Teaser Tuesday ~ Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd

Teaser Tuesdays is an interesting and fun book-related meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Be prepared to add several new books to your TBR list! I do every week!

My Teaser:
" All that was history, now. Adam Kindred, cloud-seeder, hail-suppressor, rain-maker was as real and tangible as a strip-cartoon super hero. He crouched on his haunches and concentrated on the here-and-now, spooning warm baked beans into his mouth and trying not to think about the life he had once led. "

from Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd (p.78)

Anyone can play along! If you'd like to participate, Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. (I used 3 this week!)
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

*And, finally, don't forget to link your post to the Should Be Reading blog. If you don't have a blog, simply share your "teasers" in a comment.

Monday Movies ~ Run Like the Wind!

Feature Presentation...

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

The Boston Marathon, the oldest annually contested marathon in the world, the Bumbles inform us, is happening for the 115th time today, Monday April 18th! Although Molly and Andy have run in their share of races, neither has ever run the marathon or plans to run it. But they wish all the best to the people they know who are running in the Boston Marathon this year. I do, too: Good luck to the runners! Many movies feature runners, running scenes and races. Share on your blog films that make your feet tired just watching, linking your post back to The Bumbles Blog. If you don't have a blog, list your choices in the comment section of The Bumbles Movie post!

Marathon Man (1976)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Gallipoli (1981)

Run Lola Run (1998)

Run, Fatboy, Run (2007)

Sunday Salon ~ A Sunny Sunday!

I'm on my way outside to sit in the sun and read. I've got the Sunday Times and Daughter of Fortune. I'd be nuts not to take advantage of the sun after the pouring rain we had yesterday, a lot of it at night but still very wet. Those storms ushered in a beautiful day today and I'm planning to take advantage of that! I wouldn't mind getting a little sun, either especially since I'm looking like Casper's sister right now. I wish being tan didn't look good on or make me look healthy but it does and I love it! Every year I try to talk myself out of sunning but those first warm days sitting outside, reading and soon enough, there I am with my face towards the sun, glasses off, tanning. Oh well!

Addie and JoJo, the poor things, have a stomach bug I think. They may have eaten something that didn't agree with them, too. They've both been getting sick for the last two days and eating very little. It's noticeable when JoJo doesn't eat especially because she's like a lot of dogs...if it's food and it's in front of her, or somewhere close by, she'll eat it. I've seen her practically take food out of Bob's mouth and he's more than twice her size! She adores food! And it shows, she's becoming a little roly-poly kitty with a big belly! I'm hoping none of the other cats get sick.

I have a lot of books to read. I got a little carried away with reviewing for TLC Books but they always have interesting books and a good variety. Today I'm reading Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd and Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. Tonight I'm hoping to finish, or come close to finishing Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart which is more interesting than I expected.

I hope you have a great Sunday and the sun is shining on you!

Happy Reading!

Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee

Title: Emily and Einstein

Author: Linda Francis Lee

Date Published: March 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0312382186

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 368

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Publisher’s Book Summary: He was a man who didn’t deserve a second chance. But he needed one…

Emily and her husband Sandy Portman seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies.

Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future—even after she meets a new man?

My Thoughts: This was one of those instances where the cover of the book grabbed my attention. It consists of pink and yellow tulips surrounding a park bench on which, his head cocked at a charming, funny angle, sits a very adorable tan and white dog, the "Einstein" of the title. Emily is his new owner having rescued him from a shelter where he was about to be put to sleep. They are starting a new life together in this sweet and humorous novel by Linda Francis Lee.

Emily is an intelligent, energetic and very positive woman with a sunny disposition. She's been living an enchanting life for the last few years having met and married the love of her life, Sandy. Sandy came from a very wealthy family and was very charming. He swept Emily off her feet having decided moments after meeting her that he couldn't live without her. Emily tried hard to resist his charms, believing he was insincere and spoiled. Sandy eventually won her over.

In the first few chapters of the novel, Emily's life is in ruins and she's struggling to figure out how to cope without her husband, Sandy. Emily not only has to find a new place to live but she's discovered that Sandy may not have been the loyal, loving husband she thought he was. These revelations are over-whelming for Emily and it's a struggle for her to find anything to smile about. Fortunately, she isn't totally alone. She rescued Einstein, a small, scruffy dog about to be euthanized, from the animal shelter where she volunteers. Einstein is a grouchy, ill-behaved dog who seems very attached to Emily. Einstein is also very intelligent. At times he seems too intelligent for a dog but in her grief, Emily doesn't notice.

An attractive, well-dressed woman, Emily is riddled with self-doubt and insecurities. Many readers will sympathize with her as she struggles to figure out how to cope with all that's happened to her. Ms. Lee has created a realistic woman readers will root for as she comes to the realization she has to rely on her own family to help her get through a difficult time. Remarkably, it's Einstein who helps Emily understand this and reconcile her broken relationship with her sister.

Einstein is an amazing animal, a dog who seems so much more yet he walks on four paws and is covered with fur. The significance of Einstein is revealed early in thew novel. I don't want to give it away here but I will say readers will need to suspend belief if they're to accept the "reality" of Einstein. I didn't know this aspect of the story when I started reading Emily and Einstein and found it an intriguing, delightful surprise! Although Einstein's behavior is quite different from that of other dogs and he seems too familiar with Emily's life (Einstein knows the layout of her apartment in the New York landmark residence the Dakota, which may resonate with fans of John Lennon, Leonard Bernstein etc.) neither Emily nor anyone else questions this. One fault, perhaps, of the novel is that this lack of awareness continues despite obvious scenes of Einstein acting so out of character for a dog.

Regardless, themes of love, loss and loyalty are prevalent, making this novel about second chances and redemption. The author doesn't let the story doesn't get bogged down with intense, emotionally-laden passages, a trap she could have easily fell into. Rather, Ms. Lee's writing is enticing and captivating while moving the story along at a quick pace. If there's one more criticism, however, it's that in the end, things come together for Emily almost too neatly and too easily. I don't want to say it's a clichéd happy ending, but if you like things wrapped up nice and tidy, without giving too much away, I feel confident in saying you won't be disappointed.

Don't miss Linda Francis Lee's terrific website and blog.

I received a copy of Emily and Einstein from St. Martin's Press.

Short Story Review: The Springs of Affection by Maeve Brennan

I discovered The Springs of Affection: Stories of Dublin by Maeve Brennan at a used bookstore in downtown Brooklyn. I wasn't familiar with this Irish author who worked for The New Yorker for many years, but after looking through the book, I had to have it!

The Springs of Affection, the title of a long short story (47 pages). Min Bagot is 87 years old and the last surviving member of the Bagot family. Her twin brother, Martin, died recently and Min has just returned to her flat in Wexford. She had been living with Martin for six years, ever since the death of his wife, Delia. Min initially makes it sound as if she sacrificed a great deal to leave her home and move in with Martin to care for him. As the story progresses, Min admits that she voluntarily moved in with Martin and stayed against her brother's wishes!

Min reminisces about her Irish family, her mother, Bridget and father, whom she never names, her two sisters, Clare and Polly and Martin. Min sounds self-righteous, angry and jealous for most of the story. She is against marriage and believes the right thing is staying with one's immediate family. Min is the only sibling who didn't marry. She prides herself on being loyal to the family.

"And she thought it was fitting that she should be the one to remain alive, because out of them all she was the one who was always faithful to the family. She was the only one of the lot of them who hadn't gone off and got married. She had never wanted to assert herself like that, never needed to. She had wondered at their lack of shame as they exhibited themselves, Clare and Polly with their husbands, and Martin with poor Delia, the poor thing."

Min blames Martin, but even more, Martin's wife, Delia for destroying Martin's opportunities in life and their family.

"But all that hope ended and all their hard work was mocked when Delia Kelly walked into their lives. She smashed us up, Min thought, and got us all out into the open where blood didn't count anymore, and where blood wasn't thicker than water, and where the only mystery was, what did he see in her."

Min finds fault with and complains about almost everyone although she's very loyal and loving towards her mother, Bridget. In the midst of criticizing her father, we learn that Bridget was more than a strong independent woman. She was a bully.

"She didn't like it when her mother started fighting, and sometimes it seemed she was always fighting."

Min recounts a disturbing, unpleasant scene in which Bridget bullied her husband in front of their children to get him to stop wearing a hat she didn't like. Shortly after that Bridget bought a sewing machine and learned to sew.

"Min was the one who helped her mother, so Min was sentenced to a lifetime of sewing, when she had her heart set on going to a college and becoming a teacher."

Min's feelings towards her mother are obviously complex as is so often the case for many women. I imagine she feels abandoned by her siblings who left to live their lives never noticing that Min was stuck at home. Much of this story revolves around Martin's wedding day, probably one of the worst days of Min's life.

"She had known perfectly well that the day would be hateful, but she had not known that it would all be so unnatural, or that she herself would feel worn and dry and so unable to manage, because the only thing she wanted was to escape from it all, and she couldn't leave her mother's side."

I think Min blames Martin for many of the things she doesn't like in life and feels he abandoned her and let her down. She vacillates between being angry at him, feeling sorry for him and not caring about him at all.

"But Min could not really have been accused of holding a grudge against Martin. She could be angry with him, but she couldn't hate him or even dislike him" and "Martin behaved as though he had forgotten she was alive."

Min is an interesting, complex and intelligent woman who twists things around in her head until they suit her view of life and the world. She goes to some remarkable lengths to make things the way she wants them. Only at the end does it become clear how very sad and lonely Min is and how much she wishes for things to be the way they were long ago...or, really, the way she's convinced herself they once were.

There is so much more to this story but I don't want to give any more away. Maeve Brennan has created a very human, understandable character in Min. She's flawed but it's hard not to feel for her. I'm not sure I like Min Bagot, but she's certainly fascinating.

Ms. Brennan's writing is simple, straightforward and subtle. There's an elegance and depth to her writing and, although I haven't read all of the stories in The Springs of Affection, the few I've read are hard to forget.

Book Review: Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt

Title: Mr. Chartwell

Author: Rebecca Hunt

Date Published: February 8, 2011

ISBN: 978-1400069408

Publisher: The Dial Press

Pages: 256

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Publisher’s Book Summary: July 1964. Chartwell House, Kent: Winston Churchill wakes at dawn. There’s a dark, mute “presence” in the room that focuses on him with rapt concentration. It’s Mr. Chartwell. Soon after, in London, Esther Hammerhans, a librarian at the House of Commons, goes to answer the door to her new lodger. Through the glass she sees a vast silhouette the size of a mattress. It’s Mr. Chartwell. Charismatic, dangerously seductive, Mr. Chartwell unites the eminent statesman at the end of his career and the vulnerable young woman. But can they withstand Mr. Chartwell’s strange, powerful charms and his stranglehold on their lives? Can they even explain who or what he is and why he has come to visit?

In this utterly original, moving, funny, and exuberant novel, Rebecca Hunt explores how two unlikely lives collide as Mr. Chartwell’s motives are revealed to be far darker and deeper than they at first seem.

My Thoughts: I thought Mr. Chartwell would be an innovative and creative story when I first read it's summary. When I received an ARC of Rebecca Hunt’s debut and fully understood what the book is about, I’ll admit I was a little skeptical because the book requires the reader to accept something intangible as real. It’s documented that Winston Churchill suffered periods of depression throughout his life and he referred to this depression as “black dog”. Rebecca Hunt manifests depression in her novel as an actual Black Dog called, as the title suggests, Mr. Chartwell or, in full, Black Pat Chartwell. Chartwell was the name of Winston Churchill's home in Kent, England. My skepticism was unnecessary and a waste of time. Rebecca Hunt's debut is a captivating and exceptional story that portrays depression as a living, breathing entity both despicable and amusing. The story is brought to life through quirky characters, witty, engrossing dialogue and an ingenious story-line. It’s deceptively simple and fun but by the time you finish reading it, you’ll realize Mr. Chartwell is a rich, engrossing book about an important issue and it will stick with you for a long time.

The star of the novel, for me, is Black Pat, an extremely large, somewhat revolting, black dog. He is egocentric, witty and intelligent. He also has a cruel, nasty side that he's adept at concealing when it suits him. Ms. Hunt does an amazing of job of making Black Pat a combination of dog and man and I found the passages describing his daily activities such as eating, sleeping and bathing interesting, laugh out loud funny, as well as gross! Much of the novel's comic aspects come from Black Pat. The dark, sinister aspect of his personality is more subtle and it wasn't until I'd read a substantial portion of the book that I recognized it. In the chapters where Black Pat visits with Winston Churchill, he is implacable, harsh and reprehensible, yet we sense a mutual respect. Ms. Hunt successfully conveys the unrelenting nature of depression by describing the things Black Pat does when he‘s with Winston Churchill. He chews on rocks and lies across Churchill. When I stopped and thought about what Black Pat was doing to Churchill I shuddered to think how demoralizing it must be living with him for a lifetime.

Ms. Hunt provides an interesting contrast in Black Pat's behavior with Esther Hammerhans, a young woman who permits Black Pat to stay with her almost against her will. He is witty, teasing and entertaining in Esther's presence. Black Pat's idea of flirting is engaging but also wearying and very effective. Esther is sad, confused and uncertain about her life. She's haunted by a recent tragedy, unsure of how to come to terms with it and move on with her life. Black Pat seems to know more about Esther than he admits. He uses her debilitated state to his advantage and exhausts Esther with his behavior and chatter. As the story progresses, Black Pat's attraction to Esther becomes clear at which point his previously engaging behavior appears loathsome and unkind. When Black Pat thinks Esther's figured him out an unexpected desperation and sadness similar to Esther's overcomes him. Esther finds it difficult to reject Black Pat. He offers her a connection to her past that nobody else can but if she accepts him she stands to lose everything.

I thought this book was a quick, amusing read but almost too entertaining and light, particularly the first half of the book. The dialogue is often too cute with much bantering between characters. Black Pat enjoys creating nonsensical rhymes and makes references to the "game" he's playing. In several chapters, Churchill and his wife call each other Mr. Pug and Mrs. Pussycat. Additionally, several of the secondary characters are too eccentric. Esther's friend from work is a socially inept man, Corkbowl, who tends to make others awkward and uncomfortable when he speaks and her friend Beth is extremely blunt, pushy and has no concept of personal space. Beth, despite being Esther's close friend, doesn't have a clue about her despair and inner turmoil.

The dark side of Black Pat's behavior initially only shows up in the chapters with Churchill, of which there are few and most short. The majority of the book focuses on Esther's relationship with Black Pat and with her friends, most of which is animated and lively. I didn't feel the morbidity of Black Pat until I sat and thought about what he was doing to Churchill and later on in the book, to Esther. Ms. Hunt's novel doesn't lend itself to much introspection because it is so amusing.

I would have liked some more chapters about Churchill and Black Pat's relationship. Black Pat has been a part of Churchill's life for a long time and now that Churchill’s 87 years old, there's a long history between them. I also hoped for more about Esther's life, especially her past. I don't want to give away important parts of the book so I'll just say that when Esther finally has an epiphany about Black Pat, I thought she would look back on her life over the last several years. Unfortunately, the author leaves this thread dangling rather than take what seems a good opportunity to tie the individual stories together.

Overall, I thought Mr. Chartwell was enjoyable with an exceptional and creative story. Ms. Hunt's prose is wonderful and she has a talent for writing innovative metaphors that, aside from a few awkward sentences, provided great descriptions and explanations throughout. I think Ms. Hunt took a risk writing about depression in this way, but she succeeded. Readers familiar with depression will likely find Mr. Chartwell a more substantial read than those who have no experience. This is a book that I would recommend to many different people and I think it's great for book clubs as it offers several areas for discussion. I just can't imagine that there wouldn't be as many varied opinions about Mr. Chartwell as there are people who read it. I’m looking forward to other books by Rebecca Hunt and hope she writes one soon!

Other reviews of Mr. Chartwell: Farm Lane Books Blog, She Reads Novels, Savidge Reads

I received an ARC of Mr. Chartwell from the publisher.

Monday Movies ~ Flower Power!

Feature Presentation...

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

April showers bring May flowers...at least that's the way it used to be. But in the last few years we are likely to have snow one day and 80 degree temps the next as early March 1st. Confused, the flowers start blooming and buds appear on trees in March! I've seen beautiful Tulips and Daffodils in full bloom already! Flowers and plants are popular in the movies. They might be the names of characters or actual characters. They might be seen in aesthetically beautiful backdrops or be the theme of the movie. Share on your blog films that feature any variety of flower or plant in some capacity, linking your post back to The Bumbles Blog. If you don't have a blog, list your choices in the comment section of The Bumbles Movie post!

Greenfingers (2000)

Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Saving Grace (2000)

Adaptation (2002)

Bed of Roses (1996)

Broken Flowers (2005)

Flowers for Algernon (2000)

Harrison's Flowers (2000)