Terri's (tymfos) 2014 New Jersey Native category challenge

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I struggled to decide on a theme for this year -- or whether to even have an overall theme for my categories. I considered using the titles of hit songs from 1974 (40 years ago) as my category titles. But I think I've settled on themes loosely based on a number of famous folks born in the great state of New Jersey.

I pretty much consider myself a Pennsylvanian now, but my formative years were spent in the Garden State, and my old home has shaped my sensibilities somewhat. (Its certainly affected my musical tastes, as anyone can attest whose heard how frequently I blast Springsteen and Bon Jovi songs.) So here's my tribute to my "old" home state.

Disclaimer: everything I'm planning here is subject to change.

And the categories (actual category names in bold print) are:

1. Bud Abbott (Asbury Park) & Lou Costello (Patterson), movie comedy team, who did the movie Hold That Ghost!

2. Mitch Albom (Passaic), author of the book Have a Little Faith

3. Count Basie, jazz musician, Red Bank, NJ, Music and All That Jazz

4. Jon Bon Jovi, rock musician, Perth Amboy, NJ, hit song Wanted Dead or Alive

5. Edna Buchanan, author of mysteries, Patterson, NJ, book Garden of Evil

6. Grover Cleveland, US president, Caldwell, NJ, In the White House

7. Dylan Dreyer, NBC/MSNBC meteorologist, Manalapan, NJ, How's the Weather?

8. Philip Roth, Pulitzer prize-winning author, Newark, NJ, one of the authors in the American Author Challenge

9. Norman Schwarzkopf, military general, Trenton NJ; Admiral William Halsey, WWII Fleet Admiral, Elizabeth NJ, War

10 Christian Sharps, inventor of the Sharps Rifle (first successful breech-loading rifle) Washington, NJ, The Rifleman

11. Bruce Springsteen, musician, Long Branch, NJ, hit song The River

12. Guy Talese, author, Ocean City, NJ, who wrote the book (about the Mafia family, but my category is family in general) Honor Thy Father

13. Mike Trout, Major League All-Star baseball player, Millville, NJ, Play Ball!

14. Martin Truex, Jr., NASCAR driver, Mayetta, NJ, Fast Cars

(And probably a list of miscellaneous books I've read that don't fit.)

I want to set my goal for each category fairly low -- low enough so I'm not "shoehorning' books into categories where they really don't fit, and so that I'm not hating the limits the challenge is putting on my reading at the end of the year. So I'm going to stay with the 4's, and say at least four books per category -- some categories will have extras!

Category 1.
Bud Abbott (Asbury Park) & Lou Costello (Patterson), movie comedy team, who did the movie Hold That Ghost!

Link to the official movie trailer of "Hold That Ghost" posted on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F82xYOsBd6k

1. The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
2. Not Flesh Nor Feathers by Cheri Priest

Category 2

Mitch Albom (Passaic), author of the book Have a Little Faith
1. Where's Your Jesus Now? by Karen Spears Zacharias (4/15/14)
2. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott (5/14/14)
3. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald MIller (5/21/14)
4. The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill (6-18-14)
5. A Day in the Life of Dorothea Cassidy by Ann Cleeves (6-20-14)

Category 3
Count Basie, jazz musician, Red Bank, NJ, Music and All That Jazz

1. Dead Wood by Dani Amore (5/3/14)

Category 4
Jon Bon Jovi, rock musician, Perth Amboy, NJ, hit song Wanted Dead or Alive
I consider this a great classic rock song; the title could work with crime fiction, and the there's the song's use as a theme for the show Deadliest Catch

1. 58 Degrees North: The Mysterious Sinking of the Arctic Rose by Hugo Kugiya
2. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
3. A Necessary End by Peter Robinson
4. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (5/10/14)

Category 5
Edna Buchanan, author of mysteries, Patterson, NJ, book Garden of Evil
I've never read anything by this author, but isn't that a dandy title?

1. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
2. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
3. Firewall by Henning Mankell
4. The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill
5. Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
6. The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams e-book

Category 6
Grover Cleveland, US president, Caldwell, NJ, In The White House
I really want to read about some of the presidents that I don't know much about, as well as the more familiar inhabitants of the White House.

1. Eggsecutive Orders (White House Chef series) by Julie Hyzy

Category 7
Dylan Dreyer, NBC/MSNBC meteorologist, Manalapan, NJ, How's the Weather?
New Jersey doesn't seem to produce many well-known weather forecasters. Thanks to Linda (lindapanzo) for finding that this Weekend Today weather anchor is from NJ.

1. North of Nowhere by Steve Hamilton (finished 1/30/14)
2. Blood is the Sky by Steve Hamilton (finished 2/10/14)
3. Ice Run by Steve Hamilton (e book)
4. A Stolen Season by Steve Hamilton (e-book) (finished 3/25/14)
5. Sun Storm by Asa Larsson (e-book)
6. Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton (e book) (finished 6/17-14
7. So Terrible a Storm by Curt Brown (finished 6/19/14)

Category 8
Philip Roth, Pulitzer prize-winning author, Newark, NJ, one of the authors in the American Author Challenge
Mark from the 75 Challenge has me interested in doing this American Author Challenge, with a different author for each month:

1. January: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (finished 1/11/14)
2. February: The Round House by Louise Erdrich (finished 2/11/14)
3. March: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (finished 3/14)
4. April: Jazz by Toni Morrison (finished 4/18/14)
5. May: Eudora Welty replaced by Dashiell Hammett a) The Maltese Falcon (5/18/14) and b) The Dain Curse (5/26/14)

Category 9
Norman Schwarzkopf, military general, Trenton NJ; Admiral William Halsey, WWII Fleet Admiral, Elizabeth NJ, War

1. Southern Lady, Yankee Spy by Elizabeth R. Varon (finished 1/26/14)
2. Faith Under Fire: An Army Chaplain's Memoir by Roger Benimoff with Eve Conant
3. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (3/9/14)
4. Foolish Undertaking by Mark de Castrique (5-5-14)

Category 10
Christian Sharps, inventor of the Sharps Rifle (first successful breech-loading rifle) Washington, NJ, The Rifleman
I'm calling it "Rifleman" as a nod to the old TV series I dimly remember from my youth; but there may be Rifle Women in the mix. We shall see. This category sounds like it might work for some western novels.

1. Blood Land by R. S. Guthrie (1/2/14)
2. As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
3. A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson (5/20/14)
4. Any Other Name by Craig Johnson (5/29/14)

Category 11
Bruce Springsteen, AKA "The Boss" -- musician, Long Branch, NJ, famous song and album titled The River
I couldn't do a New Jersey Natives challenge without The Boss; and I have several river-related books I want to get to this year.

1. Dead Water by Ann Cleeves (6-6-14)
2. Q Road by Bonnie Jo Campbell (6-8-14)
3. Bone by Bone by Carol O'Connel (6-30-14)

Category 12
Guy Talese, author, Ocean City, NJ, wrote the book Honor Thy Father
The book is about the a Mafia family, but I've decided to twist it into a category for family in general, including genealogy.

1. A Comedy of Heirs by Rett MacPherson (1/3/14)
2. Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism (4/8/14)
3. Fallen by Kathleen George (5/12/14)
4. Rolling Thunder by Chris Grabenstein (6/13/14)
5. Safe From the Sea by Peter Geye (6/26/14)

Category 13
Mike Trout, Major League Baseball All-Star, Millville, NJ, Play Ball!
There are lots of sports figures who hail from NJ. I wanted a current athlete born and raised in NJ, and I wanted to stay with baseball as the sport of my title New Jerseyan, though the category will include other sports. (Derek Jeter would count as born in NJ, but his family moved out of state when he was quite young).

Some other New Jersey born athletes (and a coach)from various sports: Shaquille O'Neal (Newark), Franco Harris (Fort Dix), Joe Flacco (Audubon), Joe Theismann (New Brunswick; raised in South River), Bill Parcells (Englewood)

1. I Was Right on Time by Buck O'Neil
2. No Nest for the Wicket by Donna Andrews

Category 14
Martin Truex, Jr., NASCAR driver, Mayetta, NJ, Fast Cars
I suspect there are other car-related folks from the Garden State, but Martin is a favorite of mine.

1. Real Men Work in the Pits: A Life in NASCAR Racing by Jeff Hammond
2. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood

Miscellaneous stuff I've read that doesn't fit into categories:

1. The Pyramid by Henning Mankell
2. Embracing the Wide Sky by Daniel Tammet (5/2/14)
3. Happy Cat, Happy You by Arden Moore
4. Nightmares & Dreamscapes by Stephen King AUDIO (6/17/14)

PROGRESS REPORT:

Category 1. Bud Abbott (Asbury Park) & Lou Costello (Patterson), movie comedy team, who did the movie Hold That Ghost! 2
Category 2. Mitch Albom (Passaic), author of Have a Little Faith 5
Category 3. Count Basie, jazz musician, Redbank, NJ, Music and All That Jazz 1
Category 4. Jon Bon Jovi, rock musician, Perth Amboy, NJ, hit song Wanted Dead or Alive 4
Category 5. Edna Buchanan, author of mysteries, Patterson, NJ, book Garden of Evil 6
Category 6. Grover Cleveland, US president, Caldwell, NJ, In the White House 1
Category 7. Dylan Dreyer, NBC/MSNBC/Today Show meteorologist/weather anchor, Manalapan, NJ, How's The Weather? 7
Category 8. Philip Roth, Pulitzer prize-winning author, Newark, NJ, one of the authors in the American Author Challenge 5 1/2
Category 9. Norman Schwarzkopf, military general, Trenton NJ; Admiral William Halsey, WWII Fleet Admiral, Elizabeth NJ, War 4
Category 10 Christian Sharps, inventor of the Sharps Rifle (first successful breech-loading rifle) Washington, NJ, The Rifleman 4
Category 11. Bruce Springsteen, "The Boss," musician, Long Branch, NJ, hit song The River 3
Category 12. Guy Talese, author, Ocean City, NJ, wrote the book Honor Thy Father 5
Category 13. Mike Trout, baseball All-Star, Millville, NJ, Play Ball! 2
Category 14. Martin Truex, Jr., NASCAR driver, Mayetta, NJ, Fast Cars 2
Miscellaneous: 4

The 75 Challenge is my primary challenge, and it will be where I post ALL the books I read in 2014. That thread is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/163778

And I'll be doing the American Author Challenge, which is a project started by Mark in the 75 Challenge group.

I'll also be participating in the 2014 ROOT (Read Our Own Tomes) challenge, trying to read books that have been waiting on my own bookshelves:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/162208

And I'm doing a Book Bingo thing, but that's almost being done as an afterthought -- no real effort toward it, I'm afraid.

THE POSTING FORMAT:

This is my template for ease of posting the books I read:

Title:
Author:
Genre or subject information:
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?:
Date finished:
Off the Shelf?
Category for 2014 Category Challenge:
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating:
Notes:

Never knew that many important people were from New Jersey.
Great way to honor your origins! have fun!

Never knew that many important people were from New Jersey

Cheli, I went through whole lists of famous people from the Garden State to find my category starters. It was very informative.

Fun theme! :)

Great theme Terri!

Cool theme! My mom is a Jersey girl, and I've been there many times to visit family. Hate the Turnpike, but it's always fun to go "down the shore"! :)

My dad came from Caldwell so I would say it's a great state!

Hi, Monkey, Lori and Christina! I think it's fun. Maybe for the 2015 challenge, I'll do my adopted state of Pennsylvania.

Christina, I don't think anyone likes the Jersey Turnpike, but it is fun to go "down the shore" -- or, the way they often say it in Philly, "downna shore."

Abbott and Costello were from New Jersey? Interesting! Great theme :)

Glad you've arrived and have you starred. I see lots of potential for mysteries and BBs, I'm sure.

Great to see you all set up and ready to go, Terri. Super idea for your categories.

26 Mamzel, we cross posted. Good to know your dad was from NJ.

28 Yes they were, rabbitprincess! Glad you like the theme.

29 Hi, Betty! I made sure there was plenty of room for mysteries.

30 Hi, Judy! Looks like the gang is all gathering for another year of categories!

The New Jersey theme works well! I have you starred now.

Terri, I really love your categories! Very creative. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do it; this is my first year at attempting a category challenge.

Hi, Lori! Glad you like the theme.

I just changed a category -- I dropped Harlan Coben (mystery/suspense) and added Guy Talese for his book title Honor Thy Father, which I've twisted into a family/genealogy category. Since the first book I finished in the New Year was a Torie O'Shea mystery (and I have the subsequent installments of the series on my TBR shelf now) I wanted an appropriate place to put it!

Hello, Rosalita! Good luck with your category challenge. I've found it to be fun, but I tend to tweak things as I go along so that it doesn't become a chore, if that makes sense.

Glad you enjoyed Torie. I may need to drag my copies back out to re-read since she quit writing.

Those books are such a delight, Lori. Thanks for introducing me to them!

Title: A Comedy of Heirs
Author: Rett Mac Pherson
Genre or subject information: genealogical mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: Torie O'Shea #3
Date finished: 1/3/13
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Honor Thy Father
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): genealogy/family
Alternate category any mystery category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

These Torie O'Shea mysteries are so much fun!

As Torie is preparing for the big family reunion at her home, someone anonymously sends her an envelope with newspaper clippings about her great-grandfather's murder. Murder? She'd always been told he died in a hunting accident! Of course, she needs to know what really happened -- and help comes from an unlikely source.

There's lots of family turmoil in this one, but quite a few smiles, too. MacPherson has just the right touch of humor balanced with more serious matters. I love the way she creates and fleshes out characters (major and minor) and the genealogical angle is fun.

After the Torie books, I did discover another short series that I enjoyed. The heroine was an expert in "funerary art." The author was Sarah Stewart Taylor. I think there are only 4 in that series.

I'll have to look for that one, Lori!

I just realized that I missed the very first book I finished this year. (It was hardly memorable.) So the Torie O'Shea series book was actually #2.

75 Challenge Book #1
Title: Blood Land
Author: R. S. Guthrie
Genre or subject information: western mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: James Pruett #1
Date finished: 1/2/14
Off the Shelf? Yes (virtual)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: The Rifleman
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): western
Alternate category
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

Right at the beginning, the sheriff's wife is shot. There seems no doubt what happened or who did it. But there are lots of questions anyway. There are issues of land and mineral rights and gas drilling and the government.

OK, I liked the characters the way the characters were drawn in this story, and the gradual way certain information was revealed, and it was all good up to a point. The sheriff's character was a bit too changeable, but he was an alcoholic who was off and on the wagon, so that explains a lot of inconsistency.

But the ending of this story left things up in the air in a way. It just didn't explain things. There was a conspiracy -- we knew that, to some extent, most of the way through -- but there was no real understanding given of how the conspiracy worked and how far it extended. We were just supposed to accept that there was a conspiracy and so-and-so was involved (maybe among others), but there was no sense of exactly how such a thing could have been done. IMO, it was just lazy writing -- the be-all and end-all is just to say that there was a conspiracy, and no sense of how it worked and thus whether it was something that could really have been done in real life.

It left a bad taste in my mouth. I won't be reading more of this series. Not recommended.

Title: 58 Degrees North: The Mysterious Sinking of the Arctic Rose
Author: Hugo Kugiya
Genre or subject information: non-fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Series?: no
Date finished: 1/6/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Military
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): the Coast Guard Search-and-Rescue and their Investigation into the boat's sinking were prominent in the book.
Alternate category Wanted Dead or Alive -- my interest in Bering Sea fishing can be traced to the series Deadliest Catch which uses that song for its theme.
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

At about 3:30 a.m. on the morning of April 4, 2001, an automated emergency beacon (EPIRB) -- designed to activate if it was submerged in 13 feet of water -- sent an emergency signal which alerted the Coast Guard in Alaska of a possible fishing boat in trouble. This was the first hint of any trouble. The EPIRB was registered to the fishing vessel Arctic Rose .

Right away, I was hooked wanting to know what happened to this boat! She sank without an SOS or even reporting any difficulty whatsoever, in waters that were initially reported to be calm. How? Why?

Much of this book is the story of the investigation by the US Coast Guard into what went so terribly wrong on the Arctic Rose. The author also gives a lot of background about the crew of the boat (and of a fisheries observer who left the boat shortly before it sank). There are also lots of details about fishing in Alaska, and even about the history and culture of the region.

I only gave the book 3 1/2 stars because I found the organization of the information somewhat faulty. Perhaps this is partly because the author started out writing a series of newspaper articles and then expanded it into a book, continuing to follow the investigation. I found that the details of the various crew members were worked into the book in a rather odd fashion. Some details were repeated in a way that felt haphazard and even slightly confusing to me. But it was a worthwhile read.

My husband loves those boat disaster books, so I'll be putting this on a list in case I need a book for him in the future.

That one sounds interesting, Terri, though perhaps not quite up to the level of The Perfect Storm, which I really liked.

That sounds terrifying, actually, and a good reason to never get on a boat if they can sink in perfectly calm waters with no notice. Of course, the ocean off of Alaska is probably never what I would consider "calm". Can you tell us why it sank?

Hi, Betty! I'm always good for a disaster book recommendation or two, aren't I? ;)

Julia, it's very different than The Perfect Storm. I'd say not as well-written, but also more traditional non-fiction style. As I recall, there was a lot more imagining what it must have been like on the fishing trip in The Perfect Storm. This one, they try to figure out what happened, but the book is more a recounting of who the people were, what the boat's history was, the nature of Alaska and its fishing industry, and the progress of the Coast Guard investigation and what facts were uncovered. They finally had to make a leap and say what they think caused it -- with a computer simulation, they were actually pretty confident they figured it out.

Alison, I guess it's silly to talk of spoilers with non-fiction, but it was suspenseful to read not knowing what had happened or what they'd find out. So before I answer your question fully, I'm going to do a strike through what I type so people don't accidentally read it who don't want to, and a

SPOILER ALERT

Basically, it was a combination of a very localized weather squall that no one knew about originally (the meteorologists helped them learn about that), a poor boat design when it was renovated, and failing to keep the hatches secure. The weather blew up, water blew through an open hatch into a ship where it could go straight through several compartments that had open doors lined up in a row, and into an area where it accumulated quickly and caused the ship to roll over. The person in the pilothouse used the few minutes trying to keep the ship from rolling over, and lost the precious seconds where an SOS could have gone out.

It didn't help that they were many miles out in a very remote section of the Bering Sea, so that it took hours for the Coast Guard to reach them.

Love the theme and the categories, Terri. I had no idea that so many of those people are from New Jersey.

Thanks, Linda! I read somewhere that NJ is the most densely populated state in the union, so I guess it's natural that a lot of folks come from there.

I'm still not sure I'm done tweaking categories. I'm tempted to take out one of the mystery categories, since I have no maximum limit for any category and a rather low minimum -- and besides, it's easy to find angles to slip mysteries into a lot of the categories. I'd like to add a space category -- quite a few figures from the space program are from NJ, including Buzz Aldrin. I really wanted a weather-related category, but I can't find any famous weather forecasters listed among the NJ natives. I also miss having a spirituality/devotional category, though I can work some faith-related books into existing categories. (For instance, I have one written by a military chaplain.)

BTW, I added the names of a few more NJ-born sports figures to my post for books in that category.

I see what you mean, Terri. I googled every meteorologist I can think of. I thought I hit pay dirt with Maria La Rosa of The Weather Channel but she was born in NYC and raised in NJ.

Thanks for trying, Linda! I guess NJ isn't a hot bed for weather watchers. Maybe they tend to come from places with more extreme weather.

I did lose the Ellis Parker "Whodunit" category and put in Buzz Aldrin for a space program category. It took things out of alphabetical order, as it would have meant too much moving things around, but I have several books on the subject that I want to get to.

BTW, I had to run an errand this evening, so I stopped at the library before it closed and grabbed the book, Death Comes for the Archbishop, that I left there.

I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. Drat!

I can't believe Jim Cantore isn't from NJ; he seems like a quintessential Jersey guy to me. But according to Wikipedia he was born in Connecticut.

Yeah, he was actually the first one I looked up when I tried to find a NJ weather guy. Connecticut. Go figure.

How about NBC News/MSNBC meteorologist Dylan Dreyer? Now I'm not familiar with her but she was born in Manalapan, New Jersey.

I found her by googling Rutgers and meteorology.

I did find the name of the official New Jersey State Climatologist, but I don't think anyone has ever heard of him. He's at Rutgers, but I don't know if he's a native.

Linda, I'm not familiar with Dreyer, either. I guess the NBC tie would make her worthy?

OK, Linda, I Googled her and I've seen her on the Today show -- just didn't connect with the name. Maybe I will do a category for weather. Now I have to decide what to get rid of, since I put in the space category.

I may lose the children's books category. It's nice to honor Judy Blume since she died last year, but any young people's books I read can go in by their subjects. That's the category I feel least attached to.

OK, that did it! I was able to move the Buzz Aldrin category up to replace the Judy Blume, and only had to swap it with the Count Basie category to keep things in order. And the Dylan Dreyer category fit where the Ellis Parker category had been, and everything is in alphabetical order again.

Thanks, Linda! I never would have come up with her name.

Ooh, space and weather categories! I'll be interested to see what fills those!

Glad to help, Terri. Looking forward to seeing what weather-related books you have up your sleeve. I'm not aware of too many, in addition to the ones I've read, of course.

rabbitprincess, stay tuned!

Linda, believe it or not, I will probably never run out of weather books -- especially if I count in weather disasters or novels where the weather is a prominent factor. Stay tuned.

I am a sucker for weather books, especially weather disasters books.

*pulls up a chair to wait for Terri's list*

I have a weather/seasons category too. I did allow it just to be a title word or a main part of the plot.

Patience, Julia! I'll try to get to a weather disaster book soon.

Lori, I've generally allowed anything in any way remotely related to a category name to fit into it. In certain climate settings, the weather can seem as much a character in the story as the people struggling to deal with it. Or something like that.

Terri, your talk about weather books reminded me that I've long wanted to read the memoirs of Harry Volkman, legendary Chicago meteorologist. I think it's either self-published or published by a small press. I've requested it through WorldCat, which said that there are only 11 copies available in the entire U.S., all in the Chicago area, I think.

Anyway, I'll finally read it, I think.

Here's hoping that book quickly comes your way via WorldCat, Linda!

Here's a list of some books on my non-fiction TBR shelf that may go in the weather category.

Clearly weather-related:
So Cold a Sky: Upper Michigan Weather Stories by Karl Bohnak
A World Turned Over: A Killer Tornado and the Lives it Changed Forever by Lorian Hemingway
Storm watchers: The Turbulent History of Weather Prediction by John D. Cox

With a strong weather element:
Ice Bound by Dr. Jerri Nielsen
K2 Triumph and Tragedy by Jim Curran
The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic by Gay Salisbury
Lost at Sea: An American Tragedy by Patrick Dillon (about 2 fishing vessels lost in the Bering Sea)
The Last Run: A Story of Rescue and Redemption on the Alaska Seas by Todd Lewan

And some of these stories probably have a weather element:
Perils of the Atlantic by William H. Flayhart

I never seem to run out of weather-related disasters on my bookshelf!

One weather-related novel that I hope to get to, soon, is the Sandra Dallas book Whiter Than Snow. It's about an avalanche and its aftermath.

I'll be interested in seeing what you think of that one, Linda. The reviews seem to be all over the place.

Title: Death Comes for the Archbishop
Author: Willa Cather
Genre or subject information: historical fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1927
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 01/11/14
Off the Shelf? No, library book
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: American Author Challenge
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes: This book counted toward American Author Challenge, Alpha Cat, Geo Cat, and Random Cat

I loved this historical novel -- loosely based on the real-life first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, though his name had been changed -- about Roman Catholic missionary priests in the American Southwest, and the founding of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Cather's descriptions of the rugged terrain of New Mexico and Arizona were stunning. Her characterizations of the missionary bishop and vicar were complex, compelling, and believable.

Like most good novels with an historical basis, it makes me want to know what is historical and what is fictional.

Glad you enjoyed your Cather read! I enjoyed that one tremendously last year.

Terri, have you read Isaac's Storm? It's a pretty great nonfiction account of the big Galveston hurricane in the early 1900s.

Lori, it's a great one!

Julia, I loved Isaac's Storm! It's one of my most memorable reads. (In fact, I think I've loved everything I've read by Erik Larson)

Oh, mercy! I stayed up late reading this, then took it up again this morning as soon as my son was off to school (ignoring a million other things I should be doing before I go in to work today at noon). I'm going to be sooooo tired tonight . . .


Title: Case Histories
Author: Kate Atkinson
Genre or subject information: mystery/PI
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Series?: Jackson Brodie #1
Date finished: 01/13/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Garden of Evil
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): There seem to be a lot of garden mentions in this book, and a fair amount of evil
Alternate category Whodunit; or All in the Family (the cases all dealt with family relationships in one way or another)
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

I can't quite explain how this book drew me in the way it did. It felt rather disjointed, and most of the characters (with the exception of the protagonist, Jackson) were . . . pretty weird? somewhat-to-very unlikable? Vulgar at times? Somewhere on the dysfunctional continuum? I say with the exception of Jackson, but he had his own brand of dysfunctional background, his own flaws and neuroses, but I (mostly) liked him.

It was interesting watching the various elements gel into a story. I kept having to look back because of the various leaps in the narration, but it really did make sense. And I can't imagine another way to put the varied cases together into a coherent narrative. I could have done without a few details, and I wish he'd resolved one plot-line a little more clearly, but I mostly liked this book a lot and could hardly put it down.

Terri, I loved Case Histories when I read it and now have recently read the second book in the series, One Good Turn and I may have liked it even more. She is a wonderful writer, and now my goal is to read something other than a Jackson Brodie book by her.

I'm with Judy. I liked "Case Histories" a lot when I read it, then I read the next one and liked it even more. And the third, even more. Very unusual for a series to continue hitting peaks like that, at least in my experience.

Well, Judy & Julia, I've just got to get to those next installments of the series.

** surfs off to the online library catalog**

Now you have me even more curious about Case Histories. It's been languishing on my WL for years. I think I have her Life after Life on my Nook. I've heard good things about that one too.

Now, Life after Life is one I'm reluctant to try, Katie. People say they love it, but then they describe it and it doesn't sound like something I'd like.

Great set-up for 2014! Happy to hear you liked Case Histories - Brodie has such a wonderful way of expressing himself.

Hi, Eva! I'm reading the next Brodie now, One Good Turn.


Title: How the Light Gets In
Author: Louise Penny
Genre or subject information: Village mystery / police procedural / semi-cozy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: Inspector Gamache / Three Pines #9
Date finished: 1/20/14
Off the Shelf? no, library book
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Garden of Evil
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 2.75 stars. I keep changing this -- as low as 2.5, as high as 3.
Notes:

I know a lot of people loved this book, and I am probably going to be hung in effigy from the library rafters for my review. So be it. I just found so much about this book that did not make sense, that seemed unrealistic, that was confusing and contradictory.

First the plus: Three Pines is back front-and-center, with it's quirky cast of residents. And we get to see some more facets of the crew. Another plus: Peter is still absent. That's a plus, IMO. There is still snappy dialogue and wonderful wordplay -- though not as many of those turn-of-phrase moments that used to set my eyes sparkling in earlier Penny works. And, despite a plot that strains credulity pretty much beyond its breaking point, she managed to keep me up late reading to see how it turns out.

Now my gripes: Has Penny decided to change genres and write fantasy? The whole premise of the big "plot" that has dominated the series for lo these many installments is, IMO, RUBBISH. From what we learn in this installment, it is totally unrealistic; I can't believe that people sophisticated enough to carry out all this subterfuge could have such a hare-brained plot. Now it's not enough for Gamache to solve crimes -- he's got to save the country. (O Canada, Gamache stands on guard for thee!) It's just way too over-the-top for me -- and an insult to Canada, to boot. Remind me to never go there -- it's not safe to travel their highways, apparently, at least in Quebec.

The ostensible mystery-du-jour of dead Marie-Margaret isn't much better. It makes no sense how Gamache gets from point A to point B. I can't make sense of the quints' life story as pieces of it emerge -- they find something, and it contradicts something else they've found out. None of it ever makes sense to me. And how does Gamache come up with these ideas of his, anyway. Is he psychic?

Then there are the changeable characters. Yes, I know addiction causes radical changes in people, so that accounts for one that readers of the series already know about. But some of the transitions we see in some folks here just aren't convincing to me.

I can't begin to flesh out my complaints without a mountain of spoilers -- I may have done so already, but I've tried to phrase things to leave the mystery intact. Not that I'd recommend that anyone read it. I am so horribly disappointed by this melodramatic drivel. If I'd gotten this plot from an unknown author, I would NOT have finished it; I only kept going because I already feel I have a relationship with these characters.

Maybe one of our Canadian LTers can tell me -- can things really be as corrupt as she portrays up there? I'd be willing to be corrected on this score.

You will not be hung, maybe put in stocks for an afternoon. ;-)
Not all books are liked by everyone and it takes a lot of courage to say what you really think. I hope your next book will be more to your liking.

You will not be hung, maybe put in stocks for an afternoon. ;-) \

LOL!

I have no idea what went on in this book, but I do have some Canadian friends on another site and yes, there has been a whole lot of massive ridiculousness with politicians there relatively recently.

I know about the mayor that has shown such poor judgment. The stuff in this book goes way beyond that.

Catching up. I'm glad you liked Case Histories. The Jackson Brodie series is one of my favorites.

>83 tymfos: It's a lot more than some "poor judgment" going on. Hell, I don't think there's any politician who's never shown some poor judgment. No, this was massive holy crap how are you in office what is going on?!?!? stuff.

I'd chalk it up to literary necessity. Sweden is actually not awash in serial killers. Small Hebridean islands don't generally average several depraved torture murderers each year and even quaint English villages are not full of dead vicars.

Next thing you know, Kay will be telling us that Cabot Cove isn't the murder capital of Maine. ::Grin::

Terri, I haven't read How the Light Gets In so I don't know exactly what was written about but as a Canadian, I would say we are like the rest of the world in that, yes, there are incidents of corruption, but it's not a way of life. Unfortunately, the province of Quebec is currently in the spotlight with allegations of bribe-taking, corruption and criminal activities. There are a series of investigations going on that involves politicians and the mafia. Recently a woman who was running to be mayor of the city of Trois Riviere had to be given police protection as there threats against her life. She was very outspoken on how corrupt the previous government was.

84 I'm reading One Good Turn and not liking it quite as much as Case Histories, but I still have quite a bit to read.

85 I think most of us here in the states have mostly heard about the mayor of Toronto in recent weeks. I've heard much less about the corruption issues. Well, maybe she wasn't as far off as I thought. Her plot lines still seems a little over-the-top to me.

86 Well, Three Pines already had quite a criminal history . . .

87 LOL, Lori!

86 Judy, sounds pretty bad. I'm still feeling Penny's version was pretty extreme.

My feelings for this book may be influenced a bit by the fact that I had to rush a bit to finish it before the library loan expired, as it couldn't be renewed. I really wanted to be focusing on my other books.

75 Challenge Book #7
Title: One Good Turn
Author: Kate Atkinson
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series?: Jackson Brodie #2
Date finished: 1/26/14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Wanted, Dead or Alive
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): a disappearing corpse was part of the story
Alternate category
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This story all kicks off with a road rage incident witnessed by Jackson in front of the theater in Edinburgh where his lover Julia is rehearsing for some experimental theater thing. The whole thing becomes quite convoluted, involving an insane man in a blue Honda, a mysterious man who is the victim of the road rage, a writer named Martin, a crooked developer and his wife, some Russian women, and a woman detective.

I didn't like this one as much as the first one in the series. It seemed a bit implausible, though at least that fact was acknowledged in the book itself -- at one point Jackson wondered if he was on Candid Camera! Also, there was a lot of extraneous detail about the daydreams of Martin the writer and the ruminations of Gloria the developer's wife that I found simply confusing and didn't care one bit about -- though the mystery in Martin's past was kind of interesting.

I really didn't care for the ending, which held one final surprise I didn't anticipate at all.

My reading slowed down a bit this week because I "rescued" a young cat that was stranded out in the cold. He's gotten quite a bit of my attention this week, including fruitless efforts to see if anyone is looking for him. (Discussion of this adventure landed on my 75 Challenge thread.)

Sorry you didn't enjoy One Good Turn more, Terri. I wonder if I benefitted from reading the two book so far apart that I really couldn't compare. It will probably take me another year before I get to the next one.

Judy, I really think it would have been better to have spaced these out. Her style is unusual, and perhaps better enjoyed in smaller doses.

I finished another book I've had in progress for a while:


Title: Southern Lady, Yankee Spy
Author: Elizabeth R. Varon
Genre or subject information: the life of Elizabeth Van Lew, Union agent in Richmond during the Civil War
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 1/26/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: War
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

Elizabeth Van Lew was the daughter of a prominent Richmond, Virginia family. During the Civil War she not only took it upon herself (at great risk) to befriend Union soldiers imprisoned by the Confederates, and even to help in escapes, but she also served as central figure in an intelligence ring which funneled information to Union officers. She continued her unorthodox life after the war, serving as Postmaster of Richmond under the Grant administration. But her post was subject to the politics and prejudices of the day.

The subject matter of this book was interesting. It was well organized and well documented, with sufficient endnotes. I found the writing a little dry, perhaps, but overall well done. The author does a good job of disabusing the reader of some common misconceptions of Van Lew, put forth by those who knew her late in life and commonly disseminated in both non-fiction and literary representations of her work, but not supported by the evidence dating back to her wartime contributions.

I finished my e-book reading while eating lunch.


Title: North of Nowhere E-BOOK
Author: Steve Hamilton
Genre or subject information: mystery/detective story
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Series?: Alex McKnight #4
Date finished: 1/30/14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: How's the weather?
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): This series always has weather talk, even in this rare one set in summertime.
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

Alex McKnight has retired from his recent PI work after his last disastrous case, but is drawn back into criminal investigation when a poker night out goes horribly wrong -- a home invasion by armed men interrupts the game. Pretty soon two of Alex's friends are implicated as accomplices, and the victim decides Alex must have been in on it, too. Things get nasty in a hurry.

I really enjoy this series set on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They are relatively short books, quick reads, but generally a good story with lots of action and twists and turns of plot. The locale is always an intrinsic part of the story -- you couldn't just plop these mysteries down in another part of the country and make them work. This time the story takes place in summer, but the weather is always a part of the tale -- it's impossible even to enjoy the lovely summer weather without comparison with the inevitably harsh UP winters. I enjoy reading about Alex, the retired Detroit cop and reluctant private investigator with a bullet lodged near his heart. He is tough but likable, and his partner in the PI business, Leon, has also grown on me.

Title: Firewall AUDIO
Author: Henning Mankell
Genre or subject information: Police Procedural / "Scandi-crime"
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998; English trans. 2002
Series?: Kurt Wallander #8
Date finished: 1/30/14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Garden of Evil
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): nefarious doings
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

A man dies in the street. Across town, two teenage girls murder a taxi driver. From this start of seemingly unrelated events, a tale begins to unfold.

I'll be honest and say I had a hard time understanding exactly how all the pieces fit together. I also got frustrated with the office politics of the police. I'm a bit weary of Wallander feeling downtrodden. Overall, it was a pretty good story, but I may take a break from the series for a while. I've read a lot of these in a fairly short time.

I'd like to think that this book was implausible -- but is it? The details may be, but the overall subject is timely. The vulnerabilities of our our world's modern inter-related systems is something most of us are somewhat aware of now. It was a newer issue when this book was written, but is more timely than ever now.

I have a Henning Mankell book lined up for February, but it's an earlier one in the series.

Lori, for the most part I really like the Wallander books.

I remember feeling muddled when I read Firewall as well. The Kenneth Branagh adaptation might have made a bit more sense.

I haven't seen the PBS series at all. I really don't watch a lot of TV. It was good?

I liked it. It was filmed on location in Sweden and the scenery was especially lovely. It had a good atmosphere as well. Definitely worth checking out on Netflix or from the library if those are available.

Terri, how is your rescue cat?

The Branagh mini-series is very well done. It took me a bit to get over them all using British accents rather than Swedish ones, but the series does capture the mood of the books quite well.

100 I'll see if I can get access to it, Rabbitprincess!

101 Alison, the cat is doing well. Thanks for asking! We've named him Siegfried (my husband loves Wagner's operas), Sig for short. I took him to the vet and he got his shots and a clean bill of health. We go back in a few weeks for required booster shots and to have him neutered. The vet estimates that he's about six months old. We've been investing a bit in making the house cozy for him. Here's a photo of him in his new cat tree:

What a good looking guy. I hope he recognizes how lucky he is and that you all have many happy years together. I've always wanted an orange tabby, but since we always end up with strays, that hasn't happened.

I guess I was lucky that this handsome little tabby wandered into my life!

Very cute!

Awe, that is like the best picture yet of adorable Sig! So sweet!

Thanks, Betty and Lori!

Sig is just lovely - good to hear he's healthy!

He looks quite content on his tree! Very cute! :)

Thanks, Eva and rabbitprincess!

Today Sig persuaded my husband to yield to his "me-out!" requests. He's managed to get out a few times in the past on very cold days, where he did a turn around the yard and came right back to the door. Today is warm, and Sig wanted an adventure. He was out of sight at one point, then came back to our porch. We thought he was coming back in -- and then he took off across the street (fortunately, we live in a neighborhood with very little traffic ) and climbed to the top of the neighbor's (rather short) tree. He got back down fine. Then he took off again, with hubby following along. He basically climbed all the trees along the street, learning lessons about how to get back down (and how some tree limbs will send you down if you're not careful.) He survived his adventure just fine, but I am glad he is back INSIDE our house.

So Sig is now checking out the neighborhood.... He is settling in, that is for sure!

Oh, Lori, and he wanted out today, too -- crying pitifully at the door. We didn't let him -- way too cold and snowy. I cleared some space for him to sit by windows, and he did some of that.

And now a book:


Title: The Risk of Darkness
Author: Susan Hill
Genre or subject information: police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series?: Simon Serrailler #3
Date finished: 2/3/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Garden of Evil
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

Serrailler is called to another district where a child has been abducted. Is it the same kidnapper that took young David Angus, whose unsolved disappearance haunts Simon? Meanwhile, a young woman is dying of Variant CJD -- Mad Cow Disease -- and her distraught husband is quite literally losing his mind. And the mother of a new priest at the Cathedral has been assaulted and robbed in her home.

Susan Hill expertly weaves these threads, and others, into a marvelous novel that kept me turning pages late last night and when I should have been doing other things today. The story is complex and satisfying, the characters are rich, the setting is so real you can almost feel the fog closing in. Marvelous!

As the owner of a young cat who needs to GO OUT, we let him out whenever he wants, with the understanding that he is to be in at night. You can feed him a nice dinner (canned food) every evening at the same time and he will soon learn to arrive early. When it's cold, our guy is pretty quick to want back in again. And then he likes to stand on people to warm up his paws.

Alison, I've got other folks telling me how important it is to keep the cat in -- to keep it safe from traffic, predators, etc., that indoor cats lead longer healthier lives. Hubby and I are struggling with that concept a bit. But yesterday we were having a severe winter storm, and I really think it was better for him to be in, anyway. The snow was deeper than he is high!

Brumley is an indoor cat. When I was young, the neighbor's chihuahua killed far too many of my indoor/outdoor cats.

We had a few cats who were impossible to keep in--we always tried, and they managed to sneak out, but they'd all been strays in their earlier lives, and mostly stayed in, so we didn't worry about it too much. It's probably worth it to say, though, that the couple of cats who settled down with us to live entirely inside were also the ones who lived so long and peacefully without any health problems (on toward 20 years). But, it's hard. We have a little six month old now who we're doing our best to keep in, but he's so jealous of our dog (who's his best pal) going in and out that he's become an incredible sneak. I've taken to shutting him up in the bedroom when we're just slipping out for a quick puppy bathroom break!

I guess it's natural that seeing the dog going in and out, the kitten would want to go, too.

Title: Blood is the Sky
Author: Steve Hamilton
Genre or subject information: search for the missing brother of a friend
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Series?: Alex McKnight #5
Date finished: 2/10/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: how's the weather?
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): The books in this series always have a weather angle -- plus title sort of references old weather proverb cited in the book, "red sky at morning . . ."
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

Who says that the rank amateurs in cozy mysteries are the only mystery characters who do really dumb things? Retired Detroit cop and supposedly retired PI Alex McKnight has the training and experience of a veteran investigator, and ought to know better than to do some of the things he does. But he just can't leave things alone. When his friend Vinny asks him to help find his missing brother, who failed to return from a hunting trip in the wilds of Canada, Alex heads north with him to investigate. And even when the Ontario Provincial Police tell him to go home, he just has to check one more thing . . . the result is a nail-biting adventure for the reader . . . and occasional moments when I wanted to tear my hair out.

This books has enough action and twists and turns to satisfy an adrenaline junkie, but also some thought-provoking moments. The suspense is multiplied by the fact that Hamilton rarely provides "neat," happy endings. There is a darkness in these books, a messiness that mirrors much of the way things are in real life. One can count on Alex to live to face another mystery, because there's a next book in the series -- but, otherwise, all bets are off as to how things will turn out.

That's a hard one. We always went with the "go out but be in before dark" method and it has worked for us, so far. We have two cats, one of whom goes in and out all day long and the other decided to be an indoor cat, although on warm days she'll venture out onto the patio for the sun. With the children and their friends running in and out as well as a dog, there would be no way to police keeping the cat in and he's safer being familiar with his surroundings than suddenly accidentally locked out. We do make sure they all are up to date on every immunization available and they both wear collars with their telephone numbers and they are microchipped. I think that they are happier if they can go out, but I certainly understand wanting to keep a cat in, and the reasons for doing so are all good.

Whatever you do, it will be fine and right for you. And he will be happy and loved.

Thanks for your input, Alison! For now, we're keeping him in and seeing how he adjusts to it. The weather is just so awful this winter, I think it's best to keep him in where it's warm. Plus, best to keep him in until he's neutered (procedure is scheduled) and maybe we can get him microchipped, too. He's already managed to get out of his collar in the house, so I don't know how well it would last outside.

We have a baggie full of spare collars. Tarzan would lose them, we'd replace and then one of the kids would find it in a bush. He's only lost his collar once since we moved to Munich, and in that case, it was left on our doorknob by whomever found it -- another good reason to include the address. Being neutered is not a very big deal (for the males, at least), but you should spoil him with treats for the indignity of having to go to the vet's. And he'll be more settled and healthier. He is so lucky to have found you.

Alison, it's nice that someone would bring the collar round to your house when they found it. I don't know if folks here would do that or not . . . some would, I think, and some wouldn't.

Title: Faith Under Fire: An Army Chaplain's Memoir
Author: Roger Benimoff with Eve Conant
Genre or subject information: memoir of Chaplain who served 2 tours in Iraq and came home with PTSD
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 2/17/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: War
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

Roger Benimoff spent much of his life in the military: first as a fuel specialist, then in the Reserves while studying for the ministry, and finally re-enlisting for full-time service as a Military Chaplain doing two tours of duty in Iraq and then serving as a Chaplain at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"Chaplain, who's your chaplain?" an officer once asked Benimoff. It's a good question -- those charged with supporting the troops often seem to get precious little support themselves. Benimoff weathered his tours of duty well, running on adrenaline. But his return home was marred by the classic symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the result of the carnage he witnessed, his sense of failure at not being able to do more to help those in his charge, and the weakening of his faith in the face of the horrors of war. Perhaps his case was even more complicated by the fact that he felt he had no right to have PTSD -- after all, he hadn't been wounded in battle, at least not physically.

Benimoff, with the help of Newsweek journalist Eve Conant, tells his story, including passages from the journal he kept during and after his second deployment. I found it a very insightful and moving look at war, the scars it leaves, and the questions it raises for people of faith.

Title: As the Crow Flies
Author: Craig Johnson
Genre or subject information: mystery/western/police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series?: Walt Longmire
Date finished: 2-18-14
Off the Shelf? No, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Rifleman
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Longmire fits into that western milieu
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

This was another enjoyable outing with Walt and crew. Actually, there was not as much of the usual crew around -- lately, Johnson's been doing that to us a lot, and I regret it. This time out, Walt is "helping" Lola Long, who is the chief of the tribal police unit on the Northern Cheyenne reservation -- at least, when he's not getting arrested by her. He's also trying (in vain) to prepare for his daughter Cady's wedding.

Title: Real Men Work in the Pits
Author: Jeff Hammond
Genre or subject information: non-fiction; NASCAR
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 2/22/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Fast Cars
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

Every year during Daytona Speed Weeks, I read a NASCAR-themed book. This year it's Real Men Work in the Pits: A Life in NASCAR Racing by Jeff Hammond. One I got past the sexist title (and, to be fair, he speaks favorably of women who have entered NASCAR) I've really been enjoying this book. Hammond was a crew chief working with some of the more colorful characters of NASCAR -- the great Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough, and Darryl Waltrip. He's now a TV NASCAR commentator. The book is full of NASCAR history and anecdotes, recounted with good humor and apparent honesty.

My one question is that he mentioned working with Kenny Wallace toward the end of his work in the pits, but he really didn't say anything about that short stint, other than that it happened. I'd like to know why -- Kenny is another pretty colorful character.

ETA to add Since the book was published in 2005, there are some comments in the book that are now dated. For instance, at the time this was written, Cale Yarborough held the record for consecutive championships -- Jimmie Johnson has, of course, surpassed that milestone. There are other aspects of racing given in present tense that are now past tense -- different rules, and even the series names. This is to be expected.

Sounds interesting. So tempted to buy it for my brother as he's a NASCAR fan, but he's not much of a reader. Maybe for my parents instead.

I did forget to mention that some of the info is a little dated, as the book is 9 years old. When it was published, Jimmie Johnson hadn't even started his streak of championships, so it talks about Cale Yarborough having the record for consecutive championships with three. I think I'll add that to my comments -- I did on one of my other threads.

ETA I added that to my comments in the book's post.

Terri, I'm glad you liked the Army chaplain book. I really liked that one, too.

Linda I think I learned about it from you. I'm sure actually.

Just letting folks know my posting may be limited while computer is in repair shop. Some lurking & posting by phone but I find it a bit of hassle.

I have a sports category. At some point, I think I'll read a NASCAR-related book. Are there any bios of Danica Patrick?

She did a memoir back in indycar days. I didn't like it. A lot has happened since then anyway. I don't know what may exist more current.

BTW, If interested in women in auto racing Janet Guthrie did an excellent memoir.

Title: A Necessary End
Author: Peter Robinson
Genre or subject information: police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1989
Series?: Inspector Alan Banks #3
Date finished: 2/28/14
Off the Shelf? No, ILL
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: still deciding
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

A police officer is stabbed to death when violence flares up at an anti-nuclear demonstration. Chief Inspector Banks is on the case -- unfortunately, under the supervision of Superintendent "Dirty Dick" Burgess, brought in from the South to handle the case. Is it simply a case of random violence when a demonstration got out of hand? Or was the policeman a targeted victim?

This was a good, solid police procedural with a likable protagonist and some interesting supporting characters. I like this series, and I'm told that later installments get even better.

I recently finished the seventh in the Robinson series and am still enjoying the it - the characters continue to develop, so it's always interesting to find out where they are whenever I pick up the next in the series.

>134 -Eva-: Hi, Eva! I'm so glad to hear that the series continues to be good.


Title: Pardonable Lies
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Genre or subject information: Historical Mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Series?: Maisie Dobbs #3
Date finished: 3/9/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: War
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Set after WWI, but the war was still a constant presence
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

There were several interesting cases intertwined in this book, all with some sort of greater societal or political issues of significance. But all the mysteries in this book took a backseat to the powerful account of Maisie facing her traumatic past as a nurse in WWI.

Maisie takes on two cases involving service men lost during WWI, and the attitudes of those seeking answers couldn't be more different. There is also a case, in consultation with the police, of a 13-year-old girl accused of murder. The coincidences test my ability to believe, but author Winspear confronts that head on, as Maisie sees the hand of Fate in the progress of her investigations. Her work takes her to France for the first time since her service in the war; she must face her demons.

This one started off slow for me, but near the end it had me in tears.

As I recall, I had a hard time getting into both the 2nd and 3rd in the Winspear series. I think after those two though, I've not had a lot of trouble.

>136 thornton37814: Lori, that's good to know, as I have the next two in the series borrowed from a friend

I finished two books today that I'd been working on for a while:


Title: I Was Right On Time
Author: Buck O'Neil with Steve Wulf & David Conrads
Genre or subject information: Non-fiction memoir
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1996
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 3/16/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Play Ball!
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): baseball memoir
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

Buck O'Neil, who died in 2006, was a player and later a manager in Negro League Baseball, which flourished in the years before the "major leagues" were integrated. Later, he was a scout for the Chicago Cubs -- he coached briefly, the first African American to do so in MLB -- and later yet, was a scout for the Kansas City Royals. He gained a renewed recognition when Ken Burns featured interviews with him in his epic "Baseball" mini-series production.

I struggle with how to rate this. O'Neal was a most likable person, and this is reasonably well written in a conversational style, which frequently rambles a bit -- bringing things up almost stream-of-consciousness and then saying, "But I'm getting ahead of myself" or "more about that later." He has maintained a mostly upbeat outlook on life, as evidenced by the title. At first, I got the feeling he seemed almost too accepting of the injustices that he'd experienced and witnessed. That sense faded as the book went on, and the book benefited from the honesty. It was an informative and thought-provoking book by and about a very impressive man and those with whom he worked.


Title: The Watcher in the Shadows (e-book)
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Genre or subject information: fantasy/horror
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1995
Series?: Trilogy of Fog
Date finished: 3/16/14
Off the Shelf? No, e-book libary download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Still deciding
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

This is the third in Zafon's YA Trilogy of Fog, which really isn't a series as they have no common characters, and only share genre connections. They were the first published works by Zafon. I liked the first two better than this one. This was just . . . TOO . . . I don't know. They all had plenty of fantastical elements, but this one was just too weird for me. Or maybe the audio format by which I enjoyed the first two helped to draw me into those more.

Title: All the Pretty Horses
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Genre or subject information: literary fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Series?: first of the Border Trilogy
Date finished: 3/18/14
Off the Shelf? No, library book
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: American Author Challenge
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category Rifleman
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

McCarthy is a genius of a writer. My struggle in reading this was between savoring the language and wanting to race ahead in the suspenseful parts to see how situations resolved (or didn't).

I love how he paints images with words. This description of a passing train just before sunrise really caught my fancy starting on the first page:

As he turned to go he heard the train. He stopped and waited for it. He could feel it under his feet. It came boring out of the east like some ribald satellite of the coming sun howling and bellowing in the distance and the long light of the headlamp running through the tangled mesquite brakes and creating out of the night the endless fenceline down the dead straight right of way and sucking it back again wire and post mile on mile into the darkness after where the boilersmoke disbanded slowly along the faint new horizon and the sound came lagging and he stood still holding his hat in his hands in the passing ground-shudder watching it till it was gone. Then he turned and went back to the house.

He gives a few short sentences, then one long, run-on sentence, an unstoppable barrage of words themselves like a freight train running on and on. And then it's gone, with another short sentence to bracket the experience as he goes into the house. It's lovely, expressive writing that epitomizes the writers' classic adage to "show, rather than just tell."

The story itself contained much beauty and much ugliness. But it felt honest, and I wanted to know what would happen to the characters.

Title: No Nest for the Wicket
Author: Donna Andrews
Genre or subject information: cozy mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: Yes, #7 in Meg Langslow
Date finished: 3/21/14 (or, more precisely, early a.m. 3/22/14)
Off the Shelf? No, ILL
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Play ball!
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): set at an eXtreme croquet tournament
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

Meg stumbles across a body while playing eXtreme Croquet with an oddball cast of tournament contestants which includes the mavens of the local historical society, two real estate agents, the wife of a local developer, and some Morris-dancing college students. The murder seems to be related to the history of a local Civil War battle and/or a proposed mega-mall on the site. Or maybe some other motive entirely. Once the abrasive victim is identified, the suspect list grows.

As with many in this series -- many cozies in general, actually -- I enjoyed the clever humor and madcap characters, but found the mystery a bit weak.

The story itself contained much beauty and much ugliness. But it felt honest,

That was pretty much my impression when I read McCarthy's Suttree. I will be starting The Road this evening as my second McCarthy read and if that one holds up - and I believe it will - All the Pretty Horses will be hitting my future reading list. Great review, Terri!

Thanks, Lori. It had been several years since I'd read my first McCarthy, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed All the Pretty Horses.

Title: A Stolen Season
Author: Steve Hamilton
Genre or subject information: more mayhem on the UP of Michigan, and in Ontario
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series?: Alex McKnight #7
Date finished: 3-25-14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: How's the weather?
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Weather is always front-and-center in this series
Alternate category
My Rating:
Notes:

It's the 4th of July, and it's foggy and almost freezing. Alex McKnight is wondering whether summer will ever arrive on the UP, when a boat wrecks in front of him. The love of his life is undercover in Toronto, trying to bust gun runners. Life is unsettled. Mayhem follows, and terrible grief. I often question McKnight's actions, but rarely his motivations. This installment, he faces more provocation than ever.

In a year when we're beginning to wonder if spring will ever come, a book about a missing summer seems most appropriate. This was a pretty good mystery, and an enlightening installment in the continuing saga of Alex McKnight.

Somehow, I seem to have missed posting this book to this challenge -- and it was wonderful! I must have been really busy when I read it, because I made no real comments about on other challenge threads it except that it was great.


Title: The Round House
Author: Louise Erdrich
Genre or subject information: literary fiction set on a Native American reservation
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 2/1/14
Off the Shelf? no, borrowed
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: American Author Challenge (February -- substituted for William Faulkner)
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.3 stars
Notes:

This is the story of a boy growing into manhood whose mother is raped under circumstances where jurisdiction for the crime could not be established -- which apparently has been common in cases that involve Native American women, where murky reservation boundaries determine how justice is pursued.

OK, I'm thinking of temporarily putting aside the books I've got started, because they don't really work with my goals for the month, nor am I really "into" them. They're not bad -- one is very good, in fact -- but wrong timing, wrong mood. One is a book of short stories, so it really won't hurt to set it aside one bit.

I want to get started on Jazz for the American Author Challenge (and a TIOLI -- the first time I've tried that) and Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism for my Autism Awareness thread (also for a TIOLI).

OK, I've got The Silence of the Grave checked out for Unofficial AlphaCAT and MysteryCAT. I have a hold on the audio of The Pyramid for the same challenges; I'm the only one on the list with two copies, so I should easily get it this month. Until the hold comes available, I'll keep listening to Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which is a good short story collection. I'll start Jazz for American Author Challenge and Not Even Wrong for my Autism Awareness thread.

I'm putting aside Rocket Men (definitely temporary pause, because it is quite good so far), Winter Tides (not sure if I'll pick this back up, as the story line has taken a turn with which I'm uncomfortable), and my e-book Dead Wood (I'm prejudiced against this one because I see the author's profile/account has been removed from LT, which probably means she was spamming. Why do they keep an author noted as a Library Thing Author on the book's page when their LT account has been removed?)

Sheesh! I'm doing a bunch of different CATs and themes and such, and my categories for this challenge are what seem to be suffering neglect. I may need to adjust . . . something . . .

I do believe I'm over-thinking this reading thing a bit. . . ;)

BTW, I've started an "April is Autism Awareness Month" reading thread over on the 75 Challenge, if anyone cares to check it out:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/172153

I totally agree with setting aside books if you're not in the mood for them! The mood will come around again. :) And I hope you like The Silence of the Grave.

>146 rabbitprincess: I am really liking The Silence of the Grave. It's my current e-book -- a format I mainly read on lunch break (on my iPhone, which I have with me at work) and in bed (back-lighted screen so I can read with lights out and not disturb hubby) -- but I've been nibbling away at it at other times, too, despite several other really good hard-copy books that I'm enjoying.

I liked The Silence of the Grave, though his books aren't the most cheerful of books. Interesting look at Iceland.

Today I set up our library's display for Autism Awareness Month. I am donating this book to the library & plan to display it prominently, because I want people to read it!


Title: Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism
Author:j Paul Collins
Genre or subject information: non-fiction, book about autism from various angles
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 4/8/14
Off the Shelf? yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Honor Thy Father
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): a father's love for his son with autism is the driving force of this book
Alternate category
My Rating: 5 glorious stars
Notes:

This was a wonderful book. This was a fabulous book. This may be the best book I've ever read about autism, with the exception of Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures.

Paul Collins is an historian. He is also the father of a son with autism. This book combines history (people of the past with autism), and a memoir of his experience of life with his young son with autism, and some modern-day developments in dealing with autism. It is well-written and engaging. There were moments when I laughed out loud -- not so much that the material was funny, but simply out of RECOGNITION, because I'd lived the experience with my son and it was so good to see someone putting a loving spin on what so many people recount with gloom.

So many autism memoirs make me sad because I relive unhappy times, or wish I'd done things differently. This one reminded me why I love my son so much, and made me better appreciate the special view he has of life.

Enthusiastically recommended to anyone even remotely interested in the topic of Autism!!!

Title: Silence of the Grave (e-book)
Author: Arnaldur Indriðason
Genre or subject information: "Scandi-Crime" or "Nordic Noir"
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002; English translation 2005
Series?: #2 of Inspector Erlandur /Reykjavik series
Date finished: 4/11/14
Off the Shelf? No, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: "Honor Thy Father"
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Domestic Violence was big issue
Alternate category any mystery category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This story perfectly fit the template for Nordic Noir -- very bleak, very dark, very atmospheric, featuring a detective with a dysfunctional personal life. It pondered societal issues of the day and days past. It was disturbing. It was also very, very well-written.'

As the city of Reykjavik expands, excavation begins for development of a hill once outside the city, near an old military installation from WWII. Bones are found in one of the foundation areas -- bones that have been there for a long time, possibly dating back to the war days. Who are they? Can Inspector Erlandur bridge the gap of time and find out what happened? At the same time, he is dealing with family tragedy, as his daughter lies in Intensive Care at the local hospital.

Interwoven with this is the tale of a dysfunctional family during the war years. How did their story end -- and is it related to the bones? How?

I stayed up late and started reading again early to finish this one. (I'm yawning now, but not when I was reading!)

One of the best books I've read recently is a Kindle Daily Deal! A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash is only $1.99 today!

This would be an appropriate read for Autism Awareness Month, as the great tragedy of the story involves a young man never described with the word autism, but exhibiting the classic symptoms. (In the time and place of the story, he would have been unlikely to have been properly diagnosed, thus the lack of label.)

>150 tymfos:
It's a great one, isn't it. And I love that he's still eating sheep heads. :) (I was offered that while in Iceland, but I declined...)

Eva, I don't even remember the sheep heads . . . really. . . (and you'd think that would be memorable . . .)


Title: Where's Your Jesus Now?: Examining How Fear Erodes Our Faith
Author: Karen Spears Zacharias
Genre or subject information: Religion/Spirituality
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 4/15/14
Off the Shelf? YES
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: still deciding
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: unsure
Notes:

I have really mixed feelings about this one. I agree with most of her basic themes
1) that fear is rampant in our world, and that this fear undermines faith.
2) That fear-mongering is a way of life in our society
3) that too much fear is peddled in the name of God (hellfire & brimstone, natural disasters as "God's punishment," etc.)
4) that the prevailing fear among many Christians of those who they perceive as not like themselves -- an "us vs. them" mentality toward Muslims, homosexuals, "liberals" -- stands in the way of obedience to the command to love neighbor as self
5) that God is a God of love and grace who is with us in our trials and troubles, not a "Gotcha!" God looking to trip us up

There's more, and a lot of it is good. Unfortunately, Zacharias falls into some of the very pitfalls she warns us about. Mind you, I'm pretty much a liberal, but I can see that she's guilty of judging conservatives in the same way that the conservatives she's bashing are judging the liberals. I've notice that this is a common failing on both sides of the political divide. (A pastor I know once admitted, "I judge the judgmental people; that's my own sin.) I'm not a Dick Cheney fan, but seeing him lumped with Hitler and Stalin in one sentence was eyebrow-raising, to say the least.

I liked many of the examples she used. The title of the book is an over-arching example within the book -- the mother, held hostage at gunpoint by her religiously deranged son, who was asked by him, "Where's your Jesus now?" to which she replied, "He's right here." Some would be funny if they weren't so sad: the owner of ArmageddonBooks.com, who watches the news to gauge likely demand for his literature. "If things are bad for Israel, business is good. But if there is peace in the Middle East, I'm in trouble."

In all, there was a lot that was worthwhile, but the author got in her own way with a bit too much of a judgmental attitude toward those with whom she disagreed.

I've changed my Buzz Aldrin/Space exploration category to a Mitch Albom/"Have a Little Faith" category. My first space-related book has been a dud, and I don't want to finish it right now. I usually have some kind of faith-based book that I'm reading, and haven't had a category for them until now. Now I have a place to put the book I just read.

I keep thinking about making that change, too, Terri.

No many how many categories I have, there's always one that, once I get going, doesn't interest me that much.

No many how many categories I have, there's always one that, once I get going, doesn't interest me that much.

Isn't that the truth, Linda? Sometimes I can just tweak. For instance, I tweaked the "US Presidents" category to a "White House" category, so I can fit the White House Chef novels into it. ;) But sometimes I just have to admit defeat and make a big change.

Title: Jazz
Author: Toni Morrison
Genre or subject information: literary fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 4/18/14
Off the Shelf? YES
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: American Author Challenge
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: I don't know how to rate this; it was brilliantly written, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped
Notes:

Toni Morrison has an amazing way with words, with metaphor, with imagery . . . her writing is so original and creative, it's hard to say anything bad about it. I just had difficulty getting into the story . . . actually, I liked it much better when I was finished than I did partway through, especially when I was reading the section about Golden Gray (what a name!). I think it was Lori who said this is a book that really needs to be discussed or re-read to fully appreciate, and I would agree. I'd also agree with her that I'm not sure I liked it enough to do that. Maybe someday.

>157 tymfos: It is hard to rate a book like that. I think I ultimately gave it 3.5 stars, mostly because of the writing. I couldn't bring myself to give it 4 stars because of the story line.

>158 thornton37814: It was really an odd story, Lori.

I finished my audio on my long drive to and from the dermatologist and finished my e-book in the waiting room. Will post them later.

Title: The Pyramid
Author: Henning Mankell
Genre or subject information: Scandinavian crime short stories
Copyright/Year of original publication: varied
Series?: Kurt Wallander (listed as #9)
Date finished: 4/22/14
Off the Shelf? No, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: still deciding where it fits, or if it goes into the miscellaneous category
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This collection of short stories and a novella covers the time period before the first Kurt Wallander novel, Faceless Killers. It's fun to see the "beginnings" of the detective. However, through the whole first story, set prior to his marriage to Mona, I spent much of the story wondering, "Why did he marry this woman, anyway?" Other stories were set early in his marriage, as his marriage was failing, after their separation, and (the final, title novella) shortly after the divorce.


Title: Sun Storm (e-book)
Author: Asa Larsson
Genre or subject information: Scandinavian crime novel
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: Rebeka Martinson #1
Date finished: 4/22/14
Off the Shelf? no, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: How's the weather?
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Title, and also weather was a factor
Alternate category
My Rating: grudging 3 stars
Notes:

I was not thrilled with this dreary mystery involving the murder of a religious figure. I also found all the negativity surrounding church a bit draining. We all know that the church has its hypocrites and bad apples, but aren't there any good-hearted Christians in that city? I didn't feel a strong liking for the protagonist, either.

I'm in a bit of a quandary because I have the 4th in this series on my shelf. I know some (probably most) series improve after the first book. Should I try the next-in-series and see if it's better? Should I (heaven forbid!) SKIP to the one I have and try it?

Terri, I have read Sun Storm and totally agree with your assessment. I did go on and read the next book, The Blood Spilt which I remember as being a little better than the first one. I haven't revisited the series since and have no plans to either.

Hi Terri: Just chiming in, I just read Sun Storm and wasn't thrilled, I don't think I will be revisiting the series at all.

Also, I've been loving the Wallander series, I just finished The Fifth Woman a few minutes ago.

Judy & Lisa, we seem to all agree about Sun Storm!

I may skip to the one I own -- Until Thy Wrath be Past -- and try it eventually. I heard something that made me think I'd like it, before I realized it was fourth in a series.

Title: Not Flesh Nor Feathers
Author: Cheri Priest
Genre or subject information: Zombies invade Chattanooga!
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: Eden Moore series, #3
Date finished: 4-24-14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Hold That Ghost
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category The River
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

OK, this book wasn't very plausible. As the author admitted in her note, "This is a work of fiction, which probably dawned on you at some point before you met the homicidal zombies." She took some liberties with timeline and geography, and just the basic mechanics of how things might work -- besides which, there were the zombies.

Her first concern was that people not see it and relate it to Hurricane Katrina. As she pointed out, the novel premise was "sold" before that disaster happened, and Chattanooga is a very different city than New Orleans. However, it is about a flood that strikes a southern city, and she knew people would make a mental connection. She wants to make it clear that this story is not about that. Not at all.

What it is about is dirty secrets buried and uncovered and buried again -- but which won't stay buried. It's about a flood that unleashes a supernatural evil on a city, rooted in the city's history. It's about a woman who sees dead people, and really wishes she didn't.

The story isn't very "plausible" but it's a pretty decent yarn. I think I like it as much or better than the other installments of the series.

Great review of Not Flesh Nor Feathers! I struggled with my first - and so far only - Priest read Boneshaker, but then I don't do too well with zombie books when the heroine strikes me as one that will rush head long into trouble and then question how that happened. If I do find the urge to dip into a zombi read, I might give Not Flesh Nor Feathers a go. I like the idea of the setting being in Chattanooga and apart from the usual settings I have encountered in some other books.

Lori, there's a lot of reference in this book to the earlier ones in the series, Four and Twenty Blackbirds especially. I really can't judge how confusing some of those references might be if you hadn't read at least the first book. I think you could follow the main story just fine, but you'd definitely miss some of the nuances.

This is the first in this series that I'd consider really a zombie novel, though they are all full of the supernatural.

Terri, I am quite torn about this series. Like Lori, I really struggled with the only other Cheri Priest book that I have read, Boneshaker. On the other hand, I am a big sucker for zombies! I may give the first book of this series a try and see how it goes.

Judy, don't expect zombies in the first book if you try it. I'm not sure what I'd call it ...paranormal, definitely, but the third book is the zombie book in the series.

I did notice that, Terri, when I checked into first book of the series, it is referred to as a "ghost story" and the Civil War is also referenced. These books do sound intriguing and I will certainly give the first one a try.

I had Sun Storm on the maybe-list, but I'm taking it off. Thanks for the save!

>169 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I hope you enjoy it.

>170 -Eva-: you're welcome, Eva!

Title: Embracing the Wide Sky
Author: Daniel Tammet
Genre or subject information: non-fiction, about the brain
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 5/2/2014
Off the Shelf? No, ILL
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: none; falls under Miscellaneous
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

This was an interesting book, but I did not find it nearly as engaging as his first book, Born on a Blue Day. This book was much less about Tammet's own experience, though he drew upon his unique perspective and explained how what he was discussing fit into (or didn't fit into) his experience. There was much more of research in this book -- research into how our brains work, the new findings on the subject, what scientists are doing and trying to do in the areas of brain science. Tammet does a surprisingly good job of expressing some very complex ideas in terms a typical reader can understand (though I glazed over a bit on some of the mathematical examples -- I don't have a "math mind").

Title: Dead Wood e-book
Author: Dani Amore
Genre or subject information: Mystery fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: John Rockne #1 (but there's no #2 yet!)
Date finished: 5/3/14
Off the Shelf? Yes (virtual)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Music and All That Jazz
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): victim made guitars, musicians & music industry central to story
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

I didn't expect a lot out of this little mystery, which I got free or for 99 cents a while back. I'd never heard of the author, and I see her profile has been removed from LT, though her author page still lists her as an LT author. (I bet she was spamming -- seems most obvious reason for her account to have been shut down.)

Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. No, it's not great literature, but it had a likable protagonist. John Rockne is an ex-cop private-eye whose sibling is a police chief. I enjoyed the humor. Some of the characters were a little shallow, and maybe some of it was a bit implausible. As is often the case in mysteries, the protagonist took too many chances. And a few plot elements didn't quite hang together nor make sense to me. So I'm not quite sure why I gave it 3.4 stars, but overall I enjoyed it and laughed out loud on a few occasions.

Title: Foolish Undertaking
Author: Mark de Castrique
Genre or subject information: mystery fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Series?: Buryin' Barry #3
Date finished: 5-5-14
Off the Shelf? YES!
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: War
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Though it takes place in modern North Carolina, the plot centers around issues unresolved from the Vietnam War
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

I stayed up LATE to finish yet another great mystery from Mark de Castrique. I'm not sure which series I enjoy most -- this Buryin' Barry series, or his current Sam Blackman series -- but they are both very enjoyable.

Barry Clayton is an ex-cop who returned to his hometown in the mountains of North Carolina to take up the family undertaking business when his father was stricken with Alzheimers. But he keeps winding up in the middle of mysteries. In this installment, he is assaulted when a body is stolen from his funeral home. The deceased is a Montagnard who was deeply loved by Vietnam veterans (including the local sheriff) for his courage in rescuing Americans in peril during the war. Why was his body stolen?

Those who assemble for the now-postponed funeral include a Boston detective, an Army general and his aide, a US Senator and his aide, a Hollywood actor, a slew of Vietnam Veterans, and a gathering of Montagnards who had resettled in the US.

de Castrique makes it clear in his preface that part of his motivation in writing this particular story is to draw attention to the fate of the Montagnards, the indigenous people of the Vietnam Central Highlands who showed astounding loyalty and courage in aiding American troops. Some were resettled here in the U.S., but since the American withdrawal those remaining have suffered constant persecution by the government of Vietnam. I was not familiar with this aspect of the Vietnam War until I read this book, so it provided a bit of an education in the process of a very enjoyable mystery.

You got me Terri! I am going check out Mark de Castrique and in particular the Buryin' Barry series. Sounds very interesting.

While I was adding his book to my Recommended by Lt category, I found that I already have his first one in my e-reader. I think I'll make this my next treadmill book.

>175 DeltaQueen50:, >176 dudes22: Judy & Betty, both series by de Castrique are great. The Buryin' Barry series might be considered slightly cozy -- though he's an ex-cop, he's acting strictly as a civilian now, and not even a PI. But he generally doesn't do the kinds of stupid things that the protagonists in cozy series do. :) I love the humor in these books. My favorite line is from the first book, when he and his friend the sheriff were in a dangerous situation, and the sheriff said, "Cover me!" Barry's reply is priceless:
"Cover you?" My voice cracked through wilted vocal cords. "I'm a damn undertaker. The only thing I can cover you with is dirt."

The Sam Blackman series is a bit edgier. Sam is an Iraq War vet, former MP who lost a leg while serving, who, as the series progresses, becomes a private investigator in Charlotte. Those books generally have a literary angle of some kind, some thread involving an author who is tied to North Carolina in some way.

Ack! Now the Sam Blackman series sounds good as well. In fact it may be slightly more in my wheelhouse. Will check it out as well.

>178 DeltaQueen50: it may be slightly more in my wheelhouse.
I was thinking the same thing, Judy!

Title: Farewell, My Lovely
Author: Raymond Chandler
Genre or subject information: golden age mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: Philip Marlowe #2
Date finished: 5/10/14
Off the Shelf? No, audio download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Wanted Dead or Alive
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

I'm not sure why I chose to listen to this now. I thought a hard-boiled mystery like this would be good on audio, and it was available. I have some mental association with the title, some reason it appealed to me.

I know this is a classic in its genre, and it was a decent mystery, but it really didn't do a lot for me. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it. Maybe it wasn't quite what I expected.

Terri - I haven't read the earlier series by Blackman, but I love his Sam Blackman series. I need to look for the earlier one.

>181 thornton37814: Lori, I like it a lot.

Title: Taken
Author: Kathleen George
Genre or subject information: Police procedural (sort of)
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Series?: Richard Christie #1
Date finished: 5/12/14
Off the Shelf? No, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Honor thy Father
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Stolen baby, lots of parenting issue, sort of fits the "family" theme
Alternate category any mystery category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

In this book, the 4-month-old son of a Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher is kidnapped in broad daylight from a discount store, seemingly without a trace, as far as authorities can detect.

I read a later installment of this series quite a while back, having borrowed it from the library not knowing it was part of a series. I'm still not quite sure how this book fits with that one, as recall it. Anyway, this series is set in Pittsburgh and its environs -- the author is professor at Pitt -- so that appealed to me. It wasn't a bad mystery. At first, I thought it was going in a direction I'd absolutely hate, but that got turned around. One of the main characters was detective Richard Christie, but this book was as much about the woman Marina (who winds up in the middle of the kidnapping) as about Christie.

Marina was the classic "what was she thinking?" character who keeps doing dumb things, trying to help, that can't help but get her into trouble. But, somehow, you can sort of understand her . . . sort of. I don't know what to make of the Christie character. Good cop, workaholic, has a messed-up marriage which is about to get worse. This book is full of complex and dysfunctional human relationships -- some rendered astutely, some seeming a bit shallow.

This was George's debut novel, and for a first effort it's pretty good. I'll probably continue the series.

My one big complaint (and maybe it's a petty one) is her use of the word autism. She flippantly uses it to refer to when the kids are zones out on music with their headphones on. That's not autism, and I find it offensive that she'd use such an emotionally-charged word in such an inappropriate way.

Title: Operating Instructions
Author: Anne Lamott
Genre or subject information: published journal entries
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1993
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 5/14/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Have a Little Faith
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): With Lamott, there's always a strong faith angle, even if that's not the stated subject
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.75 stars
Notes:

Anne Lamott kept a journal during her son Sam's first year of life, and apparently her agent convinced her to type it up and publish it. I'm glad it was published. Lamott is more honest than most mothers would be about the thoughts that occur to a sleep-deprived mother. At times this was laugh-out-loud funny (and I laughed), at times poignant, at times uplifting, and at times painfully sad. The political rants, always a staple in the books I've read by Lamott, weren't too wild. Generally, I cringe at political rants on either end of the spectrum because I don't like being preached to when I read (even when I agree), but hey it was her journal this time.

Title: The Maltese Falcon
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Genre or subject information: Classic Mystery PI
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1929
Series?: Sam Spade #1
Date finished: 5/18/14
Off the Shelf? Yes, but only part of a multi-novel tome
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: American Author Challenge
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): American author substituted for author-of-the-month
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

I enjoyed this book much more than the Raymond Chandler I recently finished. It's been years since I saw the movie version of Maltese Falcon, and my memory of it is a bit foggy, though what I read seemed to fit what I remembered. But it was especially enjoyable reading it. I like Hammett's style.

Title: A Serpent's Tooth AUDIO
Author: Craig Johnson
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013
Series?: Walt Longmire #9
Date finished: 5/20/14
Off the Shelf? No, Audio download from library
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Rifleman
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.1 stars
Notes:

OK, the gang's all back for this one -- most of Walt's usual sidekicks are in evidence throughout this installment in the series. But will they all be there at the end?

At first, I wasn't sure I'd like this, as a tale of a lost boy and missing woman from a pseudo-Mormon polygamous cult began to emerge. But nothing is ever quite as it seems in Walt's part of Wyoming (and neighboring South Dakota, too). There's something else entirely going on. This one grew on me. And the ending caught me by the heartstrings and bumped up the rating a fraction of a star, too.

Title: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life
Author: Donald Miller
Genre or subject information: memoir & spirituality
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 5/21/14
Off the Shelf? yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Have a Little Faith
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

We all love stories, don't we? Every life is a story, and part of a bigger Story. While working with screenwriters to adapt his earlier memoir to a screenplay, Donald Miller learned a lot about stories. And he began to look at the story of his life, and imagine that it could be a better story.

This book was very different from the earlier book I read by Miller, Blue Like Jazz. There's some of the same whimsy and irreverent reverence, but he's older, more mature, and writing of a somewhat later period of his life. There is more of an overall arc -- a single story -- and an overarching philosophy (or theology) developed over the course of the narrative.

Miller writes from a Christian perspective, but much of what he writes is more general -- about life well-lived. I really liked this book, and it gave me a lot to think about.

I liked Blue Like Jazz, although more after having read it than while reading it - when I thought it was a bit simplistic. But later, and even now, there are things in it that have stuck with me and changed some of my thinking. All that to say that I'll have to get a copy of Miller's new book soon.

>186 tymfos: I might need to check this one out if it is at the library.

>187 RidgewayGirl: If you liked Blue Like Jazz, even kind of belatedly, I think you'll like this.

>188 thornton37814: I loved Miller's growing understanding of story, and of life as story. Of course, he's the kind that throws himself into projects I'd never dream of undertaking, but that sure does make the story interesting.

I scrambled through this one quickly on my day off from work.


Title: Eggsecutive Orders
Author: Julie Hyzy
Genre or subject information: cozy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series?: White House Chef #3
Date finished: 5/27/14
Off the Shelf? Not officially (owned, but not prior to 2014)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: In the White House
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): White House Chef series
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.6 stars
Notes:

As a cozy, this was pretty good -- even though my initial impression of it was that it was of a plot line type (protagonist unjustly suspected of crime) that I normally dislike. It kept me reading so that I finished it within 24 hours of starting (on my day off from work, though). A NSA big-wig dies at a White House dinner -- with poison suspected -- and the White House kitchen is closed until further notice, threatening the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Executive Chef Ollie is determined to help clear herself and her staff from suspicion.

I missed posting this one on this thread:

75 Challenge Book #41
Title: The Dain Curse
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Genre or subject information: classic mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1929
Series?:
Date finished: 5/26/13
Off the Shelf? yes (but part of a larger multi-novel volume of Hammett works)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: American Author Challenge May book b
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): replacing this month's American Author Eudora Welty with Hammett
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.3 stars
Notes:

I didn't like this mystery nearly as much as The Maltese Falcon. It felt too convoluted, especially in the final chapter where the whole thing was explained . . . all that explaining made my head hurt, and I had trouble following it.

Title: The Stranger You Seek e-book
Author: Amanda Kyle Williams
Genre or subject information: forensic mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: Keye Street #1
Date finished: 5/28/14
Off the Shelf? Yes (virtual bookshelf)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Garden of Evil
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating:3.6 stars
Notes:

Keye Street is an interesting character. She's a recovering alcoholic, a former FBI criminal profiler who was fired due to her drinking problem. She's dried out and started her own detective agency in Atlanta, near where she grew up. She's Asian-American by birth, raised by adoptive white southern parents with an adopted African-American brother who happens to be gay. The family dynamics are interesting.

Keye is close friends with an Atlanta PD detective named Rauser, who unofficially calls upon her profiling skills when a pair of grisly murders are linked together and with two earlier murders in Florida, and the police realize that they have a serial killer on their hands. Now the killer is taunting them with letters and e-mails. What kind of person is committing these crimes?

I didn't expect a lot from this book, which I'm sure I got free or very cheaply for my e-reader; however, it was well written. I didn't like the sections that got into the mind of the killer, as they were too graphic, violent and twisted for my taste (not unusual for a forensic murder mystery). Fortunately, those passages were brief. It took a while for me to warm up to the protagonist. I gradually grew to like Keye and her detective friend Rauser. There were plenty of twists and turns as Keye is drawn further into the case by the killer, while the Atlanta PD big-wigs seek to distance her from the case due to bad press about her past.

This is one of those books that I liked better the further I read, and at the end I could hardly put it down. Early on, I wasn't sure whether to continue it and definitely didn't plan to continue the series. I'm glad I kept reading; I may decide to read more about these characters.

Title: Any Other Name AUDIO
Author: Craig Johnson
Genre or subject information: mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2014
Series?: Walt Longmire #10
Date finished: 5/29/14
Off the Shelf? No, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Rifleman
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.7 stars
Notes:

Oh, I listened to this one every chance I got! This started out as a case where Walt is helping his old boss the former sheriff look into the suicide of a detective in a neighboring county, the deceased being an old friend's husband. Soon they are investigating three missing women. Vic eventually joins the fray, as does Henry Standing Bear, and meanwhile Walt is fielding phone calls from his very pregnant daughter in Philadelphia, demanding that he be there for the delivery of his first grandchild.

Personally, I had a hard time relating to someone so determined to have her father in the delivery room; my own dad was hundreds of miles away when my son was born and it never occurred to me to invite him to the hospital, though I was glad when my MIL arrived a bit later to help me through the first days at home with the baby. Certainly, if my father was in the business of saving lives, I wouldn't want him to walk away from that to sit around the hospital while I was having a baby. Cady's attitude seemed more than a tad self-centered for someone raised by the selfless Walt Longmire.

That quibble aside, I loved this book. I loved the interplay between Walt and the old sheriff, Walt and Vic, and especially Walt and Henry Standing Bear. There were some interesting "guest" characters to keep things lively -- and a touch of the other-worldly, too. Trains were a significant part of this novel. I love trains, so the railroad components of the story really caught my attention. The weather was a factor, too. The story provided plenty of suspense in the closing chapters, as Walt battled to keep himself and others from being killed.

George Guidall's narration on the audio was spot-on, as usual. Boy, howdy!

>193 tymfos: Glad to see the high rating for Longmire. We just got it in the library so I can tell folks that people have been enjoying it.

>194 thornton37814: Good, Lori! I'm glad to recommend it.


Title: Dead Water
Author: Ann Cleeves
Genre or subject information: police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2013 (Britain; released 2014 in US)
Series?: Shetland Islands #5
Date finished: 6-5-14
Off the Shelf? No (not officially; owned too short a time)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: The River
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Sea, not river, but -- Hey! -- it's water.
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes: I read a used UK edition; it was released last year, while the US edition wasn't released until this spring

Very good police procedural. Jimmy Perez is back on part-time duty after the tragic events of the previous novel in the series. This book introduces a new Supervising Officer, and I'm not sure I like her. But this was another good installment in the series. I like how Cleeves gets into her characters minds and shows how they fail to understand each other.


Title: Happy Cat, Happy You: Quick Tips for Building a Bond with Your Feline Friend
Author: Arden Moore
Genre or subject information: non-fiction; pet care
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Series?:
Date finished: 6-7-14
Off the Shelf? No, Library copy
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Misc.
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

It is what the subtitle says it is. Most of the advice sounds good. There are sections for general tips as well as for kittens, older cats, travel, health, etc.

I might need to read the tips for older cats. I've decided that I need to purchase some kitty stairs soon for mine.

>196 thornton37814: Lori, I wasn't really ready for that part yet, Lori, but I did read it and the ideas made sense. (A few were so common sense that I'd hope most folks would think of them anyway.;)

Title: Q Road
Author: Bonnie Jo Campbell
Genre or subject information: literary fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Series?: is related to her later book Once Upon a River through references to character Margo Crane
Date finished: 6-8-14
Off the Shelf? Yes!
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: The River
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Relationship to Once Upon a River
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

I met Bonnie Jo Campbell at a book signing, where I bought this book. (She happened to be at a bookstore in Traverse City, Michigan, when we were vacationing in the area.) It's the first book I've read by the author. It's a tale about an odd assortment of people in an area of Michigan near Kalamazoo that's transitioning from farmland to development. I've never seen such an odd cast of characters, but Campbell drew me into the story. There is tragedy and there is humor, and there is a lot of human frailty. Even though some (most) of the characters seemed a little over-the-top, there was a lot to think about as to how real-life people behave. And she left me once again pondering the question: why do city people move to the country, presumably to get away from the city, and then set about trying to turn the country into city?

How fun to have met Bonnie Jo Campbell. Her book of short stories, American Salvage, is brilliant.

Terri, I loved Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell and I am definitely going to be on the lookout for Q Road. I picked up Dead Water while I was away but when I got home today, I realize I am missing the book that comes before it, Blue Lightning which I now need to pick up.

>199 RidgewayGirl: It was neat. It was a book signing and reading, and she had members of a local theater group helping with the reading. She also brought some things from her garden, and some homemade wine, as I recall.

>200 DeltaQueen50: Oh, you MUST read Blue Lightning before you even LOOK at Dead Water, Judy! The whole book is a spoiler for Blue Lightning. Well, not the whole book, but a major factor in it . . . seriously.

Title: Rolling Thunder
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Genre or subject information: police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series?: John Ceepak #6
Date finished: 6/13/14
Off the Shelf? no, ILL
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Honor Thy Father
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Family relationships central to plot in various ways
Alternate category any mystery-type category
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

I love this series set at the New Jersey shore! This was one of the better ones in the series, too. Straight-arrow Iraq war vet John Ceepak of the Sea Haven PD is back with his sidekick Officer Danny Boyle, whose irreverent first-person narration makes for great reading.

As a new roller-coaster opens on Pier 4, the wife of the coaster's developer has a heart attack on the first run. Or is it a heart attack? Then a beautiful woman is brutally killed (no doubt that this one is murder) and Ceepak & Danny must find out what's going on.

The atmosphere of the Jersey Shore permeates the whole book, from the putt-putt miniature golf to the tacky boardwalk eateries. Love it!

>201 tymfos: I made the mistake of looking at the blurb at the back of Dead Water so I have an inkling of what's going to happen in Blue Lightning. I was rather peeved that such a huge spoiler was right there on the cover!

>202 tymfos:
I have to get going on that series soon! That one and a bunch of others... :)

Title: Misery Bay
Author: Steve Hamilton
Genre or subject information: mystery/suspense
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Series?: Alex McKnight #8
Date finished: 6-17-14
Off the Shelf? No, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: How's the Weather?
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): weather always a factor in this series.
Alternate category
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Notes:

I've been reading this series in order since last summer, and this 8th installment is the best yet, IMO. It all begins when an old adversary asks McKnight's help investigating the suicide of a friend's son in an isolated spot called Misery Bay. Before long, the body count starts piling up.

As always in this series, the sense of place -- and of the Michigan Upper Peninsula weather -- is rich.

I was in the middle of a good mystery when my name came up on the library hold list for this book. I just started looking at it, and I couldn't put it down.

>203 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I was surprised that they'd do that, too.

>204 -Eva-: I keep getting hooked by mystery series, but that's one I especially like, Ava.

Title: Nightmares & Dreamscapes Vol. 1-3 AUDIO
Author: Stephen King
Genre or subject information: Short Stories
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: N/A
Date finished: 6/17/14
Off the Shelf? No, audio download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Misc.
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

I listened to this over two library loan periods separated by several months, so I'm having a hard time rating & commenting on it in its entirety. I'd call it a mixed bag, with some stories I really enjoyed, a few that scared me, some others that I just didn't particularly like. I'm giving it a middle-of-the-road 3.5 star rating.

I woke up during the night and couldn't sleep, so I read for a while and finished this book.


Title: The Vows of Silence
Author: Susan Hill
Genre or subject information: police procedural
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Series?: Simon Serrailler #4
Date finished: 6-18-14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Have a Little Faith
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Many characters dealing with faith issues of one sort or another; Cathedral Close setting
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

A gunman is terrorizing Lafferton, and the police are on high alert. Throw in a dose of family tragedy, and Simon Serrailler has his hands full. I was a bit put off by the way author Hill made one character (the born-again Christian boy) too simplistic and stereotyped (not normally Hill's style) but overall the book caught the complexities of life and death and faith and love in Hill's usual striking way.

I've been nibbling away at this book for the better part of a month, or maybe more. I finally finished it.


Title: So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior
Author: Curt Brown
Genre or subject information: non-fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 6/19/14
Off the Shelf? not officially (recent purchase)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: How's the Weather?
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious):
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.2 stars
Notes:

This book is about the massive November 1905 gale on Lake Superior which wrecked 30 ships to some degree, and led to the building of Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior, north of Duluth, MN. It's generally acknowledged as one of the worst storms (likely THE worst) in Great Lakes history.

This book was on a topic of interest to me. The writing was OK -- the author is a professional journalist. There was a lot of good information. So I'm not quite sure why it often felt like a bit of a slog. Sometimes it felt like it was sort of all over the place -- maybe because the shipwrecks that day were all over the lake, and then the follow-up threads that came out of the storm really went all over the place. Maybe the author tried to do too much, included a few too many bits of arcane info that weren't particularly helpful.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad read, and it was very thorough. If you are interested in extreme weather phenomena and/or in maritime disasters, you may enjoy this.

FYI, the book had a great list of sources and an extensive index, but no footnotes. I read the Kindle edition.

Split Rock Lighthouse. (I took the picture during our trip to the Great Lakes last summer.)

Title: A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy
Author: Ann Cleeves
Genre or subject information: police procedural / village mystery
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Series?: Inspector Ramsay #3
Date finished: 6-20-14
Off the Shelf? Yes!
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Have a Little Faith
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): victim was vicar's wife
Alternate category
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

Dorothea Cassidy, the middle-aged vicar's much-younger wife, has been murdered. Everyone loved her -- well, almost everyone -- so who would want to kill her? She had interacted with a wide variety of people that day. Every Thursday was "her" day to tend to her projects. Trained as a social worker and filled with altruism, she got involved in lots of causes and cases and ruffled quite a few feathers. Which of them made someone mad enough to kill her? And what does it mean when another body is found?

This short (215 page) book was a nice nuts-and-bolts whodunit. The characters are less developed than in the more recent Shetland Island novels by the author, but the plot was clever. There were lots of possible suspects who clearly had secrets -- the question being "is it the big secret?" as in being the murderer -- and a fair number of red herrings were thrown into the mix. I did not guess whodunit until the actual moment of the arrest.

Cleeves also captures the atmosphere of the village carnival quite splendidly, and it makes a marvelous backdrop for some of the action.

I must say, the basic premise is a lot like the previous book in this series: a woman who everyone supposedly loves is murdered, but it turns out she's a bit of a busybody. Mrs. Cassidy's involvement in other people's affairs is more professional than nosy, but the same kind of dynamic appears to be in operation.

Title: Safe from the Sea
Author: Peter Geye
Genre or subject information: literary fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 6/26/14
Off the Shelf? Yes
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Honor Thy Father
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): father/son relationship central story
Alternate category
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I really liked this story about an estranged son and his dying father. The father had been one of three survivors of a terrible shipwreck on Lake Superior, and it affected him for the rest of his life.

The characters were rich and complex, and I loved the shipwreck story that loomed so large in the father's life. I might have given this another half star, but I thought the end a bit too tidy for what preceded it.


Title: Cocaine Blues e-book
Author: Kerry Greenwood
Genre or subject information: historical mystery fiction
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1989 (original Australian publication)
Series?: #1 Phrene Fisher
Date finished: 6/27/14
Off the Shelf? Yes (virtual)
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: Fast Cars
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): Main character was taught to drive by a race car driver, and drove that way
Alternate category
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

Circa 1920's, worried father sends thoroughly modern Phrene Fisher to check on his daughter in Australia because he fears she's being poisoned by her husband. While there, Phrene also contends with cocaine dealers and an abortionist who kills his patients.

I thought a historical mystery set in Australia in the era of flappers would be nifty. Phrene was just not a character I could warm up to, or even believe in. She could drive like a race car driver, pilot a plane, smoke like a chimney, dressed perfectly, looked perfect (except when in disguise) with never a hair out of place even after driving an open car over the speed limit for miles . . . you get the idea. Too good to be true. I just found the whole thing very meh.

>211 tymfos: I know I have a Peter Geye book on my TBR list. I'm glad to hear this one is good also. I'm sure I'll add it after I've read the first one.

Oh dear, I've been nervous of starting the Phrene Fisher series due to all the points you've noted above. I have the first three sitting on my Kindle, I guess I'd best wait until I am in the mood for something light and simple.

>213 DeltaQueen50: - If you have the opportunity to do so, I would suggest by-passing the books for the TV adaptations. I understand from richardderus that the TV adaptations succinctly capture all of the important nuances of the stories in a tidy little package. Having never read the books, I love the TV adaptations for the mysteries and the wonderful setting/period piece costumes!

I haven't read the books but thoroughly enjoyed the TV adaptation.

Sounds like the TV adaptations are the way to go!

Hello to my visitors!

>212 thornton37814: Lori, I think you'd like this one. There is one aspect of the plot that strained my credulity a bit -- and, like I said, I thought things were a bit unrealistically tidy at the end, in part because of how that aspect worked out -- but it was a good read.

>213 DeltaQueen50:, >216 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! I don't know whether you might like the book better than I do. I suspect she might get on your nerves.

>214 lkernagh:, 215 Every thread I've posted about this book, someone has mentioned the TV adaptation. It sounds superior to the original!

I finished my latest audio book:


Title: Bone by Bone AUDIO
Author: Carol O'Connell
Genre or subject information: mystery/suspense
Copyright/Year of original publication: not sure (audio only gave year of their production copyright)
Series?: n/a
Date finished: 6-30-2014
Off the Shelf? No, library download
Category for 2014 Category Challenge: The River
How does it fit the category? (if not obvious): This may be pushing the category limits a bit -- but a pivotal scene took place down by the river.
Alternate category Honor Thy Father (father/son issues), Garden of Evil, or Wanted Dead or Alive
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

A letter from his family's faithful housekeeper Hannah draws former Army CID agent Oren to the family homestead, where he finds that bones are being left on his father's doorstep. Years ago, he and his brother Josh had gone into the woods together and Josh never returned. Now Josh appears to be coming back a piece at a time.

There are plenty of odd and off-beat characters in this one. We learn about them bit by bit -- including knowledge of the missing Josh, who died so young but had antagonized so many people.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It did keep me reading, er, listening. Some of it felt a little forced, artificial. I've found that to be an issue in O'Connel's books sometimes -- in her eagerness to spin a plot, she often goes overboard in creating odd people and plot twists. But, as I said, it kept me wanting to know more and getting emotionally invested in the odd lot of folks. And as always, the actual writing is marvelous. Maybe I should give it a higher rating for its ability to pull me in despite my reservations.

Cautiously recommended.

Bone by Bone sounds like a weird one! Happy 4th!

>211 tymfos: Safe from the Sea is a go, it's always worth a read and interesting how events can affect our lives ...

I haven't read the series but the TV adaptation of Miss Fisher is delightful :)

>218 cammykitty: Yes, Katie, a bit weird. Hope your 4th was great!

>219 electrice: Hi, electrice! So many people seem to like the Fisher TV series. Thanks for visiting!

We've passed the halfway point of the year, and I'm over 200 posts here. I should start a second thread. I think I'll just throw one together quickly.

And here it is:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/177707