Check out a National Book Awards book

The NBAs were held over three weeks ago. National Basketball Association? No! The National Book Awards! The librarians here at the library left that night prepared to watch the awards live. Okay, we didn't end up watching them.

The fiction winner was "The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride and finalists included The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner, "The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri, "Bleeding Edge" by Thomas Pynchon, and "Tenth of December" by George Saunders.

One of the ladies in my Library and Lunch group read "The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Carol thought it was hilarious and she loved it. I've heard from many that it's a pretty funny book if at times dark. McBride takes a variety of liberties with true facts but it seems a believable story of John Brown's fanatical and very righteous efforts against slavery.  Speaking of Library and Lunch, the January pick is “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty.

"The Flamethrowers" by Rachel Kushner is beautifully written about SoHo in 1975 and motorcycle racing.  The main character Reno ends up in Italy with an amour amid her love for racing.  Some have said that her character is a blank slate that's difficult to relate to but its reasons are revealed in the end.  

One of my favorite authors, Jhumpa Lahiri also made it as one of the finalists.  I read all of her books the first or second year I moved out to southwest Kansas.  I haven't picked "The Lowland" up yet.  It's about two brothers bound by tragedy and different personalities. One brother stays in India and the other leaves home to pursue a life of scientific research in America.  When one brother learns what's happened to his sibling he goes back to India to pick up the pieces of a broken family and heal wounds.  

"Bleeding Edge" by Thomas Pychon is about Maxine Tarnow who is running a nice fraud investigation business on the Upper West Side and everything is great until she starts looking into the finances of a computer security firm and its billionaire geeky CEO. She finds herself mixes up with a drug runner in an art deco motorboard, a professional nose, a neoliberal enforcer with footwear issues, Russian mob and various bloggers, hackers, code monkeys, and enterprenuers.  This one looks like a fun read!  

The final finalist in the fiction category was "Tenth of December" by George Saunders.  It's a collection of short stories that have been described as his most honest, accessible, and moving collection yet.

 

Let's skim over the non-fiction category. The non-fiction winner was "The Unwinding: An inner history of the New America" by George Packer.  I talked to someone who is currently reading it (surround yourself with readers I say!) and they're really enjoying it.  Its focus is on the decline of America over the last thirty or forty years and is on the moderate spectrum.  No one is left smelling like roses.  The finalists included "Book of Ages: the life and opinions of Jane Franklin" by Jill Lepore, "Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields" by Wendy Lower, "The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832" by Alan Taylor, and "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright.

Our children's librarian, Casandra read all of the finalists in the children’s category.  I asked her her thoughts on the books.

The children's winner was "The Thing About Luck" by Cynthia Kadohata.   Kadohata is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning book Kira-Kira.  The main character is a Japanese-American girl named Summer who goes with her brother to stay with their grandparents in Kansas while their parents deal with a family problem in Japan. According to Casandra, the grandmother is a great character and they are part of a custom combining crew that travels from Kansas to Texas and other states harvesting a wheat crop. It's intended for an older audience and adults might like it more than kids. Much of the story is a "coming of age" tale involving this girl, but other parts describe quite accurately the lifestyle of the harvesters.

According to Casandra, some of the finalists were quite good on par with the winner.  

"The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man" was a really great book.  It's by the Kathi Appelt, Newbery author of "Underneath".  This book is about two raccoons that are the main characters.  They have to wake up a monster in a swamp because wild pigs are coming to devour the sugar cane. (I had to check out a more info on this one and the cover is adorable.)

"Far Far Away" by Tom McNeal is about a boy who has the ghost of Jacob Grimm following him around.  He's an outcast who becomes more so with Jacob Grimm.  He meets a girl, forms a friendship, and then they get into a little bit of trouble.  

"Picture Me Gone" by Meg Rosoff is about a girl and her father from London who go to New York City to find her father's friend who seems to have disappeared.  The girl has a power of perception. "Boxers and Saints" by Gene Luen Yang is about the Chinese revolution as told through the eyes of a Chinese peasant.  It's a hilarious book. The main character learns kung-fu and tries to defeat the foreigners.  It's not really a children's book but geared more so for older young adults.  

She also gave a shout out to "Flora and Ulysses" by Kate DiCamillo that didn't make it into the short list.  This one is about a squirrel who gets sucked up by a vacuum and develops powers of strength, flight, and poetry!

We have all of the children's books available for check out in the library!

For the latest library programming take a peek at the library website or grab a newsletter from the circulation desk. Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages.  If you have any question or suggestions about books or programs don’t hesitate to ask.  See you at the library this holiday season!

Fiction Column

Hi! Let’s play Twenty Questions—who is this writing? Well, I’m gorgeous, witty, talented, educated and opinionated---certainly the last two, at the very least! Okay—it’s me, Constance Clarke of Chicago, writing a new column for your (I hope!) enjoyment, courtesy of my employer of the last 30 years, using the books from Memorial Library. First, I have—finally—realized the great value of the computer, since I use it for my columns no matter what my home address is; i.e. I am now in Texas but I am moving back to Kansas—Maize, outside of Wichita’s West side, to be precise—in late Sept. and, if Jill, our director, still agrees, I’ll send the column from there this Fall. The main reason to do move is that all of our family is up and down Hwy 54, and we are 10 to 14 hours away!

All of this is true, while the column for today deals in Fiction---and I apologize for my haste into the column but our hot water heater sprung a leak, while we were gone from home 12 days!, and a scorpion greeted me on our kitchen rug this a.m. So, we’ve had ruined carpet, pads, kitchen sink bottoms, mold—and I’ve never been so anxious to leave on a fun trip with friends as I am next week!


Okay, one of my favorite subjects—provided it’s well written—is a mystery and, especially, if it’s a British one. To wit: “Murder as a Fine Art”, by David Morrell, and you may have already read one of his 27 novels. He’ been nominated for every major mystery award and his first novel, “First Blood”, introduced the character Rambo. A series of horrific murders terrified London some 43 years before our mystery begins, and a Thomas De Quincy, “infamous for his memoir ‘Confessions of an Opium-Eater’ is the major suspect in these mass murders identical to the ones that terrorized London earlier.” So, he’s anxious to clear his name—“clear” being a relative term here since he is crippled by his addiction—so he gets aid from “his devoted daughter, Emily, and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives, “and England becomes a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer whose lived are linked by secrets from long ago.” I practically drooled on the page. In reading small sections of it, as is my wont, I found the policemen believable, the characters just that—characters—, and the probable ending quite satisfying. Do go into LML (Liberal Memorial Library, of course!) and find it, settle in a favorite chair and enjoy! (There really IS something special about a Brit mystery!)

Now, we come to an adventure story, “The Barbed Crown; an Ethan Gage Adventure”, by William Dietrich, full of high seas adventure, guns going off at enemy ships, Mr. Gage’s many adventures with and against Bonaparte, his wife, Astiza and another seductress (out to trap him and to turn him from thwarting Bonaparte’s plans to conquer Europe to help Bony). All of this is alongside the kidnapping and freeing of his son, Harry, and, when his careful plans fail, he is put in the middle of the famous sea battle, “Battle of Trafalgar”—and that, dear readers, was a humdinger of a chapter to read—my ears hurt from the cannon’s constant firing that was taking place on many warships from several nations---water everywhere, dead bodies floating, ship’s masts hitting the ocean in broken pieces, orders yelled, people falling overboard—I was exhausted by the end of it, and I strongly recommend the book for the battle description, if nothing else! What a movie scene that would make—with or without Johnny Depp! (Speaking of, I am curious to see Depp play Tonto in the upcoming “Lone Ranger” movie.) This action-adventure is as good as a wild movie, in the same vein, and quite a fun read—go—find—read.

Sophie Kinsella is the favorite author of a lot of readers—mainly women—and she’s really quite funny, for an English girl, that is, and her newest book is “Wedding Night.” “Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during Lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurant”—except he doesn’t. So, when Ben, an old flame, calls her, to her surprise, “and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at 30”, she jumps at the chance. Well, family and friends are stunned. So, her sister, Fliss, and Ben’s closest friend, Lorcan (Lorcan?) are determined to stop the wedding, and Fliss concocts “an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night.” I mean, if you can’t depend on sisters and friends to decide what’s best for you, who can you really trust? The personalities are vividly drawn, and maybe the wedding night will go on, smoothly, or not—between oil and peanuts (well, read the book!) Seriously, it’s a light, fun, summer read from an author who knows how to write them.

This next book looked intriguing, when I was checking books in Publisher’s Weekly for Jill to consider, and she sent it to me for this column the title is “Evidence of Life”, by Barbara Sissel, and while it’s not really a great or hold-your-interest story, it’s easily worth a “B”, as a choice for summer reading. Abby’s husband, Nick, and daughter, Lindsey, go on a father-daughter trip and disappear. So, Abby sets out to find out what happened and as disturbing clues begin to surface, “Abby realizes that the truth may be far more sinister than she imagined” and that everything she once believed about her marriage and family may be wrong. There’s a few more characters involved, the suspense quotient is fairly high, so, as I said, or implied, the edge-of-your-seat kind of feeling is not the kind that C.J.Box or Jeffrey Deaver gives, but it’s not at the bottom of my list, either, so get it and enjoy it. Wouldja like a preview of what’s coming?

• James Lee Burke’s “Light of the World: A Dave Robicheaux Novel”
• “Unseen” by Karin Slaughter
•  “Save Yourself”, by Kelly Braffet (this title got a star and a box around its description, which is the top rating that Publisher’s Weekly can give a title)
• “Human Remains”, by Elizabeth Haynes (well known and popular)
• ”Lemon Orchard”, by Luanne Rice
• ”JFK’s Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President”, by Thurston Clarke
• “Miss Anne in Harlem; The White Women of the Black Renaissance”, by Carla Kaplan (starred and boxed).

Stay tuned and keep cool and enjoy reading—always. Be sure your pet has fresh water, both morning and evening, and keep cool, yourself. Thanks for reading, bye!

Fiction

Okay, Poppets, the vacation is over, the deep tan is fading, lazy afternoons of swimming or hiking or the main, easy Summer events are coming to an end—maybe not entirely in that you can still do a few of them for another 30 to 34 days, but, according to the calendar, we’re headed into Fall—and not a moment too soon, for most of us! Certainly I’m not suggesting getting out the Christmas ornaments, but it is a time to leave one season behind and I think we all do that, mentally. For instance, all the magazines and stores are finished with Summer clothes and accessories (bar-b-q sets, rattan chairs and plastic tables, and kiddie pools!) However, there’s one enjoyment we have all year round—books to read—and it’s great fun to “lose yourself” in a good story—which brings us to the subject of this column which is good Fiction.

Just so you can begin noticing, the further we get into Fall/Winter, the more you will be seeing popular authors in print and don’t forget to notice the new authors,’cause they are tomorrow’s best sellers! To put it in a current frame, Paul Ryan and our mayor, Julian Castro, are the up-and–coming powerful politicians of the next 12 to 14 years -- and, I hope, Condoleza Rice! I’ve vote for her for president now, if I could!

Well, I doubt if she ever runs for the top office but since we’re talking Fiction, let us go to the first title (how’s that, Patrice? Slick, huh? After another 100 or so Fiction columns—and their graceful segues—a simple bracelet would be nice—probably for you for making me aware of a smooth beginning to the column! We’ll discuss it later.) About the time that I think I’m pretty “in the know” about Fiction as to authors, trends, what’s developing in the field, Memorial Library sends me books to review that,
A. I’ve never heard of the authors and/or
B.  I find them hard for me—strictly as a reader now—to get “in sync” with.
It doesn’t mean I won’t be and won’t ever like the authors, it just means I can feel like a dog on a waxed floor, for a time.

So, “A City of Broken Glass”, by Rebecca Cantrell, is in that category, for me, and it says, on the cover, “A Hannah Vogel novel”, and if that rings a bell for you, great! She’s received starred reviews, by the august Publisher’s Weekly, and written three other books that, apparently, like this current on deals with the awful rise of the Nazis and their rise to power and, certainly, what it took to dominate several countries in Europe.

Hannah is a former spy for the Brits, as well as being an editor, and is traveling to Poland with her 12-year-old son, Anton, to write an article on a local festival,”when she hears that 12,000 Polish Jews have been deported from Germany”, and she changes plans and rushes to get the story on the refugees, regardless of the consequences. Her ex-lover enters into it, she helps a Jewish friend, Paul, search for his missing toddler, and tries to get the requisite paperwork together to exit the country. Along with all of this is a toddler whom she is determined to help, even though it puts her family at risk.

This all takes place before the terrible”Night of Broken Glass” where the windows and everything glass was broken to drive the Jews out of their homes and businesses—and, I imagine, to make their places of worship as well by the broken glass. It makes one shake their head and murmur—“Man’s inhumanity to Man.” The pace is exciting and the story is, while true, certainly frightening.

Now we have "This is How It Ends", by Kathleen MacMahon. It’s a love story and seems, upon perusal, quite charming. The plot is simplicity itself; "Bruno, an American, has come to Ireland to search for his roots and Addie, an out-of-work architect, is recovering from heartbreak and taking care of her infirm father." That’s how it begins, as two strangers try to get to know each other, in a fairly limited space of time.

"Back in the States, he had visited his mother every week." He just didn’t tell anyone about it, not even his girlfriend. Something she found impossible to understand—In Bruno’s opinion, she refused to understand. She was furious to find out his mother had been alive all that time. “I assumed she was dead! You only ever talked about her in the past tense—you never mentioned visiting her." He hadn’t actually intended to lie to her, but he could see that it amounted to the same thing. She thought it was about her and white with outrage she walked out. Bruno was shocked to find that he wasn’t even sorry."

That small segment showed a great deal about Bruno, his kindness and attachment to family—which was what he was doing in Ireland—and his eventual being close to Addie is done charmingly and well. A good author to "tune into" and just enjoy. She enables her characters to deal with love and learning of a dreadful fate, all being considerate and coping as well as they can—how does it end? Well.

Okay, next book—and I thought it was to be a Western by the title; “Tombstone Blues,” by Ken Hodgson, and couldn’t have been more wrong. Samantha Sterling has a new job, running a B and B in Tombstone, Arizona "The sprawling B and B is owned by a group of" –are you ready for this?--“gay hit-men and their tough-as-nails mother looking for help with their 'real' business of whacking people (killing them, that is) for The Company. All in the name of National Security, that is.”

Well, Samantha, after witnessing the poisoning of "a client on the first day on the job, is given a choice—joining in the family business or follow the dead man down an abandoned mineshaft.” Peachy. So, she wisely decides to play along—while planning to escape. The question, as always, is How? She will have to join forces with and learn from Esther, the experienced hit-lady who carries her gun in her purple beehive hairdo, so she begins learning "the hit-woman’s craft". Of course, before long Samantha "learns that removing the scum of the earth from the earth has its advantages……Soon, an outside force comes in and the gang has to battle in earnest to save themselves.

It’s a fun book to read, too. At one point, they are all discussing a certain gentleman and what should be done about him; "We’re not going to kill the man, are we?" asked Samantha and Esther chimes in with "We haven’t been paid to whack him", as she chugged down the last of her wine, “so that’s the end of that. Dinner sounds good—I’m off to take my nap. Wake me up if I’m not up by 6". I’m certainly glad that Esther understands basic business! Great, fun book and the lead man seems to understand cats—so I’ll overlook his chosen profession. Disregarding the gang’s choice of profession, this story is hilarious and I’m going to look forward to reading the next book along the same vein. Go find this.

Speaking of odd or interesting or laughable or just plain off titles, let’s consider “Serenade to a Cuckoo; A P.I. Mystery”, by Flo Fitzpatrick—and recipes are included! Heckuva deal! I always like looking at recipes., even though I may not bother to actually cook them, you understand. (Whatever happened to “help in the kitchen”?)

I’ll keep in the moment and tell you that this is about P.I. McGinnis, “who tends to dive into dangerous situations with nothing big a strong sense of humor as her back-up and who has a TV show about her life.” There is an antique clock that holds the key to the murders and if she can’t produce it, she’ll be next on the list of the recently deceased. If you like “light mysteries” and a good cast of people, this might be the one for you. The Brownies and Fudge Sauce look wonderful and if you want to try to make them, I think they’ll make you proud.

These titles are all good Summer reading, not “heavy”, and these books will sit well with any preference readers might have from romance to mystery to “characters” and you can thank me later! “The time has come, the walrus said, to speak of other things—of shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings”—and for the time being, we must part company—but a Non-Fiction will arrive next and in a relatively short time. So, fire up the grill, shape the hamburgers but do not pack them tightly, perhaps a small casserole of a mixture of baked and chili beans and, if you can find it, three tab. Out of a jar of the wonderful “Bacon Jam” and some onions, and sliced tomatoes—and no bread or bun, just put the hamburger on the plate—and read a book after the meal—outside, on the porch or patio.

The time will come soon enough when it will be too dark and cold to sit outside after dinner, so take advantage of this “soft time of weather” and if all you do is watch the sparrows or Mourning Doves or the kids playing ball, do it! Rufus Cooper likes watching the trunks of trees carefully to see if he can see the quick flick of a squirrel’s tale—the insult will not go unnoticed—and the chase is on! He never catches one but “hope springs eternal”, does it not? Take care and Caio! Bye!

Fiction

Yes, it’s me again, your wise and wonderful reviewer, waiting, hopefully, for this big, black rain cloud that’s hanging over us here at Comanche Trade to let loose some much-needed wet stuff. We can but hope—any rain dances are appreciated!  Last Summer, like the remaining lower half of the U.S., is always on the lookout for moisture, ‘cause stories like the one I particularly remember from last Summer, is always at the back of my mind, to wit; some gentleman was trying to light his grill and bar-b-q in his back yard, and for some reason, a spark flew out of the grill or a piece of hot charcoal, it caught some extremely dry grass on fire, and in 30 minutes, he had burned 300+ acres (and no hamburgers for dinner, either!) Ye Gods! How dry was that ground and it could happen this Summer, anywhere, in any state, so please be careful!  To burn your neighbor’s house down is considered the height of rudeness.

Speaking of bar-b-q, how do you like your hot dogs? Some of the members of my family prefer them just a little “burned” or broiled and the ones you see in stores or convenience stores at gas pumps are always so “perfect” and not a burned spot on them—they’re really strange and naked looking—like someone should throw a napkin over them or something. It’s better to just get a well-done hot dog, put on pickle relish, even a little coleslaw, dig into the potato chip bag, get some potato salad and all the black olives you think you can take without looking greedy, find a shady spot and pick up one of these titles to enjoy. 

Some of these authors are familiar to me and a couple of new—no matter, we shall see what they wrote and were trying to convey. Liberal is a medium-sized town, as is Kerrville, or maybe others would call them “small-town”—whatever the term, those who are from it always seem to want to a big city, have a great (read “important”) job, earn a big salary, have a lifestyle that reflects that (be sure to learn how to play golf and know on wine from another—none of it boxed, please) and so on—“The 500”, by Matthew Quirk, is about those people and their idealized dream, and the city that our chief protagonist works in is Washington (surprise!), and Mike Ford, fresh out of Harvard Law School, has landed his dream job at the Davies Group, Washington’s most powerful consulting firm—and how he’s staring down the barrel of a gun, pursued by two of the world’s most dangerous men.” This definite possibility that he’ll have to lie and cheat and steal and kill was not something this educated son of a small-stakes con man ever thought he’d have to face again. 

The title refers to the fact and “the 500” are “the elite men and women who really run Washington—and, conversely the world—but Mike learns that, with those who have a pedigree, a con is still a con.” You know the famous saying in Washington?  “If you want a friend here, get a dog.” It is told in first person, which is not my favorite way of narrating a story, but that’s a personal thing and does not stand in the way of telling a good story and this is one. It’s much in the mantra of “The Firm” and I enjoyed Mike’s hard-boiled yet sentimental way of looking at things and the hard-boiled yet tongue-in-cheek way of describing the firm he’s in, the people he deals with, the parties he goes to. 

“These guys, at the Davies Group, are not “lobbyists”, as in the heyday of the 80’s. Those guys are the rabble. Comparing them to the folks at the Davies Group is like comparing Zales to Tiffany’s.They do very little formal lobbying. They don’t do volume. They do not advertise. They have ‘relationships’.  They are discreet. They are very, very expensive. If you really need something done in Washington, and you have the money, and you know the people you have to know to ever get a referral to a top firm, the Davies group is at the peak of that cozy little world.”  I’m telling you, dear poppets, you start reading and you laugh or shake your head in wonderment or utter “Huh—“ loudly every so often, but bored you won’t be. I, personally, can’t wait to finish the book—and wonder upon which firm it’s based on –and, yes, I’m darned sure there is a real Davies group in Washington—maybe several. Go find the book at the library or put your name on the reserve list. Today!  

There is a new series starting on TV, “Longmire”, based on the series of books by Craig Johnson, and in the book, “As the Crow Flies”, the Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire is feeling a different state of mind from cowboys and criminals ‘cause his daughter, Cady, “is getting married to the brother of his undersheriff. Feisty Victoria Morretti and Walt and his old friend Henry Standing Bear are the unlikely wedding planners.”  I’ll bet they’re unlikely!  Anyway, Cady is not going to be pleased when the arrangements go up in smoke two weeks before the wedding—but then what bride would be pleased?  Well, it’s up to the “wedding planners” to find a new location and the pair head to the Cheyenne Reservation.

Suddenly, a young Crow woman is jumping off Painted Warrior’s cliff to her death and it’s at first thought a suicide.  Then, a child is injured and “Dog” (yes, a real dog) is installed by her bed, on his bed, while she sleeps and recovers and won’t touch food or water—he raises his head, looks at the sheriff, and settles back down (I loved that touch!) Then, there’s a lot of humor and romantic sparks between Longmire and “the newly appointed tribal police chief and returned Iraqi war veteran, the beautiful Lolo Long” who gets him to help with the murder of the jumper—and the high-spirited Lolo doesn’t hesitate to clash with this wedding planner. The dialogue is funny and, yes, charming, and I think Liz Taylor would like it as well as anyone liking a “light read” that has a mystery in it, too.  The FBI gets in on the chase, the bride makes sure her dad can say “I give this woman to this man” in Cheyenne, and it all ends up all right.  So, there’s another good read for you for Summer.  

Still with me? Excellent. Our next book is “a woman’s book” in that it entails several relationships, trading partners, lots of tension between everybody, including the bride and her best friend, the father of the bride and mother, whiffs of old affairs, regrets, and it’s just the week-end of the wedding—not even a whole month for everyone to misbehave. Goodness (although, as Mae West said to someone who said “Goodness, that’s a beautiful diamond bracelet you have!” she responded, “Goodness had nothing to do with it, Honey!”) The book is “Seating Arrangements”, by Maggie Shipstead, and it well illustrates the dangers of living or trying to be anything other than what you are and “the dangers of leading an inauthentic life.”  There’s certainly a lot of emotion and, for the thee days, misplaced “pairings” and the bride and groom find themselves looking at and enduring, in some cases, the unfortunate consequences of bad behavior and those who try to recapture a youth, a feeling that is really not possible but also sad. It is a book you keep on reading  and, strangely enough, laughing at or sympathizing with the characters and  the men and women involved have reasons—or excuses—to behave as they do. I genuinely enjoyed these people and could feel sorry for them and wish the bride and groom and all the in-laws well.  It’s a good Summer read—call the library to reserve it. 

A quick last note about a book that has a beautiful cover and I just sat and looked at the picture of Italian sea, lying below the really striking cliffs and houses above it. Oh, the title? “Beautiful Ruins”, by Jess Walter, in a most unusual storyline that extends over some 50 years. It begins “on a rocky patch of sun-drenched Italian coastline, where a young innkeeper is looking out over the Ligurian Sea and sees this tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is, he learns, an actress, dying of Cancer” and our half of the story begins, 50 years later, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio’s back lot, searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel.”  I was immediately hooked!  It goes from the set of the legendary “Cleopatra”, lots of people, “the heroically preserved producer who once brought them together and his idealistic young assistant”—and the delightful and exasperating Richard Burton himself. A story of flawed and fascinating people and the emotions each brings is all brought to a delightful boil. In looking through this book, I find the people are shown in humor, their longings and regrets, and it’s a good read if you honestly don’t expect to just rush through it—the characters will keep pulling at you. 

Okay, Poppets, It’s time for me to go and open the door and smell the wonderful way the earth does after a rain, and then grill hot dogs, put them on toasted buns, chili and cheese to finish, so y’all have a good next 3 weeks and if you have a chocolate shake (thick, please, not soupy), think of me and pick up one of these books and enjoy the good feeling you’ll have.  Tell Jill or Pauline or Carol at Liberal Library, “hello” from me!  Bye!

Fiction

So, Poppets, here comes Summer and heat and mosquitoes and, let’s be fair, a chance to walk and exercise or play tennis or golf, eat a good grilled hamburger and indulge in a Banana Split!  Thank goodness for air conditioning and iced tea, a few good movies, Rufus Cooper to enjoy the evening’s cooler air with on our walk, and pulling on a simple Summer shift to sit outside, in the evening, while reading one of my favorite types of books—a tough-to-figure-out Brit mystery—and what’s your favorite Fiction book? 

Well, some would say Danielle Steel and some Baldacci, some Mary Higgins Clark, and others Stephen King but whatever you like in your favorite “spot to read”, may I suggest some titles to be enjoyed from the following list?  Let’s begin with a very well-known and respected author of our country’s Civil War years, “A Blaze of Glory; A Novel of the Battle of Shiloh”, by Jeff Shaara, an author who researches his material well and this book reflects that. “With stunning you-are-there immediacy, Shaara takes us inside the maelstrom of Shiloh and, drawing on meticulous research, he dramatizes the key actions and decisions of the commanders on both sides, but—but—but, dear readers, what was going to interest me and will you, “here too are the thoughts and voices of the junior officers, conscripts and enlisted men who gave their all for the cause, brave participants in a pitched back and forth battle  whose casualty count would far surpass anything the American public had yet seen in this war.”  

Gallant young Southern gentlemen rode gaily out to war on their Chestnut blooded mares and/or geldings, carrying their daddy’s gun and enough ammo for three days while Southern women, with their black servants (a touch I’ve always found amusing but believable!) went up on the hillsides, and unpacked a picnic lunch to watch the battle of the day.  Ye Gods! The fact that, certainly at Gettysburg’s battlefield, there was no cover to hide behind as the troops tried desperately to get to the Union (Northern troops) guns, up on the high ridge above them, and it was like shooting ducks in a barrel—go to one of the Civil War battlefields and really listen to the stories—all true—that your guide can tell you. The courage—and blindness—the bitterness and bad decisions of the generals, the savagery of the heat of battle—all of it is here. 

When I saw the book in the library and grabbed it for the column, I was surprised to find it listed as “Fiction”, but then I read Shaara’s explanation; “This book had to be described as a novel because there is dialogue , and you are often inside the minds of these characters, but I recognize (and accept)the risk that you might not agree with my interpretations.  That’s as it should be.  My research is painstaking and I rely exclusively on original sources, in other words the accounts of the people who were there, and I make a strenuous effort to be historically accurate, to get the facts straight.” And in reading as little as I have of this wonderful period of history, the personalities, jealousies, “I know best” attitudes, he goes to great lengths to bring you into the minds and emotions of the participants, from Lee and Grant to the privates in the 2 armies.  It cost us, as a country, a lot and we lost a lot of great young men and they were magnificent, whether in victory or defeat.  Check out the book and carve out some “you time” to be transported back to a time of war, glory, anguish, dirt, disease, hunger, and, finally, being the country we are. 

This next author, John Katzenbach, writes excellent “tight” stories—no excess details or dialogue—but everything that needs to be in his stories are there—three of his books have been made into movies and while I can agree that a lot of mediocre books get made into movies—sometimes to give young actors/actresses a chance to practice their craft—I think I can say that Sean Connery and Bruce Willis are not in that category (nor were they in the same movie!) This book, “What Comes Next”, has a fascinating theme, having to do with a sadistic killer and a very frightened young girl, who is snatched off the street in daylight and her only witness is “a retired university professor diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that will lead him to lose his memory and die within a few years” and as the police drag their heels trying to find that girl, “ he comes to realize (with the help of conversations with his deceased wife who urges him to help the girl) that if he doesn’t get involved and try to find her, she will die. 

“She” is Jennifer Riggins, who is being held prisoner “by a depraved couple who run an exclusive Web site, named What Comes Next, on which viewers can watch, in real time, the horrors inflicted on the couple’s victims.”  Cute, huh? The couple can drown their captured prey, burn them, tear them apart on a rack—whatever they think will keep the people turning to their Web site .  Jennifer is “Number four” and is certainly at the couple’s mercy and thousands of fans tune in to see “What Comes Next?” I really enjoyed not only the physical courage that the afflicted professor shows but also the common sense and urging on of his wife—who has been dead several years but is “back”, urging her husband on.  I’m sure that when I check it out for me, later, that I will find all of it spine-tingling and “a good read.”  

Anyone who does not recognize the name “Clive Cussler” in Fiction has been on the planet Neptune!  He collaborates with different authors (which would be an excellent way for the “newbies” to learn their craft!), and “The Storm”, with Graham Brown, is now available and is one of those in the series called NUMA files. “”In the middle of the Indian Ocean, a NUMA research vessel is taking water samples, when  member of the crew spots a sheen of black oil ahead of them.  But it is not oil. Like a horde of army ants, a swam of black particles suddenly attacks the ship, killing everyone aboard, the ship goes up in flames, and a few hours later, Kurt Austin and other members of the NUMA crew are on their way there.” Black particles that kill everyone on board?  I’m hooked already!  Apparently, this is a scheme to alter the weather patterns of the world, killing millions, and with that black particle disaster, it’s already in place.  

Now, obviously, Cussler ( and Brown) have vivid imaginations, and their villain is Jinn Al-Khalif, who plans to make leaders of countries be subject unto him, turn over their national treasures and money to him, and his faithful “Tonto” is Sabah, one of the few who can talk to Jinn and contradict him and not be killed. The thing, or rather strongest point that Cussler insists on is both a believable scenario, constant action, and believable dialogue between his characters.  Shakespeare he ain’t but a superb story teller he is, and you will keep turning the pages quickly as the action gets faster and more intriguing.  A dam breaks, guns are smuggled, a mastermind has to be stopped—the action is nonstop and, considering the state of the world, the scenario is believable where one brilliant mind could hatch a nefarious (there’s a 50 cent word!) plot to bring world leaders to their knees in the light of major calamity to their nation and the description of what happens in Egypt when the bad guy forces the big Nasser dam to split open and put water down into the valley is the equivalent of four Niagara Falls is told in very descriptive prose. If you or someone you know likes believable adventure tales, find this book and, no, I won’t tell you the ending but then, I never do. The description of the black particles alone are hair raising enough. 

A little change of pace with Luanne Rice and her newest “Little Night” is an intriguing tale wherein “Claire Burke’s life took a devastating turn when she tried to protect her sister, Anne, from an abusive and controlling husband and ended up serving prison time for assault. The verdict largely hinged on Anne’s defense of her husband, which were all lies, and the sisters have been estranged ever since.”  So, it’s now 20 years later,and Claire is living a quiet life when her niece, Grit, turns up and the two want to build a relationship.  This will entail both of them facing the past and the wounds inflicted by Anne and her husband and, hopefully, be able to heal. Then, logically, Clare begins to think that her sister will have followed Grit to New York and while both “hold out hope for a long-awaited reunion with her”, sometime plans go on a different path from dreams. Like Jodi Piccoult, her stories are full of emotion, family, “human interest”, and I found, in my random reading, that her portrayal of Grit was exceptional, very understanding of a young girl’s anxieties and need to feel welcome, and her aunt’s graceful trying to re-connect with and hope for the best in her relationship with her sister.  This book is truly delightful and I urge you to check it out and spend a very pleasant 3 or 4 hours.  

“Wish You Were Here”,by Graham Swift, be is going to be a soap opera tear-jerker, and I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way, since human emotions can bring forth a variety of responses, with tears of self-reproach being one of them. On the Isle of Wight, Jack Luxton, the proprietor of a seaside caravan park,”receives the news that his brother, Tom, not seen for years, has been killed in combat in Iraq.. The news will have unexpected effects on Jack and his wife, Ellie and emotions will run high. I think it’s a “sleeper” and should reward the reader with family tensions while Tom was asleep and how Jack and Ellie will deal with the fact.

So, dear and faithful readers, enjoy having longer days/evenings when you can get comfy, put your iced tea glass or cup of coffee or glass of wine by your side, pick up the book you’ve been looking forward to reading and just relax and forget about your family reunion over the 4^th of July, the next installment of your income tax, and the fact that no one in Congress has progressed beyond first grade in learning how to “get along with others”—just read and zone out!  Thanks for being part of my book world! Bye!

Fiction

It’s a beautiful evening here in Kerrville, Texas, and the weather is 84 degrees, I’ve just returned from the fabulous Kroc Center (of which there are only 8 others in the United States!) where I set up for a dinner for seating 125 people—no, I did not do it alone—are you kidding me, Jockey?  There were six of us scurrying like drunken squirrels getting tablecloths on, silver, cups and saucers, glasses, salt and peppers, sugars and creamers—and out of the dining room by a certain time so that the powers-that-be could get in there with centerpieces, banners, set up cameras, etc.!  I had also just helped with the Lions Club meeting at noon, today, and a nicer group of people you couldn’t’ meet. Very considerate and polite, but I was tempted to tell a lady that her shorts were really a little too short for a luncheon—but then, I thought better of it (Himself always cautions me on that point—the short shorts are not any of my business—still, there was that one moment when I considered it!

Could anyone tell me what Mitt Romney’s first name is?  Just an idle question. Are there many heated discussions concerning politics, amongst your friends and relations or does everyone find it better not to?  I’m sorry for whoever becomes President since,
A. this is not a dictatorship for the individual who is president to just expect or think he can ride in on his ideas and desires and get them and,
B. who’d want to have to work with a Congress who don’t even want to talk to a president, much less each other?  Maybe, since the country has expressed its annoyance and frustration with Congress often enough, they will be easier to work with, the next 4 years? 

Well, that’s my transition—heralding fictional ideas—that transitions into letting you know this is a Fiction column.  The well-known author, Ralph McInerny was a strong and vital voice in lay Catholic activities, taught medieval studies at Notre Dame University and wrote “The Father Dowling Mysteries”, which ran on TV for several seasons, and this book, “The Compassion of Father Dowling”, is a sterling collection of his short stories not only about a mystery but the human nature behind it.  It’s printed in Large Type and, therefore, easy to read.:”The benevolent and brilliant Father Dowling has cared for St. Hilary’s congregations while still finding time to unravel the knottiest of mysteries.” His great charm is the easy-going manner he has and even understanding the criminals who did when they felt they had to do.  He is, indeed, a gentle, kindly man while, at the same time, loving the unlovable. This is a nice, gentle book sans violent sex, sadism, evil people (except for the murderers, here and there) and anyone who reads it will love Father Dowling.

To be honest (which usually I am, sometimes when it would have been easier to lie!) about this next book, I am ambivalent about, and, as your reviewer, I will explain—and my reasons are strictly my own. “The Replacement Wife”, by Elieen Goudge, is a well-received, “thoughty” book about the subject of a wife and mother having cancer, learning it’s fatal and inoperable and deciding to pick her husband’s choice of wife to replace her, as she knows his likes and dislikes better than anybody. Well—he sort of does that, picking out his own “replacement wife”, she doesn’t like it and feels betrayed and he explodes and says she should have known she was playing with fire—and then, the doctor tells her that, with the new Cancer drugs she’s been taking, she will beat the disease and live another 20 years! Yeah. That’s what I thought, too. 

Well, by and by, they decide that for the sake of their marriage and kids, they’ll just “keep things as they are”, and he will distance himself from the “replacement” and his friendly buddy gives some excellent thought-provoking questions to ask himself, and so we journey on.  No, I will not tell you the ending, that’s the point of this column-I try to encourage you to read the book yourself. I, myself was not happy with the ending, but then I’ve asked myself exactly what ending did I want, much less expect, much less count on happening? See, Camille, the wife, picked Elise, knowing, “in her absence, they would need the constant, loving support only someone as kind and giving as Elise could offer.” Well, all that’s very noble and understandable—except that isn’t whom the husband, Edward, has, in accepting the situation, gravitated towards. Beginning to get the picture, are you? I always said you all were smart—smarter than the average poppets. 

The next one is another one of these “woman’s stories”, although not at all sugary and “dumb”, just interesting and full of human interest, “The Song Remains the Same”, by Allison Scotch, and it, too, is in Large Print.  Attendez!  Nell Slattery wakes up in the hospital, having luckily survived a plane crash, only to find she has no memory of who she is, or what happened, and beginning with a kind reporter (are the two terms really synonomous?) learns she was in a plane crash, apparently trying to run away. Her husband, Peter, is trying to hide his recent affair. Her mother is trying to sweep the real story of her long-lost father “under the rug”. Her sister, Rory, is trying to protect hers and Nell’s “volatile relationship” with conflicting stories of her own.”

So, with the help of the reporter, whom she makes a pact with that they’ll tell each other only the truth no matter what, Nell sets out, while confined to a hospital bed, to discover her relationships with others. During the course of her beginning “to learn the truth” about people and events, “the problem with forgetting everything, you don’t remember that trouble is always just around the bend.”  As you can imagine, memories are just around every corner, her ex-husband is trying too hard, her mother has a new man in town and the two of them loving moments in front of Nell, that rather makes her nauseous, her reporter/partner in finding out her past, such as the house, according to Indira, her mother, in Charlottesville, Va. “that’s where your father lived. That’s where he lived the other half of his life.  That’s where he lived his life without you, your sister, and me.”  So, does Nell recover all her memory, stay with her philandering husband and his pleading for another chance, learn her parent’s past and still love them? Does your past dictate your future and how much of it do we carry with us, forever and ever, amen? 

Interesting concept and the story moves right along—as will I, now, to the next offering for your reading pleasure, and this next author is a genuine delight as can be attested to by those of us who read and admire and chuckle over Alexander McCall Smith and his stories about the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency and the delightful people who “run it”. His newest is “The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection” which, upon reading, I laughed out loud at—why, you ask?  Thank you for asking—I delight in giving extraneous thoughts. Rudyard Kipling, in his classic collection of stories about and from India, wrote about a river he called “ the great, gray, greasy Limpopo River” and I always delighted in repeating it to my Brit grandfather, and he’d laugh with me at the images it brought up,  (the Brit were always linked to India, don’cha know!)

Alors! In Botswana, home to the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency for the problems of ladies, and others, it was customary to enquire of the people whom you meet whether they have slept well.  Of course, mosquitoes may be defeated by nets or sprays, just as dogs may be roundly scolded; a bad conscience, though, is not so easily stifled.” The language is always mannered, the thoughts made clear, and the reader is “let into” the various character’s minds and motives. The head of the detective agency is the wonderful, wise, Precious Ramotswe, and she is “haunted by a repeated dream, a vision of a tall, strange man who waits for her beneath an acacia tree, and she’d worry more about it during the day if she weren’t so busy.

The best apprentice at the husband’s garage is in trouble with the law and stuck with the worst lawyer in Gaborone; her assistant, Grace and fiancée, Phuti Radiphuti, are building the house of their dreams except the contractor is crooked—and,most shocking, Mme, Potokwane, defender of Botswana’s weak and downtrodden has been dismissed from her post as matron at the orphan farm.” Calamity has indeed struck! Help arrives from the tall stranger of the dreams, who turns out to be none other than the estimable Clovis Andersen, author of the manual the ladies detective agency runs by.”  You will not want to quit reading this book when bedtime comes—Smith has formulated a style that is, if I may be so dramatic, charming and funny and very knowing about people, their motives, and dark side. So, go check out this book and congratulate yourself on having a story of people and events that are both ordinary and grave and understandable.

Hey, guys, the big 4^th of July is coming up, and even though firecrackers are largely banned, everyone knows that some will go off, somewhere, in the middle of the night—and—and—there’s always slightly burned hot dogs on the grill, potato salad and homemade ice cream and chocolate cake, right? Keep smiling, water your plants, walk the dog;(no, he doesn’t get enough exercise stuck out in the yard, all by himself! Trust me on this—or ask your vet about the importance—and companionship that a walk with you provides.) and treat yourself to a double-dip ice cream cone after a hot day.

Always remember what a privilege it is to have a library in your town, and since I can see the flaws in the one just renovated and re-opened here in Kerrville, trust me when I say you have a great director and staff and great balance in materials available to the public—i.e.you! Sometimes we take libraries for granted and maybe the good ones should be, as they try valiantly to fulfill the needs and requests of its patrons—but, again, realize that not all libraries are like ours in Liberal.  Give a compliment to Jill, our director, or anyone on staff—or even a suggestion to improve something. Take care of yourselves and your furry friends and see ya next column. Bye!

Interview with Zach Carpenter

Local author Zach Carpenter recently held a book signing of his new novel Soul Hunters at the Liberal Memorial Library. Liberal Memorial Library had the opportunity to catch up with Zach and talk about Soul Hunters and his inspiration for writing.

Liberal Memorial Library: How did you come up with Soul Hunters?

Zachary Carpenter: I've always been a fan of horror and all things creepy and unexplained. The concept of slicing a monster's head off and saving the person about to get eaten was always something I found appealing. So I began writing a series of short stories where I and a bunch of my friends from my youth group at church were the heroes. I called them "Knights of the Covenant." It's not a work that I would try to publish or anything though. But Soul Hunters eventually developed out of that basic idea, where there was a group of people who are like vigilantes and they kill monsters. They are a mysterious group that to outsiders they are just monster hunters, but to each other they call themselves as a group, "Soul Hunters." And for the explanation to that one, you'll just have to read the book.

LML: What was your inspiration?

ZC: Okay, well my inspiration for Soul Hunters, (once it actually became Soul Hunters,) was a video game series called "Hunter the Reckoning." It was about this group of monsters hunters who seem to always get called back to a certain town when the ghouls try to come out of the woodwork. I played the first game, was hooked, but couldn't find it for the console I had but found and bought the 2nd one...Never got to play the 3rd one though...makes me sad...But there was the games, and then I also watch the first Underworld and the Hugh Jackman movie Van Helsing. Those gave me a lot of ideas to work with. Then as the story progressed and continued to get better I started playing the Resident Evil and Silent Hill games.

LML: Did you always want to write?

ZC: No, never saw myself ever being a writer. It was like pulling teeth to get me to even try to read when I was younger.

LML: How did you get into writing?

ZC: I read a book by Frank Peretti called, "This Present Darkness," when I was 13. It was a book about a small town and how there was this church that these demons were trying to destroy the people going there and also it showed the angels fighting to keep those people safe. It inspired me to take a stab at it. Inevitably, everything I wrote starting out just seemed like a bad knock off of Peretti's work, but then I started writing fan fiction of the character Casey Jones from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I even had ideas for an X-Men story. I never got around to writing that one, but the Casey Jones one was the first actual full length, novel size story I wrote. I never did anything with it though. It's on an old floppy disk. Yeah, I wrote it on one of those older computers. I’m not sure if I can even get it back.

LML: How do you reconcile having zombies with Christianity?

ZC: This is the one I've wanted to answer the most. Well first off let's cover some basics:

- Soul Hunters is meant to be a horror story.

- It is a story that shows a conflict of Good and Evil.

- God isn't some pansy that sits idly on his throne when crazy crap starts going down.

Exodus 15:3 says, "The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name." So, I don't just have demons possessing dead bodies (thus making zombies), but I also have werewolves, deformed flesh eating creatures, some with wings, some that look almost human, and goblins that take after Hannibal Lecter. I also have a demon possessed, knife happy scarecrow whom I have affectionately named Jack. So, how do I reconcile having a buffet of evil when this is supposedly a "Christian" book? Well for one, the hunters in my story need something to hunt! But more than that, it's because, it is only when we see the evil pursuing our own lives that we see our need for God. We see that we need him to desperately come in when we are surrounded by those monsters and save us before they eat us. Now, do I mean this literally? I'm not opposed to that possibility if it ever came down to that, but in our own personal lives when people realize that the battle for their soul is real, that God is pursuing their hearts, and so is the devil, we need a savior who is willing to slay the zombies and werewolves and demons in our lives. Because as much as God loves people, and as personal as he is in wanting to reveal himself to folks, the devil is just as committed to personally destroying people and making sure they don't see God's love for them. It's personal for Satan too.

LML: How did you get into the process of publishing?

ZC: Well, when I started Soul Hunters I did want to get it published, but of course, I didn't know where to start. So when I was 19, a lady in the church I was going to at the time, Amanda Schwab, had gotten her first book, "Woman Beautiful," published by TATE Publishing. She referred me to them and they have been great. TATE Publishing helped me with editing the story, helping it to be more fluid as a piece of writing, and they helped me with producing it and marketing. The great thing about TATE is that most companies will only market a book for maybe 2 years at the most, and if it doesn't sell they move onto the next book. But with TATE that work with an author to continually market the book, and are always committed to helping it be as successful as it can be, regardless of sales. So in other words, they won't leave you stranded in the gutter if your book doesn't sell. They will still continue to work with you through everything.

LML: What about Soul Hunters 2? Will there be a Soul Hunters 3?

ZC: Soul Hunters 2 is coming along pretty good. Right now it's going kind of slow and that always sucks, but I am over half way finished with writing it! It does follow the same characters, but it takes place in Denver, Colorado instead of the fictional "Broken Edge, Kansas," that the first book took place in. I can't give away any spoilers about the story, other than in book 2, a law has been passed in Colorado and a couple other states that give werewolves and goblins the same rights as normal human citizens. But as far as submitting it to the publishers, they want Soul Hunters to have been out at least a year before I submit the next one.

As for Soul Hunters 3, yes, there will be a third book. In fact, there will be the original SH trilogy, and then there will be a prequel trilogy, and the story line for those actually starts in the year 1888, and that trilogy will follow the ancestors of some of the main characters in the original trilogy.

LML: What other kind of writing do you want to do?

ZC: I love writing song lyrics. I can write short prose pieces too. I LOVE writing fan fiction, and it's been years since I've done any but last fall I took a creative writing class at the college and got a chance to start another fan fiction story. This one is about the character Scorpion from the Mortal Kombat video games. I also have another idea for another horror story, but it is set more in a fantasy world like Lord of the Rings, only it's a horror story. Yes, I will be one to try to put a horror twist to anything.

I've caught a lot of crap from certain people about my interests. I guess they don't see how somebody who professes to be Christian would even give those things the time of day. But the way I see it, and this isn't mine it's from Ted Dekker, another awesome author, "It's critical that we use a very dark brush — a black brush when we paint evil, and when you bring the Light into that darkness, as characterized in John 1, it becomes very vivid, and when it dispels the darkness, we see the brilliance that's there." He also said, that anybody who wants to impact their culture must speak the language of their culture. Right now, zombies, werewolves, and vampires are part of that language.

For those who want to know more about go to http://www.soulhuntersofficial.com/ or http://www.tatepublishing.com/

Fiction

“Allo Poppets!  How goes it? Getting a little tired of Winter’s wet and windy blasts? Well, here in Kerrville, we’ve had some rain, some cool weather, and some lovely sunshine and temps. between 70 and 77 degrees, which is actually a little warmer in mid-Jan. than usual but I love it, being a hot weather fan.  We desperately need more rain, although our aquifer is back up to normal, but if you’ve ever endured a drought, you’re a little skeptical for the next late Spring through mid-Fall. Didja watch the Super Bowl? My team won!  What happened to yours?  Ah, well, there’s always another year and I think it’s nice that Eli Manning lived to tell a tale that came out great in the end—at least for him, it did. 

You know how children love being told stories and, as they get older, reading them for the excitement, thoughts, facts that are all new to them?  I always loved the beginning of Rudyard Kipling’s “Just So Stories” ‘cause he often began them “Once Upon a Time, O Best Beloved---“and to this day, I think the very good—really good—authors maybe silently think that as they begin to write—yes, the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced they do, if only in their own minds. Good stories, well told, “take you away to another place and time” and you hate to put them down, and maybe one or two of the titles I’m about to review will do it for you.

Let’s go back to London, Oct. 1839, in “When the Devil Drives” by Cara Peacock, London’s Liberty Lane, female private investigator (at 25), struggling to do all right so as to pay her bills, looked hopeful (and, she hoped, capable and businesslike) when a young, “poetic young man begs her to find his missing fiancee, she accepts”. She feels the girl probably just ran off with someone else and “meanwhile, back at the ranch,” the country’s young Queen Victoria is falling in love with Prince Albert, her German cousin and “another client hires her to help prevent a royal scandal”, involving Albert’s brother Prince Ernest, who is more “worldly and likes to have a good time.” 

So, now she has two cases and then a young woman is found dead and “with a strange bull-headed ring on her finger.”  The one constant around all these crime is the description of a black or dark carriage, drawn by two dark horses, that picks up the girls and disappears before it can be stopped. Those who have heard or seen this conveyance, seen or heard the horses, call it The Devil’s Chariot. This book truly is charming and written in a “deliberate” manner, in describing atmosphere, people involved, countryside—I only regretted that the horses weren’t given more book space!  For those of you who like “old-fashioned” murder mysteries, minus a lot of blood and gore, will enjoy this one—go to the library and check it out.  

This next book, “The Best Bad Dream”, by Robert Ward, is much like the “hard-boiled” private eye stories we’ve all read and, for its realistic violence and the hard, experienced personalities in here are very believable—not lovable, but, at times, understandable and pitiful while being extremely dangerous.  A major point is the Blue Wolf, “a suspicious and exclusive spa for the elderly—at least on the surface.”  The two main characters are Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo, “who are burned out from chasing criminals, so a long vacations seems like just the ticket.”  But Jack received a call from an ex-girlfriend Michelle,  who asks for help in finding her sister, Jennifer, who has been kidnapped.  

How can the two points of the case be related?  And how does a huge pet razorback hog, Old Big, feature in finding Jennifer?  What did the kidnappers want with Jennifer?  I got started reading this story and 40 minutes passed quickly. If you like mysteries with a touch of the ghastly, this is your choice. 

Apropos of nothing I’ve been discussing, did you see the interview (there was more than one, actually) of Mimi Alford who’s written about her 18 month affair with J.F.K. that is out now, entitled “Once Upon a Secret”?  That will be a blockbuster and it brings out, as she said, “his dark side.”  

Okay, back to my column and another “dead body book” as Ida called them, and this one is “Shedding Light on Murder”, by Patricia Driscoll, and it’s her debut novel, “set on Cape Cod, in Christmas season during a blizzard.” Grace Tolliver is an ex-probation officer in Barnstable Village.  She’s the owner of Pearl’s Antique Lamps and Shades and has hired Duane Kerby as “holiday help’ but when a well-known citizen if murdered, Duane is arrested for it and Grace feels responsible because she sent him to the man’s home on an errand.  She is busy “readying the shop for the annual Barnstable Village Stroll while keeping an eye on her frisky 84-year-old father” and she finds herself attracted to the detective on the case (you could see that comin’ ‘round the bend, right?) 

Then, a second murder hits and here come the blizzard’s winds, snow, and ice.  Lots of conversation, some (some!) action, bringing out of the people’s thoughts and character—this, my dears, is what we in the trade call “a cozy” and it’s an excellent representative of its genre. It’s not going to be one of the “top” books, such as “Heft”, or “Defending Jacob” or “Taken” by Crais or “Phantom” by Ted Bell, but, then again, it isn’t trying to be. It’s a book to “curl up with” , won’t tax the brain too much and it’s enjoyable. So, check it out. 

Now, our last book fits into the last, or “top” category because the author, Val McDermid, is an author with a  capital “A”, and her newest is “The Retribution”, a Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, who’ve appeared in other stories.  Tony is a clinical psychologist and Carol is police detective. And, between them, they’ve put away a lot of criminals but all that success has bred resentment in Carol’s department and so the “powers that be” decide to break the team up. So, there’s a serial killer to catch “and it seems that this may well be their farewell waltz.”  But Jacko Vance, an ex-celebrity and sociopath has spent a dozen years behind bars, having killed teenage girls with no remorse “and with a twisted and cunning mind long honed by years of planning, Jacko has pulled off the perfect escape”—and guess who he’s after?  

The “Times” of London paper said that “her work is taut, psychologically complex and so gripping that it puts your life on hold”—which, I think, is Brit for “good show!” The best  police procedural put you in the middle of the conversations, theories and action and after 24 novels and short story collection (doesn’t she ever sleep?), McDermid’s got it down pat. The conversations carry you along, the moods and thoughts and theories are well developed—I’m telling you, find this book and enjoy a master (sorry, mistress) at her best.  She ain’t young and won’t be around for the next 20 years—but her stories will.  Enjoy!  You’re welcome.

It has been, as always, a pleasure to “ visit” with you and I hope all is well in your world and should you see me, on the streets or in Spencer Browne’s coffee house or in the library, come up and “chat” a minute. I will be in Liberal from the 20^th until mid-afternoon of the 27^th and I really look forward to being in the library and seeing the staff—don’t you think it would be nice to have “a library cat”, say a big black one with green eyes?  Please let my director know and urge her to check the animal shelter—it won’t be necessary to tell her that I sent you or that it was my idea!  Make sure that your animals have freshwater and a warn place to sleep at night—you do!  See ya soon—Bye!  PS—think about a purring pussycat on the front desk! I’m jus’ sayin’----