A Bookish Focus

The concept that where or what one's attention is focused upon is where your energy flows is often true.  If a culture focuses on frivolous pursuits, that is often where their future seems destined as well.  What if cultures all through the world focused attention on books and reading?  Books symbolizing knowledge and an open exchange of ideas and wisdom.  Books are such a powerful symbol that the image of a bonfire fueled by books screams of oppression and shakes us to our very core.

In the spirit of uplifting the book and its symbolism, following are examples of public fountains, architecture, and some videos of books used in artwork.  Enjoy!

Fontaine de Jouvence by Olivier Duque

Cincinnati Public Library fountain

Fountain at the Chattanooga Library Foundation

Library Bar and Grill 312 Central Ave SW Albuquerque, NM

The Kansas City Public Library looks like a row of older volumes.  

The entrance is to the left.

The House of Free Creativity in Turkmenistan is a mirror-like single open book.

This video shows a growing number of artists who are turning books into artwork of a more sculptural nature.

 

This video is of book artist Su Blackwell's, who creates mini-masterpieces that can take up to a month to complete.  Her artwork depicts scenes from books which resonate with the artist. Her work is framed in books containing fairy tales, poetry, and even how-tos.

 

Enjoy the world of books around you.

Review - Mr. Churchill's Secretary

This week's review takes us to war torn England of 1940 for some intrigue and chasing shadows.  This is a debut novel of a new historical suspense/intrigue series.  There have been some mixed reviews for this book, so let's see how it fared.

FYI, Thursday, July 26, 2012 is Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen® stores with proceeds of $1 or more from every Blizzard® Treat purchased at participating stores to be donated to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 

Author: Susan Elia MacNeal

Copyright: April 2012 (Bantam) 384 pgs

Series: 1st in Maggie Hope Adventures

Sensuality: Mild references

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Intrigue,

Main Characters: Maggie Hope, American in London

Setting: 1940, London England

Obtained Through: LibraryThing

Maggie Hope somewhat reluctantly takes the job of new Prime Minister Winston Churchill's secretary. The last secretary was was murdered and it seems that Maggie is being watched in her new job as well.  England itself is facing Hitler preparing to pummel England with bomber planes as households build bomb shelters.  Additionally, the IRA is bombing sites in London and could be Nazi sympathizers, joining against England - the common enemy. 

Maggie's British parents were killed when she was still an infant and she was raised by an aunt in America.  Her aunt raised her in the academic world of colleges where she works. Maggie is forced to suspend her graduate studies in mathematics at MIT to travel to London and sell her inheritance from a grandmother she never knew she had.  Thus, Maggie is incredibly overqualified for the job of secretary with her Mathematics skills, plus she is fluent in a few languages.  All of which means she is smart and some secrets she will figure out, placing her in more danger.  Secrets - such as why her father isn't buried with her mother? 

Maggie Hope is a good main character, smart, loyal and caring.  She has several friends that are living in the inherited house, all helping each other through the challenging times.  There are so many characters who populate the story that a character guide up front would have been helpful.  Maggie's housemates are interesting and varied.  I didn't particularly care for the ditzy twins, but otherwise they were all engaging.  There is even the hint of a romantic interest with an acquaintance who also works for Churchill.  Churchill himself is very well portrayed.

Historical books, when done correctly really, bring the time period alive.  I was skeptical to read this book because of a review I read somewhere that said there were historical errors.  After reading the book I was surprised, because I didn't find anything of particular note.  I went back and found the criticism had to do with the color of Women's Naval Service uniforms and such details.  Unless you are familiar with such WWII details, I doubt you will notice the errors either.  I can say that a few times there was a term or phrase that was more modern that struck me.  But again, not so much that it detracted from the story for me.  Rather, the terror of a sudden air raid siren and the scramble to get into a bomb shelter and the tense listening to explosions while waiting for the all-clear siren were all brought vividly to life.  

The plot of IRA forces combining with Nazis to infiltrate Churchill's inner circle was well done and quite believable.  The circumstances around Maggie's father (not to give away too much here) are a tad of a stretch.  The pacing kept the tension and story going solidly for me throughout.  This was one of those books when you think you just made it through the climax and can resume breathing, only to find there is more and your blood continues racing.  Well done climax and solid wrap-up that sets up further adventures for Maggie.

This is a solid debut entry in the historical intrigue or historical amateur sleuth genre. 

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list.

I have this piece of a documentary about the London blitz to share.  It is so easy to forget what London went through while the Olympics are there.

 

Reader Poll Results

The results of the poll as of the writing of this post are 22 total votes with 12 voting no rating system and 10 voting for a rating system. Rather than a certain number of stars or a 1-5, I propose a compromise. I will give a personal recommendation with general terms at the end of reviews. The basic phrasing is below, but it may vary a smidgen depending on the situation. 

I personally doubt I will ever give a "poor" rating simply because I don't know that I could force myself to complete such a book. There have been books I have just quit reading and switched to a better one. 

I also take into consideration the specific genre of the book.  What is near perfect for a cozy is completely different than near perfect for a suspense or police procedural.  

Ratings: 

Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. 

Okay – A few good points, but with significant flaws. Library/swap/borrow if you want. 

 Poor - I had to force myself to finish it. Fatally flawed on multiple levels. 

I am hoping that this is better than just a rating and yet still provides a level of recommendation.  

Last week I got to spend a few days in Santa Barbara - naturally thought of the hit TV show "Psych" since it is based in there.  I took the trolley tour of the town and the tour guide pointed out the police station because it is a point of interest since the show!  Beautiful place to unwind on the beach.  I am surprised there aren't any mystery series  based there.  Do you know of one?

Review - As the Crow Flies

This week the review is of the series that inspired the new A&E drama "Longmire."  I have watched only 1 full episode, but there seem to be many differences between the television version and the books.  We reviewed the two prior books, Junk Yard Dogs (click here) and Hell is Empty (click here,) as well as an author interview (click here.) Let's see how the newest book in the series stacks up.

Author:  Craig Johnson

Copyright:  May 2012 (Viking Adult) 320 pgs

Series:  8th in Walt Longmire Mysteries

Sensuality:  some adult references

Mystery Sub-genre:  Police procedural

Main Character:  Sheriff Walt Longmire

Setting:  Modern Day, Absaroka County Wyoming

Obtained Through:  from publisher for an honest review

Henry Standing Bear and Walt have been tasked with securing a venue for Walt's daughter's wedding.  But they run into difficulty.  They end up in the wilderness around Painted Warrior cliffs scouting an outdoor wedding location for Cady, when they witness a women plummet from the cliff heights to her death.  When they race to the location, they find the woman dead, but her infant managed to survive.  The location is not within Walt's jurisdiction, which is good, because he has a wedding to take care of, right?  The new Sheriff for that location is an Iraq war hero, but she is inexperienced as a police officer.  The beautiful and fierce Chief Lolo Long asks Walt to help her untangle this web of who would kill an abused wife and her infant, and give her some on-the-job training while he helps. 

Walt is a fascinating character,  tough guy widower whose daughter means the world to him, with humorous with wry western wit, and a self-effacing manner. His best friend, Henry Standing Bear, is in most of this book and shows his temper with hints of his past.  These two are golden together as the male buddies who have each others backs.  Chief Lolo Long is well portrayed as a quick-to-anger woman who is tough as nails, but has a difficult time mellowing after her traumatic time serving in Iraq. Walt's dog, named "Dog," is the self-appointed protector of the infant survivor and gets three cheers for his role.  Henry's ramshackle truck, RezDaug, is practically a character, serving as Walt's inanimate nemesis.  Cady has a few cameo appearances woven through the investigation along with her mother-in-law, both showing how capable they are.

The setting is on the Cheyenne Reservation.  While the location may not be a character in itself, it is portrayed in a manner to accentuate the entire story, providing the contrast, shading, and flavor to the drama.  The plot has a slight rough beginning due to the low believability factor of hiking into the woods looking for a wedding site, but quickly solidifies to rock solid.

The pace remained steady through the twists and turns to the investigation right up to the confrontation with the killer.  Even the killer and motive seem stained by the settings savage beauty, as though the sadness of the Reservation touches everybody's life.  

This is another powerful addition to the series with Mr. Johnson's now-signature writing style.  I enjoy this series and each book is finely crafted. The books surpass the new television series "Longmire" by light years in my opinion.  I highly recommend this modern-western style mysteries and this book in particular.

Here is an interview with Craig Johnson on Marshall University's UpLate Show.

 

Review - A Sinister Sense

This week we visit Maine for a little mischief.  This is the second book in a new series that is mildly paranormal by the author of the Pennyfoot Hotel mysteries.  We seem to be tied in the poll regarding a rating system on the book reviews!  Hmmmm.  

Author: Allison Kingsley

Copyright: July 2012 (Berkley) 288 pgs

Series: 2nd in Raven's Nest Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy, mild paranormal

Main Characters: Clara Quinn

Setting: Modern day, Finn's Harbor, Maine

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Clara Quinn works afternoons at her cousin's bookstore, The Raven's Nest.  Clara and her cousin Stephanie are more like sisters than cousins, except Stephanie never inherited the "Quinn sense," which is like a psychic sense.  As a result Clara has spent most of her life denying her abilities so Stephanie doesn't feel short-changed.  Clara is particularly trying to ignore her Quinn Sense because it never gave a hint that her finance was such a snake. That explains why Clara is treading carefully with Rick Sanders, the owner of the hardware store across the street from Raven's Nest.  But when an unknown dead man is found in Rick's truck bed and the entire town, including the mayor, is convinced Rick is a killer, Clara believes the vision she saw of the murder and that Rick is innocent.  Could her fondness for Rick be clouding her judgement, or is Rick is being framed by a clever killer? 

Clara is an okay character who carries baggage from her time in New York and a relationship gone bad. Several times in the book Clara's mother comments on how NY has changed her.  Clara clearly has trust issues, with men and with her "gift."  It is a bit frustrating that she doesn't want anything to do with her gift, then gets mad because it fails her when she does want it.  Rick, the love interest and prime suspect, is a good character as far as he goes.  The glimpses we get of him are not much.  

Cousin Stephanie was either yelling at her kids, running out of the store, or making excuses to investigate. I don't know what to make of Stephanie yet.  It is a bit surprising how little this family does as a family.  Clara's mother, Jessie, comes across a bit harsh of Clara most of the story.  Jessie is recently widowed and that may be part of it, but I don't care for the dysfunctional dynamic.  Towards the end of the book, the relationship seemed to gain a little balance which I hope caries forward.  The break-out star of the book is the wayward, gentle-giant dog, Tatters, that Clara takes in from Rick when he becomes the main suspect.  The dog is strong, just a little willful, and a misunderstood sweetheart.  The depiction of Tatters is golden and I couldn't help but think of Marmaduke.

In this particular edition to the series I didn't get much of a real sense for the town as a setting in its own right.  The descriptions are fine and give a good form as a stage for the action, but I love when a place is so strong it becomes a character in itself.  That was not the case in this book.  I understand the first book in the series utilized the atmosphere of the bookstore's Edgar Allan Poe and metaphysical themes  to good effect, but that was not in evidence this time around.

The plot was revealed as more information about the victim was uncovered in the course of the book and similar for who the killer really was.  The motive and killer were fairly well done and straightforward.  The confrontation with the killer is a bit contrived, but definitely rings true to the cousin's penchant for mad-capped adventures that has been built up through the book via reminiscing.  The wrap up is short, just a couple of pages, but shows Clara working on trust.

This is a fun, lite cozy read with minor flaws along with some good points. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.