Book Review: Night Work by Steve Hamilton

Night Work by Steve Hamilton
Thomas Dunne Books
294 Pages
Copyright 2007

Steve Hamilton is the author of one of my favorite series – the Alex McKnight series – set in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Night Work is a stand alone story, however, hence the lag time between buying and reading it. Alex I’d read immediately. This one sat around for awhile.

Joe Trumbull is a Juvenile Probation Officer in his hometown of Kingston, NY. He’s a good guy with a troubled past, both as a kid in Kingston and as a grown up. Two years earlier his finance, Laurel, was murdered a few days before the wedding. Joe has spent two years barely living, putting in time at work and in the gym he lives above learning to be a boxer, which he’ll never be. His best friend, Howie, is a detective for the Kingston Police Department.

Finally, Joe takes the big step and goes on a blind date. Marlene Frost is a beautiful woman, and after a rough start, the pair hit it off well enough for Joe to end up at her place later that night. He goes home shortly after 1:00 a.m., wondering if he’s done the right thing and looking forward to seeing Marlene again.

Marlene, however, is found murdered, her body dumped near the railroad tracks. Joe, at first, does everything he can to help out but when another woman with a connection to him is found dead, he finds his life spinning wildly out of control as it begins to look like everything leads back to him. Joe knows he’s not guilty, so he sets out to discover who is killing the women in his life.

So, it’s an interesting story, aptly told. I like Steve Hamilton’s style. It’s easy-going and relaxed, which makes you feel like you really know the characters, like you’ve sat down and had a beer with them. I, however, wanted to give Joe a good, hard smack. He was being extremely naïve, doing things he should never have been doing. I wanted to shout “You idiot! They think you did it! Shut the hell up and get out of there!” during the interview scenes. I’m not sure if that made this a good book or a bad one. All I can say is I stayed up until 0300 this morning finishing it.

Like I said, Hamilton has a laid back, easy-going story telling style. Here’s an example of his quirky sense of humor:

Next to the sax was a mace, one of those big sticks with the spiked iron ball attached to one end with a chain. It looked like the real thing, too. Like you could cause some serious harm with it. It made me wonder what kind of life you’d have to be living if you woke up one morning and had to go pawn your mace.

It may not be funny to most people but it is to me. I keep seeing a bumper sticker about how you know life sucks when you have to pawn your mace...

Recommendation: As I’ve already said – it’s a decent story told in an easy, laidback style that invites you in to the character’s world. I wasn’t sure who the villain was, which is unusual for me, until it was revealed. That’s always a plus.

Book Review: Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre
ROC
316 Pages
Copyright 2009

Corine Solomon is a handler – a person who can read inanimate objects and tell the object’s history and sometimes its future. It’s a gift she wasn’t born with – it was forced on her by her mother during a tragic episode from her childhood.

Corine is living in Mexico City running a junk story. Her life is quiet and unexciting, which is exactly what she wants after an earlier life that was anything but. She wants nothing more to do with that life, a life spent finding people. It’s a life that caused her pain and put her in danger.

Her quiet life is interrupted, however, when her ex manager and ex lover, Chance, shows up on her doorstep needing her help. His mother, Min, has gone missing, leaving behind a small Buddha which they both know can help Corine find her. In spite of her doubts about Chance, Corine leaves her quiet life behind to help a woman she’d come to love. It’s a journey that will lead to pain and secrets, new friends, a deeper understanding of her ‘gift’, and a secret of such magnitude that people are willing to kill for it. Chance and Corine find themselves in a race to find Min before it’s too late.

This is one of ‘those’ books for me. I’m not in love with it and I don’t feel I need to run out and get the sequel. I’m curious, but not frantic, about the sequel. And, I’m not entirely sure what the problem is.

One of the reasons I wasn’t thrilled with the book is the fact that I’m not crazy about Corine. She was a little too whiny for me. She complains too much about almost everything – her gift, the fact that Chance isn’t the man she thinks he should be, the loss of her quiet life. It became annoying after awhile. I wasn’t all that crazy about Chance, either, but I liked him a little better than Corine. He was a man under a lot of pressure but he handled it well enough. Jesse Saldana was my favorite character but again, he didn’t grab my imagination or my attention as completely as I would’ve liked. Maybe if he'd been fleshed out a little more.

My main problem, however, has to do with a reoccuring theme. Corine doesn’t trust anyone easily. It has to do with her past but for me, that past wasn’t brought out well enough. It’s left a little vague and it seems to be based on a premise that I find difficult to believe. Another, still having to do with trust, also has to do with cops. Aguirre continually paints cops as targeting her because of her gift. They believe her to be a con artist, out to take people for all she can. I’m not sure that attitude is all that prevalent in law enforcement any more. Cops today are far more open-minded. And, the final problem, the one I have the most trouble dealing with, is Aguirre gets some basic facts wrong. I don’t know of any place in this country where a suspect can be held without being charged, yet Corine says it can be done. And there’s this:

“Holy shit,” I said, clambering to my feet.

His smile came, a little easier that time. “Top of my class, marksmanship. Usually it’s a paper guy that I shoot through the head, but same principle.”

It’s true that police officers shoot at paper targets bearing the silhouette of a man pointing a gun at them. However, no police officer is taught to shoot that man in the head. We are taught to shoot center mass – in the chest. It’s a little thing and I probably shouldn’t let it bug me at all, but it does, enough to dampen my enjoyment of the book just a tad.

Recommendation: In spite of all the things wrong, the story is still a good one and Aguirre keeps it moving well enough. It’s a good mix of the paranormal and the normal that I enjoyed enough to keep reading. I find myself, however, wish for a little bit more.

Book Review: Redemption Alley by Lilith Saintcrow

Redemption Alley by Lilith Saintcrow
Orbit Books
314 Pages
Copyright 2009

Jill Kismet is a hunter, tasked to protect the city of Santa Luz from the nightside, those creatures connected to the dark and even hell itself. On the advice of her mentor, she made a bargain with Pericles, a powerful demon from hell that has given her extraordinary abilities.

When Lieutenant ‘Monty’ Montaigne asks Jill to look into the reported suicide death of his former partner, she is reluctant to take it on. Suicide isn’t her problem; not with hellspawn, traders, and people disappearing all clamoring for her attention. When she finds herself the target of multiple assassination attempts by cops with dark secrets to protect, she begins to change her mind. The sudden appearance of Scurf, slimy vampire-like creatures that infect their victims with their disease, in her city, leads her further along a trail that will continue to pit her against those she thought of as friends and force her to rely on those she once thought were enemies. Added into the mess is the fact that Saul, her husband, is away caring for his dying mother, and Jill is in for a very bad time... but not as bad as the one she’s ready to give the nightside.

Saintcrow is a genius when it comes to fast-paced urban fantasy. Her worlds are gritty, violent, and compelling. So are her characters. Jill is the kick-ass, take no prisoners type, yet she suffers from doubts and insecurities like everyone else. She isn’t superhuman but everyone expects her to be. Pericles is one of those bad guys you love to hate – charming on the outside but completely evil on the inside.

Here’s the opening few paragraphs:

Right before dawn a hush falls over Santa Luz. The things that live and prey in the night are either searching for a burrow to spend the day in, or looking for one last little snack. The closer to dawn, the harder the fight, hunters say. Predators get desperate as the sun, the great enemy of all darkness, walks closer to the rim of dawn.

Which explains why I was flat on my back, again, with hellbreed-strong fingers cutting off my air and my head ringing like someone had set off dynamite inside it. Sparks spat from silver charms tied in my hair, blessed moon-metal reacting to something inimical. The Trader hissed as he squeezed, fingers sinking into my throat and the flat shine of the dusted lying over his eyes as they narrowed, a forked tongue flickering past the broken yellow stubs of his teeth.

Apparently dental work wasn’t part of the contract he’d made with whatever hellbreed had given him supernatural strength and the ability to set shit on fire at a thousand paces.

I brought my knee up, hard.

The hellbreed this particular Trader had bargained with hadn’t given him an athletic cup, either. The bony part of my knee sank into his crotch, meeting precious little resistance, so hard something popped.

It didn’t sound like much fun.

Things start off with a bang and don’t slow down until the last pages of the book. Saintcrow keeps the pace just this side of frenetic and does it very well.

Recommendation: This is the third book in the series and there hasn’t been any sign of a let-down or misstep yet. If you like gritty urban fantasy, you won’t do a lot better.

Friday Night Free for All

Just another flight of random musing...


If is suddenly fall. Seriously suddenly. As I was leaving the office this morning around 0715, a sharp, cold wind swept through the area and brought fall with it. Literally that quick. It was supposed to be 65F here today. It was 55F when I got up. I know I've been saying how I want it to cool off and be fall... but man. It really didn't have to happen all at once. A gradual cool down would've been nice. If this keeps up we're gonna have snow tomorrow...


My niece is competing in a horse show this weekend but it is 150 miles from here. I have to work tonight and the show runs from 0900 to 1200 on both Saturday and Sunday. So, making Saturday is impossible and Sunday is out because the dog is on antibiotics and I don't trust anyone else to give them to her. It's silly, I know, but if I went all I'd be doing is worrying about the dog. So instead of being at the show, I'm dog sitting my sister's dogs so they can see their daughter compete. It's a big show - the ones here are on the small side and are open shows - any breed of horse can enter. This one is just for Quarter Horses and the competition is bound to be stiffer. The niece has no expectations of doing well. I'm hoping she's pleasantly surprised.


The fall feel in the air has me thinking back to high school, of all things. I was in the marching band for all four years and the feel made me think of football and performing at halftime. I'd tuck a book into the inside pocket of my band uniform and read during the game. Whenever we scored, I set the book down, play the school fight song, and then go back to reading. I didn't always read but either way, it was fun.


So, time for a question. I posted earlier about breaking my book buying ban mainly because I was stressed out by all the vet visits I've had to make lately. They're expensive and worrisome because my animals are my babies. No, that's got nothing to do with the question.


Wendy, the Literary Feline, admitted that she also buys books when feeling stressed.


How about the rest of you? Does stress sending you screaming to the local bookstore or to Amazon? Curious minds want to know...

Book Review: Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
Ace Books
286 Pages
Copyright 2009

Anna and Charles Cornick are werewolves. They are a mated pair, something that was clear to them practically before they’d said hello for the first time. Charles is the son of the leader of all werewolves in North America and he is the enforcer. As such, he is a man accustomed to keeping everyone on the outside. It’s much easier to kill someone who isn’t a friend. Anna is a young woman with a horrendous past. Her former pack leader brutalized her and had encouraged the rest of the pack to do the same. Anna, however, is also something rare and priceless; she is an Omega wolf. As such, she doesn’t have to obey the pack Alpha and she can control the pack as well, if not better than, the Alpha. The pair is struggling to figure out their relationship.

Bran, the leader, wants werewolves to come out to the public. He is determined to make it happen and, as a result, Charles and Anna find themselves in charge of a gathering of werewolves from Europe. Bran wants their support but he doesn’t need it. Things are tense because the Alpha of Europe, Chastel, is a brutal man with a taste for human flesh, the younger the better. He also wants Anna and seems intent on doing whatever he has to do in order to take her away from Charles. Would he, however, go so far as to hire vampires to attack Anna? What role does Dana, the Fae hired by Bran to oversee the summit, play in what’s going on? Anna and Charles find their tenuous relationship being tested in unimaginable ways as they try to figure things out before it’s too late.

I really like Charles and Anna and devoured this book in one sitting, basically. I like the way Briggs is handling their relationship, letting it settle into something strong slowly. Given the complexities of the two, Briggs hasn’t glossed over any of it but has built something solid around it. So far, there’s been little not to like.

Recommendation: Of all the werewolf stories I’ve read, I like the world Briggs has built best, both in the Alpha and Omega series and the Mercy Thompson series. Her characters are strong, likable, and believable; her stories are interesting and well-paced. There’s very little not to like.

Book Review: Relentless by Dean Koontz

Relentless by Dean Koontz
Bantam Books
356 Pages
Copyright 2009

Cullen ‘Cubby’ Greenwich is a best-selling novelist. His wife Penny writes and illustrates children’s books. Their son, Milo, is a genius on the level, if not beyond, Einstein. They have an Australian Shepherd mix dog named Lassie. Life is perfect until literary critic Shearmann Waxx savages his latest work. Cubby finds himself drawn into a terrifying battle for not only his life, but that of his wife and son and all of their friends when a not completely by chance encounter with Waxx spins out of control.

So. I’ve skipped most reviews of this book because I didn’t want to accidentally read anything that would spoil it for me. I had, however, noticed more than a few people who referred to it as ‘vintage’ Koontz, which gave me hope going in. Koontz’s latest works have, in the opinion of many readers, including me, not measure up to his older works.

Relentless does seem more like the old Koontz than the new. But, in any ways, it is still formulaic. You have the good man, the woman he loves, the ‘spooky’ child, and the dog that appears to be much more than a dog. And you have villains who are seeking to change the world with their evil technology or their attempts to control humanity by controlling what they read, watch, view, and think.

Don’t get me wrong here, I enjoyed this book. It did remind me of vintage Koontz. It was well-written, fast paced, and I liked the Greenwich family. However... in spite of my enjoyment, I can still say it was flawed. The Greenwich family is too perfect. The secondary characters were too ‘quirky’. The villain lacked something that I’m not sure I could define. Maybe it was a difference. He seemed too much like other villains, both in previous Koontz works and in other works by other authors. The explanation as to why it was all happening lacked... something. It wasn’t fleshed out enough. And, finally, the ending was more of a whimper than a bang. It’s like a movie where the climax happens off screen and the viewer is left feeling cheated. This is the second Koontz book that I’ve read recently where I’ve felt this way about the ending. The previous one, that I can remember, was The Darkest Evening of the Year.

There’s a quote I’d like to share where Koontz, himself, seems to sum up what I’m trying to say:

The temptation was great to believe that I had passed from the dream of the library into a dream of blindness and had not yet come awake.

As a writer, I succeed by deceiving readers into accepting that the story I’m telling is as true as their lives, that what happens to my characters should intellectually and emotionally involve them no less than they should be concerned about their real-world neighbors. But I have never been good at self-deception.

I was awake, all right, and Waxx stood or crouched, or roamed, somewhere in the bedroom.”

.
I liked the Greenwich family... but I wasn’t as involved with them as even Koontz believes I should’ve been.

Recommendation: It’s not a bad book, and in some ways, it is a return to old school Koontz. Unfortunately, I’d still have to say if you’re looking for a great Koontz novel to read, try one he wrote back in the 80’s or 90’s, like Watchers, The Bad Place, or Fear Nothing and its sequel, Seize The Night. The Odd Thomas series is also pretty good. Start there and then give this one a try. It won’t necessarily disappoint you but you’ll probably like the earlier works more.

Horse Show Weekend

Last weekend was a horse show weekend for my niece.  In fact, it was the last one of the season.  She and her horse, C My Sonny Zip, also known as Sonny, have had a top-notch show season, taking mostly firsts and seconds in all of their classes.  She's also won 'high point' for three shows, which means she did the best of all over the weekend show. 

I am insanely proud of her and I love Sonny to death.  He's such a beautiful boy.  It's been fun to watch her confidence grow with each class and each show. 

So, here are some photos from this weekend:

Most people think Sonny is a Palomino.  He's not.  He's what's known as a 'Champagne'.  It has something to do with his skin and his coat.  When he's in the sun, there are threads of gold in his coat that glisten.  I love that.

My niece's saga with horses started when she was five and took riding lessons.  She started on a pony and then moved up to horses.  By the time she was 11, she'd saved ever cent anyone had ever given her and bought her own horse.  Sweety was a chestnut mare and my niece's first love.  Two years later, my niece had Sweety bred and ended up with a beautiful little filly she named Sassy.  When Sassy was old enough, my niece sold her to a young girl looking for a first horse. 

Things changed after my niece took a trail ride with some friends and Sweety threw her.  She ended up in ER with a badly sprained ankle - not bad considering Sweety landed on her leg when she went over backwards.  After that, however, the trust between them was gone.  My niece went online to horse sites and found Sonny.  She contacted his owner and bartered a trade - Sweety for Sonny - and, as they say, a love story was born. 

Sonny is even-tempered and a complete love.  That doesn't mean, however, that they don't have their spats.  Both are stubborn and head-strong, which leads to some interesting battles.  They get testy with each other but it always blows over and everyone can see the bond that exists between them.

I've discovered something about horses.  They have an ability to ground you, to settle you into a sense of peace and well-being unlike any other animal I can think of.  I have no idea why that is but it is.  I found that peace when I got to the show ring on Saturday.  They were on a break and the ring was empty but I could feel the peace of the place settle in around me.  That may sound silly, but there's truly something about spending time with horses that defies description. 

Give me a sunny day, a Sonny horse, and the ability to slip an arm around his neck and there is nothing better. 

Bye-bye buying ban...

How's that for a nifty piece of alliteration?

I broke down today and bought some books.

I had to. Really.

I'd just spent $195 at the vet, this time for the dog. I came home and set out to review a couple of books. When I went to Amazon for a link to the Carrel book, I discovered she has a sequel due out in April.

I was so thrilled to see it that I  decided I had to have it now, buying ban be damned.

Did I mention it's not available until April?

Disappointed and stressed out by the dog situation, I decided to treat myself to the following instead:

 

I've been dying to get the Briggs and Saintcrow books, both of which are the next in a series that I'd started reading before my ban went into effect.  The Aguirre books is one I saw reviewed here and it's been on my list a very long time.

And, in my defense, the three didn't cost as much as the one I originally set out to buy.

Oh, and the dog?  She's suffering her usual summer itchiness.  I've kept it under control until now but she's absolutely miserable so we had to go.

I had no idea one shot was going to cost me $123...

But if it helps her, it's money well spent.

Book Review: Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell

Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell
Plume
416 Pages
Copyright 2007

Theater director Kate Stanley is on the verge of a career altering coupe – she is set to direct Hamlet on the stage of the Globe Theatre in London, a replica of the very stage where Shakespeare himself once toiled. Then Rosalind Howard, Harvard Shakespearean expert and Kate’s eccentric mentor, arrives to give Kate a mysterious box, stating she’s found something that will prove more interesting and important than staging the play ever could. Kate, to say the least, is doubtful. Then, on June 29, the Globe is once again destroyed by fire and Roz, as Kate knows here, is found dead in the wreckage, poisoned in the same manner of Hamlet’s father.

Her death, along with the mysterious package, leads Kate on a search that takes her from England, to the United States, Spain, and back to England. She is accompanied by Ben Pearl, Roz’s nephew, and chased by the man responsible for Roz’s death, the man who will stop at nothing to keep Kate from solving the mystery, which seems to be wrapped up in the decades old debate as to who really wrote the works attributed to William Shakespeare.

I’ve got a fairly lengthy passage to quote but, for me, it is a perfect example of Carrell’s ability to bring a scene to life. Kate is in Ben’s hotel room, shortly after he has saved her life for the first time. She is, unfortunately, wearing nothing from but a towel, her own clothing too filthy to put back on. Her intent is to ask him for a T-shirt to sleep in:

Sitting where he had a good view – a clear shot? – of both door and windows, he had propped his feet up on the table. His gun lying in easy reach, he was flipping through the pages of Chambers. He’d managed to work the glass out of the book’s front cover, but the dark stain was still there. Above the book, the planes of his face were strongly modeled, as if carved by Michelangelo, or maybe Rodin – though he wore far too many clothes for either.

“Roz told me that Shakespeare’s language is so thick because his stage was so bare,” he said without looking up. “No scenery. Nothing but costumes and a few props.”

I jumped. I hadn’t realized that he’d noticed me. “He built his worlds from words.”

“Did either of you ever read this book?” He turned a page, frowning. “According to old Chambers here, London’s stages could spit out fog and fountains, thunder and lightning, even showers of rain or fireworks – presumably not all at the same time. One playhouse had a movable forest that could rise from trapdoors in the stage floor. Not exactly George Lucas, maybe, but not all that bare-bones either. My favorite is Pluto dressed in burning robes by some frankly sadistic Fates, while – listen to this” – his finger traced a line at the top of a page – “Jupiter descends in majesty beneath a rainbow, his thunderbolt roaring –“

“Did you save my life tonight?”

His finger stopped on the page. “Sounds like Elton John.”

“I’m serious.”

“I try not to be.”

“Well, try. Just this once. For your aunt’s sake, if not for mine.”

Pulling himself away from the book, he leaned back, locking his hands behind his head. His eyes drifted lazily across me, bring to mind a leopard eyeing gazelles from the branches of a comfortable tree. “You ready to throw in the towel?”

Instantly I was aware of every inch of that towel, every curve and terry loop that touched my skin. “Not yet.”

“Then that’s my answer too. Not yet.”

I pulled the towel tighter around me. “Thanks anyway. For saving it so far.”

“Sweet dreams, Professor,” he said with a small smile, turning back to the book.

I love the humor and the heat in that scene and I’ve got to admit, I developed a crush on Ben fairly quickly. The attraction between Kate and Ben carries on through most of the book, without developing into anything graphic, which isn’t necessary.

Recommendation: Carrell weaves factual history in with some liberties of her own to create an amazing, suspenseful story. I’ll admit that some of the Shakespearean intrigue lost me in places but Carrell eventually pulls it all together in a way that makes perfect sense and even taught me a thing or two about it. It’s an all-around wonderful story, well worth the read.

Book Review: Shadowfall by James Clemens

Shadowfall by James Clemens
ROC
507 Pages
Copyright 2005

From the back of the book:

Four millennia have passed since the gods came to Myrillia and created the Nine Lands of peace as a haven from the nightmarish, accursed Hinterlands. In all this time, nothing has disturbed the harmony of the Nine Lands. But then the unthinkable happens: Meeryn, goddess of the Summering Isles, is murdered.

The only witness is Tylar de Noche, a crippled and disgraced former Shadowknight who lives in agonizing shame of his past. As he holds the dying goddess, her last breath bestows a powerful blessing on him – a mark that heals his broken body. A mark that many see as proof that he killed a god. A mark that unleashes a powerful force of darkness within him.

Chased across Myrillia by enemies both human and ethereal, Tylar must uncover and face down a being powerful enough to kill an immortal – the true godslayer. If he fails, all of Myrillia will fall into shadow...

I’ve resorted to quoting the back of the book for one reason – I’m not sure how to explain this one. On the other hand, however, I’m not sure the back of the book does any better job than I could’ve done either.

Shadowfall is the story of Tylar de Noche and the slaying of a goddess. It is also the story of Tylar and Kathryn, the woman who did her duty and betrayed Tylar in the process. As a result, Tylar is cast out and sold into slavery where he is left a broken and despised shell of a man. After being accused of slaying the goddess, Tylar finds himself on a journey not only to escape those hunting him but to find out what is going on with the gods themselves.

It is also the story of Dart, a young girl orphaned as a baby, left to grow up in a place where children are schooled to become the “hands of the gods” – servants who spend their lives caring for whichever god selects them. It is a duty that burns their very life force out far more quickly than normal. As an orphan, Dart suffers at the hands of the others in the conclave until she finally suffers a fate that should bring an end to all of her dreams and hopes for the future. When it doesn’t, she finds herself on an adventure that will bring her to the feet of the most powerful god in all of the Nine Lands.

This is an epic fantasy tale, with a grand quest that puts the forces of good against the forces of evil while the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The two stories – that of Tylar and that of Dart – alternate at first until they are finally drawn together into a single story. Clemens paces things perfectly, shifting between stories at the perfect moment that results in a growing anticipation that makes the story a pleasure to read. There is danger galore, along with grand battles, an invisible companion, and the required side kick that is source of wisdom and humor.

There is a flaw in the mix, however. Clemens neglects to explain some things – like what, exactly, a Shadowknight is supposed to do. What they are is clear enough but their purpose, and who it is they serve, is never made completely clear. And another, minor flaw, is the means by which the gods bestow their ‘grace’ on the mortals around them – they use their humours, their different bodily fluids. All of them, which leads to more than one ‘oh, yuck’ moment.

Recommendation: If you enjoy epic adventures in fantasy, you may very well enjoy this story. The characters are interesting, and the story is fast-paced, and the flaws aren’t all that major.

Books Recommended by other Bloggers...

I've gotten a ton of recommendations from the bloggers here. Problem is, I can't remember where I first saw which book. So, I'm going to mention a few of the books and simply send my thanks out to all of you. After all, you all have an influence in one way or another on my reading habits - all of it very good.

So, on to the books:

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. I love the entire Mercy Thompson series, plus the secon series set in the same universe - The Alpha and Omega series. Briggs is an amazing author and upon checking my review, I find that I credited Stephanie from Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-aholic with bringing these books to my attention. So, thanks again, Stephanie!

Next is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It's an amazing book and I know I read reviews all over the blogosphere so all I can do is say thanks to all of you.

Garden Spells by Sara Addison Allen is simply one of the most lovely books I've read in a long time. And, I can thank Nancy, our lovely Bookfool for it.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is another one that was all over the place. It's an amazing tale and again, all I can say is a blanket thank you. I'm so very glad I got to read this book.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is another epic story. It's one of the few books that had me so on-edge that I jumped when the phone rang. Thanks, again, to everyone who recommended it.

Then there's The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I honestly don't have the words for this book. It made me cry - not get teary-eyed but full out cry. That's rare and I would be less if I hadn't read it. That's why you guys are so amazing. You find books like this one and get the rest of us to read them.

And finally, I want to give a special thanks to Bellezza. Her Japanese Literature Challenge got me to do something I would never have done on my own - read books by Japanese authors. Doing so has enriched my world in so many ways. So, thank you very much, Bellezza. You're an amazing teacher, in the real world and here.

BBAW Meme

I'm not overly involved in the BBAW stuff. It's not my cup of tea, really, but I can appreciate all the work that's gone into it. They're doing a heck of job with it. I've also had several people pay me some seriously nice compliments. Thank you so very much, Megan, Chris, and Trish! Your kind words are truly a moral boost and it's the friends here that make it all worthwhile!

So, that said, I thought I'd take a stab at today's BBAW event; the Meme:

Do you snack while you read?
Not generally - I'm too much of a slob.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea horrify you?
Textbooks, of course. Others, no.

How do you keep your place while reading a book?
Any scrap of paper available.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, fiction more.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy. I hate being read to.

Do you read to the end of chapters, or can you put a book down at any point?
End of the chapter if possible.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No.

What are you currently reading?
Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell

What is the last book you bought?
Not buying books right now.

One book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
Usually two or three.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Anywhere, any place, any time.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Great characters, I want a series.

Is there a specific book or author that you recommend over and over?
To Kill A Mockingbird.

How do you organize your books?
Read - by author and order published
Unread - stacked on top of my bookshelf.


So, there you go.  I've enjoyed reading all the other memes I've come across.

Sifting Thoughts...

I haven't meandered through one of these lately, have I? I wonder why that is? I honestly don't know.

Classes at the university where I work are already in their third week. Only 13 more weeks to go. Not that I'm counting or anything. So far, no major problems. That's a very good thing. I have no delusions that it will stay that way. Been doing this for too long to even hope that.

The weather here is just flat-out freaky. It has been in the mid to high 70's for the entire month. I understand that something like that might be a good thing for some of you but... this is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In years past we've had our first snowfall by now. Last night was the first night that has been cool with that hint of fall to it. I love fall. I want the weather to catch up with the calendar. I'm looking forward to the cool nights and the changing of the leaves. C'mon already!

There's another reason I don't like this extended warm weather. It's called Lake Superior. We get hit by something called "lake effect snow" - storms that can drop snow by the foot in a matter of hours. It's worse when the lake stays warm because that's where the moisture for the snow comes from. Cold air comes across the water from Canada, picks up moisture, and buries us. In 1995 it didn't start to snow until December... and then we got 62 inches of snow in three days. So, I want the weather to cool off so the lake will cool off and, with any luck, freeze over. No water, no lake effect. It doesn't happen often but we can always hope!

The photo at the top, by the way, is one my niece took at Pictured Lakes National Lakeshore. It's a beautiful spot located west of us on Lake Superior.

I've been thinking a lot about death this week. Strange topic, I know, but the job will do that to you. On Friday night (9/11) a 45-year-old woman stepped off a curb in front of a car. The road she was on is a four lane business spur where the speed limit is 45. No one, of course, goes 45. She didn't have a chance. There's been no official report as to whether or not she was intoxicated but why else would she do something like that? It's crazy, plain and simple.

Then, last night, I heard Central Dispatch page out the medical examiner. I was slightly distracted at the time and I can't say for certain but I think it had something to do with a bar fight... which would make the death a homicide. I sure hope I'm wrong... but they don't call the ME out for a lot of reasons.

But, here's the thing that bothers me. I have no problem with death. It's a part of life and I've been through it enough and dealt with it in job-related situations enough to have a practical view of it. People die. I think what I'm having a problem with is the nature of these deaths (if there is even more than one). Alcohol was most certainly involved. And, so was violence. I have a harder time accepting either of those things and the get me to pondering the nature of life and death. So far, no answers, just questions.

On a lighter note...

Riley, the dog, has a new best friend. I rent rooms on my second floor to college students. I don't charge a lot and the extra money comes in handy. Anyway, one of the girls has a cat. She's a pretty little thing named Remmy. She and Riley have become best buds to the point where Riley has woken me up a couple of times because Remmy is out in the hallway and the door into the downstairs part of the house is closed. She wants out to play. That doesn't thrill me but man, are they cute together. I'll have to try to get some video of them. Maddie and Remmy, however, aren't at all liking each other. Lots of hissing and poofed out tails when they see each other. Max... well, Max is Max. He pretty much rolls with the punches and has that 'who me?' look on his face.

And finally, a totally random question.

How many spaces do you leave at the end of a sentence?

I was taught, way back in typing class - typerwriters that was - that you double space. I still do that. I can't imagine not doing it. It's fairly ingrained into me. But, I'm curious.

How about the rest of you? Are you one or two spacers?

Another DNF...

I've been having a great time with my reading the past few weeks but I finally found a book I couldn't finish.

Darkling, by Yasmine Galenorn, is the third Sister of the Moon book, which I didn't know. I don't think it would make much of a difference, however. It's the story of Mennolly, half-human, half-fae vampire who, along with her two older sisters have come to Earth to battle the Shadow Wing and Mennolly's sadistic sire, Dredge.

I gave up after 90 pages. Mennolly and I just don't mesh and neither do any of the other characters in the story. So, with nothing to compel me to keep reading, I am setting it aside.

Now...

Where do I go next?

Book Review: Sign of Seven Trilogy by Nora Roberts

The Sign of Seven Trilogy


Blood Brothers
Jove
314 Pages
Copyright 2007

The Hollow
Jove
318 Pages
Copyright 2008

The Pagan Stone
Jove
305 Pages
Copyright 2008

These books make up Nora Roberts “Sign of Seven Trilogy” so I’ve decided to combine my reviews into a three-for-one post.

Caleb Hawkins, Fox O’Dell, and Gage Turner have been best friends since childhood. They’ve shared everything, including a birthday. They’ve also shared the responsibility for what happened on one of those birthdays. As a result of their actions, their hometown of Hawkins Hollow suffers under a curse that comes around ever seven years, culminating in violence and bloodshed centered around their birthday – July 7th.

For their tenth birthday the boys sneak off for an adventure. They decide to camp out at a site known as The Pagan Stone. Centuries earlier the stone had been the site of a violent battle between good and evil that had resulted in the evil being imprisoned... until three unsuspecting boys unleash it during a blood brothers ritual. The boys, in spite of their age, realize what they have done and they swear to do their best to protect the people of Hawkins Hollow until they can figure out a way to vanquish the evil for all time.

In Blood Brothers, paranormal author Quinn Black arrives in Hawkins Hollow to investigate the stories of ghosts, violence, and a curse. She meets up with Caleb, and in true Nora Roberts style, sparks fly. Caleb confides in her, telling her the story of the childhood adventure that had gone so wrong. Quinn also meets Fox O’Dell, who has also remained in Hawkins Hollow and is a successful small-town lawyer. She also meets Layla Darnell, a young woman from New York City who has been drawn to Hawkins Hollow for reasons she doesn’t understand. Once the story of what’s really going on comes out, Quinn calls in her friend Cybil Kinski to help out and they begin to realize that it will take all six of them; Caleb, Fox, Gage, Quinn, Layla, and Cybil to defeat the evil and save Hawkins Hollow.

Again, as is Roberts style, each book of the trilogy concentrates on one of three couples. Blood Brothers tells Caleb and Quinn’s story. The Hollow concentrates on Fox and Layla. They, like Caleb and Quinn, realize immediately that they are meant for each other. Layla is uncertain about her roll in things and uncertain about remaining in Hawkins Hollow but eventually realizes it is where she’s meant to be and Fox is who she’s meant to be with.

The final book, The Pagan Stone, deals with Gage and Cybil. Gage, with his troubled past, is the one of the three boys who left Hawkins Hollow for the itinerant life style of a high stakes gambler. He wants no strings – no home, no lasting relationships – and prefers one-night-stands and the next poker game. His friendship with Caleb and Fox, however, is cemented in stone; they are his brothers and every seven years he returns to Hawkins Hollow to help them deal with the evil they are responsible for. Cybil Kinski, with trauma of her own in her past, is the same sort of free spirit, not wanting to settle down or stay in one place. Sparks, of course, immediately fly between the two.

Bound together by the acts committed when they were ten, the men are determined to put an end to the evil. Through research, the women realize that they are also part of the solution but will they figure it out in time? Will they be able to vanquish ‘The Big Evil Bastard’ before it destroys the entire town and becomes a force unleashed on mankind? Given the fact that these are romance novels, the answer is fairly obvious – happily ever after is a prerequisite. Getting there, however, proves to be an excellent adventure.

I’ve got to admit that the evil entity has quite the flair:

The sweetness of it made her eyes sting. All those young faces, the bold blue and pure white of the uniforms, the tall hats, the spinning batons all moving to the sheer fun of the music. People on the sidewalk began to dance, to call out the lyrics, and the sun bounced cheerfully over the bright, bright brass of instruments.

Blood gushed out of trumpets to splash over the bold blue and pure white, the fresh young faces, the high hats. It splattered from piccolos, dripped from flutes, rained up from the beat of sticks on drums.

“Oh God,” Cybil breathed.

The boy swooped over the street, dropped to it to dance. She wanted to cringe back, to cower away when its awful eyes latched on to hers. But she stood, fighting off the quaking and grateful when Gage’s hand dropped firmly onto her shoulder.

Overhead the bunting burst into flame. And the band played to the cheers of the crowd.

It isn’t real, of course, but a hallucination that only the six, for the most part, can see, and it is a harbinger of what awaits them as they draw closer to the fateful day.

Recommendation: Standard romance with a nifty paranormal twist. Relationships, danger, and evil. In Roberts hands it’s an excellent mix, one that will keep your interest until the very end.

Book Review: Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich

Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich
Harper
376 Pages
Copyright 2007

I picked up Motor Mouth one day at the bookstore because I was at loose ends and there weren’t any new titles by my favorite authors on the shelves. Evanovich has become a favorite due to her Stephanie Plum series so, when I say this one, I thought, ‘why not?’

Motor Mouth is the second book in Evanovich’s Barnaby Series. Alexandra “Barney” Barnaby is a spotter for Sam Hooker, NASCAR bad boy and Barney’s former boyfriend. They’d parted ways romantically after she discovered he’d gotten overly friendly with a salesclerk, a discovery that came with photos spread across the tabloid world.

During a race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Barney begins to suspect that the driver for Huevo Motor Sports is cheating. She believes they might be using artificial traction control. After the Huevo driver wins the race, Hooker and Barney are drawn into a mess when they’re call upon to rescue Jefferson Davis Warner, “Gobbles”, from inside the hauler of the Huevo cars. In order to rescue him, however, they have to steal the hauler. Once they’ve gotten Gobbles out and abandoned the hauler in a parking lot knowing that the GPS they’d disabled will lead Huevo to their hauler, they believe they’ve gotten away scott free... until they realize they’d accidentally left Hooker’s beloved Saint Bernard behind in the hauler. Death threats, dead bodies, and other complications soon follow while Barney and Hooker do their best to save Beans and figure out what’s so important about the Huevo Motor Sport cars... which, by the way, have been reduced to scrap metal and dumped at the local junkyard.

There’s a lot going on in this book and it offers some interesting insight into the world of NASCAR, like the fact that NASCAR literally cuts up the winning cars after a race to make sure there’s no illegal equipment on the cars. Barney is an interesting character and Hooker is a charming bad boy and it’s clear the two are meant to be together, in spite of the salesclerk. There’s also a lot of Evanovich’s humor, which can get me to laugh out loud.

Here’s an example of Evanovich’s ability to say a lot without having to use a lot of words:

Suzanne was total Dolce & Gabbana in a gauzy leopard-print shirt, wide jeweled belt, tight white slacks, and strappy gold sandals. I was Wal-Mar and Gap. Hooker still hadn’t shave. Hooker was Detroit wino raised by wolves.

Recommendation: It’s an unlikely basis for a story – NASCAR – but I thoroughly enjoyed the light-hearted mystery. It’s a perfect end-of-the-summer romp with engaging characters and an excellent pace. I haven’t read the first book in the series but I’ll be looking for it and any others that may come.

Book Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison

The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison
HarperTorch
453 Pages
Copyright 2005

Ley line witches are dying and the Federal Inderland Bureau, the human run equivalent to Inderland Security, wants independent bounty hunter Rachel Morgan to help figure out who is killing them. They believe it’s a witch; Rachel believes it is Trent Kalamack, drug-running businessman who managed to escape from Rachel once before. She’s determined it will not happen again... but things don’t work out quite the way she has planned. Added into the mix is boyfriend trouble and continuing problems with Ivy, problems with the FIB, the little problem of a client who doesn’t want to pay the bill, and secrets... everyone seems to have their share of secrets and that includes Rachel.

Recommendation: This one is even better than the first mainly because Harrison doesn’t have to spend so much time on back story. She jumps right in with both feet and takes her reader on a wild ride

Book Review: Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
HarperTorch
416 Pages
Copyright 2004

The Hollows, located across the river from Cincinnati, is the place where the paranormal live and play. It’s also the place where Rachel Morgan, witch and ‘runner’ for Inderland Security does her job... at least until she gets fed up after being assigned one too many crappy jobs. She resigns and winds up taking the agency’s best runner, Ivy, living vampire, with her, along with the pixie Jenks. Rachel winds up with a price on her head and sets out to prove Trent Kalamack, high powered businessman, is a drug runner if not worse. Rachel believes that if she brings Trent in, the bounty will be taken off and she will be able to get on with her life. There are complications along the way, not the least of which is the fact that Ivy, Rachel’s new roommate has some sort of hidden agenda that she’s working... and what do you do to keep the living vampire you’re living with from considering you dinner?

Kim Harrison has created an intriguing world where the human population was cut in half by genetically engineered mutant tomatoes, which allowed the paranormal population – vampires, witches, werewolves – to step forward and take over. It is a dark, interesting world and Harrison handles it well. Her characters are interesting and likable without being overdrawn or cartoonish – even the pixies are believable. There is one problem, however, and that’s found in the fact that this is a first book and as such, the front part is heavily laden with back story. Once that’s taken care of, however, the story gets rolling and keeps rolling until the end.

Here’s an example:

The air blurred before me, and I staggered as I realized the thing had changed again, now into a tall, sophisticated young man dressed in a formal frock and coat. Was it a vamp? A really old vampire?

“Perhaps you’re afraid of pain?” The vision of an elegant man said, its accent now proper enough for even Professor Henry Higgins. Grinning, it picked me up and threw me across the room.

My back hit the cabinet with enough force to knock the air from me. The clatter of my knife on the floor was loud as my fingers lost their grip. Struggling to breathe, I slid down the broken cabinet and was helpless as the thing lifted me by my dress front.

“What are you?” I rasped.

It smiled. “Whatever scares you.”

Recommendation: If you’re a fan of urban paranormal stories, this one will be right up your alley. It’s well written, excellent paced, with well-drawn characters. What more do you need?

September 11

Before and after.

The day that changed our country, forever.

Photos from Digital Journalist

August Wrap-up

So, here's the list for August:

67. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
66. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
65. The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
64. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
63. Tigers Confidential: The Untold Inside Story of the 2008 Season by Jim Hawkins
62. When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy
61. The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein
60. Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

My page total was 2,728 for an average of 88 pages a day. Eight books is about my average, too. So, overall not a bad month.

I enjoyed Finger Lickin' Fifteen, The Edge Chronicles, and Bitten. Kiss of Midnight was so-so. When Darkness Comes and The Becoming left something to be desired. My favorite book for the month was also my last - Dead Witch Walking. The first book in Kim Harrison's series was exactly what I needed - a well-written, interesting story featuring all sorts of paranormal goings-on.

Book Review: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
Plume
436 Pages
Copyright 2001

Bitten is the story of Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in the word. She lives in Toronto with a human boyfriend that doesn’t know she’s a werewolf and wants nothing to do with The Pack All she wants is a normal life.

A phone call from Jeremy, Pack leader, draws her back to Stonehaven, the place were she was betrayed; bitten by the man she loved, Jeremy’s foster-son Clayton. There is trouble at Stonehaven - humans are being killed by what is reported to be ‘wild dogs’. The weres, however, know the truth – a stray werewolf, a mutt, seems intent on exposing The Pack... or destroying it. Elena, in spite of her desire to return to Toronto and her human life, finds herself being drawn back in. She also finds old feelings are not as dead as she may have thought.

Kelley Armstrong is an excellent writer. She, however, has the ability to leave me in a strange place as far as her books go. I thoroughly enjoyed Bitten. I like Jeremy, Clay, and the rest of The Pack. Elena, however, left me ambivalent and I’m not at all sure why. It’s the same way I feel about the main character in her Natalie Stafford books. I’m lukewarm on Natalie but thoroughly enjoy the other characters in the book and I keep reading.

Recommendation: It’s an interesting werewolf story and an interesting take on the werewolf genre. I do very much like the supporting characters and will be checking the series out down the road. If you’re a fan of the genre and haven’t checked this one out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. There’s a great deal to like.

Days like this...

Make me want to crawl back into bed and never come out.

Fate seems bent on proving to me I am an idiot.

I have lost my jump drive.

And, in spite of knowing better, in spite of my paranoia...

I don't have what was on it backed up anywhere else.

What's on it?

My National Novel Writing works from 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.  Some other works that weren't part of NaNo... including the one I've just finished and was in love with.  So much so that I was letting other people read it in preparation for maybe doing something with it.  My book reviews, which are the only thing I have backed up because they're posted here... except for the one that was half written.

I feel like such an idiot and if I can't find it... I don't think this sick feeling is going away any time soon.


UPDATE -

I found the silly thing.  It was napping with the clean socks in the laundry basket.  All is good and yes, I will be saving things to more than one location now!

Book Review: The Edge Chronics: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
David Fickling Books (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
278 Pages
Copyright 1998

From the back of the book:

Far, far away, jutting out into the emptiness beyond, lies the Edge. Filled with strange peoples and terrifying creatures, this is a world unlike any other, where action – and danger – await at every turn. Abandoned at birth in the dangerous Deepwoods, young Twig has been brought up by a family of woodtrolls. He has always thought he was one of them, until, one cold night, he finds out he’s not. Soon he sets off to find out who he really is, and he does the unthinkable – he strays from the path.

So begins the heart-stopping adventure that will take Twig through a nightmarish world of goblins and trogs, bloodthirsty beasts and flesh-eating trees. Only two things keep Twig going: the hopes of discovering his true identity and finding his destiny.

I was trying to come up with a way to summarize this book when I realized that I couldn’t really do much better than the blurb on the back.

Twig, at 13, is sent off by his woodtroll mother to live with his cousin because the sky pirates have expressed an interest in him. She also, before sending him off, tells him the truth he’s always suspected – he is not a woodtroll but had been found abandoned on their doorstep. On his way, however, he is tempted from the path and quickly finds himself lost in a world he knows little about, meeting both friends and foes in the wilds of the Deepwoods – Slaughterers, Halitoads, Rotsuckers and Hoverworms. He witnesses the hatching of a Caterbird, who promises to watch over him. He encounters a tree that wants to eat him and a friend that isn’t truly a friend.

As he falls in and out of danger, he manages to keep his goals in mind, hoping to end up where he truly belongs, with the understanding that sometimes one must leave the path to find his way.

A favorite passage:

With his eyes giving up at the silvery leaves, Twig took a step forward, away from the shadowy path. The moonlight bathed him in its cold glow and made his skin shine like metal. His billowing breath gleamed, snow-bright.

“In-cred-ible,” said Twig, and took a couple of steps more.

Below his feet, the glittering frost cracked and crunched. Icicles hung down from weeping-willoak, and the beads of liquid on a dewdrop tree had frosted and frozen, and glistened now like pearls. A wispy sapling with fronds like hair swayed in the icy breeze.

“A-maz-ing,” said Twig, as he wandered on. Now left. Now right. Now round a corner. Now over a slope. It was all so mysterious, all so new.

He stopped by a bank of quivering plants with tall spiky leaves and budded stems, all glinting in the moonlight. All at once, the buds began to pop open. One by one. Until the bank was covered with massive round flowers – with petals like shavings of ice – that turned their heads to the moon, and glowed with its brilliance.

With a landscape like that to explore, who can blame Twig for straying from the path?

Twig is a great character – old enough to understand the consequences of his actions yet appreciate the necessity of being true to yourself at the same time. The book is also beautifully illustrated. It is listed at Wikipedia as a children’s fantasy story, which it certainly is, but I would caution anyone with younger children. Twig runs into some seriously creepy and scary characters in the Deepwoods.

Recommendation: If you enjoy a good fantasy story, this one won’t disappoint you. It’s an excellent tale about growing up and risking a great deal to find the place you’re supposed to be.

A Tribute Well Deserved

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land...

It is a simple verse from the King James version of The Holy Bible.  You can find it in the Song of Solomon, Chapter 2, verse 12.

It was with those simple words each spring that Ernie Harwell welcomed both spring and the boys of summer, the Detroit Tigers, back into my life.

I was nine years old when my love affair with the Tigers began.  My mother was a fan and we were out at our cabin without television, the radio would always be tuned to the Tigers game, long before I was nine, of course.

When I was nine, the Detroit Tigers became world champions and I heard... something on that radio that caught my attention.

I heard Ernie Harell. With his trademark phrases - "He stood there like the house by the side of the road" and "It's looonnnnggg gone!" and my favorite "A man from Flint will take that one home" - he brought an easy charm, an easy grace, and a perfection to the games that most broadcasters can only hope to reach. He would blend a lifetime of stories in with the actual call of the game seamlessly and you would come away not only knowing who'd won but more about the history and the players than when the broadcast had started.

I look back on my childhood now and Ernie Harwell is there.

He was the voice on the radio that would tell me everything was all right.

Now, at 91, this gentle, charming man has announced he has cancer. There will be no treatment. He may be with us for another year, perhaps not that much.

I know that he will face this with the same faith and courage he showed throughout his life. And he will teach us something about dignity, acceptance, and grace. He's that kind of man.

I've never met him but he is a member of my family. He is a much beloved member of my family and this news has already saddened me more than I can say.

I won't think of the future right now. I will simply think of the past, of those golden days of my childhood when Ernie was on the radio and all was right with my world.

Thank you, Ernie.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.