Kate’s 2¢: “Chilled to the cone: by Ellie Alexander

“Chilled to the cone: by Ellie Alexander  

Kate’s 2           ¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   I like the idea that amidst the tragedy of Scoops burning down, it opened her up to greater possibilities.

From her web:

Ellie Alexander (also known as Kate Dyer-Seeley) is a Pacific Northwest native. Her love for the Pacific Northwest runs deep. Hence why all of her books (whether she’s writing as Ellie or Kate) are set here. From the Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland, Oregon to the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington to the hipster mecca of Portland, Oregon and a variety of other stunning outdoor locales, the Pacific Northwest is a backdrop for every book and almost becomes another character in each series.

When not writing, you can find her testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouse or brewpubs nearby. You’ll also find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of “research”.

Ellie loves hearing from readers and interacting on social media. Be sure to follow her to learn about her writing process, upcoming books, special events, giveaways, and more! Also, sign up for her e-mail newsletter to stay up to date on new releases, appearances, and exclusive content & recipes.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Chilled to the cone DB103535

Alexander, Ellie. Reading time: 7 hours, 48 minutes.

Read by Emily Durante.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Pastry chef Juliet Capshaw has the opportunity to launch a pop-up ice cream shop and jumps on it. But just as she’s getting ready to open the doors to Torte 2. 0, one of Ashland’s most colorful characters, known for his cone-shaped hat, turns up dead. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

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Kate’s 2¢: “This time together: laughter and reflection” by Carol Burnett

“This time together: laughter and reflection” by Carol Burnett

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Jill Ferris did a nice job of reading this book for the library, but, humor is a personal thing. I suspect it depends on the listener’s reception, the timing of the delivery, and a whole host of other variables  as to whether or not something is funny, Parody, satire, or slapstick.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedienne, singer, and writer, whose career spans seven decades of television. She is best known for her groundbreaking comedy variety show, The Carol Burnett Show, originally aired on CBS. It was one of the first of its kind to be hosted by a woman.[1][2] She has achieved success on stage, television and film in varying genres including dramatic and comedic roles. She has also appeared on various talk shows and as a panelist on game shows. She would later have several daughters joining her in a variety of American television series and films. She is the mother of Carrie Hamilton, an actress, Jody Hamilton, a producer and actress, and Erin Hamilton, a singer.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Burnett moved with her grandmother to Hollywood, where she attended Hollywood High School and eventually studied theater and musical comedy at UCLA. Later she performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. She soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962. Burnett had her television special debut in 1963 when she starred as Calamity Jane in the Dallas State Fair Musicals production of Calamity Jane on CBS.[3] Burnett moved to Los Angeles, California, and began an 11-year run as star of The Carol Burnett Show on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. With its vaudeville roots, The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show that combined comedy sketches with song and dance. The comedy sketches included film parodies and character pieces. Burnett created many memorable characters during the show’s run, and both she and the show won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

During and after her variety show, Burnett appeared in many television and film projects. Her film roles include Pete ‘n’ Tillie (1972), The Front Page (1974), The Four Seasons (1981), Annie (1982), Noises Off (1992), and Horton Hears a Who! (2008). On television, she has appeared in other sketch shows; in dramatic roles in 6 Rms Riv Vu (1974) and Friendly Fire (1979); in various well-regarded guest roles, such as in Mad About You, for which she won an Emmy Award; and in specials with Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton, Beverly Sills, and others. She returned to the Broadway stage in 1995 in Moon Over Buffalo, for which she was again nominated for a Tony Award.

Burnett has written and narrated several memoirs, earning Grammy nominations for almost all of them, and a win for In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox.[4][5]

In 2005, Burnett was recognized as “one of America’s most cherished entertainers” and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom “for enhancing the lives of millions of Americans and for her extraordinary contributions to American entertainment.” by President George W. Bush.[6] In 2013, Burnett was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[7] In 2019, the Golden Globes named an award after her for career achievement in television, called the Carol Burnett Award, and Burnett received its first award.[8]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

This time together: laughter and reflection DB70853

Burnett, Carol. Reading time: 6 hours, 31 minutes.

Read by Jill Ferris. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Biography of Entertainers

Stage and Screen

Humor

Bestsellers

Focusing on the years since the childhood covered in her first memoir, One More Time (RC 25096), comedic variety-show star Burnett shares anecdotes about fellow actors, including Tim Conway, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jimmy Stewart. She also provides glimpses into her personal life, both humorous and sad. Bestseller. 2010.

Download This time together: laughter and reflection

Kate’s 2¢: “Fethering mysteries: Books 17 20” by Simon Brett

“Fethering mysteries: Books 17 20” by Simon Brett

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

The Killing in the Café,

–The reason I’m socially excluded is is pure old-fashioned anti-Semitism.

–Village gossip had never let respect for accuracy interrupt its flow.

–The body found on the beach appeared to be a Fethering floater.

–Amateur sleuths Jude and Carol eventually solve the mystery

   There were several red herrings in this story and the ending was unsettling.

The Liar in the Library,

–There is a nasty sub-stratum of racism, very close  to the genteele surface of the English country village.

–As an author, one is frequently in the God-like position  of deciding whether a character could live or die.  That is a responsibility one should take seriously.

–Amateur sleuth Jude is the primary suspect as the murderer, so her cohort, Carol, takes the primary lead  (or so she thinks) on finding the true murderer.

–There are some people you cannot help   .

–Sometimes, the crime novelist is tempted to test his narrative arc.

   The pace of this tory sure picked up when the back story began to emerge.

The Killer in the Choir,

–It is the Vicar’s job to mend rifts among his flock.

–Jude withholds information from her neighbor and amateur sleuth, Carol.

–Having suffered during a deeply unhappy marriage, she may have been making progress in rebuilding the social side of her life, but, she  still had difficulties in more intimate situations.

–They had lived all their lives, just the two of them, in a capsule of togetherness.

Guilt at the Garage

–Carol’s car is vandalized and a threatening note has been left in her kitchen.

–Sometimes in life, you get into a positions where there’s nothing that isn’t going to hurt someone.

–Exposing the charletons must be done

   I like knowing the two amateur sleuths and their small town. Then, each mystery unfolds in a linear arc. simonbrett.comActions for this site

Welcome to my official website. I am Simon Brett, the writer responsible for the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering and Blotto & Twinks series of crime novels.

   I was born into the lower reaches of the middle class on the 28th October 1945.

The venue was a nursing home in Worcester Park, Surrey. My parents, older brother and sister lived in Ewell, where I spent the next four years of my life. After a year with my grandparents in Ealing we then moved to Banstead (also in Surrey), a quintessential outer suburb not far from Epsom Racecourse, and stayed there. My father worked as a Chartered Surveyor for a firm most of whose work seemed to involve sewerage systems. He was with the same company, quaintly called Lemon and Blizzard, from the age of nineteen till he was sixty–seven, when he still did a couple of days a week for them.

I was educated at the Beacon School in Banstead (where my mother taught the reception class), and then a boy’s prep school called Homefield in Sutton. Rather than staying there to do Common Entrance, I took the Eleven Plus and was fortunate enough to win a Direct Grant (i.e. free) place at Dulwich College. There I specialised in History and got very involved in drama, playing Richard II, Prospero and, at a younger age, Titania in school plays.

In 1963 I passed History A–Level and that autumn took the Oxford entrance examination. I was awarded a Major Scholarship in History at Wadham College, and left Dulwich the following term to teach in a primary school. As a result, I only have one A–Level (though I’ve never been asked about it in any job application).

After two terms at Oxford I changed subjects from History to English, in which I got a First Class Honours degree in 1967. I spent almost all of my spare time doing theatre. For the Oxford University Dramatic Society, of which I was President in my final year, I played Edgar in King Lear, Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Leontes in The Winter’s Tale (‘callow and splenetic’ – Oxford Times). Contemporary luminaries of the university theatre scene included David Wood, Diana Quick, Nigel Rees, John Sergeant, Bruce Alexander, Nigel Williams and Alison Skilbeck.

I was also very involved in writing, directing and performing in revues. In 1966 and 1967 I was part of the Oxford late–night show on the Fringe of the Edinburgh Festival. The second year’s show, which I directed, raised sufficient interest for me to be offered a year’s contract as a Trainee Light Entertainment Producer for BBC Radio.

But that wasn’t my first job out of university. For seven weeks in 1967 I was employed as Father Christmas in the department store Shinners of Sutton. Just twenty–two and master of my own grotto! (It does look great on a cv too.)

Radio Light Entertainment at the time was a lively and varied department. I found myself producing music programmes (Late Night Extra), sketch shows (David Hatch and I started Week Ending in 1970, then The News Huddlines and The Burkiss Way), panel games (Just A Minute, I’m Sorry, I Haven’t A Clue), anthologies (Frank Muir Goes Into…, for which I wrote over a hundred scripts) and light drama (Lord Peter Wimsey). It was after working on the last–named that I started thinking seriously about crime fiction. I had by then written three – or possibly four – very properly unpublished novels, but working with actors on Lord Peter Wimsey gave me the idea of creating an actor detective. My manuscript was picked up off the slush pile at Victor Gollancz and the first Charles Paris novel, Cast, In Order Of Disappearance, was published in 1975.

There were two significant high–spots of my career in radio. One was guiding through the BBC machinery and producing the pilot episode of The Hitch–Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams in 1977. It was practically the last programme I recorded as a BBC comedy producer, because I was shortly to take up a similar role in London Weekend Television, and so Geoffrey Perkins went on to produce the rest of the Hitch–Hiker series.

The other excellent thing about BBC Radio was that it was there I met my wife, Lucy. She worked as a Studio Manager on a lot of my programmes, and we got married in Leeds in 1971.We subsequently had three adorable children, Sophie (1974), Alastair (1977) and Jack (1981). Sophie and her husband Jeremy have now given us two equally adorable grandchildren, Jake (2005) and Isla (2007). Alastair is married to the lovely Sarah and the adorable Wilbur was born at the end of May 2013. His sister Daisy arrived in March 2016. Jack is married to the equally lovely Lien and the adorable Max was born in September 2012, followed by the adorable Alicia in April 2016. How well organised of all my children to produce a boy followed by a girl. (Too many ‘adorable’s and ‘lovely’s perhaps… but they are.)

My time at London Weekend was not one of the high–spots of my career. After the bustle of radio, where I’d be working on half a dozen projects at any given time, I found the television process painfully slow. Amongst programmes I produced there were Maggie And Her (Irene Handl and Julia McKenzie), End Of Part One (written by David Renwick and Andrew Marshall) and, showing my radio roots, a television version of The Glums from Take It From Here. I think the main problem with my time as a television producer was that the writing was starting to take off and I spent most of the two years I was at London Weekend poring over a calculator, trying to work out whether I could afford to write full time.

(There’s an interesting point – well, it interests me – about the correlation between my employment and my facial hair. Soon after I joined the BBC I grew a beard, because I wanted to look older than my years. When I went to London Weekend, I seemed to be surrounded by pushy whizz–kids, so I shaved it off to look younger. Now when I look at photographs of myself with a beard, I cannot imagine why I sported it for so long. I’ve come to the conclusion that beards are like baseball caps – almost everyone who wears one would look better without it. At the time of my wedding, incidentally, my facial hair was reduced to a moustache, which made me look like an unctuous Italian waiter trying to force parmesan on one of his diners.)

I did finally make the break from London Weekend in 1979 and since then I have never had another day–job. Series of crime novels (Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering and Blotto & Twinks) have been the continuity of my output, though I have also written one–offs like Dead Romantic, Singled Out and A Shock To The System, the last of which became a feature film starring Michael Caine.

I was very honoured to be awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours ‘for services to literature’. Round the same time I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, thus providing me with some more letters to put after my name.

 From NLS/BARD/LOC         :

Fethering mysteries. Books 17-20 DB102181

Brett, Simon. Reading time: 28 hours, 8 minutes.

Read by Abigail Maupin.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Four mysteries, written between 2015 and 2020, featuring amateur British sleuth duo Carole and Jude. Includes The Killing in the Café, The Liar in the Library, The Killer in the Choir, and Guilt at the Garage. Some strong language. 2020.

Downloaded: July 3, 2021

Download Fethering mysteries. Books 17-20

NFB Para olympic statement

National Federation of the Blind logo and tagline live the life you want
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Federation of the Blind Comments on Paralympic Withdrawal of Becca Meyers
Baltimore, Maryland (July 22, 2021): Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, made the following comments about the recent withdrawal of Paralympic swimmer Becca Meyers from the Tokyo games:
“The National Federation of the Blind is deeply disappointed by what we have heard about the Paralympic withdrawal of Becca Meyers, a gold-medal swimmer who is deafblind. It is disturbing, and ironic, that this outstanding athlete is experiencing barriers to participation in a sporting event specifically intended to be a showcase for the capacity and skill of disabled athletes. As an organization of blind and deafblind members, we affirm that individuals are generally the best judges of their accommodation needs. We believe that the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), in failing to consider Ms. Meyers’s own assessment of her needs, took away her individual dignity and autonomy. We therefore condemn the committee’s decision. We stand by Ms. Meyers, and in the future we urge the USOPC to call upon the expertise of our organization to better serve blind and deafblind athletes.

ACB Para-Olympic statement

Subject: ACB Statement July 21, 2021

ACB logo in white

Eric Bridges, ACB’s Executive Director shared that “ACB and our members are deeply concerned regarding the media reports of the treatment of Paralympian Rebecca Meyers by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). 
ACB is alarmed that the USOPC, could be in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by not providing primary consideration to the accommodation request of a person with a disability.
It is unacceptable to refer to the provision of an individual’s reasonable accommodation, which is necessary for their full inclusion and success, as the athlete’s choice”. To read the full statement, visit: https://acb.org/acb-statement-7-21-21.

American Council of the Blind | www.acb.org
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American Council of The Blind | 1703 North Beauregard Street, Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22311

Kate’s 2¢: “The Other Side of Perfect” by Mariko Turk

“The Other Side of Perfect” by Mariko Turk

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

–The feeling that someone sees the outline of you, but not the real thing.

–When I was doing the thing I love to do, I was just a ‘robo bitch’ to them

–It wasn’t just my body that was broken. My brain couldn’t let go  of what I’d lost.

–It wasn’t just about helping somebody achieve their dream. It was about changing a whole art form. opening it up to new voices and bodies; making it better. There were many stereotypes in the story that could be changed.

   I could relate to the many feelings and issues in this story, as they resonated with my going blind.

   I hope that the young people reading this story will come away with the big picture that shows how reaching out of your comfort zone to help other people will put you on the path to healing.

Mariko Turk grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in creative writing. She received her PhD in English from the University of Florida, with a concentration in children’s literature. Currently, she works as a Writing Center consultant at the University of Colorado Boulder.  She lives in Colorado with her husband and baby daughter, where she enjoys tea, walks, and stories of all kinds. 

The Other Side of Perfect is her debut novel.

   “Debut novelist Turk writes with a great deal of nuance…A well-choreographed story of hope, resilience, and personal growth. — Booklist “Turk’s voice shines.” — Buzzfeed “A strong portrayal of musical theater, ballet, the arts, and ­culture all merged together.  

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The other side of perfect DB103438

Turk, Mariko. Reading time: 9 hours, 57 minutes.

Read by Allison Hiroto.

School Fiction

Young Adult

Romance

Alina, once an aspiring dancer, suffers a devastating injury and must face a world without ballet. After reluctantly joining the school musical, Alina notices that rehearsals offer more than she expected–namely Jude, her annoyingly attractive castmate. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2021.

Downloaded: July 3, 2021

Download The other side of perfect

Kate’s 2¢: “The Executioner Books 29-31” by Don Pendleton

“The Executioner Books 29-31” by Don Pendleton

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

“Command Strike Former Vietnam soldier Matt Bolan is the executioner, who takes on the mafia. He is a one-man army against the crime families  in Pittsfield. Mass. Even the police were after him; however, the FBI covertly supported him, as he started to hit the NY crime families.

    His base is a very well equipped ‘war wagon’ that goes everywhere and does everything.

“Cleveland Pipeline” Matt Bolan turned his Vetnam experiences into the metaphysics of violence and the survival of human ethics.  Matt believed gentle people should be left to live their lives their way. His parents, brother, and sister were murdered and his pursuit of the criminals began in Ernest. A story of gallantry and personal sacrifice.

“Arizona Ambush” Matt Bolan lives only for the destruction of the Mafia. His family had run afoul of the Mafia and were murdered. The Mafia aka the second government of the USA.  What’s the sense in fighting a war 8,000 miles away, when the real enemy is right here  at home? Matt pits several rival gangs against themselves to accomplish his goal.   

   I enjoyed listening to Ray Foushee read these stories.

Donald Eugene Pendleton (December 12, 1927 – October 23, 1995) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction books, best known for his creation of the fictional character Mack Bolan, which have sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide since the character’s 1969 debt. Since 1980 the Bolan adventure-espionage books were written by other authors under the Pendleton name, and initially under Pendleton’s editorial guidance.

Other works include the Joe Copp, Private Eye series of six novels, the Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective series of six novels, and nonfiction books. He collaborated on several books with his wife, Linda Pendleton, including their popular nonfiction book, To Dance With Angels. His earlier writings in the 1960s include mysteries, sci-fi, and futuristic books. Pendleton wrote several early books under the pseudonyms Dan Britain and Stephan Gregory.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Executioner. Books 29-31 DB102022

Pendleton, Don. Reading time: 14 hours, 26 minutes.

Read by Ray Foushee.

Suspense Fiction

Books twenty-nine through thirty-one of the series, all published in 1977. In Command Strike, the Executioner goes after an upstart mobster attempting to unite New York’s mobster families. Also includes Cleveland Pipeline and Arizona Ambush. Sequel to The Executioner, Books 26-28 (DB 101744). Violence and strong language. 1977.

Download The Executioner. Books 29-31

Kate’s 2¢: “Seeing Red” by Lina Meruane; translated by Megan McDowell

“Seeing Red” by Lina Meruane; translated by Megan McDowell

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Gabriella Cavallero did a beautiful job reading this story. Her grasp of English and the ability to fluently transition into the Spanish language was wonderful to hear.

   I became totally blind at the age of 40 and I thought the author accurately represented and portrayed the situation of going blind very well.  Been there; Done that!

   I know there are various parts of the eye that can be transplanted successfully and some stem cells can grow    other parts, but, I haven’t heard about whole eye-ball transplants. There is still the issue of bleeding vessels that feed the eye. Besides that, I can’t imagine ever asking my husband to give me an eye. He has all he can do to ‘give me a hand’.

   The character lives in NYC and in the USA, there are many formal and informal organizations to help people losing their eye-sight to cope, find resources, and continue living a healthy, productive life.  One such organization is the American Council of the Blind. You don’t have to be totally blind to tap into their vast resources.

From the Web:

Lina Meruane is one of the most prominent female voices in Chilean contemporary narrative. A novelist, essayist, and cultural journalist, she is the author of a host of short stories that have appeared in various anthologies and magazines in Spanish, English, German and French. She has also published a collection of short stories.

Megan McDowell is a Spanish-language literary translator from Kentucky. Her work includes books by Alejandro Zambra, Samanta Schweblin, Mariana Enriquez, and Lina Meruane. Her translations have been published in the New Yorker, Tin House, the Pari.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Seeing red DB103123

Meruane, Lina; McDowell, Megan. Reading time: 5 hours, 59 minutes.

Read by Gabriella Cavallero.

Disability

Psychological Fiction

Medical Fiction

Lucina, a Chilean writer in New York, is at a party. As her doctors had warned, her eyes hemorrhage. Within minutes, blood floods her vision, rendering her nearly blind. She and her loved ones adjust to a different life. Translated from the original 2012 Spanish edition. Strong language and descriptions of sex. 2016.

Downloaded: July 3, 2021

Download Seeing red

USA DAR PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WE THE PEOPLE

of the United States,

in order to form

a more perfect Union,

establish justice.

insure domestic tranquility,

provide the common defense,

promote the general welfare.

and secure the blessings

of liberty

to ourselves and our posterity.

do ordain

and establish

this Constitution

for the United States of America.

USA DAR The American’s Creed

THE AMERICAN’S CREED

I believe

in the United States of America

as a government

of the people,

by the people,

for the people:

whose just powers

are derived from the consent

of the governed:

a democracy in a republic:

a sovereign nation of

many sovereign states,

a perfect union,

one and inseparable

established upon

those principles

of freedom.

equality,

justice

and humanity

for which American patriots

sacrificed their lives

and fortunes.

I therefore believe

it is my duty

to my country

to love it:

to support it’s Constitution:

to obey its laws:

to respect its flag,

and to defend it

against all enemies.