Shrinking Violet

Karina Lickorish Quinn
author of Shrinking Violet

I am only going to say this once:

Hie thee to the Amazon website and purchase, for an amazing 99 cents, the ebook Shrinking Violet by Karina Lickorish Quinn.

It is playful and clever and funny and heartbreaking - all in 128 pages. I won't even begin to summarize the plot but it does have to do with young Violet, her family, their crooked house, a white rabbit, a crocodile, The Duchess, and more oddly assorted characters.

I was enchanted with the wonderfully tender relationship between Violet and her grandfather Julius, a haiku-writing recluse. 

And there is cake.

I am not one to read fantasy or books full of quirky folks (they always seem a bit forced) but in the case of Shrinking Violet I was so enthralled with the language and the images that Quinn uses that I laid aside my prejudice and just simply loved the heck out of her story.

It reminded me of the exuberance of the language that is found in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. 

I have Simon at Stuck in a Book to thank for recommending this high-spirited tale. It is only available as an ebook on Amazon. I don't have a Kindle but I downloaded it to my Android and read it on the small screen. Adored it.

Post-Thanksgiving Reading

Earlier in November, Simon of Stuck in a Book reviewed his first e-book,  Shrinking Violet written by his friend Karina Lickorish Quinn. He called it "a joyous, eccentric, thoughtful little beauty of a book."

I was so intrigued by his comments - and I believe him when he assures his readers that he wouldn't say it was great if it wasn't - that I ordered it from Amazon for the amazing price of 99 cents. It is only available as a Kindle ebook. I have a Nook Color but I downloaded it on my Android phone and today I am reading it on that small screen which is not preventing me from enjoying it immensely. 

More comments to come when I finish it. It is brief - 128 pages. (I  have no idea how many 'clicks' that is on my phone though.)

I have also started Iced Chiffon, a mystery that takes place in Savannah, Georgia. It is the first book written by Duffy Brown whom I met at the Kentucky Book Fair a few weeks ago. 

It concerns one Reagan Summerside, owner of the consignment shop The Prissy Fox, and her attempts to solve the murder of her ex-husband's girlfriend. Reagan found the body and Hollis, the ex, is now in jail for murder. The only reason she is taking on the job of detective is so that Hollis won't have to go to trial meaning he would have to pay his attorney fees by selling Reagan's Victorian house. Or something like that. I am not sure how he can get his hands on her house, but then it doesn't really matter as it is a pleasant read and I love being in Savannah.