Kate’s 2¢: “Skinship: Stories” by Yoon Choi

“Skinship: Stories” by Yoon Choi

NOTE: 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 was intrigued by the title. I’d never heard of “Skinship”, but can certainly unferstand why the title is so appropriate.  Each of the stories deals with a variation of being comfortable, or not, in one’s skin and how each person related to others.  I enjoyed learning how the Korean culture was similar in some ways to what I know, and different in other ways.

From BookBrowse.com:

Yoon Choi Biography

Yoon Choi was born in Korea and moved to the U.S. at the age of three. She has an MA from Johns Hopkins and is a former Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Her stories and essays have appeared in New England Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Narrative Magazine, and The Best American Short Stories 2018. She lives with her husband and four children in Anaheim, California.

https://creativewriting.stanford.edu/stegner-fellowshipActions for this site

WebWallace Stegner Fellowship Unique among writing programs, Stanford University offers 10 two-year fellowships each year, 5 in fiction and 5 in poetry.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Skinship: stories DB106153

Choi, Yoon Reading time: 10 hours, 29 minutes.

Janet Song

Short Stories

A collection of short stories exploring the lives of Korean American families. The author explores where first and second generations clash and find common ground, where language barriers cause issues, and how relationships can bend under the weight of expectations and disappointment. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

Download Skinship: stories DB106153

Kate’s 2¢: “To Ask Again: by Carolyn Thornton

“To Ask Again: by Carolyn Thornton

NOTE: 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…

   According to GoodReads, Carolyn Thornton is the Author of “To Ask Again, Yes). I don’t know why LOC listed the author as Carolyn Nation. A similar title “Ask Again, Yes” is by Mary Beth Keane.

   If I remember correctly, the story was a bit out-rageous, yet funny.

From Romance Wiki

As a Harlequin American Romance author, Carolyn Thornton published three titles. She wrote two titles for the Silhouette Romance imprint and also wrote for Silhouette Special Edition.

Books

• Class Above, A – March 1986 (Harlequin American Romance #144)

• For Eric’s Sake – June 1983 (Silhouette Romance #229)

• Haven Of Tenderness – February 1985 (Silhouette Special Edition)

• Heart Never Forgets, The – July 1980 (Silhouette Romance #19)

• Promises To Keep – November 1984 (Silhouette Special Edition)

• Search for Mr. Perfect, The – May 1988Harlequin American Romance #248)

• To Ask Again, Yes – June 1987 (Harlequin American Romance #204)

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

To ask again, yes DB27919

Nation, Carolyn. Reading time: 6 hours, 35 minutes.

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

Romance

Men. Where could women find decent ones? Ivy had looked everywhere–from blind dates to the dreaded personal ads–and then took matters into her own hands. Would an original Date Mate T-shirt help Ivy find the man of her dreams? Some descriptions of sex. Harlequin novel.

Download To ask again, yes

Cornucopia: National Poetry Month 12

Adapted Senryū (12)

April 12, 2023

Broad-leafed evergreen

Teucrium Chamaedrys has

Aromatic leaves.

Cornucopia National Poetry Month 11

Adapted Senryū (11)

April 11, 2023

This is so crazy

I might get to like poems

But, don’t count on it.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Lonely Skier:, “The Independent Campbell’s Kingdom”, “The Blue Ice”

            by Innes Hammond

“The Lonely Skier:, “The Independent Campbell’s Kingdom”, “The Blue Ice”

            by Innes Hammond

NOTE: 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…

   Once I became used to the synthetic voice the BookShare program used, I thoroughly enjoyed these three stories.  I can see how “The Lonely Skier” became a success movie as “Snow Bound”.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ralph Hammond Innes CBE (15 July 1913 – 10 June 1998) was a British novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as works for children and travel books.

Biography[edit]

Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at Feltonfleet School, Cobham, Surrey where he was head boy and later at Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial News. The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII, he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, his first books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1940) and Attack Alarm (1941), the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley.[1] After being demobilized in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving multiple early successes. His novels are known for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.

Innes produced books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes, as in High Stand, his “tree” novel. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).

Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes’ protagonists were often not “heroes” in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.

Four of his early novels were adapted into films: Snowbound (1948) from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell’s Kingdom (1957) from the book of the same name (1952), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959) also from the book of the same name (1956).[2] His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979. It was partly filmed in Nullagine, Western Australia. An audio adaptation of The Doomed Oasis was repeated on the UK digital radio station BBC Radio 7 (now called BBC Radio 4 Extra).

In 1937, he married actress Dorothy Mary Lang, who died in 1989.[3] Innes’s great love and experience of the sea as a yachtsman, was reflected in many of his novels. Hammond and his wife both travelled in and raced their yachts Triune of Troy and Mary Deare. They lived together in Suffolk for many years, in the village of Kersey. After their deaths, they left the bulk of their estate and all of their Public Lending Rights to the Association of Sea Training Organisations, to enable young people to gain training and experience in sailing the element they both loved.[4]

In 1978, Hammond Innes was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to literature.

From BookShare

Synopsis

Three thrilling treasure hunts—from the author of The Wreck of the Mary Deare and “Great Britain’s leading adventure novelist” (Financial Times). British novelist Hammond Innes was perhaps best known for his nautical mystery, The Wreck of the Mary Deare, which was made into a film starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston. But the prolific writer, World War II veteran, and dedicated yachtsman wrote over thirty novels of adventure and suspense over his long career. The three novels collected here offer death-defying adventure set against harsh and exotic landscapes, from the Italian Alps to the Canadian Rockies and the Norwegian glaciers. As always, “the art of writing thoroughly well-documented and ably-written thrillers is perfectly understood by Innes, whose work stands in a class by itself” (V. S. Pritchett).

   The Lonely Skier: High among the Dolomite Mountains, a film crew led by half–con man half-genius director Derek Engles is ostensibly making a skiing picture. But beneath the mountain ice is a fortune in Nazi gold, which the filmmaker will find—or die trying. Only Neil Blair, an old army buddy hired on as a scriptwriter for the fake film, can stop things from going downhill fast, in Innes’s literal cliffhanger, made into the 1948 film Snowbound. “A superbly constructed and atmospheric thriller.” —

   The Independent Campbell’s Kingdom: A London insurance clerk who’s just received a devastating diagnosis, Bruce Wetheral learns he’s the sole heir to his grandfather’s land in the Canadian Rockies. Stuart Campbell froze to death in a shack on the edge of a mountain, where he lived his final years in a feverish hunt for oil. Everyone thought he was crazy, but his grandson believes he may have been on to something. The intrepid young man travels to the far reaches of Alberta to take the oil industry by the throat—and live or die in pursuit of his grandfather’s impossible dream. “Guaranteed entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews

   The Blue Ice: It’s been ten years since metallurgist George Farnell disappeared after setting out to make his fortune in the frozen wilds of Norway. Two lines of poetry and a shard of mineral ore are all that remain of him, and only industrialist and adventurer Bill Gansert has the wit to understand Farnell’s final discovery—and the daring to seize it for his own. With a small crew, he sets out for the Arctic Circle to a whaling station in the shadows of the mountain known as Blue Ice, where he will make his fortune anew—or be destroyed by his own ambition. “Action adventure with [a] maximum of suspense and tension, aided by the background atmosphere of a Norwegian glacier . . . Assured and accomplished adventure.” — Kirkus Reviews

Copyright: 1947

ISBN-13:

9781504054669

Publisher: Open Road Media

Copyrighted By: Hammond Innes

Down-loaded from BookShare, April, 2023.

Kate’s 2¢: “Bloodline: by Kathi Oram Peterson

“Bloodline: by Kathi Oram Peterson

NOTE: 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 enjoyed this fast-action story, even though, guessing from the prologue, we know who the descendant is.  Great tension between Skye and Jack, but, again, you know they’ll end up together sooner or later.

http://www.authorkathiorampeterson.com/

 Kathi Oram Peterson is a bestselling author of both Inspirational Time Travel and Romantic Suspense novels.

She’s the mother of three, grandmother of two, and wife of one wonderful fellah, whom she has shared her life with for over 45 years. She loves to read, travel, play golf, go to the movies, and spend time with her family.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Bloodline. DBC20406

Peterson, Kathi Oram. Reading time: 8 hours, 8 minutes.

Read by Scott Patterson. A production of Utah State Library Division, Program for the Blind and Disabled.

Suspense Fiction

Psychological Fiction

Skye discovers that her Auntie Marjorie has been kidnapped, and cryptic instructions have been left behind: Skye must retrieve the contents of a safe deposit box and deliver it to the captors. No police. As Skye follows instructions, the kidnapper’s demands increase. LDS fiction. Adult.

Download Bloodline.

Kate’s 2¢: “Nothing to lose: a J.P. Beaumont novel” by Judith A. Jance

“Nothing to lose: a J.P. Beaumont novel” by Judith A. Jance

NOTE: 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…

   This story shows how important it is to network resources. It is interesting how the author lets the PI pull on a thread, only to find it leads to another thread to pull on. It kept me guessing  and I like the ending.

Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia

Jance was born in Watertown, South Dakota,[2] and raised in Bisbee, Arizona (the setting for her Joanna Brady series of novels). Before becoming an author, she worked as a school librarian on a Native American reservation (Tohono O’Odham), and as a teacher and insurance agent.

Jance attended University of Arizona, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1966, then a master’s in library science in 1970. In 2000, University of Arizona awarded Jance an honorary doctorate.[3]

In July 2018, Strand Magazine gave Jance its Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize her contributions to the field of crime fiction.[4]

She lives part of the year in Arizona and part of the year in Seattle.[5] Jance uses her initials for her pen name because a publisher told her that disclosing her gender would be a liability for a book about a male detective. At signings, Jance asks bookstores to donate a percentage of their earnings from her appearances to various causes. Over the past 10 years, she has raised more than $250,000 for charity.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Nothing to lose: a J.P. Beaumont novel DB110829

Jance, Judith A. Reading time: 9 hours, 30 minutes.

Read by Mike Ortego.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“Years ago, when he was a homicide detective with the Seattle PD, J. P. Beaumont’s partner, Sue Danielson, was murdered. Volatile and angry, Danielson’s ex-husband came after her in her home and, with nowhere else to turn, Jared, Sue’s teenage son, frantically called Beau for help. As Beau rushed to the scene, he urged Jared to grab his younger brother and flee the house. In the end, Beaumont’s plea and Jared’s quick action saved the two boys from their father’s murderous rage. Now, almost twenty years later, Jared reappears in Beau’s life seeking his help once again—his younger brother Chris is missing. Still haunted by the events of that tragic night, Beau doesn’t hesitate to take on the case. Following a lead all the way to the wilds of wintertime Alaska, he encounters a tangled web of family secrets in which a killer with nothing to lose is waiting to take another life.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download Nothing to lose: a J.P. Beaumont novel

Cornucopia: National Poetry Month 10

Adapted Senryū (10)

April 10, 2023

Bagel omelet

Two cheeses, parsley, onion

Plus, sausage patty.

Cornucopia: 2023 National Poetry Month 9

Adapted Senryū (9)

April 9, 2023

Early Easter morn’

Thank Christ for his sacrifice

The Lord made this day.

Cornucopia: 2023 National Poetry Month 8

Adapted Senryū ((8)

April 08, 2023

Aren’t you proud of me?

I’ve written a poem each day.

A poetic roll.