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.
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Books update
It's clear my reading pace has picked up quite a bit, I'll have to do this more often in the weeks ahead.
PRIEST by Ken Bruen
Bruen's books are dark, very very dark. His protagonist Jack Taylor is a former cop in Galway, Ireland and through the entire series has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. Although his sometime occupation as a private investigator is the nominal plot device, the real appeal of this series is the tormented soul of Taylor. Bruen is one of the best authors writing today.
WHAT THE DEAd KNOW by Laura Lippman
In this stand alone, the author of the popular Tess Monaghan series uses a fragment of an actual event to create a thoroughly engrossing story. You can read more about my reaction to the book on my blog entry of April 14.
BLUE AT THE MIZZEN by Patrick O'Brian
The last full length book in the Aubrey Maturin series finds the two naval officers in South America, seeking to expand British influence in the area by providing assistance to the Chilean navy.
KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED by Craig Johnson
I really enjoy this series featuring a small town Wyoming sheriff. In this entry, Walt Longmire has traveled to Philadelphia to visit his daughter who is an up and coming attorney there. When she is brutally assaulted, Walt works both with and against the Philadelphia cops to find the man who injured her.
BUFFALO MOUNTAIN by Frederick Ramsay
Fred is one of my favorites among new authors on the suspense genre scene. His protagonist is a small town guy who returns to his home town to become the sheriff after a career in the CIA. When Ike Schwartz realizes that a dead body bearing the ID of a local resident is actually a former Russian spy, things get interesting. This is a "country mouse, city mouse" scenario updated for the 21st century and a very enjoyable read.
21 by Patrick O'Brian
At his death, O'Brian left hand written manuscripts which were to expand into his 21st book. He had begun typewritten editing as well, and his editors brought the typewritten pages into print. The manuscript stops in mid sentence, a real jolt for a reader who has been enjoying this series of adventure sagas for several years. I began listening to this series in my car in the fall of 2004, and driving around on errands just isn't going to be the same. There's more about this in my blog entry of April 24.
THE WATCHMAN by Robert Crais
Readers familiar with Crais' series featuring PI Elvis Cole are also familiar with Joe Pike, the enigmatic sidekick/mystery man who helps Cole out of one jam after another. Readers have known a few tidbits about Joe's personal life and history, but very few characters in the books have gotten to know Joe. When Pike is hired to protect a wealthy young woman from men who seek to kill her, he and the girl connect in ways that neither of them predicted. It's tempting to hope for a sequel featuring this pair, but Joe Pike never quite satisfies anyone's hopes to know him better. But I'm hoping anyway!
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L M Montgomery
A book discussion group chose this classic for our April meeting. Believe it or not, I had never read it before and enjoyed catching up with the rest of the reading world!
THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING by Thomas H. Cook
After the death of their father, an adult brother and sister anticipate relief since their parent's schizophrenic behavior will no longer be a part of their lives. But the woman begins to behave very strangely, and her brother seeks to find answers to several mysteries. Alternating chapters use second person present tense "you walk down the hall and enter the room" disconcerting at first, but strangely intriguing as well. Cook is one of the best - I'm always glad to see a new title by him.
CHICKEN WITH PLUMS by Mariane Satrapi
One of the book discussion groups I attend enjoys reading graphic novels (comic books) every so often. I picked this one up to recommend it as a choice for our upcoming six month schedule. The author/artist is Iranian, and relates the true story of an uncle who pined to death when his treasured Iranian guitar was damaged beyond repair.
PLAY DEAD by David Rosenfelt
Rosenfelt's main character is a wealthy attorney, so wealthy in fact, that he only works when he feels like it. He is also a champion of abandoned dogs, and takes on the case of a man wrongly imprisoned for murder when the man's dog shows up after being presumed dead. Rosenfelt has a light almost comic tone to his books which never overwhelms the serious subject matter.
MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin
In 12th century England, with the Crusades underway in the Middle East, Henry II relied heavily on Jewish financiers to pay for the expeditions. A series of child murders brings the classic accusations against the Jews into play once more, and to protect his vital source of money, Henry sends to Italy for a doctor skilled in post mortem examination. When the expected male doctor turns out to be a young woman, things get interesting.
DRY ICE by Stephen White
Psychologist Alan Gregory has hit a dry spell in his life and has begun to turn to alcohol to sleep and to dull his sense of despair. So he is a sitting duck for persecution and stalking by a former patient who has escaped from a mental hospital. White has often used the classic game of cat and mouse as a plot device, often with the reader wondering who is the cat and who is the mouse. In this entry, it's very clear that Gregory and his entire family are the colony of mice, and the cat is very mean indeed. The book closes with a shocking violation of ethics by one of the main characters, and I for one am wondering what the next book will involve.
PRIEST by Ken Bruen
Bruen's books are dark, very very dark. His protagonist Jack Taylor is a former cop in Galway, Ireland and through the entire series has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. Although his sometime occupation as a private investigator is the nominal plot device, the real appeal of this series is the tormented soul of Taylor. Bruen is one of the best authors writing today.
WHAT THE DEAd KNOW by Laura Lippman
In this stand alone, the author of the popular Tess Monaghan series uses a fragment of an actual event to create a thoroughly engrossing story. You can read more about my reaction to the book on my blog entry of April 14.
BLUE AT THE MIZZEN by Patrick O'Brian
The last full length book in the Aubrey Maturin series finds the two naval officers in South America, seeking to expand British influence in the area by providing assistance to the Chilean navy.
KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED by Craig Johnson
I really enjoy this series featuring a small town Wyoming sheriff. In this entry, Walt Longmire has traveled to Philadelphia to visit his daughter who is an up and coming attorney there. When she is brutally assaulted, Walt works both with and against the Philadelphia cops to find the man who injured her.
BUFFALO MOUNTAIN by Frederick Ramsay
Fred is one of my favorites among new authors on the suspense genre scene. His protagonist is a small town guy who returns to his home town to become the sheriff after a career in the CIA. When Ike Schwartz realizes that a dead body bearing the ID of a local resident is actually a former Russian spy, things get interesting. This is a "country mouse, city mouse" scenario updated for the 21st century and a very enjoyable read.
21 by Patrick O'Brian
At his death, O'Brian left hand written manuscripts which were to expand into his 21st book. He had begun typewritten editing as well, and his editors brought the typewritten pages into print. The manuscript stops in mid sentence, a real jolt for a reader who has been enjoying this series of adventure sagas for several years. I began listening to this series in my car in the fall of 2004, and driving around on errands just isn't going to be the same. There's more about this in my blog entry of April 24.
THE WATCHMAN by Robert Crais
Readers familiar with Crais' series featuring PI Elvis Cole are also familiar with Joe Pike, the enigmatic sidekick/mystery man who helps Cole out of one jam after another. Readers have known a few tidbits about Joe's personal life and history, but very few characters in the books have gotten to know Joe. When Pike is hired to protect a wealthy young woman from men who seek to kill her, he and the girl connect in ways that neither of them predicted. It's tempting to hope for a sequel featuring this pair, but Joe Pike never quite satisfies anyone's hopes to know him better. But I'm hoping anyway!
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L M Montgomery
A book discussion group chose this classic for our April meeting. Believe it or not, I had never read it before and enjoyed catching up with the rest of the reading world!
THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING by Thomas H. Cook
After the death of their father, an adult brother and sister anticipate relief since their parent's schizophrenic behavior will no longer be a part of their lives. But the woman begins to behave very strangely, and her brother seeks to find answers to several mysteries. Alternating chapters use second person present tense "you walk down the hall and enter the room" disconcerting at first, but strangely intriguing as well. Cook is one of the best - I'm always glad to see a new title by him.
CHICKEN WITH PLUMS by Mariane Satrapi
One of the book discussion groups I attend enjoys reading graphic novels (comic books) every so often. I picked this one up to recommend it as a choice for our upcoming six month schedule. The author/artist is Iranian, and relates the true story of an uncle who pined to death when his treasured Iranian guitar was damaged beyond repair.
PLAY DEAD by David Rosenfelt
Rosenfelt's main character is a wealthy attorney, so wealthy in fact, that he only works when he feels like it. He is also a champion of abandoned dogs, and takes on the case of a man wrongly imprisoned for murder when the man's dog shows up after being presumed dead. Rosenfelt has a light almost comic tone to his books which never overwhelms the serious subject matter.
MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin
In 12th century England, with the Crusades underway in the Middle East, Henry II relied heavily on Jewish financiers to pay for the expeditions. A series of child murders brings the classic accusations against the Jews into play once more, and to protect his vital source of money, Henry sends to Italy for a doctor skilled in post mortem examination. When the expected male doctor turns out to be a young woman, things get interesting.
DRY ICE by Stephen White
Psychologist Alan Gregory has hit a dry spell in his life and has begun to turn to alcohol to sleep and to dull his sense of despair. So he is a sitting duck for persecution and stalking by a former patient who has escaped from a mental hospital. White has often used the classic game of cat and mouse as a plot device, often with the reader wondering who is the cat and who is the mouse. In this entry, it's very clear that Gregory and his entire family are the colony of mice, and the cat is very mean indeed. The book closes with a shocking violation of ethics by one of the main characters, and I for one am wondering what the next book will involve.
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