The Flyaways

A long list

2012-02-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion - Ron
Flowering Juda - Jane Haddan
She Walks in Beauty (poetry) - Caroline Kennedy
77 Hadow Street - Dean Koontz
5th Victim - Zoe Sharp
Darkness My Old Friend - Lisa Unger
Eyes Wide Open - Andrew Gross
Never Love a Stranger - Elizabeth Brundage

Okay, okay...

2011-10-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

...so I haven't blogged in two months. There's been a lot going on here - house buying, many moves, cancer scare, lots of doctors, pain, retirement, frustration. I haven't stopped reading, just not writing about it. Here's a little catch up.

Another great Chevy Stevens Never Knowing. Susan finds her birth mother and her birth father turns out to be serial killer.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb - fiction but well researched and fascinating by Melanie Benjamin.

Disturbance by Jan Burke. Reporter Irene Kelly and dectective husband Frank in another go-around with killer Nick Parrish who pulls off a prison escape goes after Irene.

This was an unusual offering from Roland Merullo. The Talk Funny Girl, sheltered in a rural home with strange parents involved in a cult and speaking their own dialect, accepts her abuse as normal until she is hired to assist a quiet young stonemason who is building his own cathedral.

More child abuse in this one - two boys are abandoned and incarcerated in a terrible institution until one is adopted by the wife of a prominent politician and the other runs away under the cloud of a murder accusation. More murders happen over the course of 15 years, the boys, now grown men, are reunited and the murders are solved.
Iron House by John Hart.

Greg Iles again

2011-08-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know why this guy hasn't skyrocketed to the top of the charts - unless he has and I missed him. Just finished my second of the summer by him and it was just as satisfying as the first. Deep Sleep is a crime novel revolving around paintings of dead women, featuring photographer Jordan Glass and John Kaiser, her new FBI love interest. Good one and another on the pile to begin.

Mother California

2011-08-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

This was a totally excellent book by Ken Hartman, who was convicted at the age of 19 for murdering a man in a park, and sentenced to life without parole. He has traveled throughout the California prison system - Soledad, San Quentin, Folsom and others - and remains incarcerated 30+ years after his conviction. He met and married and fathered a child now in her teens who he adores. The quality of his writing displays talent, intellectual curiosity and a refreshing honesty about his own situation and the corrections system in general. Really, really good read.

Ghosting

2011-08-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

Rich, arrogant neurosurgeon Jack Scales buys a fancy boat and pressures his fractured family into sailing with him to Bermuda. Before they even leave the dock, troubles begin, and the voyage escalates into a nearly unbelieveable nightmare of violence and terror. This was a real page turner if you don't mind brutal and bloody. Written by David Poyer.

The Silent Girl, another Rizzoli and Isles novel by Tess Gerritson, is a cop novel set in Chinatown involving missing girls and ancient Chinese secrets.

Laurel Shields' doctor husband goes berserk in Third Degree, imprisons her in their home and threatens mayhem if she doesn't give him the name of her lover. Her denials serve to infuriate him more and more until he has killed his business partner and endangered all their lives, including their children. Who will rescue them? Hmmm...could it be her lover? Good one by Greg Iles.

Just a darn good read

2011-08-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

Good characters, good writing, good plot: Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance. Not spectacular, just good solid cop stuff. JP Beaumont and Melissa Soames investigate the suicide of the governor's teenage ward. Jonas also uncovers details about his own father's life and family.

On the train from Dobb's

2011-08-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Not a bad Kindle read: The Abduction - a 99 cent special that was a little choppy with flashbacks to Viet Nam but I liked it. Vet's granddaughter is kidnapped by military group in Idaho mountains for a complicated reason. I liked the grandfather/hero Ben Brice.

Before I Go To Sleep

2011-08-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Despite its current popularity, I thought this was a dumb, dumb book. Like the movie 50 First Dates, woman forgets everything when she falls asleep and must relearn her whole history every day. Her husband turns out to be an imposter, best friend did not move to New Zealand, her grown son did not die in Afghanistan. The whole plot was such a stretch it was not believable and irritating as hell to read. Author S.J. Watson. They must have paid LeHane a bundle to "like" this one.

The Beach House

2011-07-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

This novel by Jane Green got off to a promising start. I loved the first pages about Nan, the aging eccentric on Nantucket and the subsequent set up chapters about the lives of disparate people who end up together in the island community. However, the tale spiraled into a cliche-ridden drama, drama, drama with a predictable sappy ending. Too bad.

The Tattoo Artist

2011-07-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

What a unique and poignant novel by Jill Ciment. A Jewish shopgirl falls in love with a tall, blonde, handsome avant-garde artist and becomes his protegee in the Bohemian art world of 1920's New York. When Philip loses his fortune in the crash, they embark on a South Seas adventure which leaves them stranded on a remote island. It will be 30 years before Sara is "rescued" and returns alone to a new world in which she has no place. The book details the art of primitive tattooing, its origins and meanings. It is a journey through the art world, a world war, and an intense love story. I loved it.

Michael Koryta has written a story which wanders a bit through some hard to digest plot lines that include bargaining with the devil in an isolated area called The Ridge (Blade RIdge, Kentucky). I didn't much like the devil connection but did like the big cat sanctuary and the characters. It was okay.

Scared to Death by Wendy Corsi Staub had a blurb by Jeffrey Deaver which led me to read it. The plot was a bit of a stretch, involving the biological and adoptive mothers of a boy who was kidnapped. Fifteen years have gone by and another adoption is threatened by a number of murders. This was also okay, but not great.

The Story of Beautiful Girl

2011-07-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Aptly title novel by Rachel Simon, this was a great read about two residents of an institution in 1968, a deaf black man and a pregnant girl, who flee the horrors. Soon after taking shelter with the newly-born baby in the farmhouse of a lonely widow, the authorities find them. She is captured, the man flees and the widow hides the baby. A forty year journey through their lives.

More Chevy Stevens

2011-07-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Really like this author. Never Knowing is not as gripping as Still Missing, but great premise, fast read: woman searches for birth parents and finds her father was a serial killer. I'll be watching for more by this author.

Slash by David Klein
Suburban PTA mother Gwen's world erupts when she is arrested for pot possession after a car accident. Under extreme pressure, she confesses she bought the pot from an old boyfriend who later turns up dead.

Leave Reads

2011-07-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Something for the Pain: Compassion and Burnout in the ER by Paul Austin
Memoir by ER physician

Postcard Killers by James Patterson and somebody
Another cookie cutter by Patterson who I vowed not to read again but was desperate

The Girl's Guide to Homelessness: A memoir by Brianna Karp
Didn't like this needy woman much, hated her vulnerability to mean boyfriend

The Confession by John Grisham
This was a good one, been on my shelf for a while, capital punishment gone awry

July has been good so far

2011-07-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

'Roid freak Erik Crandell is out of prison and out to get one of the policemen who put him there and stole his drugs. Cop Will Bennett is now off the force and working security for the LA Dodgers, clean and sober. After the death of his first child, Will is expecting another baby with wife Laurie, and must protect them and his golden retriever from the crazed parolee. East on Sunset by Ken Mercer shines a light on the LAPD in the wake of the Rampart scandals.

Fantastic story

2011-07-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

Still Missing - I think this one was better than Emma's Room, altho similiar in plot and tone. Real estate saleswoman is abducted after an open house and held in an isolated cabin by a non-descript-appearing guy she calls The Freak. Her boyfriend, her best friend, her mom, all searching. She is beaten, raped, subjected to bizarre rituals and one unimaginable horror. Author Chevy was spot on with her descriptions, emotions, explanations, and pace setting. I truly couldn't put this down but didn't want it to be over. Amazing plotting and ending.

Marcus, a misstep?

2011-07-04T16:35:00.002-07:00

Marcus Sakey - risen to the top of my favoirtes list. It doesn't hurt that he is young and handsome. Newest book was well worth waiting for, disappointing only in the realm of love scenes. I'm sorry, Marcus, but it soundeds like a Harlequin romance. I almost wrote him a letter. Might still.

June 28

2011-07-04T16:35:00.001-07:00

Anna Mayhew has written a rich novel about a white Southern family with a black nanny which is reminiscent of The Help. Race relations, family relations, coming of age and death. It is a page turner, dramatic and readable and emotional. Oh, the title – The Dry Grass of August.

I am fascinated with hoarding and enjoyed Jessie Sholl’s memoir called Dirty Secret, A Daughter Comes Clean about Her Mother’s Compulsive Hoarding. Found Jessie pretty annoying.

Robert Parker, I love you, and I love the new character Zebulon Sixkill in the book of that name. Sixkill seems to be filling in for Hawk who is off on a mission someplace. Wonder if someone will take over writing Spenser now that Parker is gone. Haven’t heard anything.

O.J.’s DA Marcia Clarke is turning her hand to writing fiction and this legal thriller is obviously well researched as DA Rachel Knight investigates the murder of her pal and associate Jake Pahlmeyer in Guilt by Association. Not exactly a page turner, but worth a read.

Meeting VZandri

2011-06-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

was an enlightening event. He spoke about ebook publishing from his vast experience with a list of successful ebooks on Amazon. I had some questions answered and enjoyed Zandri and his significant other, Gina, who is an art instructor at Saint Rose.

Reading this week included Lost by Michael Robotham (a British cop drama featuring Vincent Ruiz, who has sustained both a bullet wound and a case of amnesia about how he got shot).

J.A. Jance entertained with a good read about a cyber stalker who turns up dead with a long trail of duped women in his cyber stable. Ali tries to salvage her friend Brenda from a life of alcohol and suspicion of murder. Fatal Error.

Three Mysteries

2011-06-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Coming Back, a good Sharon McCone, by Marcia Muller. Sharon is recovering from a gunshot to the head and trying to get her life back with the help of the staff. Adah is kidnapped and Craig is beside himself with grief.

The Terror of Living by Urban Waite. Besides having a neat name, this author wrote a readable narrative, made interesting by the fact that the bad guy is really a pretty good guy and wins the sympathy of the sheriff pursuing him. Hey, he loves horses and he loves his wife.

On Borrowed Time by David Rosenfelt, the golden retriever guy. I think I love him. This is not an Andy/dog book but a very good stand alone novel about a guy who loses his fiancee - or, is he loseing his mind? I had a few doubts about the plot line, but really liked the story.

Shangri-La

2011-06-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

The success of Unbroken led me to explore more true WWII stories and I found this one - Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff. A transport plane crashes in the wilds of New Guinea with 24 US soldiers, including WACS, aboard. The three survivors - one beautiful, injured WAC, a burned man with a vicious head wound, and a lieutenant whose twin brother died in the crash, must survive in the uncharted and inaccessible jungle, surrounded by cannibals, until they are found and rescued. Totally good one. Complete with real pictures of naked women and men with penis gourds.

Trex Recommends

2011-06-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ghosts of War by Ryan Smithson, a Columbia High grad who went to Afghanistan as a 19 year old GI. Tristan really liked this and I learned from it. It was written in very simple language, explaining basic Army terms and abbreviations. Not too gory and sad in spots but not overwhelmingly so. I kept thinking it was a YA book, but it wasn't.

In return, I gave him Dave Pelzer's A Boy Called It and was very pleased that he zipped right through it. It is such a great story. He is now readinga Walter Dean Myers' war story about Fallujah which I brought him from the lib.

Joyce recommended a YA book that I also liked: Revolver by Marcus Sedgewick. Set at the turn of the century in Alaska, a teen must cope with the freezing death of his father and a murderous stranger who invades their small isolated home in the wilds.

Finally finished Love is the Best Medicine, a vet's story by Dr. Nick Trout. Sort of a "pick up and read a little now and then" kind of dog book.

I attempted to read Lisa Scottoline's bestseller Save Me and found it totally insipid, bad dialogue, improbable situations, unlikeable characters. A popcorn read for the brain dead. I abandoned it.

Mem Day Reading - two

2011-05-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Emily, Alone reinforces Stewart O'Nan creds as a master storyteller, one who takes an unfortunate backseat to such popular less talented writers such as Grisham. O'Nan has a unique ability to expound on subjects he couldn't possibly have experienced (as in a woman's perspective) as he does in this novel of an aging widow. It is a timely study as we Boomers are approaching this stage of our lives and excellently done.

I also read a little known nonfict account called Death in the Barrens by George Grinnell who, as a college student in the 50's completed a horrific, ill-fated canoe trip across Northern Canada. Not particularly well written but nevertheless very readable, I enjoyed it.

Albany, O Albany

2011-05-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

I always like novels set in the Capital District and this is no exception, made especially desirable by the fact that author Vincent Zandri will be here at the library in June. Zandri's new protagonist in the Concrete Pearl (yes, downtown Albany, Pearl Street)is Ava "Spike" Harrison, a tough-as-nails female construction company owner, battling to save her late father's business in the face of an asbestos scandal and murders. I love the references to the area - APL, Miss Albany Diner, etc., and the presence in the story of Tess and the Lark Tavern. Intend to ask how a writer goes about fictionalizing a real person, name and all. Permission? I read this on my Kindle and was distressed by the grammatical errors. Who to blame for that? I am eager to meet Vincent and ask some questions.

A Drop of the Hard Stuff

2011-05-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish I drank alcohol becuase I find this title particularly attractive. It is a Matt Scudder novel and a good one, as he approached his first year sober and finds him enmeshed in a complicated and threatening multiple killer investigation. Lawrence Block is a dependable writer and I like Scudder.

Not spectacular

2011-05-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

what the night knows - Dean Koontz Too supernatural for me. Cop and family assailed by the presence of a long-dead killer.
Crunch Time - Diane Mott Davidson Same old, same old.

Easy Reads for a Hard Week

2011-05-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sandra Brown is always a reliable storyteller and she came through with tough customer which was easy to get in and out of as I suffered from insomia and worried about my nephew. It was not only a killer/stalker tale, it was a neat love story with some echoes of my own life in it.

i'd know you anywhere is told in flashbacks, a technique I'm not fond of. The situation is: Elizabeth, kidnapped at 15, held for 6 weeks, released by abductor who has previously killed his victims. Twenty years passes, name change, marriage, two kids, Elizabeth starts recieving communications from the incarcerated killer. And, for reasons which the author (Laura Lippman) attempts to explain, the victim responds. I was not thrilled with this book on several levels.

However, I am pretty happy with Rebecca James' Beautiful Malice, although it also was told in flashbacks. A psychopathic "friend" exploits a young woman's guilt over the rape and murder of her younger sister. This "friend" is truly frightening and wrecks havoc in many lives. Read this in a matter hours. Can't find any more by this author, but I'll be watching.

Boys of the Dark

2011-04-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable true story of the Florida School for Boys in Marianna, FL - a house of horrors where children from 6 - 17 were hogtied, handcuffed, flogged, raped and murdered from its inception in 1900 through the 2000's. Many people were aware of what was happening there and no one cared enough to expose it and put a stop to it. Eventually the hidden graves of over 30 nameless boys were discovered in a nearby woods. This book was the collaboration of Robin Gaby Fisher and two of the survivors who were finally able to confront the impact their incarceration there as children had on their lives. A group of these men became known as the White House Boys, finally met, and were acknowledged as the victims of terrible atrocities for which no one was ever prosecuted.

See also my review of The Bone Yard, the fiction account which started me researching this story. (April 11 post)

Swamplandia

2011-04-27T07:08:00.001-07:00

This is a really weird story by Karen Russell. I got halfway through it, decided to abandon, then kept reading. Swamplandia is an alligator wrestling park owned by the Bigtree family who are not real Seminoles, but talked themselves into believing they are. Grandpa is in a home, mom who swims with alligators dies young, the tourists stop coming, son Kiwi runs off to the mainland, as does the Chief who just leaves his two girls alone on this creepy island in the Everglades where the 16 year old falls in love with a ghost and the younger one traipses off with a Bird Man to the underworld to look for her sister. Strangely engaging.

Fourth Day

2011-04-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Charlie Fox' love life is beginning to resemble that of Meredith and Derek on Grey's Anatomy and it is annoying me. If she and Sean don't stop this on again/off again business, I'm going to stop reading. Charlie is too riddled with issues. Zoe Sharp produces a very readable story, but there was something amiss in it for me that I can't quite put my finger on. It was refreshing that the "cult" leader Bane was not portrayed as a total wacko, but the character was not totally believable; the same could be said for truly heartless government agent, not that I have a problem believing in government evil. I always get confused with complicated double agents/double talk/double plots and this was like that.

Mystery - not

2011-04-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Kellerman has made a little too much "mystery" out of this mystery. The plot turns out to be a little far-fetched and not that interesting. Starts off nicely with Alex and Robin on a date night at an old hotel/nightclub and is very readable until the end disappoints. Milo reigns.

Smith's Tavern Contest

2011-04-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.altamontenterprise.com/Weekly%20Archives/2011/04-07-11/New%20Scotland1Tavern%20hosts%20contest.html

Florida Catch Up

2011-04-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

Did a lot of Florida reading on vacation, all on my Kindle, which proved a trusty traveling companion. I finished Unbroken (see separate post),The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson, and Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman. Jacobson was a new author for me and one I would read again. Lippman came through with a very good Tess Monoghan story.

Castle and Cannell

2011-04-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

I expressed my deep sorrow over the death of Stephen Cannell last fall and was delighted this week to hear him mentioned on the TV show Castle. Cannell made regular cameos on the show at Castle's Thursday night writer's poker game, whose players were Michael Connolly, James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, Cannell and Richard Castle. When a new writer attempted to take the empty seat at the game, Connolly informed him that was Cannell's chair and no one could sit in it (for at least one year). Made me smile.

Night Vision - Randy Wayne White

2011-04-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

Doc Ford is not normally a really exciting type of guy. This episode in his laid back Sanibel life proves to be loaded with extreme characters, and reveals more of the marine biologist's tough-guy background than ever before. Much of the book is about the "bad" guy Harris Squires, a 'roid rage bodybuilder who cooks meth and feeds dead bodies to his pet alligator. When Harris disappears with a twelve-year-old Guatemalan refugee who channels Joan of Arc, Ford's hippie friend Tomlinson urges their involvement in finding the girl. But...does she need rescueing?

Unbroken

2011-04-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Totally mindblowing non-fiction by Laura Hillenbrand. See Best Books entry.

The FIfth Witness

2011-04-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

I waited a long time for my name to come up on the list for this Michael Conolly courtroom drama starring Mickey Haller, Bosch's half brother.. Enjoyed every minute of it.

The Bone Yard

2011-04-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

It is amazing the amount of stuff I've learned from fiction books. This one by Jefferson Bass led me investigate the Florida Home for Boys, which was a real facility on the FL panhandle with a long history of abuse and murder of the young men in it's charge. I visited the Whitehouseboys.com webpage and found it crammed with accounts of this notorious institution. The book itself is a total page-turner.

TIck Tock

2011-03-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Mike Bennett. Cop. Widower. 10 kids, all adopted, one Irish nanny with whom he is falling in love, Irish grandfather. From his "vacation" on Long Island, Mike is running back and forth to Manhattan to deal with a sick, sick killer who is re-creating famous crimes of the past. Other complications include the arrival of his old romantic interest from the FBI and a family of bullies who are terrorizing his kids. Short chapters, likeable characters, fast moving, but not a deep read. Typical James Patterson who I keep vowing to stop reading.

The Night Season

2011-03-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

Kirkus is calling Chelsea Cain “the new queen of serial killer fiction” and I agree. Archie Sheridan remains the hero cop in this timely drama of the Willamette River flooding Portland, first uncovering, then complicating, the search for a man who kills in a weird and unusual way. I won't gvie it away but it is pretty scary. Archie’s friend Henry becomes the victim of an attack, as does pink-haired Susan the young reporter whose relationship with the older cop seems to be developing. Also entangled in the story is the appearance of a kidnapped boy and some survivors of a 1948 flood which wiped out most of another Wasington town. It is a great page-turner which wraps up all the loose ends in a satisfying manner.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

2011-03-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

This movie about street art was more enjoyable to me than Basquiat which I watched recently. The sensation generated by Thierry Guetta, a French filmaker who decided to become a graffitti artist, included the participation of Shepard Fairey who created the now famous Obama image and Banksy, the reclusive Brit whose work I love.

The Cat Dancers
P.J. Deuterman conjured up an out of the ordinary plot involving a conspiracy of men who set about rectifying the errors made by the justice system. Deputy Cam Richter ends up in the middle of it when his ex-wife, a judge, is murdered and he suspects his friend and co-worker Kenny Cox is part of the group. The cat dancers? Well, that's another whole aspect to the story which leads to an exciting denouement. Think mountain lions. And German Shepards.

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry (PhD.)
These are case histories from the shrink who debriefed the children of Waco, and others.

My Thoughts on Kindle

2011-03-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

I am currently loading up my Kindle with reading material to go to Florida. I can hardly imagine not having to lug an extra sack full of paperbacks on vacation. That alone is worth the price of the ereader. I probably won't have to recharge either as the battery seems to last a long time, 'tho I will try to remember to bring the charger. I only have the less expensive ($139) version, which is totally adequate as long as you are in a WiFi zone for the downloading.

I have subscribed to a free newsletter that brings me daily links to the latest free or very cheap book releases. Most of what I download is from Amazon, which is okay with with me because it is a very slick but useful and simple system.

When I first started using a Kindle, I sat in astonishment, watching as I chose a book (from Amazon)and saw it appear on the reader in the space of - oh, 30 seconds? It is truly amazing to me. One of my very first downloads was a favorite from 50 years ago - Seventeen by Booth Tarkington, which I reread immediately with such joy. I have paid the top rate (approx. 9.99 - 12.99) for only three purchases, a Jeffrey Deaver, a Michael Connolly and a Dennis Lehane, all of which were brand new and I really wanted. New releases are naturally priced up (still 1/2 the cost of hardcovers) and stay that way for a long time, altho another great bestseller, Water for Elephants, I saw recently discounted to $5. Note: jump on those free offers, as they are subject to change eventually. I downloaded a medical thriller which I see is now $2.99.

There is an abundance of free poetry from all the old standards (Whitman, Dickinson, Blake, etc); also thousands of classics - mine include The Call of the Wild, some Frederick Douglass and Mark Twain, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (another re-readable old favorite). And, a dictionary, a foreign language phrase book, and a Bible, all free. I even have tattoo books, complete with pictures (a word here - the color Nook is very nice, I have seen it, but not worth the considerable added expense as far as I am concerned. I just want the words, right?). Word games and puzzles are also frequently offered free; I have Scrabble, of course, although I don't often play as I'd rather read, but it's there if I want it.

I have discovered a number of good indie authors such as Vincent Zandri(Albany area crime writer - check him out)thru the reader's comments and recommendations, downloading only those with 4 1/2 or 5 stars. Always look to see how many reviews the rating is based on - a five star review is meaningless if three of the author's friends have sent in the comments. I balance this out with the publisher's plot description, being careful to look for buzz words such as "Christian", vampire, paranormal and "erotic", and I avoid anything that hints of silly romance. I am a die-hard true crime afficiando, with crime fiction a close second, and there is an abundance of this material readily accessible.

I now have 120 items downloaded with the one-click system (you need to set up an account on Amazon). The vast majority of these were free or 99 cents. You receive an email confirmation of your downloads and then the charges, if any, appear on your credit card.

As for the device itself, it does complicated things, setting up categories and lists, highlighting phrases, looking up words, keeping any notes you want to make. It does things I haven't even explored yet. The type size is adjustable for us old people and even without a backlight, there is no problem with seeing the screen. Inveterate bed-reader that I am, this has become a breeze, easy to hold and page turn and it goes to sleep by itself if I fall asleep first.

I have resisted buying the overly expensive protective covers, choosing instead to slide it into a flat, cloth zippered bag that I tie-dyed years ago, just to protect it from scratches in my purse and hopefully sand on the beach; I'll be testing that out soon. The artist in me desired a "skin", a thin adhesive veneer available in a multitude of colorful designs which sticks easily on the surface of the reader and makes it look attractive, if that is important to you. Mine is an exotic black and orange art deco design.

I wrote this because I have been asked so many questions about Kindles. Ereaders are taking over the publishing world and (I'm afraid) are the libraries of the future. Yes, I love the feel of a book in my hand, but, truly this is a wonderful innovation.

March 2011

Just Kids

2011-03-04T08:13:00.001-08:00

Truth told, I skipped chunks of this Patti Smith memoir for lack of time, but found it very readable and revealing. Her relationship with Robert Maplethorpe was poetic, strange and enduring.

Another Sheldon Russell

2011-03-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

HOUSE RULES by Jodi Picoult
An 18-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome is arrested for murder. For those like me who are unfamiliar with AS this story is an enlightening introduction to it. Told chapter by chapter from the viewpoints of Jacob, Emma his mother, Theo his brother, Oliver his lawyer and Richard the detective, it is a skillful and interesting portrait. It also leaves you hanging until the last page.

THE YARD DOG by Sheldon Russell
This is a follow up (actually a previous) book to The Insane Train. I really liked Hook and his colorful companions. There is a new girlfriend and a likeable moonshiner in this one involving the grisly train murder of a friend. Hook investigates the nearby camp housing German prisoners of war for the answers.

GONE by Mo Hayder
A car jacking becomes an abduction when police realize that the young girl sitting in the back seat has been targeted, and it turns out that she is not the first. Detective Jack Caffery and police diver Flea Marley are working to solve this series of deadly crimes, while Flea is trying to protect secrets of her own.

CUT by Cathy Glass
True tale of a young British couple with their first foster child, a thirteen-year-old with desperate problems.

THE SENTRY by Robert Crais
This was an excellent book. Joe Pike and Elvis Costello are one of the best working teams in the crime world. Their friendship is extraordinary and I get a kick out of the idea that Pike is invincible. In this one he loses his guarded heart to a con artist in the middle of a multimillion dollar drug scheme.

The Insane Train

2011-02-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

THE INSANE TRAIN by Sheldon Russell
I admit I read this one because I loved the title. Turned out to be a good choice. Hook (yes, he wears a prosthesis) Runyon is a yard dog, a railroad detective who lives in a caboose in a railyard in Needles, CA, and has trouble staying out of trouble himself. After a deadly fire at a mental institution, Hook is assigned to oversee the transport of the surviving patients, including some criminally insane and extremely dangerous, to an empty facility in Oklahoma. A headstrong hound dog, a freckled nurse, a prostitute and a few WWII vets/hobos add to the flavor of this top notch 1940s tale.

I am now reading at least four books, all moderately interesting, none of which is enthralling me.

Just got ILLed the Mark Twain bio. Good Lord, it is humungous and tiny type. Not gonna bother. Too many books, too little time.

The Color of Lightening

2011-02-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

***THE COLOR OF LIGHTNING by Paulette Jiles
Excellent post Civil War fact-based story of Britt Johnson, a black man whose family was captured by the Kiowa. This was one of Suzanne’s book discussion picks and it was very, very good.

A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY by Lauren Grodstein
Another good one involving two families whose friendship is derailed when Pete’s son falls in love with Joe’s daughter, the daughter who murdered her newborn and left it in a bathroom.

THE BRAVE by Nicholas Evans
Close to a popcorn book, with a mostly predictable plot , this is rescued by a couple of shocking twists, present to past timing leaps and a good storyteller. Tommy starts the story as a cowboy-obsessed English lad and grows into the role of father of a young serviceman accused of horrible war crimes in Iraq. Not heavy-duty, but worth reading.

**ROSE IN A STORM by Jon Katz
Katz lives on a farm in upstate New York and has written many books, fiction and non, about his life with dogs. Rose is a remarkable dog and Katz demonstrates a remarkable ability to get inside her head and think dog thoughts. Rose’s “work” is herding and when a monster snowstorm hits and her farmer is injured, Rose must care for the animals on her own. A wonderful story.

NAKED CRUELTY by Colleen McCullough
Suddenly remember this name as the author of The Thorn Birds (many years ago) and was surprised to see it was the same woman. This book not even close in quality. This is a police story, a strange mix of English/Australian spellings and phrases in an American setting. It is a mixup of several crimes and departmental politics without delving deeply into any of it.

ORIGINS OF THE SPECIOUS by Patricia O’Conner
Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language

JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT: The Radiant Child DVD

TILL I END MY SONG: A Gathering of Last Poems edited by Harold Bloom
Good short bios of all the writers along with one poem from each.

Finishing out the year with 100

2011-02-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

Made it to the century mark for 2010.

PAINTED LADIES by Robert Parker
Spenser dialogue kills again. Parker’s the best. But Hawk is missing.

****EMMA’S ROOM by Emma Donoghue
Excellent. Fascinating. Different approach to an unusual situation. Mostly related through the eyes of a five-year-boy who has never experienced the world outside the garden shed where he has been imprisoned with his young mother since before his birth.

SANTA FE EDGE by Stuart Woods
This was a little confusing because of all the hopping around the country on private planes with pilots named Bart and Teddy and Todd. Also, all the bad guys got away with a lot of clever stuff and were left unpunished. No main protagonist to root for.

MOONLIGHT MILES by Dennis LeHane (Kindle)
Lehane doesn’t disappoint. Patrick and Angie going on with their lives.

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
This is the hiker who chopped off his arm.

BROKEN by Karen Slaughter
Will Trent again. A dyslexic FBI agent?

The NAKED LADY WHO STOOD ON HER HEAD
by Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan
A psychiatrist’s stories of his most bizarre cases. Interesting final story on his mentor whose 183 IQ is assaulted by Alz.

SECRET HISTORIAN by Justin Spring (Life and times of Samuel Steward)
Huge book, quite fascinating, very sexual (homo-), but slow read. May buy it.

DEATH ON THE D-LIST by Nancy Grace
Much like her tv show, blah.

THE EDGE by Jeffery Deaver (Kindle)
Board gamer Corte plays deadly mind games with a heavy “lifter”, determined to kidnap and torture a police officer for information.

PRETTY LITTLE THINGS by Jilliane Hoffman
This was more than good. A cyberspace monster trolling for girls on the internet, kidnapping, murder and a FDLE agent with a missing teenage daughter. Solid read.

(95)

I returned a lot of stuff unread or partially read today. Is it me or is it the writers?

FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King
Short stories which I liked in varying degrees. King is a master of observing the human condition.

IN THE DARK by Brian Freeman
Jonathan Stride takes a sentimental, and torturous, journey through his youth and marriage, recreating the 30 year-old murder of his late wife’s sister. Too many suspects, too much pain. Good one.

the last time I saw you by Elizabeth Berg
Berg (who I met many years ago at a reading she did in Albany), author of Talk Before Sleep and other good ones, comes through again in her thoughtful way. Great characterization, reflections on life, at the approach of a 40-year class reunion. I have to be in the mood for Berg, but when I am she doesn’t disappoint.

OUTWITTING TROLLS by William Tapply
Seems fitting that I should end the year with the final book from Tapply, who has been a consistently reliable writer of engaging stories. It is the last Brady Coyne novel and it was a good one as the lawyer addresses the murder of an old friend, but leaving unresolved the conflicts in his love life.

Farewell Stephen Cannell

2010-11-03T17:56:00.001-07:00

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.

Apes and other animals

2010-09-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

APE HOUSE by Sara Gruen
Gruen, who wrote the wonderful Water for Elephants, has proved that she is not a one-book wonder. This well researched novel about the language studies being done with bonobos (great apes) is fascinating and well plotted. The exploitation of the animals is heart wrenching and the descriptions of their lives and interactions is amazing and touching.

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.

DOG TAGS by David Rosenfelt
I just love these dog-involved crime stories. Andy Carpenter is a great character, as are Willie, Stanton, Laurie and others. Love Tara the golden, of course, and in this one Milo and Billy. Rosenfelt has a great writing style and treats his subjects much more gently than, for example Jeffery Deaver.

COMPULSIVE HOARDING and the meaning of things
by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee
Interesting case studies which include the Collyer brothers (of Marcia Davenport renown and one of my teenage favorites) and sheds some light on the psychology.

****STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova
This was a weeper for me. A 50-year-old Harvard professor loses her mind to Alzheimer’s in a painful journey that she herself documents. I am impressed with the author’s ability to see Alice and her disease from the inside out. I am also frightened for my future.

STAR ISLAND by Carl Hiaasen
Insanity reigns in this new Hiaasen Florida adventure, complete with the crazy former governor now known as Skink and an assortment of absurd characters - papparazi, bodyguards, agents and parents – whose lives revolve around a drug and booze addicted young rock star. Cherry Pye, formerly known as Cheryl Bunterman, can’t sing and passes out sexual favors indiscriminately, teetering hourly on the brink of disaster. Sounds eerily reflective of today’s rock scene.

ROLLING THUNDER by Chris Grabenstein
Very readable story about SHPD officers John Ceepak and Danny Boyle embroiled in a seaside murder and sex ring in their small tourist town.

SAVAGES by Don Winslow
Anti-heroes “Stan” vet Chon and “save the world” Ben are major marijuana growers who resist a bloody takeover by the Baja Cartel and try to rescue their shared girlfriend O. This guy has a different approach to dialogue. Short, choppy, dangling sentences. Somehow thoughtful in a violent way. Supposed to be a hot author.

THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US by Charles Martin
This was a surprise. First, this story had no villains, which is way out of the ordinary for me. Second, it was labeled Christian Fiction, which I would have avoided had I noticed it. Turned out to be a good story of two strangers stranded in the wilderness after a small plane crash. It was a page turner with a twisted and touching ending.

The Wild Zone

2010-09-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone is watching the "wild" men in this one when they should be watching the wild women. Kristin the sexy bartender and Suzy the meek fragile damsel in distress - are they manipulating the men in their lives? The wife-beating bully, the Afghan vet, the charmer and his half brother all have their roles in this tale with a twist. This is not the Joy Fielding I remember from years ago. Good story, good characters.

If anyone out there is buying a baby present and has a wicked sense of humor, I just bought Baby's First Tattoo at The Book House. Hilarious book "for modern parents" who want to record strange events in their new child's life. Love it.

Also breezed through Adland by aa journey thru out branded world. I am fascinated with advertising, but th did not hold my interest.

Hoarding
Still Alice

This one deserves its own post

2010-08-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

RESCUE INK is the fascinating story of a dozen or so burly tattooed Harley riders linked by their love of animals and their committment to animal rescue. Obviously, my cup of tea on several fronts. The cover of the book is an eyecatcher as these massive men are shown in various poses with baby kittens and dogs. Background info is provided on the guys themselves and touching stories about the animals - which include horses, ducks, pigs, birds, as well as cats and dogs - and the rescues. There is a lot of testosterone flowing here and crude humor underwritten with an amazing love of animals. What they do and how they do it is unorthodox and often made up on the spot and includes a fair degree of intimidation if necessary to save an animal from abuse. Based in Long Island, the guys travel by bike, van and plane wherever they are called, and are particularly good at and willing to track down stolen dogs. The organization is growing fast in only two years of existence and has been profiled on national TV. Google them. I loved it.

My Hero, JLB

2010-08-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

THE GLASS RAINBOW by James Lee Burke
For Robicheaux fans, this was take-your-breath-away. Dave’s relationship with Alafair was particularly interesting to me, as he tries to protect her from a new romance. Clete was his stalwart, quirky, complicated self and their friendship a thoughtful highlight to the story. A real tour du force for JLB.

INNOCENT by Scott Turow
Can you have too much character development. Good courtroom scenes, but complicated emotional issues. Rusty Sabich again on trial for a woman’s murder, this time his wife. To complicate things further, his son is falling in love with Rusty’s ex-mistress.

HELL GATE by Linda Fairstein
This got way too political for me and I abandoned it.

SIZZING SIXTEEN by Janet Evanovich
Stephanie and Lula are trying to come up with $1,000,000 to rescue/ransom their boss Vinnie who is in deep trouble on a number of fronts. Craziness prevails, as usual. The original popcorn read. The multitudes of Stephanie Plum fans are gonna love it.

HAZARD by Gardiner Harris
This was a different setting for a mystery: the coal mines in Appalachian Kentucky. I learned a lot about mining operations, inundations, methane, ventilation, maps and other details (not that I always wanted to know). The most interesting aspect was the attitude of the owners, inspectors and workers, which is to protect the operations at all costs and make the most money.

THE BURNING WIRE by Jeffery Deaver
I have such admiration for Deaver’s skills as a researcher, as well as a raconteur. The forensic details in all the Lincoln Rhyme books are amazing. I don’t know how one man could know so much without spending hours in the field or in the library. Electricity as a weapon was the subject of this caper and I certainly learned things, some frightening, others worrisome. There was a surprise at the end of this one concerning the players, but I won’t give it away.

DAMAGED by Alex Kava
Rescue swimmer Liz Bailey recovers a cooler from the Gulf of Mexico filled with body parts. FBI agent Maggie O’Dell and her new squeeze are called in on two different cases which turn out to be connected to the lucrative business of selling body parts. This was a good one revolving (bad pun) around a major hurricane which hits Pensacola, FL.

ICE COLD by Tess Gerritsen
Excellent, excellent, even some real suspense in this one about Maggie Isles and Jane Rizzoli, who, my daughter informs me, are the heroines of a TNT television show. At a medical convention during a Wyoming winter, Maggie heads off on a spur of the moment ski excursion with some acquaintances and ends up snowbound and stalked in a deserted cult community.

THE DEVIL AMONG THE LAWYERS by Sharon McCrumb
This was really different. Learned a lot about reporting in the days before TV, the philosophy of which is still true today. Print journalists follow a murder story in the Appalachian Mountains in which the accused is a beautiful young schoolteacher and the dead man is her father.

Movies:

THE COVE Excellent documentary on dolphin massacre in Japan

THE WHITE RIBBON Waste of time, no conclusion, subtitled

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE (Jeremy Irons, yes!) Quite fascinating bio, loved Irons

UP IN THE AIR (George Clooney, Sam Elliott) Mildly good

Oscar and more in June

2010-06-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

The THIRD RAIL by Michael Harvey
Despite prominently displayed accolades by Michael Connelly and John Grisham, I didn’t find this crime novel to be above average. Standard cop turned PI, working with the FBI on sniper shootings on Chicago’s El, all relating to his own background.

MINDLESS EATING
Some thought provoking stuff in here. You can lose weight by just cutting 100 calories per day. Seems like next to nothing.

LUCID INTERVALS by Stuart Woods
More mindless Stone Barrington antics, lightened by the inclusion of colorful Herbie Fisher.

The POACHER’S SON by Paul Doiron
Some meat in this one. A game warden in the Maine woods attempts to insert himself into the investigation for murder of his estranged father, jeopardizing his job, his life and his relationships.

SICK LIKE THAT by Norman Green
After PI Mary Stiles gets shot and paralyzed, two very different women team up to carry on his practice: Alessandra the ass-kicking Brooklyn girl and Sarah the meek receptionist. Not bad.

212 by Alafair Burke
I hate to complain because I love this woman’s father, but she just doesn’t compare to him when it comes to crime fiction. Not a bad read, but lacking his depth and descriptive powers.

GONE TIL NOVEMBER by Wallace Stroby
Deputy Sara Cross goes to the wall for her lover and former partner Billy Flynn in a questionable shooting death. Good character study of the good guys and bad.

MAKING ROUNDS WITH OSCAR by David Dosa, M.D.
This is not a cat book but a lose-your-loved-one-to-dementia-in-a-nursing-home book. The tears flowed from beginning to end. One of the best Alzheimer's memoirs I've read. Spot on.

MOVIE:

Crazy Heart DVD
Down ‘n’ out c/w singer (perfectly played by Jeff Bridges in Rounds with Oscar themovie) loses his life in the bottle and trails down the road knowing he will never reclaim the glory.

Burning Wire

2010-06-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

I have such admiration for Jeffery Deaver’s skills as a researcher, as well as a raconteur. The forensic details in all the Lincoln Rhyme books are amazing. I don’t know how one man could know so much without spending hours in the field or in the library. Electricity as a weapon was the subject of this caper and I certainly learned things, some frightening, others worrisome. There was a surprise at the end of this one concerning the players, but I won’t give it away.

Finished a true oldie called WITHOUT MERCY by Gary Provost - a bizarre case in Florida in the 80's about the murder of a gay businessman and, subsequently, his elderly mother. The murderers took over the man's identity, his restaurant, his home, sold all his property and assets, and managed to get away with this for many months. The woman involved - a mother, a waitress, a very well-liked person - was sorely messed up and never considered herself a killer. Either the woman was an accomplish actress, utterly stupid or just plain constantly drunk,but in any case you have little sympathy for her. She died on death row. Intriguing study of human foibles. Provost is good.

DECEPTION by Jonathan Kellerman
There is no shortage of suspects when prep school teacher Elise Freeman is “iced” in her home bathroom and secrets of her life and background begin to emerge. Dr. Alex Delaware seems to be more of the sidekick to colorful detective Milo Sturgis in recent books, rather than the intrepid hero.

FALSE CONVICTIONSby Tim Green
Books were piling up and I didn’t feel compelled to finish this before moving on.

JUST LIKE FAMILY by Tasha Blaine
Inside the Lives of Nannies, the Parents They Work for and the Children They Love – pretty much sums it up. Followed three specific nannies. I learned some things. More than I wanted to know about the Nanny Association. Medium read.

Down and Out of it.

2010-05-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

Just finishing my fourth Memorial Day weekend book. I have traveled no farther than between the bedroom and the deck for three straight days. The only time I've been without a book in hand is when the leash was in it. Okay, so I'm depressed, but I've done some good reading. I reached for an old friend - Jack Reacher in Lee Child's new 61 Hours. It was a barn burner and I raced through it. A bus trip halted by a mad winter storm strands Jack in a small South Dakota town in the midst of a good cop/bad cop scenario,a mysterious army installation, bikers and meth, a prison riot, a Mexican sadist and a stalwart old lady trying to do the right thing. An inferno of an ending leaves Jack's fate in doubt.

John Sandford'sStorm Preyfinds Lucas Davenport's surgeon wife Weather on the hit list after she glimpses the face of a killer. The intrigue heats up when another doctor is implicated in the robbery of the hospital pharmacy and death of a brave attendant. Weather meanwhile refuses to take precautions because of her participation in a rare proceedure necessary to separate conjoined twins. Where is Virgil Flowers when a real woman wants him?

Should be finished in the next hour with The Burial Place by Brian Freeman which I started this morning. Obviously a good read, involving a missing baby and a string of grisly murders, interesting cops, bad marriages.

Also finished today the Scent of a Dog by search and rescue trainer Susannah Charleson who adopts her own Golden Retriever puppy to train in the SAR field. Loved the dog relationship insights as well as the details of SAR ops.

Spent some time with The Essential Rumi, poet of love and separation. I'm feeling it. Working my pile down. Not manageable yet, but if I don't leave the house for another month or so, maybe.

Army Doc

2010-05-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have a soft spot for military doctors and, although he is now a veteran suffering from PTSD and manning a mobile street hospital in D.C., Nick Garrity is a winning hero. Nick is carrying on a search for his best bud who saved his life in Afghanistan in the same disastrous suicide mission that killed Nick's fiancee. After four years, a slim clue surfaces that might lead him to his friend, and by following it, Nick and psych nurse Jillian Coates are embroiled with a psychopath in a complicated medical murder plot. The Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer was a thriller that delivered.

Crazy Heart

2010-05-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

I love this title. It resonated with me before I even knew what the book was about. No, I haven't seen the movie, but I can see why they made a movie based on it and I imagine it is good. Thomas Cobb's Bad Blake is the quintessential c/w singer boozing his way through the honky-tonks and his life. I don't know if it is stereotypical or true to life but it certainly hits all the right buttons. Gritty and colorful and sad.

The Autobiography of an Execution by David Dow recounts true experiences of a lawyer who handles only death row appeals. Not meaty enough for me.

The Way We Get By (dvd-documentary)investigates the lives and motivations of the veterans and other greeters at the Bangor, Maine airport who bid hello and goodbye to the military personnel on their way back and forth to combat.

Our Lady of Immaculate Deception by Nancy Martin is a weak imitation of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. Didn’t finish it.

Saving Gracie by Carol Bradley is a heartbreaker and hopefully an eye-opener for pet lovers. True stories of puppy mills and one Cavalier King Charles spaniel who was rescued from a life of breeding. Informative, but tough to stomach.

How To Raise the Perfect Dog by Cesar Millan
This book was not very helpful and Millan is a jerk.

Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas After reading The Rainmaker I’m beginning to fall for these sappy tearjerkers as a pleasant way to waste an afternoon. In 1920’s Colorado mining town, kids are killed in an avalanche; this recounts their parent’s sad backstories leading up to the tragedy.

A Thousand Cuts by Simon Lelic
Didn’t like it, didn’t finish.

Deep Shadows

2010-04-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

This slam-bang thrill ride is the latest Doc Ford adventure by Randy Wayne White and I'm voting for best. Ford, sidekick Tomklinson, tough old Arlis Futch and a troubled Indian teenager leave Sanibel Island on an inland expeditiuon to search for Batista's missing treasure at the bottom of a Florida lake. What they find there is danger and deadly when they encounter a pair of runaway felons and a lake full of mysterious creatures. 90% of the story unfolds in a two-hour time span, much of it underwater and every minute of it perilous. Lots of info about scuba diving and marine biology. I could hardly put this one down.

Also watched The Way We Get By about the veterans who greet the incoming and outgoing troops at the Bangor Airport. It was sad and touching and heartwarming. I hate the war, but bless those young men and women - and these elderly people who are determined to make them feel appreciated.

I can write poetry.

2010-04-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

The New Poet Laureate of Smith's Tavern, wearing my crown.

Wine Country

2010-04-25T19:45:00.002-07:00

Erica Spindler wrote a good one here in Blood Vines, a whodunit set in the CA wine country and beginning with the discovery of a 25-year-old body - of an infant uncovered in an old grape planting. Plenty of suspects, secrets and motives. Fast read.

The Vogels

2010-04-25T19:45:00.001-07:00

Herb and Dorothy (dvd - documentary)
Off the book record, I watched Dorothy and Herb today, a documentary about the librarian and postal clerk who married in the 60’s and starting buying cheap art. The Vogels became legends in the art world as their collection of modern art grew to astronomical proportions. They eventually donated the priceless collection to the National Gallery (which could not accommodate the entire body of works). Truly an interesting tale for the art appreciator. Also cat lovers, they Vogels had a flame point Himalayan who was so like my Oliver it brought tears to my eyes. I could feel my hands caressing him. Truly interesting story.

Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman
Although this got good reviews, I found it to be plodding. I started because of the subject matter – two eleven year-olds who kidnap and murder an infant – and finished just to find out why they had done it, but it was disappointing.

Never Look Away by Linwood Barkley

2010-04-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

I raced through this one, too. David Harwood's wife Jan disappears on a trip to a Lake George amusement park (6 Flags?)and his steadfast love for her makes him oblivious to the mounting evidence that not only was she not who she appeared, but that she skillfully framed him for her murder. THis plot was cleverly constructed, out of the ordinary, and ties up all the loose ends successfully. It was a true thriller and a non-stop rainy day read. I never did wash the kitchen floor.

30+ on tap

2010-04-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am such a book hog. I have 30 - yes, more than 30 - books checked out to read, a mix of fiction and non-fiction, true crime and poetry, history, political, health and eating, dogs, favorite authors, recommends. I can't seem to pass one by. I am so afraid that someone else might grab something that looks interesting and I'd miss out somehow on reading it, that I just keep checking out and checking out. I am a madwoman. Well, this is the weekend I must sort and return all but the most desirable. COntrol, control.

Finally got and quickly read Vincent Zandri's Moonlight Falls. He has a strong new protagonist, Richard Moonlight(!), an ex-cop in trouble with the cops after an illicit sex affair with the alluring and beautiful Scarlet Montana, his ex-cop boss' now dead wife. Was it suicide, accident, did Moonlight kill her, or did the husband? Zandri writes very readable prose, full of twists and turns and set right here in good old Smallabany, which is fun. Zandri seems to be making ripples to a much larger audience than ever. Lots of promotion and good press going on.

Also finished Caught, another fast read by Harlan Coban who is the best at crime fiction. An attractive television reporter, a widow with an engaging teenage son, is being upstaged by a younger rival and then fired after outing a pedophile on national tv. The cops are investigating him in the disappearance of a high school girl when he is beaten and murdered and Wendy begins to question his guilt. The plot thickens, as they say, with the introduction of the Father's Club, a group of unemployed guys who hang out at a coffeshop. Everybody has secrets. Nobody writes a more entertaining tale than Coban. Whipped through this one and want more.

No Golden Retrievers

2010-04-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

David Rosenfelt, my Andy Carpenter/golden retriever guy has produced a winner with another protagonist, Chris Turley, a newspaper journalist who is suddenly catapulted into the limelight when targeted by a madman to be the recipient of the killer's communications. But is there a special reason why Chris was chosen? Is there a connection between them that no one can figure out? Chris finds the FBI is doubting his veracity and considering that he might be the killer. As the reign of terror continues unchecked, Chris' life comes literally Down to the Wire.

Also really enjoyed Liar's Anonymous. Jessie Dancing, living under an alias, is one of the voices on an auto GPS system. When she answers an emergency call, she hears a frightening plea for help. Then the man in the car is found murdered, and because Jessie has been tried and acquited of a murder she actually committed, she becomes a suspect in the investigation.

Steven Cannell and James T. Hall

2010-03-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

When Shane Scully was growing up abandoned in Huntington House, Walter "Pop" Dix became the closest thing to a father he would know. Early mornings at the beach, Dix would shepherd six youngsters out into the surf and give them life lessons along with teaching them how to ride the waves. Scully grew up to lead a successful life as a police detective with a smart, beautiful wife and a great son, but, ashamed of his painful beginnings, turned his back on the early years and the love he felt for the man who meant so much to him. When he learned that Pop had committed suicide, Scully was overwhelmed with remorse and guilt, especially when he found out that Dix had requested that Scully be one of his pallbearers. The other chosen five turn out to be colorful and well drawn characters whose determination to prove Pop's death was not a suicide bonds them in a fast moving plot. Stephen Cannell has been one of my favorite authors for years and I raced through this novel with characteristic enthusiasm. The Pallbearers is a definite winner.

I love Florida mysteries and I am fond of James Hall’s protagonist Thorn and his trusty sidekick Sugarman, a black/white relationship similar to Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk. Thorn is abducted from his own ranch and spends a portion of the book trapped in a deserted pit terrorized by a pair of psychotics, resulting from his philanthropic attempt to designate a huge tract of Florida land as forever wild while Sugar and Thorn’s woman Rusty try to track him down. The Silencer is well worth a read.

I have read other Tami Hoags

2010-03-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

but don't remember enjoying them as much as this one, Deeper than the Dead. Kept me guessing til almost the end. Semi-retired FBI profiler falls for school teacher involved in a gruesome set of torture murders when some of her students find a body. Suspects include some of the kids' parents, including a bad cop. Family secrets unfold and the kids are traumatized. Very readable.

Trying to catch up

2010-03-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

I'll never catch up, but here are the good vacation books I just read in FLorida. More Vincent Zandri, Albany author with a great PI named Jack Marconi, plots good stories in familiar locations which I like. In Godchild, Marconi accepts the challenge of rescuing a beautiful journalist from a Mexican prison in the hopes that it is a connection to the man who killed his wife. Drug running, double crossing, and danger ensue to a satisfying and surprise conclusion. You can keep track of Zandri on Facebook and at local book signings of his newest book Moonlight Falls, which I haven't read yet.
Sailed through Dirt by Sean Doolittle, an author I learned about through Marcus Sakey (one of my new favorite who you can also follow on FB). This one starts off with a bang and never lets you off the hook as it romps through an expose of the funeral industry and its chicanery. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Involuntary Madness was more difficult to get through. Written by Nora VIncent, the lesbian who fed you the male perspective on women and dating by disguising herself and living as a guy for over a year and writing about it in Self-Made Man. Vincent subsequently suffered a breakdown and writes of her several committments to mental health facilities. Interesting. Enlightening. Depressing.
Finally got around to reading Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, which I had been meaning to read for years. It was a lighthearted gavort through the life of an empty-headed and superficial financial writer who can't control her own finances. I was quite fascinated by the woman's thought processes as she rewards herself with chocolate biscuits, lattes and cashmere sweaters, both to celebrate happy occasions and cheer herself up through hard times. Perfect beach read because you can doze off in the middle and not miss much. Don't think I'll waste time on another Kinsella, but this one was fun.
The last one I read on the plane home was another winner. PJ Parish, who is actually a pair of sisters, tempted me into buying The Little Death (we all know what that is, don't we?. It sucked me right in and I read straight thru getting my roots touched up today. The snooty women of Palm Beach are screwing the beach boys while their husbands are out making the big bucks. Problem: the gigolos are turning up dead in nasty ways, and three down-and-out investigators are attempting to solve the crimes. It was a great read and I am now going to finish the last chapter before bed and back to work tomorrow.

Something worth reviewing

2010-02-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, at last a book worth writing about - The First Rule by Robert Crais. I love Joe Pike and Elvis Cole and they have help in this one from Jon Stone, also a good character. Pike is out for revenge when his old mercenary friend Frank Meyer is murdered in his own home with his entire family. Altho he has not seen Frank in twelve years, the old loyalties are strong. The story leads to a complex web of intrigue which involves a Serbian mob, a kidnapped baby, a shipment of illegal guns and the mystery man responsible for the deaths, villain Michael Darko. The action is fast and Pike is superb, as always, and demonstrates an usual tenderness for the kidnapped boy. After two months of mediocre reading, finally a good one.

I just remembered Rainwater by Sara Dallas which I did read earlier this year and loved. It was a memorable book about a single mother in the 1930s who takes in a remarkable boarder who changes her life and the life of her autistic son.

A Couple in December

2009-12-20T05:04:00.000-08:00

Relentless struck me as kind of a Christmas story although the holiday is not mentioned in the novel. Grady Adams and his Irish wolfhound Merlin discover a pair of unidentifiable creatures in a meadow near their home. When the pair appear to be stalking their house, Grady calls his friend, the local vet, to find out what they are, and finds her as baffled as he is. Unfortunately for all, the idiots at Homeland Security catch wind of the amazing creatures and launch a full out takeover, endangering the future of what is the discovery of the millenium. This is not Koontz' best writing, some iffy and seemingly irrelevant subplots, but real suspenseful moments and an imaginative and delightful tale. I vote yes.

I also just read the new bio by - yes - Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan) with a collaborator whose name I can't remember. Fascinated as I have been for over 30 years with the professional wrestling world, I was very interested in the private persona of this mega superstar and this seemed to be a fairly honest portrayal of his, including his drug and steroid usage, and his failings as a father. It was enlightening and a real easy read. My confession here includes that I have also read the bio of Mick Foley, aka Mankind, and found that quite astonishing.

I could elevate my reading matter a little, I guess, as I have Rainwater, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Three Cups of Tea all sitting on my coffee table waiting for me, but I am distracted with other things such as online shopping. I am waiting for the coffee to brew and must get on with the Christmas wrapping.

Two good ones

2009-11-22T15:55:00.001-08:00

I love Andy Carpenter because Andy loves dogs and all the books are dog-centered. Andy is a rich lazy lawyer who is forced to accept a pro-bono case involving the custody of a show quality (and endearingly rascally) Bernese Mountain dog. It turns into a murder whodunit when one of the combatants is exploded and the other, her stepson, is accused of killing her. New Tricks is the name of this book, but any of the David Rosenfelt series is good, light and very readable. Andy's girlfriend, Jen, also plays a role in this one when she is shot and nearly dies when playing with the dog.

Smokey Barrett, the detective badly scarred from the encounter with a killer who murdered her beloved husband and daughter a few books ago, is right on with another serial kidnapping/lobotomizing killer who preys on men in chat rooms who hate their wives. One of the wives, who has been missing for 8 years, is dumped out of a car on the beach where Smokey is celebrating her friend Callie's wedding. Good plotting and a reassuring love story as Smokey's future begins to look brighter. Cody MacFadyen is a more serious and in-depth writer than Rosenfelt and I love Smokey and her cast of characters. Title is Abandoned.

Also in the middle of a good tattoo book called Ink. I learning a lot.

November drags on

2009-11-14T05:57:00.000-08:00

Boy, this tattoo business has really cut down on my reading time. I'm going to tattoo Lauren's butterfly today. It is raining and dreary. Eli doesn't even want to go out. The siding guys just picked up their tools and left. I guess there's no work going on today. It's a good reading day.

The Last Child was a good one, my daughter particularly loved it, with an out-of-the-ordinary plot, interesting characters and action, a good cop, bad cop, abusive lover, a messed up teenager, an abducted 12-year old, a little love story and pedophilia, if you can stomach that.

I also read the newest Sara Paretsky, Hardball, which is a V.I. Warshawski, mixing politics, a civil rights murder and a black man who has been missing since the 60's, who Vic is searching for on behalf of his dying aunt. Paretsky is one of those writers who do not continuously churn out popcorn books, which leads to more thoughtful plots and descriptions. And smaller print. Not good for reading in bed.

Now reading about a bombing in the Mall of America with heroine Maggie O'Donnell, which I am enjoying, although I find the short chapters and back and forth settings a little disconcerting. Maybe I'll get back under the covers this afternoon and try to finish it. I have a real pileup of books waiting for me. Brought home Three Cups of Tea on the strong recommendation of Suzanne.

I'm bad

2009-11-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

Not even going to try to catch up on the month of reading I've missed blogging. The last two weeks have been all tattoo school. I've read one book - Nine Dragons, which took Harry Bosch to Singapore to rescue his daughter Maddie. Eleanor, his ex, is killed. Love Michael Connelly but this was not one of my favorites, don't know why. I can't even remember the others, altho I know there was at least one good one. I'll think of it. Oh, I guess it was Robert Parker's new Spenser, The Professional. Now started The Last Child, about an unusual kid trying to find his abducted sister who has been missing for a year.

Hunter Thompson

2009-09-26T10:28:00.001-07:00

I've been really bad about blogging my reads. Busy, busy, but no excuse. It's been so long, I've forgotten half of what I've been reading. I did another Chelsea Cain, Evil at Heart, continuing Gretched Lowell's wicked pursuit of poor Archie, who is in a mental health facility recovering from more torture. And it goes on. My good book for today is Hell's Angels by Hunter Thompson, which I tracked down following the Gonzo movie. All you ever wanted to know about the group circa the 60's when Thompson spent a year in their midst. Lots of interesting stuff, both confirming and refuting the wild tales that have circulated about them. My daughter spent last weekend at a motorcycle convention in the Catskills and told me some good stories, piqued my curiosity. I now want to find an update, wondering how the group has changed in the new century.

A Movie P.S.

2009-08-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Also this weekend, between following the coverage of the Kennedy funeral which I found sad and moving, I sandwiched in two dvds. The first was Gonzo, the bio of Hunter S. Thompson. I don't generally do biographies, but was curious about him because my 20-year-old grandson read his book about the Hells Angels and has been talking about him. Thompson was a manic, freaky, creative, doomed journalist who hung out with both the HAs and the Merry Pranksters in the 60s. It was a good way to pass a very rainy afternoon.

After Gonzo, I watched Before the Fall, which I had brought home from the library and was thinking about returning unwatched. What changed my mind was another grandson. This one, at age twelve, had watched it and told me how good it was (despite the subtitles). He was right. A German teenager in 1942 runs away from home and forges his father's signature on the application to a school which trains young men to fight for the Fatherland. The young man is a talented boxer who is eagerly welcomed into the organization. His zeal and naivity is soon compromised by the life he is forced to live and the lessons he is expected to accept without question. It is both a hope and a tragedy.

Child 44

2009-08-30T12:58:00.001-07:00

I almost rejected this book before I started it. I admit it - I have trouble with Russian names. I ploughed my way through all the Russian classics as a young woman and enjoyed them tremendously. After that, I (unconsciously?) avoided them because the names confuse me. Child 44 reminded me of that. How glad I am that I did not let it deter me, because once I got into it, I was mesmerized. Set in the period of Stalin's iron-handed rule and prodigiously researched by this first time novelist, Tom Rob Smith, I was surprised at what I learned that I did not realize. This author was gifted in his ability to draw the reader into the thought processes of the era and characters, whose lives were so controlled by the State that it made Hitler's Germany look mild by comparison. Child 44 is, among other things, a murder mystery. Scores of children have been victim to a serial killer, a fact that the government refuses to acknowledge because there is no such crime in a police state. The murders are all explained away as aberrations. One man refuses to conform to this belief, however, and his loses the life that he has worked for and valued because he fights to prove the truth. It is an amazing story, made more so by the idea that this kind of thinking exists and is promulgated by those in authority, who have such control over the lives of their citizens. It left me open-mouthed in places and even a little frightened. It is a story well worth reading, although, yes, I did struggle in spots to keep the characters straight.

CJ Box and Linwood Barclay

2009-08-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

If you are a fan of Joe Pickett, the game warden hero, you'll recognize April, his foster child, who was killed. Well, April appears to have turned up in Zero Down via text message to Joe's daughter Sheridan and the whole family wants to find her, if indeed, she exists. How could this have happened? Good question and it seems pretty unlikely, but the story is good and very readable as always. Joe's friend, the fugitive falconer Nate, is part of the action, as well as a pitiable bad guy, and his despicable son, who has taken a young blonde runaway under his wing. Is it April?

I should add Barclay to my list of authors to watch as he has written some good ones. Another disappearing daughter, this time Tim Blakes's 17-year-old Sydney. While staying with her divorced dad for the summer, Tim discovers Syd has been lying to him about where she works, and he is consumed with the quest to track her down when she doesn't come home. Her bloody car is located and someone sends Tim on a goose chase across the country following a lead while they trash his house and plant cocaine there. I'll be finishing this one today.

The end - this was a definite winner (titled Fear The Worst). The action never stopped and the ending revealed a surprising and emotional twist.

Misc. Poetry

2009-08-16T19:03:00.001-07:00

Finally got around today to catching up on some poetry books I brought home from VPL. I love Billy Collins and found a book of his on my shelf that I had forgotten about. My favorite of his is Ballistics which I got as a gift from my son, bless him. Also enjoy Mark Strand, who has some of the best one-liners I've read. Check out the blog I write for the Every Other Thursday Night Poets (www.Thursdaypoets.blogspot.com) for some quotes. I read some Lucille Clifton who I had the pleasure of hearing at Russell Sage a couple of years ago. I also had The Tin Horn, a new anthology, and Charles Simic's Walking the Black Cat. I now have a poem in my head that I will write tonight, inspiration permitting. That's what hearing others' poetry does for a writer. That is why every poet needs a support group. To get the brain stimulated. So, I'm returning my overdues tomorrow and you can all check them out. In the meantime, the two novels I have going are another Don Winslow and Ravens, by a new author. I'll have to let you know.

VIncent Zandri

2009-08-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

An Albany writer - I met him on Facebook. Not familiar with his name, I googled him and found he has published three novels with a fourth coming out soon. I was embarrassed. I am a crime book afficiando and I work in a library. My list of favorite authors is at least half crime writers and I was very surprised to find one right in Albany that I hadn' t heard of. I remedied that as soon as I could get my hands on a copy of his first book, As Catch Can. The protagonist is the warden of Green Haven prison, right down the Hudson. I loved the area references, as I do with Richard Strachey and Elizabeth Brundage. Elizabeth, btw, lives in New Scotland and is a lovely and successful author, with two great books out, The Doctor's Wife and Somebody's Daughter. She has been at the Voorheesville Library to do book signings, talks and workshops. Zandri's book was just the right combination of plot and action and I enjoyed it. I'll be waiting for the next.

Wintergirls

2009-08-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Laurie Halso Anderson wrote this YA novel on another sensitive subject: eating disorders. Lia's best friends Callie dies alone in a cheap motel room after pushing her anorexic body into systems failure with alcohol. Not an easy way to go. Lia, who is consuming under 500 calories a day in the hope of reaching her goal of 85 lbs., is haunted by her friend's death, but does not stop starving herself. I read this book because I am curious about what motivates these young women to pursue this punishing lifestyle. I don't understand it and I can't say the book helped me in that respect. It was a grueling read and seemed to express Lia's thought process very well without offering any formula solution. An intriguing story.

Don Winslow

2009-08-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, move over, Marcus, ' cause Don is on the shelf beside you.

I went to Marcus Sakey's FB page, linked to what he's been reading and jotted down all the authors I hadn't read. Winslow took some top honors with Marc, so I ILL'ed (interlibrary loan) one called The Dawn Patrol and absolutely couldn't put it down. Compelling characters. Strong dialogue. Unique commentary. I learned a whole new surfing language. Interesting history of Pacific Beach, CA. Perfect plotting. I'm raving, aren't I? The Dawn Patrol is the sobriquet for the a very tight pack of morning surfers and also female children who are being exploited in the sex trade. Can't wait for more.

I've read all of Sakey, so I have fertile new ground to catch up on with Winslow.
Thanks, Marcus.

Living Dead Girl

2009-08-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

I laid back and zipped through two books yesterday and today, staying up til 4 a.m. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott is a YA novel that has caused a lot of controversery in the kid lit world over the subject matter. It is written from the perspective of a normal happy ten-year-old who is abducted while on a school field trip. It is a heart-wrenching story of the abuse she suffers and the final resolution of her experience. Uniquely told and vague enough in the details, I found it unoffensive, but then I guess you would put me at the liberal end of the spectrum. I don't believe in shielding children from the realities of life and teenagers could certainly handle this. It is too bad that many libraries don't want to carry it.

My second fast read was a good old Sharon McCone mystery written by Marcia Muller. I tired of Sharon for a while but found myself enjoying her again in Burn Out, where she is getting some needed r&r on Hy Ripinski's ranch. Sharon is bonding with a horse and solving murders while coping long distance with problems at her agency. It was a pleasant and undemanding read. Muller, btw, is married to Bill Pronzini, a fine crime writer in his own right.

Marcus Sakey

2009-07-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Marcus Sakey is one cute dude (all the cute ones are married) as well as a terrific storyteller. I am on the last chapter of his new crime novel The Amateurs which I could easily have finished it on the deck in the sun after work, but I stopped just short of the conclusion because I didn't want it to end.

Sakey is a relatively new discovery. I've read a couple of his others and was waiting, not too patiently, for a new one. It did not disappoint. Great plot: four drinking buddies - a bond trader, a bartender, a doorman and a travel agent - who play the "what if" game at their favorite bar once too often. Sakey superbly explores each of their motives and the consequences for committing a serious crime that swiftly becomes a deadly game. The action is riveting and well plotted, the characters well drawn.

I had already joined his fans on Facebook when I sent my boss to meet the author at the ALA convention in his home base of Chicago. She brought me back an autographed galley copy of his soon-to-be-released book. I hurried through James Lee Burke to get to it and already I want more. Thanks, Marcus. Please write faster.

James Lee Burke

2009-07-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, I read Black Cherry Blues many years ago and sent Burke a letter, comparing him to my old favorite detective writer, the late John MacDonald, creator of the Travis McGee series. Burke's hero Dave Robicheaux was a perfect counterpart to the macho, but sensitive McGee, who lived aboard a houseboat in Florida called the Busted Flush. Robicheaux is a sheriff in the bayou country of New Orleans, an on-the-wagon alcoholic who is always one breath away from the bottle. His companions and the criminals they pursue are as earthy and colorful as any I've ever read about, and Burke's prose as rich and descriptive and evocative as a poet. I've read everything Burke has written, including new adventures with new protagonists, but Robicheaux remains my favorite.

Much to surprise, Burke responded to my fan letter with a personal note - this was at least 15 years ago, before they started making his books into movies. I had a chance to meet him at a mystery book store in NYC and found him to be a warm and personable guy, who continues to send me Christmas cards. His real daughter Alafair, who is a character in the Dave Robicheaux series, is now a mystery writer in her own right.

His newest book is Rain Gods, which I just finished, a Sheriff Hack Holland novel set in Texas. Burke has received his share of publicity, including an article in People magazine around the time that Heaven's Prisoners was made into a film. He looks like a craggy cowboy himself and I'd be fantasizing about him if he weren't very happily married. Rats.

David Levien

2009-07-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today I finished David Levien's Where the Dead Lay, the second of his books I have read, the first being City of the Sun, which was good enough to lead me to seek out more. You will find out that I devour detective stories and my all-time favorites features the rugged and sensitive Travis McGee, whose adventures on his houseboat The Busted Flush unfortunately ended with the death of author John McDonald back in the 90's. All of his McGee books, and there were many, have a color in the title, e.g. The Lonely Silver Rain, and can be found in libraries and used books sales. He is worth looking for.

Levien's PI is Frank Behr, a former cop tortured with guilt over his part in the death of his young son. This book opens with the murder of his friend and mentor, Aurelio Santos, in his martial arts studio. Behr, of course, determines to track down the killers and finds them a strange and violent crew. He continues to battle his own demons, particularly his feelings when his young girlfriend becomes pregnant. I also learned what a "pea shake" operation is. Anybody else know?

I'm now looking for Levien's first two novels, and not just because the photo on his book jacket is very cute.

Stephanie Plum

2009-07-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

I flew through Finger Lickin' Fifteen in a long afternoon.

The cast of characters in skip-tracer Stephanie Plum's life is incredible. And unforgettable. Best friend Lula, the pistol-packing reformed 'ho busting out of her outrageous and colorful outfits, is up to her generous endowments in trouble after witnessing a machete murder on the street in front of her Firebird, which, btw, ends up torched. Also torched are Stephanie's old Escort and two of the mysterious Ranger's new Porsches. Lula and Grandma Mazur(also a pistol-packer) set fire, not once but several times, to their chef's outfits and surrounding areas while practicing their barbequeing skills for a cooking competition to win a million dollars. Stephanie's apartment is firebombed, and Rex the hamster survives an exploding pressure cooker of BBQ sauce which demolishes Stephanie's kitchen. Stephanie is rescued by Ranger, resists his charms to bed her, and agonizes over her breakup with Morelli the cop, as her rival Joyce Barnhardt is on hand to move in on Morelli.

It is impossible to read anything else when one of these wacko, campy adventures awaits me.

Not Enough Time

2009-07-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

I am reading three books at once, not an unusual occurance - one in the living room, bedroom, car. Plus the half dozen poetry tomes I keep handy for casual pickup - Lucille Clifton, Mark Strand, Charles Simic and Billy Collins included. Luckily I work in a library. There is no better place for me, except perhaps the beach at Key West, but even there, I would be reading.

Yesterday I finished a Richard Stevenson novel about Albany P.I. Donald Strachey. It was a kick to read because of the Albany setting, altho not as good as older ones.

I just started Rain Gods from an old friend, James Lee Burke. I met Burke in NYC many years ago, soon after sending him a fan letter about his Black Cherry Blues, which features the best detective I have encountered since John MacDonald died and we lost Travis McGee. Before he got famous, Burke answered his own fan mail and I was blown away to get a letter from him, then met him at Murder, Ink.

Also on my plate is Where the Dead Lay from a new author find named David Levien, who I expect to read a lot of.

Already reading those two, I had to crack open another one I had been waiting for (interlibrary loan is a marvelous thing) - the newest of Stephanie Plum adventures, which I consume like popcorn at the movies. Janet Evanovich can make me laugh out loud.

It is a good reading day.