tymfos (Terri) 12 in 12 Golden Oldies Hit Parade Challenge

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Hi! I'm trying to set up my thread using some uninterrupted time while my husband and son are napping. It'll take quite a while to get this organized, but I think I've saved enough space to handle all my categories and other thread-organizing stuff.

I define my categories in this way: any book that in any way relates to the title of the category is fair game to fit in. I've listed some ways books may fit, but other associations are valid, too.

I sincerely doubt that I'll manage 144 books; I'm starting out with 6 in each category, and will add on as time and available reading material allow.

Here are my Golden Oldies Hit ParadeTentative Categories and some ideas as to kinds of books that might fit each category.

1. American Pie - Don McLean (for all things USA)
2. Color My World - Chicago (world literature, world history, and books with colors in titles)
3. Jambalaya (On the Bayou) - Jo Stafford (James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux books will fit here, along with other books set around New Orleans or other bayou areas)
4. What's Goin' On? - Marvin Gaye (Current events and mysteries)
5. Help! -- The Beatles (disaster-related, and maybe some crime-related, books)
6. King of the Road - Roger Miller (Stephen King books would fit here; travel books might work, too; anything about royalty)
7. Spooky - Classics IV (self-explanatory)
8. On and On - Stephen Bishop (for series)
9. Doctor, Doctor - Thompson Twins (for books with a doctor in the house!)
10. Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles (for more assorted mysteries)
11. The Winner Takes it All - Abba (sports & award-winning books)
12. Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum (religion/spirituality)
and also a catchall for things that don't fit:
Anything at All - The Beatles (miscellaneous)

OK, I'm defeating a lot of the point of categories by making so many of them easy to fit mysteries into. And I'm deliberately giving myself whole categories to allow me to catch up on favorite series & authors. But I don't like it when I really want to read a book and can't find a place to fit it into my challenge.
This is supposed to be fun.

I'm also doing the 75 challenge again, and the Off-The-Shelf Challenge, if it continues.

Note: Original categories included:
Norwegian Wood (replaced by We Are the Champions replaced by What's Goin' On)
Blowin' in the Wind (replaced by Help!)
Killing Me Softly (replaced by Doctor, Doctor)
Take Me Out to the Ballgame (replaced by The Winner Takes it All)

I've decided to do the "side challenge" of one book for each month that includes the name (or maybe number) of the month in the title or author (and, in at least one case, I'm probably using a series name).

January: currently reading: Graveyard Dust: a Benjamin January Mystery by Barbara Hambly (Done!)
February: already started The Civil War: A Narrative vol. 2, by Shelby Foote (900+ pages -- plan to finish in February)

I'll probably also continue to have monthly themes, or at least give special emphasis to certain topics in certain months. I'm almost certain of these ones:

January -- First things First! (one by one)
February -- February observances (two by two?)
Magnificent Mystery March (Three m's)
An Autism Awareness April (month four)
May Murder & Mayhem

September Series & Sequels
Halloween Read for October

I'm going to try to provide most of the following as a heading for each book, as applicable:

Title:
Author:
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject:
Setting:
Series:
Dates Read:
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?:
Category for 12 in 12 challenge:
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit?
My Rating:
Notes:

glitter-graphics.comCategory 1: American Pie

1 A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
2 Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb
3 The Civil War: A Narrative Vol. 2 by Shelby Foote
4 Appalachia: A Self-Portrait ed. by Wendy Ewald
5 Sherman's March by Burke Davis
6

In progress:

Category 2: Color My World

1. Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder: What it is and How to Overcome It, by Norman E. Rosenthal
2. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (Italy)
3. Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (England) AUDIO
4. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
5. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves
6.

glitter-graphics.comCategory 3: Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

1 Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke
2 Graveyard Dust by Barbara Hambly
3
4
5
6

Currently reading:

Category 4: What's Goin' On?

1 Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple by Tempa Pagel
2 Iron House by John Hart
3 He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum
4 When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum
5 Gods of Gotham by Lindsay Faye
6

Currently Reading:

glitter-graphics.comCategory 5: Help!

1 Drowning in Oil: BP & the Reckless Pursuit of Profit by Loren C. Steffy
2 Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger
3 Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines
4
5
6

Category 6: King of the Road

1 The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney
2 Bag of Bones by Stephen King
3
4
5
6
Currently reading:

glitter-graphics.comCategory 7: Spooky

1. The Moonlit Mind by Dean Koontz
2 The Cypress House by Michael Koryta
3
4
5
6

glitter-graphics.com Category 8: On and On

1 Think of a Number by John Verdon
2 The Fitzgerald Ruse by Mark de Castrique (AUDIO)
3 Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
4 Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger
5 Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
6

Currently reading:

Category 9: Doctor, Doctor

1 Green for Danger by Christianna Brand
2 Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter
3 The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner
4
5
6

In progress:

Category 10: Magical Mystery Tour

1. Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer AUDIO
2. The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi
3. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
4. The Likeness by Tana French
5.
6.

Category 11: The Winner Takes it All

1 Alan Kulwicki NASCAR Champion Against all Odds
2 The Great American Gamble by Joe Menzer
3 At the Altar of Speed by Leigh Montville
4 Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin
5
6

Currently reading: I Was Right on Time by Buck O'Neil

Category 12: Spirit in the Sky

1 Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace by Cathleen Falsani
2 Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin
3 He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado
4 And the Angels were Silent by Max Lucado
5 Miracles and Moments of Grace by Nancy B. Kennedy
6 Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger

Currently reading:

and for those pesky books that demand to be read, but refuse to fit into a category:


glitter-graphics.com Anything at All

1 Dead to You by Lisa McMann
2
3
4
5
6

Ongoing summary of progress:

Challenge Category and the number of books completed
1. American Pie 5
2. Color My World 5
3. Jambalaya (On the Bayou) 2
4. What's Goin' On? 5
5. Help! 3
6. King of the Road 2
7. Spooky 2
8. On and On 5
9. Doctor, Doctor 3
10. Magical Mystery Tour 4
11. The Winner Takes it All 4
12. Spirit in the Sky 6
and also a catchall for things that don't fit:
Anything at All (miscellaneous) 1

Total books: 47
Fiction: 32
Non-fiction: 15

I was going to keep all kinds of stats here. But the fact that this challenge isn't "in synch" with the challenges that I start on Jan 1 has made it a bit too tricky. Those stats are probably better kept on my 75 Challenge thread and/or my BOMBS (books off my bookshelves) challenge thread, which follow the annual calendar.

OK, so instead I'm going to put possibilities for the monthly sub-challenge here:
(** means book is already on my TBR shelf!; * means it's available through local/county library sources

1 January:
**Graveyard Dust: a Benjamin January mystery, by Barbara Hambly DONE!
or any of a zillion first-in-series books

February:
**The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2, by Shelby Foote finished 2/29/12
**The Body in the Kelp, #2 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
**Birds of a Feather, #2 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear finished 2/9/12
**Wings to the Kingdom by Cheri Priest (#2 in Eden Moore series)
**Every Second Counts by Donald McRae
**Tale of Two Subs by Jonathan McCullough
**Murder at Ebbets Field by Troy Soos
*Angel's Tip by Alafair Burke (#2 in series)
*Silence of the grave #2 in Inspector Erlendur series
*Wings of Fire by Charles Todd (#2 in Rutledge series)
*He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum DONE
The Likeness by Tana French (#2 Dublin Murder Squad)
Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger (#2 in Cork O'Connor series) finished 3/1/12
The Fitzgerald Ruse by Mark de Castrique (#2 in Sam Blackman series) finished 2/7/12

March:
**Butchers Hill, # 3 in the Tess Monighan series, by Laura Lippman finished 3/7/12
**Pardonable Lies, #3 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
**Sherman's March by Burke Davis (e-book) DONE!
**Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens
**Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (#3 in Shetland series) finished 3/5/12
A Crown of Lights by Phil Rickman (#3 in Merrily Watkins series)
**When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum (#3 in Inspector Sejer series English publication order)
*The March by E. L. Doctorow
*March by Geraldine Brooks
Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger
*Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill
Bottom of the 33rd by Dan Barry
About three Bricks Shy of a Load by Roy Blount, Jr.
The Third Man Factor by John Geiger
Triptych by Karin Slaughter

April:
**Messenger of Truth, #4 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
**Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood (e-book)
**New Orleans Beat by Julie Smith
*Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane (#4 in Kenzie & Gennaro series)
Blue Lightning by Ann Cleves (#4 in Shetland series)
The Indian Bride (alt title: Calling Out for You) by Karin Fossum (#4 in Inspector Sejer series English publication order))
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl
April 1865 by Jay Winik

May:
**We'll Always Have Parrots, #5 in the Meg Lanslow series, by Donna Andrews
**Dead Easy by Phillip DePoy (#5 in Flap Tucker series)
*Prayers for Rain by Dennis Lehane (#5 in Kenzie & Gennaro series)
The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum (#5 in Inspector Sejer series, English publication order)
Le Mans '55 by Christopher Hilton
When I Was Five I Killed Myself by Howard Buten
Category 5 by Ernest Zebrowski

June:
**Six Geese a Slaying by Donna Andrews
*Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (#6 in Kenzie & Gennaro series)
*A Corpse's Nightmare by Phillip DePoy (#6 in Fever Devilin series)
Black Seconds by Karin Fossum (#6 in Inspector Sejer series, English publication order)
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Dancing With Rose by Lauren Kessler
The King's Rose by Alisa Libby

July:
**The Body in the Bog, #7 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
**Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews
**Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen
Bad Intentions by Karin Fossum (#7 in Inspector Sejer series, English publication order)

August:
*Burning Angel by James Lee Burke
The Caller by Karin Fossum (#7 in Inspector Sejer series, English publication order)

September:
**Cockatiels at Seven is #9 in the Meg Langslow series, by Donna Andrews, so it could go here, too.
**The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede
*Cadillac Jukebox by James Lee Burke (#9 in Dave Robicheaux Series)
Nine Lives: Life and Death in New Orleans by Dan Baum
the Nine Days Queen by Mary Luke

October:
**The Body in the Big Apple, #10 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
**Six Geese a Slaying is #10 in the Meg Langslow series, so it could go here.
*Sunset Limited by James Lee Burke (#10 in Dave Robicheaux series)
*Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman (#10 in Tess Monaghan series)

November:
**The Body in the Moonlight, #11 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
*Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke (#11 in Dave Robicheaux series)
White Hurricane: A Great Lakes November Gale

December:
*Jolie Blon's Bounce by James Lee Burke (#12 in Dave Robicheaux series)
*Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron
*Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein (#12 in Alex Cooper series)
**Twelve Victorian Ghost Stories ed by Michael Cox

OK, I think now I have enough room for all the starting-out stuff!

I am going to start this challenge on December 12th (12/12), to get a head start. As of today, I only need one more book for my 11 in 11 challenge, so I should certainly be able to finish that by the 12th.

Nice categories Terri. I am with you..... 6 books per category is a nice manageable number to start of the challenge with, otherwise I would spend the entire year completely stressed!

Hi Terri, looks like I got a front row seat! Great to be able to follow along with your categorical reading again next year.

Love your categories, Terri!

Hi Lori, Judy, and Lori! I look forward to following your category threads this year, too!

Hi - found and starred you and looking forward to increasing my wish list again is year with some great recommendations from you. Like your categories and the detail information you keep.

Since I live on a Bayou I appreciated that one category! (Not in LA alas, but still..)

Will definitely be watching to see how some of these categories get filled up. Good luck with your challenge!

Great idea on the stats your going to keep I may borrow them for my challenge too

Hi, Betty! I hope you find some good recommendations as the year goes on!

Jean, I've just expanded my Bayou category to include bayous everywhere!

Welcome, Dave, and thanks!

Welcome, psutto; you're welcome to borrow any ideas you find here, stats included! :)

Terri, cool about the bayous. Until we moved to the Gulf Coast I had no idea other states had bayous. Here in NW Florida there are a lot, in fact Niceville, where I live, was originally called Boggy Bayou, and we have a festival every year called the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, and locals are referred to as Boggy Boys and Girls.

Mississippi and Alabama also have quite a few bayous, so you can perhaps extend to reads regarding those states as well.

I had a notion of other bayou states, and now my new almost-favorite History Channel TV show, "Big Shrimpin'," is about boats based in Bayou LaBatre, Alabama.

I don't know if I'll actually get non-Louisiana bayous into my reading -- I'm determined to make a huge dent in my TBR list of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series, and created the category with that in mind -- but we shall see what books come along!

I am looking at my categories and wondering how to fit some of my TBR-shelf books into them. I may have actually made too many categories with mysteries in mind (believe it or not!).

I'm replacing my original "Norwegian Wood" category with "We Are the Champions" -- I can think of a variety of ways that category could be used.

I'm changing "Blowin' in the Wind" category to, simply, "Help!" -- primarily, to hold all types of disaster reads.

I'm also considering raising my goal to twelve in each category, but allowing overlaps -- letting one book fill slots in two categories if it fits. I'm still not sure about that.

#31: Hah. We spent Thanksgiving at a campsite very near Bayou LaBatre. Know the area quite well.

33 That's neat! I always think it's cool when a TV show or book has a setting with which I'm really familiar.

Those of you who live in/know bayou areas, please feel free to offer recommendations of books about or set in your region for my On the Bayou category!

Very clever, Terri, though one cannot have too many mysteries.

I'm actually finding myself gearing up to read more nonmystery fiction in 2012. I have a nonmystery fiction category and, just today, I changed my music category to one including the NY Times 100 Notable Books of 2011. I figure this'll let me squeeze in some more good nonfiction, too.

I'm still wondering whether to ditch the Killing Me Softly category, as I can fit mysteries into a lot of other categories. Also, as much as I like the category Take Me Out to the Ballgame, I'd kind of like to find a song that would include other kinds of sports (like auto racing, track and field, etc.) Any ideas? We Are the Champions can work for some of those and some ballgames too, but books on the '62 Mets definitely wouldn't fit there!

I too, make my categories very easy to slip all types of mysteries into. I can't help myself. Heck, I even went through the 1001 List and highlighted all the mysteries for easy reference later!

I may break down and read some non fiction once in a while, but it's rare. And you hit the nail on the head, it's supposed to be fun!

I actually have a rule that to complete my challenge in 2012, there must be at least one mystery in each category. Plus two of the twelve categories are for mysteries only. I decided to let my categories reflect what I like to read, instead of what I'd like to say I've read.

37 I even went through the 1001 List and highlighted all the mysteries for easy reference later!

I love it! (Now you've given me the idea . . .)

at least one mystery in each category.

I think I could go for that!

38 I do enjoy many kinds of non-fiction, and need to make sure I have room for it -- as well as for other kinds of literature that may appeal to me. But mysteries were my "first love" as a reader (once I got beyond Dr. Seuss & co.) and will always be a big part of my reading life.

My big concern now is that I have several books on medical-related topics I want to read that don't seem to fit anywhere. I was thinking of changing the Killing Me Softly category to Doctor, Doctor. A number of my mystery series feature doctors of one kind or another (M.D. or Ph.D.), so I could still easily fit mysteries into that space. In fact, I think I'm going to do it!

I've got it! Instead of Take me Out to the Ballgame, I'll use The Winner Takes it All for my sports-related category. That should fit most any type of sport or game.

ETA to add Now I'm questioning the category I just created above. Sounds too much like my We Are the Champions category. *sigh* Maybe I'll just go with the The Winner Takes it All category and replace We Are the Champions with something else. I may bring back the Killing Me Softly category.

Today I start the challenge. The books I'm currently reading will count when/if I finish them:

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer (audio book)
Suspect by Michael Robotham
Alan Kulwicki NASCAR Champion: Against all Odds by Fr. Dale Grubba

I started the Kulwicki biography because he was the last owner/driver to win the top NASCAR series championship (formerly Winston Cup, now Sprint Cup) prior to this year's win by Tony Stewart. Only as I began to read did it occur to me that, reading this just after the bio of Roberto Clemente, it was my second book this month about a top sports figure who died in a plane crash. Well, at least it will fit my disaster theme for December. Intended for the We Are the Champions or Winner Takes it All category

I decided to read the Robotham book because there are two later books from this series up for grabs in this month's LT Early Reviewer program. Our library had the first book in the series, so I figured I'd check it out and see what I thought. He started to hook me early, with a nifty turn of a phrase or two; but I'm getting bogged down midway. Mind you, one of my least favorite story devices is the protagonist wrongly suspected/accused of murder, especially by a dumb/stubborn cop. The protagonist in this case is kind of interesting -- a psychologist recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease -- but the accusing detective in this case is pretty much the same detective one almost always encounters in such story lines. I'm thinking of abandoning it, but having gotten over halfway through, that would seem a bit of a waste. I definitely won't request either of the ER books from the series. If I finish, it probably goes in the Doctor, Doctor category.

The Heyer is pretty good, a bit predictable in spots, but rather a nice little mystery for my Magical Mystery Tour category.

OK, another category change. I decided We Are the Champions and Winner Takes it All were too similar sounding. I've gotten rid of We Are the Champions and replaced it with What's Goin' On which can hold current events and mysteries.

OK, my first book for this challenge:


Title: Footsteps in the Dark AUDIO BOOK
Author: Georgette Heyer
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1932
Genre: mystery fiction
Subject: a supposedly "haunted" old priory
Setting: England
Dates Read: finished 12/15/11
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, library download
Category for 11 in 11 or 12 in 12 challenge: first book in 12 in 12: "Magical Mystery Tour"
How does it fit the category? mystery
Alternate Category: "What's Goin' On?"
Theme of the Month: holiday dinners and other December disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? No.
My Rating: 3.3 stars
Notes:

This is a nice little old-fashioned mystery written in the 1930's about an old priory with mysterious happenings. Is there a ghost -- or is someone trying to frighten the occupants away? Parts of it seemed a bit predictable, but it was a pleasant book.

Hi, Terri! I'm migrating here from 75 Book Challenge to try and even out my reading. Hope you have a year full of good reads!

44 Good to see you here!

I'm impressed! You're very organized and detailed!

46 Thanks! (I only seem to be organized where books are concerned, though.)


Title: The Whisperer (Early Reviewer edition -- uncorrected proofs)
Author: Donato Carrisi
Copyright/Year of original publication: to be released in US in 2012
Genre: thriller / police procedural
Subject: the abduction and murder of children
Setting: There is no real indication in the text regarding where this book is set other than names and references to the weather.
Main Characters: Officer Mila Vasquez, criminologist Dr. Goran Gavila, Special Agent Sarah Rosa, Special Agent Klaus Boris, Chief Inspector Roche, Special Agent Stern
Dates Read: finished 12/15/11
Number of pages: 422
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: ER book, counts as off shelf
Category for 11 in 11 or 12 in 12 challenge: Winner Takes it All ETA Note: I changed the category for this one in June 2012
How does it fit the category? Winner of 2009 Bancarella (Italian literary prize)
Alternate Category: What's Goin' On, Magical Mystery Tour
Theme of the Month: Holiday dinners & other December disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? NO
My Rating: 3.2
Notes: Started strong, but deteriorated about 3/4 of the way through, becoming too implausible for my taste.

OK, I finished my latest ER book, The Whisperer. I seem to recall it being described as creating "a sensation" in Europe. Well, it was sensational -- and I don't necessarily mean that in a positive way.

It deals with child abductions and murders, and revolves around the team assembled to try and solve the crimes. Mila is an emotionally damaged officer who is brought in because she's an expert at finding missing children. Dr. Gavila is a criminologist with some odd methods. The whole squad is an odd bunch of not particularly likable characters. They eventually move into "the studio," an old "safe house" once used for witness protection, as their base for solving the crime.

A lot of it was very good and suspenseful. It kept me turning pages. But at the end, it got too convoluted, and the final turns of plot made the whole thing implausible in my mind. And it really did fall into what I felt was almost crass sensationalism.

How to explain my reasons for feeling this way, without spoilers, is a major problem to which I have no answer.

One thing I can say is that -- at least as it stands in the proofs I read -- there is NO sense of place, such as I have enjoyed in so many other books imported from Europe. It's obviously set in a climate that receives snow in February. Certain terminology gives clues -- calling fuel "petrol," for instance. You could argue that it's meant to give the feeling that "this could be happening anywhere." Or perhaps the lack of a sense of place is meant to echo the sterile, "away from the world" atmosphere of "the studio" which the investigative team uses as their base of investigations. But, then, I really didn't get the point of them moving into "the studio" either.

Title: The Moonlit Mind
Author: Dean Koontz
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Genre: thriller/horror fiction novella
Subject: a runaway boy in the city, fleeing a terrible evil
Setting: alternates between "the city" (present) and Thoron House (past)
Main Characters: Crispin, Harley, and "the Phantom of Broderick's"
Dates Read: finished 12/18/11
Number of pages: 102 plus excerpt from related novel 77 Shadow Street
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, library download
Category for 11 in 11 or 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? well, it's kind of spooky!
Alternate Category: Magical Mystery Tour or What's Goin' On
Theme of the Month: Holiday Dinners and other December Disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, though I didn't know it when I downloaded it. It features a
"feast-day dinner" that is more than a disaster -- and the story concludes on Christmas Day.
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I downloaded this novella from the library on a whim to test my upgraded Sony PC Reader software's interface with our library download system. It turned out to be a pretty good, if bizarre, thriller -- and, in the end, somewhat appropriate to my theme of the month. It is a story with strong supernatural themes, as is often the case with Koontz. The story appears to be somewhat related to Koontz's latest novel 77 Shadow Street, an excerpt of which is included following the novella.

Crispin is a boy who is alone in the city, having run away from . . . what? The "what" is gradually revealed, as the story alternates between present and past -- and the resolution is surprising.

The novella is written in rather simple, straightforward prose -- I especially noted the contrast with the writing style of the novel excerpt which follows it. I think that reflects the fact that it is told from the POV of a child -- even though it is a child wise beyond his own years, and is written in third person.

I can detect a number of theological themes in this study of a decent boy struggling against a terrible, murderous, even blasphemous evil. But -- for those not theologically inclined -- it's also just a creepily good, bizarre, horror story.

The excerpt from the new book is tantalizing, too.

I have never read Koontz although he's quite popular at the library.

I read his book Odd Thomas a while back. It was quite...odd. I have a few of his books around here somewhere. I should dig one up.

Hi Terri, I am just about to start The Whisperer and it looks like I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. Oh well, it's been that kind of reading month for me.

You may not have the same issues that I did, Judy. I'm really, really eager to see what you think of it. It would also be helpful to "discuss" with you via messages after you've read it, to sort out what bugged me about it. It's really impossible to do without spoilers.

My reading has slowed up this week so it looks like I will be reading The Whisperer just after Christmas, I will PM you after I finish it.

Thanks, Judy!

In preparing for my 2012 BOMBS challenge (Books Off My Book Shelves), I looked to see what I actually have on my TBR shelves to fit our monthly side challenge. I'd like to do at least one per month for the side challenge from things I already own, wherever possible. These are what I found so far:

January: Graveyard Dust: a Benjamin January mystery, by Barbara Hambly
or any of a zillion first-in-series books on my shelves

February: The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2, by Shelby Foote (I may start this in January, since it's a long book and February is a short month!)
or The Body in the Kelp, #2 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
or Birds of a Feather, #2 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
or any of several other second-in-series books

March: Butchers Hill, # 3 in the Tess Monighan series, by Laura Lippman
or Pardonable Lies, #3 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
or Sherman's March by Burke Davis (e-book)
or Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens
or a few other third-in-series books

April: Messenger of Truth, #4 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
or Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood (e-book)

May: We'll Always Have Parrots, #5 in the Meg Lanslow series, by Donna Andrews

June: Six Geese a Slaying by Donna Andrews

July: The Body in the Bog, #7 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
or Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews
or Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen

August:

September: Cockatiels at Seven is #9 in the Meg Langslow series, by Donna Andrews, so it could go here, too.
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede

October: The Body in the Big Apple, #10 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
or Six Geese a Slaying is #10 in the Meg Langslow series, so it could go here.

November: The Body in the Moonlight, #11 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page

December:

So far, haven't found anything on the TBR shelf that fits December. I'll probably have to go to the library for that one!

ETA to add Nothing for August yet, either -- I had put one title in the wrong place, but it's corrected now.

The fact that you found something on your shelves for all of the other months is impressive Terri! I am sure something will crop up by the time we hit December ;-)

#55 I like this and ought to do the same.

I checked my TBR pile when the challenge was first mentioned since I didn't really want to have to get more books just to participate. I was looking mostly at titles then and only had 3 months that I fit in. I have mine written down "off-line", but I might add a message to my thread so I can find them. I think I'm going to try and be a purist and try to have the month name in the title, author or charagter, but I may have to eat those words later in the year. We'll see.

56 Actually, Lori, I had put one in the wrong place -- I need a book for August, too. I'm sure books will crop up, but not that also fit my BOMBS challenge (have to be on my shelf by 12/31/11 to count, unless it's an ER book). So I'll probably have to settle for borrowed or new for those months, unless I find something surprising hidden on my shelves!

57 Go for it, Linda!

58 Betty, I think I'm going to try to do one each month with the actual month name (or maybe a birthstone or flower of the month) -- if so, most of them will have to come from the library or bookstore. But I wanted to see what I could pull from my own shelves to work on my BOMBS (books off my books shelves) challenge, too. So I may do two books for this sub-challenge some months!

There's also the sticky matter that I have monthly themes . . . but I've kind of decided not to do that every month this year, and even when I have a theme, I occasionally read books off-topic.

Yes - my big goal is my Bombs project too. I think my first pass through my TBR, I had a total of 7 spread over 5 months. So I may try to pick up a few on my nook before Dec 31 so they count. And go back through the TBR pile. I know I can always do the "# in a series" but I'd really like to have the actual month. But I think it will be fun.

I thought of picking up a few titles with months in the title before the end of the year. But it did rather seem to defeat my purpose in doing the BOMBS challenge. ;)

that's true - I did think of that. But there may be gift cards that need to be spent
* wink,wink

Aha!

Catching up on threads after a week of non-stop holiday baking!

#48 Dean Koontz has been my favorite author for 20 years, but I had to stop reading Moonlit Mind because it was sooo creepy! I don't think I'm even going to try 77 Shadow Street, although I really want to. I seem to be turning into a chicken in my old age!

I seem to be turning into a chicken in my old age!

I seem to be moving in the other direction, Debbie. I've read so much scary stuff in my lifetime, it takes a lot to scare me -- at least, in stuff I read.

Merry Christmas, Terri!

I had to laugh at myself to think of what my father must think of me. When I visited him a couple of summers ago I brought him the Millennium trilogy. For his Christmas package I sent him the first three of The Ice and Fire trilogy. What he must think of me reading such major violence!

Challenge Book #58 B
Title: Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple
Author: Tempa Pagel
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Genre: cozy mystery
Subject: 200-year-old skeleton found in church steeple; newer body found in church entryway
Setting: West Newburyport, Massachusetts
Main Characters: Andy Gammon
Series: Andy Gammon #1
Dates Read: finished 12/26/11
Number of pages:297
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: YES, purchased 2010 in Watertown, NY
Category for 11 in 11 or 12 in 12 challenge: What's goin' on
How does it fit the category? Mystery
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: Holiday Dinners and other December Disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Sort of. Historical part of mystery revolves around a disasterous fire in 1811.
My Rating: 3.23 stars
Notes:

This is a decent cozy mystery. My main complaint is how neatly the author wraps up the historical componenet of the mystery. This was obviously intended as the first in a series, bearing the notation, "An Andy Gammon Mystery," but the LT series feature shows no others in the series -- or even by this author. I'll have to investigate further. I would try another to see how the characters develop.

Challenge Book #59 B
Title: Alan Kulwicki NASCAR Champion Against All Odds
Author: Fr. Dale Grubba
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Genre: sports biography
Subject: the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup champion (series that is now Sprint Cup)
Dates Read: finished 12/27/11
Number of pages: 469 plus appendix & notes
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes, purchased 2010 from Amazon.com
Category for 11 in 11 or 12 in 12 challenge: Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? about a champion
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: December disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Sort of -- Kulwicki died in a plane crash only months after winning the championship
My Rating:2.74
Notes:

In November, Tony Stewart became the first owner-driver to win the top NASCAR championship since Alan Kulwicki did it in 1992. So I decided it was time to read this book about the last owner-driver champion.

The author, Father Dale Grubba, knew Kulwicki and actually participated in his funeral. He did a reasonable job of portraying both strengths and faults, but his affection and admiration did come through.

In my opinion, the book was too long and contained almost excruciating detail regarding Kulwicki's early career. It could have used some stringent editing of the main text, allowing the reader desiring more detail to refer to the very complete appendix of Kulwicki's race stats.

The book generally lacked error in grammar and syntax. However, there were a number of places where I found the writing confusing; where backtracking or repetition muddled the narrative.
I also found it awkward that the writer referred to himself in the third person when describing his role in Kulwicki's funeral.

Most of all, I detested the amount of speculation as to Kulwicki's thoughts, especially during the final moment of his life on a doomed airplane, when none of us can really know what he was thinking. Just the facts, Father, please. The nature and timing of Kulwicki's death -- in a plane crash just months after winning the championship -- are sad enough without embellishment.

75 Challenge Book #60 B; Off-the-shelf challenge book #50!
Title: Green For Danger
Author: Christianna Brand
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1944
Genre: mystery fiction
Subject: murder at a WWII English military hospital
Setting: Heronsford, Kent, England
Main Characters: Inspector Cockrill, Postman Higgins, Sister Bates, Jane Woods, Gervase Eden, Esther Sanson, Dr. Barnes, Surgeon Moon, Freddi Linley
Series: Inspector Cockrill
Dates Read: finished 12/28/11
Number of pages: 254
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: Yes, 2010 from some used book store
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Doctor, Doctor
How does it fit the category? set in hospital
Alternate Category: Magical Mystery Tour or What's Goin' On?
Theme of the Month: Holiday Dinners and other December disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Sort of. War air raids causing buildings to collapse on people are a sort of disaster, aren't they?
My Rating: 3.6 stars
Notes:

This is a pretty good mystery set in a WWII British military hospital. The characters are introduced very cleverly via the postman delivering letters to the hospital from each of them; the author delves into the situation of each as they post their letters. (We shall encounter the postman again later in the story!)

We soon have a murder mystery with a limited number of suspects, all of whom are living and working together at the hospital. The puzzle is quite complex, and gives us an interesting slice of life in a WWII military hospital. The reader should be prepared for attitudes consistent with that time period.

Title: A Christmas Story: the book that inspired the hilarious classic film
Author: Jean Shepherd
Genre: humor
Subject: small town life in Depression-era America
Setting: Hohman, Indiana
Dates Read: finished 12/29/11
Number of pages: 97
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: no, newly purchased e-book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? small-town life in America during the Great Depression
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: Holiday dinners and other December disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes; has story of especially traumatic holiday dinner
My Rating:3.4 stars
Notes:

This is a collection of the short stories by Jean Shepherd which hold the majority of scenes that were used (often in altered form) for the Christmas classic movie A Christmas Story. The movie was based, not on one story, but using scenes from several stories.

Not all the stories originally had a Christmas setting; for instance, the memorable scene of going to the Chinese restauraunt for Christmas dinner was originally written as an Easter dinner after destruction of their Easter ham, and the actual dinner was not described in the original story -- the focus was on the disaster which destroyed the ham.

I need to see the movie again soon to better recall how the material from the stories was used.

ETA to fix line that was in the wrong place!

I did not realize that the movie was compiled from short stories. The movie is hysterically funny!

Hi Terri, you are really humming along here! Lol. This looks like a fun group. I'll begin officially on Sunday.

72 At the time the movie was made, the stories weren't all in one book -- though the bulk of them were in a collection called In God We Trust: All Others pay Cash. The relevant stories were collected later into the book I read.

74 Hi, Donna! It will be nice to have you with us here. I think this will be a good group.

This has been a weird week. Car issues, internet issues . . . too many headaches. Reading has been a nice escape.

>71 tymfos: & 74 Hmmm... perhaps something for my short stories list.

If you're in the mood for light, humorous reading, you may enjoy these stories!

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenge Book #62B
Title: Wishin' and Hopin'
Author: Wally Lamb
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Genre: humor
Subject: growing up Catholic in the 1964
Setting: New England
Dates Read: finished 12/31/11
Number of pages: 133
Off the Shelf (pre-2011)? Source?: No, recently purchased e-book
Category for 11 in 11 or 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? all-American growing-up story
Alternate Category:
Theme of the Month: Holiday dinners and other December disasters
Does it fit the Theme of the Month? How? Yes, Christmas pageant disaster
My Rating: 3.7
Notes:

This was a fun look at childhood during a simpler time. Good holiday read.

Wishin' and Hopin' was a fun read! Glad to see you enjoyed it too, Terri!

Thanks, Lori!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Title: Think of a Number (AUDIO BOOK)
Author: John Verdon
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: mysterious letters & deadly plot
Setting: upstate New York
Series: Dave Gurney #1
Dates Read: finished 1/2/2012
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: NO, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: on and on
How does it fit the category? series
Alternate category magical mystery tour; what's goin' on
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First Things First -- is first in series
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes: This book can count toward the "12 month" side-challenge, as it is the FIRST in its series.

Imagine that you get a letter which asks you to think of a number. You do, and when you open the little envelope enclosed in the letter, it contains the number you thought of. Imagine that you have a history which includes alcoholic blackouts, and the writer purports to know some horrible secret about you -- you know not what. Imagine that the letter is vaguely threatening. Then there are more letters . . .

This is, in part, the situation of an old college acquaintance who approaches retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney for help. Gurney is trying to settle into retirement in a little town in upstate NY, but it's not going well. His wife thought retirement would end his interest in crime, but he still has serial killers on the brain, as well as the memory of his young son's death many years ago. While mourning the son who died, he has a strained relationship with the son he has remaining.

Now a friend has come to him with a dangerous and seemingly insoluble puzzle, and Dave is hooked. Soon he is in the middle of a deadly game, the rules of which have been written by a madman.

I had never heard of this book or author (as far as I can recall) when I stumbled upon it as an available audio download. A look at the reviews (and those of later books in the series) convinced me to try it. It was rather unusual, and I thought it was really well done, especially for a first-in-series (which can often get bogged down in introductory details). I got a little annoyed with the protagonist regarding how he was handling his family life, and there were moments when I wanted to yell at his wife, but I think that was as the author intended. The mystery itself was intriguing; very complex without being totally convoluted. I was able to follow it on audio, without benefit of being able to page back, despite the complexity. The criminal had a plan that was a little over-the-top and which depended upon people's reactions, but at least upon fairly predictable reactions. I didn't find it totally implausible, as has been the case with the nefarious plots of the killers in some other recent mysteries.

Some of the personal melodrama was a bit annoying, but overall I really enjoyed this mystery. I'll definitely try another in this series.

Now you've hooked me. I would rather read a book where the author writes well enough to get you interested in Yelling at the wife then when the author doesn't spend enough time developing the characters. This will have to go on my wishlist.

>80 tymfos: I haven't heard of this series, either. It sounds good!

81 I hope you enjoy it, Betty! I'm eager to see how these characters develop in the second book.

82 I think there are only two in the series so far, Ivy.

One note: the book in question, Think of a Number, is not for those offended by profanity. Mind you, I don't feel it was used gratuitously; it fit with the characters and situations. But there was one phrase which made me cringe a little, and I'm usually not bothered by rough language.

Title: Blindsighted
Author: Karin Slaughter
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Subject: grisly sex assault/murder
Setting: Grant County, GA
Series: Referred to both as the Sara Linton series, and the Grant County series -- book #1
Dates Read: finished 1/8/12
Number of pages: 310
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used in 2010.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: doctor, doctor
How does it fit the category? main character is county's pediatrician and coroner
Alternate category any of the mystery or series categories
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First in series
My Rating: still thinking.
Notes:

As mentioned above, this book deals with very grisly crimes. The ick factor almost did me in, but the characters were sufficiently compelling that I read on.

Sara Linton is a pediatrician who returned to practice on her home turf of Grant County, GA, after a residency at a major Atlanta hospital. She is also the county coroner. And she obviously has some kind of secret dating back to her Atlanta days. Jeffery Tolliver is the police chief, and Sara's ex-husband.

When a local college professor is the victim of a brutal and twisted murder, Sara and Jeffery must manage to work together to try to solve the puzzle. Then there are other police officers -- good ol' boy Frank, and the moody young Lena (sister of the murder victim) who becomes a central character in the story.

Author Slaughter keeps the suspense going. I must say, though, I guessed the murderer early on -- and I can't say how, exactly, as there didn't seem to be many clues until near the end.

Hi Terri, do you plan on continuing on with Karin Slaughter's Grant Country series? I have read three so far, and for me, the hardest to get through due to ick-factor was the second one, Kisscut. Of course, by the third one, I was hooked.

Stasia said that Kisscut was the worst, too. I'm still debating whether to go on, Judy.

I think the problem with Kisscut is that the victims in this story are children, which makes for difficult reading. I did, however, quite like the last one I read, A Faint Cold Fear, and after three books, I am hooked on the side characters and want to know where they are going.

I don't know -- the more I think about Blindsighted, the less I like it. I keep thinking of questions that weren't answered to my satisfaction, threads of the story that were just dropped. And then, there's the abuse of religious imagery by the criminal, the point of which, in several cases, I never got except for shock value -- the psychology involved was never explored. I probably won't continue the series. (I mean, it's not like there aren't enough series on my TBR pile as it is . . .)

I'm in the same boat, Terri, following so many series, and yet, I seem unable to resist the lure of a new series when it comes along. A glutton for punishment, I guess!

Judy, I could probably fill several months, at least, with just "first in series" books currently on my TBR shelves! And there are more on my wishlist.

Right now, I'm reading from one of my favorite series -- Dixie City Jam, from James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. This series is the only one where I've gone back to (re)read through, completely and in order this time, from the beginning. I love Burke's writing.

I did a whole category of starter books last year as well as including some in other categories and doing the same again this year. We must be mad!

We must be mad!

Definitely book-crazy! ;)

I've wondered about the Karin Slaughter series. I have a pretty low tolerance for the ick factor, and it doesn't sound as though there's enough else to recommend it. Great review, though -- it told me what I wanted to know.

Glad it was helpful, Ivy.

I just finished a book. It didn't fit my theme of the month, it was from the library so it won't fit my "off-the-shelf" challenge, but I just plain wanted to read it!


Title: Dixie City Jam
Author: James Lee Burke
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1994
Subject: deadly neo-Nazis and other assorted bad-guys
Setting: New Orleans and its surroundings
Series: Dave Robicheaux # 7
Dates Read: finished 1/13/12
Number of pages: 494 (plus preview of next in series)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, Public Library book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Jambalaya (on the Bayou)
How does it fit the category? set around New Orleans
Alternate category any of the mystery or series categories
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? No, read just because I wanted to read it.
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I always enjoy my time spent with James Lee Burke's marvelous Dave Robicheaux character. He is a man with many flaws, but despite his sometimes impetuous and even violent actions, he's a character with an essential goodness in his being and the ability to recognize his own shortcomings. I love Burke's descrptions of the environs around New Orleans. He often deals with timely issues and controversies. And, of course, he spins a great yarn.

Dixie City Jam deals with a sunken Nazi submarine off the coast of Louisiana. Dave stumbled upon it once while diving, and now an array of dubious characters are suddenly interested in finding it again. Dave finds himself dealing with the usual local mobsters, plus a new and deadly adversary -- a cunning and sadistic neo-Nazi.

I wouldn't rank this as one of the best outings in the series. I found the ending somewhat too unresolved as far as how the protagonists avoided heavy fallout from the climactic proceedings. But it was still a good page-turning tale.

Definitely a series I intend to get to. I have the first one sat on my tbr shelves and hopefully I'll actually read it this year. Have you read any of his daughter's (Alafair Burke) books?

96 One warning -- If I'd read Neon Rain first, I'm not sure I would have continued and come to love the series. Very violent, and Dave's character was a real loose cannon early on. Think "character development" and try not to be put off, because the character matures greatly and gains wisdom as the series goes along. (However, even in the first installment, some of the writing was beautiful!)

Yes, I've read the first two books in Alafair's "Samantha Kincade" series, Judgment Calls and Missing Justice. I enjoyed them both. Very different style than her father -- less atmosphere, less "gritty," very intricate plot. The main character in this series is an assistant DA, not a cop.

New Orleans is one of my favorite cities, so I'm going to throw my hat in the ring for that series as well - what's another series to an already groaning Mt. TBR anyway?! :) Thanks for the heads-up about the first installment.

Good! I hope you enjoy them, Eva.

>98 -Eva-: -Eva- Me too! I fell in love with New Orleans when I lived there for a few months about 5 yrs ago. I so want to go back! Someday.....someday....

By the way, I also like the James Lee Burke novels and have a couple of Alafair's on the TBR pile! :)

100 Welcome to my thread! I've never been to New Orleans, but we have friends who used to live there. I've heard so much about it, it's a city I love to read about and would love to visit someday.

I've added it to my wishlist as well. We live about 5 hours from New Orleans and have been there quite a few times, including to cheer for my Saints (who sadly, lost yesterday in the playoffs).

We have a lot of folks from NOLA living here, and the main local cuisine is Cajun. I forget sometiimes to unhot foods when we have visitors from elsewhere! I mean, doesn't everyone put chipotle peppers or Tabasco in everything?

doesn't everyone put chipotle peppers or Tabasco in everything?

LOL!

Sorry about your Saints. Since my Steelers got eliminated, I'm sort of rooting for my hubby's favorite Giants; but I liked the Saints, too.

Baltimore is probably the closest city still in playoff contention, but as I Steelers fan, it's pretty hard to root for the Ravens -- too much of a rivalry.

>101 tymfos: - tymfos...you should go. New Orleans is so rich in history, the food is great, there is something beautiful or interesting around every corner it seems.

> 102 - I didn't actually have much problem with food being to spicy there. My fave is jambalaya and I tried it in several places. Most were good but one place was so bland it wasn't worthy of the name!

I often use that Zatarain's mixes for Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, and other New Orleans-style dishes. I understand that they are supposed to be relatively authentic. I buy Andouille sausage to use with it. I like the spiciness just fine!

Seems like every time I read one of the Dave Robicheaux books, I can't resist cooking up something like that!

I've used those mixes, and they're a decent replacement. Especially if you upgrade with all the stuff they leave out.

I hear you re: the Dave Robicheaux novels. Not only do I feel the same way, but they take me back there. Especially when he talks about a place I've been to. :)

106 Can you give any pointers for the upgrade ingredients, please?? :)

I actually prefer Tony Chachere mixes to Zatarain's.

108 I don't see those in the stores around here very much, but I found some in the discount outlet and liked them.

Upgrade ingredients....nice big shrimp/prawns, andouille sausage, chicken, sometimes some ham, chunks of real green peppers, tomatoes, onion, celery.

The box is a good starting point but the freeze-dried veggies don't do a lot for me. I read an article once where Jambalaya means "mix some things together". I guess you can take that as far as you like. That would explain the many different Jambalayas I had when I was there. Some were very good, filled with fresh vegetables and nice pieces of meat and shrimp, and some were disappointing as to much like stir-fried rice. I think the important part is the spices. The box gives you that. Of course you can always "kick it up a notch"!!!

I brought back a canister of Tony Chachere Cajun spice mix when I came home. :)

Here's a traditional (from scratch) recipe....

Ingredients:

1 pound medium shrimp
2 boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces smoked sausage, such as andouille or Polish sausage, 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cups long-grain rice

Preparation:

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, boil the shrimp over high heat just until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Cool, peel, and devein the shrimp, reserving the shrimp and their shells separately.
In a large saucepan, combine the chicken breasts, the reserved shrimp shells, 4 cups of water, half the chopped onion, half the chopped celery, 1/3 of the garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, until the chicken juices run clear yellow when pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the cooking liquid.

In a strainer set over a large bowl, drain and reserve the cooking liquid, discarding the shells and vegetables. If necessary, add enough water or chicken broth to make 4 cups. Chop the chicken coarsely and set aside with shrimp.

Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy kettle. Add the sausage, green bell pepper, green onion, remaining 1/2 cup onion, remaining 1/4 cup celery, and remaining garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid, the remaining teaspoon of salt, the tomatoes with their juice, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in the rice; simmer over medium-low heat, tightly covered, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, or about 25 minutes.

Remove the kettle from the heat, stir in the reserved shrimp and chicken, cover, and heat through. If desired, sprinkle jambalaya with green onion or parsley before serving.

Let the good times roll! ;)

I usually have a box of the Jambalaya mix for a quick mid-week dinner. All I have to do is pick up a sausage (I've also used Linguisa) and/or thaw some shrimp. I like the directions using extra rice and tomato sauce. That way I have enough leftover for lunch the next day.

110, 111 Looks like my instincts have been good with the upgrade ingredients. Thanks for the recipe!

112 It really does work well for one of those quick dinners one sometimes needs!

Title: Iron House
Author: John Hart
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Subject: murder, family, change, deceptions, secrets
Setting: Starts in NYC, but mostly set in North Carolina
Series: no
Dates Read: finished 1/17/12
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: not sure
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? NO
My Rating:
Notes: For group read on 12 in 12 category challenge.

This was a solid thriller, with lots of twists and turns. The central character is an unlikely protagonist -- a mob hit man who wants out of "the business." His background growing up with his younger brother in the grim orphanage "Iron House" becomes central to the story. This book has lots of dead bodies and violence, but it also has some very compelling and complicated characters and some dandy surprises. One occasionally needs to suspend disbelief, but overall it's a very good thriller.

You're welcome! I almost had to go out and get the ingredients to make myself up a batch! LOL The weather deterred me! -40C here with the windchill! BRRRRR!!!

115 Wow, BRRRR is right! I think I'd want to stay indoors, too.

It seems like most of us who read Iron House really enjoyed it. I just find it a little difficult to explain to those who haven't read it how the reader ends up rooting for a mob hit man. :)

The audio I listened to had an interview with the author at the end of it. He said this was the most difficult book he'd written, and that Michael was the most difficult character he'd written, for that very reason: how to make readers care about this killer. He said he started the book over nine times before he was satisfied.

To weigh in on Iron House: I think it really says something about an author who can make you empathize with a cold blooded killer. Michael is seriously flawed, yet you want him to have a reasonably happy ending.

>117 DeltaQueen50: It's like all the Dexter fans rooting for a serial killer, maybe?

119 You're absolutely right, Lisa!

120 I guess that could be!

I finished a book:


Title: Graveyard Dust: A Benjamin January mystery
Author: Barbara Hambly
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Subject: January's sister is accused of murder
Setting: New Orleans, 1834
Series: Benjamin January #3
Dates Read: finished 1/20/12
Number of pages: 401+
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used several years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: On the Bayou
How does it fit the category? Set around New Orleans
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? January, for first month challenge
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes: for 12 in 12 monthly sub-challenge

In this book set in 1834 New Orleans, Benjamin January's sister Olympe is accused of helping another woman to murder her husband. Issues of slavery and the status of free men and women of color are, as usual, front and center as the story unfolds. This book also deals with voodoo; it's interesting to see how, on the one hand, it was commonly lumped together with witchcraft and devil worship by Anglos and French whites alike; yet many white citizens would happily pay for voodoo potions and gris gris when seeking solutions to problems.

I have mixed feelings about this one. Like others I've read in this series, it was rather difficult to get into. There are so many characters, with rather complicated relationships; the characters are sometimes referred to by first name, sometimes by last name; many of the names are French, which makes them harder to differentiate to English-speaking ears, and both Anglicized and authentic French versions of the same name are sometimes used; of course, there are related characters with same last name; and even the Anglo names tend to not be easy to differentiate. (Among the few Anglos are Greenaway and Granville, for example.) I'm constantly looking back, thinking "who was that, and how is he/she related to the other characters?"

Yet I'm glad I read this book. I enjoyed the historical detail; I also appreciated the author's foreward and afterward admitting the limits of available knowledge on some subjects. Since whites of the time dismissed voodoo or lumped it together with other religious practices they found "exotic," no formal study of it was done until many years after this book takes place; Hambly admits having to extrapolate from later sources on that subject, seeking to discern what came before. I personally, thinking back, am not sure I "buy" how she drew the character of one real historical person she used, the famous Voodoo Queen Marie Leveau. But it worked for the book.

I rather appreciated the theological questions raised by this book. The adult Benjamin January is a devout Catholic; his sister Olympe is a voodooienne. As a Catholic, he prays for his sister's salvation from what he sees as a life of idolatry; he tries to put his own trust in God, but finds himself nonetheless fearing the power of Voodoo, as he was taught to as a child; Mamzelle Marie challenges him to broaden his understanding of God. Wherever your personal beliefs come down on the issues, these are complex and significant spiritual matters. There are also issues of the nature of evil and of forgiveness.

Looks like my my public library has most of this series. I'm not really sure if I would like it or not, but I might start at the first in the series (if I can find it, since it is one of the 3 installments they lack) and see how I like it.

>121 tymfos: Nice review, Terri. I just finished A Free Man of Color and I'm planning to read more in the series. I'm sorry to know that the confusing names and slow pace continue in later books; I'd hoped she was just getting the scene set in the first book. The voodoo sounds interesting. I know so little about that time in New Orleans that I hadn't even realized that Marie Leveau was a real person!

>122 thornton37814: I thought the society in New Orleans in 1833 was fascinating, Lori. I think my interest in continuing the series has more to do with the history than the mystery.

122 What a shame that they don't have the first book, Lori. It really is a series best started from the beginning.

123 Thanks! The second book in the series has a prominent role for another infamous historical figure from New Orleans' past.

I'm sure that I can probably locate a copy of the first in the series at one of the used bookstores in the area. It's just a matter of remembering to look for it the next time I'm at one of them.

From what you and others say, I'll make a note to make a character name- and relationship-tree when I start the series! :)

Eva, that's a good idea!

That's going to be a BIG tree :) I'm about half-way through.

Yeah, massive!


Title: Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace
Author: Cathleen Falsani
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Subject: grace
Setting: all over the world
Dates Read: 1/19/12 through 1/22/12
Number of pages: 219 plus credits and permissions
Off the Shelf?) Source?: Yes, Ollies
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? about faith
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First things First -- God is first!
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes: Falsani is the former religion columnist for the Chicago Sun Times; now is with Sojourners

Author Cathleen Falsani calls herself a "liberal" and also a "born-again Christian." Those are tags that don't go together in the minds of most Americans, I suspect, but they fit her. In one of the essays in this book, she mourns how the label "born again" has been turned into a recipe with set steps and uniform result. Her God (like mine) is more complicated than that, and I appreciate that.

Indeed, her born-again faith is much more complex than that of many I know who brandish that label, and in that I sense an authenticity. She admits to "moments of great faith followed immediately by sheer panic." She struggles with the fact that, having been born-again at age 10, most of her big mistakes have come after being saved, not before. Mostly, she mourns that so many who call themselves Christian can't see the forest for the trees; that too many folks are caught up in petty legalisms and have lost sight of the true basics of the Christian life: grace and love. That's where the title comes in: "Sin boldly" is from a quote by one of Martin Luther's letters written during the Protestant Reformation; a reminder that obsession with legalism can make us too timid to be any earthly good to God and our neighbors. If we act (and even if we don't), we will eventually stumble and sin, even with the best of intentions; but whatever we do, we ought to do boldly, in the confidence that God's grace covers us.

In this book, Falsani travels the world seeking moments of grace in a variety of surroundings. From the slums of Nairobi to a cottage on Lake Champlain; from the Katrina-ravaged Gulf coast to an African safari; in the struggles of both her mother and her pet cat against breast cancer (who knew cats got breast cancer?), Falsani experiences, and shares with the reader, startling moments of grace.

I found this book thought-provoking and moving. Falsani is not perfect, and doesn't claim to be, but her book was the perfect fit for where I've been spiritually these days.

Poster board rather than notebook paper - gotcha! :)

LOL!

Title: Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder: What it is and how to Overcome It, Revised Edition
Author: Norman E. Rosenthal
Copyright/Year of original publication:2006
Subject: The impact of seasonal changes upon mood
Dates Read: finished 1/23/12
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased at library sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color My World
How does it fit the category? "Blues"
Alternate category "Doctor, Doctor" or "Help!"
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? N/A
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

Apparently, the author was involved in the ground-breaking research which first documented and defined the impact of seasonal changes upon mood --Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), commonly referred to as "the winter blues," though some people actually have difficulty with summer -- and how light therapy and other treatments can be of help. The book helps to define what it is and offers tips on dealing with it: do it yourself strategies for those with mild cases, and what can be done with professional help for those more seriously afflicted. My own mild "winter blues" do not rise (or, rather, sink) nearly to the level of full-scale SAD which, in it's full-blown form, can be truly incapacitating.

The book also offers interesting historical and even literary examples of how the seasons have impacted people over the centuries. It seems well-written and comprehensive. There is even a section with recipes designed to help beat the "carb cravings" many people with SAD crave.

I'm a little skeptical -- I understand and accept what he says about the physical impact of light/lack thereof upon the human organism; but I do think he downplays the ordinary psychological impact of a season where the weather keeps people from doing so many things they enjoy doing.

#132 Terri, that one sounds good. I have a mild case as well. For me, it's not really the lack of light. It's more the cooped up feeling when I can't get out for days on end.

Knock on wood, that hasn't been a problem this winter.

>132 tymfos: Once upon a time I too would have been skeptical, but now that I've lived for so long in the incessant winter rain and gray skies of Western Oregon, I'm a believer. I don't get seriously depressed, but when we haven't seen the sun for a month or more, it does get me down. Given the smiles and friendliness of everyone when the sun finally does come out again, I'd say it's pretty common -- and it especially seems to affect people who grew up where there was sunshine in the winter (as I did, in Eastern Oregon).

133 Linda, the "cooped up" feeling is a big factor for me, too.

134 Ivy, I don't doubt that light is a big factor in the winter blues. I just don't think it's the only factor worth mentioning. Actually he mentions other factors, like being "cooped up," but I don't think he takes them seriously enough, even though he admits that light therapy alone isn't enough to help a good many people with SAD.

I've been implementing some of the less radical strategies suggested in the book. I'm not going out and buying a light therapy box, but I am opening my window blinds wide during the day, and generally trying to improve the light level in my home. I'm also driving with my sunroof exposed to the sun (not opening it up to the air, but sliding back the inside covering panel over the glass).

For me, I think that "cooped up" feeling is key. Especially when we have a weeklong frigid spell and I don't get outside. Even the short walk from the car to the building at work helps.

This winter has been so mild (and I certainly hope it continues) that I haven't felt cooped up at all.

136 I'm accustomed to walking to work (about an 8 minute in good conditions), but when it's icy I'm afraid to, as it is down a steep hill which makes footing especially treacherous. It makes a big difference, just losing that little bit of exercise and fresh air.

Hi, Terri - I can't believe that it has taken me this long to find your thread. But I've got you starred now. You'll have to try harder if you want to lose me again!

Hi, Sandy! This year it seems easier than ever to get lost, and to lose people, here on LT . . . I cannot keep up with all the threads! I'm glad you've found me.

Title: The Invisible Ones
Author: Stef Penney
Copyright/Year of oriinal publication: 2012
Subject: searching for a missing person among English gypsies
Setting: England
Dates Read: finished 1/27/12
Number of pages: 401 (ARC bound proofs)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, 2011 ARC bound proofs from LT ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? Gypsies / nomadic existence
Alternate category one of the mystery categories
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? January/First things, Kind of fits, with word "Ones"
My Rating: 3.95 stars
Notes: LT ER program, bound proofs

I received an ARC of this book, in the form of bound uncorrected proofs, through the LT ER program. My review is based on that copy.

I was a bit slow getting into this book, but by halfway through it had grabbed me. I stayed up late last night, and was up early this morning reading over breakfast, again over lunch; grabbed it to finish as soon as I got home from work.

The book is told from the POV of two different characters -- Ray Lovell, a half-gypsy PI; and JJ, a teenage gypsy boy. There is a third POV, as Ray's entries are actually divided into two time frames for much of the book. Some take place in hospital after an event that affected his memory, and some take place at a time before he landed in the hospital. It sounds complicated, but it works.

Ray was hired to find the daughter of a gypsy, a young woman who hasn't been seen nor heard from since not long after her marriage into another Romany gypsy family. But this is no simple missing persons case; there are twists and turns a plenty. As the story moved along, I was pulled into the story trying to figure out what was really going on.

The book offers a fascinating look into gypsy life. I know little on the subject, but the level of detail suggests that Penney researched the subject thoroughly. The characters were, for the most part, interesting and thoughtfully drawn, with one exception that is noted below.

The book was not perfect. Some aspects seemed a little bit implausible. JJ's behavior starting about midway through the book didn't ring true to the character as he had been portrayed up to that point. I supposed one can chalk it up to teenage temperament and a rather unstable home situation? Someone prejudiced against Gypsies might explain it by just saying, "eventually, blood will tell." Actually, for this book, that's not such a bad line; blood was everything and everywhere in this book: bloodlines, blood ties, "black blood," blood diseases, bloodshed.

I also found the final twist a little implausible, at least at first glance. But then, putting together facts known to one narrator and not to the other, it suddenly came clearer.

The Invisible Ones was a compelling literary mystery with an unusual cast of characters. I enjoyed the book very much.

Title: Death at La Fenice
Author: Donna Leon
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Subject: famous conductor poisoned during intermission of opera
Setting: Venice, Italy
Series: Inspector Brunetti #1
Dates Read: started 1/28/12; finished 1/29/12
Number of pages: 278
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, purchased used several years ago.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color my World
How does it fit the category? international -- set in Italy
Alternate category mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First things First / first in series
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

This is a marvelously well-written novel, with a marvelous sense of place and realistic, well-developed characters. Inspector Brunetti is a delightful protagonist. The mystery itself was slightly less appealing than the setting and characters who populated it. Some of this may be attributed to a spoiler I saw on another LT thread. But there were still plenty of surprises in store, despite a basic knowledge of "who dunnit." I can't say I particularly liked the ending.

I love his home life. Such a departure from other mystery series where the main character has drama to complicate matters.

Uh-oh another new series! I have had this one on my radar for some time, but have been trying to hold off until I get caught up on a few more of my multiple on-going series.

#141 I love the Donna Leon series! I haven't read many of them (3 or 4, I think) but they get better and better.

Already have Death at La Fenice on the tbr shelves. Just haven't gotten around to it yet but maybe it'll make it this year. Another positive review always helps in the decision process of what to pick up next.

142 Indeed! A far cry from the tortured souls who catch murderers in so many other series.

143 I am so swamped in different series, Judy. I think I'm caught up on two or three, and the rest are all in various stages of being totally behind.

144 Sandy, I have the second waiting for me on the shelf, and I think I'll dive right in when I finish the novel I'm reading now.

145 Dave, I think it sat on my shelf for a couple of years. I'm sure I should have read it sooner!

Finished my latest audio book:


Title: The Murder at the Vicarage AUDIO
Author: Agatha Christie
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1930
Subject: death in the vicar's study
Setting: a small village in England
Series: Miss Marple #1
Dates Read: finished 1/30/12
Number of pages: N/A (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color My World
How does it fit the category? set in England
Alternate category any mystery or series catagory
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? first things first / first in series
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes: Narrated by James Saxon

I think Agatha Christie and her famous character Miss Marple need no introduction. This was a good, solid mystery with some clever twists. My audio book was competently narrated by James Saxon.

Managed to finish off one last book for January, just under the wire:


Title: The Coroner's Lunch
Author: Colin Cotterill
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Setting: Laos, 1976
Series: Dr. Siri Paiboun #1
Dates Read: finished 1/31/12
Number of pages: 257
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used somewhere pre-2012
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color My World
How does it fit the category? setting in Laos; non US writer
Alternate category mystery or series categories, perhaps even "spooky"
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First in series
My Rating: not sure yet
Notes:

I'm still thinking about this one. I'll probably post a review eventually. I enjoyed it, but it was very different.

I just finished that one too! I'm liking this TIOLI idea - it means a lot of people end up reading the same books without having a planned group read. :)

Eva, I notice that you'd read it and, as I recall, liked it. It's quite unusual, isn't it?

I did like it a lot. The supernatural stuff threw me for a loop at first, but I liked the characters so much, especially Siri and his staff, that I decided to suspend my belief. I'm planning to read the second one in the series this month.

The supernatural stuff threw me for a loop at first, but I liked the characters so much, especially Siri and his staff, that I decided to suspend my belief.

That was exactly my reaction, Eva! Mind you, I read a lot of paranormal stuff, but this was different, and it did throw me a bit . . . but I really liked Siri and he, himself, was so bewildered by it all and trying (though failing) to find a rational answer . . . yes, I just said, "this is fiction" so anything can happen!"

Title: He Who Fears the Wolf
Author: Karin Fossum
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1997
Subject: insanity, bank robbery, murder
Setting: rural Norway
Series: Inspector Sejer, #2
Dates Read: 2-1-2012 through 2-2-2012
Number of pages: 271
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: What's goin' on?
How does it fit the category? mystery -- and really starts out with reader wondering what is going on!
Alternate category color my world or any mystery/series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Two's / book is 2nd in series
My Rating:4.2 stars
Notes:

The book was great! The initial chapter or so had me scratching my head because it was clearly told from a mentally ill person's point of view; soon the narration became a bit more conventional and the mystery drew me in and I could barely put it down.

It's a really neat mystery involving a murder, a bank robbery, an escaped mental patient, a bank robber, and a troubled kid with a bow and arrow. All the people and crimes manage to intersect. The result is a suspenseful treat for the reader.

I almost gave this 4.5 stars, but dropped it because of the last paragraph. Just when one thought everything was settled, Fossum leaves the reader with a bit of unresolved suspense, though it's probably of a personal rather than crime-related nature.

He Who Fears the Wolf looks interesting. I'll have to check it out.

>153 tymfos: - or perhaps to leave a lead-in for the next book? May need to take one of those book bullets on this one. On the wish list it goes.

Oh - just noticed this is part of a series..

154 Thanks for stopping by my thread, Rachel! It was a good one, and it went by quickly!

155 Betty, definitely a lead-in for the next. This is the second in a series -- the first one, Don't Look Back, was great, too, and I have no doubt that the next will also be good, based on what I've heard about it. The main character is Inspector Sejer.

Another series that is waiting for me to start with the first book on the tbr shelves. Good to hear you enjoyed the second.

I didn't realize till after I left my message and went to check it out that it was book 2 in a series. I might end up adding them to the wishlist.

157 Hi, Dave! Glad to hear that you have the first one on the shelf. Enjoy it when you get to it!

158 Betty, they are both good. Also, I think that the second can be read independently of the first -- except for that ending (which really doesn't affect the mystery, just the character development) it's pretty self-contained. And I don't remember any spoilers for the first book in the second.

Title: The Fitzgerald Ruse (AUDIO book)
Author: Mark de Castrique
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Subject: Murder and possible criminal fallout from two wars.
Setting: Asheville, North Carolina, USA
Series: Sam Blackman #2
Dates Read: finished 2/7/12
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library loan download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: On and On
How does it fit the category? series
Alternate category any mystery category, or even color my world (his name)
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Terrible Twos/ #2 in series
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I love this series featuring former US Army Chief Warrant Officer Sam Blackman, who lost a leg in the Iraq conflict. I love the characters, the setting (Asheville, NC), the back-story. I love the way de Castrique manages to include explanations which make even obvious coincidences in the story make sense. It's fascinating to hear how Sam copes with life minus one leg -- how the prosthetics work, how he compensates for the lost leg in different situations. I also like the literary element that's included in each story, involving a famous author from Asheville's past.

As Sam and his partner Nakayla celebrate the opening of their new PI agency, they are hired by a homebound elderly lady to retrieve a lock box from her safe deposit box. Sam is also contacted by a former colleague from Iraq and warned that a ring of criminals they dealt with in their military work together is now gunning for them. Of course, before you know it, there's a body lying in Sam & Nakayla's new office -- and the story takes off. These are intelligent mysteries, but they have a fair amount of action, too. They are not cozies but not hard-boiled, mile-a-minute action tales, either; they contain moderate, but not excessive, violence.

I can hardly wait to get my hands on the third installment, The Sandburg Connection.

It's become one of my favorites series too, Terri! I liked The Sandburg Connection so much that it inspired a trip over to the Sandburg house (which is just across the mountain a little ways).

Thanks for the review of He Who Fears the Wolf. I'd read the first Inspector Seyer mystery last year and enjoyed it, and you've reminded me that I really should seek out this second one!

161 Hi, Lori! I'm glad to see that the quality of the series has continued with The Sandburg Connection.

162 I think this one may have been even better than the first, Pauline!

Title: Drowning in Oil: BP & the Reckless Pursuit of Profit
Author: Loren C. Steffy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Subject: BP safety issues & disasters, including the Deepwater Horizon / Macondo oil well blowout & Gulf oil spill and the Texas City BP oil refinery fire of March, 2005
Setting: Worldwide
Dates Read: finished 2/8/2012
Number of pages: 259 plus sources, notes, & index
Off the Shelf? Source?: Barely hit the shelf, but owned; gift
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? disasters
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? n/a
My Rating: 3.6 stars
Notes:

This was a pretty interesting account of BP operations and how their corporate culture may have led to some very public failures: the massive oil spil in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and the Texas City refinery fire of 2005 being the most prominent. Sometimes I got the feeling that the writer had too much of an agenda. There were sections that I found a bit sketchy. But most of what he said fit with things I've read elsewhere. The account of BP history was a bit sketchy, but sufficient for the purposes of the book. The accounts of the disasters were gripping but not overdone. There were notes and a list of sources, but the author acknowledges using a number of anonymous sources inside and outside BP who were afraid to have their names known.

Title: Birds of a Feather
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: a missing woman and a murder, for starters.
Setting: England, early 1930's
Series: Maisie Dobbs #2
Dates Read: finished 2/9/12
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, borrowed from a friend
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: on an on
How does it fit the category? series
Alternate category any mystery category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Terrible Two's / #2 in series
My Rating: not sure yet
Notes:

I'm not sure this was the right book for my mood right now. But it's a good book. I like the characters, especially Maisie. It gives a good view of the time and place in which it is set.

Title: The Cypress House
Author: Michael Koryta
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Setting: Florida, September 1935 (Great Depression)
Dates Read: 2/12/12 through 2/14/12
Number of pages: 424
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes / purchased last year at Borders final clearance
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? paranormal element
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I love Michael Koryta's writing, and I haven't been disappointed by any of his books yet. The Cypress House has a paranormal element which is significant but doesn't by any means dominate the story line. There is plenty of down-to-earth suspense and action, too. I like the blend. I love the atmosphere that he conveys. I enjoy the characters he crafts -- both the good and the evil ones.

The fact that he works into his story the massive hurricane of Labor Day weekend, 1935 was a bonus for this history loving reader!

This was a great book to ward off a reading funk!

Title: Dead to You
Author: Lisa McMann
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: 7-year-old child abducted; troubled16-year-old finally returned to family with no memory of abduction or time before.
Setting: Minnesota
Series: no
Dates Read: 02/17/12
Number of pages: 242
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Anything at All
How does it fit the category? doesn't fit other categories well
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? No
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I picked this up this YA thriller and could hardly put it down till I saw how it ended.

Imagine being a 16-year-old reunited with a family you don't remember. Imagine having a child abducted and, nine years later, getting back a 16-year-old who has been through who knows what? Imagine seeing your big brother abducted and, nine years later, suddenly welcoming a 16-year-old virtual stranger as roommate and family member? And how does a six-year-old girl relate to a teenage brother she never met before?

Lisa McMann's Dead to You explores the chaos that ensues following a seemingly-miraculous reunion between a family and a long-missing child. It is not smooth sailing as Ethan desperately tries to retrieve lost memories and adjust to a life very different from that which he has led for the past nine years. His brother Blake is openly hostile to him, picking fights at every opportunity. Well-meaning people send him into panic attacks with their attention and incessant questions. His overprotective Mama refuses him any freedom. Slowly, conflict escalates and the reconstituted family begins to come apart at the seams. The main thing keeping Ethan somewhat sane is his friendship -- developing into something more? -- with the neighbor girl Cami.

This book was a real page turner. The ending is a stunner. Don't look for "happily ever after."

I am going to add this one to my wishlist. Terri. It sounds a lot like The Deep End of the Ocean which I read a number of years ago.

Judy, I haven't read Deep End of the Ocean, so I can't compare them. Do be aware that this one is YA, which in itself will probably give it a very different feel. The actual writing is nothing special -- it's not great literature -- but I found the story very compelling.

Thanks, Terri, I have to admit I find this subject fascinating.

I will definitely look for this book to add to my library!

I too am adding this to my wishlist, I found The Deep End of the Ocean very captivating when I read it and a YA spin to the story would be interesting to read.

170 Me too, Judy. This one has a particular spin as it plays out that's a little different.

171 Hi! I seem to recall that you're a school librarian. I've read some YA that was mild, but this one is definitely meant for the older teens. There's some rough language, and it's a rather mature topic.

172 I hope you like it, Eva.

Title: Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life
Author: James Martin, S.J.
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Subject: The role of humor in the spiritual life
Dates Read: finished 2/21/12
Number of pages: 144 plus sources, notes, bibliography, index, etc.
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, e-book loan from Overdrive, public library
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? spirituality
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? No
My Rating: not sure yet
Notes:

I enjoyed this book about the role of "joy, humor, and laughter" in the spiritual life. Author James Martin is a Jesuit priest, and acknowledges that most of his observations come from the Christian, (and specifically Roman Catholic) perspective. But he also invokes examples from other world religions in assuring readers that holiness does not require a long face and dour outlook. Humor, he would suggest, is a gift from God. And the New Testament tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. He makes it clear that there are kinds of humor that aren't godly -- mainly, those that denigrate or hurt other people. But a good-hearted laugh is good for the soul.

The author acknowledges from the beginning that this book is not intended as a scholarly work; however, he cites the works of scholars. This book has footnotes and an index, and a good list of sources to consult for further information. While he uses a lot of examples from his Roman Catholic, Jesuit tradition, he comfortably defines terms with which those from other traditions may not be familiar.

This book isn't perfect -- the author repeats himself a bit too much for such a short book. He acknowledges this, however, noting that repetition is a didactic tool commonly used by Jesuit teachers. I liked it enough that I may purchase my own copy for future use. (I read a library download loan.) I found it helpful -- and it made me laugh.

Teri, I am actually the library clerk. Due to budget woes, there is one librarian that works in three high schools so I'm pretty much on my own most of the time. She has delegated the task of purchasing books to me for this library (darn ;-)) so I am always on the lookout for good ones. Many kids prefer the more edgy books. I can't tell you how many requests I've had for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

#174 This book sounds terrific. I need to look for a copy. Adding it to the tbr list.

175 Due to budget woes, there is one librarian that works in three high schools

Budget woes! Our school system is small enough to have only three schools total (elementary, middle, HS) in one inter-connected complex. There used to be separate media centers for the elementary and for the middle/HS, but when the middle/HS librarian retired, they eliminated her position and combined the two media centers (which were side by side) into one -- with one librarian for the whole school system. She has some help from some teachers, and I try to go in one afternoon per week as a parent volunteer to help out where I can. At least everything is all in one place, so the librarian can still oversee things. On the other hand, having everything all in one place is not always ideal when you have preK-through-12 materials all in one space -- especially when they were originally processed/tagged assuming separate libraries. And no one in the administration seems to have made sufficient provision to allow for all the work involved in relocating, re-labeling, etc. along with the regular library workload, IMO.

176 Linda, it was pretty good. And I don't normally read YA. I like the way he thinks.

ETA: Oops! I was responding to you thinking of the other book under discussion. Amended.

Budget woes & libraries seem to go hand in hand lately.

True, Lori. It's just the world we live in these days.

@ 174 -- Between Heaven and Mirth sounds like fun -- and I think I remember seeing Fr. Martin on "The Colbert Report," so now I have to read it!

I hope you enjoy it, Christina. I did!

Title: The Great American Gamble: How the 1979 Daytona 500 Gave Birth to a NASCAR Nation
Author: Joe Menzer
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Subject: The first Daytona 500 televised live in its entirety -- with lots of NASCAR history as background
Setting: Daytona Beach, FL
Dates Read: "Speed Weeks" 2012 -- finished 2/25/12
Number of pages: 279 (including photos) plus bibliography and index
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased at Ollies in 2010
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: The Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? Sports
Alternate category King of the Road
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Not part of monthly theme; read for Speed Weeks
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This book was a decent read, well-written. I knew a lot of the information already; I'm sure much of it was touched on in Menzer's earlier work, The Wildest Ride, a history of NASCAR, which I read some time ago, and in other books I've read about NASCAR.

There was an hours-long rain delay yesterday before NASCAR decided it must post postpone the Daytona 500 for a day due to weather. The quiet afternoon (with son taking a nap and hubby channel surfing) gave me a chance to get through my second "Speed Weeks" read.


Title: At the Altar of Speed: the Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt
Author: Leigh Montville
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Subject: life of Dale Earnhardt/impact on popular culture
Dates Read: 2/25/12 through 2/27/12
Number of pages: 203
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: purchased 2011 used
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? he was a 7-time champion
Alternate category King of the Road
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? doesn't; it's a Speed Weeks read
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This is one of the many books about the stock car great Dale Earnhardt that were hurried to press in 2001 following his death in that year's Daytona 500. I suspect this is one of the better ones. Published by Doubleday, written by a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, it seemed fairly accurate and balanced for a hurried publication. I did notice a few minor errors (mainly regarding NASCAR procedure); there may have been others that I wouldn't recognize regarding specifics of Earnhardt's life, but nothing obvious.

Montville was a "general assignment" writer, meaning not a motorsports specialist, but he had interviewed Earnhardt in his later years and developed an interest in his career and public perceptions of the man. This book opened each chapter with an example of fans' (or in some cases, fellow drivers') expressions of sorrow over Earnhardt's death, then proceeded to give part of Dale's life story. He also analyzed the nature of Earnhardt's appeal to such a devoted fan base.

I'm always a little leery of books that take advantage of interest in the death of a popular figure. In his introduction, the author was decent enough to thank those willing to talk to him in the months immediately following Earnhardt's death, and to say he understood and respected those who did not want to talk. I still probably took half a star away for the timing of the book and an element of the format: the title, and the fact that the opening segment of each chapter was titled "at the altar." It just seemed a bit over the top.

But I found the book a mostly effective telling of a true American rags-to-riches story, and an honest and respectful look at a NASCAR star who died too soon.

Title: The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote
Author: Shelby Foote
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1963
Dates Read: 1/12 through 2/29/12
Number of pages: 966+
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes/Owned for a number of years
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? US history
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Two's -- volume 2
My Rating: 4.5 stars.
Notes:

I'm not sure there's anything to say about this book that hasn't already been said. The trilogy of which this volume is a part is a classic work of narrative history. Shelby Foote made history come alive in these pages.

Wow, you finished the second in the Shelby Foote trilogy. Congrats are in order--that's one huge book.

Thanks, Linda! Yeah, that's a real door stopper -- but a good one!

I probably need to go back and re-read the last 30 pages or so. I was really too tired to be reading anything but fluff at that point in the evening, so there were details that the brain just didn't process properly. But I was determined to finish the book by the end of February, and I finished it around 11:30 p.m. last night.

I've owned the volume for years (so I'm counting it among my "off the shelf" reads), but I did "cheat" and download the audio from the library so I could listen to some of it while driving & doing housework. If I hadn't done that, I would not have finished it when I did! But that is one book I could not have done strictly on audio -- I needed the book to refer back to on a regular basis when I was listening.

You were up late (or very early), Linda. I hope you're OK and the violent weather in the Midwest didn't reach as far north in Illinois as you are? I haven't been on the threads much (I was busy with Mr. Foote:-) but my thoughts are with any folks in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana who were impacted last night, or the night before in Kansas and wherever else the tornadoes may have struck.

This was a very quick book, but very interesting. We ordered it in for a patron as an ILL at our library; the patron returned it early, so I decided I wanted a look at it:


Title: Appalachia: A Self-Portrait
Author: edited by Wendy Ewald
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1979
Subject: black-and-white photography by seven Appalachian photographers
Setting: West Virginia, Kentucky
Dates Read: 2/29/12 through 3/1/12
Number of pages: pages are not numbered
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, ILL
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? slice of Americana
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? N/A
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This was just something very different. It's a book featuring the work of the Mountain Photography Workshop, a group of seven photographers working in West Virginia and Kentucky. It consists mostly of photographs, with an introduction and also the stories of some of the people photographed. Some of the photos are cozy, some are sad, some are very strange. Many are quite haunting.

I had to put this book aside for a day or so to finish my massive non-fiction tome for February, but I picked it back up and hardly put it down (except when necessary) until done!


Title: Boundary Waters
Author: William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1999
Subject: Murder and a search for a missing woman
Setting: The "Boundary Waters" -- a backwoods lake area in northern Minnesota
Series: Cork O'Connor #2
Dates Read: finished 3/1/12
Number of pages:402
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, ILL
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: On and On
How does it fit the category? Series
Alternate category any mystery category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Fits Mystery March / was meant to be part of "Two" challenge for February (2nd in series)
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This one was hard to put down. It's very exciting, filled with unexpected twists, and a marvelous wilderness setting. I also enjoyed the Native American elements of the story. By the end, there was quite a body count -- but not too many grisly details.

Glad you are enjoying the Cork O'Connor series. I really liked the Native American and wilderness aspects too.

I read a book by Krueger and last year and enjoyed it very much. I'm glad to hear this one is a winner too.

189, 190 Hi! I think this one was even better than the first in the series. I plan to read more.

Another mystery for March:


Title: Red Bones
Author: Ann Cleeves
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Subject: suspicious deaths at an archaeological dig
Setting: Shetland Islands
Series: Shetland Quartet #3
Dates Read: 3/2/12 through 3/5/12
Number of pages: 392
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Off the shelf, bought last year at Border's closing sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color my World
How does it fit the category? "red" in title, set in Shetland Islands
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Marvelous Mystery March (3M): third in series, mystery
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This is another fine installment in Ann Cleeve's series set in the Shetland Islands. Like the first two, it's rather slow-paced and very atmospheric. Cleeves is great at dissecting the mixed motives, crass assumptions, and skewed perceptions that so often make human relationships a minefield. She also thoroughly understands the small village mentality that wants to know everyone else's business, but wants to keep one's own secrets. A complex mystery, and I did not guess "whodunit."

Glad to hear it's good. I'm looking forward to starting it, just don't know when I will be able to fit it in.

Judy, I love the way Cleeves gets into the heads of her characters to reveal all those petty little thoughts that lead to or result from them not liking certain people, or assuming that people don't like them. These books are definitely as much about setting and character development as they are about the mystery. It's not the pace I'd want from every mystery I read, but Cleeves is so spot-on with her characters (likeable and unlikeable) that I enjoy her books.

I totally agree Terri, Cleeves is great with her characters, and I also love the Shetland Island setting.

Seconding Judy's comment, but the more I hear from people about it, the more I'm raring to go. :)

Hi, Terri! Both Krueger and Cleeves are authors I want to try... now even more!

Hi, Judy, Eva, and Ivy! So glad you stopped by.

Title: Butchers Hill
Author: Laura Lippman
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998
Subject: Tess's first two cases for her own PI office; both deal with foster care & adoption issues, one with murder
Setting: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Series: Tess Monaghan #3
Dates Read: finished 3/7/12
Number of pages: 275
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Off the shelf; sent by Stasia
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: On and On
How does it fit the category? Series
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? 3M -- marvelous Mystery March -- 3rd in series and mystery
My Rating:3.7 stars
Notes:

I started this book not sure if I'd like it. But before I knew it I was hooked. Kept picking it up when I should be doing other things. It's a definite improvement over the previous installment in the series, which wasn't too shabby itself.

Title: He Chose the Nails
Author: Max Lucado
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Subject: Faith and the Crucifixion
Dates Read: 2-22-12 through 3-7-12
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? devotional
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Read as a Lenten exercise
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

Lucado almost always leaves readers with some great mental images related to the faith; he often finds new ways of talking about familiar religious concepts. I liked most of his text; the study guide written by someone else, which takes up almost half the book, was less satisfying. IMO, many of the questions would not work well for new or prospective Christians using only the Bible citations given as reference; they require a fair familiarity with theological/biblical concepts.

**fake exasperated sigh**
Another book keeping me up late, that I couldn't put down!


Title: When the Devil Holds the Candle
Author: Karin Fossum
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998 (Norwegian) 2004 (English Translation)
Subject: the tangled webs of destruction that people weave
Setting: Norway
Series: Inspector Sejer
Dates Read: finished 3/10/12
Number of pages: 259
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased 2011 at Border's closing sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: What's Goin' On
How does it fit the category? mystery
Alternate category any series or mystery category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? 3M/ Mystery March & Third in Series
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

My, the tangled web that people can weave! This book has a little of everything: greed, selfishness, bigotry, homophobia, violence, madness. Fossum does madness with style. In the earliest part of the book, she throws out assorted story lines and POVs, allows them to dance a bit, and when the dust settles -- abracadabra! -- a compelling thriller emerges.

Andreas and Zipp, best friends still in their teens, are out on the town and raising some hell. Oh, and hell is pretty much what is in store for them -- especially one of them -- when they take on first a young mother, then a strange older woman. (Harmless, is she? NOT!!)

This is not so much a "whodunit" as a "what is it," "what's going on," "what happens next," and "how will it all sort out -- or will it?"

Oooooo... When the Devil Holds the Candle sounds good. Wish it was in the house. I'd read it until morning. ;)

not so much a "whodunit" as a"what is it," "what's going on," "what happens next," and "how will it all sort out -- or will it?"

Well, that put it firmly on my wishlist. I think I have one of her books somewhere on Mt. TBR - I think I'm going to have to dig it out sooner than planned!

Hi, Katie and Eva. It was a pretty suspenseful read!

Title: Wait Till Next Year
Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1997
Subject: memoir of her life growing up in the 50's on Long Island as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan
Setting: Rockville Center, Long Island, NY, USA
Series: no
Dates Read: finished 3/14/12
Number of pages: 257 plus acknowledgments & reading group guide
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? Sports emphasis
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? This is part of the Spring Training Read
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

I enjoyed this memoir by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. There is much more than baseball here -- it's her growing up experiences as a child of the suburban 1950's. But it pretty much begins and ends with baseball, and the game is a thread running through the entire book.

Title: The Dirty Secrets Club (AUDIO)
Author: Meg Gardiner
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: a deadly secret society
Setting: San Francisco, CA
Series: Dr. Jo Beckett #1
Dates Read: finished 3/16/12
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, public library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Doctor, Doctor
How does it fit the category? Protagonist is a psychiatrist
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Mystery March
My Rating: 2.7 stars
Notes:

I downloaded this audio because it was available and I saw someone recommend it here on LT. I almost abandoned it in the first chapter, which (IMO) was way over-the-top sensational. But I'd read in the reviews that the whole book wasn't like that, so I continued. In the middle, I became rather engrossed with the story as the suspense built and I got to know the characters. But I found the very end of the book rather unsatisfying and had trouble following the final explanation of how everything fit together. It just all seemed very convoluted to me.

I don't think this is a series I will continue.

Too bad you weren't warned to read only the middle of the book. ;)

LOL, Katie! Thanks for stopping by.

Title: Gods of Gotham
Author: Lindsay Faye
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: murder, religious bigotry, origins of the NYPD
Setting: New York City, 1845
Series: No (at least I don't know that she plans a sequel)
Dates Read: finished 3/21/12
Number of pages: 414 (in uncorrected proofs)
Off the Shelf? Pre-2012 or ER? Source?: Yes, ER, LT's ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: TBA
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Mystery March
My Rating: TBA
Notes:

I received an Early Reviewer copy of uncorrected proofs of this book from the publisher through the Library Thing Early Reviewer program, and my review is based on this copy.

In this historical mystery, set in 1845, Timothy Wilde gets a job on the newly-minted New York Police Department (courtesy of his politically-connected brother). Patrolling the 6th Ward, at the edge of the notorious Five-Points slum, he encounters a blood-soaked young girl.

This tale is filled with grim realities. Author Lindsay Faye vividly portrays the wretched poverty of the immigrants, and the tremendous religious bigotry that the Irish, in particular, faced as they fled Ireland's Potato Famine. (It never ceases to amaze me, the ungodly things that some people do allegedly in the name of God.) Each chapter begins with a genuine quotation from that era which demonstrates how much the Catholics were hated by the great majority of native New Yorkers. Particularly chilling is the exploitation of children, which appears to be accepted as a routine fact of life. But what Timothy Wilde uncovers about the fate of some children is shocking even for that place and time.

This book is very well written. Faye has clearly done her homework; this novel is filled with historical detail which brings 1845 New York City alive. The characters are complex and well-drawn, defying stereotypes. The biggest difficulty I had reading the book was that it was almost too well done. The story and setting is a grim one, indeed.

I also must note that for uncorrected proofs, this was amazingly clean copy -- thus I would wager that the finished edition will be free of the spelling/grammar errors too often found in books nowadays.

Hi Terri, your review of The Gods of Gotham has made me feel pretty confident that I would really like this book. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for it and, being an ER it can sit on my list for awhile. I have found sometimes a book sits too long on my list and when I got to find it, it's not easily available.

Hi Terri - I received GoG as an ER book, too, but haven't gotten to it yet. Sounds like one I will like, though.

209 Judy, it was pretty good -- just don't read it when you need something light or cheerful!

210 Katie, I imagine (and hope) that you will.

Oh, my, I am getting very behind on many threads. If I try to catch up with them, I'll never get any books read!

Title: And the Angels Were Silent
Author: Max Lucado
Dates Read: finished 3/23/12
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, e-book download from library
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? religious
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? A book for the Lenten season
My Rating: 2.70
Notes:

This book is designed to be read in it's entirety during Holy Week; it is split into sections for each day. But I read it a small bit at a time as a Lenten devotional. Maybe that's why it didn't work for me? Or maybe I've read too much Lucado, so that all that he writes is starting to sound the same. I just didn't get any fresh spiritual insights from this book. And he just sounds all too sure of himself, has it all down pat. I think I relate more to writers who struggle a bit spiritually. I don't know, maybe I'm just in a spiritually contentious mood. Not a total waste, but not one that I'd strongly recommend -- though it's worth noting, a lot of reviewers seem to disagree with me.

I listened to the last bits of this mystery as I cooked supper, and as I cleaned up the dishes:
75 Challenge Book #32
Title: The Crossing Places (AUDIO)
Author: Elly Griffiths
Copyright/Year of original publication: oddly, not given on recording
Subject: disappearances of young girls near an archaeological site
Setting: Tidal Marshes, Norfolk, England
Series: Ruth Galloway #1
Dates Read: finished 3/24/12
Number of pages: n/a (audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Magical mystery tour
How does it fit the category? mystery -- and references to magic
Alternate category any mystery / series category or Color My World
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Mystery March
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes: BBC Audio recording read by Jane McDowell

Ruth Galloway is a professor of forensic archaeology. When bones are found, the police ask for her help in dating the remains; the police wonder if they are those of a young girl missing for ten years, but they turn out to be antiquities. But this is the first step into a mystery, as another young girl goes missing shortly thereafter.

Ruth is an interesting character -- indeed, this book is loaded with odd characters, full of quirks and some strange ideas. And Ruth slowly realizes that any of them may be a murderer -- and she may be on the list of targets.

I enjoyed this mystery.

Crossing Places sounds really good and is on my list to be read during Mark's Murder and Mayhem May. My list is filling up so I may have to start wearing blinders when visiting your thread, Terri!

214 That blue print get to you, huh, Judy? Well it only seems fair, as your thread has significantly added to my wishlist! :)


Title: Purgatory Ridge
Author: William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Subject: environmental terrorism, revenge, greed, and kidnapping
Setting: Aurora, Minnesota
Series: Cork O'Connor #3
Dates Read: finished 3/26/12
Number of pages:352
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, ILL
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? disaster in the back story; potential disaster in the plot . . .
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Mystery March
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

The Cork O'Connor series just gets better and better. The setting is marvelous, the character development is great, and the plots are solid. There is sensitive treatment of controversial issues. There is courageous action -- not only by the male main character, but by women and children, too. There were also a few dandy plot twists in this compelling installment of the series.

Sabotage results in death at a lumber mill where environmentalists protest the logging of a stand of ancient pines that are sacred to the local Native American population. But that's only the beginning -- as persons dear to Cork O'Connor unexpectedly find themselves in harm's way.

All the action takes place in the shadow of a long-ago shipwreck (based on a true disaster of the Great Lakes). With my love of all things maritime, that got my attention in a special way!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable page-turner of a mystery. I can't wait to read the next in this series.

The Gods of Gotham sounds like a great novel. WL time!

It took a while for me to get into it -- and it's rather grim subject matter -- but I thought it quite well done.

Hey, everybody: April is Autism Awareness Month (at least in the U.S. -- I think some countries observe it in different months). I've started a thread for Autism Awareness Month reading over on the 75 Challenge group. Please join me for some April Reading Along the Autism Spectrum.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/135101

I'll probably check out the thread - when you're ready for a lighter book that deals with the subject of Autism, I'll recommend Al Capone Does my Shirts.

Thanks, Katie! I read and enjoyed Al Capone Does My Shirts a year or two ago, after hearing the author speak at a children's literature festival. (She was dynamite!) There is a sequel, Al Capone Shines my Shoes, which I may tackle this month.

Title: Sherman's March
Author: Burke Davis
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1980
Subject: General Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas during the US Civil War
Setting: Georgia, South & North Carolina
Dates Read: finished 4/2/12
Number of pages: 302 plus bibliography & indix
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, bought at library sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? US History
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? read for "March" theme (word "March" in title)
My Rating: 3.2 stars
Notes:

This is a narrative non-fiction account of William Tecumseh Sherman and his army's famous "march to the sea" and beyond. There are no footnotes, but there is an extensive bibliography. Many of the sources are not quite impartial; being diaries, letters, & memoirs of soldiers who participated in, and of Confederate residents who suffered in, areas afflicted by the march. Perhaps that accounts for some of the sense of contradiction. But I also get the sense that General Sherman was a bit of a contradiction himself. At times he was ruthless, at other times unexpectedly kind. He relentlessly practiced "total war," yet at times expressed regret over the pain caused to innocents. This is a man who would refuse to speak to an old West Point friend who turned Confederate, yet socialized freely with other Confederate citizens who were willing to spend time with him. This is a man loved as "Uncle Billy" by his troops during the famous march through Georgia and the Carolinas because of his apparent concern for their welfare; and yet who allowed many to fall by the wayside and die in a blistering march back to Washington after the war ended. Frankly, I cannot quite fathom the man.

Author Burke Davis does a creditable job of presenting a multi-faceted narrative about this complex historical figure and the controversial military campaign he led through the South. This book was full of information of which I was not fully aware; I especially didn't know the details of how Secretary of War Stanton ruthlessly attempted to libel him as a traitor when Sherman was negotiating for the surrender of Johnston's army. I guess politics has always been nasty.

Yikes! Sherman's March sounds like an interesting but unpleasant book. Did he actually quote the letters? I'd be interested in a book of diaries and letters organized in a way to describe the March.

It's full of little snippets of what different people said, some in quotation marks, some paraphrases.

Cool! Perhaps it's the fiction writer in me, but I love seeing the personal spin letters and quotes bring to events. Have you seen this letter? It was rediscovered recently and is a letter from a freed slave to his former master. http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/01/to-my-old-master.html

Yes, I've seen that marvelous letter, Katie!

BTW, Katie, I don't want to mislead you about Sherman's March. It does contain snippets of letters, diaries, and memoirs, but they are woven into the narrative. It's not a collection of quotations from such papers.

I figured that from what you said. He's trying to explain the experience of the march, not provide additional source material. It sounds well done, and of course without some background knowledge those letters can get confusing.

Title: Miracles & Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories from Doctors
Author: Nancy B. Kennedy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: uplifting stories from medical practice
Setting: clinics, hospitals, etc. around the world
Series: Miracles & Moments of Grace 2
Dates Read: finished 4/11/12
Number of pages: 231 plus acknowledgments, endnotes, & indix
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: yes, LT ER book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? book category Christian Inspiration
Alternate category Doctor, Doctor
Why did I read this now? was part of my Lenten devotional reading
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

I received a copy of this book through the LT Early Reviewer program, and this review is based on this book. There was no indication on the book that it was uncorrected proofs or anything different from what was released as a 1st edition; though I contacted the publisher to try to clarify this, no response was forthcoming.

This is a book of very short first-person stories by doctors (in some cases written by the doctors themselves, in some cases told to Nancy Kennedy for her to write, according to the preface). They are accounts of personal experiences with patients which the doctors found in some way inspiring. Some seemed close to outright miracles; some were merely thought-provoking or offered spiritual insights. Some of the stories featured overtly Christian references; others were "religious" in less specific ways; some were simply inspiring in ways that could be appreciated without a religious frame of reference. Almost all were thought provoking and enjoyable. The writing style was simple and straightforward. I must comment that one was one of the neatest "near death experience" stories I've ever read.

There was one major editing gaffe -- a paragraph which appeared in two places within 2 pages -- the reason I asked if my copy was uncorrected proofs. Otherwise, I have no complaints about the book. It certainly isn't great literature, but it's a lovely little pick-me-up to read stories from these doctors who obviously love and are committed to their work.

Title: The Likeness (E-Book)
Author: Tana French
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: undercover murder investigation
Setting: small village outside Dublin, Ireland
Series: Dublin Murder Squad #2
Dates Read: finished 4/11/12
Number of pages: n/a (varies with font size setting on e-reader)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Magical Mystery Tour
How does it fit the category? Mystery set in another country
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Why did I read this book now? Became available after a long wait on hold
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

I hate to rate this book, because it's such a mixed bag. The writing is lovely, the characters memorable, the setting novel and stirring. BUT the whole premise seemed implausible, as did the actions of the characters, and especially the actions and attitudes of the protagonist. So much of it just didn't make sense to me, how it could have happened that way, and WHY anyone would have done what was done the way it was done. There were too many holes in the plot for it to feel believable to me.

Mind you, I don't mind suspending disbelief for a good horror, science fiction, or fantasy novel. But in something that appears to be a police procedural, well I expect the action to have some connection to reality. This whole book was so unreal as to make it hard to get through. How could any professional police detective behave as stupidly as this woman did? Toward the very end it drew me in, but I never believed in it. Thus the relatively low rating.

>227 tymfos: The writing is lovely, the characters memorable, the setting novel and stirring. BUT...

That was pretty much my reaction to In the Woods, and I decided that I didn't want to continue with the series. But then I keep seeing such glowing reviews... and wonder if it was just my mood or something and if I should give her another chance. So, thanks for your thoughts on this one... despite the positive attributes, I feel more certain that her books are just not for me.

Ivy, I actually liked In the Woods and didn't like this one; so if you had reservations about In the Woods, I doubt you'd enjoy this one. I was really disappointed.

Title: Bag of Bones
Author: Stephen King
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998
Subject: secrets
Setting: (mostly) a lakeside area in western Maine
Dates Read: finished 4/13/12
Number of pages: n/a audio
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: No, library download
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? author named King
Alternate category Spooky
Why did I read this book now? in the mood for a Stephen King book, it was availabe as audio download
My Rating:
Notes: Mostly enjoyed via a Simon & Schuster audio narrated by the author, though I had the library copy of the book available.

This is Stephen King at his best, apt pupil of human nature and spinner of riveting and atmosphere-filled yarns. The setting for much of the story -- a haunting, haunted lakeside cabin in western Maine -- is rendered in crisp and unforgettable detail. The clannish locals, with their secrets, are recognizable to anyone who has ever lived in a small town. Of course, King takes them and their secrets to another, supernatural, level. But, in the end, it all works back to origins rooted in a small community's ugly secrets.

There is much evil in this book -- and while supernatural evil is present, the most hideous evil is rooted in the hearts and actions of people. There are a couple of very violent scenes in this book. I didn't like them, but I believe they are necessary to understand the point I just made above. (Interestingly, the protagonist -- a writer -- ponders the role of violence in fiction writing toward the end of the book.) The supernatural elements may be menacing, and in at least one instance downright dangerous, but in the end it all traces back to, as they say, "the evil that men (and women) do." Seeing that evil in all its grisliness is probably necessary to make the point. There are other points made here, too -- about the power of love, and how it can transcend even death. A thought-provoking (sometimes uncomfortably so) story, well-told.

Hi Terri - I loved In the Woods but have heard The Likeness is not nearly as good. The third one - Faithful Place - is supposed to be better.

I have Bag of Bones sitting on my shelves but haven't had the nerve to start it yet. I'm more scared of its size than anything in the pages :)

It is rather long, Katie, though not King's longest.

I found it went very quickly on the audio, and did most of it that way. And as a bonus, they had an interview with King at the end of the audio book.

I would not have thought that King would make a good narrator for one of his books. The times I have heard him speak he sounded rather nerdy and a little whiny. Now, Boris Karloff, on the other hand...

Granted, he doesn't have the most resonant "announcer"-type voice. But the character who was narrating this tale was a kind of nerdy writer kind of guy . . . :)

75 Challenge Book #38
Title: Blood Hollow
Author: William Kent Krueger
Copyright/Year of original pubication: 2004
Subject: Murder & miracles; both the beautiful and ugly realities of faith; doggedly pursuing the truth
Setting: Aurora, Minnesota
Series: Cork O'Connor #4
Dates Read: finished 4/21/12
Number of pages: 344
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: mix of audio download & ILL hard-copy (both with short loan terms, thus the need to use both with little time for reading!)
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? Anthony Award for Best Novel, 2005
Alternate category any series/mystery categories
Why did I read this book now? 4th in series, for April sub-challenge
My Rating: 4.6 stars
Notes:

The premise seems straightforward: a rebellious wealthy girl rides off drunk on her snowmobile and disappears after a New Year's Eve party; her body is found in the spring thaw; her Native-American ex-boyfriend (a known hell raiser) is charged with killing her. Cork, our hero, thinks the young man is innocent, and sets out to find whodunit.

With the short loans on both my audio download and my inter-library loan of Blood Hollow close to expiring, and dying to know how the mystery turned out, I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to finish this book. And when I was done, I found myself sitting, staring. Blood Hollow left me stunned. I had been concerned as Krueger delved yet more deeply into spirituality and mysticism. and entered the realm of visions and miracles. A Native American young man's claimed vision of / encounter with Jesus during a vision quest? Faith healing? It's so easy to trivialize faith writing on that level, if one is not careful. I needn't have worried. As Krueger better acquaints us with his diverse characters and their struggles, he deftly navigates the sea of question marks and the instances of good, bad, ugly, and beautiful, which populate the spiritual lives of all kinds of people, and leaves the reader free to draw his/her own conclusions. He left me with oh so much to think about and no easy answers on any front, except -- FINALLY! -- "whodunit." (And even that answer left the reader with many questions to ponder.)

Yes, this was, first and foremost, a mystery! The fact that Krueger dealt openly with spirituality didn't make the mystery any less complex or satisfying. Indeed, it was all a neat puzzle package as Cork pursued truth on a whole lot of levels. What he finds is that nothing and no one is exactly as they appear on the surface -- something he probably knew as a former law enforcement officer, but which was hammered home again and again in this thriller. As Cork unravels lie after lie, and the facades of several of Aurora's leading citizens crumble, the situation becomes yet more bewildering. There are twists and turns galore.

Cork -- who is part Irish, part Ojibwe, consults an elder of the tribe, a member of the Grand Medicine Society, in his puzzlement.

"What do you think?" the old Mide said at long last.

About what, Cork had no idea. He gave the question due consideration, however, and finally replied, "The more I think, the more confused I become."

Meloux noded once and smoked some more. "What do you feel?" he asked.

"That I've been tricked."

"Who is the trickster?"

"I guess, Henry, that it would have to be me . . ."

Henry Meloux regarded the last of his hand-rolled cigarette. "The head confuses," he said. "The heart misleads."

"So what's the answer?"

"There is a place between the two, a place of knowing."

I never saw the end coming as it did.

And then there are the characters! Krueger doesn't do stereotypes. Each character, major or minor, is fleshed out and complex. They frequently do things that are surprising but which totally fit who they are, as we learn more about them.

All of this is set amidst the gorgeous scenery of northern Minnesota, which Krueger portrays with a deft touch -- not so much description as to bog down the flow of the story, but enough to appreciate where you are as you travel through this book.

I really loved this book. I am seriously thinking of buying copies of this whole series for my permanent library.

Ah! I have to read that book! I've been to Aurora, MN SOOO many times when I was growing up! There's a cross-country ski race there that I used to participate in every year. What a random tiny town to choose for the setting of a book!

Thanks for reminding me that I need to read more of the Cork O'Connor series. They are really good books.

Ah, this reminds me I have the first in the series on my Kindle... Must get to it soon!

236 You've actually been to Aurora, MN? Cool! The whole series (so far, at least) takes place in that area. Krueger lives in St. Paul, so a Minnesota locale makes sense for his writing.

237 At the moment, I think it's my fav series, Katie!

238 I hope you enjoy it, Katie! It was good . . . and later ones are even better!

I finished the ER book Voyagers of the Titanic. Since I need to do a "real" review for this one, I must think a bit about it.

I'll be curious as to what you thought about it, Terri. I finished it yesterday morning.

Title: Voyagers of the Titanic -- ER edition, bound uncorrected proofs
Author: Richard Davenport-Hines
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: people who were on the Titanic
Setting: aboard the Titanic; also the shipyards of Belfast; White Star Line offices in NY and London
Dates Read: April, 2012
Number of pages: 312 plus notes
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, ER, from LT ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: "Help!"
How does it fit the category? disaster
Alternate category n/a
Why did I read this book now? I owed a review; also, 100th anniversary of Titanic
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

OK, this book appeared to be quite well-researched. There were lots of notes. It was an interesting idea to sort the various groups of people aboard ship into groups and then look at lots of individuals within each group. But much of it was rather dry reading. I found my eyes glazing as I swam through page after page of names, origins, and planned destinations. I supposed it helped bring home the reality of how many people were on the ship when it went down. And, to be fair, there were many pieces of interesting information included. But it was rather mind-numbing.

It seems ghoulish to say that the book got more interesting when the ship started to sink. But if one looks for an actual story rather than dry facts, storytelling requires conflict, and the stories of disasters are told and retold again and again, in part, because they are rife with conflict. It's hard for a writer to be boring when dealing with even the bare facts of that fateful night when Titanic went down, since it was so full of drama. In the confusion of the crew and the faulty information provided to passengers early in the tragedy, I found echoes of the recent Costa Concordia capsizing. (Don't we ever learn from history?)

The part of the book I actually found most interesting was actually the aftermath of the sinking, because it contained a lot of information I hadn't read elsewhere. Yes, I knew about the two inquiries on either side of the Atlantic; but Davenport-Hines really does a neat job summing up the tone of each inquiry, and relating it to the very nature of the two respective nations. And who would think there'd have been "fake" bereaved relatives?

This was a well-researched book with some facts I hadn't read elsewhere. And I'm sure it adds useful material to the information readily available to readers about the ship and its sinking. But if you're looking for a telling of the ship's story, there are more worthwhile books available.

Glad to see you're enjoying the William Kent Krueger books!

243 Thanks! Right now, it's really one of my very favorite series.

I decided it's time for a new thread. This thread is officially closed.



Please join me at my new thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/136548