In the beginning...

...there were The Flyaways, a family who traveled in their miraculous flying machine having daring adventures with Goldilocks and Cinderella. The first in the 3-book series by Alice Dale Hardy was published by Grosset and Dunlap in 1925 and copies are almost extinct. Few people remember Ma and Pa, Tommy and Susie Flyaway now.

I became acquainted with them on my grandfather's lap, my dear Grandpa Baker who read and read and read to me every evening for as many years as I can remember. I would hold my breath as each chapter ending neared, hoping he would not stop. I would keep begging for "just one more" chapter until his voice got so hoarse I would have to run to his room to get his throat lozenges.

Over the years we covered all of Uncle Wiggly and Honey Bunch, the Bobbsey Twins, the Five Little Peppers, the Wind in the Willow series, some of them more than once. He read to me until long after I could read everything for myself, until I was into Beverly Gray, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. I was safe and happy snuggled up on the couch with him and that feeling has never left me. I still read and read and read, and it still makes me feel safe and happy.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Farewell Stephen Cannell

PROSTITUTE’S BALL by Stephen J. Cannell

I’m practically crying over the demise of this author early in October. He is one of my top five writers and I happened to get this latest and last book on the day I found out about his death. It’s the end of Shane Scully, Alexa and Chooch and I wish it would last forever.

BAD BLOOD by John Sandford

Lawman Virgil Flowers is at his best in this fast moving murder tale with a crack opening and explosive conclusion. What is the reason that a well-liked, stable, high school football player brains a neighbor with a baseball bat and buries him in a mountain of soybeans? Is this murder and others related to a strange and secretive religion?


I, ALEX CROSS by James Patterson

Patterson annoys me by churning out books “with” so many other writers (which I won’t read just for the principle of it) but I can get into a good ol’Alex Cross on occasion. Somehow Patterson manages to make grisly subject s, e.g. Cross’ lovely niece chopped up in a wood chipper, palatable. And, perhaps another dear family member will not live to the end of the episode. I won’t spoil it for you. It is a fast read.


DOGS TAGS by David Rosenfelt

Like this guy’s style, characters, plotting, pacing. Fast read introducing Billy, the war vet who may figure into future stories. Great Milo and Tara, of course,


BODY WORK by Sara Paretsky

This dragged for me and did not always seem to make sense. Body painting artist performing in a bar, someone gets murdered, obscure connection to Iraq war. More poor war vets getting exploited by authors.


LAST WORDS of the Executed by Robert Elder

Freakonomics

FRAGILE by Lisa Ungar

Missing girl in circumstances replicating a crime of 30 years previous. Police chief in The Hollows is hiding a nasty secret.


THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN

Enzo the mutt recounts the story of his life and death in a hard to put down tearjerker.


KILLER INSTINCT by Zoe Sharp

The first of the Charlie Fox series presents a sharp female self-defense instructor with a terrible relationship with her parents. She’s been gang raped while in the British Special Forces, rides a Suzuki and spends a lot of the book fending off assaults by bullies and murderers. Good story.


CLAUDE AND CAMILLE

Fictionalized bio of Monet and his lover.


THE ROAD (dvd)

Viggo Mortenson is the father in this excellent portrayal of the Cormac McCarthy book. I enjoyed this.
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