Saturday, May 11, 2019

A Lean Little Paperback And More

Fiction

Frantic by Noel Calef. A 1956 French crime novel that comes out to 157 in this paperback version. Looks neat and published by Stark House Press who have a great variety of great fiction.

The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich and Peter Evanovich. More from the adventure series Evanovich started with Lee Goldberg.

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames. Young Italian woman is considered cursed because death seems to happen when she is near.

Blessings in Disguise by Danielle Steel. Apparently Steel does not sleep and just writes all day, every day. I figured she had a ghost writer. Nope, she just writes and writes. Cool.


Tight Rope by Amanda Quick. Jayne Ann Krentz uses Amanda Quick as a pen name but I always think of her as Amanda Quick. Never mind my confusion over J.D. Robb and Nora Roberts and which is real.

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake. Something about people on the east coast.

Two NonFic: History and Commentary

NonFiction

Almost Killed By A Train of Thought by David Benjamin. Benjamin spoke at the library a couple weeks ago and gifted us two books of his. Almost is a collection of essays on a variety of topics.

The Pioneers: the heroic story of the settlers who brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough. With two sections of illustrations. The description next to the photo of Judge Ephraim Cutler says, "Cutler, who in old age began his autobiography with classic understatement, 'I have had a rather eventful life.'"


Thursday, May 09, 2019

More Discs!

Audiobooks on CD

The Patient One by Shelley Shepard. 7.5 hours on 6 CDs. According to the cover this is another Amish romance. The plot description says, "Yep, Amish romance."

Neon Prey by John Sandford. 11.5 hours on 9CDs. Dang. I bought two copies of this from two different vendors. Oh, well. Sandford is always very popular.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. 24 hours on 20 CDs. Star of literary fiction and resident of Minnesota writes a fantasy novel. Cool. Very cool.

The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman. 12.5 hours on 10 CDs. One of those books with a cover image of a bright, sunny beach. Another Alex Delaware novel. When he and his wife collaborate I wonder if they actually speak about the stories are do everything on paper? I'm thinking more on the personal versus professional dynamic. It's also none of my business.

Wednesday, May 08, 2019

Noir Spring Feast

Fiction

Milwaukee Noir edited by Tim Hennessy. Another entry in a long list of location themed stories published by Akashic. How is Akashic pronounced? This includes a story by Valerie Lakin. I really enjoyed Lakin's short story collection, Separate Kingdom, from 2011. There has been nothing published since. I suppose she might be busy working.

The Spring Girls by Anna Todd. I know nothing about this book. The cover is not to my taste. Let's check out the author photo and bio... She has a fancy photo and a brief bio. Bio says she really enjoys her work and life.

A Deadly Feast by Lucy Burdette. Cover artwork says: Not only is this a cozy mystery with food and recipes but it also has cats. Author bio and photo says... Photo says, "This outdoor table at the restaurant is great." The bio says she 'splits time' between Florida and Connecticut. "Splits time" can mean anything, right? It can mean two separate homes or it can mean a 4-day weekend in Key West.

Bitter Drew by G.A. McKevett. This cover says, "Cozy mystery with booze." Author bio and photo says, [No photo] Bio says McKevett has written A LOT of books.

Godmothers by Fern Michaels. yet another Michaels novel so I assume she works with ghostwriters.This book was first published as three e-book novellas. Michaels's intro says readers kept asking for a print version. This is good because I've had library customers wanting to read her work but they don't use electronic devices.

Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Bunch of Paper Covered in Words

NonFiction

Sundown Towns: a hidden dimension of American racism by James W. Loewen. The Tulsa rioting to kill black people was part of a push to make Tulsa a sundown town. The attacks by whites included commandeered airplanes used to bomb black neighborhoods.

The Step-By-Step Guide to 200 Crochet Patterns by Tracey Todhunter. Lots of color photos of crocheting. I wonder if the author is married to a person named Tod.

Unlocking Your Self-Healing Potential: a journey back to health through creativity, authenticity, and self-determination by Josef Ulrich. Something about self-healing. Page 222 says, "We make peace by finding meaning, or trusting that there is meaning, in our lives - including in our illnesses."

The Positive Shift by Catherine A. Sanderson, PhD. Sanderson lives in MA and on page 122 tells us, " There's a great poem by Kurt Vonnegut in which he writes about talking to author Joseph Heller while attending a party hosted by a billionaire." Well, dang! I was just listening to a program where Heller and Vonnegut are getting interviews. Let me find it... Here you go: https://www.c-span.org/video/?65129-1/battle-bulge-day

In the Name of Self-Defense: when it's worth the it, what it costs by Marc MacYoung. The author' s Introduction is succinct. I thought this might circ with so many people licensed to pack hit. We'll see.

Fiction

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Our last copy was soaked by water and had mold on it.

Tijuana Mean by Jesse James Kennedy. I read the previous novel, Missouri Homegrown, and enjoyed it. A crime novel with the anti-heroes going to Mexico.

AudioBooks on CD

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold. 16.5 hours on 14 CDs.  SciFi.

John Woman by Walter Mosley. 11 hours on 9 CDs. Mosley always reminds me of Anthony Neil Smith ever since I read Smith's comment that he was tongue tied upon meeting Mosely. 

A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch. 10.5 hours on 9CDs. According to the cover a shirtless guy and a woman in a blue dress get cuddly.

Just In Time by Marie Bostwick. 10.5 hours on 9CDs. Hey, this has three different narrators. That is kinda cool.