Reviews From the Underground

Books For the Spirit

2011-11-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

It seems the we as a nation have forgotten the art of conscious living. We are too plugged-in to experience a mindful moment or take a conscious breath. Sure there are a myriad of gurus proclaiming they have the answer and truly there are some good books out there to help you explore the path to a better life:

Learning to Breath by Priscilla Warner
A book that spoke to me. "When you are ready to learn,your lessons find you in the oddest places." Determined to master her mind, Priscilla begins a quest for knowledge sampling the art of yoga, Ayurvedic oil treatments, Tibetan prayer bowls, acupuncture, biofeedback, chanting and visualization as she quests for the peace, applying insights of spiritual leaders, healers and therapists she meets along the path.This journey is both comical and heartbreaking as the author struggles to learn the difference between dharma and my karma and the art of mastering mindfulness on the path to inner peace.

Choosing Easy World: A Guide to Opting Out of Struggle and Strife and Living in the Amazing Realm Where Everything is Easy by Julia Rogers Hamrick

This simple guide provides spirituality for the suburbanite! A simple instruction manual to lay down your worries and go with the flow….The way we experience life whether joyfully or sorrowfully is all about our perspective. Instead of struggling against reality one only needs to accept it and take a positive view. Most of us are left brain reliant and work habitually with the rational mind to experience our environment. The left is the ego center and this limited usage not only limits ones ability to escape the worry and strife drummed up by the ego, it makes it almost impossible to speak with Spirit. When we relax and mindfully take a conscious breath we can activate our right brain or our 'heart brain' and rise above the everyday troubles to experience a must grander worry free existence. In this book, Julia Rogers Hamrick lays out simple instructions for turning off the left brain and activating the right brain allowing escape from a troubled world by lifting ones thoughts to higher plain.

The Magickal Life by Vivianne Crowley is a comprehensive guide that combines the
ancient spiritual wisdom of magic and contemporary self-help techniques such as
meditation, yoga, and positive thinking. Perfect for novices and seasoned practitioners
alike, The Magickal Life illustrates how magic can help you lead a more successful and
satisfying life and see the world as full of endless possibilities.

Listening to the Oracle: The Ancient Art of Finding Guidance in the Signs and Symbols All Around Us by Dianne Skafte. Oracles--wise messengers that help steer our lives--come to us from sources such as dreams, divination, patterns in nature, chance words overheard in a crowd, and inspired wisdom-speakers. Ancient peoples revered oracles as
communications from the sacred life maxtrix. But in modern times, we need a little help
attuning to the signs and wonders all around us.

Dr. Skafte rekindles our oracular knowing by exploring oracle traditions from many time
periods and applying their wisdom to our own lives. Topics include: Preparing to receive
oracles; The arts of divination, Sibyls; The oracle of Delphi; The shadow side of oracles;
and Communications from animals and nature. Discussions are based on extensive
historical research. The book contains over 400 indexed citations. Every chapter contains
useful exercises and practices.

The ancient oracles haven't stopped speaking, Skafte says. We've just forgotten how to
listen. But they warmly await our return.

Go on a journey with Omar W. Rosales in Elemental Shaman,One Man's Journey Into the
Heart of Humanity, Spirituality & Ecology. Oman follows his dreams on a spiritual quest
that takes him across four continents to shaman, priests, ghosts, legends, and mountain
deities. This inspiring true story chronicles one man's search for the truth behind the
healing practices of four shamanistic traditions: Toltec, Cherokee, Maya, and Buddhist.
This book made me wonder why I have not gone on a quest of my own.

Spooky Reads

2011-10-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

October is surely one of the most enchanting months of the year. The ar turns crisp and blustery. Brightly colored leaves twirl at our feet before whirling off down the street and the nights grow long and cold. Energy crackles in the air as nature itself seems to grow spooky. Now is a time to indulge in harvest treats and creepy tales. Experience the fun and magic of the season with these scary reads:

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan July 12, 2011, Knopf

““Yes, there are vampires here . . . But don’t give this book to Twilight groupies; the frank tone, dark wit, and elegant, sophisticated language will likely do them in. . . . smart, original, and completely absorbing. Highly recommended.”

—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal (Starred review)

Jake is the last werewolf but even at the age of 201 he is powerful, sexy and as healthy and fit as any thirty year old, being a werewolf will do that to you, that and high protein diet. But Jake is troubled, lonely and contemplating suicide but for the loonies pursuing him who are determined to keep the legend alive, he would have ended his loneliness…

The First Days: As the World Dies by Rhiannon Frater July 2011, Tor

This outstanding debut has become an internet sensation capturing interest from around the globe. The first book in a trilogy, this post-apocalyptic tale depicts the bonds humans forge as society collapse around them.

The morning the world ends, finds Jenni in her pink bathrobe standing out on the front step watching in horror as her baby son's tiny fingers reach for her from under the door. Lucky for her, Katie, another survivor is driving by and whisks her away just as the rest of her zombified family breaks through the front window. Jenni and Katie instantly form a powerful partnership on a quest for survival that is as endearing as it is enduring.

Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson September 2011 Little Brown

Grant and Jason lead readers on paranormal explorations that include at night at St. Augustine Lighthouse and Alcatraz. Other investigations include: ghosts of runaways, children and even animal ghosts. Though this book was written for young readers, anyone who loves a ghostly tale or enjoys watching Ghost Hunters on TV will find this entertaining.

Great New YA Fantasy Titles

2011-09-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, 09 2011 Green Willow Books

A lovely tale that has earned starred reviews:

School Library Journal "Fast-moving and exciting." --School Library Journal (starred review)

"A smart, complex fantasy with stellar characters... Carson's mature writing style, thoughtful storytelling, appealing characters and surprising twists add up to a page-turner with broad appeal." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Bearing the Godstone, Elisa knows that she was chosen by God for a life of service. She is not thin and gorgeous like her sister but well-educated, clever, quick-witted and brave. When she is chosen to marry the handsome king of a neighboring land she is surprised but she goes prepared to give it her best shot and what she encounters when they arrive at the new kingdom it is not at all the life she expected. .

A sure bet for fans of Kristin Cashore and Maria V Snyder. Don't miss this enthralling debut, first in a trilogy..

Don’t' Breath a Word by Jennifer McMahon, 05 2011 Harper

Rumors are all that remain of Reliance, Vermont. Rumors that whisper of how in 1918 the fifty-odd residences were spirited away. Everyone vanished that day. Everyone, except for one small child left in his crib. When twelve year old Lisa Nazzaro goes missing from the woods beside Reliance, the story is again at the top of the news and young Phoebe's curiosity blooms. She begins to unravel the tale and soon discovers that the surviving child is Lisa's Great-grandfather. When Phoebe finds a book, supposedly written by the King of the Fairies, the truth about her childhood and the unknown history of Reliance begin to intertwine in a dark and creepy fairy tale that has haunted my dreams since the day I read it.

Enthralled, Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong, Sept 2011 Harper

This collection of 16 original stories was inspired by the Smart Chicks 2011 tour and features stories of journeys, trips and tours by some of the genre's most popular authors including: Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Caine and Rachel Vincent.

Best YA Fantasy 2011

2011-07-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

My children joke that I read at an eighth-grade level but the simple truth is that I love reading YA and there is an abundance of wonderful new YA titles publishing this year, all richly imagined and skilfully honed.

Don't miss:
White Cat by Holly Black (Curse Workers, Book 1)-17 yr old Cassel is the youngest of a magic-worker family. Having no power himself, he is at the mercy of his old brothers, or so he thinks...

I loved this darkly imagined world! If you haven't read contemporary fantasy author, Holly Black who started her career with the Spiderwick series, then you are in for a treat. Don't miss her Modern Tales of Fairie (Tithe, Valiant and Ironside.)

Reapers Are the Angels. This post-apocalyptic zombie novel by Alden Bell (aka Joshua Gaylord, high-school English teacher and husband of crime writer Megan Abbott) is powerful! Through the eyes of 15-year-old Temple we witness the horrific extinction of the human race, yet still find quiet moments to marvel at the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world that can only be reflections of God Himself. Brilliantly depict, this story is as beautiful as it is sad, as lyrical as it is graphic, and this zombie novel is one of my favorite books this year!

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler. (Riders of the Apocalypse Book 1)
This series deals with teens and teen issues and the awkwardness of discovering that you have become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Begin with Hunger the story of seventeen-year-old Lisabeth who suffers from anorexia and is victim of an inner Thin Voice that holds her to both a strict eating regime and a exhaustive exercise regiment. When death shows up with a set of scales and a midnight steed, Lisabeth relives that her obsession is out of control and that she may lose her life if not conquered. Don't miss Rage the story of Missy a cutter

Cate Tiernan's Sweep is a lovely witchy teen series that is as addictive as is is delightful. 16 year old Morgan Rowlands thinks she's average until she meets Cal, the new boy at school who is not only captivatingly handsome but a coven leader. With his guidance Morgan soon discovers that she is a bloodwitch with a disturbing history and a nautal power that is beyond both of their control.

Among Others by Jo Walton In this magical Welsh coming-of-age tale we meet 15-year-old Morwenna, bright, crippled and somewhat geeky she endearingly relates to the world through the applied works of a host of science-fiction masters which isn't such a bad thing since she is magical and has to thwart the attacks of her evil witch mother...

Currently I am looking forward to reading the much hyped Mistwood by Leah Cypess and The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon. Can't wait until I get my hands on a copy of these titles!

Teeth: Vampire Tales

2011-05-21T22:42:00.001-07:00

by Ellen Datlow (Editor)

In this YA anthology, Ellen Datlow has assembled 19 fresh and clever stories, some from my favorite YA authors, to create a collection of young and hip vampire tales. Featuring stories from Garth Nix, Melissa Marr, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Lucius Shepard,Emma Bull and Tanith Lee. If you are looking for new YA authors, this anthology offers a lovely sampling.

So the World is Ending at 5pm?

2011-05-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

So today is the last day of humanity according to Harold Camping, the Oakland minister who's predicting the end of the world. He says that a huge earthquake is going to strike May 21, 2011, marking the Day of Rapture and the start of Judgment Day (which, they say, will last five months). Those who are saved will be taken up to heaven, and those who aren’t will endure unspeakable suffering. Dead bodies will be strewn about as earthquakes ravage the Earth, they say. And come October 21, they’ll tell you, the entire world will be kaput.

Oh man, Oh man, I still have a towering pile of unread books....a dozen ARC's from my friends at the Poisoned Pen, my reading stack of recently purchased titles and all those books piled next to my bed that I've longed to read but never found the time to start: Joe Landsdale's The Bottoms, Matin Millar's Curse of the Wolf Girl, Charlie Huston's Already Dead and Cory Doctorow's Little Brother.

At least I read Sandman Slim and Kill the Dead one of the best urban fantasy series of 2010 think noir with a lovable chain-smoking antihero.
Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia great smart, funny and clean shoot em up with monsters.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
The Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine
NightShade by Andrea Cremer - Romeo and Juliet in high school as werewolves. Loved it!
And the smash hit angel books: Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush, Lauren Kate's Fallen, and Alexandra Adornetto's Halo...

Let's hope Harold is wrong. There are just too many books on my shelves still to read.

I was a bookworm as a kid. My parents worried that I read so much, I was missing out on life. As a teen my reading grew even more voracious and I would devour entire series in a swoop.
Today, there seems to just not be enough time to read like I used to. What with my working schedule, daily chores and nightly crusades on the internet I am lucky to finish one book a week and my writing is suffering even more... so I’m making a—now public—affirmation to read and write more.

Here’s my 2010 list of must-read fiction:

Lets begin with 10 of the titles on my shelf that have been glaring at me for months:

Joe Landsdale, The Bottoms
Charlie Huston, Already Dead
Scott Lynch, The Lies of Lock Lamora
Patrick Rothfuss, Name of the Wind
Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
Nancy Pickard, The Scent of Rain and Lightning
Amy Greene, Bloodroot
Susanna Kearsley, Winter Sea
Karen Marie Moning, Darkfever
Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game

and 10 YA titles
Matin Millar, Curse of the Wolf Girl,
Cory Doctorow, Little Brother.
Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Spirits that walk in Shadow
Carrie Ryan, The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Janni Lee Simner, Faerie Winter
Derej Benz and JS Lewis, The Brimstone Key
Jenna Black, Glimmerglass
James Dashner, The Maze Runner
Becca Fitzpatrick, Crescendo
Kiersten White, Paranormalcy

What do you want to read? I challenge you, while we still have time. to create your own 'books to read before the world really ends' list.

Want more reading list? Try: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die or

100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man’s Library
happily I can say I've read many of the titles on the list!

And there is always Oprah. Here is her 2010 Summer Reading List

or click the image below to join: the Reading challenge : Edgar Awards
a challenge to read the Best Novel winners.

Great New YA Fantasy Titles

2011-05-19T09:31:00.001-07:00

With the success of Twilight, Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Bloods and Neil's Graveyard Book I've found myself perusing the YA section more frequently and found there among the shelves some wondrously magical new series.

Mortal Instruments trilogy begins with City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
If you like Harry Potter you should try this magical YA series featuring Clary and The Shadowhunters, a race of Nephilim created by the Angel Raziel to protect mankind.

Another beautiful crafted YA tale is Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner.
Fear of magic runs deep in Liza's small town. Sensibly all things Faerie are immediately stamped out upon discovery. So when 15 rear old Liza finds that she has the ability to see—into the past, into the future— she has no choice but to flee before she too is killed. ..

And lastly a delightful tale not to missed is Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar.
It's not easy being a member of the royal Thane or growing up in the MacRinnalck clan. It's so challenging in fact, that in a fit of rage, angst filled 17-year-old Kalix MacRinnalck almost kills her father and is forced to flee her ancestral home in Scotland. She finds herself on the mean streets of London flopping in abandoned buildings and alleys nursing a laudanum habit, her only comfort. That is until two misfit humans show up, and to Kalix's surprise, offer her home and friendship..

lyrical works of Alice Hoffman and Jodi Picoult

2010-05-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

The remarkable fiction of Alice Hoffman and Jodi Picoult blend elements of magical realism with coming of age to create powerful stories that will capture your heart.

Alice Hoffman spins lyrical stories of love, friendship, and betrayal Start with the apocalyptic, Green Angel the survival story of 15 yr old Green. I sobbed through the end of this short YA.

Blackbird House, the tale of a Cape Cod farmhouse and all of the people who moved through it. Of all of Hoffman's stories, this is one of my favorites.

Incantation, a Jewish account of Spain during the Middle Ages,

The Foretelling a mesmorizing coming-of-age fantasy centered around a girl destined to become queen of the Amazons.

Jodi Picoult had written several books not to be missed. Begin with:
The Probable Future a magical story of gifted women of the Sparrow family and the gifts each of them posses.

Sob your eyes out with My Sister's Keeper

or go ghost hunting with Second Glance a novel that gives everyone a second chance a redemption in 1930's paranormal Vermont.

Church of the Dog

2010-02-28T00:08:00.000-08:00

Church of The Dog by Kaya McLaren
I found myself wanting to highlight certain passages of Kaya McLaren's book, Church of the Dog. Don't let the title mislead you - there is a Church and there is a Dog but the book really isn't about either. The book is written in four voices. The main voice is that of Mara. Mara has just escaped a relationship and heads to a ranch in Oregon where she is "adopted" by an elderly couple.(Earl and Edith) Mara is an art teacher and is able to travel in dreams - sounds strange but in this book it works. Earl offers Mara a small cabin on the ranch and tells her to do whatever she wants with it. Mara begins her work on the cabin and Edith and Earl fall under Mara's spell. Edith finds herself doing things she never thought she would do at this stage of her life - dancing with Earl every night, making snow angels - naked, and laughing like all of the tragedy in her life is behind her. Earl also feels Mara's magic. Earl is ill and how he deals with is illness is an important part of this book. Earl and Edith have lost all of their children and desperately miss their beloved grandson, Daniel. Daniel returns to help with the ranch and he, too, is enchanted by Mara. What is Mara? A shaman? An angel? or just someone open and receptive to all of life? Daniel and Mara must each find their way - Mara knows no being passes through this life without making some impact - good or bad. Mara deals with Daniel and his messy emotions and wonders if she can make a difference. Mara and Daniel are brought together in a very unexpected way. Church of the Dog ends in a way that made me want more. I found the book to be one of those rare experiences where you really feel you know the characters and you want to know how they live the rest of their lives.

Great Post-apocalyptic Titles

2010-02-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation." - Jean Kerr

Feeling depressed? Has life got you thinking it's the end of the world? Pick up one of these and understand that you still have the simple comforts of life: food, hot water, electricity. You have a safe shelter free of cannibals and zombies. '09 was a rough year, luckily there was a plethora of great post-apocalyptic titles guaranteed to cheer any downtrodden spirit.

The Road, Cormac McCarthy. Set in a harsh landscape locked in a nuclear winter, a man and his young son fight for survival as they hide from cannibals and hunt for food. Very bleak.

I am Legend, Richard Matheson. Take comfort in the lonely recollections of the last survivor of a vampiric plague and yes, he must hide from lots of monsters.

or for a lighter view:
GoGo Girls of the Apocalypse, Victor Gischler. After nine years of self-imposed exile, Mortimer Tate emerges from a remote Tennessee cave to discover that various global catastrophes have all but wiped out civilization and life as he knew it has severally changed.

Need More? Click here for a list of classics

Favorites of 2009

2010-01-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

1. Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire ($18)
2. Correia, Larry. Monster Hunter International ($8) Signed
3. Levitt, John. Unleashed ($8)
4. Kadrey, Richard. Sandman Slim ($23)
5. Clare, Cassandra. City of Glass ($18)
6. Snyder, Maria V. Storm Glass ($14)
7. Simner, Janni Lee. Bones of Faerie ($17)
8. Dann, Jack. The Dragon Book ($25)
9. Garcia, Kami and Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures ($18)
10. Harris, Charlaine. Grave Secrets ($27) Signed

Need More? Click here for a list of lists

The Gates

2009-10-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Fans of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, don't miss John Connolly's new YA The Gates a very well written YA, si-fi, fantasy, mystery that is vastly entertaining.

Vastly funny! Connolly is a genius and this story of a brave and precocious boy who discovers that his neighbors are trying to open the gates of hell will win you with its wonderfully quirkiness.Readers can't help but love Young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund, Boswell and cheer him on as he attempts to stop the demons of Hell from taking over our world.
Read first chapter here

Also try his Book of Lost Things a fairy tale populated by heroes and monsters in the Brothers Grimm tradition. This coming-of-age story about a boy’s journey into adulthood combines dramatic themes with suspense.

Have you read any good Urban Fantasy?

2009-07-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

When I began reading the Kim Harrison, Laurell K and Chalaine Harris books I would seek out the horror section and pursue the shelves to see what was new. Then to my dismay my favorite writer's started showing up in Romance...and now apparently to clarify things they've been tossed into a class called Urban Fantasy..

Ok, so my old standbys will always be Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and of course Lonely Werewolf Girl, Green Angel and Sunshine but here are some new authors who are wonderful!!

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson book one)
She a walker and can turn into a coyote. She spends her days as a mechanic and her nights mixing it up with the local monsters...

Ill Wind (Weather Warden, Book 1) by Rachel Caine
Love this one! Meet weather warden, Joanne Baldwin and the chaotic world of the Djinn. Stick with this through the long drive in the middle and you will be mesmerized by this delightful new series!

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1) by Jeaniene Frost
Wow, I truly loved this story with its detailed character and action packed plot.

Any Given Doomsday (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 1) by Lori Handeland
Wonderful new working on the ancient gods and monsters.

Dog Days (Ace Fantasy Book) by John Levitt
Fanatic new series featuring a society of sorcerers who police the magical community of San Francisco.

A Rush of Wings: Book One of The Maker's Song by Adrian Phoenix
A new look at vampires in New Orleans. This dark brooding series will keep you turning the pages.

Spiral Hunt by Margaret Ronald
Meet "the Hound" as she is called, a woman who can find anything by using her nose.

And for something new in YA (young adult) There is The Hunger Games (I know the cover looks lame but this book might just be the BEST one I have ever read) This heart-wrenching distopian has one of the most authentic protagonist ever written. Meet 16 yr old Katniss Everdeen from District 12. She is young, strong and awkward but she is also kindhearted and intelligent and she is about to learn that she can conquer almost anything that capitol throws at her. I see big things happening with this one!

Surprise, surprise my favorite books so far this Year are all YA

2009-05-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
What a wonderful story. I cheered and cried with Katniss as she did her best to survive The Hunger Games. Suzanne wrote a story that was poignant, thoughtful, and heartbreaking. Don't miss this is a superb tale.

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
A dark fairy-tale twist on the war between humanity and Faerie which has devastated both sides. Or so 15-year-old Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza’s world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Trees move with sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Then Liza discovers she has the Faerie ability to see—into the past, into the future—and she has no choice but to flee her town. Liza’s quest will take her into Faerie and back again, and what she finds along the way may be the key to healing both worlds.

The Graceling- Kristen Caeshore
Graceling is the story of Katsa, the niece of a king, who is "graced" with the extraordinary gift of killing. She has a natural speed and ability to win any combat. Others in her land are also "Graced" although their abilities vary and while some "Grace" skills are more useful than others, all are marked by their mismatched eyes...

Great Books of 2008

2009-01-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Some wonderful books were published in 2008. Here is a list of the titles I enjoyed most:

.
1. Caldwell, Joseph. Pig Did It
2. Shaffer, Mary Ann. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
3. Levitt, John. New Tricks
4. Caine, Rachel. Gale Force
5. Millar, Martin. Lonely Werewolf Girl
6. Carey, Mike. Vicious Circle
7. Kent, Kathleen. Heretic's Daughter
8. Edwards, Selden. Little Book
9. Cox, Michael. Glass of Time
10. Morton, Kate. House at Riverton

I was Reading Rachel's Blog at Changing Hands and saw that she had posted a list of the Top 5 Books to Reread and Rediscover and while I agreed with some of her selection (see below) I just had to add a few.

From Rachel:

1. The Stand, Stephen King
2. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
3. Swan Song, Robert McCammon
4. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
5. Sunshine, Robin McKinley

While this is a good list I would have to add Charlaine Harris's Sookie Series and Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking and two authors I recently discovered who were an absolute treat:
Rachel Caine and John Levitt

Rachel Caine is the author of the YA Morganville Vampire series but it was her Weather Warden series that caught my fancy.
The first in series is Ill Wind. Meet Weather Warden, Joanne Baldwin. Usually all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now Joanne is trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life ...

Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful Warden of them all. Unfortunately, he's also on the run from the World Council. It seems he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn -- making him the most wanted man on earth. And without Lewis, Joanne's chances of surviving are as good as a snowball in -- well, a place she may soon be headed. So she and her classic Mustang are racing hard to find him because there's some bad weather closing in fast ..

This series is fresh, fun and magical Be warned, there is a slow part in the middle of book one but if you hang on until David makes his entrance it's all up from there. I devoured this series in less than a week...

John Levitt has written two so far in a wonderful urban series featuring Mason, a magical musician and member of San Francisco's self-appointed "enforcer" group.

"Jazz, scotch, and dark magic, it's all waiting around every unfamiliar corner and at the end of every shadowed alley in a world that has both bark and bite. The supernatural lives, breathes, and slithers in a San Francisco where the dog days don't just get you down; they eat you alive."
-- Rob Thurman, author of Nightlife and Moonshine

Dog Days is the first in this urban fantasy series-with a bite as magical as its bark.
Mason used to be an enforcer, ensuring that suspect magic practitioners stayed in line. But now he scrapes out a living playing guitar. Good thing he has Louie, his magical...well, let's call him a dog. But there are some kinds of evil that even Louie can't sniff out. And when Mason is attacked by a supernatural assailant, he'll have to fall back on the one skill he's mastered in music and magic-improvisation.

New Tricks continues Mason's story
Former enforcer Mason would normally be concerned with finding ghosts and vampires stalking the Castro section of San Francisco. Fortunately, Halloween provides the perfect explanation for the abundance of ghouls. But someone is trying to possess his old flame, Sarah. Now, with the help of his magical dog Louie, Mason must uncover the black magician responsible.

Stephen King calls Charlie Huston’s book a terrific new novel,

2009-01-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

From Stephen King:
There are some things you never wonder about until someone--usually someone whose mind lives on Weird Street--brings them to your attention. Who cuts the barber’s hair? How does a guy wind up with the job of test-smelling armpits for a deodorant company? Or de-wrinkling dress shoes before they’re put on sale? Why does one kid become a college dean while another grows up to be a key grip? And just what is a key grip, anyway?

Here’s another one. Who scrubs down the scene after a spectacularly messy death--a guy who shoots himself in the head, let’s say, or dies of natural causes in a hot back room and then goes undiscovered for a couple of weeks? What sort of janitorial problems would such work entail? It turns out there are firms that specialize in those problems, and in the Weird Street world of Charlie Huston, a couple of these companies might even do battle over the smelly, maggoty spoils of war.

“Trauma scene and waste cleaning is a growth industry,” remarks Po Sin, the owner/operator of Clean Team. The observation comes early in Charlie Huston’s terrific new novel, which is about just what the title suggests: getting rid of the messy stuff after the deal goes down.

When The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death opens, Webster Fillmore Goodhue--another in a long line of likeably slack Huston protagonists--is sponging off his friend Chev, who runs a sleazier-than-thou tattoo parlor. Enter the proprietor of Clean Team, who knows Web from Web’s previous life as an elementary school teacher (a career that ended badly). Po Sin needs help in his particular growth-industry. Web agrees to a little blood- and brain-scrubbing not because he particularly wants a job but because he’s suffered his own trauma and finds cleaning up other people’s end-of-life messes strangely soothing.

Enter Soledad, a beautiful young girl whose father just aired out his brains with a 9mm. Also enter Jaime, her half-bright half-brother who imagines himself a Hollywood playa but can’t get out of his own way. There are many things to love about Charlie Huston’s fiction--he’s a brilliant storyteller, and writes the best dialogue since George V. Higgins--but what pushes my personal happy-button is his morbid sense of humor and seemingly effortless ability to create scary/funny bad guys who make Beavis and Butthead look like Rhodes Scholars.

There are a lot of those in this book, and several I-can’t-believe-I-laughed-at-that scenes of grue (I can’t even talk about the pipe-bomb thing, not on a family website), but the best thing about Mystic Arts is how decency and heroism rise to the top in spite of everyone’s best efforts to crush them under heel.

Web wanders from the nightmarish underworld of body clean-up into the equally nightmarish worlds of hijacking and smuggling; he endures cross, double-cross, and triple-cross; he pees his pants while trying to shield his girlfriend from a bullet. He’s scared but never cowardly, down but never completely out. He is, in short, a guy worth watching.

So’s Charlie Huston. He’s written several very good books (including the Caught Stealing trilogy and the Joe Pitt novels, which concern a PI who’s also a vampire), but this is the first authentically great one, a runaway freight that feels like a combination of William Burroughs and James Ellroy. Mystic Arts is, however, fiercely original--very much its own thing.

Besides, admit it: you’ve always wanted to know how to get blood out of a deep-pile carpet.

Reading on the Rise

2009-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

I found this article on The New York Times Fiction Reading Increases for Adults
After years of bemoaning the decline of a literary culture in the United States, the National Endowment for the Arts says in a report that it now believes a quarter-century of precipitous decline in fiction reading has reversed.
The report, “Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy,” being released Monday, is based on data from “The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts” conducted by the United States Census Bureau in 2008. Among its chief findings is that for the first time since 1982, when the bureau began collecting such data, the proportion of adults 18 and older who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem or play in the previous 12 months has risen.

The news comes as the publishing industry struggles with declining sales amid a generally difficult economy.

The proportion of adults reading some kind of so-called literary work — just over half — is still not as high as it was in 1982 or 1992, and the proportion of adults reading poetry and drama continued to decline. Nevertheless the proportion of overall literary reading increased among virtually all age groups, ethnic and demographic categories since 2002. It increased most dramatically among 18-to-24-year-olds, who had previously shown the most significant declines.

“There has been a measurable cultural change in society’s commitment to literary reading,” said Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “In a cultural moment when we are hearing nothing but bad news, we have reassuring evidence that the dumbing down of our culture is not inevitable.”

In fact it seems that "Reading is again become a brilliant tool for self-expression. "
A BBC survey suggests that nearly half of all men and one-third of women have lied about what they have read to try to impress friends or potential partners. Click here to read this amusing story

Well It's Time To Vote For the 2009 Dilys Award

2009-01-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

The Dilys Award has been given annually since 1993 by the IMBA to the mystery titles of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Dilys Award is named in honor of Dilys Winn, the founder of the first specialty bookseller of mystery books in the United States.

Last years winner was William Kent Kruger with Thunder Bay. The nominees were: Rhys Bowen, HER ROYAL SPYNESS (Berkley), Lisa Lutz, THE SPELLMAN FILES (Simon & Schuster), Deanna Raybourn, SILENT IN THE GRAVE (Mira), and Marcus Sakey, THE BLADE ITSELF (St. Martin’s Minotaur).

There were some great mysteries last year. it will be hard to pick just who will win. I know here at the Poisoned Pen we had a great time selling:

The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell. A charming Irish country comedy about a pig who digs up a human skeleton buried in the backyard. (More here)

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. A story written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, that won the hearts of reader across the country. (Article Here)

CALL FOR ENTRIES!CALL FOR ENTRIES!

2009-01-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

I found this call for entries on the USA Book News site:
The National “Best Books 2009” Awards are specifically designed to garner SIZZLING MEDIA COVERAGE & BOOK SALES for the winners & finalists throughout the 2009 holiday retail season and 2010! Winners & finalists will be announced October 2009.
They are celebrating their 6th Year of Honoring Outstanding Mainstream & Independent Books!
Last years winners were:

Fiction & Literature: Mystery/Suspense

Winner :
Blood Harvest by Brant Randall
Capital Crime Press
978-0-9799960-1-6

Finalist:
Anatomy Lesson by Raymond Obstfeld
Iota Publishing
978-0979372001

Finalist:
Blood Island by H. Terrell Griffin
Oceanview Publishing
978-1-933515-21-2

Finalist:
Eyes of the World by Rob Palmer
Dorchester (Leisure Books)
978-0-8439-5676-4

Finalist:
Island Life by Michael W. Sherer
Five Star
978-1-59414-633-6

Finalist:
Sonnets: A Novel by Robert K Brown
Brown Books Publishing Group
978-1-933285-79-5

Finalist:
Spa Deadly: An Allie Armington Mystery by Louise Gaylord
Little Moose Press
978-0-9720227-1-2

Finalist:
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of by Don Bruns
Oceanview Publishing
978-1-933515-16-8

Click here for more information

Doom and Gloom in the Book World

2009-01-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

When Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co announced a freeze on the purchase of most new manuscripts (story here) and Harper Collins and Pearson, parent company of Penguin Group (USA), announced they were freezing wages and considering layoffs (story here), we knew times were tough.
The bad economy has hurt us all and unfortunately another bookseller has been forced to close...
Stacey's Bookstore, the iconic San Francisco shop that called Market Street home for all of its 85 years and had carved out a niche for technical publications, announced Tuesday evening that it would close in March. (read story) And Murder One, One of the most famous bookshops on London's Charing Cross Road will close within weeks following declining sales brought on by the credit crisis. (story here)

And this morning David Fulmer wrote saying that, "Yesterday brought the announcement that the entire staff of the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta was laid off. It appears that this is terminal. In addition to the site of dozens of A-List author events every year, the literature center at the MMH hosted writing classes and workshops for adults and writing camps for kids, including my Fiction Shops. I'm working on a way to keep the classes going elsewhere, but the loss of this facility and its programs is a blow to the book community in this part of the world."

We are feeling the ripples at the Poisoned Pen with fewer ARCs, posters and author tours. This morning Harper Collins wrote to say they had to shorten some of their author's tours and drop several cities, Scottsdale being one.

The New York Times has announced that they are facing dire circumstances and "that it is possible that The Times and other newspapers will have to move to digital-only distribution."(read story)
For the past five hundred years, humans have used print to archive ideas. So what’s next in the life and future of books and just what would a post-book world be like? Will we be doomed to a electronic future?

Holocaust memoir canceled as author confesses

2009-01-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

There has been some interesting buzz on the net about Herman Rosenblat's memoir, Angel at the Fence, being canceled (Click here to read story) after receiving information that the story was made up. Oprah had Rosenblat and his wife, Roma Radzicki Rosenblat on her show. Oprah said their romance was “the single greatest love story” she’d ever heard. Oops...Remind you of Million Little Pieces? and the event where Oprah Winfrey rebuked James Frey and kicked him out of her book club...(click to read story)

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. Real life it pretty boring. I sure don't want to read many true bios. If Rosenblat's book is entertaining then why not label it as a fictionalized memoir and be done with it? Books are supposed to be entertaining. Isn't there some merit of it being “the single greatest love story”? Oprah has the power to create bestsellers. Her book club is one of the greatest force in publishing today "Having an Oprah Book Club selection is pretty much like the pinnacle for the industry," says Michael McKenzie, publicity director for Ecco, the small HarperCollins imprint that published The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. And indeed Oprah has picked some great books:

2008

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

2007

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

2006

Night by Elie Wiesel

Click here for her list.

Don't Miss These Magical Titles

2008-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

Just because you're grown up doesn't mean your life can't be filled with fantasy and magic. Remember the first time you traveled to Narnia? Rediscover the joy of fantasy with these June 2008 tiles:

The Secrets of Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Filled with sultry orchard nights that are sure to have readers clamoring for more, this sequel to the bestselling "Peaches" reunites three Georgia girls who had spent one magical summer together.

How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot

From the national bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series. Steph Landry may just be the most unpopular girl in her high school until she discovers the book that will change her life--"How to Be Popular." It turns out the book works--until she breaks the book's cardinal rule of keeping old friends.

Dingo by Charles de Lint
High school senior Miguelas life is turned upside down when he meets new girl Lainey, whose family has just moved from Australia. With her tumbled red-gold hair, her instant understanding of who he is, and her unusual dogaa real Australian dingoasheas unforgettable. And, as he quickly learns, she is on the run from an ancient bargain made by her ancestors. Thereas no question that Miguel will do whatever he can to help herabut what price will each of them have to pay? "Dingo" is quintessential Charles de Lint, set close to his beloved, invented city of Newfordaa mixture of darkness and hope, humor and mystery, and the friendship within love.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
In a world unseen by mortals, the forces of Summer and Winter are at war. Two Faery Courts have been seeking the Summer Queen for more than nine centuries--one to restore the power of Summer and the other to banish it--in this gritty, modern fairy tale. Marrcontinues her tales of Faery in a dark, ravishing story of temptation and consequences, and of heroism when least expected. The Ink Exchange.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
What is Un Lun Dun?
It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too-including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book.
When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong.
Time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws

Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar
Complex family and social conflicts clutter the pages of this scattershot romp from World Fantasy Award–winner Millar (The Good Fairies of New York). Kalix MacRinnalch, a poorly socialized, laudanum-addicted teenage werewolf, has violently assaulted her father, thereby adding outcast to her list of defining traits. Suddenly and inexplicably supported by two preternaturally patient new friends, Daniel and Moonglow, the young werewolf skulks around London and struggles with anxiety and eating disorders while scores of subplots merrily explode around her. As Kalix's relatives bicker and backstab to establish a new leader, a cast of thousands shoehorns its way into the narrative, stealing story space for a sorcerous fashion designer with spy problems, werewolf twins with a terrible punk band that can't get a gig and a romantically mercenary transvestite. Overly reliant on luck and coincidence and populated by unsympathetic characters with unconvincing motives, Millar's urban fantasy epic swiftly dissolves into a tragedy of contrived errors.
Check out the website

The Battle of the Labyrinth The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan, Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable as Kronos's army prepares to invade. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends set out on a quest through the Labyrinth.

Magical Series Not To Missed

2008-12-17T23:52:00.000-08:00

Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful Warden of them all. Unfortunately, he's also on the run from the World Council. It seems he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn -- making him the most wanted man on earth. And without Lewis, Joanne's chances of surviving are as good as a snowball in -- well, a place she may soon be headed. So she and her classic Mustang are racing hard to find him because there's some bad weather closing in fast ..

This series is fresh, fun and magical Be warned, there is a slow part in the middle of book one but if you hang on until David makes his entrance it's all up from there. I devoured this series in less than a week...

John Levitt has written two so far in a wonderful urban series featuring Mason, a magical musician and member of San Francisco's self-appointed "enforcer" group.

"Jazz, scotch, and dark magic, it's all waiting around every unfamiliar corner and at the end of every shadowed alley in a world that has both bark and bite. The supernatural lives, breathes, and slithers in a San Francisco where the dog days don't just get you down; they eat you alive."
-- Rob Thurman, author of Nightlife and Moonshine

Dog Days is the first in this urban fantasy series-with a bite as magical as its bark.

Mason used to be an enforcer, ensuring that suspect magic practitioners stayed in line. But now he scrapes out a living playing guitar. Good thing he has Louie, his magical...well, let's call him a dog. But there are some kinds of evil thateven Louie can't sniff out. And when Mason is attacked by a supernatural assailant, he'll have to fall back on the one skill he's mastered in music and magic-improvisation.

New Tricks continues Mason's story

Former enforcer Mason would normally be concerned with finding ghosts and vampires stalking the Castro section of San Francisco. Fortunately, Halloween provides the perfect explanation for the abundance of ghouls. But someone is trying to possess his old flame, Sarah. Now, with the help of his magical dog Louie, Mason must uncover the black magician responsible.

Erik Larson on The Fifth Floor

2008-09-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

—Erik Larson, author of The Devil In the White City
wrote “In The Fifth Floor, Michael Harvey gives us a tale of murder, bare-knuckle mayoral politics, and historical catastrophe–in short, the perfect Chicago detective story, complete with a loving tour of the city’s funkier locales that’ll make any displaced Chicagoan long for home.”

The Fifth floor, is a sizzling follow-up to The Chicago Way ('A magnificent debut that should be read by all'-John Grisham; 'This book heralds the arrival of a major new voice'-Michael Connelly) opens with a murder in contemporary Chicago and winds its way back to Mrs. O'Leary's cow and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.: When PI Michael Kelly is hired by an ex-flame to tail her abusive husband, he expects trouble of a domestic rather than a historical nature. Life, however, is not so simple. The tail leads Kelly to an old house on Chicago's North Side. Inside it, the private investigator finds a body and, perhaps, the answer to one of Chicago's most enduring mysteries: who started the Great Chicago Fire and why. The ensuing investigation takes Kelly to places he'd rather not go, specifically, City Hall's fifth floor, where the mayor is feeling the heat and looking to play for keeps. Ultimately, Kelly finds himself in a world where nothing is quite what it seems, face-to-face with a killer bent on rewriting history and staring down demons from a past he never knew he had.: A fast-stepping, intricately woven narrative, rich with the history and atmosphere of a great city, The Fifth Floor is a worthy successor to Harvey's critically acclaimed debut. : About the Author: : Michael Harvey is a journalist, documentary film producer, and writer, as well as the co-creator and executive producer of the television series Cold Case Files. His work has won many national and international awards, as well as an Academy Award nomination. He lives in Chicago.

Laurie R King on Why the Mystery?

2008-09-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

The classic mystery, the Christie-esque whodunit, is built upon a crime and its resolution. However, since many non-mystery novels begin with a similar foundation, as an aid to the beleaguered bookseller who just wants to know where to shelve the things, the publishing world sweeps together an often mismatched lot of books and classifies them as “Mysteries.” The childlike simplicity of the move leaves one gasping.

What do we do when an established mainstream writer such as, say, Jane Smiley or Ron Hansen or, rumor has it, Michael Chabon produces something that in other hands would be shelved in the genre section? Do we call it simply a dark novel that happens to deal with a crime? Or worse, what are we to think when a known multiple offender of crime fiction such as Josephine Tey or Peter Dickinson comes up with a perfect literary gem that has only the most tenuous dependence on the form?

The whole genre question is further complicated by the undeniable fact that a great deal of crime fiction is simply pap, predigested and undemanding, suitable for the reader who either lacks the inner fortitude necessary for tackling something with fiber (moral or otherwise) or who simply doesn’t feel like chewing his or her way through something substantial after a hard day’s work. Many writers, good writers who ought to know better, focus so tightly on the structure demanded by a crime story that they lose track of the fact that they are writing a novel. Accusations of both sensationalism and trivialization are, alas, often justified.

(Since we are concerned here with the mystery field, I shall politely refrain from pointing to the pap in mainstream fiction, those books where Nothing Happens aside from 300 pages of kvetching about a divorce. True, most mainstream pap gets thrown out before it sees print, whereas with a mystery, there’s always the hope that someone will fall for a gaudy cover. The point I’m making is not who has the worse record, but the difficulties in categorizing a book.)

A crime novel is about some thing; a mainstream story can be about anything. Knowing that a book is assigned to a genre makes the world-be reader feel snug, or smug, depending on how that reader feels about the genre. To those who buy my books in order to curl up in the story, I can only say, thank you. To the smug deprecator of the mystery novel, I have to shake my head and say, You’re missing some fine writing.

So why the mystery? Because it is a strong form that nonetheless allows me to do what I wish with it, possessing both rigid structure and immense freedom. On its bones I can hang a story about things that matter, about death and pain and the dark side of the human mind, about fear and triumph and joy and the price we pay for justice. A story about the full gamut of human response.

The mystery novel, because the form is as big as I need it to be, and as intimate.

The mystery, because it’s human.

Looking for Something New in Hardboiled Paranormal?

2008-07-28T15:02:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of Mike Carey? He got his start writing comic books then moved into writing novels.
In The Devil You Know Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stomping ground. At a time when the supernatural world is in upheaval and spilling over into the mundane reality of the living, his skills have never been more in demand. A good exorcist can charge what he likes - and enjoy a hell of a life-style - but there's a risk: sooner or later he's going to take on a spirit that's too strong for him. After a year spent in 'retirement' Castor is reluctantly drawn back to the life he rejected and accepts a seemingly simple exorcism case - just to pay the bills, you understand. Trouble is, the more he discovers about the ghost haunting the archive, the more things don't add up. What should have been a perfectly straightforward exorcism is rapidly turning into the Who Can Kill Castor First Show, with demons, were-beings and ghosts all keen to claim the big prize. But that's OK; Castor knows how to deal with the dead. It's the living who piss him off...
This summer Felix Castor is back in Vicious Circle. Once again the exorcist for hire is working in a London where the dead walk among the living. Doing some consulting for the local cops helps pay the bills, but Castor needs a big private job to really fill the hole in his bank account. What he gets is a seemingly insignificant "missing ghost" case that inexorably drags him and his loved ones into the middle of a horrific plot to raise one of hell's fiercest demons.

Lee Child on Rules of Deception

2008-07-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

I discovered Christopher Reich exactly ten years ago. His first book came out around the same time my second book was published. The modest prosperity that one’s first book deal brings allowed me to pick up hardcovers that caught my eye. And Numbered Account caught my eye. And it lived up to its promise. It was fast, fresh, glossy, and very exciting. I thought: Reich is a keeper.

And then he got better. It was always clear that he had talent to burn, but he chose to accompany it with a real work ethic. His second, third and fourth books built and built until the release of the next one was an event to be anticipated. (And right there is my only complaint: Reich doesn’t write fast enough.)

His fifth book The Patriot's Club was a real achievement. It was a slam-dunk winner of the International Thriller Writer’s first annual Best Novel award. Awards are often awkward. There’s usually a measure of grumbling, because often people don’t agree with the choice of winner. But not a word was heard against "The Patriot’s Club." In fact nothing was heard, because the applause was too loud.

So I was really looking forward to Rules of Deception. I got an advance copy. I cracked it open. I started reading. Mostly I read like any other reader, but a small part of me reads like a writer. I think all writers experience the same thing. We sense things between the lines, especially energy and inspiration.

And ambition.

Rules of Deception starts with a short prologue, and then the first chapter introduces Jonathan Ransom, the main character. Two pages, and then nine pages. The prologue is a teaser. It baits the hook. It’s a two-page masterpiece. It’s intriguing, and then it’s really intriguing. It promises big things ahead. Then chapter one introduces the guy who’s going to have to deal with them. And why, indirectly.

Eleven pages. The reader in me wanted to race ahead. But the writer in me had to pause a moment. Because between the lines I was sensing something. Maybe because it’s an Olympic year I can only explain it like this: picture the high jump event. Six competitors are still in. Then five, then four. Then three. Then the gold, the silver, and the bronze are settled. But the rules of track and field allow the winner to go on. The bar is raised. A personal best. The Olympic record. The bar is raised again. World record height. The stadium goes quiet. The jumper stills himself on the runway. Intense concentration. The gold medal is already in the bag. Uncharted territory. The jumper rocks from foot to foot, his mind on nothing except jumping higher than he has ever jumped before.

That’s exactly the between-the-lines feeling I was getting from Reich, eleven pages into Rules of Deception - a world-class writer preparing to accomplish something truly noteworthy.

There are a further 377 pages. They live up to the promise.

--Lee Child

Great Books of 2008

2008-07-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

I was Reading Rachel's Blog at Changing Hands and saw that she had posted a list of the Top 5 Books to Reread and Rediscover and while I agreed with some of her selection (see below) I just had to add a few.

From Rachel:

1. The Stand, Stephen King
2. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
3. Swan Song, Robert McCammon
4. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
5. Sunshine, Robin McKinley

While this is a good list I would have to add Charlaine Harris's Sookie Series and Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking and two authors I recently discovered who were an absolute treat:
Rachel Caine and John Levitt

Rachel Caine is the author of the YA Morganville Vampire series but it was her Weather Warden series that caught my fancy.
The first in series is Ill Wind. Meet Weather Warden, Joanne Baldwin. Usually all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now Joanne is trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life ...

Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful Warden of them all. Unfortunately, he's also on the run from the World Council. It seems he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn -- making him the most wanted man on earth. And without Lewis, Joanne's chances of surviving are as good as a snowball in -- well, a place she may soon be headed. So she and her classic Mustang are racing hard to find him because there's some bad weather closing in fast ..

This series is fresh, fun and magical Be warned, there is a slow part in the middle of book one but if you hang on until David makes his entrance it's all up from there. I devoured this series in less than a week...

John Levitt has written two so far in a wonderful urban series featuring Mason, a magical musician and member of San Francisco's self-appointed "enforcer" group.

"Jazz, scotch, and dark magic, it's all waiting around every unfamiliar corner and at the end of every shadowed alley in a world that has both bark and bite. The supernatural lives, breathes, and slithers in a San Francisco where the dog days don't just get you down; they eat you alive."
-- Rob Thurman, author of Nightlife and Moonshine

Dog Days is the first in this urban fantasy series-with a bite as magical as its bark.
Mason used to be an enforcer, ensuring that suspect magic practitioners stayed in line. But now he scrapes out a living playing guitar. Good thing he has Louie, his magical...well, let's call him a dog. But there are some kinds of evil that even Louie can't sniff out. And when Mason is attacked by a supernatural assailant, he'll have to fall back on the one skill he's mastered in music and magic-improvisation.

New Tricks continues Mason's story
Former enforcer Mason would normally be concerned with finding ghosts and vampires stalking the Castro section of San Francisco. Fortunately, Halloween provides the perfect explanation for the abundance of ghouls. But someone is trying to possess his old flame, Sarah. Now, with the help of his magical dog Louie, Mason must uncover the black magician responsible.

Perks of Being a Wallflower

2008-06-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know how a book can escape someone for ten years...A wonderful story that gets overlooked. A thought provoking tale that resonates with you long after you've read the last line and closed the cover...

I just read one of those. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."

"We accept the love we think we deserve."
"I remembered this one time that I never told anyone about. The time we were walking. Just the three of us. And I was in the middle. I don’t remember where and I don't remember when. I don't even remember the season. I just remember walking between them and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere.
... And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
"I just wish that God or my parents or Sam or my sister or someone would just tell me what's wrong with me. Just tell me how to be different in a way that makes sense. To make this all go away. And disappear. I know that's wrong because it's my responsibility, and I know that things get worse before they get better because that's what my psychiatrist says, but this is a worse that feels too big. "

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why."

Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Chops"
because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door
and read it to his aunts
That was the year that Father Tracy
took all the kids to the zoo
And he let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born
with tiny toenails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the girl around the corner sent him a
valentine signed with a row of X's
and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it

Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn"
because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because of its new paint
And the kids told him
that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
And sometimes they would burn holes
That was the year his sister got glasses
with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed
when he asked her to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why
his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never tucked him in bed at night
And his father got mad
when he cried for him to do it.

Once on a paper torn from his notebook
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Innocence: A Question"
because that was the question about his girl
And that's what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A
and a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end
of the Apostle's Creed went
And he caught his sister making out on the back porch
And his mother and father never kissed
or even talked
And the girl around the corner
wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her
but he kissed her anyway
because that was the thing to do
And at three A.M. he tucked himself into bed
his father snoring soundly

That's why on the back of a brown paper bag
he tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A
and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door
because this time he didn't think
he could reach the kitchen.

"It’s like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means you’re happy, too.
I just remember what made me think of all this. I’m going to write it down because maybe if I do I won’t have to think about it. And I won’t get upset. But the thing is that I can hear Sam and Craig having sex, and for the first time in my life, I understand the end of that poem.
And I never wanted to. You have to believe me.
Love Always, Charlie."

Fans of Stephenie Meyer, I have a new author for you who is even better.

2008-06-25T00:16:00.000-07:00

Meet Susan Hubbard, author of a new vampire series, The Society of S .
"If you ever want to hide from the world, live in a small city, where everyone seems anonymous." That's the advice of 12-year-old Ariella Montero, who lives with her father in Saratoga Springs, NY, in a house haunted more by secrets than by memories. THE SOCIETY OF S traces her journey south, to Asheville and Savannah, and on to Florida, as she learns that everything she knows about her family is a lie.

Set in Saratoga Springs, Savannah, and Homosassa Springs, FL, THE SOCIETY OF S traces a year in the education of thirteen-year-old Ariella Montero. Under the influence of Keats, Bertrand Russell, T.S. Eliot, and Jack Kerouac, Ari learns that she isn't "normal," and that sometimes the only way to find home is by running away.

Learn more about Ariella and the Society of S here.

THE YEAR OF DISAPPEARANCES ($25 Signed) continues the most surprising vampire story you'll ever read.

Ariella Montero is no stranger to the dark side of life. Half-human, half-vampire, she spent her first thirteen years in exile from both societies.

When her best friend was murdered, Ari ran away to begin a new life in Florida. But, one by one, the people and things she cares most about keep disappearing. And Ari may be next.

She can hypnotize, read minds, and make herself invisible, but can she escape her stalkers?  Ari's special talents are severely tested as she moves on—from a vampire community in the Sunshine State to college in Georgia to the primeval maze of the Okefenokee Swamp. In contending with the politics of vampire and human cultures, Ari comes face to face with the zombies that are infiltrating America, as well as the demons and shadows that haunt us all.

REVIEWS:

"…the year's most intriguing fiction debut to date." --The Ft. Myers News-Press "...this beautifully written literary novel works as a touching coming-of-age story about a child in search of her missing mother." --The Sacramento Bee

"Award-winning author Susan Hubbard explores a strange, dark world…." --The Tucson Citizen

"Hubbard (Walking on Ice) delineates Ari's world of innocent and uncertain adolescence with uncommon poignance and forgoes sensationalism for sensitivity..." --Publishers Weekly

"Florida author Hubbard offers a surprising twist on this trend: a vampire tale that reads more like a subtle family drama." --The Arizona Republic

"A triumph of modern gothic storytelling. The Society of S is the most unusual coming of age story you'll ever read." --Carolyn Parkhurst, author of The Dogs of Babel

Stephen King calls Meg Gardiner "the next suspense superstar"

2008-06-16T14:59:00.001-07:00

Recently Stephen King devoted an entire Entertainment Weekly
column to Meg Gardiner, proclaiming her "as good as Michael Connelly and far better than Janet Evanovich." How is it possible, he wondered, that this Californian was published only in Britain? Starting now, suspense fans on this side of the pond can get their fix right here: Dutton is proud to introduce Gardiner's brand-new series heroine, Jo Beckett, in The Dirty Secrets Club.

An ongoing string of high-profile and very public murder-suicides has San Francisco even more rattled than a string of recent earthquakes: A flamboyant fashion designer burns to death, clutching the body of his murdered lover. A superstar 49er jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge. And most shocking of all, a U.S. attorney launches her BMW off a highway overpass, killing herself and three others.

Enter forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett, hired by the SFPD to cut open not the victim's body but the victim's life. Jo's job is to complete the psychological autopsy, shedding light on the circumstances of any equivocal death. Soon she makes a shocking discovery: All the suicides belonged to something called the Dirty Secrets Club, a group of A-listers with nothing but money and plenty to hide. As the deaths continue, Jo delves into the disturbing motives behind this shadowy group—until she receives a letter containing a dark secret Jo thought she'd left deep in her past, and ending with the most chilling words of all: "Welcome to the Dirty Secrets Club."
Stephen King - If you read Sue Grafton, Lee Child, Janet Evanovich, Michael Connelly, or Nelson DeMille, you're going to think Meg Gardiner is a gift from heaven....the next suspense superstar. Last November I had to do a book tour in England, which I looked forward to with the enthusiasm I have for emergency root canals. For an airplane read, I pulled China Lake, the first of Meg Gardiner's Evan Delaney series, from the Someday Bookcase. It was the first book I saw by my own U.K. publisher there (yes, Uncle Stevie can brown-nose with the best of them). And the type was big. That was the true deciding factor.

I barely noticed the plane ride (save that one patch of turbulence when I was convinced, as always, that death was approximately three minutes away). China Lake had me from page 1, on which a vicious religious cult called the Remnant pickets a funeral with charming signs reading ''God Hates Sluts'' and ''AIDS Cures Whores.'' Seven hours and 470 pages later I landed in England, convinced I had found the next suspense superstar. This book had everything. It came complete with an ultra-tough SoCal heroine (think Kinsey Millhone, only punk rock and in combat boots) and a climax which involves defusing a ticking time bomb and a stampeding brush fire. Entertainment Weekly

The Pop of King: The Secret Gardiner
Learn More About Meg

You can meet Author Meg Gardiner June 18 at 7 PM at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore

The Gone-Away World is smart and funny

2008-06-10T00:10:00.000-07:00

There’s a book coming out that everyone is going to be talking about, a book that has the 20-somethings inspired. This book is Nick Harkaway’s Gone Away World. Don't miss your chance to get a signed copy of this debut.

Who is this young Cornwall lad? He is the son of English writer John le Carré.
“There were whispers of nepotism when this debut novel by John le Carré's son was bought for a reputed £300,000 last year. But on reading this magnificent, sprawling, epic work, it's clear it was published on its own merits, and is probably worth considerably more than the amount Heinemann paid for it.
With the right wind behind it, The Gone-Away World could easily become a modern classic. Its scope and ambition are extraordinary, its execution is often breathtaking, and its style is by turns hilarious, outrageous, devastating, hip and profound”
Doug Johnstone, The Independent
“To the seasoned sci-fi fan, there are strong echoes of almost every great work, from Forbidden Planet (monsters from the Id) to Patrick Stewart's existentialist interpretation of the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek. But it would be wrong to think that this is not an original book, since Harkaway takes all of these references and makes them his own.”
The Times review by Sarah Vine

A sprawling, highly gratifying read, exploring the fascinating historical episodes of the narrator with each chapter, delivering truths and real incite where most would be content to deliver one-liners and fluff. Not only this, the book provides sideways glances at society, literary flourishes, a catalogue of characterizations any author would be proud to call their own, and a finely structured story which necessitates the rather plump size of the title.

“It's the sort of book which I've no doubt, in university terms to come, will be pawed by awe-inspired English students. It has it's minor annoyances for me, but I'm pretty sure there'll be no greater début, or a more confidently ambitious book this year. 'More than anything, I wanted this book to be fun', says Harkaway on the book's website. Well I'd like to tell him, he's done that, and a fair bit more.”

A wildly entertaining debut novel, introducing a bold new voice that combines antic humor with a stunning futuristic vision to give us an electrifyingly original tale of love, friendship and the apocalypse.”

“Equal parts raucous adventure, comic odyssey, geek nirvana and ultracool epic, The Gone-Away World is a story of—among other things—pirates, war, mimes, greed and ninjas. But it is also the story of a world, not unlike our own, in desperate need of heroes—however unlikely they may seem.”

Visit the Official Website. Or you can visit Nick here.

Three Supernatural Stories

2008-06-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

Natasha Mostert’s SEASON OF THE WITCH is an excellently written spellbinding tale of magic. Gabriel Blackstone is a thief hired to find information when a client's son goes missing. The son's last known companions are two beautiful sisters…

Don't miss this eerie book which earned a starred Review from Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. This and seduction from Mostert (Windwalker) shows that the unfettered pursuit of arcane enlightenment can sometimes come at too high a price. William Whittington, a terminally ill London investment banker, hires Gabriel Blackstone, a rakish "information broker," to find Robert, his missing 21-year-old son. Whittington's wife, who happens to be Blackstone's ex-girlfriend, knows Blackstone once belonged to an organization, Eyestorm, that used psychic methods to find missing objects and persons. When Blackstone draws on his remote viewing powers ("slamming the ride"), he discovers that Robert was murdered by one of two sisters—raven-haired Morrighan or flame-haired Minnaloushe Monk, direct descendants of Elizabethan occultist John Dee, who dabble in alchemy and the "Art of Memory." As Blackstone woos the suspects to discover which one is guilty, he falls desperately in love. Mostert, a South African writer now living in London, has produced a feverish tale that's goth SF at its finest. "

Or check out PERSONAL DEMON, Kelley Armstrong’s latest entry in her Women of the Otherworld series. This is one of Kelly's stronger ones as she takes on the voice of Hope Adams, tabloid reporter /part chaos demon. In Personal Demaon the Cortez Cabal is once again at risk. Armstrong’s fans should be sure not to miss this one.
“A page-turning thriller. Fans of the paranormal will delight in the eighth Women of the Underworld yarn, with its ass-kicking, Bollywoodbeautiful, former-socialite heroine and full complement of sorcerers, witches, werewolves, and other paranormal beings.”—Booklist

Or try Thomas E. Sniegoski, novelist, comic book writer and pop culture journalist's first novel. A KISS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE. Boston private eye Remy Chandler is an angel turned private eye, living among humans on earth. Remy’s beloved wife is dying in a nursing home, but she can’t achieve her natural end because The Angel of Death has gone missing.

From the book:
"Boston P.I. Remy Chandler has many talents. He can will himself invisible, he can speak and understand any foreign language (including the language of animals), and if he listens carefully, he can hear thoughts.
Unusual, to say the least—for an ordinary man. But Remy is no ordinary man—he’s an angel. Generations ago, he chose to renounce heaven and live on Earth. He’s found a place among us ordinary humans; friendship, a job he’s good at—and love.
Now he is being drawn into a case with strong ties to his angelic past. The Angel of Death has gone missing—and Remy’s former colleagues have come to him for help. But what at first seems to be about tracing a missing person turns out to involve much more—a conspiracy that has as its goal the destruction of the human race.
And only Remy Chandler, formerly known as the angel Remiel can stop it."

“A hard-boiled noir fantasy by turns funny, unsettling, and heartbreaking. This is the story Sniegoski was born to write, and a character I can’t wait to see again.”
—Christopher Golden, bestselling author of The Boys Are Back in Town

From Kim Harrison

2008-05-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Kim Harrison's favorite book of ALL time: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Can’t wait to read the sequel – Farewell Summer!

"Ray Bradbury's moving recollection of a vanished golden era remains one of his most enchanting novels. Dandelion Wine stands out in the Bradbury literary canon as the author's most deeply personal work, a semi-autobiographical recollection of a magical small-town summer in 1928.

Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always. But as young Douglas is about to discover, summer can be more than the repetition of established rituals whose mystical power holds time at bay. It can be a best friend moving away, a human time machine who can transport you back to the Civil War, or a sideshow automaton able to glimpse the bittersweet future.

Come and savor Ray Bradbury's priceless distillation of all that is eternal about boyhood and summer."

To read an excerpt Click Here

The Book That Made Me a Reader

2008-05-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Michael Connelly’s favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960.
“Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.”

"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out."

School's out for Summer - Moms what are you going to do?

2008-05-28T00:14:00.000-07:00

Stuck for summer activities? Reading a good book is a wonderful way to keep your kids occupied and here at The Poisoned Pen we have lots of Young Adult series just waiting for you.
First on the list is James Patterson's young adult series Maximum Ride
Join Max and the flock as they risk everything to save the world in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson.
Click here to see a trailer

Or jump into The Twilight saga
Stephenie Meyer talks about Eclipse and The Twilight Saga. The fourth installment of the saga, Breaking Dawn, goes on sale August 2, 2008!
The Twilight movie is now shooting in Portland, OR!

Meet Susan Hubbard, author of a new vampire series, The Society of S.

"If you ever want to hide from the world, live in a small city, where everyone seems anonymous." That's the advice of 12-year-old Ariella Montero, who lives with her father in Saratoga Springs, NY, in a house haunted more by secrets than by memories. THE SOCIETY OF S traces her journey south, to Asheville and Savannah, and on to Florida, as she learns that everything she knows about her family is a lie.

Set in Saratoga Springs, Savannah, and Homosassa Springs, FL, THE SOCIETY OF S traces a year in the education of thirteen-year-old Ariella Montero. Under the influence of Keats, Bertrand Russell, T.S. Eliot, and Jack Kerouac, Ari learns that she isn't "normal," and that sometimes the only way to find home is by running away.

Learn more about Ariella and the Society of S here.

The eagerly awaited second book of the critically acclaimed trilogy! D. M.Cornish, Monster Blood Tattoo, Book Two: Lamplighter is here.

Orphan Rossamünd Bookchild has been sworn into the Emperor’s service—his duty is to light the lamps along the Emperor’s highways and protect travelers from the ferocious bogles that live in the wild. But he’s found it no easier to fit in with the lamplighters than he did with the foundlings—always too small and too meek—and his loneliness continues no matter how hard he tries to succeed.

But when a haughty young girl, a member of a suspiciously regarded society of all-women teratologists— monster hunters—is forced upon the lamplighters for training, Rossamünd is no longer the most despised soul around. As Rossamünd begins to make new friends in the dangerous world of the Half-Continent, he also seems to make more enemies, finding himself pushed toward a destiny that he could never have imagined.
Click here to visit the official site.

Stephen King's Pick

2008-05-27T11:51:00.001-07:00

Stephen is reading: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (By David Wroblewski) A meaty family melodrama forthcoming from Ecco Press this fall. It's got that Thousand Acres/Jane Smiley vibe.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle explores the deep and ancient alliance between humans and dogs, and the power of fate through one boy’s epic journey into the wild.

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar’s lifelong companion. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar’s uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelle’s once-peaceful home. When Edgar’s father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm–and into Edgar’s mother’s affections.
Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father’s death, but his plan backfires, spectacularly. Edgar flees into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm. He comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him. But his need to face his father’s murderer, and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs, turn Edgar ever homeward.

Wroblewski is a master storyteller, and his breathtaking scenes–the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a ghost made of falling rain–create a family saga that is at once a brilliantly inventive retelling of Hamlet, an exploration of the limits of language, and a compulsively readable modern classic.

Charlaine Harris reviews Charlie Huston

2008-05-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Charlie Huston’s Already Dead: A NOVEL is a hard-boiled detective book that happens to be about a vampire. This tough-guy novel is reminiscent of Andrew Vachhs’s Burke novels and Jon Merz’s Enforcer books, though it’s Huston’s own unique creation. Joe Pitt, trying hard not to be affiliated with any of New York’s very territorial vampire gangs, is treading a fine line between them; employed by at least two gangs for strong-arm work, he is protected by neither.

What are some of Joe Pitt’s activities? Well, he tracks and kills zombies, finds missing heiresses, and admires a bartender named Evie, who is infected with the HIV virus. Evie doesn’t know Joe Pitt’s true nature, and naturally assumes she can infect him with the virus if they have sex. So it’s not your regular hard-boiled detective novel relationship.

Usually, novels written in the present tense really irritate me, and unconventional punctuation does, too. Charlie Huston is such a good writer that I don’t mind the way he constructed this book. HALF PAST DEAD would be a special treat for readers who specialize in books about New York, because it draws completely on the city for its ambience. There’s even a vampire street gang map of Manhattan, which is just a great idea; I wish I had it in poster form. I’d like to point out that I visit New York as seldom as possible, and I loved this book, anyway. It’s well worth a walk on the hard-boiled side.

Need a New Cozy

2008-05-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

Try A Slice of Murder ($22 Kensington) is the first in a new series from author Tim Myers as Chris Cavender, aka Elizabeth Bright of the Card-Making Mysteries and Melissa Glazer of the Clay and Crime mysteries. If you haven’t discovered these then you are in for a treat!

"Not too much happens in the sleepy little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina - which is fine with pizza-purveyor extraordinaire Eleanor Swift. The spunky owner of A Slice of Delight is trying to mend her broken heart and could use a little quiet time. But when a late night delivery customer turns up dead, she's in for just the opposite in this delicious mystery series debut, featuring pizza as the prima character...Eleanor figures somebody must have been really mad at Richard Olsen to bury that kitchen knife in his chest. But when Kevin Hurley - her ex-boyfriend and Timber Ridge's police chief - starts eyeing her as a prime suspect, Eleanor knows she better get to the bottom of things before the gossipy townspeople decide to stop ordering her specialty pies. With her sassy and occasionally married sister Maddy by her side, Eleanor finds the list of suspects begins to outnumber the ingredients on the Slice's famed Smorgasbord Special pizza. Like Richard's eccentric sister, who appears out of nowhere to learn she's the heir to $100 grand...in what looks like dirty money. Richard worked for a shredding business - and it seems he read before he shred, and very well could've been a blackmailer. What about Richard's boss, who now stands to lose his shredding company? And then there's that steamy scented letter from none other than the mayor's wife. But when someone takes a shot at Eleanor on a late-night delivery run, she and Maddy know time is running out. To find the killer - and keep the pizzas rolling out of A Slice of Delight's ovens - she'll need to put it all one the line and hope that her search for the truth doesn't end in an unmarked grave..."

I really enjoyed spunky Eleanor and her gutsy, smart-mouthed sister Maddy. They filled the pages with snappy dialog in this fun, lively paced mystery. If you are a fan of Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke or Laura Childs then this story is sure to please.

And you can meet this author at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore on Wednesday, July 29 at 7 pm where we are hosting his book launch for A Slice of Murder. Don’t miss this fun event with pizza, prizes and fun!

Future of the Printed Word

2008-05-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

For hundreds of years people have documented their existence, passing on messages, history, and ideas through print form. Now the crumbling economy is threatening to make printed news a thing of the past...

Just recently the New York Times announced that they are facing dire circumstances and "that it is possible that The Times and other newspapers will have to move to digital-only distribution."(read story)

Closer to home the Tucson Citizen has announced they will close the Tucson Citizen on March 21 if it can’t find a buyer. (read story)

Other papers are taking desperate measures and have been forced to cut staff and popular sections.

The Washington Post is ending regular publication of its weekly Book World section, eliminating one of the few stand-alone book review sections left among daily newspapers. (read story)

"Whether or not print dies, its business model will", says Jeff Jarvis, Buzzmachine.com. "Physical wares—newspapers, books, magazines, discs—will no longer be the primary or most profitable means of delivering and interacting with media: news, fact, entertainment, or education."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has now gone out on a limb and made some pretty bold predictions in a recent discussion with Washington Post editors, the biggest of which, by far, is his proclamation that he thinks there'll be "no media consumption left in 10 years that is not delivered over an IP network." So as not to leave any doubt about that, he also went to further clarify that means there "will be no newspapers, no magazines that are delivered in paper form. Everything gets delivered in an electronic form." (read story)

So what does this mean for the Book World?

We know publishers have been forced to cut cost by shortening tours, buying less manuscripts, and spending less on publicity. Which interprets to bookstores as fewer events, fewer posters, fewer books, and few sales. If bookstores all are to survive, they need customers who don't define themselves as customers simply by reading newsletters or attending programs, but by taking it a step further and buying books.

"The other day as a luncheon speaker I sat down by a man, a familiar face, who said he was a Poisoned Pen customer. And he said, I've just read a good book. In fact, I've read 100 books lately. Wonderful I said. And he said, Yes, all on my kindle.

And I said, Then you will be okay when we close the store. And he said, Why would you do that? Close the store? How will I know what to read?

Retail businesses need to sell product, not just services. We are not public institutions or free information providers. No bail out is likely to come our way. It's important to make this decision now when it counts and to stick to it.

Stuart Evers of the guardian.co.uk, said it best in his moving story titled "Murder One closing: did we commit this crime? The loss of one of Charing Cross Road's best bookshops is as much down to customer neglect as the economic climate. (read story)

Some are fighting for what they hold dear. More than 100 writers have banded together asking The Washington Post not to shut down its stand-alone Sunday Book World section. (read story)

Are we entering an era in which magazines and books will be reduced to flickering video displays? Will this be a brave new world or a step back into the dark ages? I for one do not want to give up the comfort of curling up with a good book. Yes, for the moment I am safely surrounded a surplus of "to read" books and I take comfort in having a choice at the ready.

When Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co announced a freeze on the purchase of most new manuscripts (story here) and Harper Collins and Pearson, parent company of Penguin Group (USA), announced they were freezing wages and considering layoffs (story here), we knew times were tough.

The bad economy has hurt us all and unfortunately another bookseller has been forced to close...
Stacey's Bookstore, the iconic San Francisco shop that called Market Street home for all of its 85 years and had carved out a niche for technical publications, announced Tuesday evening that it would close in March. (read story) And Murder One, One of the most famous bookshops on London's Charing Cross Road will close within weeks following declining sales brought on by the credit crisis. (story here)

And this morning David Fulmer wrote saying that, "Yesterday brought the announcement that the entire staff of the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta was laid off. It appears that this is terminal. In addition to the site of dozens of A-List author events every year, the literature center at the MMH hosted writing classes and workshops for adultsand writing camps for kids, including my Fiction Shops. I'm working on a way to keep the classes going elsewhere, but the loss of this facility and its programs is a blow to the book community in this part of the world."

We are feeling the ripples at the Poisoned Pen with fewer ARCs, posters and author tours. This morning Harper Collins wrote to say they had to shorten some of their author's tours and drop several cities, Scottsdale being one.

The New York Times has announced that they are facing dire circumstances and "that it is possible that The Times and other newspapers will have to move to digital-only distribution."(read story)
For the past five hundred years, humans have used print to archive ideas. So what’s next in the life and future of books and just what would a post-book world be like? Will we be doomed to a electronic future?

Recommendation from Neil Gaiman

2008-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother X (Tor $18). "A wonderful, important book…I’d recommend Little Brother over pretty much any book I’ve read this year, and I’d want to get it into the hands of as many smart thirteen-year-olds, male and female, as I can. Because I think it’ll change lives. Because some kids, maybe just a few, won’t be the same after they’ve read it. Maybe they’ll change politically, maybe technologically. Maybe it’ll just be the first book they loved or that spoke to their inner geek. Maybe they’ll want to argue about it and disagree with it. Maybe they’ll want to open their computer and see what’s in there. I don’t know. It made me want to be thirteen again right now, and reading it for the first time." —Neil Gaiman

Picked up by Crime Always Pays!

2008-03-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Monday Review

It’s Monday, they’re reviews, to wit: “Tough, ironically self-aware, loyal, Ed [Loy] is the perfect Chandleresque hero. But the book’s various twists, including rumours of Catholic abuse at a now-closed home for boys, wrap themselves around a dense core of Irish authenticity, all the voices pitch-perfect, all the developments dark,” says P.G. Koch at the Houston Chronicle of THE DYING BREED (aka THE PRICE OF BLOOD). Here at CAP, some chancing wastrel called Declan Burke agrees: “THE DYING BREED is a complex, labyrinthine, gritty, coarse (and, yes, bloody) novel that exudes a brash confidence and an ambition that lies beyond its grasp – a description, it should be said, that could easily be applied to the nation that spawned the novel.” As does Diana Pinckley at the Times-Picayune: “THE PRICE OF BLOOD is violent yet compelling. If it’s Irish action you want, pick up this book and you’ll be off to the races.” Then there’s Answer Girl’s hup-ya: “What [Loy] finds is a horrifying tangle of lies, abuse and perversion that owes a bit to Webster’s THE DUCHESS OF MALFI. Very well done, as disturbing as anything I’ve read in a while, and appropriate to St. Patrick’s Day only in making me feel I needed a drink after.” As for Entertainment Weekly: “PI Ed Loy fancies himself a Dashiell Hammett throwback (picture Bogart with a brogue) … Since Declan Hughes suggests in THE PRICE OF BLOOD that those who remember Irish history are often doomed to repeat it, it’s no wonder his Dubliners are always after a drink: In Ireland, forgetfulness begets prosperity. B+,” says Jake Tracer. Onwards to Brian McGilloway’s latest: “If you like the books of Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson or other police procedurals, you’ll want to pick up the book BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway … I’ve just finished the advance reading copy of the second book in the series (coming in April) called GALLOW’S LANE. It’s just as good, if better not than the first book,” says
Rosalyn at The Dewey Divas and the Dudes. A couple of early reviews for Derek Landy’s follow-up to SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT, PLAYING WITH FIRE: “It’s a wild supernatural romp with vampires, skeletons, monsters, giant spiders, and other seriously creepy creatures. There’s plenty of action (it’s almost movie script-like in its pace) to keep even the most reluctant reader interested, but my favourite part was the snappy dialogue. Skulduggery is sarcastic, clever, and funny, which I suppose is an appropriate tone for a skeleton detective,” says Jenny at Insert Clever Title Here. Staying with Landy, The Siblings Scarington couldn’t really be more positive: “Landy’s strengths from the first book are back, and perfected. The pacing is spot on. There are no wasted scenes, and the book never loses steam … you’ll find yourself barrelling through the book because the action just never stops … Superior in every way to the first, SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT: PLAYING WITH FIRE is a thrill ride of excitement that never lets up and will capture a child’s imagination with its tale of danger and suspense!” Boo-ya! Meanwhile, back at Ronan O’Brien’s ranch-shaped interweb yokeybus: “CONFESSIONS OF A FALLEN ANGEL is a fresh, highly original debut by a writer not afraid to take on the bigger issues of life. Fate and love in their many guises stalk these pages, as well as a man who, like the hero in a Greek tragedy, rails against the destiny mapped out to him, trying only to safeguard what he holds dear. It will grip you from the first paragraph,” says Maggie O’Farrell … A quick couple of big-ups for Catherine O’Flynn’s debut: “If there is criticism to be made of WHAT WAS LOST, it’s that the storylines are too swiftly and neatly wrapped up in the conclusion … But for a debut novel, WHAT WAS LOST is amazingly accomplished,” says Pete Carvill of 3AM Magazine. The outrageously suave Suave Harv agrees: “I thoroughly enjoyed Catherine O’Flynn’s WHAT WAS LOST. One of the best new novels I’ve read for quite a while. Splendid stuff.” They’re still coming in for Benny Blanco: “Black (pseudonym of Booker Prize–winner John Banville) is a fine writer, reminiscent of P.D. James in his care for language and his emphasis on psychologically complex characters … Black weaves his characters through a neat and original plot that descends into the dark depths of Quirke's family history and rises to the highest ranks of the Catholic church,” says Paul at The Journal of a Good Life about CHRISTINE FALLS. Of Books and Bicycles likes THE SILVER SWAN: “I enjoyed the book for its plot, but even more so for the relationships the novel describes; as happens in some of the other crime novels I’ve read, the crime seems almost like an excuse to throw some characters together in difficult circumstances to see how they behave themselves.” Back to Rosalyn at The Dewey Divas and the Dudes for her verdict on Cora Harrison’s debut: “If you like historical mysteries, you’ll love MY LADY JUDGE, the first book in a new series by Cora Harrison set in the 16th century in the remote region of Ireland called The Burren. Fans of Peter Tremayne’s Sister Fidelma series will enjoy …” Apis Mellifica likes Gerard Donovan’s JULIUS WINSOME: “Is this a descent into madness or a reasoned response to calculated conspiracy involving his former lover? In its neatness, the ending disappoints, but the journey there is a wild ride poetically blanketed in the onset of winter’s weather.” Over at Hour, MJ Stone is impressed with Liam Durcan’s debut: “Once I cracked open GARCIA’S HEART, I couldn’t put it down … Durcan’s debut novel was both captivating and eloquent.” Chris at The Book Swede likes DB Shan’s PROCESSION OF THE DEAD: “Written well, funny in places, and a captivating read … This is a good book, and the characterisation was one of the best bits. Sadly, though, there seemed to be a sudden change in many characters attitudes towards the end of the book, but on the whole, I was surprised by just how good this was.” Critical Mick has come out swinging on behalf of IN THE WOODS: “Tana French has put her name to a book worth stealing, and worth fighting over.” Thank you, Mr Mick … A couple of strong reviews for Sam Millar’s latest: “This is a tale of revenge, greed and hate, and Kane is surrounded by people he cannot trust. The writing is bleak and raw, best accompanied by a stiff drink or two. BLOODSTORM does what is says on the cover, and bludgeons you with the grime and fury of an existence you can be relieved is either in fiction, or belongs to somebody else,” says Adrian Magson at Crime Reports in Shots Magazine. Shelley Marsden at The Irish World (no link) agrees: “Brutal language and bleak, darkly comic undercurrents … powerful and unsettling writing, that seeps into your bones like Belfast rain … Recommended reading by the NI Tourist Board this is not, but as a straight-talking crime thriller, it’s at the top ...” They’re still coming in for Eoin Colfer’s ARTEMIS FOWL AND THE LOST COLONY: “I really enjoy [the Artemis Fowl series] because it’s the anti-Potter. It’s a series that’s just as intriguing and well-written as Harry Potter, but without all the baggage that’s been attached to it,” reckons The Pew Reviews. The inevitable Ken Bruen big-up runneth thusly: “The prolific Bruen has three series going: Galway, London and America are the settings. And his Irish gift for words is in full flower, portraying loneliness with a description of Taylor charging his cell phone every day, even though no one ever calls him on it: “Carried it like a sad prayer in my jacket,”” says Diana Pinckley at the Times-Picayune. Over at The Telegraph, Dinah Hall laments Siobhan Dowd’s untimely death: “Siobhan Dowd died shortly after writing her third novel, BOG CHILD, which makes reading it a painful pleasure because you can’t help wondering what other great books might have been … Dowd’s lightness of touch allows humour and poignancy to shine through.” Finally, a couple of hup-yas for Lord John of Connolly: “This glorious novel is built about the Irish author’s love of storytelling and the supernatural … A wonderful book to read aloud to the family or hug to yourself which embraces not just the Celtic tradition but the Brothers Grimm,” says Lorri Amsden at Poisoned Pen Fiction Review of THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS. And over at Entertainment Weekly (via Powell’s Books), they’re impressed with THE UNQUIET: “Gimmicks aside, complex hero Parker is the chief draw in THE UNQUIET – he’s got a revenge-inspired evil streak to him, but metes out justice freely to those who truly deserve it. (Grade: B)”. Erm, Lord John? We know a few elves who merit some justice, if you wouldn’t mind calling around with your velvet cat o’nine tails …

New March Titles

2008-03-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

Wow! This March offers a lot of great books to read. The long awaited The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
In Dead Witch Walking we meet Rachel Morgan a witch and I.S. runner - like an FBI agent but for the paranormal world. My son and I love this series. Kim's books appeal to a very diverse fan base. Just this morning a solder in fatigues was waiting at the door for us to open so he could buy a signed first and find out what Rachel Morgan was up to. Rachel is one of the toughest kick-butt heroines ever written; living in the most fascinating world I have ever read. Thank you, Kim!

Kim's series and Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries are two of my favorites Charlaine's From Dead to Worse will be out in May.

Berkley has just brought Charlaine Harris's beloved Aurora Teagarden mysteries back into print. Cozy-readers, if you missed these you now have a second chance to treat yourself.

In Real Murders we meet Aurora Teagarden, or Roe to her friends, a librarian with an interest in true crime literature and murder. Roe belongs to a small group that meets weekly to discuss real murders. After one of the members is killed, Roe can't help but get involved. A Bone to Pick the second in the series has also been reissued.

I also want to recommend all three of Mario Acevedo's trilogy: The Nymphos of Rocky Flats was voted Westword Best of 200, Best New Book by a Colorado Author.

The opening lines of Mario Acevedo's debut novel The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, ‘I don't like what Operation Iraqi Freedom has done to me. I went to the war a soldier; I came back a vampire.’ describes Felix in a nutshell. Mario has written a modern vampire who isn’t against using technology to get the job done. Felix faces daylight with a liberal dose of SPF 90 sunscreen and had no problem employing guns. This action packed series is full of fun. If you enjoy Christopher Moore, then Mario will be a treat.

White Corridor by Christopher Fowler.
For all you lovers of the British Detective, here comes a story which rivals Full Dark House as being one of the best in the series. Rumored to be the next to last in this well crafted mysteries featuring Arthur Bryant and John May, two of Britain’s oldest detectives, who have been partnered in the London Police Department's Peculiar Crimes Unit for over sixty years.

I made front page of the Wall Street Journal!

2006-06-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

Odd Twist for Hero Of Popular Thrillers: Women Like Him, Too

Jack Reacher Breaks Necks As He Rights Wrongs; Justice and Vicarious Lust

By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG
June 10, 2006; Page A1

Jack Reacher, the tough-minded hero of a series of best-selling noir thrillers, has all the elements that have made this genre so popular among men for decades. He travels the country dispensing his own form of justice, often violently and without remorse. In one book, "Persuader," he leans over a man sitting in front of a computer monitor and snaps his neck. The man "started clawing at my wrists," he says. "I squeezed harder still."

But despite his brutish ways, Reacher is doing something surprising: winning the hearts of many women readers.

Of the 20,000 fans world-wide that have joined the Reacher Creatures fan club, an estimated 65% are female. Lorri Amsden, a saleswoman at the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, Ariz., said that when Lee Child, the author of the Reacher series, gave a reading at the store last month, 100 fans turned out, of which more than half were female -- far more than other thriller writers garner. Karen Corvello, a store manager at R.J. Julia Booksellers, an independent bookstore in Madison, Conn., that caters primarily to women, says she sells at least 60% of Mr. Child's Reacher books to women. "He's getting more popular with each book," she says.

Mr. Child's first nine Reacher novels have sold 10.3 million copies in 39 world markets, earning him an estimated $18 million before taxes and agent fees. His newest novel, "The Hard Way," is a best-seller and he recently signed a new four-book contract.

Booksellers believe Mr. Child may have tapped into the same audience that has devoured romance novels over the past 20 years, a genre that in recent years has increasingly included more violence and suspense. They say the 9/11 terrorist attacks, coupled with the war in Iraq, have changed what women are willing to read.

"This is not a safe, happy time," observes Vivien Jennings, owner of Rainy Day Books in Fairway, Kan. "Women say they want sensitive men, but in a violent time they don't want men taking a pea shooter to a gun fight."

David Thompson, a salesman at Murder by the Book, a specialty mystery bookstore based in Houston, says several writers are now benefiting from women who are embracing more violent thrillers. He cites Barry Eisler, whose main character is a professional assassin, and the books of Harlan Coben, whose latest title, "Promise Me," features a sports agent with a violent psychopathic sidekick.

"We now have as many women buying the thrillers of Lee Child and Barry Eisler as women buying the books of Agatha Christie and P.D. James," says Mr. Thompson.

Women are also showing an appetite for violence on television. Exhibit A: Women make up 60% of the audience for all three series in the highly successful -- and gory -- "CSI" television franchise on CBS, according to the network.

Hollywood has also noticed that women seem more accepting of violence. Earlier this year, for example, Sony Pictures released two horror/thriller films that studio executives say each drew substantial female viewers, "Silent Hill" and "Underworld Evolution." "When the world is more dangerous, the safe scare is even more alluring," says Valerie Van Galder, president of marketing for Sony Corp.'s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group.

Courting Women

Mr. Child's U.S. publisher, Bertelsmann AG's Delacorte Press, has wooed both sexes. Now his publisher in the U.K., Bertelsmann's London-based Transworld Publishers, is openly courting women for the Reacher series. Marianne Velmans, Mr. Child's longtime U.K. editor, says that Transworld has redesigned the covers of Mr. Child's nine earlier novels, deleting the "flashy, metallic script" that looked masculine and chunky and replacing it with typography that Ms. Velmans describes as elegant and inviting. Publishing executives estimate that women typically account for 60% of fiction readers.

Mr. Child, 51 years old, didn't start out planning to write thrillers that attract women. "Trying to understand why Reacher is popular with women has been a 10-year education for me," he says.

Mr. Child originally worked for England's Granada Television for 18 years as a producer. But after returning home from a vacation to Spain in 1995, he learned via his answering machine that he'd been dismissed.

Then middle-aged, with a wife and teenage daughter to support, he vowed to reinvent himself as a thriller writer. He gave himself exactly one year to succeed, since that was the length of his severance package. He assumed the pen name Lee Child -- instead of his given name, James Grant -- because he wanted to start over as somebody else.

Early on, Mr. Child decided to buck the trend of creating a sensitive but dysfunctional character whose personal life was in ruins. Popular mystery writer Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder is an alcoholic who regularly attends AA meetings. Michael Connelly's popular hero Hieronymus Bosch is perennially brooding. "I don't think it's a creative solution to make a guy more and more miserable," says Mr. Child. "Readers would rather read about cheerful normal people, ordinary people in perilous situations."

He also steered away from Robert B. Parker's domesticated Spenser, who has had a steady, psychiatrist girlfriend and prides himself on his gourmet cooking.

Instead, Mr. Child initially wrote three chapters built around the character of Jack Reacher, a literary throwback. He stands 6 foot 5, weighs nearly 250 pounds and never loses a fight. He sleeps with a woman in nearly every book but is always frank about the fact that he will be moving on rather than settling down.

Rae Helmsworth, a real-estate executive with a San Francisco investment-management firm, says she has now read all 10 of Mr. Child's novels. "With Lee you have modern morality tales that have a universal sense of justice," she says. She compares Jack Reacher with Robin Hood and the gunfighter Alan Ladd in the movie "Shane." The violence doesn't bother her because she gets a "vicarious sense of justice being done."

'Greatest Thing in the World'

Deanie Knauth, a homemaker who lives in Florence, Texas, thinks she knows why women like Jack Reacher. "They may not like his love-em-and-leave-em ways, but each woman fantasizes that she could be the one to change him," she says. "Deep down, if he could be changed we wouldn't find him that attractive. But while he's with you it's the greatest thing in the world, better than chocolate ice cream."

Mr. Child bears more than a few similarities to Reacher. He stands 6 foot 4, with a direct gaze and manner. Reacher shows no interest in clothing; Mr. Child on a recent day was dressed in jeans and a denim shirt. Reacher's only personal vanity is a fondness for quality English shoes, an interest shared by Mr. Child, who buys his on London's Jermyn Street.

One of Reacher's most noticeable quirks is his ability to always know what time it is -- to the minute. Mr. Child can do the same, a gift he attributes to his years timing intervals as a television producer.

The typical story arc of a Reacher novel starts out with an inherently unfair situation that Reacher fixes. For example, in his new novel, "The Hard Way," Reacher is originally hired to find a woman and daughter who appear to have been kidnapped. In "One Shot," a man is falsely accused of murder.

This appeals to women readers, Mr. Child believes, who are more offended by injustice. Mr. Child also believes women have a harder time expressing anger in public. If a man is angry he is seen as assertive; a woman, by contrast, is branded as shrill. "They vicariously live out their anger through Reacher's actions on the page," he says.

Even the fact that women know Reacher only stays in town for a week or so works in his favor, says Mr. Child. "Showing up with no baggage and then moving on is a positive thing for women of this generation," he says. "Women are no more inherently faithful than the rest of us ... .They're prevented from acting by real life complications. So you do it in your imagination."

Hello

2006-05-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Reviews from the Underground. Here you will be able to read what I have read and see what I thought about it. I hope to share ideas about specific books and reading generally and to recommend similar books based upon common themes, writing styles, or whatever strikes me as appropriate at the time.

I have had a long love affair with literature and I am a one-book-at-time reader. I prefer to become absorbed in the world I am reading and form a relationship with the characters rather than speed my way through. For me, reading is a form of enjoyment brimming with lessons and experiences to mulled over and the writers work a creation of beauty to be studied: the lyric of the words, the cadence of the voice, the rhythm of the characters, the beauty of the setting.

My main motive in creating this blog is to share with the community of readers and writers the book I have found most enjoyable, thus proving once a book pimp, always a book pimp. I think it must be in my blood. Currently I am a bookseller at The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale AZ. I also write reviews for the monthly publication, The Booknews and I am the fiction reviewer for Leisure Talk Radio.

Opinions are welcome here, and feel free to contact me lorri@poisonedpen.com