Teaser Tuesday

"The fires behind them had melted into one vague glow against the black sky, and the land was almost out of sight.  It was time to come about.  "Watch your head, my lady." (620)



George R. R. Martin.  Clash of Kings.  New York:  Bantam Books. 1999.

First Chapter Tuesday

"The comet's tail spread across the dawn, a red slash that bled about the crags of Dragonstone like a wound in the pink and purple sky.
     The maester stood on the windswept balcony outside his chambers.  It was here the ravens came, after long flight.  Their droppings speckled the gargoyles that rose twelve feet tall on either side of him, a hellhound and a wyvern, two of the thousand that brooded over the walls of the ancient fortress." (1)  Prologue

George R. R. Martin.  Clash of Kings. New York:  Bantam Books. 1999.

Cozies

Lately I have been obsessed with cozy mysteries.  They are very relaxing yet there is still the challenge of the mystery.  Some of my favorite include the Tea Shop Mysteries, Cackleberry Club, and Scrapbooking Mysteries all by Laura Child.  Then I have added the Book Shop Mysteries by Lorna Barrett, the Molly Malone Mysteries by Maggie Sefton, and the China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert.

I am returning to a few other series I started in the past, such as Diane Mott Davidson Culinary series and Carolyn Hart Death on Demand.

There is a bonus to most of these.  Most come with recipes.  For one of my creative challenges I will try a few and post my results.

But for now, I am gearing up for the Bout of Books read-a-thon.  I won't have time for much else!

Challenge

As part of this creativity challenge I am participating in a read-a-thon at Bout of Books.  I have signed up already over at Joyful Jottings where I will be making most of my posts but one of the things that this creativity challenge has done for me is to take me out of my comfort zone with reading.  I am reading more and I am reading a variety.  In addition, I am reacting - publicly - to these reads.

If I am not "making" things, at least I am getting more involved in the book.  My reading isn't a passive exercise.  I am putting more of myself into the story and then getting more out for myself.  

I am excited about the challenge.  I can't wait to see how I progress.  I have some lofty goals, one of which is to read the books I have on hand.  I will not buy another book, or download one on Kindle, or check out one from the library.  I am going to knock off some of the ones here gathering dust.  

I will probably do lots of cross-over posts but that's OK.  I am writing.

These are near the top of my stack. These have been around a while!   


The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

First Chapter Tuesday

"I tell you, Trish, we're all victims."

Victims?  In the town voted safest in all of New Hampshire?  Tricia Miles raised an eyebrow and studied the septuagenarian bookseller before her over the rim of her cardboard coffee cup.  Here it comes, she thought wit dread, the pitch.

Lorna Barrett.  Murder is Binding.  New York:  Berkley Prime Crime. 2008

Deadly Politics

Recently I visited the Cozy Chicks site and read a wonderful post about the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.  I made a comment and in the author's response she mentioned areas of DC that we both knew very well.  In addition, she mentioned the first book in her Molly Mallone mystery series.  I was intrigued so I bought that book.

I enjoyed it very much.  I must say it kept me guessing.  In fact, the ending left me wanting (maybe even needing) more.  While the story and characters are important, for me I began reading to feel the setting.  Sefton captured Georgetown perfectly.  

I am not a great "reviewer" so I have included a snippet from Amazon.  It says it best.

From Amazon:

A gripping new mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maggie Sefton 

Molly Malone was driven from Washington, D.C., by political back-stabbing, scandals, and personal heartbreak. But now she’s starting a new life in the one place she swore she’d never come back to.

When Molly’s only Washington job prospect falls through, her politico niece, Karen, sets her up with a position in the office of a freshman senator. As the former wife of a congressman, Molly is alarmed to hear that Karen is having an affair with her boss,  congressional chief of staff Jed Molinoff. Just days later, Molly finds Karen shot to death. Discovering that Molinoff has ransacked Karen’s apartment, Molly investigates further . . . and finds herself in the crosshairs of a shadowy political group that’s killing anyone who gets in its way.

"Maggie Sefton's foray into political intrigue is a marvelous look at the shady underbelly of insider Washington...A tightly plotted tale of treachery."
—MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE

"Sefton has a sharp ear for dialog and knack for writing strong female characters that serve her well as she ventures into suspense."
—LIBRARY JOURNAL

One Dark NIght

Kevin F. McMurray tells the true story of the murder of Peggy Perez-Olivo and the subsequent trial of her husband accused of the crime.  From the beginning McMurray details two sides of Carlos.  He is a wheeler-dealer get rich quick kind of shyster lawyer who eventually is disbarred for providing poor counsel among other reasons.  On the other hand, he seems to be a loving husband and father who indulges his wife in wining, dining, and shopping sprees.

Did Carlos kill his wife?  Was he trying to get the insurance money?  There is never a clear cut motive.  He had had an affair but it was over.  He did need money but he had deals in the works.  I wanted to know why.

At the end of the story I felt that he was guilty but only because he was an unlikable character.  I just felt like he did it.  His children disagree.  They don't believe he would ever do that to their mother.  They were convinced he loved her.

I'm not so sure!

Book Page

Yesterday, I picked up a copy of the May issue of Book Page from the library.  I like to go through it an circle book titles that I want to add to my TBR list and then reserve at the library.  

This isn't a good picture but this is the "hot list" of books for the month.  The book listed one up from the bottom is the new book by Laura Lippman.  

From Amazon:

Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working full time and published seven books about "accidental PI" Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor's Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association. Ms. Lippman grew up in Baltimore and attended city schools through ninth grade. After graduating from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md., Ms. Lippman attended Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her other newspaper jobs included the Waco Tribune-Herald and the San Antonio Light. Ms. Lippman returned to Baltimore in 1989 and has lived there since.

The new book out is called Wilde Lake which as you will notice is the name of the high school she attended.  It is also the high school my kids attended and the name of the section of Columbia in which we lived.  So I have got to read this book.  I have read most of Lippman's stand alone books and a few of her Tess Monaghan series.  

Several of her books take place in the Baltimore and Howard County area.  There is something special and exciting about seeing familiar places in a novel and even more fun to be able to make connections from the fiction to real life incidents.

I will read Wilde Lake.  How could I not?  I look forward to seeing my old stomping grounds as part of her story.

The Railwayman's Wife

Reviews certainly can be misleading.  I read a five-star review of this book and put it in the back of my mind thinking I would add it to my TBR list.  Then, I read an article suggesting books about libraries.  This topped the list.  Books and the library play a role in this novel, but not to the extent I would have like.  

Reading this book was a strange experience for me.  I wanted to read to find out what happens to the characters, but I didn't really care.  In fact, there was nothing I really cared about.  I was mostly just curious.

I have tried several times now to write something more about the book but can't quite be coherent. So I am going to resort to bullet reactions.

• Ani's grief seems real.  That is important to the story.
• Isabel (the daughter who is 10) is not realistic.  She is too wise for her age.  She seems to handle her grief "too well."
• The secondary characters of Roy and Frank don't get enough development.
• I didn't like the back in time memories.
• In reviews I read there was mention of a surprise ending, but it wasn't a big surprise.  It was too obvious.

Here's the kicker....I would recommend it.  I want to hear what others think of this book.  It is a novel that would be great for a book group because there is much to discuss.  It would be easy to agree and to disagree about the story.  I'm glad I read it, and I am also glad I got it from the library.  It is not a book I care to own.

Wordless Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and Beat

"That's what I thought, since Michelle found the body."  Andrea swiveled in her chair to face Michelle.  "I'm really sorry you had to go through that, Michelle.  I remember how I felt when I found Max's body in the old barn."  (245)

Joanne Fluke.  Wedding Cake Murder.  New York:  Kensington Publishing Corp. 2016.

Books About Books - Part One

Finding something to read is not usually a difficult task.  I can walk through a book store or the library and come away with a back breaking haul.  Scrolling through blogs or Facebook yields pages of titles for my TBR stack.  With that in mind, why would I want to consult books about books?  

That's easy, I might miss something.  In one of my field trips through Barnes and Noble, I came across two interesting books:  Book Lust by Nancy Pearl and the follow up More Book Lust.  The titles alone were worthy of my attention - books and lust!

First and foremost, Nancy Pearl is a reader.  Next, she is a librarian.  She comes by her knowledge of books quite honestly.  According to the back cover blurb Pearl also had a weekly program on a Seattle NPR affiliate and she has published several reviews in various magazines.

The books are arranged into lists of books categorized by theme, setting, mood, author or any number of other classifications.  Once I accepted a challenge to read books that represented each state in the US.  The Book Lust books were the first places I turned to get ideas  In More Book Lust there are sections:  Florida Fiction, The Great Plains, Idaho: And Nary a Potato to Be Seen, and New England Novels to name a few.  Thanks to these books I was well into the challenge.

Both of my books are dogeared, highlighted, and bookmarked.  There are post-it notes on almost every page.  Periodically, I will choose a list and read two or three of the suggestions.  I think my compulsion is to complete each category.

Jayber Crow

I am not sure where I read about the book Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry, but it piqued my interest.  I went right to the library to find it.  Part of the reason I was drawn to it was because the reviewer said it was a book he had to read in seminary.  I assumed it would be "religious."  It wasn't religious but it was spiritual.

Jayber Crow is an orphan.  He has decided to become a minister; however, in college he confronts questions for which there are no answers.  At least the answers will be for him alone and it may take a lifetime to learn them.  So he leaves college to wander.

Eventually, he settles in a small town and takes over as the only barber.  It is here he truly ministers. His clients depend on him for more than a weekly shave and a haircut.

From Publishers Weekly

The role of community in the shaping of character is a recurring theme in the work of poet, essayist and novelist Berry, as evidenced once more in this gratifying novel set in Berry's fictional Port William, Ky. Jayber Crow, town barber from 1937 until 1969, is born in the environs of Port William, but after the deaths of his parents and, later, his guardians, he is sent to an out-of-town orphanage at the age of 10. Returning 13 years later, in the flood year of 1937, the solitary young man goes on to learn the comradely ways of the town. "In modern times much of the doing of the mighty has been the undoing of Port William and its kind," Crow reflectsAa reflection, too, of Berry's often-stated beliefs that salvation must be local, that rootlessness and a fixation on the postindustrial era's bright new toys will destroy us environmentally and economically. Crow earns his living with simple tools; he becomes a church sexton, though he is not unthinkingly pious; and his unrequited love for farmer's wife Mattie Chatham is pure and strong enough to bring him serene faith. In contrast, Mattie's husband, Troy, the novel's villain, disturbs the "patterns and cycles of work" on Mattie's family farm, trumpeting "whatever I see, I want" and using a tractor. The tractor stands for the introduction of new machinery and the unraveling of the fabric of family farming. It is not surprising when Troy cheats on his wife nor does it come as a shock when the Chatham's young daughter becomes a victim of dire chance. Berry's narrative style is deliberately traditional, and the novel's pace is measured and leisurely. Crow's life, which begins as WWI is about to erupt, is emblematic of a century of upheaval, and Berry's anecdotal and episodic tale sounds a challenge to contemporary notions of progress. It is to Berry's credit that a novel so freighted with ideas and ideology manages to project such warmth and luminosity. 12-city author tour. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Me

I loved this book.  Perhaps the theology of the book lies in Jayber's desire to always be fair, to live true to his own beliefs, and to be part of community.  Jayber added so much to his town in ways that far exceed his mere occupation.

It is not a difficult book to read.  As Publishers Weekly says it is a leisurely pace.  That doesn't mean that the reader will want to put it down.  Despite the fact that there isn't one strong plot line, there are several issues that need resolution.

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry may be difficult to find.  My library had an old well read copy but my local Barnes and Noble had two paperbacks.  

This was my first read of 2016 and a very satisfactory was to begin.

Brooklyn

I am not a "huge" movie fan.  I rarely go to a theater but I do occasionally check out the "On Demand" section of my cable and I do watch most of the Academy Awards.  This year I was surprised at the number of movies from books that were nominated in one category or another.  I made a promise to read some of them.

My first pick was Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.  What a lovely story!  Eillis Lacey is the youngest child of  a family in a small town in Ireland in the early 1950s.  Her father is dead and her three brothers have gone to England to find work.  They have made it clear that they have no intention of moving back.  Her older sister lives at home.  She has a good "office" job, great clothes, and strong personality.  She loves golf.  It is Rose's decision that Eillis should move to America to work.  Rose will remain in Ireland with their mother.

Eillis does move to America with the assistance of an American Priest who finds her a room, a job, and college.  Eillis struggles to fit in.  She succeeds at work and at school.  Slowly, she makes friends and eventually a young man.

Toibin has created a wonderful character in Eillis.  It is a pleasure to watch her grow.  I loved her reaction to her housemates and their landlady.  

In addition to good characters, the book's setting is well crafted.  The major events such as allowing African Americans in the department store occur naturally without preaching or prejudice.   

I am so glad I read this book.  I don't know if I will see the movie but at least now I know what the "fuss" was all about.  I am going to pass this book on.

#tbt - Throw Back Thursday

I taught high school English.  I am a reader so maybe that means in a way I will always teach English.  I believe there are some books everyone should read - classics perhaps by some "experts" standard but definitely classics by mine.

Everyone should read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.  There is sadness and despair.  The Great Depression has made finding work almost impossible, but men who are willing to travel and move on can find limited work as laborers.  It can be a lonely life moving to one farm after another facing the role of "new guy."  But, Of Mice and Men shows this life in a different light.  

The two main characters George and Lenny travel together.  Nothing alike, they still manage to stave off loneliness offering each some sense of belonging even as they enter a new situation.  George is small but strong.  He has the brains.  Lenny is big but doesn't know his own strength.  He has the dream.  The dream - they are going to get themselves a little farm and Lenny will raise the rabbits.

They are closer to their dream than ever before when they settle in at the ranch in the Salinas valley. The guys they work with seem fair and hard working if they can just steer clear of Curley and his wife.  But Lenny likes pretty things, soft things and that sets them on the path to destruction.

The book is sad and it can make the reader angry.  After it has long been over, the beauty and love becomes evident and some of the darkness fades.  It is a short but powerful work.  Everyone owes it to themselves to set aside a weekend to spend with George and Lenny to learn the lesson of love.

There are several movie versions.  I have only seen two of them.  The 1981 version stars Robert Blake as George and Randy Quaid as Lenny.  The 1992 version stars Gary Sinise as George and John Malkovich as Lenny.  I liked both films but my favorite is 1992.  I love Gary Sinise.  Watch both and compare.  I am sure there is a 1939 film as well but I don't know about others.  Watch the movie after reading, please.  Both are fairly faithful to the story but the power of words will be diminished if the reader knows what is coming.  

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and Beat

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"For the first time, she was grateful for the city's blackout conditions.  She slipped into the darkness on the sidewalk and all but disappeared." (185  Hannah, Kristin.  The Nightingale. New York:  St. Martin's Press. 2015.)

Eggs In Purgatory

Remember this blog is connected to the challenge posed in A Daily Creativity Journal and today's "assignment" was to use food that was in the house for our project!  

I recently started the Cackleberry mystery series by Laura Childs.  I am a huge fan of her Tea Shop mysteries.  Since I am up to date with those books, I went in search of a new one and was happily satisfied with this.

Three women who by their own description are on the north side of 40 have opened a restaurant in an abandoned gas station.  With a book nook and a knitting corner, the cafe is a big success.  They are the hit of the town.

One day after Suzanne's lawyer stops by with some papers for her to sign, his body is found in his truck behind the Cackleberry Club.  How can Suzanne let this go?  She and her buddies Petra and Toni are off to find the truth.  Luckily, their restaurant is popular and gossip abounds along with several clues.  It makes sleuthing more intriguing.

There are bumps along the way with more crimes and not without accusations but in the long run Suzanne finds the guilty party.  

Technically, my eggs are in the Inferno but they had to go through limbo to get here.

Predator

I read books in order.  The thing that I love about series is that you get to see the characters grow.  It gives the author a chance to gradually develop their personalities.  Another thing about series is that story lines can branch off in very different directions over the course of several books.  Finally, villains can pop in and out leaving the reader unsure about their fates.

I am reading the Kay Scarpetta series in order.  Patricia Cornwell is doing everything I want in a series.  Scarpetta is changing over the course of the books.  Her relationships with Marino, Wesley, and Lucy are expanding and contracting as in real life and the quirky villains are in and out like restless children.  I love that.  Who is going to re-emerge next?

Predator is the 15th book in this series.  Publisher's Weekly some interesting comments about it.

"It's not often a crime novel offers such a smorgasbord of oddball elements, including autopsy advice, methods of combating tree blight, the use of spiders in sadomasochist torture and couples covering the sexual and psychological waterfronts. There's even a little nasty fun at the expense of television psychoanalysts."

But, are these characters growing or shriveling?  Publisher's Weekly goes on 

 "Her Dr. Kay Scarpetta is all snarky professional reserve and personal insecurity. Self-loathing lesbian niece Lucy, sounds properly troublesome and troubled, with an added catch in the throat due to a secret she's keeping. Pete Marino, the bullet-headed, gym rat security chief of the Lucy-originated National Forensic Academy, sounds so gruff and aggressive, he should be kept on a chain leash. And Scarpetta's inamorato, Benton Wesley, whose study of mass murderers' brain patterns gives the novel its title, is, as his name suggests, the very model of a dry, annoyingly passive-aggressive personality. The joke here-intended or not-is that the novel's protagonists are almost as mentally or emotionally disturbed as its homicidal villains."

This isn't my favorite of the series.  In fact, I started to give it up at several points.  I like to have some clues leading to the identity of the "bad guy."  In this book, the big reveal comes out of nowhere.  I didn't see hints leading to the conclusion.  It was almost too neat or something.  

The one thing I am looking forward to is seeing Dr. Self again.  She is a real doozy of a character.  Too good to just drop.

 These quotes from Publisher's Weekly appear on the Amazon page for Predator.  Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 

Footnote:  I want to make sure that I give credit for using snippets of that review.  It validates my opinion of the book but the words belong to the review.

Library Day: Memories Part I

Today is library day.  Actually I have no set day to visit the library.  I usually go when they call.  Let's be clear.  They don't invite me to visit.  There is no need for that, but they do send me emails when they know it's time for a visit.  For example, yesterday I got two messages:  one reminding me that I have two books due soon and one announcing that two books are ready for me to pick them up.  So off I will go for a two for two trade.  It doesn't always work out so evenly but today it is even steven.

I am a library lover.  I have been fortunate to live near great library systems.  It began early when my mother would walk me to the DC library branch closest to our house.  Now that was a library - heavy wood furniture, a separate children's room, and "Ssssh" signs all over the place.  I had a paper card(!) and each book had two cards in a pocket in the back - one card with bibliographic information and the other for a date stamp.  Then the librarian stamped the due date on that card and took a picture of my library card and the two book cards.  Imagine no automation.   There was a limit to how many books could be checked out at a time and the late fine was one cent per day.  What a difference a "few" years make.  As I grew up, the DC branch I visited changed but the set up remained the same.  Back then there were not many "young adult" books, if any, so in high school I left the children's room behind and went straight to adults.  I think that is why I read so many classics.

After college, my new library was in Prince Georges county Maryland.  These branches were newer and more modern that the DC library but they were stocked full of delights.  I was exclusively in the adult section now.  My favorite shelves held mysteries but I did drift over to True Crime.  I still enjoyed classics but now I also looked at the "New Release" section.  My interests were broadening.

After I was married, Howard County, Maryland was my home and their libraries became my haunt. These were fantastic.  The main branch by Merriweather Pavillion and the Miller Branch in Ellicott City were my homes away from home.  In the evening after dinner I would wander around those stacks for hours.  Saturdays at the mall often ended with a quick stop at the library.  Card were plastic now and computer systems were all the thing!  I think this library system is one of the very best in the US.  They have so much to offer and if they didn't have what I wanted they got it for me.  Howard County Libraries still are the standard for which I judge all others.

There are other library systems:  Carroll County, South Coastal Library, and now Chesapeake but I have books calling me.  Those stories will have to wait for another day.