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 - More Fiction
SHOCK WAVE by John Sandford
Sandford writes two series - the popular Prey titles featuring Minnesota State law enforcement official Lucas Davenport; and the second featuring investigator Virgil Flowers. Flowers has a little more freedom to move around the state than his boss Davenport, so while both series are excellent police procedurals, the books with Flowers as a protagonist venture into, shall I say, more picturesque territory.
A small town, where a proposed "big box" store similar to Walmart is under development, is beset by a series of bombings. It's clear almost immediately that the plans for the store are connected to the crimes. Flowers is goaded into a bizarre wager with the owner of the retail chain. In addition, he is not satisfied that stopping the commercial development is the only motive.
Sandford never disappoints - or only rarely - and Flowers is one of my favorite protagonists in contemporary suspense fiction.
IT'S FINE BY ME by Per Petterson
Petterson's short novels appear in the US every year or so - it seems to me very skillfully translated from Norwegian. In contrast to the current popularity of so called "Scandinavian Noir," Petterson's books have a tense psychological edge to them, with no violent crime committed but nevertheless a sense of unspoken tragedies. Audun is a teenager - new to his school and seemingly intent on finding ways to antagonize the faculty. There isn't a lot of action, but the book is nevertheless very readable, as we learn about the turning points in Audun's life one by one.
DARK BLOOD by Stuart MacBride
I really enjoy MacBride's series featuring Scottish detective Logan MacRae. The poor guy has one of the most unreasonable set of superior officers ever written into cop fiction, and MacRae's days are a repetitive series of missed appointments and critical performance reviews. Yet he manages to persevere and do his job.
A recently paroled sex offender has requested that he be allowed to return to his grandmother's home in Aberdeen. MacRae is one of the officers assigned to protect him. At the same time, local markets are being flooded with counterfeit currency; and a pair of robbers pulls off one "smash and grab" jewelry store robbery after another.
Very entertaining!
SILKEN PREY by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport is called to investigate the discovery of pornographic pictures on the office computer of a politician involved in a tightly contested campaign. It seems that a sort of dirty tricks prank is the only logical solution; but all evidence seems to indicate the contrary.
Davenport consults a computer expert - Kidd - whom readers will recognize from another series of books by Sandford. The two men figure out what happened and how the guilty parties pulled off the prank. The reader knows, however, that one of the persons ultimately responsible remains free of suspicion. As with other villains in other Sandford books, I imagine we'll meet him/her again.
THE RED HOUSE by Mark Haddon
Haddon is a British author, whose books are hard to categorize. They are sort of quirky, sometimes funny, and always thoughtful and absorbing.
A brother and sister plan a long weekend with their families at a rented house. Not everyone in the collection of adults, teenagers, and children is looking forward to the time together, and not surprisingly, not everyone has a good time. Yet like all of Haddon's characters in his other books, they end their time together on a hopeful note.
I've got more books on my reading log to update, more to follow in a day or two.
Sandford writes two series - the popular Prey titles featuring Minnesota State law enforcement official Lucas Davenport; and the second featuring investigator Virgil Flowers. Flowers has a little more freedom to move around the state than his boss Davenport, so while both series are excellent police procedurals, the books with Flowers as a protagonist venture into, shall I say, more picturesque territory.
A small town, where a proposed "big box" store similar to Walmart is under development, is beset by a series of bombings. It's clear almost immediately that the plans for the store are connected to the crimes. Flowers is goaded into a bizarre wager with the owner of the retail chain. In addition, he is not satisfied that stopping the commercial development is the only motive.
Sandford never disappoints - or only rarely - and Flowers is one of my favorite protagonists in contemporary suspense fiction.
IT'S FINE BY ME by Per Petterson
Petterson's short novels appear in the US every year or so - it seems to me very skillfully translated from Norwegian. In contrast to the current popularity of so called "Scandinavian Noir," Petterson's books have a tense psychological edge to them, with no violent crime committed but nevertheless a sense of unspoken tragedies. Audun is a teenager - new to his school and seemingly intent on finding ways to antagonize the faculty. There isn't a lot of action, but the book is nevertheless very readable, as we learn about the turning points in Audun's life one by one.
DARK BLOOD by Stuart MacBride
I really enjoy MacBride's series featuring Scottish detective Logan MacRae. The poor guy has one of the most unreasonable set of superior officers ever written into cop fiction, and MacRae's days are a repetitive series of missed appointments and critical performance reviews. Yet he manages to persevere and do his job.
A recently paroled sex offender has requested that he be allowed to return to his grandmother's home in Aberdeen. MacRae is one of the officers assigned to protect him. At the same time, local markets are being flooded with counterfeit currency; and a pair of robbers pulls off one "smash and grab" jewelry store robbery after another.
Very entertaining!
SILKEN PREY by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport is called to investigate the discovery of pornographic pictures on the office computer of a politician involved in a tightly contested campaign. It seems that a sort of dirty tricks prank is the only logical solution; but all evidence seems to indicate the contrary.
Davenport consults a computer expert - Kidd - whom readers will recognize from another series of books by Sandford. The two men figure out what happened and how the guilty parties pulled off the prank. The reader knows, however, that one of the persons ultimately responsible remains free of suspicion. As with other villains in other Sandford books, I imagine we'll meet him/her again.
THE RED HOUSE by Mark Haddon
Haddon is a British author, whose books are hard to categorize. They are sort of quirky, sometimes funny, and always thoughtful and absorbing.
A brother and sister plan a long weekend with their families at a rented house. Not everyone in the collection of adults, teenagers, and children is looking forward to the time together, and not surprisingly, not everyone has a good time. Yet like all of Haddon's characters in his other books, they end their time together on a hopeful note.
I've got more books on my reading log to update, more to follow in a day or two.
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