| 2003 Book Reviews
Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich Completed 5-18-03 This was a Stephanie Plum holiday novel. It was ok. It introduced a new hunk into the world of Stephanie Plum, blue eyed blonde built to the hilt, pony tailed, Diesel. He was kind of a super hero. He had the ability to open locks and transport himself. I felt uncomfortable with the sci-fi ness of this novel because I always viewed the Plum world as being based in the real world only more off kilter. I guess pretty soon Stephen King will be coming up with a Christmas story if he hasn’t already done one to my knowledge Dean Koontz, John Grisham, Carol Higgins Clark have all done one. I guess once you become a famous writer your agent or publisher demands you write a holiday story. I don’t know I felt the story was a little rushed for publishing just in time for the holidays clocking in at a mere 149 pages. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Completed January 2003 I read this one because it was listed in Stephen King’s reading list. I enjoyed it greatly. I was fascinated by the character of Kurtz, who went native. This was the book that Apocalypse now was base on. It was a different change of pace from my usual mysteries and suspense novels. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje Completed February 2003 This was the second time that I read this book. I was not aware of it until well into the book I had this deja vu feeling. I never saw the movie version. It turns out that the English patient is in fact a German spy. This was another selection from Stephen King’s book list. Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy Completed February 2003 The tape version that I had was all messed up it kept making this weird screeching sound no matter what cassette player I played it on. It disturbed Brian so much that he demanded that I do something about it. So I only played it on the ride home on the light rail. I do not understand why it was made into a movie. I do not understand the attraction between the female Jewish shrink and the hick. I did feel that this was yet another of Pat Conroy’s book’s where the protagonist hates his father. I heard Pat Conroy on the Diahn Rehm show a while ago and he has major father issues. It appears that he keeps rewriting his childhood. The father in his stories is always a mean SOB and the mother is always accepting of it. Three To Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich Completed April 2003 I found this book to be hilarious I loved the expanded role of Lulu. I felt the end story was tragic yet another story about child porn. I thought this was the territory of first time African American female mystery writers. I was sickened to learn that Moe the kindly elderly owner of the neighborhood candy shop was also a pornographer. Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler Completed April 2003 I got this book because lately I’ve been fascinated by Anne Tyler books. I was rooting for the dog trainer and Macon to get together. I thoroughly enjoyed Macon’s family of eccentric smart upper class rich people who seemed to live in Roland Park or some where about that area.I think my new goal will to be read all the Anne Tyler books in addition to all the Janet Evanovich ones. In the Teeth of Evidence by Dorothy L. Sayers Completed April 2003 This was a compilation book of sayers short stories. One of them was very familiar I believe I heard it on my Suspense mp3. Anyway, it was the one where the writer has a bizarre gimmick to get the attention of his editor by writing him threatening letters. All in all I had a hard time following the logic of some of the stories. Maybe I need to give it another listen to? Black Alley by Mickey Spillane Completed January 2003 I read this book but right now I can’t recall what it was about. I think I liked it. I know it was probably short. Breathing Lesson by Anne Tyler Completed May 2003 This was a good book it was about an elderly couple and there no account son whom the wife always made out to be better than he was. The wife always had the habit of making or seeing the best in everyone. They were trying to get there ex-daughter in law and son back together. It didn't work because in the end the son was a no account so and so. A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler Completed March 2003 This was another good book it took place over the Christmas holiday season----eaks! another forced writer forced to do a Christmas book? Anyway this time the story is about two movers one male and the other female who find love while trying to help an old lady arrange her house for the holidays. In the end the old lady dies. I liked the book because for once in my limited knowledge of Anne Tyler’s writer the main characters were not well to do but lower middle class folks. Ok the guy was upper class who decided to live away from his well to do family. |
| Strong Poison Dorothy L. Sayers August 9, 2002 to August 13, 2002
I did this one in a marathon fashion because I had just realized that it was due today. I was off work on Monday because I was asthmatic and sore and achy from vacuuming the day before. I still feel like I got hit by an invisible bus. My back, stomach, and legs hurt like hell. Anyway, because I did this in a marathon fashion I wasn’t entirely listening to it the whole time. I fell asleep with it on on the bus trip and subway ride over to the library after work. I also listened to it in the library while hiding out in the periodical section. From what I could catch it appears that the man’s cousin who was a druggie did him in so that he wouldn't be able to cash on there rich aunt’s will of which the other man was unaware he had. By the way the aunt was still alive yet elderly and appeared from the story to have Alzheimer’s. As usual I was shocked by the modernness of Ms. Sayers characters. The man was into free love and was living with his girlfriend. His cousin was druggie who was into cocaine and hemp among other things. Wow! and to believe this book was written in the twenties and not the sixties! I have to find more info about Sayers on the web. This woman was way ahead of her time. The Big Sleep Raymond Chandler 8/14/02 to 8/16/02 An audio book read by Elliott Gould. I understand that he once played Philip Marlowe in a movie. He’s the last person on the face of the earth I would ever cast in a detective movie. Anyway in this mystery it turns out that the son-in-law was killed by his whacked out sister in law. In typical detective book style every female who comes into contact with the detective wants to get into his pants. I do not understand that. Anyway the sister in law killed her brother in law because he refused to have an affair with her. It turned out later in the book that Marlowe refuses her advances and she later pulls a gun on him. Thus solving the mystery of the disappearing much beloved Irish son-inlaw. To be absolutely honest, I fell asleep a couple times reading this and had to turn on the radio. Overall it was good. I will try another Chandler book. It seems just because Gould did one Marlowe movie he’s now the voice of the series. Skipping Christmas John Grisham August 13, 2002 to August 17, 2002 This was the first John Grisham book I ever read on paper. The circle is now complete. I have now read every single book that Grisham has ever wrote. I found this book to be very offbeat and humorous. it has the makings of a made for TV Christmas movie. Grisham is truly a very gifted storyteller. The Testament John Grisham August 16, 2002 I completed this audio book in one day’s time.I found the beginning monologue by the old man to be very hilarious. At first I hated the overly piousness of his illegitimate missionary daughter of whom he left all his money to. But when she died I liked her even better. I don’t mean this in a bad way. I just found it almost touchingly magical that she made her will unbeknownst to her just as her lawyer unbeknownst to her had written for her inheritance to be allotted. I almost cried at the end. About a Boy Nick Hornby August 17, 2002 August 20, 2002 A 307 page page that I literally zipped through. In my opinion Hornby is a literary genius.The characters in the book were very true to life. I felt as though they actually existed out there in the real world. The character I most identified was Will the rich boy who had no job and just spent his time doing things to fill up time. This summer I felt very much like Will, trying to fill my time in air conditioned places. The book had a nice conversational tone to it. Come to think of it this is the 2nd book I’ve read as an adult by a British author that I’ve zipped through.The first was the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. I know it’s way to early in my reading career to declare it but I’m starting to feel that modern British authors are easy breezy fun reads.They don’t seem as long and laborious as American authors excepting, John Grisham. So far I find British authors a pleasure to read rather than a chore. Anyway, I loved this book I can’t wait to rent the video when it comes out this fall. While reading I was of course picturing Hugh Grant as Will. Very good book top notch all the way. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax Dorothy Gilman August 19, 2002 August 20, 2002 I found this book to be thoroughly entertaining. However, I feel as though I’m spotting a pattern. Does Mrs. Pollifax on all her spy missions run into a young person who somehow gets drawn into her assignment. I can’t be entirely sure on this matter as I’ve read only two books in the series so far. I did like the microscopic romance that occurred between Mrs. Pollifax and the mysterious Russian man whom it’s later revealed is a powerful man in the Zgniev Zubrisnki inner circle. Last Dance Ed McBain August 21, 2002 McBain does another great job narrating. I like the rhythm of his voice as he reads his police procedural on the 86th prevent. I think I’ll check another of his books. So far he hasn't done me wrong. Completed in one day. Kiss Me Deadly Micky Spillane August 21, 2002 August 22, 2002 I’m starting to think that Micky Spillane has serious issues with woman. So far I’ve read two book by him and in both of them they feature a beautiful who disrobes in the end and the detective shoots her. I don’t get it why is the dame always the bad guy and why does she get naked so that the hero can shoot her? I’d love to see how many times Spillane was married. This is just a guess on my part that he’s a divorcee. Anyway, the book was narrated by Stacy Keach. who did an excellent job in narrating this Mike Hammer mystery. Also I found this book to be very bloody. The hero seems to do nothing but coldly murder people and is gleeful about it. The plot had something to do with the mob. Some idiot put the two tapes back in the wrong order. which is why it took me two days to read a two tape book. Asshole! Burden of Proof Scott Turrow August 22, 2002 I finished this one up in one day. I found it to be more of a soap opera. I found it unusual that the conservative Latino-Jewish 50ish lawyer in the book was Mr. Mack Daddy after his wife died. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Mrs. Pollifax on Safari Dorothy Gilman September 2002 Another good Mrs. Pollifax mystery. Hi-Fidelity Nick Hornby September 2002 This makes the second Nick Hornby book I read. The circle is now complete! I have completed every single novel that Hornby ever wrote!However, I was handicapped when reading this book by the fact that I saw the movie several months before I bothered to read the book. The only reason I saw the film was that I’m a John Cusack fan. If John Cusack’s in a film it’s a guaranteee that I’ve seen it. Well that’s enough of my gushing over John Cusack as the perfect man. Overall, High Fidellity, the film was ok. However, I could not understand why Rob was attracted to or wanted his girlfriend back in the movie. The actress who played his girlfriend was a Scandinavian actress pretending to be an American. She had a very pronounced accent. It’s obvious in the film that she’s a foreigner yet everyone else in her family is a true blue Yank. That was the only part that irked me about the movie. The book was pretty good it expanded on the neurosis of Rob to a greater extent. However, it never did solve the mystery of what makes Rob’s latest girlfriend so special to him that he wants her back. Two For the Dough Janet Evanovich November 2002 I picked up this book in order to try to complete the circle as I did with the Hornby books. I found this book to be just as funny as I did the first one. I found her grandmother to be absolutely hilarious int he book as she helped her grand daughter crack the case. I loved seeing the return of one of the black hookers that she helped in the first book now having a real job at the bond company that she works at. I loved the continuation of her relationship with Joe. Tishomingo Blues Leonard Elroy October 2002 This was one that I forgot to list earlier. It was about a high diver who is initiated into a con. As I recall there was a running theme about Robert Johnson and his song, “Crossroads”. A character in the story was facsinated by the blues man. I liked the book. Then again I like reading books about shady people doing shady things. |
| Lucky You Carl Hiaassen August 5, 2002 August 5, 2002
That’s right I finished this book on tape in one day! This was a very funny book. I actually laughed out loud. It’s a bout theses two groups of people who win the Lotto in one day one is a black woman named Lux the other is a group of inept hapless white supremist. The supremists conspire to steal the ticket from the black woman so that they can use the additional winnings to build up their militia. The black woman wants to buy land so that she can build a nature preserve. Mama Solves a Murder Nora DeLoatch August 3, 2002 August 5, 2002 This is an actual book I’ve challenged myself to complete this weekend. This is the 2nd time I’ve taken it out of the Enoch Pratt. It’s only 192 pages long. I know I can do it. I just know it. I finished this book at the library. I love sitting at the desks they have in the top floor level of the periodical section. It kind of reminds me of the desks they had at City. Anyway, I felt that the book was easy to read and grasp. However, I never really latched onto the characters especially the protagonist. She seemed to be drifting along with no real purpose or personality. There was just no angst in the book. I felt extremely uncomfortable with the child molestation theme to the book. I’m not sure if this is the first book in the series but the theme reminded me of the first Barbara Neely, Blanche mystery I read. Why oh why do they have to have there first mysteries start off with a child molestation case. It’s just so damned depressing. I would have preferred a straight he’s dead because he’s a mean old bastard type case like you had with Wesley’s first mystery, “Devil’s Going to Get Him”. I suppose that’s why she has a more mainstream publisher and they (Neely and DeLoatch) have a more specialized publisher. Also I liked how the book seemed to be happening in real time. It’s to see that Mama and her daughter had lives outside the case that had to be tended to. A Painted House John Grisham August 6, 2002 August 7, 2002 This was the first non law related book that Grisham wrote. It’s also the first book that Michael Beck didn't narrate. The book is told in the point of view of a seven year old boy and his last summer in the farmlands of the south before his family moved up north to find better jobs in the steel mills. The book was damned good it kept my attention. I did find it a bit of stretch to believe that the boy witnessed two murders in one summer and was frightened into not telling about it. I mean really what are the odds of that happening in real life to any seven year old? I liked the crippled boy in the boy in the book who begins to paint the house because his murderous brother made fun of the farm boy’s family not having a painted house. I liked the descriptions of the Mexican migrant workers who come to work on their farm. I also liked the descriptions of the hill family that camp out in their front yard. Overall, I liked the descriptive narrative tone of this book. This proves that Grisham is a good writer period end of subject. Nocturne Ed Mcbain August 7, 2002 August 8, 2002 I had reservations about reading this book because the author was the narrator. Then I remembered that McBain writes police procedural meaning that his books are not dialogue or character driven. McBain’s books are plot driven. It took a short while to get used to Mcbain’s nonprofessionally honed thick Chicago or was it New York accent. In fact his natural accent added to the book having a more real feeling or essence to it. I felt uncomfortable with the constant OJ Simpson references in the book. Also blacks don’t really call white people Honky as much as they do in this book. Mcbain needs to speak with actual blacks and not refer to slangs or notions from the outdated 70’s Gulity Pleasures Lawrence Sanders August 2002 I picked up this one yet again to hear the dulcet tones of Boyd Gaines and figured that since it was written by my new favorite writer Lawrence Saunders that it would be a fun lively book. Boy, was I wrong. I thoroughly hated this book. It was sick sick sick! It kind of made me wonder what type of relationships Saunders had with his own offspring that is if he had any. The story was about a sick and twisted rich Florida family who seemed to spend there time vying for their father’s attention. The brother was a gay closeted married man. The sister was a power hungry she wolf who had an incentious relationship with her father throughout the years. I hated that the book did’nt seem to have a probelm with it, as if incest was perfectly normal. I’m saddened to hear that this was the very last book that Saunders ever wrote. The ending felt incomplete maybe if had the chance to do a few more edits I would not have felt so outraged and ready to gather a posse of people with torches to come to his house like they do in Frankenstein movies. Right now I am thoroughly turned off by Saunders. I may try to read the McNally series of books though. I understand that someone is ghost writing the series and that a new one came out last year read by you guesssed it BOYD GAINES!!! Sick Puppy Carl Hiaassen I couldn't get through this tape because the quality was very poor. It gave me a headache trying to listen to it and understand it. Maybe, I’ll see if there is another copy available at the library. From the gist of the story it’s about a young man who has inherited a lot of money and becomes a one man environmentalist swat team. One day he sees a man carelessly tossing trash out his car door. He dismisses it as a one time offense then he notices that the man always throws trash out of his car. He is so enraged that he kidnaps the man’s puppy. He later finds out the dog is sick. I got to the part where the man’s wife went off willingly with the kidnapper and helped him to retrieve the dog’s medicine. It turns out her husband is one mean ornery SOB. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax Dorothy Gilman August 8, 2002 August 9, 2002 I rather enjoyed this book much better than the Amelia Peabody book. It was laugh out loud funny and she didn't get too descriptive about scenery. Mrs. Pollifax is a senior citizen who was recruited to be a carrier for the Feds. Although, I’m not quiet sure if she is a senior. I take it that she is in her late 40’s early 50’s. Just my estimation because she has grown children and the book was written in the early 70’s around circa1970-1971. I like that there are references to free love, flower children and other various 60’s euphemisms. I had a swinging good time reading this book.Oddly enough the narrator of this book, Barbara Rosenblat, also is the designated narrator for all the Amelia Peabody books. I believe she is British and she did a pretty damn good job of convincing me that she was an elderly American woman, a gypsy, a Russian double agent etc. The gist of the story is that Mrs. Pollifax is sent to Turkey to help a double agent defect. This agent was very much in vogue during WWII. The agent spends most of the time in the book being kidnapped and drugged. My favorite character in this book was the model she met on the plane’s seemingly hapless brother. I loved how he sprung to life and proved to be very good at snooping as well as resourceful. He was sent to Turkey to be with his uncle who did documentaries about Turkey. He was mainly sent as a last resort because he fucked up every attempt at a career and his family was known to be very daring and dashing and top at their jobs. |
| Presumed Innocent Scott Turow July 2002
This was another book on tape that I got. It was good quick fun read. It was written in a very riveting first person narrative. I wasn’t sure if the narrator was the killer or not ala Agatha Christie’s, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Since I’m not a real book reviewer I can reveal the exciting twist that Rusty’s wife was the real killer. Here’s a brief synopsis of the book liftted from Amazon’s website: Rusty Sabich, Kindle County's longtime chief deputy prosecutor, has been asked to investigate the murder of one of his colleagues, Carolyn Polhemus. What Horgan, Sabich's boss, doesn't know is that Carolyn and Rusty had been lovers. As Rusty nears 40, both his marriage and his career seem stalled. His energies focus on his son, and his desperate, unhappy love for Carolyn. The investigation fuels his fantasies, but he makes little progress in finding the killer. When his boss loses his bid for re-election, Rusty suddenly, incredibly, finds himself on trial for Carolyn's murder. How To Be Good Nick Hornby July 2002 This was the first book I read by Hot British writer Nick Hornby. Two of his books, High Fidelity and About a Boy, so far have been turned into films. I liked the confessional tone of this book. It’s told in first person by a woman who wants to divorce her husband after having a one night stand with a stranger. The woman’s husband has never abused her anything his only crime is that he’s sarcastic and the writer of a column called the Angriest man in ..... She however doesn't like his sarcasm. One day he sees some guru called DJ Good News. He turns into a new goody goody person. Good news eventually moves in and he and her husband plot to do good things for society much to her chagrin. I didn't like how the woman was very wishy washy. Seemed to like to leave her fate up to others instead of taking the bull by the horns. I hated how she kept repeating that she was good because she was a Doctor. I really wanted to slap this character around a bit. Also I thought it was nice touch how they live around the corner from Dick a character from his High Fidelity book. It was nice to have a guest appearance by a character from another book. Kind of makes it feel like a small yet real world. The reason why I know about the character Dick is that I saw the film version of High Fidelity. Also, I think this goes on record as being the first protagonist I ever wanted to kick the shit out of. By the way I’m about to actually read Hornby’s About A Boy the book not audio next I will get High Fidelity. I’m thinking maybe he’s the type of writer whose better at writing from a male perspective than a female’s. McNally’s Dilemma Lawrence Sanders July 2002 This was yet another book on tape read. I mailny picked it up because Boyd Gaines was doing the reading. I’ve had an enormous unspoken childhood crush on him ever since he lit up the tv screen as Barbara (Valerie Bertanelli) Romano’s husband on One day at a Time. I even saw him live and in person in 1989 when he was at Center Stage appearing in the Importance of Being Ernest. I’ll never forget that day I sat in the third row sitting next to Mr. Tallman who was practically a dopelganger of Brad Pitt at time and just a mere 4 years older than us seniors. What a lovely afternoon it was! I digress despite picking up this book to hear the smooth dulcet tones of Gaines I found myself thoroughly enjoying the tome and needing to read more of the adventures of Archie McNally. McNally was of the character that Gaines often plays, a fun loveable witty bon vivant. This man was born to play comedy reply to almost anything almost any play by the guy who wrote the Importance of Being Ernest. Anyway here’s a brief synopsis lifted fron Amazon: In this eighth installment of the Archy McNally series, Archy, a charming cad of a gumshoe, tackles two cases simultaneously. One is a blackmail scheme; the other is helping a friend accused of murdering her philandering husband. The cases, all set in the empty, slimy world of the Palm Springs jetset, seem to be unrelated, until... Gaines performs well in this abridgment, giving McNally a smooth, understated baritone that is never flustered. Other characters are given distinct voices that add to the performances, keeping it interesting and moving the action along. The cast is colorful, and the plot is intriguing. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. Book Description Palm Beach private investigator Archy McNally takes on the murder of a socialite and uncovers a thorny tangle of blackmail and deceit, south Florida style. Playboy Geoffrey Williams is dead. But it's not a search for the killer that brings Archy McNally to the case; the lovely Melva Williams readily admits to the crime passionnel. After finding Geoff in a precarious position with an attractive young lady, she pulled the trigger on husband number two. It sounds like an open-and-shut case for McNally & Sons' Department of Discreet Inquiries until Melva asks Archy to shield her daughter, Veronica, from the press and paparazzi. Gallant Archy takes the case -- and escorts grown-up and gorgeous Veronica home to the McNally manse. Rumors fly, and some of them may be true. Veronica is no damsel in distress though, and she's certainly not sorry her stepfather is in the grave. When her story doesn't match Melva's, which doesn't match Geoff's, Archy realizes he does indeed have a dilemma on his hands. Someone's lying, and the one person who knows the truth -- Geoff's perky playmate -- has gotten away. A delectable combination of high society and high jinks, and featuring some of the most eccentric characters to populate Florida's Gold Coast, McNally's Dilemma is as witty and charming as Archy McNally himself Radio Detectives July 30, 2002 August 2, 2002 Stormy Weather Carl Hiaassen August 2, 2002 August 5, 2002 So far so good. The reader on this is none other than Ed Asner. The book was ok. Their seemed to be a lot of characters than usual. The fictional landscape was teeming with them. Not sure if this was the writers fault or maybe the Asner did a lousy job with voice characterizations. Anyway, I got a hoot listening to the book announcer call Asner Edward Asner. Sure I know his first name is Edward but well I’m used to referring to him as plain old Ed Asner with none of that fancy Edward stuff tacked on. This was the first Hiaassen book I read/heard. It was pretty good. I loved hearing about the lowlifes of Florida. it kind of reminded me of a Leonard Elmore tome. |
| Unnatural Death Dorothy L. Sayers 7/19/02 07/22/02
This was another book on tape I thought I’d try out. I mainly chose this author because I hear that she is a good mystery author. And also she’s well recommended to read if you’re interested in writing mystery novels. I found the audio tape to be very good. It was a good story about an elderly lady who has cancer and seemingly dies of natural causes. I thought it was daring that it appeared that the woman was in a formerly long time lesbian relationship. It also appeared that her niece who was a niece that took care of her was also a lesbian. I had no idea that writers back in the 20’s would choose characters like that to write about. Overall it was very good and I’m now a fan of the detective Lord Peter Wimsey. I kept picturing him being played by Rupert Everett. He played the gay guy in Julia Robert’s My Best Friend’s Wedding. He’s very hilarious and is good at playing whimsical characters. It’s a pity that he’s gay in real life. :(. Anyway the book turns out that the niece did her aunt in as well as her former maid. It was also interesting that the book introduces a black family member in the book Hallelujah Jones. He was a quiet elderly reverend from the West Indies. The niece tried to pin the murder on her black cousin. I can’t believe how ahead of it’s time this book was. Then again this could all be due to the fact that Sayers is British. I’m thinking that since she wrote mysteries around the time as Agatha Christie then she must have been her closest competitor. The Brethren John Grisham July 22, 2002 July 23, 2002 This book was ok. I didn't like how it ended. I was looking for a more concise ending. Again Michael Beck is at the helm as the narrator. The book was about these Judges who are imprisoned and are running a scam from there jail cells where they lure in closet gay males and then blackmail to expose them unless they give them money. One of the men that they unwittingly ensnare is US Congressman who is running for President. He was handpicked by the head of the FBI or some other secret government organization. He looked clean on paper except that he answered an ad in the back of a gay magazine. The secret organization intercepts his mail when they find out that he keeps a post office box under an alias, that’s how they find out about it. In the mean time the Senator/Congressman guy is unaware of the blackmail because he was never really into corresponding with “Ricky”. He did it out of a curiosity. His wife had recently died etc. In the end the head of the secret organization manages to get a Presidential pardon for the judges so that they won’t squeal about the candidates indiscretion. The Judges move to Europe with a lot of cash. One of them continues on with the scheme of blackmailing closet gay men for money. I was looking for more of a feel good Grisham ending where the Judges get theirs. Overall it’s a very engaging book the ending just felt incomplete as though Grisham just couldn't decide how to end it and just said , “Fuck it, I give up, besides it doesn't matter how I end this they’ll buy because I’m John fucking Grisham.” Prime Cuts Diana Mott Davidson July 23, 2002 July 24, 2002 This book made me hungry. It’s about a caterer who solves crimes in a quirky Colorado town. I find it curious that the author chose a reader who has a very New York accent. Then again I’m not very familiar with the series. It could be that the protagonist is a transplanted New Yorker. Anyway I enjoyed this quirky town more than the one in that goddamned comatose Cat Who..... books. I liked that there were occasional 4 letter words and that not all the characters where nice to the protagonist and her husband. Some people were down right nasty and they weren't even responsible for the crime! The mystery is about Cookbooks that were stolen out of the town museum and the subsequent death of the Protagonist’s mentor a chef who saved Jews during WWII while he was an eleven year old boy in France, He did it by singing Silent Night. Anyway it turn out he was killed by the photographer who was in cahoots with one of the descendants of the town who had figured out that a note in one of the recipe books was actually directions on how to find a treasure that was stolen many years ago from of one the last trains of the pony express. The descendent was innocent of murder she just figured out about the map it was the photographer who was the killer. The photographer gets in the story because the main action takes place during a photo shoot in one of the cabins(the actual cabin mentioned in the cookbook on how to find the treasure) the protagonist is asked to cater and brings along her mentor who is later killed. I like the coroner was female. It kind of reminded me of a nod to Kay Scarpetta from the Patricia Cornwell series of books. Everybody Smokes in Hell John Ridgeley July 24, 2002 July 25, 2002 This is the second John Ridgely book I’ve read. This one came with a bonus interview at the back of the book. The story on this one is that one day a rock star comes to a Quickie mart type store and befriends the black counter person. The counter guy seeing that the white guy is sickly drives him home thinking that the guy is just some bum. Much to his surprise he finds that the white guy lives in a fancy house and is a rock star. The Rock star tells the counter guy that today is his Twenty-fifth birthday and that he wants to end it all and commit suicide to leave the world with his last piece of music. He lets the counter guy listen to it. It sounds awesome. Rock star falls asleep Counter guy takes his tape. Next day rock star commits suicide and the tape is now worth boffo bucks. Rock star’s agent plots to get tape from counter guy who contacted him and asked for 1 million dollars meanwhile counter guys roommate steals drugs from a drug dealers inept cousin. Drug dealer sends his thugs after counter guy because the last words uttered by his roommate as to where the drugs were was Paris, his roommates name. Paris knows nothing about the drugs that his now dead roommate hid in his bag. Now he has agents henchmen after him as well as a beautiful psycho hit man bitch from hell named. I wasn’t in love with her character she was so sadistic and over the top in her torture. She liked to torture people while listening to classic rock from the 70’s. The ending to the book was also up in the air. Not sure if Paris offed the bitch or if she’s still alive to torment characters in another book. That hit woman was one scary customer. The interview at the end of the book was very informative and funny in spots. It turns out that the hit woman is the writer’s most asked about character. He’s not sure if she’ll be in another book or not. He likes to write books that have people from different racial backgrounds. I feel that that is good because my world is not all one race like it is on Friends, Which was a show that he decried as not being very realistic to the New York experience. I think I’ll take a page from Ridgeley and make my characters different ethnicities and not just representing one particular group. You know like Like having one white character in your book to to represent all whites. He’s in favor of well rounded characters no matter what there ethnicities. He like to reflect the world outside. Maybe this is why I am a fan of Ridgley’s books. I like to know that the world inside a book is not all black or all white people never interacting with people outside of there color sphere. That’s just not true in the larger context of society in the 21st century. |
| 2002
Reading List Add-Ons _____________________________________________________________________________ Book Author Start Date Completion Date _____________________________________________________________________________ Love Is a Racket John Ridgely July 10, 2002 July 11, 2002 I thought I’d give this author a try because I like the commentaries he does on NPR about Hollywood. I was surprised to see that he was African American. He doesn’t sound black on the radio but his commentaries are hilarious. This was a very long audio book. I thing it lasted for about 12 hours. It was also funny and sad at the same time. I felt a little weirded out because it seemed that the protagonist of the book lusted after white women through out the entire book. I don’t think the main character had a single relationship with anyone male or female who was black. Despite this the book was still very damn good. I will read Ridgeley’s other audio book , Everybody Smokes In Hell next. Of all the audio’s so far I’ve listened to this was the best right up there with John Grisham’s Street Lawyer. The reader of the book sounded like the guy who used to do the radio commercials for Amtrak. I really liked his voice a lot. But then they had to go and replace him with some white guy who has no real character in his voice. Anyway when I first put on the audio I thought it was going to be all spoken word blank poetry verse. I think that was because of the readers voice who sounded very jazzy and hip like he does on the Amtrak commercials. The Cat Who Smelled A Rat Lesley Carol Braun July 12, 2002 July 15, 2002 I never really liked the first book I read from this author. I found her stories to be boring and uninteresting. I though that maybe, just maybe I might have gotten her all wrong. Perhaps it would take an audio version of her book to make me a fan of her cat mystery books. She has plenty of fans there a zillion Cat Who.... mysteries out there so maybe I was rash to judge her work after reading one book. The first day I listened to this I audio I was struggling to stay awake at work. I also was struggling to stay awake on Monday when I finished up the book. I will never read another Cat Who.... mystery. Me and this series of books just don’t get along together. I like my mysteries to have action adventure and shady characters. This book was just too vanilla bland. Suspense Various readers/stories July 15, 2002 July 16, 2002 This was an Old Time Radio show. I read this one on Monday to keep awake. I kept alternating from the damned Cat books to this tape. The series of shows was very good. They were sponsored by Broma wines in the 40’s and in the late 40’s early 50’s they switched to Auto Lite. My favorite story was the one with Vincent Price and the pipe organ. It was very creepy that a guy would build his house around a pipe organ. Also his kids creeped the hell out of me. A Lesson Before Dying Ernest J. Gaines July 17, 2002 July 18, 2002 This was a very good book. I almost cried towards the end when Jefferson was reading what he wrote down in his diary. My only complaint about this book was that the first tape was seriously fucked up. Despite this book being an Oprah book club choice it was damned good. When the book ended I wanted it to continue. That in my opinion is a mark of a good book. So good you don’t want it to end. I think I may read more of Gaines’ books. I loved his descriptions of blacks in Louisiana in the 30’s and 40’s. I understand that Gaines is from that area. I’m not sure if he’s black. I know that there is a popular writer of books who is white and writes about blacks. I’m not sure if he is that guy or not. This book definitely confirmed my feelings about being against the death penalty. Suspense Volume 5 Various Readers/Stories July, 17 2002 July 18, 2002 OTR audio. favorite stories was the creepy A Tale of Two Sisters, 2/8/45 with Claire Trevor. One was sane the other was childlike and insane. Expected her sister to remain by her side ad never marry. The crazy sister ended up killing the other sister’s husband and young son. Really really loved hearing the tension in Agnes Moorehead’s rendition of Sorry Wrong Number 5/25/43. I was on edge!!! Also liked The Visitor with Eddie Bracken 5/11/1944. about a kid who comes back to finger his step father for trying to kill him several years ago. I found the Short Order Cook with Joseph Kearns 8/16/45 to be very somewhat offbeat. Yet none the less interesting in a John Waters since of the word. I didn't really care for the Humphrey Bogart one, Love’s Lovely Counterfeit 3/8/45. It just didn't have any zing. I also didn't like The Bullet 12/29/49 with Ida Lupino. It seemed to be anti feminist. The husband didn't want his wife to have any freedom despite her building up his business when he was away in jail. They never explained what he went to jail for. I hated the narrator in The Perfectionist starring Richard Basehart 1/21/52, Then again I don’t think they wanted you too feel sympathy for him he was very anal retentive and arrogant. Good story though, loved hearing him get his come uppance. I also liked Experiment 6R with John Lund 9/22/49. This one was about about a hotel assistant director who finds away to do away with his arrogant boss. I hated that the narrator got the disease he was trying to give to his boss. But I loved that his boss got fired in the end. I’m glad he was gone his boss was German after all. He probably was a Nazi. Well anyone the narrator got the disease but he also got his bosses job. It was kind of a bitter sweet ending. |
| 2002
Reading List Add-Ons _____________________________________________________________________________ Book Author Start Date Completion Date _____________________________________________________________________________ One For The Money Janet Evanovich May 9, 2002 Completed on a rainy day on the bus back from shopping or was it returning video’s. Liked the bus a lot bought on a whim from Walmart. Will try to complete the Stephanie Plum series. The book was hilarious and Stephanie was a very fun character. It was not a labor to read. I finished this book quickly. I enjoyed reading this book it was just my style! Good writer!!! Crocodile on the Sandbank Elizabeth Peters July 5, 2002 July 6, 2002 Audio book got when I renewed my library card. First book in the Amelia Peabody series. Renewed library card on July 3, 2002 mainly because was escaping the heat wave. Would have done it the day before but an ATM machine ate my card. In order to pay my fines I used some of the money Dad gave me. I think I owed about $52 and some change in fines. The reason I started going to the library was that I didn't to want to get tempted into spending extra money and thought it would be fun to listen to audio books at work since it appears that the other Gail no longer works at my job. The other Gail liked to get lots of audio books from the library and would let us listen to them at work. Got bored with the over descriptiveness in the book. Seemed to take for ever for the mystery to begin. Then when it did begin it wasn't all that interesting. Who cares about some stupid Mummy running around? Everyone knows that it’s someone else dressed as a mummy. The Street Lawyer John Grisham July 8, 2002 July 8, 2002 I see this as a replacement for the Grisham audio book I think I own some where in my apartment but can’t seem to find. I have listened to a lot of Grisham audio books. It’s a habit of mine. My goal is to listen to all of his books as I have never read a single one. This was a typical gripping Grisham book narrated by Michael Beck. Beck has narrated a number of Grisham’s books. I really, really, really liked this book! Kind of made me think about going to law school so that I could become a writer. The Body Farm Patricia Cornwell July 9, 2002 July 9, 2002 Another audio book. I think this is the first book in the Kay Scarpetta series. It was good but I had the plot figured out before the book was finished. This is the second Scarpetta audio book I listened to. The first one was Unnatural Exposure which I got from an audio book club. Will try to complete the Scarpetta audio series as I am doing the Grisham series. I like Scarpetta she kind of reminds me of Agent Scully on the X-Files. The descriptions of her work can be a bit harrowing and squeamish worthy at times. Scarpetta is a very sharp Medical Examiner. |
| ______________________________________________________________________________
2002 Reading Observations BAD************************************************************************* I never went anywhere near my original reading list except once and that was a book on tape edition of John Grisham’s Street Lawyer.. All the books that I read I borrowed from the library. This mainly was because it was deathy hot and sticky this summer so I renewed my libray card and hid out in the libray to avoid the heat of a Baltimore summer. I think I may have to do away with the date started and completed category. The reason for this is that I don’t really keep track of the date I start reading books. I just sort of pick them up organically and start reading. The dates given are all guestimates. My most hated writer is still that chick that does The Cat Who....... series. Most horrible book I read was Guilty Pleasures by Laurence Sanders. I still can’t get over the consentual incest plot line. Sick Sick sick!!! I will continue on completing his McNally series of books. It should be noted that Guilty Pleasures was not a part of the McNally series. I found the McNally book that I read to be fun and breezy ala my beloved Fletch books of the 80’s. God, I miss Fletch! I started to realy get into reading Low Rider while I was doing jury duty. However, I lost my copy of Low Rider in one of those big discount stores downtown. See, I really did try to complete the list! I borrowed a copy from the libray but never got around to reading it. Well, maybe next year.... I’ll do I better job of completing the list. Heck, if I can read 34 books on my own I’m sure I can get through a mere 33 books. GOOD*********************************************************************** I read more books than I did last year. This year I read 35 books compared to 2001’s grand total of 9 books. If I keep this up I may break Stephen King’s record. I think in his book, On Writing he claims to read over 200 books a year. Also good I started to include books on tape. I used to feel guilty about this viewing it as a crutch and not really reading. Then I read King’s book and discovered that he also does the books on tape thing so I don’t feel guilty anymore. Heck, if one of my writing idols does books on tape then it probably should’nt be regarded as bad. Besides in order to be a good writer one has to read a lot and that is what I plan on doing reading and writing a lot so that I get good at determing what does and doesn’t work. My new favorite writing finds this year is Janet Evanovich (Jersey Girl Bounty Hunter), Nick Hornby(Yuppie Brits), Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries), Dorothy Gillman (Mrs. Pollifax series), John Ridgely (ironic multicultural crime in LA) and Laurence Sanders (McNally series). Sanders has the distinct honor of being the author of the most hated book this year (Guilty Pleasures) and the most favorite series that I discovered (McNally’s Dilema). I have now read every single book that John Grisham ever put out the same goes for Nick Hornby. Well, maybe not completely for Hornby I believe he edited a book of short stories that I have’nt read yet. Also this year I read, YES, read an actual book by John Grisham book. |
| 2001 Reading List
|
| me:
About you! Anything about you. |