Books and more

Vane Pursuit and Slow Dollar

2008-09-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

Vane Pursuit by Charlotte MacCleod
A Peter Shandy mystery

If you have ever had the least little, teeny tiniest, itty bittiest smidgen of interest in what academic types do during their off hours - Read This Book! This book will answer all of your questions and even those you didn't know you had. This lighthearted look at academia covers the politics and behind-the-scenes machinations that keep the wheels greased and the motors of these huge organizations running. This slim little volume includes modern day pirates (Arrgg!), blackmail, arson, community economics, murder (of course),female relationships, and marriages as it follows the vane (haha) attempt of Professor Shandy at nailing the nabbers of the precious antique weather vanes. A great fun, fast read - I plan on ordering more of this series. The style is light and doesn't take itself too seriously, keeping the story/plot flowing smoothly yet hooking your interest in how it all resolves itself. A satisfying read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slow Dollar by Margaret Maron
A Deborah Knott mystery

Managing to combine family and all the chaos and warmth that entails with a professional Judge and tie it all up in a satisfying conclusion is Margaret Maron's gift. This is her nineth book in this series (she has another). The heroine (Knott) is shocked to learn that the carnival worker she discovers kicked to death behind a stall is really her nephew. The two worlds meet up and the familiarity of the carnival culture and slang give this story its unique voice. There's even a glossary of terms at the end of the book. The plot keeps you guessing and the personal side just adds to but never overwhelms the mystery. Great read.

The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn

2008-08-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just finished The Ivy Chronicles last night. This adventure through the Upper East Side follows the life changes of a successful women with a successful husband and a high-powered job, who loses all of it and makes a new life for herself and her daughters on the Lower East Side. She manages to carve out a career for herself advising upper-class ("first tier") families on how to win exclusive spots in the top kindergartens in the City.

Since no one has ever provided this service before she's striking out in uncharted territory and making it up as she goes along. Bribery, both to the schools and the children, lies told to improve the parents' chances of approval, and misrepresentation abound in this rarefied world where even four-year olds are expected to have a list of accomplishments in order to be considered for acceptance.

But through all this chaos, and all of her hinky choices Ivy still manages to win our approval. I found myself cheering for her and rooting her on and Karen Quinn wraps it all up very neatly in a satisfying conclusion. I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would, since I'm not a huge fan of ChickLit, but I'll be checking out her other work.

Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown

2008-08-19T15:39:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Murphy mystery series

Rita Mae Brown is helped with the writing of the Mrs Murphy series by her cat Sneaky Pie. The expertise of her literary cat comes through in the cat character of Mrs. Murphy, who narrates the mystery stories. Mrs. Murphy (and her dog friend Tucker) come up with clues, but have to go to great lengths to communicate their finds to their owner and main human character Mary (Harry) Haristeen, the Post Mistress. The mystery begins in the PO and grows to include many of the towns people and Harry's friends.

This is a cute little mystery and I'm sure I'll read more from this series.

"And the Winner is..."

2008-08-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
2008 Results

Theirs was a New York love, a checkered taxi ride burning rubber, and like the city their passion was open 24/7, steam rising from their bodies like slick streets exhaling warm, moist, white breath through manhole covers stamped "Forged by DeLaney Bros., Piscataway, N.J."

by Garrison Spik
Washington, D.C.

The winner of 2008 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is Garrison Spik (pronounced "speak"), a 41-year-old communications director and writer from Washington, D.C. Hailing from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, he has worked in Tokyo, Bucharest, and Nitro, West Virginia, and cites DEVO, Nathaniel Hawthorne, B horror films, and historiography as major life influences.

Garrison Spik is the 26th grand prize winner of the contest that began at San Jose State University in 1982.

An international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory (if not the reputation) of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The goal of the contest is childishly simple: entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Although best known for "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1834), which has been made into a movie three times, originating the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword," and phrases like "the great unwashed" and "the almighty dollar," Bulwer-Lytton opened his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the immortal words that the "Peanuts" beagle Snoopy plagiarized for years, "It was a dark and stormy night."

All Fishermen Are Liars - Book Review

2008-07-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

You should have seen the one that got away! Really, it was so huge the boat started leaning and the whole crew had to run to the other side! Honest!
Well ... okay, maybe not.

Linda Greenlaw is a Swordfish Captain and comes from a long line of fishermen and she doesn't let you forget it while she spins a few yarns for her long time friend and mentor, Alden. He also spins a few yarns for her and they start to draw the interest of other bar patrons (acquaintances and not) who add their own funny and dramatic tales to the mix. This collection of stories comes from a day spent at the bar called the Dry Dock and are authentic sea tales told by the ones who live it every day. They are told by Captains and crew members and cover everything that could happen on a month or so long trip from weather disasters to fishing disasters. There's even a reason postulated for why fishermen lie. It turns out it's a survival mechanism, since any information you give out about successful fishing areas will be used by friends and foes alike. Leaving you with nothing but a "one that got away" story.

There are dramatic sea rescues, old bootleggers, and sea adventures of every sort, all presented in a witty, chatty style that will pull you in whether you are a fan of boat lore or not. She adds in bits of sea trivia she calls "Bar Snacks." You'll learn the best excuses for not catching any fish to the best seasickness remedy. Greenlaw survived "The Perfect Storm" and she's been entertaining us with her stories ever since. I hope she continues for many years to come. You'll enjoy these stories. Honest. :)

All Fishermen Are Liars by Linda Greenlaw True Tales From the Dry Dock Bar

Book Review - Water For Elephants

2008-05-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen seamlessly weaves a tale of running off to join a circus with that of a man at the end of his time looking death directly in the eye. This tale of remembrance and the twists that life can take is one of the best at working two compelling stories into a comprehensive whole.

This engaging adventure begins in a nursing home where we meet 97 year old Joseph. His physical frailty is belied by his contrariness and determination. The guy's got an attitude. He's dealing not only with his body breaking down, but his mind is becoming less reliable too. Then, while he watches from the window of the nursing home, a circus starts setting up right across the street. From that moment on the goal becomes clear. Joseph is going to see the circus!

Seeing the circus tents being erected, Joseph is drawn back into the memories of his own past. The story expertly follows the young man's circus adventures after his parents die and he's left with no resources or college diploma. Gruen explores the depression era and how it directly effects Joseph and his reactions and the adventures that stem from that time. Flipping back and forth between the young Joseph and the old Joseph effectively builds the tension - you will stay up late to find out what happens and to cheer the old man on.

The story takes a hard look at the transient circus life and how both the profession and the times dictated the ways that the employees were used and abused. The hierarchies involved in the harsh treatment are clearly spelled out: performers at the top - workers at the bottom. The characters are fleshed out and compelling enough that you find yourself wanting to know more about all of them. Even the ones you'd like to smack.

One of the most disturbing scenes involves the elephants that Joseph is caring for as the animal trainer. Though the animals aren't the only ones who are mistreated, if you're an animal lover it may be hard to take.

This is a great book I can't recommend enough and if you liked this one you might want to try Gruen's others: Riding Lessons and Flying Changes.

Five Reasons I Like to Read

2008-04-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Five Reasons I Like to Read

1. Learning - Below is a short list of things I recently came across.

I like history! Who knew? (Not me!) I just read Weird History 101, first-person accounts of historic events, ex: Wyatt Earp’s testimony, The Red Baron’s story of a WWI battle, etc. History from the perspective of participants or witnesses. Way cool.
How to photograph good quality digital photos (digital-photography-school.com – tutorial). Just started on this, but liking it so far.
Scotland is very dark and damp. So are Scots (Death of a Dentist by M.C. Beaton).
Albert Einstein, in addition to being a certified genius, is a very funny/witty/playful/perceptive guy, (web site: quotes4all.net).

2. A well-made book is a pleasure

In this fast-paced world of mass market paperbacks made with cheap quality paper it’s a rare treat to be able to hold in your hands a good quality book with thick, creamy paper and color graphics. There are a few (very few) books like that on my “keeper” shelves. I’ll never let them go.

3. Inspiration

Besides being entertained and/or lifted up through other peoples’ stories of struggles and triumphs (or not), I’ve also found inspiration to change my diet, apply financial strategies and various other ways of managing my life better.

4. Other people have more interesting lives

Reading about peoples lives – either fictional or real – gives me glimpses into worlds I’d otherwise never visit. Whether tracking down a murderer (packing heat) or following someone’s life journey through a series of dysfunctions reading takes the focus away from me and jump starts my imagination. I can lose myself for hours.

5. I like to read

I just do

Notes and News

Malice Domestic, an annual convention honoring traditional mysteries, was held this past weekend (April 25-27, 2008) in Arlington, Virginia . If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries (defined by the Malice Domestic web site as follows) you would have been in cozy heaven.

The genre is loosely defined as mysteries which contain no explicit sex or excessive gore or violence; and usually (but are not limited to) featuring an amateur detective, a confined setting, and characters who know one another. (for a more detailed explanation click here)

The Agatha Award Winners for 2007 were announced amid a full program of author interviews, signings and silent auctions. And the winners are…

Best Novel: A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
Best First Novel: Prime Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Children's/Young Adult: A Light in the Cellar by Sarah Masters Buckey
Best Nonfiction: Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters, edited by Dan Stashower, Jon Lellenberg and Charles Foley
Best Short Story: "A Rat's Tale" by Donna Andrews, published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2007

Books Read 2008

2008-04-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Books Read in 2008

August
Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown Reviewed
The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn Reviewed

July
All Fishermen Are Liars by Linda Greenlaw Reviewed
Ravenmocker by Jean Hager (A Molly Bearpaw mystery)

June
Murder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne George (A Southern Sisters mystery)
Serpent Gate by Michael McGarrity
Malice Domestic by Nancy Pickard (An Anthology of original mystery stories)
A Feast of Crime by Jeanne M. Dams, Denise Deitz, Cynthia P. Lawrence, and Valerie S. Malmont

May
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen Reviewed

April
Death of a Dentist by M.C. Beaton (Hamish MacBeth Mystery)
The Blue Last by Martha Grimes (Richard Jury mystery)
The Case Has Altered by Martha Grimes (Richard Jury mystery)
Weird History by John Richard Stephens

March
Murder in the Air by Ellen Hart (Sofie Greenway mystery)
Dear Miss Demeanor by Joan Hess (Claire Malloy mystery)

Just finished...

2008-04-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

Well, here's the first blog! I thought I'd start off with a little bit about books and then move on to the "more" part of the title. I just finished two mysteries and am reading a third, as we speak. Can you tell I like mysteries? The two I just finished are: Death of a Dentist by M.C. Beaton (Hamish MacBeth series) and The Case Has Altered by Martha Grimes (Richard Jury series). I'm at work now on a newer Martha Grimes - The Blue Last.

There are lots of people who track the books they've read. I signed up for a site called LibraryThing.com, but so far I haven't added any books to my shelf.