My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian

12 year-old Derek has been identified as a reluctant reader by his teacher and his parents. He likes to read, but doesn't enjoy required materials. He says he prefers having his own adventures (tossing as hand grenades the avocados his mother is saving for dinner, climbing onto the roof with a croquet set to hit wooden balls into the satellite dish) to learning about someone else's life. When his teacher gives the class summer reading and writing assignments, Derek finds a way to distract himself from the task. He discovers an old newspaper clipping about a 17-year-old who drowned, and when he questions his mother about it she won't talk about it.  Of course this makes him obsessed with knowing why they saved this article until his mother finally explains that the teen was babysitting him at the time and died saving him. Derek is determined to learn more about her death and his involvement in it.

 
After one more stunt, his parents decide that he needs to be kept busy so send him to Study Camp where kids go to learn!  There he meets up with one of his least favorite classmates, teacher's pet Carly. But one day after camp they give Carly a ride home he discovers that Carly is really interesting and not just a teachers pet.  She has set up a maze of string to get through to get the prize. 
 
Finally Derek convinces his parents they should go visit his grandmother, who lives close to Martha's Vinyard, so he can find out for himself what really happened when he wsa 2 years old.  But he really discovers is that everyone has a story and while some may not be the real story it is the one that helps them get by.
 
The book takes place from end of school year to the beginning of the new year.  Through out the book there are drawings in the the margins that feature vocabulary words illustrated with cartoons.  While I found the character Derek extremely ADHD and annoying there was something kind of endeering about him and his quest for the truth. 

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

A Dublin neighborhood full of many of the characters bands together to help a young single father raise his daughter.  Aware she will not survive her baby's birth, fatally ill Stella tells alcoholic loner Noel that he is the father. He doesn't remember having actual sex with Stella and is far from certain he wants or can handle the responsibility. But with the help and encouragement of his cousin Emily, in Dublin on an extended visit from New York, Noel stops drinking and takes custody of baby Frankie after Stella's death at St. Brigid's Hospital.

His transformation from loser to responsible, loving father and his struggle to convince his uptight social worker that he is fit to raise Frankie forms the central plot. But there are many subplots as there often are in Binchy novels.  But she is the queen of connecting everyone together, though in this story it wasn't as far fetched as other books I've read.  Social worker Moira seems like the stereotypical uptight bureaucrat at first, but her loneliness and painful self-awareness of her failure to connect to others become increasingly heart-wrenching. Moira has to overcome an unhappy family situation, as does Lisa, a graphic artist who moves in as Noel's platonic housemate to escape her parents' sham marriage, although she's in her own sham love affair with a flashy restaurateur. Circling everywhere, is cousin Emily, who on a whim comes to visit family she has never met but finds herself a family far more than she ever imagined.

Mave Binchy has this wonderful way of weaving a story together.  But she deals with everyday life including the good and bad - death, birth, addiction that feels believeable yet not too sweet.  Having to read when one of the older characters died from cancer was heart breaking as it is very close to home.  My favorite book by Maeve Binchy will always "Evening Class" but this one was right up there.

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

Set in summer of 1935, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to Key West Florida to live with her mother's family whom she has never met.  Her favorite saying is "Life isn't like the movies, and eleven-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple." She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935, and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met.Unfortunately, Turtle's Mama has neglected to tell Aunt Minnie she's coming, and Turtle gets the stink eye from cousins with monikers like Buddy and Beans. As Turtle soon learns, everything is different in Key West, from the fruit hanging on trees to the scorpions in nightgowns to the ways kids earn money. She can't be part of her cousins' Diaper Gang (no girls allowed), which takes care of fussy babies, but when she finds a treasure map, she hopes she'll be on Easy Street like Little Orphan Annie.

Florida's like nothing Turtle has ever seen. It's hot and strange, full of wild green peeping out between houses, ragtag boy cousins, and secret treasure. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she has spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways.Full of flavor of Southern Florida and set during the depression this realistic but funny story of a place and time that feels as fresh as when it actually happened.  It makes me want to go to that part of the country and see it for myself.  I found the author's notes particularly interesting as she explains much of the story comes from the stories her grandmother told.

Highly Effective Detective by Richard Yancey
A Teddy Ruzak series

After his mother dies, Teddy Ruzak who has always been an overweight man and just done what was expected of him decides to start his own business. Failing to become a policeman, he's been a security guard for years; now is the time to break out and get into detective work, the reason he was first drawn to law enforcement. Ruzak is an ironic antihero who not only doesn't know much about detecting, but also can't avoid getting suckered by his newly hired assistant (who goes on shopping sprees with his money) or the local deputy (who is too interested in the case of the gosling hit-and-run to be above anyone's suspicion except Ruzak's). The small-town Tennessee setting is both corny and cozy, but not all of the characters here are sweet: in addition to the gosling killer, there's a man with two dead wives and an arsonist.  But how he puts all the pieces together is truly genius.

This was actually a good and believable read as it felt like someone who really didn't know what they were doing opening their own detective agency and somehow making it work.

Case of the missing servant : from the files of Vish Puri, India's "most private investigator"  by Tarquin Hall

Vish Puri, India's Most Private Investigator uses stealth, cunning and above all discretion to help his clients. He holds many accolades including the 1999 Super Sleuth award from the World Federation of Detectives.  But he dearly loves to eat, especially food that is not good for me him as he is called "Chubby" for a reason.  Vish Puri would readily admit that the vast majority of his clients come to him for the mundane purpose of domestic spying.

So when noted Jaipur attorney Ajay Kasliwal hires Most Private Investigations, Ltd. to locate the missing housemaid he's suspected of killing, Puri is ecstatic at the chance for some real detection. Slipping his agent, a Nepalese beauty called Facecream, into the Kasliwal manage to mingle with the servants, Puri has his driver, Handbrake, take him on a tour of the Pink City to see where a simple country girl from Jharkand might hide.

Meanwhile, after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Puri's life - his Mummy comes to town to find out who is behind the attack.  We learn that Puri's father was a police detective and Mummy used to help advise him on cases.  I enjoyed this side storyline as it gave more depth to the storyline.  I enjoyed the hustle and bustle the story portrayed of modern day India yet kept some of the magic of this exotic place.  Puri was great fun and I had no idea of how corrupt another place could be.  The mystery really wasn't the main focus as it was more about the place and the people.

Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield

Stella Hardesty, a widow and survivor of domestic violence, who owns a sewing shop in a sleepy Missouri town.  Thankfully Stella lives in a small town where while people may ignore the problems they know what the problems.  So after Stella gets off after killing her husband in "self-defence" after years of physical and mental abuse.  She needs more than the sewing shop to keep her mind occupied.

Stella believes that she needs to help battered women like she was as a form of redemption for putting up with Ollie much too long and as an avenging angel dispatching retribution on these bullies. Stella keeps an eye on Roy Dean Shaw, ex mean ass husband of gentle mom Chrissy Shaw. When Roy Dean abducts Chrissy's two years old son Tucker, Stella decides this punk needs a permanent lesson in how to treat a lady. She affirms her feelings about this abusive moron when she learns he is part of the stolen auto parts mob. Chrissy, upset with his taking her infant, has had enough. As Sheriff Goat Jones watches Stella with his dreamy eyes, she hopes it is for her body and not her activity as she leads Chrissy into hell as they team up to take care of Roy Dean and his car ring associates to rescue the baby from the mob.

I'm not sure how I heard about this book but the title definitely intrigued me.  But it was a lot more to it than this kind of glib cover suggests.  It appears there is a sequel so I'm looking forward to it.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Lara has always had an overactive imagination. Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Normal twenty-something girls just don’t get visited by ghosts! But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara’s great aunt Sadie – in the form of a bold, demanding Charleston-dancing girl – has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can’t rest without.

Lara’s got enough problems of her own. Her start-up company is floundering, her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, and she’s just been dumped by the love of her life.

But as Lara spends time with Sadie, life becomes more glamorous and their treasure hunt turns into something intriguing and romantic. Could Sadie’s ghost be the answer to Lara’s problems and can two girls from different times end up learning something special from each other?

Great fun, and reminded me of Topper which was one of my favorite childhood movies and series.  I will say that the reader of the book on CD was able to make the most shrill voice when Sadie would do her yelling to make herself heard moments.  Even I wanted to do what she wanted just so she would shut up! 

Sophie Kinsella really does a good job writting comedic British romances.  If you like ghost stories that aren't scary crossed with Bridget Jones's Diary then this is the right book for you.

High Commisioner by Jon Cleary

Aussie detective-sergeant Scobie Malone accepts a mission to fly to London to arrest Sir James Quentin, a high level Australian commissioner wanted down under for murder. The High commission is discovered to have been living under an assumed name for over 22 years. He changed his name after his wife was murdered and he was the chief suspect.

But when Malone arrives, he finds that the amiable Quentin is not only the key in groundbreaking peace negotiations, but also the target of an assassin himself.  Malone's superiors give him permission to extend his trip for a week to allow Quentin to finish negotiating the peace conference. 

To even more complicate the situation Malone finds himself liking Quentin and doesn't believe that he really murdered his wife.  But if he didn't then who did?  The majority of the book is Malone trying to figure Quentin out while stopping several assassination attempts.

What drives the story is Malone's personal conflict that he has as a poor average Auggie living in the high end political life and trying to come to terms that while he'll always be a basic guy he does enjoy these finer things.  There are several back stories of the people who are trying to assassinate Quentin and the ending was a complete surprise.   This is set in current events of 1966's where the world is deciding the fate of the Vietnam insurgent.

I'm looking forward to reading others in this intriguing series.

Something Missing by Matthew Dicks

Martin is a thief, but a very particular type of thief. He calls his victims clients and spends months studying them before he considers putting them on his list.  But some of these clients he has been stealing from them for years and almost thinks of them as friends. 

Most of what he steals are normal staples - groceries and household supplies, etc.  But he also steals more monetary items such as silver, diamonds, crystal etc. The way he approaches it is almost ingenious as he has a game plan on what he steals from each client.  It depends on what he needs and how much the client has in stock! (he steals towels from two different `clients' to make up his own set) He makes massively lengthy lists, plans and timetables. He is a master at planning, he has every base covered, or does he?

Things start to get complicated when Martin is almost caught in one of his oldest client's home.  He plays cupid with the husband and all his careful planning starts to unravel but it honestly makes him a better person for it.

I read a bookreview about one of Matthew Dicks' newer book and the concept of an OCD thief intrigued me.  I was amazed how much I enjoyed it.  If you are looking for a different type of novel than this is the book for you.

Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer

Sir Arthur Billington-Smith is not a nice person: he is arrogant, opinionated, and abusive. His verbal abuse makes life a constant misery for his hapless wife, Fay. One truly awful weekend when Fay is trying to host a house party, Arthur's son and heir, Geoffrey, brings home Lola de Silva, a Mexican cabaret dancer who is wonderfully obtuse, vastly colorful, and totally unsuitable as a future Lady Billington-Smith. Arthur is absolutely incensed and takes his rage out on everyone. Therefore, when he is found stabbed to death in his study later in the day, all those in the house become suspects.

Set during the 1930's - it was written in 1934 it has that feel of an Agatha Christie mystery.  I never really thought of Heyer as being a modern mystery writer as she is known for her Gothic romances. White it was a fun kind of historical look at the time, there was nothing really remarkable or memorable. The cover made it look better than it was for me.

Grave Secrets by Charlaine Harris

After doing a job for the wealthy Joyce family, Harper and Tolliver face their toughest challenge yet: telling super-rigid Aunt Iona, Uncle Hank and their younger half-sisters that they're a couple. It doesn't help that this town is also where they lived as the abused blended family of neglectful junkies, and where Harper's beloved sister Cameron mysteriously vanished. As if their family relations weren't strained enough, Tolliver's creepy dad Matthew appears in town, claiming he wants to mend fences.

At the same time, Harper has been hired by the Joyces to find a missing baby that may be their grandfather's secret love child -- but someone is determined to keep her from finding it. People around her are getting injured, kidnapped and murdered -- even Tolliver has been shot. And as Harper tries to unravel the mysteries from years ago, she realizes that the Joyce family has a long-ago link to her own.

Sadly this seemed to be the conclusion to the series as we finally find out wha thapped to their sister, Cameron.  But it was still a shock plus this was really the only time we got to see other family members and see the real decay.  While her Shakespear series will always be my favorite this has become my 2nd favorite of her and I will miss it.

Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet

Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk is a writer of cozy British mysteries, and he's also an absolute beast. Pompous, phony, and cruel to his family, frequently changing his will in favor of whichever of his children has momentarily pleased him (or displeased him the least), he decides to have some real fun by inviting his four children to his wedding. They are aghast of course, seeing a threat to their inheritances, but they all head toward his manor, figuratively attempting to elbow their way into his favor and hopefully talk him out of this marriage to an obvious gold digger. (It takes one to know one!)

Then Sir Adrian drops the bombshell that his marriage is a done deal, that he and Violet are already man and wife and that his will has (yet again) been changed--but he doesn't say how. Shortly thereafter, Sir Adrian's eldest child Ruthven is brutally murdered, and it's not long before he follows his son to the afterlife. Just about everyone has motive to kill one or another of them, so who dunnit?

This felt like one of classic who done it written by Agatha Christie with lots of red hearings and a pretty good twist at the end.  Unfortunately I got rather annoyed by the clever dialog that I felt distracted from a pretty good mystery.  I also didn't feel connected to the main characters - Detective Inspector St. Just and Sergeant Fear as they felt kind of superfiscial.  Maybe I should try another as I believe there are several Malliet has written.  I felt like I should have liked it more than I really did. 

Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer


Two cold cases spark a hot story for flailing TV reporter Riley Spartz. Although she's as driven and fast-driving as any of her competitors, she's been sidelined by more than ratings. Her Minnesota state trooper husband was killed in the line of duty, a tragedy that has caused Spartz to take time off just when she should be renegotiating her contract.

Then a friendly source, an ex-homicide cop, drops a potential story in her lap. It concerns a possible serial killer who has already killed two young women named Susan on the exact same date, one year apart. The problem is, those murders were years ago, and Spartz must dig through databases to see if the killings have continued and if other young women are at risk. The all-important November ratings are coming up, as is the anniversary of the murders, and Spartz must take seriously her contact's hunch--that the killer could be a cop.

I had read a review of this series and it looked fun so thought I would give it a try. It gave a different perspective into TV mysteries as it comes from the point of view of a reporter as well as a network who is looking for next big scoop. Riley has to balance between finding out the truth and getting the ratings needed to keep her job.  We find out what makes her tick as see the death of her husband through her flashbacks.  It gives her an interesting point of view.

Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

3rd in the series featuring Harper Connelly (who finds dead bodies) and her stepbrother Tolliver

For the past several years six boys of a similar age have gone missing in the town of Doraville, North Carolina. The previous Sheriff seemed to turn a blind eye or even investigate their disappearances, claiming they were probably runaways or suicides. The new sheriff, who was deputy under the old sheriff, has always thought something was wrong. But she has run out of leads and ideas on how to locate the boys. 

Harper is brought into the picture by Twyla, the grandmother of one of the missing boys and is willing to try anything at this point. She convinces the sheriff and the other townspeople to hire and give Harper a chance. It isn't long before Harpers gifts are proven right but instead of one body - 8 total are discovered - all missing boys from the town and local areas.  Now the town has a serial killer on their hands and the truth is even more horrifying than anyone ever imagined.

The story gets even more complicated when Harper is attacked and has to be hospitilized.  Both only want to leave town but are unable to do so until Harper is stable enough to travel.  This is by far the best book of the series.  We see more development between Harper & Tolliver and see how complicated their familiy life is for them.

I've really enjoyed Charlaine Harris' books over the years and this series has been a lot of fun to read.  I find myself liking her non-Sookie Stackhouse books better and hope she continues to write more.

Pride & Prejudice by Nancy Butler, Hugo Petrus, artist ; Alejandro Torres, colorist ; Dave Shapre, letterer ; adapted from the novel by Jane Austen.

Writer Nancy Butler and artist Hugo Petrus capture the essentials of Miss Jane Austen's classic romance in graphic novel format. Inevitably, the storyline has been compressed, and the dialogue was been slightly modernized, but fans should have no problem recognizing the story of the Bennets, the Bingleys, and Mr. Darcy. The best of the dialogue has been preserved while giving us a graphic presentation of a classic. 

I did enjoy this graphic novel version as it captured the essence of what makes this classic timeless and so good.  Hopefully this will bring this story to a new age of readers.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

The story begins with Lincoln feeling like he's somehow trespassing into his co-workers lives as the IT Security Office watchdog. His job requires him to monitor the email going in and out of the newspaper office for red flag warnings issued through the Webfence mail filters. Two non-politically correct co-workers in particular, Jennifer and Beth, catch his attention and he begins to feel as if he knows them. Now understand this was in the late-90's when email was just becoming part of the corporate culture.  I remember when I started in libraries and we had to sign all kinds of documents stating we wouldn't use our email for personal use and it would be monitored. 

Best newsroom pals Beth and Jennifer trade gossip over their romances—Beth with her marriage-phobic boyfriend, Chris, and Jennifer with her baby-mania-stricken husband, Mitch. Lincoln becomes intrigued by their emails and can't stop himself reading them though he neglects to send warnings or report them. Things become interesting when Beth sends an email to Jennifer about 'my cute guy'. It dawns on Lincoln that Beth is talking about him!

Now he has to wrestle with the dilemma of trying to find out what she looks like, where her desk is and feeling like a peeping tom into Beth and Jennifer's lives. This turn of events makes him feel even more disgusted with the progress of his own life, unable to move on after his girlfriend, Sam, broke his heart. His job is boring, his social life consists of playing Dungeons & Dragons on Saturday nights with old college friends and to make matters worse he begins to wonder about his ethics as a result of the email peeping.

You can't help but want to read to the end to find out what really happens to everyone.  Now I read this book because the author is a former Omaha World Herald reporter and my mom was very excited about this book coming out.  I have to say I'm glad that I read it.  I did find it interesting that Rainbow never lists it being Omaha or the paper's name but does list the Indian Hills movie theater that was torn down in 2001.  Reading more about it the Omaha World Herald was one of the driving forces behind it's demolition - this was where Rainbow worked.  I remember seeing many movies in that theater which was a single theater and held 100's of people.   So it brought back those memories.

The book was insightful and funny and made me nostalgic for when I first started using email.

Obsidian prey by Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz)

This is the sixth installment in Castle/Krentz's Harmony series which has links to Krentz's Arcane society books with psychic abilities and in common ancestors.

The Dores were famous for their luck bad luck, that is and Lyra is a true Dore. Three months ago, she located an ancient amethyst ruin deep in the rain forest on planet Harmony, but she was swindled out of her claim by the CEO of Amber, Inc., Cruz Sweetwater, the man Lyra just happened to be dating at the time.  Though she didn't know it as he used a fake name.  Hence their big breakup.

Now Cruz needs Lyra to help free some of his employees, who have become trapped in the ruin. Cruz is the last person in the world Lyra wants to help, but she isn't about to let five people suffer just because their boss is a jerk. Working with Cruz proves to be a bit difficult, though, once Lyra discovers Cruz believes she is his true love, and that he now wants her back in his life, for good.

I've been reading her books set in Harmony for about 15 years and it was nice to read one that is back to the fun yet somewhat suspenseful romance atmosphere. 

Dark of the Moon by John Sandford

Featuring Virgil Flowers

Headed to rural Bluestem to assist local law enforcement with the seemingly motiveless murder of an elderly couple, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers happens upon a raging house fire on the edge of town. The house's owner, Bill Judd, killed in the blaze, was an elderly recluse who, back in the day, ran an elaborate pyramid scheme and simultaneously bedded half the women in town. He escaped conviction on the fraud charge, and the money was never recovered.

There have been no murders in Bluestem for a half-century, and now there are three in a couple weeks. Virgil is not an advocate of coincidence and so begins digging for a connection between the victims. Complicating matters is his affair with the sister of the local police chief.

Flowers is part of the Sandford's Prey series but not a major characters. It is nice to see him the main focus of this new series.

I listened to this on CD and while I'm not a major fan of John Sandford I do like him for a change of pace.

Gateway by Sharon Sinn

When Daiyu, a St. Louis high school student adopted as a baby from China, lives an ordinary life - she is spending her summer volunteering and getting ready for high school to begin.  Then she purchases the ring, she is transported, not back in time – but to an alternate universe. The universe is a near replica in terms of geography to her home in St. Louis but the buildings and modes of transportation are different and the people all look Chinese, they speak an unknown language (which the ring enables her to understand). Daiyu learns that she has been called upon to complete a mission to send an evil leader back to his own universe. The only problem is that Daiyu likes him and cannot commit to the act.

I enjoyed this teen alternative reality novel.  It wasn't overly complicated but the issues that Daiyu deals with felt very real.  Is she allowed to have free will or is her fate already decided?  She is starting to forget the world she came from but finds her self caring little about that as she is falling in love with Kalen.  Kalen is a native boy who helps Daiyu adapt to this strange place.  But when by fate she actually accomplishes her mission there is little reason for her to stay so will she follow her heart and return to her parents and the world she knows or stay and make a life for herself with Kalen?   

One of my favorite movies is Made in Heaven starring Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis and the ending of this book reminded me a lot of this movie.  Not a great teen book but a decent one and maybe it will open a new world to teens who only want to read vampire books.

Beekeeper's Apprentice: or on the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King

Featuring Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell

In the early years of WW I, 15-year-old American Mary Russell encounters Holmes, retired in Sussex Downs where Conan Doyle left him raising bees. Mary, an orphan rebelling against her guardian aunt's strictures, impresses the sleuth with her intelligence and acumen. Holmes initiates her into the mysteries of detection, allowing her to participate in a few cases when she comes home from her studies at Oxford. The collaboration is ignited by the kidnapping in Wales of Jessica Simpson, daughter of an American senator. The sleuthing duo find signs of the hand of a master criminal, and after Russell rescues the child, attempts are made on their lives (and on Watson's), with evidence piling up that the master criminal is out to get Holmes and all he holds dear. 

Now I know that I am biased as I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and have tried out various series out there that feature Sherlock Holmes but still find this one of my favorite as he seems much more likable.  King does an excellent job of tying in the original stories and then adapting her characters to fill in the gaps.  I've read this one several times and it always seems as fresh as the first time I read it years ago.