"The Thirteenth Tale" - Diane Setterfield

Vida Winter, renowned author, has spent most of her life hiding one story....the story of her life. Many biographers have had the pleasure of hearing some tale or another. Each as imaginative as the next. Needless to say young biographer, Margaret Lea, is a bit skeptical when she receives a letter from Miss Winter requesting that she record her "true" tale.

"Once upon a time there were twins..."

So begins the tale of a crazed love, a bond between sisters, a lonely ghost (is there a different kind?), and the tragedy of losing everything. A story in which Margaret not only learns about Miss Winter, but also about herself. I was so immersed in the story that I was caught unprepared for the ending. I was following what the author wanted me to without considering the "subplot." This was really a fascinating read, and I am not a huge fan of mystery novels.

Amazon.com Review
Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly.

There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth. Because of a biography that Margaret has written about brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins:

"You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two years alone."

She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller."

"I am a biographer, I work with facts."

The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan. The transformative power of truth informs the lives of both women by story's end, and The Thirteenth Tale is finally and convincingly told. --Valerie Ryan

Flamboyant: WotW #3

See #3

flam·boy·ant (flm-boint)adj.

1. Highly elaborate; ornate.

2. Richly colored; resplendent.

3. Architecture Of, relating to, or having wavy lines and flamelike forms characteristic of 15th- and 16th-century French Gothic architecture.

4. Given to ostentatious or audacious display.

I chose this word because I am a fan of Kathy Griffin....and we love the gays!!!! Needless to say she gets the top spot!!


1.) Kathy Griffin
2.) The Taj Mahal
3.) Bob-a-licious
4.) Nathaniel Marshall from AI Season 8 (i love you "headbands"-my pet name for him)

5). Flamingos
6). King Julien's crown

7). Michael Jackson
8). Zhang He
9). Game shows featured on Telemundo/Univision
10). My lime green bat bag (it's resplendent! i hope to have a matching headband soon...with glitter)

Perhaps? A Baker??

Front view

Having a hobby is essential in the life of a stay at home mom. (and no, cleaning does not count) I tried to teach myself to knit. I made it to lesson 16...and was so bored that I quit. It also made it difficult that everything I started Ry decided it would be a good idea to unravel.

Soon after that I decided that I would try to be a gardener. Hahaha! I planted some flowers in the back yard and Avery quickly saw to their quick demise. The two that were planted in the front yard were killed by me. Not enough watering, then too much. I guess I don't have a green thumb.


View from the top

I decided to try my hand at baking. (stop laughing mariah!) This weekend we celebrated Ida's birthday. I remembered that she liked carrot cake, and as it was my job to bring a birthday cake...you get the idea. I found a recipe online for Citrus Carrot Cake. It did not look overly complicated, so I went shopping and began on my experiment. (knowing full well that i might have to make a second trip to get the emergency store bought cake) After all was said and done it turned out quite good. I did run into a bit of a snag when the recipe called for a 90 minute baking time, and I only had about an hour. We used two small pans and it baking in about 45!!

Side view

I also made a terrific looking diaper cake for an upcoming baby shower. While I realize that the diaper cake hardly qualifies, I may have discovered a love for baking!

"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" - Lisa See

This novel begins with the painful regrets of an 80 year old Chinese woman. Lily is in her "Sitting Quietly" time awaiting her turn to die. She has outlived her husband, a few of her children, and many of the people she has loved. Most importantly she has lost her laotong, or old same.

Lily is born to a so-so family. While they are not poor, Lily expects her life to follow the path of all girls around the county. Her feet will be bound at age 6, she hopes to marry out to a family from the nearby village, and join a group of sworn sisters. When the diviner comes to predict the most prosperous date for her binding, her life is changed forever. She suddenly gets pushed into women's intrigues when the matchmaker predicts that she, with proper foot-binding, may have the smallest feet in the county. Lily will have the chance of a very advantageous marriage and gain a laotong, Snow Flower, a girl from a very prosperous town (whom was born on the exact year, month, day, and hour) to be life friends with. Together they use the secret women's language, nu shu, to send messages to each other to share life's happiness and tragedies to form an unbreakable bond.

All comes to pass as predicted, but life has come out of balance. Much sadness comes to Lily's and her family. She also learns that Snow Flower has betrayed her. It is a story of ultimate friendship, life, and forgiveness.

FROM LISA SEE'S WEBSITE:

“This is a fascinating portrait of a time and place alive with beauty and brutality.”— USA Today

“You can relish See's extraordinary fourth novel as a meticulously researched account of women's lives in 19th-century China, where it is ‘better to have a dog than a daughter.’ (And where the girls' feet are bound in a stomach-turning ritual that See describes with admirable precision and coolness.) But you can also savor See's marvelous narrative as a timeless portrait of a contentious full-blooded female friendship, one that includes, over several decades, envy, betrayal, erotic love, and deep-seated loyalty.” —Entertainment Weekly

A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship.

Cantankerous: WotW #2

can·tan·ker·ous (kn-tngkr-s)

adj.

1. Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: disliked her cantankerous landlord.

2. Difficult to handle: "had to use liquid helium, which is supercold, costly and cantankerous" Boston Globe.

Yes, welcome back to "Word of the Week!" (i know you have been quivering with anticipation)

1). Dr. Perry Cox

2). The evil kitty trying to attack Pon & Zi (pictured above)
3). Ry at diaper changing time
4). Most old ladies when without prunes or hard candy
5). Sea Bears

6). Steven Colbert on the subject of the proposed soda tax (and bears too....but what about sea bears??)
7). Lewis Black
8). Librarians
9). Martians (what's with all the probing?)
10). Llamas

"Sunshine" - Robin McKinley

"I never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires."

I have always enjoyed books written by Robin McKinley. Strangely enough I always have the same complaint: the narrator's thoughts are generally not sequential. It seems to be a part of McKinley's unique writing style, but it does get a bit frustrating from time to time. This book is no exception, in fact, it may be the worst to date. Despite all that, I still enjoyed it. I must admit that the first 3 pages were a bit much. I, quite lamely, had to take a break and re-think what I read.

The book is set post the "Voodoo Wars" in which vampires have just run a muck. Much of the world is now unlivable, with patches of "bad spots" lying about. (areas stained with evil residue that makes a person feel "bad") Rae Seddon, or Sunshine, is taken by vampires, and no one escapes from vampires. She has one trick up her sleeve....she is the daughter of the most talented magic-handler in history. Rae proceeds to use her magic to remove her bonds, and free a fellow prisoner....one that just happens to be a vampire....oh yeah, during the daylight hours!!

This novel, while a crazy roller coaster of a young woman's thoughts, is a fascinating read. Rae and the vampire Constantine share a bond that is their only hope in destroying the evil bent on their destruction. Definitely worth the confusion.

If you read, and enjoy this novel, you will also like:

*Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
*The Hero and the Crown
*The Blue Sword
*Deerskin (retelling of Donkeyskin by Charles Perrault...heavy subject matter)
*Rose Daughter
*Spindle's End

all written by Robin McKinley.


FROM ROBIN MCKINLEY'S WEBSITE:

Sunshine originally appeared in 2003. Reissued by Berkley Trade (October 7, 2008) and Transworld/Bantam UK (August 14, 2008). Available from Amazon US

Rae, nicknamed Sunshine by her stepfather, is the baker at her family’s coffeehouse. She’s happy getting up at 4 am to make cinnamon rolls for the breakfast rush, and dealing with people and food all day. But one evening she needed somewhere she could be alone for a little while, and there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years.
She never thought of vampires.
Until they found her.

"Sunshine is a gripping, funny, page-turning, pretty much perfect work of magical literature that exists more or less at the unlikely crossroads of Chocolat, Interview with the Vampire, Misery,Beauty and the Beast." Neil Gaiman and the tale of

"McKinley knows very well—and makes her readers believe—that ‘the insides of our own minds are the scariest things there are.’" Publishers Weekly, starred review.

I am a Softball Player......(& i am the best!)

I am only kidding.....I might be second best....(might) We had another tournament this weekend. I played even though my foot hasn't quite healed. Our team (not quite the same members we took first with) did ok. We won our first three games, but lost our next two in a row. I did win the women's home run derby for the 2nd year in a row!!

Random

Ry playing with the hose and bath toys in a sandbox! (no sand of course)

All of the shiny new summer blockbusters currently in the theaters have me almost itching to see...well something....anything. It has been a very long time since John and I have seen a movie together. (pirates of the caribbean 3 to be exact) Spiderman 3 was the last movie John has seen, and Twilight was the last one for me.....much to my regret and shame.

The day after opening night for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" we attempted to go see it. Ron, Brigette, John, and I went out for dinner. We thought we had time to kill and went to Chalo's for a drink. We arrived about 15 minutes early for the showing, but we were turned away as it was sold out! (at least i got a ry-less dinner....no screaming or food throwing out of the deal) Still, how sad is your life when you are envious of your 4 year old nephew when he tells you that he has not only seen the new X-Men, but he also really liked the new "Star Trek."

Kick, kick, kick

As far as the potty training......it is at a stand still. Ry understands when she is wet (or dirty) and proceeds to remove her diaper and throw it in the trash. Sometimes she alerts me when she needs to go, but refuses to sit on the potty. Occasionally she will pretend to go just so she can play with the toilet paper, and so she can play with the water while we wash her hands. She also says, "Bye Bye pee-pee!" when we flush the toilet.

1) Us in the pool 2) Me, Ry, and the lion

Oh yeah. A week ago we hung out with Tikon at his house here in Safford. It was Ry's second experience with a pool. This one of course is heated, and was wonderful since it was nighttime. She absolutely loved it. While sitting at the edge of the pool she was doing kicks that would make aunt Mariah proud. (they were so forceful that she propelled herself into the pool...scary moment for me) She would even kick her little legs while we were pulling her through the water. I guess I will be signing up for Mommy and Tot classes at the public pool this summer.

Preposterous: WotW #1

pre·pos·ter·ous (pr-pstr-s)adj. Contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd.

This is the first installment in my new idea...."Word of the Week!" I realize that this idea should have been introduced yesterday, but I figured you had heard enough from me! This word is one of my favorites. I really think that it describes my personality (in a lot of ways).

So here are 10 preposterous things: (in no particular order)

1). The size of our 1st place trophy
2). Sugar free chocolate syrup mix
3). Tye dye clothes
4) Twilight
5). The play of the AZ D-backs as of late
6). St. Olaf stories
7). The Geico money pile

8). The color puce
9). Wide ruled notebook paper
10). The sandwich pictured above! (can you say myocardial infarction?)

I hope you have a wonderful day!

A Beautiful Thing

"Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends."
~ Dawn Adams ~

I love reading. It is one of the most wonderful outlets, and a delicious treat for my down time. I am not saying that I don't love my daughter....I am just admitting that sometime I would rather be reading an awesome novel than watch her play with her baby or color.

While I am still certain that my all time favorite novel is Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," I love to find new books to read. I am a huge fan of the fantasy genre, and my current favorite series is "The Kingkiller Chronicles" by Patrick Rothfuss. I am still awaiting the second book in the series entitled "The Wise Man's Fear." I really enjoy reading "The Farseer" and "The Tawny Man" trilogies which tie together, and were written by Robin Hobb.

I recently bought five new books as part of my Mother's Day gifts:

1) "A Certain Slant of Light" by Laura Whitcomb
2) "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See
3) "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield
4) "A Great and Terrible Beauty" by Libba Bray
5) "Sunshine" by Robin McKinley


I read "A Certain Slant of Light" and discovered that it was a different read from my normal cup of tea. This book had some difficult themes (like adultery and teen suicide), but was really too short to make it effective. I still enjoyed it, but did spend some time being a bit confused. (i will give you the scoop on the others as soon as I have finished them)

Mother's Day Weekend

1) Ry showing off her muscles. 2) Us

This Mother's Day weekend was very busy for the Nunley family. John and his friends spent Friday night on Mt. Graham to celebrate Bob's graduation. He is graduating with a Mechanical Engineering Degree from U of A! He is also finally moving to Texas with his lovely wife Mariah.

1) Future star! 2) Grandma and Ry getting a drink of water

I, meanwhile, dropped Ry off at Grandma Ida's house so I could play in the 3rd Annual Gordo Borjon Memorial Softball Tournament. It was awesome! There were nine teams involved, and it was a round robin tournament. That meant a lot of softball! Friday night we played two games and won them both.

1) Ry and Tio Pancho taking a break 2) Some of the team, scouting the competition

Saturday had us playing at 9:30 am. (not bad considering we could have been playing at 7!) It was a very hot 103 degrees! We finished the tournament with a 7-1 record, and took 1st place! That's right! We are the Champions!

1) Gaspar, Me, and Ry waiting for the next game 2) The champions: Matt, Geoff, Pancho, Gaspar, Justin, Me, Jordan, Syanna, Lauren, Kayla. (a few members not pictured: Mario, A.J., and Janessa)

Mother's day was spent hanging out in the E.R. I over-ran first base and hit the very edge of the back of it with my heel. It instantly went numb, then after about twenty minutes all I could feel was terrible pain. I would have sworn it was broken, but it wasn't. It was decided that I messed up the tendons in my foot. I am now using crutches for three days. (wish me luck...i don't think that ry will be so accommodating)

What's in a name?

So this is Tibs

We finally did it. We broke down and named the stray cat that has been coming to our house at night. We discovered that it was actually living behind our tool shed by day, and it hung out in our carport at night. Although we haven't a clue as to it's gender (it is a skittish cat and won't let us touch it) we have decided that for us it will be a girl. (i have always wanted a male pet, but i have never been that lucky...i didn't figure it would start now) We call her Tibs.

Scary a little!

We have bought the kitty food and dishes to feed and water her. She has even ventured into our house a few times when we left the door ajar. Ryenn loves this crazy animal. We think it is a little crazy. It has some ridiculous hair growing out of it's ears, and if I had decided that it was a boy I may have named it Dumbledore. I don't know why it's hairy ears remind me of the wizard, but they do.

See the hair?

On a different note:
Our volleyball team is out of the tournament. We ended pretty well, but only started to play like a team towards the end of the season. We made some seriously awesome plays. I am sad to think that I may not play next year. John and I will be working on baby number two within the next couple of months! Ryenn really needs a sibling. She is a huge brat! Wish us luck.

Amazing!

Tonight...the first ever night with the potty....Ry had success!

Here is the story. John was putting the dishes away, my mother and I were reading at the table, and Ry was playing with her potty. She suddenly comes past us with diaper in hand and puts it in the trash. Then returns to the potty. She sits waits. I went to see how she how she was doing. Lo and behold....pee! It was the second (but most enjoyable) time in my life that I was thrilled to see pee. (the first being when she was sick and had not urinated in like three days). My daughter is amazing!!

From the mouth of babes

Cy and Ry taking a bath

We bought Ry at big girl potty today. It is a huge step, and needless to say I am nervous about it. She is ready. She will tell me "My butt," and take off her diaper. Then comes the "Ewww" noise. I hope it goes well.

1) Cy making a splash 2) Trying to touch the new hair cut

Here is a list of all the wonderful things Ry says:

My butt
Ewww
Up
Down
Ball
Mine
Cheese
Chair
Shoes
I want more
Spongebob
Grapes
Hair
Eyes
Nose
Face
Mouth
Feet
Toes
Mama
Daddy
Dog
Kitty
Book
Candy
No thanks
Thanks
Uh oh
Ouch
Sorry
No
Juice
Yeah Yeah Yeah
Bath
1, 2
Hi
Bye Bye
Help
Banana
Berries
I don't know
Baby (babies)
Who's that?
What's that?
Ready
Potty
Outside
House
Hot

I seriously keep adding more every few hours....I guess I didn't realize how wordy she was.