Saturday, August 31, 2013

LONGBOURN / Jo Baker / 339 pages

Ever wondered what the servants thought of the events going on during Pride and Prejudice? If so, then Longbourn is the novel for you!

Learn what Mrs. Hill, her husband, the maids, Sarah and Polly, and James, the new footman, really think of the Bennet's and their five daughters. How do they feel about the Reverend Mr. Collins, who will inherit the estate after Mr. Bennet dies? Discover the lives, labors, and even loves of the household staff at Longbourn as their stories are revealed.

For fans of Downton Abbey and those who enjoy exploring the downstairs side of life in an English manor house.

THE THINKING WOMAN'S GUIDE TO REAL MAGIC / Emily Croy Barker / 563 Pages - First in a Series

Nora is having a rather bad week. She can't seem to finish her English literature dissertation and has learned that her boyfriend is marrying another woman. To take her mind off these troubles, she agrees to go to a wedding with a friend for the weekend.

She had a great time at the rehearsal dinner on Friday evening but gets lost the next morning while taking a walk to clear her head.Nora wanders into another world where magic works and women are considered ornaments or treated only as second-hand citizens.

What is a highly literate, independent, 21st Century woman to do when forced to work for a chauvinistic, but very powerful magician? And how will she ever get back home?

THE ARRIVALS / Melissa Marr / 278 Pages


Kitty, Jack, and their companions, all from different time periods in human history, work together to defend and assist the denizens of the Wasteland. But only Kitty has the magical talent needed to defeat (or communicate) with the monsters of their alternate world.

Now another human has been drawn into their world and Chloe will need help to survive. Especially as she is bound to draw the attention of Ajani, a wealthy but evil human, who tries to recruit every new Arrival to come and work for him.

The characters and situations are adult but the story reads more like a Teen / Young Adult novel. It is fast-paced, with plenty of action, some humor, and a quick resolution.

LORD AND LADY SPY / Shana Galen / 378 Pages - First in a Series

Galen provides a fun romp about a husband and wife who haven been keeping secrets from each other for years. It is 1815 and England has just defeated Bonaparte and won the war.

Lady Sophia Smythe is Saint, a daring English spy, who has worked for the Barbican group most of her adult life. Her husband, Lord Adrian, is rather boring and spends all his time away from home so never misses or suspects her other activities.

Adrian Galloway, Lord Smythe, also works for the Barbican group as Wolf one of their most successful agents. He has a beautiful, young wife at home but she always seems to be more interested in her charities than in him.

Now that the war is over their services as spies is no longer required and they have both been retired and sent back home. What will they do now that they have all this time to spend with each other? Can they leave the thrilling life of a spy behind them and more important, can they rediscover the attraction they once had when  first married?


The Shoemaker's Wife/Adriana Trigiani/475 pages

This title was recommended by a co-worker who really enjoyed it and so did I.  It's a family saga that begins in Italy and continues in the U.S. and takes place in the early 20th century.  The author's descriptions of places and the time period, as well as the plot, kept me interested.  Thanks Mizzou77 for the recommendation.

In a Blink (The Never Girls vol. 1) / Kiki Thorpe / 118 pgs. / 1st in a Series!

Yay!  I remembered one more Book!  I finished reading this one to my girls the other
day. 

Four friends, Kate, Laney, Mia and Gabby are magically transported to Neverland.  They get to hang out with the fairies in Pixie Hollow and learn about fairy ways as they try to figure out how they are going to get home.  I think the characters in this book have a lot more personality than the Fairy Bell Sisters series.  The Characters had a dilemma in the story where they had to decide what is right and wrong, which is also good for young readers to think about.  The book has an open ending which really sets it up for a longer series. 

My two girls seemed to enjoy the book and really listened.  Of course they LOVE anything Disney Fairy so this was a good hook for them. 

The Cutting Season / Attica Locke / 372 pages

If you like mysteries set in the depths of the South and featuring complex characters, you will like The Cutting Season.  Caren Gray manages Belle Vie, an old plantation now a State of Louisiana historical site, where her own ancestors were slaves.  A body is found on the plantation and this sets off an investigation that resolves mysteries of the past and present and allows Caren to be released from her own past history.  Locke does a great job of creating characters, setting, and plot that are very gratifying to readers who like their mysteries with some meat on their bones.

Better Nate than Ever / Tim Federle / 275 pages

In a nutshell, this book is about being different and finding your dream and being accepted.  Nate Foster is 13 and loves the theater, Broadway, and singing show tunes.  Unfortunately he lives in Jankburg, PA where these attributes are not considered acceptable in middle school.  Luckily for Nate, he has a best friend Libby who finds out about tryouts in New York for a  Broadway musical production of E.T.  Nate thinks this might be his big chance so he heads off to NYC by himself on a Greyhound Bus with $50 and his mom's ATM card.  Nate does get an audition and finds out a lot about theater, lifestyles in New York, his family, and the highs and crushing lows of living your dream.  While this book is not about Nate's sexuality because he states he's not ready to think about that or decide anything, he is exposed to different lifestyles in New York and also cruelly bullied by the kids at his Middle School.  This is a middle grade book that has a good message and leaves you pulling for all of the Nates in the world.

Doll Bones / Holly Black / 244 pages

This is the perfect middle grade book for kids who like their books a little creepy.  Three middle school students who haven't outgrown playing with action figures and creating complex adventure stories find themselves on the brink of young adulthood and their lives are changing.  Central to their stories is an antique bone china doll they call the Great Queen that contains the ashes of a girl.  When one of the friends shares that the ghost of a gruesomely murdered young girl has been visiting her and they must go on a quest to lay her bones to rest, the three set off on what they think might be their last adventure as friends.  The tension between the characters who are in different places in their lives adds much to the story.  The mysterious things that happen are unsettling.  Holly Black, co-author of the popular Spiderwick Chronicles, writes a book that is chilling but also a good look at adolescence.

N.E.R.D.S. / Michael Buckley / 306 pages

Author Michael Buckley does so many things right!  In this first book of the N.E.R.D.S. (National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society) series, he introduces us the coolest guy in fifth grade, Jackson Jones, who relishes taunting and torturing the nerds at school.  He feels pretty secure in his superiority until he gets heavy duty braces and headgear and plummets in popularity.  As an outcast, Jackson discovers that he is very good at spying and stumbles across a top secret "Playground" in Nathan Hale Elementary School where operations that save the world are planned and executed.  The five agents of the N.E.R.D.S. are kids who have weaknesses that turn them into victims until their weakness is converted to a superhuman talent.  Duncan "Gluestick" Dewey is the kid who eats paste but can stick to walls.  Ruby "Pufferfish" Peet is a girl whose severe allergies allow her to detect falsehoods.  Heathcliff "Choppers" Hodges controls minds with his buck teeth.  The hyperactive Julio "Flinch" Escala is super fast and super strong.  Matilda "Wheezer" Choi uses her inhalers to help her fly.  All in all, a funny book with lots of action and adventure and tons of kid appeal! 

Terrier (Beka Cooper, vol.1) / Tamora Pierce / 581 pgs. / 1st in a Series!

"When sixteen-year-old Beka becomes "Puppy" to a pair of "Dogs," as the Provost's Guards are called, she uses her police training, natural abilities, and a touch of magic to help them solve the case of a murdered baby in Tortall's Lower City."

Thank goodness I was able to listen to this on audio, because I would never be able to trudge through this.  I can see that the author, Tamora Pierce is talented and able to create a sense of place and time, but its really not my thing.  There are lots of details and if you like books that world-build than this may be a pick for you.  For me there was not much going on, it just felt like the main character Beka just went out on patrols a lot and was learning to become a stronger guard.  There was a little bit of mystery, but the story was not moving fast enough to really keep my interest. 

I will say that for strong female characters, this one Beka Cooper is awesome.  She has wit, bravery, ambition, strength, and she can communicate with spirits. 

Sybil: The Backpack Fairy: Nina (v.1) / Rodrigue Dalena Razzi / 47 pgs. / 1st in a Series!


A cute kid-friendly graphic novel.  Nina is a middle school aged girl, who lives with her mom and adorable baby brother.  As Nina starts another year of school, she has to deal with snotty "popular" girls and trying to pay attention in class.  Both matters are complicated as Nina discovers a fairy named Sybil has decided to make her backpack her new home.  With a Fairy in her life Sybil gets to go on quirky and dangerous adventures. 

Cute pictures, and I think kids will like the thought of what would they do if they had a fairy for a friend. 

Worth the Effort/Mara Jacobs/239 pgs.

This is the 4th entry in the "Worth Series." Denise "Deni" Casparich is an engineer for a firm in Copper Country Michigan. Sawyer Beck has been a relatively silent partner for the engineering firm Deni works for since his wife's death years ago. He and Deni meet, and the attraction is instantaneous. However, each of them has personal demons to deal with, and the road to a "happy ending" is not a smooth one. This series is a notch above the usual contemporary romance series in that the characters have flaws and issues they need to work through. This is an entertaining series--I look forward to the next installment.

Three Little Words/Susan Mallery/329 pgs.

This is another entry in the Fool's Gold series. Isabel Beebe has returned to Fool's Gold to regroup from her divorce.  While her parents are away on an extended vacation, Isabel keeps the family business, Paper Moon (which is for sale), running. Upon her parents' return, Isabel plans to return to New York to open her own business. Enter Ford Hendrix, Isabel's secret crush when she was growing up. The best laid plans never quite work out as expected, and the result is an entertaining, yet predictable, contemporary romance.

Friday, August 30, 2013

The Water Witch: Book 2 of The Fairwick Trilogy/Juliet Dark/322 pages


 We are once again in the college town Fairwick, following Callie McFay as she tries to mend a broken heart with the banishment of her demon lover and make sense of her burgeoning magical powers. Callie has learned her grandmother who is also a witch and her coven are going to close the door to Faerie. This threatens not only the town and college but all the people magical or not who have lived in area for the centuries. Callie also has a tutor named Duncan who may or may not help her unblock her powers in time to help her friends. This doesn't sound interesting but the read is very engaging.
  The second book in a series traditionally is the one to fill in the holes and help round out the character's backgrounds. This fits the bill perfectly. We learn more about Callie's parents and why they went to so much trouble to 'bind' Callie and keep her in the dark about all the magic surrounding their lives. The college life retreats to the background while the threat of magical ruin in brought to the forefront. Friendships are tested as well as the consequences of a personal decision affecting the rest of a community. There is a plot twist I never saw coming and I can't wait to read the next one. The third in the trilogy will be published sometime in September 2013.  

   Six Degrees: The Thinking  Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt  

The Masque of the Black Tulip/Lauren Willing/ narrated by Kate Reading/CD 12 disks


  Are you looking for a laugh out loud romp, complete with corsets, wigs and proper chaperoning? This book is just perfect for you. Unbeknownst to me, I unwittingly started with the second in the series. And to my relief, it really doesn't matter. We follow the exploits of Eloise Kelly an American who is convinced there actually was a spy named the Pink Carnation who helped England in the conflict with France during Napoleon's reign. She has come to England to further her research but has met with a dead end. A chance acquaintance has her winging away through the countryside to a crumbling estate which may or may not have the answer to her list of questions.
   Eloise begins reading through the archives and the readers disappear with her into the world of Henrietta and Miles and their ton society. Henrietta is a young woman with ideas about how to find a spy all the while falling in love with her brother's best friend. Needless to say, the situations she gets herself into are hilarious and very dangerous. I had a smile on my face while listening to this book. The narrator is Kate Reading and she does an excellent job. The author has a clever mix of writing the action but also putting in asides the characters are saying in their heads. Very very droll and snortingly funny. Highly recommended for anyone looking for some comic relief for their day.

   Six Degrees: Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal; Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn; The Paris Affair (Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch Historical Mysteries) by Teresa Grant. 

The Secrets of Mary Bowser/ Lois Leveen/ 450 pages

Mary Bowser was a freed slave who returned to Richmond, VA, during the Civil War.  She had been educated in the North.  This is a fictional supposition of what it would have been like for her to be educated and come back to spy on Jefferson Davis by working as a slave in his home.  This was a page-turner!  Very informative and I'm so glad the author decided to take a stab and guessing what life would have been like for this extraordinary woman!

A Train in Winter/ Caroline Moorehead/ 374 pages

This is a non-fiction title about the women in the Resistance in Vichy France.  Interesting book, if you can get into it.  However, also very dense and very intense with information about the concentration camps, specifically Auschwitz.  I don't recommend, if you want a book that pulls you into it.  There were so many women involved and this book tries to highlight as many as possible, which is kind of confusing at times.

Bait / Karen Robards 372 p. St. Louis challenge

Business takes Maddy Fitzgerald to New Orleans where she hopes to land a big account that promises to revive her struggling advertising business.  Her attempted murder brings FBI agent Sam McCabe on the run.  He and his team are pursuing a serial killer who likes playing games with them.  So far he has no clues as to killer's identity.  Maddy is the sole survivor of his attacks.  On the way home to her place in St. Louis, Maddy is attacked again.  Sam persuades her to act as bait as this will be the only way to trap the killer before he strikes again.  Cat-and-mouse plays between the killer and the good guys forces Maddy to tell her whole secret story.  Quick action by Sam, aided by Zelda, the quirky Pekingese (the star of her newest ad campaign), keeps the killer at bay until he makes a mistake.

romantic suspense, character driven

Joanna Sheen's World of Cards / Joanna Sheen 128 p.

Elegant cards are shown step-by-step.  Techniques include decoupage, collage, stamping, embossing, and stenciling.  Not to be missed is the 3-dimensional cards and boxes like the butterfly box--an exploding box where layers open up from a box.  This is for the advanced crafter.  I loved the beauty of these one of a kind works of art.

Stealing Air / Trent Reedy / 266 pages

"A rocketbike, a secret workshop, a super secret flyer, and a giant smiling pig balloon...maybe Iowa won't be boring after all..."  Brian is disappointed when his family moves from Seattle to the Midwest.  His parents are developing a material called plasti-steel that could revolutionize the aerospace and transportation industries.  He loves skateboarding and encounters Wendy - a boarder and and her bully brother Frankie on his first day at the skatepark.  He does make friends with Alex and Max and together they refine and fly an experimental plane.  This one should especially appeal to our young men readers.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

Trophy Widow / Michael A. Kahn / 397 pages / St. Louis Challenge

Rachel Gold is involved in a Son of Sam lawsuit.  Michael Green's fiancee's son is suing for the profit generated on book deals describing his mom's boyfriend's murder.  Michael's ex-wife, Angela Green, was found guilty of the gruesome murder; has no recollection of the night of the murder; and is currently serving time in prison.  Rachel begins investigating the murder.  If she can prove Angela innocent, the Son of Sam case falls apart.  She uncovers a complicated scheme that had relevance to another case she is currently working.

The Finch Factor / Michael A. Kahn / 287 pages / St. Louis Challenge

This is the eighth Rachel Gold mystery but it is not the last one.  Michael Kahn is currently writing number nine.   I was very disappointed to read that Jonathan Wolf had been written out of the seri3es.  Rachel is no a mother with a son and two stepdaughters.  She is still her inimitable self as her cases segue into murder investigations and disparate cases are revealed to be related.  Here Rachel represents home-owners who are about to lose their homes through eminent domain and TIF.  Can Rachel stop the bulldozers?

May Bird and the Ever After / Jodi Lynn Anderson / 317 pages / First Book in a Series

Your fear of water may very well be justified.  May Bird falls - or is pulled - into the lake at Briery Swamp and ends up in Ever After, where all manner of departed spirits dwell and few, if any, living beings are ever encountered.  May must find the Book of the Dead, which holds the answers to everything in the universe, if she is to get back home.  Although May had no friends at school, and was often teased mercilessly, she discovers that Somber Kitty and Pumpkin are her true friends.  Can they help her avoid Bo Cleevil?  This book answers the question "Is there life after death?"  in a most unique and thought-provoking way.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Murder in One Take, April Kelly and Marsha Lyons, 324 pages, First in a series

On their first day as new partners, Detective Maureen O'Brian and Detective Blake Ervansky witness a shooting.  Was it really in self defense?  Or a well planned murder?  The detectives are given a special assignment off the force to delve deeper into the shooting.  Adding to the mix is Maureen's father, a retired producer, with lots of connections to help 'set the stage' to catch the murder.
With likable characters, and set in Hollywood, this book was a fun read.
A Fashion to Kill, Mickey Wyte, 211 pages

Set in current times, the writing style is reminiscent of a 1940's murder mystery.  Jack Centaur is a self made man with plenty of money to spare.  When is niece falls victim to the "Fashion Killer" he is recruited by the lead detective to snoop around the Manhattan socialites for clues.  Much of what Jack does is believable.  He hob knobs with the rich, and is accepted into their circle.  Over all he's a very likable person.  The book is an easy read that manages to keep the killer a secret until the very end.

Crime of privilege/Walter Walker/413 pages

When George was in college, he was lucky (unlucky) enough to have a roommate who ran with a prestigious Massachusetts political family. He and the roommate went to a party in Palm Springs where a young woman was raped. George had always regretted that he didn't do more to stop it and then didn't stand up as a witness when the girl pressed charges. In payment for his silence, he has a job as a ADA in Cape Cod. When the father of a girl who had been viciously murdered and left on a golf course years before corners him, George is put on a path to find the truth. Can he expect someone to stand up as a witness when he didn't in similar circumstances?

There's a reason all of this sounds familiar. The author goes to great pains to tell us that this is fiction, but the setting, characters and crime are very close to the Martha Moxley/Edward Skakel murder case and the William Kennedy Smith rape case. Even if you've read A Season in Purgatory by Dominick Dunne which deals with the same murder case, this is worth your time.

Canyon / Jack Schaefer 70 p.

A young Cheyenne brave finds a canyon that gives him everything, a refuge from the world, and free of attacks and counterattacks of neighboring tribes. Little Bear finds he must fight to preserve this canyon and finds living alone lonely.  He brings a bride to the canyon and together they live in solitude until the death of their infant.  This coming of age story is filled with Indian lore and a way of life no longer seen.

Arnie, the Darling Starling / Margarete Sigl Corbo and Diane Marie Barras 106 p.

While gardening Margaret uncovers an intruder--a baby bird fallen from his nest.  Arnie is rather ugly and scrawny.  Three times she returns him to the nest.  Four times he ends up in her garden.  Margaret decides to rescue him, only keeping him until she can return him to the wild.  She doesn't reckon with the power of his character.  She spends untold time watching over him, teaching him to eat, to fly, and when he speaks, she capitulates and keeps him.  An engaging story of two creatures.

Night Sky / Clare Francis 268 p.

An unwed English mother with her young son are trapped in France by the war, a Jewish research scientist sure the Nazis' will not harm him, and a wily informer, determined to survive the war at any cost, intersect when the scientist's secrets must be smuggled to England.  Betrayed!  Heart pounding pursuits, near captures, Gestapo killings and arrests, resistance fighters overwhelmed, hunted channel crossing keep the action rolling.  Julie returns to the area to find her aunt and other members of the resistance.  There she learns the traitor has been tried and convicted-- her cousin.  But they have the wrong man.  The thrills continue as Julie works with the resistance and local gangsters to find the real traitor.  This keeps you on the edge of your seat -- a real pageturner.

Sunflower / Marilyn Sharp 142 p.

Code name Sunflower.  The plan kidnap the President's daughter.  Why?  There is a high security leak among the highest who have access to the President.  This thriller runs on high octane as the CIA, KGB, double agents go after Sunflower with all watching to see the hand of the mole.  The reader is kept in the dark as the mole plays his cards close to his chest until the last possible moment.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Great Gilly Hopkins / Katherine Paterson / 148 pages

This is a 1978 Newbery Honor book about an angry foster girl named Galadrial and called "Gilly".  She is very angry and the author is able to maintain her hostile tone throughout the first half of the book.  She has an unrealistic dream that her wonderful mother will come to claim her and they will live happily ever after.  Discovering reality and adjusting to it is a theme of the book.  She lives with "Trotter" an overweight, but loving foster mother and a fragile boy W.E.  The ending where she finally meets her real mother is realistic and the story stops without saying too much of what will happen next.  The reader can speculate on that.  While this is a pretty interesting book, it is dated and I knew it was from the late '70's.
Not a lot of kids will choose this book today.

Life as we Knew It / Susan Beth Pfeffer / 337 pgs. / 1st in a Series!

"Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions."

Yeah, if you ever wanted a book that will make you feel a bit panicked and want to stock up for the end of the world, then this is just right for you.  It was though provoking as it really makes you think about what you would do if put in this kind of weird circumstance.  I had a hard time listening/reading this book during my lunch hours, since the characters are always worried about food and starvation and they talk about it constantly, while I'm munching away on last nights' leftover pizza.  *groan*

No warnings for this book, a clean recommendation for any YA reader.

Dad Is Fat / Jim Gaffigan / 275 pages

From the "Dedication and Acknowledgment" and "Who's Who in the Cast" to the very last page, Dad Is Fat is at least a chuckle a page, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, very reminiscent of Bill Cosby's books/routines.  I especially enjoyed the "Critical Analysis of Children's Literature" chapter...priceless!

The Mighty Miss Malone / Christopher Paul Curtis / 307 pages

Deza Malone from Bud, Not Buddy is back and she has great plans for the future.  The Malone family motto is "We are a family on a journey to a place called Wonderful."  Deza is the best in her class in Gary, Indiana; loves to write and read; and is determined to become a great author or perhaps a teacher.  Her brother Jimmy has difficulty with school, but he sings like an angel.  Deza's teacher has plans for Deza, too.  She will tutor her and her best friend, and have a former student fix Deza's very bad teeth.  The Great Depression has hit Gary hard and Deza's dad has difficulty finding a job.  That and a fishing accident cause Deza's dad to leave the family in search of a job in Flint, Michigan.  The family follows and their journey provides insights into life during the Great Depression, the lot of African Americans during the 1930's, and the grit, determination, and pluck of one Mighty Miss Malone and her family.  The story is heartwarming, comical at times, alliterative,...and the cover is awesome!

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

Unstoppable / Tim Green / 343 pages

Wow! I'm not really a football fan, but I really loved this book!! What an inspiring, heartwarming story.  Harrison overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to become the star of his seventh grade football team.  The coach is his new foster dad and his foster mom is an attorney and daughter of the social worker who found this perfect placement for him.  Harrison is a hard-worker who faces cruel teachers, bullies, football injury, cancer, and loss of a limb...Yet he is unstoppable.

Truman Award Preliminary Award Nominee 2014-15

Brendan Buckley's Sixth Grade Science Experiment / Sundee T. Frazier / 280 pages

The cover is too perfect!  Milk chocolate Brendan Buckley is shown posed in his Tae Kwon Do uniform; his unusual science experiment is behind him; and his partner, Morgan appears as irrepressible as ever.  The new girl Morgan Belcher has decided to befriend Brendan.  Can he get rid of her?  Does he want to?  She has two scientifically involved parents.  His police officer father wants him to be tough...but not get into trouble.  Is middle school always this complicated?

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

Don't Go / Lisa Scottoline / 605 pages

Although I've been told my entire life that I would make a good lawyer, my daughter who's undergraduate studies were pre-law said this was definitely not the career for me.  She said I believe too strongly in justice and would be too upset and couldn't sit still and listen and "play the game" if the good guy didn't win.  She's right!  I was so angry Dr. Mike Scanlon's lawyer brother-in-law tried to take his daughter away form him!  I also had him pegged as the murderer.  Turns out he wasn't suck a bad guy after all.  This is an awesome, inspiring read and a great tribute to vets.

Bearing Witness / Michael A. Kahn / 316 pages / St. Louis Challenge

This Rachel Gold case hits pretty close to home.  She has filed an age discrimination lawsuit on behalf of one of her mother's 63-year-old friends.  The case has "gone prehistoric."  What started out as a simple age discrimination claim has now become something far different.  [It was] "believed that Beckman Engineering had participated in a illegal bid-rigging conspiracy involving a series of federal government contracts."  Now Ruth Alpert has an opportunity to become a qui tam relator - a bounty hunter.  A potential key witness is has murdered with Rachel as witness.  The perpetrators are also murdered.  Rachel's investigations lead to the 1930's netherworld of the St. Louis Nazi movement.  Once again, Kahn has written a novel that delights, challenges, satisfies, and enrages.  His cast of characters, Rachel's friends and family enhance and enliven  a superb story.

Shadow and Bone / Leigh Bardugo / 356 pages

Leigh Bardugo has fashioned a world unique unto itself.  A map and cast of characters precedes the narrative, alerting the reader that he/she is about to engage in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Alina Starkov and her best friend, Mal, are orphans and were raised in Duke Keramsov's household.  Their country, Ravka, has been at war for over one hundred years.  They are cut off from their ports by The Fold and the Unsea, and the vicious Volcra, monsters who feed on human flesh.  When they come of age, both Alina and Mal are drafted into the army.  Alina is a cartographer and Mal is a tracker.  On a dangerous mission to The Fold, their convoy is attacked and Alina displays a power no one knew she had.  Is it enough to save the world?  What did Shakespeare say about the power of mercy?  This is an excellent read and should appeal to Hunger Games readers.

"There is something more powerful than any army  Something strong enough to topple kings...Faith."

Truman Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Girl of Fire and Thorns / Rae Carson / 448 pgs / 1st in a Series!

"A fearful sixteen-year-old princess discovers her heroic destiny after being married off to the king of a neighboring country in turmoil and pursued by enemies seething with dark From catalog
magic." -

I should start by saying that I am not a big fan of fantasy.  In fact I find it long, boring, and at times hard to follow due to the large number of characters, endless battles (that I don't care about) and minute details of cities, language, and food (which I also don't care about).  This book has all of these mentioned elements.  There are also are some Religious themes, and this is of course a "hero's story" so it is long-winded and you know that she will develop as a character, get stronger, and ultimately win the day.  *Yay Fantasy*

I you like Fantasy, you will probably like this book as the main character is strong and likeable, and there are lots of things to read about and explore in the fantasy world the novel creates.  And!  lucky you! there are two more books in the series!

YA Truman Award Nominee 2013-2014

The Good Neighbors #1: Kin / Holly Black / 144 pgs / 1st in a Series

Rue Silver's world is turned upside down, when her mother disappears and her father is accused of the murder.  To complicate matters Rue thinks she is seeing things, as strange fairy-like creatures start appearing everywhere she goes. Is she crazy?  Is there really a parallel fairy world?  Do the fairies have anything to do with her mother's disappearance? 

A good story, and detailed black and white illustrations.  The book has sort of a gothic feel to it.  The author Holly Black has also written the series, the Spiderwick Chronicles & Tithe so this makes a good crossover title. 

Otomen (vol. 1) / Aya Kanno / 208 pgs /1st in the Series Challenge

Otomen = a guy who does not want to be a girl, but who likes feminine things (like cooking, sewing, cute toys, and shojo manga). 

Asuka Masamune is the captain of the school's judo team and is mysterious and aloof.  He looks like the epitome of masculinity, but underneath he really craves girly things like flowers, cute toys, and girl comics.  Asuka does not want his classmates to find out his secret love of all things feminine, because he has convinced himself that this is bad an not how men should act.  To complicate matters Asuka falls for a tomboyish girl named Ryo who is completely hopeless when it comes to the feminine arts. 

I'm not sure how long this series can run on this gimmick of gender roles before it gets too exaggerated, played-out, or just plain insulting.  There are some funny moments though, as Asuka has cravings to buy cute, girly things and just goes crazy. 

Joshua / Joseph F. Girzone 271 p.

Joshua, a simple carpenter from Bethlehem, sets ups up in Auburn.  As he brings to live Biblical figures, Moses for a synagogue, St. Peter for an Episcopal church and another for the Pentecostal church, etc., he talks about his beliefs, the role of God in one's life, and some dilemmas caused by church rules.  Children flock to Joshua.  People with problems come to talk, including a young priest with a drinking problem.  Joshua raises questions that bring him to the attention of religions leaders.  Joshua is called to the highest church authorities to explain.  This is a modern day parable set in 20th century times.

Monday, August 26, 2013

the Astronaut Wives Club / Lily Koppel / 270 pages

This interesting book is about the lives of the wives of the astronauts and covers the entire period of the space program to the cancellation of the program after the first moon shots.  At first, the book reads like she watched the movie "the Right Stuff" a bunch of times, but she really did interview astronaut wives and did extensive research.  I think the similarity is due to the accurate work of Tom Wolfe in his book and movie. 
The astronaut wives may have gained fame, money, and society recognition, but the price was extremely high.  They had little privacy, huge amounts of stress, absent, cheating husbands, and a lonely life in Houston.  By the end, half to three quarters of them were divorced.
There were so many wives from the different programs that I had difficulty keeping them straight as the author jumps around a lot from wife to wife and incident to incident.  Toward the end, she basically just goes by the mission number and doesn't have the detail that she had for the early years.  This was possible due to it becoming repetitive - stress - infidelity - alcohol - privacy issues.  She acknowledges the courage it took to be an astronaut wife and how much they endured for their astronaut husbands.  Always "Proud" - "Thrilled" - and "Happy"

Missing on Superstition Mountain / Elise Broach / 262 pages

This 2013 Mark Twain nominee is a pretty interesting book.  Three brothers who have recently moved from Illinois to Superstition, Arizona become involved in a mystery on the mountain.  Of course, they are not supposed to go up the mountain, but their parents' and the police warnings do not deter them.  I do not really like books where the children are portrayed doing dangerous things that they have lied to their parents about.  I would not like children readers to think that anything they do will turn out as successfully in real life as it usually does in books.  These kids go into the mountains and onto cliffs and ravines.  From having been in that sort of terrain, I know that getting lost could be quite easy as it all starts to look the same.  At least the girl in the story falls and gets injured. One brother has to go get the parents and help.  The other redeeming point is that the middle brother, Henry, at least has guilty thoughts and feelings that it isn't a good idea.  He, however, isn't strong enough to overcome the pressure of his brother.  Of course, without the adventure there would be no book.

Bombshell/Catherine Coulter/392 pages

Another in the FBI Thriller series, this one has two distinct storylines running through it. One involves FBI Special Agent Griffin Hammersmith and his sister Delsey who is a music student at the prestigious Stanislaus School of Music in Maestro, Virginia. She has been found unconscious and naked in a pool of blood in her bathroom. The blood isn't all hers, so Griffin needs to find out what Delsey stumbled into before she is targeted again. Back in D.C., agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock are trying to find out who murdered the grandson of the former Federal Reserve Bank chairman and if it related to the banking collapse or if it was something more personal.

This is one of my favorite series although there are so many characters now, I may need a chart to keep track. She includes an excerpt of her next book which starts a new series called a Brit in the FBI. She's taking a page out of Patterson's book by taking on a co-writer, J.T. Ellison.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Sheer Gall / Michael A. Kahn / 308 pages / St. Louis Challenge

Okay, you aren't going to believe this, but the title refers to unadulterated, or pure, cattle gallstones.  I know!  Rachel Gold, Kahn's irrepressible investigative female attorney, is hired to prosecute a soon-to-be ex-husband for spousal abuse.  Attorney Sally Wade shows up in Rachel's office, badly beaten and retains Rachel as her attorney in a suit to acquire assets previously unavailable to her because of a prenuptial agreement.  Sally is murdered.  Is her soon-to-be ex the murderer?  Simultaneously, Rachel is involved in a case of high society fraud.  As always, Michael Kahn entertains as he provides insights into life in St. Louis, the Jewish community/traditions, and friendship in its myriad forms.

The Raft / S. A. Bodeen / 231 pages

If you haven't read The Compound by S. A. Bodeen, you should!  If you have read it, you already know how well the author writes and that The Raft will be an engaging, informative read.  Although I like The Compound better, I would definitely recommend The Raft.  Robie takes a supply plane from Honolulu, Hawaii where she had been staying with her aunt to her home on Midway Island.  The plane goes down in a storm and Robie is forced into the role of survivor.  Bodeen uses a most unorthodox vehicle to advance and complicate the plot (Max) and includes a plethora of information about albatross, sea life, and the little known northern Hawaiian Islands.
There's also a recipe for Better Than Anything cake.

Truman Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

In Your Dreams / Lynn Bulock / 221 pages / St. Louis Challenge

I read this book for the St. Louis Challenge and I am really glad I did.  I actually got shivers at three different places in the book.  You know the shivers you get when you hear really great singing, or see or hear others going above and beyond what is expected?!  Meg works PR for Mercy Children's Hospital and Alex writes and broadcasts sports.  In their college days, they had been friends.  Misunderstandings and practical jokes ended the friendship.  Now six years later, can the friendship be rekindled and fanned to new life as romance?

Homesick / Kate Klise / 180 pages / Missouri Challenge

Dennis Acres, Missouri has only 53 people since NOLA, Benny's mother, left his dad...again.  "There were only 3 streets and 29 houses in the whole town."  Benny, whose real name is Beignet, feels as if "a change was coming that would transform everything."  As it turns out he's right.  His dad's collection fetish is worse than ever, turning their house into an unbelievable mess.  Miss Tina Turnipson, the kindergarten teacher, has written an essay contest entry for her creative writing class naming and embellishing Dennis Acres as "America's Most Charming Small Town."  Representatives from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are coming to Dennis Acres in five weeks to meet the residents of the winning town, but Dennis Acres is "ugly as sin and dull as dish water, and now everyone's going to know.  [They'll] be the laughingstock of America."  "Anything could happen,  Anything was possible."  Can a tornado be a good thing?

"Was history just one long story of people trying to get along?"

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

The Future of Us/Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler/356 pages

A "quirky" little love story for teens. Don't expect anything earth shattering, but this book was fun. Set in the 1990's before texting, tweeting and posting what you had for lunch on Facebook. Two teens pop in a AOL cd for twenty free hours of internet into their new computer and the fun, or drama, begins. Emma and Josh have been best friends forever and now they spend every day on the internet looking at Facebook, the only problem, Facebook hasn't been invented. They are looking into their future and every little thing they do in the present adds a little ripple to what happens to their lives. Marriages, children, jobs, they see it all. The idea for this story was great, and I've read other books by these authors, but this book doesn't quite live up to their other works.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Inside Story / Michael Buckley / 226 pages

This is book #8 in the Sisters Grimm story and Sabrina and Daphne Grimm along Puck, the devilish trickster king, set off into the Book of Everafter to save their baby brother.  Adventure, battle, courage, fairy tale & folktale characters & creatures, humor, even a touch of youthful romance, make this entry into the series as satisfying as the previous stories.  Those little pink "revisors" are pretty scary though.  Now, alas, I'm listening to book 9 which is the conclusion of the series.  The good news is that author Michael Buckley will be at the Library on October 23 for a program so I can thank him in person for this fantastic series.  Elementary school reading.

Island of Silence / Lisa McMann / 406 pages

This is the 2nd book in the Unwanted trilogy and Lisa McMann does a masterful job of pulling you into the story, keeping you enthralled with the plot and then (curse her) leaving you hanging at the end.  Island of Silence continues the story of Alex Stowe (the Unwanted) and his evil twin brother Aaron Stowe (The Wanted).  Alex learns what it means to be a leader and must work to save Artime.  I can see why kids are devouring these books.  Sure fire winner for both boys and girls in upper elementary grades.  No spoiler alert here..you will have to read Island of Silence to find out what happens yourself!

Pinch Hit / Tim Green / 311 pages

The Prince and the Pauper revisited with a movie star/baseball player in the main character roles.  Trevor Goldman is a movie star with a Hollywood mansion, a limo, a famous director father...everything.  He would love to play baseball.  His mother arranges for him to play with the pro baseball team L.A. Dodgers for his birthday, but he realizes that they are playing down t accommodate him.  Enter Sam Palomaki who does play baseball, in fact, he has a chance at winning MVP and a scholarship to play pro ball.  He lives in a trailer near a dump with his dad who is trying to break into the movies by writing scripts.  To make some extra money, Sam signs up at Casting Central, is immediately signed on as Trevor's stand in, and almost as immediately fired.  The boys look so much alike they could be twins.  Can they trade places so Trevor can play baseball and Sam can find a market for his father's script?   This is an extraordinarily well-written sports story that is next to impossible to put down.  Although the ending is emotionally satisfying and heartwarming, I really didn't feel as if Trevor's parents were acting in character.

Mark Twain Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

The Eye of the Storm / Kate Messner / 292 pages

In the Revolutionary War era, taverns were spaced fifteen miles apart because that's how far a traveler could ride in a day.  Now, in the not too distant future, concrete storm shelters are built every fifteen miles to protect travelers from the killer tornadoes and monster storms that are a part of everyday life.  Global warming has caused significant changes to life on earth.  Jaden Meggs is to spend the summer at Placid Meadows, a storm-safe community  developed by her father, while her mother attempts to save endangered frogs in Costa Rica.  Her father wants to expand Placid Meadows by buying surrounding farmland, but the farmers refuse to sell.  It almost seems as if the storms are targeting these farms.  This is an edge-of-your-seat, cant-put-it-down suspense story sure to appeal to Midwesterners...and others...who have been impacted by recent increased tornado activity and intensity.

Truman Award Preliminary Nominee 2014-15

Wobegon Boy / Garrison Keillor 305 p.

John Tollefson tells of his years after leaving Lake Wobegon, Minn. behind when he graduated from college (in Lake Wobegon Days).  He shares his business acumen (not) when he and his girlfriend's brother open a restaurant.  His winning of radio's coveted Wally Award brings on a acceptance speech that falls short of what he wanted to accomplish. His comments on public radio may show the author's behind the scenes passion.  What I like is how me makes the characters so real.  You can see his father.  He presents flawed characters that you feel for and can laugh with.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Angel Christmas / Mary Balogh, Marilyn Campbell, Carole Nelson Douglas, Emma Merritt, Patricia Rice 384 p.

Four writers, four styles, all romance set at Christmas time each involving angels giving impetus to move a relationship forward.   My favorite was Patricia Rice's Tin Angel.   This angel has character, and personality and isn't afraid to tell some truths to the hero who is goodhearted yet discouraged when his politics in Regency England fail to move anyone.

Under the Mistletoe / Mary Balogh 341 p.

Christmas time is the time to rekindle old loves, find new, and reconnect with family.  And Mary Balogh delivers this and more in these amusing, steamy, Regency romances.  What fun to read about a wonderful time of the year.

Bombshell/Catherine Coulter/392 pgs.

FBI Special Agent Griffin Hammersmith is on his way to Washington, D.C., to join FBI Agent Dillon Savich's special team. He decides to visit his sister, Delsey Freestone, a college student at Stanislaus School of Music in Maestro, VA, before assuming his duties in Washington, D.C. Let's just say, that this doesn't turn out to be the vacation Griffin expects it to be. Delsey, who seems to attract trouble, is knocked unconscious after discovering an unknown dead man in her bathtub. As a result, Griffin is told to stay in Maestro to help solve the crime. At the same time, Savich and his wife, FBI Agent Lacey Sherlock, are dealing with the murder of a young man whose frozen body is found at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial. This is part of a series, but could easily be read on its own. There is suspense, mystery, and even a little romance. What's not to like?

Sisterland/Curtis Sittenfeld/400 pages

Daisy and Violet are twins who also are psychic. Up until middle school, the girls are happy to play with each other and one other girl. But in middle school, in order to make friends with the queen bee, Daisy tells the twins' secret and the girls are labeled witches. Fast forward to college where Daisy starts going by a variation of her middle name, Kate, and attends school at Mizzou while Vi goes off to Reed College, although only for 6 weeks. From then on, the girls lead very different lives. Kate gets married and starts a family while Vi capitalizes on her senses by becoming a psychic for hire. Everything is more or less okay until Vi predicts an earthquake and Kate inadvertently supplies a date. Vi becomes a national sensation, and the entire St. Louis region is put on edge waiting to see if the predication comes true. Will there be an earthquake or is that just a metaphor for life-altering changes is one or both of the twins' lives?

Set in St. Louis, Sisterland is a fun read if only because you recognize every place they go. The overall description of the attitudes of the area are pretty insulting, though. Sittenfeld has made a name for herself lately by being critical of the region although she chooses to live here. She refused to have her picture on her first few books because she didn't want to be recognized as famous in her hometown. Apparently, she has gotten over that. The ending of the book is quick and a little unsatisfying, but overall, a good read.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Pride & Prejudice / Jane Austen Adapted by Nancy Butler / 120 pgs.

In the introduction to this Graphic Novel the author, Nancy Butler, flat out writes that Marvel Comics wanted a story that would appeal to girls and get them to buy more comic books.  I don't have a problem with that, nor am I opposed to the Austen classic that they chose.  I just wondered if it was some marketing ploy by Marvel Comics or just plain lack of imagination on the artist's part to make the main character, Lizzy, look exactly like Keira Knightley, who played the Lizzy in the 2005 movie version.

"Why, whatever do you mean?!  I look Absolutely
nothing like that comic book character."

Still, this really was a very nice Graphic Novel Adaption the classic "Pride & Prejudice".  I loved the movie and mini-series based on this novel, but I just could never bring myself to actually READ the 400 page tome.  I know that with only 120 pages, I am still missing a lot to the story, but it was nice to be able to slow down and read some of Austen's words.  In the movies the actors speak so quickly, I find it hard to catch everything they are trying to convey.  Clean, great story, great illustrations that add to the overall package. 

I would recommend this book to anybody that wants to try out a graphic novel and likes literary stories. 
  


Revival : You're Among Friends (vol. 1) / Tim Seeley & Mike Norton / 128 pgs. / 1st in a Series Challenge!

One day, in a little rural town in central Wisconsin, the recently deceased came back to life.  Quickly, this sleepy town went from the quiet life to instant international scrutiny as the government, the CDC, reporters, religious zealots, and other nutcases try to pry into the townspeople while they are trapped there in quarantine.  No one knows why the 20 or so people have come back to life and there are questions to the "revivers" sanity, health, and if they present a danger to the community. 

The book feels like someone is poking a caged, wild animal with a stick and you are just waiting for something (it) to snap.  The mystery is intriguing; what caused this event? is it the end times? some medical breakthrough?  The story focuses on the people of the town as they put one step in front of the other through this stressful time.

Warning: This book is a Horror novel and is rated Mature.  It is very bloody, and not recommended for those with a weak stomach. 

Teen Titans: Prime of Life / J.T. Krul, Nicola Scott, Jose Luis, Eduardo Pansica / 200 pgs.

Cassie aka "Supergirl" gets a distress call from her mother and she takes her team of superhero pals called the "Teen Titans" to Pakistan to investigate.  Supergirl's mom is an archaeologist and a few of her workers has mysteriously disappeared from the site they have been digging in.  While searching the archaeological site the Titans are transported to a demonic realm where they face off against Rankor the demon from the Hindu legend the Ramayana.

It was nice that some background to the story of the Ramayana was included.  I had heard of the story, but know nothing about it.  So, I really enjoyed the fact that a pop culture title like "Teen Titans" would include something that many American kids would not normally know about.  I am more than sure that this book is only loosely using the Hindu legend, but then again, this is a superhero story, so we are not really looking for facts and accuracy.  Hopefully, this will spark the interest of some teens and they will want to research and read more about the Ramayana.  I know I do.
 

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 3 / Rei Toma / 186 pgs.

Princess Nakaba of Senan is warming up to the idea of her political marriage with Prince Caesar.  However, her loyal servant Loki is still mistrustful and spiteful towards the Prince.  A new visitor to the palace helps Princess Nakaba uncover and develop her mystical power called the "Arcana of Time", which is activated when the Princess sees blood. 

Nightmares and Dreamscapes / Stephen King / 816 pgs.


Publishers Weekly:
This is a wonderful cornucopia of 23 StephenKing moments (including a teleplay featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, a poem about Ebbet's Field and a brilliant New Yorker piece on Little League baseball) that even the author, in his introduction, acknowledges make up "an uneven Aladdin's cave of a book." There are no stories fans will want to skip, and some are superb, particularly "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band," in which a husband and wife drive through a town that may literally be rock-and-roll heaven; "The Ten O'Clock People," about unredeemable smokers; and "The Moving Finger," which chronicles a digit's appearance in a drain. Together with Night Shift and Skeleton Crew , this volume accounts for all the stories King has written that he wishes to preserve. The introduction and illuminating notes about the derivation of each piece are invaluable autobiographical essays on his craft and his place in the literary landscape. An illusionist extraordinaire, King peoples all his fiction, long and short, with believable characters. The power of this collection lies in the amazing richness of his fevered imagination--he just can't be stopped from coming up with haunting plots.





The Dark Man / Stephen King / 88 pgs.


Stephen King first wrote about the Dark Man in college after he envisioned a faceless man in cowboy boots and jeans and a denim jacket forever walking the roads. Later this dark man would come to be known around the world as one of King's greatest villains, Randall Flagg, but at the time King only had simple questions on his mind: where was this man going? What had he seen and done? What terrible things...?

Purportedly scrawled by a college-age King on the back of a restaurant place mat, this glowering poem introduced a wandering character of ultimate evil, who would later mature into Randall Flagg of The Stand, The Eyes of the Dragon, and the Dark Tower series. Therefore, even though this is a curiosity, it's a significant one in the King mythos, and Chadbourne's black-and-white interpretation gives the spare text just the rotten juice it craves. The poem itself is the sort of metaphysical, apocalyptic piece you might expect from the late 1960s, but is nonetheless evocative. It begins, "i have stridden the fuming way / of sun-hammered tracks and / smashed cinders," as we follow the slow nighttime progress of a smudgy man traversing a moonlit America of busted merry-go-rounds, dilapidated trains, and agonized cemeteries. Wordless pages fill out the five-stanza poem, with Chadbourne's flat, snarled pencilwork hiding snakes, spiders, rats, and faces in every twisted tableau. It's all suitably ominous, and bewitched fans will be able to draw a direct line between this and The Gunslinger (1982). --Booklist




Everyday, Average Jones/Suzanne Brockmann/256 pgs.

Melody Evans is being held in a foreign embassy. She, and two other U.S. citizens, are rescued by a group of Navy Seal operatives, one of whom is Harlan "Cowboy" Jones.  Melody and Jones are strongly attracted to each other, and once immediate danger is over, they become more than "friends." They part ways, and when Melody turns up pregnant, she decides it's in every one's best interest not to inform Jones. Of course, he finds out, and spends the rest of the book trying to convince Melody that they should marry.  It's an entertaining read, though at times Melody's protestations become tiresome!

Deadly Little Lies/Jeanne Adams/353 pgs.

Davros Gianikopolis, a Greek billionaire, and security expert living in San Francisco, is very interested in Carrie McCray, an art gallery owner.  Dav finally talks Carrie into a lunch date--and that's where the fun begins. They're kidnapped in broad daylight, and the question is: who is behind it? There is suspense and romance--a perfect summer read!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

THE OUTCASTS: A NOVEL / Kathleen Kent / 326 Pages

For those who enjoy a literary Western with a bit of a twist. THE OUTCASTS takes place five years after the Civil War and is told in alternating chapters, following the stories of Lucinda Carter and Nate Cannon. Both are traveling eastward from Texas towards an inevitable meeting in New Orleans.

Lucinda is a 'sporting girl' who suffers from epileptic fits, trying to escape her past so she can spend the rest of her life with her lover. She is also hunting for a lost treasure of gold. Nate is a newly assigned Texas policeman with a strong belief in justice and loyalty. He is determined to hunt down a vicious child killer named McGill.

As their stories move closer together there will be violence, betrayal, and a chance, just a chance, for all debts to be paid in full.

Lethal Legacy / Irene Hannon / 351 pages / St. Louis Challenge & Last in a Series

This is book three in the Guardians of Justice series - perhaps the final book?  St. Louis County detective Cole Taylor investigates the suicide of Kelly Warren's father.  She believes he was murdered.  She cannot accept that he would kill himself.  Cole encourages Kelly to examine her father's effects and in doing so she finds evidence which supports her claim...It also puts her life in jeopardy.  Irene Hannon's books are a real find...romance, suspense, faith...

Cold Granite / Stuart MacBride / 386 pages / Irish/Scottish Challenge

Detective Sergeant Logan McRae is just off medical leave from a knifing that was so bad his colleagues refer to him as Lazarus.  Children are being murdered, mutilated, and trashed, and McRae is determined to catch the monster responsible.  The plot has multiple twists and turns, an abundance of suspects, an interfering newspaper reporter, and an inside informant.  This page turner is reminiscent of Ian Rankin.  The story is set in Scotland and the DI constantly snacks on pocketed sweets.

Twice Dead / Eleanor Sullivan / 230 pages / St. Louis Challenge

Murder in the ICU!  How is that possible?  Head nurse Monica Everhardt is convinced that Hope Pierce did not die of hemorrhaging due to an abortion.  Apparently she had not even been pregnant!  Who had motive and opportunity?  Set in St. Louis, this spine-tingling who-done-it deals with the health care crisis, abortion, infidelity, rigid religion, and an assortment of secondary issues.

The Penny / Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford / 388 pages / St. Louis Challenge

Jenny Blake lives in 1955 St. Louis with a father who sexually, physically, and psychologically abuses her and her sister Jean.  One day on the way to the Fox Theater to watch Grace Kelly in "Rear Window", she spies a penny embedded in the asphalt street.  Bending to pick it up results in a chain reaction of events that forever changes her life.  As Jenny continues finding pennies, she gives them away to everybody because she wants to help people the same way God kept helping her. To say The Penny is inspiring would be a gross understatement.  I highly recommend this one as example to all of us to end all forms of discrimination.

"Hurt people are the ones who hurt people."

Love Only Once / Johanna Lindsey / 415 pages / Irish/Scottish Challenge

It all began with an accidental abduction...and ended with...and they all lived happily ever after.  Nicholas is tiring of his mistress, Salena, a widow of two years, and decides to have a bit of fun at her expense.  On the night of a big ball, he absconds with her carriage in an attempt to cause her to miss the ball.  Imagine his consternation when her arrives at the ball only to see her flirting outrageously.  Who did he kidnap?  Will Reggi's uncles seek recompense?

Touch and Go / Lisa Gardner / 423 pages

"Pain has a flavor but hope does too."  Libby Denbe's world has fallen apart - twice.  She discovered that her wealthy, construction company owning husband has been cheating on her.  They are in the midst of an attempted reconciliation, when Libby and Justin return from a date night and the entire family is tazed and kidnapped.  What follows is simply harrowing and horrifying.  Investigator Tessa Leone races against the clock questioning multiple suspects in a desperate push to save the family.  This is a tense, gripping, psychologically significant expose of a family in conflict both from within and without.  I usually can't figure out the villain, but suspected this one almost from the beginning.

The Cuckoo's Calling / Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling) / 455 pages

Cormoran Strike has most assuredly seen better days.  His fiancée, the beautiful, wealthy Charlotte, has broken it off with him yet again.  He is struggling financially, currently living at his office, having few clients - those who refuse to pay and others who threaten his life.  He encounters John Bristow, a paying client, and Robin, a secretary from Temporary Solutions, on the same day Charlotte calls it quits and attacks him.  Bristow wants Strike to investigate his adoptive sister's supposed suicide.  Was superstar Lula Landry thrown off her balcony?  This captivating who-done-it is a compelling read, much much better than Casual Vacancy.  It's been rumored that perhaps that this is the first in a series featuring Strike and Robin.  One can only hope.

"Humans often assumed symmetry and equality where none existed."

Standing in Another Man's Grave / Ian Rankin / 647 pages / Irish/Scottish Challenge

Wow!  - a tour of Scotland...and music groups - I felt almost as if I'd entered an altered universe.  Former detective John Rebus is working on cold cases as an adjunct to the police department.  Rumor has it the unit will soon be disbanded with only the supervisor, Cowan, retained on the force.  Rebus is approached by one Nina Hazlett who has been pleading for a decade for news regarding her daughter's disappearance.  Rebus agrees to look into the case.  His unorthodox methods and intrepid personality endear him to the reader, despite his bungling in the eyes of the department.

Never Hug a Nun / Kevin Killeen / 135 pages / St. Louis Challenge

Thanks for the Blog post about this book!  I, too, enjoyed it and agree that these are some precocious kids, behaving well ahead of their years.  I guess I grew up with "gentle boys who had never stolen anything...they were boys whose hearts were still in the original box, unopened..."  Bill McClellan is right. Patrick evokes memories of Tom Sawyer and all his shenanigans.

St. Louis Hustle / Claire Applewhite / 208 pages / St. Louis Challenge

'Nam Noir Series
"A simple case turns into a web of lethal deception."  Grapevine Investigations is eager to begin work on its first case.  Elvin Suggs and Diamond (Di) Redding are asked to trail Emily Davies philandering husband, Nick, and secure proof of his infidelity.  Aided by Vietnam vet, Cobra Glynes, they follow the cheating husband to the Coral Court Motel and become embroiled in affairs, drug deals, and lying, cheating spouses.  The Coral Court Motel is recreated in a display at the local Museum of Transportation.

Missouri Madhouse / Jonathan Rands / 215 pages / Missouri Challenge

#10 American Chillers
Beginning with three pages of endorsements from young readers ages 7 - 13, the American Chillers obviously has a devoted fan following.  It also has an accompanying website.  In Missouri Madhouse, Amber DeBarre and her friend Courtney Richards become bored watching scary movies and decide to visit the local haunted house.  Rumors about the house abound, including one that says a mysterious boy appears in the windows of the house.  Scott Palmer scares the girls to death when they see his face reflected in the window.  Foolishly, the three friends enter the madhouse, encounter a carnival, Tony, Santa Claus (?), and much more!

Head to Head / Lilnda Ladd / 380 pages / Missouri Challenge

Claire Morgan is a homicide detective at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.  She has to investigate the brutal murder and staging of a soap opera star.  Nick Black - an ubber wealthy psychiatrist wiht international offices and who was probably the last person to see Silvie alive, and Harve Lester - Claire's former partner in LA who was shot in the line of duty and has no feeling below his waste but does have one of the best detective minds ever, are intricately involved in the murder's resolution.  Is Claire responsible for the murder?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer / Mark Twain / 317 pages / Missouri Challenge

I'm so glad I revisited my old friend Tom Sawyer this summer.  He is as incorrigible as ever and this audio book sounded as if Mark Twain himself was telling the story.

The Boneshaker / Kate Milford / 372 pages / Missouri Challenge

"Strange things can happen at a crossroads."  The Boneshaker is Natalie Minks' difficult to control bicycle.  She and her father have fashioned the bike and Emily is in awe of it.  The year is 1914 and a terrible illness has struck a nearby Missouri town, causing the doctor to leave Natalie's town to help with the epidemic.  A traveling medicine show comes to town. Could one of the purveyors of magic/medicine be the devil himself?  Can Natalie and Old Tom defeat him?

Due Diligence / Michael A. Kahn / 326 pages / St. Louis Challenge

"Due diligence is the stage in every corporate acquisition between the handshake and the closing, between the engagement party and the wedding vows, between the press release announcing the deal and the day the New York stock exchange opens with one less listed company.  Due diligence is what squadrons of lawyers, accountants, and other specialists do to the books and records and the assets and liabilities of the target company during the months before the closing."  Bruce Rosenthal's due diligence resulted in his murder by trash chute/compactor.  Rachel Gold investigates his death and uncovers a bizarre plot implicating a U.S. senator from Missouri with presidential aspirations.  This set-in-St. Louis novel is part of a series starring Rachel Gold written by St. Louis lawyer Michael Kahn.

"On average, it takes eight to ten years and 50 - 80 million dollars to bring a new drug to market."
"By 1860, there were more than 40 breweries in St. Louis...caves."

Dinosaur Kisses / David Ezra Stein / 32 pages

In this feisty picturebook, Dinah the dinosaur hatches and immediately goes in search of adventure.  She whomps, she stomps, she chomps.  When she sees two little creatures kissing, Dinah decides that's something she'd like to try.  Unfortunately dinosaur affection can be difficult to express in the conventional way.  Great book to share with your child...followed by lots of kisses.

Silken Prey / John Sandford / 406 pages

After all these years, Sandford's "Prey" books are still satisfying both in terms of character and plot. At the behest of the governor, Lucas Davenport, finds himself investigating discovery of child porn on a candidate's computer on the eve of an important election for US Senator.  Machiavellian political moves, an investigation that dips into illegal means to discover what is happening, and a resolution that leaves the reader perturbed make for great turn-the-page faster and faster reading.  If you haven't discovered the Prey series, get on board now.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

The End is Near!! Final Challenge!

Hey Fellow Readers!  As all good things must come to an end; this competition season is wrapping up.  So THIS IS the FINAL month to get your points in!!!!!  So READ, READ, READ, Blog, Bug your co-workers and remind them to blog, and then READ some More!!  Lets go out with a bang and make this final month the BEST MONTH EVER!!


To celebrate the End of the Missouri Book Blog Competition, this month's challenge will be to read the Last Book in a Series.  So for all of those books you started back in March, jump to the end of the series and see what ultimately happens to the characters!  "2" points will be awarded to books that are the last book in the series. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

Secret Mistress / Mary Balogh 320 p. Last in the Series

Being the sister of two rakish brothers and the daughter of another drives Lady Angeline Dudley to long for a kind and simple husband.  She tumbles head of heels for Edward Ailsbury, Earl of Heywood, at their first rather unusual meeting, read not proper for noble women, where he acts like a very proper gentleman.  This complements others in the Mistress  series (More than a Mistress, and No Man's Mistress).  She is unaware of his name until they meet on the dance floor for her opening set of her coming out ball.  She is on his family's short list of very eligible prospective brides.  Hurdles appear, he has formed an attachment to a steadfast friend, daughter to his college don--she's comfortable.  This growing enjoyment of Lady Angeline's company unsettles him as he doesn't seem to believe in love.  His first proposal falls flat because he feels he must since he "compromised" her and doesn't tell her she is his love.  A sensual romance.

Mercury / Hope Larson / 234 pgs.

Set in 1859 and Present Day, the novel alternates between the stories of two girls.  The latter is about a young girl named Josey Fraser who falls for a dark and mysterious stranger who convinces her family that he can find and mine gold on their land.  The other story is about Tara Fraser (a descendant of Josey) whose longstanding family home burnt down and is now living with her cousin and going to a new school.  The two stories are tied together by the family's history and land.  There is a bit of magical realism and this book reads almost like a ghost story. 

A good recommendation for anyone who likes mysteries, treasure hunting or ghost stories. 

Short Stories of the North / Jack London 248 p. Vintage

Jack London stories have the power to bring the story vividly alive.  He has great knowledge of the frozen north as well as in-depth knowledge of the human spirit.  These stories vibrate even today.

Three Days / Donna Jo Napoli 151 p.

Eleven-year old Jackie and her dad are enjoying time together, driving the hills in Italy when her dad experiences a heart attack and dies.  Bewildered she signals for help.  She gets a ride with two men who don't speak English and she speaks no Italian.  She sees that they are not driving her to the police for help.  They take her to a small village to stay with a motherly woman.  Turns out she has lost her teen-age daughter.  In three days she makes connections with the sad woman who does get her home.

Cinderella: Fables are Forever / Chris Roberson / 152 pgs. / Fairy Tales Challenge!

Cinderella is more than just a fashionista princess in this mash-up fairytale series.  Here Cinderella is a Master Spy travelling the world to seek out the whereabouts and secret plots of the other still existing Fairy Tale Factions. Of course, every Bond-like spy must have an arch-nemesis and this volume explores the rivalry between "Cindy" and the evil Dorothy Gale (yes, that one from Kansas) who goes by the code name "Silver Slipper". 

Twilight Child / Warren Adler 132 p.

Twilight Child is the story of two grandparents excluded from their grandson's life when their daughter-in-law remarries and starts a new family.  They have such a love that they need to see him.  They turn to the courts to gain access.  This is the story of families and the complex issues surrounding them.

This Giving Heart / Hugh Miller 151 p.

Teenage Megan Roberts future is grim as the daughter of a Welsh miner.  She goes into service as made to the aristocratic Gwendolyn Pughe-Morgan.  There her hard work is recognized.  Mrs. Pughe-Morgan befriends her and devises an education plan.  She finds her true love in Alun Rees and loses him in WWI; and then their child to whooping cough.  Nursing becomes her calling. And she goes for training, choosing to practice in South Wales.

Dawn of the Arcana, vol. 2 / Rei Toma / 172 pgs.

Prince Caesar is trying to figure out what he can buy Princess Nakaba to make her happy.  But, nothing he can say, do, nor buy is going to change the fact that they are enemies from warring countries, who were forced to marry to keep the peace.  However, Princess Nakaba has started to have prophetic dreams and in some of them Prince Caesar gets wounded or killed.  Will Nakaba do anything to save him?  

I am also reading "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" by Rae Carson, which is also a YA novel about a princess stuck in a political marriage and a love triangle between her the Prince and the Servant.  Needless to say I keep confusing the plotlines between the two series.  So I guess you could say these two series are good "read a likes". 

Ringo, the Robber Raccoon / Robert Franklin Leslie 67 p.

A humorous portrait of a thieving raccoon with a need for protection and an outdoors man with a need to save his supplies from the rascal.  Hired to find traces of Bigfoot in the wilds of British Columbia, Leslie is panic by sounds of his cooking utensils clattering and his food sack looted.  Sure it is Bigfoot, he stays put in his sleeping bag.  Surprised by what Bigfoot took: a tin cup, a package of nuts, and a bar of soap.  When the thief returns he takes packaged raisins, two chocolate bars, and his only fork.  With the morning, tracks seen were not of Bigfoot but of a bold raccoon--so bold he makes his way to camp when frying bacon and flapjacks wafted his way.  Leslie explains that raccoons have 4 hands and nimble fingers and described his breakfast scene thus:
"I clung to one rim of my aluminum plate, he seized the other side.  We both pulled for all we worth, grabbing bacon and pancake with as many fingers as possible.  But his twenty had me bested.  He could roll on his fanny, balance with his tail against the log, hold my plate with his hind fingers and stuff his mouth with both hands.  Each of us glared at the other as a shameless glutton."

And so starts his summer.

In Love and War : the Story of a Family's Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam Years / Jim and Sybil Stockdale 226 p.

Jim and Sybil Stockdale recount their story of their lives after Jim is shot down in North Vietnam at the start of the war and take prisoner.  Their story is rather each telling their side as they were apart for over 7 1/2 years.  Jim, on the receiving unimaginable torture and brutality, was the leader of prisoner resistance.  His created and helped enforce a code of conduct for all prisoners which governed torture, secret communications, and behavior.  He persisted in resisting even to the point of self-inflected injuries so that he would not used for propaganda.  His wife supported him throughout: raising their sons, starting The League of American Families of POWs and MIAs, even putting pressure on the Vietnamese.  Jim believes that this work helped keep him alive.  A powerful story of a remarkable couple who truly loved each other and their country.    

Silent Melody / Mary Balogh 361 p.

Teenage Lady Emily Marlowe falls in love with Lord Ashley Kendrick.  He leaves for India where he marries, has a son and loses in family in a tragedy.  When he returns, he dances with her and becomes very aware of her.  Yet, his guilt over his loss keeps them apart as does her struggle to make her way in society as a deaf person.  Again, Mary Balogh tells a romance where characters have issues.

Christmas Promise / Mary Balogh 289 p.

Eleanor Transome appears to have a stone heart when she cannot shed a tear when her father dies after honoring his dying wish that she marry a nobleman. The Earl of Falloden sees this coldness is seen again when Ellie invites her entire family to celebrate Christmas before the mourning period is barely entered.  Her family is warm, outgoing, and fun.  They celebrate Christmas exuberantly.  She dreads a lifetime in a loveless marriage.  And how can the earl claim to love her when he married her for her fortune.

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells/ Andrew Sean Greer/ 304 pages

After her brother succumbs to AIDS and her long time partner leaves, Greta Wells falls into a deep depression.  When all other treatments fail, Greta begins a series of 25 treatments by electric shock therapy.  Unexpectedly, the treatments transport Greta and her life into 1918 and 1941.  In each year Greta encounters her brother Felix, her partner Nathan, and her dear Aunt Rose.  While Greta visits the other years, Greta 1918 and Greta 1941 visit her era, 1985.  What happens when they visit 1985?  Once the Gretas figure out how to control the time jumps, where will everyone be for the final treatment?
While not at the same level as The Time Travelers Wife, Greta's time travels are an interesting, easy read.   

Beauty: a Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast / Robin McKinley 247 p.

A gentle retelling of Beauty and the Beast where Robin McKinley tells how Beauty and her family came to live in an abandoned house because it is too near the enchanted forest. This slow paced character driven story shows the interpersonal relationships between Beauty and her father and her sisters.  She graciously tells of her sisters romances, of her love for her father, and how she came to live willingly in the enchanted castle.  

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Sylva and the Fairy Ball (They Fairy Bell Sisters) / Margaret McNamara / 101 pgs.

Another new series to spin-off of the success of the famous TinkerBell fairy.  In this one TinkerBell now has little sisters (which if you follow the Disney movies makes no sense since fairies are made from a baby's first laugh - and they are already full grown when they are "born"), who live on Sheepskeery Island until they are old enough to move to Neverland.  The sisters are named Clara, Rosy, Golden, Sylva, and Squeak and they all have one stereotypical personality trait.  Clara is responsible and rule bound, Rosy is sweet and nurturing, Goldie is materialistic, Sylva is a tomboy, and Squeak is the baby that makes up her own sounds/words.  Needless to say I was pretty bored with this book, there was no depth to the characters and the story was straightforward and predicable.  The book's narrator often address the reader, which I found jarring, but maybe it's more engaging for the kids reading the book.  However, I find Dora the Explorer, and other shows that "talk" to the audience annoying.

Perhaps, I didn't like the book since I haven't read many kids books.  My girls (ages 4 & 6) on the other hand seemed to enjoy it.  I suspect they liked it because it was pink, had nice pictures, and Tinkerbell was mentioned; (so Yay, Marketing!  You appeal to your target audience!)

Vampire Kisses: Graveyard Games, vol. 1 / Ellen Schreiber / 160 pgs. / 1st in a Series Challenge

I had heard of the YA series "Vampire Kisses" and I thought this was book one, but it turns out this is book
one of a new story arc.   It wasn't hard to follow along, since the book quickly mentions previous events and there is a character introduction included in the first pages of the book. The story is clean, meaning no blood, nudity, or even violence; which is rare for a "Vampire" story.  The only concern, or rather just plain annoyance, is that the main character, Raven, is always sneaking off to hug and hang on her boyfriend, and she's always daydreaming and talking about him.  Its kind of like having that friend who is in a new relationship and all she does is talk and spend time with her new boyfriend.  The lovey-dovey stuff just really gets old after awhile.

In this volume, Raven, her Vampire boyfriend Alexander, and their Vampire and non-Vampire friends, join the local community theater to put on the play Cinderella.  Alexander's Vampire cousin Claude, has decided to stay in town and not return to Romania.  So it is up to Raven and Alexander to keep an eye on him and figure out what he and his gang are up to.

A Clean Recommendation for Teens.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Tears of the Moon / Nora Roberts / 400 pages / Irish/Scottish Challenge

This is the second Gallagher Family Saga book that I have listened to and enjoyed it very much. Sean is the cook for the Gallagher's family pub and has written many songs but has never gotten around to doing anything with them. His childhood friend, Brenna O'Toole, has decided that it is time for her to enjoy the company of a man and figures Sean is familiar and safe...She couldn't be more wrong! Brenna can fix or build anything. She actually played poker with holy cards!

A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage / Mark Twain / 112 pages / Missouri Challenge

I really enjoyed this serendipitous find! This short book features the novelette named above written by Missouri author Mark Twain. It also contains an informative Forward detailing Twain's reason for writing the story. Apparently in 1876, he wanted 12 authors to accept his challenge to write a blindfold novelette. They would receive a skeleton of the plot and write stories fleshing out the skeleton according to their passions, proclivities, and personalities. The story recorded here is Twain's own flesh and bones version. Unfortunately, no one accepted his challenge and his is the only version passed on to posterity. The detailed Afterword relates significant historical events and Twain's reaction to them. It also informs the reader that Mark Twain was highly competitive with author Jules Verne who had published Five Days in a Balloon just as Twain was publishing Tom Sawyer.