Book Review - The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon

The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery

By: Leann Sweeney
Publisher: Signet
Publishing Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0451236470
Reviewed By: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 4, 2012

Jillian Hart had just returned home to Mercy, South Carolina after selling her wares at several craft fairs and cat shows. It was a tiring, but relaxing venture because she seemed to attract corpses like rugs attract lint and she needed a breather. Evie Preston was the third one she'd found and if that kept up she'd have to open up a funeral parlor instead of sewing cat quilts. There was one thing she'd been happy to attract and that was Tom Stewart, the owner of the security company who installed her cat cam. Jillian had the cat cam installed because she liked to keep an eye on her three cats, Syrah, Merlot, and Chablis when she wasn't at home. She would have liked to have had it aimed at Tom because somehow he'd mysteriously disappeared.

Jillian wracked her brains to figure out what went wrong. Had she done something to turn him off? He wasn't even returning her calls. She'd considered calling his mother, but she was an "odd bird" at best and when she saw a car in Tom's driveway she decided to stop. "I'm not scary, am I? `Cause you look like your panty hose are quivering," a strange man declared when he opened the door. Turns out the wisecracking jerk was Tom's half brother, Bob. Duh huh! There would be a lot of people coming out of the woodwork like termites rushing for cover after the exterminator shows up, including an ex-wife named Hilary and a boy name Finnian, Finn for short.

It didn't take Jillian long to figure out that something was terribly wrong after Tom came back looking something like the cat dragged in. She was going to tell him that brother Bob had let his diabetic cat Dashiell loose, but when she saw his battered, bruised, and cut face she knew it could wait. Her household would soon be upended. Tom's stepson, Finn, would be moving in with Jillian. Finn's dog, Yoshi, would be moving in with Syrah, Merlot, and Chablis. Oh, and there was that dead guy in Tom's car. Jillian was beginning to think that she really didn't know Tom at all. What could possibly happen next? It was Deputy Rodriguez who broke the unfortunate news to her: "Unless this is a woman with very large feet, you've found a dead man."

This kinky `n crazy series just seems to get better and better. The new cast of characters adds a whole new flair to the plot, but some of my favorites are still on hand to fill in the blanks. Of course there's always that tawdry Lydia, "the craziest assistant coroner on the planet," who has a thing for Tom and Jillian's best friend, Deputy Candace Carson, the cop with a quirky evidence obsession. If you want an author who can dish up a uniquely marvelous plot every time, you can count on Leann Sweeney to deliver. The characters were wildly appealing, the action was fast-paced, and the plot will keep you wondering what will happen next.

Quill says: No doubt this is another cat mystery that's as delectable as savory salmon!

Amazon Wants Better Rates

Here's an interesting article from the Seattle Times about Amazon wanting deeper discounts from publishers.  Self-publishers take note - you already give Amazon 55% through their Advantage program....will you/your discounts be next????

Book Review - The River Bends in Time

The River Bends in Time

By: Glen A. Mazis
Publisher: Anaphora Literary Press
Publication Date: February 2012
ISBN: 978-1937536237
Reviewed by: Eloise Michael
Review Date: April 3, 2012

Heraclitus famously said "Ever-newer waters flow on those who step into the same rivers," which many remember as "You can't step into the same river twice." Thousands of years later many of us are familiar with this aphorism. The work of a philosopher is to find words that others will recognize as truth, a collection of words to name a feeling or suspicion that our language does not describe with a single one. If the philosopher can evoke a universal truth using only a handful of words, an image, or a metaphor, surely those words are poetry.

Author Glen A. Mazis, who teaches philosophy, explores the intersection between poetry and philosophy in his collection of poems entitled The River Bends in Time. He addresses Heraclitus directly in the poem, "Stepping into Different Waters," bringing new symbols and depth to an old idea. The poem ends with this stanza:

I think I'll have to find another
path if I want to return, not retracing
the old one, since it slopes away into the river
whose bed has changed several times like mine
with seasonal floods of mud and old furniture.
Yet, around the S-bend encircling the town
often comes the same flock of great blue herons
who have perfected their flapping,
slow, dancing walk onto the waters--
turning the river's flow
into one long dance floor. (pg 19)


Mazis weaves philosophy into each piece in this collection, but without pretension. The poems are clear, and precise. They are accessible, while leaving room for readers to find truth and beauty on their own terms. Mazis's work is well-crafted, clean, and economical; each word serves a purpose, and many words carry layers of meaning.

The collection as a whole is cohesive. The poems are arranged, almost as a narrative, in chronological order and telling the story of the author's life. The scenes fall together like pieces of a remembered dream, each poem being only a snapshot, and each snapshot a metaphor for something larger. The River Bends in Time is worth reading from beginning to end, though the individual poems stand on their own as well.

These are poems to read slowly and to reread. Mazis juxtaposes different metaphors for the same idea, connecting moments in time which, at first glance, might seem disparate, binding them with a single truth that runs through each. He finds meaning in the daily and mundane. His writing is personal, even intimate, without being self-indulgent. Even the most personal of Mazis's poems reaches out to his readers, speaking to something universal.

A time line weaves through the book like a river, taking readers through the seasons of a small town in Pennsylvania and the seasons of a marriage. The author leaves this place for California and returns. Ultimately he is diagnosed with cancer. The third section of the book focuses on fear, loss, and death. In the poem, "The Asymptote of Loss," Mazis writes:

One good days, I know we can't lose those we love
since time is a pool of light in which we swim
and the dead are stealthy shining columns
who slip into the sunlight,
offering themselves
to fire our vision,
and add a warmth that not only surrounds us
but also emerges from within us. (pg 79)


Even the poems about fear and death retain elements of hope and humor, however. The book ends with a section entitled, "Futures to Reawaken the Past," which brings closure to the previous section and also a way forward.

Quill says: Poems that find layers of beauty and meaning in daily experiences.

Book Review - Confessions of a Scary Mommy

Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary

By: Jill Smokler
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-1451673777
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 3, 2012

Like many new stay-at-home mothers, Jill Smokler felt the need to re-connect to the outside world, so she decided to start a blog. She reasoned that it would be the perfect place to share photos and news with her family and close friends. But then something happened…she received a comment from somebody she didn’t know. Other people were reading her blog? From those humble beginnings grew a site that today gets 1.5 million hits a month! Smokler has obviously found a topic that many can relate to and enjoy. Along with the popularity of the site comes a new book filled with the same irreverent comments about life and motherhood.

Each chapter in Confessions of a Scary Mommy begins with a few pages of “Mommy Confessions.” These are anonymous comments about motherhood that Smokler took from a special page on her blog where people can post their inner-most thoughts about parenting without leaving their names. Many of these comments are funny, a few serious, and quite a few are things that you wouldn’t tell your closest friend.

The author takes us through all the early stages of motherhood, from pregnancy to worrying about her daughter’s pre-teen years and entry into “womanhood.” Smokler begins her book by talking about her pre-motherhood life, with a loving husband and rather self-absorbed lifestyle. Then she admits to the discomforts of pregnancy, the morning sickness, bloating, and general miserable state of being pregnant. She asks, “Who are these women who blissfully glide through pregnancy…and what about those freaks of nature who somehow get through all nine months never actually knowing that they’re expecting? I mean, who are they?!” (pg. 17)

From childbirth to toddlers, to preschoolers to her kids’ first years in school, no topic is sacrosanct. From how some women eat their placenta - “But people do. It’s like, a thing.” (pg. 54) – and her nurse even asked her if she wanted to(!) to dealing with kids’ ear wax and other bodily functions, Smokler isn’t afraid to tell it like it is – to her. There are also many funny subjects, such as the life of a student. The author admits to being less than impressive herself, “When I graduated, I swear, I heard the angels singing from the heavens. (Or perhaps it was my teachers. Either way.) Hallefreakiniglujah. I was done!” (pg. 135) When she returned to school as a parent, all those feelings of dread came rushing back, as well as the realization that “I have yet to master even the most basic of skills.” (pg. 135)

Smokler talks about her own personal experiences and opinions with amazing candor and humor. However, she does write as if she’s posting to her blog, with short, conversational sentences and snippets of sentences throughout. She shows the world that it’s okay to not be a perfect mother, and that it’s okay to go to the grocery store in yoga pants and looking a bit unkempt. While some of the candor, and language, may be a bit much for those mothers who fall somewhere between Smokler and say, Martha Stewart, for many who feel they are alone in their refusal to fall into the mold of June Cleaver, it will be refreshing and humorous.

Quill says: While funny and definitely irreverent, you may want to check out the Scary Mommy blog first to see if this book will appeal to you.

Book Review - Bud the Spud

Bud the Spud

By: Adam Byrn Tritt
Illustrated by: Java John Goldacker
Publisher: Axios Press
Publication Date: September 2012
ISBN: 978-1604190625
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 2, 2012

Bud was a regular kid, just like all the other kids he knew. He had friends and family who cared about him, he liked pizza and ice cream and all the other things that most kids enjoy. But Bud also liked TV. No, he didn’t like it, he LOVED it.

Soon, all Bud wanted to do was eat and watch TV. His friends and family tried to get him off the couch, to go outside, to play, to do anything but watch TV. But Bud wouldn’t move. Eventually, everybody gave up on Bud and he was left alone to eat and watch TV. And then something horrible happened…Bud turned into a couch potato, literally!

Bud was now a dusty, musty, round and splotchy coach potato! Was it too late to help Bud? Could his terrible fate be reversed?

Bud the Spud is, admittedly, a very unique book. The cover is one that most parents will wince at, but parents are not the target audience. Pre-teens, who might very well be on the same path as Bud, are the ones who need to read this book and no doubt, they (particularly boys) will love the rather grisly cover and interior drawings. The story has three possible endings: “recommended for most audiences,” “recommended for those who are squeamish,” and “recommended for those who don’t care how much psychological damage they do to their children.” There is a note from the author to kids on the front jacket flap, and one to parents on the back jacket flap noting that kids find such gruesome things “horrifically hilarious.” This is the same tactic that has made so many "gross out" books poplular with youngsters. Hopefully, those kids who read this book will come away with an understanding of the very serious message it sends – get off the couch, turn off the TV and go outside and play!

Quill says: DON’T judge this book by its cover – while a bit, er, unusual, it really does send a very important message.

Book Review - The U.S. Constitution

The United States Constitution: A Round Table Comic Graphic Adaptation

Adapted by: Nadja Baer
Illustrated by: Nathan Lueth
Publisher: Writers Of The Round Table Press
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-1610660259
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 2, 2012

There’s no doubt that the Constitution is a revered document in our country. There’s also no doubt that the somewhat legal and antiquated language make it hard to understand for the millions of students and new citizens who study the text. Enter Round Table Comics and their new graphic novel which helps to bring understanding of this important founding document to those who study it.

This newest “translation” of the U.S. Constitution begins with letters some of the founding fathers wrote to each other discussing turmoil within their own borders as well as problems overseas. They saw a need to come up with a document that would unify all the colonial states before they all fought and tore the country apart.

Monday, May 14, 1787 was the day the Constitutional Convention was set to start in Philadelphia, PA. But travel was difficult in the 1700s and some people wouldn’t arrive for days, making it impossible to reach a quorum. No quorum equals no voting. Attendees stood around and waited, and waited, and waited…

Finally, on Friday, the 25th of May, there were enough people to form a quorum and the convention could start. And that’s when the real action began because it seemed that nobody could agree. Some wanted to form two “houses,” the first of which would be chosen by the people with the number of elected officials determined by the number of people living in that state. But smaller states feared the larger states would then control everything and arguing broke out. But that’s nothing compared to the battle brewing over the slave-owning states versus the free states.

This graphic novel presents the story of the writing of the Constitution, along with all the ramifications of each portion of it, with clarity and precision. There are sections where the characters are interacting, along with the trademark bubbles above their heads for their words, other areas that have boxed text to explain the specific parts of the Constitution, and other boxed text for “historical finds.” It’s entertaining and informative and helps bring to life a very important time in our Country’s history.

Quill says: This graphic novel is an excellent way to help students study the U.S. Constitution.

Books in for Review

Here's a sampling of the books that arrived recently for review. Check them out and then stop by our site, Feathered Quill Book Reviews, in a few weeks to read the reviews.




It's the Bass Player! by Cabot Barden

The Innocents by Francesca Segal Newly engaged and unthinkingly self-satisfied, twenty-eight-year-old Adam Newman is the prize catch of Temple Fortune, a small, tight-knit Jewish suburb of London. He has been dating Rachel Gilbert since they were both sixteen and now, to the relief and happiness of the entire Gilbert family, they are finally to marry. To Adam, Rachel embodies the highest values of Temple Fortune; she is innocent, conventional, and entirely secure in her community—a place in which everyone still knows the whereabouts of their nursery school classmates. Marrying Rachel will cement Adam’s role in a warm, inclusive family he loves.

Bud the Spud by Adam Byrn Tritt Bud was a kid, like any other kid. He liked pizza and ice cream. He liked to watch TV. But what happens when a kid (like any other kid) eats way too much junk food and watches way too much TV, and never, ever leaves the couch? You guessed it--he turns into a couch potato. Literally! You won't believe what happens to him next...