Sorry behind on my blogging

Wow it's been a busy two months and I'm way behind on my blogging. So let me catch you up.

I borrowed the book "Heat Wave" by Richard Castle. Only Richard Castle isn't a real author. Richard Castle is a character on the television series "Castle" on ABC. Confused yet? Yeah me too. The character, Richard Castle,  on the television series is an author who is following around a female New York homocide detective named Kate Beckett to get information for his new murder series based a homocide detective named Nikki Heat. The book "Heat Wave" is the book that character Richard Castle wrote.

Okay, here is where it gets more confusing. The book "Heat Wave" is about a magazine writer, Jameson Rook, following a New York homicide detective around named Nikki Heat. He is writing a magazine article about homocide detectives in New York. 

The book was okay.  I like the t.v. series and thought it would be fun to read the book that the character, Richard Castle is writing. But, when I read the book the same dialogue and gags were pretty much the same as the series. It was like sitting through a rerun. Secondly this is not the kind of book I would normally read. Some of the scenes were steamier than I read.  The mystery was good but a couple of the characters were weak and I had a hard time believing some of the scenes. I was thinking, "Nobody does this" "Nobody says that."

Then I read "Wrecked" by Carol Higgins Clark.  Her books are quick reads, a Saturday afternoon pasttime. Wrecked brings back Jack and Regan Reilly on their first wedding anniversary.  They go to Jack's parents vacation home on Cape Cod for a nice quiet weekend. Okay, nice quiet weekend for Jack and Regan, it doesn't happen.  First their nosey neighbor sisters Fran and Ginny come running over because a tree limb came through their living room window during a storm.  While the pair are regaling Jack and Regan with their misadventures the caretaker comes running in to tell them that the next door neighbor was laying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs on the beach. Jack and the caretaker run down there only to find the tide has come in and the woman is gone.  From there the weekend goes downhill.  Add to the chaos two women that run a pillow shop specializing in pillows to people who have done you wrong and an off broadway theater company rehearsing in an old castle. But as always, Jack and Riley solve all the mysteries and in spite of everything have a wonderful first anniversary party. 

 Next I read "Double Comfort Safari Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. It's another No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book with Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi. Grace's fiancee Phuti Radiphuti is injured in an accident and his overbearing aunt steps in to take over his recovery leaving Grace out in the cold. Precious and her friend Mma. Potswane come to her rescue  at the same time as Precious is trying to find a safari guide who has inherited a large amount of money and help a friend and her husband with a delicate marital situation.  As always Precious' wisdom and diplomacy win the day and resolve all the issues. The history, culture and landscape in Botswana, Africa are described in such a way it's as though you are there driving with Precious and Grace to the Delta. His books are easy reads, interesting but not very exciting.

I wanted to mention the movie John Adams based on the book by the same name by David McCullough.  The movie is a seven-part HBO miniseries that is excellent. It starts with Adams at the beginning of the Revolutionary War and continues through the Contenental Congress, his career as a diplomat to France, Holland and England, his political career as the first Vice President and the second President of the United States and on until his death just a few hours before Thomas Jefferson died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Didn't care for Dewey so much
I recently finished Dewey: a small town library cat that changed the world by Vicki Myron.  I really didn't care for it that much.  The parts about Dewey were great but there was too much about the town of Spencer, Iowa.  The stories about Dewey's antics were great, but too often she veered off into the politics of running a library.  She has also written a children's book about Dewey, Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library,  which I read for Story Time on April 6.  The kids loved the book and it is all about Dewey and his "job" at the Library. 

Another Higgins book
I missed one of Jack Higgins books several years ago and I haven't been able to find it. I finally did and read it last weekend.  The President's Daughter is set Corfu, London, Ireland and Washington D.C.  U.S. President Jake Cazlet discovers he has a daughter, conceived when he was a soldier in Vietnam. Twenty years later only 4 people in the world know about her and one of them is dead.   Until she is kidnapped by a radical Israeli terrorist group who wants to blackmail the U.S. into bombing Israels enemies in the Middle East. It's up to Dillon, Ferguson and Blake Johnson to find the President's daughter and rescue her before the deadline ends to bombing the Middle East.  Dillon at his finest and his counterpart in the U.S., Johnson proves to be a serious agent, not ust another bureaucrat.

Two more books to add to the list

I've been doing a lot of driving lately so I picked up a book on tape to pass the time in the car. I listened to The General by Patrick Davis. Very good mystery, rather out-dated but it was very interesting. A general is tortured and murdered, then a Vietnamese restaurant owner is murdered and there seems to be a connection. CID and local police follow the leads even after the army orders Lt. Col. Charlie Jensen to end the investigation he knows the truth goes right up to the top of the Chief of Staffs office. Jensen has to finish the General's investigation into POW's from Vietnam to find out who killed him.

 Then I read "Fire Dancer" by Colleen Coble. Tess' parents and her uncle died in a fire on her 14th birthday. She can't let go of the fact she couldn't save them. Twelve years later while working as a smokejumper, someone tries to kill Tess and critically injures another smokejumper instead. Tess is then called home only to discover the arsonist who killed her parents is still out there setting fires and killing people to cover his tracks. Worse yet Tess has to work with an old enemy to find the killer before everything she loves is destroyed.  This is a wonderful book. Very exciting and the mystery keeps you turning pages until the very end. Sometimes some of the story line is less than believable but over all the book is excellent.

Finished a book, listened to an audiobook

I read Jack Higgins new book, "Wolf At the Door". It was different and the same as his more recent novels. It was the same that there was a lot of flash back to 20-30 years ago and how those events were the cause/effect of recent events of Charles Ferguson and the Prime Minister's private army. It was different because Ferguson and his team were only cursory players in the story. Someone tries to kill Charles Ferguson, the United States president's right hand man Blake Johnson, the PM's adviser, Harry Miller, Miller's sister Monica Starling, and Sean Dillon's former gangster friends turned British Intelligence operatives Harry and Billy Salter all within an hour of each other. The story revolves around who planned the assassination attempts and the results of intrigue and double crossing.

On Saturday I spent the day in the city running errands and picked up an audiocassette of Maeve Binchy's "Copper Beech." The book around the school in Shancarrig, Ireland, the families of Shancarrig and the children whose friendships and lives are forever intertwined by the copper beech tree on the school grounds. The book is read by Fionnula Flanagan and her rich Irish accent adds flavor and authenticity to the book. From lost loves, to found treasures of friendship and relationships the book is a joy to listen to. I have read several of Ms. Binchy's books, but I have to say listening to to Ms. Flanagan reading it I was able to visualize the community and people so much better. A warning that the audiobook is abridged so if you want the full story you will have to find the book.

Finished 3 books last weekend
Mood:  happy

Wow didn't know I was so behind on my reading. I finished Robert Crais new book "The First Rule" a Joe Pike novel. The title of the book pretty much says it all. The first rule in Pike's rule book is "don't mess with my friends." I think the second rule is "if you do, there will be a body count." I was so busy I didn't have time to just sit down and read it which is why it took me two weeks to get the book done. But I carried it with me everywhere and read one chapter here and one chapter there. I finally got down the the last 40 pages Friday night and turned off the phone, ignored the dirty dishes and finished the book.

The second book I finished was "The Practice of the Presence of God: Conversations and letters of Brother Lawrence." I downloaded a copy from netlibrary but if you go to http://www.practicegodspresence.com/brotherlawrence/ you can print off a copy or read it online. It's only about 20 pages, but it is very worthwhile reading. It took me nearly a month to read because after reading each conversation and letter I let the ideas and thoughts sink in. It's like reading a devotional. I enjoyed it very much.

Finally I read a new author Colleen Coble called Distant Echos. The book is set in Hawaii and the authors writing and description of the island of Kauai are incredible, as well as the culture and language of the Hawaiian people. The mystery was awesome too. Kaia works with dolphins, one dolphin in particular, Nani,  trying to bridge the language gap between men and dolphins. The navy enlists hers and Nani's help in trying to find saboteurs of a very important missle test. In the meantime Commander Matthews makes Kaia's life interesting. She wants to strangle him when he orders her around but he's the first one she runs to when there's trouble. Why does the Pele Hawaii group have such a hold on her brother and why is her bosses wife so interested in Kaia? Will she ever be able to bridge the language barrier between herself and Nani? Will it take a life or death situation before they can communicate?

Thr3e
Mood:  cool
Topic: Reading
Wow! Ted Dekker is awesome. I finished Thr3e (Three) on Monday and I was spellbound throughout the entire book. Kevin Parson has finally gotten his life together after a tormented childhood. He has his home, a future and peace. But what happens when good and evil intersect in one life. A bomber blows up his car, then a bus, then the school library he attends. And the common thread of everything is the number 3. Slater wants to destroy Kevin but Jennifer and Samantha love him and only want to protect him. But who can he trust. Who is the enemy and who is going to save him?

Island of Saints
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Reading
I finished Island of Saints by Andy Andrews. His books are so hard to figure out if they are fiction or true. This one is classified as fiction but as you're reading it you feel like it's a true story. The book is set during World War II on the Gulf Coast. Helen has had a hard life and is angry at the whole world and particularly at any German after the death of her husband in England at the beginning of WWII. Most Americans don't know that German U-boats are patrolling the Gulf of Mexico or that they destroyed 56 vessels in the Gulf from 1942-1945. When Helen finds a wounded U-boat sailor floating in the Gulf she hauls him out of the ocean only to discover who he is. A part of her wants to kill him but another part is led to help him. Over time Helen learns the value of forgiveness and the freedom it brings.

I love bad weather
Mood:  chillin'

I love bad weather, I got to stay home all day Friday, part of Saturday and Sunday. I was a happy camper, books, food and coffee. So I fished one of Terri Blackstock's new books "Double Minds." Parker James is a Christian singer/songwriter working at a recording studio and trying to work on a recording contract. She's already well known for her songs. But suddenly the receptionist covering for her is murdered. She hardly knewBrenna and feels guilty about the girl's death. While offering her condolences to the Brenna's family and friends she picks up scraps of information indicating that everything was not what it appeared to be. First the Brenna is the daughter of a famous Christian recording artist and a recording mogul. Why was she working at a small time recording studio for free? Then Parker's dream comes true and with the help of her friends and family she gets to go on tour with her best friend, Serene, who is an up and coming Christian singer. But in the middle of this she has strange thing start happening to her. Strange phone calls, someone following her, her house broken into. Then Brenna's mother suddenly comes out with a new song, one of Parkers songs. As her world spirals, Parker's only constant is God and the love of her family.

Then I read Andy Andrews first book "The Traveler's Gift" after reading "The Noticer" I just have to read this book as well. David Ponder has hit rock bottom. In one year going from a successful business executive who has his whole life planned on a timeline, to an unemployed, uninsured father whose daughter is very sick. He can't face the future and then God sends him a journey into the past and future where he meets famous people who teach him what is truly important and give him a letter, so that he can learn and then teach seven simple life lessons. This is a beautiful book about looking forward, learning from your mistakes and moving on.

The third book I read this weekend was "The Help" by Kathleen Stockholm. It's not a mystery, it's a historical fiction about the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Set in Jackson, Mississippi, Skeeter Phelan wants to be a writer more than anything. First, Skeeter comes home from college to discover the maid has quit and no one will tell Skeeter anything about her. Then when she watches her best friend humiliate a maid. As the south is rocked by civil rights unrest, Skeeter approaches a publishing company with an idea. She will write the stories of maids in the south. What it's like to raise other people's children. The good and the bad of their jobs. The joy of being part of the families they work for and the anger of being treated like second class citizens. The women all know the consequences of telling their stories. If anyone finds out they be fired or worse killed.

Around the World in 80 Days
Topic: Reading
Well I finished Around the World in 80 days. And it only took me 80 days to read it. I was exciting in places but overall it was just a very interesting story of traveling around the world in the late 19th century. I read it through Dailylit.com and it came in 81 installments. Phileas Fogg is a hero of heroes, doing what is the honorable thing in every circumstance, not allowing emotion, fear or discomfort to influence his decisions. Followed by a detective determined to arrest Fogg for a crime he did not commit. It's a wonderful book about determination and what is really important in life.