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Just went shopping (for books of course) and picked up Billy Boyle by James Benn. It's a mystery set in England during WWII just as the Americans are beginning to be a presence there. I've already read it from the library but I couldn't pass up an autographed copy since I'd sold some other books and had credit. It's told from the point of view of an American soldier. Another good read, recommended.

I got ahead of myself when I tried to post List #2. I posted it before I published it. Oops. Silly me. Here you go.

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There we go. That's better.

Now try it, Ray.

Alrighty then, here's my list through the J's.

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And that good-looking young man is none other than my boychild who is also responsible for all the beautiful photographs in my gallery. There's even one in there that was picked up and used at an Italian gallery in one of its exhibits. I'm not a doting mother or anything, am I?

Well, I'll be picking up my little granddaughter in about an hour, so you won't be seeing me for awhile. Have a wonderful day everybody.

Thanks again, Ray, for dragging me in here.

Okay this is a test. I'm going to see if I can put a link to my blog in here.

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Why yes, yes I can. Okay. That's my list of 4 and 5 star vampire books. Now I'm going to do my list of 4 and 5 star regular people books. That one's going to take a little longer. Then I'll do the audio books and CD's that I've been getting for my stepdad. That will take a LOT longer, but it will have some good ideas of books that men like to read.

I hope some of this is helpful.

Hi, My name is Carol and I'm currently reading the fourth book in the GASLIGHT MYSTERY SERIES of Victoria Thompson. The main character is a midwife in turn of the century New York City. It is a fascinating case study of the life and times of the people during the turn of the century and the mystery contained within is a terrific read. I really have enjoyed this series! So far I have read, MURDER ON ASTOR PLACE; MURDER ON ST. MARK'S PLACE; MURDER ON GRAMERCY PARK; MURDER ON WASHINGTON SQUARE; AND MURDER ON MULBERRY BEND. I just started MURDER ON MARBLE ROW and there are only two left of this series, MURDER ON LENOX HILL and MURDER IN CHINA TOWN. I would highly encourage anyone to read this series.

I screwed up already. That's okay. We'll just keep the vampires in a separate list - where they belong.

+++++++++++++++++

Abel, Kenneth ****
-- Bait, The Blue Wall. Both of these are cop books. Very good cop books. If you're a Joseph Wambaugh fan, you'll love these books.

Aldiss, Brian W. ****
-- Dracula Unbound. All I can tell you is this "Dracula sends assassins to kill Bram Stoker before he can write his novel about vampires." It's a very interesting premise. I really enjoyed the book.

Alexie, Sherman ****
-- A murderer is stalking and scalping white men in Seattle. While this so-called Indian Killer terrorizes the city, its Native American population is thrown into turmoil. There's so much more to it, but it would take too much space. I guess you'll just have to read it...

Andrews, V.C. ****
-- Dawn, Flowers in the Attic (first three books). I'm sure you've all heard of this series of books. I think Andrews got a little crazy and carried it out too far. After the first three books, I got bored with them. The first three were great though.

Anderson, Jack *****
-- Millennium. SF thriller novel. An alien visitor falls afoul of Earth’s human dangers, and a journalist has to save him and the planet.

Armistead, John ****
-- A Legacy of Vengeance, A Homecoming for Murder, Cruel as the Grave. A series of books with Sheriff Grover Bramlet as the main character. "A Legacy of Vengeance combines the freshness and passion of a deeply felt first novel with the authentic detail and sure plotting of a mature craftsman."

August, David (w/John Lutz) ****
-- Final Seconds. After Will Harper is injured in the field as a bomb squad officer for NYPD, he retires early, and instead of letting his wife go forward with selling their beaten-down brownstone, decides to fix it up as physical and emotional therapy. But when his former partner is blown up along with a paranoid bestselling author and his Florida estate, Harper's idle days are over.

Bale, G. F. ****
-- If Thoughts Could Kill. Thriller about a woman concealing her deadly psychic powers.

Barre, Richard ****
-- The Innocents. A Wil Hardesty novel. In 1990, a flash flood rips through a lonely section of the California desert, unearthing the skeletons of seven murdered children. Amid the outcry for justice following the discovery, the media gives them a name: The Innocents. (I recently discovered there are six more Wil Hardesty novels I need to read. heavy sighhhhhhh...)

Barry, Dave ****
-- He's got a million books. I describe him as a male Erma Bombeck. He's so danged funny.

Baxt, George ****
-- The Mae West Murders. The year is 1936, and Mae West has all of Hollywood wrapped around her little finger: a place many a man would kill to be. The legendary screen siren has, however, one critic - one with deadly fangs in place of a poison pen - who is knocking off Mae West impersonators along his way to the real thing.

Bayer, William ****
-- Blind Side, Switch Wallflower, Mirror Maze, Pattern Crimes. His books are all pretty different and they're all VERY good. I don't know what else to tell you without summarizing each book. You guys go ahead and google away.

Bickham, Jack M. ****
-- Semiretired tennis pro Brad Smith has also retired--so he thinks--from his part-time gig with the CIA. The Cold War is over, and he's out of favor with the company, considered a bit of a renegade. A new job crops up when he inadvertently gets an old army buddy killed.

Blatty, William Peter *****
-- Ninth Configuration. A remote castle-turned-military insane asylum is the setting for this offbeat suspenser laced with dark humor and symbolism. (Later made into a movie with Stacey Keach called Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane). Wonderful book, wonderful movie.

Bloch, Robert *****
-- Firebug, Psycho House, Lori, Night of the Ripper, The Jekyll Legacy (Andre Norton co-authored), Psycho-paths (collection of stories). They're all wonderful. I don't know where to begin. You choose.

Block, Lawrence ****
-- There are 16 Matthew Scudder books. Far too many to list here and each and every one of them is worth reading. Block's most famous creation, the ever-evolving Matthew Scudder, was introduced in 1976's The Sins of the Fathers as an alcoholic ex-cop working as an unlicensed private investigator in Hell's Kitchen. He has several other series characters. I've read a couple of the Evan Tanner books, but Matt Scudder is my favorite.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer ****
-- Glenraven, Witchlight, Gravelight. I should warn you, I've read all of Andre Norton's Witch World series, so books like this will be popping up on a regular basis. Have I mentioned I have a very "diverse" taste in books? Witchlight is the story of Winter Musgrave whose past is largely blank, her memories missing or tissue-thin. She seems to be possessed - objects shatter when she passes, the corpses of animals appear on her doorstep. And she has the terrible feeling that something horrible happened in her empty past results of which are now haunting her with unbridled fury. (That should give you an idea of her storylines).

Burke, James Lee ****
-- Dave Robicheaux series. (Far too many to mention. It's best if you read them in order since he refers back to past events on a regular basis.) Dave Robicheaux is a demon-haunted Vietnam vet now a police detective in Louisiana. He crosses paths with a handful of government agencies who want his nose out of their business, but their business unfortunately includes covering up the murder of a young black prostitute.

Bury, Stephen ****
-- The Cobweb. Clyde Banks is a deputy sheriff in a small Iowa town where law enforcement consists mostly of presiding at car wrecks. But Clyde's life is about to get a whole lot more complicated. His wife Desiree's Army Reserve unit has been called up to respond to a crisis in the Middle East, leaving Clyde to care for their five-month-old daughter. And an exchange student is found in the lake at nearby Eastern Iowa University, murdered. The investigation takes him deeper into shady events at the university, where a powerful department uses federal grant money for highly dubious research.

Butcher, Jim *****
-- His books are The Dresden Files series. I had no idea they existed until I started watching the t.v. show on the SciFi Channel. I immediately went out and bought the first three books, now I need to get the rest. I love these books. They are: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites, Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, and White Night.

I believe I'll stop here for now and go rummage around in the fridge. I'll let you see what you think so far. Okay? Okay.

A father murdered. A daughter sexually assaulted, beaten, left for dead. As a rule, in the 1950's, a good girl didn't admit to being raped--and she'd never seek revenge for her father's murder.
But Kristin didn't play by the rules.
"From the first chapter, Robert Fate delivers. . .This one is a winner" "Top notch, the story won't let you stop reading. Baby Shark is such a sexy, cool character--I'm in love" "If you like your women hot and your revenge cold, this is the story for you. Baby Shark's Kristin takes names, and dishes pain as well as the hardboiled guys Spade and Marlowe

While I didn't exactly find a career path from a children's book, the post got me to thinking about all the times my son, curled up in my lap, would listen to me read to him for hours on end. I had many favorite children's book authors that appealed to us both. I am now reading to my grand-niece, Kaylee, and enjoying them once more, but there is something wistful about the memories of the reading sessions with my son. Alexander And His Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day along with Alexander Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst were favorites. They were beautifully illustrated and very well written. Illustrations in children's books are so very important and was part of the fun of reading them. I instilled a love of books in my son this way and never have regretted the times that we bonded over books. Anyone else have any favorite children's book authors or maudlin memories to pull out and dust off?

These are the books that I have read this week and how I rate them. I am going to start posting my reads once a week .

Bodywork by Fiona Brand B+
The Snake Tattoo by Linda Barnes B+
(Carlotta Carlyle PI is a fun character)
Blue Zone by Andrew Gross B+
Simple Genius by David Baldacci A
(really like his books)
Secret Weekend by Thom Racina B
(mixed reaction - good plot but parts not well written - definitely readable)

I used to read all of Oprah's picks when she first started the whole bookclub thing. The only book that I read of her "picks" was Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts. I read in one of the replies someone stating Oprah was not always right. Well, I have come to the conclusion quite some time ago that Oprah and I have very different tastes in reading material. But that is what makes the world go 'round, I suppose. Anyone elser find the same difficulties in reading her "picks"?
And speaking of Billie Letts, her book the Honk and Holler Opening Soon was another good "read'. Anyone read this one?