-building. I was thoroughly engaged in every character detail and their experiences in her world. Small-town Knocknaree in Ireland becomes a character itself, with its haunting forests, devilish sounds, and shadows.

The two main protagonists, Detective Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox are two sides of the same coin. They're almost like close siblings but not quite. I actually found Ryan as the first-person narrator rather annoying but I was ok with that because I enjoyed the enigmatic Cassie as seen through his eyes a lot more. To me, she's the real star of the story.

But the actual plot does pale in comparison, unfortunately. There is a murder that may be connected to the disappearance of Ryan's childhood friends when he was 12. But he can't remember anything about that experience. He was the lone survivor. But he takes the case and lies about his identity in order to stay on this present-day murder and hopefully find out what really happened to his friends and regain his memories. It's a long shot. The fact that Cassie covers for him is pretty unbelievable. Also, how they finally solve the crime was very disappointing.

But what can I say, I love a good character study. And French has a lot to say about human nature and various foibles and strengths. And overall the plot and the crime were interesting enough that I'll definitely read more her series.

I'm also grateful that she doesn't focus on one detective in every book. That's one of the reasons I don't read a lot of books in one series; it gets boring after the third or fourth book the same character is always in peril, getting kidnapped, beat up, stalked, etc.

I feel like French's books are literary fiction with murder as a plot device to talk about her characters and the world they inhabit. I know some readers aren't going to appreciate the poetic nature of her stories. I do and look forward to continuing her series.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

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In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado

Published: November 5th, 2019 by Graywolf Press

Genre: Memoir, Non-fiction

Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

For years Carmen Maria Machado has struggled to articulate her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship. In this extraordinarily candid and radically inventive memoir, Machado tackles a dark and difficult subject with wit, inventiveness and an inquiring spirit, as she uses a series of narrative tropes—including classic horror themes—to create an entirely unique piece of work which is destined to become an instant classic.

My Thoughts:

Machado has created something beautiful, haunting, and unusual. She hauntingly describes her abusive relationship. We are thrown into the haunted "dream house" with her. Her chapters are short and she uses each one to brilliant effect. One chapter uses a Choose Your Own Adventure to see if she does something different in her interactions with her partner. It's truly horrifying.

She describes the art of the memoir as "...an act of resurrection. Memoirists re-create the past, reconstruct dialogue. They summon meaning from events have long been dormant. They braid the clays of memory and essay and fact and perception together, smash into a ball, roll them flat. They manipulate time; resuscitate the dead. They put themselves, and others, into necessary context." She uses all of these devices in each essay, laying bare her expertise, her heart, and her anguish.

A lot of her essays focus on the dearth of resources and first-hand accounts of abuse within lesbian relationships. The stereotypes have been two women together are a utopia! There's nothing wrong here, move along. She describes how being a minority, one has to be twice as good, work twice as hard to be seen as human. But this is a disservice since that means people will have a hard time believing the abuse and recognizing it when it happens. "It's not being radical to point out that people on the fringe have to be better than people in the mainstream, that they have twice as much to prove. In trying to get people to see your humanity, you reveal just that: your humanity.

I'm not queer, I've never been in an abusive relationship, nor experienced abuse in the way that she has and yet Machado writes in such a way to make you experience and feel what she's been through. She makes you care and makes you see how we're all human. Her memoir is one I've never quite experienced before.

I'll end with this quote:

"...our bodies are ecosystems, and they shed and replace and repair until we die. And when we die, our bodies feed the hungry earth, our cells becoming part of other cells, and in the world of the living, where we used to be, people kiss and hold hands and fall in love and fuck and laugh and cry and hurt others and nurse broken hearts and start wars and pull sleeping children out of car seats and shout at each other. If you could harness that energy--that constant, roving hunger--you could do wonders with it. You push the earth inch by inch through the cosmos until it collided heart-first with the sun."

*Linking up with Non-fiction Friday

Cat Thursday

Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! 


It's officially February and that means it's the love month!

January Wrap-Up

DH and I were able to finally celebrate the big 16. It's in December but that is such a hectic time, that usually we either do nothing or it's a nice dinner. This year DH reserved us a spot for a mystery dinner theater program. It was a hoot! It was nice to get out and celebrate and be entertained.

We've been dealing with some illness this month so we haven't gotten out as much as I would like. We've gotten a lot of snow and cold but we did get a beautiful sunset the other night. It's the little things, especially during the long winter months.

                           

                           

5 Books Read:

• The Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Watchmen by Alan Moore
• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
• Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
• False Knees by Joshua Barkman

3 Books Listened to:

• Climbing with Mollie by William Finnegan on Audible.
• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett on Libby from the library.
• Junkyard Cats by Faith Hunter on Audible.

Watched:

TV:

• The Outsider on HBO. This is one creepy series! It's so good.

Movies:

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Plotline: Jenn has washed ashore a small tropical island and it doesn't take her long to realize she's completely alone. She must spend her days not only surviving the elements, but must also fend off the malevolent force that comes out each night.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. Tough character who battles for survival. It's creepy and suspenseful and just fun.

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Tagline: Based on the Beloved American Novel by Louisa May Alcott

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this adaptation. I didn't like Laurie as much but I liked that they showed a bit of a love story for him and Amy.

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Tagline: Time Changes Nothing

Thoughts: It took me 3 days to watch this but I enjoyed the historical aspect, getting to know Jimmy Hoffa and what role he played in history and of course the creative theory on his final fate.

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Tagline: The World will Shine Again

Thoughts: Way too long but still a great story with great characters. I loved seeing little Danny again and his new protege who kicked some ass!

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Tagline: There is enchantment in the light.

Thoughts: A more modern take on the myth of Prometheus? Toxic masculinity? I'm not sure but it was a wild and crazy ride.

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Tagline: Act like you own the place

Thoughts: Pure brilliance. His commentary on class and capitalism is so layered, I'll need to keep rewatching it to catch it all. Go see this film.

Made:

I'm still working on G's blanket. I'm almost done with the crochet part. Then it'll be sewing in all the ends and adding fringe! There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm starting my great niece's blanket as well. I'm giving myself a couple of months!

I made pulled pork nachos, wings, and pigs-in-a-blanket for the Super Bowl.

Lots of soups this month as well!

Reading Goals:

I've got some books to read with G for Black History month that I'm excited about: Two books of poetry by Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Also, the young adult adaptation of Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.

I've got How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Parting the Waters: America in the King Years: 1954-63 by Taylor Branch on my list this month.

I'm also reading Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia and Pet by Akwaeke Emezi.

Currently listening to:

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson on Libby

Looking forward to:

G's birthday is Sunday. We're letting him take a few friends to the local trampoline park for a couple of hours on Saturday. I'm baking cupcakes! Sunday will be out for breakfast and dinner will be a small celebration at my parents' house with ice cream cake and games. The week after that his cousin will be sleeping over for some fun. So he's got a great couple of weeks planned! He's going to be 11! Eleven! Where does the time go?