The Hotel Cat: Review

There were a number of excellent children's books that were published in 1969 (the same year I made my debut in the world). Excellent books that I somehow managed to miss out on when I was growing up--like The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and Sylvester & the Magic Pebble by William Steig. I didn't read either of these until I had my son and we discovered these stories at the library. The Hotel Cat by Esther Averill is another children's book that I never heard of until I went searching for more 1969 books for the Birth Year Reading Challenge. It gives us the story of a stray cat who makes his way to the Royal Hotel cellar. Mr. Fred, the Furnace Man, takes him in, gives him a good meal and, after the young cat proves himself a worker by taking care of the rats and mice in the cellar, offers him a home and a name--Tom.

Soon, Tom has the rodent population under control and he ventures upstairs to see if there might be work for him there as well. He meets Mrs. Wilkins, a long-time resident of the hotel who has a gift for talking with cats, and she helps him discover the true work of Hotel Cat--to welcome any guests, including the numerous cats whose owners seek shelter in Big Freeze. Tom isn't sure about sharing his territory with so many other cats, but he learns lessons in friendship as well as being a good host and in the end he finds himself welcomed to the Cat Club and helping to host an unforgettable Stardust Winter Ball.

This is a lovely classic book with good lessons about friendship and responsibility. It features a delightful story and fun illustrations (also by Esther Averill). I wish I had discovered this story (and the other Cat Club books) when I was young--or at least when my son was small. But it was an enjoyable read for this adult--and I nearly finished it on my birthday! ★★★★

[finished on 6/28/17]

The Arctic Patrol Mystery: Review

The Arctic Patrol Mystery (1969) by Franklin W. Dixon is the 48th book in the Hardy Boys series. This time Frank and Joe are off to Iceland to help their father track down a missing seaman who is the beneficiary in an insurance case. The man is believed to be a native of Iceland and so far there have been no leads to his whereabouts. The boys are encouraged to take their friend Chet Mortan along to provide some muscle as well as cover--a sight-seeing vacation. Fenton Hardy also has a second line of investigation on tap--a top-secret case that puts him in touch with the White House. Then Biff Hooper is dispatched to Iceland to bring the boys some much needed equipment. As Frank and Joe and their chums begin the search for Rex Hallbjonsson, they make friends with an Icelandic teenager by the name of Gudmunder Bergsson ("Gummi" to his friends).  They also manage, unknowingly, to make enemies of some very dangerous men who think the boys are on their track. Fenton Hardy's case--which involves American astronauts and the space program--and the insurance case become intertwined and soon the Hardys are in a desperate race to rescue a missing astronaut as well as Chet and Biff who have disappeared.... 

This installment of the Hardy Boys was much more action-packed and dangerous than most of the stories I remember reading when I was young. I mean, after all, Chet & Biff are nearly blown up in cave by the bad guys! If it hadn't been for perfect timing on the part of Frank and Joe, their buddies would be history. Overall, a suspenseful and fun read--with some interesting background information on Iceland thrown in for good measure. The Hardy Boys stand up pretty well after nearly forty years. ★★★★

[Finished on 6/26/17]
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This counts for the "Plane" category on the Silver Vintage Scavenger Hunt card.

 

Vintage Scavenger Hunt Check-in Post (aka Prize Opportunity!)

Calling all scavenger hunters! We have passed the mid-way point in our vintage mystery cover scavenger hunt. Back in 2016 when I launched this year's version of the reading challenge, I randomly picked categories for various check points along the way. Here are the categories for this round:

1. Knife
2. Broken Object
3. Bloodstains
4. Magnifying Glass
5. Any Holiday Decoration
6. Policeman

You may enter once for every object already found and claimed prior to this post going live. Objects count from both Gold and Silver cards. Links may point to relevant reviews OR you may create Check-in Specific posts. Please use the following for the link title for the Check-in:

Name (Object) Card   [example: Bev (Knife) Gold]

If you do not blog (or have a way to link up through Goodreads, etc), please enter in the comments and point me to the cover of the edition you read.

The linky will be available until Tuesday, July 11th. On Wednesday, I will use the magic random number generator to draw a winner who may choose a prize from my prize vault. 

Mount TBR Mountaineering Checkpoint #2

The year is half-way over....Wait! What? How did that happen so quickly? I must have lost track of time just concentrating on the mountain trail ahead of me. But--it's that time again. Your mountaineering guide is calling for a second quarterly check-in post. Let us know how your climb has been so far. Seen any mountain goats? Any particularly pretty wildflowers? How about the abominable snowman? For those who would like to participate in this checkpoint post, I'd like you to do two things:
 

1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read).  If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting adventures you've had along the way.

 

I'm not quite half-way up Mt. Olympus. I got distracted by a few too many library books and that's slowed me up a bit. I still hope to finally plant my flag on Olympus this year.

2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:

 A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.

Spice Island Mystery by Betty Cavanna and Deception Island by M. K. Lorens--both take place (surprise!) on an island. One is the Caribbean and the other is in the middle of New York.

 B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc. 

Death of a Racehorse  by John Creasey--the first book I've read by Creasey (under any of his noms de plume...). It won't be the last. A very satisfying police procedural.

 

 

 C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?

Death Cracks a Bottle by Kenneth Giles [on TBR since 12/11/08]. Well worth the wait. Kenneth Giles writes a very nice British mystery.

 

 

OR (Counts as both part 1 and 2)

 

Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following sentences below as you can.  If you haven't read enough books to give you good choices, then feel free to use any books yet to be read from your piles. I've given my answers as examples. Feel free to add or change words (such as "a" or "the" or others that clarify) as needed.

 

My Life According to Books

1. My Ex is/was The Snake on 99  (by Stewart Farrar)

2. My best friend is Zadok's Treasure (by Margot Arnold)

3. Lately, at work [I've had to deal with the] Decision at Delphi  (by Helen MacInnes)

4. If I won the lottery, [I'd go searching for] The Hidden Planet (by Donald A Wollheim, ed)

5. My fashion sense [is] Fit to Kill (by Hans C. Owen)

6. My next ride [will be told in] Thrilling Stories of the Railway (by Victor L. Whitechurch)

7. The one I love is [a] Mystery in White (by J. Jefferson Farjeon)

8. If I ruled the world, I would Search for a Scientist  (by Charles Leonard) [or several hundred...to work on climate change]

9. When I look out my window, I [wonder] Who Is the Next? (by Henry Kitchell Webster) 

10. The best things in life are [done] All for the Love of a Lady (by Leslie Ford) 

 

Please post your answers on your blog and link up your post in the linky below. And what do you get for all that hard work (and distraction from the actual climb)? The link will close at 11:59 pm on Sunday, July 9.  On Monday, July 10,  I will crank up the Custom Random Number Generator and pick a winning climber. He or she will have the chance to add to their TBR stack via my gently-used book vault (prize list will be sent). Just think, if you win a book you can start up a pile for next year's Mount TBR Challenge. 

Even if you're not in the mood for a prize or if you've only got one leg of the journey under your belt, I'd love to have you check in and tell us how your climb is going!

***Please note--the linky is for Checkpoint posts only.  The link must be to a specific Checkpoint post (not your blog's home page in general). Links that are not Checkpoint-specific will be removed--to make it easier for me to track a winner.