This time around, I have the longest book I've read since I started this blog, and the "shortest". I'll explain why I have quotes around the "shortest" when I get to it.
Non-Fiction
30 Second Mysteries - Bob Moog/Jeff Pinsker ($9.95/$.25, 238 pages, copyright 2002, soft cover)
This is actually a game (complete with spinner) where you have a series of "mysteries" broken down into 4 categories - who, what, where, and why. "Mysteries" is actually too strong a word - they`'re more like situations, and there are 28 in each category. You're given a couple of paragraphs and you are expected to solve it for points. There are clues for each "mystery" which, if given, lower the point value. Some of these were pretty good, but many rely on fairy tale characters, which cheapens the game, to my mind. It was interesting.
Series
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson ($7.99/$.50, 644 pages, copyright 2008, paperback)
This is the longest book that I referred to earlier, and the first of 3 that Mr. Larsson wrote before he passed away. The main characters are a reporter hired to solve a very old missing person's case, and the young female researcher who helps him. That description in no way will prepare you for the depth of characters and the twists and turns that flow freely throughout the book. Originally written in Swedish, this translation is excellent and, outside of a few place names and phrases, made it feel as though it was situated here. I enjoyed it.
A Kiss Gone Bad - Jeff Abbott ($6.99/$.50, 404 pages, copyright 2001, paperback)
A first novel in, what I hope, will be an ongoing series. The main character is a Justice of the Peace (sort of a junior judge) in a coastal town in Texas. It starts with an apparent suicide, brings in murders, missing persons, drugs, and a little local color. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
Under the Black Ensign - L. Ron Hubbard ($9.95/$.50, 121 pages, copyright 2007, soft cover)
Apparently, some one had the bright idea to publish all of Hubbard's pulp stories in brand new editions. Not a bad idea, but poorly executed and done at the expense of the reader. The story here - a typical pirate novel that evokes Errol Flynn as Captain Blood - is only 84 pages long, with blank pages between chapters and full page illustrations that lowered the page count to less then 80. The rest of the book is an excerpt from another story, a complete list of Hubbard's stories, and a biography of the author. Not bad for an old, pulp story but - really? $10? I don't think so.
OK. Next time around, I'll be writing about the First Anniversary of this blog. Maybe a recap of the whole year, but definitely some new stuff to consider. Till then...............
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