May 2008 Reads

1. THE PATRON SAINT OF PLAGUES by Barth Anderson. Plague fiction set in the year 2061, mostly in the city of Ascension, Mexico (once Mexico City.) It’s a vastly different world than we know today. Mexico and the US are at war, with Mexico being headed by a religious group, an offshoot of the Catholic church that rules with a fascist furor. And someone has unleashed a deadly plague in the city, a combination of a couple of different plagues and set to attack only those with a certain genetic background and who are connected to the pilone network—basically ‘internet in your head’ so that the government can keep track of everyone. The main character is a scientist known as ‘the Patron Saint of Plagues’ who is summoned by the Mexican government to help them get this plague under control, and yet they won’t give Stark the vital information he needs, so he must accumulate that knowledge by other means. Ironically, a renegade nun named Sister Domenica, who predicted the plague, is also referred to by the same title, and inevitably Stark and Domenica’s paths do eventually cross. An interesting book, with what seemed to be a plausible storyline, with one major annoyance—that the main character spoke in a shorthand type language that drove me mad! B+

2. KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR by Carrie Vaughn. #1 in the Kitty Norville paranormal series. Kitty is a midnight shift DJ at a local Denver radio station who accidentally starts a talk show about the paranormal and supernatural—a discussion of these topics brought up by a caller spawns high ratings and her boss asks her to continue once a week on that topic. Since Kitty is herself a lycanthrope—a werewolf—who is simply trying to maintain her humanity, these topics are near and dear to her heart. When the show takes off with amazing success and is syndicated six months later, her pack leader Carl asks Kitty to leave the show as he feels it is drawing too much attention to the ‘other’ world they live in. For the first time since becoming werewolf three years previously, Kitty disobeys her pack leader and reacts to the order as a human—a human who has found her niche and is at last coming into her own. Of course, conflict ensues. LOL The conflict steps up a notch when Kitty “comes out” to the world about being a werewolf and is asked by the police to consult on a brutal murder that is quite obviously the work of a werewolf. I really enjoyed this book and practically devoured it and have put the next couple on my PBS wishlist. A+

3. ROSEANNA by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. #1 in the Swedish police series featuring detective Martin Beck, this book is an oldie, published in 1967. It’s also one of my TBR Challenge Books and has been on my shelf patiently waiting for me for almost 2 years. When a dead, naked body turns up in the bucket of a dredging machine on Lake Vatten, national detective Beck is consulted by the local police to aid the investigation. The case consumes him and he becomes somewhat obsessed with it over the course of months, when finally there is a break in the case. It’s learned that the woman was a tourist, a librarian named Roseanna McGraw from Lincoln, Nebraska—which, back in the pre-internet days, most people in Sweden (including the police on the case) had never heard of! The mystery held me in thrall—and really, the way the book was plotted, it wasn’t possible to guess the killer beforehand. And I guess it wasn’t even a ‘mystery’ technically, more a testimonial to police procedure. The book was a bit dry, which I’m not sure is the result of the author’s writing style or the translation of the book from Swedish, and even perhaps a bit of the time the book was written in, 40+ years ago. Beck is a very melancholy person (not unlike another Swedish detective I read about) and the prose is often just—I don’t know, slow and plodding. And yet the story itself was very interesting and I read this rather quickly because the author made me truly interested in it, and in Roseanna, the dead woman. I can’t say this will become a favorite series, as Beck was just too much of a blah character for me, but in a strange way, I did enjoy this book (at the same time as I was pointing out its faults to myself, I was eager to read on) so if I can lay hands on the next one, I probably will give it a go. The strength of this book was definitely in the story of the dead woman. B-.

4. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: ORIGIN by Christopher Golden. Graphic novel that tells the ‘backstory’ of how Buffy came to be the Slayer—the story at her previous school/town before she came to Sunnydale. I hadn’t realized when I wishlisted this at PBS that it was indeed a graphic novel so was a little surprised when I got it, and obviously it was a very quick read. It was entertaining and a good read for what it was, but not something I’ll order more from in the series. B.

5. HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones. First in the fantasy series for young adults, this is the story of Sophie, a young woman apprenticed in a millinery shop owned by her stepmother. When The Witch of the Waste becomes angry with Sophie because none of her hats suits her, she puts a spell on the young girl, making her look and feel like an old crone. Sophie sets out on her own and ends up in the magical, moving castle inhabited by Howl, professed evil wizard of the land who feeds on the hearts and souls of young girls—or so the stories say. Sophie, who makes a deal with Calcifer, the fire demon inhabiting Howl’s hearth—finds him to be just a horrible slob, and she sets herself up as his new cleaning lady while trying to figure out how to hold up her end of the bargain with the demon so that the spell on her can be lifted. Things take several twisty turns until the story comes to its inevitable conclusion. Enjoyable, light fantasy—now I need to see the movie! B+

6. THIS GAMING LIFE by Jim Rossignol. ARC for review from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Rossignol lost his job as a journalist due to his disinterest and basically played online games full time for a few years—this book details his experiences, talks about the people he’s met doing this, and goes into the big business of online gaming a bit as well. He talks about some of the more popular games out there, the history and rapid evolution of the whole gaming culture, too. Unfortunately, the book isn’t very readable in my opinion. The information is too scattered and there isn’t really a cohesive story or theme to it, and there is quite a lot of repetition as well—saying the same things in several different ways in later chapters. I myself am a novice gamer when I can be, so I was hoping for more than was there. I admit that I skimmed the last few chapters and this wouldn’t be a book I’d recommend to either the general public nor to gamers. C-

7. THE WICCAN WEB: SURFING THE MAGIC ON THE INTERNET by Patricia Telesco and Sirona Knight. A book about not only how and where witches and pagans can find support and information online, but how to make your computer space into a sacred altar and work magick over the ‘net, how to protect your computer from viruses and other attacks magickally as well. There was, as always, ‘some’ good information here to be gleaned, but much of it was outdated in that the book is several years old—though admittedly the authors do list that as a caveat right at the beginning. The magickal information is pertinent, though most of it wasn’t really practical in my own case since I’m not the only one using the computer. I’ve decided to trade the book off after taking a few notes from it. B-.

8. THE LAST WITCHFINDER by James Morrow. Historical fiction that begins in 1680’s England and then moves to America, this is a book ‘written’ by a book and is the story of Jennet, the daughter of a witchfinder. The father is a zealot and seeks to be the first in an office called the Witchfinder Royal, and does all he can to put forth his case to the king and other government officials, but the tides are changing and witch trials are no longer so popular as they once were so he finds it rough going, eventually exiled to America with a supposedly grand title but in reality being thrown to the wolves. The daughter, on the other hand, is very interested in science, the teachings of Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, etc., and is aghast when her father accuses her aunt (sister to her father’s long-dead wife) of being a witch, as Isobel is the one who has been her tutor for several years. The story is interesting and it’s written with a background of dry humor that makes it all the more appealing; it’s easy sometimes to miss the bits of humor dropped into the book at first, as I was expecting more of a ‘straight’ historical fiction but was delighted with the voice of ‘the book’ who authored this book once I figured out that he/she/it was trying to be funny and slip one by me. LOL It was interesting how the author incorporated real historical figures into the story; he certainly took a lot of liberties there—but as I always say, it IS historical FICTION after all, but he did make some real leaps out into “far out!” land. LOL It also got rather slow and draggy in spots and took me almost 2 weeks to finish—yeah, it was a long book, but it felt much longer, and there were times I just wanted it to be done with. And finally, it was. B+

9. THE GLASS FACTORY by k.j.a. Wishnia. Fourth in the Filomena Buscarsela mystery series. I enjoyed this book, except that Fil seemed a bit like a super-hero, jumping from scene to scene in her cape and tights to the point where it crossed the border into fantasy-land. Just a whole lot of implausible stuff going on. Definitely surreal. Fil ends up moving in with her “sister-in-law” (the sister of her daughter’s father) when she discovers that she has lung cancer from the exposure to the chemicals from the last book. She goes on a crusade to nail the head of the company and scuttles here, there and everywhere gathering evidence against him, and generally being, as I said, superhuman. That said, I do really like Filomena and her ‘voice,’ so it rather irked me that the story was so disjointed and frenetic. There’s two more left in the series (with none added since 2002) so I will finish it out, just because I care about Fil and what happens to her—but I do hope the author settles down a little and makes the next story a bit more realistic. B-.

CR: THE ELVES OF CINTRA by Terry Brooks and RAIN STORM by Barry Eisler. I also need to finish listening to KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED by Craig Johnson. It's no reflection on the author that I've not completed it--my two sons are living at my place now and there just isn't the 'quiet time' where I can listen to this audiobook as much as I enjoy it. I need to re-download the listening rights from the library and just 'get to it' one of these days. LOL

Cheryl

APRIL 2008 READS

1. THE TINNER’S CORPSE by Bernard Knight. Fifth in the “Crowner John” medieval mystery series featuring Sir John de Wolfe, the King’s Coroner of Devon UK in the 1190’s. This episode features the tin mining industry and spotlights the importance of tin to the county and the realm at that time. When a foreman-type is brutally beheaded in a stream near the tin works he oversaw in Cragmoor and discovered next morning by his workers, Crowner John is called in to investigate, even though the Stannery (sort of like the tin workers union) has their own governing body and laws. Those laws don’t cover things like murder, so John leaves his ever-grumbling wife for yet another trip into the countryside with his two faithful assistants and soon he, Gwyn and Thomas find out just how fraught with competition and malice the guild can be. In side plots, John’s wife Matilda and her brother the Sheriff plot to hire another coroner (the county is supposed to have three, but for the time being, John is it!) so John needn’t be away from home so much. And John’s longtime mistress and main squeeze Nesta has gone cold on him as well, realizing just how hopeless her situation is, being with a man she can never marry and in a relationship that will never be more than what it is. This book was okay, but I found myself cringing occasionally because the author was constantly making known just how “grumpy” our Crowner is, using phrases/words like “John barked,” or “the Crowner growled,” or “he snapped,” etc. and it got repetitive enough that each time one of those (or similar) words was used, I cringed. LOL I also wasn’t terribly fond of the ending, but can’t say more lest I give too much away. B.

2. FIRETHORN by Sarah Micklem. Fantasy set in a medieval-like world, featuring a young girl with bright red hair and unknown origins, originally called Luck by her adoptive family but renamed Firethorn after surviving self-inflicted poisoning with berries from a firethorn tree. She ends up going off to war with Sire Galan as his ‘sheath’ (read: mistress) and meets many interesting people along the way, enduring some horrible conditions and never being quite sure of her place. I really loved this author’s writing style—very evocative and mood-setting—and the story itself also held me in thrall. I hope I can locate the second in the series—it seems to be out of print already until a new version is released later next year. I hope to see more from this author in the future! A.

3. A FINER END by Deborah Crombie. Seventh in the Duncan Kinkaid/Gemma James British police procedural series, this one centering around Glastonbury with a lot of woo-woo and mysterious goings on. Duncan is summoned to Glastonbury by his cousin Jack Montfort when Jack’s girlfriend is the victim of a hit and run driver and he suspects there’s more to it than just an accident. Gemma, now an Inspector and working with a regular police force out of Notting Hill, accompanies Duncan for a weekend getaway to Glastonbury and ends up thoroughly tangled in the mystery too. I absolutely love this series, and this book was no exception. Now, there are likely some folks who won’t like the mystical bent this particular book took, but it *was* set in Glastonbury, after all! This series has fast jumped into one of my top five favorites ever, and I’m going to prove it by moving on to the next one in series as my next ‘read at work’ choice. LOL A+

4. STAGE FRIGHT by Ellen Hart. Third in the Jane Lawless, lesbian restaurateur mystery series set in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. When a prominent local theatre actor, Torald Werness, dies impaled on the fork of one of the stage props, Jane is put into the thick of things because not only was she in the theatre at the time, but the dead guy is who she suspects attempted to burgle her garage a couple of days previously. One of Jane’s houseguests is most likely his nephew, which is just now coming to light, and Torald was looking for proof in some papers that were stored by the young man in the garage. Inspector Trevelyan once again pursues Jane as a possible suspect so Jane must solve the crime to clear herself. I’m enjoying this series more as I read on in it—the characters are fleshing out a bit, though there is still room for improvement there, as there is with the plotting—I figured out most of the mystery fairly early on, and had to wait ages for everyone else to catch up with me. One thing I do love is the local setting—since Hart is a local author, she does that part very well and captures the spirit of the area flawlessly. Looking forward to the next in series! B.

5. CAT ON THE SCENT by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (audio) Seventh in the Mrs. Murphy and Tucker “pet” mysteries set in small-town Crozet, Virginia and also featuring Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen, the town’s post mistress. This one featured Civil War re-enactment stuff, which dropped it down a bit on my enjoyment scale, as the Civil War is one topic/time period that I just have never been interested in, nor enjoyed much. A prominent local is shot for real during a re-enactment battle and of course there are numerous folks who wouldn’t have minded him dead. This was a typical book in the series, a light mystery “listen” although the series isn’t really ‘cozy’ per se—it certainly touches on many of the sordid bits of small-town life. I do enjoy the characters in the series and certainly will be carrying on, probably listening to them, mostly. The reader for this series seems to be particularly delightful so I’m hoping she continues to read all the books. B.

6. THE MISTRESS OF SPICES by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. One of my TBR Challenge Alternate selections that’s been on my shelf for a couple of years—finally getting to it! This is the story of a woman named Tilo and her journey to become a Mistress of Spices, and how she came to be in a spice store in Oakland, CA. Mystical and magical, the book is almost a series of short stories about the different spices and the people Tilo deals with associated with each spice, but the stories are all woven together to make it Tilo’s story too. I quite enjoyed the book aside from the frequent usage of various Indian phrases and words that I wasn’t familiar with. I’ve read a few books by Indian authors so have some knowledge of it, and I’m quite familiar with Indian foods and spices, but this using of foreign words happened way too often and it was enough to pull me out of the story occasionally. Aside from that, I would recommend the book for those who enjoy mystical/Goddess stories and who aren’t put off by the woo-woo. ::Grin:: B.

7. AND JUSTICE THERE IS NONE by Deborah Crombie. Eighth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery/Brit police procedural in which Duncan and Gemma’s paths cross with two similar murders causing the appearance of a serial killer loose in London. There seems to be a connection with not only the similarities in the way they were killed, but the two victims are both connected in some way with the antiques trade. When their main suspect ends up dead himself, Duncan and Gemma must root out further clues to the culprit—although, in this book, it was fairly clear to me early on who that was. On a personal note, Duncan and Gemma move in together because of Gemma’s pregnancy and there are some adjustments with that, particularly as Kit, Duncan’s thirteen-year-old son, moves in with them as well. I really enjoy the way the author ties the past to the present in her novels—sometimes, as in the previous book, it’s a past that is centuries distant, and other times, as in this book, it’s only as far back as the childhood of some of the characters. There’s only a few books left in the series before I’m caught up—I’m going to have to start hoarding them, I think! A.

8. WITCH HUNT by Shirley Damsgaard. #4 in the Ophelia and Abby paranormal mystery series featuring Ophelia Jensen, a librarian in small-town Iowa who has pre-cognitive abilities and her grandmother Abby, a witch. When a biker gang starts hanging out in their small town and essentially taking over a bar there, Ophelia begins to have feelings of unease that something bad is going to happen. And sure enough, one of the bikers ends up dead, and the accused is none other than her good friend and co-worker Darci’s cousin Becca who is visiting from California. Ophelia herself is distracted, trying to be a good parent to Tink, the thirteen-year-old girl she’s taken into her home as a foster child—from their last book’s escapades—and not finding it a very easy task. This book just seemed ‘off’ to me. I’ve enjoyed the previous ones in the series, though it did take me til the middle of the second book before I really began to warm to Ophelia. I found plenty to be annoyed with in this book though—much repetitive text and phrases, too many scenarios that were extremely unlikely, and Ophelia needed slapping upside the head way too often. I did finish it—if it weren’t such a quick, easy read I probably wouldn’t have—but I admit that I skimmed the last couple of chapters, and I’ve decided to hang up the spurs on this series since I can’t honestly say I much care what happens to Ophelia any longer. I do have the next one in series here, but I’m going to trade it off. C-.

9. THISTLE AND TWIGG by Mary Saums. First in a new series featuring Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg, two ladies living in their sixties in small-town Alabama. Sound familiar? LOL Well, it’s not the ‘southern sisters,’ that’s for sure. Both these ladies are widows and have just met. Jane moved to a house outside of town and Phoebe has lived there all her life. Jane is a Brit who has lived in the States for almost 50 years, as she was a military war bride; Phoebe is Southern through and through. I enjoyed this first book in the series, though there is a lot of woo-woo so if you don’t like that sort of thing, best avoid it. This was a good, but not great, first in series. The story alternates chapter to chapter, told partly from Jane’s POV and partly from Phoebe’s, and Saums does do a wonderful job with speaking through two characters with totally different personalities/life experiences, etc. But as with the first book I read in Saums’ other series, some things just didn’t ring true and seemed very implausible, like Jane’s ornery old coot of a neighbor Cal agreeing to sell her his land after meeting her ONE time when he had refused many, many offers for large amounts of money over the years. Huh? Intuition and sixth sense aside (and woo-woo doesn’t bother me—that part I had no problem believing)—that’s just insane. There is also something about Jane’s past that I found hard to buy into, but I can’t say more about that without doing a major spoiler. The mystery wasn’t much of a mystery—I figured it out fairly early on. Jane and Phoebe stumble upon a dead body after taking a walk and doing some target practice on neighbor Cal’s land. Cal’s been known to shoot at folks who ignore his trespassing signs, so he’s the obvious suspect, but Jane doesn’t believe it after meeting him, even though he even shot at her and her real estate agent when she had come to initially look at the property. I have the second in the series on my wishlist at PBS, and I will read it, but it’s not one that I’ll run right out and buy. B.

10. MURDER ON MULBERRY BEND by Victoria Thompson. #5 Gaslight historical mystery featuring midwife Sarah Brandt in turn-of-the-20th century New York. When a young woman who’s a reforming prostitute who was staying at a Christian Mission for girls on Mulberry Bend is murdered wearing Sarah’s donated clothing, Det. Sgt. Frank Malloy gets the scare of his life, first thinking the dead woman is Sarah. And of course Mrs. Brandt is pulled into the investigation in an attempt to find out who killed Emilia, venturing into the dangerous Italian neighborhood to speak with her family and acquaintances and volunteering at the Mission to gather more facts and to soothe her soul, feeling that she doesn’t do enough to help her fellow man. Meanwhile, Malloy continuing investigating the long-cold case of the murder of Sarah’s husband, Dr. Tom Brandt and makes a startling discovery. The mystery of the dead ex-prostitute wasn’t much of a mystery at all as I spotted the baddie very early on, and there were many obvious clues put forth. I do enjoy this series though, which is just a bit of an oddity as this is definitely not my favorite historical time period. The characters are wonderful, though, and Thompson does a great job of setting the atmosphere of the times as well. A.

11. BLOOD RITES by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden paranormal series #6 in which Harry ends up with an undercover job as a production assistant for the producer of pornographic movies in order to find out who’s putting a dark curse on the women surrounding the producer. He also ends up in the middle of a war between the White and Black vampire courts and nearly gets his nuts roasted a few times in the process. LOL Harry learns more information about his past, his mother, and also finds out he’s got family he never knew about. Great, fast-paced entry in the series with Harry at his best (and worst!) I don’t know why I don’t read these faster, because I sure enjoy them when I do! A

DNF (Tried to read, but Did Not Finish):

THE BLACK CHALICE by Marie Jakober. I love medieval monks, generally, but this one just failed to capture my attention and seemed much like a sensationalist attempt to focus on sex and ‘the dark side.’ Which I don’t mind if it’s interesting and well-done. This one wasn’t--very scattered, just couldn't seem to pull a coherent storyline together.

THE MOBILE LIBRARY: THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOOKS by Ian Sansom. A mystery about a library/librarian—sounds great, right? Um…not. I read about 50 pages hoping that eventually I’d get interested, but I didn’t. The humor (if you can call it that) seemed forced and while I don’t necessarily have to *like* the protagonist in a series, neither should I feel outright contempt! What a moron he was! I’ve got better things to do with my time—like clean the bathrooms. Next!


Cheryl

MARCH 2008 READS

1. A MISCHIEF IN THE SNOW by Margaret Miles. Fourth, and seemingly final book in the Bracebridge historical mystery series set in 1770’s Massachusetts. This book centers on Boar Island, an isolated island in the river that locals claim has been haunted for many years. Charlotte Willette, the series’ heroine, is drawn into the mystery when she is ice skating one frigid winter day and falls through the ice; the house on Boar Island is the closest so she goes there seeking shelter and to get dried out. The mistress of the house and her servant are both very odd women, and Charlotte can’t get away from the house fast enough to suit her! But she is drawn further into the mystery of the place when the only person who visits Boar Island regularly as a messenger and delivery man is brutally murdered. Was someone at the house responsible? I had a really hard time getting into this book—though it appears first on my list because I actually started it on the last day of February, I finished several others below this first as I read this in “nibbles.” LOL I’m kind of glad this is the last in the series, as I doubt I would read further on, though I don’t think it was a planned ending as there were things left unresolved—and the back flyleaf says the author is working on another in the series, but this one was published in 2001, and there’s been no more forthcoming. It’s never good to leave a story unfinished or tied up, I don’t think, but I’m glad to leave it here. This one just didn’t have the same feeling as the first three in the series, which I mostly enjoyed. C-.

2. GIRL, INTERRUPTED by Susanna Kaysen. Another of my TBR Challenge books that’s been on my TBR shelf for a long time. I’ve not seen the movie so have nothing to compare to. It’s the autobiographical story of a teenage girl who went for a counseling session with a psychiatrist in the late 1960’s and ended up in a mental institution for 2 years! A rather quick read, and interesting—and familiar, to a certain extent, since I have worked as an inpatient mental health nurse, though things are a bit different now than they were then. Diagnosed as “borderline personality disorder,” I have to say that the author’s voice at this point in her life doesn’t sound like any BPD patient I’ve ever come across, but then again I tended to see patients when they were in crisis, in hospital—not when they were doing well and adapting to life ‘on the outside.' The book was a bit disjointed and I didn’t feel like there was a lot of resolution…I am finding it hard to figure out where they got enough substance to make a movie, to be honest! (It must have been *majorly* adapted. LOL) Not as good as I expected, but certainly passable. B-.

3. SILVER’S SPELLS FOR ABUNDANCE by Silver RavenWolf. A book of different pagan spells and rituals that concentrate on prosperity and abundance—primarily monetary and physical abundance, but spiritual abundance as well. Like most of the Pagan reference books on my shelf, I do an initial read-through rather quickly and then go back and read those things that particularly interest me or are pertinent more slowly, sometimes taking notes and copying spells into my own BOS and going back to read it again and ruminate a bit on parts of it. There were definitely a few good bits in this book, and as it’s the first of this author’s books I’ve read, I enjoyed reading her beliefs and traditions and practice. This one is staying on my shelf—never know when it may come in handy again! B+

4. THE SAMURAI’S DAUGHTER by Sujata Massey. Sixth in the Rei Shimura mystery series, featuring a half American/half Japanese amateur sleuth who is also an antiques dealer. Rei lives in Tokyo, but the beginning of this story takes place in San Francisco where the story opens with Rei celebrating Christmas with her parents there. Rei’s on-again, off-again beau, Scottish lawyer Hugh Glendinning has proposed and Rei’s accepted, much to her mother’s delight. Her father is a bit more reticent about things, though, and when Hugh and Rei are drawn into a murder mystery that centers around two clients of Hugh’s—one in Tokyo, one in San Francisco--things get even more uncomfortable. To top it off, an old flame of Rei’s from high school days ends up as a translator working with Hugh on his case, and he’s not someone Rei enjoys spending time with at all. In fact, Rei begins to wonder if Eric might be involved with the big business that Hugh’s case is going to be opposing—did they hire someone to shut up the old folks Hugh and Rei had interviewed? Rei is also investigating her family’s history and discovers that her father had sold a family scroll from Emperor Hirohito, and further learns that her great-grandfather was actually one of Hirohito’s tutors. I do enjoy this series, especially the immersion into Japanese culture and history—something that I’d never been particularly interested in until I started this series, actually. This one wasn’t as good as some others in the series but still felt like a nice visit with old friends. B+.

5. A CHARMED DEATH by Madelyn Alt. Second in the "Bewitching" paranormal mystery series featuring Maggie O’Neill and set in small-town Indiana. When a local high school prom-queen type is murdered, Maggie is drawn into the case because Amanda had been in to Enchantments the day she disappeared to buy a Christmas present for her mother, a very expensive antique clock. Where did she get the money? When evidence that Maggie stumbles upon comes to light that Amanda was not quite what she seemed to be on the surface, suspects start crawling out of the woodwork—was the person who trashed Maggie’s apartment looking for that evidence or had they meant to harm Maggie? I had another of those instinctive whispers in my ear early on about the bad guy, but no evidence to back it up until later. I enjoyed this book, though there is something ever-so-slightly “off” that bugs me about the author’s writing style—I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it was enough of a something that while I can say I liked the book, I didn’t like enough to rave about it. I have the third (and so far latest) in the series already on my TBR so I will most certainly read that one. Hopefully the annoying buzz, whatever it is, won’t get any louder! Maybe it is the “dual love interest” thing—another Stephanie Plum-esque triangle in the offing, perhaps? I thought the “witchy” aspects of this book were quite well done and Felicity’s character reminds me very much of someone I know in real life, albeit without the accent. LOL B.

6. THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS by Colin Dexter. #10 Inspector Morse mysteries in which Morse goes on holiday to Lyme Regis, Dorset only to continue ‘working’ by following a year-old case in the Times, resurrected by a letter/poem about the vanished Swedish student which was thought to be from either the girl herself or her abductor/killer. Strange attempts to entice Morse home early but Morse is determined to take his holiday—though he does return a few days early and he and Lewis are once again on the trail of the killer. One of my very favorite series, all of which I’ve read before, but it’s been many years, and that in no way dampened my enjoyment of the book. Morse and Lewis are balm for my soul! A.

7. PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks. Another one of those books that combines modern-day with historical times, tracking an ancient book, the Sarajevo Haggadah backwards in time. Salvaged by a Muslim museum curator during the Sarajevo war, the book has now come to light and the museum has asked Hannah Heath, an expert in the field of ancient texts, to examine and restore the book. She finds four items within the binding and pages of the books—and each item is featured in a chapter back in time, explaining how it came to be there, and essentially to tell the book’s story. These chapters are interspersed with Hannah’s own story, and she herself is a very interesting and compelling character. Absolutely wonderful book! I love this type of story and this one was very well-done. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and had to slow myself down so I could savor it. Highly recommended! A+

8. GOBLIN HERO by Jim C. Hines. Second in the “Jig the Goblin” fantasy series, featuring the reluctant hero, runty, nearsighted Jig the Dragonslayer. I like this series because it’s different—Goblins aren’t usually a fantasy race that you think of being the hero of a story, but the author pulls it off very well, baldly admitting to the faults of the goblin race in general and Jig in particular, but using those foibles to make Jig all the more endearing. Jig once again has to set out on a dangerous mission at the behest of Kralk, the new goblin chief. He takes with him just a few cohorts—Grell, an ancient goblin who has been in charge of the nursery, Braf, a big and especially stupid warrior, and Veka, a wanna-be heroine and wizard who is jealous of Jig’s notoriety. Along the way, they meet other characters of other races who feature in the story, too. A humorous and well-told story, Goblin Hero manages to dispel that ‘second book curse’ in which the middle book of a trilogy often fares poorly and ends up being a rather ho-hum setup for the finale. This book stands on its own very well, and I enjoyed it just as much if not more than the first in series. Looking forward to Goblin War! A.

9. THE DRAMATIST by Ken Bruen. Fourth Jack Taylor mystery set in Galway, Ireland. Jack is off the drugs and booze and has almost given up the smokes, too. But he feels listless, wandering aimlessly through his days and not feeling very alive even though he is physically quite well. When his friend Cathy says that his old drug dealer, Stewart (now incarcerated—the real reason for Jack’s kicking the coke habit) wants to see him about something, he’s dreading it—but he goes. Stewart wants Jack to look into his younger sister’s death, which was deemed an accident when she slipped down the stairs. But oddly, there was a book tucked beneath her with an inscription from ‘the dramatist’ in it. Other things crop up—Jack’s mother’s ill health, a new lady friend, rumors of a secret vigilante group forming within the guards—and Jack nearly forgets about it until a second girl dies the same way. The book has a heartbreaking ending that I saw coming about halfway through—that didn’t make it any less painful, though! I love Bruen’s work; it’s raw, gritty and honest, and Jack Taylor, with all his maddening foibles, is one of my favorite characters. Despite the ending, I liked this book better than the last one. This series is not for those who prefer cozies and happy-ever-after endings. A.

10. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Cormac MacCarthy. (audio) Another violent and somewhat depressing book, this one was read to me by an excellent reader while I spent the weekend doing some spring cleaning. I was hooked right from the beginning lines and actually prolonged my cleaning activities for long stretches so I wouldn’t have to do anything that required ‘thinking’ which meant I’d have to stop the book. LOL This is the story, told from several points of view, of a Texas sheriff, a soulless killer, and a pretty much everyday joe who stumbles onto a drug deal gone bad, finds a bag of money and whose life spirals out of control from that point on. It’s a horrifying and bloody story, and yet it raises some very basic questions about our humanity or lack of it. The ending was a bit anti-climactic, but after thinking about that a bit, I think that most of what passes for life here on Earth is, indeed, pretty much anticlimactic. Can’t say much more without giving things away, so I won’t. But if you don’t mind a bit of blood and guts, I’d highly recommend listening to (or maybe even just reading) this book, and remembering to look beyond the blood and guts to the heart of it all. A+

11. DEATH OF A DENTIST by M.C. Beaton. Hamish MacBeth #13 set in the Scottish highlands in the fictional village of Lochdubh. Hamish wakes up with a toothache—owwwwww!—and makes an appointment with a dentist in a village a few miles away rather than drive all the way to Strathbane. He ends up canceling the appointment because it feels better later in the day after a shot of antibiotic and some aspirin from the local doctor, but when the pain returns he reschedules it despite hearing some unsettling rumors about the dentist. However, when he arrives at the dentist’s office, he finds Dr. Gilchrist dead in his own dentist’s chair, almost certainly murdered, and as usual, suspects start crawling out of the woodwork. I really really enjoyed this installment of Hamish, maybe because I had taken several months off from reading one. Or maybe because the cozy, cup-o-tea and scones read was just what I needed after reading/listening to two rather violent and bleak books! At any rate, it was one of those reads you finish and give a big sigh of contentment, even knowing that, yeah—it’s rather cheesy and not a very realistic rendition of life. A.

12. CELEBRATE THE EARTH: A YEAR OF HOLIDAYS IN THE PAGAN TRADITION by Laurie Cabot. I started out reading this book in the middle, searching for ideas about the upcoming Ostara sabbat (Spring Equinox) and then read through to the end and back to the beginning. Weird, I know, but it worked. LOL Actually, I didn’t read this book very carefully, mostly skimmed it, as I found the author’s writing rather stilted and the rituals too formal and stylized. Plus the rituals and celebrations were primarily designed for a coven or group of people, not for a solitary person such as I am. But (as I always say) there are things to be gleaned from almost every text and while they were few and far between for me, this one was no exception. It won’t be staying on my bookshelf, though, and has gone into the weed-out pile. C.

13. DRAGONFLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey. (audio) First in the Dragonriders of Pern epic fantasy series in which we meet Lessa, a scullery maid at Ruath Hold, secretly a high-born young woman biding her time to seek revenge and overthrow Fax, the overlord of the manor who killed her family ten years previously. That time comes when the Dragonriders go on search and show up at Ruath, looking for weyr-women, highborn women of the blood, who will compete to be imprinted and bound to the new queen dragon of Pern. The old queen and her weyr-woman are dying and the queen egg is due to hatch soon. But finding suitable women to vy for the honor is proving difficult for F’lar and F’nor, Bronze riders assigned to the task. Lessa reveals herself inadvertently by using her power, however, and F’lar ends up dispensing with Fax in the process, and soon Lessa is on her way to Benden Hold to meet the egg of the new queen. I quite enjoyed this book, though there were parts that were kind of—I don’t know, cheesy? LOL Maybe ‘cliched’ is the word I’m looking for, but it WAS written 40 years ago, so I guess books that are written in its image would be the cliched ones! It took awhile for me to get the gist of what was going on, as the terminology for things is somewhat different on Pern and without a visual reference to the words it wasn’t as easy. The reader was ‘okay’ but sometimes it really sounded like he had a bad case of cottonmouth and I could picture him developing bits of that nasty sticky white goo that forms at the edges of people’s lips when they’re talking too much without adequate hydration. You know how that goes—once you see that, it’s hard not to stare at it as you will the person to take a drink or wipe their mouth! Ewwwwwwwww! LOL I will be reading (or maybe, listening) on in the series, at any rate. B+

14. ENDANGERED SPECIES by Nevada Barr. #5 Anna Pigeon, national park ranger mystery series, in which Anna is on the ‘fire watch’ team on Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia. Unlike the previous book, Firestorm, however, there’s really no fire action, except for a small blaze triggered by a small plane crash—and this crash sets the entire mystery. The pilot flew drug interdiction patrols for the park service, and the other was the chief ranger on the island, though that wasn’t discovered immediately—someone else was supposed to be flying with the pilot. When it’s discovered that the plane was tampered with, causing a deliberate crash, this complicates figuring out who was intended to die and who had motive. As usual, Barr sets the scene brilliantly by putting you out in the middle of the wilderness and you end up learning a bit, too. A side thread through the book has to do with loggerhead turtles and their mating/egg laying rituals, which I quite enjoyed. I liked this book in the series very much, almost as much as Firestorm, the previous entry. I’ve found this to be a sort of ‘hit or miss’ series, but with two hits in a row, I’m eager to move on ahead. Well-written, and with a mystery that I didn’t figure out totally til the very end, also very suspenseful. I enjoy Anna’s laid-back personality and humor. Well done! A.

15. EMBRACING THE MOON by Yasmine Galenorn. Another book pulled from my Pagan shelves—I seem to be delving into these at a pretty good clip lately, partly just to start ‘weeding’ my Pagan library out so that I can dispense of books that aren’t going to be useful to me. This book does NOT fall into that category! So far of all the Pagan authors I’ve read, I think Yasmine Galenorn seems to come closest to my own beliefs and has presented things that I found to be very useful and interesting. In fact, I had a hard time putting this book down. One thing I like is that while she gives suggestions, there are very few pre-packaged rituals here—she presents the theory and reasoning behind various things, gives a basic formula and lists of possibilities for components and then says, ‘you need to adapt this so that it fits YOU.’ I’ve never been a proponent of ‘one size fits all’ religion or ritual so this sits very well with me—but oddly enough, since she seems to float in roughly the same belief circles as I do, many of her own rituals would probably suit me quite well without much adaptation at all. Definitely one for the Keeper Shelf, and one that I suspect will become well-thumbed with use over time. A.

16. HEX MARKS THE SPOT by Madelyn Alt. #3 Maggie O’Neill paranormal mystery, latest in the so-called “Bewitching” mysteries. Wanted to get just one more series completed this month, and this one is wishlisted by a ton of folks at paperbackswap so decided to read it and move it along to the next on the list. I enjoyed this book more than the last one—not sure why, really. I like Maggie’s character, though I think she might be heading into Stephanie Plum territory—torn between two men and all that, which would be mightily annoying to me. I hope the author decides to pick one or another and get on with it and doesn’t further degrade the series by making it a romance in the guise of a mystery. ::sigh:: In this book, an Amish man is murdered brutally, and at first seems to be part of a growing trend of violence against the area’s Amish. But further investigation indicates that this was a personal attack against Luc, and that is borne out as Maggie works with her sometime-boyfriend Tom, a policeman, as well as the members of N.I.G.H.T.S., the local ‘ghostbusters.’ Once again, I have to say the ‘witchy bits’ are done well and I'm hoping the author is continuing the series--I don't see any word of a new one yet. A-

17. HERE BE DRAGONS by Sharon Kay Penman. Historical fiction, one of my TBR Challenge "alternate" selections. This is the first in her Welsh trilogy that begins in 1183 just over the Welsh border in Shropshire and is told from the point of view of several different characters over about 50 years’ time. One of the most notable for much of the book was King John’s bastard daughter Joanna, whom he arranged a marriage for with Llewelyn ap Iorweth, an up and coming leader of several Welsh counties and wanna-be ruler of all Wales. While Joanna initially dreads the marriage—she was only 14 to Llewelyn’s thirty-something after all—they do grow to love one another and of course this leads to stormy days ahead as King John and Llewelyn never really trust one another and take turns giving offense to the other, putting Joanna squarely in the middle. But she manages to survive and even enjoy much of her life, never quite forgetting that despite her humble beginnings, she *is* the granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine! The story carries on past John’s death and the rise of King Henry, John’s son and Joanna’s half-brother, to power, and the saga of Joanna and Llewelyn’s marriage. The book certainly read ‘quicker’ than I thought it would—Penman has a knack for taking real historical figures and what information is known about them and embellishing it to turn them into real, fully-fleshed people. Who knows how accurate her guesses are? Who cares? LOL With my admittedly limited knowledge, her story seems to be historically accurate as far as the major details go, and she’s woven them into a wonderful story, that’s all I know! A+.

18. DEAD OF THE DAY by Karen E. Olson. #3 and most recent Annie Seymour mystery. Annie is working on a profile of the new New Haven police chief for her paper when he is unceremoniously gunned down in front of a local theatre before she even has the article finished. He had seemed like a very ‘benign’ fellow, and Annie is puzzled as to who would want him dead, so of course must begin to dig deeper. Annie and her new boyfriend Vinnie are on the outs, but why is Vinnie’s brother Rocco hanging around trying to get them back together? And what is his connection to a mysterious Hispanic girl who also seems tied in some way to a body that was found in the river—and to another body that is found in the trunk of Annie’s beloved Civic? Lots of questions, but Annie’s a reporter and finding answers is what she does. Oh, and if you remember in my previous reviews of this series I mentioned the ‘animal’ theme—the first book featured cows, the second one chickens? No pigs were found in this book…the theme animal here was…BEES! No, I’m not kidding. LOL This series has quickly become one of my favorites; I love Annie’s character and the secondary characters are also interesting, although Annie’s menfolk don’t seem to have much depth of character—all they seem to do is smile enigmatically and kiss energetically and arrive in time to ask, “Are you all right?” There’s definitely room for growth there. Heh. There is a ‘torn between two lovers’ element to this book, but for some reason it doesn’t ‘bug’ me as it does with some other books—and it SEEMS to be resolved at the end of the book. But then again, I thought it was resolved at the end of the last one too! LOL I enjoyed this entry in the series—and I’m waiting eagerly for November and the release of the next in series, so get writing, Karen! A

19. MURDER ON THE PROWL by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (audio) #6 of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries set in North Carolina, featuring Mary Minor Haristeen (aka “Harry”) and her menagerie of pets—Mrs. Murphy the tiger-striped cat, Tucker the Welsh Corgi and Pewter, the fat cat formerly from the store next door. A cruel joke—two of Crozet’s citizens have an obituary published when they aren’t dead—is followed by murder as those same two men are killed. But why? Is it the same killer—and in which case, what ties the two men together?—or are the killings unrelated? Harry and the critters, from their base of operations at the Post Office, hear about almost everything going on in the small town. Still, it takes some sleuthing by the animals and a few pointed clues left for their human before the truth comes to light. I figured it out ahead of time, too, but still enjoyed this story a lot. It’s been years since I read one of these (in print) and I don’t know why I remembered the series as ‘cozy’ when they really aren’t. The reader did a wonderful job and while I’m not a big fan in general of mysteries laden with pets as main characters, I do like this series. This was a great re-introduction to the series for me and I hope to be able to find more of these in audio. A.

DNF: BLIND DESCENT by Nevada Barr. #6 Anna Pigeon mystery. (audio) I had planned to do a double dip after enjoying the previous book so much only to find that this entry in the series was missing from my TBR stacks. I have several of the later ones but not this one. Not wanting to wait for it to be delivered from PBS or order it from the library, I downloaded it (painstakingly, in fits and starts, using my choppy borrowed wireless connection, over a almost an hour—normally it would take about 3 minutes with my cable connection!) in audio from the library. Nearly gave up a couple of times, so I was really hoping it would be worth it! Well…it wasn’t! LOL I listened to about a half-hour of it, and the reader drove me bonkers—she had some real annoying affectations and just didn’t sound like Anna, to me. I just couldn’t listen any longer. I decided to scrap it and just order the print version from PBS and read it later.


Cheryl

FEBRUARY 2008 READING LIST

1. RAINBOW’S END by Martha Grimes. #13 in the Richard Jury and Melrose Plant mysteries, greatly enjoyed this one as Grimes seems to get back on track again. Jury is off to America again, this time to Santa Fe, NM to investigate a possible connection between three women who died in the UK—one of them being a woman who died in a previous book. Brian Macalvie makes a return appearance in order to get Jury involved in the case, acting on one of Macalvie’s infamous hunches, though the connection between the dead women seems tenuous at best. This book also involves a couple of delightful visits with the Cripps family from a previous book, which I found most enjoyable, even Piddlin’ Pete. ::grin:: While I picked out the bad guy in advance, I didn’t really know how or why the crime was done at first, just instinct told me who it was. Very much enjoyed this visit with the whole gang, from Long Pidd to London all the way to Santa Fe. A.

2. HOLY FOOLS by Joanne Harris. Historical fiction set in France in 1605-10 in a small abbey in an isolated area of the coast. Tells the story of Juliette, aka Soeur Aguste, how she came to be ensconced at the abbey as a nun, and of Guy LeMerle, a charlatan and con man that she knew as The Blackbird, leader of the troupe of traveling performers she belonged to before her entrance there. When he turns up at the abbey in the guise of a priest, she knows he must have something evil planned, but as he essentially holds her daughter Fleur hostage with a family some miles away, she cannot reveal his secret. As he sows his seeds of dissent, it is easy to see how religious fervor could pervade the tranquility of an isolated place like the abbey. While I loved the writing style of the author, I found the plot to be very predictable and figured out a couple of major plot twists well in advance. I also didn’t really care for the switching point of view from that of the main character to LeMerle occasionally. Some authors can pull this off skillfully but in this book I just found it annoying. I also did not care for the ending, which I felt was too predictable, too pat, and just didn’t feel right. This is the first of Harris’ books I’ve read, and because I loved her evocative style, I will be reading more—I just highly doubt that this is her best work. B-

3. BLOOD BOUND by Patricia Briggs. Second in the Mercy Thompson paranormal mystery series, featuring Mercy who is an auto mechanic but also a walker, a form of shapeshifter able to transform into a coyote. Mercy owes Stefan, a vampire acquaintance, a favor—so when he calls at 3 a.m. one morning asking her to accompany him in her coyote guise to a meeting with another vampire as an impartial witness so she can report to Stefan’s mistress (the leader of his seethe), she agrees. Little does either of them know that this vampire is not just any vampire—he’s a demon riding a vampire and is immensely powerful. Later, Mercy must go after the creature herself when not only Stefan but two powerful members of the local werewolf community have disappeared. The only thing in her favor is that the demon does not know Mercy is a walker—or does he? Has someone inside the circle of vampires or werewolves betrayed Stefan—and Mercy too? I am enjoying this series and quite like the main character, although I have to say that the frequent descriptions of “pack behavior” as well as descriptions of appropriate behavior and body language when with werewolves, vampires, fae, etc. rather overruns the story at times, but I suppose is necessary to keep things clear. B+.

4. BIBLIOHOLISM: THE LITERARY ADDICTION by Tom Raabe. Nonfiction about the disease of biblioholism. I have to say it’s a relief to discover that I am not a biblioholic. Bibliophile, sure. But compared to some of the behaviors described in this book, my love for books is mild—and healthy. I have no problem trading my books when I’m done with them or returning them to the library, I’ve never been fired for reading on the job, sold all my furniture to make room for more stacks of books, nor actually followed in Erasmus’ steps and spent money on a book when I needed my last few dollars for food and nourishment. Like any hobby or interest, some folks take the love of books to the extreme, to the exclusion of almost everything else. I had first read about this obsession with books when one of the characters in the last Cliff Janeway book of John Dunning’s (which I read last month) was afflicted with this disease—and yes, it is indeed a disease. A bit shocking what some folks will do for books, really. One might laugh it off as a harmless addiction—not like alcohol, tobacco, drugs, gambling or other so-called self-destructive substances or habits, right? After reading this book, I would tend to disagree. Interesting book, though the author kind of annoyed me at times—his style or something, dunno for sure just what. Still, I’d recommend this for anyone who thinks they are a biblioholic. The book will possibly either confirm your suspicions or leave you breathing a sigh of relief, as I did. LOL B.

5. THE DEADLY DANCE by M.C. Beaton. Fifteenth in the Agatha Raisin mystery series set in the Cotswolds in the UK, in which Agatha finally gets up the steam to open her own detective agency. Now, to me, this book was just plain silly. Instead of one man-crazy woman (Agatha) we also have Agatha’s crazy assistant at the Raisin Agency, Emma Comfrey, who has taken to batting her past-middle-aged eyelashes at every man she meets and obsessing over them. I swear Ms. Beaton must’ve been drinking coffee laced with uppers during the writing of this book or something, because the story bounced all over the place, told partly from Agatha’s viewpoint, partly from Emma’s, and with occasional forays into other folks’ minds as well. While some of the other books in the series have had their irritating moments, I mostly enjoyed them overall. I nearly threw this one across the room in disgust a couple of times. The whole thing was totally unrealistic. Ludicrous! I found that I really didn’t even care about the original ‘whodunit’ case, the rest of the story was so choppy and silly. And I freely admit that I skimmed about the last 50 pages of the book and am taking a long vacation from the Raisin woman, possibly a permanent one. I haven’t decided yet. D+

6. BROKEN HEARTLAND by J.M. Hayes. Fourth, and most recent in the Mad Dog & Englishman mystery series featuring Sheriff English and his family and the wacky folks of Benteen County, Kansas. Like the previous books, this is a wild and wacky tale with odd sets of circumstances coming together to create utter chaos for a brief period of time. I think Mercury is in permanent retrograde in Benteen county. ::grin: This book comes complete with shoot ‘em up villains, small-town politics and religious nutters galore as election day arrives and the hot race being the one for Sheriff. Sheriff English is certain he’s going to lose, since the religious right has been whipped into a frenzy by his opponent and Englishman is decidedly moderate on the political scale. But he doesn’t even have time to vote himself as the day unfolds with his deputy Wynn (aka Win Some, Lose Some) crashing into a school bus full of kids during a high-speed chase before dawn even breaks, a shooting at the high school, and a man caught stuffing the ballot boxes. Mad Dog comes home from a spiritual retreat to find a bloody message on his door and his wolf/dog Hailey’s water poisoned, which eventually ties into Englishman’s business as well. Bizarre plot, crazy doings, and poor Sheriff English without a deputy to help—until he deputizes one of his daughters who came home from college after having a feeling that Englishman was in trouble. Boy, was she right! Enjoyable though intense and crazy, I do hope Hayes continues this series—but I’m caught up for now! Yay! A.

7. GIOTTO’S HAND by Iain Pears. Fifth in the Jonathan Argyll “art history” mysteries, another series that seems to have ended with the last book being published in 2002. Two more to go, and I’ve enjoyed each and every one of them. These feature Jonathan, an art dealer and Flavia, a detective for The Art Squad in Rome, and in this book they’re on the trail of a crooked art dealer regarding a theft that occurred thirty years earlier. The theft came to light in the confession of a dying old woman who played a minor role and wants to come clean before she meets her maker. Bottando, Flavia’s boss, is unsure whether to bother investigating, but as Flavia has business in Florence anyway, she stops by to see the old woman while Jonathan is on a trip to England to see his mentor for some career advice. Since he’s “in the neighborhood” he stops by to see the Englishman they think may be the thief, just in time for Jonathan to discover his dead body at the foot of his stairs, an apparent accident. But is it? Another wide-reaching trek with an interesting case that I did not solve til very near the end. Love this series, thoroughly enjoy the characters, and the little tidbits of information about art history is always fascinating too. A.

8. UP JUMPS THE DEVIL by Margaret Maron (audio download) Fourth in the Judge Deborah Knott mystery series set in North Carolina. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of this book—the reader was excellent, really did well with the different voices, and was able to tell the story in such a way that it didn’t annoy me as I worried it might, this being a “Southern” mystery. The story addresses issues of land development, and reaches back into Deborah’s and her family’s past and how this ties in to a murder investigation of one of their elderly neighbors. Was Jap Stansel killed because of his land, because he knew something about the murder of his son, or for other personal reasons? There are plenty of folks who “could’ve done it” or could’ve at least been involved, but who had the motive and opportunity? I have to say that I did figure out the bad guy as soon as he/she was introduced, but at the time didn’t really know why, just one of those “gut feelings” I get quite a bit of the time. I did figure that out as time went on too, but honestly, even knowing that detail did nothing to spoil the ‘getting there’ of the story. I love Deborah’s family, though I highly suspect I would not myself want to be a member of it, as they are very traditionally involved with one another, nosier than hell, and seemingly very time-consuming to be a part of. LOL Anyway, I think I will see if some more of the series are available on CD from the library—unfortunately, without a (steady) internet connection at home it would be too difficult I think to try to just download more in MP3. Excellent stuff! A+.

9. THE THIRTEENTH TALE by Diane Setterfield. Why on earth did I wait so long to read this book? I’ve had it on my TBR for ages and ages…but maybe that enhanced my enjoyment of it even more. It would have been very easy to get totally lost in this book and do nothing else for the whole weekend, especially with the winter weekend we had lending itself to “hibernation.” But I made myself take my time, savor it, and let myself get caught up in the whole story. And a wonderful story it was, too—a ghost story, a story about twins, about family and roots, and about books, too. Enough has been written about this book already that I am not going to synopsize it. You can check on Amazon if you don’t know what it’s about. Suffice it to say, if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it! A+

10. PAGAN WAYS by Gwydion O’Hara. Another from the huge stack of pagan and witchcraft books I have on my TBR shelf, this one will be making its way to another owner. It isn’t a bad book per se, just very basic and with very little information or ideas that were new to me, and it was pretty simplistically done. It might be quite informative for someone who knows little to nothing about Pagan beliefs and history. B.

11. AN ORDER FOR DEATH by Susanna Gregory. Seventh in the Matthew Bartholomew medieval mystery series set in 1350’s Cambridge, UK. When the body of a Cambridge scholar is found brutally stabbed, it’s first believed that it was a simple robbery. But when the Junior Proctor of the University is found hanged execution-style after he starts investigating the death, Brother Michael (the senior proctor, and Matthew Bartholomew’s good friend) believes otherwise. More deaths follow, along with the usual mix of University politics, differences in opinion between the different religious sects, etc. I do enjoy this series but there are parts of it that are rather repetitive at times and sometimes I wish the author would just get on with the story….perhaps a bit of judicious editing would help? At any rate, I didn’t get the bad guy in this one til near the end when a big clue popped out at me, and that’s always a bonus. I have several more in this series on my TBR and am looking forward to them! B+

12. BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS by Alexander McCall Smith. (audio) Seventh in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency cozy mystery series featuring Precious Ramotswe in Botswana, Africa. I enjoy this series in print but was looking for something light and easy to listen to, since I was reading the much heavier Thirteenth Tale at the same time, and this seemed to fit the bill. The reader does a really wonderful job with the voices in this book, and the story was a typical adventure for Mma Ramotswe, Mma Kutsi, Mr. JLB Matekoni and the rest of the gang. There isn’t a whole lot of mystery, just enough to justify calling it such I suppose—more of a cozy visit with old friends, a bit of philosophizing and cultural immersion. I love the series, and this book was a joy to listen to. I may try listening to the next one also, though I do have the print version on my TBR. A.

13. SEEING REDD by Frank Beddor. Second in the Looking Glass Wars fantasy trilogy which is an alternative “Alice in Wonderland” story. Queen Alyss Heart has been on the throne for a few months now, but she can’t help thinking that something isn’t right. The former queen, her evil Aunt Redd is dead…isn’t she? Well, of course not! What sort of conflict would there be if she were? LOL Alyss is quickly learning that being a wise queen isn’t as easy as it seems, and that always being open and up-front about things can have its drawbacks in the political world. I really liked the book, moreso than the first one—which is rather unusual in fantasy trilogies as they say the middle one tends to be the weak one. The author is a screenwriter/producer also and I can’t help but think that this series would make an excellent movie—the fighting and battle scenes with the playing cards, slicing and dicing blades inside hats, Glass Eyes that rip things to shreds, etc. would be wonderful effects! Anyway, I am really looking forward to the last book in series, and there was a bit of a cliffhanger that makes me hope it comes out sooner rather than later! A.

14. DEATH ON THE LIZARD by Robin Paige. #12 and so far last in the Lady Kathryn and Sir Charles Sheridan Victorian/Edwardian mystery series. Kathryn and Charles are off to Cornwall to an area called “The Lizard” as Charles helps out his friend Lord Marsden investigate problems with the Marconi wireless telegraph service. Marsden is a member of the Marconi company board and stands to lose a lot of money if thefts and "accidental" deaths continue to beset the company. Meanwhile, Kathryn and Lord Marsden’s sister Patsy visit a friend in that same area whose ten-year-old daughter has drowned recently. They are hoping to cheer her up, but she seems inconsolable and has turned to a spiritualist who is hoping to help her with the ‘hallucinations’ she’s been having since Harriet’s death. The two storylines become intricately entangled and the mystery gets to be quite interesting. This time period is not really my favorite to read about, but I have always enjoyed Paige’s series. This is one of those series where the point of view changes from chapter to chapter and Paige is one of the few authors I’ve seen who can consistently pull this off in grand fashion. This book was particularly interesting as I learned quite a lot about the “wireless,” a hot technology of the time. I am sorry to see that this is the last book in series at least for a time and am hoping that the author decides to resume it sometime. A.


DNF: CHARITY GIRL by Michael Lowenthal. Set during WWI on the ‘home front’ featuring a young Jewish girl who has run away from home to escape an arranged marriage, and is now living cheaply in a walk-up flat and working in a department store wrapping up ladies underwear. The book seemed to focus on the entertainment aspects of the girl and her friends’ lives—dances, romance, basically ‘hooking up’ with guys to get a free meal or paid admission to a movie or dance. I thought the author used some provocative sexual descriptions to try to snag interest in the story, but it didn’t work—at least for me. I gave this a full 75 pages but just could not make myself care about the character or her story.

And that's it for February!

Cheryl

JANUARY 2008

1. ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Audio download of the classic novel, which describes one winter day in the life of a prisoner in a Russian (Siberian) labor camp during the post-war Stalin era. Gritty and brutal, well-peppered with minute (and not pleasant) details, the book was full of stray thoughts and the odd profound philosophical comment, and I enjoyed listening to it. I’ve been a fan of Solzhynitzyn’s work since I was in junior high school, but it’s been many years since I revisited his books, and this is his first novel. Stark and sobering, and obviously full of first-hand knowledge, I’d recommend this to someone not familiar with the author’s work—it’s certainly shorter and a bit less daunting than some of his later books. ::grin:: The reader was very good for this production as well. A.

2. SECONDHAND SMOKE by Karen E. Olson. Second in the Annie Seymour, reporter in New Haven, CT series. When a restaurant in Annie’s neighborhood burns down with a body inside, everyone assumes it was the owner, Sal, since he is missing. But when it turns out to be his bookkeeper and assistant, LeAnn—AND she’s got a bullet wound in her skull, the chase is on. Of course Annie's ex-boyfriend Tom, a police detective is on the case. And Sal’s wife hires PI Vinnie DeLucia (Annie's wanna-be boyfriend--who's engaged to someone else) to find him and of course Annie herself is nosing around trying to find the real story for the newspaper. Then her father, a casino owner, shows up out of the blue from Las Vegas. Why? Annie is aware of possible ‘mob’ connections (it is an Italian neighborhood, after all) but can’t quite believe that her father is in the midst of something like that. Another mystery—and one that Annie isn’t sure she wants to know the answers to. And what is with all the references to the chickens? “Are the chickens dead, too?” a seemingly crazy man asks Annie the night of the fire. Huh? (The last book had cows, this one has chickens—if the next one has pigs, I’m going to start singing “ei-ei-o!” LOL) This book was as enjoyable as the first book in the series with a bad guy that I didn’t figure out until the last minute, though the clues were there had I chosen to assimilate them. There is a bit of romance/sexual tension but it's done well and not sappy or over-the-top, nor does it dominate the book, thank heavens. Really looking forward to the next one in this series and found this a GREAT way to open up the 2008 mystery season! A+.

3. THE BOOKWOMAN’S LAST FLING by John Dunning. Fifth and most recent (possibly the last, as I understand the author has had some serious medical problems recently) in the “Bookman” mystery series featuring Cliff Janeway, ex-cop and now bookstore owner/book dealer in Denver. I think this is my favorite Janeway book aside from the first one. I am not a big fan of (nor do I know much about) horse racing, but I learned a lot in this book. Janeway is contacted by an Idaho rancher, who inherited his wealthy boss’ book collection when he died. Or part of it—half went to his daughter, Sharon. But some of the books—hundreds of rare children’s books that were collected by the man’s wife Candice when she was alive—have gone missing and Junior Willis wants Janeway to see if he can figure out how and when. Once Junior and Janeway meet, the horse rancher/racer decides he doesn’t much like Janeway’s terms, but Janeway ends up staying on and working for Sharon—not only to find the missing books, but also to investigate Candice’s (her mother) death, which she has a wild hunch was not an accident as was presumed those many years ago. What a great book! Great storyline, wonderfully rich detail, immersion into the world of horse racing, and a mystery that I didn’t figure out. I was totally blindsided by the solution, which has me worried—two books in a row that I didn’t figure the mystery out. Am I losing my touch? LOL Probably not. More likely, Dunning is just a stellar plotter. Another A+ to start the year with!

4. DAVE BARRY’S MONEY SECRETS: LIKE, WHY IS THERE A GIANT EYE ON THE DOLLAR? By Dave Barry. (audio download) Was looking for something funny and lighthearted to listen to after the soul-wrenching Russian novel I listened to prior to this, and this one fit the bill perfectly. Parts of it were more humorous than others, and like most comedians, sometimes Barry seems terribly in love with himself and thinks he’s the funniest man alive. Once you get past that, you realize that it IS mostly pretty funny stuff. Some parts were definitely laugh-out-loud funny. My favorite bits were about the history of money, saving for retirement, choosing and paying for your child’s college education (hint: encourage them to get mediocre grades so they don’t get accepted to Harvard), and ‘making money in real estate,’ especially the section on OHDD—Old House Delusion Disorder. The section on starting your own business and what type to start is also great—especially the part about starting a pet-related business, because pet owners are especially stupid with money when it comes to their "babies." Highly recommended unless you are listening in a public place, because people will definitely look at you funny when you start chuckling, cackling and then chortling for no apparent reason. A.

5. THE PHYSICIAN’S TALE by Ann Benson. Third in a historical fiction/plague fiction series that goes back and forth between the 1300’s and slightly futuristic times, both featuring Plague and both featuring physicians. Janie, the modern-day physician, has Alejandro’s (the medieval physician) journal in her possession and became enthralled with his story and information and observations about the great Black Death. The book wraps up the story lines began in the two other books in the series (The Plague Tales and Burning Road) and tracks Alejandro and his family until after his death, and gives some resolution to the post-apocalyptic plague-devastated world that Janie, her husband and child live in as well. The book alternates chapters with one in the medieval world, another in the modern world, and many chapters end with mini “cliff-hangers” so it was very difficult to put the book down, since my natural stopping spots are at the ends of chapters. Very enjoyable read with the loose ends nicely wrapped up. I very much enjoyed the book—a nice mingling of genres with historical fiction, some sci-fi and a healthy (?) dose of plague fiction as well. A+

6. AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS by Jules Verne (audio download) I seem to be getting into ‘the classics’ by audio—books I’ve read as a child or younger person but not thought about in years. It’s kind of nice to have someone “read to me,” which didn’t happen much in my childhood once I was able to read by myself starting at around age four. I’m enjoying audiobooks in general much more than I ever realized I would. This one came in especially handy when I had a bad migraine and had some visual disturbances and couldn’t read for 3 days. Listening at low volume didn’t bother my head, so it was quite pleasant to trek around the world with Phineas Fogg and Passepartout while I was lying quietly with my eyes closed and couldn’t actually pick up a book. Wonderful reader and of course an excellent story, one of my favorites from my childhood. A.

7. DEAD MAN RISING by Lilith Saintcrow. Second in the Dante Valentine paranormal series. In this book, someone is killing psions…no, not just killing them, butchering them, flaying them, literally destroying them. Why? And why was the first victim a “normal” with no psionic ability? What is the connection between them all? Gabe, Dante’s policewoman friend, wants her to help look into it and find out. And will Dante ever get over her grief for the demon Japhrimel, her lover who had changed her irrevocably into something else—part-demon, yet still part-human Necromance, gifted to commune with the dead. I enjoy this series and I do like Dante, so this might sound weird, but I found this book to be very put-downable. The reason for that is, it was just TOO intense. There was no down-time in the book at all. Dante rolled from one crisis to another, spent many pages agonizing over Japhrimel’s demise and her role in that. It was just too much to read more than a few chapters at once without needing a break from the intensity. There was also a lot of repetitive descriptions of different smells, scents, etc. of not only places but people/psions, and that got to be kind of old after awhile. Still enjoyable and I will continue to read on in the series to find out what happens next. B+

8. IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS by Tim O’Brien. First read from my 2008 TBR Challenge List. I’ve had this book on my TBR for probably two years now, so it was definitely time to get to it! Stand-alone mystery that is also a study in the mind of a Vietnam veteran. Set in Minnesota, a fictitious lawyer named John Wade and his wife Kathy are at a cabin on Lake of the Woods attempting to recover from his devastating defeat in the primary elections for US Senator. Kathy disappears, and the story is told piecemeal in backwards fashion, outlining their early lives, John’s experiences in Vietnam, the story of their marriage and John’s career to that point, etc, and also gathers quotations and ‘evidence’ as the local sheriff tries to piece together what happened to Kathy Wade. Many suspect John in her disappearance, others say they wouldn’t be surprised if Kathy ‘finally left that creepy jerk’ and just walked away. But what really happened? I liked this book and yet in a way it annoyed me, but I can’t really say why without divulging a major spoiler. If you’ve read it, you’ll probably understand! If not, give it a try. It’s quite a ‘different’ story from any I’ve read recently, and I did find the descriptions of the Minnesota north country very accurate and evocative. B+.

9. PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren. (audio download) Another of my favorite childhood tales that I sat back and enjoyed while doing some cleaning. The reader had kind of a strange voice but I grew used to it after a few minutes, and she did a pretty good job with the different voices. It was wonderful to visit Villa Villekula with Pippi and Mr. Nilsson (her monkey!) while she had her adventures and imparted her strange wisdom. Short but sweet, this book brought a smile to my face and sometime in the not too distant future I may try to find more of the stories if they are available in audio. A.

10. DEATH AND JUDGMENT by Donna Leon. Fourth in the Commisario Guido Brunetti mystery series set in Venice, Italy. When a prominent lawyer in international law is killed, Guido ‘catches the squeal’ and once again must begin asking questions in high places to determine who murdered him. Two more deaths follow, one in another city being written off as a suicide, and the third the first victim’s brother-in-law. What had they been up to that got them all murdered? Was the Mafia involved? If so, Guido must tread carefully, especially since his own daughter Chiara is marginally involved, having known the daughter of the first victim. Stellar as always, a wonderful trip to be dipped in the culture of Venice, although this time it’s more of a visit with the seedier side. Great setting, wonderful characters, viable plot—though I did figure out the bad guy quite a bit in advance. A.

11. MURDER CARRIES A TORCH by Anne George. Seventh “Southern Sisters” mystery in which Mouse and Sister get tangled up with some folks from a religious snake-handling group on Chandler Mountain when their cousin’s wife apparently runs off with a preacher from that church. Luke turns to his cousins for help a few days after she leaves, and of course they stumble upon a dead body while looking for Virginia, Luke’s wife. A couple of days later, the preacher turns up dead in Virginia’s car a few hundred miles away, the victim of massive snake bite. Honestly, how do these ladies manage to find such strange situations to get tangled in? I don’t know, but I love ‘em! Entertaining and fun as always, and Sister is back in form as she find a potential new husband in the person of Virgil Stuckey, Sheriff of the county where the snake-handlers live. I did figure out half the mystery ahead of time, and enjoyed the whole package as always. A.

12. HELL’S KITCHEN by Chris Niles. One of my alternate selections in the TBR Challenge, another book I’d heard rave reviews about but had always managed to leave it on my bookshelf in favor of something else. Difficult to classify, this isn’t a true mystery since we always know ‘whodunit’ but is more of a dark comedy and somewhat of a social commentary too, poking fun at Americans and some of our obsessions. The main theme here is finding a place to live in New York City, which I think most of us know can be a real bugger. People would happily pay a couple thousand a month to live in a filthy closet if it’s in the right location! The book follows several people as they’re hunting for an apartment—a self-professed writer, though he’s never actually written anything except fortunes (and bad ones!) for Chinese fortune cookies—a young married couple just in town from Michigan, a young woman from London whose artist boyfriend boots her out when his wife comes home from France. We also follow one landlord who has an apartment to let. Quite an interesting twist that I can’t really say much about without spoiling it. Anyway, it was an interesting book although a bit dry in places and a bit repetitive sometimes too, though I did quite enjoy the author’s scathing social commentary about Americans in general and her dark humor was right up my alley. Overall an enjoyable read. B+.

13. THE PUSHER by Ed McBain. Third in the 87th Precinct books, and we’re still in the territory of this being written before I was born! It reads like a tough-guy detective novel, which at times made me chuckle, because the wording and euphemisms now seem rather clichéd, though at the time were probably very in vogue. This story deals with heroin usage in one area of the city, and ties the Lieutenants’s son into the case of a dead junkie/pusher found in his apartment. But his killer made a very poor attempt to make his murder look like a suicide. Why bother? And why leave incriminating evidence all over the place? Was he trying to frame someone else? A very quick read, but with newlywed detective Steve Carella and his wife Teddy featured, and they become my favorites in later books. Interesting afterword by McBain, too, about the series and Carella’s storyline. A.

14. MURDER BOOGIES WITH ELVIS by Anne George. Last of the Southern Sisters mysteries, I decided to just finish this series off and be done with it, though I am definitely sorry to see it end! This time Mary Alice and Patricia Anne get tangled up with Elvis impersonators at a benefit show to raise money for the repairs and refinishing of Vulcan, the big iron bare-assed statue that usually watches over the city. Mary Alice’s fiancee’s son and son-in-law are both Elvis impersonators and get front row tickets for the sisters for the show. But when one of the contestants ends up dead of stab wounds, you just know the girls are going to be in the thick of things again, especially a few days later when the bloody switchblade ends up in Patricia Anne’s purse! I really enjoyed this last installment in the series, and though things were settled quite nicely, it saddens me to know that I will have to use my own imagination to concoct the further lives of Mouse, Sister and their families. A+

15. EVANLY BODIES by Rhys Bowen. Tenth, and last (at least for now—the author has taken a hiatus to concentrate on her other two series) in this series, featuring DC Evan Evans in Wales. This is another series I really hope does resume at some point because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. When a new Major Crimes Unit task force is formed with rotating groups taking the helm, Evan finds himself a member of that group on the first day it was formed when a call comes in about a dead university professor found shot to death over his breakfast eggs in his home. Working with three other fellows from different precincts that he doesn’t know at all, Evan feels a bit like a fish out of water, especially with the boss, who is a rigid and uptight military type who wants to keep Evans and the other DC in a strictly note-taking, errand-running capacity. When other bodies show up in neighboring towns, killed with the same gun but with seemingly no connection between them, the race is on to figure out the killer’s motive. Very enjoyable visit to Llanfair and surrounding towns, as usual, though I did figure out the mystery fairly well in advance—with this series that never spoils my enjoyment of the book for me. A.

16. IT’S PAT! MY LIFE EXPOSED by Julia Sweeney. If you’re familiar with the character of “Pat” from Saturday Night Live, this book will give you a chuckle. Pat is an androgynous character and no one has ever quite figured out for sure which sex he or she is. Rounded and fluffy, we aren’t sure if she is female with a flattish chest or if he is a man with a nice set of bitch tits! LOL This book reads kind of like a yearbook or scrapbook of Pat’s adventures, with photos, all designed to muddy the waters even further. It was a cute, light read that did nothing to answer the question at hand, but that’s okay. I’m not really sure I *want* to know what sex Pat is anyway! LOL B.

17. GUARDS! GUARDS! by Terry Pratchett. Eighth in publication order of the Discworld fantasy/humor series, introducting Captain Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch, and his newest staff member, Carrot—a volunteer (gasp!) from the Dwarf country, who is human though he was raised by dwarves. And he arrives at a rather auspicious moment. Everyone knows Dragons are extinct, right? So how can there be one terrorizing Ankh-Morpork? Sam and the Night Watch are investigating, the wizards at Unseen University are aghast, and the Librarian is in a tizzy because a book has been stolen from his Library—one titled The Summoning of Dragons! I love the Discworld and these books are always pure escapism for me with plenty of laugh out loud moments, quiet chuckles and awe and incredulity at the brilliance and twisted imagination of the author. This book was no exception! A.

18. T IS FOR TRESPASS by Sue Grafton. Latest in the Kinsey Millhone PI series, set in late 1980’s California in the fictional city of Santa Teresa. This book seems quite a bit darker than the previous books, and focuses on a disturbing problem—elder abuse. Also, for the first time that I can remember, part of the book is told from the POV of a sociopath, Solana Rojas, the would-be nurse who becomes Kinsey’s nemesis when she is hired by her grumpy old neighbor Gus’s niece to provide home care for him. Also unlike many of the other books in series, there is no dead body til late in the book and much of the book details Kinsey’s day-to-day work as a private investigator, doing things like accident investigation, process serving, etc. While I think this is good in some ways—because it shows the reality of what the PI life is like, the book didn’t seem to flow quite as well as some of the others. Perhaps that was because of the changing POV, or because of the lack of a real “mystery” per se, but I still enjoyed it for the most part—it’s always good to visit with Kinsey in Santa Teresa, and I look forward to furthering my reading in the series next year when U is for ______ comes out. And of course the feeling of being caught up with another series is a good one, too! ::grin:: B+

19. A MURDER OF QUALITY by John LeCarre. (audio download) Second in the George Smiley espionage series in which Smiley is contacted by an old colleague from Special Forces to look into a disturbing letter from the wife of a teacher who claims he’s trying to kill her. By the time Smiley contacts an acquaintance at the school, he discovers that the woman is already dead, supposedly murdered by a crazy woman in their neighborhood. Of course Smiley is immediately suspicious and on the trail of the real killer. Enjoyable listen with an excellent reader and of course, LeCarre is hard to beat for plotting and characterization. A.

Please note: Due to some finanical difficulties, I will be offline from home for awhile, and this site is blocked by my work's firewall so I can't update from there, either. Edited to add: I do pick up a weak wi-fi signal from home occasionally so will try posting here as I'm able--much of the time I end up with error messages and needing to hit 'send' several times to get it to work, so if it's too frustrating I will likely just wait til we get our cable 'net back.

Cheryl

DECEMBER 2007 READING

1. RED LEAVES by Thomas H. Cook. Audio download. Stand-alone mystery, my first read (or listen) by this author. A small-town family is torn apart when a young girl disappears from her home, and the teenage son of the man telling the story is suspected in some foul play in the matter. During the course of these events, several other issues plaguing the man and his family—even his distant family, relating to his father’s previous business dealings and his mother’s death, his brother’s alcoholism, etc. are brought to light. While I loved the author’s way with words and the way he was able to depict raw emotion and flay the protagonist’s soul open to inspection, I can’t say I think much of his plotting, as he seemed to broadcast every plot twist long in advance and by mid-book I had a gut feeling for exactly how it would end, and I was right, which disappointed me very much. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t say more. Excellent writing (and reading) aside, ultimately the book was just plain depressing and not much of a thriller or a mystery. There were also too many issues that were never firmly wrapped up, but left to the reader’s imagination to decide what had ‘really’ happened—which I don’t mind occasionally because my imagination is generally up to the task—but in this case, there were just TOO many things left that way…it felt as thought the author just couldn’t be bothered to wrap things up, or something. C.

2. SPANISH DAGGER by Susan Wittig Albert. Sixteenth (and most recent) entry in the China Bayles herbal mysteries—I’m now caught up until April when Nightshade is released. When China hosts a friend of Ruby’s to do a papermaking class, she and Carol go out to gather yucca leaves for the class, never suspecting that they will find a dead body among the plants near the railroad tracks! When China is at the scene of another dead body being found a couple of days later, an acquaintance of the first one, she’s thrust right into the midst of the case whether she wants to be or not. Meanwhile, Ruby is off to her mother’s to sort out her growing dementia problem, and McQuaid, China’s PI husband, is off to Houston to further investigate China’s father’s death, having been hired by China’s recently-discovered half-brother Miles, who suspects that Robert Bayles’ death by car crash sixteen years earlier was not an accident as had been presumed. Lots of difficult issues to deal with in this book, and definitely not your typical “light” cozy read, but I didn’t mind. I love these characters and it’s only natural that they would occasionally have difficult things to go through and was glad to share them. A.

3. PAST REASON HATED by Peter Robinson. Fifth entry in the Alan Banks police procedural series set in Yorkshire at Christmastime. How appropriate! LOL Called out a few days before Christmas to investigate a brutal stabbing death, we’re introduced more closely to recently-promoted Detective Constable Susan Gay, newest member of Eastvale’s CID. Caroline Hartley, the victim, is a bit of a mystery. Aside from her live-in partner, Veronica, no one knew her very well in Eastvale, having arrived just a few years ago from London. In fact, no one even realized she was a lesbian, as she was a very attractive woman prone to flirting with the men she encountered, mostly within her local dramatic society. Was her death the result of something from her troubled past, or a current problem? Well, I figured it out quite early on—the only reason Banks didn’t was because he didn’t have all the information, I’m sure. LOL I like this series quite a lot, though the constant, repetitive descriptions of Banks’ many cigarette lightings and pouring of and drinking of drinks (as well as those of the people he’s interviewing or his cronies) really wears thin after awhile. I seem to notice it more in some of the books than others, and it was at the forefront in this book once again, lowering my enjoying of the book just a titch. Maybe it’s just the fact that I figured things out so far in advance made me notice those details more in this one or something, I dunno…but it’s annoying as heck! We know Banks smokes and drinks—which is fine—but must we get detailed blow-by-blow descriptions whenever he lights up or has a pint?? B+

4. A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens. (audio download) Wonderful reading (by Recorded Books, Inc—I’ve forgotten the reader’s name already!) of one of my favorite classic books, and certainly appropriate to the time of year! Highly recommend this if you’ve never had anyone read you this story! A+

5. THE HIGH LORD by Trudi Canavan. Third in the Black Magician fantasy trilogy, which wraps up and ties together all the bits and pieces from the two previous books. The High Lord Akkarin reveals to Sonea, his ward at the University, why he has been practicing the forbidden so-called “black” magic, and suddenly he doesn’t seem to be such an evil guy. Why all the deception? Why not just come clean to the Magician’s Guild? The reasons are many, and all of them make sense, once explained. Are the Ichari really planning an invasion against The Guild of Magicians? Excellent ending to the trilogy and with a finale that certainly leaves an opening for more books set in the realm of Kyralia—and I’ll definitely be reading the next set, The Traitor Spy Trilogy, as well a