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Here are our Group Reads through November, 2009. As usual, December is our vacation month. I think we have a nice variety to look forward to.

August - Fingerlickin' 15 by Janet Evanovich
September - 1984 by George Orwell
October - Wicked Prey by John Sandford
November - The Blue Star by Tony Earley

Had an e-mail yesterday from a woman I met at the library. I got her started reading Louise Penny's books and she's loving them. Yah! Yesterday she recommended Katherine Hall Page to me. I had not heard of this author, so of course googled her. From what I found, her books, mysteries, reminded me a lot of Diane Mott Davidson, in that she writes about a sleuth who cooks, and also she (author) includes recipes in her books. I will probably give her a try, although as I told my friend, the books sound a little too warm and fuzzy for me, but you never know. Have any of you read her?

Alphabetical Conversation

The rules: Each poster continues the conversation with a sentence or two (no more). However, each post must begin with the letter following the first letter in the previous post! If we get through the entire alphabet, just start over.

Example:

Poster 1: And... we're off!
Poster 2: But to where?
Poster 3: Can somebody find the map?
Poster 4: Doug's got it.

I'll start! You go next.

At 4:15 this morning, I gave Tom his anniversary gift.

I have such a funny tale to tell! Jennifer and I have laughed so much, our sides hurt and it's just been one thing after another! On the way, I listened to the rest of The Double Bind and I can honestly say that I never caught on to the whole story until the last few pages! It's well worth reading. I listened on my Ipod, but lots of folks were using the Kindle gadget and they just loved it! But back to the trip - I ended up staying at a motel near the airport and reviews were so terribe I called the manager back and told him I would have to cancel, but he begged me to come on - he said it was VERY safe and CLEAN! and they would get me to the airport in just five minutes and handle my luggage, too! So I stayed with them and they were super nice - at 3:30 Am the nightclub next door closed and tons of drunks poured out - so I didn't need a wake=up call! Then the guy who drove me to the airport let me out at the baggage section rather than the upstairs, but he was nice and took my bags up on the escalator,,,,and I took a wheel chair to the gate which seemed to be 5 miles away!....when we landed in Chicago (Ohare) a really really big airport it seemed like 10 miles, but the most fascinating thing about Ohare are the toilets! The seat has a revolving kind of a saran wrap and I've never seen that before so naturally i had to let it go around a few times just to see it work!

When I got to Tuscon, my telephone wouldn't work and I came in one wing and Jennifer came in another, but we finally met up and headed for Patagonia! The directions we got were awful and besides we just got turned around and drove in the wrong direction - turned around and drove a few miles and then decided that we were right the first time and drove back! (I was not driving!)...Patagonia is NOT like the website! Finding the Tree of Life farm was not too easy and it is up in the mountains...that's where Jennifer will be taking her treatments, but we are staying at the Enchanted Gardens and "enchanted" is not exactly what they are, but it is colorful and we are here for 12 days! The really big problem though is the beds! One is on the floor and the other is about two inches off the floor and I absolutely cannot get up! I can get down, but my knees won't make it - Jennifer had to pull me up! - and by the time we tried to get down (and then up!) I was worn out! We are having an "experience"! There is a couch so I'll sleep on that tonight! The people are delightful! All vegan people and yoga type are always nice - One other thing! Driving through town, we were so mixed up and confused - and suddently there was a siren and blue lights behind us! Dale (the local policeman) pulled us over we were driving 45 in a 30 mile zone, we were turning (from the wrong lane) and something else, but he decided that he would not give us a ticket

One final note and then I'll stop- went up to the Tree of Life Farm for dinner and it was all "raw" and "live" - and it was awful! Jennifer does all that kind of preparing, but her food is very tasty - this was not - so I'm sure to lose weight while I am here - I'll have one main meal (lunch),,,for breakfast, it is tea and fruit and for supper - fruit and avacados Tomorrow, I'm going to do some sketching and reading!...(and we do have a television so I'l watch Dancing with the Stars

I've started listening to Down River (John Hart). I'lll probably listen to a lot these next 12 days!

This is the book the upcoming movie Precious is based on.
Very good novel. I needed to keep reminding myself it was a novel. In no case was this passed off as a memoir. Push follows the life of an obese teenager who has lost her childhood. At 12 she had her first child. The book follows her struggle to overcome life.
This is a very graphic book and I can imagine there are not many people who would feel comfortable reading it.
I am looking forward to the movie.

Amazon Best of the Month, October 2009:
"An investigation into a cold-blooded murder introduces Detective Harry Bosch to a Chinese underworld lurking in the dark recesses of the City of Angels. Its tentacles are far reaching, yet it remains shrouded in secrecy due to time-honored cultural traditions that keep the exploited from speaking out. To the victim's family, Bosch promises revenge, but when his own daughter suddenly becomes a target, he promises blood. However, working a case with leads on both sides of the Pacific provides little room (or time) for error. 9 Dragons is a gritty, coffee-and-cigarettes crime thriller full of smart twists and generous helpings of suspense. Fans of Michael Connelly can expect another exceptional thrill ride, while newcomers will be immediately engaged by the tortured and unrelenting Bosch. "He knew one day it would come to this, that the darkness would find [his daughter] and that she would be used to get him," writes Connelly. "That day was now."

It's good as usual.

I had never heard of this author. I was visiting my mother who had read and recommended it. It was a very good read. The main character is Guido Brunetti - police person in Venice. Fast reading and the plot held my attention right to the end.
I will look for more books.
Has anyone else read Leon?

Yesterday I returned this book, unfinished, to the library. I was reall disappointed, usually I love Ruth Rendel's Inspector Wexford books, but this one just didn't grab me at all. It kept going back and forth between an incident maybe 20 years ago or more, to the present day, and although it seemed to be trying to get the reader fascinated with a sinisterly written bad guy, it just didn't work for me. Neither did the parts of that talking about Wexford as a young man. Yawn.....

The good news is that I'm now reading Deborah Crombie's latest, Necessary as Blood and finding it very good. The only downside so far is that her last book was out so long ago, in my time frame, that I'm having some trouble remembering it, and she's using characters from it, and what happened then, as references in the current book. Uh, Deborah, lots of us just don't remember that far back... rotflmao Seriously, though, I'm liking it a lot so far.

Just discovered a new author, Craig Johnson, and a new character, Walt Longmire. Walt is the sheriff in very rural Absaroka County, Wyoming. I just finished the latest book in the series, "The Dark Horse." Now, I am going back to read the other novels in the series.

Walt is an interresting guy. . .a graduate of USC, a Vietnam vet. In my mind, I picture him as a cross between Gary Cooper and Clint Eastwood. Of course, there is a great supporting cast of characters, including his deputy, Victoria Moretti, and his friend, Henry Standing Bear. Walt also has a great canine companion named Dog.

If you like Joe Pickett and stories of the West, then I recommend these books.

Finished this book, so here's what I thought about it. As a lover and owner of Border Terriers, Steve McQueen & Toomuch, I enjoyed reading the stuff that was Border Terrier related. On the other hand, a lot of what was written about them is stuff that I'd already read elsewhere, except for the parts that had to do with personal events the author experienced with her dogs.

The author did a good job of describing her 2 Borders and their personalities, I could easily picture them.

I'd been worried because I knew she was going to give the dogs away eventually, but not to worry. Each went to a good home, and the dogs were actually happy being separated, which was something else I'd worried about. The dogs and their new owners stayed in touch with the author, so it was kind of like the old saying, "it takes a village" with them.

On the other hand, I skipped a big part of the book about when the author went to Bali, and talked about monkeys and birds and lizards. :x

It seemed that the author wrote this book about the time period not long after her husband's death from Alzheimer's and mainly used the dogs to illustrate how she dealt with the changes in her life.

Let me say, like a typical doglover, dogparent, whtever, LOL that MY dogs are way cuter, smarter and quirkier than hers. So there.

Anyway, while this book had cute parts, I wouldn't recommend it very highly.