Thursday, March 14, 2013

Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy is the latest outing for the Head Chef at the White House.  And it is head and shoulders above the others in the series.  Less ridiculous in its plot line and more believable and readable.  This time, rather than searching for terrorist in the meatloaf Ollie is looking for some answers about her father and his death.  Check it out. But let me add that I did find the ending rushed and unsatisfying.  After a lot of talking, threats and counters, everything gets wrapped up under the general umbrella of 'national security'  'cannot tell anyone' and a sense of "what just happened."  I feel Ms. Hyzy did an otherwise good read a disservice.  Maybe she herself didn't know how to end it in a more finished manner or maybe she opted to save herself 5 -- 10 more pages of writing.  Anyway, decent book, better than previous ones but really 'national security concerns' coming out of a food supplement corporation?  Nice scenes with the 'First Son' and Sergeant.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

My do's and don'ts

Just like a boyfriend/girlfriend/soulmate/BFF or other relationship don't let anyone else tell what's right for you as far as a good book. Despite the title of my blog I AM NOT trying to tell anyone what a good book is.  Everyone has to figure that out for themselves.  Your taste may run to blood and gore, light chick lit, westerns, Harlequins, how-tos, spiritual offerings or simply the latest magazine or newspaper.  As I used to tell my children, I don't care what you read....just read.  The advent of e-books and portable e-readers in the past few years have made it easier and easier to always have a good book to read and many of the more popular e-readers have a lot of free classics to download and they all have a rotating list of free or very cheap books that are not Jane Eyre or Jane Austin.  Lots of authors out there are trying to build up their readership by allowing e-sellers to offer the first in a series to be offered free or priced below $3.00, figuring (rightly so) that once a reader reads a good book he or she will return to purchase everything else possible by that author. 

So start reading...you might just discover you like it and unlike so many other habits you could pick up, reading is good for you!

Good book/ok movie; so-so book/great movie

I did something this morning I have never done before in my life.....as you probably know Angels and Demons premiered at midnight Thursday night/Friday morning. While I didn't feel like staying up till afte three in the morning for the premiere I did want to see the movie and didn't particularly want to fight the Friday night 'date night' crowd or sit in a theatre filled with teenagers trying to act cool.  I ended up seeing the movie in the theater 3 times (taking a different person as my plus one each time).  And I got more out of it each time I watched and each person going along with me enjoyed it as well.

2 book recommendations

The first one is by a new author (new to me anyway and she didn't list any other books published in the foreward).....Katherine Howe "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane". Action in this jumps from the times of the Salem Witch Trials and 1991 Harvard Yard, Marblehead and Salem, Massachusetts. Unknown to Connie (Constance) Goodwin she is a direct of Deliverance Dane, a previously unknown victim of the mass hysteria of the witch trials. She is asked by her mother (Grace) to clean out her grandmother Sophia's overrun home in Marblehead. Connie is also working to find original source material for her PhD, as she has also just passed her oral exams at Harvard and has been admitted to candidacy. As she searches for clues to the physick book which she hopes will provide the original material she requires, Connie uncovers the links which bind her to the tiny cottage in Marblehead, the power (or will or intention) which ties her to a long line of strong New England women, dating back to Deliverance.

My second recommendation is Dark Horse by Craig Johnson. The book is, I believe, the fourth or fifth in the Walt Longmire series. If you want to read a book which not only is a thinking mystery, an insight into the mind of a true lawman and describes the aching physical beauty and majesty of the West, read this one. Longmire is by turns comical, deadly, intelligent, and blindly loyal. Do yourself a favor, read the entire series, you will find it worth your time.