Friday, May 29, 2015

Good News, Another John Farrow Novel.

Fiction

The Storm Murders by John Farrow. Recently retired Montreal Sergeant-Detective Emile Cinq-Mars is called to a consult on double murder case. Fourth entry in a great series.

I read City of Ice when it came out in 1999 and thought it was great. Ice Lake was also good. I have no idea about River City because there was no darn U.S. release. I've not hunted long to find a used copy, the one I did see was quoted at $2,796.72. That seems a bit high.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

More Fiction, Volume Two

Fiction

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer. Is this the daughter-mom duo? Let me check...yes, it is. The dual bio on back says van Leer is in college. I wonder if they timed the release so that she could do promotion during summer. Then again, they'd be doing promotion well before hand to prep the release, right? I ask because I don't actually know.

Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy.  This one sounds familiar.  Let me check...nope, I was mistaken. This is about hidden maps used for the Underground Railroad. Yes, as a child I did wonder how they built all those underground train tunnels, and where the engine smoke went to.

Patriot Threat by Steve Berry. I wonder where Berry lives. Let me check...the book does not say, I will not look it up. Ex-spy chases after stolen documents in Europe. 

Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf. Haruf sets another novel in small town Eastern Colorado.  Haruf died in 2014. Did someone finish this for him?  Let me see...it doesn't say. I presume he finished the book before he died.

Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker. Does this have one of those black-and-white author portraits that Barker's husband does? Let me see...Nope, it's a color photo and says "Courtesy of the author." Dang, I must have seen that B&W photo on an old book because there were lawsuit issues between those two in 2012.

What Burns Away by Melissa Falcon Field. I'm not sure what this is about. Sounds like some deeply depressed woman is self-destructive. I wonder where Field is from.  Let's see...Huh. She lives in Madison.  It also says she spends her summer in Maine. I went to Maine once.

NonFiction

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.  I always mix up McCullough with James M. McPherson. McPherson is 3 years younger at 78-years-old. Where does McClullough live? I do not know, let's see...McCullough lives in an underwater lair under the coast of Jamaica and he directs his minions using a radio transmitter hidden within a buoy.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

More Fiction, Volume One

Fiction

Seveneves by Neal Stevenson. Some sort of SciFi thing. I've not read his other books.

Worm by Anthony Neil Smith. Newcomer to the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota runs into trouble. Of course he runs into trouble, it's a Smith novel.

Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille. I think it would be funny if someone screwed up the title as Radian Angle and it went to print that way.

Double Down by Fern Michaels. One of her Sisterhood books. The same author photo with Michaels on a couch with her dogs. Michaels philanthropy is impressive.

Piranha by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison. Another Cussler novel, another cover with flames and boats.

The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry. Farmer has a cow bearing bearing the image of Jesus. Laughter ensues.

I, Ripper by Stephen Hunter.  Hunter writes about Jack The Ripper. I guess he won't add in his usual Remington .308 sniper rifle with it's 168 grain boat tail sniper hard as nails sniper GRRRRR! stuff.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik. This needs a "New" sticker. Hey! Novik is married to the great Charles Ardai, founder of Hard Case Crime!

NonFiction

Find the Good: unexpected life lessons from a small-town obituary writer by Heather Lende.  Page 47 says, "He decalred he wasn't going to hassle with any so-called inflatable suspenders."

Artful Canary Cats

Mysteries

Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Foot Detective Bureau: the case of the Parrots Desparecidos by Angela Crider Neary. Some sort of cat mystery, alligator presence is undetermined. I used to check out her blog that had photos of spots in the Bay Area. I cannot find that site but she has some on Facebook.


Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths. Norfolk England with a dead guy in a WWII era fighter plane.

Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs.  Childs has three mystery series. Huh. She must have fans pestering her for more books because that's a lot of books to write.

Tail Gait by Rita Mae Brown. I refuse to list a cat as co-author. This cover has a silhouetted cat holding a cheer pom-pom. I kinda recall doing a silhouette art project in elementary school.

I Need A Coffee by Give Me A Minute.


New books coffee break

Canary by Duane Swierczynski. I've always enjoyed Swizziricivxz's books. An Honors Student is forced into being confidential informant for the police and she runs into trouble. Everyone in Swizxixiccxz novels run into trouble.

NonFiction

Bound: over 20 artful handmade books by Erica Ekrem.  And yet this is a paperback. Page 85 says, "Draw the needle out through sewing station 5."