Author Archives: admin

319M: Woman Swims With the Rats, Visits California

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I read a book in the late nineties or early two thousands about a woman who makes an unexpected trip to California with her daughter to visit her estranged sister (I think she may have found out her husband was having an affair, but can’t quite remember).

The teenage daughter had suffered from anorexia in the past, the sister was a failed actress. The daughter does a screen test for a movie about Joan of Arc while they’re in Hollywood. The three of them stay in someone’s fancy house in a wooded area (the Redwoods maybe) and the mother has an affair with the caretaker, whose life motto is Carpe Diem and who lives in an old fire tower.

At the beginning of the book the main character describes trapping rats in/near her house and releasing them in the creek behind the house, and then swimming in the creek with the rats. She also describes getting ready for a party (a work function for her husband?) and not having time to wash her hair after the swim in the creek, so she just slicked her hair back, went without makeup (she describes her coppery freckles), bright red lipstick, and a flower behind her ear.

Thank you!!!

319L: Short story sci-fi, mutants compete to cause most suffering

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From 70s or 80s.  Group of normal seeming people can influence others to violence.  Once a year they get together with scrapbooks and show how much war and death they have caused.  The worst one “wins.”  Protagonist is one of them but tired of hurting and killing.  She refuses to use her powers.  They gang up on her and the new contest is who can eliminate her.  Her trusted butler tries to kill her under their influence.  Sorry, I know this one is kind of a downer.

319K: Daughter of Veterinarian helps rescue hoarded animals (Solved!)

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Paperback, probably from Scholastic in mid-70s.  The veterinarian’s daughter helps rescue a trailer of hoarded animals.  Her father’s girlfriend helps and gets completely overwhelmed by the suffering, which makes the girl like her more.  The girl refers to herself as an iron hand in a wool mitten.  She dates a boy who likes Bartok.  Any help appreciated.

319J: Brother And Sister Confront Scary Beings

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I am looking for a book with two main characters, a brother and sister, and the sister is named Lorna. I forget the brother’s name. I’m pretty sure it was a scary or mystery book about a witch or ghosts. Would have read it in the early 80s which means it could have been published in the 70s. Not much to go on but hoping you can help!

319I: Mid-1800’s Mystery Girl’s Biography

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This book is a biography.  I thought it was a Discovery book, but looking at the available titles from that series, I cannot figure out which one it is.  It is a biography of a woman.  She was either a niece of Henry Clay, or the Senator was family friend, so she might have been a child in the 1830s or 40s.  One of the chapters in the books describes her and a friend getting into trouble, because they wanted to be fancy and they made hoop skirts out of willow branches.  Also, maybe a chapter about playing at her father’s flour mill making cakes and pies – but maybe they were mud pies?

Thanks for any leads you can offer!

319H: Teenage Girl Deals With Kangaroo Court

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I am looking for a book that was probably written in the 1950s or early 1960s.  It was a part of my grade school library, a school that converted from a K-12 school to a K-8 in 1965 or so.  The book might have been written as a young adult novel.  It was about a teenage girl and her dealing with high school life (boyfriends, homework, mean girls).  I do remember that one chapter was titled “The Kangaroo Court”.  I do not remember the very much more about the book, but “Pink” comes to mind – either part of the title or another chapter.  I hope this jogs someone’s memory!

319F: Island Girl Disappointed With Porcelain Doll (Solved)

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A Little Golden Book (or similar style) about a young island (Polynesian?) girl.  A ship's captain visiting her village gifts her with a porcelain doll.  She tries to play with it as she had her own doll, but found that she couldn't get it wet, or feed it sand cakes, etc.  It was a book my grandmother had, but I'm pretty sure it's not a vintage book - probably no older than the 1960's (but that's 10 year old me remembering. )  Still, I don't remember the graphics being older looking.  It was the size, shape and length of a Golden Book.

319E: Getting Swallowed By A Whale

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I vaguely remember the book.  I read it at a very young age, and I was born in 1997.  I brought it up to my mother and even she vaguely remembers, but we are both so stumped, and Google has produced nothing.
The layout of the book was to be landscape format, I believe, and I am pretty sure it was not hard covered, but soft (I am sure that does not even matter).  The artwork, however, I remember is dark colors and what I would assume to be an oil style of painting?  Maybe acrylic, but very Van Gogh-esque with swirls of red and blacks with slight bits of yellow.  I am pretty sure it is a woman, maybe a witch?  I know there is some sort of magic involved, but I think she lives in the belly of a whale, and a man gets swallowed and finds her in there, or he just lives in there.  All I know is someone gets swallowed by a whale and lives in it and the swirls, so many swirls and so much red.  The tone of the book was a bit darker, and I think there may have been a storm at night?  I cannot get this book out of my head, at all, for the last few years.  Please help!

319D: A Young Ballerina’s Struggles

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The book is juvenile fiction about a young girl, age 9, who dances ballet.  She wants to start using toe shoes but everyone tells her she is too young.  She goes on a summer vacation to the beach and meets a famous ballerina and her choreographer husband who decide to stage a shortened version of The Nutcracker at the grand hotel where they are staying.  The girl is invited to participate even though she is not staying there.  The owner’s spoiled daughter makes a fuss and is cast as Clara.  She had started dancing with toe shoes but it is causing too much stress on her developing feet and she can’t dance very well.  I think her name is April.