My Years of Reading Seriously

Sifting thoughts...

2012-01-29T13:40:00.001-05:00

Wow.

Haven't done one of these in a long, long time.

But, I've just posted my new, probably to be revised, idea of a book chat. Let me know what you think, would you? Should I include more about the book itself? Or more of my thoughts? It's a work in progress, so let me know what you think!

It's a beautiful day here, at least from the inside of my windows.

On the outside it's 22F, which isn't bad for January, but we're still under a lake effect snow advisory. I have no idea how much we've already gotten, but it is substantial. Thankfully I have an amazing sister and brother-in-law because my gout has been keeping me relatively inactive and they've shoveled my drive twice. Bless them. Seriously. I'd be lost without them.

So...

What else do I have?

Last year saw the marriage of one of my nieces in October. She was absolutely gorgeous and her husband was certainly handsome. It was, as most weddings are, a stressful event... but it was a joyous one, too:

Lot's of smiles, plenty of laughter, good food, great music...

And we'll be repeating it this September, when her sister ties the knot:

I can't wait. I'm crazy proud of both these beautiful young women and of the lives they have created, for themselves and for their young men...

As for me...

My life is pretty uneventful. I work, I write, I spend time with the furkids. It's quiet, but at my age, quiet is a good thing. The gout is on it's way to be controlled, despite this weekends flare. I know that and I know I must be patient and watch what I eat...

Not my strongest points at times.

I hope y'all have had a good weekend, filled with sunshine and happy times!

Book Chat: Patrick Rothfuss

2012-01-29T13:18:00.000-05:00

The Name of the Wind
The Wise Man's Fear

I've heard that Rothfuss's books, known collectively as The Kingkiller Chronicles, were originally written as one book. If so, it was gigantic, because The Name of the Wind runs over 600 pages and Wise Man's Fear over 900 and there is a third one waiting in the wings.

Of course, a grand, epic tale can't be told in a few hundred pages, can it.

And The Kingkiller Chronicles are just that: A grand, epic tale filled with mystery, intrigue, wizards, witches, magic and music.

The hero is Kvothe, currently known as Kote, a mild-mannered inn keeper. When a wandering scribe known as Chronicler recognizes him, however, Kvothe agrees to tell his tale in order to set the history straight.

The mild-mannered innkeeper, you see, is something of a legend; he is both hero and villain, actor, singer, story-teller, and magician. He survives the slaughter of his parents, members of a traveling troupe of performers, by the mysterious Chandrian; survives as an orphan on the streets of Treban, and then cons his way into the university, a place where he can learn 'the name of the wind' and about the Chandrian.

The magic, as it turns out, isn't that hard; the Chandrian prove to be another matter.

Kvothe makes friends and enemies. He meets a girl who will play an important part in his life. He has adventures, successes, and failures...

And there is still another book to come.

It is a grand story, as I've said, and I'm looking forward to the next book. Given, however, that book one was published in 2007 and book two in 2011, I'm not expecting to read it any time soon.

That said...

There's something about these books that puzzles me.

If you go to Amazon and read the comments, you will find something of a controversy which, to me, seems silly.

It seems the people who like George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series believe you can't like both. They trash Rothfuss's writing, his characters, basically everything about the book, mostly without offering anything definitive as to why they don't like it. And they are rabid about their hatred. It's an 'us vs. them' mentality and I really don't get it.

For the record, I read Martin's "Game of Thrones" and found it tedious and in need of a good editor. I mean, for example, paragraph after paragraph of what sort of armor the knights are wearing? Not my idea of a grand read. I like things parred down a bit. Martin is not my cup of tea but I wouldn't go out of my way to trash him. To each his own is my motto.

Is there not room out in the book reading world for both men, both styles? I should think there is... I would hope there is.

One final thing about the "I hate Patrick Rothfuss" club...

One of the most repeated negative comments I've seen has to do with the inevitable 'boy wizard goes to school to learn magic' sort of comment. All I can say to that is good ideas get retold; sometimes in better ways, sometimes in worse and sometimes in different ways.

Rothfuss does an excellent job of retelling an old story... and that's good enough for me.

This wasn't what I had in mind...

2012-01-13T19:39:00.001-05:00

I wanted to jump back in with both feet but haven't managed to do it.

Part of the reason is health-related. I started a new medication the other day for my gout and it is playing havoc with my system. Nausea and I have gotten to be far too well acquainted...

I have a question, if anyone cares to give me their two cents.

I don't want to do anything a professional 'review' of my books. I think I'd rather simply discuss them. Maybe hit the high points, or the low points, or talk about the characters. You know, kind alike if you were sitting around chatting with some friends.

What do you think?

2012-01-05T12:26:00.000-05:00

Well...

It's a new year, welcomed in my part of the universe with some true winter cold and finally some snow. A lack of snow here is a scary thing to contemplate but the ground is now white.

I'd like to think we've gotten all the fluffy white stuff we're going to... but I know better.

Anyway...

Since it's a new year, I'm starting off with the intent of reviving the place. I've missed y'all and I've missed gabbing about books.

We shall, however, see what develops. I hope there are a few of you still around.

Good bye and thank you...

2011-11-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

Anne Inez McCaffreyL April 1, 1926 – November 22, 2011

And the Dragons are all crying...

And one day...

2011-11-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

when you're not looking, they grow up.

Kids, that is.

I'm not a mother; I'm an aunt, a mentor, a 'second mother', to some truly great young people.

The two who hold the biggest pieces of my heart are my sister's daughters. It's been my absolute joy and pleasure to watch them grow up and to know that I've had a small part in helping them become the amazing young women they are.

Why, you may be asking, am I waxing so philosophical today?

This is why:

On October 29th, my niece took a huge step in her life by joining it with a man she loves.

She was two yesterday and today, she talks about spending time with her hubby.

I have no idea how it happened so fast.

I do know that I am insanely proud of the beautiful woman she's become.

And for whatever little part I played in that, I am thankful.

In Remembrance....

2011-09-11T11:48:00.002-04:00

The Continuing Saga, Part II...

2011-08-18T19:28:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, it was the dog's turn to make me crazy.

It wasn't her fault, however. I understand why she did what she did...

I seriously wonder why all the weird stuff happens to me. Really.

Here's the story:

Yesterday, I took my niece to lunch. While we were eating, a thunderstorm rolled in.

A very impressive thunderstorm.

I looked at my niece and said "My poor baby."

My said "She'll be fine."

After we said good bye and she went back to work, I ran out to my sister's house to get her two dogs, one of which doesn't like thundersboomers any more than Riley. I also had a couple of errands to run but I wasn't gone any more than 90 minutes. Honest.

I walked into my house to find Riley in the front hall. No big deal. I must've left the hall door open.

No, it was closed. I looked from the door to my dog and noticed she was wet. As in soaking wet.

We went into the house and I looked around. The front window, which I had left open when I left was now closed. The dowel I use to keep it open was lying outside, on my front stoop.

The explanation was clear.

My dog, in a panic because of the storm, had jumped through the window.

When the new neighbor came over awhile later things got really strange.

Apparently, my dog, once she was outside, was standing in the street when some blonde lady stopped her car to check on the dog. The dog, got in her car and then either the lady took her for a drive around the block or she and the new neighbor put her in my house.

Either way, my dog was willing to go off with a complete stranger.

I don't like that. At all.

And I feel awful for leaving her home alone to panic enough that she felt safer going out the window than she did staying safe and dry in her house.

*Sigh*

Random strangeness.

I can't seem to get away from it.

The continuing saga of...

2011-08-04T01:45:00.001-04:00

I live a quiet life, really. Work, family, friends, my pets. That's about it. It's not much, but I like it.

So why, I find myself asking myself, do weird things keep happening to me?

The latest tale involved that little guy up there.

It's supposed to be a photo of a little brown bat but it might be a big brown bat and it isn't THE bat, just one that looks like THE bat. I don't know and it doesn't truly matter to the story...

Last Friday morning, when I got home at 0715, I noticed a dark brown spot on the carpet in my bedroom. My first thought, as always with two cats in the house, was now what did they kill and bring inside?

I bent down to look and realized it was a bat.

A week or two ago I wouldn't have thought twice about it but a friend on Facebook posted a link about how they'd found a rabid bat in Ann Arbor.

Yes, that's a good distance from where I live but when I found the little bugger on my carpet, the story pinging within.

I scooped the thing up, without touching it, and put it outside with the garbage. I then went to sleep.

Friday afternoon I had an appointment at the vet's for my dog so I said, casually, "I found a dead bat in my house..."

He immediately made a face and asked if I still had it. I told him I could probably still get it and he told me to get it and take it to the county health department to get it tested. He then proceeded to make my day by telling me that the assumption, when you find a dead bat in your house, is that you have been bitten and if you don't have the bat to be tested, you get the shots...

The article about rabid bats immediately came to mind.

Lovely.

I went home and retrieved the bat, putting it into a Ziploc and into my fridge where it sat all weekend because the Health Department closes at 4:30...

I spent the weekend worrying about my cats, who hadn't been vaccinated recently due to funding problems.

I spent the weekend trying very hard not to think about those shots. Weren't there like 15 of them... directly into your stomach?

Monday morning, the bat went to the Health Department and I spoke with a nurse who told me that I had done everything right and I had nothing to worry about. I had plenty of time to get the test results back and get the shots, if I needed to. Oh, and there are only two shots now and they're not nearly as bad as they once were. I mentioned that my cats hadn't been vaccinated and she said, get them vaccinated and they'll be fine.

I really, really wish I'd talked to her on Friday.

The bat got packed up and shipped off to Lansing, where they would cut off his fuzzy brown head and examine his brain.

The cats got vaccinated, cutting my worries down to just me, but at a greatly reduced level.

I got a phone call on Wednesday telling me the test was negative.

So, things turned out all right...

But again. Why does the weird stuff happen to me?

I guess my life is so quiet most of the time that the fates figure I need a little something every so often to keep it interesting.

Lucky me.

Time for a Public Service Announcement...

2011-07-19T15:07:00.000-04:00

I heard the dreaded words a couple of months ago during a routine check up with my medical care provider.

"We need to schedule colonoscopy for you."

Visions from Alfred Hitchcock immediately filled my head.

I heard the horror stories about how awful the night before was. How 'that stuff' you had to drink was awful. How the trips to the bathroom were excruciating. I was told about cold sweats, light-headedness, how, after awhile, things began to burn that should never burn...

So...

If you're like me and of an age where you need to have things checked, here's my version of the truth. Plan, simple, without too much graphic detail.

Yesterday afternoon, around 3:00, I took four Ducolax tablets. My pharmacist was nice enough to give me the four pills without making me pay for an entire box of 25.

An hour or so later, I felt a little 'grumbling' and made my first trip to the bathroom. It was no worse than when you've eaten something that doesn't agree with you and your body wants it gone.

Around 5:00, I mixed 8 ounces of a generic 'Miralax' with 64 ounces of lemon-lime Gatorade, which I'd kept in the freezer for about an hour. Mixing it in was actually the hardest thing I did all day. It didn't want to dissolve, so it was shake, shake, shake...

I drank the first 8 ounces expecting it to taste something like road kill or worse. I'd heard stories about having to choke it down and about wanting to puke it right back up.

It tasted like lemon-lime Gatorade to me.

Twenty minutes later, I drank 8 more ounces and then, shortly after, made my second trip to the bathroom.

I will admit that for awhile it seemed like the amount of Gatorade remaining didn't change. I swear I drank it for hours and hours.

It was between two and three before I finished it all.

My trips to the bathroom weren't all that bad. I'm not saying they were pleasant, but self-induced diarrhea isn't supposed to be fun, is it? There were a couple of times when I was in the bathroom long enough that I had to immediately drink another glass of Gatorade but I can only remember that happening twice.

The worst part of the night came shortly after I'd drank the last glass. The taste was still lemon-lime Gatorade but it seemed a little grittier than it had before. Maybe I didn't shake it enough. Almost immediately after drinking it, I knew i was going to throw up. My body had had enough and sent it back up to me.

I have no idea how much came back up, but I retained enough for it to do its job and I now know what 'watery diarrhea' really is...

About 20 minutes after I'd thrown up, I ate some lime jello, which stayed where it was supposed to. I watched some TV, talked to a friend on the phone for a bit, and then went to sleep.

My trips to the bathroom? Twice.

At 8:45 this morning, I arrived at the hospital per schedule. I then sat in the hallway until almost 9:30 because the surgery schedule was such that they had 20 procedures schedule for out-patient work and only 12 rooms available for prep and post recovery.

I finally got a room, got changed into one of their stylish gowns, got an IV started, and settled in to wait my turn. I watched The Three Stooges.

Less than an hour later, I was taken down to 'holding' for some more waiting. I was given a pill to put under my tongue. I can't remember what she called it; it was an anti something intended to temporarily stop the muscles from doing what those muscles do - push things out.

Less than 15 minutes later, I was wheeled into the OR. My doctor said hello and asked me how I was. I was hooked up to all sorts of things and my sedation nurse injected something into my IV. I almost immediately began to get drowsy. She then told me to turn onto my left side and I don't remember a single thing after that until I woke up and heard my doctor talking about the Red Sox.

It was the hardest part of the entire experience, seeing as I am a diehard Detroit Tigers fan.

Twenty minutes in recovery, another 20 back in my room, and I was out the door around noon to have breakfast with my sister.

There was nothing horrible about it. A little on the unpleasant side the night before, but nothing approaching horrible.

Oh, and the doctor found two polyps and removed them. He told me they weren't anything he'd worry about, but they will be biopsied.

And now, I'm done worrying about that for another 10 years.

The minor discomfort of last night was a small enough price to pay for that.

No horror stories, no awful stuff to force down.

A simple medical procedure that can save your life.

Get it done.

To Boldly Go...

2011-07-09T07:40:00.002-04:00

I remember it like it was yesterday. The headlines of the local paper proudly proclaimed:

Hail to Thee, Columbia...

And the entire world watched as we did the impossible:

I remember the lows...

The shock. The horror. The absolute stunned and empty way I felt...

And again...

I grew up watching the show that proclaimed:

Space: The Final Frontier...

I believed it. I loved it. I wanted to ride that rocket into space...

And now:

After 30 years and 135 missions...

Let's light this fire one more time, Mike, and witness this great nation at its best," Atlantis commander Christopher Ferguson told launch director Mike Leinbach just before liftoff.

It's over.

In 12 days, maybe 13, the United States, the country that put a man on the moon and developed the shuttle programs is out of the business.

They're saying it will be at least three years, maybe even five before another American launch takes place.

That's no way to boldly go...

My heartfelt thanks to the men and women of NASA...

You gave me dreams I will cherish forever.

When in the Course...

2011-07-03T16:14:00.001-04:00

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government...

These are the words that started it all.

The greatest experiment that mankind had ever undertaken when it came to government.

It was a leap of faith that succeeded far beyond anyone's imagining.

They are words that are still important, still ring true.

They must be respected. They must be protected.

Happy 235th birthday, America.

There are words and there are words...

2011-06-30T17:36:00.000-04:00

As readers, we all love words, don't we? We love the rich use of language found in our favorite stories. We love the ebb and flow of those words, the vivid tapestry they paint...

And then, there's this:

Over heard on a radio spot produced by the FBI. The ad was detailing a recent investigation into a man caught stealing from an ATM.

"... agents swooned in from all directions..."

"Swooned in"?

Really?

Let's pause a minute and picture that:

The criminal, wearing a cheesy wig to hid his identity from the ATM cameras. Our stalwart and brave federal agents lying in wait until the precise moment and then...

They charge in and... swoon.

I don't know about you but I can easily picture something along the lines of Bozo the Clown standing in front of an ATM with a dozen immaculately dressed FBI agents in dark suits and white shirts lay scattered around on the floor compliments of their mutual fainting spell.

For some reason, I don't think that's the image the FBI spokesperson quite wanted to convey.

*Sigh*

I do love words.

Both when they're used properly and when they're not.

Well...

2011-06-24T21:31:00.001-04:00

I'm still here.

Not any more active, besides adding books to my read list but I'm here.

Sifting thoughts time?

This is turning into another summer that isn't. Cool temps and rain... and, lucky me, every time a new front moves in with rain and thunderstorms, I get hit with a wave of migraines. Three days this week. I'm thinking winter may not be such a bad thing...

It's a horse show weekend this weekend and come hell or high water, I'll be there. Missed the last one due to a migraine. Go figure. If I can get the camera to cooperate I'll try to get some shots of the niece and her new boy. They did very well during the first weekend so hopefully it will be another good one for them.

To refresh your memories and because I need a photo... here's a shot of the new boy:

It's an old one, he's gotten bigger, but I like the shot.

Good grief. In 18 very short weeks she will be a grown up, married woman. I am not ready for that. Not really. How do they grow up so fast? Trish, if you read this, give Elle a big hug for me, okay?

Speaking of weddings, she's asked me to read something at hers. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I can't find a thing I like...

Work is pretty much good this time of year. Few classes, few students living on campus but we do have camps that rotate in and out on a weekly schedule; athlete camps, science camps, robotics camps, fire fighters camp, forensic science camp... it doesn't end until August. They don't create much business for us, however.

The fur kids are doing fine. The cats are screwy, the dog is the dog, and I've got bunnies living upstairs. They are not mine and I'm not thrilled they're there but the kids I have living with me are good kids so I'll cope. I warned them, however, that if anything bad happens to bunnies because of dog or cats, they were forewarned. Riley is a sweetie but she's killed squirrels... well, one squirrel.

I should be cleaning my living room right now. What with the horrible week, migraine-wise, my living room should be condemned... Another reason I hate headaches.

Well, there doesn't seem to be too much else in here, so I'll wrap it up for now. Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

So...

2011-06-03T01:54:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday.

I am officially now 52.

Funny, doesn't feel any different than 51 did.

The one thing that is different, is the fact that I'm pondering pulling the plug here. I haven't posted since the beginning of May and I've got to admit, I don't miss it. I occasionally think I should get some reviews done but I find myself thinking about it more out of guilt than desire.

So, after four years I may be done.

I've done what I set out to do.

I've met some great people.

But...

One question, for anyone that wants to answer it -

If I do decide to pull the plug, do I leave the blog up or delete it?

Thanks for everything, you guys. It's been a fun four years.

Justice...

2011-05-02T00:42:00.000-04:00

This is one of the few times I'll break my restriction against posting political news/comments here.

Osama bin Laden is dead.

Justice is served.

Finally.

My thanks, thoughts, and prayers are now with the United States Military. May God bless and keep you all.

Another year done...

2011-04-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

I've had the words of a song playing through my mind the last couple of nights at work:

Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
They're the first to come and the last to leave
Working for that minimum wage
They'll set it up in another town

They're from the song "The Load Out/Stay" by Jackson Browne and in a strange way they fit my life at this time of the year.

Today was graduation at the university where I work. Another year is done, another group of students will be leaving the nest and making their way into a world filled with promise and uncertainty.

I look at dorm windows and instead of seeing lights, I see darkness. No early morning sojourning to the dining hall or the gym for a quick work out or to that dread early class.

Quiet has taken over my world.

In a way, it is always bittersweet for me. I'm thrilled for the young people I've worked with and gotten to know. Thrilled that they are getting on with their lives but that happiness is tempered by the realization that they are leaving mine.

It's the nature of things but it is hard.

All I can do is say my good byes and wish them well...

But...

The halls are all empty.

Good luck, Class of 2011, wherever you may be and wherever you path will lead you.

Now, on a much happier note:

Steve Hamilton, favorite author of mine, has won the Edgar Award for his gripping story, The Lock Artist.

Click on the title for a link to my review of the book.

Way to go, Steve. It was a richly deserved award.

Ever have one of those days?

2011-04-15T21:37:00.000-04:00

Well, today is one of them for me.

Actually it's the second or third in a row.

Nothing works right. Nothing fits right, and I'm not talking clothes. Everything irritates the hell out of me.

I ran into a hassle trying to get my taxes filed.
I had to FILE my taxes in the first place.
Facebook is trying to drive me crazy with all its insane glitches.
I can't find the things I want or, if I do find them, they don't work.
It's gotten cold again.
So cold, in fact, that there's a chance of freakin' SNOW tomorrow!
They changed IE, which I liked and had set up to my preferences, to something I hate with a passion.
Mozilla, which I switched to keeps telling me that my page is unavailable... until I refresh it and it's there.

Anyway, you get the point.

It's all little stuff (like my misspelling 'little' three times just now) and it will pass.

The sun will come out. I know that. But for tonight...

All I can do is hope no one does anything really stupid while I'm at work. It won't be pretty.

Other stuff:

I'm five reviews behind, all of which I want to do. I'll try to get to them this weekend. If it snows tomorrow, I can't very well rake my backyard, which desperately needs it. It's good to have alternative plans.

I have a bunch of books I want NOW but they haven't been released yet. The one I'm waiting for most anxiously is "The President's Vampire", the sequel to "Blood Oath", which I loved.

Finally, a question:

To all you Kindle users out there: Any tips for a new owner? No, not me. My sister. I'll pass them along.

Have a great, warm weekend!

Oh! I almost forgot...

2011-03-21T17:47:00.000-04:00

Our annual snowman burning took place last Friday...

The woman in the top photo setting Frosty aflame has worked for the university for 50 years and is finally retiring. Can't imagine what we'll do without her!

Happy Spring!

Ah... Yes! Spring!

2011-03-21T17:15:00.001-04:00

It's actually the second day of Spring here in my little corner of the world and, par for course, we have about two inches of new snow on the ground. But, it is spring and there is a difference. This snow won't last more than a few days.

My boss, who isn't from this area, had a relevant comment the other day. She said that she was amazed by how, in spite of the temperature, if the sun is out, things are melting and she's right. It can be well below the magical freezing mark but if the sun is out, things will be dripping.

I had a backyard until yesterday. Grass and everything. Now it's all white again. The cats go out and come right back in and look at me like it was my fault. The dog doesn't much care. She's weather proof, for the most part, but I have noticed she's gimpy when it's cold.

I've had two of my undeniable signs of spring - spring training started weeks ago and last week, I heard and saw my first seagull but the boats don't start locking through until the 25th so I guess I'll go with two and call it good...

Reading is proving problematic again this month but for a good reason - I'm writing again so I'll take the trade-off. I've learned a great deal about my writing process over the last little bit, so it's been a real adventure.

My prayers go out to everyone in Japan affected by the horrendous events over there. I cannot imagine going through somehting like that. I live in such a geologically stable part of the world; we don't get hurricanes or earthquakes and tornadoes are extremely rare. Blizzards are another thing but you stay inside, dig out when it's done, and usually the damage is minimul. Never thought I'd be glad for a blizzard...

Anyway, I believe I have three reviews pending and I'll get to them shortly...

I hope y'all have a great week of reading and whatever rolls your way!

Happy St. Urho's Day!

2011-03-16T04:05:00.002-04:00

Ode to Saint Urho
by Gene McCavic and Richard Mattson
Virginia, Minnesota

Ooksi kooksi coolama vee
Santia Urho is ta poy for me!
He sase out ta hoppers as pig as pirds.
Neffer peefor haff I hurd tose words!

He reely tolt tose pugs of kreen
Braffest Finn I effer seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat unt hiss nakes
Putt Urho poyka kot what it takes.

He kot tall and trong from feelia sour
Unt ate kala moyakka effery hour.
Tat's why tat kuy could sase toes peetles
What krew as thick as chack bine neetles.

So let's give a cheer in hower pest vay
On Sixteenth of March, St. Urho's Tay.

Translation:

Ooksi kooksi coolama vee (One, two, three four but it doesn't work to translate)
Saint Urho is the boy for me!
He chase out the hoppers as big as birds
Never before have I heard those words!

He really told those bugs of green
Bravest Finn I ever seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat and his snakes
But Urho boy got what it takes.

He got tall and strong from feelia sour (Finnish dish)
And ate kala moyakka every hour. (another Finnish dish)
That's why that guy could chase those bettles
What grew as thick as jack pine needles.

So let's give a cheer in our best way
On sixteenth of March, St. Urho's Day.

With no apologies to St. Pat at all...

If you know any old Finns, get them to read the poem for you. It sounds better that way!

Have a Happy St. Urho's Day!

Book Review: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

2011-03-10T18:42:00.000-05:00

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Harper Collins
Pages 439
Copyright 2011

In the ninth book of The Hollows Series by Harrison, Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter finds herself in a predicament; she has to get from Cincinnati to San Francisco where she is supposedly to have her shunning by the magical community revoked. Problems begin when Rachel discovers she is on a 'no-fly' list and the only way she'll be able to get to San Francisco is by car. Faster than you can say 'road-trip' she finds herself venturing across country with Ivy, her living-vampire parent, Jinx, her pixie partner, and Trent Kalamack, evil drug-selling, gene-splicing, thorn-in-Rachel's-side elf. Trent has hired Rachel to get him to San Francisco in three days in order to complete an old-fashioned elf quest. What transpires is an action-filled, page turner that doesn't let up until the last page.

Rachel is one of my favorite urban fantasy characters. She is a strong, kick-ass, self-assured woman . . . who has plenty of doubts and insecurities. Her past is troubled, leaving her with questions about everything -who she is, what her place in the world is, what her future holds. Jinx is simply adorable, the perfect smart-mouthed sidekick who has Rachel's back, without a question just as she has his. Ivy, the living vampire, is also a tough, tortured character who is fighting her own nature and finally, in this book, she seems poised to step up and claim a life of her own. And Trent? Trent is part of Rachel's past, but it is part of the past that she can't truly remember. He is tough, ruthless, hell bent on getting what he wants, no matter what it takes yet there are layers to him that Harrison is just beginning to show her readers.

Recommendation: Urban Fantasy at its best. Harrison answers some questions in this book, questions that had to be answered, but she also raises brand new ones and they're the sort of question that has me impatient for the next in the series already.

Isn't it cute??

2011-03-10T16:33:00.000-05:00

Okay...

I can't believe I'm doing this but it's simply too cute not to... isn't it:

I haven't seen this one on the air but it sure has all the 'ahhhh' factor going for it and then some!

February blahs...

2011-03-04T07:58:00.000-05:00

So, the shortest month of the year is over. In my little corner of the world, February is also the worst month, weather-wise. Cold, snowy, blowy... except, as I noted in my last post, it was 42F here in the middle of the worst month!

Today, we have 5.2 inches of new snow on the ground. I couldn't park in my drive because I wasn't going to shovel after working all night.

This IS March, right?

Anyway...

If it wasn't a blah month weather-wise, it sure was reading-wise.

Three books. After ten in January, I managed three books in February and not one of them compelled me to write a review. I've tried but...

Blah.

Here they are:

13. Nightingale's Lament by Simon R. Green
12. The Devil's Bones by Jefferson Bass
11. Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass

After reading the first book, Carved in Bone, I was intrigued and eager to read more. I thought I'd found a forensic guy who could write a decent fiction tale and not make me feel I was back in a class room being lectured...

Unfortunately, it didn't hold true. Not only did they lecture, dryly, about some topics, there is page after page of totally meaningless musings and goings on that have nothing to do with the story. Nothing. Paragraphs telling me how the characters got from Point A to Point B... do I really care if they turned left on a street I've never heard of in a town I've never been to?

Let's just say a little of it goes a long way...

The mysteries aren't bad, if you can wade through the trivial to find them.

Simon R. Green's next installment of the Nightside series wasn't so much 'blah' as it was more of the same. Intriguing plot - an up-and-coming female singer sings so powerfully that her sad songs drive her fans to committe suicide with smiles on their faces - intriguing place, excellent characters... yet I didn't feel compelled to write a review.

Let's leave it at this: If you like paranormal stories about the weird and exotic, check the Nightside out. It's an interesting place to visit.

Now...

I've finished my first book for March, Pale Demon by Kim Harrison, and loved it. There will be a review as soon as I have time to sit down and write it.

I'm currently reading Decisions Points by George W. Bush and have enjoyed it so far. I'm interested in hearing what he has to say about what he considers to be his most important decisions while in the White House.

Computer training for work this afternoon, at 1545 so I guess it's time to try and get some sleep...

Hope y'all have a great day!

Of sunshine, warm weather, and happy endings...

2011-02-18T13:28:00.001-05:00

Or should that be beginnings?

There's a winter storm warning in effect here today. Winds of 55 mph, with 2-5 inches of snow coming.

February being February.

But...

On Wednesday of this week, it was sunny and beautiful. It was 42 degrees here. I can honestly say I don't remember it being that warm in February before. It was a breath of fresh air and will help us get through today and the rest of the winter.

As for the happy endings...

My niece has had a tough year after losing her beloved golden boy. The new horse is doing well, keeping her busy, but he doesn't have her heart the way Sonny did.

But, happy endings came last weekend:

Her young man, the man she's been dating for over two years, proposed. He did it on the ice while they were ice fishing. There wasn't anything terribly romantic about it, but it was them. Perfectly so.

So, for her, a sad year has come to an end. The future holds amazing things...

And I couldn't be happier.

Chipmunks

2011-02-08T22:20:00.001-05:00

When I was a kid, spending summers at a cabin on Lake Superior, one of my favorite things to do was feed the Chipmunks and watch as they packed their cheeks beyond full. I was always amazed by how much they could get in their. We'd feed them unpopped popcorn or dog food and by the end of the summer we could get them to eat out of our hands. I loved it.

They would play games with the dogs, sitting on top of the wood pile to chitter at them, especially when the dogs were in the cabin. After enough teasing, one of the dogs would burst out the screen door to chase them... but they never, ever caught them. The second the door started to open, the Chipmunk disappeared into the wood pile and safety.

Those were good days.

Time for a pet story...

2011-02-05T17:36:00.001-05:00

That's Maddie or, as she's also known, Little Miss Houdini.

She likes to play with plastic shopping bags so I will occasionally leave one on the floor for her. Today, she crawled into one... through the handle. It got stuck, of course, around her shoulders. I always know when it happens because she hunkers down and tries to sneak away, which is funny in itself.

But, today, I rescued her, freed her from the dreaded plastic bag and again left it on the floor. Maddie was quickly back, sneaking up to smell it, cautiously.

Then, she pounced on it and stood there with both front feet planted firmly on the bag and that "I'm ruler of the world" look on her face...

Little Miss Houdini, conqueror of the plastic bag.

January Wrap Up

2011-02-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

So...

In sticking with my unresolution to stay current with my reading updates, it's time to sum up last month.

In January I managed to read nine books and had one DNF:

10. Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green
9. Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
8. On The Edge by Ilona Andrews
7. Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
6. Naked Heat by Richard Castle
5. Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker
4. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann (DNF)
3. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
2. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
1. The Real George Washington by Parry and Allison

Total number of pages: 3464, which works out to 112 pages a day, if I did the math correctly. Since math and I have never been on good terms, I always feel the need to tack on the disclaimer.

Included in that total was one non-fiction, five fantasy, urban or other-wise, three who-dunits, and one literary fiction, which was my DNF.

I enjoyed all of them, even the one I didn't finish, strangely enough. McCann's writing is beautiful but it simply overwhelmed me and left me feeling buried by too many words.

I thought I'd found another author to add to my favorite author's list but the second book by Jefferson Bass is proving to be something of a let down. We'll see how I feel when I finish it.

And, my post about what I thought was Robert B. Parker's last Spenser story brought some bittersweet news - there's one more title to come. It was a story Parker was working on when he died, so obviously someone else finished it. It'll be interesting to see how it stacks up.

So, that's my month in a nutshell. I hope y'all had an excellent January.

Book Review: Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green

2011-01-31T14:35:00.000-05:00

Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green
Ace
233 Pages
Copyright 2003

From the back of the book:

I'm John Taylor. I work in the Nightside - the gaudy, meon noir, secret heart of London, where it's always three in the morning, where gods and monsters make deals and seek pleasures they won't find anywhere else.

I have a gift for finding things. And sometimes what I'm hired to locate can be very, very dangerous indeed.

Right now, for example, I'm searching for The Unholy Grail, the cup that Judas drank from at the Last Supper.

It corrupts all who touch it - but it also gives enormous power. So I'm not the only one hunting. Angels, devils, sinners, and saints - they're all out there, tearing apart The Nightside, seeking the dark goblet.

And it's only a matter of time until they realize that the famous John Taylor, the man with the gift for finding things, can't lead them straight to it . . .

The Nightside is a wild, crazy place and with angels and devils in town, whatever rules may have existed have gone by the wayside.

There's an intriguing theme to this journey to the Nightside - the idea that angel come from both Heaven and Hell and neither is a particularly nice character. They're willing to reap destruction on the people of the Nightside in order to gain control of the cup, but in either of their hands, good or bad, Judgment Day just might come early for everyone.

Recommendation: It's an interesting place to visit, that's for sure.

A little clarity seems to be needed...

2011-01-31T13:30:00.000-05:00

I post my reviews in the order I read them, which seems natural enough...

Except for right now.

If you're going to read the two reviews I've just posted, I suggest you read the one for On the Edge first. If you decide you want to read the series, I'd also suggest you forego the review for Bayou Moon because there's a minor, and I do mean minor, spoiler in it.

I hope you read the books. They're wonderful.

The photo, in case you're wondering, is one I've used before. It's frozen Lake Superior under the full moon. No, I didn't take it. I just wish I had...

Book Review: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

2011-01-31T13:18:00.000-05:00

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
Ace
447 Pages
Copyright 2010

From the back of the book:

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swath of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan's long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge - and Cerise's life. William, a changeling soldier who'd left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation's spymaster.

When William's and Cerise's missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly - but they'll have to work together if they want to succeed . . . and survive.

I decided to go with the back of the book write up because I didn't want to ramble on and on again. My reviews, when I thoroughly enjoy a book, tend to do that.

The Edge is an amazing place; wild, dangerous, intriguing. It also holds traitors and traps, pain, hardship, joy, and happiness. It's life, with magic thrown in to make the journey that much more.

Cerise is another strong female character but when her parents vanish and she finds herself in charge of a far-flung, varied clan, she has doubts; doubts about herself, her abilities, them, everything and everyone.

William is the strong, silent type with a tortured past and a job to do. In spite of his strength and his abilities, he finds himself in over his head where Cerise is concerned.

The Mar clan is an interesting group. The family dynamic is strong and they're an interesting group but there's a traitor in the mix.

Spider, the bad guy, is rude, arrogant and more than a touch crazy. In other words, everything a bad guy should be . . . but I'm in danger of rambling again, so I'll wrap it up.

Recommendation: Good guys, bad guys, magic, mysterious goings-on, love, and hate; it's all here. You can't beat it . . . but why would you want to? If you like paranormal romance give this series a go. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Book Review: On The Edge by Ilona Andrews

2011-01-31T12:43:00.000-05:00

One The Edge by Ilona Andrews
Ace
309 Pages
Copyright 2009

In Ilona Andrews' most recent world, reality is divided into three parts: the Broken, The Weird, and The Edge. The Broken is the human world, where Wal-Mart exists and magic is for books and movies. The Weird is a parallel world where magic is the norm, ruled by 'bluebloods' and the strength of your magic can make or break your destiny.

The Edge is between. It is a place where outcasts from the Weird live and where people can travel between the Broken and the Weird. Their lives are not easy; they live a sort of non-existent life, working and buying things in the Broken to trade with The Weird.

Rose Drayton lives in the Edge, an outcast amongst outcasts. Her father has vanished. Her mother has died, but not before leaving behind the reputation of a whore. Rose is left to care for two younger brothers - one a shape-shifter, the other a necromancer unwilling to let the things he loves die.

As a child, Rose lived for one thing - to show all those who tormented and teased her that she was something special, so she worked with her magic night and day until it is the strongest, purest magic in the area. Then demonstration upon graduation meant to show everyone goes wrong, making her even more of an outcast. The Edgers think her worth only what they can get by selling her. The bluebloods want only to use her as a brood mare. And Rose finds herself fighting to keep either thing from happening while she provides for and protects her brothers.

Enter Declan, strong, handsome blueblood warrior from the Weird who seems intent on possessing Rose for both her body and her magic. He agrees to face three challenges from Rose. If he wins, she goes back with him to the Weird. If she wins, he goes away and leaves them alone.

But there is something evil in the Edge, something that means not only to possess Rose but everything and everyone else in the Edge in the process.

Rather a long synopsis but I really couldn't think how to cut it back and do the book justice and, if you're a fan of fantasy and romance, it's important that I do so.

Rose is a strong young woman, but she is at her breaking point. Living in the shadows doesn't provide for a very good life; not for her and certainly not for her brothers. Two young boys growing up without a strong male figure to held teach and guide them is hardly a good thing but when you add Georgie and Jack's problems into the mix, it is potentially disastrous. Rose knows it and she's doing the best she can, but she knows it's not enough.

Declan is strong, handsome, arrogant, everything a hero, or villain, should be. Rose is attracted to him but, after all of the hurt and betrayal she's faced, there's no trust left in her and it doesn't help that Declan is clearly hiding something.

One final piece of the puzzle is William, a strong, mysterious stranger who attempts to befriend Rose in the Broken. Rose likes William, but again, there's just something about him…

Andrews, a writing duo of husband and wife, Ilona and Andrew Gordon. Their Kate Daniels series put them on my favorite authors list and this book has cemented their place on that last.

Their worlds are well defined and easily believable. Their characters are real - they have strengths and flaws, which I find refreshing. Rose isn't above doubts or the need for help. She can't do it all but she has the will to try. Declan is strong, arrogant, everything a rich aristocrat should be. And there are agendas within agendas that definitely keep you reading. The romance element makes the outcome known going in; Rose and Declan will end up together, but it's the getting there that makes the story.

Recommendation: Paranormal romance at its best. There's nothing else I really need to say.

Book Review: Carved In Bone by Jefferson Bass

2011-01-29T19:01:00.000-05:00

Carved In Bone by Jefferson Bass
Harper
323 Pages
Copyright 2006

'Jefferson Bass' is really two people: Jon Jefferson, journalist and writer and Dr. William Bass, anthropologist and founder of the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility, also known as the Body Farm.

The Body Farm is a place for experiments in decomposition and the factors affecting it. The facility covers 2.5 acres and was the first site of its kind in the country. It was first made famous by author Patricia Cornwell in her book The Body Farm.

So. . . how does an anthropologist fair when he turns his hand to fiction writing? Very well, actually.

Dr. Bill Brockton, the fictional Bill Bass, finds himself being called in to investigate a 30-year-old corpse found in a cave in the hills of Tennessee. The county sheriff, a once promising football star, is a man with an agenda and wants Brockton to give him the evidence to arrest a long-time foe. Brockton, however, doesn't believe the foe is responsible for the crime.

Brockton quickly finds himself over his head and involved in a case where it's impossible to tell the good guys from the bad, both in and out of uniforms, or who to trust. He also finds himself dealing with the loss of his wife to cancer, something he blames himself and his son for, and something he has refused to face for two years.

There are other authors available who cover the same ground - Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperence Brennan series, comes to mind. There is one difference, however. When Brockton talks science, he doesn't sound like he's giving a dry lecture; he conveys his point in more of a conversational, easy-to-understand fashion:

This cobbled together team had done a research project to ferret out the differences between adult fingerprints and children's prints. Once Art had gotten the ball rolling, it didn't take the chemists long to figure out what was going on. Adult prints are oil-basesd, the found; kids' prints, on the other hand - before puberty kicks in and activates all those acne-producing oil glands - are water-based. And water evaporates, taking the prints with it.

It's simple, to the point, and fascinating, if you have an interest in such things.

Recommendation: Decently drawn characters, an intriguing plot, and enough turns to keep you guessing. It's an excellent first book in a series and I will definitely be reading the rest.

Book Review: Naked Heat by Richard Castle

2011-01-29T18:26:00.000-05:00

Naked Heat by Richard Castle
Hyperion
290 Pages
Copyright 2010

Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are back. At odds after a break-up brought on by Rook's magazine article about Heat made her gossip fodder for the media, they find themselves involved in the homicide of a vicious gossip columnist whose body is stolen on the way to the morgue. One murder quickly becomes two and then three while Heat and Rook struggle with their personal issues while trying to piece things together and stop a killer before he kills again.

Naked Heat is the second book in the series based on the characters in the ABC TV show, "Castle", which I adore. The first book was Heat Wave, which I enjoyed as an easy, intriguing, fun read.

Naked Heat, however, failed a bit in the beginning, but I don't think I can give you anything specific. It seemed . . . disjointed or scattered maybe. But, I stuck with it and I can say that whoever is actually writing the stories managed to pull it together and get an enjoyable story out of it.

Recommendation: Castle is the best show on TV right now and if you're not watching it, you should be. The books are light, middle-of-the-road mysteries, which would probably be best read on the beach.

Twenty-five Years Ago...

2011-01-28T11:16:00.002-05:00

I attended a concert given by John Denver. It was the most amazing concert I've ever been to. It was John, his guitar, and us. I certainly haven't enjoyed any other concert I've been to since any more than I did that one.

At one moment during the preformance, at the end of one song, the stage went black. A few seconds later, the lights came back up and John began to sing "Flying for Me", his tribute to the crew of the Challenger. They'd died a short time before in an explosion seen world-wide.

Once the song ended, the lights went out again. When they came back up, John said "I'd fly with them tomorrow."

Well...

So would I.

"Challenger, go with throttle up."

"Roger, go with throttle up."

President Ronald Reagan gave one of his best speeches that night, comforting a grief-stricken nation, ending with what quickly became a much sought after phrase:

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.”

It seems to me that 'slipping the surly bonds of earth' is exactly what our shuttle crews did. Bravely. Joyfully. Without hesitation.

Yes, I'd fly with them tomorrow...

Dick Scobee

Michael J. Smith

Ronald McNair

Ellison Onizuka

Gregory Jarvis

Judith Resnik

Christa McAuliffe

There are few times in our history when our spirits have soared so high nor when our hearts shattered so completely.

Twenty-five years?

At times, it seems like 73 seconds...

Book Review: Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker

2011-01-26T11:17:00.001-05:00

Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker
Putnam
291 Pages
Copyright 2010

What a bittersweet read this was.

Robert B. Parker died in January of last year, bringing an end to a prolific writing career during which he published 39 novels in the Spenser series, 6 novels in the Sunny Randall series, 9 novels in the Jesse Stone series, 4 westerns and 10 other independent novels.

Parker was a master of dialogue. He used it to set the scene, to carry the action forward, to do just about everything in his stories, and he did it, in my opinion, very well.

Take this, from his latest Spenser novel:

"I was warned that you were given to self-amusement," he said. "I guess there's no help for it. I am a professor of art history at Walford University. And I am a forensic art consultant in matters of theft and forgery."

And pleased about it.

"Is there such a matter before us?" I asked.

He took in some air and let it out audibly.

"There is," he said.

"And it requires discretion," I said.

"Very much."

"You'll get all I can give you," I said.

"All you can give me?"

"Anything," I said, "that your best interest, and my self-regard, will allow."

"Your self-regard?"

"I try not to do things that make me think ill of myself."

"My God," Prince said. "I mean, that's a laudable goal, I suppose. But you are a private detective."

"All the more reason for vigilance," I said.

Brief and to the point, the dialogue sets the stage and explains exactly who Spenser is.

Prince, as he says, is a forensic art consultant and professor. He has been hired to ransom a painting and in turns hires Spenser to act as his bodyguard. The exchange goes tragically wrong and sends Spenser off on a chase that winds up involving mercenaries, greed, violence, death, theft, and the Holocaust. Spenser, with Susan by his side, proves to be up to the challenge on final time.

If there's anything off in this story, it's the fact that Hawk, one of my favorite Spenser characters, is only mentioned and not seen. I missed him and the exchanges between the two strong men.

Recommendation: As I've said, it was bittersweet but thoroughly enjoyable. Parker, at 77, was going as strong as always. I shall miss Spenser, Susan, Hawk, and all of the people that inhabited Boston along with them.

Thank you, Mr. Parker. Thank you with all my heart.

Sifting Thoughts...

2011-01-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

I haven't done one of these in awhile, have I?

Let's see what sifts out tonight...

Cold, colder, coldest...

When I got out of my nice warm bed this morning and checked my thermostat, I discovered it was 61F in my house. I keep my thermostat at 66F during the day and usually turn it down to 64F at night but I knew last night was supposed to be what weather people call 'bitterly cold' so I left it up.

It was 61F in my house and -20 outside, with a -33 wind chill.

Bitterly cold? It was so freakin' cold my furnance couldn't keep up. Good grief.

Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 22F. There is no sanity in a northern Michigan winter.

I wanted to spend the day curled up on my couch reading, which I basically was able to do, except for an interesting interlude brought to me by the every vigilant, overly-sensitive Riley.

In other words, she did it again.

She started acting like something was spooking her, so after checking around downstairs, I called up to the young woman who rents a room upstairs. She told me she could hear a sharp chirping sound every so often.

So...

With the door to the hallway closed, with my TV on, and with other distractions, my big-eared pooch heard her nemesis, the dying smoke detector battery upstairs.

It took half an hour for us to find the thing, tucked away in the kitchenette I have upstairs, on top of the fridge. At the back of the house. As far away from my dog as it could possibly be...

Dang. She has good hearing.

The battle with controlling my gout continues. I'm doing okay, eating-wise, but there isn't much I can do about the weather, which is proving to be a painful problem for me. Time to start wearing two pairs of socks to work, I think.

On a maddening note - my muse, who had been more than wonderful to me for a very long time seems to have vanished. I haven't written anything, beyond blog stuff, for almost a month. It is driving me crazy...

Winter brings a silence with it that seems profound at times. The birds go away, taking their songs with them. I miss their morning serenades, especially when I'm working nights. Around here, I also miss the boats. The locks close around January 15 every year and the river falls silent. I miss the boat whistles and can't wait for them to come back. For some reason, the sound of snowmobiles doesn't come close to replacing the long, low sound of a freighter locking through.

The year is starting out well, reading-wise. I'm doing well and I'm staying up-to-date with my reviews, which is more than I can say about last year. Still haven't made it to the library to check out what they have from my list of NYTimes bestsellers but I'll get there.

So...

That's it from the Frozen North. I hope things in your neck of the woods are warm and wonderful!

Book Review: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

2011-01-23T20:36:00.000-05:00

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Disney Hyperion
381 Pages
Copyright 2009

Percy Jackson is back, for the last adventure in the series.

Camp Half-blood is armed for the coming attack by Kronos, evil elder god. While preparing for war, Percy realizes that Olympus itself, located in Manhattan, is on the verge of attack but all of the Olympians, the Greek Gods and Goddesses are away, fighting the monster Typhon. Olympus is unprotected so Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and their friends band together to protect what the gods and goddesses have left vulnerable.

It's a great wrap-up of a decent series for kids. This one is basically the recounting of the battle for Olympus so it might be too intense for some youngsters.

The series, much like the Harry Potter series, is about the classic plot lines; good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, doing what's right no matter the cost, fate, and friendship and love.

Recommendation: If you like grand adventures, with heroes and villains, the series may fit well and won't disappoint you.

Book Review: Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann (DNF)

2011-01-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Random House
349 Pages
Copyright 2009
From Amazon:

Colum McCann has worked some exquisite magic with Let the Great World Spin, conjuring a novel of electromagnetic force that defies gravity. It's August of 1974, a summer "hot and serious and full of death and betrayal," and Watergate and the Vietnam War make the world feel precarious. A stunned hush pauses the cacophonous universe of New York City as a man on a cable walks (repeatedly) between World Trade Center towers. This extraordinary, real-life feat by French funambulist Philippe Petit becomes the touchstone for stories that briefly submerge you in ten varied and intense lives--a street priest, heroin-addicted hookers, mothers mourning sons lost in war, young artists, a Park Avenue judge. All their lives are ordinary and unforgettable, overlapping at the edges, occasionally converging. And when they coalesce in the final pages, the moment hums with such grace that its memory might tighten your throat weeks later. You might find yourself paused, considering the universe of lives one city contains in any slice of time, each of us a singular world, sometimes passing close enough to touch or collide, to birth a new generation or kill it, sending out ripples, leaving residue, an imprint, marking each other, our city, the very air--compassionately or callously, unable to see all the damage we do or heal. And most of us stumbling, just trying not to trip, or step in something awful.

But then someone does something extraordinary, like dancing on a cable strung 110 stories in the air, or imagining a magnificent novel that lifts us up for a sky-scraping, dizzy glimpse of something greater: the sordid grandeur of this whirling world, "bigger than its buildings, bigger than its inhabitants." --Mari Malcolm

It seems a little early to declare my first "Did Not Finish" but in truth, I started this book late last fall and I've been struggling with it since. I've finally decided to let it go.

I wanted to like it. McCann's writing is flowing. It's lyrical. It's a work of art

It's too much. After awhile I felt as though I was drowning in what, for me, was an over-abundance of words.

I don't mind lyrical, expressive, expansive writing but page after page of it seems to make my eyes glaze over. I hope that doesn't make me a shallow reader.

With this over-abundance of words, along with 11 protagonists, it was too easy to lose the thread of the story that McCann was attempting to weave together.

Recommendation: It involves seemingly unrelated events that are woven together to paint a picture of the characters and, more importantly, life in general. It would seem to be a great book, if you like his style of writing.

Book Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

2011-01-17T00:54:00.000-05:00

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Disney/Hyperion
Pages 361
Copyright 2008

Freshman orientation holds special horrors for Percy Jackson, teenage demigod. As the half-blood son of Poseidon, Percy is an Olympian and not only does he have to deal with starting yet another new school, this one being the place where his mother's boyfriend teaches, but he also has to worry about the threat of war between the Olympians and Kronos, the evil Titan. And, there are all these thoughts and feelings about Annabeth, fellow demigod and daughter of Athena, that he needs to figure out…

Back at Camp Half-Blood, Percy finds himself heading into the infamous Labyrinth on a quest led by Annabeth. Also along are Tyson, Percy's Cyclops half-brother and Grover, Percy's best friend and Satyr.

Their task is simple: survive the labyrinth, a constantly shifting, changing place of monsters, traps, and danger, convince Daedalus to help them, and get home in time to save Camp Half-Blood from the Titan's monster army.

This is the fourth book in the series by Riordan and I've enjoy each of them. Things are growing more dangerous for Percy and his friends, a fact reflected by the pacing of the story - things are far more urgent, which isn't a bad thing. Riordan has done an excellent job introducing the world of Greek mythology in a way kids will enjoy and what's better than that?

Recommendation: It's a spiffy series involving Greek myth, magic, and amazing adventures. An excellent introduction for kids and a delightful story for parents.

Book Review: The Real George Washington

2011-01-15T13:19:00.001-05:00

The Real George Washington by Jay A. Parry and Andrew M. Allison
Publisher: The National Center for Constitutional Studies
Pages: 829
Copyright: 1991 (First Printing) 2009 (Seventh Printing)

"First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."

'Light-Horse Harry' Henry Lee uttered those words about George Washington at his funeral.

Out of the many eulogies given for General Washington, his were, perhaps the most fitting of them all.

I learned about George Washington in school. Doesn't everyone? But, after reading "The Real George Washington" I realize schools do not do the man justice.

Born on February 22, 1732, with a bloodline some genealogists have traced back through 55 generations to "Odin, heroic founder of the Viking kingdom of Scandinavia", his life was bent to public service.

His father died when he was 11. At 14 he wanted to enlist in the British Navy but his mother prevented him from doing so. At 15, he was a skilled surveyor, earning enough money to make small loans to family and friends. At 16, he joined a surveying expedition assigned to explore the South Branch of the Potomac River in northwest Virginia. At 17, he was appointed the official surveyor of Culpepper County. At 20, he was appointed the district adjutant general of the Virginia Militia with the rank of major.

He fought his first battle at the age of 22 against the French in what was the first engagement of the French and Indian War. At 23, he fought a major battle against General Edward Braddock on the Monongahela River. From 23 to 25, he served as commander of the Virginia forces assigned to protect settlers on the frontier against Indian attacks.

He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses at the age of 27 and served from 1759 through 1774.

At 42, he attended the First Continental Congress and during the Second Continental Congress, at the age of 43, he was appointed commander of the American army, a position he held for all eight years of the long, grueling war.

In 1787 he presided over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and then, on April 30, 1789 he was sworn in as the first American President.

After serving two terms as president, he retired from public service and spent the rest of his days at Mount Vernon, dying on December 14, 1799 at the age of 67

Those are the facts, but they don't come close to telling the story of George Washington. They don't convey how quiet and unimposing he was. Nor do they reveal how, when appointed to lead the fight against Britain, he felt himself inadequate for the task. They don't explain his brilliance in conducting a defensive war, nor do they come close to revealing how much America owes to him. There was never a time during the war that he had enough men, enough supplies, or enough support from Congress to do the job, yet he managed.

The facts also don't tell us that when pressed into service as the first man to lead the country he helped create, he again thought himself inadequate for the job. When again pressed into serving a second term, he wanted nothing more than to go home to Mount Vernon and live out his life in peace and quiet but he again answered the call of his country, at great personal sacrifice. They also don't convey his love of freedom, his deep faith in God, or his belief in the Republic he helped craft and bring into being.

Recommendation: There's no way for me to adequate sum up a book of this magnitude and length, so I won't even try. I couldn't do General Washington justice. I can say this: If you're interested in American history, one of the people you need to learn about is George Washington and this book is a comfortable read, well annotated, and referenced. It's also a good place to start.

So... what do you call a challenge that isn't a challenge?

2011-01-05T00:34:00.000-05:00

How about I simply call it an invitation?

I don't remember where I ran across the complete New York Times Bestseller number ones in fiction, but you can find it here:

New York Times Bestseller number ones

The list began in the 1940's and the first number one was And Now Tomorrow by Rachel Field. It was published by MacMillan and was number one on the debut list for August 9, 1942

So, here's the idea.

I'm going to try reading the fiction list of New York Times Bestseller number ones, starting with the first one, if I can find it.

I'm going to take my time, so there's no ending date. There's no starting date, either. If my sad little library is open tomorrow, I may see if they have Field's book.

Why am I doing it?

I want to follow the path and see how our reading habits have changed. I doubt that the stories we read in the 1940's are the same as the ones we read now but how have they changed? Will there be a noticable trend? Or will the shift be subtle?

I'm curious, aren't you?

If you are, let me know and we can share ideas. If anyone is interested, I might try to do something more official, but for now...

It isn't a challenge.

It's an invitation.

The first day of the year... and a few words about last year.

2011-01-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

This is January?

I took the photo at work this morning. It was raining/misting and in the high 30's.

It's now 23F with a wind advisory in effect that makes it feel like 6F with the wind chill. And, it's snowing.

Weirdness abounds.

So...

A few words about the last 12 months, reading-wise.

I read 44 fewer books than last year. Not good, but that's the way it was. On the other hand, I did a great deal of writing of my own, so the trade off is okay in my book.

Looking at my list, I was pretty heavy into the paranormal, which shouldn't surprise anyone. It's what I enjoy the most and these days, when I read, I mostly read to relax and escape for a bit.

I read some favorite authors and found a couple of new ones to add to the list (Keri Arthur, Brian Gruley, and Ilona Andrews) and fell totally in love with one new character and author. Christopher Farnsworth and his novel Blood Oath novel blew me away. The second in the series is due out in April and I want it now.

The one truly sad part of the year, for me, was the loss of Robert B. Parker, the man behind the Spenser series. I've been in love with Spenser since Robert Urich played him on television and I'll miss him, Susan, and Hawk, a lot.

No deep introspection on my part for last year or for what's coming next. I know my favorite authors have new books set to come out and those will keep me busy. I hope to keep writing and maybe, if I can stop being a coward, maybe see if I can't take the next step.

Finally, I am playing around with an idea that I may share about a non-challenge challenge but we'll see...

I hope everyone has a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2011.

A bad back, a lazy day and...

2010-12-29T16:36:00.000-05:00

I finally made myself sit down in front of my bookcase and make sense of it. It was a job long over-due.

Here's a before shot:

And here, after a couple of hours sorting and organizing, is an after shot:

If I were a glutton for punishment, I'd collect all of my books - they're currently spread out in three different places - and see what's what. But, I have no room for them so I'll let them be for now. Except, I do need to find all of my Spenser novels by Robert Parker. I want to make sure I have them all...

Oh... and we can't ignore the TBR stack:

I'm not sure I'll read them all. Especially the white one. It's called The Clinton Tapes and I'm not sure how it got into my stack. Not sure at all. But, since it's there, I'll consider it. Don't know if I can actually read it but I'll consider it and maybe even give it a try.

And, of course, I didn't leave room anywhere for the new books I received for Christmas...

Such a problem to have.

The Faces of Deployment...

2010-12-25T00:14:00.002-05:00

It's Christmas.

I normally write a post about the meaning of Christmas, or my hopes for the coming year. Something personal, something important to me.

Tonight, it's different.

Tonight isn't about me.

Tonight, I want to introduce you to some people I've gotten to know, at least on line.

This is Gunner. He is, at this moment, far away from where he wants to be. He's in Afghanistan, on his fifth deployment in recent times.

He's there to fight for this country, for our freedom, our security, our lives.

He's far from home, far from those he loves and those who love him.

That's his wife, Korin, with him. She's the one I've gotten to know. She's the one I've come to admire. And she's the one I owe a great deal to.

You see, deployment was a concept once upon a time.

I understood what it meant. I understood the fact that our military people, men and women, leave home to serve. I understood it meant they were in harm's way. Truly, it's not a difficult thing to understand.

But...

Now I understand something I didn't before, not like I do now.

You see, there are other faces invovled in this deployment. Faces that have become as precious to me in their own way as my own nieces.

These faces are the faces of Gunner and Korin's children; Em, Abs, and Juinor.

There's Em, on the verge of becoming a young woman... without her father's support and guidance.

There's Abs, an absolutely brilliant girl facing some truly unique problems of her own, while missing her dad more than she can say...

There's Juinor... the little boy who keeps hoping to find a magical rock that will bring his daddy home to him.

And there's Korin, left to be both mother and father to three children who are serving their father's deployment every bit as much as he is.

They're not in harm's way... but they are sacrificing every bit as much. I've never understood that in the way I do now.

So, here's my wish for this Christmas:

Take a moment to think of those serving this country. Think about their sacrifices and then think about how much their families are also sacrificing. It is the day-to-day things, the normal events of a lifetime that they cannot share with their dad. It is school and homework and walking the dog and a thousand other things we take for granted. Things they will never get back.

We are truly blessed in this country.

Those blessings are secured for us by people like Gunner, Korin, Em, Abs, and Juinor.

They have my undying respect and admiration.

And Korin, thanks for teaching me a lesson I'll never forget... and one I hope everyone has the chance to learn.

Merry Christmas, one and all.

Peace on Earth...

For the sky watchers out there...

2010-12-19T15:51:00.002-05:00

Interesting things in the sky above us...

Monday night/Tuesday morning will bring us a full lunar eclipse, which should be visible throughout the nation.

It will also bring us an event that hasn't happened in 456 years.

The joining of a lunar eclipse and the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.

According to NASA, the last time the two celestial events happened at the same time was in AD 1554.

Big events at the time?

Lady Jane Grey was beheaded for treason that year, while Princess Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Mary of Guise — the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots — became regent of Scotland.

Let's hope no one loses their heads this time around...

But they don't call it lunacy for nothing.

The view in my part of the world

2010-12-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

That is the Walter J McCarthy Jr. as it locked through on Monday.

Winter is definitely here.

Hope y'all have a bit of sunshine where you're at.

Year end sifting thoughts

2010-12-04T20:47:00.000-05:00

It's a little early for a year-end wrap up but I really don't think I'll get much more reading done. Got a couple of books I'm looking forward to, sort of, including Jim Butcher's book of short stories set in the Harry Dresden world. Why can't I warm up to short stories? Even with characters I love and a world I enjoy, I'm 'eh' at best...

It hasn't been a good year, reading-wise. Half of what I read last year and I've been pathetic when it comes to reviews. Hopefully next year will be better on both fronts.

Working toward the end of this year's NaNo story. I've been stuck as of late and every word that has been written has then been rewritten five or six times. That makes it tough but I'm still plugging away at it. I've no intention of abandoning it because I really like the characters. It could be a case of remorse, in a way. The ending is fast approaching and I don't want it to end. Not really.

We had no snow here until Wednesday of last week and then one of our famous 'lake effect snow' fronts moved through. By the time it was gone on Friday morning, we had 14 inches on the ground. Now we're down into the teens, temp-wise, which means the snow has hardened. That's actually a good thing. There's nothing to be blown around. Right now, it's 19, with a wind chill of 9. Glad I'm not working but I'm sure not looking forward to get out of a warm bed in the too darned early a.m.!

Speaking of that... I'm on the dreaded, hated day shift right now. Tomorrow starts week two of the four week rotation... but, I took week three off. So, five days. I need to get through five days more.

I've been kinda lazy today. Watched Duke beat Butler and I've been watching Harry Potter all evening. Not a bad way to spend a chilly night.

The cats are now house cats, officially I think. I had a friend shoveling my drive the other day and he had Riley out with him. When I went to check on them, Maddie decided she wanted out. I watched her hop along in Riley's tracks until, at the end, she sank right up to her tummy. I heard her cry inside the house, with the storm door closed. Poor little girl was more than happy to come inside again... and of course, I got "the look". Sorry, Ms Houdini. The snow is not my fault.

And, one final thought: We have snow showers in the forecast seven of the next ten days...

Hope your weather is warm and sunny wherever you are!

Camouflage and Christmas Lights...

2010-12-04T11:48:00.003-05:00

Remember those fighting for our freedoms...

The ones who are far away from their loved ones this season...

And remember their families, who serve every day of deployment in their own difficult way.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all...

And Peace on Earth...

Please.

Sifting Thoughts... Thanksgiving and more...

2010-11-23T21:29:00.001-05:00

So, I know I've been scarce around these parts of late, but I've been taking part in the annual bout of madness known as The National Novel Writing Month. For those who might not know, it's a challenge to all writers to write 50,000 words starting November 1st and ending November 30th. This year's challenge went very well and I met the goal on the 19th... the earliest I've managed in the seven years I've taken part. The story, of course, goes on but the competition has been met and conquered.

The photo above was taken by my friend Brenda. Not sure where it is but it is significant. Summer has flown, the birds are right behind, and snow is here. Currently, it's 27F, with a windchill of 20F. Yesterday, it was in the 40's with a thunderstorm...

My reading this year has been slow, to say the least. Last year I managed to read over 100 books. This year, I doubt I'll hit 60. I haven't read anything deep or earth shatteringly important but I've enjoyed what I've read for the most part. And for me, that's the main thing.

The dog has learned a new trick, though I have no idea where or how. She can now kick her ball to me when I ask her to. It's the cutest thing. She'll drop it on the floor when she wants to play, just out of my reach and when I tell her I can't reach it, she pushes it with her foot towards me.

The cats are the cats. I swear at times they're planning a revolt...

Work has been strange this semester. We started the semester out under something of a jinx, with the death of a student due to natural causes (heart problems) and things haven't straightened out yet. We've had four seizures in one dorm, the normal alcohol issues, and far too many reports of students talking about suicide. We've also had at least two major power outages and a bunch of the sort of situation where you're left thinking "What the heck was that about?"

Thanksgiving break started tonight, so the dorms should be empty when I go to work for 11:00. They're not due back until Sunday, the students I mean, so I'm looking forward to a bit of quiet. After that, the semester will flash to an end and then it'll be three weeks of quiet.

After years of being in pain to one degree or another almost constantly, I finally am beginning to get some answers, one that is so easy and obvious now that I can't help but wonder what took so long.

I have gout. It's an arthritis disease and is the most painful form of the disease. Still working on treatment and I'm still trying to get a grip on the diet, which at first glance is this: NO MEAT EVER. Also, no beans, no asparagus, no mushrooms...

I'm working on something realistic.

So, that's it. We're battening down the hatches in preparation for what is supposed to be a long, snowy winter.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with family, friends, and plenty of all that you need.

Veteran's Day 2010

2010-11-11T01:02:00.001-05:00

To all of you who have served and those of you who are serving now, along with your families whose sacrifices are not given enough merit, thank you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Without you, none of us would be what we are today.

She could be...

2010-11-03T08:36:00.001-04:00

She could be your friend. Your sister. Your daughter. Your classmate.

She could be any young woman you see at any given time during your day.

For me this morning, she is a young woman I know at the university where I work.

She is bright. She is smart. She is funny. She has plans for her life. She is open, caring, loving...

And two weekends ago she became a statistic.

A night out, away from school, with someone she thought she knew and could trust... and his friends.

Something in her drink.

A blackout... and then awareness as she was running, terrified, down a dark street.

Listening to her talk about it broke my heart. Not her, not someone I care about so much.

I don't let myself get close to many of the students. They're temporary - here and then gone. This one is different. She got through and I do care. A lot.

Listening to her talk also left me feeling... helpless and discouraged.

You see, according to her, 'nothing happened'.

She was given what was probably a date rape drug and chased through the streets but 'nothing happened'.

She meant, of course, that she got away and wasn't sexually assaulted.

How does she not understand that something huge happened?

She knows all the 'rules' about drinking. She knows to be careful. She's heard the lectures and the stories.

And she still doesn't understand that something huge has happened to her.

It breaks my heart.

It breaks my heart that 1 in every 6 women, according to RAINN, in this country will be the victim of a sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault in their lifetime.

It breaks my heart that college age women are 4 times more likely to be assaulted.

It breaks my heart that after decades of awareness our young women still don't get it. I don't know what else we can do, short of making those young women, while they are girls and still apt to listen, afraid of every man they meet.

That isn't the answer, of course. But I wish to God I knew what was.

As for this young woman...

She was lucky, yes.

But, she doesn't understand what might lie ahead. 'Nothing happened' and 'running terrified in the dark' tell me the road that lies ahead may be a great deal harder than she thinks at the moment.

I will be watching her. And, if need be, I will be the biggest nuisance I can be to make sure she takes care of herself.

To make sure she understands this was not her fault.

To make sure she doesn't become another statistic.

If you have young women around you that you love, talk to them and don't stop.

They need to hear us now more than ever.

Book Review: To Kill A Mockingbird

2010-10-23T14:28:00.004-04:00

So, this isn't really going to be a review. If you to see an actual review, you can find one here.

Suffice it to say, To Kill A Mockingbird was recently named the one book everyone should read before they die, ranking ahead of The Bible.

I don't know if I'd put it ahead of The Bible, but I'd agree everyone should read it at least once.

This was my fourth time reading it and I thought, instead of a review, I'd simply share a few of my favorite quotes...

Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people's azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work. (p. 9)

Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing. (p. 20)

Dill was in hearty agreement with his plan of action. Dill was becoming something of a trail anyway, following Jem about. He had asked me earlier in the summer to marry him, then he promptly forgot about it. He stake me out, marked as his property, said I was the only girl he would ever love, then he neglected me. (p. 46)

When he gave us our air rifles, Atticus wouldn't teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one day, "I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bludjays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. (p. 103)

"Scout," said Atticus, "when summer comes you'll have to keep your head about far worse things . . . it's not fair for you and Jem, I know that, but sometimes we have to make the best of things, and the way we conduct ourselves when the chips are down - well, all I can say is, when you and Jem are grown, maybe you'll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn't let you down. This case, Tom Robinson's case, is something that goes to the essence of a man's conscience - Scout, I couldn't go to church and worship God if I didn't try to help that man." (p. 120)

"A lady?" Jem raised his head. His face was scarlet. "After all those things she said about you, a lady?"

"She was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe . . . son, I told you that if yoiu hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her - I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before yoiu begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." (p. 128)

Who was this "her" they wer talking about? My heart sank: me. I felt the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary closing in one me, and for the second time in my life, I thought of running away, immediately. (p. 155)

"Mr. Finch, there's just some kind of men you have to shoot before you can say hidy to 'em. Even then, they ain't worth the bullet it takes to shoot 'em. Ewell 'as one of 'em." (p. 309)

Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it; we had given him nothing, and it made me sad. (p. 320)

I willed myself to stay awake, but the rain was so soft and the room was so warm and his voice was so deep and his knee was so snug that I slept. (p. 322)

And finally, the best closing line I've read:

He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.

Book Review: Burn by Nevada Barr

2010-10-23T14:15:00.000-04:00

Burn by Nevada Barr
St Martin's Press
378 Pages
Copyright 2010

From the book:

Anna Pigeon, a Ranger with the National Park Service, is on administrative leave from her job as she recovers from the traumas of the past couple of months - while the physical wounds have healed, the emotional ones are still healing. With her new husband busy and back at work, Anna decides to go to stay with an old friend from the Park Service, Geneva, who works as a singer at the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park.

Anna isn't in town long before she crosses paths with a tenant of Geneva's, a creepy guy named Jordan. She discovers what seems to be an attempt to place a curse on her - a gruesomely killed pigeon marked with runic symbols - and begins slowly to find traces of very dark doings in the hart of post-Katrina New Orleans. Tied up in all of this evil magic are Jordan, a fugitive mother accused of killing her husband and daughters in a fire; and faint whispers of unpleasant goings-on in the heart of the slowly recovering city.

Now it will take all of Anna's skills learned in the untamed outdoors to navigate the urban jungle in which she finds herself to uncover the threads that connect these seemingly disparate people, and to rescue the most vulnerable of creatures from the most savage of animals.

Let me start off by saying this book took me months to read. I'd pick it up, read a few pages, maybe a chapter or two, and then I'd set it down and basically, forget about it.

That, for me, is not normal when reading a Nevada Barr book. Her tales are ones that I normal devour in a couple of days or less.

Since I finished it, I've been trying to figure out why I didn't connect with this one.

The setting? No. I love New Orleans. I've only been there once and would love to go back and I know the aura of the city and was looking forward to its atmosphere playing a big part in the story. Unfortunately, it didn't.

The mention of magic? Hardly. I love stories that involve magic and the paranormal. What little bit of magic there was in this story was disappointing.

The villains? Barr normally crafts her villains so vividly that I find them hard to read. They normally make me cringe and by the end of the book, I am looking forward to them getting their just desserts. The villains in this one remained almost undefined or, maybe, unidentified. Making a large group of faceless people the 'villain' of the piece fell flat.

The nature of the 'savagery'? It is horrible, make no mistake about it, but it's almost become trite. I hate saying that but I don't know how else to put it.

Here's the bottom line, I think.

Barr normally weaves intricate stories that make their location - a national park - a vivid, important part of the story. She makes places come alive, creating a desire to see the actual place - Isle Royal, Ellis Island, Yosemite, the Dry Tortugas, even the inhospitable area around Big Bend - I've never finished a Nevada Barr book with feeling the need to visit the park she featured.

Except for this one. In Burn, the park was mentioned once. The setting could've been anywhere and that left me disappointed.

Recommendation: It's okay but if you want Barr at her best, try Winter Study or A Superior Death, my favorites.

Book Reviews: Two for the price of one

2010-10-20T12:52:00.000-04:00

Got a couple of quick reviews to take care of here.

When Blood Calls by J.K. Beck
Bantam Books
388 Pages
Copyright 2010

From the back of the book:

Attorney Sara Constantine is thrilled with her promotion - until she finds out that she must now prosecute vampires and werewolves. The first defendant she'll be trying to put away? Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.

When Lucius kisses a beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he's hoping only to avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he's planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss ignites into an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows that Sara is determined to see him locked away - unless he can convince her that he's not a monster. And that might mean making the ultimate sacrifice.

Paranormal romance at it's best. Sara is strong and beautiful, with a tragic past and a hatred for vampires rooted in the death of her father.

Lucius Dragos is the strong, handsome vampire with the tortured past rooted in the death of his daughter.

Together, they're explosive and must team up to fight an unexpected foe, one that will either drive the pair apart or unite them forever.

As a romance story, there are 'those' scenes involved but they're well written and they don't dominate the story. What dominates, instead, is the story of Sara and Lucius pasts, whether they're strong enough to overcome them, and who, exactly is out to get them. And that, I must admit, was a surprise at the end.

While I'm not normally big on romance, I can read it when the story grabs me with something unusual. The idea of a court for paranormal beings, along with a special unit policing those beings was enough of a hook to get me to buy the book. The writing and the characters kept me interested right up to the end.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
Bantam Dell
372 Pages
Copyright 2006

From the back of the book:

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson is just trying to find her place in the world. And it's not always easy for a woman like herself, especially when her work - for an organization created to police the supernatural races - brings her face-to-face with some of the sexiest men imaginable. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat: the phase when her need to mate becomes all-consuming. But when her twin brother Rhoan is taken hostage, Riley must stay focused - even when an extremely seductive, deliciously naked, and very disoriented vampire shows up on her doorstep looking for Rhoan. Now she'll have to control her urges if she's going to find her brother... because the people who took Rhoan have another target in mind: Riley!

Two paranormal romances in a row. What can I say? I was looking for easy, entertaining reads and I found them.

Riley Jensen is a strong, tough, likable young woman. She's being recruited to become an assassin for the Directorate of Other Races, something she really doesn't want to do. But, to save Rhoan, she will be willing to do just about anything, including becoming involved with Quinn, the naked vampire at her door.

Mixed in is the mystery of what has happened to the guardians, the assassins of the Directorate, that have gone missing, which includes Rhoan and a female vampire named Kelley, Riley's best friend.

Quinn is definitely the typical sexy vampire who is clearly attracted to Riley, but after being burned by a werewolf in the past, wants nothing long term.

Together they have to rescue Rhoan, figure out who attacked Quinn, and who is behind the attacks on the guardians.

Recommendations: I enjoyed both stories but have to admit the emphasis on mating (anyone, anywhere, any time apparently) in Full Moon Rising was a distraction. But the characters were well developed and intriguing and there is a decent story to be found amongst the romance.

Book Review: Something From The Nightside by Simon R. Green

2010-10-12T21:26:00.001-04:00

Something From The Nightside by Simon R. Green
Ace Books
230 Pages
Copyright 2003

From the back of the book:

Taylor is the name, John Taylor. My card says I'm a detective, but what I really am is an expert on finding lost things. It's part of the gift I was born with as a child of the Nightside.

I left there a long time ago, with my skin and sanity barely intact. Now I make my living in the sunlit streets of London.

But business has been slow lately, so when Joanna Barrett showed up at my door, reeking of wealth, asking me to find her runaway teenage daughter, I didn't say no.

Then I found out exactly where the girl had gone.

The Nightside. That square mile of Hell in the middle of the city where it's always three A.M. Whre you can walk besides mythgs and drink with monsters. Where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.

I swore I'd never return. But there's a kid in danger and a woman depending on me. So I have no choice - I'm going home...

John Taylor is a man of mystery, not only because he escaped from the Nightside, but because of his mother. The mother he doesn't know, the mother who gave him his gift... and a future that isn't all that bright.

Green introduces us to the Nightside by peeling back layers one at a time, yet leaving enough mystery to keep you reading. The Nightside is a violent, scary place, but Taylor is definitely up to the challenge.

The writing isn't bad, the pacing is decent, and the ending, I will admit, was a complete surprise. But, this was the first book in the series so there are flaws, which are easily forgiven. They don't really harm the story.

Recommendation: Not a bad start and I can't wait to visit the Nightside again. I've got the feeling it's going to be a wild ride.

October 7th

2010-10-07T21:51:00.002-04:00

It was seven years ago today.

It feels, at times, like yesterday.

She was hard-working.

She gave us what we needed; not everything we wanted but what we needed.

Love

Discipline

Education

She taught us right from wrong and the worst thing I could ever have imagined hearing would have been her saying "I'm disappointed in you."

I was in the sixth grade when I decided I wanted to be a police officer. I think it was Adam-12 and The Rookies that did it to me. I don't really remember.

What I do remember is this. When I was in the sixth grade women weren't police officers. It was a job only men did.

She never said a word to discourage me. Not one.

Then, when I was a grown up and a police officer in a small town, I took her to a Detroit Tigers game. As I was watching the officers from the Detroit Police Department between innings, I mentioned something about applying for a job with the DPD.

She shook her head.

"What, wouldn't you like having a daughter who was a captain," I asked.

"I'd rather have a daughter who was safe."

Just like she never discouraged me, she never let me know that she worried. Beyond that one remark.

I miss you, Mom.

Thanks for giving me roots and for giving me wings.

I hope I've done you proud.

Book Reviews: Starvation Lake Mysteries by Bryan Gruley

2010-10-07T13:20:00.000-04:00

Starvation Lake
Touchstone
370 Pages
Copyright 2009

In Starvation Lake, Gus Carpenter, has returned home in disgrace. His high profile job with the Detroit Times has blown up over questionable ethics involving confidential sources.

Home is a small town in northern lower Michigan where people are more concerned about Gus's past than his present. You see, Gus was once the hot-shot goalie of the local traveling hockey team, the team that was destined for glory and the state championship. A mistake by Gus ruined the dream and the town has blamed him for every thing that has gone wrong since that time.

He's now the editor of the local newspaper and he's playing hockey with a old-timers team. Things aren't good but they're as good as they're going to get for Gus.

Then, a snowmobile washes ashore, bringing with it a mystery that will rock Starvation Lake even more than Gus's missed goal. The machine once belonged to his former coach who died when he broke through the ice and drowned... on a lake five miles away.

Gus begins an investigation that will reopen the painful past and force Gus to deal with questions about that time, the people involved, and himself.

The Hanging Tree
Touchstone
314 Pages
Copyright 2010

Life, after the happenings in Gruley's first book, for Gus Carpenter hasn't been all that bad. He's still playing hockey, now executive editor of the local newspaper, and best of all, he's reconnected with his childhood sweetheart, Deputy Darlene Esper.

Then, Gracie McBride, Gus's troubled cousin, hangs herself from a tree outside of town. The circumstances are questionable to say the least. Gus begins to investigate while he also tries to deal with a lawsuit stemming from the mess he left behind at the Detroit Times, the return of Darlene's husband, and the questionable intentions of a wealthy man who arrived in Starvation Lake with promises to return the town's former hockey glory with a brand new arena - one that Gus makes the mistake of questioning in his paper. The result of his trying to protect the community from a possible scam? The owners seem to be trying to force him out.

Through it all, however, Gus is determined to do right by Grace, by Darlene, and by his small, quirky hometown.

Recommendations: Gruley does an admirable job capturing the quirks and oddities of truly small towns. His characters are real and they deal with real life problems. The mysteries, while decently told, don't hold many surprises but that doesn't diminish the enjoyment whatsoever.

Can I ask a favor?

2010-10-06T23:58:00.001-04:00

The young couple picture above are friends of mine.

Bryan is a former student who impressed me all throughout his college career. He's a truly good guy. He'd do anything to help another person out, friend, friend of a friend, or strange. He worked hard for us and somehow kept his willingness to help and do the job expected of him. That is unbelieveably rare these days and if I could've kept him in school for another 10 years, I would have.

But, the good ones also move on. They graduate, they start their careers; they start their lives.

Kathleen is the young lady Bryan wants to build a life with. I've only met her once but she impressed me. They are, simply put, right together.

If I could give them the moon, I would... but knowing Bryan, he wouldn't take it.

Okay, enough of that.

Here's the thing. Simon G. Jewelry is sponsoring a contest called "The Perfect Proposal and Engagement Ring".

I have no idea what Bryan will do to make it 'the perfect proposal' but knowing him, it will be something terrible romantic.

So, here's the favor.

Could you all go to the site and vote for these two? I'd appreciate it and you'd be helping the dreams of two truly good young people come true.

Who doesn't want to do that?

Here's the link:

Simon G Jewelry contest

Thanks so much.

Well, dang.

2010-10-04T03:18:00.000-04:00

It's too fast.

I don't remember seasons changing so abruptly when I was a kid. It may be a faulty memory, or perhaps a nostalgic one but wasn't it summer just yesterday?

Here's what I saw yesterday when I was on my way home from work at 0715...

Frost.

That's not my lawn and I didn't take the photo but it is what I saw.

It was in the 60's last week and on Saturday morning we had visible frost.

Can snow be far behind?

Given how miserable I've been this fall because of the rain and the migraines I've had as a result...

I sure the heck hope not.

Book Review: Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs

2010-10-02T13:54:00.000-04:00

Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs
Scribner Books
302 Pages
Copyright 2010

In the 13th Temperence Brennan novel, the intrepid forensic anthropologist finds herself dealing with a drowning victim who apparently died while practicing a bizarre sexual fetish.

That turns out to be the simple part of the puzzle.

The man is quickly identified as John Lowery . . . who died in 1968 in Vietnam.

How does an American soldier, supposedly killed fighting for his country, wind up dying in Canada?

Temperence is determined to find out and her investigation leads from Canada to North Carolina, to Hawaii where she enlists the services of JPAC - the US military's Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.

Once in Hawaii, however, the mystery deepens when they find the remains of a third man with Lowery's dogtags tangled in them.

Add an ex-lover, two daughters (hers and his), and the possible young victim of a shark attack into the mix and Tempe finds herself with her hands full.

Not a bad book at all. The mystery keeps you guessing and the interaction between Tempe and ex-lover Andrew Ryan keeps you hoping for a reunion. Add in her daughter, who has suffered the loss of a good friend, and Ryan's daughter, a rebellous trouble-maker, and you get a darned good read.

The best part of the story, however, wasn't the story itself. It was the way Reichs highlights the important work that JPAC does in bringing those who died in the service of their country home. Not enough can be said about their efforts.

My one complaint? The fact that Ryan is still an ex. C'mon, Kathy. Put these two back together again already.

Recommendation: This is another solid effort by Reichs in the series that was the basis for the TV show Bones. If you enjoy CIS, NCIS, Bones, or similar shows, you might enjoy the series.

Fast Money Round on Book Reviews

2010-10-02T13:33:00.000-04:00

It's a new month and I can't remember which books I actually read last month and which I read the month before.

So, I'm determined to clear the decks for this month and start fresh.

That means some quick reviews of books I enjoyed but didn't truly stand out.

First up:

Joesph Heywood:

Running Dark, Copyright 2005
Strike Dog, Copyright 2007
Death Roe, Copyright 2009

All titles were published by Lyons Press.

All three books are focused on Grady Service, DNR Michigan DNR officer assigned to the wilds of the Upper Peninsula. I like the character and the setting. How could I not? I live in the UP...

Running Dark is a back-track sort of book, taking us back to when Service was relatively new to the DNR, fresh from a stint in the military and State Police. There is considerable unrest on the Garden Peninsula, a small peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan. The people that inhabit it are a wild bunch and illegal fishing is rampant. Service is sent in under the cover of darkness to gather intel on the ruthless band.

Strike Dog opens with the death of two very important people in Service's life - his fiancee and his 18-year-old son, the child he didn't know he had until recently. There is also a serial killer on the loose - one that has been killing 'the best' conservation officers in each state. With murders in Wisconsin and Arkansas, Service finds out that he is the next, and final, target of the killer.

Contaminated Sturgeon roe, ties to the Ukranian mafia, and corruption within the DNR itself form the basis of the story in Death Roe. Service, still dealing with the death of Maridly Nantz and his son, Walter, Service finds himself tracking down the source of poisonous roe that has already resulted in one woman dying from cancer and others by not so mysterious means.

So...

Decent books, but nothing spectacular. There didn't seem to be much of a point to any of them. There wasn't any mystery in Running Dark or Death Roe at all. You go into it already knowing who did it. Strike Dog had a bit more mystery to it, but it was weak and easily figured out.

I've got Heywood's newest in the series, Shadow of the Wolf Tree, waiting for me. Hopefully it will be better than these were.

Recommendation: While not all that mysterious or exciting, I still enjoyed the reading due to Heywood's ability to tell a story and make the UP part of that story. If you enjoy man-against-nature and man-against-man stories, give Heywood a try but go with the earlier books first. They're the best.

Sad news this week...

2010-10-02T12:27:00.000-04:00

First, we lose Tony Curtis, who, as an amazing actor, was part of an entire generation of actors that I think won't be surpassed any time soon. It's not that I don't like today's actors; I do but I don't think they could hold a candle to the likes of Curtis, John Wayne, Jack Lemmon, Spencer Tracy, or Errol Flynn, just to name a few.

Then, last night I saw that Stephen J. Cannell has passed away.

I don't know about you but Cannell was behind a lot of the television shows I loved once upon a time - Adam-12 (which was one of the shows that made me want to be a cop), the A-Team, Barretta, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Hunter, Teenspeed and Brown Shoe...

Such great shows.

And, while I was surfing on line, I came across some more news that was surprising - Jennifer Rardin, author of the Jaz Parks series, passed away on September 20th.

I haven't read any of her books but they've always been on my list.

It's sad to see them go.

Book Review: Heaven's Keep by William Kent Krueger

2010-09-17T19:30:00.000-04:00

Heaven's Keep by William Kent Krueger
Atria Books
321 Pages
Copyright 2009

From the back of the Book:

When a charter plane carrying Cork O'Connor's wife, Jo, goes missing in a snowstorm over the Wyoming Rockies, Cork must accept the terrible truth that his wife is gone forever. But is she? In Heaven's Keep, celebrated author William Kent Krueger puts his intrepid hero through the most harrowing mission of his life.

Months after the tragedy, two women show up on Cork's doorstep with evidence that the pilot of Jo's plane was not the man he claimed to be. It may not be definitive proof, but it's a ray of light in the darkness surrounding Cork's loss. Agreeing to investigate, he travels to Wyoming, where he battles the interference of local law enforcement who may be on the take, the open hostility of the Northern Arapaho, who have much to lose if the truth is known, and the continuing attempts on his life by assassins who shadow his every move.

At the center of all the danger and deception lies the possibility that Jo's disappearance was not the end of her, that somewhere along the labyrinthine path of his search, maybe even in the broad shadow of Heaven's Keep itself, Cork will find her alive and waiting for him.

The tenth book in the Cork O'Connor series is another solid effort by Krueger. I can't really add much more description-wise as I've already quoted above but, I do want to add that reading this book gave me a strange feeling - it felt like Krueger was wrapping things up in order to say good bye to the character. I didn't much like it because I enjoy the character. Luckily, the publication of "Vermilion Drift" and Krueger's comments on Facebook have reassured me that there will be more Cork O'Connor tales to come.

Recommendation: Small town family man becomes involved in a mystery with the stakes as high as they can possibly be. It's a solid story and if you like this sort of tale, you'll like Krueger's work.

Book Review: Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

2010-09-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
St. Martin's
306 Pages
Copyright 2007

Back of the Book:

"Enter the dark, magical world of the House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampyre. that is, if she makes it through the Change - and not all of those who are Marked do. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: when she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny - with a little help from her new vampyre friends."

So, I went from a vampire book that I love to one that left me flat. The premise, a school for vampyres, fell flat for me and I didn't care about any of the characters. They were too cardboard cut-outish. Every cliche about high school kids is present and accounted for.

Recommendation: Not my cup of tea. I wouldn't spend a minute with these kids in real life and I won't be spending any more with them in the book world.

Book Review: Blood Oath by Christopher Fransworth

2010-09-17T15:41:00.001-04:00

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
Putnam
390 Pages
Copyright 2010

So...

This is going to be an unabashed rave.

I loved this book.

LOVED IT.

It was, for me, the sort of vampire book I've been longing for. The vampire, Nathaniel Cade, is a bad guy. He doesn't sparkle in the sun, he doesn't play all that nice with humans. He is a predator and will tell you to never forget that.

He is also, however, the President's Vampire, bound by blood oath to serve the President of the United States or his designated representative. He has no choice but to serve and obey and it is his job to deal with the enemies of the United States that most people refuse to acknowledge exist.

At the beginning of the book, Zach Barrows has had his life blown up around him. Once a trusted confidante of the President, finds himself being reassigned as Cade's partner. From high profile to no profile in a matter of hours, Zach isn't thrilled. Here's how their first meeting, involving Griff, the man Zach is replacing, Zach, and Cade goes:

"Is that a threat? Are you threatening me? Listen up, old man, because there's no way in hell-"

"It's not his job to be threatening, actually."

For a split second, Zach didn't know where the words had come from.

Then he turned and faced someone standing directly behind him. As if from nowhere.

"It's mine," he said, and smiled.

He was taller than Zach, wearing ragged black fatigues. He looked young. And pale. Very, very pale.

He stood there, perfectly calm.

Too calm, even. Unnaturally still. Almost the kind of stillness you'd only find in a casket. But just standing there.

So, Zach couldn't figure out why his whole mind narrowed down to one thought, burned in capital letters across his brain: RUN.

Zach felt a stirring of instinct honed when humans huddled at the edges of campfires, terrified of the noises in the dark. He suddenly knew he was in the presence of something that stalked his kind, and had for thousands of years. Something inhuman. A predator.

There is a reason humans are genetically programmed to fear the dark. Zach was looking at it.

As for the story itself? Some fanatical followers of Islam have hatched a plot that, if successful, would deal a devastating blow to America. It involves the bodies of dead soldiers from Iraq and the science of a former Nazi doctor and it is, without a doubt, a can't-put-it-down, rocking good time.

The chapters begin with scientific, classified information taken from the briefing book: Codename: Nightmare Pet, which actually looks at vampires from a scientific viewpoint, offering explanations as to why they are the way they are.

Cade is as advertised. He is a predator. He isn't overly fond of humans but he is bound by his oath and serves stoically, if not happily.

Zach is, in the beginning, also as advertised. He is an annoying, cocky, glib politician . . . who goes through a methamorphisis during the events of the story.

There are plenty of 'holy crap' moments mixed in with more than enough moments that will make you smile, if not laugh.

The pace never lets up and the story never lets you down.

And finally, the most telling thing - a week after I'd read the book in about 10 hours, I read it again. I've never done that with a book.

Recommendation: If you like glittery, school boy vampires, you might not like this. But, if you like tough, kick-ass heroes who just happen to be bad guys, you'll love it. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Holy Cow, Batman! I'm on vacation!

2010-09-17T14:19:00.000-04:00

I've got an entire week off and nothing much planned. A quick trip to Wisconsin to visit an elder relative with my sister and then an even quicker trip to the LP to visit the niece (going Sunday, back home Tuesday) but considering I haven't even been out of my town in over a year, I'll take it.

I just took a look at my rather enemic list of books read for this year and I've discovered that I'm ten books behind in reviews. How is that possible? I mean, really. Kinda sad isn't it? I hope to get some of them done before I take off on Sunday. Hope to.

So, what else is new in my life?

On August 23, the city tore the street up in front of my house to replace sewer and water lines. They worked on it for two days and then vanished until Monday of this week. They worked another two days before vanishing again. This has been the view from my house all this time:

Four days of work for them; four weeks of major inconvienence for me. I've had to park in the city garage across the street which isn't a huge deal... until you think about grocery shopping or laundry (my washer is out of commission) or garbage, which they're not picking up at the moment.

Summer is finally in the review mirror in these parts. The heat is gone, the maple trees, always the harbinger of fall, are already turning. With all of the rain we've been having, the colors should be spectacular. I'll try to post some photos.

Final thought: the Farmer's Almanac predicts a mild winter in these parts, with above average snow fall.

Not entirely sure how I feel about that...

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Where were you?

2010-09-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

Where were you when the world stopped turning...

As Alan Jackson asked so eloquently in those long, dark days of that September 11th, nine years ago?

I was in bed.

It seems strange, looking back on it, but I was. I'd worked a midnight shift and at 0847, I was peacefully asleep. I was still asleep at 0903 and at 1003. I slept through the Pentagon and Shanksville...

At around 1100, my sister, who was watching our mother so I could sleep, came up to wake me. Her words are still as clear to me today as they were on that day:

"Planes have hit the World Trade Center and the towers are gone."

My first half-asleep thought was "What towers? Not OUR towers."

I could not comprehend the possibility. Not those towers, not this country. It simply wasn't possible.

Then I turned on my TV and saw the truth.

Alan Jackson had it absolutely right. My world stopped turning on that day for a variety of reasons.

Once I'd gotten dressed and gone downstairs, my main thought was of my nephew. He lives in NYC, at that time, within blocks of the World Trade Center. I had no idea if he was safe. I had no idea who I could call to find out. My brother? No, I knew he'd be trying to get in touch with his son.

My aunt and uncle were to return from England that day. An hour and a half out of Heathrow, the captain of their flight announced that the air space over the United States had been closed and they were returning to England. They had no idea what had happened. I had no idea what had happened to them.

Finally, I got a call from my sister-in-law's sister who told me my nephew was fine.

My thoughts then turned more completely to the fact that we had been attacked. My country, my homeland had been attacked.

All we coud do, as a family, as a nation, was sit and watch. It seemed utterly unbearable but how could you turn it off? That day and the following harrowing days, how could you turn it off?

Then, it got personal again. I found out that the nephew of a good friend had been in one of the towers. He was gone. Days after he'd found out that his wife of a year was pregnant, he was gone. They would find nohting in the days to come, nothing to offer closure to his bride. Nothing at all, not even a ring.

The husband of another good friend found himself flying Combat Air Patrol over the Capital.

Think about that for a moment; he was flying combat missions in the skies over this country.

She, as a member of a national emergency response team, was assigned to the Pentagon. She later would be hospitalized with an infected puncture wound in her chest that she would tell you she got 'crawling around the rubble of the Pentagon', as though it was no big deal. What she couldn't tell you about was the stories of the young soldiers who wanted to help, of the families that would press photographs into her hands, begging for information about their loved ones. She took them and said they'd do their best. She didn't know how to tell them there was simply nothing left...

September 11th is just as raw for me today as it was nine years ago.

It is the day the towers fell.

It is the day the Pentagon was damaged.

It is the day a plane went down in a field in Pennsylvania...

It is the day the world truly stopped turning.

There will be no other posts from me today.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE 2,977 PEOPLE THAT DIED THAT DAY...

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

So...

2010-09-07T04:27:00.000-04:00

Here it is, Tuesday morning, the seventh of September.

Very, very early Tuesday morning.

Since I am no longer on nights, why, you might ask, am I still up?

Two reasons.

One, a pretty good book that kept me reading to finish it long after I should've turned my light out and two?

My bed is shaking.

Literally. Almost enough to give me motion sickness.

That's what happens when a 118 pound dog is lying on it, trembling because of the thunderstorm booming away outside...

The weather forecast calls for scattered t-storms in about 30 minutes... so here I am, trying to fill the time in until she calms down and I can try to sleep.

The book?

Finished it. It was pretty good.

What are they thinking...

2010-08-17T14:03:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year: colleges are swinging into fall and incoming Freshman are wandering around, looking lost, ready to conquer the world.

The following list was put together by Beloit College's Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief. "It was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation."

So, if you deal with college students as I do, here's the list of what this year's new crop bases their thinking on:

The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2014

Most students entering college for the first time this fall—the Class of 2014—were born in 1992.

For these students, Benny Hill, Sam Kinison, Sam Walton, Bert Parks and Tony Perkins have always been dead.

1. Few in the class know how to write in cursive.

2. Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail.

3. “Go West, Young College Grad” has always implied “and don’t stop until you get to Asia…and learn Chinese along the way.”

4. Al Gore has always been animated.

5. Los Angelinos have always been trying to get along.

6. Buffy has always been meeting her obligations to hunt down Lothos and the other blood-suckers at Hemery High.

7. “Caramel macchiato” and “venti half-caf vanilla latte” have always been street corner lingo.

8. With increasing numbers of ramps, Braille signs, and handicapped parking spaces, the world has always been trying harder to accommodate people with disabilities.

9. Had it remained operational, the villainous computer HAL could be their college classmate this fall, but they have a better chance of running into Miley Cyrus’s folks on Parents’ Weekend.

10. A quarter of the class has at least one immigrant parent, and the immigration debate is not a big priority…unless it involves “real” aliens from another planet.

11. John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.

12. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.

13. Parents and teachers feared that Beavis and Butt-head might be the voice of a lost generation.

14. Doctor Kevorkian has never been licensed to practice medicine.

15. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate support for a cause.

16. Korean cars have always been a staple on American highways.

17. Trading Chocolate the Moose for Patti the Platypus helped build their Beanie Baby collection.

18. Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.

19. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.

20. DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed.

21. Woody Allen, whose heart has wanted what it wanted, has always been with Soon-Yi Previn.

22. Cross-burning has always been deemed protected speech.

23. Leasing has always allowed the folks to upgrade their tastes in cars.

24. “Cop Killer” by rapper Ice-T has never been available on a recording.

25. Leno and Letterman have always been trading insults on opposing networks.

26. Unless they found one in their grandparents’ closet, they have never seen a carousel of Kodachrome slides.

27. Computers have never lacked a CD-ROM disk drive.

28. They’ve never recognized that pointing to their wrists was a request for the time of day.

29. Reggie Jackson has always been enshrined in Cooperstown.

30. “Viewer Discretion” has always been an available warning on TV shows.

31. The first computer they probably touched was an Apple II; it is now in a museum.

32. Czechoslovakia has never existed.

33. Second-hand smoke has always been an official carcinogen.

34. “Assisted Living” has always been replacing nursing homes, while Hospice has always been an alternative to hospitals.

35. Once they got through security, going to the airport has always resembled going to the mall.

36. Adhesive strips have always been available in varying skin tones.

37. Whatever their parents may have thought about the year they were born, Queen Elizabeth declared it an “Annus Horribilis.”

38. Bud Selig has always been the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

39. Pizza jockeys from Domino’s have never killed themselves to get your pizza there in under 30 minutes.

40. There have always been HIV positive athletes in the Olympics.

41. American companies have always done business in Vietnam.

42. Potato has always ended in an “e” in New Jersey per vice presidential edict.

43. Russians and Americans have always been living together in space.

44. The dominance of television news by the three networks passed while they were still in their cribs.

45. They have always had a chance to do community service with local and federal programs to earn money for college.

46. Nirvana is on the classic oldies station.

47. Children have always been trying to divorce their parents.

48. Someone has always gotten married in space.

49. While they were babbling in strollers, there was already a female Poet Laureate of the United States.

50. Toothpaste tubes have always stood up on their caps.

51. Food has always been irradiated.

52. There have always been women priests in the Anglican Church.

53. J.R. Ewing has always been dead and gone. Hasn’t he?

54. The historic bridge at Mostar in Bosnia has always been a copy.

55. Rock bands have always played at presidential inaugural parties.

56. They may have assumed that parents’ complaints about Black Monday had to do with punk rockers from L.A., not Wall Street.

57. A purple dinosaur has always supplanted Barney Google and Barney Fife.

58. Beethoven has always been a dog.

59. By the time their folks might have noticed Coca Cola’s new Tab Clear, it was gone.

60. Walmart has never sold handguns over the counter in the lower 48.

61. Presidential appointees have always been required to be more precise about paying their nannies’ withholding tax, or else.

62. Having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine.

63. Their parents’ favorite TV sitcoms have always been showing up as movies.

64. The U.S, Canada, and Mexico have always agreed to trade freely.

65. They first met Michelangelo when he was just a computer virus.

66. Galileo is forgiven and welcome back into the Roman Catholic Church.

67. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always sat on the Supreme Court.

68. They have never worried about a Russian missile strike on the U.S.

69. The Post Office has always been going broke.

70. The artist formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dogg has always been rapping.

71. The nation has never approved of the job Congress is doing.

72. One way or another, “It’s the economy, stupid” and always has been.

73. Silicone-gel breast implants have always been regulated.

74. They’ve always been able to blast off with the Sci-Fi Channel.

75. Honda has always been a major competitor on Memorial Day at Indianapolis.

Frozen Grand Central Station

2010-08-06T02:09:00.000-04:00

Trish, of Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity fame recently posted a video of people breaking into song at Antwerp Station. It was a 'flash mob' and it reminded me of this one:

Kinda cool, if you ask me.

Friday Fill - ins 61

2010-07-30T01:33:00.000-04:00

Hey! It's Friday and that means Friday Fill-ins time!

And...here we go!

1. I'm going quietly crazy, I think.

2. Life is about adventure and daring.

3. Perhaps today you can make it a point to experience a little of both

4. Celebrate the true adventurer’s spirit.

5. Compassion is at the heart of all great deeds... or should be.

6. Keep going no matter how difficult.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the horse show, tomorrow my plans include sleeping after working the night shift and Sunday, I want to relax!

Stories from my childhood...

2010-07-27T21:15:00.001-04:00

When I was a child, things were a lot different. Life was different. It was simpler, easier, freer.

During the summer, we would leave the house after dinner, simply telling the parents that we would be in the neighborhood, and we'd hit the streets to play.

At times, we'd hang out in someone's yard, playing tag and red rover and freeze tag. We'd have water fights and marathon games of hide and seek.

Other times, we'd wander; maybe to the juinor high school across the street to play in the secluded cracks and crevices the building gave us. One little corner would be a dungeon, another a secret hide-out. We did the same at a local gothic-style church, which became a castle. We were limited only by our imagination.

We had a lot of fun and never once worried about whether or not we were safe. As long as we didn't do anything stupid to risk injury safety wasn't a factor.

Our bikes, which every kid had, went home when the street lights came on but we usually stayed out for a bit longer. I seem to remember ten being the time we had to head home.

We were safe and we had a blast.

Things have changed so much and I find myself pondering whether those changes have been for the good. It may be naive to want to go back to those simpler days, but at times I do.

One of my most cherished memories from back then was the man in the moon.

Do you see him up there, in that photograph?

He was the benevolent face that watched us through all our antics. When we flopped down on the grass after running ourselves out playing tag, we would look up and ponder the nature of him, the moon, and the universe.

The man in the moon would watch and sometimes, it looked like he was winking his eye at us.

Kids today have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention him. All they see is the moon, a place we've been, a known entity.

Where I once saw endless possibilities, they see nothing. Kids don't play outside any more. Not like we did. Not with the freedom we had.

Call me naive, but I wish I could give those days back to the kids these days, man in the moon and all.

Sunday Sifting Thoughts...

2010-07-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

You'd think after posting as many reviews as I have today that I'd be posted out but I'm not. So, clearly it's time for some meandering thoughts...

I'm still recovering from my 18 hour, no sleep work experience. At 51 I'm finding that there are more and more things I did at a younger age that I can no longer handle. Going as long as I did without sleep is diffently one of them. Dang. Where did those days go when I could get three hours of sleep and be rarin' to go go? *Sigh*

One good thing, I guess? The dog is slowing down with me... but that's a double-edge sword if ever there was one.

The cats? Well, when I got home from work Saturday morning, I found a dead bird in my living room. Maddie, my darlin', I know you're a good little hunter but dang. Leave the dead things outside...

Best thing to happen last week? One of my favorite authors was in town. Steven Hamilton, who writes the Alex McKnight series set in my neck-of-the-woods, stopped by on a tour. I got him to sign his latest book, "The Lock Artist" which was wonderful, and we were able to chat for a bit. He's a great guy and I enjoy our brief conversations. I forgot, however, to ask him if he had any more recommendations, book-wise. He recommended William Kent Kruger to me and I'm thrilled he did.

This summer has been a strange one, for one reason - no horse shows. We've all settled into a life without the Golden Boy, my niece's horse Sonny, but it seems awfully odd to not be at the ring once a month. I don't know if I've posted a photo of the niece's new baby, Levi, but here's one just because:

He's a real sweetie-pie but not quite show ready. Maybe by the end of the season.

So, that's about it on a beautiful, sunny, Sunday. My Detroit Tigers are about to lose another one so I think I'm going to drag the dog down to the river for a swim.

I hope y'all are having a great day.

Book Review: Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn

2010-07-25T15:19:00.000-04:00

Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn
Tor
334 pages
Copyright 2010

Kitty Norville, late night DJ, werewolf, and pack leader has a full life managing her rising stardom on her radio show "The Midnight Hour", her role as pack alpha, and her marriage to Ben, attorney and fellow werewolf and the return of Cormac, Ben's 'brother' and former bounty hunter, from prison.

Things become more complicated when a topic on her radio show leads to her being sued by CEO Harold Franklin after she wonders if his change of Speedy Marts is somehow connected to the supernatural.

Then a friend who runs the NIH's Study of Paranatural Biology contacts her, seeking her help with three soldiers, recently returned from Afghanistan. The men happen to be part of a secret experiment that not even the army knew was taking place; an experiment that led to them becoming werewolves... highly aggressive, post-traumatic, unable to control their shapeshifter tendencies werewolves.

As Kitty tries to cope with the lawsuit and deal with the rogue wolves she also finds herself trying to figure out what the heck is up with Cormac, who seems to have come out of prison with a split-personality.

I liked this one a lot more than the previous title in the series, Kitty's House of Horrors. Kitty and Ben are a great couple and I'm thrilled that Cormac is back. The interaction with the rogue wolves is tense and dramatic. The intrigue with the Speedy Marts is an interesting second story line and Vaughn wraps it all up very well.

Recommendation: Finally, a new book in a much-loved series that didn't disappoint me. I think Vaughn handles the shapeshift world as well as anyone so if you like werewolves, you'll probably enjoy hers.

Book Reviews: Raven's Shadow and Raven's Strike by Patgricia Briggs

2010-07-25T14:58:00.000-04:00

Raven's Shadow by Patricia Briggs
Ace
334 Pages
Copyright 2994

From the back of the book:

For many years, the city of Colossae was a haven of magical study. As generations of wizards pushed the limits of their abilities, an evil entity was unleashed that could only be contained by the sacrifice of their city. From the ashes of Colossae, the Travelers emerged - roaming the world to ensure that the Stalker would remain imprisioned forever...

Seraph is a Raven mage and among the last of the Travelers. Unwelcome among those who fear magic, the wizard clans have been decimated by the very people they've sworn to protect. But Seraph is spared a similar fate by the ex-soldier Tier - and together they build a life where she is no longer burdened by her people's responsibility.

But now Tier is missing - or dead - and Serpah's reprieve from her duty is over. Using her magic to discover her husband's fate, Seraph realizes the Stalker's prison is weakening - and only she can fulfill her ancestor's oath to protect humanity from destruction...

Raven's Strike by Patricia Briggs
Ace
381 Pages
Copyright 2005

From the back of the book:

Seraph is among the last of the Traveler's, those who strive to destroy the dark magic released by their ancestors' mistakes. Seraph tried to escape her people's duty and live a quiet life, until evil found her...

A new force of darkness called the Shadowed walks the land, feeding on death, destruction, and the sleeping Stalker's power. he plans to wake the Stalker, wreaking untold havoc, but he needs those who bear the Travelers' magic to release the dark good... and he has his sights set on Seraph and her family.

Now Seraph must use all her cunning and ability as a Raven mage to track down the Shadowed and strike against him before it is to late...

These books comprise the Raven Duology series by Patricia Briggs, who continues to cement herself high on my list of favorite authors. I adore her Mercy Thompson series and her Alpha and Omega series. I want a sequel to her "When Demons Walk" novel. This series, short as it is, is right up there with the others.

Seraph, when she meets Tier, is young and her brother has just been killed by a group of villagers who hate Travelers. He rescues her and in a series of events, they wind up marrying, not out of love but to save each other from fates they don't want.

Years later, three children in the mix, Tier goes missing. Seraph and her children are supposed to believe him dead but they are each blessed with mage talent and the illusion fails. It sets Seraph and two of her children on Tier's trail where they all will run into the fate Seraph and Tier had tried so hard to avoid.

Book Two, continues the saga but this time, Seraph, Tier, their children, and the Emperor they helped save in Book One are facing a greater evil than ever before; an evil that wishes to destroy everything.

So, what else can I say? I love the characters - all of them. Seraph is tough and cranky. She is driven by the weight of her destiny on her shoulders. She loves her children and Tier fiercely and will do anything to save them, even confront the destiny she wanted to avoid.

Tier is a soldier - weary of fighting, wanting only the quiet life of a farmer. When he finds himself a pawn in an evil game, however, he becomes the soldier once again and saves not only himself but the Emporer and the Empire and then, the entire world.

Briggs has the ability to build a world where magic exists and seems completely natural. Her people are real - they have the same strengths and weaknesses that people have. Seraph, for all her abilities, is as flawed as anyone else. The secondary characters are well drawn and strong enough to carry their own stories, which I would love to see.

I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy but drifted away due to some of the trends that developed. Briggs writes fantasy in the way I grew up loving and I'm thrilled to be discovering that.

Recommendation: It's an epic story of good vs evil, characters fighting for what's right in spite of the cost, and it is a love story on several levels. If that's your cup of tea, give 'em a try. It's a grand journey.

Book Review: Dead in The Family by Charlaine Harris

2010-07-25T14:23:00.001-04:00

Dead in The Family by Charlaine Harris
Penguin
311 Pages
Copyright 2010

Sookie Stackhouse has had a rough time lately. A war between vampire clans. A war involving the shapeshifters. And a fairy war during which she was kidnapped and tortured. She's lost friends and family and she's hurting.

Now, just when she's starting to recover, things with Eric become complicated with the arrival of his vampire maker and a young, psychotic vampire who might be a threat to everyone. Add in the body left on her property by someone looking to tangle Sookie up with the police, the reaction of people to the fact that shapeshifters are real, and her fairy cousin living upstairs and it doesn't look like things are going to settle down any time soon.

So, this is another of the Sookie stories that has seemed uneven and choppy. Almost like a series of vignettes instead of a cohesive story. And, as I'm writing this, a thought has occurred to me - could the success of 'True Blood' have anything to do with this? Could the TV Sookie be influencing the written Sookie? I'm not sure but it doesn't seem impossible.

Recommendation: So-so. It took me a lot longer to read than her books in the past have and I'm not sure I'll buy the next one. But, I can and do recommend the earlier books in the series. They were great.

Book Review: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

2010-07-25T14:10:00.000-04:00

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
St Martin's Press
309 Pages
Copyright 2010

Stephanie Plum is back. This time, she is trying to rescue her cousin and employer, Vincent Plum. The less than ethical bailbondsman is $786,000 in debt to a mobster and the mobster wants his money. Vinnie's gone missing and Stephanie, Lula, and Connie are determined to get him back in order to keep their jobs.

Toss in a splash of Mooner, a Bulgarian madman, and an epic battle involving Hobbits and you have an entertaining summer beach read.

However... and I hate the fact that there is a however here. Some of the antics are getting old. Morelli and Stephanie are on the outs, which means she's once again cozying up to Ranger. Plus she's still borderline incompetent when it comes to dealing with skips. I can understand why she can't stay away from Ranger, but his hanging around her is starting to irritate me just a little. He needs to move on. Morelli and Stephanie need to settle their problems or move on. And dang it, Stephanie needs to get serious about her job or find something less dangerous.

In fact, Stephanie says it herself:

I pulled to the curb in front of the bonds office at precisely nine o'clock. Connie was already there, and Lula slid to a stop behind me. I was dressed in black. I hadt a loaded gun pressed against my backbone, stuck into the back of my jeans. I had pepper spray in my pocket. I had my cell phone clipped to my jeans waistband, set to dial Rangeman. I had a stun gun also clipped to my jeans waistband. And I had premonitions of disaster. I had no confidence in the mission. Truth is, we sucked at this stuff. We were the Three Stooges of Camp Commando. The only reason I was attempting it was because I knew Chet would spot me on Stark Street and sent out a backup Rangeman car.

She's right - they suck at that kind of stuff and that's the growing problem with the series.

Recommendation: The sixteenth book in the series is pretty much like the fifteen before it; funny and entertaining (Grandma Mazur is still a hoot) but we've been here and done this before. If you're a fan, give it a go but don't expect anything new.

These are the days...

2010-07-24T00:35:00.000-04:00

What's the rest of that saying?

That try a man's soul?

Is it even a saying?

Anyway, I had one of those days the other day.

I got up at around 1:00 on Wednesday. I'm working nights right now, so I slept from about 8:00 until about 1:00 in the afternoon. Five hours of sleep isn't much but there are days like that. You just can't sleep.

I went to work at 11:00 Wednesday night.

At 5:50 in the morning my day got difficult. My relief called in sick.

I cannot leave my job until someone comes in to take my place. I called the part-timers. They weren't available. I called the one officer who was on his days off. He was out-of-town for the day with his kids.

I was stuck.

At noon, things got worse.

The afternoon officer called to say he'd hurt his back sleeping and had a doctor's appointment and could be in until 6:00 at the earliest. Then, he called back, before his appointment, to say he wouldn't be in at all.

One part time officer said he could be in by 4:30 and stay until midnight... giving me 7 and 1/2 hours off before I would've had to be back to work.

Seven and a half hours after working 17 and a half hours.

I called the boss and told her I couldn't do it. It was impossible and she couldn't expect me to do it. She reluctantly agreed.

The part timer came in at 4:30ish. I left for home at 5:00.

Eighteen hours.

I have no idea how they covered the night shift but after 18 hours, I'd done all that I could do.

Book Review: Killing Floor by Lee Child

2010-07-11T18:05:00.000-04:00

Killing Floor by Lee Child
Jove
524 Pages
Copyright 1997

From the back of the book:

Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He's just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he's arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn't kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn't stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.

Okay, I like Jack Reacher. For the most part. He's sort of an American version of James Bond, without the government backing. He's just trying to live his own life, free for the first time in a very long time to do what he wants.

Margrave, Georgia, is a picture perfect town, rotten to the core. When they arrest Reacher for a murder he didn't commit, he proceeds to turn the town upside down until he discovers exactly what is buried beneath the facade.

My problems with the book, however, grew as the story unfolded. Without giving anything away, the story involves the death of a federal agent, one working on a huge investigation, yet when he is killed, the Feds do nothing. Um, sorry, but no. The Feds would swoop in and take over in a heartbeat. There are also some difficult to swallow developments that stretch credibility a bit more. But in spite of that, I continued to read it to see how it all came out.

Recommendation: Despite the flaws, it isn't a bad story and I'll be looking to read the next in the series, when I get the chance.

Book Review: The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

2010-07-11T17:40:00.001-04:00

Kate Daniels lives in a world where Magic and technology compete with each other, one not working when the other holds sway. Magic, however, is slowly destroying technology, reducing buildings in Atlanta of the future to rubble and rendering technology - lights, phones, cars - unfunctional.

It also leaves behind varying degrees of paranormal problems. Kate, a mercenary, makes a living dealing with those problems. Her world, however, is turned upside down when she is informed that her guardian has been murdered. When she sets out to avenge his death, she runs into complications, the least of which is the Beast Lord, leader of The Pack, the loose conglomerate of shapeshifters that are a powerful presence in the city. Throw in vampires that are little more than mindless drones controlled by the Masters of the Dead, and a mysterious group known as "The People" and Kate's plate is definitely full, especially with the secret she is guarding with her very life, the secret that would make her a target of a very powerful enemy.

Magic is on the rise in the city of Atlanta, engulfing everything in what is known as a flare, a time when magic runs rampant and nothing is as it should be.

Kate, against her better judgement, is hired by The Pack to retrieve a series of maps, which turns out to be little more than the tip of the iceberg because, during a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest and battle for power. The maps, Kate soon learns, are part of an epic battle between two gods, each hoping for rebirth. Survival itself is at stake, not only for Kate, but for the entire city.

Kate, in her unoffical role as liaison for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid is asked to investigate a fight at a bar between shapeshifters and necromancers. Things, however, take a bizarre twist, even for Kate, when she learns that a strange figure at the scene was heard offering to make a shapeshifter a god. The shapeshifter ends up dead in the parking lot, a crowbar through his mouth, his corpse consumed by a virulent disease.

Things go from bad to worse when Kate realizes the force behind the bizarre occurences has been around for thousands of years and her presence threatens the one secret Kate has spent her life protecting.

Derek, a young shapeshifter belonging to The Pack, is one of a few people Kate calls a friend, so when he is found brutally beaten and near death, Kate takes it personally. Her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games, a no-holds-barred, supernatural cage fight tournament and when she joins forces with Jim, the Pack's security chief, to uncover what happened and put an end to it, she places herself on a collision course with Curran, Beast Lord and the one man who seems able to get around all of Kate's defenses and under her skin. Things are about to change, for good...

So, four books read in a span of about six days. That, for me, is the sign of an excellent series, especially since I found myself both wanting to read them non-stop and wanting to take my time to savor and enjoy them.

I read them non-stop and enjoyed every minute of the adventures.

Kate Daniels is a strong, flawed individual with a huge secret she has spent her life keeping. Consuled by her father and mentor to always be on guard and to never let anyone in, she is a solitary soul, intent on building her strength and biding her time until she can deal with that secret.

Curran, were-lion and Beast Master, is not a man to be taken lightly, yet Kate seems to do just that. On their first meeting, she taunts him with 'here, kitty, kitty, kitty' and their relationship is off to a rocky start. But, Curran is a man accustomed to getting what he wants . . . and that may very well be Kate.

Vampires in this universe are mindless parasites, existing to do nothing but feed their bloodlust. They are skeletal, insect-like creatures, controlled by the Masters of the Dead, a powerful group of necromancers that control them telepathically, using them as expendable drones.

Andrews has built a solid world, with rules that make sense and characters that don't, which makes them fully developed and worth liking. Kate and Curran are both strong-willed, honorable, and flawed. The secondary characters are well developed and intriguing. There were no missteps, no sour notes in any of the books.

Oh, one side note - Ilona Andrews is actually two people, Gordon and Ilona Andrews, a husband and wife team that crafts amazing worlds and stories.

Recommendation: If you like tales of magic populated with strong, well-developed characters, give this series a try. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series... whenever it comes out.

Book Review: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

2010-07-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
HarperCollins
400 Pages
Copyright 2010

Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori are back in the final chapter of the Darkest Powers Trilogy. They're still on the run, still don't quite know who to trust, not even when it comes to each other, and they're still trying to sort their ever changing emotions out.

Oh, and the evil Edison group is still chasing them.

While I enjoyed the first two books in this series immensely, this one left me less than thrilled.

It felt too . . . jumbled, too mish-mashy for my tastes. Things weren't explained as fully as I liked.

I know Armstrong was probably trying to tie this series in with the next YA series set in the same universe (with different characters) and her adult Otherworld series but it made this one less than her best.

Recommendation: As I've said, I enjoyed the first two and can still recommend the series but this one isn't up to snuff. At least not for me.

All right, time to quite procrastinating...

2010-07-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

So, be prepared for a slew of book reviews. I need to get them done and I've got a couple of amazing books I want to talk about. Seriously wonderful books, if you like paranormal stories.

The so-so ones will probably get the speed review but the others will get longer ones.

Just to warn you.

Happy Fourth of July

2010-07-04T14:57:00.002-04:00

Happy 234th Birthday, America!

Just call me the queen of the strangest phone calls...

2010-06-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

I work for my state's smallest public university. It's a great place to work but...

We have emergency phones in strategic locations on campus. You've seen them; phones inside gray boxes that say 'emergency' or in booths that resemble pay phones. They have a button to connect and the call only goes to the public safety department.

When something goes wrong with one of the phones, they will often make a call in an attempt to fix themselves. The result is we get a call with no one on the other end.

Yesteray, I got one of those calls. Caller ID told me the location of the call, one of our parking lots, and I made a run to check and make sure everything is all right. There was no one around.

About an hour later, I got another call from the same phone. I identified myself and asked how I could help and got... a seagull.

Honestly.

There was a seagull on the other end of the phone. It made that distinctive seagull cry three times and then I was left with an open line.

So...

First the dog calls me...

And now the seagulls are calling me.

I gotta stop answering the phone.

Stories from my childhood...

2010-06-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

I grew up in a family that included six kids - four girls, two boys, and an age span from 1951 down to 1962. Three of us, my brother, sister, and I take up three years - 1957, 1958, and 1959. My sister and I are the same age for 16 days and then she gets to be older again, a fact I rarely let her forget.

Large families are unique. The dynamcis are fluid, tempers are often volatile, and there never seems to be enough space or privacy. Yet, I wouldn't change my childhood for anything. I once envied my friends with small families but now, looking back, I think how lonely it would've been to be an only child.

My mother got married at 29 and had the six of us, the last the year she turned 40. She raised the six of us on little money, discipline, and a lot of love. Once my youngest sister entered kindergarten, she went to work because she had to; we needed the money.

My father, ten years older than his wife and once divorced, was one of those bedrock guys; he'd do anything for anyone simply because it needed doing. He was quick to laugh, worked hard, and expected a great deal out of us - usually without telling us. We always seemed to know what was expected of us and, for the most part, we behaved accordingly.

Dad's opinion counted but Mom's word was law. That's all there was to it.

One winter's night, while my mom was fixing dinner, us kids (none yet in those teenage years) were in the 'back room'. This was the room off the kitchen that acted as a catch all; the washer and dryer were back there. So was an extra fridge and a huge freezer. We got to play back there at times, especially when my Mom needed some quiet time.

On this night, we were playing blind man's bluff, which is a game where one person is blindfolded and tries to catch one of the other players. For us, however, a regular blindfold wouldn't work; you could peek and that wouldn't do.

We used the hood from a winter jacket. You wore it backward, completely covering your face and there was no cheating possible. We took our games seriously.

My brother was 'it' and we were having a grand time; laughing and yelling right up until my brother tripped on a corner of the plywood floor that was sticking up. He fell and hit his head. I don't remember on what any more but I do remember when my mother took the hood off to make sure he was okay.

His forehead was split and bleeding copiously, as head wounds do. My Mom, being a stoic Finn, sat down with the butterfly bandages and adhesive tape and went to work to fix him up. We all gathered around, fascinated.

My dad, of course, came home in the middle of it. He took one look at his son, turned to my mom and inquired: Don't you ever watch these kids? (His language was a bit saltier, I think).

My Mom's reply was short and to the point: Yes, I do. I watched him fall.

As I get older, times like those come back to me with completely different meanings, hence the point of this trip down memory lane.

Isn't that the sum of a parent's job? You raise your kids, you teach them to the best of your abilites and then...

You watch them fall.

Once they have, you pick them up, dust them off, patch them up and let them go and do it all over again until one day...

They get up on their own.

I've done my share of falling in my 51 years here. But, thanks to my parents, I always manage to get back up again...

Thanks, Mom and Dad. You done good.

Oh, good grief...

2010-06-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

The dust is so thick in here it'll take me a week to clean it all out.

I haven't posted in over a month!

How did that happen?

No idea. Well, yeah, I do have one excuse. I've been writing obsessively and have such a good time doing it. I'm completely in love with the characters I'm working with and their antics that I seem to spend almost every free minute I have with them.

My current cast of characters include a demon, a cop, a Knight, and a bumbling (sort of) college professor.

If anyone would like to read them, let me know at cinjinn at hotmail dot com. I'm looking for feedback.

So, other than that...

I found a new series that I devoured - the Magic series by Ilona Andrews. Excellent books with an interesting take on vampires, shapeshifters, and the lot.

I was slightly disappointed with the last book in Kelly Armstrong's Darkest Powers series. I'll hopefully get a review up soon.

And I realized something today. I was reading a book. The first book in the series by PC Cast (House of Night?)... and I stopped. I didn't mean to stop but I did and then I forgot all about the book until yesterday when I was at the bookstore. I've never had that happen before. I've given up on books but it was a conscious decision. This just happened. Should I pick it back up?

I'm also reading the first Jack Reacher story by Lee Child and I'm enjoying it a great deal. Or I was. There are, however, holes in the plots big enough to drive a semi through and they're starting to bother me just a tad. Not to the point where I want to put it down, however.

Anyway, that's a snapshot of my month.

Now, time to get the place cleaned and spiffed up...

Animal Tales...

2010-05-14T03:11:00.000-04:00

My life is definitely strange.

There's no other way to put it. A lot of that strangeness is due to my four-footed kin.

Here's tonight's tale...

I'm working at the moment. I was working 45 minutes ago, too. Nothing strange about that.

Except...

While stopping at the local gas station to pick up something to drink, I got a call on my cell. Not good at 0215 in the morning. Most of my friends and family are sound asleep at this time and late night calls are not normally good news.

My caller ID tells me "home" is calling.

Okay...

I live alone.

With two cats and a dog.

"Home" should not be calling me.

So, I went home in something of a rush. Why, I don't know. It was just more than a little odd to be getting that call.

I found an overly excited dog...

And the mess she'd made in the bedroom. Made minutes before.

Obviously, she'd need to go out to poop and when she couldn't, she opted for my bedroom. Lovely of her, right?

But my question?

What the heck was up with the phone call... which I got about the time she would've been frantic about going out...

She's smart, I'll grant you.

But that smart? Naw. No way.

Right?

Time for a little blues therapy...

2010-05-12T05:07:00.000-04:00

I'm suffering a huge case of the blues so please, forgive me while indulge in a little therapy...

Eric Clapton is a genius. Absolutely amazing...

Good Night, Sweet Song Bird

2010-05-10T02:35:00.000-04:00

The world just got a bit more silent...

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T12:49:00.002-04:00

Once upon a memory

Someone wiped away a tear

Held me close and loved me,

Thank you, Mother dear.

Friday Fill-ins 60

2010-05-07T17:33:00.000-04:00

Haven't done one in awhile but... here we go!

1. Salsa and chips, with a margarita sounds good.

2. Eat a hot dog at the ball park and you've even got mustard.

3. By the time I get home the dog wants to play and I want to go to bed!

4. Being done is what I look forward to most when grocery shopping.

5. And I was dreaming of doing the impossible.

6. Ernie Harwell's voice on the radio... was there anything else better?!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to beating my migraine, tomorrow my plans include cleaning and Sunday, I want to go on an outing with the dog!

Haunt Me Still by Jennifer Lee Carrell

2010-05-07T17:22:00.000-04:00

Haunt Me Still by Jennifer Lee Carrel
Dutton
406 Pages
Copyright 2010

From the book:

The Bard's witch-haunted play is famously cursed - its reputation for malevolence so strong that many actors refuse to quote or even name the play aloud. And as Kate Stanley begins rehearsals at the foot of Scotland's Dunsinnan Hill, it doesn't take long for the curse to stir. Strange references emerge to the boy actor who first played Lady MacBeth in Shakespeare's day and died in the role. A trench atop the hill is found filled with blood shortly after some of the actors go missing. And a mysterious tarot card leads Kate into the woods, where she finds a local woman dead in circumstances that suggest not just ritual murder, but ancient pagan sacrifice.

With Kate marked as both suspect and future victim, she and Ben Pearl, the man who saved her life as she chased Shakespeare's lost play, find themselves in a desperate race to discover a dangerous version of MacBeth said to contain actual rituals of witchcraft and forbidden knowledge. However much Kate would like to dismiss such rituals as superstition, someone else appears willing to kill for them - and for the cursed manuscript said to be Shakespeare's darkest secret.

I chose to go with the book summary because I don't think I can do it justice on my own. Carrel writes incredibly rich, incredibly intense, complex mysteries unlike any others I've ever read. Her first book,
Interred with Their Bones, dealt with the search for a missing Shakespeare play and what people would do for it. This one deals with what lies behind the Bard's play MacBeth and what people will do to uncover the secrets, and conversely, what others will do to make sure those secrets never see the light of day. Mix in the witchcraft, ghosts, murder, and betrayal and you've got one of the best stories I've read in a long time.

Carrel has the ability to make both her characters and places feel very real. Here's an example:

Beyond that, I looked up to see the ancient oak, unmistakable in its majesty. There was no sign of Lily, or of anyone else. I bent down panting, my hands on my knees, gazing at the tree, an aged emperor asleep in the watery morning sun, crutches propping up low branches thicker than most of the other trees in the wood. "It" was not a pronoun that came to mind. He was recognizably the same tree as the one pictured on Lily's tarot card. Around him, the air was golden and heavy and silent, thick not only with a strange heavy sleepiness, but with something old and anguished, even angry, despite the sweet haze of autumn.

There is one problem with the story, however, but it is purely personal; there isn't enough Ben Pearl. He's here, but not nearly enough. I fell in love with both Ben and Kate in the first book so I missed his presence. That's a nice tribute to Carrel, by the way.

Recommendation: Anyone who can make me want to learn more about Shakespeare and to read his works is a genius. Pure and simple. Carrel manages to bring what is consider by far too many to be dull and boring to life in a way that's hard to ignore.

Book Review: Changes by Jim Butcher

2010-05-07T16:23:00.000-04:00

Changes by Jim Butcher
ROC
438 Pages
Copyright 2010

In book 12 of The Dresdan Files series, Harry finds his life turned inside out by a phone call. The call is from Susan, the woman he lost and loved when she was attacked by the Red Court vampires because of Harry. In the process, Susan was left torn between her humanity and the cruel vampiric nature of the Red Court. In order to keep her humanity, Susan left everyone she loved behind and fled to South America where she could fight those who had attacked her and herself.

The phone call, coming out of the blue, reveals a long kept secret to Harry, one that Arianna Ortega, duchess of the Red Court, has learned and will use against Harry in the most horrific way possible.

Harry is a man who has always fought the dark side of his nature and now the stakes are unimaginable. Harry is left with little hope and the help of his stalwart friends, which may not be enough . . . but there is always the dark and there is always Mab, queen of the Winter Court of Sidhe but is there a lesser of two evils in what is left to him?

This series is one of my favorites. I picked it up after enjoying the ill-fated Dresden File series on Syfy. Harry is a strong character who as grown and changed throughout the series. So have his friends, who come and go in a realistic way. Changes is no different; in fact it takes a huge leap forward in character development on several levels. Relationships change in outright and subtle ways. Life will not be as it was, no matter the outcome of Harry's struggle with Arianne.

Some quotes:

Magic and emotions are tied up inextricably. I've been in battle before, and felt the terror and rage of that kind of place, where it's a fight just to think clearly through the simplest problems. I'd used my magic in those kinds of volatile circumstances - and a few times, I'd seen it run wild as a result. When most people lose control of their anger, someone gets hurt. Maybe someone even gets killed. When it happens to a wizard, insurance companies go broke and there's reconstruction afterward.

And:

We made it to the next block when light flashed and a giant the size of the Sears building hauled off and swatted us all with a pillow from his enormous bed. We were flung from our feet, Susan and Martin landed in a roll, tumbling several times. By contrast, I crashed into a garbage can.

It was, of course, full.

And finally:

Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others - even when there's not going to be anyone telling you what a hero you are.
That last one sums Harry up perfectly. He's a good man who does the right thing, regardless of what it might cost him.

One final comment: Jim Butcher, with the ending of this book, proves he can be evil. But, that's not a bad thing for a writer.

Recommendation: Think of Harry Dresdan as Harry Potter grown up. The stories will suck you in and hold on to you until the last page and then you'll be looking for more.

Good bye, sweet man

2010-05-04T21:31:00.002-04:00

It sounds so dry.

Ernie Harwell, the long time voice of the Detroit Tigers has passed away. He was 92 and had been fighting cancer since September of last year.

Those facts, however, cannot come close to the man, his words, or the affect he had on the State of Michigan.

He was the calm, quiet voice of my youth and beyond.

He was the voice that lulled me to sleep on warm summer nights.

He was the voice that made me feel like, no matter what, things would be fine. Ernie was on the radio and all was right in my world.

He was the constant in a part of life that doesn't have constants any more. Players come and go. Managers come and go. Ernie stayed.

Ernie was always there from 1968 until 2002, telling me about the game and, in his own quiet way, telling me about the bigger game, the one called life. It's amazing how the good ones do that without your knowing it. How they teach while entertaining, how they live by example.

If you've ever listened to anything about baseball, you've probably heard Ernie. His gentle voice, with its soft, southern cadence was unmistakable. His trademark home run call "It's looooonnnnnnggg gone!" along with his "Two for the price of one" and "He stood there like a house by the side of the road and watched that one go by" are legendary.

They are, as I've said, the voices of my childhood, heard through a scratchy radio.

Indelible. Cherished. Perfect.

Ernie, you may be gone but you will never, ever be forgotten.

Thank you for each and every golden memory.

A Little Bit of My Heaven...

2010-04-23T02:03:00.001-04:00

Since I just did a 'sifting thoughts' post, I'll make this a quick one.

There's a Facebook site dedicated to my hometown. People have been sharing photographs there of the town and the surrounding environs and I came across this absolutely amazing photograph:

That, my friends, is why I chose to live in a place where winter has been known to last 7 months and subzero temps have some times lasted an entire month at a time.

That is Lake Superior, in winter.

I have no idea who took this amazing shot but I'm going to try and find out because I'd like to get a professional print of it.

I look at this photograph and I can feel the peace and quiet of The Greatest of The Great Lakes surround me.

I can feel the background chatter fall silent.

I spend my work time answering to other people; their demands, their problems, their headaches and it overwhelms me at times.

This place is solitude. It is calm. It is magic.

And I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Sifting Thoughts...

2010-04-21T16:50:00.001-04:00

I have no idea how long it's been since I've done one of these but here goes...

The photo below was taken by a man I think everyone should know and read. Until recently he was embedded with troops in Afghanistan. His name is Michael Yon and you can find his dispatchs here. He is not without controversy but he reports what he sees and what he feels and he is passionate about the troops. He also takes the most amazing photographs I've ever seen. This one was taken in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Check him out, if you're interested.

We are definitely in the midsts of spring here and it was an early one. Things have greened up beautiful and it won't be long until the trees have budded out. Then comes lilacs and I can't wait.

I was out and about at 0530 this morning (working) and I realized something. The world is no longer silent. The birds have returned and they make their presence known in the most amazing way. It was a symphony of sound greeting the day. Love it.

Speaking of birds...

I love Sea gulls. That's a photo (from Wikipedia) of a Herring Gull, common to my area. I know most people hate them; they are scavengers and it's illegal to kill them so they're all over the place. They pull garbage out of Dumpsters and leave messes behind.

But...

When I'm out walking and I hear the cry of a gull, my heart soars. I have no idea why.

The dog and the cats are all doing well. The cats are definitely happy that the snow is gone and it s warming up. They're finally able to venture outside again. It's been fun to watch them.

Let's see... what else is there...

My boys won the national title in college basketball. Yay, Duke! The Detroit Tigers started off well (6 - 1) but are on a west coast trip that is killing them. They're now 7 - 7. I can't wait for them to come back home. Late night games aren't carried by my radio station so I can't even listen to them at work.

I'm in the middle of three different books but I'm still writing more than reading. That is not a complaint.

So, that's about it, beyond work, which is boring these days. That's not a complaint, either. Friday is the last day of the semester. Next week are exams and the campus will slowly empty out during the week until the only ones left are those graduating. Commencement is May 1. Like everything else this year, it's early but I'm not complaining.

Hope things are well out there for y'all.

March Wrap-up

2010-04-15T15:17:00.001-04:00

Well, I just did my duty as an American citizen - I filed my taxes. Why I waited until today is beyond me. Didn't want to deal with it, I guess. No, I don't owe, I get a refund but still. It's the idea of it.

Anyway, that means it's the middle of the month and I haven't done a wrap-up for last month. So, here it is:

15. The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
14. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
13. Unleashed by John Levitt
12. New Tricks John Levitt
11. Dog Days by John Levitt

My reading has taken a serious hit because I've been writing. No, that's not a complaint. The story I've just finished is one of the best I've written. I love the characters so much!

Levitt's series is cute. He's invented an interesting world of magic and the like. There are some flaws - women feel almost like extras or secondary thoughts. I hope he changes that. But I love the idea of Ifrits - in this case a cute little dog named Louie, who isn't really a dog after all.

Kim Harrison is wonderful. Her The Hollows series keeps getting better and better and, as usual for me, I find myself rooting for the bad guy more than any other guy in Rachel Morgan's life. I also rooted for Darth Vader, btw.

Sarah Addison Allen is simply amazing. Her books are sweet, easy reads that leave you feeling like you've spent a few easy hours with good friends. You can't beat that.

So, that's it for March. I have no idea how April will end up but I have managed to read and review one book! Hopefully there will be more!

Book Review: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

2010-04-15T01:42:00.000-04:00

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Penguin
342 Pages
Copyright 2010

Mercy Thompson is a shape-shifter; thanks to her Native American blood, she can change into a coyote at will. She is also a mechanic who likes to get her hands dirty, friends with vampires and Fae, and bonded mate to the local werewolf pack's Alpha, Adam.

In the fifth book of the series, Mercy finds herself targeted by a powerful member of the Fae who wants something Mercy has and will do anything to get it back, including murder and kidnapping.

As Mercy struggles to deal with the newest threat, she is also still dealing with the aftermath of a rape and her still new bond to Adam. There are those in Adam's pack who aren't all that thrilled by the inclusion of a coyote into their pack . . . but to what lengths will they be willing to go to express their disapproval?

Also on her plate is the fact that Samuel, her best friend, and powerful lone wolf, is having problems of his own. Is it possible for someone to live too long? In Samuel's case, Mercy is afraid the answer may very well be 'yes'.

This is another great story. The characters are excellent, as is the pacing. Of all the werewolf stories I've read, I like Briggs' world the best. Mercy is a strong woman who also has the ability to ask for help when it's necessary.

The one drawback of the book had to do with Samuel's story. I would've like there to be a bit more to it, especially at the end.

One final comment - I don't often include covers in my reviews but I did this time because I think the Mercy Thompson covers are some of the best!

Recommendation: Mercy's at her best in this one, which means the action never stops. Briggs is one of the best when it comes to urban fantasy.

Book Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

2010-04-14T20:49:00.000-04:00

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Bantam Books
269 Pages
Copyright 2010

Let's get it out of the way right away.

I absolutely adore Sarah Addison Allen. Her stories are sweet, they're lovely, they're like sitting down with an old friend for an hour or two and enjoying a quiet, charming, interesting conversation.

I loved Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen and I've linked to my reviews. You'll find that I use the word 'lovely' quite a bit when talking about Allen's books. I don't know how else to describe them.

Emily Benedict has traveled to Mullaby, North Carolina to live with her grandfather after her mother's death. She looking for answers to the questions her mother's death has left unanswered, such as why did her mother leave home so suddenly and why did she never return, leaving Emily with little knowledge of her roots.

Once in Mullaby, however, Emily finds answers are elusive and questions abound. She discovers that her grandfather is a giant, her mother wasn't always the considerate, loving person Emily knew, unexplained lights skip across her yard at night, and the woman next door bakes magical cakes and has a past of her own.

Julia Winterson, the cake-baking neighbor, has a plan that does not include staying in Mullaby any longer than she has to. It certain doesn't include Sawyer, the long-ago love of her life, or the revelation of her secrets . . .

Emily's arrival stirs up the past for several people in Mullaby and not everyone is happy about the fact. They, along with Emily, find that their lives are forever changed.

Recommendation: This is a book about how the past has a way of catching up with people, regardless of whether or not they want it to. It's about dealing with that past and it's about love and faith, with a little bit of magic mixed in for good measure. Allen's characters have a way of worming their way into your heart and staying long after the book is back on the shelf. And that is definitely a very good thing