Free Books for February

February 2, 2010February 2, 20106 Comments

Leave a comment, tell me which book or puzzle you want and I’ll get it to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon. The first one to request each book or puzzle wins. Once you’ve ‘won’ I can get your shipping address if I need it. Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want. These have all been read a few times.

1. 1500 piece Ravensburger puzzle of Italy’s Dolomites. This puzzle has been done once by me. Measures 23.5 x 33 in. for Margie

2. Midnight on Julia Street by Ciji Ware. Mass market published in 1999. Romance. for Sarah E

3. Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon. Mass market published in 1997. Fiction (takes place during the Manhattan Project). for sheere

4. The Inn at Eagle Creek by Sherryl Woods. Mass market published in 2009. Romance. for Margot

Late Bloomers Quiz

February 2, 2010February 2, 201015 Comments

Answers to last week’s Common Thread Quiz here.

Someday I hope to publish a book. As I see 40 on the horizon I hope to take heart in those authors who published their first novel when they were 40 or older. If you know the late bloomer leave the number and name. No googling – that’s cheating and no fun! Good luck!

1. He retired from the Coast guard before he wrote his first novel, loosely based on his family history, but was dogged by claims of plagiarism. The millions who watched the mini series on tv didn’t care. He was in his 50’s when this first novel was published. Alex Haley (Wrighty)

2. This Chile born novelist penned one of my favorite books, magical realism at its best, in 1982. She was 40. Isabel Allende (Margie)

3. This author was 52 when he penned one of my favorites. The life of rabbits in the warren are forever of interest to me. Richard Adams (Susan)

4. This classic about a man shipwrecked on an island was written when the author was 59. Daniel Defoe (Susan)

5. This author wrote a series of books about her life with her pioneer family when she was in her 60’s, as her family was facing financial difficulty due to the Great Depression. I remember watching Pa and Ma every week when I was growing up. Laura Ingalls Wilder (Wrighty)

6. This author was 42 when his story about Dolores was published. Oprah chose it for her book club five years later. Wally Lamb (Bermudaonion)

7. This author was 51 when he turned to writing after being fired as a vice-president of an oil syndicate. His first private detective mystery was immortalized by Humphrey Bogart on the big screen. Raymond Chandler (Nise)

8. This author was 47 when she wrote this coming of age story about Francie and her family struggling against poverty in New York. Betty Smith (Susan)

9. This author was 74 when she published the National Book Award winner that year for first work of fiction. Harriet Doerr (Margie)

10. This English novelist first published children’s books in her 50’s and her first adult book when she was 71. She went on to write nine more novels. Mary Wesley (Margie)

Is there a late bloomer I’m missing? Leave a comment and further inspire us 🙂

Deadly Pleasure, by Brenda Joyce

January 31, 201014 Comments

Finished 1-23-10, rating 4/5, romance, pub. 2002

This is book 2 in the Deadly series (Book 1 review)

Someone grabbed her arm, hard.

Francesca whirled, knowing it wasn’t either of her parents. A pair of black eyes met hers from beneath a huge gurtimmed hood.

For one instant Francesca stood there, shocked that someone would grab her and unable to to determine whether the person was a man or woman. She was about to demand that she be released when the person said, “Miss Cahill?”

It was a woman. Francesca relaxed slightly. “Yes?”

“Please.” The woman’s single word was an emotionally distressed plea. “Please. Please help me.” she said.

Chapter 1

Beautiful and wealthy heiress, Francesca Cahill, fresh off her success in catching a killer and falling in love with the new New York City police commissioner is now passing out business cards calling herself Crime-Solver Extraordinaire. Life is looking good. Rick asks her out, she has her first paying job, and her parents remain unaware of her college studies and most of her sleuthing. But in the course of her investigation she catches her brother-in-law having an affair with a murder suspect and Rick confesses a devastating secret. The dead body in this book is Calder Hart’s father. Francesca hopes to mend the rift between the two brothers and needs to prove Calder innocent to do it.

I love the relationship between Rick and Francesca and there are so many great supporting chraracters like her perfect sister, snooty mom, and pickpocket assistant.

If you like turn of the century New York, wealthy and powerful men and beautiful and smart women you should give it a try. If you are sensitive to the way alpha males treat the women they love then this may not be the series for you. It’s a favorite series of mine and they really need to be read in order.

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

January 28, 2010January 28, 201025 Comments

Finished 1-26-10, rating 4/5, true crime literature, pub. 1965

In 1959 in a small Kansas town the Clutters still living in Holcomb were brutally murdered and the murderers got away without a trace. The community was in a panic. Was it one of their own who had murdered this upstanding family and, if so, why? The last one to see the family alive was the boyfriend of teenager Nancy and he took a lie detector test to clear him. As the months went by the town was still rattled by the unsolved murders. At the same time we were taken on a journey with the killers, Hickock and Smith, as their preparations and escape became clear, it was still uncertain what the motive might have been.

This true crime literature reads just like a novel and I love Capote’s style. I didn’t know much about this story before I read it, just some sort of vague memory of a family getting murdered, and the outcome of the book is told right upfront. But, that doesn’t take away from the story. It took me back to the 50’s in Kansas and a simpler way of life, where 12 year olds drove cars on old country roads and when murders happen every neighbor close enough to get there traipsed through the crime scene. The alternating storylines and different time frames kept the story moving along at a good pace. The sense of the setting was so real. I felt the remoteness of the Kansas farm and the loneliness of the road as Hickock and Smith tried to find the a place worth stopping for.

I liked it a lot and loved Capote’s writing, but I didn’t love the book. By jumping from character to character I wasn’t really attached to any one of them, so I felt a bit detached from the whole thing. And the end dragged on a bit for me because the motive was unsatisfying and because of the focus on the killers. Capote almost seemed to have sympathy for them and while I didn’t mind it, I didn’t really understand it.

I admit that I prefer The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer to this one (different story, but considered true crime literature). Yes it’s three times as long, but I got more understanding out of it and was ultimately more satisfied. Of course, true crime isn’t my first or even fifth choice for reading pleasure, so I’m not the target audience.

I’m glad I read it because it is a part of pop culture and I and I do plan on watching the film.

This is from my personal library and cheerfully chosen for me by Kathy, Marie, JoAnn, Molly, Sandee, Piroska, and Wendy. Here’s what they had to say…

“Capote invented a new genre with this one.” Kathy

“A classic true-crime.” Piroska

“An all time classic.” Molly

“A true classic.” JoAnn

“A true classic! Read it!” Marie

Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown

January 27, 201013 Comments

Finished 1-20-10, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 1998

It is said that in death, all things become clear; Ensei Tankado now knew it was true. As he clutched his chest and fell to the ground in pain, he realized the horror of his mistake.

first sentences of book

Susan is head of the Cryptology department at the NSA and very good at her job. David, her fiancé, is a well-respected professor and foreign-language specialist. The search is on for a hidden code that, if not found, will reveal all the secrets of the United States government to everyone that has internet access. Susan is working at NSA headquarters in Maryland, trying to track down the programmer holding NSA hostage and David is sent to Spain to recover the code from a dead man. Of course, it could not be that easy and both are faced with danger and deception.

This book is fast read. It’s over 400 pages, but it will keep you reading, much like the other Dan Brown books I’ve read. Alternating between the cerebral NSA code breakers and the action packed race to find a ring in Spain before the killer just behind you, worked and the tension was palpable. It did get a bit melodramatic for me at the end, but that didn’t stop me from flipping the pages as fast as I could.

I recommend this for Dan Brown fans, thriller fans, and those who love technology and code breaking.

This book is from my personal library and was recommended by Melody, Molly, Virginie, and Jason. Here’s Molly had to say…”Very different from Dan Brown’s usual religious symbolism. I liked this one very much because it was not what I had become accustomed to from him. Guilty pleasure.”

Common Thread Quiz

January 26, 2010January 30, 201031 Comments

What is the common denominator in these book (and one movie) combinations? Tell me the number and what you think the five books have in common, Go ahead and take a guess – you could be right! If you are the first to get it right you will earn an extra entry in both of the giveaways I have going on right now.

1.Set in Kansas (Candice)

2.Main characters named Jack (Nise)

3.Books made into movies starring John Cusack (Mark)

4.Published after author’s death (Hannah)

5.Magical Realism (Mary)

6.Pirates! (Hannah)

7.Authors born in Ohio (Susan)

8.First published in 1926 (Em)

9.2009 RITA award winners (Mark)

10.One degree of Kevin Bacon (Mark)

My Reread Project

January 24, 201011 Comments

I rarely read books twice. As a teen I would read my favorites until they fell apart, but then I discovered there was a whole world of books I could love and stopped visiting my favorite characters. When I posted my Favorite Movies list last year one of the ‘rules’ I made for myself was that I had to have seen the movie twice, how else was I to be a judge of it? Maybe when I watched Rosemary’s Baby the first time I only liked it because I was watching it in the dark, alone, at 1 am? Or The Breakfast Club only worked if I was watching as a teen? I actually watched one movie on my list to do a review and decided it wasn’t a favorite after all.

What does this have to do with rereading books? Well, what I get out of a book is based on many things, not the least of which is what was going on in my life when I read it. So, maybe if I read it five years later and I’m happier, sadder, more stressed out, whatever, I might have a completely different opinion of the book. So, last year I decided to commit to rereading at least one book from my Favorite Books list every year. Yes, if I only read one a year it will take me 100 years, so it is obviously not a perfect plan, but quite a few of the books on the list I have read more than once already.

I hadn’t decided which I was going to reread this year when I got an email from Brenda Joyce announcing that there would be a 9th book in the Deadly series out next year. My decision was made. I LOVE this series. It is classified as romance, but there is always some mystery involved and I just can’t get enough of Francesca. So, I’ll be reading the first eight books, one a week, until I’ve made it through. Every Sunday, for the next two months, spend a little time with me, Francesca and her life in 1902 New York City.

This is part of the email from Brenda Joyce and I want to share it with you because it applies to so many of our favorite authors.

I would love to write 3 more Deadlies. Mira is interested, but it will depend on 2 factors. First, the level of enthusiasm in the coming six months when they try to “sell in” the books to the accounts (stores), and in 2011, the actual sales. I have no control over this; publishing is in a much greater, deeper recession than the overall economy. Books are only published when a publisher is actually willing to pay to do so! If Mira won’t publish these books, because of lack of sales, neither will anyone else. I want to be very clear. It is REALLY scary out there. Like all of you, I am interested in continuing to have a job. I cannot write 3 more titles if no one will publish them!

You can help! Give a friend an old, used book and get her hooked. Pitch the series to everyone, chat about it online in chat rooms and on reader websites. And of course, run out to buy those books when they go on sale!

I’m doing my part for the Deadly series because I love it, but we can all do this for our favorite authors and series. As book bloggers many of us receive free books and it’s great, but if we’re not buying the books, who is? So, don’t forget to sometimes shell out a little money to support your favorite authors. I ordered the two books of this series I didn’t already own and can’t wait to delve back in to Francesca’s story!

10 in ’10 with Shirley Tallman

January 22, 20109 Comments

Last fall I read Murder on Nob Hill and The Russian Hill Murders and fell in love with the independent and spirited Sarah Woolson. The next book in this historical mystery series is on its way to me as I type 🙂 So, I was very excited when I contacted author Shirley Tallman and she agreed to answer a few questions.

I recommend visiting her website where you will find access to her blog, books, and contests. This month she’s giving away an Amazon gift card and next month she’ll be giving away signed hardcover copy of one of her books EVERY DAY!

On to the questions…

1. I love Sarah Woolson. She’s smart, independent, and brave. What or who was the inspiration for this wonderful character or did she just show up on your screen one day?

Actually, Sarah’s character had been growing and developing in my mind for quite some time before I started MURDER ON NOB HILL, the first book in the Sarah Woolson Historical Mystery Series. To me Sarah embodies all the qualities I most admire in a heroine: intelligence, determination, fair-mindedness, empathy, honesty and, above all, courage. In order for a woman to square up against the chauvinism rampant in 1880’s society, she would have had to possess all of these virtues — in spades! Yet despite her feisty independence, she also possesses a quiet vulnerability and sensitivity that makes us sympathize with the many obstacles she must face, and root for her to come out victorious in the end.

2. Historic San Francisco is such a wonderful setting for this series. What was it about San Francisco that made you want to explore its history in a series?

Several things led me to choose San Francisco as the setting for my novels. Of course the fact that I was raised in San Francisco was largely responsible. Fortunately, at the time I was growing up it was still fairly safe for a young girl to travel practically anywhere in the city by bus or cable car. My friends and I loved to ride our bikes through Golden Gate Park, visiting museums and the California Academy of Sciences, then continue riding down to the beach where we’d go ice skating, to Playland at the Beach, or to the Cliff House (the setting for book number four in the series). With my family I attended live theater and plays downtown, shopped along brightly decorated Maiden Lane at Christmas, and window shopped on Market Street. I think I fell in love with San Francisco before I even learned to read, and once I could, I would literally bury myself in books to learn more about its fascinating history. I don’t remember considering any other locale for my mysteries.

3. You also write screenplays. How is that experience different than writing novels?

It’s completely different! For one thing, writing a novel is usually a solitary effort; for better or for worse, the author pretty much controls her story and her characters. Writing a screenplay is anything but a solitary endeavor. In Hollywood everyone seems to want a piece of the pie, and to satisfy their own egos. Perhaps a better way to put it would be to say everyone from the producer(s) (often there’s more than just one producer), director and even the actors want to have a say in the final product — which frequently forces the screenwriter to veer off into vastly different directions. Of course when the writer attempts to please one of the producers/directors/actors, she’s sure to offend the rest of the players. To put it in a nutshell, the finished screenplay sometimes bears little resemblance to the writer’s first draft!

4. Can you tell us a little about how you were first published?

Once upon a time, my best friend and I (both mothers of small children) decided to write a book. Today we look back on the experience as having proven the old saying that, “Ignorance is bliss!” Having absolutely no idea as to the impossibility of the task, we blithely sent out the completed manuscript to at least fifty publishing houses, papering our laundry-room walls (yes, that’s where we did a good portion of our writing!) with rejection slips. Finally, one brilliant and perceptive publisher (at least that’s how we like to remember him), bought our book, PLEASE STAND BY — YOUR MOTHER’S MISSING, and released it in hardcover to an unsuspecting public. To his surprise, I’m sure, the book sold rather better than he suspected, and our careers were launched. Okay, maybe they weren’t launched right away, but we were certain we were on the right tract. As it turned out, my friend went on to write award-winning stage plays, while I helped feed my growing family by penning Harlequin/Silhouette contemporary romances. Later on, we joined up again to successfully write and sell movies to ABC, NBC and CBS.

5. Who are some of your favorite mystery writers?

There are so many it’s hard to list them. Certainly Agatha Christie introduced me to the magic of mysteries as a child. As a teen, I added science fiction to my favorites, then mystery masters such as Anne Perry, Elizabeth Peters, Ngaio Marsh, Robert Bernard and Ellis Peters.

6. What’s the last book you read?

I just finished reading Maeve Binchey’s novel, HEART AND SOUL, and Dean Koontz’s FOREVER ODD. Plus, of course, a steady stream of research books for my own novels, but I don’t necessarily count those as leisure reading.

7. What is your favorite non-reading and writing hobby?

I’m a Gemini, so I have a lot of hobbies. I love to bike ride and snow ski, do yoga, knit and crochet, and go to the movies. I admit I’m addicted to several TV series, including TRUE BLOOD, THE CLOSER, MONK, CSI (all three), HEROES, PBS MYSTERIES, HOUSE and THE BIG BANG THEORY.

8. I love quotes. Do you have a favorite?

I think my favorite quote is: “All things are possible to one who believes.” (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux – letters)

9. If you were trapped in the life of one fictional character who would you choose?

I know I’m prejudiced, but actually I’d choose the life of my own heroine, Sarah Woolson. As I said earlier, she embodies so many qualities that I admire in a woman. Beyond that, her life is never dull!

10. And finally, what are you working on now?

I’m working on book #5 in the Sarah Woolson series, tentatively titled, DEATH ON TELEGRAPH HILL.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Shirley!

Garden Spells, by Sarah Addison Allen

January 21, 2010July 5, 201022 Comments

Finished 1-12-09, rating 4.75/5, fiction, pub. 2007

She’d learned the hard way to avoid hiring anyone local if she could help it. Most of them expected to learn something magic or, at the very least, get to the apple tree in the backyard, hoping to find out if the local legend was true, that its apples would tell them what the biggest event in their lives would be.

Chapter 1

Claire Waverly and her sister Sydney, were part of the Waverly’s of Bascom, North Carolina. The family that was just a bit off, strange, and they had that magic apple tree in the back yard. Claire stayed in the family home after her mother and grandmother died, but Sydney had escaped to New York and beyond as soon as she could. The sisters had never been close, so when Sydney returned to Bascom with her 5 year old daughter in tow, Claire was surprised.

Claire’s gift was affecting people’s mood and feelings through food. The garden was always in bloom, even if she had to put up with the trouble-making apple tree. Sydney had spent most of her life denying her Waverly roots, but even she found her special gift when she returned home. The only other family still around was a great-aunt who had the gift of giving people, even complete strangers, trinkets that they would soon need.

I loved this book. Loved it. It had romance, charm, and drama. The relationship between the sisters was compelling and the magical elements made it very light and fun. The reason that drew Sydney back to Bascom was a shadow hovering over the Waverlys and it provided a grounding effect for this magical story. I was drawn into their world and didn’t want to leave.

In my first two years of blogging I gave out a total of five 5 star ratings. This was very, very close, but I’m giving out my first 4.75 rating. I think this means that I’m going to have a year of reading great books 🙂

This came from my personal library and I want to thank Debbie, Mary, Amanda, Allesandra, Soft Drink, Bonnie, and Melissa for recommending it. Here’s what they had to say…

“Easy read, nice story.” Debbie

“I loved this short novel and will probably read anything the author writes.” Mary

“Magical realism. A bit of fluff.” Allesandra

“Spellbinding story with a twist of magic, loved it.” Bonnie

“You’ll like it.” Amanda

“Cute magical realism story.” Soft Drink

The Book of Unholy Mischief, by Elle Newmark

January 20, 2010January 20, 201018 Comments

Finished audio 1-12-10, rating 3.5/5, fiction. pub. 2008

Luciano is a penniless orphan living on the streets of 1498 Venice, Italy. He has a pet cat, a friend Marco, and an unrequited love named Francesca. One day he is plucked off the street by the head chef at Doges Palace and given a place to sleep, food to eat and a job in the kitchen. He is grateful to the chef, Maestro Ferrero, and resists pleas from Marco to steal and search for clues to a sought after book of alchemy. Everyone n Venice is looking for this book that contains the secrets of wealth, health and long life and there are some who think maestro might know about it.

Maestro Ferrero can alter the emotions and moods of the people who eat his beautiful and exotic dishes. By watching the head chef, Luciano yearns to become a master chef and learn to use food as his maestro does. Maestro takes Luciano under his wing and trust is built, only Marco wants to destroy that loyalty to find the book and tempts Luciano at every turn.

I love Venice and this book took me back to the palace, canals, gondolas, and food. I really felt transported, even if this takes place in 1498 and we were there in 2008 (a few photos here). I think Newmark captures the atmosphere perfectly and her descriptions of the fine food made me want to study cooking myself. The story itself was good. There were many twists and turns and I never knew what was going to happen next, so it was a success. I thought the ending was okay, but not great. I will read anything that takes me back to Venice and this didn’t disappoint. A very fine debut novel.

I borrowed this audio book from the library.

Stacy's Books

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