Chapter Fourteen

I've been thinking today about the two sides to things. This blog entry is the Start of my second blog-year, and it's the Last for the calendar year. Today is the 30th anniversary of the Death of John Lennon, and the Birth of my first grand-nephew Thomas Anthony. One door closes and another opens.

Anyway, on to this month's and a Special Mention at the end.

Series

Irresistible Impulse   - Robert K. Tanenbaum ($6.99/$.50, 434 pages, copyright 1997, paper back)
This series revolves around Butch Karp, Manhattan DA; his wife Marlene Ciampi, private detective/one-woman army type; and their family, friends and associates as they work their way through various trials, crimes, and personal crises. This volume deals with a multiple-murder trial and a deadly stalker case that start out as separate issues but wind up connected. Usually, I enjoy these but this is one of the early ones, and I found it slow going. It was OK.

Golden Buddha - Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo ($15.00/$.50, 420 pages, copyright 2003, Trade Paperback)
This is billed as "The First Novel of the Oregon Files". The Oregon is a super-secret, high tech, private spy ship hidden inside a decrepit old cargo vessel and run by a group of mercenaries. This volume involves stealing a 600 pound golden statue of the Buddha and reinstating the Dalai Lama in Tibet. It's almost like reading the script for a Mission Impossible movie. (Do you ever wonder how the work is divided between the Big Name Writer and the little name one?) I enjoyed it.

Miscellaneous

Cold Steel Rain  -   Kenneth Abel ($5.99/$.50, 368 pages, copyright 2000, paper back)
Here's a crime novel set in New Orleans. The main character is a one-time Assistant DA who now serves as a bag man for a hotshot politician. There are, of course, underlying motives. AND there are problems. The two main female characters are both in law enforcement and have similar names so it gets confusing. At least one character, who I thought was going to be a major one, disappears. And if your going to set a book in New Orleans it should feel like New Orleans. Here the only weather is rain, and it could be any other inner city. Didn't really like it.

Too Close to Home - Linwood Barclay ($7.99/$.50, 500 pages, copyright 2008, paper back)
The premise here is how the murder of the family next door, impacts the lives of the neighbor family. Information comes out way too slowly, including connections among characters, and personal secrets. Not a bad book, but too long. Barclay trails a lot of strings throughout, and does tie everything up neatly, but he could've cut out 50 pages or so. It was OK.

Great Books

It's Christmas time, and I was trying to come up with a gift for a relative.Since she's always asking me about books to read, I was browsing through a local bookstore when it hit me.............

The Grapes of Wrath -  John Steinbeck ($13.00, 619 pages, copyright 1939, Trade Paperback)
I've read this book at least 3 times and, to me, it is the Great "American" Novel. The story of the Joad family's struggle at home, difficult journey to and harsh reception in a "Promised Land" just resonates with the American experience. You can get a cheaper edition, of course, but this one looks good and has a picture of Steinbeck on the cover. Great Book.

Special Mention

OK, I don't watch her show, but I have to give credit where credit is due - Oprah Winfrey gets my first ever Special Mention. Why, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. She has a Book Club. I haven't read any of her previous selections, but she is getting people to read. Also, she likes real books - yes, she has a Kindle but she says she only uses it when she travels. AND her latest pick(s) are "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. If she can get people reading the classics, more power to her. (Extra kudos for getting Penguin to issue both books in a single volume.)

That's it for now. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And....

Keep Reading.