Kissing Christmas Good-bye by M.C. Beaton

It's beginning to look as if the bloom has fallen off Agatha Raisin's obsessive love for her handsome ex-husband, James Lacey. Not that Agatha is about to admit to this. No. she's decided that her feelings if ennui are down to the lack of a really good investigation that she can sink her teeth into. So that when Agatha receives a letter from Phyllis Tamworthy who claims that someone in her family is trying to murder her. Agatha thinks that Phyllis Tamworthy may be a nutter, but something about the letter gives her pause. What if it is authentic? What if Phyllis Tamworthy is in real danger? With visions of Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" in mind (Christmas is after all round the corner), Agatha decides to take on the case.

In typical Agatha fashion her Christie-like visions come to nothing. Phyllis turns out to be penny-pinching bully to comes her children firmly under her thumb, while Phyllis' children seem to be so colourless and spineless a bunch, that Agatha has a hard time seeing any of them as potential killers. But when Phyllis drops dead after a truly awful tea, Agatha is sure that a very cunning murderer has struck. Quickly Agatha springs into action, determined to discover who murdered Phyllis, and no one, not the hostile police officers in charge of the case or Phyllis' equally hostile relatives or the twinge in her hip are going to stop her.

We see the addition of a new character, teenage Toni Gilmour, whose background is eerily akin to that of Agatha. Toni may be the anti-Agatha: young, beautiful, vivacious, charming and clever. Despite Agatha's occasional bursts of jealousy, the two women become friends as well as fellow detectives and Agatha's incredible generosity helping Toni softens the many hard edges she still exhibits.

The latest Agatha Raisin book is a reason to celebrate, so I saved this book to read on a my trip to San Diego. It is impossible to explain why I enjoy her books so much but I do. I cannot even remember who the murderer was but honestly that is not why I read them. I'm glad to see she might be moving past her obsession with James.

Past Perfect by Susan Isaacs

Former CIA analyst Katie Schottland receives a call from Lisa Golding, an old colleague who desperately needs her help. Katie, who was inexplicably fired from the agency some 15 years before, has since turned her experiences to profit, penning a successful cable-TV show based on her novel, Spy Games. But she remains clueless about the circumstances surrounding her termination. Lisa, it seems, knows all the devastating details and offers to offer them up in exchange for Katie's assistance. But can Katie, now ensconced in upper Manhattan, with a nice (if somewhat milquetoasty) husband and a 10-year-old son, leave behind her safe, comfortable life long enough to learn the truth?

Katie plunges back into the notes she smuggled out of the office. She seeks help from an old flame and another ex-agent (now a log-cabin recluse) who helps her trace three of Lisa's former charges at the CIA, East German asylum seekers transported to America and given new names. When two of them turn up dead within weeks of each other, Katie decides to give chase to locate the third before the woman becomes the next casualty.

Not a terribly fast read as I kept getting distracted by her whining about losing her job 15 years ago. I did enjoy her relationships with her family rather than her attemps at being a spy which she never was in the first place. This was my first attempt at reading her books and it does not really make me want to read more but I may down the road.

Cast a Cold Eye by Marjorie Eccles

Featuring detective Detective Chief Inspector Gil Mayo which I've watched on BBC America. Discovering the series was based on books I decided to try a few out as I quite enjoy the show.

Ambitious but troubled architect Clive Lethbridge throws a cocktail party at his country home outside Birmingham, England, to celebrate his prize-winning design for a holistic health center in Norway. The next day, an unknown person bashes his head.

When solid and sensitive Detective Chief Inspector Gil Mayo investigates, he learns that Lethbridge had many enemies. In addition, Clive's wife shows signs of involvement with Matt Royston, a famous TV and newspaper journalist collaborating with Clive on a book.

Not quite as dramatic as the TV series while taking the basic storyline really embelishes the characters for the show. Though the stories are not terribly complicated or difficult to figure out, I did enjoy reading it. Eccles has a subtle way about describing things and I'll try a few more out to see if they grow on me.

Bk 2: Death of a Good Woman
Bk 3: Requiem of a Dove
Bk 4: More Deaths than One
Bk 5: Late for this Parish
Bk 6: Company She Kept
Bk 7: Accidental Shroud
Bk 8: Death of Distinction
Bk 9: Species of Revenge
Bk 10: Killing me Softly
Bk 11: Superintendent's Daughter
Bk 12: Sunset Touch
Bk 13: Untimely Graves

Seventy-Seven Steps by Christopher Fowler

3rd in the Bryant & May Mystery series

Set in 1973, we learn the details how the pair first joined Scotland Yard's Peculiar Crimes Unit. The murders Bryant and May investigate more than fit the unit's mission to handle cases outside the norm—an elderly lawyer is found poisoned in a hotel lobby, apparently from a snake bite, while other victims are killed by toxic makeup and a starved tiger. The odd sleuthing couple find that these terrifying crimes are all connected with the strange Whitstable family, whose Victorian patriarch founded a bizarre group called the Alliance of Eternal Light.

This interesting series has a much darker Sherlock Holmes feel as the pair deal with mysteries with supernatural aspects.

Bk 1: Full Dark House
Bk 2: Water Room

Not a Girl Detective by Susan Kandel

Cece Caruso Mystery series
Sequel to I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason

Writing biographies of dead mystery authors tends to land her in odd situations, and, as she researches Carolyn Keene, the fictitiously named author of the Nancy Drew books, she is drawn into the murder of a wealthy collector of series memorabilia. Cece has something that the killer wants; while trying to figure out what it is, she finds herself crossing paths with several people who stand to gain from the victim's death. The characters are deliciously drawn, the pace is snappy, and the plot twists and turns will keep mystery lovers satisfied. As entertaining as Cece and the other characters are, the icing on the cake is the depth of Kandel's research. Readers who enjoyed following the teen sleuth's adventures will appreciate the insight into the history of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the organization responsible for producing numerous children's series. Kandel provides an informative glimpse into 1930s and 1940s book publishing, introducing Mildred Wirt Benson, the author of 22 of the first 25 Nancy Drews; Russell Tandy, the illustrator of the early covers; and Grace Horton, the professional model who was her face. The author blends fact and fiction with assurance, using these real people to set up a plot that ultimately involves Salvador Dali's art.

Books are great fun especially for fans of Nancy Drew or children's mysteries.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Shopping addict and financial writer Becky Bloomwood works for Successful Savings, a second-rate trade magazine. Becky, for whom saving is a concept for other people, relieves the tedium of meaningless work with giddy sprees she can ill afford. As her debt grows ever more unmanageable, Becky's self-justifying obbligatos become ever more shrill, and her white lies turn steadily darker. In one self-delusional attempt to find a better paying job, she bolsters her resume with fluency in Finnish, only to come face to face with the CEO of the Bank of Helsinki. But when Becky gets her teeth into a real news story, she discovers her limits are far greater than she had imagined.

Meanwhile, perky flatmate Suze, the daughter of fabulously rich and indulgent parents, is little help, although she does fix Rebecca up with her equally wealthy cousin, Tarquin Cleath-Stuart. Dreaming wistfully of marrying money, Rebecca tries to impress the dull but sincere Tarquin by inventing a charity that provides violins for impoverished children in Mozambique—and is mortified when he immediately makes a donation of five thousand pounds, scribbling a cheque that she has to return. But there's another man in her future: handsome Luke Brandon, a financial genius who devised a fund-switching scheme that seems to have deprived her parents' neighbors—a well-meaning but slightly dotty old couple—of their nest egg.

My co-worker loves this series so I thought I would give it a try. Fun, but the characters really don't make me want to read more in the series. I would rather read Bridget Jones Diary books instead.

Heartshot by Steven Havill

Septuagenarian undersheriff of Posadas County, N.M., Bill Gastner is widowed, his kids are grown and gone. A chronic insomniac, he rattles around his empty house, eats too much and smokes too much. The one thing he genuinely cares about is the little town of Posadas, New Mexico and its inhabitants. These days, he's worried that the newly elected Posadas sheriff has an agenda that includes pushing Bill towards early retirement and is understandably touchy about suggestions that he might be slowing down.

A Fourth of July town celebration turns to tragedy when a carful of teenagers speeds up to evade a police cruiser, loses control and goes over a cliff. While working the scene of the accident, Gastner and Posadas' lone detective, a female no less, Estelle Reyes, discover a package of drugs amongst the wreckage. How did it get there? Which one of the upstanding kids might have had something to do with drugs? Posadas is close enough to the Mexican border that Gastner is not surprised by the presence of drugs in his town, but thought he had a better understanding of the town's youth. Is he losing his touch?

The townspeople are naturally upset, accusations fly and one of the bereaved parents has bought a gun. When the Sheriff suggests putting a young unknown officer undercover in the high school, Gastner has no better idea and reluctantly agrees. The situation quickly deteriorates and another senseless death occurs. Gastner feels personally responsible, neglects his health in pursuit of answers and ultimately puts his own life on the line. We see him suffer from a mild heart attack during the investigation and his determination to see the case to the end, even if he doesn't make it.

I wasn't sure if I would like this book or the series as he seems like your stereotypical overweight police guy. I'm glad that I gave it more than a few chapters as it got quite good as it progressed. The author writes about a character who is very passionate about his town and the people who live there. It felt very believable, even though the ending was a bit out there. But a creative way to kill off people. I also appreciated that there was no romance between him and the only female detective on the force.

Now I want to read more and see how the character develops and hopefully makes some changes in his physical health. I'm glad that this is a big series so it gives me a chance to catch up.

Bad News by Donald Westlake

John Dortmunder and his gang of lowlifes from the back room of the O.J. Bar and Grill. Andy Kelp, Tiny Bulcher and the Murches (Stan and Mom) join Dortmunder horn in on another crew's scam cheating two Native American tribes out of one-third of the take from a lucrative Indian casino in upstate New York. Fitzroy Guilderpost, mastermind of the con (and a memorable Westlake creation one hopes to see again), has enlisted Little Feather Redcorn, a Las Vegas card dealer and showgirl, to pose as the last living member of an extinct tribe with a claim to the casino. Unknown to the schemers, the casino managers have been cooking their books and will go to any length to avoid sharing the wealth. As the foes switch dead Indians from grave to grave, seeking to prove or deny Little Feather's tribal membership, Dortmunder plots an impossible and hilarious robbery using a blizzard as an accessory, and comes up with the usual mixed results.

Another hysterical addition to the Dortmunder collection of books. His books always make my day.

Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich



Lucky #13 in this fun and hilarious series. This time around Stephanie is reunited with her two-timing lawyer ex-husband, Dickie Orr, while doing a favor for the mysterious, sexy Ranger. Noticing a recent photo of Dickie with her arch nemesis, Joyce Barnhardt, (aka fluzie he had an affair with while they were still married) and it looks like they are now dating. But when Dickie disappears from his house leaving behind only bloodstains and bullet holes, Plum becomes the main suspect in her ex-husband's disappearance; mainly because she attacked him in his office, again. But this time everyone thinks he has been murdered and Stephanie is prime suspect #1. Now Joyce is after Stephanie, especially when Dickie's unchanged will surfaces making Stephanie the heir to his estate, valued at over $40 million.



Determined to clear her name, Plum and her on-again off-again Trenton cop boyfriend, the irresistible Joe Morelli, uncover Dickie's ties to a shady group of men involved in everything from money laundering to drug running. And when Dickie's jilted business partners decide Stephanie holds the key to the $40 million they believe Dickie stole from them, she's in for a wild ride.



Grandma is still around going attending the various funeral viewings. Lola seems to have changed her hoing ways and is focused on one man - Tank! Thankfully we see nothing of Stephanie's sister and her family. They were really annoying me in the last few books. Some new parole violators, a taxidermist with a penchant for bombs to a grave-robbing tax man life is never dull in the burbs.

Happy 4th of July!

Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Death meets the book thief, a 9-year-old girl named Liesel Meminger, when he comes to take her little brother, and she becomes an enduring force in his life, despite his efforts to resist her. As Death lingers at the burial, he watches the girl, who can't yet read, steal a gravedigger's instruction manual. Thus Liesel is touched first by Death, then by words, as if she knows she'll need their comfort during the hardships ahead.

And there are plenty to come. Liesel's father has already been carted off for being a communist and soon her mother disappears, too, leaving her in the care of foster parents: the accordion-playing, silver-eyed Hans Hubermann and his wife, Rosa, who has a face like "creased-up cardboard." Liesel's new family lives on the unfortunately named Himmel (Heaven) Street, in a small town on the outskirts of Munich populated by vivid characters: from the blond-haired boy who relates to Jesse Owens to the mayor's wife who hides from despair in her library. They are, for the most part, foul-spoken but good-hearted folks, some of whom have the strength to stand up to the Nazis in small but telling ways.

Stolen books form the spine of the story. Though Liesel's foster father realizes the subject matter isn't ideal, he uses "The Grave Digger's Handbook" to teach her to read. Reading opens new worlds to her; soon she is looking for other material for distraction. She rescues a book from a pile being burned by the Nazis, then begins stealing more books from the mayor's wife. After a Jewish fist-fighter hides behind a copy of Mein Kampf as he makes his way to the relative safety of the Hubermanns' basement, he then literally whitewashes the pages to create his own book for Liesel, which sustains her through her darkest times. Other books come in handy as diversions during bombing raids or hedges against grief. And it is the book she is writing herself that, ultimately, will save Liesel's life.

Death recounts all this mostly dispassionately -- you can tell he almost hates to be involved. His language is spare but evocative, and he's fond of emphasizing points with bold type and centered pronouncements. Death, like Liesel, has a way with words. And he recognizes them not only for the good they can do, but for the evil as well. What would Hitler have been, after all, without words? As this book reminds us, what would any of us be?

This book took me almost a week to read. I kept going back and re-reading passages. I didn't want the book to end and cried during the final chapters. It is a lovely thought provoking book. Wow.

Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

This is a story of a man without a past, rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by some fishermen. He is very ill, and his body has suffered the impact of many bullets. The man is taken by the fishermen to a doctor in a nearby island, who helps him to recover physically and mentally. Our protagonist doesn't remember who he is, but with the help of the doctor he finds some clues he doesn't like too much. He only knows for certain some things, for instance that his face has been altered by plastic surgery, that he knows a lot about firearms and that he carried on him a microfilm that contains the code to an account of four million dollars.

In the Swiss bank where the account is he also finds a name: Jason Bourne. But... is he Jason Bourne?. He cannot remember, and if it were for quite a few people, he won't. From the moment he leaves the island onwards, our man without a past will be followed, and attacked. He doesn't understand why, but he reacts in order to stay alive. Add to this already interesting mixture a woman he takes as a hostage, Marie, a number of assasins (including the most famous assassin in the world, Carlos), and the possibility that he is an assassin. The main character will be hunted all throughout the book not only by the "bad guys", but also by the "good" ones (mainly agents from the USA Government).

You won't be able to stop reading this book, and you will find yourself asking aloud to nobody in particular "who on earth is this man?" and "what started this whole mess"?.

I read this back in the 1980's and with the movies coming out decided I should re-read and see if enjoyed it as much as I did back then. The only bad side is that the technology is obiously dated as who would have a piece of microfilm inserted under the skin when we have tiny microchips. Of course in 20 years that will seem dated. But I really enjoyed the ride and love the movies. I need to read the rest over the summer.

Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

A classic suspenseful read from my past. I vaguely remember reading this when I was in high school so really enjoyed reading this again.

Miss Lucy Pym is spending the weekend at an all girls school, Leys Physical Training College. She was pleased and flattered to be invited to give a psychology lecture there. She is quickly swept into the life of the young girls by being invited to parties and walks on the grounds. There is much anticipation as the girls wait for the various awards and scholarships to be announced. When a sullen, unpopular girl is awarded a valuable scholarship, instead of the candidate favored by their classmates and teachers no one is sure what to think. But when the former is found "accidentally" dead under suspicious circumstances, Miss Pym is drawn involuntarily into helping to solve the mystery. Her analysis of who could have done it -- psychologically as well as physically -- is fascinating and logical.

The conclusion is stunning: Miss Pym discovers that her own desire to do "the right thing" is not all that different from the murderer's motives, and the results were no less devastating. The basis of the mystery novel, as a genre, is moral -- find out and punish wrongdoing -- but this is much more morally complex and will leave you thinking.

In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman

Tess Monaghan series - book 4

When Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan receives an envelope postmarked Boerne, Tex., containing a photo of Crow, her former musician boyfriend, and a scrap of newspaper headline reading "in big trouble," a day's outing to visit Crow's parents in Charlottesville which turns into a road trip to Texas. Tough and street savvy in her hometown, the former reporter feels lost in the land of the Alamo. Crow seems to have disappeared with a mysterious blonde singer, and as Tess searches for them, she encounters a wall of family secrets behind which may lie the reason for the body count rising around her.

This is a complex plot about relationships. Crow has left Tess and taken his band (Poe White Trash) to Texas. Now his parents contact Tess because he is no longer in contact and they are worried. Tess has also received a message with an indication that he is in trouble. The search should be simple. She has a recent photo and is looking for a performing musician. But the trail is initially cold, and things are complicated by Tess finding an overripe body, someone of interest to the police in connection with a cold case from 20 years earlier. Tess loses her lunch and decides that she will never eat another Moon Pie.

Tess eventually tracks down Crow, playing at local clubs with a new band, but it drawn into the cold case which involves the new woman in Crow's life. There is a complex web of relationships related to the woman's family and dating back to a triple murder 20 years earlier. Tess finds a second overripe body, also a man of interest to the local police. There are a few surprises as the novel moves towards a climax. There are questions about a past kidnapping, and questions about who was responsible for the various murders. And there are questions about motives including sex, money, and revenge.

Lippman does an excellent job at making you feel that you are in San Antonio and other Texas areas. As someone who lived in Houston for a few years I always feel rather nostalgic when it comes to books set in Texas. While feeling lost and lonely in Texas as nothing is familiar Tess quickly finds her niche there. She is a likeable character who I always enjoy reading her latest adventure.

Oryx and Crake by by Margaret Atwood

The novel takes place in the distant future, where global warming has changed the earth so much that the coastal cities no longer exist, and New York is now New New York. Going outside in the sun is a death sentence, so the wealthier areas of the world are protected under places known as compounds, although areas known as The Pleebands still exist, where people live and are still exposed to nature in all its glory.

The other major plot line has to do with three central characters. Snowman is the narrator, also known as Jimmy, who at the start of the book is the only known surviving human being on the face of the planet. The book starts off with Snowman sleeping in a tree, barely alive, knowing that he does not have too much longer to live. Food is scarce, the sun is so hot he has blisters all over his body, and the genetically engineered creatures the wolvogs and the pigoons that have escaped are now roaming the grounds.

While he tries to keep alive, Snowman also keeps watch over a group of humanoid creatures called the Crakers, named after his "best" friend Crake, who was somehow responsible over the creation of these people. These Crakers are supposedly the ideal humans. They have no emotional desires, in particular no sex drives, except to pro-create. There is no reason for war, with this new type of human being. They are vegetarians, and do not desire meat. They are very simple people, and Snowman had promised to care for them if anything happened to Crake.

As Snowman goes back in time to reflect on the past, we learn more about Crake, who was an egotistical brilliant young man who had visions of a so-called better world. The third main character is Oryx, a woman whose history takes the reader to a third world Asian country where she was sold into a type of servitude, and eventually becomes a prostitute. She then finds her way to the western world and ends up working with Crake, becoming part of his plan when he creates the Crakers. Their story is revealed in pieces, told while Snowman goes on an adventure to find food and seek out the compound where it had all began. Snowman wants to go back to this place, hoping to find answers and food and supplies, and to remember the reasons why the human race was nearly obliterated. It's the story of these three and their lopsided relationship that leads us to answers of why the world "ended".

Atwood is a truly aweinspiring author. I'm always amazed at the varied books she has written over the years. This book really makes you think and wonder what our future will hold.

Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself By Becoming an EMT by Jane Stern

She write columns and books with her husband, Michael Stern, such titles as Roadfood, Eat Your Way Across the USA and they also speak on NPR's show Where We Eat.

At 52, Stern, a well-known foodie-she and her husband, Michael, have coauthored some 20 books on American culture and food she found herself profoundly depressed. Holed up in the couple's Connecticut home, she'd lost interest in doing much of anything. Phobias (bus riding, air travel, claustrophobia, etc.) made her isolation worse. One day, on a whim, she responded to the "volunteers wanted" notice at the local firehouse and signed up for EMT training. No one teaching "boot camp"-style classes would have tolerated a queasy (much less depressed or phobic) recruit, so she had to tough it out. Humor definitely helped. As Stern remarks, after a few classes covering major trauma, "I am no longer clinically depressed but instead am dying of everything simultaneously."

Some of her class notes are funny, like her list of EMT no-nos: don't replace organs hanging from bodies, don't give CPR to a severed head, don't attempt to revive someone in a "state of advanced decomposition" and if "you have a patient whose leg or arm is partially amputated, do not pull it off to make things `neat.' " After training and certification, the real work started, and while initially it did the trick-"in helping others I learned to help myself"-the ultimate truth, that she couldn't save everyone, brought back her depression.

I read this for my bookclub at work and found myself enjoying it. I did get tired of her talk about the firemen being so good looking. But her interactions with people she met and finding her inner strength to get over her phobias was truly amazing and inspiring. I wish we could all find our inner calling to get us through the hard stuff.

This book was made into a movie starring Kathy Bates.

Book of Jane by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt

Jane has it all - a career in public relations, the perfect boyfriend, a great West Village apartment, and a strong faith in God. That faith is tested when, in quick succession, her boyfriend leaves her, an untrue rumor costs Jane her job, and a storm floods her apartment. She finds her way out of this mess with some unlikely help from her ex-boss' nephew Coates, who challenges her to be spontaneous and to follow her true calling. Loosely based on the Book of Job.

Ok, book. Got a bit tired of the marter attitude of the main character by the end. But it was an interesting premise and I was curious to see how this new type of Christian fiction would be.

Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin

Imagine a town where toys and nursery rhymes come to life and pursue human activities: they walk, talk, eat, drink and commit heinous crimes. This is the land that Rankin creates. 13-year-old Jack goes to the City to find his fortune, unaware that the City is in fact Toy City, where legends and fables walk (or stumble, if they've had too much to drink). He meets up with detective teddy bear, Eddie, who is investigating the murder of Humpty Dumpty. When Little Boy Blue is offed, it's clear that a serial killer is prowling Toy City, leaving behind the titular chocolate bunnies as his calling card.

We see a lot of familiar characters but we get to see their riotous back stories: Miss Muffett hosts a daytime TV talk show called "The Tuffet"; Mother Goose (who prefers to be called Madame Goose) runs a brothel; Humpty Dumpty was likely a failed television stuntman named Terry Horsey. Although the story is wickedly clever and the payoff is a great and satisfying surprise, the real delight comes from watching Rankin work his linguistic magic: characters talk in hilariously circular and self-aware dialogue, and puns and wordplay are packed into the prose like sardines in a tin.

Jasper Fforde is one of my favorite authors so I thought I would give this a try. This is not for the faint of heart as it is in the gutter humor. No holds bared as the saying goes. I would go out hunting for more but down the road when I'm in the mood for raunchy British humor I might see what else he has to offer.

Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

This is the journey of Milo, a boy bored of basically everything around him. One day he receives a mysterious package that turns out to be a tollbooth. For lack of anything better to do, he puts it together and begins to play, only to find himself driving in an entirely different world. There he meets all sort of curious creatures, from a giant watchdog (literally, a dog whose body is a watch) and a humbug the size of a person. Juster plays with words as if they were tangible objects to juggle, and continually surprises the reader by turning ordinary events into magical occurrences. This book very much exemplifies the quote "The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to get sharper" Eden Phillpots."

As most adult readers I read this as a child but it didn't make much of an impression of me at the time so it was great fun to read it as an adult and rediscover it. Utterly delightful.

Sophie Metropolis series by Tori Carrington

Sofie is in transition. She was engaged to marry Thomas-the-(...)-Toad Chalikis - not that it was love, mind you - but being twenty-six and single was not easy in a Greek family. It might not be love, but there are other uses for a man, such as carrying rugs up to her apartment. Only, when she catches Mr. (...)-Toad on the day of her wedding locked in an embrace with her maid of honor (honor?), Sofie sees the handwriting on the wall, so to speak. She stopped waiting tables at her father's and grandfather's cafés (the cafés are across the street from each other, mind you, even though there is long standing fuel between them!) dumps the groom, keeps the wedding presents and sets out to find her own way. The biggest wedding gift was a six-unit apartment building her family bought as a nest egg for her new marriage. Sofie now struggles to collect rent from her oddball tenants and also is taking over her uncle's detective agency. So far, the cases haven't been all that exciting, such as dog hunting and wife tracking.

However, her newest cases does have promise. Old Mr. Romanoff down the street - affectionately known as "the vampire" has vanished. His equally creeping nephew came for a visit and suddenly the old man is nowhere to be found. Odd, in the estimation of Sofie's office manager. She insists Sofie find out what happened to the old vamp...man. Then while tailing a wayward wife, Sofie lands in the middle of a shoot-out and is rescued by a sexy mystery man, Jake Porter. Life is definitely looking up! What is Jake doing in the middle of her cheating wife case? Why is the wife wanted by the FBI?

Very similiar to Stephanie Plum novels by Evanovich. But a fun, light summer read.

Can you Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella

Things are suddenly starting to look up for the hapless but optimistic Emma Corrigan. She has kept her job at Panther Cola for nearly a year, has the perfect boyfriend and hopes for a promotion to marketing executive should her first opportunity to strut her stuff and land a business deal be successful. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned, and on her unusually turbulent return flight from a disappointing client meeting, in a terrified state, she confesses her innermost secrets to the good-looking stranger sitting beside her. When she shows up at work the next morning, she is horrified to discover that her mystery man is none other than the revered and brilliant Jack Harper, American CEO of Panther Cola, on a weeklong visit to the company's U.K. branch.

Thus begins a series of chaotic, emotionally exhausting and funny episodes that thrust Emma, with her workaholic best friend, Lissy, and their awful flatmate Jemima, into a world of fairy tales, secrets and deceit. We see her compeate with her nemesis cousin who her parents favor over her and her grandfather who is constantly giving her self defense advice.

When Emma's every secrets are revealed on national television can she find the nerve to survive and actually tell people what she really thinks? and be honest - even when it hurts? Plus will she ever learn to trust again?

Kind of reminiscent of Sex and the City crossed with Bridget Jones' Diary. I really enjoyed this read as it gave me some escape from my own kind of mundane life. I have not read any of her other works which include the popular "Shopaholic" books. But I'll give them a try. Very fun and perfect for summer.

Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

8th in the series featuring the #1 Ladies Detective Agency - Mma Ramotswe and her friends

As with the previous novels there are several cases going on at one time. But now the cases are shared with others besides Makutsi.

Dr. Cronje, who's half Xhosa and half Afrikaner, consults Smith's sleuth, the gentle and insightful Precious Ramotswe, because patients at his hospital who have occupied a particular bed have been dying mysteriously at the same time of day. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe's recently engaged assistant, Grace Makutsi, threatens to break their longstanding association. Mma Ramotswe must adjust their relationship in order to retain Mma Makutsi's services. J. L. B. Matekoni also tries his hand at the detective business, catering to a rude client who suspects her husband of infidelity. The case prompts Mr. Matekoni to wonder whether he's exciting enough for his cherished wife. Charlie, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's older assistant branches out on his own when he buys a Mercedes from him with disastrous consequences.

Of course, no matter what dramas the day brings, Mma Ramotswe always has time to enjoy a cup of red bush tea and revel in the beauty of her native land.

Delightful as always and so nice to hear it read outloud as the reader is excellent. Plus now I have a better idea of how the names should be pronouced. One of my most favorite series.

Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci & Jim Rugg

First book in a new series aimed at teenage girls, DC comics recruited novelist Castellucci (Boy Proof, 2004, and The Queen of Cool, 2005) to write this story about outsiders who come together, calling up themes from the author's popular YA novels.

Relocated to suburbia after a brush with disaster in the big city (aka Metro City) Jane and her family relocate to Suburbia. She has changed her entire phsical image down to coloring and cutting her hair drastically, interestingly enough both of her parents are hair dressers so can get jobs anywhere! We learn through the novel that Jane was close to a bomb that explouded leaving a mysterious man in a coma. She would visit him daily in the hospital, sharing her inner most thoughts and worries. Fueled by a notebook she found from a man she takes it with her and continues his diary so to speak.

She finds the urge not to be terrified of the world as a result, Jane rallies a small group of outcasts (all named some form or spelling of Jane) into a team of "art terrorists," called P.L.A.I.N. -- People Loving Art In Neighborhoods. Shaking the high school and town from its conservative complacency by putting bubbles in the city fountain and wrapping objects on the street as Christmas packages. Their activities end up rallying the local teenagers to their cause and working the adults into a dither. The book has its share of stereotypes--popular barbie dolls, droll drauma queen, the science geek, the psychotically overprotective mother, the irrepressible gay teen and the seemingly uninterested, distant boy who she is of course attracted to.

This book has been getting a lot of positive reviews hence why I wanted to read it but it felt rather flat and safe to me. After reading such fabulous graphic novels featuring rebel teens in "Ghost World" I was disappointed. I was discussing it with a friend of mine and we both agreed that it was for those who fear graphic novels so this helps them feel like now here is something not too risque. Too bad as it had a good premise.

Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart

Mary Grey is enjoying her day off by taking in the local tourist sights near her new home. She has recently left her native Canada to return to Northumberland where her great-grand parents had been born. Suddenly a young man confronts her, calling her Annabel and insisting that she is his cousin who disappeared eight years earlier. Mary manages to convince him of her identity but soon finds herself embroiled in a plot to impersonate the missing Annabel in her family home, Whitescar.

Gradually it becomes apparent that all is not quite as it seems, everyone there seems to have a secret, her Grandfather has not disclosed who will inherit the family farm, 'cousin' Con has not revealed the depths of his ambition, the missing Annabel left behind secrets when she fled, even the estate itself has been keeping things hidden. Eventually all is revealed with the usual Stewart flair for drama and romance.

I have always enjoyed a good Mary Stewart novel and this one did not disappoint. She is most well-known for her Merlin & other middle ages fantasy. But she wrote a lot of suspenseful romantic fiction in the 1950's & 1970's. She really does make you read and re-read passages as so much description and in this case clues to the ending are all there right for you. Stewart is able to write such intense characters but not so it feels cliched.

Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Spanning across 25 years, the story begins when newlyweds Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli emigrate to Cambridge, Mass., in 1968, where Ashima immediately gives birth to a son, Gogol. A pet name that becomes permanent when his formal name, traditionally bestowed by the maternal grandmother, is posted in a letter from India, but lost in transit. Ashoke becomes a professor of engineering, but Ashima has a harder time assimilating, unwilling to give up her ties to India.

There are several small scenes dealing with Gogol as a young child to a teen becoming ashamed of his Indian heritage and his unusual name. He sheds his embarrassing name as he moves on to college at Yale and graduate school at Columbia, legally changing it to Nikhil. In one of the most telling chapters, Gogol moves into the home of a family of wealthy Manhattan WASPs and is initiated into a lifestyle idealized in Ralph Lauren ads. After the death of Gogol's father interrupts this interlude, we see Gogol's attitude toward his mother and his culture change and he learns to embrace it. The story then move ahead a year, quickly moving Gogol into marriage, divorce and his role as a dutiful if a bit guilt-stricken son.

I liked this book more than I thought I would as it deals with so much guilt, taking one's family for granted and missed opportunities. Both Gogol and his mother evolve into better people because of life's struggles.

The book was made into a movie with the same name in 2006.

Blind Spot by Terri Persons

Female FBI agent, Bernadette Saint Clare, has the power to see through the eyes of a serial killer as he goes about his killing sprees. She's been kicked around field offices all over the United States and her latest assignment is in St. Paul. Hoping that her unusual vision and strange ability will be more welcome than they usually are to both her bosses and her fellow agents. She immediately draws a case involving bodies bound with unusual knots and each missing a right hand. A ring found at one of the sites leads her into the eyes of the killer, but his identity and motives remain unclear.

Because Bernadette makes wrong choices, I found myself wanting to shake her and say "it's him you idiot" as the author gives us almost too much information and not enough for the character to really develope herself.

Honestly I thought it was ok, but not as good as some of the reviews have been. It is an interesting concept but has been done before.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Thirty-three-year-old Jane Hayes, who has a fairly serious addiction to the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice, inherits a trip to Pembrook Park, Kent, England, the location of a resort where guests dress, talk, think, and act in ways that Jane Austen would approve. Refusing to lie about her age, even on vacation in a place right out of Austen's England, Jane finds herself quickly overcoming the obsession with Mr. Darcy that may very well have jeopardized her 13 "relationships" over the years. Left to walk in last to dinner, mildly obsessed with one of the hotel's gardeners, and annoyed by another guest's overeager attempts to bag a man, Jane is eager to return to Manhattan. Then she decides to give it all one more chance, since Great-Aunt Carolyn did see fit to pay for the entire vacation.

Very enjoyable read, I've read a few of Hales children's and YA novels so it was fun to see how she writes for adults. You can really see her love for Jane Austen.

White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz
Book 2 in the Arcane Society series - though this is set in contemporary times while book 1, Second Sight, is set in late Victorian era.

Clare Lancaster is a Level Ten para-sensitive – and a “human lie detector” and a member of the modern day Arcane Society. Over the years she has come to accept that someone with her extraordinary talent is doomed to have relationship issues. Clare has even been rejected as “unmatchable” by the Society’s matchmaking agency, arcanematch.com To her frustration she has ben applying to the Jones & Jones, a pyschic detective agency, and continually turned down for a job. In a way, Clare’s whole life has been a lie. Now, however, she has just met the half sister and family whom she never knew until seven months ago.

Her father summons her from California to play a role in his business empire. Clare rejects the offer. But after meeting Jake Salter, Archer Lancaster’s “financial consultant”, she is convinced that things aren’t what they seem. Salter’s careful conversation seems to walk a delicate line between truth and deception. Something sparks and sizzles between them – something more than the usual electricity between a man and a woman. Jake Salter is also a Level Ten para-sensitive with some dangerous psychic talents of his own. He, too, has been declared “unmatchable” by the Society’s matchmakers.

This one heats up pretty quickly as Clare and Jake are immediately attracted to one another and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know where that is heading. The storyline flows fast as there is a murder within the first few chapters, Clare discovering the body, and several attempts on both Clare & Jake's life. The story leaves it open ended for continuation of the series. I've read quite a bit of Krentz and under her two of pseudonyms "Amanda Quick" and "Jayne Castle" and really enjoy her paranormal romances the best.

Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
Tess Monaghan has finally made the move and hung out the shingle as a P.I.-for-hire, complete with an office in Butchers Hill. Her first client is Luther Beale, the notorious vigilante who five years ago shot a boy for vandalizing his car, just sprung from jail. He wants to make reparations to the kids who witnessed his crime for his own peace of mind, so he needs Tess to find them. But once she starts snooping, the witnesses she locates start dying. Is the "Butcher of Butchers Hill" as it again? Or is there another, even more sinister force at work?

She reluctantly accepts a 2nd case of a woman looking for her sister. Tess quickly finds out that there is no sister and the woman she is looking for is the woman's real idenity. Passing the test she is then assigned to find out what happened to a daughter she gave up for adoption 13 years before. Both cases overlap as Tess tries to discover the truth buried under all the lies.

This novel was inspired by a real-life Baltimore homicide, the story of a man who shot and killed a 13-year-old boy who had thrown rocks at his car. I find myself really liking this character with each book. We see how she is developing into herself. Lots of plot twists and I found myself wondering who was really the bad guy here.

Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Meet Isabel Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors—but the upshot is she's good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family's firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people's privacy comes naturally to Isabel. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman, tail a Spellman, dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman.

Isabel is the middle child, David her perfect old brother and Rae the 11 year her senior accidental 3rd Spellman. David became a lawyer to escape the madness of the family business, Rae embarrasses it. While Isabel, the rebel child, whether drinking too much or using drugs or always going for the wrong boyfriend she can't find her way.

So when Isabel's parents hire Rae to follow her (for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of Isabel's new boyfriend), that is the final straw. Isabel decides that the only way she will ever be normal is if she gets out of the family business. But there is a hitch: She must take one last job before they'll let her go. The final job? A fifteen-year-old, ice-cold missing person's case. But when a disappearance occurs far closer to home, Isabel's final job becomes the most important case of her life.

This was a greatly entertaining novel. I really liked all the characters and you can't help but sympathize with Isabel who knows she lives in a crazy life but can't do anything else. From reading the author's notes it appears we may seem more adventures of the Spellman. But this can definitely stand on it's own and left me very satisified.

Good Behavior by Donald Westlake

While escaping from a robbery attempt, Dortmunder falls through the roof of a convent. The cloistered nuns take this as a sign from heaven and tell Dortmunder (by writing notes) that they will not turn him in if he helps to return Sister Mary Grace to their convent. Sister Mary Grace is a young nun who is being kept in a tower apartment by her millionaire father, who is trying to deprogram her, but she is firm in her commitment to remain a nun. She is able to smuggle out the details of the high-rise's security system to Dortmunder, and the big escape plan begins.

Of course nothing really goes as planed as with most of Dortmunder's plans. He brings in the usual cast of characters to help him by promising them the king of heists. First he has to find a company that isn't quite on the up and up. He makes a deal with J.C. Taylor who owns several companies in one office. She gets a fee upfront and lets them use her office and shipping department to send out the stolen goods that will be sold to various fences. They can steal what can be mailed out of one of the shipping dept. Meanwhile why they are stealing various good Dortmunder goes to rescue the nun. In typical "nothing goes quite right" Dortmunder fashion. He gets off on the floor below the top floor and finds himself involved with a rebel group about to go and take a South American county. He manages to get himself rescued by the nun but is found hiding in a dishwasher. The gang at first decides to leave Dortmunder on his own but then come up with their own plan to rescue him. The police are brought in to arrest the rebels but unfortunately are doing a search to look for any other stolen goods hence backing the gang into a corner. A hilarious scene in which the nuns are brought in and all the guys dress up like nuns to escape.

I alway laugh when I read a Dortmunder novel and I managed to miss this one. So I'm glad that I went back to catch up on this one.

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

Sequel to Case Histories. Jackson Brodie returns, following his girlfriend, Julia the actress, to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. He manages to fall into all kinds of trouble, starting with witnessing a brutal attack by "Honda Man" on another man stuck in a traffic jam. Another witness is Martin Canning, better known as Alex Blake, the writer. Martin is a shy, withdrawn, timid sort who, in a moment of unlikely action, flings a satchel at the attacker and spins him around, away from his victim. Gloria Hatter, wife of Graham, a millionaire property developer who is about to have all his secrets uncovered, is standing in a nearby queue with a friend when the attack takes place. There is nastiness afoot, and everyone is involved. Nothing is coincidental.

Through a labyrinthine plot which is hard to follow because the points of view are constantly changing, the real story is played out, complete with Russians, false and mistaken identities, dead bodies, betrayals, and all manner of violent encounters. Jackson gets pulled in to the investigation by Louise Monroe, a police detective and mother of an errant 14-year-old. Atkinson is good at keeping all the storylines straight as they cross and weave into a very complicated plot and an ending I didn't see coming. I almost did not read this book as I didn't care for Case Histories but I found myself wanting to know more about Jackson and how it might end.

Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller

White-haired, leprechaun-size Kiki Strike is a new student at Atalanta School in New York City when she meets 12-year-old Ananka Fishbein, the narrator of Miller's debut novel. Together they begin a detailed exploration of the Shadow City, the subterranean rooms and streets under New York's subway system, and Kiki recruits a team of other precocious 12-year-olds, whose skills include hacking, chemistry, lock picking, forging, making handmade explosives, and mechanical engineering, to join them. Ananka, the team's urban archaeologist, will supply her family's extensive library and learn everything about rats, the current Shadow City inhabitants. As the girls try to obtain layered maps of New York City's infrastructure, they fear that terrorists with the same goals are putting the city in terrible danger. The peripheral plotline about a nefarious, exiled princess of Pokrovia, who is a fellow Atalanta School student makes the story flow.

The end of each chapter gives us tips from Ananka on topics such as "How to Be a Master of Disguise" and "How to Foil a Kidnapping" and many more. This book was great fun. I found the story fresh and exciting and I didn't want it to end. I liked how it didn't try to make everything take place in a week. The book actually takes place over 2-3 years. We see the characters develop and evolve into very interesting girls. I'm hoping we'll get to know more about the other girls as we only really get to know the most about Ananka (since she narrates) and Kiki. This reminds me of Aretemis Fowl but for girls.

Witch way to murder: an Ophelia and Abby mystery / by Shirley Damsgaard

Thirty something Ophelia Jensen wants to live a quiet life as a small town librarian. She's created a comfortable existence with her kooky, colorful grandmother Abby, and if it were up to her, they could live out their days--along with Ophelia's dog Lady and cat Queenie--in peace and quiet. But, to Ophelia's dismay, she and Abby aren't a typical grandmother/granddaughter duo. She possesses psychic powers, and Abby is a kindly witch. And while Ophelia would do anything to dismiss her gift--harboring terrible guilt after her best friend was killed and she was unable to stop it--threatening events keep popping up, forcing her to tap into her powers of intuition. To make matters worse, a strange--yet devastatingly attractive--man is hanging around Ophelia's library, and no matter how many times she tells him she's sworn off men forever, he persists. Soon this handsome newcomer reveals he's following a lead on a local drug ring, and then a dead body shows up right in Abby's backyard. And much as Ophelia would like to put away her spells forever, she and Abby must use their special powers to keep themselves, and others, out of harm's way.

Ophelia is a great character, so intent on not getting hurt again that the walls she's built inside have kept her from really knowing people, like her coworker Darci. Ophelia's past is slowly revealed throughout the course of the book, so readers learn why she is the way she is, just as she herself does. Abby is another good character, content in who she is and not caring what other people think. Rick, with his incessant questions is annoying at first, but grew on me as a character once his true reason for being in town was revealed. The magick that Abby (and Ophelia to a lesser extent) perform is very believable, as is Ophelia's struggle to accept her gifts and her past. The mystery itself is a bit darker than in most cozy mysteries, but pretty easy to figure out, since it's obvious from the beginning who the bad guys are. It will be interesting to see future books with these characters.

Confessions of a Teen Sleuth by Chelsea Cain

America's favorite girl detective is back to set the record straight. According to our titian-haired heroine, she was not a fictional character, but an intrepid real-life sleuth who investigated some of the twentieth century's biggest mysteries. And the famous series she starred in was not cooked up by a team of writers, but plagiarized from her exploits by a nosy college roommate-who, not surprisingly, got a whole lot wrong.

This book is the story of the real Nancy Drew. Taking 10 cases, it explores her life from the 1920's to 1992. As the times change, so does Nancy's life. But she still finds herself caught up in mysteries that often involve other famous teen sleuths like Frank and Joe Hardy, Judy Bolton, and Encyclopedia Brown. And they are quite eye opening for all concerned. Make no mistake about it, this book is intended for adults and not kids. There are lots of adult themes, and no halos are left intact.

The author nailed that part when she has Nancy talk about how we the readers never want to seem these characters grow up or change. On the other hand, I found the cameos by other teen sleuths (and there seems to be at least one every chapter) quite fun. Obviously, the more you know about them, the more you'll enjoy the references. Since I've read a lot of children's mystery series from the 1940's on I enjoyed having these cameos. Of course, some come out looking better then others. The storylines of each chapter are quite fun as they find Nancy in various points of history.

This is a fun read for those who loved reading mysteries from Nancy Drew to Encyclopedia Brown. It will make you laugh and feel nostalgic.

Deja Dead by Kathleen Reichs

Dr. Temperance Brennan is a fortyish American forensic anthropologist from the South, who is working in French-speaking Montreal. A recovering alcoholic, she is divorced, mother of a college-age daughter, troubled--and incredibly good at what she does. In a tight story heavily interspersed with fascinating scenarios of Montreal, Temperance (called "Tempe") is called upon to autopsy a young female victim of a pathologically gruesome murder.

When an unidentified female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in garbage bags, Tempe detects an alarming pattern within the grisly handiwork -- and her professional detachment gives way to a harrowing search for a killer in the city's winding streets. With little help from the police, Tempe calls on her expertise, honed in the isolated intensity of the autopsy suite, to investigate on her own. But her determined chase is about to place those closest to her -- her best friend and her daughter -- in mortal danger....

I'm a big fan of the show Bones - based on this series. So I was curious to see how they compared. Very differently but interesting to compare. It was interesing how the book is from the 1st person point of view but often I felt left out on why she was reacting or feeling they way she was. So I'm interested to see if Tempe's character is further developed.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski says: "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." At the beginning of Water for Elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating every second of it. His life wasn't always like this, however, because Jacob ran away and joined the circus (Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth) when he was twenty-one. It wasn't a romantic, carefree decision, to be sure. His parents were killed in an auto accident one week before he was to sit for his veterinary medicine exams at Cornell. He buried his parents, learned that they left him nothing because they had mortgaged everything to pay his tuition, returned to school, went to the exams, and didn't write a single word. He walked out without completing the test and wound up on a circus train.

The circus he joins, in Depression-era America, is second-rate at best. With Ringling Brothers as the standard, Benzini Brothers is far down the scale and pale by comparison. But there he also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers—a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for. He also is introduced to an elephant named Rosie.

The book jumps from the present and him remembering the past. It has a mixture of extremely graphic violence and a dreamlike vision of his life in the circus. Then you are slammed back into his reality of living in a glamorized nursing home, alone with only his memories.

I liked how his life was summed up but did not find the ending believable but appreciated the romantic notion it gave. She has an interesting voice that makes you want to know what happens.

Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick
It is England, 1915. 17 year Alexandra Fox lives a privileged life in Brighton. Her elder brothers are both of age for the war, one wants to be a soldier and the other a doctor and does not want to fight. Their disapproving father is a doctor but only sees the honor his sons must bring to the family by fighting the war. Alexandra wants to become a nurse but discovers she has a terrible gift. She can see the future. Her premonitions show her brutal horrors on the battlefields of the Somme, corpse worms crawling over the faces of soldiers soon to die. And worse, they show her what will happen to Edgar and Tom.

Like the Prophetess Cassandra, who witnessed a different war on the plains of Troy, Alexandra is trapped by her tragic power. Cursed by a fate too awful to bear - for who wants to see the end of their own story...? Alexandra's story leads her to the French battlefields, and the road to High Wood, pursued all the while by a mysterious vision of a raven, mocking and taunting her.

Interestingly told as the chapters count down from 101 to 1, leading more to the countdown to doom. It is told from the point of view of Alexandra as her dreams and visions show her the death of soldiers and eventually her brothers. Unable to help her brother Edgar she is determined to save Tom. So she goes as a volunteer nurse to France and the front. In France, she meets a soldier like herself who can see the deaths of those around him. Together they search for Tom. But will she be able to save Tom or is his fate already decided?

This read very fast and was an interesting twist on the typical teen historical novels. I would read more by him.

Strangers in Paradise: High School! by Terry Moore
Francine and Katchoo have always been a study in contrasts. Francine is soft, chubby, and flighty, prone to fits of giddiness and a constant worrier. Katchoo is hard, lean, and dangerous, prone to fits of violence, and constantly vigilant. That these two should be best friends baffles, until you delve into their high school years.

For Francine, torture came in the forms of being a klutz, always being the odd one out, being the starry-eyed romantic when she's just a chubby girl on the fringe. Francine has a family who loves her, a mother who feeds her whenever something goes wrong, a father who spends an awful lot of time at the office, and a brother more interested in college life than his little sister.
Katchoo, on the other hand, is a self-declared outcast. She smokes, she rides a motorcycle, she is just as likely to punch you as to acknowledge you, and generally has no use for the people serving the same four-year term at puncture high. But where Francine's family provides (in their own way) comfort when the chips are down, Katchoo's family is likely to be the reason the chips are down.

Maybe it's not so surprising that these two girls find one another, and take solace in beig outcasts together.

I have heard about Moore's series but never read any before. So now I need to figure out how to read them and start from the first volume.

Charm City by Laura Lippman

Business tycoon "Wink" Wynkowski is trying to bring pro basketball back to town, and everybody's rooting fro him -- until a devastating, muckraking expose of his lurid past appears on the front page of the Baltimore Beacon-Light. It's a surprise even to the Blight's editors, who thought they'd killed the piece. Instead, the piece killed Wink -- who's found in his garage with the car running.

Now the paper wants to nail the unknown computer hacker who planted the lethal story, and the assignment is right up the alley of a former newshound like Tess. But it doesn't take long for her to discover deeper, darker secrets, and to realize that this situation is really more about whacking than hacking.

We see more development of her relationship with several characters including her parents. We see more of Uncle Spike (who may not even be related to anyone) who has been found beaten to a pulp in his bar, leaving him in a coma. He left Tess his very bow-beaten greyhound who she finds herself nursing back to health.

The mystery is kind of not the most important thing as the person who ended up doing was kind of far fetched and I didn't see it coming. But I find myself wanting to know more about Tess and her friends and family. So I'll keep reading the next one.

Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
This is a "between-the-numbers" Stephanie Plum novel. Stephanie already has two guys in her life (cop Joe Morelli and bounty hunter Ranger), reconnects with Diesel, a third heartthrob. Diesel offers Stephanie a deal: if he lets her find Annie Hart, a relationship coach who's become a big-ticket bond on Stephanie's Most Wanted List after fleeing a charge for a robbery she didn't commit, then Stephanie can do Annie a big favor by playing Cupid for a number of Annie's lovelorn clients, including a shy butcher, a desperate vet, an overworked single mom, a 30-something virgin and the marriage-phobic fellow who just happens to be Stephanie's pregnant sister's boyfriend. Diesel and Stephanie's short but sweet adventure ends on a teasing note that will leave fans hungry for the next juicy Plum-a-thon.

More of a novela than a full fledged novel it is still packed with laugh-out-loud moments. I felt kind of let down by the ending but it's no more a cliff-hanger than the previous books. So we'll see what comes out this summer. If Diesel is still around or left behind.

Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams (Myths, The)
by Alexander McCall Smith

A contemporary, lyrical retelling of the ancient tale of Angus, Celtic god of dreams and love. This is the latest entry in Canongate's Myth series, featuring such literary notables as Margaret Atwood, Chinua Achebe, and Karen Armstrong.

Angus is the son of chief Celtic god Dagda and Boann, a water nymph. Soon after his birth, the infant is snatched up by his formidable father and delivered to Dagda's other son, Midir, to be raised. Too young to know better, Angus assumes his brother is his father. The clever boy soon learns the truth and plays a trick on his self-absorbed dad. Alongside this playful plot, McCall Smith weaves modern-day yarns in which well-intentioned (and often devious) Angus transforms troubled lives: he remedies a newlywed couple's rocky start; bonds two beloved Scottish brothers, soon to be separated by thousands of miles; and quietly intercedes to prevent a father and son from coming to blows.

This was very different than previous novels by Smith. It felt kind of disjointed yet not at the same time. I've read most of his other series and I liked how this had a different voice. I cannot exactly say it was my favorite but it was good. I don't know how he finds time to write all that he does.

Higher Power of Lucky written by Susan Patron

2007 Newbery winner
When 10 year old, Lucky's mother is electrocuted and dies after a storm, Lucky's absentee father calls his ex-wife, Brigitte, to fly over from France to take care of the child. Two years later, the 10-year-old worries that Brigitte is tired of being her guardian and of their life in Hard Pan (pop. 42) in the middle of the California desert. While Lucky's best friend ties intricate knots and the little boy down the road cries for attention, she tries to get some control over her life by restocking her survival kit backpack and searching for her Higher Power and by eavesdroping on 12-step program meetings from her hiding place behind Hard Pan’s Found Object Wind Chime Museum & Visitor Center. Eccentric characters and quirky details spice up Lucky’s life just as her guardian Brigitte’s fresh parsley embellishes her French cuisine.

This was a lovely story. Sometimes I read the latest Newbery and say, ok, it was good - quirky and different. This one is all of those thing but it also has such a quiet feel to it. More descriptive than dialog and I think that is what makes it work so well. You feel like you are there with her in the heat and wind. This is truly a character who makes a difference in the lives around her. You want her to succeed and find happiness. Her worries became mine and I wanted her to find security.

Legend of Banzai Maguire by Susan Grant

1st in the 2176 series
We start in 2006 as U.S. Air Force fighter Bree "Bonzai" Maguire is preparing for a routine patrol between North and South Korea. She feels a shiver of apprehension and soon finds her foreboding to be well founded when she and her wingman, Cam, are trapped by a mad scientist and frozen alive—until treasure hunter Ty Armstrong rescues her 170 years later. Bree awakens to a new era in human history, one enhanced by advanced technologies but bereft of freedom. Almost immediately, Bree is stolen from Ty by the prince of the Kingdom of Asia, Kyber, who offers her innumerable luxuries. Bree knows, however, that she's little more than a treasured pet to him. Desperate to find her wingman, Bree turns to Ty, but she soon learns that he's as helpless as she and that his country, formerly the U.S. but now the bloated and unstable United Colonies of Earth, is even worse than Kyber's benevolent dictatorship.

Both are told to watch the shadows and sure enough when the mysterious Shadow voice takes over all communications Ty and Bree use the opportunity to escape to find out who and what the shadow voice is all about. Unfortunately we don't learn too much about that part as there are 4 more books in the series. I read the 2nd one first so know more about the Shadow people from book 2 - Day of Fire by Kathleen Nance which gives us more info about Canada, which because of the plague are shut off from the rest of the world.

I have enjoyed both books and it is interesting to have different authors write each book. The 1st and 5th book are both written by Grant. I'm already wanting to read book 3!

Hopeless Savages by Jen Van Meter, Christine Norrie & Chynna Clugston-Major

Story follows the members of the Hopeless-Savage family. Parents Dirk Hopeless and Nikki Savage are old-school punks who were part of the 70's punk scene. They married and moved to the suburbs to raise their children. The thread running throughout the stories is a family which superficially doesn't fit the "norm" but which can still stand together and function better than most "normal" families.

This storyline deals with Dirk and Nikki being kidnapped and their children trying to find them. They suspect it has something to do with their parents' past; so Arsenal, Twitch, and Zero first track down their older brother Rat, who they believe would know more about the situation but who left the family ten years earlier. Zero is at first reluctant to find him, feeling betrayed when he left. They finally locate him using their father's real name as a pseudonym and working at a trendy coffee company's corporate office, Monjava (a company resembling Starbucks). After attempting to de-program him they unravel the mystery of their parents' abduction, which stems back to copyright issues and Dirk's embarrassing past as a teen idol. Lots of kicking butt ensues. But most importantly will Skank get to her gig in time?

Rat Bastard's the eldest of the Hopeless-Savage children. At age fifteen he was rejected by a girl he was dating, prompting him to renounce his punk roots and move away from home.
Arsenal Fierce, second-oldest, runs a martial arts dojo and lives with her boyfriend Claude Shi, a fashion designer.

Twitch Strummer, third-oldest, works as an artist and dates Claude's younger brother Henry Shi, whom he dated in high school before breaking up to go to college. Unlike the rest of his family, Twitch identifies more with mod culture rather than punk. He sometimes exhibits hyper-active tendencies which some theorize is the result of controlled substances (he jokes about being on crack early in the first issue) and sometimes will work all night on a project without sleep.

Skank Zero is the youngest sibling and main protagonist of the series; most of the stories unfold around Zero. As a high school student, she's the only member of the family who's still in school. Zero fronts a band called the Dusted Bunnies and wants to study filmmaking as a "backup plan".

A fun interesting series. More out there from what I've read so will try the next edition to get a better idea. Skank's outbursts get a bit old for me.

Teenage Wasteland
Volume 2 collects #7 - 12 in the Runaways series
The runaways are trying to gather their knowledge and do good deeds to undo the bad things their parents have done. Alex is working to desipher the book taken from the Pride that will give the history behind the group. It is hinted several times that one of the runaways will help the Pride out by reveling their whereabouts.

1st storyline
On an impromtue mission to get snacks at the local convience store they stop a robbery in progress and discover another teen who is being controlled by his evil parents. 16 year old Topher goes with the gang to their hide-out and suddenly Nico (aka Sister Grim) and Karolina (aka Lucy in the Sky) come to blows for his affections. When Topher and Nico go outside to escape it all Nico disovers Topher's big secret - he's a vampire! Yikes! The normal ways to kill him won't work except sunlight. When he tries to bite Karolina (she's made of sunwaves) he emplodes.

2nd storyline
A lieutenant with the L.A.P.D. bring in vigilantes, Cloak and Dagger, from the East Coast to bring the runaways home. But we know he is in the pocket of the Pride (runways evil parents). Cloak and Dagger quickly find the runaways and apprehend them. While Cloak has 4 of them under his cloak it is hinted that one of them is not as innocent as the others. Is it Alex, Nico, Karolina or Chase? Gert (aka Arsenic) and Molly come along and save the day by yankig Cloak's cloak off him literally leaving the four stranded in Dark Force Dimension. We find that the Cloak is a stuttering young man. When Dagger gives Cloak back his powers and it brings back the 4 and we never find out who is the dark force. Cloak and Dagger promise to bring back re-enforcements to help the runways defeat the Pride. So as the runways return to their secret lair Cloak and Dagger are captured by the Pride and their minds are erased.

This is a fast moving series leaving me wanting more. Thankfully I have volume 3 already checked out!

Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
Volume 3 of the series in which Scott, Canadian slacker attempts to defeat his crush-object Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends. This time, Scot is pitted against #3 of the evil ex-boyfriends, Todd Ingram, the current boyfriend of his ex, rock star Envy Adams; they battle at a discount department store and a rock club. Unfortunately, Todd's got psychic powers, because he's a vegan ("graduated top of his class from vegan academy and everything"), and he's also a much better bass player. On top of that, Scott's band, Sex BobOmb, can't quite get it together; 17-year-old ninja Knives Chau is still obsessed with him; and the mysterious Ramona Flowers is becoming envious of Envy.

We learn more about Scott's past and his infatuation with Envy (aka Natalie). He has such loyal friends who will stand behind him even when it appears he cannot win. This was much more funny to me because of all the minor storylines going on. I had trouble with some of the artwork as characters blur and it becomes hard to tell who is who and when the flashbacks even end. But overall very happy with the storyline and I'm assuming 4 more volumes to go!

Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream.

Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams.

The main point I got from this fable is that often what you searching for is usually right there all along, and that the journey you take to find it is about learning lessons and growing as a person. Life is in the journey, not the destination! I found this book very mystical and it took me about 2 weeks to read which is a long time for me. I had to read it in small doses. I'm not sure if I would read more by Coelho but would probably read this book again down the road.

Nobody's Perfect by Donald Westlake

Dortmunder is about to begin a defense against being caught red-handed with a stack of television sets he is stealing. As a twice-convicted felon, that's bad news. Suddenly, in walks one of the great criminal defense attorneys, J. Radcliffe Stonewiler, Esq., and in an hour-and-a-half Dortmunder is a free man. What's going on? That's what Dortmunder wonders, too, and he soon finds out that he has an obligation to fulfill to Arnold Chauncey, a society collector who likes to fill in the gaps in his income with payments from his insurance company for art that has "disappeared."

Although he's not excited about the caper, Dortmunder figures it will be pretty easy and the payoff is a large one. Then, while lifting a $400,000 painting, he decides to take just one or two other items . He brings in the usual gang plus a new guy. We are introduced to the large and easily angered tough guy, Tiny Bulcher and the Continental Detective Agency also makes another appearance, having been reassigned after losing the bank in a past novel. When Dortmunder gets stuck in the elevator he hands the painting to Kelp and waits until the coast is clear. Unfortunately Kelp and gang get involved in a Scottish Clan fight and the painting is lost and everything begins to unravel.

Wealthy but poor in cash Arnold Chauncey is one of the most larcenous rich people you will ever meet, aided by an indifference to the needs of others and a diabolical mind for finding ways to get what he wants. Chauncey has taken out his own insurance policy on Dortmunder, a professional killer, who will kill him if Dortmunder does not produce the painting after the insurance payoff in approximately 6 months.

Of course with the painting lost Dortmunder devises another master plan to tricking Chauncey into thinking the killer has stolen the painting from him. It works for awhile but before long Chauncy comes calling and demanding the painting. Well low and behold the painting has shown up in Scotland as a long lost work in an old lady's attic. Once again Dortmunder shows why he is the master planner and they are all to London to steal the painting back. But with usual Dortmunder luck nothing goes according to plan.

I laughed a lot during this book. The problems he and Kelp get into are classic and you can just picture this happening.

Breaking Up: Fashion High Graphic Novel by Aimee Friedman and art by Chrstine Norrie

Friends forever! That is exactly how Chloe Sacks feels about her tight group of girlfriends. Since what seems like forever, Chloe, Isabel, Erika, and Mackenzie have been inseparable. They did everything together, from sharing secrets to gossiping with one another. And when they start out their junior year together, Chloe is sure that it will be another great year for them all. But little does she know that as they enter their junior year, they may actually become distant. The new school year does not start off too well for the girls. Instead of having all of their classes together they only have one--Health, with the very weird Ms. Lamour.

Not only are their schedules changing, but so are they. It seems like all Mackenzie can think about is getting "in" with the popular crowd, befriending Nicola Burnett, the girlfriend of Gabe, who Mackenzie is beginning to fall for. Isabel is having trouble with her very controlling parents, especially when she really wants to date soccer player Brad Richmond. Erika loves her boyfriend, Kyle, very much, but is beginning to question their relationship since all Kyle thinks about is pressuring her to take their relationship to the "next level." And Chloe is beginning to have feelings for Adam Stevenson, who, unfortunately, around school is considered a loser, even by her own friends. A new year, new relationships, and a new perspective on how the girls begin to look at each other. It seems like the girls' junior year isn't turning out to be what they expected.

A more modern version of DeGrassi High. This is the perfect graphic novel for a preteen or high school girl who feels that she might be losing her best friend or changing.

Slay Ride by Chris Grabenstein

Advertising executive Scott Wilkinson has a very nice life: a lovely home in suburban New Jersey, a beautiful wife, and a little girl on the way. But his charmed existence becomes cursed when he steps into a Lucky Seven airport limousine driven by an embittered one-time agent of the KGB. Nicolai Kyznetsoff is already enraged at the world when Wilkinson dares to admonish him for being a few minutes late. After surviving a white-knuckle ride to LaGuardia, Wilkinson calls Lucky Seven to file a complaint.

A year goes by and while Wilkinson's life seems perfect little does he know that Grandfather Frost is waiting for the right moment to attack and is soon kidnapped. His worried, very pregnant wife refuses to sit around and wait.

Meanwhile, across town, off-duty FBI agent Christopher Miller (aka Saint Christopher) finds the "Man in the Moon," a serial killer who has been taking out cab drivers with every full moon on the Jersey shore. He is placed on probation for outshining his jealous boss who we find out later has been using Miller's name with the Russian mafia. He is called in to calm down an old Russian woman who has been robbed and uncovers details of Russian diamond smugglers who transport the booty in nesting matryoshka dolls.

But Nicolai isn't just out for revenge on Wilkinson but Miller as well. He believes Miller has stolen his diamonds. So after many gruesome killings and biting your nails chases will he find Wilkinson in time before he is killed off or before Nicolai kills Miller?

This was a wild fast read but rather gruesome killings of lots of people with very graphic detail. Thankfully I can skim over that part. The ending was bit pat for me but overall a good read. I'll try one of his other works to see what it is like.

Tiger Eye by Marjoie M. Liu

Psychically sensitive tourist Dela Reese browses for treasures at Beijing's Dirt Market, where an old woman sells her a riddle box for only one yuan. Surprisingly, when Dela opens the box back in her hotel room, a gorgeous seven-foot-tall warrior appears, bearing 2,000-year-old weapons. The warrior, Hari, has been cursed for two millennia to serve as a slave - bereft of his power to shape-shift into a tiger - to anyone who opens the box. Assassins follow Delilah and Hari from Beijing back home to the U.S., where Dela and Hari soon find themselves in the midst of a war between Chinese crime syndicates. The reappearance of Hari's age-old nemesis, the Magi, who has been searching for Hari since he was imprisoned in the box, jacks up the suspense.

First in the series of the Dirk & Stelle paranormal romances. This was suprisingly good and very sensual in an erotic way. I actually read the 2nd book first so it was good to go back and figure out who these people are. All the characters are well connected and make me want to know more about this group. I'm glad that she has written several and look forward to reading more.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

Short stories featuring a Christmas theme. There is a darkly playful humor through the book, some of which didn't seem that funny to me. I really enjoyed the first and last stories. SantaLand Dairies chronicles his time working as an elf at Macy's, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience to really pay attention to their children. Christmas Means Giving is truly the bizaare way two neighbors try to outdo each other during Christmas by giving to it literally kills them!

I have never read any of his previous works but had heard an online review of this collection on XM audio radio. I enjoyed the rest but it didn't move me like these two stories did. I think I could read SantaLand every year to start my Christmas season out with a laugh!

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered a reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace, and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia, Valek. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust, and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

We see the story from Yelena's point of view. She murdered General Brazell’s only son, Reyad, which is punished by death. Living in the territory of Ixia’s, military rule had produced strict laws called the Code of Behavior. During peacetime, proper military conduct does not allow the taking of a human life. If murder was committed, the punishment was execution. Of course we learn the nightmare she lived in Brazell's orphanage

As Yelena tries to escape her dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and she develops magical powers she can't control. Her life’s at stake again and choices must be made. We are introduced to many interesting characters in this complex novel in which politics and fantasy are interwoven.

Two more are in this interesting series. Can't wait to try them out.

Magic Study
Fire Study

Born In Death by J.D. Robb
Eve is busy planning her friend Mavis's babyshower when she is drawn into a double homicide. Dallas's investigation of these brutal murders of Natalie Copperfield, a 26-year-old accountant, and Copperfield's boyfriend becomes entangled with the search for Tandy Willowby, a pregnant friend who mysteriously vanishes shortly before her due date. Dallas discovers that Copperfield had stumbled on some white-collar fraud at her high-profile accounting firm, while Willowby's disappearance may be part of a series of abductions.

But all of this is taking it's toll on both Eve & Roarke as they are Mavis' birth coaches and it is completely freaking them out. Plus all the real dirt behind the murders brings up old wounds for both of them.

The mystery is really not the main focus as it is more on Eve & Roarke and them having to deal with life and death. It was nice to see more of Mavis but the other main characters such Feeney, Peabody, McNabb, Louise, Mira, Mavis, Whitney, etc.