Flowers and bee

Flowers and bee

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

A Death in Vienna

A bomb goes off in Vienna. Art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon, is sent in to see what happened to his friend who happens to hunt down items stolen from the Jews in World War II. What he finds is a complicated web of lies and deceptions that will take him around the world in Daniel Silva's A Death in Vienna.

Silva writes an exciting book that takes readers on a whirl of four continents. Gabriel is a killer, but as he becomes more entangled in the plot, he finds himself providing revenge for those who were killed in the gas chambers. And Silva makes him a complicated Renaissance man. We want to discover more about the contradictions in this artist, who has been trained to kill. We learn more about his personal background and his personal ties to this case.

Silva also touches on the aftermath of the war. Which lower level Nazis escaped? And how did they do it? Via the Americans, via Rome, via Argentina? Who helped the murders along the way - to rebuild their life and not suffer retribution for their sins? Silva has done his research well and provides the reader with enough details to want to learn more about the post war period. This period of history was not black and white - there is a whole lot of gray.

A fine read and a good thriller. I'm looking forward to reading more books in the series.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Christmas Love Stories

One of the reasons, I am behind in posting, is that at this time of year I start reading or re-reading romance Christmas stories. Yes - those short stories set in the days of old, or that are in a "modern" environment. I start reading them in November. About one an evening - or more, depending on if I can't fall asleep.

Yes, they can be sappy. Yes, they are unrealistic (Hello, we are reading fiction here!) And yes, some of them are not even historically accurate about Christmas. (I'm a history minor. I'm picky.) And everything is solved by the miracle of Christmas, or New Year's or Boxing Day. (Sure.)

But in today's cynical and hectic times, a little "what if" is good for the soul. What if everyday were Christmas? What if everyone were nice and kind to each other? What if love was around the corner for everyone? (The romantic lives!) It's a nice thought. ;- )

But heck, my comfort read may not be your comfort read. There is a book out there for everyone. Even Scrooge. But have yourself a merry little Christmas, now...

Leslie Charteris' The Saint

The Saint in Europe is one of the many Simon Templer mysteries written by Leslie Charteris. We find our debonair thief lounging in the watering holes of Europe and looking at jewelry along the way. How can you dislike such a smooth operator?

"For the saga of any adventurer take this: an idea, a scheme, action, danger, escape, and perhaps a surprise somewhere. Repeat indefinitely, with irregular interludes of quiet. Flavor it with the eternal discontent of unattainable horizons, and the everlasting content of an eagle's freedom. That had been Simon Templar's life since the day when he was first nicknamed the Saint..."

This book features seven short stories. In them he rescues the damsel, discovers the murderer, helps the police and does some thieving on the side. What more could you ask out of life?

A fun read. For those classic puzzle mystery fans.

Swashbuckling through Spain - Captain Alatriste

Arturo Perez-Reverte has created a wonderful swashbuckling character in Captain Alatriste.
He starts out with a bang with this description: " He was not the most honest or pious of men, but he was courageous." And the fun begins from there.

Alatriste has always been a soldier in the wars of Spain. He is struggling between the wars, and is recovering from injuries, and has a cronic lack of ready funds. When he is not drinking, he hires himself out as a swordsman, bodyguard and for other unsavory jobs that bring in the coins. He gets a secret commission to waylay some English travelers. One unknown boss says rough them up, the other man says kill them. What to do? And who are these English men? Alatriste discovers that they are sword savvy and are not typical travelers. These are gentlemen. One is the infamous Lord Buckingham and the other is the Prince Regent! Who wants to kill them? Who hired Alatriste? And how can he escape being killed because he did not complete his mission?

Lots of Spanish history, lots of swords, lots of danger and a character you want to cheer for! A fun read, and hopefully a fun series.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Raise the Titanic!

In the mood for some daring do and adventure on the high seas? Come join the ride with Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt in Raise the Titanic! Written before they actually found the Titanic, the book provides a big "what if" to the concept of having the ship rise to the surface. And that is just part of the story!

Scientists are hunting for a rare element to create a anti missile security system. As they track the element down - they found out that someone else has been in on the trail - in 1911. And one of the miners - was on the Titanic. N.U.M.A. and Dirk Pitt to the rescue!

It is a tightly written story - a bit dated - but it takes you on a roller coaster ride. If you can't handle the "Armageddon Factor" (the unbelievable task of landing two space shuttles on an asteroid flying into the planet Earth) then you won't be able to have fun reading this book. But try it - you might like it. A fun read.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Thin is the New Happy

Thin is the New Happy: A Memoir by Valerie Frankel is a thought provoking book. Frankel who is a prolific writer of magazine articles, Chick Lit fiction, Young Adult fiction and a few non-fiction titles, has her work cut out for her when she decides to explore her obsession with body image. She is brought to this self discovery when she realizes that her daughter is the age she was when she started dieting. At 11, Frankel started down the road of weight loss and lack of self esteem about her body weight. Having a mother who focused on it, didn't help either. Frankel takes the brave step of exploring her past and changing her future.

Frankel is a funny quirky writer on her best days, and she brings those skills to play here as well. Certain passages of the book will hit too close to home for many women, and others will bring you tears with her self effacing humor. She compares her story to other women, and finds that she is not alone in the body image struggle. But she is determined to conquer her demons and not pass them down to her daughters.

Part of this book is memoir, part of it is self help too. She reveals her past bluntly and with humor. (Sometimes however, with contemporary memoirs, I find myself saying "Too Much Information!" here.) But she does triumph. No, it is not instantaneous. It is a struggle; within her family, her professional life, and with herself. A good and inspirational read.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

One Bad Apple

One Bad Apple by Shelia Connolly is a great first mystery. Our heroine Meg is new to town and is trying to rehab a old family property that has an orchard on it's grounds. She is learning more about apples and 17th century homes than she ever wanted to know. Everything in this place needs to be fixed, but first thing to go and need fixing is the septic system. Thank goodness she seems to have a competent (and nice looking) plumber in Seth! Her joy is short lived when there are more plumbing issues in the morning. Seth comes out - takes a look in the septic system and finds a dead body. Not just any dead body. It turns out to be an ex-boyfriend of Meg's.

There is a lot more going on here than meets the eye, Meg discovers. Her ex was involved in bringing in a development project that would change the town. Everyone in town she meets, seems to be on one side of the project or the other. Who would kill for this development? What part does her property play in all of this? Will she stay to take a side?

Connolly has a group of nice small town characters in this book. It will be interesting to see how they interact throughout the planned series. I think she has a great first start with this book and I want to see how Meg and her house develop. A fun read.

Monday, October 27, 2008

The Wordy Shipmates

Yes, Sarah Vowell has done it again! She has a taken a tiny section of American history and made it her own. The Wordy Shipmates is her latest micro-history. This book is about the early settlers of Massachusetts. Nope - not those pilgrims with a capital "P". This is about that other group - those future Bostonians, the Massachusetts Bay Colony and their leader John Winthrop. They want to build "a city upon a hill" but their way. And if you do not agree - then they banish you. And thus Rhode Island is born!

There are some problems with this book. It is hard to be quirky about major players in history, when what writings that are available seem to suggest that some of the founding fathers had no sense of humor at all. And most of us modern folk would call them cranks. But different times for different men, and Vowell tries to make them alive for us, with all their sins and faults. While her admiration for their struggles and the principles that they passed on to us future Americans, is evident, it is hard for the reader to get excited by the early 17th century prose.

Winthrop and his group survived, passed on their beliefs, created Harvard, started Indian wars, and helped create a uniquely American culture. And Vowell ties it all together for you. This book is a must for a Sarah Vowell fan, or a early American history buff.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China

Jen Lin-Liu is an American journalist and food writer living in Beijing, China. She decides to hone up on her cooking skills by taking Chinese cooking classes in a state run cooking school. Her adventures have lead to the book, Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China.

So is this book about Chinese cooking? Yes - but it is so much more. It is also a study of China today and where it is headed. It is about the ambition of it's people and where they have been. Who knew that one of the most important people that she meets is the secretary and caretaker of the school? This "non" teacher becomes Jen's guide to the China of yesteryear as well as her traditionalist cooking advisor and friend. As Jen discovers and learns about different regional cuisines, she travels and cooks in different areas and restaurants. Everything from your local small lunchtime noodle shop to the high class international restaurants of Shanghai.

A good book for Chinese food fans, history fans, and those who are trying to get a grasp on the Chinese culture today. After reading this, one has a better understanding of how the latest food scares out of China can happen and why they will probably continue. An excellent read.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Murder of a Small Town Honey

Murder of a Small Town Honey is the first book in the Scumble River mystery series by Denise Swanson. School psychologist, Skye Denison, is not too happy to be back in her small home town in Illinois. She had thought she had moved on to broader horizons. But a job loss and personal setbacks have her back at home starting a new job, and getting reacquainted with the busybodies and her relatives. She even gets suckered into judging the local Chokeberry Days jelly contest.

But the festival is suddenly ended, when she finds a dead body of a TV celebrity who happens to have her same small town past, and who turns out to have dated her older brother and several others... well, it might need some looking in to. And when her brother is arrested for the murder, she has to take a hand in getting the police on the right track.

Moving back to your hometown is tough, when you really did not want to come back. Skye mixes those feelings with trying to get her life restarted again. And how come she keeps finding every one's home ransacked? And what does her brother have to do with all of this anyway?

A clever story of reinvention, confronting your past, and small town life. And murder thrown in. A good read. Looking forward to the next one.

Death in the Orchid Garden

Going to Hawaii to film part of her PBS TV gardening show sounded great to Louise Eldridge. They were filming in the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kaui, with three world renowned botanists. The shoot went well. She would even have time to relax in the hotel's lovely water lagoons. She did not expect to find one of the botanists on a cliff ledge with his head bashed in.

By setting her story, Death in the Orchid Garden in Hawaii, Anne Ripley manages to make the islands another character in her mystery. She shows us the beauty of the area (checkout the website of the gardens - http://www.ntbg.org/) and hints at the darker side of tourist lands. Louise's suspects equally have their own mysterious pasts. It is a small community of scientists, but they have worked with and against each other for years. Just who is telling the truth, and who is lying?

Louise is bit reluctant to investigate. She really has been lured by the islands' seductive powers. But people, she has come to respect and admire, are getting hurt. And it looks like she is in danger too. This is an exciting story that will interest the serious plant enthusiast and Hawaiian islands fan as well as the mystery lover. A great read.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Tomb of Zeus: A Laetitia Talbot Mystery

Laetitia Talbot is a woman who know what she wants. She is no simpering miss. This British gal is about to embark on her first archaeological dig that she is overseeing. She has money. And a family that supports what she is doing - even if it is reluctantly. She is clever and a bit nosey. All fine traits when she is digging for her next find or involved in a mystery.

The Tomb of Zeus by Barbara Cleverly is Letty's first adventure - even though it is alluded to that she has had an adventuresome life before this particular trip to Crete. She has been sponsored by the renowned Theodore Russell, and soon finds that his household has a rather sinister feeling that she can't shake. She is not sure why - his second wife Phoebe is delightful, his son George is very pleasant and she finds that she has an ally - and maybe an unwelcome one in this group - William Gunning. So why does she have this strange feeling all is not well?

But before she can embark on her dig, there is a shocking death and the little perfect world that was the Villa Europa seems to be falling apart. Was it murder? And why? Why is Gunning there? Why does Russell seem to send her on a wild goose chase of a dig? And what about her dig site? The tomb of Zeus or just an ordinary burial chamber or religious site?

Letty is a fun character - not too sentimential; the previous war (WWI) took care of that - but smart and trying to balance several things at once. The dig, the mystery, the land and it's people, and her relationships. What or who is telling the truth?

A very fun read. It may start out a little slow but hang in there. Can't wait til the next one comes out.

This Organic Life

This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Dye Gussow is already considered a "classic" in the growing number of books being put out that are about "going Green." Written in 2001, she predates Barbara Kingsolver's experiment of growing everything you eat for a year. This is not an experiment. This is how she lives.

Gussow is a friendly writer. She makes herself sound like the cheery next door neighbor with the good gardening tips that we would all love to have. Going "Green" is nothing new to her. To her this is just good gardening. And she manages to do it in a small plot that has flooding issues, by the Hudson in the outer suburbs of New York. Her and her artist husband's struggles to create a "retirement" home from a very old property takes center stage in the book. She is more concerned with the garden - because that is what already provides them with most of their food. And it is a struggle. And their life is a struggle. And each growing season is different and has its own unique challenges.

A great story about how the careful care taking of the land provides you a glimpse into the character of the people. A story of patience and hard work, and a must read for vegetable garden lovers. And there are some great recipes for those times when you have an explosion of vegetables. A very good read.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Ruby in the Smoke

Phillip Pullman's Ruby in the Smoke is an exciting adventure and mystery story geared toward a young adult audience. Sally Lockhart has just lost her father at sea. But she recieves an unusual note and when she goes to his partners to ask about it, one of them drops dead, and she manages to set in motion a ripple in sea of conspiracy. Sally is not your average heroine, she has pluck and her father raised her more like a boy than girl. She starts to investigate these questions and accuires along the way some trustworthy friends and pals.

What really happened when her father died? Did it have anything to do with the nightmare she has been having since she was a little girl? How does the opium trade play a role in this? And who is the puppet master controlling things behind the scenes?

Pullman takes the reader on quite a roller coaster ride and provides a unique view of the grittier side of Victorian England. A fun thrilling mystery. I look forward to reading the sequels.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Papercrafts and Murder

One doesn't often think of home-made card making and murder. It is a rather odd combination. But Elizabeth Bright's mystery series featuring Jennifer Shane and her shop, Custom Card Creations, manages to combine the two rather well.

Jennifer is trying to make a go of her small business in a tourist town. She realizes it will be a struggle (thank goodness - a realistic craft mystery series!), since she has previously worked for her sister's scrapbook store. Rebel Forge, Virginia is a tiny town filled with family and friends. When a murder happens - it is usually someone Jennifer knows. Her brother, the sheriff, wants to keep her out of trouble, but her aunt, sister and her own curiosity keep dragging her in.

Jennifer is a humorous heroine and appealing character. I enjoyed her family - especially her frequently married and divorced aunt. We want her to succeed - in her shop and solving her mystery. I think the creepiest scenario was the one where she received a homemade card from her customer who had just died - telling Jennifer that she - the deceased - had been murdered.

There are only three books in the series so far, and maybe that is all there ever will be. I often wonder how appealing these craft centered stories are to people who are not interested in the craft! But this series is a good read for gloomy fall day. Enjoy.

The books are: Invitation to Murder, Deadly Greetings, Murder and Salutations.

The Irish Lass in New York City

Molly Murphy is inquisitive, eager to learn, smart, and doesn't take no for an answer. She also challenges the status quo. And she is a bit independent and stubborn. Sounds like a with-it kind of gal for today's society? She might fit right in. But she is a character in Rhys Bowen's historical mysteries set in 1900's New York City.

She was supposed to back on the farm in Ireland taking care of her brothers. But through a series of dramatic events, she finds herself trying to leave the country and does it with the help of a dying woman who wants to send her children to their father in America. But before she makes it into the country, a murder occurs that may revel her past. And that is where the series starts.

The books are: Murphy's Law, Death of Riley, For the Love of Mike, In Like Flynn, Oh Danny Boy, In Dublin’s Fair City, Tell Me Pretty Maiden.

Rhys Bowen has a winner in her hand with these tales. Bowen has them tightly plotted - each book follows directly after the next and she leaves you wondering just how Molly is going to solve her crime, pay her rent, and who she will run into next in the wilds of New York City's neighborhoods. Along the way she makes friends, enemies and glimpses some important historical figures of her day. Bowen gives a great look into the immigrant experience and the growth of the Irish in New York. I can't wait until the next one comes out. A very good read.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Murder Most Crafty

What can you say about a collection of mystery short stories that have titles like - "Collage to Kill For" (Susan Wittig Albert) or "Oh, What a Tangled Lanyard We Weave" (Parnell Hall)? Murder Most Crafty, edited by Maggie Bruce, is a fun, quirky book. I think you have to like crafts or be a crafter to understand some of the humor in this collection. And yes, crafting can be dangerous - there are dead bodies all over the place.

Some lines from one of my favorite stories - "Call it Macaroni" by Jan Burke

"I don't have anything against the Crafty Fox itself. I am not immune to its charms. When we walked in, I gazed about me in wonder: here were gimcracks and gewgaws out the yingyang.

I was in the modern equivalent of the medieval woman's witch hut: everything for anything, and the knowledge that men didn't really approve of it. For the modern woman, it was a combination toy store, hardware store, and magic shop."

"The spell? It makes this say this to yourself. "I have the time, patience and skill to complete any project. The process will be fun and frustration-free. Friends, neighbors and total strangers who encounter the discreetly placed finished masterpiece in our home will eye it covetously and ask "Where did you buy this?" They will be amazed when I answer, 'I made
it.' "

I nearly fell out of bed laughing at that one. Maybe you had to be there. Read the book. It is fun and frothy and maybe you will discover a new author to boot.

State of the Onion

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy is the first book in her new series about a White House assistant chef named Olivia Paras. Our Olivia is a modern gal. She's just walking with her shopping on the White House lawn when there is an incident - a man is evading the Secret Service. As she takes cover, she is a bit disconcerted to realize that he is coming her way. And she tries to help out. She hits him with her shopping - which just happens to be a engraved frying pan for the head chef who is retiring. Well, that gets her into all sorts of trouble. The frying pan gets confiscated and she is warned that the guy she just pummeled is a known assassin. But he is trying to tell her something about someone shooting the president...

After being warned off the situation, it keeps festering in the back of her mind. She's no fool. She realizes it did not make the news the way it really happened. Who is this guy? And why does he know the agents personally? And in the meantime, she is trying to help prepare for various important state dinners, trying out for the job opening of head chef and dealing with her boyfriend who does not want to talk about the event. What's a smart gal going to do? Turn to the Internet! There she finds out more about what is going on...

Olivia is a great character - she's smart, personable and ambitious in her field. It is refreshing to have a lead character that is no simpering miss, and takes control of the investigation - at least the parts she can control. The level of detail that Hyzy provides about the White House kitchens is excellent and adds to the fun. No worry about partisanship here - her president is made up!
A wonderful debut. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment! A fun read.

Murder is Binding

As a bibliophile, wouldn't it be fun to go to a town that is full of bookstores? One book store has cookbooks? The other has mysteries, another is filled with tomes crammed with history. Welcome to Stoneham, New Hampshire! This imaginary town decided to revitalize it's old downtown, by inviting booksellers to come and help create a tourist attraction. So the town is filled with new folks, tourists, and long time residents. Not always a happy combination. But when the owner of the cook book store is found dead and her rarest cookbook is gone, and Tricia, the mystery store owner, is suspected... Tricia decides to get to the bottom of this.

Lorna Barrett's Murder is Binding is a great start for a mystery series. Barrett has constructed some welcoming characters and eccentric ones too. My particular favorite is the older gentleman customer who is there when the mystery store opens until it closes for the day. Tricia eventually ends up hiring him since he knows so much about the books in stock.

Tricia is a enjoyable character who deals with murder, running her store, and the invasion of her out of town , trying to be helpful sister, with class and style. A bit of wine at the end of the day helps, too. One can also learn a bit about antique books. A fun read. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World Of Chinese Food

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World Of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee is a whirlwind trip into Chinese American cuisine. The fortune cookie is an American made phenomena, but does it have an ancestry in the food culture it helped popularize? That is the start of Lee's quest and she takes the reader all over the world in search of answers.

As an American -born Chinese, she takes us in the history of the Chinese food in America and elsewhere. Chinese food is served in all seven continents - including Antarctica. (And she takes us to some of the most well known of the overseas restaurants. The irony is that most of them have"American style" food!) It is a story of Chinese immigration and adaptation.

Just who first made chop seuy anyway - and just who is this General Tso and his chicken? (This dish really sounds like just a variation of sesame chicken to me!) And what happens when hundreds of people use the same numbers from their fortune cookie to play the lottery? Read and find out.

Lee's book is well written and thoughtful. She provides us with a glimpse of the Chinese American experience. I'm just glad she let us all come along for the ride. A must read for anyone who loves their local Chinese takeout. Well written and a lot of fun. And yes, it will make you hungry.

My Gosh! Summer is Over! The Past 6 Months with Harry

Yes - August has zipped by us and I have read a bunch of stuff - but I am backed up on the posting! YIKES!

One thing I did these last six months and just finished in early August - was a re-read/re-listen project. I re-listened to ALL of the Harry Potter books on audio book. Yep. It took awhile - since I have an okay commute - but not a super long one (thank goodness!) But the experience was worth the time. And Jim Dale does a fantastic job with the many voices. I delved in to sections I did not remember with clarity. I discovered clues and foreshadowing that Rowling carefully plotted and planned. And discovered some red herrings along the way.

Was it worth it? Oh, yes! Will I do it again? Someday. But I got my self ready and raring to go to Terminus, a Harry Potter conference held in Chicago. It was great fun to talk about these great stories with a bunch of fellow fans. We put the fan in fanatic - don't ya know!

What's the next long term project? I'll let you know when I do - but on to more reviewing.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Forecast

If you have a talent such as being able to predict the weather, what do you do with it? Become a local "character" in your New York neighborhood? Or become a weather person on TV? Rowie Shakespeare isn't sure if she wants to continue in her family's New Age store called Second Sight. Being from a family of psychics has it's problems for time to time, but Rowie gets her chance on TV - when the regular weatherman Drew is sidelined with an injury.

Jane Tara's book Forecast is a frothy good time. With a family of psychics unsure of themselves, their squabbles and expectations, and with a new romance interest that just happens to be the man whose job she took, Rowie's not sure what to do. She can find lost children but can she find out what she wants to do in life? And is Drew a part of that life? A fun, frothy read.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Art of the Re-Read part 1

I met a library land big-wig a few weeks ago. I had the pleasure of eating dinner with her. And I was thrilled to bits, when I heard her say she likes to re-read books! So do I!

Why you might ask?

Depends on the situation. Sometimes it is because there is nothing else around that suites your fancy. Maybe you are trying to remember a certain passage, plot line or fascinating character? Or perhaps they are your version of book "comfort food". They have a good story. You like the characters -they make you laugh. It is written well. And it reminds you as you read them, that in the chaos of a bad week in your own life, that it will be okay, and everything will be alright in the end.

More on this topic later...

The Blossom Street series

In this series of books, author Debbie Macomber manages to take simple stories about the intersecting lives of women and bring life, enthusiasm and warmth to some great characters. It sounds like it should be easy - but it is never easy creating characters that in the end the reader wants to chat and visit with -long after the story is over.

Her first book, The Shop on Blossom Street, starts with Lidia who is the owner of A Good Yarn knit shop. Lidia is trying to keep her newly opened store running. She is trying to set up a series of classes to bring more people into the store. Her students have had varied lives. Jacqueline is a bored older woman who is convinced her husband is cheating on her. Carol is happily married but is trying to start a family but with only painful results. And Alix is the younger one who has been reared by the school of hard knocks, and whose tough outer shell protects a creative woman inside.

The next book is entitled A Good Yarn. Lidia has started a relationship - but she is scared it will end like all the others. Her new batch of students are: Elise, an retired, older divorced woman who is not so pleased to have her ex-husband come into her ordered life; Bethanne is a mother with teenagers, who is going through the fallout of a divorce; and Courtney, a teenager, has just moved to the area to stay with her grandmother who has signed her up for the class.

Will Lidia make a success of the shop? Will the others meet their goals, and deal with the surprises - both good and bad - that happen in their lives? Macomber does deal with their disappointments and set backs. That is one of her talents in making these characters seems real. They could be the gal down the street or your mother's best friend. She also brings a nice inter generational theme to most of the stories. It continues to give you the feeling that you could be a part of this group of women. Macomber manages to combine their lives and twisting story lines to provide satisfying good reads. Try them. But I warn you - they might give you a craving to knit!

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

The Perfect Kiss

Characters either grab you or they don't. Plots either intrigue you or disappoint you. People may say that genre books are the same story again over and over. They aren't really. There are little differences in the writing, in the character, in the settings that blend together and make a book a bit more magical than you may have originally thought.

Anne Gracie's The Perfect Kiss is one of those books that surprises. Grace is set on having an adventure. She finally has inherited the money, worn down her relatives' objections and is planning to travel to Egypt. But first she is going to do a favor for a timid friend. Grace is going to help Melly on her journey to meet her fiance. Grace will be disguised as her chaperone and keep an eye on her. But Dominic Wolfe is not what he seems either. He may have inherited the title, but grew up overseas since his mother was separated from his father. He doesn't seem that interested in a previously arranged married. But he does notice the sassy chaperone who keeps trying to organize the disheveled household. Who is this woman who keeps trying to set things right? And why do the villagers think she is the harbinger of prosperity for the estate?

Grace is just trying to get things settled so she can leave on her trip, but Dominic keeps questioning her efforts and it is getting rather hard for her to keep from taking charge of the household. As she gets to know him, she realizes she needs to leave because she is in love with him. And she can't hurt Melly's chances for a marriage.

And that is where things get a little different. A bit of the Far East, a pinch of quirky characters, and a pair of lead characters that don't want to be ordinary. Come join in the experience. A fun and frothy read.

Death Dines In

Death Dines In, edited by Claudia Bishop and Dean James, is a collection of mystery short stories. Short stories are excellent for giving the reader a taste of an author's style or a glimpse of their latest main character. This anthology happens to focus on food. Each story takes that into consideration. And yes, there are a lot of people keeling over at the table - so this might not be the book that you read at lunch time.

Some highlights - Elixabeth Fowell's story of Alice Roosevelt Longworth's detecting and meddling at an elegant dinner party. (Too bad this is not a series.) Claudia Bishop's tale of a bad dinner at the Inn with the slightly eccentric Dr. and Mrs. Mackenzie. Carole Nelson Douglas' story of how Midnight Louie (the cat) dealt with a dangerous gourmet dinner. An introduction - (for me) of Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy character, an Irish immigrant who hasn't been in America that long. And Parnell Hall's Puzzle Lady who really doesn't want to give a speech at the luncheon but combines it with solving a murder instead.

A great collection of stories - some a bit creepier than others. It makes one consider the phrase "watch what you eat" in a whole new way. A fun read.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Summer and the Reading is Easy - Part 1

He is a chef. She is a chef. He cooks Italian - continuing the family tradition. She trained in France and is ready to accomplish her dream of opening her own bistro. Anthony's restaurant is a staple of their Brooklyn neighborhood. Who is this French upstart anyway? Vivi thinks he's arrogant, and his flavors are off. Who is he to tell her how to cook? She's come to America to make a new life for herself. It may sound at first, like a superficial story, but Deirdre Martin's writing skill and style makes her book Just A Taste, go down nice and easy.

Anthony is pleased to have met a fellow chef who shares his passion for food. He's a widower and his large well meaning family is trying to get his life in order for him. He disagrees with Vivi on her recipes, but understands her drive to get her own place open. Vivi thinks he is handsome, but really has to concentrate on opening her restaurant and getting her chief investor - her half-sister to come through with the promised money. But when they get together - whether it be to complete in a cooking contest, or to compare contractors - sparks happen.

Martin does a great job making these characters seem as if they are part of your family. Her secondary characters grow and change in the story and the secondary storyline about teaching Anthony's little nephew how to cook is great. Vivi and Anthony are not "perfect" and that makes them and their situation more enjoyable and believable. Nice and frothy. A great summer read. Enjoy.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Perfect Match

In the book, The Perfect Match, Kimberly Cates introduces us to some very interesting characters. Rowena has ended up as the family failure in a family of overachievers. Her odd talent seems to be matching pets with future owners. She comes to a little town in Illinois to open up a pet store. Cash is a deputy who is busy juggling a full work load with raising two little girls by himself. One daughter is physically challenged, the other is trying to find her place in the family. They meet when Rowena has this Newfoundland dog that she needs to find a home for.

This book is for people who love unusual relationship in their romance novels, who like characters that take time to get to know each other, and lovers who have responsibilities and everyday duties - who can't drop everything to be "in love." (Oh, I guess one could call them "normal?") And people who love animals - will like this heart warming story. (Okay, that sounds overly goopy - but it is true.)

A really nice story about people who you start to care about, and the kids are a stitch too. I'm curious to see what Cates' other books are like. A fun read.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Killer Mousse

It is always extremely refreshing, when a lead character in a mystery series is not stupid. They may take chances and get in trouble, but the reader doesn't want them to just fall, trip or meander upon the solution. Oops - you mean the murderer was right under my nose? Yeah - stuff like that gives cozy mysteries a bad name sometimes.

But I think I have found one that keeps up the "high reader standard" for favorite characters. Meet Della Carmichael - a former English teacher who is trying to create a new career for herself in cooking, in the book Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells. She has started a cooking school, but now she has a chance to branch out further - on TV! She has a cable cooking show starting and she wants her first episode to be just right. Unfortunately having someone die on her set on live TV, wasn't what she had in mind.

What is LA's cop's widow to do? Especially when she thinks she is going to get accused of the murder? She has some police connections and know how. Now she has to figure out the murderer before her show gets cancelled! And a little romance doesn't hurt either.

Wells writes a nice tight mystery, and a great commonsensical character. According to her website, she is planning another in this series. If it is as good as this one - I will be excited to read it. A fun and frothy good time.

Lori Foster's Fighting Men

I'm not into fighting and wrestling. At most, I'll watch a few rounds during the Olympics. But I've found out to my surprise that if Lori Foster writes about heroes who are ultimate fighters, I'm there. Who knew?!

Lori Foster writes excellent characters. Period. And her male characters are particularly engaging. In this series of three (they can be read independently), all of her heroes compete in the SBC (Supreme Battle Challenge) - a fictional fighting conference. I did not think I would like them quite frankly, but because she develops them so nicely - you kinda fall in love with the big lugs. She has done this before in her books. And I really think that is her writing "technique" - take interesting characters - in this case - some unusual situations (and more fighting terms than one can absorb), and mix it up, until these characters develop into someone you want to meet and definitely someone you want to root for.

Causing Havoc is the book that starts it all - with Dean "Havoc" Conor coming back to the family that he has been separated from since he was a small boy. He is not quite sure what to make of his new relationship with his grown-up sisters, but he really likes the look of his sister's sassy best friend, Eve.

Simon Says is the next book. Simon Evans is Dean's trainer and manager who is getting back in the ring. While training, he meets Dakota, a gal who knows a lot about fighting and who is not intimidated by walking into a gym of sweaty guys. She gives them some tips! But why is she there? She says she needs to find him - his real dad wants to meet him. He's not interested in his so called "father" who abandoned him - but he is interested in her.

Hard to Handle is Harley Handleman's book. Harley wants to challenge Simon, but he keeps getting injured. He is trying to take a break and re-focus on his fighting when he encounters Anastasia. When strange things start to happen and Harley decides to help her out, he has got to decide whether the distraction of a relationship is worth it.

After this group of books, I have decided that wherever Lori Foster wants to take you - I need to take a chance and follow her lead. If the main character is not your favorite, the secondary ones will keep you engaged. And I am always fond of romances that have a group of friends and family around the couple. (How many lovers do you know who have no one outside of themselves?) So come and read about Lori Foster's "village" of folks. Try it - you'll like it. A really fun read. I am looking forward to whatever she surprises us with next!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Twenty Wishes

Debbie Macomber's latest book Twenty Wishes continues her Blossom Street Series. This time the lead character is book store owner, Anne Marie, who is recovering from her husband's death. She gathers together a group of friends who all happen to be widows, for a Valentine's party. After a few drinks and laughs, she comes up with the idea of making a list of twenty wishes - something to hope for and dream about - just like when you were kids. It is not necessarily a "to do" list, but a wish list. The other gals like the idea, and to Anne Marie's surprise, they start taking the idea seriously.

Some of the wishes are fairly simple like - wanting red cowboy boots. But some are harder for Anne Marie to put down on paper. She has been very unsure of herself since her husband died. Their relationship was not the best when it ended and she has been wrapped in her sorrows for a while. This list making is offering her a chance to leave her grief behind. As part of a wish, Anne Marie volunteers to work at a school as a lunch buddy, and becomes involved with the life of her new young friend, Ellen.

Macomber's characters are always interesting - but you wish you had more time with some of them. She starts out with four, and really only focuses on three of them. Perhaps another book? But she does a great job with plotting, and bringing unconventional twists to their lives. The women are all recovering from their losses, and it is interesting to see the individual perspectives on their former marriages, their twenty wishes and dreams for the future. A fun read. And a neat idea...hmmm - twenty wishes...

Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Third Circle

The Third Circle by Amanda Quick continues her Arcane Society books. In this one set in Victorian England, our heroine is Leona Hewitt who has psychic talents as a crystal worker. Our unconventional hero is Thaddeus Ware who is a very powerful psychic mesmerist. Their first meeting happens to be when both of them are in a house trying to investigate the owner's collection of psychic energy objects. She is looking for the crystal stolen from her family long ago. And so is he. He tries to outmaneuver her, and in the process finally finds someone who can resist his powers. This is the start of his interest in her.

When they realize it might be best to join forces against the bad guys, who also turn out to be members of the Arcane Society, they develop a partnership that may or may not last. Both are withholding information from each other, and both are wondering where this relationship is going to take them.

Quick does a great job with her heroes and Thaddeus is among them. She moves the Arcane story along - filling in the little bits and pieces that will lead it to the next book in the series. This could be read as a stand alone book, but the storyline will make you want to read the others, to catch up with the series. A very fun frothy read.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Comfort Food

Did you ever wonder about the lives of the people behind your favorite cooking shows? Does it look perfect on TV? But is it really? Or is it all just an illusion? Take a peek into the life of a cooking show host in Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs.

Augusta "Gus" Simpson is feeling a bit introspective about her life. She is going to turn 50, is going to renew her contract for another season of her cooking show and she is a bit worried about her grown daughters. She's used to being the organizer, the caretaker, but something has been missing lately. She keeps thinking about the old days when her husband was still alive, and those years she struggled after he died. But she really has a nice life - so she shouldn't complain.

But then the other shoe drops. Her network has decided her show might not be renewed, her staffers start leaving and she finds out that the network is not one big happy family. She is asked to revamp her show to get better ratings. They think her show needs some va-voom. And then they bring in a former Miss Spain - Carmen Vega- to liven things up. Gus needs to play nice to survive. But will the new "family" format work? Can cooking together save Gus' relationships with her daughters? Will Carmen keep stealing the best lines and the best ingredients? Will someone end up with a knife in their back?

Stay tuned for all that and more. A real fun beach read. Enjoy.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup

The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People by Susan Orleans is a excellent book to pick up and put down and pick up again. She explores the life of all sorts of interesting people. The book starts with an "average" boy - aged 10. And it is pretty funny how she devotes her time to hanging out with him and discovering what he is about. It ends with the female bullfighter performing her tasks.

Her subjects include, among others, an Ashanti king (an American one who gets elected), a small town newspaper reporter who almost writes all the articles in the paper, three Bulgarian tennis pro sisters, Maui surfer girls (which later became the basis for the movie Blue Crush), the Shaggs, and a man who has been selling fans his whole life.

Orleans, who is a regular contributor to the New Yorker, has a wonderful way of describing a person and bringing out the dignity in her subjects. It doesn't matter what social class or economic status they are. She manages to make them fascinating. Orleans is such a good author that I will read any of her works. With her talent, it is easy to follow her down what ever path she has taken this time. A very good read.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Trouble in Spades

It's always nice to have a second book in a series continue the fun that is in the first one. Heather Webber's book Trouble in Spades continues the fun characters, the fast pacing and the craziness that is the life of lead character Nina Quinn. She's a landscaper who manages to dig up dead bodies. Separated from her cop husband, with her bridezilla of a sister breathing down her throat and a peeping tom in the neighborhood, she has more than enough to handle in this one.

And thank god the author has her characters moving on and making decisions! I have read too many lately that make the heroine wishy washy and indecisive. Not what we want from our brave sleuths.

A nice fun mystery with a decent twist.

Grace (Eventually)

Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott is not your average book on spirituality. Her essays can take you all over the place. Whether it is discussing the pettiness we can bring into our lives, or how to grow older more gracefully, she brings a lightness of touch and a faith that is strong. It doesn't matter if you are not into organized religion, she tests us by showing us the frailness that is humanity. And how most people are decent and trying to bring good to their lives and their loved ones. Is she perfect? No. And she would be the first to admit it.

Are her essays thought provoking? Yes. And funny and sad. Sometimes both in the same piece. They are about worldly issues and the deeply personal. And how we all struggle in this world. Lamott's style is unique. Try her - you will like her. And then you will have read her other works. I promise. A very good read.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

The Omnivore's Dilemma

The saying is "you are what you eat." Well, apparently we, 21st century Americans, are just walking and talking bundles of corn. Corn and it's by-products are infused within a majority of the foods we consume. Oh, no you say - I stay away from high carb food. If you have consumed "citric and latic acid; glucose, fructose, malodextrin; ethanol (for alcoholic beverages as well as cars), sorbitol, mannitol, and xanthan gum, modified and unmodified starches; as well as dextrins and cyclodeztrins and MSG" you, my friend, have eaten an organic - but corn - compound. And you thought it was just corn syrup to blame!

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan brings to our attention the sprawl of the modern industrial food complex. And how it effects almost every aspect of the food we eat. Is it for the better? That is the question. The first section of the book is on corn and how it has been filtered through out lives. We eat it, feed it to our meat, drive with it, use it for other non-food (adhesives etc.) items. The ironic part of this - to get that corn, all that lovely corn, we need to use petrochemicals as fertilizer. And that is why food prices are going up with the recent rise in oil prices.

The next section is about a different kind of farm - self sustaining and more in tune with nature's cycles. Pollan spends some time seeing how this "non-industrial" farm makes it work. And in the last half of the book, he talks about forging - hunting in the woods for animals, and mushrooms.

Pollan is a writer who draws you in with his prose and practicality as he moves smoothly along from one section to the next. He definitely makes you think about your food choices. And that may bother some readers. Or be eye opening to them. But ignoring where it comes from is one of the problems. People have lost sight of how their food is made. Their health and the ecosystem are the ones that pay the cost. An excellent read.

Warning : It does have disturbing scenes of meat processing and killing animals. This may not be for everyone - but we watch thousands of people being murdered and dissected on CSI and other cop shows all the time - so why should this bother you?

Something to think about:
"The longer the ingredient label on a food, the more fractions of corn and soybeans you will find in it. They supply the essential building blocks, and from those two plants (plus a handful of synthetic additives) a food scientist can construct just about any processed food he or she can dream up."

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro

I usually do not write about a book that I have not finished. But I enjoyed what pieces of it I had read so much - I needed to record it.

Who is the last person you would expect to write a book on sports? This author is well-known in non-fiction circles for a certain type of book. True crime. What is a true crime author writing about sports? Especially soccer? European soccer? It is with the voice of the converted, that Joe McGinniss can write about about his newest passion - soccer. Italian soccer. In The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, McGinnis takes an in depth look at the small soccer team from the remote village. They had managed a "miracle". They had moved up in the rankings and leagues of Italy's soccer standings. (The explanation of the leagues - is very intense and detailed.) Yes - for their fans, it was an amazing year. But the true miracle will be if they can hang on to their new standings.

Being an in depth writer, McGinnis plunges into this small community and their local team. His experiences with the Italian way of doing things - slower, a bit convoluted, seemingly simple - allows the reader to experience his year of living in Italy following "his" team. He takes us through the struggles that a young team has with owners who never expected that they would have to spend more money on the team now that it has been successful - see the complicated Italian soccer rules and guidelines for that bit. He allows us to peak at the players and coach who are trying to maintain their rankings for the following year. They are not looking to be number one - they just want to remain in the new league!

McGinnis shows us their triumphs and tragedies (is there any other way?) in his new beloved sport. A great book for soccer fans, sports fans, and those wishing to explore the Italian immersion experience. A good read.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Divorced, Desperate and Delicious

Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig has a little bit of everything for the romance reader. A sassy heroine - Lacy who is still recovering from her divorce, but is leary to start dating - due to her family history - her mom and grandmom have been married and divorced over eight times. The hero, Chase, is a good guy, a police officer who is caught in a bad cop's web. He's currently on the run from an ambush from his corrupt partner. Lacy's dog catches him in her yard, and he needs to keep her quiet while he figures out what is going on.

So we have some excitement, a good getting to know you segment, cute annimals - she has three cats, too - some wacky friends and snappy dialogue to keep it all interesting. The best part is Craig writes some good thoughtful characters that you can like and enjoy. And she makes it work. A fun frothy read.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Blue Jelly

Who writes essays about recovering from a relationship combined with canning recipes? Debbie Bell does, in her book Blue Jelly: Love Lost and the Lessons of Canning. And she manages to make it work in this small volume that makes one want to dig out the canning supplies from the basement.

Bell was a writer for Rolling Stone and other magazines. She found herself adrift after a bad relationship. During her recovery she started canning cause it was one thing - if you follow directions - "these steps take you to what you planned on. You become a person in a world in which things turn out the way you thought they would."

The book reminds me a little of Eat, Pray, Love - lots of weighty issues distilled with simple truths, but with a lot more humor and without all the pathos and angst. And some jelly recipes in between. Try it - it is a fast read (it is a tiny book!), but a very good one. I'm hoping we see some more of her writing.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake

Essays can be quite personal. In Sloane Crosley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake, we find out about her family, friends, and twenty-something life in New York City. It doesn't sound fascinating, but she does it with such a mixture of humor, irony and pathos, that you find the joy she does in the absurdities of modern society.

Some highlights: finding a surprise on your bathroom floor after a dinner party with friends, failing as a butterfly volunteer, surviving a crummy boss, trying out to be Mary in a summer camp pageant and how to survive being a bridesmaid. I would not advise giving that one to any current bride to be - they will find no humor in it - but I thought it was one of the funniest things I have read about weddings in a long time.

This is her debut book. I looking forward to many more. A very good read.

We're Just Like You, Only Prettier

Sometimes when you find a new author that seems to just click with your present sensibilities, you want to go out and just read everything they have written. I plead guilty. Having just discovered Celia Rivenbark (see previous post), I decided to read all her published works. I just finished up her first collection of humor essays entitled -Bless Your Heart, Tramp and then her follow up book - We're Just Like You, Only Prettier : Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle.

Once again, she runs the gamut from talking about children, husbands and being southern, female and everything in between. Definitely a giggle per minute. But I want more. Thank goodness she has a new one coming out this year. But until then, I will have pace myself with just a dabble from her newspaper column - it's not weekly, maybe biweekly - to keep the laughs coming. Thank god for RSS feeds. You can get to it via her website http://www.celiarivenbark.com/ .

A very funny read!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Mouth to Mouth

In some romancees, the raciest thing in the book is a first kiss. Or they can get a little "H and H". That is Hot and Heavy for you new kids out there. Erin McCarthy's book Mouth to Mouth is definitely "H and H." But it is not just a steamy contemporary romance. It actually has some thought provoking story lines.

Our heroine, Laurel, is deaf. For readers not aware of the struggles of the deaf in the speaking world, it is an entry point into the conditions they face on a daily basis. She is meeting a guy in a coffee shop. She met him online. The problem is the police officer who shows up - has the right name - but he's the wrong guy. Russ is investigating an identity thief who also cons women. Laurel's meeting came up in a note in the garbage that the thief left behind.

He thinks she's naive. She's thinks he's hot but - is not looking to be lectured on identity theft. They keep seeing each other - to further the case. Much to his surprise, the good girl has a naughty streak (I can not believe I just wrote that...kinda cheesy - but descriptive in this case).

All sorts of issues are woven in this book. The concept of responsibility - to yourself and others, not taking first impressions for granted, making sure you don't get conned by a online romeo, and the importance of communication at all levels. And how to get a fat cat to loose weight. See not all of them are serious!

A fun read. A fun author. I would pick up another to see if she keeps up the quality of the story. Have a frothy good time.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Take the Cannoli

Sarah Vowell's book, Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World is another collection of essays by the talented writer. My favorite selections include an essay on the Michigan and Wacker bridge in downtown Chicago. Vowell makes and proves her claim that she can "tell the whole history of America standing on that bridge." And she manages to do just that.

Other offerings are her story of how she and her sister traveled the Trail of Tears that her Cherokee Nation ancestors did. And the tale of the struggles that took place along the way and once they finally reached Oklahoma. The comparison of the Cheerokee and modern day car trips are an interesting diorama of garishness in modern America.

So join the Sarah Vowell bandwagon. You will enjoy the humor and the viewpoint on modern society. A very good read.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank

Okay - if that title doesn't grab you - or if you do not think it is funny - then this is NOT the book for you. However if that title makes you laugh, come on down and read Celia Rivenbark's Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank and Other Delicate Words of Southern Women.

Rivenbank is a syndicated newspaper columnist from North Carolina. And dang is she funny! Most of these humorous essays are from her columns where she tackles motherhood, wacky celebrities, marriage and plain ol' southern oddities. I haven't swallowed so many laughs in a long time ( I was trying to read this in a quiet environment.) She has a way of getting to the heart of the absurdities of modern day life. She's definitely a laugh out loud kind of gal.

I was so excited about her and this book - that I promptly ordered her other ones to read. My new "funny author" discovery. A very fun read!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Satisfaction

When you first pick up a book - something must catch your eye to draw it in. Maybe it's the title. Or colors on the cover, 0r the cover design. Then if you're a bit more particular, you check out the flyleaf or the backcover for more information on this book that is drawing you in. But every so often, even after you have read all the particulars, and you think you are just getting a typical book in your favorite genre, you get a surprise. Who the hell wrote the backcover copy anyway? Did they read this book? Sometimes it is even a pleasant surprise like Satisfaction by Marianne Stillings.

The back cover says that Georgiana is a tv show personality like Martha Stewart. Ethan is a private eye. Okay, it starts out as a cute romance. He has to protect her on her set where there are a lot of accidents lately. She then cooks her way into his heart.

Maybe in some other book!

The back cover left out the blackmail, the date rape, the secret family, the ties to the mafia, and a murder. Yeah. He is not what he seems. She is tougher than she looks and together they learn to trust each other and solve the mysteries that surround them. Stillings has written some good characters and a driving, fast paced book. Could of fooled me! A fun read.

Friday, April 11, 2008

The Boys of Winter

The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey is a book about a hockey game. But it was a game, that represented more than just a group of amateur young Americans taking the ice. It became a symbol of the country's daring do in a rather bleak point of our history. Coffey does some excellent research and interviews and he takes us along for the ride.

If you are an fan of the Olympics, you will enjoy this book. If you remember the game or the era - you will enjoy it even more. Coffey does a period by period breakdown of the game and brings in the backgrounds of all the players, coaches, and officials in the book. He even manages to make the former Soviet players human. He manages to bring vibrancy and life to an event that is over 25 years old. And he does so with a journalist's eye and perspective, so that the book is not just a puff piece. It made me eager to watch the game (not the glamorized movie version) all over again. A very good read.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Black Orchids

Rex Stout's novella Black Orchids has a bit of everything from his classic books. The setup - Nero Wolfe hears about certain black colored orchids that are featured at the New York City flower show. The progression - he sends Archie Goodwin to scout them out and report back. He then must see these amazing plants for himself. The death - was at the flower show. One of the people who was featured in a grower's display is killed while Wolfe and Archie are there. It happened in front of an audience. The dame - happens to be the other person featured in the display. The victim - was a blackmailer. There were a few people who would not mind seeing him dead. The mystery - can Wolfe figure it out? Of course he can. But the real question may be: will Wolfe end up with the black orchids?

One has to love the way Stout aptly mixes snappy dialog, clues and characters into one lively story. I really loved the way he planned the murder at the flower show - having just been to one - it was pretty perfect. A very fun read.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

The Amateurs - an Olympic story

The Amateurs: The Story of Four Young Men and Their Quest for an Olympic Gold Medal by David Halberstam is an intense story of the sport of amateur rowing. This is not a glamour sport. Only a few colleges compete in it, at the time of the story, and besides the Olympics, there is really no sporting "afterlife".

So what pushes these people? Glory? Fame ? Self worth? Their Coach? Perhaps all of the above. As he concentrates on his four main athletes, we find that each of them have a different reason to achieve their goal of making it into the Olympics. Halberstam focuses on the 1984 single scull trails but we also learn how rowing is a sport of conditions, so that scores and times can not be trusted past a day's workout or competition. This is also a study of the psychology of sports - before it became a standard part of the athletic training process.

So who will win? The older guy, who was the back up on one Olympic team and also on the team that had to boycott the Olympics - is this his last chance? The one from Seattle, recovering from a bad back, and not really part of the Eastern group? But what about the guy who has been known to pull an upset on any given day? Or that moody California guy who is determined to beat out the Ivy Leaguers? You will have to read it yourself - because I'm not telling! A good read.

"Perhaps in our society the true madness in the search for excellence is left for the amateur."

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Cooking for Mr. Latte

She's a foodie. Can she find love, happiness and a good meal in New York? Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser is her memoir of her relationship with food and her courtship of her future husband. When they first meet, she is dismayed by his ordering a Latte as an after dinner drink. (Apparently that is not hip - who knew?) She has found that food can be a make or break thing in her relationships. She is a New York Times food writer and restaurant critic after all, and food plays a big part of her life. Will this blind date guy last?

Join Hesser on her adventure, and in the meantime we discover more about her work, her friends, family, the food culture in the U.S. and we get a view of the growth of a long term relationship in 21st century New York.

Not just for foodies. Great for fans of Sex in the City and ChickLit too. And some good recipes as well. A fun read.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Assassination Vacation

I got the chance to see Sarah Vowell give a lecture of her work. Meeting a favorite author in person usually makes one feel like a bit of a geek. Standing in a autographing line makes one race, to think up something pithy and witty to say to the author in the 2 minutes you may get, to converse with her. Then nerves take over - you give her your name and you say something about how you love her work and you just went to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, yadda, yadda, yadda... And when the moment is over and you move on- you realize you really can't remember if you came off like a knowledgable citizen of the world or as a provincial rube. Sigh. But you percieve that this author is a bit of a geek herself in some ways - at least that is how you feel from reading her work - so in the end, you feel she may understand. We, history geeks have to stick together.

Have you been always wanting to take a relaxing tour of presidential assassination sites? Sure ya do. Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation does just that. And while entertaining us with her travels via the Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley assassination sites, she makes pithy statements and parallels about the modern presidency.

The book focuses mostly on the Lincoln assassination - but the others were all interconnected. Vowell points out that Robert Todd Lincoln was there for all of them. She refers to him as Jinxy McDeath. Always popping up near the appointed assignation time. Talk about being cursed. She also goes into great detail about the lives of those involved, so this book is definitely not just history lite.

With humor and irony, Vowell leads us on the path of discovery. We see how these men's lives affected their times and the policies that the United States still has today. And how the dedication of local historians and small museums keeps this history alive and that the truth truly can be weirder than fiction. And she makes the history geeks want to hitchhike along for the ride. An excellent read.

If you get a chance - try and listen to a bit of the book on audio. Vowell is a commentator on NPR's This American Life, and this shows in the audio book version. Can't wait until her next book - it is supposed to be on the Pilgrims.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Death at the Spring Plant Sale

Ann Ripley's Death at the Spring Plant Sale is a another book with her series character Louise Eldridge. Louise is now a host of a garden show for her local Virginia PBS station. She gets a request from her friend, Emily, to feature her Bethesda Maryland, gardening club on the show. She decides it may be worth while, and she is eager to visit with her old college pal. What starts out as a good filming day at the plant sale, turns into a case of murder when the club president is shot and killed in her own driveway later that evening.

Emily wants Louise to investigate and is willing to be her sidekick over the objections of her husband. Husbands become a bit of a sticky issue when they try to investigate - for the victims's husband is a big whig at the Federal Reserve. Just who was the shooter trying to kill?

Louise is an engaging character and I am encouraged to read more books in this series. In a bit of local humor - I found it ironic that one of the more annoying suspects had been involved in a gardening club in Winnetka! A fun mystery.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Gardens Can be Murder

The Garden Plot by J.S. Borthwick is a book in the Sarah Deane mystery series. And it has a great concept. Sarah is going on a gardening travel tour with her Aunt Julia. Aunt Julia got the trip for free because someone else could not go. A free trip to England to visit the famous gardens - what a deal! Sarah could use a rest after teaching this last semester in Maine. And she is curious to see her colleague Ellen lead the group as the gardening expert.

But on the way to airport to catch their flight - things begin to happen. Ellen doesn't make her flight. When they arrive in England - no one can get in touch with her. Where is she? When her stabbed body is found on the side of the road, Sarah starts to get a bit nervous. It is beginning to look like the murderer made the flight and is on the tour. So just who is it? Just try to enjoy your vacation with that hanging over you!

Borthwick deftly takes us to England, Maine and back again as the investigation becomes trans-Atlantic. Sarah and Aunt Jane are great characters and bring us into the story. The author makes the English trip come alive - if you have been there - it will bring you back. And you definitely will look at gardening tools a little different from now on. This was a great introduction to a series I was not familiar with. I am looking forward to reading some more books from the series. A fun read.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Summer of the Big Bachi

Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara is not your typical mystery. This book does not start out with a bang or a murder. It starts very slowly by showing us Mas Arai, who is a 69 year old gardener. As we learn more about him and his place within the Japanese-American Community in the L.A. area, we discover that there are secrets. Secrets from the war. Secrets that people want left behind. Secrets and money that people would kill for.

Strangers are coming around asking questions. Mas who is an ornery character, doesn't want anyone knowing his business or background. Why do they want to know about Mas' old friends? Who sent them? What does this have to do with a piece of land in Hiroshima? He does not want any more trouble headed his way. To get himself and his friends out of this mess, Mas needs to ask some questions of his own.

Hirahara takes her time with her character study of Mas and his social environment. But by doing this, she also manages to create a ominous feeling that something bad is really going to happen. She allows the reader to experience the growing pressure surrounding Mas. Is he going to tell what he knows - can he tell it? Will they let him? In creating this amoral character she leaves the reader in suspense of what he is going to do.

A great study of a character who is a survivor. Survivors are not always the "heroic people" Hollywood makes them out to be. They are as real as the next person. I am interested in seeing where Hirahara's sequels take him. A little different, but a good read.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Pushing Up Daisies

With a first book in a mystery series, you never know quite what you going to get. Does it set up a character in a way that you really want to revisit them again? Does it leave you eager for the next "installment?" And more importantly, does it have a decent mystery? In Pushing Up Daisies: a Dirty Business Mystery by Rosemary Harris, she takes on those challenges and does it very well.

Harris' lead character Paula Holliday is busy trying to get her own gardening business off the ground. She has a few regular clients, but money is tight in establishing this second career of hers. She gets the opportunity to bid on a project to restore a once grand garden whose owners have recently died. On her first day of the job, she finds a buried metal object - which just happens to have a dead baby inside. Paula finds herself in the midst of a local mystery - whose child it is? The property owners were unmarried spinsters - or were they? What is the significance of the Spanish medal wrapped around the child? Does this have anything to do with a old case of a missing Hispanic girl ? Paula, being the new kid in town, has to rely on some of her new friends and neighbors to bring the truth to light. It also helps if the local police Sergeant takes an interest in the case.

Harris also does a great job of incorporating the topic of Spanish speaking day laborers in to the story. In a major metropolitan area like this locale - the Connecticut suburbs near New York City - the chance that your gardening workers are Hispanic, is a very high one. And with that sub theme, Harris grounds her tale with the realities of the landscaping and gardening business.

It is a great start for a promising new series. I really enjoyed the character, and the surrounding quirky cast, and I am truly interested to read the next book! A very fun read.

Monday, March 03, 2008

A Hoe Lot of Trouble

A Hoe Lot of Trouble by Heather Webber is a quick and easy book that goes down fast while serving up some fun characters and a decent mystery. When we meet Nina Quinn, owner of a landscaping firm, she is still reeling from the fact that her husband, a cop, cheated on her. She is having issues with her teenage step-son, and she is hoping his snake is found soon. Her Italian mother is hounding on her to get her dress fitted for her sister's wedding. And then she finds out that the man who inspired her to become a landscaper has been found dead. And his family thinks it was murder.

Nina definitely rises to the challenge, with humor and resolve. When she says she is tired - we believe her! She also has someone stealing tools from her job sites - and she is determined to figure out who it is - and it is not going to be easy when most of your staff is on probabtion. (That's what happens when your cousin is a probation officer.)

Nina is an engaging character and it will be interesting to see where her author takes her. A fun read.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto is almost a continuation of what he started in the The Omnivore's Dilemma. But here he goes further and takes on the nutrition "industry". You know who they are - the folks that keep telling you that you need to eat more of this or that, but don't eat THAT - cause that will kill you. But then the next month - somebody else does a food study that totally negates what the previous one did. And that, he points out is part of the problem - just who is doing the study, who is paying for the study, and why? He goes into the background of the rise in these health studies. And it is very interesting to see what is "behind the curtain."

His mantra is fairly simple in the end : "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants." And he goes on to explain it within detail. Will this book change your diet? Maybe. Maybe not. But it will definitely awaken your eyes to the nutrition industry and have you studying your plate a little closer. And perhaps you will be paying a little more attention to the fuel your body craves. Everything in moderation! A very good read.

Pretty Poison

Pretty Poison by Joyce and Jim Lavene is the first in a series with the character Peggy Lee. Dr. Lee is a botanist with a special interest in poisonous plants. She is a cop's widow recovering from the violent death of her husband. She is now lecturing at a college and running her own urban gardening business. And her life gets a jolt when the husband of one of her customers is found dead in her shop.

The authors do a great job with an older character restarting her life. They have a great character with a zest for life and it shows in the diverse amount of friends she has. The mystery was just okay - but I'm hoping the growth of the character will bring this series along. A fun read.

Herbal Mysteries with China Bayles

Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert is the first book in the China Bayles series. We are introduced to her and her small Texas community. She is an ex-lawyer who got off of the fast track and is making a life for herself and her herbal shop. One of her best friends in the community dies. But is it really suicide like the police want to think? She was ill, but had a strong sense of self and was busy fighting against a new regional airport. Was it her enemies on the council? Or was the mysterious visitor she seemed to have? The more China discovers the more questions arise to the surface.

The author sets up a great character and her friends in their first outing and follows it with a great mystery to boot. Let's hope the energy level is kept up in the rest of the series. I'm looking forward to the next one. A fun read.

Okay- since I started this post - I have gone on a wild reading jag and have read the next seven books. And I really love this character and her world. And it is best to read them in order to see how this cast of characters grows. These books will become your new friends. And now I'm itching to see what herbs will grow in my garden... Try them. They are fun!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Ain't Myth-Behaving

Katie MacAlister's book Ain't Myth-Behaving takes romances to a different level. One can count on her books to be fun and have a sense of whimsy - but this one might win! It contains actually two novellas. One tells the story of an Irish god who needs to get married by Beltane otherwise he will cease to exist. His usual goddess has run out on him, but he has met this lovely American tourist who seems to fit the bill. How does he convince her he is real?

The other tale is one of cursed Vikings who only appear on a stretch of Scandinavian coastline. When Brynna is rescued by them - a tale unto itself - one Viking realizes that she may be able to break the curse. Will she help them out? How do you bring home a bunch of Vikings for a family dinner? Anyone know where Odin lives now days?

Brush up on your gods and goddesses folks. You might need it. Myths can be fun. A great read.

It Happened at Christmas

First of all - yes, I am stilling reading Christmas stories after the holiday. So sue me. Sometimes one needs the extra lift. And some Christmas romance stories are not like the others. The anthology, It Happened at Christmas with pieces by Penny Jordan, Helen Brooks and Carol Wood is a great collection of different stories.

One can read romances set completely in the houses of the high and mighty and the folks go from one gala to the next. Don't get me wrong, those can be fun to read too, but these tales are set in out of the way places from the typical romance spot. One story is set on the Isle of Dogs in the East end of London. A new doctor comes to help out his uncle's practice with the poor in the neighborhood. The nurse and the doctor do not see eye to eye on remedies. Another story is set in a mill town where a girl needs to find out if a mill owner with a bad reputation - is really the ogre he is said to be. The other story is a about how a factory girl with a family to support gets a new job as a tenant on a farmer's land.

Definitely different Christmas stories. Take a look. A fun read.

Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget

Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget by Marianne J. Legato is not you’re usual "let's study the social differences between the sexes" book. There is more science than societal antidote here. Somethings I learned: facts like men's brains are bigger than women's but women's brains have more interconnectivity between the different sections. And the fact that men's ability to process language and to understand what is said to them starts to diminish as early as age 35, while women preserve this function until after menopause.

A great primer on the study of the brain and other gender differences and it is written in an easy to understand style - for the lay people out there. An interesting read.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Keeper of the Bride

Talk about having a bad day. Nina is left at the altar. She looked great, the church looked great, the groom decided he was a no show. Just as she is getting a ride home from the reverend, the church blows up. So now she gets to wait around in her bridal gown to have the investingating detective inform her - that it was not a gas leak. It was a bomb. And by the way, did she or her fiance have any enemies willing to kill them?

Thus begins the roller coaster ride in Tess Gerritsen's Keeper of the Bride. Nina just wants to go home and get out of her gown, but now she gets a ride home from the cop - Sam. Sam just wants to find out why some one would bomb this ER nurse. He doesn't want to get involved with an "emotional" ex-bride, but then more accidents happen, and more bombings. Just who is trying to kill this nice woman? And why?

Gerristen keeps the reader on the edge as the plot gets more twisted and the action gets faster. The more things are discovered, the more questions there are, and Sam, Nina and his team are trying to connect the dots before the killer strikes again. A fun and fantastic read.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Buried Bones

Carolyn Haines has a mystery series set in the Mississippi Delta. It is saturated with the essence of the South. Old money, old houses and a small town where everyone knows what everybody is up to. Buried Bones is her second book in the Sarah Booth Delaney series.

Sarah has just saved her family home from being sold by solving a case. Now it looks like she is going to be an investigator. But her investigations come very close to home, when several friends are suspected of murder. The victim, a writer, knew a lot of secrets about everyone. And he was going to put the truth in his biography. Sarah gets to sort out whose secret is whose and who was willing to kill to keep those secrets quiet.

This may sound similar to other mysteries but Haines livens things up with her wild eccentric cast of characters, and her willingness to let Sarah not take things too seriously. Humorously written and very dense - a huge cast of characters- Haines creates a winner. I read in a review that they called this series is a mix of the Ya- Ya Sisterhood meets Nancy Drew - and I think they are right. A fun read. Looking forward to more in the series.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

To Go Gray or Not To Go Gray - That Is the Question

Does she dye her hair or doesn't she? That question was asked in an old advertisement for hair coloring. It is not a life and death social issue, but it matters to many people, many of them women. How much is our hair color tied into our self esteem and our vision of ourselves? Is it just one more fashion statement or an example of how our society values age? Or are we just fighting the aging process with all our might? Anne Kreamer brings up these issues and many more in Going Gray: What I Learned About Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity and Everything Else That Really Matters.

Kreamer starts her quest with her own hair. She sees a picture of herself taken by a friend and is appalled by how bad she looks with her dyed hair. She thought it made her look younger but instead she finds it makes her unnatural and she is tired of the constant upkeep it requires. As she makes her decision to go natural, she investigates society's view point of gray hair - from advertising, to Hollywood, the business world, politics and beyond.

Kreamer writes well, and as a result, this is a thought provoking book. So should one go gray? It becomes a very very personal choice. A great read.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Sizzle and Burn

She can touch an item and hear voices. He can touch something and see visions. But what they can see and hear is usually the traces of residual violence. Jayne Anne Krentz's latest, in her Arcane Society series, Sizzle and Burn, has these two people join forces to find out secrets from that past that can effect the Society's future.

Raine Tallentyre is recovering from her Aunt Vella's death and she is trying to get her aunt's affairs in order. Zach Jones is investigating a missing scientific researcher who disappeared the same day that her aunt died. He knows her family history and knows about her "gifts". He offers to join forces with her since she thinks there is something strange about her aunt's death. Raine is soon plunged into a crash course about the Society and it's enemies. As they investigate - it becomes murkier. Are their foes after him? Or her?

This is an excellent sequel to her earlier book, White Lies. Krentz has done some great work with the engaging characters - by balancing their "gifts" with their normal lives. And it is great to have a lead male character who is a hero - but doesn't take himself so seriously. A great read. Looking forward to more in the series.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Witchy Business

Witchy Business is a collection of short stories by Julie Leto, Rhonda Nelson and Mia Zachary. From the title, you can tell that the book does feature paranormal characters. The stories are centered around the fictional Sedona Rehab Center for the Magically Challenged. It is a school for witches to attend, if they have not come into their powers. But the reason they do not have their "gifts" has to do with love. They have either "denied love, never known love, or abused love." And then comes the rest of the story...

All three stories are fun, and the premise makes the stories connect. Perfect for a short burst of romance. A frothy good time.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

Do you eat alone? Are you planning gourmet meals for yourself? Or are you regulated to frozen dinners for one? Or are you secretly eating something others might consider a bit wacky? Come join the discussion in the book, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone edited by Jenni Ferrari-Adler.

This is a great study of being alone vs being lonely and preparing food for one's self. Some of the writers long for the days they can be alone, some remember times when they were alone, but others rejoice in the simple meals that they make for themselves. And the meals range from normal, to cravings, to obsessions, to grabbing whatever is in the pantry. One of my favorite essays is the one where the author decides to eat asparagus every day during the fresh season - which is two months! She becomes her own asparagus superhero. Personally I hate the vegetable, but I admire her obsession with it - I get that way for zucchini and fresh ripe summer tomatoes - and her desire to experience it at it's peak.

What is also interesting - is how many of these foods are or become comfort foods. Are our taste buds truly formed by our childhood foods? Or are there memories intertwined with these dishes? This book will definitely provoke some thinking about your own comfort foods and the times and the people behind them. An excellent read.

Some favorite bits...

"Dinner alone is one of life's pleasures. Certainly cooking for oneself reveals man at his weirdest. People lie when you ask them what they eat when they are alone. A salad they tell you. But when you persist, they confess to peanut butter and bacon sandwiches deep fried and eaten with hot sauce or spaghetti with butter and grape jam." - Laurie Colwin

"Eating after all, is a matter of taste, and taste cannot always be good taste. The very thought of maintaining high standards meal after meal is exhausting. It discounts all the peanut butter that is available in the world." - Ann Patchett

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Bento Box in the Heartland

As much as we like to think that society has changed how it views race, it really depends mostly on the individual - on your environment, your upbringing and sometimes where you live. In the book, Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America, A Food Memoir by Linda Furiya, she points out the situation when telling her story of growing up Japanese American in small town Indiana in the late1960s and 70's.

This book is as much a memoir of her childhood as it is of her family's. Her father was born in the U.S. but was sent back to Japan, in the late 20's, to stay with relatives after his mother's death. He was trapped in Japan when the war started and only made it back to the States in the 1950's. Her mother came to the U.S. in 1961 as an arranged marriage fiance. One of their commonalities was their love of food from their homeland. And it becomes a focus in her book as well - perhaps because she later became a food writer, or perhaps because she realized that their ethnic food brought them together as a family.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the book is when a Japanese family friend in Chicago tells them about the Japanese grocery stores and restaurants they have found in the area. The Furiya family makes a trek to the big city, with coolers for some authentic Japanese supplies. Her father is overwhelmed by the bounty. And her parents decide that if they drive all night home they can spend the money on fresh fish, that they had put aside for a hotel! It was the first of many treks to Chicago.

I was enthralled with her views of her family's life and their struggles. I grew up in an area in the Midwest that had an influx of Asian immigrants, and was curious to see the view from the other side. And her descriptions of the food they ate, made me look up ingredients and recipes. A wonderful book. And it will make you want to go out for some Japanese food.