Reviews in Brief

Here are some short-and-possibly-sweet reviews of recent reads.  All but the Evanovich have been in audio form.

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly - I'm working my way through the entire Mickey Haller series.  Talented author, suspenseful courtroom drama and a hero you'll love.

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly - Same series - same review

Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly - Same author - stand-alone novel - same review.  Are you catching on?  Michael Connelly can write!

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich - I give.  I have enough years invested in the Stephanie Plum series that I'll continue to read them in the hope that she (the author or the protagonist) will eventually move on, but I'm not wasting another minute on this shabby remake of the original.  Actually have about 30 pages left on this one and don't care if I ever read them.

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - Another reliably awesome author.  This wasn't my favorite of his, but still way above the average.

A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth - I'm not a big biography reader, but this was fun.  I fell in love with Kristin on West Wing and now seek out anything she's in.  She narrates the audiobook herself and that made it even more fun - especially the parts she sings.  







If you have any questions or want further info on any of my recent reads, just ask.

Love: Audio Book Style*

I'm not a fan of listening to the radio in the car, so I always try to keep an audio book handy.  And, since the majority of my driving is in fifteen-minute stints, I usually select light books for less strain on my limited memory.  But perhaps it's time to change my ways.  The last two selections have been disappointing.  While I may not be the most assertive person and occasionally allow myself to get walked on, it annoys me when my heroine does it.


Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie: Quinn McKenzie is dating the world’s nicest guy, she has a good job as a high school art teacher, she’s surrounded by family and friends who rely on her, and she’s bored to the point of insanity. But when Quinn decides to change her life by adopting a stray dog over everyone’s objections, everything begins to spiral out of control. Now she’s coping with dognapping, breaking and entering, seduction, sabotage, stalking, more secrets than she really wants to know, and two men who are suddenly crazy . . . for her.

"The world's nicest guy" turns out to be a psychotic stalker and Quinn turns out to be a non-too-bright wimp.  This story was a cross between The Three Stooges and Fatal Attraction - and if somehow that sounds like a good mix, I haven't adequately described it.  I did finish listening just to be sure that the happy ending came through - and it did.  

Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis: Emily has a tendency to live with one foot out the door. For her, the best thing about a family crisis is the excuse to cut and run. When her mother dramatically announces they've found a lump, Emily gladly takes a rain check on life to be by her mother's side, leaving behind her career, her boyfriend, and those pesky, unanswerable questions about who she is and what she's doing with her life.  One evening, Emily opens the door, quite literally, to find her past staring her in the face. How do you forge a relationship with the father who left when you were five years old? As Emily attempts to find balance on the emotional seesaw of her life, with the help of two hopeful suitors and her Park Avenue Princess sister, she takes a no-risk job as a receptionist at her father's law firm and slowly gets to know the man she once pretended was dead. 

Ditto!  Different situation, different names, same personality, same ending.

So, I'm swearing off romances.  Life's too short to read mediocre books and I'm tired of listening to myself whine after I do.  I don't usually make New Year Resolutions, but here goes - 2012 will be the year of deeper reading.  Don't get carried away, I'm never going to completely abandon thrillers and cozy mysteries - occasionally you run across one that is exceptional - but I resolve to keep the "fluff" to a minimum.

*In case you're too young to remember, there used to be a TV show called Love: American Style which was a series of short, silly sketches about, obviously, love and romance.

Adam's Rib

Based on the Oscar-nominated screenplay of the movie starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, this audio book is actually a radio adaptation of the classic story of battling husband and wife attorneys.

Lawyers Adam and Amanda Bonner end up on opposite sides of a court case involving a woman who shot her husband.  Originally written in the late 1940's, the story is surprisingly current.  Mrs. Bonner attests that a man charged with the same crime under the same circumstances would be treated differently by the predominantly male justice system, and sets out to prove her theory.  Naturally, the conflict in the courtroom carries over into their private life.

I have never seen the Tracy/Hepburn movie, but I loved this adaptation.  Adam Arkin and Anne Heche read the starring roles and do a fabulous job.  They both have instantly recognizable voices which, along with Ms. Heche's added accent, made this an enjoyable listen. 

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

I have put off writing this review for a couple weeks, which is never a good idea for me.  I couldn't quite decide what to say about it, so I procrastinated and now, what with my fading memory, I'm even less sure.  I have enjoyed all the Madeleine Wickham books I've read previously, but this one just didn't trip my trigger, or float my boat, or whatever other cute saying you want to use - it was bland.

The Wedding Girl is Milly Havill.  Milly agrees to marry her friend, Allan, so that he can stay in England with his gay partner.  Ten years later, believing herself to be divorced, she plans to marry Simon Pinnacle, son of a multi-millionaire.  It's a good idea with a lot of promise, but it turns into an I Love Lucy episode.  When the proposed wedding photographer recognizes Milly from her first wedding, she goes into Lucy mode to silence him before he reveals her secret.  But why is it a secret anyway?  I was never a Lucy fan because her predicaments always seemed so contrived.  Just tell the truth, ask for what you want, act like a reasonable adult and none of these preposterous situations would ever happen. 

Then we have Rupert - Allan's partner - who believes he's gay, then he's not, then maybe he is, or maybe not.  I'm not doubting that this could happen, but in this story he seemed to be debating a shoe style rather than a major lifestyle choice  - another story element that just didn't ring true.

This book was vanilla ice cream - enjoyable, but with some hot fudge it could have been so much better!

Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham

At the first of every month, when the office has reached its pinnacle of hysteria, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice meet at London’s swankiest bar for an evening of cocktails and gossip. Here, they chat about what’s new at The Londoner, the glossy fashion magazine where they all work, and everything else that’s going on in their lives. Or almost everything. Beneath the girl talk and the laughter, each of the three has a secret. And when a chance encounter at the cocktail bar sets in motion an extraordinary chain of events, each one will find their biggest secret revealed… (from book cover)

I expected this tale of three friends to be similar to Ms. Wickham's (aka Sophie Kinsella) other novels.  In fact, that's why I chose it - I needed something light and fun to listen to in the car while making a mall run over the weekend - but I got much more than I bargained for.

Candice has a chance meeting with a friend from high school who's family was damaged by a business deal engineered by Candice's father.  Her guilt blinds her to her "friend's" machinations and nearly costs her everything.

Maggie gives up her position as editor of a fashion magazine to move to the country and raise a family.  She finds her normally in-charge, capable self completely unprepared for the challenges of motherhood.

Roxanne's long-time relationship comes to an unexpected end, but not for the reason she believes. 

All three of these plots come to a head at the same time and actually made me feel sick about the circumstances that were taking control of their lives.  I think part of the effect this book had on me came from the author's reading on this audio version.  She did an amazing job of conveying the frustration, fear, bewilderment, and grief.  Maybe too good since it was making me physically suffer through it all right along with the heroines! 

Fortunately, all comes right in the end, but in unexpected ways, and again I felt all the emotions right along with the three friends - relief, hope, amazement.  This is a touching, humerous story of friendships that outlast whatever life brings. 

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

I have been on a "re-reading old favorites" kick lately, so when a patron asked about the Earth's Children series a few weeks ago, it sparked a memory of how much I liked these stories. I read the first three installments back in the '80's when they first came out and loved them.  I know number four is on my bookshelf, but I can't remember now why I have never gotten around to reading it or number five - but then, half the time I can't remember what I named my children.  When all five books recently became available in audio form from Kansas Audiobooks, Music and More - the fantastic free site for downloading audiobooks, ebooks and videos, sponsored by the Kansas State Library - I decided to start from the beginning and work my way through all five this time.  It was just as good as I remembered.

Here is the saga of a people who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear; how they lived; the animals they hunted; the great totems they revered. But mostly it is the story of Ayla, the girl they found and raised, who was not like them. To the Clan, her fair looks make her different--ugly. And she has odd ways: she laughs, she cries, she has the ability to speak. But even more, she struggles to be true to herself and, with her advanced intelligence, is curious about the world around her.

Clan of the Cave Bear begins with Ayla's separation from her family during an earthquake and her rescue by the Clan. The rest is the story of her continual struggle to fit into a society that lives, communicates and even thinks differently from what she has known and from her instincts.

On the surface, a book about "cavemen" doesn't trip my trigger, but the extensive research and/or imagination that went into creating this world make it one of those books that immerse you.  I have commented before that I love stories involving Native American lore and this is along the same lines.  The details of the Clan's daily existence - how they hunted, found shelter, cooked, made clothing - fascinate me.  Those same details could easily become like reading a textbook, but Ms. Auel's writing weaves them into the plot without slowing the action.  The Clan's language is mostly gestures and hand movements, mixed with a few guttural sounds, which could be difficult both to write and to read. Again, Ms. Auel's skill as a writer manages to convey the emotions and thoughts behind the gestures while never letting you forget that this is not a verbal conversation.

I am anxiously awaiting volume two - The Valley of the Horses - through the audiobooks site. I am currently third on the waiting list so may have to revert to the printed version for this one. 

Potshot by Robert B. Parker

Here's a handy book-reading tip:  Don't read multiple books by one author at the same time - tends to cause great confusion, especially in readers of a certain age.  I have been listening to the audio of Potshot by Robert B. Parker in my car, while reading Promised Land by the same author.  To further befuddle myself, I now moved on to read Mr. Parker's latest, Split Image, which - although part of a different series - is very similar in style.  And just in case there was any note of sanity left, I listened to Rex Stout's The Doorbell Rang on my mp3 so now four detective stories are jumping around in my head like pinballs and writing reviews is a challenge.

Potshot is number 29 in the Spenser series, published in 2001.  The story revolves around the small town of Potshot, Arizona  - where (according to the book jacket) a band of modern-day mountain men, led by a charismatic individual known as The Preacher, have taken over the town and even the local police are powerless to defend the residents.  In classic Spenser style, he saves the town, solves the murder, and gets the girl. 

But the best part of this story, for me, was the audio narration by actor Joe Mantegna.  Spenser is aided in his heroics by a posse of "ethnically diverse but politically incorrect henchmen (one gay shooter, one Latino, one black, one Native American)".*  Mr. Mantegna creates voices for each of these characters that are individual and recognizable, and that brought out the sometimes subtle humor of Mr. Parker's writing.  I don't think it would have been nearly as funny in my head.

As always, Spenser gets a top rating from me, but in the future I'll take him in smaller doses.

*quote from Amazon.com review

The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout

Not liking a Nero Wolf mystery is absolute "flummery"!  Nero Wolf and Archie Goodwin are two of my favorite sleuths.  Wolf is an eccentric genius - he weighs in at "a sixth of a ton" (which figures out to 333.3 lb. for the math-challenged), spends hours every day in his greenhouse tending to his prize orchids, rarely leaves his house, is a lover of beer and gourmet food, and a champion of deductive reasoning.  Archie is Wolf's 20-something cohort - part detective, part ladies' man, part bodyguard.  Archie does all the leg work, gathers the information and reports back to Wolf, who solves the crime.  It's a unique set-up that sets Rex Stout's amazing series apart from the average who-dun-it.

In this particular episode, #41 in the series, Wolf is hired by a wealthy society widow, Rachel Bruner, who writes him a check for a whopping hundred grand. The oversize genius and his able assistant soon find out why the prize is so generous as they lock horns with the FBI. And these highly trained G-men have a way with threats , tails, and bugs that could give even sedentary sleuth Nero Wolfe a run for his money. (synopsis from Kansas Audiobooks site).

As always, the joy of a Rex Stout novel is in the characters more than the actual mystery.  Archie Goodwin narrates his own escapades through1940's New York as he gathers and reports the evidence, deals with Wolf's quirks, and sets up Wolf's master plan to trap the bad guys.  Stout is a master at pulling the reader inside this strange relationship and getting you to fall in love with his characters.  The series can only be described as classic.  Highly recommended for all mystery fans.

Now, two side points:  I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Michael Prichard.  His voice and reading style are perfectly suited for the genre and for Archie Goodwin's character.  A+

Also, in 2001 and 2002, A&E produced a tv series based on the Nero Wolf books starring Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin.  It ranks on my list of top five things ever on television.  It's no longer running, but you can get the episodes on DVD.  Well worth the money. 

Coffee, Tea or Murder? by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

Like a well-worn robe, a favorite chair, an old friend - this book is comforting, familiar, fun.  For anyone who has seen the television series (and I've seen every episode a dozen times) this is entertaining, no-brainer reading.   Jessica Fletcher, Doc Hazlett, Sheriff Mort - all the hometown faces of Cabot Cove show up to solve another mystery. 

I have heard non-fans of the show complain "it's the same thing every week", but that's what draws a reader/viewer into any good series -returning to a family of characters.  This story was true to the tv show and, therefore easy to envision as I read.  Narrator Cynthia Darlow's authentic New England dialect and Scottish brogue (for Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland) made the audio version even more enjoyable.  I recommend the Murder She Wrote books to fans of the show who are eager for a new Jessica mystery and to cozy mystery fans in general. 

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

Julie Powell is 30 years old, living in a tiny apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother's worn, dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes -- in the span of one year.

I hate to admit it, but I picked up the audio version of this book mostly because everything else I wanted to listen to was checked out and I needed an audio in my car.  I had heard bits and pieces about the story, listened to a friend rave over the movie, and the cover is so pretty that I decided to give it a shot.  And I'm so glad I did.

Although I've never worked temp-jobs or lived in New York, I felt a sort of kinship with Julie and her desire for "something" that she couldn't quite name.  My personal opinion is that we are all made in God's image, therefore - since God is the Creator - we all have an innate desire to be creative.  That's what I think Julie was looking for - her creative outlet.  She found it in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I love that her copy of the book had been her mother's and she had memories of it open on the counter as her mother cooked.

It's possible that my rapport with Julie was partially because of her occasionally inept cooking skills.  I love, love, love to cook and bake, and have been known to conduct my own cooking show when alone in my tiny kitchen.  However, truth be told, my family has eaten a number of things that didn't turn out exactly as expected, so I cried and cheered along with Julie's kitchen tragedies and triumphs. 

Julie's creativity also took her into the, at that time, new world of blogging. Through her interaction with her "bleeders" (blog readers) as she calls them, I felt another tie to Julie - both as a blogger who couldn't believe anyone would take the time to read what she wrote and as one of her fans who wanted to join the chant of "don't give up".  You can still read the Julie/Julia Project here.

I still haven't watched the movie - mostly because, now that I enjoyed the book so much, I'm afraid the movie will be a let down - but I did get my own copy of Julia Child's cookbook and have attempted a bit of French cooking.  No way am I trying aspic or anything involving bone marrow, but Julie has given me the courage to experiment a bit [family cringes].

My most recent creation was pate a choux with creme patisserie - which, coincidentally, is nearly identical to what my mother has been making for years and calls cream puffs with vanilla pudding.  No wonder I'm so drawn to this book - it's a family thing.

This book was my non-fiction selection for the Take a Chance challenge at my library.

Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham

Home in Time for Christmas is a charming story of time-travel, star-crossed romances and family. I love Heather Graham's books for her ability to put a supernatural twist on a standard story and transform it into something special. I must admit, I had some concern about overlapping the occult and Christmas, but this time the twist is more magical than spectral.

Jake, a Revolutionary War hero, is transported through time just as the British hangman's noose is tightening around his neck. Unluckily, he arrives in 2009 on a slippery road, in front of Melody Tarleton's car. Or maybe it's not so unlucky - Melody takes him into her home, family and heart.

Melody's attempts to discover Jake's identity and teach him about 200 years of American history naturally bring them closer and, even though their romance may be the obvious next step, it's well-written and sweet. Melody's off-beat parents add a quirkiness to the story that is fun. The family relationships, both in 1776 and 2009, are realistic and add an extra heart-warming element to the story.

The only character I would change is Mark, Melody's ex-boyfriend. He's understandably unlikeable through most of the story so that we root for Melody to be with Jake instead, but I needed a little more insight into him to accept his conversion later in the story.

This tale of magic potions and time travel is told with a credible "suspension of disbelief" right up to the end, then I think it runs off the rails just a bit. There is a limit to how long the reader can put aside rationality and believe in magic. I think Ms. Graham drug her story just past that limit - and unnecessarily so. One less "bewitching" moment and a little more drama surrounding the necessary ones would have been a better ending for me. Even so, I recommend this book for a fun, entertaining holiday break.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You by Anita Renfroe

If you've never read, heard or seen Anita Renfroe's comedy, you are truly missing out. A former pastor's wife, mother of three and creator of the hit youtube video "Momsense", Anita is a total hoot! She shares her opinions and experiences about parenting, mid-life, marriage and friendship. Our daughter even did an excerpt on mothers and daughters from one of Anita's books for high school forensics competition last year, so her humor translates well to all ages. - although I suspect the daughter and I each thought we were poking fun at the other.

"Don't Say I Didn't Warn You" is, I believe, Anita's 7th book (including wonderful titles like "If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother" and "The Purse-Driven Life") and they just continue to get funnier.