lindapanzo's 2010 reading--PART 4

Part 3 was getting a bit long so here's my 4th thread.




Here's my third thread for 2010.

Thread 1 is located at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/79040

Thread 2 is located at:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/85933&newpost=1

Thread 3 is located at:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/90076

BOOKS READ IN JUNE

Books read in June
54. My River Home: My Journey from the Gulf War to the Gulf of Mexico by Marcus Eriksen
55. Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs
56. Black and Blue: The Golden Arm, the Robinson Boys, and the 1966 World Series That Stunned America by Tom Adelman
57. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
58. Getting Old Is the Best Revenge by Rita Lakin
59. Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment by Anthony Lewis
60. Tough as Nails: One Woman's Journey Through West Point by Gail O'Sullivan Dwyer
61. When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder and the New Madrid Earthquakes by Jay Feldman
62. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
63. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
64. Chasing Goldman Sachs by Suzanne McGee
65. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
66. Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham
67. Shattered Sense of Innocence by Richard C. Lindberg
68. The 9th Judgment by James Patterson

BOOKS READ IN JULY

69. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
70. Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
71. Critical Care by Theresa Brown
72. Killer Crab Cakes by Livia J. Washburn
73. Toast Mortem by Claudia Bishop
74. Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy
75. How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations that Made Them by Daniel Wolff
76. The Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler

found you!

whoohoooo....found you again! and starred you, of course .....and back to lurking I go

Welcome to my new home!!

It's amazing how fast you're finding me. Usually, I post a few times and then get suspicious that there aren't any other new comments. THEN I realize that the person has moved on.

After finishing the thought-provoking, yet sad, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas at lunch, I need to read something uplifting or maybe fun. Perhaps a nice cozy mystery.

I loved that book, but it was really so sad, although I was glad that it finally hit the German father exactly what it was he was supervising. When I had read that book, I liked to think that that experience turned him around to saving the Jews instead and plotting with others to kill Hitler.

I rarely watch movies but I understand there's movie for this one.

I've added it to my netflix queue (I usually use netflix to get documentaries or old tv shows).

Found you!

Hallo!

Hi Terri. Hi Darryl.

Terri, thanks for pointing out my linking problems. It would be a "no exit" type situation.

Linda, there is a movie and it's a pretty good one, too. Only the book made me cry and the movie didn't.

I was finishing it in the cafeteria and hated to get up and leave. I realized that the late lunch crowd had transitioned to business meetings.

Soooo, I wanted to cry but didn't want to cry in front of anyone. I did get teary and quickly came upstairs and told a friend about the book.

I think this would've been a good book to sit and read in one sitting. I read about half of it on Sat night but it got too late and I didn't pick it up again immediately.

Starting a new thread is exciting! I'm back to my lurking ways, having said, "Hi, Linda."

I was tempted by the movied "Boy in the Striped Pajamas", but we generally shy away from heavy topics in movies. However, I was so moved by the Holocaust Museum in Washington, and then I read that great novel about the Jewish refugees in Palestine after the war, that I'm thinking this may turn out to be a good topic to continue exploring this year. I'm adding it to the wishlist, and will try to remember to wait until I have a whole evening alone to read it in one sitting.

#12 Jumping up and down, waving hello.

#13 I like to read an occasional book like this but couldn't read a bunch in a row, as I could for my other 1010 topics.

Sandy, whatever you do, don't look at the LT reviews!!

Reading lull. Don't feel like reading tonight, so I am watching the Cardinals game (no Cub tonight) and playing spider solitaire, while "chatting" with my sister/kids on fb.

Maybe later. Not sure what I'm in the mood to read right now.

#14 lol - don't worry, I won't!

Hi Linda! On the reviews topic, one of the gazillionth great things about the 75ers is having people whose reviews I can trust. I very, very rarely read any reviews on the book's page unless I see they are written by a familiar 75er.

#15: I hate reading lulls, but glad that you have a baseball game to keep you company - even if it isn't the Cubs!

Reading lull is over. I started Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro for the TIOLI books by a Japanese author category.

Though not the greatest book ever written, it's gotten me out of the doldrums.

Glad you are out of the lull, and back into reading. I know we all get those times of being becalmed despite being surrounded by a sea of books (sorry for confused metaphor!). I find I need a bit of time after finishing one book before I'm ready to plunge into another - unless it's another in the same series in which case I hardly need time to come up for air.

I was at my local library this morning. Our adult summer reading program started last week (June 7th). We are supposed to read two books the first month and three books the second month. We each get a free ice cream cone for signing up and then a hot dog for reading two books with the possibility of a $25 pizza parlor gift card for reading the final three books.

Well, that's goal is not much of a reading challenge for me. I turned my first form in today. They laughed and said that, next year, they need to come up with a special challenge for their most avid readers.

Holy cow, ice cream and hot dogs for reading books. I must make that suggestion to our library!

Btw, Linda, I just gave your excellent review of When the Mississippi Ran Backwards a nod on my thread. Was that book the cause of your reading lull?

#21 Wow - food rewards for reading! That would not help my attempt to lose weight at all! What kind of challenge do you think they'll come up with for those who find three books a month a bit too easy?

The librarians were laughing about making me read 20 books one month and maybe 30 the next.

It was a very momentary reading lull. I think it partly had to do with the fact that I accidentally read a detailed spoiler review of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which I was only about halfway through.

Lately, though, my books have been ok or good, not great. By lately, I mean the past 7 to 10 days because I did read The Help two weeks ago and thought that was terrific.

Also, I owe reviews on several ER books.

I owe reviews on several ER books This is what would cause a reading lull for me - when I HAVE to read something, I suddenly want to do anything BUT that!

I love the idea of an adult summer reading program. Our library has them for children and teens, and families, but not just adults. The kids earn free books. I like the idea of an ice cream cone a little better, I think!

#25 Not just any ice cream cone, a really good ice cream cone, too, from the local "really good" ice cream parlor.

My last few ER books have not been good so I'm dreading these. I ought to just sit down and read them and get them out of the way. For one, I said I'd read it for TIOLI so there's even more pressure. I'm halfway through it but just not liking it that much. The Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler.

#21: OK, I am jealous. My local library does not have a summer reading program for adults, let alone one that offers free food! I could quite possibly feed the family over the summer using that program :)

#26: I think that Carolyn (MusicMom) read that one. You might check her thread for her comments about it.

The Council of Dads isn't as bad as some, such as that lending library mystery I tried to read awhile back.

I realize the author is seriously ill and is doing all of this for his daughters but he is way, way too whiny. I do understand that some people are finding this book "moving."

I've been through serious illness myself twice now (in 1992 and again in 2007 with cancer) not to mention with my both my mom and dad several times (plus my "second mom" seemingly every year for the past 5 years) so I know that the seriously ill are the centers of their own universes, as well as those of their closest family and friends.

I understand that sick people want their families and friends to know what's going on with them. Even so, I cannot conceive of sending lengthy missives detailing every last symptom etc to all of my friends and not just close family and friends.

Phew, I feel better after writing #29.

Stasia, i agree about the food and the library. I think they limited the cones to the first 200 people to sign up. Similar rule for the hot dogs. I doublechecked after telling my boss just now and they are also giving away 16 $25 Uno's coupons.

I think we're going to redeem the free coupons on Thursday.

UPDATED: When telling my boss about the summer reading program, I loved the fact that her response was "I wish I could take the summer off and just read."

Our library has an adult program in the summer. It's starting next week. For each 2 or three books --I have to check which -- that you read, you fill out a slip with the titles and put it into a drawing. There's a prize each week -- donated by local businesses, I think. (no purchase necessary!)

One year each entry also earned a smoothie at the shop next door, but I don't think they are doing that this year.

The economy has got to be hurting these summer programs. I was shocked to think that the small really good ice cream parlor could afford to redeem for 200 cones but then I figured that most people will come in with additional people so they probably would get some extra business.

Another thing the library does: whenever you check out books, you can deposit your receipt in a bin. Every two weeks, they give away a pair of new books from the receipts drawn.

Well, one of our local libraries (one with much more money than we have!) is having an adult summer reading program. Random gift certificate drawings throughout the summer for participants. But the real news is....pay attention Richard.....

A LITERARY MIXER: advertised thusly :

Think outside the bar... Looking for a literate love interest or maybe a new friend? Try speed dating with a twist: bring a book you love or hate as a talking point for your 5 minute speed dates. Open to single adults 30–55. Do you not love it???

#33 Interesting. Not sure ours would go for that.

Our library's events organizer was telling me how authors, Rick Kogan and Charles Osgood, were asked to come back and speak but Kogan wanted to visit "the bars on the Chain" (we live on/near the Chain O' Lakes). Instead of having him speak at the library, he is speaking at a local bar instead.

For ours, this is going out on a limb.

(Sadly, this is next week and I will be away.)

>33 tututhefirst:: Tina, I have this image in my head about a roomful of men carrying Harry Potter books and women holding Twilight books. Of course, the "love or hate" aspect would make even those choices somewhat interesting. Just realized that was a sexist assignation. Of course, women read Harry and men read Twilight. Gotta be politically correct!

Linda, I noticed you are in the TIOLI Challenge. I just listed When the Mississippi Ran Backwards as a "problem" book on the wiki.

#35 Absolutely. I think I've got 7 or 8 TIOLI books this month. I will do the same for When the Mississippi Ran Backwards.

Donna, I read Harry Potter and have zero interest in Twilight saga books!! And that actually sounds like fun. The only problem would be picking a single book...

Book #63

Nocturnes: Five Storie of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro

I read this book for the TIOLI Japanese author challenge. It includes five short stories, each featuring music as a key character. Each story had its good moments but, overall, I was sort of bored with them. I rarely read short stories and this book helps me remember why that is.

Someone who loves short stories may enjoy this one but I didn't.

I usually enjoy short stories, although I don't read them often. Since we lived in Japan for 5 years, I think I'd like to take a look at these. I'm putting them 'on the list.'

I also don't read short stories, Linda, but the idea of music as character is intriguing. If I happen to run into *5* I'll check it out.

Tina, I should make it clear that these stories don't take place in Japan.

At some point, I will give one of his novels, such as Remains of the Day, a try.

Yes, the stories are set in Europe, including Venice. I did like the book very much, but agree that short stories/novellas aren't Ishiguro's forte. Do read his novels -- they are much better. Although all pale in comparison to Remains of the Day.

Thanks for the clarification....I'll still be on the lookout.

#38: I am not a lover of short stories either, so I think I will give that one a pass.

I hope you enjoy your next read more, Linda!

Ishiguro was born in Japan, but lives in the UK and is a British citizen. He's more a Brit author than he is a Japanese one.

Thanks for the info on Ishiguro. This one caught my eye because it involved music.

I may read Remains of the Day when I get to "I" for the ABC list. I don't have a lot of "I" author choices, except for Icelandic mystery author Arnaldur Indridason and his book Jar City, which I've been hoping to get to for forever.

I'm on "G" now so it'll probably be a month or two--I'm counting these in order.

I thoroughly enjoyed my free hot dog this evening (my reward from the library for reading two books). It was a nice Chicago style, with the works. Vienna, of course.

I wish they'd give me a reward for every two books I read but it'll never happen, especially now that they have to subsidize the ILL van even more.

Reading Chattebox's Chasing Goldman Sachs--about halfway through that now. Only a chapter or so into The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and, after reading Carolyn's sparkling review of The Council of Dads, a book I haven't liked all that much, I may try to push ahead with this one, too.

I saw another good review of The Council of Dads in the group tonight too, Linda, if that is any more encouragement :)

#48 Maybe if I can ignore his whiny tone. Unlike the fiasco of looking at reviews for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas earlier, looking at reviews of The Council of Dads might actually be helpful.

Maybe if I can figure out what people liked about this book, it might help me like it more. Very odd. I do not get the love for it.

#49: I do not get the love for it.

Then maybe it is just not a book for you. Move on to something else that is!

#50 After not being able to get through the last ER book I read (that Irish bookmobile one by Ian Sansom, I think it was), I'm really trying to get through this one.

I'm taking an ER request hiatus this month. The only one of interest is the one about cold water surfing in Sheboygan, WI. Some Like It Cold: A Sheboygan Surfin' Safari is the title.

I don't have to like every ER book I get but, lately, it seems like I can't stand them at all.

Call me a cranky reader...

I requested the new Frederick Forsyth novel, as I usually enjoy his books -- some more than others. I still have an Ian Sansom title on my Kindle to read...

#52 How are you holding up under all this media frenzy?

I need to stop at a bookstore this weekend to buy a gift card and will take a look at book placement etc.

Immensely grateful that I have a day "off" tomorrow (Friday). The next two weeks will be scarily busy. It's just -- weird. I'm used to toiling at my desk, not being the center of attention. Love it that the book is getting attention; I wouldn't mind staying anonymous! :-)

#54 Glad to hear it, Suz.

The latest Rue Morgue Press mystery catalog just arrived. This always make a big dent in my book budget, not to mention my book space.

I know I'm in for it when the featured book, on the cover, is something I've been eager to read. Glad to see that yet another old Stuart Palmer mystery is back in print, thanks to Tom and Enid Schantz and the Rue Morgue Press. The Puzzle of the Silver Persian.

No, no, make it stop. I want three books from the first three pages of the Rue Morgue catalog. A mystery set during the London blitz, written by Rennie Airth, sounds terrific. The Dead of Winter.

There's also a Betty Rowlands mystery I hadn't heard of. Must doublecheck to make sure I haven't read A Fool There Was. These are traditional British police procedurals.

I could drop hundreds of dollars on this catalog, easy, but first, I'll try ILL.

Just passing through to say hello, Linda . . . . *waves*

Hi Terri: We are between storms for now. Bad storm earlier. Blew the roof off the bowling alley. A neighbor's tree got blown down. The next one looks just as bad.

My sister and my little niece are at a Girl Scout dude ranch right in the middle of it all. Hope they're having fun.

Stay safe, Linda!

Thanks, Stasia. Heard from my sister and they were inside when the storms hit.

I was at the Cubs game today. The problem was staying hydrated today. Also, saying awake. This was one of the worst games ever as the Cubbies lost 12 to 0.

#60: I heard that the home crowd was booing the team. What a disappointment the game had to be after Lilly pitched such a great one last Sunday!

Glad to hear that everyone is safe!

Book #64
Chasing Goldman Sachs by Suzanne McGee

I rarely ever read business/finance-type books but if more of them were like this one, I probably would read more of them.

If you've ever wondered how to make sense of the Wall Street fiasco or wondered how it could ever happen and whether it could happen again, this is a book for you. If you've ever heard financial news on the news and wondered what it really meant, again, this is a book for you. If you've heard terms like "tranches" or "clawbacks" and never knew what they meant, this is a book for you.

Author McGee (LTer Chatterbox) has a remarkable knack for putting difficult topics into easy to understand language in this information-packed, informative book. Highly recommended!!

Note: The author is an LT friend but I'm a paying customer on this one and I thought it was terrific.

I've just requested my local library (in the UK) to order a copy when it becomes available here next month - looking forward to reading it eventually. I'm glad you found it easy to follow - sounds like what I need!

Ooh the temptations of book catalogues. I've met Enid Shantz on their stall at a convention and chatted to her for a while.

I've bought The Council of Dads from a cheap books company here - they're amazing value if you want a couple of big sets and you can get free postage at a certain level of spending, but if you want 2 or 3 books the postage can bring up the cost, and sometimes it's the case that getting an extra book will cost the same as paying postage. This was described in a way which sounded vaguely interesting. As I'm not religious, I have to say I was put off when I entered the title in LT and discovered all his other books are Christian. The publishers and the Book People catalogue here don't mention anything about that... Anyway, I may not get to that book any time soon.

I was sad to hear of Eleanor Taylor Bland's death though I've yet to read the 3 books by her I have - I like to try series with female protagonists, particularly police or PI characters - I'm warier of amateur sleuths.

#62: Nice review, Linda!

#65 Thanks, Stasia.

I didn't get my usual reading in this evening. (My favorite time is 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm.) The Emergency Broadcast System was activated, though our tornado sirens never went off. I guess the tornadic cloud was one town to the south. Of course, I had to follow along til I was sure it was safe.

Now I'm too tired...

Am enjoying an old mystery, from 1937. Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham.

#66: That is a good one, Linda. I hope you continue to enjoy it (whenever you are awake enough to read it!)

Glad to hear that the tornado missed you.

#67 Me, too. We had a minor tornado here about 12-13 years ago so they invested in the sirens.

Definitely still too wound up to read. Maybe a little spider solitaire instead. Weird how I can be so tired and yet so wound up at the same time.

#68: I live in Tornado Alley too. I know exactly how that feels.

Hi
I'm very behind in reading the posts. Sorry to have been delayed in reading your thread.

Chiming in on the book The Boy In the Striped Pajamas, it really is an incredible book.

I recently finished another powerful book regarding The Kindertransport, wherein 10,000 children were saved by transporting them to England. If you haven't read Into the Arms of Strangers, I highly recommend this.

>66 lindapanzo: I'm glad you are enjoying Dancers in Mourning so far, Linda - hope it continues good for you.

Can't imagine what it's like living with the possibility of tornados. We *almost* never get them in the UK. I say *almost* because there was a small one a few years back in Birmingham, as I recall, totally unlooked-for. Floods are a far more likely natural disaster to strike over here - and we seem to be suffering them more frequently in recent years.

So glad we don't get tornadoes here... Just the tail end of hurricanes, which end up as big thunderstorms/lotsa rain, and in the winter a few nasty blizzards. Chicken feed, compared to tornadoes...

Mostly what we get here are the heavy rains and/or heavy snows. Except for the one "tornado alley" part of Chicagoland, that is.

For the rest of us, the cooler Lake Michigan air seems to break a lot of tornadic storms up before they can get to us. Most of the time, but not always.

Growing up in Kansas, I am well-acquainted with tornadoes. I'll take them over hurricanes or earthquakes any day. They are able to forecast them in advance so there is plenty of time to take shelter, and they are relatively small - it's easy to get out of the way. And there is something exciting about the atmosphere before they come - strange greenish light and a very still silence. Literally the calm before the storm - it's exhilirating and disturbing at the same time. Even though I've hidden from them every year of my life, I never actually saw one with my own eyes until I was 30 years old. A bit of a let-down, actually.

Glad to hear you escaped any damage, Linda.

When my newborn younger sister was just home from the hospital, we had a tornado near our house in the city. (This was part of our deadliest tornado outbreak, in 1967.) At age 6, I thought that was pretty cool but was quickly hustled into the basement.

For the one in May of 1997, which I now see was an F2, we looked out the front screen door and saw a weird-looking, pencil-shaped cloud. After awhile, one of us finally realized that it was a tornado--it had very little rotation. It touched down (and did minor damage) about a mile away.

We had no advance warning of it.

Oops, as for yesterday, I don't think it ever touched down though I'm not sure. One friend at work whose town was in the expected path, said she was sleeping, heard their tornado sirens and they ran for the basement.

The Emergency Broadcast System went off for all of Lake County, I think, though sirens sounded only in the towns in the path.

That's very strange that they weren't sounding the sirens and issuing warnings on TV and radio if it was that close to you. Here, they start issuing warnings when the "conditions are favorable for tornadoes" so it's easy to know what's going on.

It was weird all around. They usually name the towns in the path but yesterday, just kept saying that the expected path would take it over largely rural areas.

Well, yes and no. Lake Cty still has a lot of rural areas but there are plenty of towns, too. They said something similar for a subsequent warning for Cook County (where Chicago is). There are NO rural areas in Cook County, that's for sure.

I know people here have gotten upset when they just name the county and don't specify which communities are in danger. We are near the county line and something happening on the other side of the county will not pose any danger to us - it's silly to give us a warning when they are getting bad weather. Plus, if there are too many warnings, people stop paying attention. They usually name communities in the path and give estimated times of when to expect the storm - even in the rural areas. But I think the TV stations do that - the "official" warning are still by counties.

I know tornadoes are dangerous, and scary when they are close by, but I'd miss them if I lived somewhere else. I know what to do with this threat - there is no panic. I'd have no idea how to act in a hurricane. Plus, we don't mind a little severe weather every 10 or 15 years - that way the insurance company helps with the cost of the new roof!

#79 Agreed. I know exactly how to respond for a tornado and my response depends on whether it's in the county or right near my town.

Now, at work, that's a whole 'nother story. We are not good in our tornado drills here. We had one a month or two ago (before I arrived for the day) and I heard it took forever to do. We don't have many interior stairwells and the basement isn't very big and we have a lot of people. (Fortunately, I am fairly close to the interior stairwell so I could scoot over if need be.)

When I was in high school, I wanted to be a meteorologist and still like following weather so, when there's a storm, people at work turn to me with questions and I get on TWC and follow along. T-storms and snowstorms bring a lot of questions.

#80 I remember tornado drills from grade school (sit in the hall with your back to the wall, head tucked between your knees, and hands clasped over the back of your neck). But I don't recall EVER doing one at work. All I remember was receiving a notice every February or so, reminding us of our designated shelter, just in case.

I bet we have 600 or 700 people here and two narrow interior stairwells (the wide stairwell goes near the glass windows in the atrium so that's out), plus the basement has a few narrow hallways. People were jammed in and, even though we're only two stories here, we're spread out. Took forever.

Oddly enough, we are great at fire drills. We get out lickety-split. Not so with tornado drills.

I was once in the shower of our fitness center when we had a fire drill. Heh-heh. I think I was the last one out and somewhat damp and sudsy upon emerging from the building.

I'm assuming you took time to put on more than a towel!

Can't believe I lost your thread for an entire week! I kept thinking you must be really busy since the counter on your 3rd thread didn't move.

Now I know why!

#83 Heh-heh, yes I did.

#84 I've been MIA, too, Cheli. My sportsfan friend and I went to St Louis for a few days, mainly to go to the Eagles/Dixie Chicks concert, which was excellent. No ballgames this time, though. No internet access this time, either.

Book #65

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum's cousin, Vinnie, is in big trouble, as he's kidnapped because he owes boatloads of money to the wrong people. This enjoyable latest entry is one of the better recent books in the Stephanie Plum series. Very enjoyable and definitely recommended.

#86: I was just commenting on Kathy's thread that I still have not read book 15 yet! I am going to have to get busy and go on an Evanovich tear.

Stasia, I'd been getting somewhat bored with these lately but 16 really held my interest. With the focus on Vinnie, it's a bit different than her usual book.

It was quite fun reading this one as I travelled to St Louis on Amtrak. I was reading on my Kindle and my friend, who was several chapters ahead, was reading it on her Sony e-reader. We were laughing all the way to St Louis over some of the funny lines.

Book #66

Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham

I love old British mysteries and few are better than the Albert Campion mysteries written by Margery Allingham. (Campion is described as "a peculiar young man with a knack for solving problems.")

In this particular book, written in the 1930s, the setting is the London stage, as all sorts of pranks are directed at London's leading song and dance man. Early on, these were more a nuisance than anything, for example, someone sent him flowers that smelled like garlic. Naturally, things get worse.

The Allingham mysteries are always clever and well-plotted, and, at least to me, always enjoyable. Highly recommended!!

Thanks to Genny for recommending this one to me as one of her favorite Allingham books.

I like the Allingham books too, Linda. It has been a while since I read my old Penguin paperback of Dancers in Mourning. I may have to dig it out.

Book #67

Shattered Sense of Innocence by Richard C. Lindberg and Gloria Jean Sykes

Talk to any kids who lived in Chicagoland in the mid-1950s and they will probably tell you how their parents warned them to be home on time or they might end up like those Schoessler/Peterson boys. Those "kids" would now be in their 60s or 70s but they've handed this warning down to their kids (I'm speaking from experience on this one) as well.

The October 1955 murders of 13-year old John Schuessler, his 11 year old brother Anton, and their 13-year old friend Bobby Peterson, the long (40-year) search for the killer(s), and eventually, the trial are the subject of this superb book.

The authors do an excellent job of recreating the day the boys were killed and, in particular, establishing the innocence of that earlier time. Also of interest was how conflicting investigative agencies totally messed up the evidence.

Unbelievably to the modern reader, one of the first people on the scene in the forest preserve where the boys' bodies were discovered was a photographer whose pictures of the boys' nude bodies appeared in the newspaper (and also provided evidence showing that the coroner and other investigators moved the bodies and trampled the scene of the crime).

This book is not for readers with weak stomachs but it provides a fascinating look at one of the most heinous crimes in Chicago history. Definitely recommended.

#91: But it is not July yet! You cannot count it for the 'Walla Walla' challenge! Arg.

As a true crime reader, I admit I have not heard of that particular case. I will have to look for that book. Thanks for the recommendation (and the heads up, Linda!)

Stasia, way too many crime details hit far too close for home (even though I was born 6 years after it took place).

First off, some of the events of that day in Oct 1955 took place not far from where my mother lived (and many of the alibis involved places where she hung out). The killer later helped run the pony rides at the nearby Kiddieland amusement park I went to at least once a month as a child (though not sure of the timeline). The 1955 murders were connected to other crimes, including one murder plot hatched at a dinner in a restaurant I visited then (early 1990s) and still visit now.

So many things have changed. The parents only vaguely knew that the kids were going out, probably to a movie and/or bowling, but they didn't know who was going or exactly where. When the Schuessler boys didn't return home on time, the mother had to call dozens of Peterson families from the phone book because she had no idea who this other boy was.

As for Walla Walla, oh well. I've got others. The author, an expert on Chicago history, is coming to speak at our library soon about "Chicago crime scenes" and I wanted to be sure to read this beforehand.

Kind of spooky how many of the details are close to home for you. My local library does not have the book, but I am putting it in my 'ILL' stack.

I would love to hear the authors talk about the book and other "Chicago crime scenes." I bet it would be a fascinating lecture.

Sure to come up are John Gacy, Richard Speck, who killed the eight student nurses, and of course, this one, Schuessler/Peterson, which has connections to the disappearance of candy heiress Helen Vorhees Brach as well as the "horse mafia" of Silas Jayne and others. I'm also assuming he'll go back to earlier days, such as the Valentine's Day massacre in 1929.

I have heard of both John Wayne Gacy and Richard Speck as well as the disappearance of Brach and the Valentine's Day massacre. I am not familiar with Silas Jayne or the Schuessler/Peterson cases at all.

Please post an update on the lecture when you have attended. I will be interesting in hearing about it.

#97 Sure thing, Stasia. I think it's on July 11th.

Richard Lindberg has two books out about Chicago crime scenes. Return to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Infamous Places in Chicago as well as Return Again to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Even More Infamous Places in Chicago. It looks like both are on the shelf at our library so I may snag one or both when I'm there today.

I think he led a bus tour for the Chicago History Museum during the past year or two on the topic of Chicago Crime Scenes (but at a time inconvenient for me). I hope he does this again sometime.

#98: That tour sounds interesting too. My local library does not have any of his books - not terribly surprising since they are Chicago based.

I'm about halfway through The 9th Judgment by James Patterson. Just a quick read for me.

After that, time to move on to my July TIOLI books. Good lord but I've initially committed to 20 books. Time to narrow that down, I think even though a lot of them are cozies.

Stasia, I might need to cut back on your Walla Walla challenge. The same for the books about books category.

LP, muttering under her breath

Stasia, I might need to cut back on your Walla Walla challenge.

Nope, not allowed! lol

First thing to do is figure out which books I've already committed to.

I know that A Gentle Madness and Sixpence House are in for me at the library so those will have to be a go.

#102: A Gentle Madness is terrific. You have to read that one!

#103 I've long been eager to read that one. A Gentle Madness stays.

The committed count stands at 22. Hmmm, I guess there are some I could cut or make "maybes" in the end.

The six that failed to make the cut, so far, are:

Nothing Remains the Same: Rereading and Remembering, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, The Boys of Summer, The Yankee Years, How Lincoln Learned to Read and One Hundred Days of Solitude.

"On the fence" are The Whole Five Feet and The Long Quiche Goodbye.

I still do want to read all of these though.

Revised July TIOLI list:

ISBN Ending in 4
--When Everything Changed by Gail Collins

Culinary Fiction
--Toast Mortem by Claudia Bishop--finished on July 11
--Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy--finished on July 4
--Killer Crab Cakes by Livia J. Washburn--finished on July 6
--Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy--finished on July 12

Days and Nights
--The Day Wall Street Exploded by Beverly Gage
--Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
--Saturday Night Dead by Richard Rosen
--Terror on Tuesday by Ann Purser

Walla Walla
--A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch--finished on July 2
--Critical Care by Theresa Brown--finished on July 5
--The Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser

Do the ones that are not "on the fence," first. If you get to any of the "on the fence" ones, make it A Beautiful Blue Death, would you? We get points for that one since I am reading it too!

#106 I've switched them around so much I've forgotten what I put where. In fact, I am starting A Beautiful Blue Death tonight. Or at least after I finish The 9th Judgment which might not be as quick as I'd like as I'm also watching the Cubs game.

My two books on books are the only ones along with my ER book Critical Care, that would not count for 1010.

#68

The 9th Judgment by James Patterson

This decent mystery (not a whodunnit but rather a whydunnit and how they are caught) is the 9th (and latest) entry in the Women's Murder Club series set in San Francisco. Detective Lindsey Boxer and the other members of the women's murder club of friends/crimesolvers--the medical examiner, the reporter, and the DA--are back.

This time one case involves a cat burglar, nicknamed Hello Kitty, who steals expensive jewelry while the owner is throwing a party of some sort. Unfortunately, one of the rich women is killed during a heist.

In the other case, the main focus of the book, a guy is terrorizing San Francisco by killing mothers and their young children. I hate when kids are killed in books and this was a bit too much for me.

Overall, though, not a bad book. If you like this series, you'll probably like this one as well.

#108: I already have that one on hold at the local library. I think there are 3 people ahead of me on the list, so it will be a bit before I get to it.

Linda
Yours is one of the most interesting threads for me because I add so many of your reads to my tbr pile. I tremendously enjoy your reviews and comments.

I am fascinated by all the close details that hit home for you regarding Shattered Sense of Innocence by Richard C. Lindberg and Gloria Jean Sykes. I never heard of this case and now, of course, will have to read the book.

Please do keep us posted re. the July 11th talk. I'd love to hear about it.

Linda, I've sort of been avoiding James Patterson books for no real reason, but my husband read the first couple installments in the Women's Murder Club series. He gave up by saying that the bad guys were just TOO bad. I don't necessarily trust his judgement, but I think I'll continue not reading him (Patterson).

Your descriptions of Shattered Sense of Innocence sound very interesting. True crime is a genre that I haven't been sold on yet, so I think I'll pass that one up, too.

Hope the Cubs game went your way last night. We went out to the Royals to see them play the White Sox (we lost). It was only the 2nd game I've been to this year. I took my new camera and got a few good shots of the game. I missed more than I got, though, because the idiots sitting in front of us insisted on coming and going during the innings - usually just as a play was being made. They sat perfectly still between innings, however. Arrggh! Anyway, the weather was gorgeous and it was a fun evening out.

#110 Linda, the 1955 Chicago murders are infamous here. The trial and the retrial were not that long ago and, every once in awhile, there's talk in the papers about someone who might've helped the killer or about whether they actually got the right guy.

#111 Sandy, too bad the Royals lost. I'm meeting my Sox fan friend for lunch today and she will probably be gloating about her team again.

I hate when people walk in front during the game. This year, I'm in the middle of the row so I get there early. The ladies next to me arrive at the bottom of the first, I stand up, and they don't budge the rest of the game.

In the Patterson book, the bad guys are horrible, but the writing is such that I don't feel it as intensely as I might in other books. We never really get to know either the horrible bad guys or the victims. Not as much as in say, a J.D. Robb book.

Wow, Linda, that is a lot of books you have planned for the July TIOLI challenges. I think that I am over-committed right now also, but I am going to see how it goes. Like you, several of mine are cozies which are generally quick reads.

#113 I am devoting way too much time to TIOLI but, once again, the challenges are terrific this month. At least most will count towards 1010, which is my main reading focus.

Plus, I'm starting a TIOLI book today so I get an extra day. :)

LOL...don't tell anyone, but I started one of my July TIOLI books yesterday.

I figure that I'm fine reading a July TIOLI in June as long as I don't finish it in June.

Halfway through the year, here are my favorite books of the year, so far. I've had a couple of real stand-outs and many very good books so this was hard to choose.

These are the books from the first half of 2010 that will stick with me (in order):

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2. Give a Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World by Wendy Smith
3. Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion 1917 by Laura M. MacDonald
4. A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster by Rebecca Solnit
5. Unveiled: The Hidden Lives of Nuns by Cheryl L. Reed

Note: These are my favorite, not necessarily the best, books I read. Also, this is looking back at the first half of the year from a distance. These books may not have garnered 5 stars at the time but these are the ones that have really stuck with me.

Hi Linda! Your TIOLI plans for July are impressive! I've not really worked out what I'm doing yet - I think I took on too many last month and felt a bit tied, so I'm sitting more lightly to it this month and just seeing what comes up next. Having said that, my current read is Mystery Mile for a quick comforting mystery read, and that will qualify for the Walla Walla challenge I now realise...

#118 I have definitely taken on way too many TIOLI books for July but will do what I can with these. For the most part, these are ones I wanted to read anyway, except for a couple of the "books about books."

I am really enjoying the first mystery in the series written by Charles Finch. A Beautiful Blue Death. It feels like a cross between the stories of Anne Perry and those of Jeanne Dams. I absolutely love the characters. Probably my favorite new mystery series since the Barbara Hamilton debut featuring Abigail Adams The Ninth Daughter.

Book #69
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this series debut by Charles Finch, featuring gentleman sleuth Charles Lenox who helps Scotland Yard solve cases in 1860s London. Not since Barbara Hamilton's The Ninth Daughter (which I read about Thanksgiving last year) have I so enjoyed a mystery series debut.

It's a book that reminds me of Sherlock Holmes a bit, Anne Perry's books a bit, Jeanne Dams books (the series involving a maid) a bit, and even a Bunter-like butler, as one reviewer mentioned.

I absolutely adored many of the characters and hope (and expect) that they'll be recurring.

This seems to be a book that people either love or hate and I, for one, loved it. I can't give it 5 stars--at times, the author drones on, for instance.

In fact, immediately upon completing it, I went to Amazon and bought the second in the series, The September Society. Highly recommended, though I can't guarantee that everyone will love it as much as I do.

(Thanks to Stasia for choosing it as her Walla Walla challenge book for TIOLI, which prompted me to finally pull it off my Kindle "shelf.")

#120 Oh-oh... another series to try to dodge!

#121 A great book if you want to lose yourself in another world. I suspect, though, that if someone is bothered by historical inaccuracies, they may not like this one.

It's clearly a debut mystery and could've used a bit more editing and tighter writing.

Even so, despite the fact that I have an armload of other books (e.g., TIOLI books) begging for my attention, I want to start the second one asap. Haven't felt like that in quite awhile.

#120: Glad you enjoyed it. Sarah (beserene) recently read it too and liked it, so my hopes are high that I will as well.

I remember that someone here absolutely hated it. Can't remember who but I can understand where they were coming from.

Time to pick a non-mystery from the TIOLI pile, I think, since my weekend "ride to Wrigley" book will be a cozy, non-Kindle book, Toast Mortem. Maybe Sixpence House?

Update: Argh. I started Sixpence House and could not get into it and so I'll return it to the library at my next visit.

I started an ER book Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Life, Death, and Everything in Between by Theresa Brown. So far, so good.

#124: Suzanne absolutely hated it, Linda.

#125 Now I remember...

I saw a terrific ballgame at Wrigley Field today. Cubs kept leaving tons of runners on, about 15 or 16 in all. Their pitcher was throwing a no hitter into the 7th inning.

It was a hot day and/or maybe I didn't drink enough fluids but I really felt out of it afterwards. I've had 3 bottles of water since the game and feel a bit better. Also got into AC, which really helped.

Instead of reading Toast Mortem afterwards, during the long ride, I had a pleasant chat on the bus with a long-time Cubs fan.

Tonight, I think I might start Hail to the Chef, the second White House chef mystery by Julie Hyzy.

#124 I must chime in and say that I too found Sixpence house rather empty of purpose, lacking in prose, and dare I say - almost stupid! One of the "So, what's the point?"

I had put Sixpence House aside for a while, but I am going to finish it this month for the TIOLI challenge I think and then dispose of it :)

Book #70
Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy

I love this White House chef cozy mystery series. Besides featuring interesting mysteries, solved by White House Executive Chef Ollie Paras, the book also includes great behind-the-scenes background information about the inner workings of the White House. If ever a cozy could be a page-turner, this would be it.

Very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

#129: Too bad my local library does not have any of the books in that series. It sounds like a natural for me!

Well, my local library has books two and three, but not the first one. I think I'll just start with the second book in the series. It does sound like a fun one.

uh oh...oh, no...I'm pretending that I did not see a recommendation for a new, wonderful series.

sneaking out now in the hope of not adding more of your wonderful books.....for today.....

Congratulations on finishing 70 books. You are close to the goal!

Book #71
Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between by Theresa Brown

(for Early Reviewers)

The author, a former English professor turned registered nurse provides a fascinating account of what it's like to be a first-year medical oncology nurse.

Not only does she provide in-depth stories of incidents that occur on a hospital floor, she does so elegantly, tackling even difficult subjects in an even-handed way. Recommended if you want to know what life as a nurse is really like.

This is actually one of the better ER books I've gotten.

#133: I need to buy that one for Catey!

#134 I've read a lot of books doctors and nurses have written about their jobs, but this is among the more well-written ones. I was very pleased that an ER book was so good. Lately, for me, they have not been very good.

I've cut back my July TIOLI's to "only" 12 books (revised list at #105). So far, with me about halfway through another cozy, Killer Crab Cakes, a delightful book in the "fresh-baked" series by Livia J. Washburn, I've now read 3.5 of those 12.

If I do, in fact, get through those 12 TIOLI books, at least two of my yet-to-be read ER books, and a 1010 book on a disaster that just arrived for me through ILL, July will have been a good reading month.

#135 Fifteen books in one month would be outstanding for me. Good luck!

#136 Thanks, Sandy, I think 15 is do-able if most of the books are cozies.

I was hoping that July would be a better month for me, but my husband is on vacation this week (take it or lose it), so I'm not getting much of anything done - business or personal. (A downside to a home office.) We're on a "real" vacation the last week of July, and even though I'd love to veg in a deck chair on the beach or at the pool and read, he thinks I should spend time with him. Go figure. So that week will be light, too. One week to get ready for the trip only leaves one week to get much reading done. At least I've got a short stack this month.

Cozies don't have much appeal for me, but they sound like like perfect summer reading - quick and light. Today I picked up The Day The World Came to Town that you recommended last year. It looked so good that I opened it right up and read the first 3 chapters before I even got it home from the library.

#138 One of my favorite books of the first half of 2010 was the Rebecca Solnit book about how extraordinary communities can arise when disasters occur.

I think The Day the World Came to Town sort of shows that.

Hope you're going somewhere fun on your "real vacation." I will be that same way in August. We've got two long weekend getaways planned then, one with my little niece and nephew. Those kids will not want to sit around and read.

Book #72

Killer Crab Cakes by Livia J. Washburn

Here's the most recent installment in another favorite cozy mystery series, the fourth book in Washburn's "fresh-baked" series. Phyllis, a retired history teacher, is the sleuth once again, aided by two her retired teacher tenants and her "friend" Sam. This time, the four of them are running a Gulf Coast bed and breakfast, temporarily, for Phyllis's cousin when the guests start dropping like flies, so to speak.

A fun, enjoyable, traditional cozy with likeable chracters and an interesting plot. Typically, the baking rivalry between Phyllis and Carolyn, another of the retired teachers, plays a more prominent role but, in this one, less so. Nonetheless, I'm calling this a culinary mystery as food figures prominently.

#139 I remember that you also recommended the Solnit book - it's also on my wishlist - and I was thinking of your comments about that book as I was reading about how the Newfoundlanders just jumped right up and began getting ready for crowds of strangers to decend on their homes. The most impressive example was the school bus drivers who were on strike and refused to take the children to school, but didn't hesitate to fire up the buses to shuttle people from the airport to temporary shelters. I hope the rest of the book is as good as the beginning.

We're travelling to Northern Michigan. Our first ever trip to that state. We'll be spending a couple of days at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island (the big splurge - to celebrate my birthday some more), then a couple of days in Sault Ste. Marie, and a couple of days on the west coast side of the lower peninsula somewhere. Not exactly sure just where yet - maybe Traverse City. I'm getting very excited about the trip. Our other 2 days will be spent driving back and forth from the airport in Chicago. Wave at me as I zoom through town!

Where will you be going? Hopefully someplace fun with the kids. Are they old enough to love roller coasters yet? I envy you your niece and nephew - my husband's brothers' kids were too old to want to go with us. My brother's kids are young enough to be our *cough* grandchildren, but he and his wife barely let them go to my mom and dad's - they've never let us so much as keep them for an evening.

Your vacation sounds lovely. I hope you have a wonderful time.

I have read the first book in Washburn's "Fresh Baked" series and enjoyed it, so I really need to get around to reading the second in the series which I already own. I like the retired teacher characters, and I live very near to the location of these books.

#140 Oh, dear. Just what I need -- another wonderful series to send my wishlist count zooming up . . .

#141 Oh, that sounds like a marvelous vacation! Have a great time!

Whew, the kids (ages 7 and 9) are now safely home and I am one tired auntie.

Our "kid vacation" is right before school starts. We're going with them to the Wisconsin Dells, which is probably the great Chicagoland vacation destination. There's the Tommy Bartlett water ski show, riding the ducks. Lots of touristy activities. The kids have never been there.

(We were last there a few years ago when the man-made lake completely drained, when a flood washed away a barrier.)

Have fun on your vacation, Sandy!! The part of the U.P. we visit is the more rural western part. I've heard the Grand Hotel is spectacular. Quite a drive from Chicago though.

Hope everyone else likes the fresh-baked series.

Linda,

Do you give yourself extra points for getting other people hooked on new series?

#146 I should do that. Make a challenge to hook a dozen people on a new series.

I'm so tired. It isn't even 10 pm and I can barely keep my eyes open after all the kids activities.

Tomorrow is the Carole King/James Taylor concert at night and I want to be wide awake for that.

#147: Tomorrow is the Carole King/James Taylor concert at night and I want to be wide awake for that.

Definitely!

Enjoy the concert. Carole King and James Taylor are still on my bucket list.

Ah, the U.P. If this nomad has a home, it is definitely northern Michigan. We spent many summer vacations there visiting grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I lived there for two years (Marquette) while my dad was stationed overseas. I even broke my leg there my sophomore year in high school! Fond memories. :-)

Friends from New Jersey recently attended the Carole King and James Taylor concert. They raved about it. They said her voice was a little gravely, but not bad at all. The energy between the two was incredible!

I've long adored Carole King. I saw her "Living Room" tour concert a few years ago and was amazed at how many songs she's been involved with. She was a prolific songwriter. I think her Tapestry album is still the greatest album ever.

Dinner at a Taylor Street (Chicago) Italian restaurant beforehand. I've never ventured down there but the woman in the season ticket seat next to mine owns a long-time family restaurant there so we are trying it out.

With all the kid activities, I was suffering some heat-related ailments yesterday, but today, after a lot of fans and AC and a lot of water, I'm feeling much better today. Sweating is actually a good thing.

#149 I love the U.P. We go to Ironwood (the Big Powderhorn Mt area) at the far western tip of the U.P. It is beautiful up there in the fall.

#147 That sounds like a great concert!

Yes, the drive from Chicago is a long one, but our options were limited since we're flying from Omaha (another story), and that is a small-ish airport. Most Michigan cities required changing planes in Chicago, took nearly as long as driving and cost much more. We were still going to rent a car, anyway. I would love to see more of the UP, but my husband is a little reluctant anyway - this trip is MY plan. I'm counting on Michigan to sell itself to him while we are there, so that he will be willing to go back.

151>> I agree - Tapestry is definitely the best album ever.

#153 Michigan advertises a lot on Chicago radio and their commercials are great. Every time I hear one, I want to book a trip there.

My sister and family just vacationed in southwestern lower Michigan (can't remember the town but it was on the Lake Michigan shore, about directly across the lake from us) and they absolutely loved it.

Isn't the Grand Hotel where the movie, Somewhere in Time, was set? I would love to stay there.

#151, 154 - Me too - love Tapestry! Hope concert is/was good (lost track of when it will be with different time zones - maybe you are there now?).

It was an absolutely wonderful concert. Didn't get home til past 1 am but it was worth it. I loved their duets, such as You've Got a Friend. It's amazing to realize that she is 68 years old and still performing. What a night!!

The only fly in the ointment: our hour long drive downtown ended up taking 2 and a half hours. We got downtown in plenty of time for the concert but there was no time to go to Taylor Street for dinner first.

Glad you had a wonderful time at the concert, Linda! Too bad about the drive though.

ditto what Stasia said

Thanks, Stasia and Linda. I last saw Carole King in 2004 and her voice is nowhere near as good as it was but she's still great at 68. James Taylor is 62 and still in full voice.

I've got a biography of Carole King, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell. I meant to read Girls Like Us before the concert but didn't get to it. Doesn't mean I can't read it now.

I haven't read at all since about Tuesday so it's back to reading today.

Popping out of lurk mode to say that although I'm chiefly a classical and jazz listener, I heard the NPR interview with Carole King and James Taylor and wished fervently that I could hear that concert. I'm glad you got to it! I also adore reading other people's vacation plans. We don't do vacations. (My whole life is a vacation!)

#157 So glad you enjoyed the concert. I felt like that last year when I saw Joan Baez performing - I think she's about 70 now, and her voice is obviously not as strong or pure, but still a great performer. Sorry about your long drive - hope you didn't have rumbling stomaches through the show!

I've wanted to see Joan Baez. I think she was here on election day evening in 2008 and so I didn't go to her concert.

I've gone to a lot of concerts in my lifetime and suddenly realized that there aren't too many performers I still want to see (but haven't). Enya is one, though she doesn't tour. The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney are two others I still haven't seen.

In recent years, I've seen Rod Stewart, Elton John/Billy Joel (twice), Barry Manilow (several times), Neil Diamond, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Harry Connick Jr., Simon & Garfunkel (twice!!), and many others. Carrie Underwood. Robert Palmer, many years ago, was probably the best one ever.

Linda, do you know that Paul McCartney will be in Kansas City later this month? (The 24th or 25th) Not sure if any tickets still available, but they'll be pricey. Just in case you want to check it out...

#164 Thanks, Sandy. There's a persistent rumor that he'll be coming to perform at Wrigley Field. They have one or two big acts every summer. I get priority as a Cubs season ticket holder.

Both have been here in recent years but I missed them.

Linda, yes, I confess to being the Charles Finch hater!! My review is up on Amazon, and I agree with the other negative reviewers. It was, in the words of a friend of mine, a "wallbanger" for me! That said, a lot of your fave reads for the first half of 2010 (at least, the ones I have read so far) I whole-heartedly agree with. Rebecca Solnit's book, in particular, just blew me away. In an era of copycat books, here is a writer who tackled a controversial topic with a completely fresh eye and a compelling sense of narrative. Hard to do without sounding didactic. I've got The Help hanging around on my Kindle, waiting to be read for my 1010 Challenge!

#166 Nobody likes the same things. There were a lot of "first author problems" with that first Finch book. He tended to run on, for instance. I really enjoyed it though. I don't know a lot of the history of that period so, if it's factually incorrect, I wouldn't know it.

Book #73

Toast Mortem by Claudia Bishop

I was quite excited when I heard that a new Hemlock Falls mystery would be released, the 16th in the series, after a three-year hiatus. I missed the characters in one of my favorite mystery series and feared that the series was over.

While not the best in the series (I thought she spent too much time on the pre-murder phase), I still enjoyed the latest installment featuring artist/innkeeper, Quill, who runs an inn in upstate New York, and her sister, Meg, a noted chef. This one is a culinary mystery as a top-notch, though hated, chef opens a culinary academy nearby and does a lot of mischief to discredit Quill and Meg.

I hope the author gets back into a pattern of releasing at least an annual book. I'm glad the Hemlock Falls mysteries are back.

Wow... only two more to go!

So you're finishing today, right?

I have so many activities going on I'm proud to be only 10 from the end, especially when I look at all the chunksters I've read so far. I really want to finish my first Abe Lincoln book this week. I have 5 more on tap as well as about 10 Civil War books left for the remaining 5 months of the year. I think after that I will be able to say that I understand the Civil War conflict. what do you think?

Finishing culinary mysteries? Probably not today as I'm starting a day/night book, A Cold Day in Paradise, the first mystery by Steve Hamilton. I'm hoping that, by the title, there's a lot of cold air talk. On yet another warm summer's day, I could use some cold talk right now.

Reaching 75? Probably Monday or Tuesday.

I do plan to start Eggsecutive Orders this week as well, letting me finish off my culinary mysteries category.

As for Lincoln/Civil War, I am really looking forward to those next year. The Shelby Foote trilogy and Team of Rivals just to name a few.

Book #74

Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy

I thought this third book in the Ollie Paras White House Executive Chef series was eggscelent, eggsactly the kind of book I was looking for on a hot summer's day. This is quickly becoming a favorite cozy mystery series. Unfortunately, now that I'm completely caught up, I have to wait til January, 2011, when Buffalo West Wing is due out.

In this installment, we meet Ollie's mother and nana who're in DC for a visit. Not as much contact with the first family in this one and she's forced to solve the mystery from a distance. Enjoyable nonetheless.

Only 1 more to go to 75! Good going, Linda!

#172 Thanks, Stasia. I'm at 74 and a half right now. Halfway through How Lincoln Learned to Read.

I figure I'll have an outside shot at 75 x 2 this year.

You'll make it through 75 X 2 - I'm not even going to try.
I still have too many chunksters related to the Civil War on my list so I'm just working on my 1010 and know that if I finish that I'll have done my 75 plus a few.

Glad you enjoyed Eggsecutive Orders. I have her new first in the series Grace under Pressure and I'm hoping to get to it next month.

#174 I'd forgotten how slow my February and March reading was. Unless I have another month like that (only 5 or 6 books), I probably will make 75 x 2. I've got a few long books along the way but quite a few short ones as well. What I think of as "one evening books."

I will probably read her Grace Under Pressure soon, too.

#170 Hope you enjoy Cold Day in Paradise. As I recall, there is plenty of winter weather in that one. I read it several years ago - and the rest of the series in order. This book is what first got me really interested in visiting Michigan, as it happens.

Thanks, Sandy. I might read the Hamilton book to and from the ballgames this weekend.

BOOK #75

How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations that Made Them by Daniel Wolff
(Early Reviewers)

This book has an interesting premise: throughout our history, Americans have learned "what they need to know" via formal education and in other, more informal and more personal ways. The author takes a look at 12 Americans--from Benjamin Franklin and Abigail Adams to JFK and Elvis Presley--and examines how they learned what they needed to know. Most of these were famous Americans but some, not so famous.

Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, in execution, it's not as great as I'd expected, leaving me feeling somewhat disappointed with this slow-moving book. The "educational biographies" are uneven and, at times, tended to ramble. The chapters on Belle, a black woman slave who was later known as Sojourner Truth, and on Thocmetony, an Indian woman who was the daughter of Winnemucca, were my favorites, I'd say.

It's not a bad book if you've got the patience to read through some slow parts or maybe skip them altogether. Overall, I feel somewhat neutral about this book. Interesting premise and some fascinating parts but I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

Whoopee! Congrats on #75!!!!

Thanks, Terri. Besides trying to read my 1010 challenge books and TIOLI books, I'm trying to get caught up on my ER books.

This one was sooooo slow that, right now, all I'm feeling is relief that it's finally done.

I think Rachel Carson was from your neck of the woods (Springdale, PA). Hers was another mini-bio that was interesting in the book. I'd like to read more about her as well.

Congrats!

Congratulations on 75!!!

75!!!!! Rock on....

Very nice! Too bad your 75th book was a bit of a disappointment. Now you can move on to something better. Are you going to try for another 75 books this year?

Thanks!!

Yes, I will try for another 75 books though I've got quite a few long ones on my list (for 1010 purposes) so I'm not sure I'll make it.

Congratulations on reaching the goal! Better luck with your next book.

Congratulations from me too!

Congratulations on 75 books. Too bad that last one was weak. Hope you've got a strong starter lined up to begin the next 75.

Thanks, everybody.

I've got a few books going, such as hoping to get back into that book I don't like but others have raved about The Council of Dads. It's yet another ER book I'm not liking but just want to get it out of the way. I may base my review on the parts of it I've read, if I doesn't improve for me.

My main read right now is Friday Night Lights. It's incredible to me how big high school football is in Texas. No ballgame tonight so I will get a lot of reading in.

My "road to Wrigley" book on the bus rides to the Cubs games this weekend will either be A Cold Day in Paradise or The Lumby Lines.

Congratulations, Linda!

Book #76
The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me by Bruce Feiler
(Early Reviewers)

I had a huge swing in my attitudes towards this book, which recounts (1) Feiler's fight against a deadly cancer, (2) his creation of a "council of dads," six men, influential in his life, who could impart lessons to his girls if he didn't survive his cancer battle, and (3) other family stories.

I started this book two months ago, read about 30 or 40 pages, and absolutely hated it, so I put it aside. About a month ago, I read another 30 or 40 pages more and still absolutely hated it. I felt that alternating chapters with the three elements above made the book way too disjointed. The whole set-up was very distracting.

Then, tonight, I thought I'd give it a third (and final) shot. I again started reading and was quickly hooked. I absolutely loved it.

I still think Feiler could've spent far less time on the council part, or, alternatively, could've woven that part in better, but, in the end, I realized that this is quite a book. I've read quite a few "how I survived my battle with..." kinds of books and thought his updates to family and friends were the best parts of this book, along with lessons learned. (I've undergone two potentially life-threatening medical conditions myself and know that figuring out when/how to keep family and friends up to date can be difficult.)

Most times, after I finish reading a book, I typically give it away or donate it. This book, however, is a KEEPER. Recommended with a caution that it can be disjointed and slow at the beginning.

#191 Wow, it's good you stuck with that one!

I guess that's encouragement for me to not give up so easily on books I don't like early on. (I have a few that I've started this year and put aside.)

I knew you make 75 without a problem. Congrats!

Thanks Cheli. Terri, I had a backlog of ER books. If The Council of Dads hadn't been an ER book (and hadn't had such universally rave reviews), I would've given up on it awhile back.

I have one more short ER book Little Big World: Collecting Louis Marx and the American Fifties to read and then I will have reviewed all of mine. Up til now, I've sought out books I thought I might like but think I might now get fussier.

(Anyone who knows me knows I really really want a particular book this month.)

Thanks for the encouragement on picking up abandoned books. I have two that I've started, stopped, started, stopped and am determined to finish. One is The Shadow of the Wind and the other is The Evolution of God . I know from experience that just because I don't particularly bond to a book the first time, doesn't mean eventually it might not jump into my heart and head. I had that experience with Cutting for Stone which I read, put down, listened to, put down, read again, put down, and finally on the 4th try listening ---I had to stay up for almost 24 hours (it's almost 700 pages) but I finished it, bought my personal copy and can't wait to have time to read it again.

Time for a new thread. Here is my 5th inning for the year...

http://www.librarything.com/topic/94985#2085373

Just catching up and saying congratulations on reaching 75 books already!