The Books of August

"Resew" by Jenny Wilding Cardon features fashions made from thrift store finds, mostly women's clothing--except for a rug, a quilt, and a unisex hat, mitten and scarf set. My favorite is the diner dress, made from a top and three men's dress shirts, made to resemble the classic diner waitress uniform. It's a hard look to pull off it you're over thirty.

Blood Hina by Naomi Hirahawa
The Wave by Susan Casey
Fellowship of fear by Aaron Elkins
Lost in my own backyard: a walk in Yellowstone National Park by Tim Cahill
The killings on Jubilee Terrace by Robert Barnard
Oxmoor House Christmas gifts of good taste Betty Crocker easy everyday vegetarian 30 minute vegetarian grilling
Busy woman seeks wife by Annie Sanders
Better Homes and Gardens Christmas all through the house
Taste of Home busy family favorites Mix 'n' Match meals in minutes by Linda Gassenheimer
Mind your own beeswax by Hannah Reed
Perfect paragon by M.C. Beaton
Dying flames by Robert Barnard
Cold vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Buzz off by Hannah Reed
Taste of Home almost homemade
ReSew: turn thrift store finds into fabulous designs by Jenny Wilding Cardon
All the pretty hearses by Mary Daheim
Taste of Home Potluck! I have nothing to wear by Jill Martin
Too afraid to cry: Maryland civilians in the Antietam campaign by Kathleen Ernst

Life by Keith Richards

In ten words or less: Keith Richards tells all--drugs, ex, rock 'n roll, and more drugs.

Review: That Keith Richards is still alive to tell it all is something of a marvel. The lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones has been in the business for fifty years, and even though this book is over 500 pages long, it barely scratches the surface of his life.

A good portion of the book deals with Richards' use of drugs, attempts to get clean, and brushes with the law. He spends a lot of time talking about his craft--his influences, how he writes a song, and technical details of the music. Very little is said about the other members of the band; most of it is about his falling out with Mick Jagger, but there are more pages devoted to Chuck Berry than to Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts.

His complicated personal relationships with his children and grand children are revealed without bitterness toward former lovers. There's even a recipe included--Keith Richards' own recipe for bangers and mash!

Why bother? Rolling Stones fans will find lots of eye opening, behind-the-scenes anecdotes told here. Not a narrative history of the Stones, but a look inside the mind of one of the best known rock musicians of all time. He just keeps on ticking.

Drive Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan

In ten words or less: Boston TV reporter investigates two mysteries while facing personal issues.

Review: TV investigative reporter Charlie McNally is at a crossroads. Her career is going great--so great, in fact, she has an offer to go to a New York station. She's currently working on a hot story involving the cloning of automobile vehicle numbers and the theft of air bags.
But when her fiance tells her of a suspicious death at the exclusive private school where he teaches, her instinct is to investigate. He wants her to promise not to start digging around at the school, but she can't help it. She also hasn't told him about her New York job offer. Will her private life crash and burn?

Why bother? Charlie takes on two mysteries at once, and tries to keep peace with her fiance. A page turner with an insider's view of the TV news industry, and lots of local Boston color.

SATURDAY AT THE FARMERS' MARKET

Keeping ahead of the cucumbers? Here's a quick-fix refrigerator pickle.

Lightning Pickles

6 large cucumbers, sliced
3 medium onions, sliced
3 cups sugar
3 cups cider vinegar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the cucumbers and onions. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add cucumbers and onions and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Yield: about 2 1/2 quarts.

The Highly Effective Detective Goes to the Dogs by Richard Yancey

In ten words or less: Bumbling PI Teddy Ruzak investigates murder of a homeless man.

Review: After the state shuts him down for practicing without a license, Tedd Ruzak should be studying to pass his private investigator's license. But he discovers the body of a homeless man outside the office, a man he had befriended just a few days before.
Ruzak investigates, even though he's not officially a detective and has no client. His assistant Felicia warns him not to get involved, but he can't seem to leave the case alone.

Why bother? Readers who enjoy the humorous mysteries of Lawrence Block and Donald Westlake will find much to like about the bumbling, clueless, but big-hearted Teddy Ruzak. With likeable characters and a fast moving plot, this book will appeal to anyone looking for a fun and witty read.

The Killings on Jubilee Terrace by Robert Barnard

In ten words or less: Soap opera actors are killed within days--coincidence?

Review: Former music hall performer Vernon Watts landed a cushy role on the long running soap opera "Jubilee Terrace." When he was hit by a car in city traffic, it looked like an unfortunate accident. But the show must go on.
Program director Reggie Friedman recruited an actor formerly with the show, Hamish Fawley, to return to his role. Fawley was universally hated by everyone with the show, and were glad to see him go. Why would Friedman ask him to return?
That was the question the police were asking the actors the day after Fawley's body was discovered in the remains of a fire--along with the body of a woman assumed to be the wife of one of the cast members.
Why bother? Author Robert Barnard has won just about every award there is . There are always plenty of suspects to go around, lots of interesting characters pulled out of all walks of British society, and a plot worthy of Agatha Christie herself.

The Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins

In ten words or less: Physical anthropologist Gideon Oliver gets caught in international intrigue.

Review: Gideon Oliver, a new widower, accepts a position as a visiting professor for the U.S. Overseas College. It's his first time visiting Eaurope, and he's puzzled by the strange events that happen to him. He's mugged, his hotel room is burgled--but only his socks are taken--and he swears he is being followed.
When he is able to help identify a victim from only a few charred bones and some teeth, local authorities are skeptical of his claims that he has no knowledge of the mysterious events surrounding him, and attempt to recruit him as an agent.

Why bother? This first Gideon Oliver adventure, written in 1982, was the precursor to all the forensic anthropologist sleuths. Author Aaron Elkins is an anthropologist, and presents the clues, and the deductions, in a way that makes the reader say "Wow!"

July's Books

In Extreme Birds, the author presents 150 of the world's birds--the fastest, the hungriest, the noisiest--with beautiful oversize color photos. Everyone from children to adults will enjoy browsing this impressive book.

The Alpine Legacy by Mary Daheim
Til Dice do us Part by Gail Oust
10 Minute Clutter Contro: room by room hundres of easy effective tips for every room in the house by Skye Alexander
Killing Cassidy by Jeanne Dams
Farewell Miss Zukas by Jo Dereske
What to Wear for the Rest of your Life: ageless secrets of style by Kim Gross
Trouble in the Town Hall by Jeanne Dams
10001 Ways to Declutter your Home on a small budget by Ed Morrow
Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester
Spaghetti with Murder by S. Kay Weber
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Skating around the Law by Joelle Charbonneau
Scots on the Rocks by Mary Daheim
Taste of Home Cupcakes!
Extreme Birds: the World's Most Extraordinary and Bizarre Birds by Dominic Couzens
I am the Dog by Daniel Pinkwater