Can a Kelly girl substitute for Steffie Plum?

Candy Apple Red by Nancy Bush


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Jane Kelly works as a process server/PI/whatever. She came to Oregon to be with a boy friend, who is now long gone over a difference of opinion about his best friend who killed his family and disappeared. Now the boy friend's back and Jane has been asked by a lawyer to delve into the mystery of the missing Bobby, who also happens to be the son of the richest guy in town.
There are close parallels here with Steffie Plum, although instead of Rex the hamster we have a pug named Binky. Go with the hamster.
This is listed as a fiction in my library, but it has at least as much of a mystery as any Steffie Plum book which are listed as mystery, so take your pick.
5.2

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An Elizabethan murder and an Elven mystery

Martyr: An Elizabethan Thriller by Rory Clements


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
John Shakespeare, William's brother, is an agent and investigator for Walshingham in this series. Much is made of, and indeed hinges on, the sharp tensions between Catholics and Protestants in Elizabethan England. In addition there is the constant tugging of family connections to court and the currying of royal favors. All this in a "simple" murder mystery.
If we had 1/2 stars I'd probably make it a 3 1/2.

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Finder by Emma Bull


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Orient is a young man living in Bordertown, the area between the World and Faerie. If asked to locate an item or a person he has the ability to take you to it. So he is asked to assist the police in finding the person dealing with a deadly new drug on the market.
I really liked the personalities in this book, both human and elven (elfish? elf?). The book reads like Gaiman, only a little more sociable.

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It's almost Christmas, so I need to get these out of my hair

Christmas is fast approaching and I need to return most of my library books so I have room for my company. Sunday I went down to my sister's house and returned with a bagful of paperbacks, most of them belonging to her, so between Christmas and New Year's I'm going to have to turn off the phone and do some serious reading (not reading serious books, by any means). In the meantime, this is what I've recently read. Sorry, no pictures of covers on this one.



Diamonds Are Trouble by Scott Corbett. 1967, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 96 pp Mystery

College student Jeff takes a last minute summer job at Ambrose Bunker's inn on Cape Cod, where he arrives late at night. He starts by tackling his new boss who is attempting to crawl into one of the windows of a guest cottage. The explanation leads to suspicion and distrust of guest Augustus V Wolfe who is possibly angling after the diamonds belonging to another guest, the wealthy Mrs. Walling. This is a short snappy mystery. I'm not sure exactly who the audience is here. Mr. Corbett is best known for his children's stories, but there's a lot of brandy floating around for that.





Family Linen by Lee Smith. 1985, G.P. Putnam's Sons. 272 pp. Fiction

I thought this looked like a Krantz book--with the glamour, sizzle, and sass. This particular copy has been rebound, so there was no blurb, but I took a chance after reading the first couple pages about Sybill and her trip to the hypnotist. Krantz it isn't, but it is a funny book about a family full of oddballs, pretentious idiots, and kooks. It reminded me in many ways of Lorna Ludvik's Patty Jane's House of Curl.



Firestorm at Peshtigo by Denise Gess and William Lutz. 2002, Henry Holt. 267 pp Nonfiction

Many people know that on October 8, 1871 a good share of Chicago burned down killing 300 people. Unless they live in Wisconsin, most people are not aware that on that same day more than 2,400 square miles of forest burned and between 1,500 and 2,500 people died. This book tells about the Wisconsin fire and its aftermath. In 1871 Peshtigo was a booming timber town with 100 or more people a week arriving to log or farm on the cheap land available. In fact, nobody knows exactly how many people were in the area, so nobody knows exactly how many people died.



A Gladiator Dies Only Once by Steven Saylor. 2005, St. Martin's Minotaur. 269 pp Mystery

Gordianus the Finder has been around since 1991. I'm just now discovering him. (Don't you just love browsing up and down the shelves of the library and finding "new" authors to read.) Set just a little earlier than my favorite Roman mysteries, Gordianus pulls in historical figures like Cicero, Lucullus, and Cato and makes them come alive, some of them more than others. This is a collection of short stories that cover some of the early years of Gordianus' cases, 77-64 BC. I'll be looking for the full length mysteries now.



What They Didn't Teach You About the Wild West by Mike Wright. 2000, Presido. 370 pp Nonfiction

Part of a series, this book loosely organizes topics of western lore (Cowboy, cattle barons, Native Americans, railroads, etc.) and presents items to amaze--sort of "And now, the rest of the story..." Many of the facts are pretty well known to people with even a minimal interest in history, but there is sure to be at least a nugget or two that you probably never knew.



Yarnplay at Home: Handknits for Colorful Living by Lisa Shobhana Mason. 2008, North Light. 127 pp Crafts

These attractive knitting projects are arranged in three levels of difficulty, from the easiest to more difficult (which would be suitable for most reasonably competent knitters). There is a nice range of projects from the simple knitted cotton dishcloth to a lacy mohair curtain, with suggestions for decorating ideas, alternate adaptations, or gift ideas in many cases. The directions are clear and easy to follow. The Serpentine dishcloth pattern is just difficult enough to keep me interested.

Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry. 2008, Ballantine. 312 pp Mystery

The Prince of Wales was hosting a party at Buckingham Palace to set up funding for a transAfrican railroad, when the very bloody body of a prostitute was found in a palace linen closet. Thomas Pitt is called to quickly (before Queen Victoria comes home) and discretely (before the Queen comes home) solve the murder. Another of Perry's very competent mysteries.

History in Our Time by David Cannadin. 1998, Yale University. 308 pp Nonfiction

David Cannadin is an English historical essayist whose field of expertise is the 19th and 20th centuries. This book covers a wide range of subjects, but many of them have at least something to do with the 1980-1996 period, which means he covers the Margaret Thatcher years. A reader could easily get the impression that the author is not a fan of "The Iron Maiden. Each of the essays has some connection to at least one book as an authority on the subject, which Cannadin reviews and sometime reviles. This is a very interesting take on modern English history.

India In Word & Image, Photographs by Eric Meola. 2008, Welcome Books. 261 pp Nonfiction

I have never thought I'd want to visit India, not even after Buffy Maytag came to talk about her trip there and showed us how to wrap a sari. The gorgeous pictures in this book almost make me change my mind. Most of the writing is excerpts from authors who are either from India or who have spent a lot of time there. It's one of those coffee table sized books that beg to have people dip through it--just pick any page and you will be dazzled.

Just Jane by Nancy Moser. 2007, Bethany. 367 pp Historical Fiction

A fictionalized account of Jane Austen's life. Moser has taken the bare bones of her story and written an account that breathes a lot of life into Jane's world. I really enjoyed this one, as I did Moser's other historical fiction Mozart's Sister.

Killing Bridezilla by Laura Levine. 2008, Kensington. 247 pp Mystery

Freelance writer Jaine Austen gets a job writing wedding vows for former classmate Patti, whose husband to be is also a classmate. In fact, this whole book is littered with former classmates, in what seems to be a cross between Whose Wedding Is This and Revenge of the Nerds. When Patti plunges off her balcony to be impaled on a statuary Cupid's arrow, book characters and readers breathe a sigh of relief. One of the funnier scenes, at least to this librarian, is actually a side plot in which Jaine's father takes issue with a librarian over an $.18 fine. This is only for people who like very silly, improbably mysteries set in the world of snark.

My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates. 2008, HarperCollins. 562 pp Fiction

"Dysfunctional families are all alike. Ditto "Survivors". So says nineteen year old Skyler Rampart, who tells this story of his family. He considered himself a failure at age 9, his sister is a ice skating STAR at age 6. When Bliss is murdered and the killer never found, Skyler's shaky world really spins out of control. Readers of this book will certainly draw certain parallels with the Jon Benet Ramsey case, but this is a fantastic read, a more literary version of many of Jodi Picoult's popular books.

Wrapt in Crystal by Sharon Shinn. 1999, Ace. 324 pp Science Fiction

On a fairly minor planet in the far corners of the universe religion has been divided between the Triumphantes and the Fideles, who both worship the same goddess, but in different ways. A serial killer is stalking both sects, alternately killing a Triumphante and a Fidele sister. Interfed sends agent Cowan Drake to catch the killer. This is really more of a mystery set in an science fiction world. Or is it a romance set in a mystery set in a science fiction world. It moves a little slowly, but it is an entertaining book.

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Frankly My Dear, I'm Dead by Livia J. Washburn. 2008, Kensington. 217 pp. Mystery

Delilah has just opened a literary tour business in Atlanta, using family members as staff. Her very first "Gone With The Wind" tour just about blows away the business when murder occurs at Tara during their visit. So Delilah (who can't even remember to call to connect her phone for the first day of business) investigates the murder. I am willing to suspend a lot of belief while reading books, but this one defied that ability. To heck with the ideals of steel magnolias, let's just go with the silly... never mind, I should have known from the cover that it was not going to be one of the Southern Sisters mysteries by the late Anne George. Maybe tomorrow is another day.

A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich. Translated by Caroline Mustill. 2005, Yale University Press. 284 pp. Nonfiction
This book was written for children in 1935-36 by a young German art historian. It became very popular and was translated into a number of other languages, but not English until it was recently translated and updated. Unlike many books of its kind, A Little History of the World does cover more than just Europe and North America. Of necessity, there is a lot of detail left out, but it does cover much. That said, I found it rather patronizing in the "Dear little Reader" head-patting way. Maybe kids won't notice, or mind. I did.

The Night Bird by Catherine Asaro. 2008, Luna. 571 pp Fantasy

Allegro is one of the young women of Arondale who has a certain amount of magic, linked to music and geometric shape. While on her way to receive training, she is kidnapped and sold into slavery to the Jazid prince regent Markus, whose country will soon be at war with hers. From the first there is a cultural barrier between them that only sex, erm, love can conquer. Soon Allegro will do anything to avert both the war between their countries and their personal war. This is the second book in the Lost Continent Series. As with most of Asaro's books, she has a lot of characters with a lot of genealogy between them. I like her sexy fantasies with lots of action going on.

Secrets in Satin by Haywood Smith. 1997, St. Martin;s. 344 pp. Romance
Amidst the turmoil of the end of the reign of Charles I of England the Countess of Ravenwold and the Viscount Creighton meet and share a destiny. He thinks she's frigid, she thinks he is rogue, the King thinks they should wed. This is an okay read. The author at least seems to have the history down well and the characters are interesting, even if the plot is stale, stale, stale. For lovers of formula historical romance only.

Getting back in the Swim as A Reader

After several months of not keeping track of what I've been reading, I'm back. I'll probably post just once or twice a week, depending on what else is going on in my life.

Life Skills by Katie Fforde. 1999, Random. 343 pp. Fiction

Julia quits her job, dumps her fiancé Oscar, and takes a job as a crewman on a canal boat. Just your average chick lit, but Fforde has a way with words that makes you want to know more about Julia, her new boss Suzy, Fergus, and even Julia’s bossy mother. The characters may be stereotypes--Suzy is the classic ditzy society girl, Oscar the dumb as a post fiance who refuses to stay dumped, but it all works. I don’t know how I managed to miss this one when it came out. Send me more Katie Fforde for when I just can't face another earnest book with a heavy handed message.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. 2008, Random. 270 pp. Fiction

Olive Kitteridge is the school teacher, wife, and mother who figures in these thirteen stories. Some of them she is one of the main figures; in others she has just a cameo role. We see her life from middle age onward as it moves through disappointments, small satisfactions, and grief. It is hard to be very sympathetic toward her most of the time, but the interest is in how she moves through her world. I found this a very satisfying read.

On Kingdom Mountain by Howard Frank Mosher. 2007, Houghton, Mifflin. 274 pp. Fiction

Miss Jane Hubbell Kinneson, lives on Kingdom Mountain in northern Vermont in the 1930s. She is a feisty fifty-year old who relies on her razor-sharp tongue, over-under shotgun, and a few drams of Who Shot Sam to aid her fight against the proposed highway across "her" mountain. Then she befriends stunt pilot weathermaker Henry Satterfield who is looking for a long lost stash of Confederate gold. I enjoyed this book a lot, although the story moves slowly. I think it could even be a fun movie if they could find someone like Katherine Hepburn to play the part of Miss Jane.

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble. 2002, Harcourt. 307 pp. Fiction

Candida confides her story of rejection, divorce, and alienation to her computer. Her struggles with her health club, her problems with people nearly defeat her, but she keeps bobbing back. She reminds me in a way of A. A. Milne’s Eeyore. But this book is not depressing. Margaret Drabble’s books are not for the faint hearted. Not that they are filled with violence, smut, or foul language. Quite the opposite. Her books are very literate, often wry, and thought provoking. They are not quick reads with interchangeable plots and characters. Don’t let it put you off, though, because she is worth reading.

The War Against Miss Winter by Kathryn Miller Haines. 2007, HarperCollins 317 pp. Mystery

This "soft-boiled" mystery is set in 1940’s New York City. Miss Winter is an aspiring actress who lives in the George Bernard Shaw House "for wayward actresses", but her day job is filing at Jim McCain’s detective agency. Things get dicey when McCain is murdered and she becomes involved with police, society dames, mobsters, and fellow thespians. A good choice for people who don’t like their hard boiled mysteries too gory or gritty. A sequel, The Winter of Her Discontent, follows, but I haven’t read it yet.

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. 2006, Harcourt. 345 pp. Fiction

"Can’t cook, but doesn’t bite." What a great start to a position wanted ad and an adventure in living in 1909 Montana. Rose is an unexpected housekeeper for the three motherless Milliron boys and their father Oliver. She and her brother Morrie bring sunshine, life, and learning to the rural community. A paean to an earlier way of life, The Whistling Season reads fast and lively.