Dear Abby - Pet Related Collections: Angela's Dachshund Collection

Dear friends,

I hope you are having a good week.  We had a lot of rain yesterday.  This meant that Momma had to put on a raincoat and rain boots and carry me outside so I could potty VERY QUICKLY and then be carried back into the house.  I do not like rain!  I am hoping we will have sunny days for a while now.

One of my good friends has stopped by today.  Angela has a wonderful pet family, including my pal Gizmo. (He is a dachshund - Jack Russell mix dog, just like me.)   Angela runs the Doxieposse on Facebook and Twitter.  She has visited before, to introduce my buddy Gizmo and his family, to remember Gizmo's mother, Princess Poo, and also to mourn the loss of Gizmo's brother Teddy.

Abby:  Angela, thank you so much for visiting!  I love the dachshund treasures you brought to show my friends.  Please tell us about them.

Angela:  This is my little collection. I have several other stuffed dachshunds, but they are in storage at the moment. Gym members where I work started giving me doxie related items and the collection has grown through the years. 

First picture, I have my 3 doxie tops. A friend gave me the "my wiener does tricks" shirt. The other 2 I ordered from Etsy. 

The second picture includes some of my doxie collection. It's my 2 Buddy's from the movie The Secret Life of Pets. A doxie floor decoration, a doxie bookend and a doxie salt shaker my parents gave me just last weekend. 

The third picture are my doxie ornaments. I've collected them through the years. If I find one, I buy it. I think I may be missing one, but these are some of them.

3 more doxie stuffies. A doxie bag, doxie socks and a doxie bag. They are all lying on a doxie blanket my friend got me for Christmas. 

Abby:  Thank you so much, Angela!  I really love your collection.  All your treasures are so neat, and I especially love the dachshund blanket and festive Christmas doxies!  I can't resist posting a photo of your special boy Gizmo while you are here.   Thank you again for your visit!

Gizmo

Friends, if you would like to leave a message for Angela, you can do so in the comments, below.  If you would like to share a pet related collection, please let me know that too (including your email).

Thank you for visiting today!  Have a good weekend.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

 

Book Review - The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

Book Synopsis
From the multiple-award-winning, critically acclaimed author of The Hummingbird and The Curiosity comes a dazzling novel of World War II—a shimmering tale of courage, determination, optimism, and the resilience of the human spirit, set in a small Normandy village on the eve of D-Day.

On June 5, 1944, as dawn rises over a small town on the Normandy coast of France, Emmanuelle is making the bread that has sustained her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country.

Only twenty-two, Emma learned to bake at the side of a master, Ezra Kuchen, the village baker since before she was born. Apprenticed to Ezra at thirteen, Emma watched with shame and anger as her kind mentor was forced to wear the six-pointed yellow star on his clothing. She was likewise powerless to help when they pulled Ezra from his shop at gunpoint, the first of many villagers stolen away and never seen again.

In the years that her sleepy coastal village has suffered under the enemy, Emma has silently, stealthily fought back. Each day, she receives an extra ration of flour to bake a dozen baguettes for the occupying troops. And each day, she mixes that precious flour with ground straw to create enough dough for two extra loaves—contraband bread she shares with the hungry villagers. Under the cold, watchful eyes of armed soldiers, she builds a clandestine network of barter and trade that she and the villagers use to thwart their occupiers.

But her gift to the village is more than these few crusty loaves. Emma gives the people a taste of hope—the faith that one day the Allies will arrive to save them.

 

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | IndieBound

My Review
The Baker's Secret is such an unusual novel.  It is historical fiction that blends poetic lyricism with harrowing images - and ultimately with hope as well.  

This historical novel is set in 1944 in a small village near the Normandy coast in France.  Emmanuelle (Emma) is a baker.  When her teacher, baker Ezra, is taken away by the Nazis, Emma's life changes.  She is ordered to bake 12 loaves of bread each day for the Nazis who occupy the village.  Instead, she bakes 14 by grinding straw into the recipe.  She shares the extra loaves with people in the village who need food.  And as a result of this, there is a series of small acts of defiance that get bigger over time, acts of resistance and ultimately of hope.

This is my first read by Stephen P. Kiernan, but I will seek out his other novels.  The Baker's Secret is beautifully written.  For instance, the book begins with a description of the village of Vergers and their enjoyment of food:  "Delectable breakfast morsels with steaming coffee as dark as mud, calming lunches in the shade when haste is the enemy and cheese is the dessert, dinners luxurious, candlelit, and lasting hours - such was the rhythm of their days.  Who has a story to tell, and shall we place some flowers on the table?" (p. 3).

As Emma travels around the village distributing bread and eggs and sharing provisions, she realizes:  "It was a circle of want.  Emma pondered on these things as she wandered the village and missed her Philippe.  Like a sad song, walking sharpened her sorrow, yet soothed it as well" (p. 78).

Emma is a brave, strong woman, an ordinary person who finds courage in extraordinary times.  I found her story compelling as I read on long after bedtime, wanting Emma - and the villagers - to find safety somehow.

The Baker's Secret is an exceptional historical novel that captures another time and place vividly, and also tells a truly memorable story.  I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

Author Bio
Stephen P. Kiernan is a graduate of Middlebury College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. During his more than twenty years as a journalist, he has won numerous awards, including the Brechner Center’s Freedom of Information Award, the Scripps Howard Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment, and the George Polk Award. He is the author of The Curiosity, his first novel, and two nonfiction books. He lives in Vermont with his two sons.

Find out more about Stephen at his website and connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

Book Review - City of Grit and Gold by Maud Macrory Powell

Book Synopsis
The streets of Chicago in 1886 are full of turmoil. Striking workers clash with police…illness and injury lurk around every corner…and twelve-year-old Addie must find her way through it all. Torn between her gruff Papa—who owns a hat shop and thinks the workers should be content with their American lives—and her beloved Uncle Chaim—who is active in the protests for the eight-hour day—Addie struggles to understand her topsy-turvy world, while also keeping her family intact. Set in a Jewish neighborhood of Chicago during the days surrounding the Haymarket Affair, this novel vividly portrays one immigrant family’s experience, while also eloquently depicting the timeless conflict between the haves and the have-nots.  

My Review
City of Grit and Gold tells the story of a 12 year old girl named Addie, who lives in Chicago in the 1880's.  Addie lives with her family in a Jewish neighborhood.  Her father, a German immigrant, owns a small hat store.  When Addie's Uncle Chaim becomes involved in the Haymarket Affair protests, Addie's life changes.  

This is a beautifully written historical novel set during a period that I knew very little about.  I found the setting (a Jewish neighborhood in Chicago, 1886) and the historical events (the Haymarket Affair) fascinating.  City of Grit and Gold is a middle grade novel, and it is a fine read for young readers who want to combine a compelling story as well as interesting historical details.  

This is also the story of immigrants, and the message is powerful.  "Oh, Mama, this country is like a puzzle with all the right pieces but they can't be arranged correctly. . . . The laws allow people to vote and speak freely but then the companies have more power because they can give and take jobs.  People must be able to work to feed their families.  If you're hungry, what use is it to speak freely?" (p. 73).

The descriptions are so evocative and vivid:  "Addie had seen the contents of the hatbox only once, when Mama was rifling through it to find a paper with the stamp of Bohemia on it.  There were folded papers, a few old photographs of people Addie didn't recognize, and a collection of hair ribbons that she and Miriam had worn as little girls back in the old country.  The silk was frayed and colors fading, but Mama stored them as though they were precious coins to be used in a time of need" (p. 85).  As well as the historical setting, I found the details of everyday life for Addie and her family very interesting.

Addie is a strong and brave girl who dreams of being a doctor someday.  She is torn between family loyalty and sorting out what she feels is right;  she wants to help her Uncle Chaim and also be loyal to her parents.  I cared about what happened to her and to her family, and found this an engrossing read.

I recommend City of Grit and Gold highly for school libraries, for homeschooling families, and for anyone who has an interest in this fascinating period in American history.

Author Bio
Maud Macrory Powell comes from a family of writers. She was born and raised in Washington, DC. She studied comparative religion in college and environmental studies in graduate school. She now lives in rural Oregon with her family, where they run an organic farm and she teaches at Oregon State University. Her essay “The Fruits of My Labor” was published in the anthology Greenhorns: The Next Generation of American Farmers. This is her debut novel.

I received a copy of this book from Allium Press.

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - A Good Day to Buy by Sherry Harris

Book Synopsis

HER BROTHER IS NO BARGAIN

When Sarah Winston’s estranged brother Luke shows up on her doorstep, asking her not to tell anyone he’s in town—especially her ex, the chief of police—the timing is strange, to say the least. Hours earlier, Sarah’s latest garage sale was taped off as a crime scene following the discovery of a murdered Vietnam vet and his gravely injured wife—her clients, the Spencers.

BUT IS HE A KILLER?

All Luke will tell Sarah is that he’s undercover, investigating a story. Before she can learn more, he vanishes as suddenly as he appeared. Rummaging through his things for a clue to his whereabouts, Sarah comes upon a list of veterans and realizes that to find her brother, she’ll have to figure out who killed Mr. Spencer. And all without telling her ex . . .

Author Bio

Agatha award nominated author, Sherry Harris, started bargain hunting in second grade at her best friend’s yard sale. She honed her bartering skills as she moved around the country while her husband served in the Air Force. Sherry uses her love of garage sales, her life as a military spouse, and her time living in Massachusetts as inspiration for the Sarah Winston Garage Sale series.

Author Link
Webpage – https://sherryharrisauthor.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sherry.n.harris.1
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SHarrisAuthor
GoodReads  – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6208827.Sherry_Harris
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/snhgrad/

Purchase Links
Amazon  B&N 
IndieBound

Giveaway

(2) Print Copy - A Good Day to Buy by Sherry Harris.  (Ends 5/15).

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Dear Abby - Rainy Day Dachshunds

Dear Friends,

I am taking a break in my Pet Related Collections series to talk to you about rain.

I don't mind a little light rain in Spring or Summer, when it is nice and warm and just drizzling.  More than that  and I am not a fan.  We get rain on and off here during Spring and Summer, and I was looking for dog images to show my Momma that old fashioned dogs didn't care for rain either.

Instead, I found these vintage dachshund images showing rainy day doxies.  I thought you might enjoy seeing them too.

This is a vintage Calling All Girls magazine cover featuring a girl and her dachshund, inside (as they should be) watching the rain.  It is dated April 1959.

This dachshund helps a teenage girl wait in the rain.  They are both covered with newspapers.  I hope it is keeping them dry!  This Calling All Girls magazine cover is from April 1958.

Vintage illustration of a dachshund walking in the rain with a little girl.  The girl is carrying a pitcher.

Vintage postcard of a little girl cuddled up with her dachshund under a big green umbrella.

Vintage illustration of two dachshunds under an umbrella -- with a white cat playing peek-a-boo.

Vintage illustration of two dachshunds under an umbrella in the rain.

Vintage black and white postcard of a dachshund and a little girl under an umbrella.  It is a cute picture but she needs to hold the umbrella up so they both will stay dry!

This vintage postcard is from the same series -- a dachshund and a little girl walking under an umbrella.

This children's book illustration reads NOVEMBER and it depicts a dachshund walking with a little girl who wears a red coat.

In this picture, the dachshund wears a red coat and walks with a little girl in the rain.  This vintage illustration is by Maria Pia Franzoni Tomba.  She did many sweet illustrations of children, usually signed "Mariapia."

I hope you enjoyed this little rainy day excursion with me!  This is the way I enjoy rain best --  cozy and warm inside, just looking at pictures of rain.

I would like to continue with my series of Pet Theme Collections next week.  If you want to join with sharing some photos of any pet theme (or animal theme) collection, I would love to hear from you.  Please just let me know in the comments, below!  

Wishing you a wonderful weekend - lots of sunshine and no rain!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo