NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY

Alice Cooper had a concert in Oshkosh last night. Most of the concerts in the series are has-been acts--Herman's Hermits without Herman, one of the Monkees as a solo act. Alice did himself proud--he was looking good (for Alice, that is) and didn't skimp on the show. It wasn't padded out by long rambling intros between songs ( i.e.,"this was a hit in 1968, and knocked the Beatles out of number one"). Started out with "No more Mr. Nice Guy", ended with "School's out," and came out for an encore.

There is something ironic about a guy in his sixties singing, "Eighteen," and "School's out," but I guess his audience never got over their teenage angst.

BOOK REVIEW

Death of a gentle lady by M.C. Beaton

In ten words or less: Newcomer to the village is killed; whodunit?

When Mrs. Gentle moves to Lochdubh, she is welcomed by the usually clannish highlanders. She is ladylike, neighborly, and has agreed to donate a large amount to the local church. Everyone is charmed by her, except the local constable Hamish MacBeth. He sees through her façade when he overhears her savagely berating her adult daughter. And when her meddling leads to the possible closing of his police station, he hatches a plan in order to keep his job in Lochdubh.
Fans of the series will not be disappointed in this 23rd mystery. Readers will appreciate the remote Scotland setting, the colorful local characters, and the ingenious plans of MacBeth, all told with ‘gentle’ humor.

Why bother? The series hasn’t lost much steam along the way, and Hamish stubbornly clings to life in his little village. But will he ever find his soul mate?

BOOK REVIEW

Killer blonde: a Jaine Austen mystery by Laura Levine



In ten words or less: Ghostwriter discovers dead socialite—who dunnit?



Review: Jaine is a freelance writer offered a ghostwriting job with socialite Sue Ellen Kingsley. Sue Ellen is unpleasant to her stepdaughter Heidi and having an affair with an artist. Her husband is having an affair with a masseuse and possibly his assistant. Their teenage son is sulking because his folks won’t buy him a Ferrari. Sue Ellen is discovered electrocuted in her bathtub and the long-suffering Heidi is the primary suspect. It’s a slight, humorous mystery.



Why bother? The funniest bits are the email messages between Jaine and her parents. Fans of Janet Evanovich may want to give this series a try.

BOOK REVIEW

Curtis, Christopher Paul
Bucking the sarge
In ten words or less: Teen crosses loan shark mom.

Fifteen year old Luther T. Farrell runs a group home for elderly men in need of care—and he’s been doing it since he was 13, when his mother put him in charge. His mom, referred to as “Sarge,” is a loan shark, slumlord, and not above scamming the government and insurance companies to add to her profits. Not only does Luther have to look after his guys, but he’s going to school and trying to win the science fair for the third year in a row.
Luther tells his story with humor, and tries to be the voice of reason when his friend Sparky starts hatching schemes to get rich quick by suing someone with the help of a dubious neighborhood lawyer. Does Luther win the science fair? Does he get the girl? Does Sarge get her comeuppance? Author Christopher Paul Curtis, winner of both the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King medal for his previous books, tells the story of a teen determined to get more out of his life in Flint, Michigan.

Why bother? Luther is an engaging teen, one who shoulders far too much responsibility at his early age. The reader hopes he will succeed, and enjoys cheering him on.

BOOK REVIEW

Hit and run by Lawrence Block

In ten words or less: Hit man Keller is set up to take a fall.

Keller is a hit man on the brink of retirement. One last job to do, and he’s set for an uneventful life of stamp collecting. But while he waits in Des Moines for the go-ahead to hit his target, the governor of Ohio, in town for a speech, is shot and killed. Unfortunate, but nothing to do with Keller. Or does it? Before long, Keller’s face is on television as the suspect. He’s been set up, and is stuck in Iowa with little money and on the run from the law. What now?

Lawrence Block is the author of more than fifty books. He’s won most of the awards that exist for mystery writing.

Why bother? Keller is one of my favorite of Block’s characters. He’s a thoughtful man, without a wide circle of friends. He’s skilled at his profession, but does not overly internalize the morality of it. I hate to think that this will be the last adventure of Keller.

BOOK REVIEW

Plum lucky by Janet Evanovich

In ten words or less: Grandma gambles with mobster’s money; gets taken hostage.

Review: When Stephanie Plum’s Grandma Mazur disappears, Stephanie figures she’s gone off to where all senior citizens wind up eventually—a casino in Atlantic City. Grandma stumbled across a sack of money—okay, maybe she wrestled it away from a little man in green pants who is convinced he is a leprechaun.
Stephanie brings along a couple of her co-workers from the bail bonds office—Connie, who brings an arsenal of weapons along, and the plus-size Lula, resplendent in spandex. Turns out Grandma (and a horse named Doug) have been taken hostage by a wiseguy, and Stephanie and her gang join forces with the mysterious yet oh-so hunky Diesel to come to the rescue.
Why bother? For readers who like their heroines sassy, the plots wacky, and the sidekicks weird beyond belief.

BOOK REVIEW

A few seconds of panic: a 5-foot-8 170 pound 43 year old sports writer plays in the NFL by Stefan Fatsis

In ten words or less: Middle aged sports writer attends NFL training camp.

Review: Fatsis is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and a commentator on sports for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” He never played football competitively at any level, but had played soccer. He spent a year working out with a strength coach and a kicking coach, while trying to convince an NFL team to let him join their training camp.
In 1966 George Plimpton had written “Paper Lion,” an account of his time with the Detroit Lions training camp. Football has become much more commercial and a big business, and Fatsis was faced with public relations problems, insurance problems, and others. Eventually, the Denver Broncos permitted him to spend 3 months with the team in training camp as a place kicker. He endured twice a day practices, rookie hazing, and risked injury. Much of the book focused on the Bronco’s coach, Mike Shanahan, quarkterback Jake Plummer, Jason Elam, and punter Todd Sauerbrun, who was suspended during preseason for taking performance enhancing drugs.

Why bother? It’s an insider’s view of a pro training camp from someone who is not a player or coach. Fatsis is humorously self-mocking, but respects the players and does not try to pry into their lives. A good book to start off the football season.

BOOK REVIEW

Taking on the Big Boys: or why feminism is good for families, business, and the nation by Ellen Bravo

In ten words or less: Achieving workplace equality is not an easy battle.

Review: Author Bravo started as an organizer for the union “9 to 5” in 1982. What is feminism, anyway, you may ask. “Feminism is a system of beliefs, laws, and practices that fully values women and work associated with women in order to help all people reach their potential.” In this book you will learn how the “big boys” (the mostly white, male enforcers of the status quo) operate, and how to take them on. There are chapters on pay equity, work-family issues, sexual harassment, the right to organize, welfare reform, and part-time and temporary jobs.

Bravo makes her points with humor and real-life examples which are so misguided they would be funny, if not for their reality. One such point: “The Bush administration doles out huge amounts of money for programs like abstinence education and marriage promotion. ‘Author Barbara Ehrenreich pointed out the fundamental flaw in that strategy: Since most women marry within their social class, poor women would have to be bigamists and marry 2.3 poor men at once in order to break out of poverty.’”

In her final chapter, the author offers some suggestions on how to achieve equality in the workplace. Appreciate workers, help prepare the next generation, and practice positive talk.

Why bother? It’s a book on an important subject, with far reaching consequences. It’s also an eye-opening, infuriating, funny, and hopeful message.

BOOK REVIEW

Creighton, Margaret S. Colors of courage: Gettysburg’s forgotten history: immigrants, women, and African Americans in the Civil War’s defining battle

In ten words or less: The subtitle tells it all.
Review:
An examination of the Battle of Gettysburg with the emphasis on the immigrants who fought as soldiers (especially the Germans), African-Americans, and women. Oshkoshers might be interested in the information about Carl Schurz—the subject of the statue in Menominee Park, and of the other tales of the men of the Iron Brigade.
The contributions of immigrants, African-Americans, and women to the civil war are examined in author’s book. German-American soldiers, such as Corporal Adam Muezenberger, of Greenfield, WI, fought in the Union Army. Sometimes they were disparaged by native born Yankee troops, and called cowards.
Major General Carl Schurz, who came to American as a political exile in 1852 from Germany, was a commander of the Eleventh Corps. He joined the army in large part because he hated slavery and was committed to abolitionism and civil rights. For those who want to look beyond the military strategy, weapons, and army histories, this book shows the impact on most important battle of the war by immigrant soldiers, slaves and free men of color, and women.

Why bother? War is so much more than the armies and soldiers who fight it. Even those groups which had few rights under the government believed that freedom was worth sacrifice.

NOODLE SALAD

Carol Connelly: OK, we all have these terrible stories to get over, and you-...

Melvin Udall: It's not true. Some have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But, a lot of people, that's their story. Good times, noodle salad. What makes it so hard is not that you had it bad, but that you're that pissed that so many others had it good. From "As Good as it Gets."

Here's my recipe for noodle salad.

Spaghetti Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 pound spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cucumber, chopped
1 red onion, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well. Transfer to large bowl.
In medium bowl, whisk together salad dressing, cheese, seeds, salt, paprika, garlic powder and peppers until well blended. Stir in cucumber and onion. Pour mixture over spaghetti and toss lightly to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Makes 12 servings.

BRETT FAVRE TO NEW YORK CITY?!

There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth her in the Frozen Tundra. New York City? How alien! How Big City! And I bet they charge an arm and a leg for cheese curds there, too. What will now be the required shirt for all formal occasions here now that it will no longer be a Favre number 4 jersey?

OLYMPIC FICTION

There hasn't been a lot of Olympic fiction written--much of it tends to be young adult titles. But in the spirit of the games, here are a few novels about the Olympics or competitors.




Barclay, Max. Red Mercury
Bock, Dennis. Olympia
Briskin, Jacqueline. Other side of love
Coldsmith, Don. Long Journey Home
Duder, Tessa. Alex in Rome
Duder, Tessa. In Lane Three, Alex Archer
Francis, Dick. Trial Run
Holton, Hugh. Left hand of God
Leonhardt, Alice. Team player
Levenkron, Steven. The luckiest girl in the world
Lowell, Elizabeth. Remember summer
Lovesey, Peter. Goldengirl
Maloney, Shane. Nice Try
Patterson, James. See how they run
Reich, Christopher. Runner
Savage, Deborah. Under a Different Sky
Thomson, Maynard F. Dreams of gold
Weston, Riley. Before I go

WHY DID THE PEACOCK CROSS THE ROAD?

Darned if I know. On my way to dinner Friday night, we were stopped in the road by three peacocks--two blue/green, one white strolling across the highway along the shores of Lake Winnebago. At first I thought they were geese, or pheasants. Nope. Obviously escapees from a hobby farm, but considering the ways speed down the road, they are on their way to being beautiful roadkill.

July’s Books

It’s tough to find a light, funny novel. Too many Janet Evanovich wannabees out there, trying way too hard. Gwen Freeman’s “Crazy fool kills five” is one of them. The heroine, Fifi Cutter, is an unemployed insurance investigator who takes a temporary job assisting on a wrongful death suit. Five people were filled when a private jet crashed. Fifi is hampered by her brother Bosco, an unemployed charming con artist. The author is attempting kookiness where none is to be had. The offbeat and slightly incompetent Fifi, the eccentric relatives, the attempts at clever dialog, just miss the mark. Better luck next time.

Baker, Deb. Murder grins and bears it
Cook, Claire. Life’s a beach
Block, Lawrence. Hit and run
Freeman, Gwen. Crazy fool kills five
Evanovich, Janet. Fearless fourteen
Fatsis, Stefan. A few seconds of panic: a 5-foot-8 170 pound 43 year old sports writer plays in the NFL