Fatal Grace (2007)

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Everybody wants to live in the charming 'snow-globe' village of Three Pines - even the cruel CC de Poitiers. Having purchased the old Hadley House, she continues to spread her poison during the lovely Christmas season distressing everyone around her.

A particularly complicated murder brings Chief Inspector Gamache back to work his magic.

Often authors don't meet the expectations of their first book but that is not the case with Canadian author Louise Penny. My introduction to her works was through Bury the Dead, which is book #6 in the series and has won a number of awards this year including the American Library Association designation of Best Mystery Book of 2010. Now I am working my way through earlier titles so I will be caught up when her new book is released this summer.

Visit the author's site to find a list of her other books and news about #7 Trick of the Light, scheduled to be released in simultaneously in Canada and the United States on August 30, 2011.

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Say Her Name (2011)

Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the true, fictionalized, love story of Francisco Goldman and his wife Aura Estrada, who was half his age. Married less than two years, her life was cut tragically short in a swimming accident. What the author has done is brought his wife back to life in the only way he knew how.

Sometimes I didn't like Francisco. His fascination with younger women annoyed me and I could relate to some of the anger Aura's Mother must have felt at having this older man anchor her daughter's life. Aura was an ethereal, intelligent, talented, free spirit and an aspiring writer herself.

On the other hand, Francisco loved Aura obsessively and much of the book is self-indulgent in an uncomfortable way. The fact that he made himself so vulnerable by sharing such private grieving is brave. And he loved Aura with all his being. This is a difficult, painful book to read. You know right from the start that Aura has died and the facts of her death are carefully and exquisitely woven throughout the story to create the fabric of their lives together.

Aura and Francisco's Wedding 2007

"You were desperate for something that was yours alone. I was yours alone, but that isn't what you meant." SAY HER NAME by Francisco Goldman



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New Michael Crichton Book Out November 22, 2011

Author Michael Crichton

This will be the second title published since the author's death in 2008. Flipping channels a couple of days ago, I came across Jurassic Park. As much as I love the movie, the book was better. It left you with an eerie feeling and sense of dread about the future.

Crichton finished about one third of Micro and Richard Preston, who wrote The Hot Zone, completed this tale in the same high-concept thriller vein as Jurassic Park. You can read more HERE at EarlyWord.

Valley libraries flip a page in the digital age

Here's another take on the usefulness of libraries in our digital age. This time from Arizona. Click on the link below to read the entire article.

Valley libraries flip a page in the digital age

Seth Godin's Blog: The Future of the Library

Jackson District Library - One of a handful of remaining Carnegie Libraries

"Librarians that are arguing and lobbying for clever ebook lending solutions are completely missing the point. They are defending library as warehouse as opposed to fighting for the future, which is librarian as producer, concierge, connector, teacher and impresario. "

In a short by concise handful of paragraphs, Seth Godin explains how books, libraries, and librarians evolved and where the process could go in the future. Read the whole blog post HERE.

Running the Books (2010)

Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After reading a review of this book a number of months back, I requested that our library get a copy and they did! I was pleasantly surprised to receive notice that it was waiting for me at my local branch. It appealed to me because I was also 'an accidental prison librarian' briefly at the State Prison of Southern Michigan back in the late 80s and I wanted to see if this author 'got it'. He absolutely did.

A few years after graduating from Harvard, Avi Steinberg looked around and noticed that his friends and classmates were 'advancing' in the world. He had nothing to show for his efforts and took the job as a prison librarian to gain some stability in his life.

Avi Steinberg's book is more than just a litany of the things that happen in a prison library. He manages to show the human aspect and the complexity of trying to survive in that environment whether you are a prisoner or a civilian. All the while he is trying to find his purpose in the world. Although our experiences varied, I relived many of the days I spent inside the walls through his eyes. It angers me whenever someone talks about inmates being coddled in prison. And I can still remember the day I cried. Everyone cries in prison.

I didn't know any people who were murdered until I worked at the prison. For several years after I left, I would see names of people I recognized in the paper, who had been killed at the prison. It is a disconcerting world and difficult to escape. In this I could relate on a much smaller scale to the losses Avi experiences - the loss of possibilities.

And I don't want to forget to mention the cover of the book. It is a portrait of Avi composed of date due stamps in a rainbow of colors. Clever and appropriate, it adds a light touch to what is truly a difficult two years in prison. If you choose to read this book, you will emerge with a different mind set and a changed view of the place of prisons in our society.

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Hunger Games News

"In a move bound to delight even the most wary of Hunger Games fans, Lionsgate announced today that Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada) will play smooth-talking interviewer Caesar Flickerman in the film adaptation."

Ray Marshall's Paper Blossoms.

Spring Bouquet

One of my clever and talented daughters (I have two!) often sends me flowers. The last live bunch came along with her husband who stayed with us while on a business trip to the area not too long ago. It became a joke because the flowers lasted a very long time including the two weeks we were traveling out West. Since their longevity delighted me, my daughter found a way to prolong a gift of flowers almost indefinitely. She discovered Ray Marshall's Paper Blossoms.

Currently the Spring arrangement is displayed on the coffee table in the living room but at a moment's notice, a new or more appropriate selection can be made. Thank goodness I don't have to water them!

Ray does more than create Paper Blossoms so you really should check out his website, which tells about his work and even includes several simple but lovely patterns for making your own cards. (Did I mention the part about the Pirates?)

Addendum: The other clever and talented daughter sent me Philadelphia Tastykakes absolutely confirming that both my children love their Mother and know how to make her HAPPY!

The Lake of Dreams (2011)

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very hard review to get around to writing and even now I'm not sure what to say.

Kim Edward's first book was the word-of-mouth bestseller The Memory Keeper's Daughter. When the DVD appeared on my library's shelves, I decided to check it out and was surprised how moving it was. So when I saw the author had a new book, The Lake of Dreams, I requested it.

There were lots of things to like. It starts out in Japan. It has elements of Gothic romance, history (suffragettes), dreams, stained glass, politics, family relationships, genealogical research, and more. I can't say I didn't enjoy my time reading the book, but there was always a nagging feeling in the background that something was missing. Maybe the problem wasn't that something was missing but that there was too much included? I don't think it was the writing style. I enjoyed the characters although there was a 'stock' feeling about them. The storytelling was all right.

Lucy Jarrett is living with her boyfriend Yoshi in an area of Japan experiencing a disconcerting series of earthquakes. When her Mother suffers a minor injury, it spurs Lucy to return home to upper New York State and begin to explore her future through her family's past.

Apparently, from reading other reviews, you will either love or hate this book, or like me find yourself somewhere in the middle.


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BURY YOUR DEAD Wins Agatha

I knew I was on to something special when I read Bury Your Dead, but it is reassuring to know one's instincts align with  other's opionions. In this case, Louise Penny actually won her fourth Agatha!

"The Agatha Awards, given to books that best exemplify the Agatha Christie tradition, (i.e., no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence) were announced this weekend. Canadian author Louise Penny picked up her fourth for Bury Your Dead, giving her Armand Gamache the most Agatha’s  ever for  books in a single series." (from EarlyWord)

Sarah Paretsky Will Be in Jackson on May 13 & 14

"On Thursday, April 28, Mystery Writers of America presented its Grand Master Award to Sisters in Crime founding sister Sara Paretsky at the annual Edgar Awards banquet."

On May 13 & 14 the author, who created  the popular V.I. Warshawski mystery series, will be in Jackson for the annual Word Wise Weekend.

If you haven't signed up yet, visit the Jackson District Library website HERE.