Julie's Jottings on Books & Movies

Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James

2012-01-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it that I'm not a huge Jane Austen fan. Which is probably why I liked Death Comes to Pemberley, a sort of sequel to Pride and Prejudice. My sister, who is a huge Jane Austen fan, did not like this book much, I think because the characters did not ring true to her. To me, it was just a good murder mystery featuring some familiar characters--Darcy & Elizabeth (now happily married), Jane & Bingley (also happily married), that rake Wickham (still a scoundrel) and Lydia (still a flake).
The story goes thus: On the eve of a big party at Pemberley, Elizabeth's sister Lydia shows up in hysterics. Her husband Wickham is found in the woods, drunk and sobbing over the body of his friend Captain Denney. Wickham swears he didn't kill his friend but no one can come up with a plausible alternative. Therein lies the mystery.

If you are a die-hard Jane Austen fan, you might not love this book. But if you just like a good mystery, well told, check it out.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy

2012-01-22T08:13:00.001-08:00

Affairs of Steak is the latest installment in the Ollie Paras (White House chef) series. I love the character of Ollie, who's feisty, intelligent and quick on her feet. In this tome, Ollie and Peter Sargent (director of sensitivity at the White House--and not one of Ollie's favorite people)have been forced to work together on a party for the secretary of state. While visiting one of the possible party venues, they discover the bodies of 2 White House staffers. Soon, someone is coming after Ollie and Peter, forcing them to band together, despite their mutual dislike.

This volume also slowly moves forward Ollie's semi-romance with secret service agent Gav. I do wish Hyzy would get rid of Ollie's old boyfriend, Tom, who is always giving her grief even though he has moved on with an old girlfriend.

I like the whole premise of this series, showing life behind the scenes at the White House. And this is a worthy new chapter in the life of the indomitable Ollie.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

2012-01-21T08:17:00.000-08:00

I've loved all the "Kinsey Millhone" stories since A is for Alibi. But I must say, V is for Vengeance took me a while to get into. I think it was because Sue Grafton had so many plot lines going that seemed unrelated. And it took a long time to see how they were all related. So it was like reading several different books at the same time.

I love the character of Kinsey, who will just keep pulling at threads until she unravels the truth. But there was a lot going on in this book: a rich wife who finds out her husband is cheating on her and comes up with a plan to leave. A gambler tossed to his death for unpaid gambling debts. A possibly crooked cop who may be in cahoots with a family of gangsters. An ex-con with incriminating photos. A shoplifting ring.

Eventually, the whole story comes together and we see how all the pieces fit together. So I liked the second half of the book better than the first. But I thought Kate Atkinson did it better in Started Early Took My Dog, which also involved multiple disparate story lines and a central character, Jackson Brodie, trying to sort it all out.

All in all, V is for Vengeance is worth reading, especially if you're a long-time fan of the series. But it's not the best in the series.

Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

2012-01-15T21:00:00.002-08:00

Chloe Parker is a divorced mom in Chicago who loves Jane Austen. When she gets the chance to be part of a documentary in England about life during the Regency period, she jumps at the chance. However, she is dismayed to find, upon her arrival, that the "documentary" is really a Regency version of The Bachelor and she is one of the women vying for the hand of rich heir Sebastian Wrightman--and a $100,000 prize. So begins the lively romp, Definitely Not Mr. Darcy.

Chloe soon learns that life in Regency England was not exactly what she expected.And that life for women was a lot more precarious than she had imagined.

The character of Chloe is charming. She bumbles and stumbles her way through "womanly pursuits" like needlepoint, archery and making your own ink. And soon becomes a favorite of the television audience as well as of Mr. Wrightman--and his younger brother, Henry.

Will she win the hand of the bachelor? Earn the $100,00? Learn to love cow tongue for dinner? Ever get to take a hot bath? You'll have to tune in to find out.

Movie review: The Artist

2011-12-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

Went to see The Artist at the movies over the holidays with my sister. We were both puzzled by why this movie is getting so much buzz as one of the best of the year.

In its favor:
--Both of the leads (the actor who played George and the actress who played Peppy) were very good
--The black & white look and the fact that there was almost zero dialog were clever and a little creativity goes a long way with me.

Against it:
--The story goes exactly as you expect it to (especially if you've seen any of the versions of A Star is Born--tho it has a happier ending)
--I almost dozed off in the middle of it

I paid $5 for a bargain matinee and that was probably a fair price.

We Meant Well by Peter Van Buren

2011-12-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

Peter Van Buren is an experienced State Department foreign service officer. We Meant Well recounts his adventures during his tenure in Iraq.

Van Buren has a wry sense of humor so some of his anecdotes will make you laugh. But others will leave you dumbfounded--particularly those involving the boatloads of money the U.S. government threw at programs to rebuild Iraq that were clearly doomed to failure (such as experiments in beekeeping). (It was interesting to see which programs did work--such as a small 4-H club set up for Iraqi children.)

Some of the passages will be indelibly imprinted in your mind. The one that comes to my mind was the chapter describing a medical training course involving pigs, designed to teach soldiers how to immediately respond to life-threatening battlefield injuries.

You may think you understand the Iraq War but We Meant Well is a fascinating look at the war from a totally different perspective.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

2011-12-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

In Explosive Eighteen, Stephanie Plum continues her adventures (and mostly misadventures) as a bounty hunter in New Jersey. The story begins with Stephanie returning from Hawaii and finding a photo of an unknown man in her bag. She tosses out the photo then discovers that everyone and his brother is looking for it. As usual, Steph has car issues, romantic issues and incompetence issues.

There are some funny scenes but there's not enough Ranger or Morelli--or even Grandma Mazur for that matter. Entertaining, but not the best in the series.

The Drop by Michael Connelly

2011-12-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

Harry Bosch is getting close to retirement age at the LAPD. He's now working in the cold case squad and has just started investigating a puzzling case in which blood evidence makes it appear that an 8 year old was a rapist and murderer. So begins The Drop. Before Harry can delve further into that case, he's called upon by the higher ups to investigate the death of a city councilman's son--who fell, jumped or was pushed off a hotel balcony. Along the way, he also has to deal with a partner he's not sure he trusts, a teenage daughter he's now raising alone and a possible new romance.

I love the way Michael Connelly writes.You're just drawn into the story. I also love the character of Harry Bosch. He's the kind of cop you'd want on the case if something happened to you or someone you love.

The Submission by Amy Waldman

2011-12-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

The Submission by Amy Waldman has an intriguing premise: A committee is selected to pick an architect to design a memorial commemorating those who died on 9/11. Claire Burwell (whose husband died that day) represents the families. She is the strongest supporter of a submission called The Garden. Once the committee members choose that concept, they're stunned to learn that the architect is a Muslim --an American Muslim, but a Muslim nonetheless. When word leaks out, the public begins to vociferously make its opinions known.

Claire loves the architectural concept but isn't sure how she feels about the architect. Mo (short for Mohammed) Kahn, the architect, is a complex bundle of contradictions. There's also a good subplot about an illegal immigrant, Asma, whose husband died on 9/11. Though advised to remain in the shadows due to her illegal status, she feels compelled to go public with her thoughts on the memorial, with stunning consequences.

I liked the twist at the end. And I will say that, though it did bog down a little in the middle, The Submission is definitely worth reading and a book that gives you a lot to think about.

Devil's Gate by Clive Cussler/Graham Brown

2011-12-09T09:16:00.001-08:00

Devil's Gate is another rollicking adventure yarn featuring some of Clive Cussler's old favorites--Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, Paul and Gamay Trout--even Dirk Pitt, his original earth-saving hero. The plot involves a mysterious super weapon, a power-hungry African dictator, a beautiful Russian athlete/spy, an old nemesis of Kurt's, lots of things blowing up and plenty of near-death experiences. But it's all great good fun.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston

2011-12-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

My sister the librarian told me about The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt and I'm glad she did. It's described as a "novel in pictures" and is set up like a real scrapbook, with photos, souvenirs and typewritten descriptions.

The titular Frankie is a simple girl from New Hampshire in the 1920s who has big dreams of becoming a writer. The scrapbook shows her journey through Vassar (as a scholarship student), to New York then off to Paris to realize her literary dream, all the while looking for true love. It's an engrossing story--both for the actual journey and for the cool photos, fashions and miscellania from the 20s, which are so creatively displayed.

You can probably read the whole thing in an hour or two, but it's definitely worth searching for at your local library. It's a fascinating glimpse into the past.

The Litigators by John Grisham

2011-12-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

The Litigators is an enjoyable legal romp, set in Chicago. David Zinc works ridiculous hours at a huge downtown law firm. One day, he decides he's had enough, walks off, gets drunk and ends up at "boutique" law firm Finley & Figg (ambulance chasers par excellence). He kind of likes the slower pace and learning about different kinds of law and doesn't even mind how little money he's making. Then one of the partners, Wally, gets the firm sucked into a huge lawsuit against a drug company, in hopes of making big bucks. Of course, nothing goes as planned and soon David, with no trial experience whatsoever, ends up trying the case by himself.

This book is a lot more lighthearted than some of Grisham's other books, which I liked.
It's a good story and David is an appealing "leading man." Is it great literature? No. But is it a good way to spend a wintry weekend? Definitely.

This Burns My Heart by Samuel Park

2011-11-25T17:08:00.001-08:00

Did you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you had made a different career choice, chosen a different place to live, or associated with different people?
In This Burns My Heart, Soo-Ja Choi realizes what a completely different trajectory her life would have taken if she had married the man she truly loved instead of the man she did marry.

The story is set in Korea in the early 1960s, just after the end of the Korean War.
The country is trying to rebuild but there's still a lot of turmoil. Soo-Ja is the pampered daughter of a wealthy businessman. She wants to flee to the big city (Seoul), become a diplomat and see the world. When her father says no, she thinks marriage will be her ticket out but doesn't really think this plan through. And soon realizes that there are a lot worse things in life than being the pampered daughter of a wealthy father who wants to keep her close by.

I liked the character of Soo-Ja because she refuses to give up on her dreams, and continues to support her family and maintain her integrity no matter how many obstacles and betrayals she faces on her journey. Samuel Park said some parts of the story are based on his mother's life.

Movie review: The Descendants

2011-11-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

The Descendants is a great character study that's well written, well acted--and set in beautiful Hawaii. And what could be better than that?

George Clooney plays Matt King, a successful lawyer in Hawaii who suddenly finds himself dealing with crises on several fronts. First, he is the trustee who must decide what to do with a huge plot of valuable land owned by the family trust--and not all the family members agree on what should be done. At the same time, he's dealing with a badly injured, comatose wife and being an active parent to two rambunctious daughters, a role he has not had to play in the past. As if that weren't enough, he finds out that his wife was involved with another man.

George Clooney is wonderful as a man trying to process a cheating wife, an imminent death, a hostile father in law, single parenthood and a major financial decision all at the same time. Equally good are the two actresses (Shallene Woodley and Amara Miller) who play his daughters. They feel like a real family coming to grips with the loss of a woman they all loved--but didn't always like that much.

The Detachment by Barry Eisler

2011-11-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

In The Detachment, Barry Eisler has his memorable John Rain character (a Japanese/American hitman) and sniper friend Dox join forces in a very uneasy alliance with Ben Trevan, Daniel Larison and Scott Horton from his recent Inside Out.

Horton convinces the team they're helping him save America from a shady conspiracy, but once they start killing for him, the boys become suspicious of Horton's real agenda. And, by the way, there are $25 million in diamonds in play. Plus there's a distinct possibility that one member of this not-so-merry band of brothers will kill the others and disappear into the sunset. With the diamonds. All in all, quite the page turner.

I find the character of John Rain fascinating. He's very good at his job--killing and making it seem like a natural death. But he can't stop thinking about all the grieving families his killings have left behind. And in his own way, on this adventure, he's trying to make up for what's done.

Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga

2011-11-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

I had been having a hard time finding a really good book to dive into, then I found two--the previously reviewed Art of Fielding and now Last Man in Tower.

Last Man in Tower is basically the story of human nature--both good and bad. Vishram Society Tower A is an apartment building in Mumbai that has seen better days. But to its long-time tenants, it's home and they are a sort of family. Then real estate developer Darmen Shah decides he wants to construct a luxury building on the site and offers the tenants attractive buyouts. The tenants start making big plans for their newfound fortunes--but not everyone wants to leave. And soon neighbors are turning against neighbors.

Adiga is a beautiful writer. You get a real sense of life in Mumbai, where wealth and extreme poverty live side by side. And his characters are well drawn, particularly retired schoolteacher Masterji (who doesn't want to leave the site of so many fond memories of his now-gone family) and Shah (who rose from nothing and is determined to build on the site, no matter the cost).

Adiga won the Man Booker prize for his earlier novel, The White Tiger--which I can't wait to read.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

2011-11-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

Girls in White Dresses relates the trials and triumphs of a group of 20-something women in New York City as they try to navigate their way through new jobs, first apartments, and sometimes ill-advised romances. The book is set up as a series of vignettes rather than following a traditional novel format.

I liked this book, though I didn't love it as much as some reviewers did. I thought the main characters seemed realistic--though I did have a hard time keeping some of them straight, especially when "back-up" characters, like Cate (no one calls me Caitlin), started getting chapters of their own.

Some of the stories were hilarious while others were poignant. I was disappointed that so many of the women seemed to be settling for men they knew were not really right for them (such as Mary the hardworking lawyer who realized she would always come in second to her future mother in law and married the guy anyway).

The Affair by Lee Child

2011-10-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

I love the character of Jack Reacher, the hero of the engrossing series by Lee Child.
Except in the last couple of books, which were extremely violent, Reacher generally uses his wits to solve problems and right wrongs. Now a constant wanderer, Reacher started out as an MP in the Army. The Affair describes the case that ended his career.

A woman is found dead near an isolated Army base in Mississippi where mysterious military goings-on are going on. Another MP is sent to the base and Reacher is sent undercover to the tiny nearby town to investigate--and find out whether any military personnel were involved. He immediately comes in contact with the enigmatic sheriff, Elizabeth Deveraux, herself a former military MP. The two begin working together without completely trusting each other, as their agendas are not necessarily the same. The story holds your attention and the conclusion works. Plus I liked learning more about Reacher's past. But what I didn't like was that Reacher acts as a sort of one-man vigilante committee, killing several people who he deems guilty--and feels absolutely no remorse. This does not jibe with the character of Reacher I remember from the earlier books.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

2011-10-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Henry Skrimshander loves baseball. He plays shortstop and has an uncanny ability to visualize just how the ball will bounce and where it will land. Henry gets noticed by Mike Schwartz, captain of the baseball team at Wisconsin's Westish College, a team with a long history of losing. Schwartz convinces the college president, Guert, to bring Henry to Westish, where he ends up rooming with gay scholarship student Owen. And so begins the beautifully written Art of Fielding.

The novel describes the ever evolving relationships between Henry, Mike, Owen, Guert, and Guert's daughter, Pella. It's a coming of age story, a sports story, a love story. And you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it.

The book is over 500 pages long and I just flew through it. I can't wait to see what author Chad Harbach comes up with next.

Movie review: Footloose

2011-10-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

I think I liked the original version of Footloose better than the remake. That being said, I thought both Julianne Hough (Ariel) and Miles Teller (Willard)were very good.
And the dancing was great. Kenny Wormald was okay as Ren, but Kevin Bacon had more of a spark in the original.

I thought the idea of showing the car crash that led to the dancing ban in Bomont was a wise decision. That had much more impact than just talking about the crash, as they did in the original. And the decision to make Ren virtually parentless and sent off alone to live in the country with relatives probably made the audience sympathize with him more than in the original (where he still had a mother, who moved to Bomont with him).

All in all, worth a matinee price or Netflix rental for the music, dancing, Julianne and Willard (and the 2 adorable little girls who play Ren's cousins).

Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman

2011-10-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

After Robert Parker's death in 2010, Michael Brandman was hired to continue his popular Jesse Stone series. Killing The Blues is Brandman's first effort. And it's only a partial success.

The plot is involving. A series of car thefts is occurring in Paradise just before tourist season, which has the town's leaders in an uproar. Then police chief Jesse Stone finds out that someone from his past (his days as a cop in L.A.) may be coming to get him. Then there are some unsavory goings-on at the local high school that require Jesse's intervention. All part of a typical day in Paradise.

What's off is the tone. Jesse is just a little too cheerful. He sounds more like Spenser, the Boston PI who stars in another series by Parker. In previous books, Jesse was dealing with his almost obsession with his cheating ex-wife, Jenn. And with the lure of alcohol. Those problems are both mentioned then pushed aside. Also pushed aside is his off-and-on romance with PI Sunny Randall, which is an unfortunate development. I liked the interaction between those 2 characters, who were both still caught up in their former marriages.

It's nice being able to check in on Jesse, Suit, Molly and the rest of the Paradise gang even though Robert Parker is gone. But it's just not quite the same.

Operation Napoleon by A. Indridason

2011-10-17T05:20:00.002-07:00

Near the end of World War 2, a plane with an American pilot and German military passengers crashes into a glacier in Iceland during a storm. The plane is swallowed up by the glacier and its whereabouts remain a mystery for decades. Its reappearance sets off a chain reaction of lies, cover-ups, and deaths as government officials try to hide the secret behind the flight.

The heroine of the story is Kristin, an Icelandic lawyer, whose brother Elias stumbles upon the plane recovery site. He disappears and soon Kristin finds her own life in danger as she tries to find out what happened to her brother and what was going on on that glacier.

Operation Napoleon is quite the page turner. I finished the whole book in one day. And Kristin is a feisty heroine--though how she manages to elude/escape the bad guys (and solve the mystery)with no weapons and no special training kind of strains credulity. But the Iceland setting is unique and it's a good story with an interesting mystery. My one quibble is the anti-American sentiment so prevalent throughout the book. I've noticed this is becoming a recurring theme with a lot of European authors--one which some of us don't appreciate.

Indridason is also the author of the Inspector Erlandur series. Those books are more character driven while Operation Napoleon is more plot driven.

Son of Stone by Stuart Woods

2011-10-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

New York lawyer and bon vivant Stone Barrington finds out he has a 16-year-old son with former love, Arrington Calder. In Son of Stone, Barrington adapts to life with his new son and with the back-in-his life Arrington. It's an enjoyable enough piece of fluff, full of private jets, black-tie parties and million-dollars deals. But it wasn't my favorite Stone Barrington book.

Peter, the son, is too perfect to be real. He's also unbelievably accepting of Stone as his father and doesn't seem the least bit annoyed with his mother for keeping his parentage a secret for so long. Also, there were a couple of subplots--one involving Hattie, Peter's girlfriend, and another involving Stone's long-time client Herbie that were so magically resolved that one wonders why they were in there in the first place. And when something happens to Arrington, Stone's reaction seems a little underwhelming, considering their long history.

It's always nice to imagine living like the other half lives--and that part of Son of Stone works. But this book could have used a little more character and plot development.

The George Elliott Murders by Edith Skom

2011-10-11T19:26:00.001-07:00

The premise sounded interesting: An English professor uses literature to help solve crimes. The execution didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Professor Beth Austin flees the snowy Midwest for a luxury resort in Hawaii over break. She meets several characters/suspects during a tennis match.
Then the bodies start piling up. First, the woman in a neighboring room jumps/falls from her balcony. Then the tennis pro is murdered. Then one of her other new acquaintances is found dead. Beth decides to trust 2 of her new acquaintances to help solve the murders. (I'm still not sure why she decided they were trustworthy.)

The second half of the book, when the clues start becoming more obvious and the murders are actually solved, wasn't bad. But the first half kind of dragged. And it was very hard to keep all those characters--and all their nicknames--straight.

I'm Feeling Lucky: Confessions of Google Employee 59

2011-10-10T06:52:00.001-07:00

When I read a review for I'm Feeling Lucky etc., I was intrigued. Douglas Edwards was hired as a marketing guy for the then small and relatively unknown internet company Google. He describes what life was like at Google in those early days.

Douglas does offer some insights into how Google managed to become the behemoth it is today. However, I did not find this to be a very well written book. There is so much detail, alot of it irrelevant, that my eyes began to glaze over. And I felt like I was reading the text book for the most boring marketing class on earth. I will admit that I never finished the book, so I probably shouldn't be commenting on it. But I was very disappointed in the portion that I did read.

Movie review: Ides of March

2011-10-07T16:48:00.001-07:00

Ides of March is a behind-the-scenes look at presidential politics--and the picture it paints isn't pretty. The story focuses on the Ohio primary, which will determine the Democratic nominee. Steven (Ryan Gossling)is working on the campaign of a charismatic governor (George Clooney) who needs to win Ohio to win the nomination.

We see Steven "evolve" from a slightly naive idealist to a cold-hearted manipulator. (One review I read implied that Steven always was cold-hearted and manipulative but I'm not sure I agree with that.) Watching this movie made me wonder why anyone would want to be involved in politics--you're forced to make so many compromises that you're bound to lose your integrity in the process.

I found the beginning of the movie a little slow and talky. But once the subplot involving a well-connected intern (Evan Rachel Wood) kicked in, I was engrossed.

Bellwether by Connie Willis

2011-10-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Bellwether is a quirky little book about a company that does scientific research. Sandra studies fads--she's currently trying to determine why women started bobbing their hair in the 1920s. Sandra's colorful and generally incompetent assistant, Flip, misdelivers a package, which causes Sandra to meet Ben, a scientist studying chaos theory. And that sets off a whole chain of events involving misplaced paperwork (once again thanks to Flip), a smoking ban, a prestigious award--and a flock of sheep.

Bellwether is a clever look at human behavior, told with a wry sense of humor. As an aside, if you like the humor in this book, you will also like Willis's To Say Nothing of the Dog, which involves time travelers from the future who get stuck in Victorian England.

Movie review: 50/50

2011-10-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

The subject matter is sad--a man in his 20s is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. But the story is told with a touch of humor. So you want to both laugh and cry.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Adam) is wonderful as a regular guy who comes face to face with the possibility that he might never celebrate his 30th birthday. Seth Rogan plays his best friend (Kyle). Because I'm not a 14-year-old boy, a little bit of Seth Rogan usually goes a long way with me. But Rogan hit the right notes in trying to be there for his friend while not always doing the right thing. Anna Kendrick (Cathy) plays Adam's therapist-in-training, who might want to be a little more involved with Adam than the usual doctor/patient role calls for. She brings a certain sweetness to her role.

50/50 is the kind of movie that makes you appreciate your own good health--and appreciate the family and friends who stick by you when times are tough.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

2011-09-30T15:00:00.001-07:00

Despite the rave reviews it has been receiving, I did not particularly like Rules of Civility. The premise was interesting--the changes in the lives of three characters (Katey, Eve, and Tinker) during the year 1938 in New York City. It's a good setting for the book because the country was undergoing great change too as the Depression was coming to an end and World War II was breaking out in Europe. And that aspect of the book worked for me.

The main problem was that I didn't like any of the main characters. Katey seemed to be the best of the bunch. She had her head on straight most of the time and seemed dedicated to advancing her career through hard work. But she also spent alot of time flitting around with the hard-drinking high-society set, which she was introduced to through Tinker. And that seemed kind of out of character for her. She also had an awful lot of romantic relationships in one year for someone who on the surface seemed so level-headed.

Another problem was that characters who had been briefly mentioned earlier in the book popped up again much later--and I had a hard time remembering exactly who they were or why I should care. Though that may have been because it took me so long to finish this relatively short (300 pages) book.

My sister liked this book a lot and many of the reviewers loved this book. So maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea. Mr. Towles does write well so I will probably check out his next book.

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

2011-09-24T06:47:00.001-07:00

Those of you who loved Kane & Abel a million years ago will love Only Time Will Tell, the first volume in the new Clifton Family Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer.

The main character is Harry Clifton, whose father was either a hardworking dockworker (who mysteriously disappeared)--or a member of a wealthy shipping family. If the latter, he is legally the heir to the family's huge fortune, which makes him a threat.

Harry's mother, Maisie, is determined to ensure that her son has a better life than she had--and his rich "possible father" is just as determined to thwart her efforts.
The story is told from several different perspectives. And each narrator adds a little more detail to what we've already learned.

The book ends just as World War II is breaking out in Europe. There's a great cliffhanger so you'll be sure to want to dive into volume 2 as soon as it's available.

Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes

2011-09-19T05:56:00.001-07:00

Irish writer Marian Keyes is one of my go-to gals when I'm in the mood for good chick lit, as I was this past rainy weekend. In a nutshell, Last Chance Saloon is about the friendship between Katherine, Tara and Fintan, who have moved from their small town in Ireland to the big city (London). There are a lot of nights on the town and a lot of bad romances. There's also a big health scare that makes everyone re-evaluate what they're doing with their lives.

I liked the characters. But I didn't like that these otherwise intelligent women (Tara, Katherine and the secondary character Amy)were willing to be doormats for so long just to keep a man in their lives. However, they do all eventually realize that being happy is more important than being part of a couple.

Movie review: Contagion

2011-09-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

Contagion is a fast-paced thriller about what would happen if a mutant virus (with no known cure or vaccine) started spreading around the world, along the lines of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. The action bounces from the World Health Organization and CDC, as scientists frantically try to find the source of the virus and develop a vaccine, to the panicky and increasingly desperate population trying to stay safe and get their hands on a treatment that will actually work.

The only quibble I had with the plot was the story line involving Jude Law as an internet blogger/rumormonger/profiteer. Every time the focus shifted back to him, the momentum of the movie was kind of thrown off. But other than that, the story seems frighteningly plausible and when it ended, I really just wanted to wash my hands and stay away from large crowds.

The movie did give me a whole new appreciation for those brave scientists who head into the thick of an epidemic to track down the origins and the way it is spreading, putting themselves right in harm's way.

Once Upon a Time, There was You by Eliz. Berg

2011-09-15T20:11:00.001-07:00

I'll admit it, I only grabbed this book at the library because I didn't have anything else to read and the books I had on request hadn't come in yet. I'll also admit that I didn't really like it.

Once Upon a Time, There was You is the story of a divorced couple, John and Irene, and their beloved 18-year-old daughter, Sadie. At the beginning, Sadie was the only character I liked. John was too indecisive and Irene was too prickly. But by the end, even Sadie was getting on my nerves. I take that back. I kind of liked Irene's friend Valerie, thought truthfully, I wondered how she had managed to put up with Irene for so long.

Anyway, something bad happens to Sadie (in a story line that did not seem realistic to me at all), which sort of brings her divorced parents temporarily back together--but not too much together. There's alot of angst, a lot of misunderstandings, a lot of snapping at each other. By the end, I just didn't care what happened to any of them anymore.

Elizabeth Berg has a lot of die-hard fans so I'm assuming her other books are better than this one.

One Summer by David Baldacci

2011-09-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

Jack and Lizzie are high school sweethearts. They marry and have 3 kids. Suddenly Jack is stricken with an unnamed fatal illness. He and Lizzie are preparing for her life as a widow when suddenly she dies instead. Lizzie's mother takes the kids away from Jack (for their own good) and puts Jack in hospice to die alone. But he doesn't. And Jack realizes he has gotten a miraculous second chance to be a better father.

I liked that things don't go smoothly for Jack. His teenage daughter can be a handful. His mother-in-law is a pill. Money is tight. He's nearly overwhelmed with grief.But he keeps plodding along.

Sure there are some sappy moments, but One Summer is a good story of a family trying to keep it together after losing the woman who was the heart of the family.

We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey

2011-09-12T05:36:00.002-07:00

We All Fall Down is the latest installment in the series featuring ex-cop/current PI Michael Kelly and set in Chicago. This book has a little bit of everything--a mysterious virus that is killing citizens on the poor West side--that may have been intentionally launched. Political corruption. Gangs. The "outfit" (aka the mob). Even a little failed romance. It's quite the page turner and a reminder of how vulnerable we all are to microbes used as weapons.

It's a good story but I have to say, I liked the other books in this series better--The Third Rail, The Fifth Floor and The Chicago Way--because they're about more everyday crime and corruption in the Windy City. So, even though this wasn't my favorite, I do look forward to the next chapter in Michael Kelly's always interesting life.

Roseanna by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo

2011-09-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Someone lent me a copy of Roseanna, a book I would never have stumbled upon by myself, and I'm glad she did. First published in the 60s, it was reprinted in the 90s. Roseanna tells the story of the death of an American tourist (Roseanna McGraw, a librarian from Nebraska) on a tour boat in Sweden and the months-long efforts of the police (in Sweden and Nebraska) to track down her killer. It's fascinating to watch them work the old- fashioned way--before DNA testing, computerized data bases, GPS systems and cell phones. In fact, when they're tailing their main suspect, the cops have to keep running to a phone booth to check in. And yet, by hard work and dogged determination, they do eventually solve the crime.

There's an introduction to the reprinted version of the book by Henning Mankell that describes a little about what was going on in Sweden in the 60s, which makes for an interesting backdrop to the story.

Back of Beyond by CJ Box

2011-09-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

My sister and I both ended up reading Back of Beyond over Labor Day weekend, totally by accident. And we both felt the same way--we weren't crazy about the beginning, when the main character, Montana cop Cody Hoyt, seems to be succumbing to his worst alcoholic tendencies. But once the action moves to Yellowstone Park, neither of us could put the book down.

In a nutshell, Cody finds his AA sponsor dead in a fire--which he is convinced is a homicide though everyone else on the force is sure it was an accidental death that was probably alcohol related. Then a computer search for similar deaths leads to a suspect who may be on a wilderness trip in Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, Cody's teenage son is on the same trip. So he heads off to the wilderness to catch a killer and protect his son.

There were a lot of good twists and turns in the plot. And a great character in the form of teenage Gracie Sullivan, who is on the wilderness tour with her father and snarky older sister, Danielle. Gracie is alot more astute than most of the adults who are traveling with her. And a lot feistier.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

2011-08-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

This slight tome, only about 100 pages, shows the profound impact books can have on a person's life. When the person in question is the Queen of England, the impact can be profound indeed.

The Queen is chasing after her dogs when she comes upon a bookmobile. To be polite, she checks out a book--and soon the whole world of literature opens up to her. Soon, all she wants to do is read, at the expense of her "queenly" duties. And all that reading gives her a whole new perspective on her world and her life.

Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy

2011-08-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

Grace Interrupted is the second in the series by Julie Hyzy set at Marshfield Manor, an old estate that is now being run as a hotel/museum/tourist destination. In addition to dealing with the tourists, she has to deal with a prickly assistant (Frances), a kindly boss (Bennett) who's trying to have way more influence over her life than she wants, a romance with the head landscaper (Jack) that seems to be going nowhere fast (actually, to the point where you wonder why she doesn't give up)--and once again, a murder to solve.

In this instance, it's the death of a Civil War re-enactor on the estate's grounds.
The victim showed himself to be kind of a jerk while alive so there are plenty of suspects, though the police quickly home in on Jack and his younger brother, Davy.

This series is entertaining enough. But I really prefer Julie Hyzy's other series featuring Ollie the White House chef. I guess I just find that setting more interesting and I think I like the character of Ollie a little more. Ollie seems more take-charge and Grace seems a little indecisive.

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva

2011-08-22T18:44:00.001-07:00

I'm a big fan of this espionage series by Daniel Silva.
I love the character of Gabriel, master spy and master art restorer--who just wants to retire from spying to focus on his art but keeps getting drawn back in for one more mission. And I love his wife Chiara, who's equally adept at whipping up a big Italian feast as driving a surveillance car across the desert in rapid pursuit of the bad guys.

In Portrait of a Spy, Gabriel, stumbles upon a man getting ready to blow himself up in a crowd in London. He tries to stop the attack but is himself stopped by the British authorities. Soon he's hard at work trying to track down the mastermind behind a recent series of attacks. And his plan involves a woman from his past--who may have a good reason to betray him.

It's quite the page-turner and I like the way Daniel Silva has incorporated recent events in the Middle East into the plot.

Bruno Chief of Police by Martin Walker

2011-08-20T20:12:00.002-07:00

Bruno Chief of Police is the first in the series set in southern France by Martin Walker. (See my earlier review of The Dark Vineyard)

In this book, we learn more about Bruno's past and how he ended up being the only policeman in tiny St. Denis. Most of the story revolves around Bruno's attempts to solve the murder of a reclusive Algerian.

Much of the book is a series of charming vignettes about life in a small French town. But there are two subplots related to the murder that have a much more serious tone--one about life in the region during World War II and the other about anti-Arab sentiments in France (which are frequently directed toward former colonists from Algeria and Morocco who have settled in France). It's a good reminder that even in a seemingly idyllic place like St. Denis, nothing is perfect.

Iron House by John Hart

2011-08-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Iron House starts with 2 brothers in an orphanage. Michael is the strong older brother, Julian is the scrawny, often-bullied younger brother. Michael takes the blame for something Julian does, then takes off. He ends up as a hit man for the mob in NYC, Julian gets adopted by a wealthy senator and his wife.

When the mobster Michael works for dies, Michael's enemies threaten his life as well as that of his pregnant girlfriend and the brother he hasn't seen in years. That part of the book was good. Then it got very dark and very violent, with a dash of mental illness thrown in for good measure.

The story moves along but it's kind of strange. You're cheering for the hitman, who is the hero of the book, and who indeed is a better person than the corrupt senator or the psychotic mobsters. But still, he is a professional killer, so it's kind of odd to be cheering him on. And the whole book is very dark and grim.

All in all, I have to say, I've read other books by John Hart that I liked better.

Movie review: One Day

2011-08-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to make of One Day. It wasn't what I expected at all and the "bouncing from year to year" concept made it a little hard to get a good handle on the main characters. Ann Hathaway and Jim Sturgess were good. And the scenery is beautiful. But I guess I didn't really connect with the characters.

I own the book on which the movie is based but haven't had a chance to read it yet. I'm guessing, based on another book by David Nicholls (A Question of Attraction) that I read and loved, that there is a lot more humor in the book than there was in the movie.
(The movie could have used a little more humor)

All in all, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Worth a matinee price but not worth full price.

Gamble by Felix Francis

2011-08-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

A day at the horse races for financial analysts Nick Foxton and his American colleague Herb Kovac ends with Herb being shot to death by a mysterious stranger. When Nick is inexplicably named Herb's executor and sole heir, he begins to discover that he didn't know his coworker at all. And suddenly, Nick finds his own life in danger.

That is the premise of the fast-paced Gamble by Felix Francis, who has taken over the long-running horse racing-themed mystery series from his father, Dick Francis. I liked the story and Nick. I did find that the author tended to go off on explanations of topics (such as comparing the SEC vs the British way of overseeing securities fraud)that kind of threw off the momentum of the story. And the subplot involving Nick's girlfriend is more serious than is usually found in a murder mystery. But it didn't distract from the main plot and indeed made you care what happened to Nick even more. All in all, if you liked the Dick Francis novels, I think you will also like the way Felix is carrying on the tradition.

The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker

2011-08-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Take a little mystery, add in some fine wine and lots of charm and you've got Martin Walker's The Dark Vineyard. Bruno is the only policeman in the tiny French village of St. Denis, in the heart of wine country. First, there's a mysterious fire at a research facility. Then 2 of the locals are found dead near/in a vat of wine. What is going on?

Bruno works his way through the clues, stopping for a glass of wine here, a fresh croissant there, finally uncovering a plan that could change his beloved town forever. Along the way, we get to experience with him delightful dinner parties, town celebrations, old romances ending and possibly new romances beginning. All in all, it's a delectable interlude.

When I picked this book up, I didn't realize it was part of a series. Now I'm eager to seek out the earlier volumes and learn more about Bruno and his charming little town.

Movie review: The Help

2011-08-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Loved the book, loved the movie. And you don't necessarily have to have read the book to like the movie (according to my niece, who was in that boat).

If you are among the few who haven't read The Help, the basic premise is that a white writer convinces black maids in Mississippi in the early 1960s to share their stories, which she compiles into a book. The maids who participated knew how dangerous it was but did it anyway because they really wanted their stories to be heard.

The cast is wonderful, even in the smaller roles such as those played by Sissy Spacek and Cicely Tyson. Viola Davis, whose character Aibileen narrates the movie, justly deserves all the praise she's getting. I also thought the little girl who plays Aibileen's charge, Mae Mobley, was very good--her last scene with Aibileen is heartbreaking. But to me the true standout was Octavia Spencer's portrayal of the feisty Minnie. She plays frightened, sassy, angry and funny equally well. And your eye is just drawn to her in every scene she appears in.

Dreams of the Dead by Perri O'Shaughnessy

2011-08-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

Lake Tahoe lawyer Nina Reilly is hired to handle a case involving the sale of a ski resort with the proceeds split between the owner and his family members. But the one wrinkle is that the owner's presumed-dead son has sent a message from Brazil that he wants his share of the money. Since that son had tried to kill Nina then disappeared, she has long assumed he was dead. But is he? That is the premise of the engrossing Dreams of the Dead by Perri O'Shaughnessy (the pen name of 2 sisters).

I like the character of Nina. She's smart and feisty, a good lawyer and a good mom.
But she can't make up her mind about which man in her life she loves. And she sometimes makes ill-advised moves (as at the end of this book when she decides to visit several potential murder suspects on her own at night). She's not perfect, which makes me like her even more.

You don't necessarily have to read the rest of the series to enjoy this (though reading the book just before this one probably wouldn't hurt). Good read for a hot summer day.

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

2011-08-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

I usually love Jennifer Weiner's books--In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, Goodnight Nobody. She tells a good story with well-developed characters. So I was kind of disappointed in Then Came You.

The story involves a rich trophy wife (India) who wants to have a baby via surrogate (Annie) and the college girl (Jules) who donates the egg. Unfortunately, it's hundreds of pages into the book before any of the women meet each other. So until that point, it's like reading 3 separate stories. Plus the tie-up-all-the-loose-ends ending seemed a little too fairy tale-esque to be plausible. And it's hard to know what to make of India, the future mother at the center of the story. She comes off as very calculating for most of the book--until we find out her back story, in which case she becomes a lot more sympathetic. It was a little jarring.

If you haven't read Jennifer Weiner before, do. She's a good writer. Just pick one of her earlier books.

No Rest for the Dead by multiple authors

2011-08-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

No Rest for the Dead is an interesting concept.
Several popular authors contributed to the plot of this engrossing murder mystery, each writing one or more chapters.

The story starts with the death of a philandering husband, an art curator whose body is stuffed inside an iron maiden torture device and shipped to a museum in Berlin. His hapless wife becomes the prime suspect. Each author throws in his or her unique twists and turns--and character shadings--and amazingly, it all flows very smoothly.

Among the authors who contributed were John Lescroart, Lisa Scottoline, Marcus Sakey, Kathy Reichs, and Alexander McCall Smith. So there's a good mix of writing styles.

Movie review: Crazy Stupid Love

2011-08-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Why did I like Crazy Stupid Love? Let me count the ways:
1. The main couple was over 40 and not teenagers (though I have to say, the teenage son (Jonah Bobo) was my favorite character in the whole movie).
2. We genuinely cared what happened to the characters, even the straying wife who set everything in motion.
3. There were some interesting plot twists and turns that I should have seen coming but didn't.
4. Emma Stone is adorable.
5. The girl who plays her best friend (Liza Lapira) is hilarious.
6. Marisa Tomei was great in what was essentially a pretty small (but memorable) part.
7. The writer didn't make Julianne Moore's character the villain even though she broke Steve Carrell's character's heart.
8. The girl who played the babysitter (Analeigh Tipton) was perfectly cast.
9. There were some truly funny scenes.
10. How can you hate a movie in which the main message is that true love really exists?

No, it wasn't a perfect movie but it was a likable movie and definitely worth a matinee price.

County by David Ansell

2011-08-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

Cook County Hospital--setting for the long-running TV show ER--was built in 1914 and was the site of America's first blood bank and trauma unit. However, as author Dr. David Ansell notes in County: Life, Death & Politics in Chicago's Public Hospital, "Patients were a secondary consideration from the start."

Until it was replaced by a newer facility in 2002, County was known for its long waiting times, understaffing, crumbling infrastructure--and long, open wards, which offered hospitalized patients no privacy at all. In County, Ansell recounts his years as an intern, resident, and staff physician at County and how he and the other staff tried for years to improve conditions for patients.

Many of the patients' stories are heartbreaking. And you come away thankful if you never had to be a patient at County. But I do wish Ansell had spent less time beating the reader over the head with the need for a single-payer health insurance system. He effectively made his point early on and didn't need to keep belaboring it. Still, it is a compelling and thought-provoking read.

A Marked Man by Barbara Hamilton

2011-08-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

For a mystery with a historical twist, check out A Marked Man by Barbara Hamilton.

Set in Boston just after the infamous Tea Party, the tale has feisty Abigail Adams (the wife of future president John Adams) unraveling the combined mystery of a missing servant and the death of a womanizing Royal Commissioner. She uses her innate intelligence, keen powers of observation and network of acquaintances to figure out what happened to both victims, putting her own life in danger in the process.

I liked the way Hamilton showed Abigail trying to balance her investigating with trying to keep her household running smoothly. And you get a good sense of the tenor of the times as the Sons of Liberty continue to foment rebellion while the citizens of Boston await reprisals for dumping all that tea in the harbor.

Heat Wave by Nancy Thayer

2011-07-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

Heat Wave by Nancy Thayer has a plot similar to the previously reviewed Folly Beach. But I liked Heat Wave a lot better.

In both books, the main character suddenly finds herself widowed and penniless in search of a way to support herself. Both eventually find new love. Both are set in resort communities (Folly Beach and Nantucket, respectively).

I guess the reason I liked Heat Wave more is that it seemed more realistic. Carley, the main character, is dealing with not only the loss of a husband and a lack of income but also with interfering in-laws, a sometimes bratty preteen daughter, one girlfriend who's cheating with another girlfriend's husband and doesn't see anything wrong with it because she's so happy, and the other girlfriend who's mad at Carley for not telling her about the affair. All those factors made Carley a more textured, more sympathetic character than the heroine of Folly Beach.

If you can't afford to go on vacation this summer, Heat Wave is a nice way to spend the summer vicariously on Nantucket.

The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen

2011-07-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen is a lot more mystical than the rest of the books in the Rizzoli and Isles series. The story is set in Boston's Chinatown and starts with a group of tourists finding a severed hand. The clues lead Boston cop Jane Rizzoli to a murder/suicide that happened in a Chinatown restaurant 19 years earlier--which may not have actually happened the way everyone thinks it did--and a series of missing girls. It's a good mystery with a Chinese accent.

As an aside, it's funny to see what changes when characters from books (Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles) become characters on a TV show. On TV, Rizzoli and Isles are best friends, not so much in the books. On TV, Rizzoli is a beloved member of the police force. In the books, she had to fight her way up to being accepted as a Homicide detective. The biggest difference is the character of Maura Isles, who's known as the Ice Queen in the books and is kind of warm and fuzzy on TV. I wonder what the author thinks about all this--or if she's just happy that her books are being more widely read because of the TV show.

Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance

2011-07-24T13:01:00.001-07:00

When a scene of a girl being strangled to death turns up on the cell phone of the governor's step-grandson, Special Homicide's JP Beaumont and his wife (and partner) Mel are called in to investigate in Betrayal of Trust, the newest in the long-running series by J.A. Jance. Soon someone close to the case turns up dead and JP and Mel are following leads ranging from a missing watch and an African bracelet to a waitress in a motorcycle bar and a spoiled rich kid.

Even if you haven't read the rest of the series, it's an engrossing mystery. If you have read the rest of the series, you know that JP was raised by his single mother, whose family shunned her when she turned up pregnant. In this book, JP receives a clue on the whereabouts of his previously unknown father's family.

What I like about this series, aside from the characters and the plots, is that they're set in Washington state, which is not a typical location for a mystery series. The author gives a good sense of the place in her descriptions of the views, the traffic, the weather, and the restaurants. It makes me want to see Seattle for myself.

The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore

2011-07-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ginny and William are contented empty-nesters living in Vermont when their daughter Lillian and her 2 young children show up and move back in. Then their son Stephan and his prickly pregnant wife Jane show up for a short visit--till she ends up on bed rest in the guest room. Then their youngest daughter Rachel shows up to nurse a broken heart. Soon the "empty nest" is bursting at the seams. How the members of this family react to these developments is the crux of this endearing story.

There's not alot of action in The Arrivals by Meg Moore. But it's fun to watch the characters support each other, annoy each other, and love each other till they all work out the issues that brought them back to the nest in the first place.

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

2011-07-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

Imagine what it would be like to wake up in a house you don't recognize, in bed with a man you don't recognize who says he's your husband, living a life you don't recognize. And every day is the same--you wake up and have no clue who or where you are--and every detail from your past that you remember during the day is gone by the next morning. That is the dilemma facing Christine Lucas as a result of a traumatic brain injury in the compelling new novel Before I Go To Sleep, by S.J. Watson

On the recommendation of the doctor she's secretly seeing, Christine has started keeping a journal to help her remember details of her past. But she's stunned to find that she has written in the journal that she should not trust Ben, the man she's living with, who seems so devoted to her.

Christine slowly unravels what happened to her and who she can really trust--and you just can't stop reading. I stayed up till 1 in the morning to see how it ended.

Aside from great story telling, the book really makes you think about the importance of memories in making us who we are.

Trader of Secrets by Steve Martini

2011-07-18T05:22:00.001-07:00

We're in the middle of a heatwave here in the Midwest. So it was a good weekend to spend with my nose in a book. And I picked a good summer read--Trader of Secrets by Steve Martini. The action picks up where Rule of Nine ended--with the hired assassin Liquida stalking Paul's daughter, Sarah. When Paul, his law partner Harry, and his romantic partner Jocelyn try to track down Liquida, they stumble onto a plot to sell mysterious weapons technology to a foreign nation. Of course, chaos ensues.

The action is fast and furious. The concept behind the weapon everyone is trying to get their hands on is frightening. And the idea that 3 lawyers pretty much on their own can stop this multinational plot is kind of unbelievable. But still, it's a good summer thriller.

I will say again (as I did in my review of Rule of Nine)that I hope Paul Madriani goes back to being a plain old lawyer again soon. His law practice must be in shambles now that he's spent so much time on the road, saving the world. While I've enjoyed these thrillers, I miss seeing Paul Madriani in the courtroom.

Love You More by Lisa Gardner

2011-07-16T08:52:00.001-07:00

One female cop is accused of killing her husband while another female cop is assigned to the case. To complicate matters, the accused killer's young daughter is missing.

So begins Love You More by Lisa Gardner.
I think I've read only one other book in this series featuring Boston cop D.D. Warren. But not knowing the back story of the main characters didn't stop me from enjoying this book--which keeps you guessing about who is the real killer, what really happened, and where little Sophie is till the very end.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

2011-07-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

If you're in the mood for a real page-turner, don't miss Sister by Rosamund Lupton. In a nutshell, it's the story of a missing woman, Tess, and the efforts of her sister, Beatrice, to find out what really happened to her. But it's also the story of the ties that bind sisters.

The plot is full of twists and turns and you don't find out what really happened till the very end. You get a good sense of Bea's frustration that no one agrees with her version of what happened to Tess, even though she's the one who knows Tess best.

Read the whole thing in 2 days, couldn't put it down.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

2011-07-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

I'm of two minds on Ann Patchett's books. I LOVED Bel Canto and didn't want it to end. But when my old book group picked Magician's Assistant, I took the book back to the library with 10 pages left to go because I so little cared about the characters. State of Wonder falls somewhere in the middle.

It is a compelling story--I read the whole book in 2 days. But the story seems so totally implausible. In a nutshell, Anders and Marina are researchers for a pharmaceutical company in Minnesota. The company has an outpost along the Amazon, where a rogue scientist, Dr. Swenson, has gone incommunicado about the potentially blockbuster research she is working on for the company. Anders goes down to Brazil to find out what's going on. Word comes back that he is dead. Marina goes down to Brazil to find out what happened to him--and what's going on with the research. She comes across magic mushrooms, bark-eating women, septuagenarian pregnant women, a giant anaconda. The most implausible aspect of the story to me was that a big drug company would keep pouring a fortune into this Amazon outpost with pretty much no clue on whether the research is actually producing anything useful.

Marina is the main character but I liked Anders more because he showed some passion--about his family, birds, the Amazon. Marina is kind of passive. She doesn't want to go to the Amazon but lets herself get talked into it. She doesn't want to stay there as long as she does, but gets talked into it. She loses all her belongings--TWICE--but oh well. She just seems to bob along like a cork on the water, letting the currents push her where they will. The only time she develops a backbone is near the very end of the book, when she decides to track down a lead on what happened to Anders, but even then she lets herself get persuaded to do something she doesn't want to do. What I really wanted for Marina to do most was stand up to the truly annoying Dr. Swenson (who has a definite God complex). But Marina never does.

I think if you're new to Ann Patchett, Bel Canto would be a better choice.

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

2011-07-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

What could be a more pleasant way to spend a sunny summer afternoon than sitting out under a tree with a cool drink and the latest "Stephanie Plum" adventure by Janet Evanovich? No, they're not great literature. But they're entertaining and they always make me laugh.

I like that Stephanie is not as ditzy and clueless as at the beginning of the series. She actually seems to be getting better at her bounty hunter job. And I like the supporting cast--Joe, Ranger, Grandma Mazur, Lula. Yes, I did figure out who the killer was very early on. But it was an enjoyable way to spend a summer day nonetheless.

If you haven't read this series, start on about book 3 or 4. I personally thought it took Janet E. a couple of volumes to get the characters situated and the pacing right.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

2011-07-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

Mothers keep going missing. And mysterious snowmen keep popping up. A serial killer is at clearly work and the only man for the job of tracking him down is the oddly named--and oddly compelling--Harry Hole, star of the can't-put-down series by Norwegian writer, Jo Nesbo.

Harry is an interesting character. Antisocial and alcoholic, yet a brilliant investigator and a good father figure to his ex-girlfriend's son. It's always fascinating to see how his mind works as he unravels the clues to catch the villain.

I have to say, I suspected who the villain was kind of early on, but that didn't keep me from enjoying this page-turner one bit.

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

2011-07-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give the newest Erik Larson, In the Garden of Beasts, a chance because I loved the author's Isaac's Storm (though, full disclosure, I did not like Devil in the White City. I thought he tried to cram 2 books worth of story into the space of 1 book).

Garden of Beasts tells the story of the American ambassador to Berlin in the early 1930s. His name was William Dodd and he was a university professor of modest means, which set him apart from much of the diplomatic corps of the time. Garden of Beasts is also the story of Dodd's free-wheeling daughter Martha, who apparently had romantic liaisons with every inappropriate guy who crossed her path--from Nazis to the Gestapo, even a Russian spy--with little thought to the effect on her father's career.

Larson's writing really does give you a good sense of the turmoil and paranoia running rampant in Germany at the time--and the "head in the sand" attitude prevalent in America and the rest of Europe. It's a fascinating look at a unique period of time.

Folly Beach by Dorothea B. Frank

2011-06-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

I've been to the beach in South Carolina many times and love it there. Plus I was in the mood for some good summer fluff. So I picked up Folly Beach by Dorothea Frank. I made it to the end but was kind of disappointed.

The book basically tells 2 overlapping stories. One is of Cate, whose husband commits suicide and leaves her penniless. She moves back to Folly Beach, SC where the aunt who raised her and her sister still lives. The other story involves DuBose and Dorothy Heywood, who wrote the book Porgy, on which Gershwin's Porgy & Bess is based
--and who indeed worked with Gershwin on Porgy and Bess. Cate is living in their old house on Folly Beach and is quite taken with their story.

It should have worked better than it did. I liked the parts with Cate and her sister Patti as well as the parts with Cate, her aunt, and her aunt's long-time partner, Ella. And the stories about the Heywoods and Gershwin were kind of interesting. But when Cate meets John, a handsome professor, she turns into a giddy 12-year-old girl with a crush on the high school football captain. For goodness sake, the woman is a widow with grown children who has had to totally reinvent her life and she's giggling and blushing like a goofy girl? It didn't ring true.

So while I did like parts of the book, I can't really say I'd recommend it.

Play review: Chinglish

2011-06-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

I know I usually comment on books and movies but I wanted to put in a good word for a clever--and very funny--play I saw over the weekend called Chinglish. Written by David Henry Hwang (of M. Butterfly fame), it shows how language and culture can get lost in translation when you move from one country to another. In this case, it's a befuddled American trying to expand his company into China. The cast was great, the pace was fast, and the sets were very cool.

If you happen to be in Chicago, Chinglish is playing at the Goodman Theatre through July 24th. Then it's heading to New York.

Field Gray by Philip Kerr

2011-06-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

Bernie Gunther is cynical, sarcastic, intelligent and basically a good man. He loves his country but not its leadership. His country? Germany in the 1930s. In the first book in this excellent series, March Violets, Gunther is a cop in Berlin. In later books, he becomes a PI, then has to live on the run in Argentina then Cuba. In Field Gray, we find out what happened to Bernie during the war.

I love the character of Gunther, who manages to survive the war, a concentration camp, a Soviet labor camp, betrayal, assassination attempts and interrogation by the CIA without losing his sense of humor. But Field Gray was not my favorite book in this series. While I appreciated learning what happened to Bernie during the war, the story bounces around so much between decades and has SO many characters, that it was hard to keep everything straight. And while Kerr gives vivid descriptions of life in a Soviet labor camp, the humor from the other books--which is a good counterpoint to all the bleakness and despair--is largely missing in Field Gray. (I also didn't appreciate the anti-American "digs," which I've noticed have been popping up lately in the works of more than one British author.)

So while I am interested in what happens to Bernie Gunther next, I hope Philip Kerr can get this series back to the level of the earliest books.

Movie review: Midnight in Paris

2011-06-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Some Woody Allen movies I like alot (Annie Hall, Match Point, Hannah and Her Sisters), others I've tried to like but just couldn't (Manhattan--except for the opening montage, which I love). Woody's newest, Midnight in Paris, definitely falls in the "like" column.

Owen Wilson plays Gil, an American screenwriter who goes to Paris with his fiancee, Inez (Rachel McAdams), and her parents. (And after about 5 minutes of seeing them together, you wonder how Gil and Inez ever got engaged.) She wants to shop and go dancing. He can't stop thinking about the glory days of the 20s, when Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein were the talk of the town. One thing leads to another and Gil is suddenly learning a whole lot more about Paris in the 20s--and about what he really wants out of life. The cast is great, the writing is clever, and Paris is beautiful as always.

One Second After by William Forstchen

2011-06-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself without any modern technology? No computer, no cell phone, no electricity, no refrigeration, no planes, no cars, no microwaves. That's the premise of William Forstchen's compelling One Second After. The setting is a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. The hero is a history professor (and former military man) named John who suddenly finds himself and his family living a life alot like life in the 1700s after an electromagnetic pulse is triggered by an enemy nation. The most frightening aspect of this story is that this scenario could apparently really happen.

While the premise is frightening, the ingenuity of the townspeople and their willlingness to stick together is heartening. (I'm not sure those of us living in big cities would be so fortunate.)

I picked this book for my book group because I thought it would generate a lively discussion. Two of the women said their husbands got their hands on the book before they could even start reading it--and the husbands couldn't put it down. I'll have to keep you posted on the response of the book group.

Sixkill by Robert Parker

2011-06-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

I was surprised and pleased to hear that there was a new Robert Parker "Spenser" novel coming out (because Parker died a year and a half ago). It's nice to have one more adventure with Spenser before he's gone for good. Though I do miss his sidekick Hawk, who has been MIA in the last two books.

In Sixkill, Parker introduces a new Hawk-like character called Zebulon Sixkill, a Cree Indian who first tries to beat up Spenser then becomes his protege. The case concerns a girl who dies under mysterious circumstances in the hotel room of a boorish actor named Jumbo Nelson.

As always, the story is good, the dialog is better. And I hope there are a few more of these Spenser novels in the pipeline.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

2011-06-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

I appreciated Tina Fey's tenure as head writer at Saturday Night Live because she managed to raise the level of humor from the usual "12-year-old-boy" humor so frequently seen on SNL. Which is why I was so eager to read her new book, Bossypants.
And once again, Tina did not disappoint.

The book is set up kind of like a long conversation with Tina Fey on a variety of topics--her parents, weird dates she has gone on, working with Second City, her crazy honeymoon cruise, joining SNL, Sarah Palin, getting 30 Rock off the ground--complete with pictures, some of them of the supremely "bad hair" variety.

If you're looking for a dish-the-dirt, tell-all tome, this is not for you.
But if you are looking for a fast, funny read, this is the book for you. You betcha.

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn

2011-06-03T05:14:00.000-07:00

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry made me want to 1)eat 2)take a cooking class and 3)hop on a plane to Paris. This charming tome tells the tale of 36-year-old Kathleen Flinn, who loses her corporate job and decides to follow her dreams by moving to Paris and enrolling in the Cordon Bleu cooking school. It also tells the love story of Kathleen and her now-husband, Mike, who encouraged her to pursue her dream.

We follow Flinn's adventures as she progresses through Basic, Intermediate, and Superior levels of classes, deals with crazy-out-of town guests, struggles with the French language, navigates her way around Paris, and figures out what really matters in life. The story is told with a sense of humor--and plenty of recipes. A total delight.

The Long Road Home by Martha Raddatz

2011-05-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I've always liked Martha Raddatz on ABC News. She comes across as both intelligent and compassionate--and both qualities shine through in her book The Long Road Home.

The Long Road Home tells the story of a group of soldiers who have just arrived in Iraq, thinking they're going to be involved with peacekeeping, who suddenly find themselves caught up in the fierce battle for Sadr City. The action mostly centers on a group of soldiers who are ambushed and find themselves trapped, outnumbered and under fire--and on the valiant and very costly effort to save them. The rest of the story focuses on the families back home--at first, blissfully unaware of what's going on thousands of miles away--and then, frantic for news of their loved ones as reports trickle in of deaths and injuries. Seeing the actual photos of some of the soldiers who died--who all look so young--makes the story even more heartbreaking.

Movie review: The First Grader

2011-05-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for something different and uplifting, check out The First Grader, a British film set in Kenya. The main character is an 84-year-old man, Maruge, who wants to take advantage of the government's promise of free education for Kenyans so that he can finally learn to read. The head teacher, Jane, decides to allow him to join the school and his much younger classmates eventually bond with him. But his presence at the school causes much angst among the parents, the townspeople and the educational hierarchy. Despite threats, both Jane and Maruge persevere.

Throughout the story, flashbacks of Maruge's life and his part in the Mau Mau rebellion are presented. When you see all that he's been through, it's even more impressive how determined he is to get an education. Oliver Litondo as Maruge and Naomie Harris as Jane are both wonderful, as are the small children who play Maruge's classmates. Definitely worth a matinee price admission and maybe even an evening full-price admission. Based on a true story.

Bel-Air Dead by Stuart Woods

2011-05-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

The earlier works of Stuart Woods, ie, Chiefs, were more serious and I kind of miss that. But the books in the Stone Barrington series (of which Bel-Air Dead is the latest) have their own charms. Stone is a New York lawyer and bon vivant who gets involved in one fabulous adventure after another. Flying on private jets, enjoying 4-star hotels and restaurants, and hobnobbing with the rich and famous.

In this one book, Stone hears from ex-girlfriend Arrington Calder (and I always chuckled when I thought of Stone's wife being called Arrington Barrington, if they had indeed married). Her late husband, the actor Vince Calder, spent his career at Centurion Studios, which may now be taken over and dismantled by a rich developer whose fortune came from drug money. Stone is called in to save the day. So he and his best friend Dino (a NYC cop who seems to spend very little time actually working) head for LA.

Okay, the Stone Barrington stories are totally implausible but they're great beach books--or just the thing if you're stuck in an airport for hours on end. My one quibble is that Stone is getting a little long in the tooth for every beautiful woman he meets to immediately want to hop into the sack with him. But aside from that, the Stone Barrington series is good escapist lit if you like to imagine what it would be like to own your own plane or receive a $25 million check via Fed Ex.

To Have And To Hold by Jane Green

2011-05-09T08:32:00.002-07:00

Sometimes you're just in the mood for fluff. And when that mood hits me, two of my favorite authors for good chicklit are Marian Keyes and Jane Green. Both know how to tell a good story featuring a sympathetic heroine and an intriguing cast of supporting characters.

To Have and To Hold is an older Jane Green novel that I found at a used-book sale. The heroine is shy caterer Alice who ends up married to her long-time crush, the roguish Joe. He is a childhood friend of her brother's (who, inexplicably is mentioned early in the book then apparently totally disappears from his sister's life, which I thought a little odd. You'd think he'd at least call on Christmas). Anyway, Joe is a highly successful man of finance in London who realizes he can turn mousy Alice into the perfect trophy wife. Since she's madly in love with him, she goes along with this plan, even though she's unhappy inside. Joe soon starts cheating on Alice, which eventually leads to him being transferred to the NY office. Alice convinces him to buy a weekend home in Connecticut, where she soon starts spending most of her time and the two grow further apart. Will Alice find true happiness? Will Joe get his comeuppance? Of course, it all works out neatly in the end, as it should in good chicklit.

As summer (very slowly here in the Midwest) approaches, this would be a great beach book.

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

2011-05-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

I usually love Lisa Scottoline's books. They're good legal thrillers with strong women characters, often told with a sense of humor. That being said, I did not like Save Me.

During a school fire, lunch mom Rose tries to save her own daughter as well as 3 other girls, one of whom gets badly injured--for which Rose is unfairly blamed by the whole town. Her lawyer husband is out of town working on a trial. So she has to deal with the shunning, verbal abuse and a possible lawsuit on her own. Yet her husband, who's rarely even available by phone, gets annoyed that she's not consulting him about decisions that affect their family. That was the first thing that got on my nerves. The second was that Rose starts acting like Nancy Drew in the second half of the book, managing to singlehandedly figure out the cause of the fire and solve a handful of murders along the way! It was so totally implausible that I couldn't believe Lisa Scottoline had actually written it.

I do recommend Lisa Scottoline but I also recommend reading one of her earlier books rather than this one.

Movie review: Thor

2011-05-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing I'm not really the target audience for Thor but I liked it. As I liked the first Iron Man movie and the first of the new Batman movies. And the reason is because the writers added a little humor to all the rock 'em sock 'em action and special effects. Indeed, my favorite part of Thor was the middle section, when Thor lands on earth and runs into Natalie Portman (playing a scientist named Jane) and her cohorts. They're not sure if he really is a Norse god fallen from the skies--or a lunatic. But they're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The first part of this movie moves kind of slowly, as we learn Thor's back story on his home planet. But once he lands on earth, the pace picks up considerably then there's an action-packed finale. The Australian actor (Chris Hemsworth) who plays Thor is good and he and Natalie have a cute spark together. Plus the supporting cast was good--from Anthony Hopkins as Thor's father to Stellan Skarsgard as one of Jane's fellow scientists. I did wonder if a lot of Renee Russo's part got cut as she had about 2 lines of dialog in the whole movie. My rating: Not worth full price but definitely worth a matinee price.

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

2011-05-05T05:40:00.001-07:00

I love a good courtroom thriller and The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly nicely fills the bill.

Defense attorney Mickey Haller (of Lincoln Lawyer fame) is feeling the effects of the bad economy and has expanded into foreclosure cases. And that's how he meets Lisa Trammel, a woman who is running a very public campaign against the bank trying to take her house. When one of the bankers is found murdered, Lisa becomes the prime suspect, and Mickey is back in the criminal law business.

Lisa is annoying and Mickey is not even convinced that she's innocent. But he dives into the case, trying to come up with an alternative suspect and scenario that will save his client. With all its twists and turns, The Fifth Witness is sure to keep you up way too late at night.

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson

2011-05-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Crunch Time is the latest in the engaging "Goldy Schultz" series by Diane Mott Davidson, a series that combines murder with munching. If you're unfamiliar with these books, Goldy is a caterer in Colorado who keeps getting involved in solving murders, much to the dismay of her now husband, Tom, a homicide investigator for the Sheriff's Department. In this story, Ernest, a former cop turned PI (and friend of Tom and Goldy's) is found murdered. The question is: Which of the cases he was working on led to his death? As she "helps" Tom solve the murder, Goldy keep working on her catering jobs, so there's lots of descriptions of mouthwatering food (complete with recipes). I look forward to seeing what's in store next for Goldy and Tom.

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

2011-04-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

A Lesson in Secrets is the latest in the excellent "Maisie Dobbs" series. What I like about this series is that the heroine uses her intelligence and wits to succeed. I also like that time--and Maisie's life--keeps moving forward. The first book (Maisie Dobbs)was set just after World War I when Maisie, a nurse during the war, was trying to start a new career as a private investigator. In the latest book, it is now the 1930s, Hitler is beginning to gain power in Germany, and Maisie is hired as an intelligence agent in search of enemies to the Crown. It's a logical progression for a woman of Maisie's skills.

If you haven't read this engrossing series, start at the beginning with Maisie Dobbs.

Mystery by Jonathon Kellerman

2011-04-25T19:10:00.001-07:00

Mystery is the latest in the popular Alex Delaware series by Jonathon Kellerman.

Alex and his longtime love Robin go out for a drink one night and see a beautiful young woman waiting for someone who never shows up. Two days later, Alex is shocked to find that that her murder is the case assigned to his best friend, police lieutenant Milo Sturgis. At the same time, Alex (a psychologist) is working with a woman with a shady past who has a terminal illness--and a small son she is worried about leaving behind.
Eventually, the two stories intersect. Long-held secrets come to light and the murderer is revealed. A good story, well told.

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson

2011-04-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

He steals a dog. She steals a kid. And these are the good guys. So begins Started Early, Took My Dog. Once again, Kate Atkinson manages to take seemingly disparate stories (an actress with Alzheimer's, a prostitute's murder in 1975, a pregnant woman in New Zealand) and manages to tie them all together with creativity and wit.

Though the plot was extremely convoluted, I couldn't put the book down and was dying to see what happened with the dog-stealer Jackson and the kid-stealer Tracy, in hopes that they'd each have a happy ending.

A Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer

2011-04-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Michael Palmer writes page-turner medical thrillers and A Heartbeat Away is no exception. The premise is that a mysterious group called Genesis has been wreaking major havoc around the country. Their latest move is to release a deadly virus into the Capitol building during the president's state of the union speech--at which most of Congress and all but one member of the Cabinet are in attendance. Only one man, virologist Griffin Rhodes, could possibly come up with a life-saving treatment in time. Unfortunately, he's been locked up in a maximum security prison by the president for a crime he didn't commit. As people in the Capitol building are dropping like flies, both the Secretary of State and the one cabinet member not in the building have visions of becoming the next president
--and seem willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that dream. There's even a little romance, as Griffin reconnects with a Washington Post reporter named Angie, whom he had met while investigating a viral outbreak in Africa. Non-stop thrills and chills.

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchey

2011-04-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Maeve Binchey knows how to tell a good story. Or shall we say several intertwined good stories. In Minding Frankie, Noel is sort of drifting through life, working at a dead-end job, living at home and drinking too much. Then 2 big events happen. Cousin Emily from America comes to visit and a woman he vaguely remembers sleeping with calls him from her hospital bed to tell him she's dying, pregnant--and he's the father. The Frankie of the title is the baby daughter he suddenly finds himself raising--along with the help of Emily and the rest of the neighborhood. They all band together against the busybody social worker who is determined to prove Noel is an unfit father and put Frankie in a "better" home.
As in all Maeve Binchey books, there are plenty of sweet moments, sad moments, and funny moments. Minding Frankie and a hot cup of tea, what a wonderful way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult

2011-04-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm a long-time fan, but Sing Me Home was not Jodi Picoult's best.
In a nutshell: Zoe (a music therapist) and her husband Max (a landscaper) are having fertility issues. After a number of unsuccessful attempts to have a baby, Max says he's had enough and leaves. He finds religion. Zoe finds lesbianism. They argue over who has the rights to their frozen embryos.

The parts of the story about Zoe's music therapy practice were actually good.
But Zoe becoming a lesbian when she had never shown any interest in women before didn't ring true. And there were SO many pages spent on religion that it just kind of bogged down the story.

Picoult often centers her stories around timely topics such as school violence (Nineteen Minutes) or Asperger's syndrome (House Rules) so I guess fighting over frozen embryos fills that bill. But her stories usually have better developed characters and the plot usually moves along faster. If you haven't read Jodi Picoult's work before, start with an earlier novel such as Nineteen Minutes or Plain Truth.

Movie review: Win/Win

2011-04-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Win/Win is a charming film starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan and Bobby Carnavale.
Giammati plays an honest, hardworking lawyer (and part-time high school wrestling coach) who is falling on hard times. To help support his family, he sort of bends the law and becomes the guardian for an elderly client who is developing dementia, in order to get the $1500/month guardianship fee. After promising the man that he could stay in his home, the lawyer promptly puts him in a (very nice) assisted living facility. Problems ensue when the elderly man's teenage grandson shows up, having run away from home, hoping to move in with his grandfather.

Because this is a movie, the teenager turns out to be a wrestling star, which is just what the lawyer's last-place wrestling team needs. But other than that, I felt the story stayed grounded in reality. And though there is a happy ending, it's not a fairy tale movie ending, which I liked. Paul Giamatti is wonderful as the lawyer who would do anything to protect his family as is Amy Ryan as his down-to-earth wife, who seems to be the only one who can communicate with the teenage boy.

Movie review: Certified Copy

2011-03-27T12:41:00.001-07:00

This movie got rave reviews in both Chicago papers as well as on the Ebert at the Movies TV show. I'm not sure why.

I concede that the director succeeded in showing that it's often hard to tell what's real and what's a copy--and that the copy may be beautiful in its own right. I think Juliette Binoche is a wonderful actress and the Tuscan scenery was beautiful. But I didn't think this movie would ever end.

Juliette plays a French woman living in Tuscany. William Shimell plays a British author who has written a book called Certified Copy. He is giving a talk on the book, she is in the audience. She leaves a note that she'd like to meet up with him later. Do they already know each other? Who knows? He comes to her art gallery. They take off for a little town where brides and grooms go because it's supposed to guarantee a happy marriage. They spend the day wandering around the town. A woman in a cafe assumes they are unhappily married. A married couple makes the same assumption. Soon they start acting as if they are really married--but are they? Who knows?

Juliette's character seems so overwrought for most of the movie that I thought, if she really doesn't know the author, she may be crazy. But if she does know him, she may be just an unhappy wife. Who knows which reality would be better?

By time the movie ended, I was really sorry that I had not spent my money on the new Bradley Cooper thriller instead.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

2011-03-27T12:25:00.001-07:00

If you love words, you'll love this clever fable by Mark Dunn. Ella Minnow Pea is set on the fictional island of Nollopton, off the coast of South Carolina. The island was named for Nevin Nollop, the man who came up with the phrase known to anyone who ever took a typing class in high school--The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog--which uses all the letters of the alphabet.

One day, a letter falls off the statue of Nollop and the island council decrees that no one can use that letter (Z) anymore or they will be punished. At first, the islanders aren't overly concerned until more letters start falling off and the council starts banishing people from the island for using the now forbidden letters. By the end, all that's left are the letters LMNOP. The islanders throw up a challenge to the council: Within a certain time period, they will come up with another sentence featuring all the letters of the alphabet--using no more than 32 letters and including no made-up words. If they can do it, the council will return the whole alphabet to the island. And the race is on.

The charming heroine of the book (and the island) is teenage laundress Ella Minnow Pea. She is determined to save her beloved island and the old way of life.

The story is told in a series of letters--which get increasingly harder for the townspeople to write as they lose more and more letters of the alphabet. By the end, you almost have to read out loud to figure out what they're trying to say.

In addition to being a good story, there's a valuable lesson included about the importance of maintaining freedom of speech.

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy

2011-03-20T14:06:00.001-07:00

Buffalo West Wing is the latest in the series by Julie Hyzy featuring Olivia "Ollie" Paras, the top White House chef. If you haven't read the earlier books, it doesn't matter. It's a cute series featuring a feisty heroine who keeps inadvertently helping the Secret Service solve crimes. In this book, the new First Family has just moved into the White House, which is causing a certain amount of angst among the kitchen staff. Amid rumors that she may be replaced by another executive chef, Ollie uncovers a plot to kidnap the First Children. It's all rollicking good fun with a little suspense, a possible romance, and even a few recipes thrown in. Enjoy.

The Secret Soldier by Alex Berenson

2011-03-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

Secret Soldier is the latest in the "John Wells" series by Alex Berenson. In this volume, now ex-CIA agent John Wells gets hired by the Saudi royal family and gets sucked into a plot that involves a small group trying to start an Islam-America war. I like the character of John Wells and it was an interesting story that moves right along. But the best book in this series is still the first--The Faithful Spy--which is the quintessential page-turner.

Movie review: The Lincoln Lawyer

2011-03-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big Matthew McConaughey fan but I thought he was very well cast in The Lincoln Lawyer. Based on the book of the same name by Michael Connelly, the movie tells the story of a lawyer, Mickey Haller, who conducts his legal business from the back of an old Lincoln as he's chauffeured around L.A. He usually handles small-time crooks and mopes but suddenly, he's hired by a rich guy (Ryan Phillipe) who's been arrested for beating and raping a girl he picked up in a bar. Why Haller was picked to represent the rich guy turns out to be very important. (I did wonder why Haller didn't at least ponder why this rich guy picked him when he could have had any big-name lawyer in L.A. but sometimes you just have to go with the flow in a movie.)

William H. Macy is great as Mickey's friend and investigator. Marisa Tomei is wonderful as Mickey's ex-wife, with whom he's still on more than friendly terms. (In fact, you kind of wonder why they ever broke up.)And the plot has plenty of twists as Mickey discovers a way out of the mess he has found himself in. Definitely worth a matinee-price ticket.

Movie review: The Adjustment Bureau

2011-03-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

I liked The Adjustment Bureau and it made me want to go find the short story by Philip Dick on which the movie is based. Sure, you have to just accept the logic of the story and accept that not all of your questions will be answered. But Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are an appealing hero and heroine and they have good chemistry together. So you're really routing for them to outwit the mysterious Adjustment Bureau people who are so determined to keep them apart. The special effects are cool, without going overboard. And New York City has never looked better. Plus the movies gives you something to think about--the importance of free will. Definitely worth a matinee price, maybe even full price.

The Last Child by John Hart

2011-03-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

For a truly memorable character, you must "meet" 13-year-old Johnny Merrimon in John Hart's The Last Child.

Johnny and his twin sister Alyssa are living an idyllic life in North Carolina with their parents until one day Alyssa disappears on her way home from school. The family falls apart and soon it's just Johnny and his mother, living in reduced circumstances at the mercy of a rich bully who has always wanted the mother for his own. But Johnny is a survivor and he is convinced his sister is too, so he refuses to stop looking for her, no matter how much danger he finds himself in. He's joined in his search by his outcast friend Jack, who was the lone witness to Alyssa's abduction. The cop assigned to the case, Clyde Hunt, is also obsessed with finding out what happened to Alyssa, which has already cost him his wife and may cost him his career. Despite all the sad twists and turns, the story ends on a hopeful note. Definitely worth reading.

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

2011-02-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

I love the Ian Rutledge series by mother/son writing team Charles Todd. So I was excited to find out that the duo had started another series featuring a World War I nurse named Elizabeth Crawford. A Duty to the Dead is the first in that series.

As a story, it was okay. I liked the beginning parts (where the nurse is on a hospital ship that hits a mine and sinks) more than the later parts (where she's trying to untangle a convoluted mystery in England, which seemed to take forever). I guess I just like the Ian character (and the voice in his head, Hamish) better than Bess. He just seems more intriguing and complex than she does.

And I have to say, if you're looking for a good book about a World War I nurse, I think the Maisie Dobbs series by J. Winspear is a better choice.

Movie review: Unknown

2011-02-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

Unknown has a lot of things going for it -- a cool Berlin setting, Liam Neeson, Diane Kreuger, lots of exciting car chase scenes and plenty of twists and turns in the story. So for those reasons, I would recommend it. Alas, it also has a sadly miscast January Jones (all the way through the movie, I kept thinking Clare Danes would have been a better choice)and an ending that doesn't exactly make sense. And for those reasons, I'd say it's worth a matinee admission price but not $10 or whatever a full-price admission is these days.

A Year in Japan by Kate Williamson

2011-02-24T20:11:00.001-08:00

I'll admit that I've never had a burning desire to visit Japan.It requires a very long flight and I don't speak the language. But after reading the charming A Year in Japan by Kate Williamson, I may have to rethink that stance.

Set up sort of like a travel diary--with beautiful illustrations--the book features highlights from Williamson's year in Kyoto on a graduate fellowship. Along the way, she inserts interesting little tidbits about Japanese culture, food, flowers and the like.
You can read through the whole thing in an hour or two but it's worth searching out this book for the illustrations alone.

Though Not Dead by Dana Stabenow

2011-02-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

My sister got me hooked on this series of books set in Alaska and featuring the feisty and fiercely independent Kate Shugak. Though Not Dead picks up where the previous book ends, with the death of Old Sam, Kate's surrogate father. Alot of the story is told in flashbacks of Sam's long life, which coincides with much of the history of Alaska. Sam has left Kate a mystery to solve, so she's digging into his life. And Jim, Kate's cop boyfriend, is digging into his own family's history, after the death of his father. The 2 plot lines play off each other well. And the reader learns alot about the history of Alaska in the process.

What drew my sister to this series is the fact that Kate uses her wits and skills to get out of dicey situations rather than waiting for a man to come rescue her. And that's what makes me keep coming back. I also love Kate's relationship with her best friend, Mutt, her half wolf/half dog constant companion.

The Sentry by Robert Crais

2011-02-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Sentry is the newest installment in the always-exciting Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series.
The earlier books focused on wisecracking Los Angeles PI Cole while the later books featured the taciturn ex-cop Joe Pike. This one brings them both together to solve a very convoluted case that stretches from Bolivia to the Gulf of Mexico to Venice, California.

The story starts with Joe, stopped at a gas station, noticing a suspicious looking man skulking around. He decides to check it out and ends up sucked into a mystery involving Hurricane Katrina, the FBI, the DEA, a crazed serial killer and an enticing woman named Dru. Filled with plenty of page-turning twists, turns and thrills, it's a book I read in less than a day. And I can't wait to see what happens to the boys next.

Arctic Chill by A. Indridason

2011-02-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

Arctic Chill is another good mystery in the series featuring an Icelandic detective named Erlandur. I like this series because you get a good sense of place--and I've learned alot about Iceland in the process. For example, who knew racism was an issue? In fact, who knew there were Thais and other Asians living in Iceland at all?

I also like that Erlandur is well-developed and not perfect. He's still dealing with the death of his little brother in a blizzard years before. He has all kinds of issues with his ex-wife and kids. And he gets obsessed with the cases he's working on. But you know he's the kind of single-minded cop you'd want solving your case, should the need arise.

Some interesting phrases pop up in this translation, which I found amusing. I think they were going more for the British market than the American market.