Friday, January 17, 2014

One, Two, One, Five

Audiobook on CD

Death of Santini by Pat Conroy.  Conroy writes about his father being a major jerk and then coming coming to a "rapprochement."

Fiction

A Darker Shade of Sweden edited and translated by Joan-Henri Holmberg.  Swedish short stories.

Bird Skinner by Alice Greenway.  1973 and drunken WWII vet in Maine has daughter of war buddy from the Solomon Islands campaign staying with him for the summer.

Large Print

No Man's Nightingale by Ruth Rengell.  I've read great things about Rendell's novels.

Hostage by Kay Hooper.  Gun on the cover looks like a CZ-75.  Hard to tell with the weird photoshopping.

Morning Glory by Sarah Jio.  This cover looks real familiar.

A Sensible Christmas by Sherryl Woods.  This should have been here in October.  I'm not sure Christmas novels check-out in January.

Seven Deadlies by Gigi Levange.  "A cautionary tale."  Our regular print copy has never checked out.  Dang, I thought it sounded like a neat idea with a teen girl paid to babysit irresponsible rich teens.

Death of the Black-haired Girl by Robert Stone.  I really dislike hyphenated words.  Married college professor decides to quit relationship with student.  Trouble ensues.  Our regular print copy has gone out once.

NonFiction

Terra Maxima: the records of humankind edited by Wolfgang Kunth.  Bog book with big pictures of big things.


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Shooter's Knives

NonFiction

The Breastfeeding Bible by Dr. Penny Stanway.  I was so sure we had recently bought a book on breastfeeding.  We did add one a year ago but I thought it was more recently purchased.  Dang, this is the sixth edition. 

Ask A Science Teacher: 250 answers to questions you've always had about how everyday stuff really works by Larry Scheckel.  I'm going to take this home for Boy #1. Page 13 says, " In 1900, Austrian doctor Karl Landsreiner found a basis for classifying human blood into four groups."

Dad's Expecting Too! by Harlan Cohen.  "Advice, tips and stories about the surprises, questions and joys ahead."  Oh, really.  Like how the kids stand on your head when you're in bed trying to sleep?

Freedom from Toxic Relationships by Avril Carruthers.  Avril is from Australia.  Where Australians live.  "A guide to leaving painful, destructive relationships behind - both at home and at work."

Pregnancy: the beginner's guide by Dorling Kindersly, Limited.  Dang, we're all about pregnancy books today.  Page 229 has a woman eating a bowl of fruit.

London's Secrets: Museums and Galleries by Robbi Atilgan and David Hampshire.  Couldn't you just throw a rock in the and see whatever historic place it lands on?  Probably, but the rock will not provide neat little reviews and photos.

Paris: 2014 by Eyewitness Travel.  Great travel guides. 

Crash and Burn by Artie Lange.  The latest autobio update by the comedian.  I assume he discusses his breakdown and suicide attempt. 

Financially Fearless by Alexa Von Tobbel, CFP.  Financial planning exercises to have a "realistic financial game plan tailored to your priorities, your dreams, and your lifestyle."

The Kick-Ass Writer by Chuck Wendig.  I cannot recall why I bought this.  I think I read a recommendation online.  No author photo but there is an index.

Defensive Revolver Fundamentals by Grant Cunningham.  According to the many photos Cunningham likes Ruger revolvers.

Extreme Bricks: spectacular, record-breaking, and astounding Lego projects from around the world by Sarah Herman.  The have that Lego house build by James May from Top Gear.  I watched that show.

Knives: 2014, 34th Edition edited by Joe Kertzman.  Woo-hoo!  These are great.  Page 125 says, "Geometric lines dominate the overall look of the CPM-154 frame-lock flipper folder, working off an Ikoma Korth Bearing System and sporting a titanium handle, pivot screws, spacers, thumb stud and pocket clip."

Shooter's Bible, 105th Edition by Skyhorse Publishing.  The CZ section does not list my PCR.  The webpage does.  Or, you could buy a Krieghoff shotgun for only $20,000.  Zoinks.

Two Rivers and a Crocodile

Fiction

Dead To Me by Cath Staincliffe.  Manchester UK detectives investigate murder of a teen girl.  Difficult to tell from the author photo if Staincliffe has red or brown hair.  The photo is kinda small, what's up with that?  Why post the author photo and make it super tiny?  Not like the inside back dustcover is filled with other information.  Staincliffe lives in Manchester.


Hazardous Duty by W.E.B.Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV.  Another shoot'em up by the writing duo.  Page 209 says, "Castillo then turned to the women taking sun in lounge chairs beside the swimming pool."

River Road by Jayne Ann Krentz.  The inside covers have big, color photos of a vineyard.  Romance and mystery.

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles by Katherine Pancol.  Paris woman's wife runs off with mistress to start crocodile farm in Africa.  Her wealthy, bored sister gets a publishing contract and asks her to write the novel.

Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah.  I just saw this cover somewhere else.  Beah wrote A Long Way Gone which was a big deal.  Beah's author photo on the back cover looks like a J. Crew catalog excerpt.

The Wind is Not A River by Brian Payton.  Journalist has fight with wife, goes to Aleutians to report on teh Japanese invasion, his plane is shot down, he has to survive while his wife worries.  Paytton lives in Vancouver and has greying hair.  His grey hair stays straight, I suppose he doesn't need haircuts as often as I.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Stack of Books on My Desk

Fiction

A Star for Mrs. Blake by April Smith.  Dang.  I don't think I ever heard about this, "The United States Congress in 1929 passed legislation to fund travel for mothers of the fallen soldiers of World War I to visit their sons' graves in France."

Mrs. Lincoln's Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini.  Daughter of Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury was a political and social rival of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Delivering Death by Julie Kramer.  Kramer lives in White Bear Lake.  White Bear Lake is named from an Indian Romeo and Juliet style tale with an attacking white bear.  Rowr!

Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell.  Did Cornwall write another novel about Englishmen killing Frenchmen?  Let's take a look... Nope, he's still doing Vikings versus Englishmen.  I cannot tell if this is a new story or continues a series.  Read it and let me know.

Death Trade by Jack Higgins.  Higgins "lives on Jersey in the Channel Islands".  The summer's there look fantastic.


Standup Guy by Stuart Woods.  These are ghostwritten, right?  There is a new one every four months or so.

Andrew's Brain by E.L. Doctorow.  I did not like Homer & Langley but thought The Waterworks was fantastic.  I tried listening to The March but the audio file was corrupted and I did not finish the book.  Billy Bathgate was good.

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton.  I kinda missed the boat on this one because the novel came out further back in 2013.  But, Catton won the 2013 Booker Prize. Catton is from New Zealand.  New Zealand is relatively small so maybe regular blog reader Dunedin has met her.

Hollow City: the second novel of Miss Peregrine's peculiar children by Ransom Riggs.  Ransom uses old photos, or photos made to look old, or photoshopped photos and incorporates them into his story.  I watched a program on BookTV once about how dead children were often photographed and posed for families' to have an image of the kid.  I just searched the BookTV website and could not find the dang program.

First Love by James Patterson and Emily Raymond.  Cover has a picture of two people standing in water and locking lips.  Patterson cranks out novels all the time but I give the guy big credit for naming his co-authors and not hiding them behind a curtain.

Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  According to a the sticker on teh cover this is part of "Oprah's Book Club 2.0".  Oh, yeah, Secret Life of Bees, I knew she wrote a big name novel. Kidd lives in Florida and has short hair.