Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
Mood:
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Books Update
Not reading at my usual pace, but still several titles to report on:
JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED by Priscilla Royal
Royal writes a nice series of historicals, set in 13th century England. Her protagonists are a nun and a monk, living in a priory and having the advantages of education, medical skills, and warmth and safety which were the perks of that sort of life. Yet Sister Eleanor and Brother Thomas don't seem at all antiquated or out of date. Their interests, strengths, desires, interests, and abilities are very believable. Royal includes a very interesting afterword, in which she details some of her research and provides an intriguing glimpse of the artifacts featured in her story which survive to the present day.
THE YELLOW ADMIRAL by Patrick O'Brian.
I'm nearing the end of this very enjoyable series set during the Napoleonic Wars and featuring a British ship captain and his surgeon, who uses his medical assignment as a cover for work as a spy. In this installment, their ship is stationed as a part of the blockade of the coast of France, giving them occasional access to their wives and families at home in England and providing opportunities for domestic as well as international intrigue.
BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS by Giles Blunt.
Blunt's protagonist is a small town Ontario cop. As the book opens, John Cardinal's wife has been found dead, apparently a suicide. Although she had coped for years with a depressive illness, Cardinal is having a very difficult time accepting the truth of that verdict. Calling in favors from other local and provincial cops, he works off duty to uncover the truth, and finds himself pitted against a particularly nasty murderer.
CACTUS HEART by Jon Talton.
This a "prequel" to Talton's series set in contemporary Arizona. David Mapstone is a former cop, as well as a former history professor. He has accepted an assignment to work as a deputy sheriff and use his dual skills as cop and historical researcher to solve "cold cases." In this entry, Talton goes back to Mapstone's first days back in Arizona after an academic career in the Pacific Northwest. A brief tussle with some carjackers after a late night visit to a restaurant uncovers the remains of two young boys, kidnapped many years ago, whose eventual fate had remained unknown. Perhaps we learn a little TOO much about Mapstone's romantic life. Nevetheless, Talton still churns out a nice, enjoyable mystery.
SURVEILLANCE by Jonathan Raban
Raban is one of my "don't miss" authors, and I had a chance to meet him in person at a book signing about a month ago. His latest book, a novel, is a portrayal of a post 9/11 world, with checkpoints and monitoring, staged rehearsals for disaster and a layer of unease permeating everyday life. The ending is more than a little enigmatic, and I've come to the conclusion that this is the second book in a trilogy, which began with WAXWINGS. I'll be interested to see where these characters go next.
STORM RUNNERS by T Jefferson Parker
I don't think I ever contemplated reading a novel in which the manipulation of weather was a motive for extortion and attempted murder. But here it is, and it's a very enjoyable read. The issues confronting the voracious water consuming community of Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California are given a new spin, by one of the best suspense writers working today.
THE HUNDRED DAYS by Patrick O'Brian
Moving right along! After this book, I have only the last full length manuscript O'Brian published before his death left to read, or in my case, listen to. The fragment of the next book, titled "21" by the publisher, has been recorded and I'm sure my curiosity will lead me to take a listen to that one, too. In THE HUNDRED DAYS Napoleon has eluded those who sought to keep him in exile, and made another run on the power to rule France. He has sought financing from Arabs in Northern Africa and Aubrey and Maturin are dispatched to inercept the gold.
IN THIS RAIN by S J Rozan
An inspector for the NYC Department of Investigation is suspicious of a series of accidents at a Bronx construction site. As she investigates, she finds layer upon layer of deceit and greed. The book is rich with imagery of gardening, one of the characters works extended hours restoring an abandoned wreck of a back yard. Meanwhile back in the city, the investigator finds another type of opportunistic weed taking root in the lucrative real estate development world.
JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED by Priscilla Royal
Royal writes a nice series of historicals, set in 13th century England. Her protagonists are a nun and a monk, living in a priory and having the advantages of education, medical skills, and warmth and safety which were the perks of that sort of life. Yet Sister Eleanor and Brother Thomas don't seem at all antiquated or out of date. Their interests, strengths, desires, interests, and abilities are very believable. Royal includes a very interesting afterword, in which she details some of her research and provides an intriguing glimpse of the artifacts featured in her story which survive to the present day.
THE YELLOW ADMIRAL by Patrick O'Brian.
I'm nearing the end of this very enjoyable series set during the Napoleonic Wars and featuring a British ship captain and his surgeon, who uses his medical assignment as a cover for work as a spy. In this installment, their ship is stationed as a part of the blockade of the coast of France, giving them occasional access to their wives and families at home in England and providing opportunities for domestic as well as international intrigue.
BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS by Giles Blunt.
Blunt's protagonist is a small town Ontario cop. As the book opens, John Cardinal's wife has been found dead, apparently a suicide. Although she had coped for years with a depressive illness, Cardinal is having a very difficult time accepting the truth of that verdict. Calling in favors from other local and provincial cops, he works off duty to uncover the truth, and finds himself pitted against a particularly nasty murderer.
CACTUS HEART by Jon Talton.
This a "prequel" to Talton's series set in contemporary Arizona. David Mapstone is a former cop, as well as a former history professor. He has accepted an assignment to work as a deputy sheriff and use his dual skills as cop and historical researcher to solve "cold cases." In this entry, Talton goes back to Mapstone's first days back in Arizona after an academic career in the Pacific Northwest. A brief tussle with some carjackers after a late night visit to a restaurant uncovers the remains of two young boys, kidnapped many years ago, whose eventual fate had remained unknown. Perhaps we learn a little TOO much about Mapstone's romantic life. Nevetheless, Talton still churns out a nice, enjoyable mystery.
SURVEILLANCE by Jonathan Raban
Raban is one of my "don't miss" authors, and I had a chance to meet him in person at a book signing about a month ago. His latest book, a novel, is a portrayal of a post 9/11 world, with checkpoints and monitoring, staged rehearsals for disaster and a layer of unease permeating everyday life. The ending is more than a little enigmatic, and I've come to the conclusion that this is the second book in a trilogy, which began with WAXWINGS. I'll be interested to see where these characters go next.
STORM RUNNERS by T Jefferson Parker
I don't think I ever contemplated reading a novel in which the manipulation of weather was a motive for extortion and attempted murder. But here it is, and it's a very enjoyable read. The issues confronting the voracious water consuming community of Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California are given a new spin, by one of the best suspense writers working today.
THE HUNDRED DAYS by Patrick O'Brian
Moving right along! After this book, I have only the last full length manuscript O'Brian published before his death left to read, or in my case, listen to. The fragment of the next book, titled "21" by the publisher, has been recorded and I'm sure my curiosity will lead me to take a listen to that one, too. In THE HUNDRED DAYS Napoleon has eluded those who sought to keep him in exile, and made another run on the power to rule France. He has sought financing from Arabs in Northern Africa and Aubrey and Maturin are dispatched to inercept the gold.
IN THIS RAIN by S J Rozan
An inspector for the NYC Department of Investigation is suspicious of a series of accidents at a Bronx construction site. As she investigates, she finds layer upon layer of deceit and greed. The book is rich with imagery of gardening, one of the characters works extended hours restoring an abandoned wreck of a back yard. Meanwhile back in the city, the investigator finds another type of opportunistic weed taking root in the lucrative real estate development world.
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