Review: The Body in the Cast

Author: Katherine Hall Page

Format: 275 pages, hardback
Characters: Faith Fairchild, Penny Bartlett, Tom Fairchild
Subject: murder, catering, movie making
Setting: fictional town of Aleford, Massachusetts
Series: Faith Fairchild Mysteries
Genre: mystery- amateur sleuth
Source: public library


A well-developed mystery featuring amateur sleuth, Faith Fairchild.  This is the fifth in the series, but the first I have read.  Although there are references to previous episodes, the story stands alone quite well.

Faith Fairchild, married to the local minister, mother of two pre-schoolers, runs a catering business "Have Faith."  She is hired to provide food to the cast and crew of a big Hollywood movie being filmed in their small town outside of Boston. The film is to be a modern take on The Scarlett Letter. At the same time, the town is having an election with an unheard slate of three people running for one vacancy on the town select board.  One of the candidates is royally detested by most people in town.

As the filming begins, bodies start turning up, discovered by Faith.  Her black bean soup seems to be the culprit in a mass food poisoning that hits the entire crew. And everytime these incidents occur, filming must be delayed, and the director goes into a frenzy over his budget.

There is a cast of typical hollywood divas, under-appreciated crew members, spoiled children, all harboring enough secrets to keep NSA busy decoding for a year.

I enjoyed this book and will certainly look for at least one more in the series.  Faith seems to be a tick above the standard amateur sleuth.  She is helpful, thoughtful and quite intuitive, but does not strike off on her own, put herself in danger, or forget to involve the local police.  A thoroughly pleasant book with the added feature of recipes for several of the offerings from "Have Faith" catering.






Challenges: Audio Books, Thrillers-Suspense-Mystery,  Support Your Local library,

Review: True Blue

Author: David Baldacci
Narrator: Ron McClartey
Format:  12 discs (hrs) - equivalent 372 pgs
Characters: Mase Perry, Beth Perry, Roy Kingman
Subject: murder, national security,
Setting: Washington DC
Genre: Thriller, suspense
Source: Hachette Audio contest prize

This is a scary book.  The plot is scary, the characters scare the living blankety blank out of me, and the premise is nightmarish because it is so real.

It has a well developed, tightly written plot with many twists, surprises, and heart-stopping developments. Within the first 5 minutes of this audio, we have a US attorney murdered and his body stuffed in a dumpster by ??? --- are they good guys or bad guys??? This question will drop to the bottom of the dumpster with the body and only reappear much later in the book.  In the meantime we have a female prisoner being molested by a guard and threatened by other inmates while she's trying to hold on for 3 more days until her release.  And we have a high powered, big money corporate attorney discovering the body of a colleague in his office refrigerator when he goes for cream for his morning coffee.  So much for trying to come in early to get work done!

It has characters whose actions sometimes require us to suspend belief, (what would you do if you were facing a gang of hoodlums with automatic weapons??---I won't spoil it, but I'm not sure my choice would have been the one written). Our heroine is constatly ignoring common sense, speeding off on her Dukati, and getting into all kinds of trouble, but like WonderWoman, she manages to extricate herself---all without a gun, and often without the help of her sister the Police Chief or her buddy the lawyer !!

The good guys are almost stereotypical--the blond female Washington DC police chief Beth Perry; her sister Mason (Mase)--a cop wrongly accused of dealing drugs who has recently been released from prison and is trying to clear her name and get her badge and gun back; Ron Kingman, a college basketball star turned corporate attorney who befriends a homeless Vietnam vet by giving him shoes, twinkies, and keeping tabs to be sure he's ok.  Cap'n (the homeless vet) is one of the most fun characters in the book.  He provides a few sad but comic moments in a very intense book.

The bad guys are numerous and often masquerade as good guys.  The good guys aren't above a little law breaking if it serves their purpose.  In fact, one of the scariest aspects of this book is that it's hard to tell who's who----good guy? bad guy?

The story is almost a political commentary on the state of US national security today and the scariest premise of all is that this kind of activity is going on in the name of national security, and none of us will ever know, or could do a thing about it if we did know.

As an audio, it is well served by Ron McClartey's crime reporter voice.  I just wish that Hachette would not have included all the sound effects that seem to be de rigeur in today's MTV world.  I listen to audio books because I find it difficult due to physical limitations to hold books for long periods of time, and my eyes are getting 'old' and tired.  So I want to listen to the book.  I don't want a stage production.  My mind still works and I want to be able to IMAGINE the bullets zinging, the motorcycles zooming, the cars crashing.  And  Please............the "dum dah, dum dah, dum dah" music used to fade into and out of scenes reminds me of JAWS.  I almost expected a shark to pop up.  It will be bad enough when they make this a movie (and you know they will!) and we have to see all this.  Until then, I'd rather paint my own mental pictures thank you.





Challenge: Books Won, AudioBooks, Thrillers and Suspense

Many thanks to Hachette for making these available for blog contests.

Review: Key Lime Pie Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke

Format: audio - 12 hours, 374 pg equivalent
Characters: Hannah Swenson, Norman Rhodes, Mike Kingston
Subject: murder at the country fair
Setting: Lake Eden, Minnesota
Series: Hannah Swensen myseries (#9)
Genre: cozy mystery- amateur sleuth
Source: public library



These stories could never be described as great literature, but by this time (#9) in the series, the characters are like old friends, and we now read them as much to find out if Hannah will ever make up here mind and choose between the two gentlemen vying for her hand: Norman, a suave, gentle, geekie, cat-loving dentist, who normallytreats Hannah like a china princess; and Mike, the local sheriff, who manages to come and extricate Hannah from the traps she gets herself into trying to solve murders that seem to occur on a regular basis in Lake Eden Minnesota.

Norman's tendency to play knight errant to Hannah means that he often finds himself being rescued by his rival.  Hannah's mother and Norman's mother (who are in cahoots to marry their offspring to each other) also continue to muddy the waters, and her sisters continue to help out.  Nothing new, but still fun and easy to read.  And the recipes still make the series worth owning....like a set of cookbooks.




Challenge: Audiobooks; Thrillers, SuspenseMysteries; Support Your Local Library

Review: The Book of William

Author: Paul Collins

Format: hardback, 247 pgs
Subject: Shakespeare's First Folio
Setting: England, New York, Washington DC, Tokyo
Genre: non-fiction
Source: Bloomsbury Publishing, review copy

Paul Collins writes an entertaining and enlightening tale of the First Folio of William Shakespeare. I am by no means a Shakespeare scholar, although like most educated Americans, I've been exposed to his works both in high school and in college. So I was unsure whether this would really interest me or not.  I am however interested in books, and how they are printed, published and distributed.

The story of how his works were published, and the tortuous journeys of these volumes is fascinating and presented with a clear and somewhat humorous narration.  Collins follows the folios throughout the world, tracking ownership, explaining the differences in different editions, and painting word pictures of these archival masterpieces, including the gravy stains and tea cup circles left on the (now) precious pages. I was especially interested in two aspects, the collection at the Folger Library in Washington DC, and the collection owned by the Japanese and held at the Meisei University in Tokyo.

I did my library science graduate work at Catholic University in Washington DC, growing up in that area, and living there for over 20 years of my adult life.  Shamefully, I must admit that I have never been to the Folger, and felt the loss as I read Collins' descriptions of the physical plant, and the incredible holdings.  The Folger is at the top of my list for places to go the next time I visit the area!

We lived in Japan for almost 5 years, although before the Meisei's massive collection of Shakesperiana was begun.  I found the descriptions of the area quite true, and also was intrigued by his descriptions of Japanese theatre and how Shakespeare has been adapted to it over the past hundred plus years.  I am familiar with kabuki, and with the marvelous Japanese puppet shows: Bunraku.  He explains:

Along with such alien notions as soliloquies, the poetry, the English system of meter and accent, didn't make much sense in Japanese. ...Japanese words are consonant-vowel, and because of the confoundment of R and L, Hamlet became Hamuretto, and Shakespeare himself turned into Sheikusupia.

Puppets provided an excellent solution to the problem.

Collins' love of early printing, and the Folios in particular, is evident throughout the book.  It is well researched, and provides additional resources at the end. I just wish he'd presented a bit more framing up front so I could have figured out earlier what he was attempting to tell us.  It took me almost 100 slowly dragging pages before the light went on and then the story snowballed. For book lovers and students of Shakespeare this volume will provide hours of enjoyment.

Challenge: ARC


My thanks to Bloombury Publishers for the review copy.

Mini Review: STOP IT!

This is a dynamite little books sent to me by the publisher, Sally Lee Books.  In today's world, the story of George the bully, his  sister Anabel, and her cat Lulubel will resonate with children and the adults who guide them.  In simple words and pictures, children hear a story of how to deal with a bully.  Anabel uses her temper to yell STOP IT.  George feels bad, and by using the cat as an example, both of how bullying hurts people, and how people can make up and feel better, the reader learns the valuable lesson of self-worth and love.

These books by Sally Lee are favorites with the pre-school group in our library.  They make wonderful gifts for kids and grandkids.  Many thanks to Sally for sending us a sample.

Mini Review: Simon's Cat

If you are a fan of Simon and his cat, this compilation will certainly resonate.  For us other cat lovers who are only peripherally aware of the role of this human and feline in the universe, the stringy, black and white scribbly cartoons don't add much to our life.  This one either works for you or it doesn't, and for me, no words, no color, no familiarity equals no go.  The best I can say is it was a quick 'read.'

I won  this book in an online blog contest sponsored by Hachette Book Group.

Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Author:William Kamkwamba with Bryan Mealer
Format: ARC paperback, 347 pgs
Subject: growing up, famine, science experiments, building windmills
Setting: Malawi Africa 2000-2008
Genre:  memoir
Source: Review copy from Harper Collins


At the age of 12, William Kamkwamba is literally dying of starvation. His country, Malawi, a small land-locked slab of sub-saharan Africa is suffering raging famine exacerbated by totally corrupt and inept rulers.  The Kamkwamba family (parents and 4 children) has been reduced to eating one small meal a day consisting of a small handfull of a grain concoction and sometimes the addition of a pumpkin leaf.  William, the only son, has been forced to drop out of secondary school because his farming family cannot afford the tuition. The erratic rain patterns (too much, then too little) of the past year have meant that their tobacco and maize crops failed.  No food, no money to buy food, no crops to sell to make money, malaria and cholera adding to the mix, and no work for William or his father.  Life could have been very dismal.

But William is a curious and basically happy child.  He returns to the local grade school where the village library is housed.  There he spends his days reading everything he can get his hands on so he won't be too behind if the chance to return to school ever happens.  He finds books that came in a shipment from America, among them Integrated Science and Explaining Physics.  His world expanded, and he immediately realized that if they could have electricity, his father could run a pump that would allow them to manage their water supply and have not only one, but two harvests a year.  His family would not have to spend money on kerosene to have light at night, nor would they have to go to bed when it got dark at 7pm if the kerosene were running low.

Inspired by his reading and by seeing bicycle lights glowing from the energy generated from the dynamos run by pedals, he set about to build a windmill to generate that electricty for his family.  It never occured to him that this was something many would consider impossible.  The story of how he scavenged, begged, borrowed or found enough work to pay for parts and tools, and then built a working windmill is only the beginning of this inspiring story. Once the windmill became reality, and his house was 'wired', his family became the local cell phone charging outlet, and visitors began arriving to see this strange contraption made of a bicycle wheel, a bamboo tower, melted PVC pipes for blades, and hundreds of feet of bare metal wires.  My favorite part was the 'insulated' light switch made from a discarded flip-flop.

The story of his adventures out of his village after he was 'discovered' by scientists and philanthropists is even more endearing.  His first airplane ride, sleeping on a real bed in a hotel, and most of all discovering computers and the internet are joyfully related. Now in his 20's, and a university student, William is determined to bring electricity and education to his entire country.  I can't wait to see him succeed.

This is a book that can be enjoyed by readers from about age 10 through adulthood.  It is an uplifting tale that affirms our belief in human nature.  It would make great extra credit reading for a basic high school physics class.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for the review copy.

Challenge: ARC

Review : Starburst

 

Author: Robin Pilcher
Format: audio 11 discs - 13 hrs (474 pg equivalent)
Characters: Angelique Pascal, Jamie Stratton, Leonard Hartson, Rene Brownlow, Thomas "TK" Keene, Gavin Macintosh, Albert Dessuin
Subject: various characters working through life problems
Setting: Edinburgh "festival"
Genre: Fiction
Source: Public library

It's been quite a while since I read anything by either Rosamunde or Robin Pilcher. I had forgotten how incredibily character dependent their work is. It wasn't until I was half-way through that things started to "happen". I had almost given up by then.

In this story, set against the backdrop of an annual arts festival held in Edinburgh every August, Pilcher presents us with a beatiful and talented young female violin prodigy and her rather unlikeable teacher/manager; an absolutely down on his luck, but if you're a mother you have to hug him, recovering drug addict car thief who only wants to be a movie maker; an elderly retired filmaker called out of retirement to film a Japanese dance troupe performing at the festival; a young recent university grad trying to get his flat cleaned up, repaired and on the market so he can leave Edinburgh in September for his new job in London; a pyrotechnic genius designing and producing his final show (the "starburst") before he retires; a thoroughly delightful standup comic from a pub in the burbs, whose local patrons take up a collection to book her act into the festival; and a young newly-wed assistant to the festival director who is fending off an obnoxious ex-lover and trying to keep everyone happy.

How these people all come together and resolve all their individual issues begins to build in the 2nd half of the book, and doesn't completely finish until the very end.  It is a somewhat soupy, sachrine story, in that in the end we don't have a lot of surprises, but it is a well written and gentle read.



Challenge: SYLL, Typically British, Audio

Unfinished Friday

Marie, the Boston Bibliophile has a wonderful new meme I'm going to participate in periodically. Unfinished Friday is designed to provide a way to blog about books that for whatever reason just don't work.  My unfinished work this week is Evolution of God by Robert Wright.

I abandoned reading this scholarly tome last week. I have had it as an ARC since July, and have tried on three different occasions to tackle it. I cannot get past the first 40 pages. It is well-written, but has far too much detail about a topic that just couldn't grab me. I have never been interested enough in anthropology to read deeply. I have an overall intellectual appreciation of the subject, but no desire to delve into it.

I'm not ready to part with it yet. It's a NewYork Times notable book of the year (2009) and I'm going to try to read it in pieces instead of all at once. It's gotten such great reviews, I feel like if I persist, I'll get something out of it, but for now, I've got a bucket load of ARCs waiting, so it will have to go onto the DNF-try again pile.

Review: Supreme Courtship

Author: Christopher Buckley
Format: paperback, 285 pgs (ARC)
Subject: politics, Supreme Court
Setting: Washington DC
Genre: humor
Source: won in a blog contest sponsored by Hachette Books

A delightful romp through the pomposity of Washington Congressional and presidential politics.  Christopher Buckley is a master at tongue in cheek.  He presents us with a president who is as close to Ozzie Nelson as we can find.  He bowls, he watches TV, he vetoes every spending bill Congress sends him because he doesn't think the American people should pay for some of these ridiculous boon-doggles.  But most of all, he just wants this term to be over, so he can go home to Ohio and sit on his front porch.

Before he does that however, he has to appoint a Supreme Court justice, and Congress is not inclined to approve anyone he sends.  In a burst of brilliance (watching late night TV) he decides to appoint Pepper Cartwright, star of a top-rated TV Courtroom Show and America's favorite TV judge.  This political satire gets better with each page as we watch this Texas born and bred (but Fordham Law school educated) lady bring her own brand of straight-shooting, pistol packing, rodeo riding spirit to the here-to-fore straight-laced Senate confirmation committee, and then to the court itself.

It is frankly, laugh out loud hilarious.




Challenges: Books Won 1/6, Read from My Shelves 3/20, TBR Challenge 1/12,

Review: Founding Brothers

Author: Joseph J. Ellis
Format: hardcover 246 pgs w/additional 30 pgs notes
Subject: Revolutionary war personalities
Setting: US 1790-1825
Genre: Historical vignettes
Source: My shelves



I was hoping this book would be a 'refresher' to bring me back up to snuff on the most telling issues of the American Revolution. I am rejoining the US Presidents' challenge, having read bios of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson several years ago, and didn't want to have to go back.

Ellis presents us six essays which are alternately entertaining, enlightening, and brutally boring. He seems to think that if 100 words would do, 500 are much better. I had a hard time in several places staying awake.

Interestingly, he begins with the Hamilton-Burr duel, and seems to feel a lengthy lesson in economics is needed to explain the enmity built up between these two.

Then he gives us a chapter entitled "The Dinner" at which Thomas Jefferson, the host, is reputed to have brokered a deal between Hamilton and Madison to allow for federal assumption of all states debt in exchange for allowing the federal capital to be situated in Virginia. We got page upon page of background, but I had a hard time finding the dinner.

The third chapter "The Silence" I found the most interesting, but also the most difficult to read. It refers to the decision of the Founders to avoid a discussion or decision about the question of slavery.

Next up is "The Farewell" a elucidation of Washington's famous address in which he puts forth his (and many claim Hamilton's) thoughts on the party system, the need for the country not to form alliances, etc. Again, enlightening, but pedantic.

"The Collaborators" I found the hardest of all to follow. To me it was a series of short paragraphs describing various friendships, alliances and relationships that helped patch together diverse policies.

And finally, "the Friendship". The most cogent of the chapters where Ellis gives us a condensed look at the magnificent letter writing that took place over the last 14 years of the lives of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

If you are a true history buff, you'll love this book. It is extensively researched, and well footnoted. If you are looking for a quick fill in, this might not be the book for you. I'm glad I read it, but I won't be pulling it off the shelf to re-read anytime soon.




Challenges: Read from My Shelves 2/20, US Presidents (background reading)

Review: A Fountain Filled with Blood

Author: Julie Spencer-Fleming
Format: audio, 11 discs, 12 hours, 320 page equivalent
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Subject: gay bashing, murder, environmental impact from developments
Setting: Upstate New York
Genre: mystery-police procedural + amateur sleuth
Source: Public library Inter-library loan



In this second of the series, Spencer-Fleming gives us another great thriller.  I really enjoy the combo of the amatuer sleuth, Clare Ferguson, priest of the local Episcopal Church (and oh, by the way, retired Army helo pilot) and the professional crime fighter, police chief Russ Van Arsdale (oh,by the way, retired Army MP).

The story begins with the vicious attack on the town's Medical Examiner, who just happens to be gay, and shifts quickly to a demonstration against a resort development on the site of some alleged PCBs.  Here we meet Russ's mother, a real pistol of an active elder, who gets herself thrown in jail by her son for demonstrating without a permit.

There is more murder and mayhem, and an incredible helo scene (we KNEW sooner or later Clare was going to fly again!).  So no spoilers, but this plot was gut churning, and there were enough suspects to keep three police forces busy.  I don't do spoilers, so we'll leave the story line there.

The issue of gays and same sex marriage is treated with delicacy and compassion, but in the end, I couldn't quite figure out if the issue of gay bashing was a red-herring to hide the real reason for the crimes.

I do have very mixed feelings about the blossoming romantic relationship between the two main characters however.  We have yet to meet Russ' wife--she's always off working on her curtain business, and Spencer-Fleming has the two protagonists playing with fire.  I can't wait til book #3 to see if sparks ignite.


Challenges: Support Your Local library 2/50 , Thrillers and Suspense 2/12 , Audio Books 2/20.

Dodging the bullet

The Storm came....
                      The Snow fell....

then it turned to rain, with a big wind,

and the temperature ROSE!!

So we have patches of bare ground, big hills of drifted snow, and nice wet slushy patches of road  just waiting for the temp to fall so they can turn to ice. We're 1000 ft off the main road, and we aren't paved.

I love snow.

I hate rain.

I detest ice.

Anyway, I've got three books almost finished, but must report that Christopher Buckley's Supreme Courtship is going to win out, because I can't put it down.  Reviews by Wednesday...

And Life in Maine

Back in the 70's, we lived in Hawaii for two years. There was little live network TV (we called the morning NBC Show the "Yesterday Show.")   I found it somewhat amusing that the Hawaiian language has no word for weather, nor did the local TV news shows have any kind of weather report.  What was to report?  Sun, sun, rainbow, breezes, temperature 75, sun, sun....you get the picture. Lovely but actually, I found it quite boring.

Here in Maine, we tend to stay tuned to the weather reports, only because we want to know if the weather is going to be conducive to outside activity (e.g., do I have time to get a walk in before that storm hits?).  The winter weather reports tend to be of the "oh...by the way, we're going to get about 3-5" of snow today, so be careful driving." And we're on to the sports report.

Yesterday, however, when the weather person said the expected accumulation was going to be measured in feet, not inches, we all paid attention!  Our wood pile is stocked, there's bottled water for cooking (AND COFFEE), we've ground enough coffee to use the French press for at least 48 hours, the emergency phone # for the power company is on the wall by the phone, new batteries are in flashlights, and most important, the books to be read have been identified and the clip on book lights are ready to go.

As you can see above, we're in a small lull between storms - have about 3-5" on the ground right now, but I'm thinkin' 16-20 when it's all over. 

BTW...if I don't post for a few days, it may not be due to power loss.  Our internet comes through a sattelite dish on the roof.  When the dish gets buried in snow, we tend to go "down" for a while.

Review: Death Goes on Retreat

Author: Sr. Carol Anne O'Marie
Format: audio 8 discs, approx 9 hrs.
Characters: Sr. Mary Helen, Sr. Eileen, Kate Murphy,
Subject:  murder
Setting: Santa Cruz CA
Series:Sister Mary Helen Mysteries
Genre:cozy mystery
Source: public library


Another cozy featuring the detecting nun, Sr. Mary Helen and her sidekick Sr. Eileen. This time the sisters get their calendar mixed up and show up a week early in Santa Cruz for a nuns retreat only to find that the place is full of priests who are supposed to be on retreat. After an encounter with an absolutely obnoxious cook who seems to hold the whole place hostage to her schedule, Sr. MH finds a body, the police show up, and the fun begins. The author presents the murderer early on, and keeps providing broad hints, but also goes to great lengths to prove that it cannot be this person. San Francisco detective Kate Murphy, from the dear sisters' home area, gets roped into helping. After a second death Sr. Felicita, the meek mousy lady in charge of the retreat center finds a backbone, the local detective (with help from Sr. MH of course) solves the mystery, and Sr. gives her sermonette on life to the reader.

This is the 2nd one of the series I've read, and while they're fun, they're a bit light, and this one was quite preachy. Still, an acceptable who-dunnit.




Challenges: Audio Books, Thrillers-Suspense-Mysteries, Support Your Local Library

Review: A Year in the Merde

Author: Stephen Clark
Format: paperback, 276 pgs
Subject: life in France
Setting: Paris
Genre: fictionalized memoir
Source: My personal shelves



A light piece of fluff destined for the library sale bin. The story of a very self-centered Brit who goes to 'work' in Paris for a year, and his discovery of and sarcastic take on French workers, French food, French women, the propensity of the French to go on strike for anything, and his misadventures as he tries to make himself understood with his schoolboy French. Heavy on the sexual adventures, light on brains.

Recommended only if you need something to take your mind off impending dental surgery.


Challenges: Read from My Shelves 1/20

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all the wonderful readers who stop by and offer their sagacious comments.  I look forward to a wonderful year of friendship, new ideas, peace and happiness for all.  Enjoy your freedom to read, share and love.

Review: A Share in Death

Author: Deborah Crombie
Narrator: Michael Deehey
Format: audio- 6 discs, +/- 7 hrs
Characters: Duncan Kincaid, Gemma James
Subject: murder mystery
Setting: Yorkshire England early 2000's
Series: Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James #1
Genre: police procedural
Source: public library

Here's a great way to ring out the old year, and look forward to the new.  This is the first book in a series.  I'm going to want to read every one of them.  A great british police procedural.  In this first episode we meet Duncan Kincaid, of New Scotland yard, recently promoted to Superintendent detective. Kincaid is vacationing in Yorkshire when he becomes embroiled in a series of murders and attempted murders.  Crombie gives us many suspects, good motivation, a well developed plot, a great sense of place, and doesn't give us enough to solve the mystery until quite near the end.

We also meet, very slightly, Gemma James, Kincaid's detective sergeant who is still back in London holding down the fort while Kincaid tries to avoid the wrath of the local police force who resent NSY's nosing in.

It's a great beginning story, and promises lots more.  I've read another so I know they get even better.  I can't wait to have another helping.

Too bad I couldn't wait until January 1 to count them in 2010 challenges, but there'll be plenty more where these came from.





Challenges: Audio books, Thrillers, Typically British, Support your Library

Review: Homer's Odyssey

Author: Gwen Cooper
Format: Audio  9hr, 34 mins                            
Characters: Homer the blind cat
Setting: South Beach FL, Manhattan
Source: Overdrive Audio download from public library

While this book is billed as the story of a blind cat named Homer, it's as much the story of his owner Gwen Cooper  and her struggles to come to grips with adulthood, relationships, and life with three cats.

At first I thought it was just going to be another one of these "isn't he a miracle--look, he's blind and he can still function'" stories. But when Ms. Cooper moves to New York from Florida early in 2001, and ensconces herself and the three cats into a 31st floor apartment only 6 blocks from the World Trade Center, you knew what was coming. Her story of the heroic efforts of ordinary people, the mind numbing panic of trying to find out what was happening, and her subsequent rescue of 'her babies' was the best part of the book.

I listened to the audio version of this, read by Rene Raudman.The narration is excellent. I also thoroughly enjoyed the interview at the end of the book with Ms. Cooper and her husband.

Even if you're not a cat lover, this book has enough to offer for everyone.

2010 Challenges - ARC Catch UP

A RC Catch up..........

Well................we all have a stack of ARCs waiting to be read, and several websites are featuring all kinds of challenges with rules to say how to count them.

I'm just challenging myself to catch up on the list below and then STAY CAUGHT UP --that is, no ARC will sit unread for longer than 6 weeks.  At the end of 2010, there will be no more than 10 ARCs or Early Review copies left.

Let's do some definitions:

ARCs are books received from authors or publishers given with the expectation of a published review.
"Catching up" is defined as reading, reviewing and posting the review of the book.

Books won in contests sponsored by bloggers are not considered ARCs unless the rules of the contest specify that a review is expected.

Here's the list of what is sitting on my shelf right now

1. Night Gardener by George Pelecanos
2. Book of William by Paul Collins
3. My Name is Will by Jess Winfield
4. Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
5. Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that redrew the Map of the New World by Douglas Hunter
6. Boy who harnessed the wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba
7. Artist in Treason: The extraordinary life of General James Wilkinson by Andro Linklater
8. Mercury in Retrograde by Paula Froelich
9. Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser
10. Maze Runner by James Dashner
11. Lovely Bones by Alice sebold
12. When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the present by Gail Collins
13. Who Turned out the Lights: Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis by Scott Bittle
14. Broken Road to disaster recovery by Keifer Bonvillain
15. Triangle of Deception by Haggai Carmon
16. Moonlight in Odessa by Janet S. Charles
17. Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton
18. Exit Music by Ian Rankin

I hope to really get these caught up this year. I'm going to read the new ones as soon as I get them, so the behind list doesn't grow any longer. I am promising myself to be a bit more selective about what books I take on for reviews, and to stop accepting ARCs if I get behind.  It's not fair to authors who want a review to give me a book if I can't get a timely review out there. 

Review: Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin

Title: Tooth and Nail
Author:  Ian Rankin
Format: audio: 8 discs (9 + hrs)
Characters: John Rebus
Setting: London
Series: Inspector Rebus
Genre: mystery - police procedural
Publication: 2001, Recorded books
Source: public library

I have another Rankin Exit Music to read as an ARC, and since that is supposed to be the last (#16) in the series, I decided I wanted to read at least one of the earlier ones (this is #3) before reading the last.

Inspector Rebus is a dour Scots detective summoned to London to assist the local police in solving a series of nasty murders by a perpetrator dubbed 'the wolfman' because of the bite marks found on the stomachs of each of the victims.  Not readily accepted (or easily understood) by several of the London team, Rebus has a tendency to stalk out on his own.

We have the divorced wife, the rebellious teenage daughter, a rather straight-laced (as far as Rebus is concerned) London detective, a delightfully rambunctious judge, and a shabby love interest, for backup characters.  A well written plot give us hints of the killer's motivation and identify, but not enough to spoil the story. A good solid police procedural.

I'm looking forward to reading more of these in this series.

Review: : The Sound of Sleigh Bells

A sweet little  Harlequin type romance set in Amish Pennsylvania.  I received this as an ARC, and it was an easy read during the hectic Christmas season.  The story is the typical girl meets boy, both have chips on shoulder, elders try to matchmake, principals resist matchmaking, etc etc etc.

The character development and motivation are above average for this genre, and the story goes along quickly.  I wouldn't rush out and look for more, but I think lots of people will find it a heartwarming read.

And in spite of the title, it doesn't even need to be billed as a Christmas book.