Book Your Ticket

I left my laptop at work for an entire week at the beginning of this month. As a result, my reading list for February is off the charts:

• On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetary, Robert M. Poole (history, military)
• The Bride Wore Chocolate, Shirley Jump (chick lit, romantic comedy, recipes)
• The Secrets of Mary Bowser, Lois Leveen (black history, espionage)
• Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage, Kay Bratt (biography, China, culture)
• Baking Bree, Sara West (chick lit, romantic comedy)
• The King's Hounds, Martin Jensen (history, mystery, England)
• The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II, Denise Kiernan (history, culture)
• A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, Molly Wizenberg (biography, food, recipes)
• The Rose of Winslow Street, Elizabeth Camden (historical fiction)
• The International Bank of Bob: Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time, Bob Harris (biography, finance)*
• A Wilder Rose, Susan Wittig Albert (biography)*
• 47 Ronin, John Allyn (historical fiction, Japan, culture)
• The Discovery, A Novel, Dan Walsh (fiction)
• The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, Simon Winchester (biography, history)
• Dead Wood, Dani Amore (detective fiction)
• Frankie in Paris, Shauna McGuiness (chick lit, culture)
• Mommy Had a Little Flask (The Tales of Imperfection Series), A.K. Turner (chick lit, humor)
• Mud Season: How One Woman's Dream of Moving to Vermont, Raising Children, Chickesn, and Sheep & Running the Old Country Store Pretty Much Led to One Calamity after Another, Ellen Stimson (biography, humor, culture)
• For the Love of Livvy, J.M. Griffin (chick lit, humor)
• Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm, Mardi Jo Link (biography, humor)
• Uneasy Lies the Crown: A Novel of Owain Glyndwr, N. Gemini Sasson (history, Wales)
• Shot on Location, Laurence Shames (screwball comedy, mystery)
• James and Dolley Madison: America's First Power Couple, Bruce Chadwick (history, biography)
• Murder in the Library, Steve Demaree (cozy, mystery, humor)

*The most inspirational thing I've read in quite a long time.  

**Without Rose Wilder's tenacity in dealing with her mother, the Little House series never would have seen the light of day.

Started, but discarded:

• Stop the Wedding!, Stephanie Bond (I love her mysteries, but this romance novel sucked.)

I'm even scaring myself a bit with that list!

Quick Stops

With a review as snarky as this:

"Reading the book is like peering through the windows of a big dolls' house and catching glimpses of lots of well-crafted, ill-assorted, flickeringly lighted interiors. The effect is superficially attractive but unsatisfying." 

... I might just have to read the damned thing The Rule of the Clan myself to see just how truly bad it is!
_____

I could have (and probably should have) written this article:  "Leggings aren't pants.  They're superior."  Given the weather this winter, I'm an avid fan.
_____

Giggles...



And more giggles...


_____

A gazillion totally cool uses for WD-40.

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day, Part the First:

_____

Want a novel way to speed date?

On a snowy Wednesday evening, in a back meeting room at the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 15 women sat at 15 different tables. Fourteen men sat down with each, briefly, for a micro-date.

As any single woman in a city will tell you, the dating scene is lopsided. Speed-dating sessions at the public library are no different. There were supposed to be 15 guys, but the library had a hard time filling those seats. They had to turn away 25 women.

Because it is a library, they brought books as ice breakers.

I actually think this is a great idea.  I'd probably bring 911 and Home by Mark D. Paulson.  Having a first edition, signed by the author, with a mention in the credits?  A guaranteed conversation starter.

What book would you bring to the table?
_____

If you've left me a voicemail message in the past few weeks and didn't hear back from me... I got a new smart phone that's WAY smarter than me.  Glad to see that I'm not the only one that feels that way.

Have patience.

I'm getting there.  (It only took me a month to figure out how to retrieve emails.  Sheesh.)
_____

If this is true...

The speed someone walks may predict the likelihood of developing dementia later in life, according to researchers in the US.

... then I'm going to be sharp as a tack well into my old age.

And if this is true...

They also told a conference that grip strength in middle-age was linked to the chance of a stroke.

... I'm going to have the ticker of a teenager for the rest of my born days.

Go read the whole thing here.
_____

Given my history with Chicago cabs, this is very good news indeed:

[C]ity officials are focusing on a new ordinance — it's set to go into effect this summer — they say will be easier to enforce and finally hold cab companies accountable for repeat offenders they let behind the wheel.

"One of the reasons why we took on the challenge of rewriting the ordinance is because we needed it to be clear, crisp and easy to enforce," said Rosemary Krimbel, commissioner of the Business Affairs and Consumer Protection department.

This can't happen fast enough to suit me.
_____

Giggle of the Day, Part the Second:

Drive-Bys

When you laugh in the face of the Fates...

Diner suffers cardiac arrest while eating a Triple Bypass Burger in restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill

... the one named Karma can be the biggest bitch of all.
_____

So that's why I re-read my faves over and over again:

The first time people read - or watch - through, they are focused on events and stories.

The second time through, the repeated experience reignites the emotions caused by the book or film, and allows people to savour those emotions at leisure.

George R.R. Martin, Nancy Atherton, Jacqueline Carey, Karen Miller, Gary Jennings, Janet Evanovich (books 1-10, anyway), and many, many more are all old and dear friends of mine.
_____

Today's Chicago Tribune advocates discussing problems with your neighbors before calling in the police: 

Calling the cops almost has become a default solution, one that's not especially productive.

"No one likes having the police called on them," said Will Reimers, a neighborhood contact officer with the Boise (Idaho) Police Department. "Oftentimes that makes things worse, when suddenly police show up and start talking to you. People resent that. So it's not the best first step."

What is the best first step? Try talking to each other.

"It seems today that talking to your neighbors is something that has fallen out of fashion," Reimers said. "It's just not done as much anymore. But it's an old technique that should be resurrected."

Which all sounds good until you realize that today's Daily Mail illustrates the flip side of that solution:

Franklin Santana, 47, allegedly went to his neighbour's home in the Tacony region of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to complain about his dogs.

The neighbour, Tyrirk Harris, 27, was licensed to carry a gun and had it in a holster as the two talked on the front porch on Tuesday, police said.

‘I (saw) them arguing, then from there a little scuffle,’ neighbour Miguel Rivera told the Philadelphia Daily News. ‘Then I heard the shots.’

Mr Santana was found dead outside the Torresdale Avenue home after confronting Harris about the mess constantly left by his dogs, police said.

I'd say you really need to pick your battles -- and you might want to let the police handle the ones that involve an armed and angry neighbor after all.

Book Your Ticket

October – 12/91

Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins[1]

Case Histories: A Novel, Kate Atkinson[2]

The Kinshield Legacy, K.C. May

The Wayfarer King, K.C. May[3]

Plugged: A Novel, Eoin Colfer[4]

Witches on Parole: Unlocked, Debora Geary[5]

Soulless, Gail Carriger

Heartless, Gail Carriger

Changeless, Gail Carriger

Blameless, Gail Carriger[6]

Stormfront (The Dresden Files, Book 1), Jim Butcher[7]

Starting from Happy, Patricia Marx[8]

---

[1] A blend of screwball comedy, deep philosophy and examination of the function of organized religion. Only Tom Robbins could pull this one off so beautifully.

[2] Take a raft of characters ala Maeve Binchy, throw in a couple of murders and stir in a plodding, morose beginning. Stick with it, though, because this book does get better. Still, don’t expect happy Binchy endings.

[3] Not bad fantasy fiction. The pair are a quick read.

[4] Tense, fast-paced and thoroughly satisfying.

[5] Geary’s Witches series is like potato chips – totally addicting.

[6] Speaking of addicting, I adored this series – Victorian costume drama, vampires, werewolves and ghosts with a dollop of steampunk and a healthy dash of humor.

[7] Yeah, it’s fantasy fiction month. Another pretty decent read.

[8] Entirely too hipster in content and style for me. Ugh.

Book Your Ticket

September – 11/79

Blind Faith, C.J. Lyons[1]

The Hypnotist, Lars Kepleri[2]

The Mill River Recluse, Darcie Chan[3]

A Hidden Witch, Debora Geary[4]

A Modern Witch, Debora Geary[5]

Mercury Swings, Robert Kroese[6]

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Bronte[7]

Kinflicks, Lisa Alther

Rick Perry and His Eggheads: Inside the Brainiest Political Operation in America, Sasha Issenberg[8]

The Second Coming, Walker Percy[9]

---

[1] Murder mystery with a better than average twist.

[2] If you liked The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, you’ll love this murder mystery/thriller.

[3] Just okay, with bog standard characters. With so many better books out there, don’t bother.

[4] This series is so much fun that I’ll probably end up reading them all. This is one you could share with your teenage daughter without a single blush, too.

[5] See what I told you?

[6] Short story falling between Mercury Falls and Mercury Rises, due out soon. Funny, funny, funny stuff.

[7] Who in the world came up with the cockamamie idea that this slog of a book is a romance novel? Miserable, selfish characters who continuously make bad choices. Ugh.

[8] Outtake from The Victory Lab.

[9] Classic Southern writing at its best.

Drive-Bys

So... Dancing with the Stars, anyone?

This is the first season I've come into without any preconceived notions about who might be the one(s) to watch for the series. For me, there were some pleasant surprises and some downright disappointments. Here are my predictions for staying power:

The Best of the Men

• J.R. Martinez -- he's handsome, he's charming and he can dance.
• David Arquette -- surprisingly sweet, fully committed and shows lots of promise.
• Chaz Bono -- personality, musicality and pretty decent footwork.

The Best of the Ladies

• Chyna Phillips -- the appeal of Petra Nemcova - poise, sweetness and beautiful lines.
• Rikki Lake -- her waltz was flat-out gorgeous.
• Kristin Cavallari -- girlfriend can shake a bon-bon.

The Cloris Leachman Factor

• Carson Kressley -- he brings the crazy fun, but can he really dance?

The Meh (in no particular order)

• Hope Solo -- the judges loved her, but I thought she looked really awkward.
• Nancy Grace -- she has potential, but has to bust out her big personality more.
• Rob Kardashian -- again, he has potential, but where's the personality? the commitment?
  

Must. Go. Now.

• Ron Artest -- no rhythm, no grace, no footwork, nada. Metta Whirled Peas.
  
• Elizabetta Canallis -- no musicality, no grace, no footwork, zero personality. What was Clooney thinking?
  

So how did you stack them up?
_____

So Maurice Sendak has a long history of scaring little kids. What of it? Most little heathens love the thrill!

We're raising a generation of milksops, I think.
_____

Want to get a better handle on the GOP candidates for president? Go here for insight into what they want to do with our taxes.
_____

Webcam 101 for Seniors:



The Princess Mom would have been even more of a disaster and the language would have been much saltier.
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Quotes of the Day:

"It’s one small step for responsible journalism, one giant leap for celebrity look-alike dwarf porn."

Mercy.

" You may think the motorcycle makes you look cool and dangerous, but a Honda Odyssey minivan full of empty juiceboxes [sic] is a Destroying Angel Of Death by comparison."

You tell 'em, Insty!
_____

Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Book Your Ticket

It was a busy, busy month, but I still managed to squeeze in a good bit of reading:

August – 9/68

Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West, Dorothy Wickenden[1]

Shaken, Not Stirred, Tim Gunn[2]

Mama Does Time (A Mace Bauer Mystery), Deborah Sharp[3]

La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life, Elaine Sciolino[4]

In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler’s Tale, Amitav Ghosh[5]

Grace Under Pressure, Julie Hyzy[6]

A Life That Fits, Heather Wardell[7]

Go Small or Go Home, Heather Wardell

State of Wonder, Ann Patchett[8]

---

[1] Based on the letters of the author’s grandmother and her best friend. A lovely read.

[2] If you are a fan of Project Runway, you’ll love Gunn’s short biography. (Kindle Single)

[3] Very funny southern comedy of manners/murder mystery. First in a series.

[4] A journalist’s exploration of French history, culture and how the art of seduction affects just about everything in French life – including the decline of the dominance of its language and global influence.

[5] Two parallel stories set in Egypt and the middle east, new and old, told by a master story teller.

[6] A new series by the author of the White House Chef mystery series. An okay beginning.

[7] I bought this and the next one because they were cheap and I needed a little light reading. Both protagonists are the weepiest, neediest I’ve come across in a long time. Ugh.

[8] If you like Barbara Kingsolver, you’ll like Ann Patchett. This book, set between Minnesota and the Amazon, is an almost magical read.

_____

Update: I must have good timing, as this post went up on National "Read A Book" Day!

Book Your Ticket

I loved Rob Kroese's "Mercury Falls" and can't wait for "Mercury Rises," so I was delighted to receive this email from Rob today:

Greetings!

Jonesing for the October 18 release of Mercury Rises? Sate your thirst for cherubic smartassery with "Mercury Swings," a short story now available as a free Kindle download!

Travel back in time to ancient Mesopotamia, where Mercury is on one of his very first assignments for the Apocalypse Bureau. His mission: to prevent the the jazz age from arriving 3800 years too early. Aided or impeded by such colorful characters as a funk weed-smoking bouncer; Enoch, the precocious sax player; and a goat named Taco; Mercury must make it out of an anachronistic watering hole unscathed. Will Mercury manage to extract Enoch via an interplanar portal and beat it back to Babylon before humankind evolves Bronze Age flappers? And will he ever get the hang of transmogrification? Find out in "Mercury Swings!"

Rob Kroese

P.S.: Don't have a Kindle? No problem! Just download a free Kindle reader app for your PC/phone/iPad/butter churn/etc.

Rob (f/k/a Diesel) is a funny, funny guy. Go get the freebie, and I'm positive you'll want to read the other two books!

Book Your Ticket

Swiped from Mostly Cajun and Leeann:

To follow the NPR (US National Public Radio) meme, copy this list, putting in Bold those you have read.

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card (I read the whole series and the Bean series.)
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin (Three times, except for the most recent book, which just came out last month. Give me time...)
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman (One of my favorite books ever, which I've read four times.)
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan (Up to book 10. When I realized that really nothing had happened over the course of 10 books, I threw up my hands and cried "uncle".)
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey (I read everything in the Pern series published before 1995. Then I got a life.)
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (Completely over-hyped. Does anybody want my hardbound version?)
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

Actually, that's more sci-fi/fantasy that I would have thought. And it's missing some others I enjoyed but which didn't make this list -- Gayle Greeno's Ghatti series, Mercedes Lackey's, Valdemar and Elemental Masters series, Rick Cook's Wiz series (hilarious), John Ringo's Council Wars series (yes, I should read more Ringo), anything by Michael Chabon... and that's just getting me started.

Holy crap. I guess I am a bit of a geek in my reading choices.

How about you?

Quick Stops

Via Instapundit, I see some poor mope compares Obama to Truman and actually believes it's possible The One can win the same way Give 'Em Hell Harry did.

Perhaps.

But not until The One mans up and changes the nameplate on his desk from "I Never Met A Buck I Couldn't Pass!" to:


Between you and me, I don't think that's at all possible.
_____

Oh, man! I love the whole Jack Reacher series, and this news is so wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to begin:

He is certainly a huge celebrity, but as far as size goes, Tom Cruise is not exactly big.

However the 49-year-old movie star's next leading role is playing giant Jack Reacher in the film adaptation of Lee Child's thriller book One Shot.

Check out Reacher's stats, per the novelist himself, here. If you can, with a straight face, 'splain me how they can turn the Poison Dwarf into that towering giant of a man, I'll buy your cocktails for a month.

Count me among the many who will be boycotting this one.
_____

Book Your Ticket

Books read in July 2011

11/59

The Informationist: A Thriller, Taylor Stevens[1]

My Mother’s Lover, David Dobbs[2]

Saving Rachel (A Donovan Creed Crime Novel), John Locke[3]

Hotel Angeline: A Novel in 36 Voices, 36 authors ­during a writing marathon called The Novel: Live![4]

Building the Successful Theater Company, Lisa Mulcahy[5]

JANE I’m-Still-Single JONES, Joan Reaves[6]

The Billionaire Bum, Samantha Blair[7]

How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival, David Kaiser[8]

A Dance With Dragons, George R.R. Martin[9]

The Bitch-Proof Suit, De-Ann Black[10]

Wahoo Rhapsody, Shaun Morey[11]

---

[1] Written in a flat, factual style that was vaguely off-putting in the beginning, it actually explains a lot about the main character, who I came to appreciate.

[2] Kindle Single.

[3] When your main character doesn’t show up until halfway through the book and then he doesn’t turn out to be very sympathetic… not so good, actually.

[4] Having participated in a similar writing joint venture under not quite as strict time constraints, I have a huge appreciation for the work that went into making this incredibly twisted tale work. My buddy El Capitan would especially appreciate the work it takes to tie up all those loose strands and give you a palatable ending to such an undertaking.

[5] I had a lot of questions. While this book by no means answered all of them, it certainly pointed me in the right direction and gave me a lot of food for thought.

[6] I’ll plead to having read one crap book and one business-oriented book before this one and needing a light read. This was pure dandelion fluff.

[7] Ditto. But better fluff than the previous book.

[8] While I have never been a science geek, I do appreciate the stories of the people behind the science. A terrific read if you’re interested in quantum physics and how it affects us on both micro and macro levels.

[9] Far superior to book 4 in the series. If you’re not reading this series, at least you should be watching it on HBO.

[10] Funny, smart, fast-paced rom-com set in Dublin. What’s not to love?

[11] Wanna-be screwball comedy/thriller. I’ll give this author a second shot, just to see if he can make his main character less one dimensional. Fingers crossed.

Book Your Ticket

Just finished my first reading of A Dance With Dragons. It will require me going back, once again, to read from the beginning to the end of the entire series to be sure I get all the nuances of foreshadowing from the previous books that I know I missed on the first read of this book.

Some observations so far:

• It's better than A Feast For Crows.
• MORE new characters??? Argh! I could a very large org chart to keep them all straight as it is!
• Where is Catelyn? Sansa? Rickon? (You'd think that somewhere in the four books following the first Martin would give us some clue as to where the tiny spoiled brat and his angry direwolf might be hidden.)
• Too much magic. The story line was fine without it.
• That being said, note to self that Thoros of Myr is (was?) a red priest, too. Hope the same magic in his kiss works for Melisande, as well.
• Daenerys needs to put on her big girl panties and deal.
• The bitch may end up bald, but she still has her head. Why?

Yes, I'll eat humble pie. Martin actually delivered on time... and well he should have after all these years.

*Grumbles naughty words under her breath*

More coherent review after I've read the entire cycle again.

(George had better not take so long with the next one!)

Book Your Ticket

Books Read in June – 12/48

Catcher, Caught, Sarah Collins Honenberger[1]

The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, Benjamin Hale[2]

Wild Bill Donovan, Douglas Waller[3]

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs[4]

Well Bred and Dead, Catherine O’Connell[5]

Perfect on Paper: The (Mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson, Maria Murnane[6]

Traitor’s Wife, Susan Higginbotham[7]

Tommy Babcock: A World War II Thriller, Rich Whitney Turner[8]

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl, Stephanie McAfee[9]

Mystery: An Alex Delaware Novel, Jonathan Kellerman[10]

Beach Lane, Sherryl Woods

Moonlight Cove, Sherryl Woods[11]

---

[1] Charming, heartbreaking, and an excellent reason to reacquaint yourself with Holden Caulfield and why so many young boys identify with him.

[2] Transfixing fictional narrative told from the perspective of a chimpanzee, born in the Lincoln Park Zoo, who learns to speak English, and the devastating results.

[3] Biography of the larger-than-life man who conceived of and ran the OSS during World War II. Another big booger of a book.

[4] Young adult fiction that’ll grab most adults, too. Harry Potter + time travel + gothic = most excellent read. Yes, there’ll be a sequel.

[5] My friend Walt assured me I’d love this book; the opposite is true. The main character is by far the most shallow, unreasonable and unlikeable I’ve run across in a long, long time.

[6] On the other hand, this book I did love. The protagonist is real a charmer and the story’s got a lot of wit.

[7] Historical fiction, set in the world of England’s Edward III. If you can keep all the names straight, you’ll find it’s a fascinating look at an uneasy era in Britain’s history.

[8] I really liked this story of half a Hollywood brother/sister dance duo, bored and at loose ends when his sister marries and moves to the U.K. Because of his acting ability and fluent German, learned from his grandmother, he ends up spying against Hitler before the U.S. enters the war.

[9] Not your run-of-the-mill chick lit. Bitterly funny.

[10] Grade C. If I wasn’t already invested in the characters from previous books, I probably would have rated this lower. Kellerman just didn’t hit the emotional notes he usually does.

[11] Yes, they’re light reading. Still, I like Woods’ characters.

Book Your Ticket

Books Read In May – 9/36

Half Broke Horses, Jeannette Walls

Minding Frankie, Maeve Binchy

Foundation, Isaac Asimov

My Thoughts Be Bloody, Nora Titone

Did I Really Make Breakfast? (Well Grandma did help a lot), Fabio Viviani[4]

Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer, Wesley Stace[5]

The Year She Fell, Alice Rasley

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, James Hogg

Private Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, Ulysses S. Grant[6]

---

[1] Now I’m ready for A Dance With Dragons. Let’s see if Martin got the manuscript to the publisher in time for it’s promised July 12^th delivery date. (He’s never been on time in the past.)

[2] While I usually like Hester Browne’s books, this one lacks a little pizzazz.

[3] If you’re a baseball fan, this is a must read ­– it’s an unvarnished portrait of a talented and self-destructive icon.

[4] He could use an editor.

[5] Like peeling an onion. (Pay attention to the wording of the title.)

[6] Read in conjunction with Booth’s Sister, My Thoughts Be Bloody and The Autobiography of Mark Twain. There’s a lot of overlap in the historical figures, and the four books combined give a fascinating overview of the time.