The Ghost of Milagro Creek
by Melanie Sumner
The Ghost of Milagro Creek (6/30/2010)
The landscapes are haunting, the characters are tragic figures, the story is heartbreaking. The book is superbly written. If you love reading and learning about non-white cultures, you will find excellent descriptions of living in the desert areas around Taos. There is a great loneliness that such living can bring, which makes relationships in this setting so much more central to the story. The book hard to put down.
State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
by Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America (11/4/2009)
I truly enjoyed this book and I will continue to find it useful as time goes on. Not only is there an intriguing essay about each state but also there is an opening page for each state providing a variety of geo-political and cultural information about each, as well as some comparison tables in the appendix.
Since one can easily skip around I quickly went to each of the states in which I have lived since I was a child. I found the essays really captured my recollections of each state. I currently reside in Oklahoma and was thoroughly amused by Ms. Hinton's final comments.
Since Oklahoma also suffered one of the biggest terrorist attacks on US soil she felt that people around the world would have an example of the nobility and grace, with which Americans can cope with such disater and would understand why she chooses to live here. Instead they still ask why Oklahoma?
Even if you have never spent time anywhere else in the US, you can enjoy true reflections of the good, the bad and the beautiful about each state.
Well done, I say.
Greasing the Piñata
by Tim Maleeny
Greasing The Pinata (10/19/2008)
As a voracious reader of mystery stories, I was intrigued by the characters, a male PI and his female side kick, an Asian Martial Arts protector. The setting occurred in the US as well as Mexico and the theme naturally involved drugs. I found the author has a knack for very unconventional characters and this was somewhat off putting to me. I enjoy unconventional characters but not every character needs a strange trait.
The storyline was certainly current with a tie into the environment but much of the important parts of the story were developed through conversation as oppose to action. I guess I like my characters to do it the old fashion way, the gum shoe way.
The book was well written and very readable. The thesis was a new twist on the drug cartels but this book did not make my all time ten best list.
Tethered: A Novel
by Amy Mackinnon
Tethered (8/11/2008)
One of the most amazing books I have ever read. Not a true mystery in the ordinary sense of the experience but a book I read from cover to cover in one sitting. The writing is so vivid and intense that it is difficult not to be emotionally moved by the story.
The story is a not the common theme where the mystery is inevitably solved and the bad guys receive their due. The setting is unusual while there is an intimacy with the main character explored in such extraordinary richness that like Clara, the reader must breathe (one-two-three).
Not for everyone but for those who wish to experience an amazing and extraordinary few hours.
Killer Heat
by Linda Fairstein
Killer Heat (3/10/2008)
Although this is the first Alex Cooper novel I have read it won’t be the last. Many heroines come across as almost superhuman but Alex doesn’t overcome every obstacle alone. She counts on the friendships she has established to support her many talents, including in and out of the courtroom. Much of this novel portrays her willingness to investigate a terrifying serial killer from the back streets of Manhattan to the intriguing islands that surround it. Since I grew up in the general area and my Dad was full time Army, the inclusion of New York City history, especially focusing on the military security connection, was both surprising and welcome.
One aside, I did think it a bit contrived for Kitty Kallin to advance the story plot as far as the character was able but I thought the Latin Prince element did keep one guessing about the eventual outcome. I hope to read more of Ms. Fairstein in the future and recommend the book without reservation.
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