Question of the Week: Has a book ever deceived you?

Admit it:  there's nothing quite like the feel of a brand-spanking-new library book, complete with fresh plastic cover.  I satisfy my urge to be the first customer to read a library book by scanning the publishing magazines.  When I find something that sounds good, I see if Sno-Isle owns it, and Bob's your uncle.

Every now and then, the cover doesn't match what I expected.  When I got my copy of Vicious by V.E. Schwab, I couldn't for the life of me recall why I had requested it. 

The cover depicts a man in a trench coat standing on a balcony that overlooks a high-tech cityscape.  The man's skin is deathly pale and his veins are clearly visible.  Blood drips from his hand. This cover hints of near future and horror. Hey, wait!  It looks like Science Fiction or Fantasy!  I read Mysteries.  The book's summary must have been incorrect.  This isn't my cup of tea - or is it?

The book stayed on my nightstand for several days, until it was time to choose my next read.  I decided I'd give this a try.  Am I ever glad I did!  From page one, I was entranced and turning pages long into the night. 

 Two college roommates have an interest in physiology.  Victor decides to do his thesis on adrenaline; Eli's will focus on EOs (ExtraOrdinaries,or "super" people).  Now, Victor is a little jealous of Eli's thesis topic; it doesn't help that he's also dating the woman of Victor's dreams.  But now that Eli has chosen the better thesis topic, Victor has got to get in on the glory that's sure to follow his success.  The pair hypothesize that an EO can be manufactured by providing them with an NDE, a Near Death Experience.  Victor volunteers to go first, but things go wrong.  He comes back, but he isn't in any way better.  When it's Eli's turn, they know a bit more and can plan better.  Eli's attempt is successful:  he is an EO.  Victor is in a jealous rage, and nothing will stop him from achieving his own EO status, with or without the help of his "friend."

Would you know "evil" if you saw it?  Are you sure?

Tell me about a book that deceived you.   Were you glad you'd read it?

Shining a Light in Dark Places

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must also be present."  ~Francis Bacon

There's nothing as satisfying as a fast-paced, intricately-plotted thriller.  You choose it specifically to provide chills and thrills and send a tingle of fear up your spine.  Meet your next favorite novel of suspense:  The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes.

Harper Curtis is just about at the end of his rope.  In the midst of America's Great Depression, he is hungry, homeless, and being chased through his tent city by a vigilante squad.  It's not surprising, since he's just killed and mutilated a woman.  In his haste to get away, he ends up in a strange house.  When he opens the door, the scene is subtly different.  Where is he?  Or, more to the point, when is he?  The house becomes his home base from which he can go anywhere in time, increasing the number of potential victims, his shining girls. 

Kirby Mazrachi just barely survives the vicious attack on her.  She knows her attacker meant to kill and mutilate her; it was what he did to all his other victims.  She carries the impossibly long, ropey scars on her abdomen as if she requires constant proof of his intent to do her harm.  

Kirby becomes obsessed with finding the man who did this to her.  She teams up with an investigative reporter and, together, they work to unravel the clues.  Soon, they are literally racing against time to stop a serial killer in his tracks.  Can they stop him and survive? 

Be sure you start early, because you won't want to put this one down.

Question of the Week: What nonfiction book made you think you were reading a novel?

I'm not much of a nonfiction reader.  I'll read cookery, craft, and the occasional gardening book.  I enjoy reading these for the sake of thinking about the projects and recipes rather than actually engaging in any related activities.  I take a cerebral rather than active approach to such things.

Every now and then, I pick up something that is far different from my typical reading material, usually drawn by the cover art.  Oddly enough, I've always been pleasantly surprised by these spur-of-the-moment choices.   Variety is, after all, the spice of life.  Here are a few gems I've discovered in the unplumbed depths of the nonfiction shelves.

A Curious Man:  The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe it or Not" Ripley

Robert L. Ripley is known best for his Believe it or Not franchise.  While growing up, he was teased due to a speech impediment related to his buck-toothed grin, and he was painfully shy as a result.  Ripley began his professional life as a cartoonist in the most serendipitous way, and luck seemed to be with him in every endeavor.  He was highly creative and considered an innovator; I was surprised to learn of some things that were attributed to him.  The story of Ripley's rise to fame and fortune is proof that fact is sometimes stranger than fiction. 

American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, Movie-making, & the Crime of the Century
This reads more like a mystery than a book about history.  I found myself surprisingly riveted by the facts presented about the rise of the film industry (did you know the major studios were in Chicago?), the Pinkertons, Clarence Darrow, and the story of the bombing of the Los Angeles Times Building in 1910. Highly recommended to anyone who thinks history is boring.

A Walk in the Woods:  Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
I think any of Bill Bryson's work could be included in this list, but I will include just one.  In this book, Bryson relates his experience of hiking the Appalachian Trail, basically on his own.  His description of preparing for and contemplating a bear attack will have you laughing out loud.  The information about our national parks in general, and the Appalachian Trail in particular, was very interesting. 

What nonfiction book made you think you were reading fiction?

Question of the week: Is a picture worth a thousand words?

I really enjoy books I call "adult picturebooks" and maybe you think of them as coffee table books.
Pictures, usually photographs, carry the story.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Underwater dogs by Seth Casteel shows dogs of all sizes and personalities throwing themselves into the water. The trick is the pictures are taken from below, under the water. Pictures tell it all.

 Flower Recipe book by Althea Harampolis give exact description of how to create flower arrangement.  You can see the individual flowers and woody materials and then step-by-step how to create an arrangement of which you can be proud. 

 Did you know there are only a few basic styles for birds nests? Avian architecture:how birds design, engineer  & build by Peter Goodfellows show all the basic steps with examples of nests and other structures from around the world.  Just how does a bowerbird make a bower?

Do you have a favorite picturebook just for us adults?

Posted by Becky

Returning home

Some authors write about many places and times.  Some have returned to the same place over many years. Some of these novesl are written years apart.   Here are a few such authors:

Kent Haruf writes of Holt, a small town on  the high plains of Colorado. Plainsong tells of  young, pregnant Victoriea Roubideaux taken in by the McPherson Brothers,  two elderly bachelors. In Eventide, Victoria is off to college and other town members are highlighted.  In Benediction, Dad Lewis comes home to die taken care of by his wife Mary and daughter Lorraine.

 

Ivan Doig continues to return to his home state of Montana. This house sky of sky tell of his own upbringing outside of Helena.  In Whistling season, brother and sister Rose Llewellyn and Morris Morgan teach at a one-room schoolhouse.  Work song has Morrie moving on to the Butte in it's copper heyday. In The bartender's tale, Tom Harry and his son live in Gros Verde in the 1960s. Doig has written of other places but he always seems to return to Montana.

Some other authors to checkout are Dennis Lehane writing on Boston, Richard Russo on upstate New York, Larry McMurtry on Texas.

Posted by Becky

Question of the Week: What Series Keeps You Coming Back for More?

I am a big fan of mystery series.  Some of my favorites are dark and gritty, and some are decidedly cozy and gentle.  Some are long-running, and some are just getting started.  There is one thing they all have in common:  characters I want to know better.  I'd like to share some of my favorites with you. 

  

Patrik Hedström Mysteries by Camilla Läckberg
Set in Fjällbacka, Sweden, each entry has proved to be gripping and satisfying.  The page-turning action is nicely paired with characters who develop in every outing.  Think Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with a teeny bit more heart.  There are four books in this fairly new series, the first of which is The Ice Princess.

Inspector Alleyn Mysteries by Ngaio Marsh
Marsh was a contemporary of Agatha Christie, and was often compared to her.  It is my opinion that Marsh was a top-notch mystery author whose work easily stands on its own.  Her classic mysteries are cozy without being twee, and her main character is someone you wish you knew in real life.  With 32 entries, this is a series for those who are looking for a long-term relationship.
 
Dr. Siri Paiboun Mysteries by Colin Cotterill
These charmingly funny mysteries are set in Laos.  Dr. Paiboun would like nothing more than to retire and enjoy life.  Unfortunately, at 72 years of age, he's been named the National Coroner and, in post-revolutionary Laos, you don't refuse such a job offer.  Paiboun discovers he has the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead.  This can be quite handy - and frightening, too.  First up is The Coroner's Lunch.

What is your favorite series?  Why?

The Sense of an Ending

Do you enjoy a happy ending?  I think most people do, though some may disagree on what constitutes "happy."   The final chapter doesn’t have to be sappy to satisfy.   For me, when a mystery is solved and all the loose ends are tied up, I'm pleased, even if the good guys don’t catch the bad guys.  In fact, some of my favorite books have had decidedly unhappy endings!  Of course, I won’t mention any of those now because I’d spoil them for you, and that would be a heinous crime indeed.

Regardless of your ending preferences, here are some books that have plot twists aplenty and will keep you guessing until the end:

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache finds himself investigating another murder connected to the people of the idyllic Canadian village Three Pines in this fifth in the cozy-yet-gritty mystery series.  Folktales, secrets, lies, love, and greed all play a part in this riveting entry.  There's a new family in town and they are competing for the same business as a well-established and much-loved bistro and antiques store.  When a hermit's body is discovered in the bistro, all eyes are on Olivier, the owner of the Bistro.  Could the newbies really want business that badly?  Here’s a free tip from me:  do not read this book until you’ve read the first four.
 
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson
Mikael Blomkvist had it all:  A partnership in a successful publishing company, the respect of his peers, and love of a sort.  He loses his credibility after publishing a story that leads to his conviction for libel and Blomkvist is asked to take a back seat within his own company due to the scandal.  He hunkers down to ride out the storm, until he is approached with a unique proposition that will put his skills as an investigative journalist to work again.  Blomkvist finds himself in need of specialized assistance, and that is where Lisbeth Salander comes in. She's brilliant and creative - and she comes with her own set of problems.  The pair must work together to solve a decades-old mystery.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Larry and Silas, two boys from vastly different backgrounds, are friends in this tale set in 1970s rural Mississippi.  One night Larry takes a girl on a date, but the girl never makes it home. Of course, Larry is suspected in her death, although charges were never filed.  Silas moves away not knowing the truth of what happened to the girl who was friend to both boys.  Fast-forward twenty years, and Silas returns to his boyhood home as a constable.  Larry lives the life of a social outcast. When another girl dies and Larry is suspected, the two meet again.  Silas must bring the murderer to justice, whoever it is. 

Now, tell me about a book that kept you guessing till the end!