SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN

SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by Janet Evanovich

From the book jacket:

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds.  No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie's name is on the killer's list.

Short on time to find evidence proving the killer's identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it's time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger.  Stephanie's mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who's just returned to town.  Stephanie's sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir "bake-off."  And Grandma Bella, Morelli's old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts "the eye" on Stephanie.

With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie's life looks like it's about to go up in smoke.

I love the month of June.  That's when the latest Stephanie Plum book is released.  And this one is a doozy.  For a little while, the books had gotten stale, but around #13 they started to pick up steam again.  Ms. Evanovich is in rare form with #17.

Stephanie and Lula have their hands full trying to bring in the current list of FTA's, including the delightful senior citizen vampire.  Lula is sure she's turning into a vampire after their first encounter.  The bail bonds office is operating out of Mooner's bus, decorated in shades of black inside and painted with pictures of Stephanie and Lula on the outside - digitally enhanced pictures.  And Stephanie is being taught how to cook by the new man in her life, the one chosen by her mother and Grandma Mazur.  Grandma Bella has given Stephanie "the eye" and the only cure seems to be a pair of granny panties.

There are fires, stolen cars, plenty of chicken and donuts, but for those who are counting, Stephanie only explodes one car.  The only down side of this book for me was the absence of Grandma Mazur's craziness - she seemed almost normal.

The book ends with Stephanie appearing to make a decision about the men in her life.  Of course, we readers won't know the choice until EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN is released.  But instead of having to wait until next June, it will be coming out on November 22 of this year.  November might become my next favorite month!

THE FIFTH WITNESS

THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly

From the book jacket:

Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times.  Criminal defense in Los Angeles has virtually dried up, and with paying clients few and far between, he has had to expand his business into foreclosure defense.  But just when Mickey thinks criminal court is in his rearview mirror, one of his new clients is accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home.

For Mickey, it's back to what he does best - at the center of a case that has attracted massive media attention.  He puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, despite what seems to be a mountain of evidence against her, a take-no-prisoners prosecutor, and his own suspicions that his client is guilty.

Soon, Haller's digging reveals that the murdered banker was involved in dirty dealings of his own, pointing to a conspiracy with millions of dollars at stake.  When two professional thugs put Mickey in the hospital, he knows he's on the right trail.  Despite the danger, Haller rallies to mount the best defense of his career in a trial with as many switchbacks as there are seats on the jury.

I love a good mystery and a good courtroom drama - and this book is both.  This book takes you inside the workings of a defense team and then details the courtroom procedures.  Mickey Haller has his hands full with this case and you don't know who is telling the truth.  Although I had a feeling about the defendant in this case, the ending was a shocker.

Mr. Connelly has written another winner.

SNIFF

Put your nose close up to your computer screen and take a deep sniff.  Can you smell that?  The wonderful scent of sheets drying in the sun!  Nothing better!

Oh, if you happen to live in my neighborhood, forget you ever saw this.  Our stodgy home owners' association says no clotheslines.  But since when do I ever follow all the rules???

THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC

THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC by Richard Russo was read for the Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2011.

From Amazon.com:

Griffin has been tooling around for nearly a year with his father's ashes in the trunk, but his mother is very much alive and not shy about calling on his cell phone.  She does so as he drives down to Cape Cod, where he and his wife, Joy, will celebrate the marriage of their daughter Laura's best friend.  For Griffin this is akin to driving into the past, since he took his childhood summer vacations here, his parents' respite from the hated Midwest.  And the Cape is where he and Joy honeymooned, in the course of which they drafter the Great Truro Accord, a plan for their lives together that's now thirty years old and has largely come true.  He'd left screenwriting and Los Angeles behind for the soft of New England college his snobby academic parents had always aspired to in vain; they'd moved into an old house full of character; and they'd started a family.  Check, check and check.

But be careful what you pray for, especially if you manage to achieve it.  By the end of this perfectly lovely weekend, the past has so thoroughly swamped the present that the future suddenly hangs in the balance.  And when, a year later, a far more important wedding takes place, their beloved Laura's, on the coast of Maine, Griffin's chauffeuring two urns of ashes as he contends once more with Joy and her large, unruly family, and both he and she have brought dates along.  How in the world could this have happened?

THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC is a novel of deep introspection and every family feeling imaginable, with a middle-aged man confronting his parents and their failed marriage, his own troubled one, his daughter's new life and, finally, what it was he thought he wanted and what in fact he has.  The storytelling is flawless throughout, moments of great comedy and even hilarity alternating with others of rueful understanding and heart-stopping sadness, and its ending is at once surprising, uplifting and unlike anything this Pulitzer Prize winner has ever written.

I've read all of Mr. Russo's books and enjoyed them all.  This one was excellent.  Jack Griffin was an interesting character, with many strengths and many weaknesses.  I loved his mother "speaking" to him from the trunk of his car.  And his daughter's rehearsal dinner scene was a classic.

If you're a fan of Richard Russo, be sure to read this one.

BEACH LANE

BEACH LANE by Sherryl Woods was read for the Pub 2011 Reading Challenge.

From the book jacket:

In the close-knit community of Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, Susie O'Brien and Mack Franklin's "not dating" claim befuddles everyone, especially since the two spend every spare minute together.  Susie's thrilled when their friendship finally heats up.  Then, just when happily-ever-after seems within reach, Mack loses the job he loves and Susie faces a devastating diagnosis.

But O'Briens always unite in a crisis.  Even her cousin Jess, Susie's rival for most of their lives, becomes her staunchest supporter - especially when Mack's former lover comes to town.  The stakes are higher than ever before, but Susie's definitely up to the challenge...as long as Mack's right there by her side.

This book by Ms. Woods followed the "She loves him, he loves her, but will they ever get together" formula, but it was resolved early in the book.  The main portion of the book followed Susie and Mack as they faced their work and medical problems.  Again, other members of the extended O'Brien family were involved in side stories.  This book will lead directly into the next book in the series, AN O'BRIEN FAMILY CHRISTMAS, when the family travel to Ireland for the holiday.

I love Christmas books and I love Ireland - so this next one will definitely be on my wish list.

MOONLIGHT COVE

MOONLIGHT COVE by Sherryl Woods was read for the Pub 2011 Reading Challenge.

From the book jacket:

Jess O'Brien has overcome a lot - the challenges of attention deficit disorder, the near bankruptcy of her beloved Inn at Eagle Point and her self-perception as a screwup in a family of overachievers.  Now she's ready to share the future with a man.  Her friends persuade her to join a dating service - but she gets no takers?  Which is fine with her childhood friend, psychologist Will Lincoln, who's already chosen the perfect man for Jess:  himself.

Will has loved Jess practically forever.  He knows her faults and her strengths.  But for all Will's sincerity and charm, Jess fears he views her as some psychological case study.  With her family and the town of Chesapeake Shores behind him, Will finally makes his case.  But is it enough to convince Jess to take the risk of a lifetime?

Another cute book in the Chesapeake Shores series.  Although there was quite of bit of "She loves him, he loves her, but will they ever get together?" in this book, there was just enough of the problems and stories of the rest of the O'Brien clan to keep it from getting tiresome.

Ms. Woods published 3 books in this series in 3 consecutive months this year.  Next up - BEACH LANE.

WILD ON THE ROCKS

Dom and I are members of Zoo Atlanta.  We don't get there too often, as it's quite a drive from where we live, usually always in traffic.  But there was an event there last night for members only called Wild on the Rocks.  From the very limited description given on the Zoo website, it included cocktails and snacks and something to do with "celebrity vets."  From what I've read of other after-hour zoo events, we thought it would be fun to tour the zoo when it was nice and quiet.

So we drove through Atlanta rush hour traffic downtown and got to the zoo around 5:40.  We waited outside the gates with a bunch of other people until we were admitted right around 6:00.  The zoo was so quiet.  You could hear only some isolated animal sounds.  We walked to the Outback Station where the food and drink were being served.  Outback Station is at the entrance to the petting zoo, next to the kangaroos.  The petting zoo animals were in the barn, eating or sleeping.  The kangaroos were resting in their enclosure.

After having a little snack, Dom and I decided it was time to tour the zoo and head toward the pandas.  We walked a few feet and saw a couple of zoo employees, who informed us that the pandas were put in the back of their home for the night.  Sorry.  Then a zoo guard told us we couldn't walk the zoo and we had to stay in the Outback Station area.

A visit to the zoo without being allowed to see the animals? No pandas, no tigers, no lions, no elephants, no giraffes, no monkeys - just the petting zoo animals and you couldn't even pet them?  So I took a few pictures and we left.  No use hanging around for some lecture from a vet if we couldn't see the animals.  What a complete disappointment.

One of the kangaroos

One of the little goats, nibbling on my hand

Flamingos in their pool

We'll plan another trip down to the zoo in the fall, and then also visit Cyclorama - a visual history of the Battle of Atlanta during the Civil War - which is right next door.  But no more after-hours events for us.

DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE

DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE by Sherryl Woods was read for the Pub 2011Reading Challenge.

From the book jacket:

Single mom Heather Donovan's dreams of home and family and tantalizingly within reach when she settles in Chesapeake shores.  The welcoming arms of the boisterous, loving O'Brien clan embrace her and her son.  But accepting their support seems to further alienate her son's father, Connor O'Brien.  His parents' divorce and his career as a high-powered divorce attorney have left him jaded about marriage.

Then everything changes.  Will the possibility of a future without Heather make Connor look at love and his career differently?  Heather's just about given up on her old dreams - of love, of family and especially of Driftwood Cottage, the home she secretly wishes were hers.  It's going to take a lot of persuasion - and some help from the O'Brien family - to make Heather believe that some dreams are worth fighting for.

DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE is the fourth in this cute little series by Ms. Woods.  Nothing deep or thought-provoking, just a cozy read reminiscent of Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series.  This was a quick read, perfect for a hot summer day.

Ms. Woods published three Chesapeake Shores books this year in three consecutive months.  Next up - MOONLIGHT COVE and BEACH LANE.

AT WITT'S END/OUTWITTED

AT WITT'S END by Beth Solheim was read with an online book club.

From Amazon.com:

Things are really bustling at the Witt's End resort in Northern Minnesota.  Clients are vying for one of the few remaining rentals, except Cabin 14 - thing is no one gets out of Cabin 14 alive.  Sadie isn't your typical sixty-four year old senior citizen.  She has things she wants to do and should be expected to solve a murder while trying to prevent an unscrupulous sheriff's deputy from shutting down the lakeside resort she owns with her straight arrow sister.  But that's exactly what Sadie Witt must do.  When five guests with hidden agendas arrive at Cabin 14, they're stunned to learn that the flamboyant Sadie is their conduit to the hereafter.  Clad in the latest fashion trends - fads typically reserved for those without sagging body parts - and sporting hairdos that make bystanders want to look away but can't, Sadie realizes one of the guest has been murdered and must work against the clock to untangle the web and prevent further mayhem.

I wasn't thrilled with this book.  When I began reading, I felt like I was starting in the middle of the story.  I checked to see if this might be the second or later book in a series, but it is the first.  The characters, with the exception of Sadie, were non-descript and on the boring side.  Sadie, on the other hand, was completely over the top.  The story line was confusing and seemed to jump all over the place.  I got the impression that the author had the story in mind, but was in such a hurry to put it on paper, that she skipped some important parts.  I had to flip back pages a few times to see if I had missed something.

I bought this book for under $2 for my Kindle, so I didn't feel too bad about spending the money for a book I didn't like.  I checked Amazon and found the second book, OUTWITTED, for less than $3, so I thought I'd give this author one more chance, hoping that the second book would be more enjoyable.


OUTWITTED by Beth Solheim

From Amazon.com:

The Witt's End Resort in Northern Minnesota will never be the same when Sadie Witt assumes the role of funeral director's helper after the untimely murder of the previous assistant.  After skeletal remains are discovered under Cabin 12, Sadie and her sister set out to solve a murder and reveal a secret that ties a prominent community member to a notorious crime operation.  Shenanigans abound when the resort manager unwittingly rents Cabin 12 to the funeral director's ex-husband, a raucous character who causes one outrageous funeral mishap after another.  Flamboyant Sadie isn't your typical sixty-four year old senior citizen.  The recently departed arrive at Witt's End with issues and she has no choice but to help them unravel their puzzles.  BE WARNED...If you think Cabin 12 conceals a mystery, don't check into Cabin 14, because no guest ever leaves alive!

Was the second book in this series better than the first.  No.  There was the same problem with the story jumping all over.  No interesting characters.

For a little less than $5, I've come to the conclusion that I will not read any more of this series, if there are any more books written, nor would I recommend this author.

TALK OF THE TOWN

TALK OF THE TOWN by Lisa Wingate

From Amazon.com:

The show American Megastar is the hottest thing on television but its associate producer, Mandalay Florentino, is worried.  She's just arrived in the tiny town of Daily, Texas, to arrange a surprise "reunion concert" for hometown finalist Amber Amberson.  Only it turns out everyone in town seems to know the secret.  And paparazzi are arriving.  Word from Hollywood is that Amber has disappeared with a "bad boy" actor.  Can anything to right in this tumbleweed town?  Imagene Doll loves her town of Daily, Texas, but things are lonely without her beloved husband.  Life seems dull.  At least until that fancy-dressed woman pulls into town, looking terrified and glamorous all at once.  Soon life's not the least bit boring as Imagene and the rest of Daily find themselves at the center of a media maelstrom  - with a young girl's future on the line.

This was a cute little book I picked up for free for my Kindle.  After the book I just read, THE LOTUS EATERS, I needed something light and funny.

There's a beauty parlor that connects to a restaurant through a swinging bookcase.  A run-down hotel above the beauty parlor, complete with a suite full of Elvis memorabilia.  A country fair with a 32-year-old roller coaster.  Amber's father, the town drunk.  A wild ride in the back of a mail truck.  Someone running around in red silk boxers.  Just your "typical" little town!  And then throw in a new romance for good measure.

All in all, a quick, fun read - just what the doctor ordered!

THE LOTUS EATERS

THE LOTUS EATERS by Tatjana Soli

From the back of the book:

In this much-lauded, fiercely imagined novel, Tatjana Soli paints a searing portrait of three remarkable photographers brought together under the impossible umbrella of war.  In the final days of a falling Saigon, Helen Adams, a once-underestimated amateur whose gutsy photographs have turned her into a dazzling, if jaded, star, finds her ambition conflicts with her desire as she grapples with her feelings for two very different men:  the mysterious Linh, a Vietnamese photojournalist with questionable loyalties, and Sam Darrow, an American reporter addicted to the narcotic of violence and to his dangerous love for Helen.  All three become transformed by the chaos they risk everything to record.

The Lotus Eaters unfolds a stirring canvas of three souls trapped by their intense passions and treacherous obsessions.  Readers will be transfixed by this stunning debut contrasting the wrenching horror of combat with the redemptive power of love.

This was an extremely difficult book for me to read.  I lived through the Vietnam era.  I watched the war unfold on the TV news every night.  I knew boys who were sent there.  I knew boys whose names are now etched on The Wall.  But I felt this would be an important book to read.

The contrasts in the lives of the photographers were striking.  One evening they would be having a meal at a fancy hotel, laughing, drinking, enjoying life.  The next day, they would be in the jungle, following a squadron of young men as they searched for the invisible enemy.  The fear of the soldiers was palpable.  The descriptions of the land and the destruction of life and property were vivid.  Reading this book, it was easy to understand how these boys found solace in booze and drugs.

This was a hated war.  When the boys returned, they weren't given a hero's return.  They were scorned and treated as second-class citizens, when in fact, they were only doing what was ordered.  This book lets the reader get inside the war and understand the feelings of the soldiers who had no choice but to be there.  Young people today only know about the war from what has been written, most likely watered-down versions of the fighting.  They need to read this book to see what it was really like.

MAY BOOKS

May was an OK reading month for me.  I managed to finish 6 books - not a lot but for the first week or so, it was hard to read with swollen eyes.    A couple of big books took up a bit of time.


Here's what I read this month:

THE SIXTH MAN by David Baldacci (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge and What's in a Name 4 Reading Challenge)

A TURN IN THE ROAD by Debbie Macomber (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge)

MISTRESS OF ROME by Kate Quinn (Chunkster Reading Challenge 2011)

QUEEN BY RIGHT by Anne Easter Smith (Chunkster Reading Challenge 2011 and Pub 2011 Reading Challenge)

SUGAR TIME by Jane Admas (Just for Fun Reading Challenge 2011)

BLESS THE BRIDE by Rhys Bowen (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge and What's in a Name 4 Reading Challenge)


I managed to put a big dent in the Pub 2011 Reading Challenge, bringing my total to 8 out of the required 11 - and there are plenty of new books coming out this year that I'm looking forward to reading.

Are there any new books that you are dying to read?