Up Till Now By William Shatner

Genre: Autobiography


I’ve been a fan of Shatner’s for a long time, but my fandom resurfaced in the last few years with his appearance on Boston Legal, which happens to be my current favorite show (I adore James Spader). So, I was quite interested in reading his book. Some of his stories I’ve heard on his guest appearances on talk shows, but mainly there were some new stories I hadn’t heard before.

He starts from his childhood days in Canada and goes to his current role on Boston Legal. He talks about the unexpected death of his wife. It was a very sad death and she was a very troubled woman. I can’t even imagine the pain he must have gone through. She was an alcoholic and he found her dead in their swimming pool. So tragic.

Shatner doesn’t hesitate to talk about some of his less than happy experiences such as the above death of his wife, his failed marriage prior to that, and his “not so cordial” relationships with his former Star Trek co-stars. The book is filled with laughter, as well as a few tears. He’s an excellent storyteller and he’s quite the colorful character. I hope I have half as much energy when I’m his age as he does.

The Sunday Salon

It's a beautiful Sunday here - it's 87 degrees and the sun is shining. This is after a week of rain, clouds and thunderstorms.

I started the weekend by finishig "Catnapped" by Gabriella Herkert. It was good. Now, I'm actually juggling two books, which is something I never do. I never ever read more than one book at a time.

My next book had to be William Shatner's autobiography "Up Till Now" because I got it from the library and it's due back. However, I had to go to the beauty parlor yesterday and I didn't want to lug a hardcover with me. So, I took the second book in G.A. McKevett's Savannah Reid Mystery series "Bitter Sweets" and now I can't put it down! I love it. I seem to be going back and forth between both books, but I was right the first time - I don't like reading more than one book at a time. LOL




















I hope everyone has a great week!

Catnapped by Gabriella Herkert

“An Animal Instinct Mystery”

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Legal investigator, Sara Townley, is at the bottom of the totem pole at Abercroft, Hamilton and Sterns, which means all meaningless cases are assigned to her. Sara’s new case seems easy enough, she must find a cat who recently received a multi-million dollar inheritance. Sounds pretty easy, until she is faced with a dead body and she seems to be the prime suspect.

Things go from bad to worse when she arrives home to find her new husband, Navy Seal Connor cooking her apartment. She only knew him for a week when they married in Las Vegas, but she didn’t expect him to follow her home. When Connor realizes the case of the missing wealthy cat turns dangerous, he intends to never let her out of his sight again.

This is the first book of a new series of cozy mysteries, “An Animal Instinct Mystery”. Catnapped is a promising beginning, although it takes a bit of time to get to know the characters and the plot twists take so many different turns that it’s sometimes hard to keep up with them. One of the best developed characters is Sara’s best friend Russ. I adored this character immediately and I do hope he makes another appearance. My only disappointment is that I love mysteries with cats involved and this cat was hardly involved at all. He was a very minor part of the story, but it was a well-paced mystery anyway. The next book in the series is “Doggone” and I will keep an eye open for it.

Completing this book also means I can cross off another book from my Amateur Sleuth Reading Challenge – that’s always a good thing 

Summer Reading Extravaganza Day 5: Oh the Places You'll Go! With a Book!

Our final topic is books that transport you. It’s hard to take a trip with rising gas prices so thank God we can travel through reading! What are some of your favorite books that transport you to a new place?

Mmmmmmmmmmmm....I don't have one favorite book that transports me, it's more like I have a genre that transports. I love western historicals and I love to be transported back to the old west. Through my books it feels like such an adventurous time. Some of my favorite westerns...

The Midwife's Secret by Kate Bridges





The Doctor's Wife by Cheryl St. John



The other setting I love is any small town that is featured in my cozy mysteries. Probably because I'm from New York, I just love to be transported to a small town where everybody knows your name :)

Some of my favorite series:



Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett - A great town with a whole street dedicated to different types of bookstores! What could be better?




The Scumble Rivery Mystery series by Denise Swanson - Always a favorite of mine and I always enjoy re-visiting this small town with their crazy cast of characters.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

What is the weather like today where you live?

It was overcast, some drizzle and kind of humid.

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?

3 - I wish I didn't have to work :)

Salad

What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?

Blinds

Main Course

Name something that instantly cheers you up.

A good book.

Dessert

How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?

Only once or twice.