The Last Coyote - William Connelly September 5
Another in the Harry Bosche series. Harry's had a hell of a life: his earthquake-damaged home has been condemned,
his girlfriend has left him, he's drinking too much, and, after attacking his commanding officer, he's even had
to turn in his L.A.P.D. detective's badge. But, cheer up, things could be worse. And, sure enough, things
got worse. Another page-turner.The Case of the Missing Books - Ian Sansom September 3
Israel Armstrong is lured to Ireland (from London) with the promise of an exciting new career as a librarian.
When he gets to a little, damp, country town he learns that the library has been closed but he is to be the
driver of their mobile library, a beat-up old school bus. But there are no books. They've been stolen and it's
his job to find them. An amusing tale with attractive Irish overtones.
By Order of the President - W.E.B. Griffin August 31
This is the first of three about terrorism today. In this book a couple Somalian terrorists are plotting to crash
a plane into the Liberty Bell. Nobody can figure out why but the president, the Homeland Security, FBI, CIA,
Secret Service, Army, Navy, Air Force, Green Berets,and, most importantly, the Philadelphia police are all trying
to stop them. Tracking them and inter-departmental rivalry are fun but the ending is ho-hum. Maybe the second
book will be better.
Thanksgiving - Janet Evanovich August 22
When Megan Murphy discovers a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she means to give its careless
owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter is too attractive to stay mad at for long.
As for Patrick, he wants nothing more than to play house with Maggieand make Thanksgiving dinner for their families.
But Megan has wept over one failed love, and she's afraid to risk her heart again. Can the good doctor help heal
her heart? Ya think this is chik-lit?
Double Play - Robert B. Parker August 20
This is the second book by Parker that I read recently that's not a "Spencer" crime novel. I like the way he writes;
crisp dialogue, fast moving, recognizable characters, and a fun read. This is about a guy who Branch Rickey, owner
of the Brooklyn Dodgers, hired in 1941 to protect Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player.
It's fiction based on fact.
Rediscovering God in America - Newt Gingrich August 14
Newt Gingrich introduces this book as a walking tour of Washington D.C. "[I]t is a tour of American history,
of the great men and women, the great events, the great documents and great institutions, the great ideas -
all shaped decisively by the genuine belief that we are a nation under God - that are at the heart of our freedom
as Americans and our identity as a people." By visiting all the monuments and some of the documents and institutions
he shows how our founders' belief in God helped shape our government and the country. Newt is strongly opposed to
the "media-academic-legal elite that finds religious expression frightening and threatening, or old-fashioned and
unsophisticated." He particularly blames the liberal left for steadily driving the mention of God out of American
history by rewriting our schools' textbooks. It's a short but powerful book.
Up in Honey's Room - Elmore Leonard August 13
"The odd thing about Walter Schoen, German born but now running a butcher shop in Detroit, he's a dead ringer
for Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS and the Gestapo. They even share the same birthday.Honey Deal, Walter's
American wife, doesn't know that Walter is a member of a spy ring that sends U.S. war production data to Germany
and gives shelter to escaped prisoners of war. But she's tired of telling him jokes he doesn't understand - it's
time to get a divorce."- from the jacket. This describes the first of thirty-one chapters of a very entertaing
story.
Appaloosa - Robert B. Parker August 10
When Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch arrive in Appaloosa, they find a small, dusty town suffering at the hands of renegade rancher Randall Bragg, a
man who has so little regard for the law that he has taken supplies, horses, and women for his own and left the city marshal and one of his deputies
for dead. Cole and Hitch, itinerant lawmen, are used to cleaning up after opportunistic thieves, but a woman,
wouldn't you know, makes the job a little more difficult. Parker tells a great story.
The Brethren - John Grisham August 6
SWM in 20's looking for kindand discreet American gentle-
man in 40's or 50's to pen pal
with.
This ad
was placed in a gay magazine, Out and About by three judges serving time in a minimum security federal
prison as a scam to bilk thousands or more money from closeted rich men. Combine this with a CIA-funded presidential
campaign and one has an interesting flight of fancy.
Never Fear - Scott Frost August 2
"Seventeen years ago, three young women were killed, their bodies dumped in the wasteland on the L.A. River. the
killer was never found, and the case was mysteriously closed. Now, all these years, later, as memories of her
past threaten her present,Detective Alex Delillo reopens the River Killer case." That's from the jacket. Why is
it that when some character is told something it is so shocking that they can hardly breath or remain standing when,
really, who cares? The author had to tell the reader when it was exciting.
The Ambler Warning - Robert Ludlum July 26
While at the dump the other day I scanned a box of books to be discarded and saw this one. I should have left it
at the dump, it was in the right place. It was another CIA good guy-bad guy tome that was hardly creditable. It
had so many scanable sections that it would have been a better short story than a 632 page "thriller."
The Paid Companion - Amanda Quick July 19
Chick lit but an amusing quick read. A well-off gentleman in 19th century London needs a sensible and lovely woman
to pose as his betrothed for a few weeks among polite society. He has his own agenda to persue, and a false fiance
will keep the husband-hunters at bay while he goes about his business. There is foul play, murder, and mystery to
go along with the predictable change in relationship between the two.
Chocolat - Joann Harris July 18
I enjoyed the movie so thought I'd give the book a try. As I suspected it was even better. A book provides much
more latitude for character development and more characters.
Inheritance - Natalie Danforth July 14
Tracy Library recently acquired this book and it looked interesting. It is. It's the story of Olivia who's father,
Luigi, dies and Olivia discovers a mysterious deed among his possessions. The deed is to a house in Urbino,
Italy---the hometown he barely spoke of. Intrigued, Olivia travels there. At first she is charmed by the historic
city, the relatives she's not met before, and the young lawyer she's hired to help her investigate the claim. But
when Olivia tries to sort out the deed, she is met with a puzzling silence. Everyone in the town remembers her
father, but they are not eager to tell his story. However, Luigi tells his part of the tale directly to the reader
as the chapters alternate between Olivia's search for the truth and Luigi's account of his history. By the end of
this skillfully constructed book, the reader understands both sides of a heartbreaking, yet ultimately satisfying
love story.
The Welsh Girl - Peter Ho Davies July 9
A well written WWII story of love and life in Wales where, in 1944, a POW camp was established. All
characters are created with welll-formed personalities.
When the Light Goes - Larry McMurtry July 7
Duane Moore, The Last Picture Show (1966) etc, now 65, still grieving his deceased wife, returns
to the dying Texa town of Thalia, but finds little comfort until a new 27-yar old employee flirts with
him, sparking a late-blooming sexuality.
My French Whore - Gene Wilder July 6
Gene Wilder is more than funny. This is a love story about an American soldier captured by the Germans in
the waning days of WWI - modest but satisfying fiction.
Maximum Bob - Elmore Leonard July 5
Elmore Leonard has a sense of humor but he doesn't let it get in the way of a murder novel. The bad guy does
bad things until he gets what's coming to him.
Blood Trail - T. J. Box July 3
A "Joe Pickett" murder mystery with a surprise twist at the end. I had it figured early on butI was wrong.
Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming. This story takes place on the Wind River Reservation which Julie
and I drove through in May. It made it easy to picture the terrain.
Nights in Rodanthe - Nichollas Sparks June 30
Nicholas Sparks writes heart-tugging romance novels which I read about once every 16 months or so. This one
involves a five-day romance which serves to settle some family communication problems.
The Overlook - Michael Connelly June 28
Another "Harry Bosch" murder mystery (is that redundant?) about what appears to be a dangerous drug but,
in fact, is a lovers' scheme to do away with an inconvenient husband. Relaxing entertainment.
Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult June 26
Jodi Picoult writes so well I don't want to scan. Although I am tempted to scan in order to discover what happensw
next. Every once in a while I get a book that is tough to put down. I finished this in bed reading from 9:30 to
11:30pm WITHOUT FALLING ASLEEP. It's an unusual story about a seven year old girl who communicates with God and
performs some healings. She is blissfully unaware of her talents but the media and the public isn't. Family
problems further complicate the situation.
Sick Puppy - Carl Hiaasen June 18
This very amusing (all Hiaasen books are very amusing) story is about a guy who can't stand litter bugs and the story
builds on that theme. Also making another appearance is Skink, the former governor of Florida who quit in disgust
with politics. I use an appropriate quote on my home page.
Jackdaws - Ken Follett June 14
I took a break from non-fiction for this Follett "formula" novel about the WWII French resistance involving mostly
English spies and fighters. Entertaining and quick.
Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain June 10
Another "loaner" from Jerry. He and Tracy
come up with some great books and they are entirely different genres. This is written by a chef all about becoming
a chef. Bourdain is a smart alec, know-it-all, semi-addic, kid (20-21) when he starts out and gains a lot of life
smarts as well as cooking smarts after about thirty years mostly in NYC. Unless you're a chef you'd never believe
what they have to do besides cook. It's also a cut-throat business.
Complications - Atul Gawande June 1
Every time we visit Tracy and
Jerry they give me a good book to read. This time Jerry said I would enjoy this one. He was right. It was
impossible to put down (for me, I understand David did). It's non-fiction about everything that could and did go wrong
with surgery in our hospitals.
Flush - Carl Hiaasen May 30
This may have been one of Max's but it
was a fun read about a casino boat owner who flushed his boat's waste tanks into the harbor. One of Hiaasen's
favorite themes is bad guys despoiling southern Florida.
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey May 29
While visiting Sam and Amy I saw this on the
bookshelf.This is a somewhat expanded autobiography of Frey's recovery from addiction. He describes himself
as an alcoholic, an addict, and a criminal. The novel takes place in a clinic where he is surrounded by "recovering"
addicts. It's very well written and would make any reader go on the wagon.
Highgate Rise - Anne Perry May 20
I know it didn't take me two weeks to read
this but I can't remember what I read before. Anne Perry writes early 20th century English mysteries. The customs of
the times add to their enjoyment.
Espresso Tales - Alexander McCall Smith May 6
Another of Smith's amusing reporting
on the happenings at 44 Scotland Street.
Company - Max Barry - May 2
This takes to the extreme all of the
office politics, back-stabing, sucking-up, pettyness, etc. involved in cubieland.
The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger April 28
It's been almost sixty years since
I first read this book. I remember it as being very funny and appropriate since I was attending a private boys
school at the time. I read it from a slightly different perspective this time. There were amusing moments but
three days of the life of a spoiled sixteen year-old New York City kid as seen through his eyes was somewhat cloying.
Wedding of the Waters - The ERIE CANAL and the MAKING of a GREAT NATION - Peter L. Bernstein April 24
My college roommate, Dick Reycroft, loaned
me this book and a couple others. I don't read much non-fiction but this is really interesting, particularly the
politics surrounding the creation of the Erie canal. Many of the quotes by and about the politicians of the early
19th century apply today just change the names. Here's a quote about the economy which is eerily current, "Recrimination
and finger-pointing flourished, most of it using hindsight to denounce the excessive generosity of the banks
in financing foolish projects and inflating people's hopes.The language was especially colorful on the subject
of the 'shavers and brokers' in the financial district, 'who had fastened upon society like leeches, who eat out
its substance and live upon its distress.'" Picture Perfect - Jodi Picoult April 17
Jodi Picoult is a new author for me.
I see where she has books on the "bestseller" lists so when Cynthia said to take any book off the bookcase I
took a couple by Picoult. She writes well but very strongly from a feminist point of view (chick lit?). This is
about a movie star who meets an anthropologist on the set in Africa. They marry but he turns into a wife beater
and she tries to deal with it and, well, so it goes. A Wedding in December - Anita Shreve April 11
Anita Shreve is an excellent writer and is
able to depict a wide range of emotions particularly involving relationships. This book is about a group of classmates
reuning for one of their weddings 27 years after graduation.The reunion kindles old loves and examines their marriages.
An interesting and enjoyable book with a great twist at the end.Subterranean - James Rollins April 5
I ran out of books so when we
visited friends in Florida, Chuck and Sandy, I was given (loaned?) three paperbacks. This forgetable book
(though I finished it) takes place way beneath the ice at the bottom of the Earth. In a labyrinth of caves weird
animals and short people live in the dark where there is also a large diamond deposit. A team of specialists
lead by archaeologist Ashley Carter (she of the fabulous body) has been hand-picked to explore this secret place
and to uncover the riches it holds. That would have been uneventful except for one nasty person in the group who
causes all sorts of problems.The Watchman - Robert Crais March
This is a change of pace from the previous
books in that this is a "Joe Pike" novel. Joe Pike is an ex-cop, ex-marine, ex-mercenary who is hired to protect
a wild-living young heiress who is the sole witness in an FBI investigation. She's lucky to have Joe around because
things get real nasty with the mob. Robert Crais has written a series of Joe Pike novels and those that I have read
have all been good. Hostage was made into a movie with Bruce Willis as Joe Pike.Summer People - Brian Groh March
Another great story. A college graduate,
living at home, with a part-time job at the local library, and no prospects, gets presented with an opportunity
by his father to make some serious money as a "caretaker" for an eccentric matriarch of an exclusive coastal Maine
community. While he isn't accepted in the local "high" society he manages to get along pretty well with the nanny next
door (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). His naivete is off-putting but it's hard to dislike him for it but it's hard to like
him because of it.Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen March
This is a delightful story of a young man
who runs away with a circus (mostly just to get a job during the Depression) and finds romance and adventure. This is
extremely well written and an easy read.Sofie Metropolis - Tori Carrington March
Carly Phillips, a New York Times bestselling
author, called this "Sexy and provocative." It was neither. What it was was amusing and entertaining beach reading
which was where I read it. Sofie plays at being a private investigator at her uncle's detective agency. She manages
to get into trouble and is rescued by a dashing Australian. See what I mean?Ahab's Wife - Sena Jeter Naslund March
Another nice neighbor lent me this book
to read on my vacation. It's quite an adventure story about her life from childhood to later middle age. The adventures
were interesting but there was quite a lot of the book devoted to her thoughts which were, at times, heavy and not
particularly riveting. Still it was worth reading even though it was just a touch above "chick lit."Cross - James Patterson February 21
A nice neighbor lent me this book when I said I
read Patterson's stuff. I got about 100 pages into it and decided I didn't need all the killing and bad news
that this guy, Cross, was suffering. So I decided to read Alaska by James Michener. This book will pprobably
last half way through next month's vacation.Playing for Pizza - John Grisham February 21
A short (258 pages) but entertaining
story about a third string quarterback, Rick Dockery, for the Cleveland browns who, when both the other QBs were hurt, was put
into the AFC championship game. Although the Browns were safely leading 17-0 through severe ineptitude Rick managed
to lose. He snuck out of Cleveland avoiding the lynch mobs and, because no other team would even consider him, took
the only thing his agent could find, a quarterback position on the Parma Panthers of the Italian NFL. The Italians
don't get paid (only pizza) and the few Americans get two - three thousand dollars a month for five months. The
American players are NFL has-beens or rejects or college players who couldn't make the NFL. The rst of the book recounts
Rick's limited adjustment to Italy, the Italian players (who have full-time jobs from cooks to judges),
and the ten games of their season. A nice break from mystery/crime mayhem.Provence A-Z - Peter Mayle February 19
Peter Mayle has written an informative
and entertaining sourcebook on Provence. It's not a conventional reference book. It is rather a collection of
those aspects of Provence that he, after almost twenty years there, has found to be the most interesting, curious,
delicious, and fun. An Accidental Woman - Barbara Delinsky February 14
An interesting treatment of a small town's
relationships with an out-of-towner, a paraplegic, an a woman with no past and accused of murder. A romantic/mystery
novel and a break from crime novels. Hornet Flight - Ken Follett February 11
I used to read Follett a lot but
the stories became too much alike. They're still similar but after the break they're somewhat entertaining. This
one concerns the underground in Denmark during WWII, specifically during the summer of 1941 before the US
showed up. Bleachers - John Grisham February 9
I like Grisham when his stories
stay out of the courtroom. This is a story of the relationships of the highschool football players to a
tyrantical and sadistic coach who is revered by the small Texas town because he produces winners year after
year. Play Dirty - Sandra Brown February 7
After the sweetness of The Rescue I
needed some dirty trash and Sandra Brown always delivers. Griff (give me a break) the super-terrific Dallas
Cowboys quarterback has a gambling debt and throws a game to pay it off. He's caught and goes to prison for
five years. When he gets out does he go away to start a new life? No, he goes back to Dallas where everyone
snears and spits at him. He's broke and depressed when he gets a phone call from a super rich Dallas tycoon. He wants
him to get his wife pregnant because an auto accident has left him an impotent paraplegic. The beautiful wife
isn't too keen on the idea but goes along reluctantly with her husband's wishes. A crooked Dallas police detective
has it in for Griff and when the husband is murdered he is convinced Griff did it. You can probably figure out
the rest particularly when it takes a number of tries to get her pregnant.The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks February 5
Add another to Sparks long list of
tear-jerkers. This is too much of an "ain't love grand" story. The handsome fireman saves the lovely lady
from her crashed car and finds her lost son. They overcome all obstacles and fall in love. Gee.Thursday Next - Jasper Fforde February 3
I read this for a day and decided it was
too silly to continue. I guess one has to be in the mood for this type of thing.Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen February 2
Typical Hiaasen, south Florida,
Dumber-than-stone bad guys, and funny. The "nature girl" wants to rid the world of crude, ill-mannered people
and will go to any lengths to accomplish it. Her son and ex-husband thinks she is mildly insane but love her
anyway. Carl Hiaasen manages to incorporate his wish to preserve the Everglades, disdain for evil-doers, dislike
of telemarketers, and support of the natives (indians not retirees) in his novel.Mary Mary James Patterson January 30
A serial killer has targeted successful
mothers in the entertainment business. An FBI agent, Alex Cross, is loaned to the LAPD to "help."
of course, the LAPD doesn't want him and proceed to arrest the wrong person and do other stupid things. Alex
tries to leave the case but his curiosity gets the better of him. Being a terrific person and wicked smaht he's
able to solve the case.
Murder on the Leviathan Boris Akunin January 24
This was a tough book to read because
I kept falling asleep. I came very close to putting it down but I wanted to see who did it. The story is equal
parts mystery, humorous, and boring. It takes place in 1878 where all the suspects in a brutal Parisian murder
are passengers on a new sailing vessal, Leviathan. Also on board is a clever Russian amateur detective and a
not so clever French police commissioner. The Russian keeps the Frenchman from making a total fool of himself.
Anything Considered Peter Mayle January 20
Occasionally I like to read a
non-threatening novel by Peter Mayle. He has a good sense of humor and they are a fun read. He places his
stories in the south of France and sprinkles them with apropos French phrases . Since I have read
all of the Peter Mayle books in the library I asked them if they could get any more, sil vous plait.
One of the librarians went to the stacks and brought out the four novels of his that they had and I had read
all of them except maybe one which I checked out. Et alors when I looked up my books read list I
discovered that I had, indeed, read it bien sur. But since a year had passed I read it again. Its
about an English expatriate with champagne tastes and a vin ordinaire bankroll . He abandoned a
successful career and found an ideal village to idle in and sell real estate. But he discovered that there
were more realtors than houses for sale and he became quite fauché, that is, broke. He decided
to place an ad in the International Herald Tribune volunteering his services - any services,
anything considered. He got what he thought was an attractive response but it turned out to be
much more than he thought. A very nice jeune fille helped, though.
All the Rage F. Paul Wilson January 18
This is a Repairman Jack novel.
Jack doesn't have/use a last name, own anything, no Social Security number, or anything else. He makes a living
by solving other's problems on a csah-only basis. He's not adverse to eliminating bad guys but, other than that, he's a law-abiding
member of society. This time he's asked to see if a particular person is being threatened by an underworld
type. In checking up on it he discovers a drug manufactoring and distribution ring. The drug causes the user
to feel invincable and fiercly angry at everyone. The whole thing gets complicated by a freak-show animal that
eats only humans. Now for something on the lighter side.
The Hearts of Horses Molly Gloss January 15
Usually I don't read something
by an author I just read but I noticed that the Library had just gotten a new book by Molly Gloss. I enjoyed
Wild Life so much I took it out. This one's about a young 19 year-old girl who has a talent for "breaking"
broncos to the saddle. She doesn't ride them and beat them until they lose the will to resist, she talks them
into it (typical woman). She feels the horses end up as better animals with no scars, physical or mental.
This story, like her other book, takes place in Oregon around 1917 until 2002. Ninety-nine percent of the book
takes place during the World War I years and the effect it had on the farmers and rachers of the area. The last chapter
is a "looking-back" summary.
Angels Flight Michael Connelly January 11
This is another Harry Bosch mystery
and Harry is, again, in a tough position. He is assigned to investigate the murder of an attorney who has
made a career out of prosecuting the LAPD. Naturally all the suspects are his fellow members of the LAPD.
It's a lose-lose situation but it makes for a fast, fun read.
Wild Life Molly Gloss January 8
I picked up a publication in the
library calledBook Page which contains reviews of many books a write-ups fo some authors. One that
sounded good was Molly Gloss so I picked up Wild Life and enjoyed it very much. The story takes place
in Oregon around 1900 about an independent woman who's live-in help's daughter's daughter is take to a
lumbering operation by her unthinking father and gets lost. Our heroine decides to join the search party and
she gets lost. It's in January and she has all she can do to stay alive. She goes weeks without talking and
realizes she is losing the ability to communicate. When she comes close to freezing she decides to curl up
with a mother bear and her two cubs. The bears accept her and she becomes one of the family and starts to
take on bear-like attributes, particularly distrust of humans. At one point she spots some men and she hides.
Her description is terrific and she makes the unbelievable believable.
Talk Talk T. C. Boyle January 3
This is a hard-to-put-down
book about a deaf girl who's identity is stolen. When her boyfriend tries to help the same thief steals
his identity. Boyle writes so well one can almost know what it's like to be deaf. Equally as interesting
is how her boyfriend, who is not deaf, handles it. I'll have to pick up another T. C. Boyle soon.
A Good Man in Africa William Boyd January 1
I don't like books where the main
character is a wimp, loser, etc. I read 55 pages and quit.