The Bolt Chick's 2009 50 Book Challenge

Happy New Year, everyone!
New year, new challenge! This year I think it will be pretty easy. Ever since getting my Kindle, I seem to be reading more than ever. (It is so easy to carry, so i always have a book with me!)

I am currently reading a The Mighty Queens Of Freeville, should be able to post a review/opinion this weekend.

I interrupted Mighty Queens of Freeville and read Caught Stealing. I needed something exciting, and it really fits the bill.

Now I am going back to the "Queens" and also finishing up A Confederacy of Dunces.

But as of right now the count is "1". :)

Hi, Bolt Chick!
Happy New Year! :)
--BJ

Happy New Year BJ!

Been so busy reading I haven't written much. Here is the update--

So to sum up my progress, I finished---

2. Six Bad Things -- Great book! An edge of your seat wild ride.

3. A Dangerous Man -- Last of this series, and nearly as exciting as the others. I found it to be slightly less satisfying, but still well worth the read.

4. The Mighty Queens of Freeville -- A nice change of pace. A quick memoir from the woman who writes the "Ask Amy' columns.

5. Free Range Chickens -- Thank goodness this one was short, because I didn't find it very enjoyable. It is essentially a collection of jokes. While a few were funny, I didn't really find most of the book to have many laughs.

My neighborhood used bookstore had a great half price sale this weekend, so I have a TON of more stuff on the TBR pile.. better get reading!

#6-- Neverwhere -- A nice foray into fantasy. The dark humor was wonderful. A bit longer than necessary in my opinion, but still quite enjoyable.

Off to the next book.....

#7 -- The Man in the High Castle -- I know I was supposed to finish this book and be awestruck at how wonderful it is, but I'm not. The premise of what the world would be like if Japan and Germany had won World War II was what got me intrigued enough to read this story.... unfortunately it just seems to ramble with little or no plot.
I was actually enjoying the first half of the book; the character development had started, and I there seemed to be a story brewing. Then, instead of all the characters converging into some central story, everything just started to go different directions. Nothing ever comes together, and the book abruptly ends. A big disappointment

#8 -- Duma Key -- This harkens back to the Stephen King of old. Everything starts out nice and calm, but things start going horrifically wrong about half way through. This is the Stephen King I grew to love when I was in high school. I like to read stories that make me jump if I hear a noise, and this one did just that.

#9 -- Beat The Reaper -- This was one of those books that wouldn't let me put it down. It started off at breakneck speed and never slowed down. A great noir crime romp.

I haven't read Stephen King in years, but I have read good reviews of this book. Also, I saw that there might be a group read of The Stand in the Spring. (Doesn't the word Spring sound just lovely?) Anyway, I was wondering if you have read The Stand and if you thought it was a good one. Thanks!
--BJ

How did you like The Mighty Queens of Freeville? I heard the author interviewed on NPR this evening and it sounded interesting.

> #8 -- I think The Stand is possibly Stephen King's best book! (Disclaimer: I am huge fan of Stephen King.. started reading when he wrote Carrie and haven't missed a book since, so I may be biased!) It is a long book, but the concept of survivors finding one another and the constant battle of good vs evil make it an incredible read, imo.

> #9 -- I really enjoyed Mighty Queens, I just wish the author would have told me even more. While I loved listening to how the family helped shape who and what the author became, I was left feeling a bit wanting since I wanted to know these women even better.

On a different note, I just finished--
#10 -- Three Men In A Boat -- A comedic novel written in the late 1800's that has lost very little over time. I got the suggestion from the book 501 Must Read Books, and while I don't agree with many of the suggestions, it has really opened my eyes to some new titles. This book is about three Englishmen in the late 19th century taking a boat trip on the Thames river. They bring along the narrator's fox terrier, and have quite a few comical misadventures along the way.

Now I am off to read the new Linda Fairstein I got the other day.

That looks like quite a recommendation! If I can finish The Brothers Karamazov by then, I think I will join the group read for The Stand.
--BJ

I may end up rereading The Stand myself. It has been years since I read it, and it still stands out!

#11 - UR (no touchstone) by Stephen King .. I almost chose not to include this because it is VERY short. While the publisher is calling it a novella, I tend to think of it as just a lengthy short story. But since I will be reading Crime and Punishment I figure the two balance each other out in sheer volume!
When Amazon announced that they had a Stephen King story that was going to be released exclusively on the Kindle, I jumped at the chance to get it. Unfortunately, I have to say that even at a price of $2.99, I grossly overpaid. What a disappointment! The first 1/3 is a bad commercial for the Kindle with the plot revolving around a relationship that breaks up because the man won't read his books on an e-reader! During the middle third of the book I started to think that the author had redeemed himself, but I was mistaken. The final third of the book fell apart on pretty much every level.
Stephen King is still a favorite author of mine, but not even great authors can hit the mark 100% of the time. This story is not worth the time I took to read it.

Now I am off to finish Fool by Christopher Moore. This one is guaranteed to be great!

# 12 -- Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death -- This was a quick, humorous read. The book is a series of humorous essays, some funnier than others. While a couple fell a bit flat, I found myself laughing out loud on others.

#13 -- Fool: A Novel by Christopher Moore -- I loved this book!! But then again, I love everything from Christopher Moore. This book is NOT for anyone that is easily offended by language or sexual situations. Although that warning is both on the back of the book and again in the introduction, I feel the need to repeat it here.
This is the story of King Lear told from the point of view of the king's fool. The author takes great latitude with the story, stretching literary license to the maximum, but ultimately it makes for a wonderfully entertaining story.
I highly recommend this book!!

Out of curiousity, how familiar do you have to be with King Lear (never read it) in order to appreciate Fool?

I had no problem following it, and I didn't know the story of King Lear before starting this book. I did start looking up plot points of the original not for clarification, just because I got curious.. lol.

Ah, ok. That's a relief :)

#14 -- The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button -- Yes, its only a novella, but I am going to include it. (I make the rules, right? lol) My first instinct upon hearing about this story was to avoid it. It just sounded silly. I can suspend disbelief in most instances, but this sounded too far fetched. After seeing the movie being nominated for so many awards, I had second thoughts... the words "touching" and "poignant" were being bantered about so casually, I felt there must be something to it.
I should have followed my first instinct. While the movie script must have been written in such a way as to add heartfelt moments to the story, the book was sorely lacking in anything resembling such. The story is even more implausible than I had imagined, and quite hateful throughout. I never once felt my heartstrings being tugged. All I can say is thank goodness it was short.

#15 Murder List -- This was another disappointment. While not horrible, I felt it was misrepresented. The book jacket talked about a novel of suspense, but this was more romance by far. I am not a romance fan, so the book just drug on for me. I doubt I will pick up anything else by this author.

Now onto the next book...

#16 -- The Memory Of Running -- Finally a book I enjoyed! I listened to this as an audio book, and at the beginning wasn't at all sure I was going to like it. After the first 45 minutes or so, I really started to get into it.
It is a novel that reads like a memoir. The story of a 43 year old man's journey to rediscover himself by taking a bicycle trip across the country after the sudden death of his parents. The story is heartwarming, thought-prvoking, and humorous all at the same time. The cast of characters he meets on his excursion are funny, interesting, and frightening at different moments.
A definite winner in my book!!!

Now onto my "New Authors For March" quest (as suggested by girlunderglass... what a great idea!!). The first author I am going to read that I have never read before is Terry Pratchett. I have Mort all ready to go.

woo hoo I'm gonna read my first Pratchett too :)
Glad you finally read something you enjoyed!

I am enjoying Pratchett right now, hope you enjoy too, girlunderglass.

#17 -- Blonde Roots (Touchstone not working) -- This book was the first I ready by this author, so my theme starts well for the month.. lol.
This was an interesing book, though not always engaging. It is an alternate history book about the Aphrikans enslaving the Whytes. At times I was so engrossed, I couldn't put the book down. The character development was well done and the descriptions of places and situations were superb. The story moved slowly in several places, however. Sometimes it just seemed bogged down in a need to preach "slavery is bad" without moving the story forward. The ending felt forced and unfinished as well.
While not a book that I felt was exceptional, I still think it was quite good and would recommend it based on the interesting characters alone.

Now back to my Pratchett... I should have it finished this afternoon and get back on here with my thoughts.

#18 Mort - This is an absolutely delightful read. I am not a huge fantasy fan, so my fantasy is usually served up best with a heaping helping of humor. This book did just that.
The story revolves around a young man who is just coming of age. He needs to get a job, and ends up being the apprentice to Death. Death is somewhat burnt out on doing his job day in and day out and has a "mid life crisis" of sorts. That leave Mort with the most of the regular duties. He promptly messes up, causes a rift in time, and everything goes to hell in a handbasket!
I will definitely be reading more Pratchett in the future!

#19 -- My Man Jeeves -- This was a disappointment. After reading all the rave reviews of Wodehouse, I was expecting hilarity, but rarely even chuckled. I knew the humor would be dated, but I expected it would be funnier. Heck, Wodehouse recently appeared on a British list of funniest authors of all time! Oh well, now I can say I read it, but I definitely preferred Jerome K Jerome's Three Men In A Boat.

On to the next book..... I have three ARCs that I need to get to work on so I can get the reviews posted in a timely manner. I am not sure which one I will pick. (Maybe I will pick with my eyes closed and just surprise myself!)

Well, you know I totally agree with you on that one. But I do plan to give the guy another chance, and read one of his novels. I checked wikipedia to see and saw that My Man Jeeves is also a collection of short stories, just like the one I read. So I'm thinking a proper novel. My main problem wasn't with his humour - I did chuckle a few times - but mostly I was annoyed by the repetitiveness of it all. Oh well.

I do plan to try out Three Men in a Boat, as it has been suggested by many LTers! Maybe I'll end up liking that more. :)

I think you will like Three Men In A Boat, Eliza. The humor was much less repetetive, and I was actually amazed by how a book from that time period seemed to have aged well.
And I agree that I also chuckled several times throughout My Man Jeeves an I don't think I would have been so disappointed if I hadn't read all the positive reviews. I think it was an enjoyable book, but nowhere near living up to the hype.

I managed to finish two books this week, and I am more than half-way through the ARC I am reading, so I should be able to get a review posted on it before the end of the week.

#20 -- The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency -- I have mixed emotions on this book. I picked it up because I had heard good things about the series, and I wanted a good mystery. The book itself was good, but hardly qualifies as a mystery. (Maybe "mystery lite"??) The story revolves around Precious Ramotswe and her opening a detective agency in Botswana. The descriptions of the countryside, culture, and day-to-day life of the Botswanan people were all beautifully written. Having gone in expecting a mystery however, I was disappointed. The 'mysteries' that she solves are overly simplistic. Things from finding a lost dog and following a teenager to see if she had a boyfriend. Overall I will give this book 3 stars because I ultimately did enjoy it once I realized what I was reading.

#21 -- Sick Puppy -- This was a fun book. Again I was looking for mystery, but I knew I was going to be reading 'comic mystery' from te beginning. With a dark sense of humor and a knack for making the absurd seem plausible, Hiaasen delivered on this one. I had so much fun reading this book, I didn't want it to end. I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future.

Wow... over five weeks and I haven't posted a darn thing! Apparently "real life" is getting in the way of my reading and posting again!!!
And when I realize I have only read two books in that time.... I can't believe it!

Well, on with the reviews:
#22 -- Dewey -- All I can say is "Meh". I really wanted to love this book, and to be fair it was sweet, but it never really took hold of me. I am a huge animal lover, but it seemed that this wasn't so much a story as it was a series of "cute kitty antics." It certainly wasn't a bad book, but I can't bring myself to give it more than 2-1/2 stars. Sweet, but basically boring.

#23 -- Manual of Detection -- This book was remarkable! The story is one of the most original I have read in along time. It is part mystery and part fantasy. The author doesn't spend any time giving us extraneous information about when or where, the story just suddenly happens and the blanks are filled in as the pages are turned. If you like your mysteries grounded in reality, this is NOT the book for you. But if you are ready for a fanciful journey through a dream-land, this book really fills the bill!.

Now I am off to finish the other three books I have started.... I am hoping to finish at least one before the weekend is over!

Hi, Bolt Chick!
I liked the Dewey book, but it did think that some parts were better than others. I am more of a dog person, but I did get attached to the cat in the book. Hope you are having a great weekend!
--BJ

Hi BJ, I thought I would like Dewey, and ultimately can't really find any faults in the story.. it just didn't grab me. Oh well, you win some you lose some!

#24-- Native Tongue -- I was in the mood for something more light hearted, so I turned to Hiaasen. I wasn't disappointed. Quirky, outlandish, but always entertaining, Hiaasen delivered again. I can't believe I didn't discover him until this year! I will have to pick up some more books by him so I have "humor at the ready"!

#25 -- The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro was much better than I had expected. I honestly went into this book with very low expectations. It is written by Guillermo Del Toro, and while I feel he is a talented director/producer I had no idea what type of author he would be. I was pleasantly surprised to find the story well written and exciting. It is written more like a movie.. by that I mean the story moves along quickly with limited character development. But then again, this is vampire horror, not great literature! The book starts on the tarmac of an airport with a quarantined airplane. Inside the plane, nearly everyone is found dead. Things go from bad to worse as the dead start coming back to life and attacking the living. It is the first book in a trilogy, but the ending (thankfully) truly ended the first book. (Don't ya just hate it when the author leaves the "teaser" ending to get you to buy the next book?) I am looking forward to the next two books in this series.

#26 -- Already Dead -- This book is a take on vampirism from the point of veiw of a reluctant vampire. Written in Huston's traditional noir style, it certainly isn't a book for people who are easily offended. The story revolves around Joe Pitt, a vampire who really isn't happy about it. He has few friends and many enemies. There aren't just vampires, either.. zombies (or "victims of zombification") are also found in the book, with lots of gory details. (Note to BJ-- you won't want to read this one!)
I like Charlie Huston and read his Hank Thompson novels quickly. I think if I have a criticism of this book it would have to be I felt that Joe Pitt and Hank Thompson were essentially the same character. If I read more of Huston and find that his characters are all the same, I may not read many more... but that being said, it is a great hard-boiled, blood and guts, no holds-barred vampire novel.

Hi, Bolt Chick!
You are right about that. Just don't like those zombies!! By the way, my daughter and I watched Blade II which was directed by Guillermo del Toro this weekend. She was talking about his books. I did not even know who he was! I think that she has also read that book The Strain. She likes vampire books a lot. I have a few on my tbr, but she has read many, many more. Hope you are having a great day and thanks for your reviews!
--BJ

Hi BJ,
I haven't read too many vampire novels. I find most are nothing more than romance novels with fangs! Recently, however, they do seem to be cropping up everywhere... and they have gotten much more exciting. I like my vampires served up with a healthy helping of gore, or abject comedy. Romance just isn't my cup of tea!

I moved on to a classic novella for the next book---
#27 -- Th Man Who Was Thursday -- This book is part thriller, part fantasy, and even part comedy. It is certainly a strange combination, and not always successful.
The was written during a time of anarchist bombings in London, and takes the core idea of the plot from those events. Detective Syme is assigned by Scotland Yard to infiltrate a group of anarchists. Each man is named for a day of the week. As he gets to know the men, he begins to fear for his safety. But the more he learns, the more he realizes none of them are exactly what they appear to be on the surface.
The complete title of this novella is The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare. I think one must keep that in mind when reading, as the events and situations can come at the reader at near breakneck speed.
The book' ending was a bit disappointing, but overall I will give this one 3-1/2 stars.

I am so glad that you reviewed this book, because for some reason I thought this was a nonfiction psychology book! It sounds pretty interesting even though it has its drawbacks. I am going to add this one to the wishlist.

I am happy to report that it is only 3 months until football season. Yea! Then I will have something to watch on tv! Have a great day!
--BJ

ETA Well, I clicked on the book and saw that it is by G. K. Chesterton. I have been wanting to read one of his books, so now I am definitely interested. :)

Ah yes, football... my bf will be watching the entire season. I have to say i am not much of a fan myself. But some of the commercials make me laugh!
Hope you enjoy The Man Who Was Thursday, BJ. I discovered it in the book 501 Must Read Books. I have gotten quite a few good suggestions from that book!

#28 - Sleep No More - John Waters is a husband and famiily man with a successful oil drilling business who begins to think that the ghost of his college love interest is possessing a woman in town. He is almost irresistably drawn to her, even though he remembers that this particular love interest was certifiably insane and at times dangerous.
This book is what I would classify as an erotic thriller. Typically that genre actually bores me. In this case, however, it is ve effective. Without the graphic erotic descriptions the reader would have a very hard time understanding why this good, upstanding pillar of the community would risk having an extramarital affair. The author allows the reader to see how intoxicating this situation becomes. The book was definitely exciting, at times I was on the edge of my seat! Definitely not a good late-night read if you want a restful sleep.

Finally getting caught up on some overdue reading.. it actually rained yesterday and today! That never happens this time of year in southern California! (Not that I'm complaining... I know the horrible summer heat is on its way, and I much prefer the nice cool rain.)
But curled up on the couch i was able to finally get finished with several books I have been juggling---

#29 -- Prague -- I finished this book, and I am still not sure what I thought of it. The writing was good, the character development was great, but I just never really got into the story. Basically this is a story of a group of young people of the "lost generation" and their experiences in Prague. The group of friends are mostly American, and they are typical college age kids. Each person is affected differently by the people they meet and the experiences they have.
Ultimately I would have to say the fact that I didn't connect with this book has less to do with the author than with myself. I just couldn't relate to the characters. I have never been quite so self-involved, never felt the need to get drunk, and have never done many of the things these people found "fun." As I watched them grow and mature, I found I just didn't care.
I am sure there are plenty of people that will find this story truly speaks to them, I am just not one of them.

# 30 -- Big Sid's Vincati -- This is a memoir of about a father and son building a "dream motorcycle." I am not a huge motorcycle buff, and portions of the book talking about the more technical aspects did get a bit boring. The overall story is more about the father-son relationship and how this joint project brought them back together. A truly heart-warming read.

#31 -- The Abstinence Teacher -- The story revolves around Ruth, a divorce, middle-aged, sex education teacher and her daughter's soccer coach, Tim, a former drug addict turned born-again Christian. This book certainly explores the ideas of religion and morality and their complex relationship with human sexuality and the modern family life. I wouldn't recommend it to readers that are easily offended by religion or anti-religion for that matter. For the reader that can keep an open mind, this is the kind of book that can keep the brain thinking about these issues for hours on end. A definite winner.

#32 -- The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane -- This was a great book! The story revolves aroud Connie, a grad student whose major is colonial history. Her mother asks her to clean up her grandmother's home near Salem, and while going through some books she comes upon a key and a paper with the name "Deliverance Dane". As she does more research into the name she finds a woman who was accused of witchcraft. Soon Connie begins to develop some powers of her own...
This book is part period-history, part modern fiction, and part paranormal. The sum of those parts makes for a "whole" that I found wonderfully entertaining.

OK... sun is supposed to be out tomorrow, so I may not start reading until tomorrow night in bed. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

#33 -- Fragment (touchstone not working) --

Fragment is a story about a group of scientists that embark on an exploration trip which just happens to also be a reality show. They happen upon an island, a fragment of a long ago super continent, and discover life forms that have been evolving completely independently of the rest of the world. These life forms are surprisingly viscious, from the smallest insect all the way to larger animals. Eventually they find benign, intelligent life on the island that they feel must be saved.

I found this book to start out very strong. The variety of characters, the concept of the reality show that is so popular in America right now, the new life forms all made this book very exciting in the beginning. However the book develops a frenetic pace that goes from being exciting to actually becoming quite monotonous after a while. Approximately 2/3 into the story, the intelligent life is found. I know the author wanted to make this life form sympathetic, but I almost found some of the descriptions comical. The villain in the book is so undeniably, one dimensionally evil that he too becomes somewhat boring. Complexity of character is not this author's strong point.

This book is touted as being something of Jurassic Park meets The Ruins , but I came away feeling it was more like Predator meets Harry and the Hendersons . I can see Michael Crichton's influence on the author, but Warren Fahy has some work to do to attain that level.

Still sounds kind of interesting to me, though. I guess I will think about it.
--BJ

It was very interesting in parts, BJ. In fact, I gave it three stars because I really didn't feel I wasted my time. I think I was just a little disappointed. I felt it started so strong and I think I wanted that to last throughout the rest of the book.
I do hope this author writes another book. I think he does show promise, he just needs some work.

34 -- Day Of The Dead -- I am accustomed to JA Jance's writing style and know that she can come up with some incredibly twisted stuff, but this book really pushed the envelope! Never one to shy away from graphic detail, I forged on, but I must admit that I was a bit put off by some of it from time to time.
The plot revolves around a series of murders across several decades. Teenage girls are bound and held as bdsm sex slaves by a well-known "philanthropist" couple. Once the couple tires of them, they are killed and disposed of. A retired sheriff gets involved with a private organization whose goal it is to solve cold cases. He slowly starts to put facts together from the past and begins to link a past murder to a recent one. Soon others that occured in the interim are found to be connected as well.
I do enjoy a good, exciting mystery and this one was no exception. The graphic descriptions of the girls' torture was a bit much, but the story was still quite good.

35 -- Stone Cold -- I didn't find this as satisfying as my last Baldacci novel, but it was still quite good. I didn't realize that is was the third in series when I picked it up, but I don't think that detracted much from the story. Definitely a thriller, and I will be reading more of Mr. Baldacci in the future!

Now off to finish Coyote Blue, Sacred Hearts, and Oscar Wilde And The Death Of No Importance as well as start Shutter Island and Beggars in Spain. That should keep me busy for a while!!

36-- Beggars In Spain -- I had never heard of this novella until reading about it on BJ's thread. It sounded really interesting, and I needed a quick read, so I gave it a shot. I am really glad I did. The story is quite thought provoking on many levels.
It is set in a future where genetic modifications have become a reality. Slowly two factions of society are becoming at odds with one another. There are the "Sleepers" and the "Sleepless"; the "Sleepless" not only do not sleep, but ultimately they are superior in both their intellect and their bodies. These two factions start drifting further apart, both sides becoming more hostile toward one another.
Ultimately this novel asks a very important moral question: What do the "elite" members of a society owe to their inferior counterparts? If a minority is indeed superior to the majority, do they owe that majority anything?

37-- Coyote Blue -- I got this book because Christopher Moore is one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately for me, this is not one of his better books.
The story revolves around a man who was raised on a Crow Indian Reservation and now 20 years later is being haunted by mischeivous Indian god. While I wanted to give this book rave reviews, I just can't. It was one of the author's first novels, and he really hadn't hit his stride yet. If you are a fan of Christopher Moore, then this is a must-read, but if not skip it.

38-- Shutter Island -- All I can say about this book is W-O-W!! I saw that there was a movie based on the book coming out this summer, so I thought I should read the book first. This was the first book I have read in a long time that I considered "un-put-downable".
The story revolves around two US Marshals heading out to Shutter Island, an island that houses a mental institution for the criminally insane. They are on their way out there to investigate the disappearance of a patient. I can't really say much more about the plot without spoilers, but I literally devoured this book. Very suspenseful, very scary, very addicting.... it absolutely kept me on the edge of my seat!

Hey, Bolt Chick!
I am glad that you liked Beggars in Spain. :) I am pretty interested in Shutter Island. Is the movie by the same name? I am adding it to my wishlist. I couldn't figure out the easy way to add to the wishlist on LT, so I am still with the pencil and paper method. Hope you have a great weekend -- and stay out of that heat!
--BJ

Great reviews! I have put Shutter Island on my TBR after your review, and after reading the others posted. Pretty convincing and I can't wait - but I have to finish the Lonesome Dove series first, which I am in the middle of and completely committed!

I am sure you will love Shutter Island, Tracie. I truly think it is the best book I have read so far this year!

Ah BJ, if only I could stay out of the heat. I live in the hottest spot in the Los Angeles area with very inadequate air conditioning. Oh well, at least sitting and reading doesn't work up too much of a sweat!

I have finished two more books:

39 --The Widow -- A good, solid mystery. The story revolves around a young widow, Abigail Browning, who travels back to find out who killed her husband. The characters are well-developed and the story is engaging, if at times a bit convoluted. Overall I give it 3-1/2 stars.

40 -- The Yiddish Policemens Union -- I really enjoyed this book, but not until I listed to the audiobook version. Last year I bought this book, and though I tried twice to read it, I just couldn't get past the first few chapters. There were so many Yiddish expressions it made me work too hard to get to the story. (This is more a criticism of my laziness than the author!)
This year I found the book was in audio form, and picked it up right away. I am so glad I did. I listened to it in my car on my commute, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is set in an alternate "what if" reality. What if Franklin Roosevelt had been taken up on his proposal that the Jews from post WWII be colonized in Alaska? That is the world that is imagined in this novel.
The story is amusing and engaging. The hard-boiled detective novel stays true to its genre, while adding a great humor with the turn of the phrase.
Here is an example of one of the funny conversations that occur throughout the story:

“Look at the head on the sheygets, the thing has its own atmosphere,” Landsman says. “Thing has ice caps.”

“Indeed the man has a very big head.”

“Every time I see it, I feel sorry for necks.”

I am going to give it 4-1/2 stars.

Now back to Oscar Wilde and the Death of No Importance and Sacred Hearts , as well as Bag of Bones, and Fear The Worst.

Hey, Bolt Chick!
Loved your review of The Yiddish Policemens Union. I have heard so many great things about that book. I must look into it!

I hope that the heat has abated for you. The ac at our house was broken by the ac service right before our trip. Max heat then and on return, but moderate while we were gone. Now it is fixed, thank goodness. And we will be back in the 90s tomorrow. Yea! Have a great day -- or at least a cool night!
--BJ

Hi BJ -- Sheesh, it has been a long time since I posted. Unfortunately the heat has not abated, and the a/c is woefully underpowered. Oh well, summer won't last forever! Glad your a/c is fixed now.

I have been getting a bit behind in my reading what with all the summer goings-on. But here is what I have for now:

41- Oscar Wilde and the Death of No Importance -- I didn't find this book nearly as good as I thought I would. It is written in the vein of a Sherlock Holmes mystery.... in fact Arthur Conan Doyle is a character in the novel. For some reason the characters just didn't enthrall me like I thought they would.
The story revolves around Oscar Wilde finding a dead body. The body is of a young friend of his. He sets about trying to solve the murder with the help of his sidekick. Truly all in all not a bad mystery, but I had trouble getting into the book. The idea of Oscar Wilde solving a murder sounded so fun, and yet in the end it was sort of a ho-hum mystery. I think I will give it 3 stars.

42- Fear the Worst -- I loved this book! The story is about a man whose 17 year old daughter suddenly goes missing. He sets about trying to find her, but nothing is what it appears. He goes to where she works, and no one knows who she is. Slowly as he digs deeper, clues start to surface that point to him as a suspect.
This book grabbed me right away. Being a parent, I can't even imagine anything more terrifiying happening --- ever!. This book kept me on the edge of my seat til the very end. I highly recommend it.

43- Sacred Hearts -- This story is set back in 16th century Italy. It is a time when women are nothing more than property; first of their fathers, then of their husbands. Families that cannot afford large dowries to marry their daughters off often send them to the convent to become nuns, after paying a much smaller stipend to the church than a dowry would cost.
Such is what happens to Serafina. She is essentially sold into the convent by her father, and she has a horrible time adjusting. Serafina continues her rebellion, literally challenging the faith and structure of the convent.
This book is written beautifully. The descriptions of the times, the people, and the surroundings transport the reader fully to another time.

OK, now I am off to do some catching up on the reading. My favorite used book store had another sale, and I am afraid I will be buried under mount TBR if an earthquake were to happen! Reading is a matter of survival!!