The Book Grrl

10 Bestselling Books that Were Later Debunked

2012-01-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

Apart from having one of the most ~~bizarre~~ unique headlines ever, this article provides a list of 10 books that became bestsellers, only to have their authors outed as ~~liars~~ ~~exaggerating the facts~~ not remembering things correctly. Oh, whatever. :)

Here's what the article says, and I quote:

The literary world often ends up painted as some stuffy realm of academics and intellectuals who whittle away their days polishing their monocles and dusting their sepia-toned globes. Meanwhile, in the real world, it’s positively rife with drama to rival that of the latest self-deluded pinheads paraded around on MTV for society’s perverse enjoyment. Scandals abound, including fake identities, fake memories, fake science, thievery, and other schadenfreude delights. And it’s all the more frustrating (and maybe a little entertaining) when one of the contested books lands squarely on a bestseller list.

Really? Okay.

BTW, speaking of interesting facts. Did you know that today is the 125th anniversary of the world's largest snowflake?

I know, because I saw it on the Google search page.

I can think of at least one blogger who might be interested in that bit of trivia. :)

11 Books About Coming of Age

2012-01-24T18:41:00.000-05:00

The headline of this post is actually is a bit misleading, because the real headline of this article says it's about 11 Books to Celebrate on Coming-of-Age Day, whatever that means.

Anyway, here's what the article actually says (word for word):

Remember the day you became an adult? Maybe you walked across a stage and threw your cap in the air, or maybe you strapped on some tefillin and read from the Torah. Maybe you are Mentawaian and got your teeth chiseled. Every second Monday in January, the Japanese celebrate Coming-of-Age Day, when all those who have recently turned 20 drink, party, and go crazy. In honor of the big day, why not drink a toast to your lost youth and think back fondly on it with the help of these excellent coming-of-age books (most of which you can read in a few days or less).

That's it. And then it lists the books with brief descriptions.

Hold on. Which headline is misleading?

PS: The list includes the book shown above, as well as this one ...

This one gets mentioned in this mystery. :)

Between the Covers: Tattered Cover Book Blog

2012-01-21T19:37:00.003-05:00

In Denver, CO, there's an indie bookstore called the Tattered Cover that really has its online act together. Not only does it have a website, complete with an awesome video, but it actually has a blog.

You'll note the blog features the following store links: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, GoodReads and podcasts.

Now, is that impressive or what?

Please note also the good placement of text and graphics, an important aspect of good blogging, in my opinion.

Check out this post, for instance. See how nicely the three books are arranged on the virtual page?

Also, notice the descriptions. Apparently, this store ~~isn't~~ ~~an asshole~~ ~~snob~~ is more open to embracing new authors, regardless of how they got started than certain people I could name.

Well, it threw me for a loop. :)

Good News (I Think) for Indie Booksellers

2012-01-17T20:43:00.000-05:00

There's good news for small retailers, including bookstores. According to this article, consumers are supporting local booksellers and other retailers, due in part to the use of online strategies to compete with you-know-who. Ha ha ha ...

Hey, what did I tell you? :)

Of course, these strategies don't always work out for everyone. Life isn't always fair. And success is never guaranteed, is it? Have I foreshadowed enough? Okay, here's the bottom line.

The last part of the article says:

Yet some small retailers with e-commerce sites say that no matter what consumers say, supersites’ prices are just unmatchable.

Mike Stewart opened Feather & Fly, a sporting-goods store in Chattanooga, Tenn., eight years ago. As online stores started to pull away his customers, Mr. Stewart began selling some products on the Web.

Online, he found, "there’s no way I could compete against a big-box type store that could have massive inventories or cut deals to get better rates," he said.

"We did have good customer loyalty here," said Mr. Stewart, as he boxed up the inventory left over after his going-out-of-business sale, "but the Internet is a killer."

Bummer.

Books and Technology: Who's Being Disingenuous?

2012-01-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

You know, when you're telling a story, it seems to me that it shouldn't matter whether that story is told on a printed page or by way of a digitized file. I realize some people prefer one to the other and that's fine. I'm good with both formats, actually.

Now, creating literature on the other hand would seem to require substantial human input, right?

So, how could anyone say that a bunch of CAPTCHA-created stories could comprise a literary genre? Seriously?

And have you seen the actual story created? Well, here you go. Just click this link.

~~Bizarre~~ Interesting, isn't it? And yet the New York Times Book Review would damn a formerly self-published ebook author with faint praise.

I think what we have here is a bad case of putting the "fart" in art. (via Pretty Feet, Pop Toe) Ha ha ha ...

PS: Speaking of disingenuous, haven't I blogged about this before?

'The Ghosts of Belfast' is Suspenseful and Haunting

2012-01-07T18:00:00.009-05:00

Review: THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST
Author: Stuart Neville (Soho Crime 2009)

~~Ages and ages and ages~~ A little over a year ago, I wrote a review of a novel called COLLUSION by Stuart Neville for Mystery Scene Magazine. I loved it so much, I swore I'd read the book that preceded it, if it was the last thing I ever did.

Fortunately, it hasn't quite come to that. Ha ha ha ...

Anyway, this novel opens with Gerry Fegan getting drunk off his ass, which he does all the time. Fegan is, in point of fact, a stone killer who murdered many people during the The Troubles in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the story takes place (of course). Fegan has served time in the Maze prison and has been released. However, there's a reason Fegan has become a ~~freaking drunk~~ bit of a rummy. He is a man haunted by the ghosts of those he's killed -- the innocents who died by his hand for the causes of others -- other people who must pay the piper.

So ... Fegan goes about ~~whacking~~ seeking retribution from people whose orders he blindly followed. And with each ~~execution~~ retribution, another ghost ~~bites the dust~~ vanishes. Convenient! Well, for a while, anyway. Ha ha ha ...

In any case, Fegan's series of retributions become a thorn in the side of the powers that be. Politicians (new and old guard) and another more mysterious faction (ooh, complicated!) who see his crusade as a threat to the uneasy peace that's been struck in Northern Ireland. Thus, they will do anything to stop him, including terminating Fegan with extreme prejudice.

To do this, the mysterious faction enlists the help of a renegade Scotsman named Campbell, who's about as mean a ~~bastard~~ fellow as Fegan. The two are about equally matched as opposing forces can be. Fegan ends up doing all sorts things to elude/outwit/fight him off. The plot is, needless to say, highly suspenseful and tension-filled. And can get pretty bloody bloody. :)

Thing is Fegan is the one the reader is rooting for, because he's the protagonist. His humanity is best expressed in his relationship with Marie McKenna and her child, Ellen. Marie has been shunned by her family due to her ~~shagging~~ relationship with a British peeler, aka cop. And Ellen is the result of their, um, ~~merger~~ relationship. So Fegan and Marie are naturally drawn to each other like two lost souls grasping for lifelines.

When you come down to it, all the characters have a touch of that humanity to them. That's what raises this story beyond the level of a suspenseful and bloody crime fiction read, to something that resonates with the reader long after you reach the book's stunning climactic bloodbath at the farm I kept reading about in the sequel. Now, I finally know what that was about! :)

And, honestly, who'd have thought a scene with a stone killer, a mother and her child could actually bring a tear to a hardboiled crime writer's eye?

Books to Read Over Winter Break

2011-12-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of winter. It's a great time to stay indoors and read lots of books. This is especially true when it snows. Because I'm not a big fan of snow, at all.

So, here's a list of books you might enjoy reading over the winter. Maybe.

Well, one the books, THE LEFTOVERS, has actually been reviewed on this blog.

What do you know? :)

And I really hate snow.

So, happy holidays. However you choose to celebrate them. And happy reading!

Actual Bookstores are Way Cool

2011-12-20T17:42:00.000-05:00

Credit: AP

You know, I won't deny that I've benefited financially as an author from online sales of my books in electronic format, especially through Amazon. Since Amazon is a mammoth online retailer, what would you expect? Chopped liver?

However, that doesn't mean I agree with the recent article in Slate, that actually argued against supporting local booksellers in favor of Amazon. Seriously? WTF?

Why can't they all co-exist? Real brick and mortar bookstores have their benefits, don't they?

Yes, they do. And this article talks about that.

I urge you to read the whole thing, but the intro will give you the general idea:

On a recent evening in Washington, D.C., Kramerbooks was hopping. Getting inside meant actually shimmying past people who were chatting and poring over the stacks. There’s a restaurant in the back, but on this particular night there was no wait for a table, so it’s safe to say that the vast majority of these people were using Kramerbooks as a place to hang out.

Two doors down, at Beadazzled, a bead and jewelry shop, no such crowd could be found. Both stores are independently owned, well-liked local institutions that have been in D.C. for decades. But Kramerbooks is a hive of ebullient chatter on any given night and Beadazzled isn’t. Why do bookstores so often become magnets for bustling urban activity?

Bookstores enjoy a rare trait: To many, the store itself is seen as at least as important to the community as the product it sells. There are several reasons for this, which is why a Slate story published earlier this week called “Don’t Support Your Local Bookseller” has sparked a small online uprising of indignant bookworms. In the story — so paint-by-numbers counterintuitive that it almost reads as a parody of a Slate piece — Farhad Manjoo argued that people should buy books on Amazon and let independent bookshops wither. “Buying books on Amazon is better for authors, better for the economy, and better for you,” he writes.

Authors and economists can duke it out over the first two claims. But “better for you” is a lot of B.S. if you are lucky enough to live somewhere that has a quality independent bookstore. (And if you live in the suburbs, I bet it’s hard to find a parking spot by your local Barnes & Noble on a Friday night, just as it was at Borders, before bad business decisions pushed it into bankruptcy.) Unlike almost any other kind of retail establishment, bookstores operate as quasi-public neighborhood trusts that give city dwellers more than they receive in return. Like art galleries, they’re a free-of-charge indoor urban venue where you can make yourself comfortable without being expected to eat something, drink something, or even buy something.

This is why the most-loved bookstores tend to hang on: Kramerbooks and Politics & Prose in D.C., The Strand and McNally-Jackson in New York, Skylight and Book Soup in Los Angeles, Tattered Cover in Denver, Book People in Austin, Texas — the list goes on. Their patrons are numerous enough that even if only a fraction of them make a purchase it adds up to a profit. That doesn’t really make them like Whole Foods, as Manjoo suggests. Yes, both Whole Foods and independent bookstores provide a luxury shopping experience, but bookstores provide a cooperative aspect that goes well beyond that. No one goes to Whole Foods just to soak up the atmosphere — everyone’s ultimately there to buy quinoa and ramps. Bookstores, on the other hand, function as communal spaces, which makes them valuable urban amenities.

Nice rebuttal!

Besides (and in my own experience), how are you going to buy a decent espresso (at a place that reminds you of Italy) or get to hear a really great author give a talk before a signing on Amazon? Hmm? :)

20 Essential Books About Special Education

2011-12-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

Once again, I have an article to share with an interesting list of books. In this case, it's a list of books about special education.

I'll just quote a bit from the article to give you an idea, okay?

Special education teachers require a very specific set of skills if they hope to do right by their students. Even the best make mistakes, but opening up to what others have to say and offer grants them an excellent opportunity to learn and forge viable future solutions. That’s why reading proves fundamental when entering the industry. Without the free exchange of ideas and insights, many promising kids and teens with special needs might not receive the educational opportunities that are their right.

Plenty of fantastic reads exist beyond this, of course, so read these selections and use them as an introduction to all the varying perspectives out there. This list strives more for diversity rather than any one facet in particular. Don’t take it personally if a favorite ended up left off. That doesn’t make it a bad book by any means!

Well, of course not. All books are special, right? And somehow this topic reminds me of this heartbreaking movie.

The Berkley Book Corner

2011-12-13T18:27:00.000-05:00

As part of my continuing show of support for indie bookstores, I'm blogging about The Berkley Book Corner, which opened not too long ago.

It should be noted that this bookstore is located in Berkley, Michigan -- not Berkeley, California.

So ... I was trying to find things online that would express the essence of Berkley to readers.

A Google search produced the usual Chamber of Commerce stuff. All well and good, but BOH-ring!

Then, I turned to my old friend Google images. And what did I find?

This cool movie marquee ...

This awesome T-shirt ...

And a photo of Curtis Armstrong ... ?

Turns out that both Curtis Armstrong and Marshall Crenshaw are from Berkley, Michigan.

Now isn't that something?

50 Best Books for American History Buffs

2011-12-10T17:38:00.000-05:00

If you enjoy history, here's a list of books you might like. An article called 50 Best Books for American History Buffs provides a list that runs the gamut from colonial American times onward.

I'll quote the article, word for word:

While a young country in comparison to many others around the globe, the United States nonetheless has a rich and engaging history.

From the early days of settlement on the East Coast, to the wild days of outlaws and Indian wars in the West, from shore to shore, there is plenty to learn about when it comes to studying how our country came to be the nation that it is today.

Isn't that interesting? But wait! There's more.

Best of all, you don't have to major in history to do it. All you need is a passion for history and a few good books.

Here we've compiled a list of just a few of these wonderful books on America's past that offer an education on the complexities of the history of our country you likely didn't even touch upon in your previous history courses.

Yeah, complexities ...

It's All About the Money and Family in 'Steal the Show'

2011-12-06T19:05:00.001-05:00

Review: STEAL THE SHOW (Minotaur Books 2011)
Author: Thomas Kaufman

Willis Gidney isn't your average private eye. For one thing, he was raised in the tender loving care of the Washington, D.C. juvenile justice system. Which is to say, he grew up hard and fast.

Incidentally, Gidney is a white man. For good or ill, race plays a significant role. D.C. has a large black population. And it's juvenile justice system is no exception. So Gidney grew up a minority within that system, as well as one within his own hometown.

He's also unmarried and looking to adopt a daughter who's currently in the ~~clutches~~ care of the D.C. Adoptive Services agency. Her name is Sarah. Well, Gidney calls her Sarah, anyway. Her actual name is Baby Jane Doe or some really institutional "who gives a good crap about you" name.

And wouldn't you know that Gidney's case worker turns out to be the ~~biggest b*tch~~ most ruthless bureaucrat of them all.

So Gidney really needs to get his hands on some moolah big time. To pay his lawyer. So he can grease the legal wheels and adopt this kid.

As a result, Gidney does just about the ~~stupidest~~ most desperate thing you can imagine. He agrees to break into a warehouse and ends up finding a lot of movie pirating equipment.

But he does it for the money, so he can grease the wheels and get the kid, so it's okay, right? No, it's not.

Turns out his client is ~~an asshole~~ a jerk and takes pictures of him breaking into the warehouse. Imagine!

So then the client uses the pictures to force Gidney to work for his father. The client's father, that is. Gidney don't have no daddy, remember? :( Anyhow, Gidney is forced to work for the client's dad, a lobbyist for motion pictures. Don't ask. He needs the money, okay?

Plus, have I mentioned how much I like Gidney? He's really awesome, tough and funny. Plus, Thomas Kaufman writes about D.C. with a style that's wholly his own. He captures the feel of the place perfectly. His prose reflects the hardboiled sensibilities of a modern Raymond Chandler, but does so in a fresh and unique way.

As for the plot, I don't dare tell more for risk of spoilers. Just know that Gidney's girlfriend, Lilly, is an important part of it. Gidney and Lilly share many touching scenes together. (No pun intended. Ha ha ... ) The book also features many other colorful characters, like his clever, albino attorney, various ruthless ganstas and a diva actress who tries to seduce Gidney while impaling his foot with her spike-heeled shoe. Nice! And as is customary for hardboiled mysteries, this one's got twists and turns aplenty.

So ... why is the book called STEAL THE SHOW? Because it involves film piracy. However, the great director Alfred Hitchcock used a plot device called a MacGuffin. It was a thing the characters sought or desired that was used to drive the plot, which could end up being essentially meaningless in the grand scheme. In my opinion, the film piracy in this novel seems like a MacGuffin. This story is really about Gidney's need for money and his desire for a family. This gives the book far more emotional resonance than the average private eye novel. Pretty damned awesome.

PS: How does someone in the trunk of a car survive an accident in which the auto flips over, crashes and burns, then emerge from the trunk without a scratch? I don't think so ...

PPS: It's Hopkins Street, not Hopkins Place. Ahem! :)

Mystery Scene Magazine Review of 'City of Whispers'

2011-12-03T18:58:00.000-05:00

Before the awesome Sara Paretsky (who I've just found out is on Twitter and is a cappuccino drinker -- love it!) and even the amazing Sue Grafton (who I heart so dearly), there was Marcia Muller.

As you can see, Muller endures. CITY OF WHISPERS is her 28th Sharon McCone mystery, and I reviewed it for Mystery Scene Magazine. Here's the link to the review right here.

I love hardboiled mystery writing women. And I love the Internet. :)

Libraries -- I Remember When They Came in Buildings

2011-11-29T18:02:00.000-05:00

You know, when I read this article about the Occupy Wall Street Library, I wondered, "What kind of librarian carts books outside and leaves them for ~~days~~ ~~weeks~~ months at a time under a tent? Seriously?"

So ... the article says (and I quote):

The NYPD raided the Occupy Wall Street camp in Zuccotti Park last night, tossing tents, tarps, pallets, sleeping bags and 5,554 books into dump trucks. This afternoon, the Mayor’s Offices released the photograph embedded above with some welcome news: “Property from #Zuccotti, incl #OWS library, safely stored @ 57th St Sanit Garage; can be picked up Weds.” However, activists reported that books were damaged or lost.

The OWS Library posted this response: “We’re glad to see some books are OK. Now, where are the rest of the books and our shelter and our boxes? Nice try guys, but we won’t be convinced until we actually have all our undamaged property returned to us.”

Hey, stupid. Try not storing things made out of paper outside. Are you real librarians? Didn't they teach you anything about book preservation when you got your library science degrees? The whole idea is to protect books from the elements not expose them to same!

And it's not the cops' job to look after these books. Duh! It's yours. You're the librarians. Dumbass librarians. Apparently.

Tonight ReOccupy Writers will help rebuild the library in a rally in Foley Square. Even though the New York City camp has been cleared, these People’s Libraries are popping up around the country. We are building a list of Digital People’s Libraries, if you want to contribute.

Yeah, I'll get right on that. ~~Dumbasses~~.

The Occupy Wall Street librarians tweeted the eviction all night:

“NYPD destroying american cultural history, they’re destroying the documents, the books, the artwork of an event in our nation’s history …

Right now, the NYPD are throwing over 5,000 books from our library into a dumpster. Will they burn them?”

No, no, no ... cops don't burn books. Firemen burn books, right?

Of course, I also thought librarians protected books from the elements. But, hey, what do I know ...?

Please, Tell Me This is a Big Joke

2011-11-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

That's exactly what I thought when I saw an article with the headline Should YouTube Add a Literature Category?

I was like ... seriously?

Fortunately, it wasn't. Maybe.

The article featured a video called 50 Book Spoilers in 4 Minutes.

The video looked, for all the world, like a big joke.

But then, I read the article.

And here's what it said, word for freaking word (parts bolded by me for emphasis):

Fiction Circus has launched a movement to create a “literature” category on YouTube, hoping to build a new space for authors and readers on the video sharing site. For instance, the 50 Books Spoilers in 4 Minutes video embedded above was put in the “Entertainment” category, despite the fact that it deals with 50 great works of literature.

Check it out: “You will note that while Google has made serious, extremely well-organized attempts to purchase and control all out-of-print literature and create a massive online digital library, they have not bothered to create a ‘literature’ category for YouTube, revealing once again that they would be terrible shepherds for the human inheritance of written knowledge. Perhaps it can be argued that literature is ‘entertainment.’ But aligning literature with ‘entertainment’ is disingenuous. Literature is never merely ‘entertainment.’”

Disingenuous? Hmm ... the last time I checked, that word meant "lacking in candor; also : giving a false appearance of simple, etc., etc. ..." In short, I don't think that word means what you think it means.

In 'Stirred', Jack Daniels Takes the Highway to Hell

2011-11-22T15:48:00.002-05:00

Review: STIRRED (Thomas & Mercer 2011)
Authors: Blake Crouch and J.A. Konrath

STIRRED finds (retired) Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels (formerly) of the Chicago Police Department seated not-so-comfortably in the ER with her significant other, Phin, a bank robber-turned-nice guy. Apparently. Jack is, not to put too fine a point on it, preggers out to here. Eight and half months into pregnancy and suffering from preeclampsia. As in pre-eclampsia. Eclampsia being a condition that could kill her and/or her unborn child. So. Not. Cool.

Mid-examination, Jack learns that a sociopath named Luther Kite -- a man she both hates and fears more than anyone else on earth -- has killed someone in the most spectacular way.

Well, what's a little eclampsia when a maniac is out there, maybe after your ass? Jack hops off the table, pulls her clothes on (maybe), runs out the freaking door and catches a ride with her reluctant chauffeur/business partner Harry McGlade straight to the crime scene.

And learns that Luther left a message inside the body for Jack.

Turns out this message is a clue to the next murder. Because there is a next murder.

It's all part of huge game (involving Dante's Divine Comedy and the nine circles of hell) that Luther's devised for Jack, who's so stubborn/determined/scared/idiotic/take your pick that she just has to be the one to apprehend this man. Even though eclampsia is nothing to sneeze at. It's a freaking serious condition that requires bed rest or you could seriously kill yourself. Honest!

Thing about thrillers is that they are big concept stories. And one concept here is the amazing, sometimes awful capacity for people to survive ordeals.

So as I read this story, I could buy its premise despite its over-the-top quality. I am not a stranger to the concept of ordeals.

In addition, Jack isn't just confronting Luther. She's trying to come to grips with a proposal from Phin. To marry, that is. Jack has all these issues. Control issues. Commitment issues. Independence issues. "Hey, guy. You're not the boss of me." Blah, blah ...

Anyway, Jack's got this alien life form growing inside her and she feels weird about that. At the same time, she feels protective of the unborn child. Plus she loves Phin and doesn't want to lose him. These plotlines create more layers of tension within the story and support the good vs. evil theme of the book.

Besides, Jack is so freaking funny. And she and Harry McGlade get to trade some of the book's best banter.

To put it in a nutshell, Jack must defend herself, her unborn child and her closest friends from her worst nemesis, a man determined to take her straight to hell. Smart, snappy and darkly humorous, STIRRED is a thriller that moves faster than a rifle shot, deftly combining the absurd with the grotesque.

Oh, and did I forget to mention Lucy and Donaldson? Two crippled and mutilated sociopaths bound by the desire to avenge themselves against Jack. They end up insinuating themselves into the story and, inadvertently, into Luther's plans. They're a match truly made in hell. But can two sociopaths find true love?

Is it really a spoiler to say Jack prevails? Even so, the book ends with a twist I never saw coming.

PS: If ebooks came with soundtracks, this song would be most appropriate.

PPS: Harry McGlade wins the award for having the funniest lines ever during a torture scene!

PPPS: Um ... falling down stairs while attached to bar stools and only suffering bumps and bruises? Seriously? :)

PPPPS: This story has a familiar ring. No, er, pun intended.

Parnassus Books Opens in Nashville

2011-11-19T18:45:00.000-05:00

In keeping with my ever-continuing fixation with indie bookstores, here's a post about another one that just opened in Nashville, Tenn.

Parnassus Books already has a website (just click on that link right back there, okay?). And it has a Facebook page. Which I've liked, BTW. Nice going, guys. But I don't see nothing about a blog. What up with that, huh?

Oh, look, here's a New York Times article about the store. Awesome.

And it says:

After a beloved local bookstore closed here last December and another store was lost to the Borders bankruptcy, this city once known as the Athens of the South, ...

rich in cultural tradition and home to Vanderbilt University, ...

became nearly barren of bookstores.

A collective panic set in among Nashville’s reading faithful. But they have found a savior in Ann Patchett, the best-selling novelist who grew up here. On Wednesday, Ms. Patchett, the acclaimed author of “Bel Canto” and “Truth and Beauty,” will open Parnassus Books, an independent bookstore that is the product of six months of breakneck planning and a healthy infusion of cash from its owner.

“I have no interest in retail; I have no interest in opening a bookstore,” Ms. Patchett said, serenely sipping tea during a recent interview at her spacious pink brick house here. “But I also have no interest in living in a city without a bookstore.”

Awesome. Congratulations, Ms. Patchett. For someone with no interest in retail or opening a bookstore, you've taken on quite a commitment. And based on reading the article, you've put a whole sh*tload of work into this.

Plus that must be a quite a "healthy infusion of cash" you've got on hand, but it won't last forever if you spend your time in your pink brick house sipping tea serenely. Consider the example of St. Mark's Bookshop cited within the New York Times article. Getting a rent break is nice, but it won't solve the problem in the long run, will it?

May I make a friendly suggestion? Start a blog to market your bookstore. And try not to take yourself too seriously, okay? :)

As a ~~gimpy~~ self-published author, that's been my approach and it seems to have worked.

Finally, I strongly suggest you take a look at this post and think about it. Because while I agree that it's important for bookstores to serve unique community interests, if you're going to compete with a giant online retailer, you should get your online act together, am I right?

Josh Anderson for The New York Times

Ahh ... that's where you belong. Standing proud in your store. Be a retailer, Ms. Patchett. You can do it. Booksellers are awesome. Go for it!

PS: Did you know that Vanderbilt is one of the world's most expensive universities? I didn't until now. Yikes!

50 Best Books for Journalism Students

2011-11-16T19:20:00.000-05:00

Here's another one of those awesome articles I get now and then. This one is called The 50 Best Books for Journalism Students. Voila!

Hold it. Haven't I blogged about this before?

Weird.

That's right. I blogged about it here. Except it was only 25 novels and they were ~~terrifying~~ terrific.

Do you suppose they're hurting for journalism students?

Can't imagine why ...

The Book Frog: Life After Borders

2011-11-12T16:26:00.002-05:00

Hi there. As part of my continuing quest to show support for bookstores, I thought I'd post about a new indie bookstore that has, in point of fact, risen from the ashes of Borders' destruction. So to speak.

The bookstore is called The Book Frog. As I understand it, the store was founded by a couple of ex-Borders ~~refugees~~ employees. You can find it on Facebook. I like it there. :)

I'm in Maryland and the store is in Harbor City, CA. So I'm pretty much limited to liking it online.

I really do like it, though. Enough to blog about it.

And try to find out some stuff about Harbor City so this post ~~wouldn't be totally boring~~ would be a little bit more lively.

So, I tried to learn something ... anything ... about Harbor City on Google. But all I could find was Chamber of Commerce type stuff. BOH-ring!

Well, I'm way too ~~gimpy~~ ~~lazy~~ busy a blogger to do a lot of work on this, so I turned to Google images. I typed in "Harbor City" and look what I found.

Okay. I think this may actually be a photo of the harbor at Crescent City, CA. But it looked so awesome, I decided, "What the hell. Slap it up there. Maybe they're the same place." Who knows, right?

Then, I found this.

Now, according to Google, this is an actual Harbor City home. So ... if you lived in Harbor City, this could be your home. Or something. Maybe.

But wait! It gets even better. And I swear this actually did come up in my Google images search on Harbor City ...

BTW, did you know that Jennifer Tilly is from Harbor City, CA? That probably explains a lot.

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is Dec. 3

2011-11-08T16:10:00.001-05:00

In my continuing quest to show support for bookstores, I'd like to point out that December 3 is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day.

If you have a Web site or blog, please click the link. You can save one or more of the images there and help spread the word about this, too.

Also, if you have kids, please mark that date on your calendar and take them to the bookstore of your choice.

Try to keep in mind that indie bookstores can use the business right now. More than ever.

Yeah, I know. The sound quality stinks. But the message is clear, right?

Mystery Loves Company (Updated)

2011-11-05T18:08:00.001-04:00

Last week, I wrote a post about booksellers, in which I suggested bookstores use blogs creatively to sell books and other items in order to compete more effectively with big online retailers.

Well, today I appeared at a SinC event with 18 authors (one couldn't make it) at the Howard County Public Library, East Columbia Branch.

And guess who was selling books? That's right. An indie bookseller, Mystery Loves Company.

Now, Mystery Loves Company used to be located in Baltimore (the city) in the Fells Point section -- you've heard of it, right?

Well, times changed and the store decided ~~the city was too expensive~~ ~~filthy~~ ~~crime-ridden~~ it needed a change of scenery.

So, now it's located here.

Pretty awesome, huh?

PS: The store's blog is called Mystery Salon.

UPDATE: Guess what? I got a comment from Kathy Harig, one of the owners of Mystery Loves Company. She wants to ~~kill me~~ make sure I understand the real reasons her husband and she moved the store.

And the real reason is that they decided to move the store to Oxford when they took up residence on the Eastern Shore in 2005 and it became too difficult to keep two stores open. And that's the real reason, okay? And Kathy doesn't want to kill me at all. :)

And the store in Oxford is doing very well and has gotten great support. Awesome!

10 Free Spooky eBook Classics

2011-11-01T15:39:00.000-04:00

Even though Halloween has come and gone, this list of 10 Free eBooks For Halloween is still well worth reading.

First, all the books are available for free download on Project Gutenberg. Sweet!

Second, they're classics. So, they're great stories no matter when you read them.

Here's the excerpt from Fall Of The House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe: "During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher."

Awesome!

PS: This particular book was made into a movie.

PPS: Today is All Saints Day, for those who believe in that sort of thing. :)

I'm Not Here to Bury Booksellers

2011-10-29T15:54:00.000-04:00

While I was reading my email, I happened to stumble across an item about booksellers on the DorothyL list.

It's called 10 Myths About Bookselling.

Now, when I post to this blog, if it isn't a review, I try to write about books, reading, bookstores, libraries, etc.

I'm writing this post for the booksellers. I hope readers will enjoy it, too.

I thought the article was totally awesome. And I'm an author who makes most of my money from the sale of ebooks.

However, I still love print books. And I still publish all my novels in print editions, as well as ebook versions. Plus audio. Just sayin'. :)

Anyhow, I once wrote on another blog that I didn't think that print books would ever die completely. Essentially, I think this is true for the same reason that vinyl records haven't disappeared from the face of the earth completely. New technologies may become more popular, but that doesn't mean old ones will completely vanish. Necessarily.

And here's another thing. I share something in common with indie booksellers. I'm disadvantaged. I have a physical disability. It has a very real effect on my stamina and ability to write.

This is true whether I use speech recognition software or not. When your limbs are clenching non-stop and you can't do anything about it except grit your teeth and keep going, it saps your energy, creatively and otherwise.

I'm telling you this not in a bid for pity, but to let you know that I share your frustration at being at a disadvantage. I would love to be able to write even three books a year, but I can't. My physical capabilities simply won't allow it. And I need to maintain a work-life balance of some sort.

So I know how you must feel as you see Amazon take over the world of bookselling. It must really, really suck.

I'm not here to apologize for the way I make money. Fiction writing is my business. I've never asked you to apologize for allowing 100% refunds to publishers in exchange for returned books. You're in this to make money, too. So, I'm sure you had your reasons for adopting that policy. Let's not get all pissy over that, right?

I'm here as a friend of booksellers to offer a suggestion. You know it's important to have an online presence these days. A Web site is fine, but not enough. Start a blog.

Why a blog? Because a blog = power.

Case in point: one of THE smartest marketers on the Internet is Jenny Lawson. Her blog is called The Bloggess.

Now, she is entertaining, of course. Especially with awesome off-the-wall posts like this one!

But if you scroll down, you'll notice she has a place she calls "my shop (tentatively called “Eight pounds of uncut cocaine” so that your credit card bill will be more interesting.)"

That's where she sells these products.

Now ... books are products. And you guys are booksellers.

That article about the 10 myths had lines that would look awesome on T-shirts, coffee cups and other things that bookstores could sell. On or offline.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

PS: It helps to think a little outside the (big) box, okay?

PPS: I have five blogs, so I have some experience. And through hard work (and luck), even a ~~gimpy~~ self-published author can make this list. ;)

Book-A-Minute Classics: When You Simply Don't Have Time to Read

2011-10-25T19:19:00.000-04:00

These days, everything must be done fast. Books must be written quickly and published as fast as humanly possible. This is so readers can buy them as fast as possible.

Naturally, once bought, one would hope such books would be read. However, given the amount of things we're expected to do these days (as quickly as possible), it's often difficult to find time to read.

However, if you like classic literature at all, there is help to be had. Book-A-Minute Classics provides it.

You'll note that the site is especially useful for busy students. Check it out. It says:

English teachers have the inconsiderate habit of assigning mammoth-sized works of literature to read and then actually expecting you to do it. This wouldn't be so bad except that invariably the requisite reading is as boring as fly fishing in an empty lake. Half of those books don't even have discernible plots. And let's face it -- the Cliff's Notes are pretty time-consuming too. Worry no more. Your troubles are over. We here at Book-A-Minute Classics have come up with a solution. We've taken all kinds of great works of literature and boiled them down to their essence, extracting all the filler (and believe me, there's a lot of it sometimes). In just one minute, you can read entire books and learn everything your teachers will expect you to know.

Yeah, boy, those Cliff Notes take so much time, don't they?

And even if you aren't a student, think of how much smarter you'll seem if you read some of these. :)

Of course, you could order this book ...

... but then you'd have to read it. And how idiotic would that be?

Things Get Crazy in 'Citizen Insane'

2011-10-22T16:43:00.001-04:00

Review: CITIZEN INSANE (Books on the Green 2011)
Author: Karen Cantwell

In this sequel to TAKE THE MONKEYS AND RUN, suburban soccer mom and wanna-be online film reviewer Barbara Marr is merely seeking a nice relaxing foot massage at a day spa. She and her good friend and neighbor, Roz, are supposed to go to one together and be pampered. However, a slightly ~~crazy~~ ~~dizzy~~ weird woman named Bunny (yes, really!) shows up in her yard. And she's turning around in circles, muttering to herself.

Now, on top of throwing a kink into Barbara's plans to hit the spa, it doesn't help that Bunny matches this description: "Towering close to six feet tall, she had a Cindy Crawford body and talked all breathy as if she were trying to be sexy, but really it just sounded like she was always on the verge of an asthma attack."

Keep in mind that Barbara has separated from her husband, Howard. In the first book, she found out he's an FBI agent and kept it secret from her like forever. Sound familiar? True lies. And she's a film ~~nut~~ ~~buff~~ fan. Get it? Anyhow ...

Also, keep in mind that Barbara has seen Howard with some mysterious blonde in a very nice restaurant. She calls the blonde the Fiorenza Floozy, because that's the name of the restaurant and, well, you know what they say about assumptions ... because Howard does look like George Clooney, after all.

So, Barbara's got a whole lot on her mind. And it's driving her a bit nuts to say the least.

This is creating a communication problem with her teenage daughter, but not (unfortunately) her mother, who insists on showing up at Barbara's door (unannounced) and giving her (honest and unsolicited) opinion (about everything).

Then, to top it off, her friend Roz asks for her help in resolving a problem with the school yearbook. And it involves attending the PTA meeting. Oh, my God!

If you think legislatures and high diplomatic circles are the only places where political games go on, you would be so wrong! Those guys are rank amateurs compared to the ladies of the PTA. And, as with all political games, you never know who's on what side or why.

High drama ensues when a couple of ladies get into it in a major way, after the meeting.

And I haven't even mentioned the part about the dead person yet. Oh, my God!

Let's just say that it puts Bunny in an uncomfortable position. And Barbara can't seem to keep her out of the house.

Is it a really a spoiler to say the two of them end up working together to figure out who really dun it?

It all culminates into a wild and over-the-top ending that pays homage to various television shows and films.

In short, CITIZEN INSANE is a mystery that cleverly combines over-the-top plotting and suspense with film homages and dashes of poignancy. This book will keep you laughing and turning the pages right up to its surprise ending.

PS: Barbara, word of advice. Crazy people aren't terribly reliable or good at coming up with plans. Next time, just pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1. Okay? :)

This is What Idiot Adults Think About Babies

2011-10-18T18:28:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to a very frightening article about a baby who can't seem to figure out how a print magazine works.

The article isn't frightening because of the effect of technology on the baby's mind. It's because the parents are too stupid to notice their baby can't figure out how to turn a page.

I was raised watching television, but I didn't expect pictures in books to start moving, you know?

Has it occurred to the parents that this kid is just plain ~~retarded~~ dumb? Well, of course it wouldn't ...

The Turtle Moves in 'Small Gods'

2011-10-15T14:10:00.004-04:00

Review: SMALL GODS (HarperCollins e-books 2009)
Author: Terry Pratchett

There once was a deity named Om who took the form of a bull or so people thought. However, the people began to turn away from his true teachings. Thus, the god who once was a bull (maybe) was reduced to the size of a tortoise. Now, this poor little tortoise found himself wandering through the desert. Hmm ... sound familiar? Perhaps. But I digress. The tortoise/god was attacked by an eagle, because eagles know that turtles make some kind of good eating. So the plan was to smash this turtle/god into a pile of rocks the way eagles do with tortoises and other hard-shelled creatures they'd like to make meals of. But due to bad aim or luck or -- dare I say it? -- divine intervention, this plan went all out of skew on the treadle. The turtle god made a soft landing and survived. And he landed in Om, a place named after him, ruled by the church started by his purported believers.

So ... what's a small tortoise god to do? Seek out his flock, right?

And off he goes on his little stubby tortoise legs. With one eye. And a whole lot of determination. And a whole lot of attitude. And a few divine powers at his disposal. But very little else, unfortunately. Because he is stuck in the body of a turtle, after all.

And he runs across a simple man named Brutha. At least, Brutha seems simple. Brutha is a novice priest. Brutha hoes the garden and does all the dirty little chores that no one else wants to do. Brutha doesn't question the Church or authority (yet). Brutha just wants to live his life in peace and contentment.

Thing is, Brutha has amazing strengths. He has an open mind and an open heart. His mind is so open, he remembers everything. He has total recall. And his heart is so open, he has what you could call the ability to give unconditional love.

Brutha's mind is so open, he's the only one who can hear Om speak when he tries to talk to his so-called believers.

Okay, that's nice. But what's the catch? Well, there's a bad guy, of course. Or there wouldn't be a story, would there?

And the biggest, baddest guy in this story is ... Vorbis. Best. Bad guy name. Ever.

You might say that Vorbis is the anti-Brutha. He doesn't want peace or contentment. He wants nothing more than to stir up trouble and discontent. He does this for the sole purpose of being in a position to get others to do all the dirty work he doesn't want to handle and to be the authority figure.

And the thing is, Vorbis is actually weak. Because his mind and heart are both so closed. His mind is so closed, he can only hear his own thoughts rattling around in his own head. He's incapable of looking at things from anyone else's point of view or thinking outside his own little box (pardon my cliche, but it fits). And his heart is so closed, he has no compassion whatsoever, to the point where one might consider him a dangerous sociopath.

Now, Vorbis has a mission. He's going to Ephebe to meet with their leader called (ironically) the Tyrant. The Tyrant has a plan, but Vorbis has his own plans rattling around in his own head. And Vorbis is taking Brutha with him. Now why on earth (or whatever planet they're on) would he do this? He's afraid. He knows he's weak and Brutha has strength. He wants Brutha's strength. However, you can't get Brutha's strength by being Vorbis.

Okay, that's it.

Now, lest you think this all too serious and philosophical, please don't. Terry Pratchett makes it all as funny as hell. Lines such as, "Om, bumping along in Brutha's pack, began to feel the acute depression that steals over every realist in the presence of an optimist," made me laugh out loud. Brutha and Om go through many adventures and meet all sorts of interesting characters. However, to say more would be telling, wouldn't it?

And Om's so vulnerable for a god. People are always picking him up and thinking about turning him into their next meal. (For God's sake!) Well, turtles make good eating, you know? So ... Om needs Brutha for protection. A god needs his believer to keep him alive. And vice versa. Ironic, huh?

It's not really a spoiler to say that the good guys win in the end, is it? Or that gods could make miracles happen -- if they learned to look at life from the ground level.

PS: Death makes an appearance in this book. And the strengths I mentioned before take on even more significance, in the afterlife as Terry Pratchett describes it.

I'm Busy, But Not Uninterested

2011-10-11T16:35:00.000-04:00

Because I don't have a book review or a particularly scintillating article about books to post here today, I thought I'd post this article about the Top 10 Misused English Words. I can only hope that it will ultimately be useful to you -- literally. :)

Mystery Scene Mag Review of 'A Crack in Everything'

2011-10-08T16:06:00.000-04:00

I've written a review for Mystery Scene Magazine of A CRACK IN EVERYTHING by Angela Gerst. It's her debut novel and it's a real doozy. Here's the review.

This book features a lawyer as a protagonist. One that my own protagonist, Sam McRae, would probably like quite a bit. :)

Dublin as Literary Mecca

2011-10-04T17:54:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, I stumbled across this article in the Washington Post about Dublin's libraries. These aren't just any old libraries we're talking about. These places are like shrines to books and literature.

Here's some of what the article had to say:

We Dubliners take a lot of pride in our city’s reputation as a literary capital (not least because it lends our loquaciousness a certain gravitas, as if every quip were something more exalted than mere banter). Walk into any genuine pub in town, and you’re bound to see that famous poster of Irish literary heroes on the wall. It’s not idle boastfulness: Dublin can claim four Nobel laureates — George Bernard Shaw, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Moreover, the names Oscar Wilde, Brendan Behan, Flann O’Brien and of course James Joyce are synonymous with the town.

Mighty impressive, if you ask me.

So when literary-minded visitors to the Irish capital inquire about suitably bookish activities, there’s plenty to point them toward: literary walking tours, regular poetry and storytelling events, numerous literary festivals and a writers’ museum.

Literary type stuff, in other words. But, of course. :)

However, let's skip down to a rather ... interesting part.

Ascending the staircase to the Long Room requires an adjustment in scale, from the detail of the book to the huge space of the library in a few dozen steps. The Long Room is a breathtaking chamber, and entering it is like stepping into a vast cathedral for the worship of the printed word, with row upon row of book-filled alcoves stretching more than 200 feet before you and high up to the spectacular vaulted ceiling. Along each side stands a row of marble busts of great writers, starting with Shakespeare on one side and Homer on the other.

You see that part in bold with the underscored words? Does this suggest anything?

Could it be that print books have a permanence? Or, dare I say it, a value in and of themselves, related to history? Are print books as worthy of preservation as, say, the building in the above photo?

PS: Check out the photo with the article. Do you see any patrons using computer terminals?

50 Greatest Novels for Art Students

2011-10-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

While the word "art" can mean different things to different people, those who study art may find it helpful to seek refuge in the world of literature from time to time.

For that reason (presumably), this article entitled 50 Greatest Novels for Art Students was written.

As the article states:

Preparing to enter the often brutally critical art world can be a tough journey. Art students need lots of support, practice and inspiration to make their time in art school the best preparation possible to take on a serious fine art career. While professors, other artists and students offer up a lot of that, books can also be an amazing place to get a little inspiration or insight into what it’s really like to work as an artist. Here are some of the novels we believe will be the best reads for young artists in training. Covering diverse genres like historical fiction and mystery, there’s bound to be something for every aspiring artist to curl up with on a rainy day.

Hmm ... "brutally critical" ... "tough journey" ...? Can you think of any other pursuit to which those words might apply?

Think hard. :)

'Regulated for Murder': Picking Sides is Tough in this Revolutionary Mystery

2011-09-27T16:40:00.001-04:00

Review: Regulated for Murder (Kindle Edition October 14, 2011)
Author: Suzanne Adair

Colonial America was a place full of intrigue and danger, for everyone involved. This included not only the colonists, but the British or "redcoats" as they were called. This story is about one, in particular. Lieutenant Michael Stoddard of His Majesty's Eighty-Second Regiment based in Wilmington, NC. The novel opens as Stoddard and his crew conduct a raid upon the offices of crooked land agent Horatio Bowater, who seems to have beaten feet, hastily, leaving a note claiming a "family emergency." Yeah, right ...

But that's not what the story is about. Not exactly. You see, Stoddard is sent on a mission by his superior, Major James Henry Craig. (Three names! He must be mighty important, huh? :)) Stoddard must deliver a message to General Cornwallis. Hey, even I've heard of that guy! :-)

However, there's more to this assignment than meets the eye. I can't go into details, for as they say, that would be telling.

Just know this. Michael has a kind of ... agenda. He takes dangerous courier assignments of this sort with a goal in the back of his mind. It all has to do with a really evil person working within the ranks of the British military.

Anyhow, so ... Michael gets the assignment to take the message to Cornwallis. And, to do that, he must connect with a man named Griggs in ... what city? ... Hillsborough. Right! But as Michael arrives he sees a shadowy figure slipping away into the trees, and he goes into Griggs' house (eventually, because no one answers the door) and guess what? Griggs is, like, so dead! Oh, no! So not good! :-O

And then the sheriff (who's kind of a, um, grouchy guy) shows up and questions Michael, who tells him his name is Michael Compton and that he's a business man from Cross Creek who came to pay respects on behalf of a neighbor, as well as to deliver a love letter, blah, blah ... way to go, Michael! Make it up as you go, brother!

Hey! I'm cheering for the redcoat. Whose side am I on here? LOL

Like I was saying, Michael comes under scrutiny due to this murder. He gets enlisted to help solve it, against his will, so he does what he has to in order to keep the peace and maintain his cover. Because Hillsborough is full of people who don't exactly warm up to redcoats, if you get my drift.

Fortunately, he has local sympathizers in his, um, "cousin" Kate Duncan and Aunt Rachel White. (Boy, is Rachel a piece of work or what? Kind of a hard case. :)) They take him in and help him out. And, yes, a few sparks fly between Kate and Michael. Hmm ...

What this all adds up to is a great mystery and suspenseful historical thriller. Suzanne Adair’s writing is smooth and evocative. The action scenes will leave you breathless. And the notion that no one knows who's on what side pervades the story in a most intriguing way.

The thing is Michael only has so much time to relay his message to Cornwallis and how's he going to do it if he's stuck in Hillsborough solving a murder, while trying not to blow his cover? Heavens to Betsy (Ross)! LOL

And Michael really wishes he had his able assistant Nick Spry there to help him. Did I not mention him? Yeah, Nick Spry. Except he sometimes goes by Miller.

I realize this seems terribly confusing. But it will all make sense, if you read the novel. Trust me on this. Really! :-)

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I highly recommend this book.

A Short Bedtime Story ...

2011-09-24T17:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, pictures speak much louder than words ...

The Story of St. Marks and the Death of the Bookstore

2011-09-20T16:31:00.000-04:00

Help Save St. Marks Bookshop

The headline appeared on my MediaBistro news feed, like an SOS. I read the article and wondered if the petition to cut the indie bookstore some slack on the rent was essentially a band-aid solution to a much bigger problem.

I think that problem was summed up in the following quote from the article: "You want to save St Marks Bookstore, go over there and buys [sic] some books from time to time." Yeah, there's the rub, huh?

So ... is the death of Borders helping the indie booksellers? Nope. Not really, according to this article in The Atlantic.

However, please note the following language buried toward the bottom of the page:

As online venues continue to take hold of the book market, independent shops may have to work harder to differentiate themselves as physical spaces for browsing books. Independent bookstores, many of their owners say, create an experience that can't be mimicked online by providing author readings, knowledgeable staff that can make personalized recommendations, and a hand-picked inventory that caters specifically to the clientele. [Scott] Abel, from Kramerbooks, echoes the inimitability of the bookstore experience, a space void of distractions and conducive to the primary task of pursuing interests and discovering new ones. "There's a downside to the phrase 'browsing on the interwebs,'" Abel says. "You don't find things you don't look for. In the bookstore, you're freer to explore the space."

As I like to say, sometimes you stumble across things offline that you just don't stumble across online, you know? :)

While it's questionable that Borders' end will yield dramatic benefits for independent shops, Abel views it as a symbolic affirmation of good bookstore values. He says that the depersonalized atmosphere of superstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble helped to foster an attitude of disrespect: if customers feel no intimate connection with a store, they are more likely to, say, copy lines out of a travel guide or treat books with a flippant disregard for the person who may chance upon the items next. "We can do without those behaviors. We could get back to a bookstore where people don't answer their phones, back to a bookstore where people value the books," Abel says, noting that even Costco, the monumental warehouse chain, sells books. "We were putting books in a space that shouldn't be selling books. It's not a pair of jeans at 40 percent off. It's a cultural artifact. It's knowledge."

And, as I also like to say, I may be an ebook author, but I'm not a number.

Heading to St. Louie ...

2011-09-13T23:12:00.000-04:00

FYI, I'm heading to St. Louis, MO this weekend for the annual Bouchercon mystery convention. For more details on that, feel free to read this blog.

I'll be back next week. If you're going to the convention, I hope to meet you in St. Louie. :)

Is the Book World All Virtual Now?

2011-09-10T20:01:00.000-04:00

The world of books has changed dramatically over the past few years. Not only are we reading more ebooks than in the past, but we're seeing the creation of more online book clubs and book group discussions.

With the increasing popularity of ebooks plus online interaction among readers or between readers and authors, what does this mean for brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries?

In my opinion, that depends on how libraries and bookstores respond to changing times. Can they take steps to stay relevant in some way, i.e., to provide value to their customers or patrons? Take for example, the Maryland libraries referred to in this article, which are trying to provide amenities such that people will consider them to be community gathering places. Not just places full of old dry dusty books that no one reads anymore. :)

PS: If you had enough Klout, you could get this Stephen King book for free. ;)

Review of 'I Was a Seventh Grade Monster Hunter'

2011-09-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

Review: I WAS A SEVENTH GRADE MONSTER HUNTER (Tarkus Press 2011)
Author: A.G. Kent

Well, this book starts right out on a boat in a stormy sea with a kid named Hannah, who watches in horror as a beast rises up and a madman chants. And magic is involved and Hannah has a bow and arrow and it's going to be up to her to save the day, so to speak. So she places the arrow in the bow, draws a bead and releases it ... but first ...

There's this whole story about how she got there.

See, Hannah is a seventh grader (well, duh!) whose grandfather gave her a bunch of charms and a computer file (yes, a computer file, not a leatherbound tome -- this is the 21st century, people) of incantations and magic stuff in general. With these charms and incantations, Hannah rustles up some monsters. Or are they friends? They seem nice enough. You wouldn't think a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy or a Frankenstein-like man would be chummy, but there you go.

It might help that Hannah wears her charms and has developed magical powers. Maybe.

Along with all that, Hannah likes this boy at school, but he doesn't seem to notice her. You see, Hannah is different. She dyes her black hair with red streaks, pierces various body parts and isn't like the other kids. She's a bit goth, I guess.

Hannah does all her magic stuff while her parents are away on a cruise. Or so she thinks. It turns out they're not. They're in danger, but I can't say too much about that.

Thing is, it all involves this horrible company that's doing awful things to the environment. Hannah must act to save the day and keep the company from doing its worst for the good of all concerned, which is to say the entire world, basically.

Plus her monster/friends help her. Them and the magical powers.

To say I really loved this book isn't saying enough. I wrote the following about it and meant every word, believe me: "This book combines the thrills of a supernatural parable-cum-adventure tale with the charm of a coming-of-age story. The protagonist, Hannah, is clever and strong, but touchingly vulnerable. I WAS A SEVENTH GRADE MONSTER HUNTER will keep you enthralled until the very end, when you might wonder who the real monsters are."

Anyway, along with having to save the world, Hannah must also decide about the boy who ignores her, until this party she attends where he ... but you should read the book to find that out, okay?

From Authors' Lips to Readers' Ears Via Tweet and Amazon

2011-09-04T15:24:00.000-04:00

Amazon has recently launched a beta version of a service for readers called @author.The whole idea here is to make it easier for readers and authors to interact with each other.

If you click on the link, it explains the whole thing. I'm telling you this, mainly because I'm one of the authors involved in testing out the program. So, if you have a question for me, fire away! :)

Oh, and BTW, happy Labor Day weekend (or Labour Day, if you will). :)

'The Leftovers': Shouldn't that be Left-Behinds?

2011-08-31T12:45:00.001-04:00

Review: THE LEFTOVERS (Macmillan Audio 2011)
By guest blogger Star Lawrence
Author, Tom Perrotta; Reader, Dennis Boutsikaris

This is a book about a shared tragedy and the different takes on it…No…

This is about suburbia and the noble depths of average people…Not really. Maybe noble shallows.

This is an arch, ironical look at fundamentalist responses to the inexplicable…Naw. You do keep expecting a swipe at the Far Right. But, like many swipes and insights, it does not come.

This is a book about our times, uncertainty, human resilience...Maybe it was supposed to be.

I didn’t know what to make of this book, despite liking previous works by this author. The setup is that a Rapture-like event has happened—millions from all religions, not just Christianity, are “disappeared,” never to be seen again. Included are the pope and Greta Van Susteren.

So how do the “Leftovers” handle this? Truly, this is a before and after deal. “I was one way before and different after”—you know what I mean. Or was it? Maybe there is blah blah—WOW BIG EVENT—blah blah.

We focus on a couple of people in a burg called Mapleton. The mayor’s wife decamped to the largest post-Departure cult, the Guilty Remnant, where the people wear white, remain silent, take up smoking even if they didn’t before, and stare at the “Leftovers” to make them uncomfortable until the real fun starts with Judgment Day. Her son drops out of college and takes up with another cult, the Holy Waynes. You can read for yourself what they are into.

The mayor is at loose ends, what with no wife, never hearing from his son (a Holy Wayne, then a Barefooter), his daughter screwing up HS, and dealing with nutty people in town complaining about their newspaper delivery. He kind of dates a woman whose children were both scooped up in the Departure. She prides herself on being a good girlfriend—but isn’t.

A baby is being born—will it be you know, a Big Deal, Savior-Type Baby—or just the offspring of a polygamist wannabee?

My problem with this book is that it made people seem irritatingly bland even in the face of big events. Yes, we all cope in our own way…But style, people, have some style! Dennis Boutsikaris is one of my favorites—but his flat, soft acting makes most characters sound similar.

Incidentally, I listened to an interview with the author—and this was supposed to be a comedy. Completely did not see that one coming.

A comedy. Amazing!

I did learn one thing, though—from now on, in all books, there is a One-Cult Maximum. And next time, Greta Van Susteren gets to live to explain everything.

Star Lawrence is the owner of the health humor site, HEALTH’Sass, at http://healthsass.blogspot.com, keeping people alive and laughing since 2006. She is also trying to help get people through the Recession at http://hopeycopey.blogspot.com.

There Are No Words ...

2011-08-27T18:41:00.000-04:00

This is kind of an old video that I've been meaning to post for ages. I bookmarked it and forgot about it. Now that I've seen it again, I still can't believe it.

"It's not a map. It's a novel."

Dumbfounded doesn't even begin to describe it.

25 Terrific Novels for Journalism Students

2011-08-23T17:05:00.001-04:00

Now, technically the word "terrific" can mean "terrifying." But I don't think that's what the writer of this article had in mind in compiling this list of 25 terrific novels for journalism students.

This is a really interesting list. I'm particularly interested, I suppose, since I was once a journalism student myself.

I have read some, but not nearly all of the books on the list. Having looked it over, I wouldn't mind reading some of the others, because they seem really awesome.

I must admit that I have a particular favorite author among those listed.

Can you guess who that might possibly be?

Think real hard. :)

'Back of Beyond': Welcome to Hell-o-Stone

2011-08-16T19:33:00.000-04:00

Review: BACK OF BEYOND (Macmillan Audio 2011)
By guest blogger Star Lawrence
Author, C.J. Box; read by Holter Graham

First, I look for a character to follow or empathize with, then try to figure out what trouble he or she is in.

This book starts out with an ex-alkie, nicotine-jonesing cop named Cody Hoyt banging around the backwoods in Montana, plowing into an elk, and then getting to a rain-soaked, burned up cabin containing the crisped remains of his AA sponsor. Naturally, Hoyt sits in his car and slurps some booze he stole from a witness, which irks his partner Larry no end.

Hmmm, this is my protag? (He also helps himself to phones and equipment from the property room as if it were Walmart in there.)

With some alcohol-infused detection, he develops the notion that his teenage son and his wife's intended second husband are on a pack trip into Yellowstone with the killer. Whoa—quite a leap there.

We cut to two teenage girls who are on the trip with their dear old Dad. One is a cheerleader type and the other is a commonsense, observant youngster, who soon notes that Dad might just have known a single woman named Rachel, who is also on the trip. Hey, they didn't just meet, she deduces. Very good, Gracie!

Back to the crime, remember that? There is a school of red herrings coursing through the park. Everyone did it! There, I solved it.

But no…pretty soon, the unhappy campers start falling—their remains immediately set upon by ravening wolves or grizzlies. The wildlife is wild in this!

I can't say much more without spoilers. Let's just say screenwriters are only allowed one coincidence per script and this book exceeded that quota.

I did like some of the writing quite a bit—phrases like "sudsy stars" appearing. I have been to Yellowstone and the stars are so visible they look like foam. I am leery of woods, personally, and descriptions of wolves as 175-lb dogs with red bloody teeth hunched over a corpse tended to stick with me. The reader Holter Graham also had a pleasant tenor voice and didn’t ham it up.

Some scenes went on too long (hint, the peeping Tom scene at the latrine). And would Cody really frisk every corpse he found for cigs? Well, on that one—yes. He is quite the protag. I bet he also kept the satellite phone he "found" in the evidence room.

Star Lawrence owns two blogs— http://HEALTHSass.blogspot.com and a recession site called http://HopeyCopey.blogspot.com. She is a long-time reporter.

The 20 Essential Indian Novels

2011-08-02T23:11:00.001-04:00

Here's another one of those interesting little articles with lists of books that manage to find their way into my email inbox. Okay, so this one is called The 20 Essential Indian Novels.

And the article gives a list of 20 books, with the following introduction:

India's ancient, volatile history, multicultural and multiethnic heritage, and varied geography make it a hotbed for amazing literature. Unfortunately, so few of its vast offerings garner much recognition or renown in the United States. Bibliophiles and students hoping to delve into the dazzling array of Indian literature available might want to consider this list a great, diverse start; however, by no means does this downplay the importance or value of other writers and works.

Oh, okay. :)

PS: There will be a small break in regular blogging, while I take a couple of weeks e-vacation.

Shuffling Through the Clues to Find Redemption 'Waist Deep' in the Big Muddy

2011-07-30T22:51:00.002-04:00

Review: WAIST DEEP (Kindle Edition 2011)
Author: Frank Zafiro

This story takes place in the mythical town of River City (sorta, because it's based on Spokane, WA, as we know from other books about it by the author Frank Zafiro, who only writes under that name, because his real name is Frank Scalise, and ... hey, what's with all the fake names? :) But I digress ...). The main character, Stefan Kopriva, was once a River City police officer, but he left the force under less than ideal circumstances. In fact, you could say he was disgraced.

To say that Stefan is wounded isn't saying nearly enough. He not only suffers physically, from old gunshot wounds and a knee injury that made me wince just to read about it, but he endures mental and emotional damage due to a young girl's death for which he blames himself. It was her death that led to his departure from the police force.

So ... despite his disabilities and not having a car (River City is a pretty small town, thank God), he shuffles over to a hockey game and gets into it with a really stoo-pid and loud drunk, for reasons related to honor and showing what a basically decent guy he is and all. Then he ends up in the hoosegow. Almost. Except the security chief, Matt Sinderling, doesn't press charges. But he does have a request for Stefan. He would like to hire Stefan to find his missing 16-year-old daughter, Kris, who's run away. She's interested in acting and has run away to become a big star. Apparently.

Stefan would like nothing better than to simply say no and ~~walk~~ shuffle away. He'd rather lay back in an easy chair, drink a beer or two (or three or four) and forget about the whole thing. Except that he's a recovering alcoholic and the beer part would be so wrong. So laying back would do just fine, thanks.

However, when Stefan sees the photo of Kris, he sees a 16-year-old girl going on 25 years. Maybe older. This kid is no innocent little girl, but Matt is blind to that. He's so naive that all he sees is his little girl when he looks at that picture. So Stefan reluctantly agrees to take Matt's money and look for Kris, even though he's not a licensed private investigator, he can barely move and he doesn't even own a freaking car.

Thereafter, Stefan is forced to do (the E Street) shuffle all around town looking for clues. Because that's how he moves. He also catches taxi cabs now and then. But not too often, because Stefan isn't exactly rolling in dough. So he can't offer huge tips, so cabbies aren't exactly in love with him.

Now, Stefan goes through the logical motions and I won't spoil it for you by telling you what those are, but WAIST DEEP is a hard-hitting story of a flawed hero trying to exorcise his demons. The plot is suspenseful, and includes fight scenes that make you wonder how Stefan manages to shuffle anywhere at all, afterward. :)

And while the subject matter explores dark moral territory, it's arguably not horribly shocking compared to certain real life situations taking place today. The horror is more in what might come afterward based on Kris' choices. This is where Stefan can possibly help most.

Further, in the best hardboiled tradition, finding the truth involves unearthing the scum from beneath the veneer of respectability.

Anyway, thank goodness Stefan has old friends on the River City police force. Otherwise, he'd probably be royally screwed.

The question is, will he be able to see the job through? The guy's almost too crippled for words in every possible sense. Will he get what he needs most? Oh, what's that word? Not food stamps. He's poor, but not that poor. It's what you do with food stamps. Redeem them! Will he get redemption? Can Stefan redeem himself? This is the question.

There's also a possible love interest in the form of Cassie, a barista with a Mona Lisa smile at a local cafe. Stefan really likes her, but seems to have trouble articulating these feelings. Can he overcome his insecurities and find love (or even friendship) with her? Another question. Hey, they both like coffee! They have common grounds. *groan*

And, BTW, Matt ends up lending Stefan a car. Thank God!

PS: Kopriva ... is that Polish? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that Stefan was born in the USA? Get it? :)

PPS: Did I mention that I really enjoyed the book? Stefan rocks!

The Bittersweet Tale of Gary the Oyster Crab

2011-07-26T19:34:00.001-04:00

Storytelling is a craft, as well as an art. And you can find interesting stories in the most unexpected places.

For instance, I found this story on a blog created by a teacher. This isn't entirely surprising. Teachers are highly literate people. And they have to keep students interested day after day. So, in a way, their job is to keep telling stories to kids about what they're supposed to be learning, in a sense.

The story is called (expurgated for this blog) Holy Sh*t, Oyster! and it's really awesome! And so is the blog where it appears, Mr. Teachbad.

Everyone should read this blog. And Mr. Teachbad should write more stories and publish them in an ebook. :)

'Follow the Money': Fast-Paced Legal Thrills and a Moral

2011-07-23T15:43:00.001-04:00

Review: FOLLOW THE MONEY (Fingers Murphy 2011)
Author: Fingers Murphy

This is the story of Oliver (Ollie) Olson, a law student who's finished his second year of school. Now, allow me to translate the complete meaning of this sentence for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of attending law school. Ollie knows the law school drill now and can probably brief case opinions in his sleep. However, when it comes to dealing with the real world aspects of dealing with actual clients with genuine problems, Ollie's a nice guy, but about as clueless as they come.

This may be especially true given that Ollie comes from a working class background and he's participating as a summer associate, aka, intern, at Kohlberg & Crowley, a big deal international law firm in Los Angeles, where he fits in like a guppy in a shark tank.

However, Ollie isn't threatened by anyone at the firm. He's assigned to a case, in which the firm is trying to get a former U.S. senator James Steele released from prison, where they claim he's being wrongly held. Why? Because they say he was wrongfully convicted of killing his wife, Sharon, due to ineffective assistance of counsel. And his lawyer at the time was one of the greatest criminal defense attorneys around -- Garrett Andersen.

And when Ollie meets Steele in prison, he seems like a guy who really got screwed the hell over. So Ollie really wants to bust his ass for him and see that justice is done. Even though he sees his job as doing research to find support for "a legal technicality." But the law is the law. And lawyers uphold the law, don't they? Right!

Oh, and did I mention that the firm is paying Ollie three grand a week to do this? THREE GRAND? Every freaking week? And he's NOT. EVEN. A LAWYER!

The worst part is, I didn't have to suspend my disbelief about this part at all. :)

Anyhow, so Ollie starts ~~investigating~~ doing research. I don't want talk too much about what he finds, because it'll spoil the whole thing for you.

Just know this: Ollie has a girlfriend, Liz. She works for Legal Aid and serves as a kind of reminder of the real reason he decided to be a lawyer ... at least, maybe. If he thought about it. The question is, will he? You see there's also this other girl (another summer associate who goes to Yale or some muckety-muck school) named Morgan. Clearly, she's no good. She's a metaphor, if there ever was one. And it's a metaphor of something awful.

The dialogue is spot on and very funny. Including the internal dialogue. There was more than one priceless moment that made me laugh out loud. Including this one: [After someone tells Ollie about a conversation that couldn't be admitted as evidence.] "I thought about that for a second. Was it hearsay? Steele couldn't repeat the contents of the conversation between Becky and Matt's sister because it took place out of court? I didn't remember the rules of evidence. Why was I so stupid?"

This is so, so typical. :) Everyone thinks lawyers have all the rules memorized or something. We don't. We look them up. What? You think we all have photographic memories? lol According to Professor Kingsfield, they're useless, but I digress ... anyhow ...

The plot takes so many twists and turns, you might think you're being taken for a ride along one of those incredibly scenic southern California roads Fingers Murphy describes in the book so very well. Because he does paint an awesome picture of the City of Angels and the surrounding environs.

FOLLOW THE MONEY builds to a fast-paced and suspenseful finish. I spotted a few clues from the get go, but others might not see them, so your mileage may vary.

As for the notion that all the players were smart enough to pull off what was required to make this happen, I must admit I had to suspend my disbelief a bit, because most criminals of a certain type are really stoo-pid. :)

Nonetheless, I would highly recommend this book. I thought it was an impressive debut novel. It's not only well written and entertaining, but shows how easily people can get suckered, when they're not thinking clearly and their judgment is clouded by illusions of comfort.

So, I look forward to reading more books by Fingers Murphy and about Ollie Olson. What the heck were his parents thinking when they named that poor kid, anyway? :)

10 Technologies That Changed Literature Forever

2011-07-19T18:34:00.000-04:00

Literature has been affected by changing technology for a long, long time. These technologies date back to the very earliest ones, such as the tools needed to carve written words into clay tablets. In other words, we've come a really, really long way, baby! :-)

This article lists the 10 Technologies That Changed Literature Forever.

So ... what's next? Perhaps, it will involve this form of weather phenomenon.

'A Memory of Grief' Takes You on the Hero's Journey

2011-07-16T14:53:00.006-04:00

Review: A MEMORY OF GRIEF (Briona Glen Publishing 2011)
Author: Dale T Phillips
Zachary Taylor (yes, just like the president) is an ex-con living in Miami. The novel A MEMORY OF GRIEF opens with Zack sitting in a bar after a fight, not feeling so hot, even though he won. Zack has demons. He's an angry man. He's haunted by his brother's death, which he feels is his fault. He's spent his life drifting aimlessly.

Now he's sitting in a bar, feeling like sh*t. Then something happens. Something has to happen, right? :) A kid gives him a letter from his best friend Ben's ex-wife, which says that Ben, his best friend in the world, has committed suicide. Shot himself in the head.

Zack ain't buying this for a New York minute. Even though he's in Miami. And he has to go to Maine to prove otherwise. And visit the Carolinas on the way.

The letter moves Zack into action. He takes what's known as "the hero's journey."

Zack is convinced someone killed his friend and his mission is to find out who did it and avenge his friend's death. To do this, he must go up to Maine, where his friend lived.

The trip to Carolina is to see the friend's ex-wife and see just WTF is up with her, anyway. Turns out, she's living in an abusive relationship with a redneck so-and-so, or words to that effect. He ends up being sympathetic to her plight and swears that when he figures out what really happened to Ben, he's going to come back and help her out.

So, now he has TWO missions! In two different parts of the eastern seaboard. Is this guy a saint or what?

Well, he is a drifter, so ... Carolina to Maine and back. No biggie, right? :)

When Zack gets to Maine, he gets right to work. Thing is, everywhere he goes, people basically tell him to go pound sand. Or words to that effect.

This gets a bit frustrating for Zack. And could stall the plot, if it were left in less capable hands. Fortunately, as I've previously mentioned, Zack's a fighter. And despite his best efforts to avoid it, he ends up fighting one particular alleged kung fu master who isn't quite as invincible as he or his groupies think he is. The fight scenes in this book are written with a level of detail that feel almost like the slow motion scenes from a Sam Peckinpah movie, without the bullets and the blood. Although that part will come later. During the big climax. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

There are also great scenes depicted between Zack and the local cops. Two cops, of course. Good cop, bad cop. The usual duo, but without relying on cliches or copying another author's style. Dale T Phillips has a distinctive voice, no question. And it's distinctively hardboiled, suspenseful and action packed.

Zack runs across a number of potential suspects. People who won't cooperate with him and insist upon fighting him to varying degrees. This is especially true in one place, in particular, which I won't reveal for risk of spoilers.

But not everyone is unfriendly to Zack for he finds possible love in the form of Allison, a nurse at the local hospital, a place where he seems to end up after his frequent encounters with people who'd rather he go away. For Zack is basically a really nice guy, who'd rather not fight, but keeps getting resistance wherever he tries to find out what happened to Ben. For a fighter, he's got a sense of humor, and he even quotes Coleridge at one point. So, he's not exactly you're run of the mill action-adventure hero.

Phillips writes with well-crafted prose that paints a vivid picture of small town Maine, as well as the natural beauty of its forests and coastline.

And just so you know, the book is also realistic about the waiting. In order to learn the truth, Zack must patiently conduct surveillance day-after-day. However, if the routine of hiding in the bushes and peering through binoculars takes on a repetitious quality, it also creates a great deal of suspense. You know something will happen. It's just a matter of what it will be, when it will take place and how it will turn out for Zack.

And when Zack gets the payoff from those days of surveillance, there's this awesome "Aha!" moment. Even so, questions remain. Will anger get the best of Zack? Will he ultimately prevail? Will he get the girl? How will the big, bloody Sam Peckinpah climax turn out? And what about that gal in the Carolinas?

There's only one way to know. Read the book. Which I highly recommend you do. :)

Mystery Scene Mag Review of 'Dreams of the Dead'

2011-07-12T16:02:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of Mystery Scene Magazine features my review of DREAMS OF THE DEAD by Peri O’Shaughnessy, two sisters writing under one name. Here's the link to my review.

Can you imagine? Two sisters writing one novel. Writing one or two novels under one name (with a third on the way) has been plenty of work for this author. Thank you! :)

'Moose Tracks': A Story of Maine by Dale Phillips

2011-07-05T18:30:00.000-04:00

Now and then, I like to post a short story that's published online here. Especially, if it's by a new and talented author, who's spent years toiling at his craft and knows how to spin a yarn with the best of them. Dale T. Phillips qualifies as such an author, in my opinion.

Feel free to read his short story "Moose Tracks" and see if you don't agree.

But do it soon. The link to the story will only be good throughout the month of July.

You can find Dale at his Web site and his blog.

Now ... what's that sound I heard in the woods ...?

The Paperback Game: Can Anyone Win?

2011-07-02T19:00:00.001-04:00

For all you book lovers out there, here's an interesting new thing you can do with all those old paperback books you've collected over the years.

It's called the paperback game. The idea is to gather a bunch of old paperback books in a pile and have one of the 4 to 10 (ideally) players read the cheesy back cover descriptions -- the cheesier, the better, apparently -- then have the rest write what they imagine would be the first sentence of the novel on a slip of paper and gather the slips. The reader will write the actual first sentence and add it to the slips.

Then, everyone votes on which line they think is the actual first line. Points are assigned based on how the votes go. This game also involves the drinking of much wine. Apparently.

What I'd like to know is, who came up with this game? What were you smoking? :)

'Lunch Reads Volume 3': Quick Bytes of Crime Fiction

2011-06-28T18:53:00.001-04:00

Review: LUNCH READS, VOLUME 3 (Istoria Books 2011)
Authors: Edmund X. DeJesus and Ellen B. Holzman

LUNCH READS VOLUME 3 is pretty much as the title describes it. A book with two stories you might be able to read over the course of a lunch hour (or two, depending).

The ebook is part of a series (that's why it says "Volume 3") of ebooks with two short stories -- one shorter than the other -- or so it seems based upon my review of LUNCH READS VOLUME 1.

In any case, here's my review.

First, there's the short story called "Shoplifting" by Edmund X. DeJesus. In this story, the world's most crotchety shopper has some interesting interactions with a young shoplifter. There's a manager, too, but the less said about him, the better. Anyway, the story is short, really funny and ends with a twist. So ... nicely done!

The second story is "Call of the Riled" by Ellen B. Holzman. This story is most creatively told in a series of letters to the editor of a community newspaper. It seems the editor of the Mountain Telegraph has been killed in a most awful and untimely manner. This nasty death provokes a lot of letters to the editor of said paper. (Who's dead, so who's reading them? Some other editor, I guess. An assistant. Whatever ...) Many of the letters offer condolences as to the untimeliness and tragic nature of the editor's demise. Some of them are a bit less sympathetic. Even so, eventually it comes out that, in fact, the editor was murdered. This leads to fresh speculation and a flurry of correspondence from the various crazies who read the paper.

Clearly, Ellen Holzman drew on her background as a community journalist in writing this one. Each letter is basically a character in the story. And this community is chock full of interesting characters, ranging from an intrepid young stringer to an ex-Marine who never fails to sign off with the words "Semper Fi!" The letters convey a narrative that keeps the reader guessing, builds suspense and has as many twists, turns and red herrings as any story with a straight narrative I've ever read. Now that's saying something.

Based on what I've read so far, I'd say Istoria Books has carved out a nice niche with its series of Kindle mystery shorts.

The 30 Harshest Author-on-Author Insults Ever

2011-06-21T16:53:00.001-04:00

As you may know, if you read this blog with any degree of regularity, I like to post links to articles with lists. This particular article seemed most interesting for reasons that'll become obvious once you start reading it.

Any article that starts with the words,"Sigh. Authors just don’t insult each other like they used to," surely must be worth reading, wouldn't you think? :)

'Cleansing Eden': A Great Novel of Suspense and Metaphors

2011-06-18T16:22:00.000-04:00

Review: CLEANSING EDEN (Trestle Press 2011)
Author: Benjamin Sobieck

Okay, the first mystery for me about this book was its title. CLEANSING EDEN. What did it mean? What kind of crime story has a title like that?

The story begins with two anonymous people -- a younger man and an older man -- burying a body. Turns out to be a dead celebrity. Right up front, you learn that the older man has an agenda. He wants to kill all the celebrities that are warping young people and, in his opinion, stealing their identities. He calls them pedophiles. I don't think that word means what he thinks it means to paraphrase a character from another story, but I digress.

Here's the thing. The older man enlists the younger man's complicity and assistance in his plan to kill celebrities and, in return, keeps him high and easily manipulated on a drug product he created called Bluegrasse (with an "e" at the end to give it more class).

So ... they do their thing. Kill one celebrity. Two celebrities. Then, the media gets interested. That's when we meet ...

June Routledge. The intrepid reporter for Ce!eb News. Possibly the most annoyingly named celebrity news program in the history of fiction.

And, though June aspires to do real journalism, she has to pay the bills, so she's working at Ce!eb for her most irritating boss, Jim. So when the news breaks about the celebrity killings, June jumps on the chance to get the scoop and be the proverbial Lois Lane of celebrity journalists, as it were.

Now ... things get a bit interesting when an attempt is made on the life of Celebrity #3. Because, let's just say it gets into matters of fault and things like contributory negligence, assumption of risk and how to fix the blame when someone who sets events into motion has no intent to harm. That's it. :)

Naturally, the suspense ratchets up when the cops get involved and Captain Benjamin Escalate is not only questioning the younger man, but eyeing June with suspicion. Imagine!

Meanwhile, the younger man senses things aren't quite right. Both with the Bluegrasse and his situation.

And June also finds her life becoming something she hadn't wanted it to be.

Okay, so basically, the story is about two people -- the younger man and June Routledge -- who are trying -- dare I say it? -- to find their identities.

CLEANSING EDEN is also a highly suspenseful read. Benjamin Sobieck has an inventive way with words. He writes with a voice that's strong and uniquely his.

So ... questions arise. Will June extricate herself from her situation? Will the younger man escape free and clear? Will the real guilty parties be held accountable? And who is to blame, anyhow? The killers? The media? Who?

So many questions. So many metaphors. And, if you read the book, you'll find out that CLEANSING EDEN refers to more than one thing. :)

The 'Least Wanted' Book Launch -- Tomorrow!

2011-06-14T16:35:00.000-04:00

We interrupt our usual blogging content for an important announcement. On June 15, if you purchase a print copy of my novel LEAST WANTED on Amazon.com, you can get a FREE autographed copy of my first novel, the New York Times (ebook) bestseller IDENTITY CRISIS.

All you have to do to get your free copy is enter the confirming information as instructed on the launch Web site (click there and bookmark it, for future reference -- thank you! :)).

BTW, I'm also making a charitable donation to Advocates for Children & Youth, in an amount to be determined based upon how high the book ranks by the end of the launch date.

So ... if by the end of the launch date, LEAST WANTED:

Hits the Top 1,000 on Amazon.com, I’ll donate $100; or

Hits the Top 500 in Amazon.com, I’ll donate $250; or

Hits the Top 100 in Amazon.com, I’ll donate $500; or

If we should get so lucky …

Hits #1 in Amazon.com, I’ll donate $1,000.

That's it. Wish me luck! :)

PS: Just one more thing. I'll put in another plug for SHAKEN: Stories for Japan. It's only $3.99 and it's for a really good cause. All the sales proceeds go toward relief efforts in Japan. Here's a sample from the book, okay? :)

PPS: Our normal scheduled blogging content will resume in our next post.

Get 'Shaken' for a Great Cause

2011-06-11T16:39:00.000-04:00

I'd like to take a moment to tell you about the anthology SHAKEN: Stories for Japan, being offered on Amazon for the more than reasonable price of $3.99 with all proceeds of sales to go toward Japanese tsunami relief efforts.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Actually, it was all the author Timothy Hallinan's idea, as he describes it here.

Further, I'd be remiss if I didn't note how proud Tim was of everyone who contributed to this project and how they stepped to the occasion.

I would also like to note that I feel incredibly privileged and lucky to have been included among those people.

Something's Coming Soon!

2011-06-07T19:14:00.000-04:00

It's made of pixels, has a nice cover graphic and it's amazing. Period.

That's all I'm going to say.

If you'd like to read more, click here for the interview with the Edgar-nominated author Tim Hallinan on The Lipstick Chronicles.

After all, Tim's the one who came up with the idea and organized the whole thing. And considering it involved 20 authors (including me) that's nothing to sneeze at.

Have I mentioned how deeply privileged and lucky I feel to be included in all this? Well, I do feel that way. Completely.

The 20 Most Important Russian Reads

2011-06-04T19:29:00.000-04:00

Hi there. Time to post something, but I don't have a review. However, I do have this interesting list of Russian reads. They number 20 in all. And according to this article, they are the 20 most important reads in Russian literature.

Now, I realize that image is probably completely wrong, because there's nothing even remotely resembling Ian Fleming's work on here. So ... how about this?

There ... that's a bit more like it.

Of course, these days, isn't Russia trying to modernize its image?

Yeah. Whatever. :)

'The Basement' Deals with Things Below the Surface

2011-05-31T16:51:00.002-04:00

Review: THE BASEMENT (Three Elephants 2010)
Author: Stephen Leather

I have to confess that when my own books began to climb the ranks on Amazon UK, my first thought upon looking at the other names up at the top was, "Who the heck is Stephen Leather?" It even sounded like a name I should know. Yet, I couldn't recall ever seeing his books before. So, I checked on Amazon.com. There he was, but not nearly as high up. WTF??? Now, I was exceedingly curious. Why the hell was this guy so popular in the UK, yet so little known outside that realm?

So, I took the only logical course of action. I downloaded a copy of one of his books, which in this case turned out to be THE BASEMENT, despite the slightly creepy cover with the steps leading down to the same, which evoked images somewhat reminiscent of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

But things aren't always as they appear. You can't judge a book by its cover. Because when I started to read this one, I was immediately hooked by the voice, which was funny. Yes, funny! See, it's written from the point of view of a guy named Marvin Waller who makes a few offhand observations about America and New York City, in particular. For instance, what a great place it is to kill people. Awesome! And how you can walk around anytime you like with a loaded gun stuck down your trousers. At this point, I'm dying. Um, of laughter. And, of course, you can get away with murder easy there. The secret is to blend.

But Marvin says he wouldn't really do any of these things. You see, Marvin is a writer. Or to be more precise, he's a screenwriter.

Now, Marvin does his screenwriting thing in a cramped little cubbyhole of an apartment with the bare minimum of furniture, because this is the way real writers do things. He is, of course, a stone genius who works on an old typewriter, because real writers work on typewriters, not computers. When Marvin isn't pounding the keys on his ancient typewriter, he's pacing the perimeter of his tiny apartment like a caged lion.

Thing is Marvin's humor masks his frustration and sadness over his inability to get his genius scripts produced, because he can't seem to get them directly into the producers' hands. All because of the damn secretaries! The secretaries of the world have it in for him! It's a conspiracy of secretaries, I tell you! Pinheads!

Ahem. Where were we?

Meanwhile, another narrative is introduced. This one involves an unfortunate woman named Sarah Hall, who's held captive by someone (the unseen narrator). This captor is cunning, ruthless, mean, merciless, twisted and all sorts of other awful adjectives. The captor forces Sarah to do demeaning things to fulfill some kind of sick urge. The narrative is told from the captor's point of view, so we are kept in the dark as to the captor's identity. This narrative is interwoven here and there within the main story and is, in fact, a part of it.

Okay. Let's get down to brass tacks. Torture. I'm not big on it. So ... were these scenes with Sarah Hall beyond the pale? Nope, not hardly. Not one single nightmare resulted from reading this book. The scenes manage to strike a fine balance between being horrifying and suspenseful. For me, the horror wasn't so much the depiction of any physical torture, as the workings of the mind of a torturer.

So, back to the main story. In a desperate bid to bypass the secretarial wall, Marvin takes his pacing from the confines of his flat to the streets fronting the apartment buildings where the producers live, which creates all sorts of problems between himself and various doormen (more gatekeepers!), which leads to some priceless funny dialogue. However, because there's a serial killer on the loose in New York City and Marvin is acting weird, the cops are called. Way to blend, Marvin! :) I mean, not that he's doing anything illegal. He knows his rights. He'll give you chapter and verse of the Bill of Rights and even quote Terry v. Ohio. Impressive! :-)

Once the cops are called, they become a regular nuisance. Showing up all the time, asking questions. Again, lots of funny banter, but matters turn more serious the farther into the book you get.

So, here's the thing. Who is the unseen narrator? Is it Marvin? Does the fact that he's writing a screenplay about a serial killer who becomes a bestselling author tell you anything? Or does Leather want you to think that? Hmm ...

The end came as something of a shocker. And heartbreaking. Yes, heartbreaking! After all, serial killers are sociopaths. And sociopaths manipulate people into trusting them. Then treat the people who trusted them without mercy. And things aren't always as they appear. And writers are such clever liars.

Now my question is, "Why the heck haven't I heard about this awesome author Stephen Leather before?"

How About a Little Library Theater?

2011-05-28T19:44:00.000-04:00

Public libraries have done quite a bit lately to upgrade services to keep patrons happy and assure their continuing, um, patronage. They've done this, of course, in order to justify their own existence and maintain already ~~nearly non-existent~~ frugal budgets.

So, in a town that's known for its theater, is it such a stretch that the New York Public Library would incorporate theater into its offerings?

Damn, if my public library did this, I'd probably look for excuses to borrow books. A lot. :)

The Hardboiled Detective is on the Case in 'Black Shadows'

2011-05-24T22:10:00.001-04:00

Review: BLACK SHADOWS (Wild Wolf Publishing 2011)
Author: Simon Swift

BLACK SHADOWS takes place back in a time when dames was dames and men wore fedoras. Detectives talked tough, threw punches and pounded the pavement looking for clues, solving crimes because when a detective gets killed it's bad for business and bad for detectives everywhere.

So, it takes place in New York City, circa 1940.

Private dick (aka, detective) Errol Black, aka, Eezy, is sitting in his office when the lovely Claudia comes in and hires him to follow her no-good fiance, George Ferriby, who she thinks is stepping out on her. Why, that awful man! But wait! Then, there's a redhead, and her name is Marlow. Hmm ... sound familiar? Anyhow, Marlow says she's Claudia's sister -- well, not really her blood sister, but her best friend in the whole world.

So ... whilst this is going on there are these other guys doing stuff. (BTW, do you like that word? Whilst? Because you're going to see it a lot. :)) In fact, there's a fat man known as the Coward. Or the Portly Gangster. Maybe. He has a kid with a gun working for him. And it seems a dame is associated with them. I won't say who. Does this sound at all familiar? They want to meet Black up in Woodstock. And hold a rock concert? Of course not. They want to find something. And it's not the Maltese Falcon, believe it or not.

And somehow this all relates to the murder of Dyke Spanner, Black's former partner at The Shadow Man Detective Agency which died with Terry Shadow (accidentally) in a Mob hit on Arthur Flegenheimer five years before.

Plus the Tong, aka, the Chinese mafia, are all mixed up in this, too.

Oh, did I mention the plot is a bit complex? Maybe you've already sussed that out.

Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Simon Swift is a clever wordsmith. Thus, some of the book's familiar criminal scenarios read far better than they might in less capable hands. And the plot was a most meandering tangle of threads ... but it all works out somehow, right? :)

And, I might add that Swift can be awfully funny, too. However, even though you might get the idea that Black is like any old hardboiled PI, he isn't just Sam Spade, okay? He actually seems to have a heart, which makes him different and interesting. But he ain't mushy, either. You got that?

So, if you enjoy the old hardboiled detective novels, you're in for a real treat. Because this is a book that truly harkens back to a time when dames was dames and men wore fedoras and detectives were tough talkers. There's just one thing. There was no rock and roll in the 1940s. Oh, no! :-0

Downloading eBooks from the Library

2011-05-21T20:17:00.000-04:00

This article serves to remind us that just because you like to read ebooks, that doesn't mean you can't borrow titles from your local library.

Thanks to partnerships with Overdrive, thousands of public libraries can offer ebooks to their patrons. In fact, they're offered for download on a variety of gizmos with e-reader apps including iPhones, iPads, BlackBerry and Android devices.

And they say it won't be long before you'll be able to borrow ebooks from the library to read on your Kindle, too. OMG! :)

Get Your Free eBooks Here!

2011-05-17T16:49:00.000-04:00

You want free ebooks? Here's a list of ten Web sites that offer ebooks for absolutely no cost whatsoever!

Now why would I, an ebook author, post such a thing on this here blog?

Because it's quite likely you won't find the latest books on these sites, for one thing.

We're talking sites like Project Gutenberg. I mean, honestly? I don't think so.

Or Bartleby.com. Well, sure. The next time I want to read Euripides or Homer. Not that there's anything wrong with them. :)

Then there's Fictionwise. Okay, you may have a shot at finding something recent there. :)

Big Trouble in Little Tokyo in 'Stalking the Angel'

2011-05-14T17:35:00.002-04:00

Review: STALKING THE ANGEL (Bantam Books 1992)
Author: Robert Crais

You might recall I previously reviewed THE MONKEY'S RAINCOAT, a private eye novel written at a time when that genre was considered to be on its last legs. That novel not only got nominated for a couple of major mystery writing awards, but it won an Anthony and a Macavity Award. In addition, it launched the Elvis Cole mystery series, comprised of a whole slew of novels. So much for prognostication, huh?

But this review is of Book Number Two, STALKING THE ANGEL, so let's just take things one step at a time, shall we?

I'll start off by noting that Elvis Cole is quick with a joke. So quick, he had me laughing out loud by Chapter One. That's pretty quick.

He meets his client, a Mr. Bradley Warren, standing on his head (Elvis, that is -- Warren is on his feet). Warren is in a suit. He blusters and frowns. This seems to be his specialty. That and glancing at his Rolex. He has a female (of course) assistant who is attractive (of course) and who abides her employer's attitudes (of course) for reasons only she knows.

Here's the problem: Someone has stolen a priceless Japanese manuscript called the Hagakure. Well, not really priceless -- worth more than three million dollars (BIG money in the late 1980s when this was first written). It belongs to one of his clients. Boy, do they need it back. The cops are involved, but they aren't getting the job done nearly fast enough. (Glancing at Rolex. Frowning.) Oh, and by the way, Warren is supposed to receive the Man of the Year Award in some big deal ceremony. Now isn't that special?

At this point, Cole takes quick action. He tells the would-be client to go pound sand.

*sigh* If only things were that simple. But then there would be no story, so ...

Cole takes the case. What follows is the obligatory visit to Warren's mansion, where comparisons are made to things so gargantuan that even Raymond Chandler might find them to be a bit of a stretch. :) Warren's wife, Sheila is dressed for tennis (what else?) and drunk before noon. Their daughter is teenaged, detached and (maybe) stoned. Hard to tell. Okay, so what's new?

All right, so even if we have seen this particular scenario before, that is so not the point. It's not that it's been done before, it's the WAY it's done that counts. And no one does it quite like Robert Crais.

No one else can take you into the heart of Little Tokyo, where Elvis has to go to investigate the case, and not only make you feel you're there, but ratchet up the suspense as he discovers a body killed in a most gruesome way, probably at the hands of the yakuza (the Japanese version of the Mafia).

In addition, Crais has the amazing ability to build build tension and suspense in his story to the point where you simply can't read fast enough, then suddenly insert something incredibly funny. But then -- boom! -- the moment's over, and things go south. And they turn dangerous. Or sad. Or solemn.

And, of course, there's Elvis' partner, Joe Pike. How could I overlook him? Never! He's essential. Pike is amazing, awesome, kick-ass -- call him what you will. Where would Elvis be without him? Is this a question that comes up later in the series? I wonder ... please, commenters, no spoilers. :)

Okay, so to sum things up, the daughter disappears. And Warren -- well, he just keeps on acting like, "Hey whatever. I'm Man of the Year! How about that?" This leads to stuff happening that's better discovered by simply reading the book, believe me. But know that things eventually get resolved. In a bittersweet way. Okay, a bit heavier on the bitter than the sweet, perhaps.

Have you ever heard of a plot device known as a MacGuffin? Hitchcock used it in his films. It was a thing the characters pursued that didn't really mean anything, but drove the plot. I don't think it's a spoiler to say the Hagakure probably qualifies as such.

PS: Has anyone noticed an interesting resemblance between the Hagakure and the title to this book? :) Just sayin'.

The Book's Demise Has Been Highly Exaggerated

2011-05-10T18:16:00.000-04:00

It's about time someone put the myth to rest. For years now, all I've kept hearing is, "Kids don't read, anymore!" and "Nobody has time to read books!" The book is dead. The sky is falling! Yeah, right.

Well, I've never believed it. I've known children who've grown up reading books.

And I know adults who read or listen to audiobooks.

And just because books are being published (often self-published) digitally, instead using paper and ink, they are still books, nonetheless.

So, as this article in The Atlantic points out, the book is not dead. Not by a long shot.

Coming of Age and Suspense Meet in 'Favorite'

2011-05-07T16:48:00.001-04:00

Review: FAVORITE (AmazonEncore 2011)
Author: Karen McQuestion

Angela Favorite is just like any other 16-year-old high school girl. Except her mother disappeared without a trace on her 11th birthday. After delivering cupcakes to her school while dropping her off on the way to work. Ever since then, Angie doesn't like birthdays very much. Each one is a painful reminder of her mother's strange disappearance, one that hasn't been solved to the point where her mom seems to have been written off as most likely ... let's not go there!

Angie simply can't believe her mother is dead. She prays to her every night and swears she feels a connection to her.

But this is all backstory. What happens is she's going back to the dry cleaners because the cashier gave her too much change, when a guy named Scott Bittner grabs her. He sort of roughs her up. She tries to get away. He insists she must come with him. She's scared. He ends up hurting her. Fortunately, someone reports the altercation to the police. Angie ends up in the hospital, traumatized.

Okay, Angie and her brother, Jason, live with their grandmother, who is engaged and getting ready to take a cruise with her fiance. Their dad is hardly ever home as he's an itinerant rock musician who swears his "big break" will come any day now, so he's not in the best position to raise a family by himself. Got that?

Oh, and then there's Scott Bittner's mother. Boy, what an ... interesting lady she is. And, my, what a house she lives in ... like a castle ...

Here's the thing. Mrs. Bittner really wants Angie and Jason to stay with her, while their grandma is away on her cruise. And she seems like a really nice lady who clearly has a whole lot of dough, so Jason has his own reasons to get along and go along with the whole thing. But Angie is a bit creeped out by the idea of staying at the castle, um, house.

And, of course, there's a boy. It wouldn't be quite as good a story without a boy, would it? And Angie really likes this boy. And he's Mrs. Bittner's grandson, Mike, which is kind of odd.

Plus there's a cat. Thank God!

Now, that's all I can say.

Karen McQuestion does an excellent job of combining elements of a coming of age tale with those of a gothic suspense story. And does so with her usual wit and keen sense of modern youth culture.

Things aren't always what they seem. And sometimes things just happen and other times they seem to happen for a reason. And maybe that's the point.

I don't know, but what made this story work for me was my total emotional investment in Angie. I cared about her so much, I hung on every word until I finished the book.

You know, a person can cry for reasons ranging from sadness to joy. And FAVORITE has them all.

'Lunch Reads, Volume 1': Two Kindle Mystery Shorts

2011-05-03T18:44:00.001-04:00

Review: LUNCH READS, VOLUME 1 (Istoria Books 2011)
Authors: Jenny Milchman and Libby Sternberg

This ebook is a fine example of the shorter offerings in the Kindle Store on Amazon these days. However, not only that, but it marks the beginning of what looks to be a highly promising career for one new author.

The first story in this book, "The Very Old Man," is by Jenny Milchman in her publishing debut. Basically, a chance encounter at the grocery store between a young mother and a mysterious, raggedy old man who gives her baby a dirty old coin seems to set off an odd and increasingly disquieting chain of events. And they all involve her baby. And they ALL put the kid at risk! And the kid even gets ... well, I'll stop there. I wouldn't want to say too much, right? After all, this is a story of suspense.

And can Milchman do suspense? Did Hitchcock prefer icy blondes? lol Um, in case you haven't guessed, Milchman's good. Even excellent!

I mean, this old man ... what's with the coin? Why does he just say, "Baby." Is he simple? Is he giving her a gift? Is the coin cursed? Are his intentions benign? What are his intentions exactly?

And what's with that house, anyway?

Milchman deftly explores the psychological complexities of a new mother's fears for her child. The irony is that today parents tend to worry about strangers molesting their children. However, in this story, it's the combined effect of a strange man and superstition that haunts the protagonist and feeds most upon her fears.

Now, the second story, "Escape from Southern Point," gives you something (as the Python boys would say) completely different.

This story is about a wedding in Cabot Cove, um, I mean Southern Point. A completely different place on the Outer Banks, where people are gathered at a church and have waited through many renditions of "Ave Maria" and other old favorites for the damn ceremony to start, but it still hasn't and it's been almost an hour. Plus there's this terribly annoying woman in a dreadful peach-colored pantsuit (bejeweled, no less) talking really loudly a few rows behind the protagonist, um -- wait, I'm flipping through my Kindle -- is it Addy? No! That's the sister she's mistaken for! The actress who plays an Angela Lansbury-like character who lives in Petal Point. Right. The lady in the peach pantsuit seems to think the protagonist is she, but she isn't! Oh, dear! What is her name, anyway?

Is it Maude? No, damn it! That's the character Addy plays. Jeez! So many names. And yet, oddly enough, I managed to keep all the characters straight.

See here's the thing. The story is written very much in traditional mystery fashion, and yet there isn't a dead body. Mostly it's about secrets, lies and facing up to things done in the past.

Now that's all I intend to say about the matter. Except that Libby Sternberg is a really humorous writer. She'll tickle your funny bone in a major way, while creating suspense. Questions like "Will there be a wedding -- ever?!" and "Where the hell is the bridegroom -- and what's his problem, anyhow?!" will be answered. And Sternberg manages the amazing trick of creating a mystery without a dead body, i.e., a puzzle to be solved, AND playing fair with the reader within the confines of a short story. Brilliant!

Okay, that's it. Wait! The protagonist's name is Olivia! I knew I could remember. :)

Need I say I highly recommend this? Especially at the more than reasonable price of 99 cents!

Looking for Noir? Try 'Bangkok Noir' for the Kids

2011-04-26T21:25:00.000-04:00

First of all, just so I'm clear, this isn't a review of the short story collection BANGKOK NOIR.

However, I wanted to tell you about the book, because (like I said here) I thought it was important to do so.

The thing is half the royalties from sales will go toward charities that work with Bangkok’s poorest kids. These are children who live in poverty that most people living in industrialized nations can't even begin to imagine.

If you'd like more details, please check out Timothy Hallinan's blog, where I found out about this project.

I've already downloaded my own copy, and fully intend to read it. So be on the lookout for a possible review to follow, at a time to be determined.

A New Audiobook is Born!

2011-04-23T19:15:00.000-04:00

Although I tend to blog a lot about ebooks because I publish my work in that format and make most of my money off them, I still publish my work in other formats, as well. Other formats being limited to print, up until now. However, that changed yesterday!

My first novel the New York Times bestseller (have I mentioned that enough times? lol) IDENTITY CRISIS has been released as an audiobook through Perfect Voices! Check out the awesome cover!

You can order it right now at Crossroad Press or SpringBrook Digital. You can also listen to a sample of the awesome reading done by the amazing Melba Sibrel on both sites. Do check it out — I don't think I could’ve picked a better reader for my book — seriously!

And be on the lookout for the audio version of the book to pop up on Amazon eventually. I'll let you know when that happens. Natch! :)

A Tempest in 'Three Cups of Tea'

2011-04-19T16:40:00.000-04:00

Once again, we have what appears to be a true account that is allegedly not completely accurate.

When I saw this article's headline, I was a bit dismayed, because I found the book THREE CUPS OF TEA to be highly inspirational.

However, if you actually read the article you'll see the accounts being called into question don't pertain so much to the mission of Greg Mortenson's organization as how well he runs it, along with certain other aspects of his story that aren't relevant to it.

Now ... given that many people don't bother reading past the first few paragraphs of a news article. And given that none other than Jon Krakauer, who wrote the bestseller INTO THIN AIR, has stated of Mortenson's book (and I quote): "It's a beautiful story, and it's a lie."

Given all that, please read the entire story. And consider the bigger picture. Thank you.

And I'm not just saying that because I happened to like this book very much.

The Scariest Story Ever ...

2011-04-16T18:42:00.002-04:00

And now, dear reader, prepare for the horrible truth. Why do people tell stories?

In the case of one person, it was to scare the living sh*t out of her sister. Read the story in Hyperbole and a Half to see how well that turned out.

BTW, thanks to grandhello for pointing this one out in the comments to this post. :)

50 Quintessential British Novels

2011-04-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

Having previously written a post about 50 quintessential American novels, it seemed only fair to grant equal time to another country.

As it happens, I've come across an article listing 50 quintessential British novels. My, how convenient! :)

Many of my own favorites are on this list. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE, POSSESSION, LORD OF THE RINGS, 1984 and BRAVE NEW WORLD, just to name a few. And SHERLOCK HOLMES, of course.

Incidentally, my decision to write this post has nothing to do with this rather stunning news at all.

Libraries: It's All About the Information

2011-04-09T19:53:00.000-04:00

Here's a thought. What would you say to the notion of a library without books?

Too radical by far? Let's stop and consider for a moment. In this case, Newport Beach, CA is toying with the idea of ridding one of its library's branches of books as a cost cutting measure. Keep in mind public libraries don't usually have a lot of bucks in their budgets to throw around. So ... what to do? Particularly when (as in this case) a collection is underutilized, i.e., just sitting there and gathering dust.

Besides, libraries are really more than book repositories. They are community gathering places. Places to find information, whether it be in print or electronic databases.

Besides, what with the increasing availability of options like this, how long before a print book collection becomes too costly and cumbersome to maintain? Just wondering.

Bummer. Because I really do like print books still. Honest.

Politics and Prose: Why Community Bookstores Matter

2011-04-05T17:36:00.000-04:00

As a reader (and even as an author) I'm a huge fan of bookstores. Particularly small independent bookstores that cater to community interests. Bookstores that become gathering places for people or "hang outs," if you will.

Recently, one DC-area independent bookstore, Politics and Prose, found a buyer. This saved it from getting shuttered. Why does this matter to someone like myself who's making a living selling ebooks like LEAST WANTED, IDENTITY CRISIS and FIVE UNEASY PIECES?

Because bookstores are about more than just the books, in my opinion. They are gathering places where people congregate and exchange rational discourse. Or as often randomly meet.

And I thought this article summed that up nicely.

Call me nuts, but I still like bookstores. Even if they won't carry my print books. :)

Faith and Begorrah, This is Brilliant

2011-04-02T16:48:00.000-04:00

Being that I have bugger all to post here today, but not being so blinkered that everything posted here has to be a review or about books as such, you know? Point is, I'm doing something slightly (well, completely) different.

So, you'll pardon me (I hope) if I do this different thing and post a short work of fiction called Brilliant. I ran across this on Twitter, where it was posted in a tweet by @dbgrady. It's Irish and awesome and mentions Dublin. What's not to like? :)

PS: Thank you, Internet.

The Last Frontier of Relationships? A Review of 'Caribou Island'

2011-03-29T18:26:00.000-04:00

Review: CARIBOU ISLAND (Blackstone Audio, Inc. 2011)
By guest blogger Star Lawrence
Author, David Vann; read by Bronson Pinchot

In the interest of TMI, let me reveal that I spent a decade of my life with a man who was a "dreamer" with limited follow-through. I also tended to martyr out from time to time and still do.

Maybe this is why I can't get David Vann's CARIBOU ISLAND out of my mind, but I tend to think it's more because this is good story telling—if you define that as making the reader always wonder what comes next, what will happen, then what.

But by good story telling, I don't mean easy to take. In loosely wandering between the stories of a couple who had settled into the icy wilds of Alaska decades before and now are picking at the remains of their relationship, along with their two grown children and two tourists—CARIBOU ISLAND is a study in endurance, missed connections, stunted emotional growth, and escapism.

A friend once chided me for recommending a book in which animals suffered, so fair warning—the people do most of the suffering in this one, but there is mention of a starved dog and many, many salmon have a bad time of it.

Did I "enjoy" this book? I can't get it out of my mind. Is that the same?

One more thing. I can't read novels anymore and listened to Bronson Pinchot read this. He does a perfect job—perfect! You might want to take a flyer on audio with this one.

Star Lawrence owns two blogs— http://HEALTHSass.blogspot.com

and a recession site called http://HopeyCopey.blogspot.com. She is a long-time reporter.

Police Work is Hard, the Russian Mob is Mean 'And Every Man Has to Die'

2011-03-26T16:02:00.001-04:00

Review: AND EVERY MAN HAS TO DIE (Gray Dog Press -- to be published May 3, 2011)
Author: Frank Zafiro

This novel is the fourth in Frank Zafiro's series about the police of the fictional town of River City, WA (a thinly disguised Spokane, I'm led to believe) and it starts with trouble for one of its major characters. Namely, Officer Katie MacLeod of the River City police who's attacked by a big old mean Russian dude while he's fleeing the scene of an incident. She takes him on alone and takes him down (alone! -- yay, Katie!), but not without breaking her ankle (ouch!) in two places (double ouch!).

But this is just the tip of the iceburg, as they say. Because this Russian works for the Mob and they're bringing big trouble to River City. (No, no ... don't say it. All right. :))

The Russian leader, Sergey, has big plans. He'd like to expand his criminal reach substantially, geographically speaking. Sergey is married to Marina, whose brother is Valeriy, Sergey's assistant. But Val has his own agenda and his own plans within plans within plans ... and he thinks Sergey's reach may be exceeding his grasp. So he's getting ready for when Sergey falls on his face. Maybe.

Meanwhile, back at the River City Police Department, an analyst named Renee is trying to warn the brass about the possible threat posed by the Russian Mob. She's pretty much ignored. So much for that.

Add to the mix a pretty young female rookie with the unfortunate initials of B.J. (yeah, really), who also seems to lack self-esteem, along with some sexual tension between her and a certain recurring character in the series. Sparks fly, but when you play with fire, someone's bound to get burned. (Terrible pun alert. Read the book to find out.)

The FBI, as always, turns up. Due to a federal investigation, which naturally puts everyone on edge.

Okay, complicated enough for you yet?

And I haven't even mentioned the Russian snitch!

Or the gang wars. Okay, okay ... enough already ...

The novel has a complex plot (duh!) that Zafiro has woven together with seeming ease. And that takes great skill.

More to the point, his story and characters are highly authentic. Clearly, Zafiro's previous experience as a police officer informs his work, giving it a truly realistic feel. In addition, he's researched Russian gangs and his efforts show in the clear depictions of their brutal ways.

Further, the novel features an array of memorable characters. Writing about an entire squad room of cops and their superiors and giving each one a distinctive personality is no easy feat. Zafiro pulls this trick off as if it were nothing. It's one of the many things that make this a suspense story of exceptional quality.

Incidentally, two recurring characters, in particular, are affected -- patrol partners Anthony Battaglia and Connor "Sully" O'Sullivan -- and, well ... just read the book ...

Police work is hard, the Russian Mob is mean and every man has to die.

That's it. Read the book to find out more.

The ending was moving and haunted me for days afterward.

PS: On a lighter note, Renee is a pistol, and she gets some of the funniest lines.

PPS: Highly recommended, of course!

Cloudy with a Chance of Books

2011-03-22T21:35:00.000-04:00

Isn't that the coolest image? According to this item from eBooknewser, this image is "a word cloud made by gathering the various book polls and top 100 lists and then combining them. The work was done by David McCandless from the blog Information is Beautiful – a 'consensus-cloud' of most mentioned titles from various book polls and top 100 lists. As you can probably guess, the larger titles were on more lists."

I see many of my favorites distinctly and some emerging more slowly from the haze. A few I like are a bit less distinct, but I can still make them out.

Any thoughts? Are your favorites here? Any good ones missing? Anything that ought to be, um, precipitated? :)

Books, Libraries, Earthquakes, Tsunamis and How to Help

2011-03-19T18:11:00.000-04:00

See that photo? Yes, while I've been celebrating big events in my life (and thank you in advance--no need for further kudos :) really! *blush*), all sorts of awful things have been happening elsewhere. Anyway, I snagged that photo off this GalleyCat article about earthquake-damaged libraries in Japan. What a mess. Thank goodness no one was hurt.

Please note, the article reads: "If anyone knows of a library-focused charity in Japan, we will be happy to share the link. If you want to help, the Authors for Japan site just launched yesterday, as writers and publishing professionals have donated some great prizes to raise funds for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan. We also created a Twitter list of writers living in Japan."

Just sayin'. :)

'February The Fifth': Doug Adams Meets Dan Brown -- Sorta

2011-03-15T18:27:00.005-04:00

Review: FEBRUARY THE FIFTH (CreateSpace 2010)
Author: Derek Haines

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ... no, that's a whole 'nuther movie. This book takes place in the future. In a place that has no less than 12 sun systems. Twelve, as in the number of months in the calendar. Aha! The rulers of this empire comprised of the 12 sun systems are a Gregorian clan with names taken from said same calendar. Got that? :)

In other words, February the Fifth is a person. In fact, February is the person who ends up becoming successor as the new "Supreme Potentate," aka, leader of the empire after his father dies (or is he killed?) even though he is an ill-prepared, acne-plagued and fairly lazy, well, fool. The news of his dad's and brothers' deaths are delivered by a dour messenger with the most peculiar name of Snurd Humped. (More on him later.)

So, anyway, February goes to his lovely sisters -- April, May and June (what else?) -- for assistance. Lord knows, he can use it. Despite all indications to the contrary, Feb (for short) manages to rise to the occasion and take the oath properly. Through contact with a special orb, Feb is infused with leadership qualities. Hello? Things have changed.

Then things get really interesting when someone tries to, um, terminate Feb with extreme prejudice. (Yeah, another movie. I know, I know ...)

In fact, Feb and the sisters have to take it on the run. They bring along a couple of allies, including a fellow named Stringley, who's handy at tea making and backgammon, and the aforesaid dour messenger Snurd, whose lost his taste for his former bureaucratic post, I suppose.

Now ... what follows gets REALLY exciting. Big spaceships piloted by lizardlike creatures. But nice ones! Explosions as they're attacked. By their own people! Good grief! Running and hiding. Trips to strange new planets. Historical recountings. Understanding the family's roots.

To say too much here would reveal spoilers. Let's just say that the Catholic Church and the planet Earth are both key to the plot. Thus, Douglas Adams meets Dan Brown ... sorta. Except without albinos, the Louvre or the number 42. So, it's different. Really.

Derek Haines manages to deftly skewer political maneuvering and/or family dysfunction/backstabbing, while telling an exciting story about a hapless underachiever who's forced to suddenly grow up and take responsibility (aka, a coming-of-age story) by dealing with an insurrection.

Okay, so ... a few peccadilloes. Do I wish some double skips had been inserted between a few scenes, here and there? Sure. Could a few words have been sacrificed to editing? Sure. Did I read the book, anyway? Yes, absolutely! Why? Because I really loved it. The story grabbed me right away. It's a lighthearted, funny read with a serious point. A great combination.

And I laughed out loud many a time. But I'm a kid at heart, so I do that sort of thing.

Er, is it really a spoiler to say it ends well? I don't think so. To be more accurate, I'd say it pretty much does.

41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for Your Book

2011-03-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

Eco-Libris is celebrating the 41st Earth Day with a new campaign -- 41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for Your Book.

Beginning on March 13 (tomorrow!) and running until April 22 (or 41 days -- clever, huh?), you can send your suggestions in to the Eco-Libris people and maybe yours will get chosen and put on the list.

And, if you scroll down to the bottom, you'll see there are prizes involved. Zowie!

50 Quintessentially American Novels

2011-03-08T18:30:00.003-05:00

Once again, I have a list of novels to share. In this case, the list is of 50 novels that one person thinks is highly representative of American literature.

As the article points out, the list is quite diverse. In addition, the novels chosen are based solely upon one person's opinion. Thus, the choices made are highly subjective. These books examine themes that are universal. Thus, a foreigner could have authored them. However, the article posits that the books "couldn't have been written anywhere else." (Other than the U.S., that is. Got it? :))

Take a gander and see what you think.

For my own part, regarding the ones I know, I'm inclined to agree.

Librarians Stick it to HarperCollins Big Time

2011-03-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

As you may recall from my previous post, HarperCollins has imposed an arbitrary rule limiting circulation of any of its ebook titles to 26 times. Why 26? Who knows? It's arbitrary.

I stated the complete disbelief I had for the publisher's position that this was to look out for their authors' best interests. I mean, why start now? lol Oops, sorry. Wrong blog. Ha!

Anyhow, I also contended that ebooks didn't suffer wear and tear. However, I was wrong, actually. Yes! ~~Listen!~~ Read! In this article, librarians make a compelling case that ebooks do, in fact, undergo a technological wear and tear of a sort. But certainly not after only 26 times 'round the block. Such wear and tear relates more to advances in technology. Like VHS to DVD and CDs to DVDs then MP3s and so on and so forth, etc.

Plus check out this awesome video. Says it all, really.

BTW, have you noticed what a polite headline the article has compared to my post? lol Librarians are so polite. They really are. Awesome!

Publisher Seeks Limits on Library Ebook Lending

2011-03-01T20:27:00.000-05:00

As reported earlier this year, digital book distributor Overdrive released an app allowing readers to download ebooks from libraries on loan to their phones. Got that? :)

This didn't sit well with at least one publisher. Apparently. HarperCollins, specifically. According to Library Journal, this publisher has specified that it will only allow ebooks licensed to libraries to be loaned a maximum of 26 times, at which time said license will go kaput.

The following is a quote from the article:

The publisher also issued a short statement: "HarperCollins is committed to the library channel. We believe this change balances the value libraries get from our titles with the need to protect our authors and ensure a presence in public libraries and the communities they serve for years to come."

Hmm ... really? Are you sure this isn't about protecting your bottom line, HarperCollins? Particularly at a time when the publishing business is struggling to stay afloat. And even more particularly in view of the fact that the midlist authors upon which you've relied to offset your more-than-healthy costs (e.g., huge advances to A-list authors, major marketing and promo to A-list authors, etc.) are abandoning you in favor of self-publishing ... oh, I'm sorry, have I touched upon a sore subject? Next!

Another quote from the article:

Josh Marwell, President, Sales for HarperCollins, told LJ that the 26 circulation limit was arrived at after considering a number of factors, including the average lifespan of a print book, and wear and tear on circulating copies.

Er, maybe you haven't noticed this, but ebooks don't suffer wear and tear. If you ask me, this sounds like a total crock of sh*t.

BTW, check out the comments in the Library Journal article. I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Books and Movies: the Competition's On

2011-02-26T17:49:00.000-05:00

As eBookNewser put it: "Look out Netflix, Amazon announced today that Amazon Prime Members now get free access to its instant streaming service for TV and movies. Amazon Prime members pay $79 a year for free two day shipping on all orders."

Wow! So ... any takers? I love books and movies. So ... maybe ... possibly ... who knows ... ?

Or maybe I'll wait and see how this plays out across the pond.

Frankly, I've been wondering when Google and YouTube would get in on all this.

And in Further Kindle News ...

2011-02-22T16:50:00.000-05:00

Since ebooks are becoming so popular, but print books still make up the majority in terms of format purchased, Amazon is trying to bring readers together onto the same page (so to speak), by adding page numbers to Kindle ebooks.

According to this article, the page numbers will correspond with those of the book's print edition. So what happens if the book is only published as an ebook? No answer is provided here, but I'd assume Amazon will probably simply ignore them.

The other item I wanted to share was guidance on how to copy and paste highlights and notes from your Kindle books.

I haven't personally tried out the step-by-step guide, but it looks really easy. And anything that helps make technology easy is a good thing, yes? :)

In the Ebook Age, What Happens to Signings?

2011-02-19T17:53:00.001-05:00

Book signings are fun. They are a tradition. They are a way for authors to market and sell books. They are a way for readers to meet the author and vice versa. They are a way for the bookstore to sell its inventory and customers to get something they want. In theory, a win-win-win.

However, today ebooks are easily distributed. No more worries about shelf space or sell-through rates. Write the best story you can, simply put it up online, design an eye-catching cover, make it affordable and promote.

From an author's perspective, does it make more sense to stay home and market ebooks online or take an expensive cross-country tour (paid for out-of-pocket) and sell a few print books (here and there)? Well, duh.

So ... how likely is it that the traditional book signing will give way to this instead?

Sure, some authors will sign gadgets. Nothing wrong with that. I'd do it, too. If I had a publisher who paid the freight. But I don't.

So, the authors who do this routinely will be the A-list New York Times bestsellers and those with the heftiest advances and biggest promotional budgets. Period.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of authors will be promoting their books through means such as this site. Cute, huh? :)

PS: Even so, I still do book signings, as long as they're local like the one coming up tomorrow at Barnes & Noble in Annapolis! And, yes, my latest novel LEAST WANTED will be available for sale. (The shipment made it in on time. Whew!)

'The Monkey's Raincoat' is Some Great PI Novel

2011-02-15T19:33:00.001-05:00

Review: THE MONKEY'S RAINCOAT (Bantam Books 1987)
Author: Robert Crais

At Sleuthfest one year, I remember author Robert Crais giving a speech about how he published his first novel. It was a private eye novel released at a time when the word was that the private eye novel was dead. That novel, THE MONKEY'S RAINCOAT went on to win the Anthony and Macavity Awards and get nominated for the Edgar and Shamus Awards. Some dead genre, huh? :)

The book launched a successful series of mysteries featuring detective Elvis Cole (yes, Elvis) who (according to the back of the book) "quotes Jiminy Cricket and carries a .38. He's a literate, wisecracking Vietnam vet who is determined never to grow up." Wow ... looks like someone at Bantam took your basic kitchen sink approach to writing that one. In any case, some detective, huh?

Anyhow, Elvis is hired by shy, quiet Ellen Lang (or is it her slightly bossy friend, Janet Simon? no, it's Ellen) to find her missing husband, Mort, and their son, Perry. This involves many stakeouts, driving around Los Angeles, glimpses of Chicanos, encounters with big guys, the exchanging of banter (witty!), more stakeouts, more Chicanos, a visit to a washed up producer, a big black guy (yikes!), he's cool (ah!), Poitras (a fat cop -- more banter), girlfriends, parties, drugs, gangsters, mix-ups ... big problems ...

This book did more than live up to my expectations. I can see how in the late 1980s when it was published how this book must have blown a breath of fresh air into a genre that had been done and done again, especially in LA. Like Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Elvis is a white knight character in the tradition of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. Ellen Lang is a woman abandoned and so incapable of handling things, at least at first, she can't even write a check without collapsing into sobs. (Keep in mind, it is the late 1980s. However, I had to suspend my disbelief just a teeny bit on that one. Even if Ellen was originally from Kansas. I mean, I know she's not in Kansas, anymore, but really? C'mon!)

Even now, though, the writing is as fresh as ever. Rather than describe, I'll quote a favorite excerpt:

"The welterweight came around the corner, firing as fast as he could pull the trigger. One of his slugs caught the doorjamb and kicked some splinters into my cheek. I shot him in the face, then shoved Ellen through the kitchen and half carried her around the house and out onto the street. The Tattooed Man popped out of the front door and fired five shots -- bapbapbapbapbap -- then dove back into the house.

"Porch lights were coming on and someone was yelling and Wang Chung was coming out over somebody's radio. I shoved Ellen into the Corvette, fired up, and ran over two garbage cans pulling away. I was shaking and my shirt was wet with sweat and I wasn't having a great deal of luck seeing past the little silver flashes that bobbed around in front of my eyes. I drove. Slow. Steady. Just trying to get away from there. I think I ran over a dog."

Okay, you get the idea. And that's not even the wisecracking part, okay? Because that's there in abundance. Oh, plus the parts with the cat. They're priceless.

And, of course, there's Elvis' partner, Joe Pike, the totally awesome quiet, but deadly ex-Marine with an occasional thing for lipstick (don't ask -- read the book) whose office has no furniture. Some partner.

Needless to say, the story builds up to a highly suspenseful and nail-biting finish. (I'm surprised my fingers weren't reduced to bloody stumps.)

And, in the end, even if Elvis never grows up, it seems at least one of his clients might be able. :) Wow, some story!

Coffee Table Books for Foodies

2011-02-12T15:14:00.000-05:00

In lieu of a review, I have a link to an article about a particular type of book that may be of interest.

This article combines two of my favorite topics in one: books and food. In fact, it provides a list of 40 coffee table books that discuss subjects like food, wine and/or beer, along with entertaining, travel, history, culture and/or society as well.

Now, that's a mouthful. :)

Save Our Libraries Day -- UK

2011-02-08T17:39:00.001-05:00

Here's the thing. I don't live in the UK. However, since this is a blog about books and I write about them in between posting reviews and I don't have a review to post at this time and since I've been (just as a side note) selling a remarkable number of downloads of my book IDENTITY CRISIS and to a lesser extent my latest novel LEAST WANTED on Amazon UK (for which I am very grateful -- thank you, people of the UK for that!) ...

Um, that was just the introduction, wasn't it?

Okay, I happened to see this blog today. Well, I care about saving libraries whether they're here or in the UK or wherever. And the post about the Save Our Libraries protest in the UK seemed familiar. Then it hit me.

I'd already seen it here.

As you can see, this isn't just any news report about the protest, but the blog of an actual participant. Paul Downie who created Nik Nak's Old Peculiar actually uses the library to gather facts for the trivia questions on his blog.

In any case, it occurred to me that this is the second time I've gotten news from that blog, the first being the death of John Barry. Weird? Coincidence?

I just thought that was kind of cool. And the blog is cool, too. Take it from me, the trivia is kind of fun. I encourage you all to give it a try. Especially if you're the kind of person who likes to do online research. (No, it's not cheating. :))

And (in the interest of full disclosure) if you read the blog, you may notice a few mentions here and there of a crimewriter named Debbi. :)

Take a Wild Ride with 'The Last Horseman'

2011-02-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

Review: THE LAST HORSEMAN (Kindle Edition 2011)
Author: Frank Zafiro

Sandy Banks is part of a team -- or was, anyway. He ends up being the last man standing of a vigilante group called The Four Horsemen. Banks has one last assignment to complete should he choose to take it. One assignment that stretches into two, actually. You know the old saw: Quit while you're ahead? Banks should probably have done just that.

The second assignment is the one that plunges Sandy into turmoil and throws his already troubled life into deeper chaos. Because now that Sandy has lost his only remaining partner-in-vigilantism Brian, he's lost his taste for doing the Horsemen's work. He wants out badly.

Meanwhile, a couple of FBI agents are on his tail. And he's not shaking them off anytime soon.

Plus, who's that guy and that woman he's screwing who gave him the second assignment, anyway?

Frank Zafiro has stepped up his game considerably in this thriller/police procedural/crime novel. The plot is packed with startling plot twists, one after the other, that knit together as a whole as seamlessly as any book I've ever read.

Even though he's a vigilante (i.e., a murderer), Sandy is a protagonist the reader can essentially like. Zafiro does an excellent job of explaining where his inner demons originated and how they motivated him to get involved with the outlaw group. In fact, there's all sorts of interesting stuff about Sandy you get to know, but to talk about it would be a spoiler, so I won't.

One more thing. The book explores the gray areas of what constitutes doing the right thing, achieving justice and how difficult it is to determine when one is crossing the line between good and evil.

This book kept me turning the pages late into the night, wondering if Sandy would end up on the hook and twisting in the wind? Or would he end up riding off into the sunset?

Highly recommended. As if I have to spell that out. :)

The Value of Literary Criticism

2011-02-01T19:18:00.001-05:00

This article is a roundup of six pieces written by literary critics, tasked with explaining what it is they do exactly, why they do it and why it matters. (Can anyone really answer that one? :))

I think the idea here is that today so many people have opinions about books expressed freely online (such as on this blog, for instance) that one wonders if professional literary critics are still relevant. I, for one, would say they are.

Professional critics have a depth of perspective and breadth of reading experience that gives them more than the average amount of insight when judging a literary work. But that's my .02.

If you'd like to read the six literary critics pontificate on the subject at greater length, check out the article and the links to the pieces within it.

But I suspect it pretty much boils down to what I just said in one sentence. :)

'Savage Nights' Lives Up to its Name

2011-01-29T18:41:00.002-05:00

Review: SAVAGE NIGHTS (Tarkus Press 2010)
Author: W.D. Gagliani

This book starts right off looking like a high-voltage suspenseful read, even though the first scene takes place in a jam-packed suburban mall a couple of days before Christmas. Plucky off-beat protagonist Kit, a college student, has been persuaded by her consumerist roommate Irina to brave the holiday shopping crowd. A weird incident involving someone Kit calls Pervy Man ensues. He separates the two women and Irina disappears. Kit looks for her in vain. While she's looking, someone snatches her. Kit's taken away and held captive for nefarious purposes, along with a number of other women.

Meanwhile, Kit's father is losing it. Kit's uncle Rick Brant is required to step up and take charge of the situation. Pulling Kit's dad along, reluctantly, Brant investigates. And guess who they end up talking to first? Irina. The roommate. WTF? Something smells fishy. Irina herself, maybe? (Ha ha.)

Brant, a strong but suffering Vietnam war vet who suffers nightmarish memories of his time as a "Tunnel Rat" (checking for booby trapped tunnels), is more of a father to Kit than her own dad, the almost comically pathetic Ralph. Brant must also deal with other ghosts from his past, including Zimmerman, a police lieutenant on the case who has hated Brant since back in the day.

Add into the mix a beautiful female sergeant named Colgrave assigned to work the case, who wants to believe Brant, but who takes her orders from Zimmerman, who happens to be her ex-lover (how awkward).

Meanwhile, is Kit sitting by idly waiting to be rescued? No! She's planning her escape, even though the odds seem almost insurmountable.

But have no fear. Not only does Brant have investigative resources, but he has this uncanny sixth sense that served him well as a Tunnel Rat, which seems to provide a psychic link of sorts with Kit. Assuring him to a degree that she's alive (maybe) and that he's heading in the right direction (maybe).

Not only that, but Brant eventually assembles a team of old chums from his days in Nam to effect Kit's rescue. This all leads up to a big bang-up finish worthy of the big screen.

W.D. Gagliani writes with an almost stream of consciousness style of prose that pulled me right into the story. The characters are living, breathing masses of contradiction. The plotting is exceptional. The action is non-stop.

Picture this. If Sam Peckinpah wrote a novel, how would it read? Probably like this one.

This book is available as an ebook only. Download it now. Read it and hold on tight.

Unique Writing Rituals of 20 Acclaimed Authors

2011-01-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

You know those quirky little things authors supposedly always want/need to do as part of their writing routines? Well, I don't know if every author has a writing ritual quirk, but this article gives a list of 20 authors with unique writing rituals -- some of them even a bit bizarre.

Who knew, for instance, that Victor Hugo wrote naked (and had his valet hide his clothes) so he'd be forced to keep writing? (Nowhere to run, I guess, in the days before streaking. :))

Or that C.S. Lewis planned every minute of his working days in order to increase his productivity? (I wonder if I was him in a past life? lol)

In addition, Truman Capote apparently liked to work from bed. He referred to himself (proudly) as a "horizontal writer," which sounds interesting for all sorts of reasons.

Check out the article to see the rest of these wacky little writer habits. :)

'The Sex Club': Small Town Story With Big Time Suspense

2011-01-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

Review: THE SEX CLUB (Spellbinder Press 2007)
Author: L.J. Sellers

THE SEX CLUB is (technically) a police procedural in that it is a Detective (Wade) Jackson Mystery and L.J. Sellers follows the police investigation in the book with a remarkable eye for detail. However, the story starts and ends with Kera Kollmorgan, a doctor working for Planned Parenthood in Eugene, Oregon. And the story starts off with a bang – literally – when a bomb goes off at the clinic where Kera works.

Things quickly turn even uglier when Kera becomes the unwitting focus of the unhinged anti-abortionist's deadly assaults AND a girl she's treated for genital warts ends up murdered and stuffed in a Dumpster.

The story follows the two incidents, creating two plotlines, and shifts deftly back and forth between two points of view – Jackson, a single parent with an adolescent daughter and a boatload of guilt about spending insufficient time with her, and Kera, who's suffered more than her share of personal loss in the form of a dead son (who died in Iraq) and estranged husband (who abandoned her).

Sellers builds suspense to the point where it's almost unbearable and weaves the plotlines seamlessly together. It got to the point where I simply couldn't click through the pages on my Kindle fast enough. This book kept me up way past my bedtime to see what would happen next.

The fact that the story is in Eugene is kind of icing on the cake for me, since I'm somewhat familiar with the town and enjoyed reading about it.

Not only that but the subject is timely and exposes the hypocrisy behind those who hide behind religion to justify things like bombing an abortion clinic to save a life. Yeah, right.

Not to mention the blind eye turned toward the "spare the rod, spoil the child" school of thought exposed in the story.

Plus there's the whole notion that kids are such innocents. Not no more. Nope. They notice things. They ask questions. They deserve real answers.

Which isn't to say the whole story is nothing but liberal socio-political discourse. Far from it. In fact, part of what makes it so compelling, are the relationships between the characters. There are, for instance, several police detectives and other law enforcement types on the case. At first, I thought I'd need a scorecard to keep track of the names, but then I got them straight. Evans is the smart and well put-together female cop, Schak (short for Schakowski) is Jackson's old pal, McCray is an older cop who wears corduroy, Sergeant Denise Lammers is their immediate boss, Fouts is an FBI agent, Slonecker is a district attorney, Ainsworth is a medical examiner in Portland, Debbie works as Ainsworth's assistant and Fieldstone is the mayor of Eugene. See! I told you I could do it. :) Then, of course, there are all the parents and their kids, but I'm not going to list all of them. But I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

And, of course, our heroes, Jackson and Kera, who may (or may not) develop a budding romance. And there's also an interesting and kind of ironic development involving Kera's son toward the end (no, er, pun intended). I'll say no more. Just read the book. ;)

A Lot Can Happen in One Day

2011-01-18T18:32:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows the expression: "What a difference a day makes." One thing I never knew until I saw this article was how many novels had been written that took place over the span of only 24 hours.

The article lists 11, including such classics as ULYSSES, MRS. DALLOWAY, SEIZE THE DAY and DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?

Makes you wonder how many more there might be.

Corruption is Unearthed in 'Buried Strangers'

2011-01-15T19:08:00.019-05:00

Review: BURIED STRANGERS (Kindle Edition 2009)
Author: Leighton Gage

When an errant dog unwittingly discovers a mass unmarked burial site, Chief Inspector Mario Silva of the Brazilian Federal Police and his associates are called upon to help investigate. The clues include families buried together and missing families from poor sections of the city. Initial leads seem to point toward a cult, but his boss Nelson Sampaio discourages Silva from pursuing the case further in favor of gathering dirt on a political opponent. However, Silva ignores him and keeps looking into the matter on the sly.

Meanwhile, a local cop Yoshiro Tanaka pursues his own investigation with something a little less noble than seeking justice in mind, only to pay for it. Silva learns of this and sends Agente Arnaldo Nunes to follow up on where Tanaka went and see where it leads. Turns out to be pretty dangerous.

With the help of his nephew, Hector Costa, and the deceptively youthful-looking Heraldo "Babyface" Goncalves, Silva discovers that the burial site is only one of many and that something even worse than a cult is behind it. And Nunes ends up in terrible trouble. Silva and associates race with the clock to find him before the bad guys do their worst. (I won't tell you what, for fear of spoilers. I'll just say it involves something icky and medical and leave it at that.)

BURIED STRANGERS is an excellent work of fiction. It explores the depth of corruption among police and in other walks of life in Brazil (not that such things are limited to that country). The story was so gripping, it kept me up half the night, two nights in a row. The book is a genuine page-turner and thought-provoking.

Plus it's rare to find a book that not only has a well-constructed and fast-paced plot, but characters that are sympathetic and delineated with care. When one of the bad guys (a complete jerk) gets caught trying to escape, I actually felt bad for him. Now, pulling that off is no mean feat. It's a testament to Leighton Gage's ability to write believable characters.

I highly recommend this book.

My Ebook Launch for LEAST WANTED -- and a Cause

2011-01-11T18:02:00.000-05:00

As those of you who follow this blog may know, along with reviewing books, I’m a mystery novelist with a new ebook release titled LEAST WANTED. (Just click on the link to read about the book.) I also happen to have dystonia (please click on the link to read another post about dystonia), the third most common movement disorder.

On Wednesday, Jan. 12—as in, tomorrow!—I’ll be holding an ebook launch for LEAST WANTED. What I’m doing is structuring the launch so as to make a donation to the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation based on where the book ends up ranking in the Amazon Paid Kindle Store at the end of the day.

Here's how it'll work. If, by the end of the launch date, LEAST WANTED:

Hits the Top 300 in Amazon’s Paid Kindle, I’ll donate $100; or

Hits the Top 200 in Amazon’s Paid Kindle, I’ll donate $250; or

Hits the Top 100 in Amazon’s Paid Kindle, I’ll donate $500; or

If we should get so lucky …

Hits #1 in Amazon’s Paid Kindle, I’ll donate $1,000.

So, tomorrow—Wednesday, Jan. 12—please help me promote my book (it is a book promotion, yes? :) ) and support a worthy cause and download a copy of LEAST WANTED from Amazon for the very, very low price of 99 cents (more than a bargain, I’d say).

That is all. Thank you!

Teen Angst and Suspense Combine Well in 'Life on Hold'

2011-01-08T19:24:00.003-05:00

Review: LIFE ON HOLD (Kindle Edition 2009)
Author: Karen McQuestion

Rae Maddox is just a typical high school girl, except that her mother, Gina, can't seem to stay in one place for more than a year or two (at most). This makes for a very frustrating existence. So she's waiting it out until she turns 18 and can strike out on her own. Live life as she wants to, where she wants to. However for now, she's simply existing. Not getting terribly close to anyone, for fear of just losing them after yet another move. Living a life on hold as it were. (Hmm ... guess where the title came from. :))

From the moment I met Rae, standing outside the fence of a children's mental health facility where she's rushed by a pack of crazies despite the warnings of an inmate she's come to think of as Paranoid Girl, I knew I liked her.

Rae does have two friends she comes to rely upon. She has to have someone, right? Her best friends, Kylie and Mason. To quote Rae: "Two people. That's really all I need. At some of my schools I didn't even have that." Do those words not perfectly sum up the pain and defensiveness of teen alienation?

The three of them stand in marked contrast to the so-called "cool" kids, so full of themselves. Rae has kind of a thing for one of the guys in that group, but that's not to be -- or is it?

Anyhow, Rae is enlisted to escort Allison, an even newer student, around the school. A girl who sticks out like a sore thumb. Dresses like a middle-aged frump. And seems to look down her nose at Rae. How weird is that?

This all being part of the, ahem, Rae Maddox Integration Program? Yeah, right.

Well, the truth about it comes out. And I actually didn't see it coming. And I'm usually GOOD at spotting that sort of thing.

The story puts Rae in the position of figuring out what to believe or not about Allison. As well as how far to go for her.

There's also a budding romantic interest between Rae and a boy. Uh oh, another thing Rae could lose if her mom decides to move yet again. A distinct possibility that gets mentioned.

Plus there are all these family issues. Like who exactly her dad is and being separated from her grandparents. Dysfunctional family stuff.

As I got closer to the end, I found it harder and harder to set the book aside. I simply had to find out what happened.

The story works well as a coming of age tale, that combines romance and suspense, with teen angst. It also features Karen McQuestion's trademark sense of humor and spot on depiction of youth culture.

An awesome book. I totally recommend it.

Family Ties Run Deep in 'U is for Undertow'

2011-01-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

Review: U IS FOR UNDERTOW (Putnam 2009)
Author: Sue Grafton

When I started this 21st installment in the Alphabet Series, I was afraid its charm was starting to wear thin on me. Even the familiar "My name is Kinsey Millhone ..." recitation at the beginning was coming off a bit too much like a drone. However, the initial interview with her young client Michael Sutton was intriguing enough to keep me reading, even if the questioning did seem a bit like it was intended to prompt exposition more than anything. Years before, as a small child, Sutton recalls witnessing the burial (possibly) of a kidnapped girl named Mary Claire Fitzhugh. At least, he recalls the burial of something by two men ("pirates" he calls them). This was right around the time the girl went missing, never to be found. She was presumed to be dead.

Sutton goes to the cops who refer him to Kinsey, who agrees to take the case. The case being to figure out where this happened and find out who the "pirates" are. Sutton is convinced these men kidnapped, killed and buried Mary Claire. He's also worried that they saw him and, now that he's gone to the police, they may come after him, too.

Okay, now I'm interested. But first, we must endure dinner with the plucky old next-door neighbor. Henry, that 88-year-old goat. So spry, I could just kill him. And must we hear AGAIN about the boat-like interior design of Kinsey's home? Porthole windows and all.

But that's okay, because like all big fans of this series, I've come to expect this. And the story exceeds expectations in far more important ways.

Things quickly get interesting as Kinsey delves into the past and tries to find the facts Sutton asks her to confirm. But nothing is quite as it seems. Memory plays tricks and this turns out to be as true for Kinsey as for Sutton, actually.

Sue Grafton takes the ambitious approach of jumping about in time and switching points-of-view among multiple characters. I found this approach most riveting. While the generation-hopping narrative requires concentration, it's well worth the effort.

As the story unfolds and more is revealed from each person's perspective, it becomes clear that while Sutton may not be completely right, he's not completely wrong either. Kinsey's investigation unearths (no pun intended) far more than expected. Although Mary Claire's body isn't immediately found, other clues suggest Sutton may have witnessed something he wasn't supposed to have seen.

The story deals with various issues--dysfunctional families, alcoholism, drugs, addiction, alienation--which all pertain to the crimes at the heart of this story.

Meanwhile, the various plotlines from the past merge to form the basis of the mystery Kinsey is trying to solve in the present (or, at least, the 1980s). Further, the theme of good intentions gone awry is hinted at in various metaphorical ways, including a lengthy description of a pier project that causes the undertow referred to in the title.

And while all the players have no obvious connection at first, they are tied together in the end. Grafton's plotting is virtually flawless in this regard. She also expertly weaves in a subplot about Kinsey's family and the things she never knew about them.

However, like all the other books in the series, I loved this one primarily for Kinsey herself. Yes, I'm still a sucker for Kinsey.

And I say the plot is "virtually flawless" only because the details around the timing of the first homicide and what Sutton witnessed are, shall we say, murky. Further, why does another murder (almost two) take place at the end, when the killer intends to flee to a non-extradition country, anyway? Oh, well, makes for a much better climax. :)

And the epilogue is--in a total departure from others in the series--genuinely moving.

Finally, I do recommend this book. And, my quibbles notwithstanding, I continue to be amazed at how inventive Grafton has been at keeping this series fresh and interesting.