Life’s a beach by Claire Cook

In ten words or less: 40-something Ginger searches for love and a career.

Review: Ginger Walsh is in her forties, single, and living in a finished room over a garage at the family house. She’s dabbling at jewelry making, has a sometimes boyfriends Noah, and babysits for her sister’s kids. When nephew Riley is offered a small part in a shark movie being filmed at a nearby beach, Ginger goes to the set as his chaperone. When she meets an attractive gaffer, she accepts a date. And when her parents announce they are selling the house, she will have no where to live.

No so much a romance as a light humorous story of a woman, her cat, her family, and her search for a career. Perfect summer reading.

Why bother: A likeable character carries the story. While some of the other characters seem stereotypical (the kooky parents, the arty boyfriend), it is still an amusing book.

Gimme Five: Halloween Mysteries

Sipherd, Ray. Dance of the Scarecrows

To renowned ornithologist and bird artist Jonathan Wilder, it is a situation that becomes more and more strange with each turn of events. First, a local politician with whom he had publicly argued is found dead in a cornfield, propped up like a scarecrow. Then it is realized that the murder weapon not only is covered in Jonathan's fingerprints, but came from his house. Once he becomes the prime suspect in the murder, Jonathan knows he must catch the real killer before his own time runs out.

Swanson, Denise. Murder of a Royal Pain

When school psychologist Skye Denison stumbles over the body of pushy “Promfest” chairperson Annette Paine during a Halloween fundraiser, it looks like a clear-cut case of promicide. Annette was not the only prom mom desperate to see her daughter crowned queen. But she was also wearing the same witch costume as Skye, so which witch was the intended victim?

Taylor, Kathleen. Mourning Shift

Tory Bauer is the quintessential diner waitress, slopping up greasy food with a hefty side order of cranky attitude. In Mourning Shift the goblins are out for Halloween, and Tory is crabbier than usual. Is it a trick when a mysterious old man dies in the cafe's restroom? Or is it a treat to find out the juicy gossip that he's the cafe owner's long estranged husband? The reluctant heroine saves the day again by discovering the identity of a killer.

Thrasher, L.L. Charlie’s Web

Charlie came out of Lizbet Lange's swimming pool excavation the last time he visited. This time he pops out in her bedroom ... his timing could have been better, as far as Lizbet is concerned, as she was presently otherwise engaged with Charlie's own son. And Charlie's request this time? Help him find the true story of a tiny, ten-year-old girl, believed kidnapped on Halloween back in the 70s. Unable to resist the blue-eyed, blond-haired god/ghost, Lizbet plunges into the hunt in her own inimitable and scatalogical way, revealing a good deal more than the little girl's ghost on the way.

Wolzien, Valerie. All Hallow’s Evil

At first Susan Henshaw thought the body in the library was a Halloween trick -- but then she saw the blood and heard the man's dying gasp. Then a second body -- celebrity morning talk-show host Jason Armstrong -- was found stabbed on his front porch. Now, as Susan begins to investigate the deaths, she uncovers secrets that a killer would go to any lengths to keep hidden . . .

My latest grievance: a novel by Elinor Lipman

In ten words or less: Daughter of two professors discovers parents’ secret past.

Review: Frederica Hatch is the sixteen year old daughter of Dewing College professors—David and Aviva. In addition to teaching, her parents are dorm houseparents. Frederica has grown up on campus, eating in the dining hall, attending the local public high school, and being treated as an equal by her left leaning, union activist parents. She likens herself to the “Eloise of Dewing College.”

But when her father’s ex-wife takes a job as a houseparent at Dewing, their lives are about to change. (Who even knew he had an ex-wife?) Laura Lee dresses in an oddly eccentric manner, is rumored to be a former Rockette, and has a questionable relationship with a priest.

Why bother: Frederica is a witty and insightful narrator, and demonstrates patience and common sense when dealing with the adults in her life. A nice bit of social satire.

GIMME FIVE: AIRLINE PASSENGERS WERE SEEN READING THESE BOOKS LAST WEEK

Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Before the Frost by Henning Mankell

Bound in Blood by P.C. Hodgell

1984 by George Orwell

Coming Back by Marcia Muller

Delicious and Suspicious: a Memphis BBQ mystery by Riley Adams

In ten words or less: TV food scout is poisoned; members of Lulu Taylor's family suspected.

Review: Lulu Taylor is the owner of Aunt Pat's BBQ, which she runs with the help of her two sons--Ben and Seb--and Ben's wife, two daughters, and nephew Derrick. When Cooking Channel scout Rebecca Adrian comes to Memphis to find the best barbeque, everyone bends over backwards to impress her.
But Ms. Adrian is not easily impressed, and her brusque manner and insults offend everyone she meets. So when she is discovered dead in her hotel room, there are plenty of suspects.

Why bother? A colorful Memphis setting, lots of suspects to eliminate, and much talk about food make an appealing mystery for readers who like their books with a side of cole slaw. Recipes included, of course.

How to Wash a Cat by Rebecca M. Hale

In ten words or less: What was Uncle Oscar hiding, and was he really dead?

Review: When her Uncle Oscar died, his niece was left with a rundown antiques shop in a historic San Francisco neighborhood. The plan was to move into the small flat above the shop, and then decide what to do about the shop itself. It was more of a collection of junk than a toney store like the others on the street. She'd probably keep her job as an accountant, but what to do with all that "stuff" in the shop? There was a huge taxidermied kangaroo in one of the rooms--what was that about? Her uncle had specialized in collectibles from the Gold Rush era.

Why bother? How can you resist that title? For cozy fans who enjoy a mystery with a colorful setting and, oh yeah, cats.

Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke

In ten words or less: Hannah joins a health club; discovers a dead fitness instructor.

Review: Hannah Swensen, bakery owner, is determined to fit into anew dress for the launch party of her mother's new novel. Her sister Andrea convinces her to come to the new health club, Heavenly Bodies, for daily workouts.
But at the club Hannah discovers the body of Ronni Ward, a fitness instructor, who has been "involved" with many of the men in town, including most of the police detectives. And one of the detectives is Hannah's own Mike Kingston.
An out-of-town investigator is brought in to solve the case, while Hannah snoops and bakes cookies. A Minnesota cozy, with cookie recipes included.

Why bother? Likeable characters and the usual mouth-watering recipes combine for an enjoyable read.

September's Books

In "Elmore Leonard's ten rules of writing" the author sums up his philosophy of writing. Avoid adverbs, prologues, and exclamation points. Never open a book with the weather. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, places, and things. "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip."

Lonely Planet. San Francisco encounter
Misuraca, Karen. Fun with the family: northern California
Lescroart, John. Treasure hunt
Abbott, Meg. Bury me deep
Radke, Linda F. Economical guide to self-publishing
Casagrande, June. It was the best of sentences
Cass, Maxine. Off the beaten path: northern California
Rich, Jason. Self-publishing for dummies
Malliet, G.M. Death and the alma mater
Hale, Rebecca. How to wash a cat
Malliet, G.M. Death and the lit chick
Gore, Ariel. How to become a famous writer before you're dead
Raffles, Hugh. Insectopedia
Leonard, Elmore. Elmore Leonard's ten rules of writing
Hutchinson, Bobby. Every move you make
Fodor's San Francisco
Sterling, Richard. Unofficial guide to San Francisco
Casey, Elizabeth Lynn. Sew deadly