FEBRUARY BOOKS

February turned out to be a pretty good reading month for me. I finished 11 books and most of them were good.

A MERCY (Toni Morrison) - Support Your Local Library Challenge

THE RED SCARF (Kate Furnivall) - New Authors Challenge, Chunkster Challenge, Read Your Own Books Challenge, Every Month is a Holiday Challenge

THE ASSOCIATE (John Grisham) - Support Your Local Library Challenge, Pub 2009 Challenge, Celebrate the Author Challenge

CRISIS (Robin Cook) - Medical Mystery Madness Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge

PLUM SPOOKY (Janet Evanovich) - Support Your Local Library Challenge, Pub 2009 Challenge

CONVICTION (Leonard Levitt) - Jewish Literature Reading Challenge, Read Your Own Books Challenge, New Authors Challenge

VERY VALENTINE (Adriana Trigiani) - Support Your Local Library Challenge

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY (Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows) - Support Your Local Library Challenge, New Authors Challenge

SONGS FOR THE MISSING (Stewart O'Nan) - Support Your Local Library Challenge

MAN OF THE HOUSE (Ad Hudler) - New Authors Challenge, 9 Books for 2009 Challenge, Read Your Own Books Challenge

MATRIMONY (Joshua Henkin) - New Authors Challenge


A total of 11 books for February, 22 for the year. I managed to make a dent in my TBR shelf, but I still have plenty of books lined up for 2009.

How did you do this month, reading-wise?

MATRIMONY

I won a signed copy of MATRIMONY by Joshua Henkin from a book-giveaway hosted by Bonnie at Redlady's Reading Room. This qualifies for the New Author Challenge.

From the back of the book:

It's the fall of 1986, and Julian Wainwright,an aspiring writer, arrives at Graymont College in New England. Here he meets Carter Heinz, with whom he develops a strong but ambivalent friendship, and beautiful Mia Mendelsohn, with whom he falls in love. Spurred on by a family tragedy, Julian and Mia's love affair will carry them to graduation and beyond, taking them through several college towns over the next fifteen years.

Starting at the height of the Reagan era and ending in the new millennium, MATRIMONY is a stunning novel of love and friendship, money and ambition, desire and tensions of faith. It is a richly detailed portrait of what it means to share a life with someone - to do it when you're young - and to try to do it afresh on the brink of middle age.

There were book giveaways for and reviews of this book all over the blogging world. Praise galore for this book.

I hate to do this. I really do. But I didn't care much for this book. The characters left me flat. I had absolutely no connection with any of them, and I didn't care one way or the other what happened to them. Maybe it was the time frame - the mid-80's. By that time, I was married with almost-grown children and couldn't relate to rich college kids. Maybe because I was never a rich college kid and had nothing in common with any of them. But from the beginning of the book, I was a non-interested reader and it just didn't get any better for me.

This isn't to say that it's not a good book. It surely wouldn't be getting so many great reviews if it weren't a good book. Perhaps for a younger reader who would be more in tune with the time frame of the book. I guess just a vanilla/chocolate thing.

That said, I would like to thank the author, Joshua Henkin, for sending me this copy. I'm sorry I couldn't give it a more positive review.

FRIDAY FUN

We're playing cards here today, so that means a bunch of stuff to get done this morning. I'm having grilled chicken salad for lunch, so I need to clean the lettuce, cut up onions and tomatoes, grill the chicken and slice it, clean off the stove and the kitchen counters, set out the plates and silverware, find some snack stuff, and probably a bunch of other little things.

But first I had to clean the fish tank. That fish keeps getting bigger and bigger. And can he ever poop! I had a frantic moment - when I was moving him back into the tank from his temporary tank, he jumped out of the net and landed on the floor. So I had to scoop him up and drop him back in the water. He's a frisky little bugger! But now he's safe and sound and swimming around.

I still need to finish straightening up the house, clean the bathrooms, make my bed, and dry my hair. So what am I doing here, playing on the computer??? Get moving lady!!

NEW PROJECT

The mirrors in my bathrooms are builder-grade plain mirror panels glued to the wall. Boring!

So, I've decided to follow the lead of Rhoda at Southern Hospitality and frame the mirrors. I'm borrowing a picture she posted to give you an idea of what I'm planning to do - except mine will be white.


Her post here gives detailed instructions on how she did this. Looks easy to do and makes such a huge difference.

Dom and I were looking at casing today at Lowe's and we'll probably get it next week so I can get started. (We looked in Lowe's, but we'll get it at Home Depot where Dom works. He just didn't want to go in there today on his day off!)

I'm excited about doing this. We haven't done any home projects in this house other than painting and crown molding in the spare bedrooms. Maybe it's time for some chair rails in the breakfast area??

If you haven't checked out Rhoda's blog, please do. She comes up with some great decorating ideas without spending an arm and a leg. And she loves to go to yardsales and finds the neatest things!

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY - COLLECTIBLES

• Hardcover? Or paperback?
• Illustrations? Or just text?
• First editions? Or you don’t care?
• Signed by the author? Or not?

Right now, when I buy books I usually look for trade paperbacks. Except for David Baldacci books, Lisa Scottoline books, Debbie Macomber books, and Stephanie Plum books - I have all of those in hardcover and have to have them all match. OCD??? I never buy or read mass market paperbacks - the print is just too small for these old eyes.

I don't care about illustrations, but I do like maps and photographs in non-fiction books.

First editions don't mean anything to me. I collect books for my reading pleasure, not for any monetary value of the book.

I have a few books signed by authors, but that doesn't make the book any more valuable to me. Except for the books I have signed by Ginnie Siena Bivona, because those were "personal" inscriptions - thanks Ginnie!

For more Booking Through Thursday answers, go here.

MAN OF THE HOUSE

MAN OF THE HOUSE by Ad Hudler was read for 3 challenges: the New Author Challenge, the 9 Books for 2009 Challenge (free book), and the Read Your Own Books Challenge. The book I read was an ARC sent to me by the author.

From the back of the book:

Linc Menner is a stay-at-home-dad who can't fix a leaky faucet, but sure can bake one mean blueberry pie. But as Linc and his wife begin renovations on their new home, Linc can't help but feel he's lost a part of himself somewhere along the way ... and decides it's high time to put down the spatula and pick up the hammer drill to become a real Man of the House.

Regretfully, not everyone is as thrilled with the transformation as he is. While Linc is spending "Man Time" with the contractors, learning to fire a gun, and pumping iron at the gym, his wife Jo misses the sensitive man who insisted on packing her lunch. And Linc's daughter Violet misses the father who would take her shopping and help her pick out the coolest new clothes.

Now, as Linc unknowingly attracts the dangerous adoration of one of Violet's teachers, and as one of the biggest storms of the century threatens to shatter the home they've worked so hard to renovate, it seems the Menner family will be put to the test of their lifetime.

I feel badly when an author sends me a book to read and I can't give it a fantastic review, but this book was just so-so for me. I didn't care that much about any of the characters. Linc was one of those who went from one extreme to another without thinking about what the drastic changes would do to his family. Not my favorite type of person.

In an interview with the author at the back of the book, it was mentioned that this book was a sequel to Mr. Hudler's earlier book, HOUSEHUSBAND. I don't know if reading that book would have made me appreciate this book and the characters more, but I don't think I'm going to bother reading it.

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY - LOOK AGAIN

This is a new feature that I saw today for the first time on Mary's blog. It's purpose is to feature a new book coming out soon that I'm "waiting on." This looks like fun - I can highlight a book that I'm looking forward to and also get some recommendations from others. You can NEVER have enough new book recommendations!

Here's a book I'm waiting on:

When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a “Have You Seen This Child?” flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops—the child in the photo is identical to her adopted son, Will. Her every instinct tells her to deny the similarity between the boys, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But she’s a journalist and won’t be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. And she can’t shake the question: if Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up? She investigates, uncovering clues no one was meant to discover, and when she digs too deep, she risks losing her own life—and that of the son she loves. Lisa Scottoline breaks new ground in Look Again, a thriller that’s both heart-stopping and heart-breaking, and to have new fans and book clubs buzzing.

I love books by Lisa Scottoline! I'm originally from the Philadelphia area (as is Ms. Scottoline) and I'm drawn to books that are based there. After finding and reading one of her first books, I was hooked. Her books have great plots and great characters - mainly female lawyers who manage to get in a heap of trouble.

So I can't wait to read LOOK AGAIN which is scheduled to be released on April 14, 2009. It's already been pre-ordered from Amazon!

Check out Breaking the Spine for other Waiting on Wednesday suggestions.

NOT THE BEST OF DAYS

Dom and I are going through something right now that I can't blog about, but it's just not a great time for us.

We know that things aren't going to get any better, so we're just trying to cope.

Meanwhile, I'm going to read and Dom will watch some sports on TV to help us escape the realities of life.

SONGS FOR THE MISSING

SONGS FOR THE MISSING by Stewart O'Nan was read for the Support Your Local Library Challenge.

From the book jacket:

"It was the summer of her Chevette, of J.P., and letting her hair grow." It is also the summer when, without warning, college-bound Kim Larsen disappears from her quiet Lake Erie town. Her parents, her little sister, her best friends and new boyfriend now must do everything to find her. As time passes and local search parties give way to wider TV appearances, private investigations unearth dirty secrets, and we follow those closest to Kim as they struggle to maintain hope and, finally, as the news cameras turn away, to hang on to both her and themselves. Stark and honest, this is an intimate account of what happens behind and beyond the headlines when those who stay after the media leaves deal with the real consequences of a very American tragedy.

Stewart O'Nan's newest novel opens with the suspense of a thriller and soon deepens into an affecting family drama of loss. On the heels of his critically acclaimed and nationally bestselling LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER, SONGS FOR THE MISSING is a wrenching, heartfelt account of one family's quest to find their child. With a soulful empathy for his ordinary heroes, O'Nan draws us into the world of this small Ohio town and lets us feel a part of Kim's inner circle.

We read in newspapers about people who have disappeared. We read of the police investigations, the hunt for information and clues. After a while, the story becomes old and fades from view.

But what happens to the families of these lost persons? How do they spend their days? Right now, the story of Chandra Levy is back in the news. How did her family cope between the time she disappeared and the time her body was finally found a year later?

This book tells about how the Larsen family lived while their daughter Kim was missing. The searches, the flyers, the TV shows, the fund-raisers, the badgering of the police to get more information. And the guilt as they had to return to their "normal" lives - how could they be happy, how could they laugh, how could they continue on while they had no information about Kim? Each member of the family handled the loss differently, and Mr. O'Nan wrote a very real description of each one.

A MORNING WELL SPENT

My friend Billie and I went to a Senior Expo this morning.

Now, you might ask what a spring chicken like me (HA!) was doing at a Senior Expo.

Here's the reason ...

The freebies!!!

Pens, pencils, emory boards, key chains, and candy!
Dom has already started eating all the candy!

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows was read for the Support Your Local Library Challenge and the New Authors Challenge.

From the book jacket:

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He'd come across her name on the flyleaf of a secondhand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author.

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books, and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her forever.

I loved, loved, loved this book! Written in a collection of letters, notes, and messages between Juliet, her friends in London, and the Society, Juliet is given a look into a way of life foreign to her. She is drawn into their lives and finds much more than a story for a new book.

On the back cover of the book is a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE that sums up my feelings about this book:

"I can't remember the last time I discovered a novel as smart and delightful as this one, a world so vivid that I kept forgetting this was a work of fiction populated with characters so utterly wonderful that I kept forgetting they weren't my actual friends and neighbors. Treat yourself to this book, please - I can't recommend it highly enough."

VERY VALENTINE

VERY VALENTINE by Adriana Trigiani was read for the Support Your Local Library Challenge.

From the book jacket:

In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin.

While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscan, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected. VERY VALENTINE is a sumptuous treat, a journey of dreams fulfilled, a celebration of love and loss filled with Trigiani's trademark heart and humor.

I loved this book! It's been a while since I read the Big Stone Gap series and I had forgotten how lyrical Ms. Trigiani's writing could be. The descriptions of the Italian food, the clothing, the shoes, New York City and Italy - you're right there in the midst of it all.

Indulge me - read this paragraph where Valentine falls in love:

...I see spinning tops and ribbons unfurled, bluebirds flying out of belfries, church bells ringing, showgirls, rows of them in red sequin shorts, tap dancing at full power until the sound is so deafening you have to cover your ears. I see a bright blue sky filled with red kites, purple and white hot-air balloons, and shooting silver asteroids of fireworks that rain down like Christmas tinsel. I feel a parade coming on! Marching bands, flank after flank, in emerald green uniforms, baton twirlers in white sequin tank suits weaving in and out of formation while polished copper tubas work the street from right to left, braying a tune, my tune! My song! My head is full of sound, my eyes are full of wonder, and my heart is full of old-fashioned spectacular joy....

This book is the first of a planned trilogy, and I can't wait for the next one to see where this story will lead.

But now, I have this huge hunger for a pizza!

WHERE SHOULD THIS ONE GO?

This week’s question is suggested by Kat:

I recently got new bookshelves for my room, and I’m just loving them. Spent the afternoon putting up my books and sharing it on my blog . One of my friends asked a question and I thought it would be a great BTT question. So from Tina & myself, we’d like to know “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”

This is what my bookcases in my office looked like a few months ago. Nice and neat. I had all the books arranged - all books by one author together, series together in order, and a special shelf for challenge books. It worked for a while - until I got more books and ran out of room. Those empty places on the shelves are no more.

I do try to keep the books in a specific order, however, so that I can find a book when I want it. I keep reference books on the bottom shelves and still keep books arranged by authors and series. I even have some shelves for specific time periods. But my problem comes when I get new books and don't have room on the shelf for them. So I now have some books piled in front of others, waiting for space.

I also have bookcases in my living room. I have 2 shelves dedicated to just Christmas books, and the others are a little more haphazard, but I still try to keep books by authors together.

One other quirk I have - I have to have all the books in a series in the same format - all hardcover or all trade paperback, even if I have to wait a year or so to buy a book so the format will match. And with the hardcover books, if one is missing a book jacket, I remove all the book jackets so they will match.

Skip over here to see how other readers store their books!

JUST ANOTHER DAY

Let's see, here's my day so far:

Got up at 3:00 AM to let the dogs out. Went back to bed.

Got up at 6:00 AM to let the dogs out. Stayed up. Fed Maggie (Teddy eats later).

Showered and got dressed.

Finished a jigsaw puzzle and glued it together.

Finished a book and posted a review.

Went to WalMart and spent $499.88 for Maggie's prescription.

Went to another WalMart and spent $115 on groceries.

Let the dogs out, put the groceries away, checked e-mail, and played on the computer.

Just another normal day.


What??? You don't normally spend $500 on a prescription for a dog???

CONVICTION

CONVICTION by Leonard Levitt was read for the Jewish Literature Reading Challenge (book by Jewish author) and the Read Your Own Books Challenge.

From the back of the book:

On October 30, 1975, fifteen-year-old Martha Moxley's brutal murder made national headlines. But for years one one was arrested, despite troubling clues pointing to the Skakels, a rich and powerful family related to the Kennedys.

In the years that followed, investigative reporter Leonard Levitt uncovered groundbreaking information about how the police had bungled the investigation; he also discovered that Tommy and Michael Skakel had lied about their activities on the night of the murder. The case was reopened and investigator Frank Garr began to doggedly pursue unexplored leads. In 2002, more than twenty-five years after Moxley's death, a shocked world watched as Michael Skakel was convicted of the murder, thanks largely to the evidence Garr alone had marshaled against him.

Now, for the first time, Levitt tells the amazing true story of Garr's fight to solve the case and of how their friendship with each other, and with Martha Moxley's mother, Dorthy, sustained them over the years. A riveting, suspenseful drama that unfolds like a mystery novel, this incredible memoir also reveals how a police officer and a reporter refused to give up, and how they helped justice to prevail, against all odds.

I first learned of this case a few years ago after reading Mark Fuhrman's book MURDER IN GREENWICH. (That's the same Mark Fuhrman from the O.J. Simpson trial.) In that book, Mr. Fuhrman named Michael Skakel as the murderer.

This book by Mr. Levitt went into a greater amount of detail about the case. He wrote of the problems with the case from the beginning in 1975 when the police failed to investigate the Skakel boys, probably due to intimidation from the family. Much time was wasted by the police trying to build a case against the Skakel family's live-in tutor, Ken Littleton.

Mr. Levitt's determination in writing his story and uncovering evidence helped lead to the case being reopened in 1991. The story was profiled on Unsolved Mysteries in 1996, and tips were received leading the police to look closely at Michael Skakel. A grand jury was convened in 1998, and after an 18-month investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Michael Skakel in January, 2000.

On June 7, 2002, Michael Skakel was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 20 years to life.

I enjoy reading true-crime stories, and I thought this book was very interesting. Mr. Levitt, having been involved with this story since 1982, had a wealth of information and gave a true picture of the frustrations of working on a 20+ year old case and the satisfaction of seeing the case finally solved and closed.

VALENTINE'S MEME

Yes, I know that Valentine's Day was a couple of days ago. But if Barb can do this meme late, so can I!

♥ How long have you been together?

Dom and I will be married 39 years this coming May.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?

Dom had played in a band and I dated the drummer, so we "knew" each other for about a year, but we didn't like each other.

♥ Who asked who out?

He kinda asked me out. He lived in an apartment in the same complex as I did. I was out on a Saturday afternoon walking my dog and saw him. We both said hi then started talking. He asked me to come in for a drink (in the middle of the afternoon??) then took me out for dinner. After dinner we went to a dance club. He had to call someone and break a date that he had for that night.

♥ How old are each of you?

Dom's 68 and I just turned 22 (or was it 63? Can't ever get that straight!).

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?

We're both only children, or we were until I found my birth family a few years ago. We've spent time with my brother Paul and my sister Anne and my cousin Craig.

♥ Do you have any children together?

We have two daughters, Susan and Donna. Dom's son John from his first marriage is in Pennsylvania.

♥ What about pets?

Right now we have Maggie and Teddy, our 2 sweet doggies, and Kirby the super-size goldfish.

♥ Did you go to the same school?

Nope. The schools were near each other, but we didn't know each other in school.

♥ Are you from the same home town?

Dom's hometown was about a half-hour away from mine.

♥ Who is the smartest?

Dom has 2 college degrees, but I think I have more common sense. He's really smart about reading people - he can tell a lot about people just by their body language.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?

I cry a lot, but Dom's pretty sensitive too. He doesn't show it though.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?

We tend to go to exclusive restaurants - McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A, Burger King. Every once in a while we'll splurge and go to a Mexican or Chinese place. But only if we have a coupon. Last of the big time spenders - that's us.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

When we lived in Philly, we went to Puerto Rico and also to New Mexico. I don't know which is further.

♥ Who has the worst temper?

Dom does, without a doubt. A mad Italian temper.

♥ Who does the cooking?

I do most of the cooking, but Dom pitches in. If he wants something and I'm not there or in the mood to cook, he thinks nothing of making something himself. Of course, some of the things he makes, only he will eat. He makes something with scrambled eggs, cooked in olive oil, mixed with spaghetti sauce and cheese. Yuck!

♥ Who is the neat freak?

I like to keep the house neat, and Dom's pretty good about picking things up too.

♥ Who is the more stubborn?

I think he is. I usually give in to keep the peace.

♥ Where was your first date?

We had dinner (cheese steaks and beer) at a place called the Walnut Street Bar in Lansdale, PA, then went to a club after.

♥ Who has the bigger family?

I do. Since I found my family, I now have one wonderful sister, one great brother-in-law, 2 younger brothers and their beautiful wives, and a great bunch of nieces and nephews. Plus I have a couple of cousins.

♥ Do you get flowers often?

Not unless I buy them myself.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?

Most of the time here with family. There have been a couple of times when Dom and I went away, but we're usually home with everyone.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?

We got married 5 weeks to the day from our first date, and most of that time was spent deciding whether to get married in Pennsylvania (where you needed witnesses and a blood test) or in Maryland with no witnesses or blood tests. We chose Maryland.

♥ Who eats more?

I guess I do, but I'm really trying to cut back. Most of my eating is snacking. Dom will usually eat more at a meal but he doesn't snack.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?

Me. He's just now getting more comfortable with finding websites and using e-mail.

♥ Who drives when you are together?

Dom does. He gets carsick if someone else is driving. I just wish he'd leave the mirrors and seats alone!

That was fun! Anyone else want to play along??

Oh, on another subject - I bowled a 203 today in practice. Of course, in our league, one of my games was a lousy 95. How can you go from a 95 to a 203???

PLUM SPOOKY

PLUM SPOOKY by Janet Evanovich was read for the Support Your Local Library Challenge and the Pub 2009 Challenge, even though I hadn't originally listed it as a book I would read.

From the book jacket:

According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.

Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He's chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he's chosen the Barrens as his new playground.

Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He's now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn't made it out of the boys' department at Macy's. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn't met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree.

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.

Diesel pops in and out of Plum's life like birthday cake - delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He's an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He's after Grimoire, and now he's also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn't mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs.

Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course ... monkeys.

This was the fourth between-the-numbers Stephanie Plum book, and the first one that was a full length novel. Instead of dealing with Morelli and Ranger, this book featured Diesel as the guy in Stephanie's life. Diesel has been in all the between-the-number books. He's a strange character, a little magical, and not quite believable.

Maybe it's because I miss the interactions with Joe and Ranger and Stephanie's family, or maybe it's because I don't like this Diesel character - but I just don't like these between-the-number books. This book, being longer, did include a little more of vintage Stephanie - one family dinner, a couple of disastrous captures, some Lulu moments. But it just wasn't the same.

Maybe I'm getting tired of this series. I hope not, as I've usually enjoyed them. I have PLUM LUCKY (another Diesel book) scheduled for the Celebrate the Author Challenge and FINGER LICKIN' FIFTEEN scheduled for the Pub 2009 Challenge. After number 15, I'll see if I want to continue reading.

CRISIS

CRISIS by Robin Cook was read for the Medical Mystery Madness Challenge and the Support Your Local Library Challenge.

From the book jacket:

When Boston-based Dr. Craig Bowman is served with a summons for medical negligence, he's shocked, enraged, and more than a little humiliated. A devoted physician who has endured grueling years of training and worked continuously in the service of others, he is now a partner in an exclusive concierge medical practice. No longer forced to see more and more patients while spending less and less time with each one just to keep his office door open, he provides the kind of medical care he has been prepared to do, lavishing twenty-four-hour availability and personalized attention on his handpicked patients. And at last he is earning a significant income, no longer facing decreased reimbursements from insurance companies. But this idyllic situation comes to a grinding halt one sunny afternoon - and things get much, much worse.

Enter Dr. Jack Stapleton, a medical examiner in New York City and Craig Bowman;s brother-in-law: Jack's sister Alexis - now Craig's estranged wife - begs for his help as her husband's trial drags on. Jack agrees to travel to Boston to offer his forensic services and expert-witness experience to Craig's beleaguered defense attorney. But when Jack's irreverent suggestion to exhume the corpse and thereby disprove the alleged malpractice is taken seriously, he opens a Pandora's box. As Craig's life and career are put on the line, Jack is on the verge of making a most unwelcome discovery, of tremendous legal and medical significance - and there are people who will do anything to keep him from learning the truth.

It's been a long time since I've read a Robin Cook book, and I think the reading vacation helped me appreciate this book. CRISIS had both a medical and a legal storyline. It was a fast-moving story with elements of surprise, especially the ending. I really didn't see what was coming, but it fit perfectly with the story and the characters.

I had never heard of "concierge medicine" before. The patients pay a fee up-front to become patients - usually a fairly large fee, which would preclude quite a number of people from joining the practice. In return for this "fee" the patients can expect more attention from the physician, including longer office visits, preferred scheduling and possibly even house calls.

Having worked in a physician's office and having seen the amount of insurance reimbursements, I can understand why physicians would be interested in a practice that didn't rely on insurance companies to meet expenses. But I don't feel this type of medical practice is a good idea, as so many people would be denied medical attention because of the up-front fee. It's time for insurance companies to reconsider their payments, and for physicians to re-examine their charges and costs.

PANDAS AND PUPPIES AND CARS

Isn't he just the cutest little thing?? Xi Lan is now on exhibit all day at the Atlanta Zoo. I REALLY need to get down there to see him, since the Panda Cam is still not operating.

I took Maggie to the vet yesterday for some testing for her Cushing's syndrome. She's having a lot of pain in her back legs from carrying too much weight. She's a "senior" dog now - she's almost 10 - and has some arthritis. Sounds like me! Anyway, she needs to lose some weight, so we're cutting back on her food. She hasn't been eating that much lately, so smaller portions probably won't bother her. After her test results are back and we regulate her dosage of Lysodren, the vet will start her on pain medication.

I didn't tell you about the car incident the other night with Shelby's car. She called us Monday night from WalMart. She had been leaving work and her car "froze up" on her. She managed to get into the parking lot and turned off the car. Then she started it again (?) and it wouldn't stop running. We had to call AAA and they were going to send a locksmith, as her key was stuck in the ignition. After 45 minutes of waiting, we called AAA again and they said they couldn't get anyone to come out, and that we should call a locksmith ourselves and we'd be reimbursed the cost. We finally got someone to come out, and he worked for about 45 minutes on the car. He got the key out but the car kept running. He disconnected the battery and the car still kept going. Finally he took the steering column apart and somehow got it to stop.

So now we're left with an inoperable car sitting in WalMart's parking lot at midnight. We called AAA again for a tow truck. Luckily they sent one within a half-hour. He came and towed the car to the Saturn dealership where we bought the car. He called us when he got the car there, so we knew it was safe.

The next morning, Dom tried to call the service department to let them know about the car. We couldn't get any answer at the dealership - we must have tried for over an hour. He then called another Saturn dealership to see if they knew the phone number - we thought we might have been calling a wrong number. We got a message that the dealership (not the one where we took the car) had been closed permanently. So now we're starting to panic - maybe the one where we took the car had also closed. You never know with the economy the way it is. But, finally, we were able to get through. They were having phone problems.

Anyway, to make a long story short, we were able to get the ignition replaced and new keys made and got the car back later that day. Luckily, we have an extended warranty on the car - it was 1000 miles over factory warranty - and it only cost us $100. Plus a few years off Dom's life because of all the worrying.

Life in the Pistilli house is never dull.

Today should be a quiet day. Dom is working this morning and I'm playing cards this afternoon. The dogs are sleeping and the phone hasn't rung.

Quiet is nice.

6TH PICTURE MEME

Tina at VioletLady at Home tagged me for this fun meme.

The instructions are:

1.Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures
2.Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder
3.Post that picture on your blog and tell the story that goes along with the picture.
4.Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

This picture was taken at Disneyworld in December 2006. Dom and I had gone down to Orlando for a couple of days to visit my sister Anne and her husband Sy. We stayed in a condo at Disney and visited 3 of the parks.

This "Christmas" tree stood by the gates to Animal Kingdom. The ornaments were stars and moons and different animal faces. The tree had to be 100 feet tall (my guess). Very impressive.

That was our very first visit to Disneyworld!


I'm not going to tag anyone to play along, but if you'd like to, leave a comment so I can see your pictures.

THE ASSOCIATE

THE ASSOCIATE by John Grisham was read for the Support Your Local Library Challenge, the Pub 2009 Challenge, and the Celebrate the Author Challenge (birthday February 8).

From the book jacket:

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father's small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn't want - even though it's a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains - from Baxter Tate, a drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist, to Dale, a pretty but seemingly quiet former math teacher who shares Kyle's "cubicle" at the law firm, to two of the most powerful and fiercely competitive defense contractors in the country - and featuring all the twists and turns that have made John Grisham the most popular storyteller in the world, THE ASSOCIATE is vintage Grisham.

Nope. Didn't do it for me.

The beginning of the book reminded me too much of TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve. Maybe the two authors were sitting at side-by-side computers writing these books and were peeking at what the other had written. The book got interesting for a while, reminiscent of Grisham's THE FIRM. But towards the end, the story just died. I had been expecting some major twists and turns and an explosive ending, but the story just "ended." It felt like Mr. Grisham wrote himself into a corner and didn't know how to get out.

I think my fascination with John Grisham books has ended.

6 MORE THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

I've done this little meme before, but I've been re-tagged by Violette at The Mystery Bookshelf so I thought I'd do it again.

I'm sure I can come up with 6 new things that make me happy:

1. Getting little surprise presents in the mail, like a cute poster of the Beachcomber's ABC's that my dear friend Tina sent me for my birthday.
2. Finding old friends through the wonders of the Internet and re-connecting with them.
3. Warm, sunny days - especially after a long cold winter.
4. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a glass of cold milk.
5. My cute little red Mary-Jane shoes that I found at a store for $5.
6. Watching my dogs. I love to watch them sleep - Maggie on her back with her belly up in the air and Teddy stretched out on the bed with his head on my pillow.

No tagging on this one. Play along if you'd like - it's fun!

HERE ONE DAY, GONE THE NEXT

It felt like this house had a revolving door.

Shelby had another fight with her mother Saturday night and decided to come back here. She and her boyfriend Mike - who has been living up at Susan's house (long story) - arrived with backpacks of clothes and stuff.

We set up the bedrooms for them and sat down with them for a nice long talk about their future. They are planning to get an apartment together soon. But for now, they were going to stay with us until they could save enough money to get started on their own.

Then yesterday, when they finished work, they went up to Susan's. After a long talk there with Susan and Chad (Shelby's father), they came back here to pack up their things. They're going back to Susan's for the next couple of months and then move out on their own. But if, after the next 3 months, they don't have enough money saved up, they'll come back here for a while.

We have an "open door" policy. The door is never locked for our children and grandchildren. Truthfully, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of Shelby and Mike living here for any length of time. We've gotten the house and our lives back to the way we wanted them, and I like it being just the two of us. But I'll never say no when one of our family needs a place to stay.

Hopefully, they'll be able to have the money saved. Hopefully, they'll both be in school and working part-time. Hopefully, they'll be able to make it on their own. But if not, we'll just wait for that next gust of air as that revolving door spins again.

BOOK BONANZA

I went to the library the other day to pick up a book I had on hold. But, surprise, there were 6 books ready for me!

So I'll be putting a dent into the Support Your Local Library Challenge this month with these 6 books:

THE ASSOCIATE (John Grisham)
THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN (Garth Stein)
CRISIS (Robin Cook)
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY (Mary Ann Shaffer)
PLUM SPOOKY (Janet Evanovich)
VERY VALENTINE (Adriana Trigiani)

These should keep me busy for a little while!

THE RED SCARF

THE RED SCARF by Kate Furnivall filled spots in a number of challenges: the New Author Challenge, the Read Your Own Books Challenge, the Chunkster Challenge, and the Every Month is a Holiday Challenge - today is Wear Red Day in support of Heart Disease in Women.

From the back of the book:

Once, Russia was a place split between breathtaking wealth and desperate poverty. Now, as the country conforms under Stalin's violent rule, a young woman becomes a fugitive, and a storied hero turns into a living, breathing man...

Davinsky Labor Camp, Siberia, 1933: They've worked her like a slave - and almost starved her to death. Only two things in this wretched place keep Sofia alive: the prospect of one day walking free again, and the stories told by her friend Anna of a charmed childhood in Petrograd filled with parties and pearls - and of her fervent young love for a passionate revolutionary, Vasily.

After a perilous escape, Sofia endures months of hardship, with the echo of her footsepts her only companion. But, clinging to a promise she made to Anna, she sets out to track down Vasily. In a remote village, where she's nursed to health by a Gypsy family, she finds more than refuge - she also finds Mikhail Pashin, who, she is certain, is Vasily in disguise. She cannot stop herself from falling in love with him - but he belongs to Anna.

After coming this far, Sofia is tantalizingly close to freedom, family - even a future. All that stands in her way is the secret past that could endanger everything she has come to hold dear...

This book grabbed me from the first page. I've only read one book before about Russia, so this was fairly new territory for me to explore. The description of the labor camp and the work areas was so clear that I could feel the cold, the pain, the fear, and the hunger.

Sofia was a strong character. Understandably unsure of who she could trust, she worked alone, trying to find Vasily and the means to rescue Anna from the camp. After finding Mikhail, she was torn between her love for him and her promise to Anna.

This author also wrote a book titled THE RUSSIAN CONCUBINE that I plan on reading in the future.

CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ...

It's my birthday and I'm lighting a LOT of candles!

Here's some special birthday music. Feel free to sing along.

A GOOD DAY

Today at bowling, I bowled a 235! That's my highest score ever. Right now, it's the 2nd highest women's score in the league.

During the same game, one of my teammates bowled a 226. Our team finished the game with a score of 780 (4 bowlers) scratch and 988 with handicap. The handicap score is 1st in the league.

Our total pins for the 3 games (with handicap) was 2707 - again 1st in the league.

Now I know these numbers mean nothing to non-bowlers, but I can assure you, they're good scores!

I really love bowling, and it feels so good to have good games. I guess bowling in the 2 leagues plus extra practice bowling each week has paid off. I have the highest average (147) I've ever had - I started the league about 3 years ago with a 124 average.

If these scores hold up through the rest of the season, our team will get some good prize money - always a bonus!

SHE'S ALL MINE AGAIN

Yesterday, Susan brought Dom's Jeep back to him - she had been using the car for the past 7-8 months until she could get a car for herself.

So now my Prius is all mine again! No more having to change the mirrors. No more empty McDonald's coffee cups left in the cup holders. No more paper towel rolls in the back seat. I can have the radio set to stations that I like and have the heat set to a comfortable temperature.

And I can drive myself wherever I want to go. I can go out whenever I want to without having to check with Dom first. No more driving him back and forth to work.

Getting by with one car took work. It didn't really save us much money as we were still paying for the insurance on the Jeep. We could manage with just one car - but this is so much better!

SAN DIEGO ZOO PUZZLE

I finished this puzzle yesterday. Now I just need to get some more puzzle glue and glue it together.

Right now I have 8 finished puzzles that I'd like to frame and hang. They're all from the same collection (Hometown Collection) done by the same artist, Heronim. They're the same size and the same style. I have one more sitting here that I'll probably start sometime this week.

I think I want to get black poster frames for them - custom framing would be way too expensive. I plan to hang them in the office.

A MERCY

A MERCY by Toni Morrison was read for the Support Your Local Library Challenge.

From the book jacket:

A powerful tragedy distilled into a jewel of a masterpiece by the Nobel Prize-winning author of BELOVED and, almost like a prelude to that story, set two centuries earlier.

In the 1680s the slave trade was still in its infancy. In the Americas, virulent religious and class divisions, prejudice and oppression were rife, providing the fertile soil in which slavery and race hatred were planted and took root.

Jacob is an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh north. Despite his distaste for dealing in "flesh," he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland. This is Florens, "with the hands of a slave and the feet of a Portuguese lady." Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master's house, but later from a handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved.

There are other voices: Lina, whose tribe was decimated by smallpox; their mistress, Rebekka, herself a victim of religious intolerance back in England; Sorrow, a strange girl who's spent her early years at sea; and finally the devastating voice of Florens' mother. These are all men and women inventing themselves in the wilderness.

A MERCY reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart, it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and of a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

Acts of mercy may have unforeseen consequences.

I wasn't impressed by this book. I've read one other book by Ms. Morrison (THE BLUEST EYE) which I liked, but this one was too disjointed to follow. It was told in different voices and at different time periods and it was hard to follow the story. I felt no connection to any of the characters, and didn't care about any of them.

I know that Ms. Morrison is a highly-praised author, but if this were the only book of hers that I read, I would wonder about the origin of that praise.