2006

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

CHRISTMAS COZIES
'Tis the season to wallow in seasonal mysteries if you are a "cozy" fan like I am! The Christie Capers are currently reading "Christmas Cookie Murder" by Leslie Meier, a light, enjoyable murder mystery featuring mom-of-four/wife/part-time reporter/amateur sleuth Lucy Stone. Other great Christmas themed mysteries that I have enjoyed include "Christmas Crimes at Puzzell Manor" by Simon Brett (be careful of this one - YOU have to solve the puzzle to find out whodunnit!), "A Highland Christmas" (Hamish Macbeth series) by M.C. Beaton, "The Sugar Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke, "Sugarplum Dead" by Carolyn G. Hart, and "Twelve Deaths of Christmas" by Marian Babson. For a reasonably complete list of holiday-themed mysteries you can vist my web page at http://www.holidaymurders.bravenet.com. We also have a lovely display of Christmas Cozies in front of the Circ Desk at the library. Check one out today!
Posted by eileenp 12/12/2006 11:54:00 AM

Monday, December 11, 2006

BLIND SUBMISSION by Deborah Ginsberg
Deborah Ginsberg is a new fiction author (this is her first novel) and I hope that she plans to continue on her new career path. "Blind Submission" is similar in plot "The Devil Wears Prada", except that the setting is a literary agency. Angel Robinson is hired as quirky literary agent Lucy Fiamma's assistant and quickly proves herself to have a talented "eye" for a successful novel. When an anonymous author starts submitting chapters that bear an eerie similarity to her own life and career, Angel frantically tries to identify the author. After several missteps and the inevitable romantic entanglements and disentanglements, the mystery author is revealed. I won't tell you what happens to our heroine, Angel, in the end, because that would spoil the book for you, but suffice it to say, the outcome was satisfying in several respects. If you love books and have ever wondered about the process of submitting manuscripts and how to get published, you just might learn something from this story.
Posted by eileenp at 12/11/2006 01:40:00 PM

Friday, December 01, 2006

COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier
This month's First Tuesday selection is a long book - 449 pages. I still have almost 200 pages to read before Tuesday, so I don't have too much time to write! I decided to watch the movie, starring Jude Law and Nicloe Kidman, before reading the book, in order to get a feel for the settings and characters. It is always interesting to see how elements of the book are combined or ignored in order to make a watchable movie. In this case I found the movie to be too violent and graphic for my tastes, but I think it reflected the horror and desperation of that time extremely well. I guess I prefer to remain insulated from the gory details!Frazier's work is obviously well-researched and he provides meticulous details of the everyday life of those left behind in the South during the American Civil War, right down to Inman's thoughts about the pain of his various wounds and Ada'a intense hunger and despair over her lack of survival skills. In addition to being a novel of war it is, above all, the love story of two people separated by circumstances beyond anyone's control, accepting of the realities of life in the 1860's but working determinedly to be alive for each other and eventually reunited. The movie used many elements of the book, combining some scenes and characters for dramatic effect, but overall I think it presented the main elements of the story faithfully. Of course, the book is ALWAYS better and Cold Mountain is no exception. Reading this book is work, but it seems well worth the effort.
Posted by eileenp at 12/01/2006 08:25:00 AM

Monday, November 27, 2006

BLUE CHRISTMAS (Mary Kay Andrews)
Those of you that have enjoyed Andrews' previous works (Savannah Blues, Hissy Fit, etc.) will not be disappointed by this charming holiday tale of family, business rivalry, and romance. This quick read will provide a relaxing and entertaining break from holiday preparations. It features the requisite dysfunctional family relationships along with quirky characters (featured previously in "Savannah Breeze"), unwavering friendships, and a satisfying element of traditional romance.3:12 PM, November 20, 2006


LUCKIEST MAN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF LOU GEHRIG (Jonathan Eig)
We chose this biography for the First Tuesday book club. I would recommend it to baseball fans, particularly to those who favor the New York Yankees (being a native of Massachusetts my baseball loyalties lie elsewhere!) since the book is as much a biography of the Yankees as it is of Gehrig. If you are NOT a fan of the great American pastime, what you will gain from reading this book is insight into how one man accepted a devastating disgnosis with grace and character. One outstanding thing about Lou Gehrig that seems to be lacking in many of our sports "heroes" today is character. Today we have too many athletes looked up to by our youth as role models, but who seem undeserving of the adulation and admiration (not too mention the money) heaped upon them by our society. Lou Gehrig was a man who loved his mother, was faithful to his wife, and who deserved the respect of his fellow players and his fans. Right up until the end he remained appreciative of all that life had given him: his talent, his good fortune, his fame, and all of the people that loved him. After reading this biography I wouldn't say that Lou Gehrig was a fascinating man or that his life was extraordinary, but it was good to read about someone who seemed truly "nice".10:40 PM, October 15, 2006


FACELESS KILLERS
FACELESS KILLERS by Swedish author Henning Mankell is this month's selection for the First Tuesday Book Club. Mankell's main character in this noir mystery is Detective Kurt Wallander. Wallander is neither a typical handsome hero-detective (think Starsky and Hutch) nor the flawed but brilliant investigator like Columbo or Monk. He is, in fact, a depressed, overweight police officer whose life is in transition: his wife has left him, he is estranged from both his slightly senile artist father and his suicidal daughter, and he drinks too much and sleeps too little. The book features two separate murder mysteries and a lot of howling wind, bitter cold, and darkness (the setting is Sweden in the winter and Spring). Wallender is an interesting character, profoundly human and flawed, yet with an appealing tendency to express emotion. I would recommend this author to fans of noir fiction.8:36 PM, September 03, 2006


SECOND HONEYMOON (Joanna Trollope)
Joanna Trollope always manages to get to the heart and soul of her theme in her novels. "Second Honeymoon" is the story of a woman (Edie) trying to find an identity beyond motherhood. Her youngest child, 22-year-old Ben, has just moved out. While her husband (Russell) anticipates resuming a true marital relationship unencumbered by the chaos of raising 3 children, Edie finds herself anxious and unfulfilled, unable to let go of the need to be a mother and to devote herself instead to being a wife and companion. Edie's successful acting stint and upheavals in their children's lives temporarily transform Russell and Edie's empty nest into a full house once again. Along with the chaos, inconvenience, and constant dearth of hot water comes the realization that maybe moving on to a new phase of life might not be so bad after all.As a partial empty nester I found a great deal with which to identify in this novel. I think that its appeal lies in its realism. None of the characters lives "happily" ever after, but they do live "realistically" ever after! I would recommend Trollope's books to anyone who prefers their fiction to reflect real people with real lives.10:05 PM, August 09, 2006


RECIPE FOR A PERFECT MARRIAGE (Morag Prunty)
Every woman who is or has been married or aspires to be should read this book! The stories of Bernadine and her grandaughter Tressa are intertwined through recipes and alternating chapters that tell the stories of their marriages and their maturing concepts of love and commitment. Tressa's story covers one year, Bernadine's, more than 50. Each of the women starts her marriage believing that she has settled for something less than "true love", that her husband falls far short of the ideal mate that would have brought unconditional happiness to her life. Over the course of the book each of them comes to realize the true essence of love and that happiness is not a target or a goal, but something else. On page 281 Bernadine says, "What my marriage has taught me is that real love is only what you give. That's all. Love is not "out there" waiting for you. It is in you. In your own heart and what you are willing to give of it." Please do not conclude from this review that this book is a typical romance; it is far from it. Tressa's story has some elements of chick lit and I would consider this book an enjoyable read, but it is so much more. It is a charming, well-written affirmation that marriage should never be taken for granted, that life is what you make of it, and that true happiness does come from how much of yourself you are willing to give. Read it!10:40 AM, July 25, 2006


THE EPICURE'S LAMENT (Kate Christensen)
This unusual work of literature gives new meaning to the term "love-hate relationship". On the one hand, the writing is superb. Those of you who adore words will enjoy reading Christensen's wonderful prose. On the other hand, the main character, antihero Hugo Whittier, is so repulsive with his constant smoking and total disregard for his own health, that reading his musings (the book is composed of his journals as he waits for eventual death from the completely preventable effects of Buerger's disease) can be almost sickening. Hugo himself has a charming sense of devotion to family coupled with a completely amoral attitude toward sex and life. We discussed this work during our June meeting of the First Tuesday Book Club. Reactions were mixed, to say the least, but I think we can all agree that Christensen's talent as a writer is phenomenal. If you decide to read this book, please keep in mind that it might take a while to get hooked. Once you are hooked you will probably never actually LIKE Hugo, but the book will make a lasting impression on you!11:52 AM, June 19, 2006


Anybody Out There? (Marian Keyes)
Irish author Marian Keyes has outdone herself with this story of a young woman coming to terms with a life-altering tragedy. In this selection her main character is again a member of the Walsh family, this time Anna, a New York based cosmetic PR representative. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is typical chick-lit; it is much more. There were times when I cried during Anna's struggle to recover, accept, and move on (I can't reveal the exact nature of the tragedy in this young woman's life because it would spoil the book) and other times when I laughed out loud at the antics of her quirky friends and acquaintances. Needless to say, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. Check it out!11:38 AM, June 19, 2006


ALONE by Lisa Gardner
The Christie Capers is basically a mystery discussion group, but we sometimes discuss thrillers in addition to the typical cozies, hard-boiled mysteries, and police procedurals. "Alone" is the first Lisa Gardner novel that I have read. It focuses on Massachusetts State trooper / sniper Bobby Dodge and child abuse survivor Catherine Gagnon. There are quite a few twists and turns before the final chilling reveal at the end of the book. I found the book to be dark and depressing, but not uninteresting. One of the things that bothered me was that there were really no strong, admirable characters aside from Bobby, and even he was flawed in both his background and behavior. I would probably read another book by Lisa Gardner, but only after a bit of a breather.1:09 PM, May 15, 2006


M.C.BEATON
M.C. Beaton's wonderful Hamish MacBeth and Agatha Raison series never fail to charm and delight me. "Death of a Dreamer" is the latest in the MacBeth series. For those of you not familiar with Hamish, he is a lazy, brilliant, and extraordinarily handsome red-haired policeman stationed in the tiny village of Lochdubh (pronounced Lock-doo), in the Scottish highlands. Women fall at his feet in each installment, but the love of his life continues to be former fiance Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. Hamish avoids promotion at all costs, his greatest ambition being to be left in peace to fish and relax at his village police station. His brilliant deductive abilities make eluding promotion difficult, so he is usually willing to let someone else take the credit for his successful crime-solving. This latest installment proves just as entertaining as Beaton's previous books in the series. I can't wait for the next Agatha Raisin book to be published! 2:26 PM, March 21, 2006


MORE CHICK-LIT
I mentioned earlier that I enjoyed Sophie Kinsella's books. One trick that I have always used to find new authors is to notice when one of MY favorite authors comments favorably on a book, usually on the book jacket. I just finished reading "The Little Lady Agency" by Hester Browne, having picked it up because Sophie Kinsella was quoted on the cover and she claimed to have enjoyed the book. Browne's first novel is Chick-Lit at its best and her main character, Melissa Romney-Jones, is delightful. One thing that makes this book stand apart from many Chick-Lit offerings is that Melissa's main quest is NOT, as it is for many heroines in this genre, to find true love (although she eventually does). Melissa, after being "made redundant" from her job when new management takes over the company, creates her own business with a rather unique twist. Her primary goal is to become successful enough to win the respect of (and financial independence from) her overbearing, ultra-critical father. Melissa is a selfless, giving, creative human being with wonderful friends and a severely disfunctional family. If you love Chick-Lit but are getting a bit tired of some of the more formulaic offerings currently available, try this book. I predict that this is the beginning of a very successful career for novelist Hester Browne!1:47 PM, February 23, 2006


ARCHER MAYOR
Our Christie Capers mystery discussion group is meeting this week to discuss The Surrogate Thief by Archer Mayor. I always enjoy reading books that are set in locales that I have visited myself. This author's books are set in Vermont, specifically the Brattleboro area, and Mayor lives in the beautiful village of Newfane. The mysteries are great and I especially like his ongoing character, law enforcement veteran Joe Gunther, but the most fun parts of his books are the descriptions of route 9 in Brattleboro, or trying to figure out exactly where Joe's girlfriend's house is located. Of course, all of the people and situations are fictional, but the settings are real. If you love Vermont and great mysteries try one of Archer Mayor's novels.lives2:51 PM, February 15, 2006


SOPHIE KINSELLA / MADELEINE WICKHAM
I recently had the experience of picking up a book by British author Madeleine Wickham, whose work was, I thought, new to me. I immediately fell in love with her writing style and, as is my usual custom, started searching for more information about her and her books. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Wickham is actually ALREADY one of my favorite authors, Sophie Kinsella. Under her real name (Wickham) she writes literary women's fiction (a bit like Joanna Trollope), while under her pseudonym (Kinsella) she is the author of the highly popular Shopaholic series of "Chick lit" books. If you particularly enjoy an author's style of writing go to www.myunicorn.com for a great list of author pseudonyms and see if any of your favorite authors write in more than one genre under more than one name!3:48 PM, January 17, 2006


FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT by Mireille Guiliano
This book was recommended early on, when we were starting this blog, by Maria. I have just started reading it and I am very impressed. As a devotee of the South Beach Diet and the U.S. government's recently revised food pyramid, I generally discount "diets" because losing weight and maintaining the loss require permanent lifestyle changes (which I have yet to master!). This book advocates an eating lifestyle, not a diet, and the author's approach to controlling food intake makes a lot of sense. The basic principle is that we need to identify our eating "problems" and cut back on the things that contribute significantly to our weight gain. In the process we also need to learn to savor foods and recognize the point at which eating a particular food ceases to be a pleasure and simply becomes a habit. Try it next time you eat a bowl of goldfish cracker(yeeks! THAT would horrify Ms. Guiliano!) or a piece of cake. Consciously savor the flavor and see what happens!Overall, this book is very interesting, but I am only on page 50. The idea of shopping every ouple of days and enjoying cooking is appealing, but not very practical for someone with a job and family. Has anyone tried eating like the French? Have you read this book? What did you think?7:51 AM, January 05, 2006


MARKER (Robin Cook)
MARKER (Robin Cook)Is anyone out there a Robin Cook fan? I LOVE medical thrillers and have frequently enjoyed Cook's work, but I have found his last few books to be formulaic and just not up to par. I am almost finished with his latest, Marker, and I have to say that he is making a turnaround. This work is much more like his earlier books than his most recent efforts have been. I do have to say that I figured out what was going to happen about halfway into the book (in addition to diagnosing a doctor-patient character's problem long before she herself did!), but overall it is an enjoyable read. I think that Robin Cook tends in his writing to portray women, even the strong, intelligent ones, as victims who inevitably need to be rescued because of their own lack of awareness or poor judgement, but in "Marker" Laurie Montgomery holds her own admirably and, in fact is a much stronger character than any of the men in the book. If you have enjoyed Robin Cook's novels you might also consider reading Tess Gerritsen, Michael Palmer, Peter Clements, and Leonard Goldberg, if you haven't aready! We have a great Readers' Advisory brochure on Medical Thrillers that are available at WLPL. Ask at the circ desk if you don't see our Readers' Advisory display in front of Reference.2:38 PM, January 03, 2006