Isn't it Romantic by Ron Hanen

Natalie Clairvaux, a Paris librarian specializing in Americana at the Bibliotheque Nationale, embarks on a grassroots "See America" bus tour of out-of-the-way U.S. landmarks in an effort to escape the unwanted attentions of her philandering fiance, Pierre Smith, scion of a family of French wine sellers. Maddened by her unexplained disappearance, Pierre tracks her down and catches up with her tour group in Omaha. The quarreling couple abandons the tour at a tiny crossroads outside of Seldom, Nebrask, (pop. 395), on Wednesday, agreeing that Natalie will reach a decision about their wedding by noon on Saturday.

The book takes an almost Northern Exposure turn as the townfolk announce that the couple will be elected king and queen of an annual local festival honoring a Frenchman who founded the town. Of course all manner of rather predictable fun and games begins. No hankypanky before marriage so Pierre is quartered with Owen Nelson. Owen is the local mechanic and his penchant for wine making is second only to his obsession with Cornhusker football. Natalie is moved into a women only boarding house. Natalie soon becomes captivated by handsome Dick Tupper, a 50-year-old rancher. And, true to form, womanizing Pierre starts hitting on Iona Christiansen, a comely waitress at the local cafe.

This is a very light book only scattered with sarcastic whitisms of French phrases that the locals think are just too cute. The locals plan a wedding between the couple but each find themselves torn between what is love and what is just new and different. It is quite the contrast as most people go to Paris to find something new and different and here we have these Parisians come to Nebraska to show us it with fresh eyes. I won't say this was the best book I ever read but very sweet.

Live Bait by P.J. Tracy

2nd title in Monkeewrench series.

Elderly Jews are being murdered in Minneapolis, and detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth work to solve the case. On the surface it appears to be some kind of crazy serial killer who is going after old people. But as they delve into the details in the victims lives it becomes apparent that the people who were being killed have more in common than what meets the eye.

We also have the original characters from the Monkeewrench crew in the story but in a much more background mode.

While the mystery was not as good, the storyline and development of the police detectives are excellent as always. Plus we see more develop between Leo and Grace.

Book five comes out in a few months so I'm re-reading this as it's been a few years. Can't wait!

Sewing Circles of Herat: A Personal Voyage Through Afghanistan by Christina Lamb

Former British journalist Christina Lamb return to Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks to observe the land and its people firsthand. Because of her previous experiences in Afghanistan she is able to interview locals, Afghan warlords, former members of the Taliban and other influential personalities ignored by the Western media. Lamb paints a vivid picture of Taliban rule and offers a broader sense of life devastated by two decades of war. Her well-written and moving account also reveals the heroism of the Afghans, who not only survived but also resisted their Soviet occupiers; clandestine literary circles and art preservation techniques, for example, helped Afghans salvage their education and history from total destruction.

It offers a very interesting perspective and one I did not expect to have. I think for the first time there is a face on the people of this wartorn country and I can't help but feel empathy for a country that will never be the same again. The photos are truly amazing as there are photos she took during her time there in the 1990's and post-911. Such destruction and so much history and literature lost forever. Personally I am not a non-fiction reader but I found this book fascinating.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Told from the point of view of the youngest daughter, Nadezhda, this family saga is set in London. During one of their many phone conversations, her 84 year old father announces he intends to marry a blonde, big-breasted 36 year old Ukrainian woman. He met her at the local Ukrainian Social Club in the English town where he lives, just north of London. It is clear to Nadezhda and her sister, Vera, that the femme fatale Valentina is only after Western luxuries—certainly not genuine love of any kind. Smitten with saving two Ukrainian lives, their father forges ahead to help Valentina settle in England, spending what little pension he has buying her cars and household appliances and even financing her cosmetic surgery.

In the meantime, Nadezhda, a socialist, and Vera, a proud capitalist, confront the longstanding ill will between them as they try to save their father from his folly. As time goes Nadezhda, starts to feel differently about Valentina and wants to discover who she is. Nadezhda has never known much about her parents' history, starts asking questions and actually listening to the stories her father tells her. She starts to piece it together with her sister and learns that there is more to her father than she once believed. The story alternates with narrative from her father's book "Short History of Tractors" which she helps him translate into English.

I listened to most of this on CD until I put the final CD in to discover it was a repeat of the previous CD. So I had to finish it in print. I really enjoyed this story but found myself getting fixated on the time frame. Initially I thought it took place in current times but then when Nadezhda talked about her birth being in the 1940's and she was 48 I knew I was a bit off. The conversations between the daughters and their father were fascinating. The fights between Valentina and their father were hysterical as both get their English confused. You get a real feel for the Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the UK during the war. I did skim over the tractor history though, it was a bit much.

Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos

Set in the fictional town of Emlyn Springs, a Welsh Town in Southeastern Nebraska. We explore the life of the Jones family. Much of the story is told in the voice of Hope Jones as she meets and falls in love with Llewelyn Jones and after going with him to attend a relative's funeral falls in love with Emlyn Springs his hometown. The couple marry in the early 1960's and settle down in Emlyn Springs. It is a town that honors all their Welsh traditions and has many traditions such as singing for funerals and the Little Miss Emlyn Springs competition in which the winner wins a carved chair. Llwellyn becomes the town Doctor and Hope a stay at home mom, who suffers several miscarriages before giving birth to 3 children. We also discover that she suffers from MS which her husband keeps from her until she becomes pregnant with their 3rd child. While Hope loves Emlyn Springs for it's rich history and tradition she is also stifled of her independence and has trouble making friends. She develops a friendship with her husband's nurse, Alvina "Viney" Closs , a widowed at a very young age many years ago.

Much of the story swings between Hope's diary of her marriage and current day. We see how the 3 children are affected by the death of their mother in the 1978 tornado, especially since her body was never found. Current day brings the Jones children together for their father's funeral after he's killed by a lightning strike. Larken, the oldest, is an overweight professor at University of Nebraska and is beset by fear of flying; son Gaelan, is a television weatherman and focused more on weight lifting than developing relationships and has too many women in his life; while the youngest, Bonnie, who stays in Emlyn Springs working odd jobs - she is almost like the Pied Piper as the children of Emlyn Springs follow her everywhere. Bonnie is also known as "Flying Girl" she survives the tornado that kills her mother - discovered in a tree still atop her bicycle. We learn more about Viney - nurse and eventual lover to Llewelyn. While they were together for over 25 years Viney discovers that she doesn't know Lleweyn at all. Together they have lived in her house under a strict exercise and vegan lifestyle. When she goes to clear out his house (the family house) it is full of junk food, alcohol and meat! This complicated relationship is slowly unveiled through flashbacks and Hope's diary entries.

This is a very complicated story and at times found myself wanting to tell the adult children to snap out of it. All 3 are stuck in some way, Larken with her compulsion to eat, Gaelan with only sleeping around without ever developing a relationship and Bonnie is stuck on nostalgia as she canvas's the town looking for things to collect that might connect her with their mother. None are challenging themselves and just do what needs to be done to get by.

I have been finding the descriptions of small town life fascinating as all 3 have to come to terms with loss and find their place in the world. Since I grew up in Omaha, NE I was intrigued to see how the author wrote about this region. There are two tornado sequences and are portrayed more romantically than what really happens but made for a good story. I had to suspend some sense of disbelief during these sequences.

Pyramid and and four other Kurt Wallander mysteries by Henning Mankell

Includes:
Wallander’s First Case
Man with the Mask
Man on the Beach
Death of the Photography
Pyramid

The five stories feature early versions of Kurt Wallander's early life as a policeman as well as paint evocative portraits of contemporary Swedish society. We get the background of how Wallander becomes a homicide detective when his neighbour is found dead in Wallander's First Case. In Man with the Mask, Wallander checks on an store on Christmas eve disrupting an attempted burglary. An unremarkable businessman is poisoned in The Man on the Beach but—in typical Mankell fashion—the case is larger, more complex and more interesting than it first appears. In, The Death of the Photographer, Simon Lamberg takes studio portraits of weddings and children, but a couple of nights each week, he uses his darkroom to distort published photographs of politicians and newsworthy people for a macabre personal scrapbook. It's a bizarre hobby, but the cause of Lamberg's brutal, apparently senseless death is an even stranger puzzle. We also see development between Wallander and his father in the Pyramid, more of a novella and the final part of the collection. All of these story help establish the melancholy Wallander seems to suffer from.

This was my first exposure to the series but I did watch some of the PBS Masterpiece Theater starring Kenneth Branagh. These are not light mysteries but I definitely enjoyed getting a taste of this series and look forward to reading more.

Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together


Book 4 in the Scott Pilgrim Graphic novel series.


It's summertime, but who can relax? Scott and Ramona continue to evolve as they wrestle with the L word (Love not lesbian - though Scott keeps hoping). Plus Ramona starts invading his dreams. Scott's band gets a chance to record their music but Scott isn't even really aware or even involved with it. Scott does notice that he is being stalked by a mysterious swordsman but he seems a bit old to be one of the Evil Exes. Plus their is Ramona's mysterious college roommate.

In typical Scott confusion, he comes home to discover that he doesn't have a place to live so if he crashes with Ramona will that change their relationship? The main complication in Scott's life is Julie, a high school might-have-been-girlfriend. Cute Julie keeps showering him with attention, forcing him to deal with his feelings for Ramona. Typical slacker humor, though it is certainly fun to see Scott get a job and become responsible.

It makes for a fun, casual read.

Paper Marriage by Susan Kay Law


Twelve years ago, John McCrary was in a terrible car accident that left him comatose. His wife Ann had him placed in Cedar Ridge where he has lived ever since in a vegetative state. Ann believes in her wedding vows, for better and for worse. Since John's life has been placed on pause so has hers. But she still visits him every evening bringing her therapy dog Cleo and homemade goodies for the staff to insure he receives proper care at the nursing home. Her mother-in-law Mary is there diligently everyday waiting for a miracle to occur. While Ann has this constant reminder of her life that might have been she still lives in their house and keeps their business going. Cooking is what keeps her going as she suffers from insomnia and often cooking is the only way she can feel like she has a place in the world. Her world is on hold while everyone keeps living.


Meanwhile Ann's neighbor Mrs. Hillerman is moved into assisted living, and overnight her house was sold to former baseball star Tom Nash. He moves in almost immediately to get ready for his angry purple haired sixteen years old daughter Mer to come live with him. He's hired an interior decorator to create the perfect suburban home. He is clueless about life in the suburban jungle and what to do with a teen girl, whose has basically raised herself. Tom never married Mer's mother and has never really spent any time with her. So he has some years to make up for. He wants to do the right thing but is at a loss as to how to develop a relationship with his daughter.

Tom decides to get Mer a dog who promptly digs under the fence and gets Ann's dog pregnant. Ann befriends Mer and starts teaching her how to cook. Ann is definitely attracted to Tom but takes her vows to her husband seriously. Maybe too seriously if she listens to her mom or not seriously enough if she listens to her mother-in-law. But circumstances force Ann to look inside herself to find the right path.


I read about this on an email update I receive from Phoenix PL, this book was one of the 2008's best romances of the year. I can see why as the storyline is unique and not your typical romance. Yes there is sex but it is not graphically described and there are serious consequences because of it. This is a very believable story and offers a fun storyline to make this a good book for a vacation or something to read over a long weekend.

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben

Introduces Myron Bolitar.

Myron Bolitar is a former basketball player who worked briefly (in an undefined capacity) for the FBI before becoming a sports agent. He is also a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. His secretary/ assistant Esperanza is an ex-pro wrestler. Partner and best friend is Win (short for Windsor Horne Lockwood III) who is hard to figure out as Myron keeps refering to Win as the accountant yet he is also a cold-blooded killer who uses dimdims bullets in his gun. He shoots first before even thinking of asking questions. So it was a bit disconcerting when that part of his character was introduced.

Myron has just landed his first big client, top rookie prospect quarterback Christian Steele. Everything is going fine until Kathy, Christian's assumed-to-be-murdered ex-girlfriend, calls him on the phone. It's all downhill from there, as Myron and his associates are thrust into the dark world of the sports business. We see lots of mafia influence and while Myron seems to be in the thick of it himself he is in it for the players.

I enjoyed aspects of this book but other parts were kind of convenient and crazy and I kept saying "What?". I will try the next one to see if we get a bit more depth to the characters as so far all are pretty flat. So at this point I'm pretty ambiviant about this series so far but am willing to read another before I say I like or dislike it.

Tourist by Olen Steinhauer

Milo Weaver used to be a tourist, one of the CIA's special field agents without a home or a name. Six years after leaving that career, Milo has found a certain amount of satisfaction as a husband and a father and with a desk job at the CIA's New York headquarters. The arrest of an international hit man and a meeting with a former colleague yank Milo back into his old role, from which retirement is never really possible.

We see a man who has been driven by paranoia, and secrecy his entire life. There are numerous flashbacks which help explain his current delimmas as he learns to keep secrets from his mother as a young child to only telling some of the truth to get by. It was a really facinating read as I love spy novels and enjoyed experiencing this other side to it.

Looking at the author's website it appears that this will be 1st in a trilogy and George Clooney has purchased the movie rights to make and star in the movie based on this book. Hmmm....

Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith

Book 10 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

Mma Ramotswe, is in mourning over her old tiny white van. The beloved vehicle is making terrible noises and is probably headed for the junk heap. The idea of parting from the van that has been an important part of her life for so long is breaking Mma Ramotswe's heart.

Meanwhile, the prickly and outspoken Grace Makutsi, Mma Ramotswe's assistant, has troubles of her own. Her arch enemy, the glamorous and scheming Violet Sephotho, has landed a sales job in the Double Comfort Furniture Shop, whose owner is Phuti Radiphuti, Grace's fiancé. It is obvious to the furious Mma Makutsi that Violet is determined to steal Phuti away from her.

While this book doesn't have as many mysteries to solve there is the case they are hired for by Mr. Leungo Molofololo, the owner of a losing football team, to find out why his formerly successful Kalahari Swoopers are suddenly doing so badly. So there is much time spent, traveling around and having tea and interviewing the various team members. Mma Ramotswe even goes to her first football game, taking her foster son, Puso who ends up helping her solve the case in the end. This book has a much more nostalgic feel as she tries to imagine her life without her white van, her husband and their foster children and even with out Grace and the apprentices.

It is such a satisfying read that I'm sad now that I've finished it. Perhaps this summer I'll go back and re-read all again. It's like visiting old friends. I've just started watching the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on HBO and really enjoying it as well.

Keeping It Real by Justina Robson
Quantum Gravity, Book 1


The world changed in 2015, when the Quantum Bomb tore a hole in the fabric of reality and opened doors to other dimensions, Otopia (Earth) including Alfheim and several other dimensions where there are elves, fairies, demons, the dead, and elementals. Jump ahead to 2021 to where the story starts, when undercover agent Lila Black, part human and part combat machine, is hired as a bodyguard for an elven rock star. She finds herself getting emotionally involved with the lead singer, Zal, who is like no elf she has ever met. She discovers that he has gone over to the demons and there is a price on his head as the Elves want him dead.

I've been reading reviews about this series and thought it sounded intriguing. Maybe I'm getting too old but I found myself skipping ahead as I got kind of bored once she entered the Alfheim world. I enjoyed parts of the book especially the sections on how she became a cyborg and her relationships with the elves. I found some parts so vague that I didn't know what was happening, I think that there is potential here but it was just flittery for me that I just couldn't concentrate on it to appreciate the story.

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
A Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery

Clare Ferguson is the newly ordained priest of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in the small upstate New York town of Millers Kill. (Kill is a Dutch derivative meaning a stream that runs into a river, in this case, Millers Kill runs into the Hudson.) She is faced with not only an early December snowstorm and the bitter cold of her first Northern winter but also a conservative vestry, who apparently expended all their daring on hiring her, a female priest. When a baby is left on the church doorstep with a note designating that he be given to two of her parishioners, Clare calls in police chief Russ Van Alstyne. The foundling case quickly becomes an investigation into murder that will shatter the lives of members of her congregation, challenge her own feelings and faith and threaten her life. With her background as an army helicopter pilot, Clare is not a typical priest. Smart, courageous and tough, she is also caring, kindhearted and blessed with a refreshing personality.

Despite the philosophical differences, Clare and Russ find they are kindred spirits in having shared careers in the Army; Russ in Vietnam, Clare in Desert Storm and Africa. But also have conflicting ideals as Clare is the eternal optimist who looks for the good in everyone and every situation. Russ is the archetype of jaded, world-weary and cynical cop who can't imagine a god who would let such horrible things happen to his creation. There develops the backbone of the story as we see their development from working relationship to friendship hinting at sexual tension. The story finishes up with satisfactory twist and leaves me wanting to see how the future books deal with the sexual tension between the two. Plus I really wanted to curl up with some cocoa and a fire and it's reaching 100 degrees today!

Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Written and illustrated by cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki.

This graphic novel features pudgy, Asian American, Skim (aka Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a goth girl in an all-girls school in Toronto, in the early 1990s). Skim (who isn't slim) and her best friend Lisa both feel like outsiders looking in and can't help but be affected by the recent suicide of a local boy. At first they are amused by the popular crowd creating this spirit club to support teens who might want to kill themselves. As this kind of drama will never be part of their lifes.

Shown from Skim's diary and point of view we see her sour relationships with her parents and her best friend Lisa who are exploring Wiccan, tarot cards and trying to find themselves. Lisa and Skim spend a lot of time in the forest talking and being one with nature. It also becomes her private space to meet with Ms. Archer, her drama & English teacher. Suddenly Skim starts to fall in low with Ms. Archer, an affection only briefly requited before the teacher leaves without explanation. Skim feels more and more isolated as her friend Lisa seems more interested in finding new friends and not interested in having Skim go with her. The forest starts to represent Skim's deeper depression and sense of isolation.

At first you think that Skim will not survive the depression. But we see Skim find her inner strength to befriend another girl, Katie (exgirlfriend of the boy who killed himself) who is also suffering. Their developing friendship brings Skim out of her depression and helps her find some inner joy. The ending is haunting as while we see Skim moving on with her life, her former friend Lisa is show walking alone back into the forest.

Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron

Ivy and David Rose, happily married high school sweethearts, are trying to clear out the junk the previous owner left in their glorious Victorian in Brush Hills, Mass., before the birth of their first child. They have a huge garage sale and among the bargain hunters shows up Melinda White, a high school classmate who's also pregnant. At first neither Ivy or David remember her but they vague memories come back. But Melinda seems almost desperate to create a connection with Ivy who gets more and more uncomfortable with her. When David offers to show Melinda the inside of their house Ivy is relieved and thinks no more about it.

Then when the police show up to report that Melinda has disappeared and no one can remember seeing her leave the sale, the evidence suggests the couple murdered her. Evidence keeps mounting against them until Ivy is almost convinced that her husband may have actually killed Melinda. We start seeing the cracks develop in their perfect marriage as Ivy alone must figure out what is real and not. Plus the actual reality of the story is much more devious than what first appears to be the mystery.

This book was impossible to put down, I read it in one day as I just had to know how this ended up. The ending really didn't surprise me as I suspected the twist that came but still it was well done. There are many ethical issues that are brought up and not really resolved but then I think that is how life is too. While the book ends - it leaves many unanswered questions - most of all will their marriage survive the truth.

Good book for vacation or business trip.

I discovered these books while exploring online. These came up on the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2008


Black book of colors in Braille by Menena Cottin and illustrated by Rosana Faría and translated from Spanish by Elisa Amado


How do you describe the colors of the rainbow to someone who cannot see them? This inventive picture book relates the ways to experience colors—through smell, taste, touch, and hearing. The descriptive, sensory text, which incorporates white type and Braille, combined with an innovative design makes the experience how to look at the world in whole new way. I love how the illustrations are etched on the page forcing you to feel the book. It is truly innovative and original.

Little yellow leaf by Carin Berger

The story focuses on a single leaf that is just not ready to leave the branch of its great oak tree. While other leaves swirl down, this leaf keeps holding on as fall turns to winter. The amazing and inventive collage-based illustrations range from a closeup of the leaf that reveals words and letters on it to an image of the sun that seems to have been formed from a mosaic of bricks. It is not until the leaf spies a scarlet flash high up on an icy branch that it can contemplate the next step. Over the final pages the two leaves soar through the sky, together. The illustrations show landscape by incorporating lined paper, graph paper, newspaper articles, and water bills. It is a truly lovely book about fall and independence. It makes me look at trash in a whole new way.


Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein; art by Ed Young


When visitors come to Kyoto, they ask the cat’s owner the meaning of her name; Wabi Sabi. When she hears that it’s hard to explain, Wabi Sabi sets off on a journey to find the answer. Each animal she visits gives a piece of the complicated puzzle. Still, the cat is confused. But the more she looks, feels, and sees, her new affinity for the simplicity of nature and the elegance of what is brings her to her own poetry—and understanding.


Ed Young is one of my favorite illustrators and I'm always interested in what he is doing next. This book was fun yet though provoking and I so enjoyed the journey.

Crack Shot by Sinclair Browning


Trade Ellis series set in Tucson - 4th book

Trade is part cowgirl, part Apache, and part-time private eye. When a friend asks her to meet someone in a bar who has a case it doesn't seem like a very big deal. But then when she meets her actual client a Grandmother who is trying to track down her missing grandson, Eddy Gallegos. Eddy is on the run from a local youth detention center that he broke out with a couple of his compardres. Because Grandmother is a friend of a friend Trade agrees to look into it even though there is no way she can ever be paid for the job.

When one the compadres is killed, the case is now tied to a local Senator as the killed boy is the Senator's stepson. The case gets even more complicated as the Senator's wife was murdered a few weeks before by a break-in gone wrong.

Trade spends a lot of time meeting with several homeless youth who are connected with Eddy. Since I've lived in Tucson and have family there it was interesting to read a story set there. There are side stories of a fellow rancher dying and seeing the funeral march, illegals battling with the other ranchers who own property on the Mexico border. This book was written in the early 2000's and a lot has changed with illegal immigration so I'm curious to see how she encorporates this with her newer books.

A lot happens in this book but I have to say I found her relationships more interesting than the actual mystery. The author is quite the storyteller and obviously loves the Southwest ranches and Tucson. I also did not start at the first book so am looking forward to reading one of the earlier ones to get a better feel for the characters.

Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

"When a dog is finished living his lifetimes as a dog, his next incarnation will be as a man." Enzo, a shepherd-poodle-terrier mix, is ready. Raised from puppyhood with his best friend Denny Swift, a mechanic who's training to race cars, together they watch countless hours of race footage. As he gets older he spends his daytime hours watching TV while Denny is at work. So Enzo knows about the world beyond the Swift home near Seattle. I love all the descriptions of how he relates life to various movies and actors.

The book begins and comes full circle with Enzo old and facing death. The rest of the book is his time to remember. Denny loves Enzo like a son. Denny eventually falls in love with Eve, who becomes his wife and then comes along Zoe, their daughter. Enzo isn't happy about sharing Denny but he becomes dedicated to Eve & Zoe. Then Enzo smells something bad happening in Eve and you know that it can't end well. But I couldn't have anticipated the suffering Denny & Enzo would face together. Bad things do really happen to good people in real life and in this novel, and then worse things, and soon I had to remind myself that this is just a story!

Thankfully there is a happy ending and Enzo's greatest dream comes true. But you'll have to read it to see what it is. But if you don't cry buckets of tears at the end then I don't know what to tell you!

I read this for my book club that I belong to with some other librarian friends. I had heard about this book but it would probably not been one I would have read as I knew it would have a sad ending. So I listened to it on CD during my commute and really did enjoy it, had to sit in the parking lot with tears running down my face at one point. Who wouldn't want to have a dog like Enzo? I know that I have a cat, Tigger, who is right up there.

Watchmen by Alan Moore

This was originally published by DC Comics as a monthly installment. So it does have that serial feel to it as each chapter offers a specific focus on one of the characters, yet advances the overall narrative. Additionally, each chapter is followed by a "non-comic" section that develops more of the backstories.

Set in an alternative American in which Nixon is still president in 1988.

It begins with the Comedian being pushed from his apartment to the street below. With the police having no leads, costumed vigilante Rorschach decides to probe further. Rorschach discovers a plot to kill off and/or discredit costumed adventurers, and sets out to warn four of his retired comrades. Then it seems that someone is killing off or discrediting the former Crimebusters. The remaining members end up coming together to discover the who and the why behind it all, and the payoff to the mystery is most satisfactory. On the surface this seems a basic concept but there is a depth of both the characters and their respective subplots: Dr. Manhattan dealing with his responsibility to humanity given his god-like powers; Nite Owl having trouble leaving his secret identity behind; Rorschach being examined by a psychiatrist after he is put in jail.

The subplots offer many layers to this complicated graphic novel. One is parallel thread of pictures superimposed throughout many chapters of Watchmen from a darkly-violent pirate comic being read by a young man sitting on the ground near the news stand where he borrowed it, drawing the ongoing anger of the stand's owner who nonetheless enjoys the company. This interwoven thread at times mirrors action in real time as the Watchmen find themselves the target of a campaign to kill or force them into hiding.

It is interesting to read how each main costumed hero got his/her start and where they finish up. We learn that while the costume or mask may protect their physical identity it does not change who they really are. I am not the biggest fan of graphic novels as I find them hard to follow with dialog overlapping but with all the good reviews about the movie I thought it was important to see what it was all about first and then see the movie. I was surprised by the serious yet subtle undertones. We see race, sexual orientation and just life in general from this point of view. Now I'm ready for the movie.

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn

Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal pangram, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” One day the letter Z falls from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop and the island's Council takes this as a sign from Nollop himself to no longer us it. At first it seems like no big deal as how often do you use the letter Z but one by one more letters fall. And the Council encroaching totalitarianism's is bringing a more terrifing future to light. You have 3 strikes before you are forced to leave the Island, and take over your property if no family member is left. Ella is one of the few not to say or write the forbidden letters as one after another from the islander is forced to leave the island or face death. She stands alone as she struggles to find a shorter pangram before the deadline given by the Council.

As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel. It is truly amazing as we read Ella and other's from the island try to communicate without one letter than another until they must resort to using the remaining letters to phonetically sound out the words. We get a rather one sided view as the entire novel is set in stories from character to another. At first it seems so innocent but by the end you feel the pending doom awaiting those left on the island.

I read this several years ago and this book has stayed with me as an example free speech and how quickly government can take over one's life. Plus who doesn't remember with fondness letters written by hand you got in the mail or found in your lunch box from your mom? I just re-read this for my bookclub at work and am interested to see how people responded to it.