Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Lina is 15, her family is deported by Soviet troops. Her father is arrested and sent to prison. She, with her mother and brother, Jonas, are hearded first onto trucks, then into train cattle cars. The travel east for six weeks with barely enough to eat, no higiene and no knowledge of where they are going. Bodies are dumped at each stop along the way to the Altai labor camp, in the southern Soviet Union (near Biysk). They are working on a beet farm, where they are each given 30 grams of bread per day - if they work. I someone cannot work, they get no bread. Generally speaking, the people work together to keep everyone alive - pilfering potatoes and beets, other food from the soldiers mess. After 8 months, part of the group is taken to Trofimovsk on the Artic Ocean at 72.6 degrees north. When they arrive, nothing is there except a partially build barracks for the soldiers. The starving prisoners must unload supplies from their steamship and complete the barracks, a bakery, and a fish factory. Young boys were sent to fish, but had to give the fish to the Russians. Again they were alloted 30gr of bread per day. The prisoners had to build their own hut (yurt) out of what they could find - before the first snowfall. It was already August.

The Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and Finns who were deported by the Soviets to Siberia generally stayed 10 years - if they survived. This is a story from this terrible injustice.

The book is told in the voice of Lina. You can hear her go from a sheltered girl to determined woman in the book. Please read this book.

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Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dellarobia is running away from her circumscribed life when she witnesses a miracle in the forest - thousands of butterflies have roosted in a southern Tennessee valley. She tells no one, but the butterflies change her life. Dellarobia becomes involved with the inevitable researchers who arrive as land lady and lab assistant.

This is the best book I have read this year. There is happiness and sadness, hope and despair. Kingsolver explores the effect of living in small rural communities; and how polarized segments of our society are.

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Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Susannah recounts her descent into madness, caused by a very rare autoimmune disease.  Her experience demonstrates how important it is to have family and friends and doctors who will not give up.  Because her disease was so rare and so newly described, it took the talents of a wonderful neurologist who thought creatively and looked at Susannah as a person - not a strange case.

Susannah has interviewed her family, friends, and medical staff to put together a picture of herself during her "madness" - a period which she largely can't remember.  The book is well written, a good combination of explanation of the medical issues and what is going on with her.





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The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rowling demonstrates the difficulty of rising above poverty. Krystal tries to take care of Robbie, go to school, and joins the rowing team. In spite of help from Mr. Fairbrother, she was never able to escape the dragging poverty.

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Pagford & Yarvil - adjoining Parishes

Cast of Characters: (in order of appearance, more or less)

Barry Fairbrother - Pagford parish councilor, grew up in the Fields, started girls rowing club.  Dies of ruptured aneurism in parking lot of local golf club. Leaves the "Casual Vacancy" on the council.
Mary Fairbrother - married 19 yrs, has 4 children
Niamh,

Howard Mollison - father of Miles,  owns local deli - chair of local Council
Shirley Mollison - did not like Fairbrother & others on Council, mother of Miles, administers Council website
Miles Mollison - solicitor, partner of Gavin
Samantha Mollison - wife, who runs a lingerie shop


Gavin Hughes - single, dating Kay, solicitor, partner of Miles, Barry is his best friend

Colin Wall - friends of the Fairbrothers, asst principal of school, plagued by obscene thoughts, "Cubby"
Tessa Wall
Stuart Wall - nicknames Fats, Fatboy, friends with Andrew "Arf" Price

Ruth Price - wife of  Simon, mother of
Simon Price - bully & thief
Paul Price - younger brother of Andrew
Andrew Price - peanut allergy, "Arf", friend of

Dr. Vikram Jawanda - cardiac surgeon
Dr. Parminder Jawanda - G.P., another Councillor, secretly in love with Barry?
Jaswant, Sukhvinder and Rajpal Jawanda - children of


Kay - Gaia's mother, social worker
Gaia - new girl in school, Andrew has crush on her

Krystal Weedon - from Fields, sleeps around,

Maureen - business partner of Howard Mollison - the Deli owner

The sudden, casual vacancy, sets in motion an avalanche of conniving by the adults to gain the upper hand in the council.  The two factions are either trying to move the Fields into the neighboring Parish (Yarvil), or keep them in Pagford.  The issues of the poor are represented by Krystal, her addicted mother, and her brother Robbie. In spite of efforts to help them out of their poverty, they fail.

Daily Show interview with J.K. Rowling

Worth reading!

The Good Girls Revolt by Lynn Povich

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued their Bosses and Changed the Workplace by Lynn Povich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lynn Povich was one of the "good girls" working for Newsweek in the sixties.  The women working there as researchers were as talented and as well-educated as the male reporters and editors.  One by one, these women began to think "why can't I work as a reporter?"  They got together, and filed a class action lawsuit agains Newsweek, owned by the Washington Post whose CEO was Kay Graham.  This suit opened up women at other media outlets to the possibilities.

Well worth reading if you are female, or know anyone who is.  We must not forget what these women did for us while we were in diapers.


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A Wanted Man by Lee Child

A Wanted Man by Lee Child
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, boy! This is one of those stay-up-all-night books. It is so fast moving and unpredictable that you don't want to stop. Reacher is picked up hitchhiking by two men who have just committed bloody murder to through off cops at possible roadblocks. The local sheriff does the best he can, but the FBI shows up, homeland security shows up, and a mysterious character who is probably CIA. Reacher, naturally, co-opts two female FBI agents to try to rescue a kidnapped woman. Shifting alliances and allegiances make it impossible to tell who the good guys are. Reacher as Rambo at the end saves the day, but not all of the people.

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I will not be able to see the movie, Jack Reacher, with Tom Cruise as Reacher.  I hate Tom Cruise anyway, but also think there are much better actors.  Lee Child comments on CBS This Morning.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished Gone Girl. It is quite unique. Reading the first section, I felt it was dragging a little, and I couldn't see where it was going - but I knew it went somewhere because of reviews. Flynn has crafted a character in Amy who is more wicked than any character I can remember. It's going to be a heck of a movie.

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Girls Named Amy on my Pinterest.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is not my usual taste, but I did enjoy listening to it.  It was difficult keeping the girls apart, but I finally got to know them.  It sounds like from other reviews that it was a problem with reading it(as opposed to listening), too.  I kept thinking of the chapters as vignettes, although they are actually more like episodes in a tv series.  The story of these single women as they leave college and start to make their way in life opened my eyes to how different the world can be for women who follow this path compared to my experience of marrying soon after college and following the husband in his career.  That is not to say that I don't have choices because I do, but I never lived alone, solely responsible for my upkeep.  Anyway, I value the book for giving me the look into these younger women's lives.

Mixed reviews - most people either loved it or hated it.  I'd read it just to find out which.


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The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The slowing - the earth begins to slow down, eventually to more than a week between sunrise and sunset. Julia, an 11-year-old 6th grade student, is increasingly isolated as her best friend moves away, her piano teacher joins the "Real Time" movement, and her parents are drifting apart. It's more about Julia's teen growing pains and family relationships than an apocalyptic event, but also a study of how people react to an uncertain future.

A great book club book - lots to talk about. Could not put it down.

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The Last Policeman by Ben Winters

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just finished reading this book. It poses the ultimate question: what would you do if you knew the world was ending in six months? Detective Henry Palace is called to the scene of a supposed suicide. Against policy, he wants to investigate the death as a possible homicide. Unable to stop investigating what appears to be an insurance fraud scam, he discovers that no one is telling the truth and nothing is what it seems. And who cares anyway?

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"Pre-apocalyptic" may be a new term, but it's not a new idea.  Lucifer's Hammer (1985) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle begins with the knowledge of a coming comet hit on Earth and it's affect on society.  If you like this genre at all, you should go back and read this.

Postmodern Fiction

As part of an online book club, I have been reading some postmodern, or perhaps, post-postmodern fiction.  Currently we're reading three stories from the New Yorker's 20 under 40 collection.  They are:

 "The Train of Their Departure" by David Bezmozgnis.  This story becomes part of his novel, The Free World. 

"An Arranged Marriage" by Nell Freudenberger.

"What You Do Out Here, When You're Alone by Philipp Meyer 

The blog is The Anytime Anywhere Book Group.

So, what is postmodern fiction?  There is a discussion in wikipedia.  It began in the post-WWII years, and is characterized by an emphasis on chance and unpredictability, not always having a neatly tied up ending.  The new authors, such as those represented in the 20 under 40 collection, may be the beginning of post-postmodernism.

Our next book is A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.  This book received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2010.  It is very experimental, with various points of view and styles, including powerpoint slides.

Some other books I am looking at for subsequent months are:
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
The Absolutist by John Boyne

We'll see what is eventually chosen.

Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Mephisto Society re-enters the picture when Maura goes to visit Julian at the remote Evensong school in the Maine woods. In New York, Rizzoli & her colleagues catch a murder where a foster family is killed with one young survivor. Putting things together it seems that there are three kids with a common history - their parents were murdered two years ago, and now their foster families have been murdered.

As Jane and Maura become embroiled in this case, it is impossible to tell the good guys from the bad. Great plotting and storytelling.

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I think this is the best of the Rizzoli & Isles books so far.  When reading [book:Last to Die|13272498], I realized that I had missed reading Ice Cold.  It really sets up Last to Die, were Maura meets and is rescued by Julian, a "lost boy" - cast out by his cult leader so that the young girls are available for marriage to the older men.  The polygamous cult is modeled after the Warren Jeffson group in Nevada/New Mexico(?)

The Passage by Justin Cronin

I've got to read this book! And I don't even like vampires!

I now have the book in my possession, but need to read a couple of books for work first.

And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

Laura Lippman has moved way beyond her Tess Monaghan detective series (I would love to read more of these.)  And When She Was Good goes to the extreme's of parental love.  Heloise Lewis is a suburban madam with a young son whom she protects from the reality of her business.  When her past threatens to intrude, she bravely develops an exit strategy.

Daughter of a cruel man and weak mother, Helen/Heloise runs away in her late teens to get married.  The marriage never happens, and she is caught in the world of prostitution.  When she finds herself pregnant, she finds a way to partially escape. At the center of this book is her attempt to completely leave prostitution and her son's father.

The contrast between her cruel father's treatment of Helen and Helen's treatment of her son is the core of the book.  Parental love makes all the difference. The story is powerful and compelling; Lippman's prose is compelling and truthful.

Sundays Will Never Be the Same by Darrell Waltrip

February 18, 2001, was the day NASCAR racing changed forever.  It was the first race of the first season of Fox NASCAR coverage (they had been covering speedweeks for the last two weeks); it was Darryl Waltrip's first race as an announcer; it was Michael Waltrip's first Daytona 500 win, and it was the day Dale Earnhardt crashed in the next to last lap of the race and died.

This book is more than a discussion of Earnhardt's death.  Waltrip covers his career from young dirt track racer, to NASCAR, to the announce booth.  Although encouraged by his parents, he created his career from the ground up.  He was lucky, sincere, and hard working.  He was also honest and funny. He tells how his faith in God helped him overcome his bad boy behavior. It's a great read if you are interested in the 80's and 90's in NASCAR.

If you want to read more about the events surrounding Dale Earnhardt's death, read Michael Waltrip;s book In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything.

I know, it's almost August.  What have I been reading?  For one, I have read J.D. Robb's "In Death" series. I am on number 10, Witness in Death.  Eve and Roark have a lot of very passionate sex, described in some detail. I really don't see how this is different than the sex in 50 Shades of Grey, a book which has over 500 holds in my library system. As a matter of fact, Christian Grey looks and acts (in the book) a lot like Roark.  I think there are two things that make 50 Shades stand out:

1. The book made the rounds among the New York set, and gained the attention of the national media, and
2. Robb's "In Death" series is on it's 35th book.  The first book, Naked in Death, was first published in 1995.  Although set in the future, there's a reference to the twin towers in book 9, Loyalty in Death.

The "in death" series has been very popular over the years.  I just started reading it lately because I was looking for some light reading, and could get the first one for $7.99 on my Nook.  Most of the earlier ones are available on Nook for this price.

What makes the "In Death" series better than 50 Shades is the future setting and the plots.  Robb's (Nora Roberts) plotting is intricate, but not confusing.  Her characters are "real" - as real as they get in fictional police procedurals.  Peabody and her sexual conquests are priceless.  She is the foil to Eve Dallas - Peabody likes to eat, have sex, and get some sleep.  Eve denies herself these human needs when she is working on a case.  She refuses to stop long enough to eat or sleep in her drive to find the killer.  Roark is her savior - without him, she would probably collapse.  His ability to utilize his super-advanced technology and questionably legal methods contrast with the police's slow moving and outdated computing ability. 

I would recommend these for leisure reading for anyone.

Fifty Shades of Grey, reprise

I've been fascinated by the publishing of and libraries reaction to Fifty Shades of Grey.  My colleagues call it porn or smut; others call it Mommy Porn. While not great literature, it is titillating.  Because of all the press, I had a good idea of the books contents before I started reading it.  To me it is no more graphic than other erotic fiction I have read.  I think some people are shocked because they have never read any erotic fiction.  The plot outline is a traditional romance, played out in three books totally 1650 pages (American edtion) rather than 175 (Silhouette Desire), 280 (Harlequin SuperRomance) or 370 (mass market bodice-ripper) pages.  I think it could have been rather shorter.  There were times when her inner monologue went on and on. 

I became aware of this book on the Today show - the story was about how urban moms were passing the book around, usually on their eReaders.  As a matter of fact, the book was originally released as an e-book and a print-on-demand paperback in May 2011 by The Writers' Coffee Shop, a virtual publisher based in Australia.  It was spread by word of mouth, especially to those with eReaders.  I thought it was wonderful.

"Erotica" is a category that libraries have traditionally not purchased whether by explicit policy or accepted practice.    The reaction of libraries to the popularity of the Fifty Shades books has been interesting.  Many libraries have not purchased it, saying they do not purchase "erotica".  Most libraries do not purchase books labeled "erotic stories" by the Library of Congress.  Libraries have the right to decide what books they will purchase and most have a policy stating their standards.  But public libraries are also in the business of meeting demand.  Modern public libraries no longer restrict what people can read, but try to give them what they want.  The public library also must reflect the local community standards.

The problem arises when there is a controversial book, like Madonna's Sex.  My library didn't purchase it because it was $50 and spiral bound.  It was likely to be ripped off the first week.  And because it contained phrases like "My pussy has 9 lives" and “Everybody loves you when they are about to cum.”  But it had a lot of press, and people did ask whether we were getting it.  Some were relieved to be told we were not.

Fifty Shades has had plenty of press, but I haven't been hearing quotes of what language is offensive, or if it is the situation.  Our current policy is to purchase books of reasonable price if they are requested.  We have 9 copies, with about 45 holds.  Our policy is to purchase a copy of a book for every 5 holds.  This seems to be a reasonable policy. That way the librarians aren't deciding how many to buy - the community is.  Without seeing or reading a book, it is difficult for a librarian to decide whether to purchase or not. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/book-banned-fifty-shades-of-grey_n_1503949.html

I did read the book, and found it very entertaining, but not great literature.

More articles: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-harford-librarian-profile-20120604,0,1593688.story?page=2&track=rss

1222: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel by Anne Holt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hanne Wilhelmsen is a former police investigator in Oslo, Norway. She is on her way to see a medical specialist when the train derails at 1222 meters above sea level, fortunately near a mountain inn. The passengers are rescued be people from the inn, but are stranded because of the remote location. Also, a hurricane of a snowstorm is beginning. When a man is found murdered, Hanne is called upon to assist in the investigation, being the only police officer present. As the storm rages, a small group try to discover who is the murderer.

This is a tightly crafted, tense, locked-room mystery. It is one of the best I have read. This is Holt's first novel translated into English. The first Hanne Wilhelmsen book is coming in June 2012.


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Maggie O'Dell Series by Alex Kava

A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like this series. Kava's Maggie O'Dell is an FBI profiler with a degree in psychology and a troubled childhood. She's new to the FBI and has difficulties getting to know people. Fortunately, her new partner is friendly and outgoing. In this first in the series, Maggie is chasing a dangerous serial killer, who escapes and comes back to threaten her again.

The books are somewhat formulaic, but Maggie, the stories, and the other characters are interesting enough to make me want to read the rest of the series, which I am doing on my Nook.

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I am reading all of this series on my Nook.  They are not very expensive.  Read if you want an entertaining, serial killer novel, with an appealing FBI agent who can't commit to a relationship, this is your series.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first time I heard of this book was on the Today show. Since I was leaving on our anniversary vacation the next week, I bought the first one on my Nook. I thought it might be a good vacation book - and it is! To me, it's about two 20-somethings that fall in love, have the typical romantic novel problems (she doesn't trust him, he doesn't trust her)with all the fantastic sex you have when you are first in love. Yes, he's BDSM, she's not. Will she succumb to his needs? or will he succumb to hers? The writing is not terribly sophisticated, but it is certainly an entertaining, erotic romance with a traditional ending if you read all three books - which should be together as one. It's good I could download the other two while on vacation - I loved reading it.

(as far as erotic goes - they have sex - but the descriptions are not explicit.  it's more about her feelings. some people will like and some will not.)

P.S. I'm planning to read it again.



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Hard Driving: the Wendell Scott Story by Brian Donovan (2011)

Never published this post before - but the book is worth reading.


We are at the Fort Wayne Region GASS (Great Lakes Solo Series) autocross event at the War Memorial Coliseum.  The event has been very nicely arranged.  The parking lot is very large, enough for a long course - 80 sec. course.  They had registration and tech offsite last night, and the autocross all on Sunday.  We’ll drive home afterwards.  I’m planning to nap a little so that I can drive all the way home.  John & David can switch off, since they’ll be tired.

We are here because it is asphalt and we are trying to get the car sorted in anticipation of the Porsche Parade autocross event.  David wants to win this very badly.

There are 3 heats, with D & J working 1, running 3 - David’s idea of the best possible combination.  Three is good because you get one heat off to relax, or visit with the other autocrossers.  Spectator area is lined up along the course with Jersey barriers in place, allowing a good view of the course.  Fort Wayne paid for spectator insurance.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn across the street - a nice location.

Took a bit of a tour, following the google-Verizon nav system trying to find restaurants.  Don’t know what the problem is with non-existent restaurants, except they probably had changed names and the data was not up to date.

It is hot & sunny, but not too humid, with a nice breeze.  I am staying comfortable sitting in the back of the Jetta with the rear gate & windows open.

The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

The Gods of Gotham (Timothy Wilde #1)

by Lyndsay Faye (Goodreads Author)

 4.11  ·   rating details  ·  188 ratings  ·  84 reviews

Just read the other reviews.  Faye's story grabs you from the first sentence and doesn't let go.  My only regret is that the library glued down the flaps, covering up part of the map of Manhattan on the inner covers.  Timothy Wilde and his brother Val seem a little bigger than life - orphans after fire took their parents lives.  Val lives by his wits as Party boss - the Democrats.  Wilde is made penniless when southern Manhattan burns to the ground - his savings and his job as bartender up in smoke.  Then they both join the new New York police force - called the Copper Stars for their badges.  
They are both drawn in to the investigation of the death of a child, whose body is brutally mutilated.  Tim rescues a young girl and protects her in his house - while risking his life to discover the villains.


The mystery is deep - involving numerous New York characters.  Faye has all the historical details that make you feel you are there.  I had no idea about the religious hatred of Catholics brought about by the influx of Irish refugees.  With vice and graft the norm, I wonder how any progress was ever made.  I read the book in almost one sitting over a weekend - you just can't put it down.  

And it looks like there are more planned!

Where was I?

I took a wonderful vacation to Hawaii.  I have to recommend it.  We took Norweigan Cruise Line's 7-day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands.  It is the best way to see a lot of Hawaii.  You spend the night on the boat and take excursions, or just tour on your own, each day.  We then spent a few extra days in Kona on the Big Island so that we could go to the top of Mauna Kea to see the observatories.  There are 13 or so different observatories - including one from Japan and one from a French and Canadian consorium.  The mountain is over 13,000 feet - we saw snow!  The road up is a bit rough.  The Saddleback Road to Mauna Kea was built very quickly by the U.S. Army to move materiel across the island during WWII.  It hasn't been improved very much.

Hawaii really has a different culture than the mainland.  I felt like it was more ? than here.  Most people we met that were born and raised in Hawaii were a mixture of races and cultures.  And everyone sounded the same - Hawaiian.

It was a wonderful trip, now back to the books!

Bon Voyage!

Kerning is important?

Maphead by Ken Jennings

Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ken Jennings, of Jeopardy fame, writes about his life-long love of maps.  He also talks about development of maps, map collectors, "country collectors", geocacheing, and map rallying - an unusual activity indeed.  I haven't read any of his other books, but his writing is good, and choice of topics interesting.  He goes to a great deal of effort to talk to people interested in the topics he is covering.


Good read for anyone interested in maps for themselves.


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Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow and Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton

There's been quite a gap in my posts because I've been working on my family history this month.  I'm still reading, but not spending as much time reviewing.

Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I very much enjoyed this latest Kate Shugak adventure.  A lively adventure where Kate winds up locked in a container in the hold of a ship about to put to sea.  She does manage to extract herself, with the help of the FBI.  Liam Campbell asks Kate to investigate an airplane crash in the small town where he lives with his wife, who may be involved. The mystery is well-plotted, the villains believable, and Kate is on the top of her game.


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Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hamish Macbeth is still pining for his ex-fiancee; and he has a new constable who assists the investigation by sitting in front of the station collecting gossip. Hamish is investigating the murder of a kingfisher, then a person, in a beautiful glen. He suspects the neighboring children, who are totally out of control. Their parents arrive, and they are added to the suspect list. Even though the investigation is declared closed, Hamish cannot stop thinking about those children. The more he looks into their past, the more he worries; until they steal a couple of passports and take off for parts unknown.

This is the 28th mystery in the Hamish Macbeth series. I've enjoyed them all, but this one shows an older, sadder Hamish; both because of his personal losses, and the effects of the recession on northern Scotland.

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Kill Switch by Jonathan Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely worth reading although I was jarred out of the story a couple of times by awkward dialog. A little of that TV talk getting in there, I think. The plot was intricate and went back to the childhood of the main character, Dr. Clair Waters - in training to become a forensic psychiatrist.

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Gun Games by Faye Kellerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Decker is approached by the mother of a supposed teenage suicide victim to double check that there was no foul play. Meanwhile, the Decker's Catholic teenage foster son begins dating a traditionally persian jewish girl. The two teenagers are deeply devoted, but cannot let her parents find out about their relationship. The boy, Gabe, is approached by a gang of boys in the local coffee shop but stands up to them and they leave. Decker's team starts to unearth some unsettling facts about the suicide. Then another teenager commits suicide. From then on, it's a thrilling ride to the end.

I enjoy Faye Kellerman's Decker and Lazarus series because of the religious underpinnings, the perfect depiction of teenagers in all their angst and glory, and her original plots.

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Exposed by Alex Kava
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I made it four stars because the story is original - it involves innocent people being infected with ebola - the Army biological weapons team and the FBI are trying to figure it out. Maggie O'Dell is exposed and spends several days in isolation, where she meets a tall, handsome army doctor. It's good listening to while driving because it's not too complicated and not too long (only 7 cds).

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Hanging Hill by Mo Hayder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the best mystery thrillers I've read in a long time. It's somewhat amazing how people's lives intersect, especially in a small place like Bath, England. Zoe Benedict crosses paths with her estranged sister during her investigation of the death of a local teenager. The murdered girl is friends with Zoe's neice. Meanwhile, Zoe's sister, Sally, has begun working for a mysterious wealthy man. As Zoe begins to suspect Sally's employer, a terrible accident occurs, putting both sisters into danger.

The book really brings out how small misunderstandings can lead to long estrangements. The plotting is intricate, and you're still not sure who the real killer is at the end.

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Lost Saints of Tennessee by Amy Franklin-Willis

The Lost Saints of Tennessee: A Novel by Amy Franklin-Willis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Recommended by Dorothy Allison and Pat Conroy, this novel, set in very small town Tennessee, is about Zeke Cooper, a middle-age man having a mid-life breakdown. His ex-wife is remarrying, he is still grieving for his twin brother, who drowned. He knows his young daughters need him, but doesn't know what to do. Drinking a lot, and very depressed he leaves home for what he intends to be his final journey. Only he finds himself back in Virginia where he stayed on the farm of an Aunt and Uncle for awhile. Sometimes getting away is all that is needed.

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We Have Met the Enemy by Daniel Akst

What do economists, psychologists, philosophers and clergy have in common?  They are all in interested in self-control.  Akst explores research and writings of all of these people and more in exploring what self-control is in the modern world.  Be it harmful addictions or a simple inability to sit down and attend to the work at hand, self-control is what gives us the discipline to eat, sleep, and enjoy our lives.  About America's the recent economic collapse, he says, "Suddenly we were all Emma Bovary, bored, entitled, and aghast when the piper at last demanded to be paid.  'It is because she feels that society is fettering her imagination, her body, her dreams, her appetites," Mario Vargas Llosa writes in The Perpetual Orgy, 'That Emma suffers, commits adultery, lies, steals, and in the end kills herself.'"

No one is spared.  If you are at all interested in why we do, or do not do, what we should be doing, read this.

Google-a-Day Puzzle

Check out this google-a-day puzzle. Guess where I'm going soon.

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This may be the last long - 608pp. - book I read in print. It's getting hard to hold on to such a long book for a long time. The Nook is sounding better and better.

Inspector Lynley is sent to the Lake District for a little off-the-record investigating. AC Hillier, Lynley's superior, asks him to look into the supposed drowning a wealthy friend's nephew. The victim slipped, fell, and drowned getting out of his scull in the dark. The only question, is did someone loosen the stone that slipped, or had it become loose? Soon, Simon & Deborah St. James arrive to give some expert advice. While this trio are skulking around, pretending to be on holiday, there is also a tabloid reporter trying to dig up some dirt on the Fairclough family. Lynley and Simon St. James cannot find any evidence of a crime, but the investigation itself leads to the destruction of several people's lives.



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Damaged by Alex Kava
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Number 8 in Alex Kava's Maggie O'Dell series. Special Agent Maggie O'Dell goes to Pensacola Beach to investigate body parts that were found in a cooler by the Coast Guard. Col. Benjamin Platt is in Pensacola to deal with a nasty virus that is killing recovering soldiers. And, by the way, a Cat 5 hurricane is bearing down on the Florida Panhandle, stretching local resources. O'Dell is working with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer who discovered the body parts to figure out where they came from and who they belong to. The story is full of twists and turns, is tightly crafted, and well worth listening to, or reading.

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I have a NOOK!

I bought a Nook color tablet last Friday.  I'm finding it very handy, it's lit so I can read in the dark.  It is basically an android operated tablet computer.  The only downside is that I have to pay for the books at this point.  My library will soon have an Overdrive subscription, which will allow me to read books for free.

Meanwhile, I'll also be reading some "real" books.

The Guards by Ken Taylor

The Guards by Ken Bruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first in Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series. Set in Galway, Ireland, Taylor has been expelled from the Guarda (police) for alcoholism. Between bouts of inebriation, he seeks people (being a private eye is not p.c. in Ireland). The mother of an apparent suicide asks Jack to try to find the killer. Jack's lists and quotes from existential authors lend levity to the story.

Read as an ebook on my new Nook Color Tablet.

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Hunter by John Lescroart

The Hunter by John Lescroart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wyatt Hunt tries to find out who killed his mother and what happened to his father. Apparently, his mother's killer is still around, as further murders ensue. Great plot - lots of feelings from Hunt and a growing closeness with Tamara.

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