Mandarin plaid by S.J. Rozan

In ten words or less: A ransom drop goes wrong; fashion show may be ruined.

Review: Lydia Chin is hired for a straight-forward job--seliver a ransom in return for a set of sketches for an upcoming fashion show. Designer Genna Jing is a friend of Lydia's brother, and he recommended her for the job.
But Lydia is shot at while making the drop, and a suspect is murdered before she and her partner Bill Smith can question him. Their investigation takes them into the world of models, designers, and the sweatshops that produce the garments. They cross paths with the police; there is a detective that has a personal grudge against Smith.

Why bother? Each book in this series reveals more about Lydia and Bill. She's a feisty, headstrong young woman who cares about her partner, but doesn't want a romantic relationship with him. A winner!

What the fortune cookie said today

"To lower your stress level, get a cat."

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy swings

Headliners at Oshkosh Waterfest were Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a band that updates swing and jive music of the 1930s. Cab Calloway’s “Reefer Man” and “Minnie the Moocher” had the crowd on their feet, and the band mixed old music with some original songs. This group is more than a tribute band—they bring jive into the 21st century.
Opening the evening was the “Susan Cowsill Band”—yes, that Susan Cowsill. Their New Orleans tinged rock was okay, but sounded like a lot of other opening acts. Followed by Paul Sanchez and the New Orleans Rolling Band; the membership varies, but great high energy New Orleans boogie-rock. Susan Cowsill joined them for most of their set, and my opinion of her went up. She contributed on percussion, washboard, guitar, and vocals. They also did a version of “The rain, the park, and other things,” without the bubblegum. It’s been stuck in my head for days now. I also hadn’t realized that Barry Cowsill was one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Person of interest by Theresa Schwegel

In ten words or less: Noir tale of an undercover cop and family in Chicago.

Craig McHugh is an undercover cop who is getting too involved in his assignment. He's draining his bank account, trying to get an "in" with Asian criminals. His marriage is crumbling, and his wife is showing a little too much interest in her 17-year-old daughter's boyfriend. The daughter is picked up using Ecstasy at a party, and mom Leslie covers for her.
When Craig's former partner is killed making a drug bust, he sinks further into his secret life. But Leslie believes he is having an affair, and investigates on her own. Both Craig's wife and daughter are in danger because of his undercover activities.

Why bother? A dark and gritty tale of an undercover cop's life and the toll it takes on his family. The McHughs aren't a particularly likeable family, but the reader wonders what they might have been like years earlier. The author is an Edgar Award-winner.

June's Books

Comedy writer Merrill Markoe has written some hilarious books for adults. With "The day my dogs became guys," she penned a books dog-loving kids will love. A solar eclipse makes Carey's dogs turn into people. Butch, Dee Dee, and Ed raid the kitchen, and chase cars and squirrels. Eric Brace's illustrations are wonderfully whacky and Markoe's text brings the trio of hungry dogs to life.

Murder in Coney Island by Michael Jahn
How to write a damn good mystery by James Frey
Writing the breakout novel workbook by Donald Maass
Cemetery dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Weddings can be murder by Christie Craig
Don't look down by Jennifer Crusie
Walking in circles before lying down by Merrill Markoe
Second fiddle by Carol Reigh
Nose down, eyes up by Merrill Markoe
The day my dogs became guys by Merrill Markoe

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

In ten words or less: White House chef competes for job; is target of assassin.

Review: Olivia Paras is nervous enough. She's been a leading contender for the Executive Chef position at the White House, until food show host Laurel Anne is scheduled to audition. The White House staff is talking like Laurel Anne's appointment is a done deal.
Sighing, Olivia runs out on her lunch hour to pick up a retirement gift for the retiring chef--an engraved saute pan. When she spies an intruder on the White House grounds, with the Secret Service in pursuit, she brains the man with her pan. But as she brings down the skillet on the man's head, he tells her something. And when the Secret Service hushes up the incident, Olivia is suspicious. Even the Secret Service agent she is dating won't tell her what's up.

Why bother? Totally unbelievable plot, but the insider's view of the White House kitchen is fun. And the smug Laurel Anne gets her comeuppance. Recipes included.

May 2009 books

Another coming-of-age story, “Planet of the dates” by Paul McComas is a tale of a seventeen year old boy with raging hormones, and the three girls in his life. Stephanie acts in his homemade movies, Danielle is an African-American friend from school, and Cheryl, a stoner obsessed with punk rock, shoplifting, and getting high. It’s the 1980s in suburban Milwaukee, and the hero (based on the author, ya think?) spends his time at a meaningless part-time job and plans to make a movie about the Loch Ness Monster. Mildly humorous and not too deep.

Singing swan by Margaret Ashmun
Forensics: a guide for writers by D.P. Lyle
Murder in Central Park by Michael Jahn
Death games by Michael Jahn
Character naming sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Doll with opal eyes by Jean DeWeese
Abroad for her country by Jean Wilkowski
City of God by Michael Jahn
Casualty crossing by Kevin Hughes
Planet of the dates by Paul McComas
Bibliophiles dictionary by Miles Westley
Murder on Fifth Avenue by Michael Jahn
Road dogs by Elmore Leonard
Cream puff murder by Joanne Fluke
Night rituals by Michael Jahn
Probable claws by Clea Simon
Writing and selling your mystery by Hallie Ephron
I’ll never be French by Mark Greenside
Don’t murder your mystery by Chris Roerden
First draft in thirty days by Karen Weisner
From first draft to finished novel by Karen Weisner
Murder on the waterfront by Michael Jahn
How to write killer fiction by Carolyn wheat
What it is by Lynda Barry

Flipping out by Marshall Karp

Ten words or less: Wisecracking detectives pursue a killer while wives could be targets.

Review: Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are homicide detectives with the LAPD. When the wife of one of their power playing cop buddies is shot, they investigate. Since they don’t believe Reggie would have shot his own wife, the investigation focuses on her business. She is an event planner, but is involved in the LA Flippers, a group that renovates property. Several other cop wives—and a cop mother-in-law—are also partners. Are they also in danger?

Why bother?
Fans of Robert B. Parker will appreciate the wisecracking banter among the detectives, and fans of Donald Westlake will like the fast-paced humor and action. This is the third book in the series.

March 2009 books

Dirty wow wow and other love stories by Cheryl Katz is a photo essay of well-loved childhood comfort objects. There are stuffed animals that have been worn and re-stuffed, blankets that have been reduced to no more than a shredded rag, and faceless dolls. It will make you recall the special love objects of your own childhood.

Gumbo tales: finding my place at the New Orleans table by Sara Roahen
Favre: his twenty greatest games by Doug Moe
Batter off dead by Tamar Myers
Designed to kill by Denise Osborne
Write great fiction: description & setting: techniques and exercises for crafting a believable world of people, places and events by Ron Rozelle
Terminal freeze by Lincoln Child
Unmasked and anonymous: Shimon and Lindemann consider portraiture by John Shimon
Two off q: a conversation in poetry by June Nirschon
Quilt with confidence by Nancy Zieman
Booked for murder by Tim Myers
End of the straight and narrow by David McGlynn
Steven Spielberg and philosophy by Dean Kowalski
Sudden anthem by Matthew Guenette
For a limited time only by Ronald Wallace
Armed and dangerous: a writers guide by Michael Newton
Jasper mountain by Kathy Steffan
Shining moments finding hope by Georgia Weithe
New York. Insight guides
On the hunt: the history of deer hunting in Wisconsin by Robert Willging
Posed for murder by Meredith Cole
Dirty wow wow and other love stories by Cheryl Katz
Death of a witch by M.C. Beaton
The first five pages: a writer’s guide to staying out of the rejection pile by Noah Lukeman
Operation plum by Adrian Martin
Wisconsin Korean war stories by Sarah Larsen
Death by sukoku by Kaye Morgan
How the states got their shapes by Mark Stein
North of the port: stories by Anthony Bukoski
Writers guide to character traits by Linda Edelstein
Driftless by David Rhodes
Write great fiction: Characters, emotion and viewpoint by Nancy Kress
Formatting and submitting your manuscript by Cynthia Lautenberg

IT'S TAX TIME!

Homer watches last minute tax payers rushing to mail their checks by midnight.
Homer: Would you look at those morons....I paid my taxes over a year ago!

BOOK REVIEW

Jennie by Douglas J. Preston

In ten words or less: A chimp taught to sign raises questions about man’s experiments.

Jennie is an orphan chimpanzee brought to America by an anthropologist and is raised with his family and taught American Sign Language. Quickly learning to behave much like a human spoiled brat, Jennie steals, shops, meets celebrities, and is arrested. When she reaches sexual maturity, she becomes uncontrollable and is sent to a wildlife refuge. She feels betrayed and misses her freedom. This book raises questions about our relationship to, and treatment of, other species.

Why bother? What happens to animals when humans are done with their experiments? If animals are taught to communicate outside of their species, can man ignore what he has already done? This novel raises questions that have yet to be addressed by the scientific community.

February’s Books

The staff of “The Onion” lets us know what’s really in the minds of cats with their latest “The devious book for cats.” This book offers cats advice on everything they need to know, from in-depth guides on cardboard boxes and catnip to a history of the Felinism movement. It provides tips on working a human when you want to get fed, staring like a pro, and for black cats, making the most of superstitions. Explained are the allure of the Window, the terrifying specter of the Vacuum, and Extraordinary Cats in History. Cats! Discover the devious fun you can have when you’re the one in charge!

An unlikely cat lady by Nina Malkin
Gun shy by Donna Ball
All souls by Christine Schutt
Devious book for cats by Fluffy and Bonkers
Last days of old Beijing by Michael Meyer
Obsessions by Marshall Cook
Bomb detection dogs by Charles George
The chemical muse by D.C.A. Hillman
Night sisters by Sara Rath
You can write a mystery by Gillian Roberts
Wreck of the Carl D. by Michael Schumacher
Black and white and dead all over by John Darnton
Fodor’s New York City 2008
Land of a hundred wonders by Lesley Kagen
How to write mysteries by Shannon Ocork
Done gone wrong by Cathy Pickens
Kinky gazpacho by Lori Tharps
Dog on it by Spencer Quinn

Kinky gazpacho: life, love and Spain by Lori L. Tharps

In ten words or less: Young black suburban woman comes to terms with her blackness.

Review: The author grew up in northern Milwaukee suburbs (Shorewood) and attended prestigious University School. She was usually the only black or one of a few in her school. She yearned to learn Spanish and to go to Spain. She spent her high school year as a foreign exchange student in Morocco and she was still singled out because of her race.

She attended Smith College but she did not blend in with blacks there either. Finally she went to Spain for her junior year abroad and met Manuel. After graduation, she went to New York, but still kept up a long distance relationship with Manuel.

Why bother? An engaging memoir by a young black woman seeking to fit in. Tharps has a refreshing voice that readers across race and class lines will enjoy.

January’s books 2009

Photographer Paul Lacy has compiled a book of color photos of Brooklyn storefronts—mom and pop businesses like bodegas, barbershops, auto repair shops, bait shops, etc. He focuses on hand painted signs; there is no text except for the address of the store. An interesting view of New York showing the neighborhoods and not the skyscrapers.

22,477 Big Macs by Donald Gorske
Brooklyn storefronts by Paul Lacy
Beat the reaper: a novel by Josh Bazell
White coat wisdom: extraordinary doctors talk about what they do, how they got there, and why medicine is so much more than a job by Stephen Busalacchi
Secret of the Great Pyramid: how one man’s obsession led to the solution of ancient Egypt’s greatest mystery by Bob Brier
Hell for the holidays by: a Christopher Miller holiday thriller Chris Grabenstein
Dewey the small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron
Step on a crack: a novel by James Patterson
Orphan train by James Magnuson
I was told there’d be cake: essays by Sloane Crosley
Christmas cookies: 50 recipes to treasure for the holiday season by Lisa Zwirn
So long at the fair: a novel by Christina Schwarz
Decline of sentiment: American film in the 1920s by Lea Jacobs
Bodyguard to the Packers: beat cops, Brett Favre and beating cancer by Jerry Parins
Martin misunderstood by Karen Slaughter
By heart: a mother’s story of children and learning at home by Kathleen Melin
Bright futures: a Lew Fonesca mystery by Stuart Kaminsky
Exxon and the Crandon mine controversy by Michael O’Brien
Windfall by James Magnuson
Lead-mining towns of southeast Wisconsin by Carol McLernon
Growing up Amish: insider secret from one woman’s inspirational journey by Anna Dee Olson
Take your characters to dinner: creating the illusion of reality in fiction: a creative writing course by Laurel Yourke
The sixth lobe by Michael Miller

BOOK REVIEW

Beat the reaper by Josh Bazell

In ten words or less: Mafia hitman becomes doctor in witness protection program; is discovered.

Review: Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital. But he was not drawn to medicine by an altruistic nature. When he was a teenager, his grandparents--who raised him--were gunned down in their home. He was taken in by a friend's family. The dad, David Locana, is a Mafia lawyer, and helps young Peter (then known as Pietro) to seek revenge on the killers.

The violence is graphic, but Peter is a sympathetic killer, like Jeff Lindsay's Dexter or Lawrence Block's Keller. Will there be a sequel?

Why bother? Although cynical and violent, Peter has a unique outlook on life. This is a fast-paced mystery with enought twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Not for the squeamish.

December’s Books

Fill ‘er up by Jim Draeger is a terrific book on the history of gas stations in Wisconsin. There are loads of great photos showing the different types of architecture through the years. The first fifty pages are a history of service stations, the various oil companies, and the evolution from auto repairs to convenience stores. An interesting point was the promotion of clean rest rooms to appeal to the increasing number of woman drivers. The rest of the book devotes two pages to each of a number of stations, scattered throughout the state. There are photos of stations in their heyday, and photos of stations that became ice cream parlors or insurance offices. Very entertaining!

Romanov bride by Robert Alexander. Alexander
The story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Lady of the snakes by Rachel Pastan
Red tails in love by Marie Winn
Poe’s children: the new horror by Peter Straub
Fill ‘er up: the glory days of Wisconsin gas stations by Jim Draeger
May day by Jess Lourey
Writing mysteries by Sue Grafton
Make-a-mix by Karine Eliason

BOOK REVIEW

Finding freedom: the untold story of Joshua Glover, runaway slave by Ruby JacksonWest

In ten words or less: True story of a runaway slave who escaped to Wisconsin.

This is the story of Joshua Glover, runaway slave, who after his escape was living and working in Racine, WI. His fate as a free man was tenuous-- the state of Wisconsin was pitted against the Supreme Court, which supported the slave owners. Glover, who could not read or write, is remembered through documents, newspaper reports, and letters and accounts of others who knew him.

Why bother? Compelling story of an ordinary man, who only wanted to be free.

AMERICAN COZIES

Short takes on a few mysteries.

Death in the cards: a stain-busting mystery by Sharon Gwyn Short

Josie Toadfern, who runs a Laundromat in small town Paradise, Ohio, finds murder and mystery when a psychic fair comes to town. One of the psychics predicts danger, and when Josie stumbles over a body, conservative town residents confront the New Agers.

The gourdmother by Maggie Bruce

Lili Marino, a gourd artist from the big city, moves to upstate New York and gets involved in solving the murder of the high school football coach. Bigotry, football rivalries, and old feuds surface. The author slips in information about the history of gourd craft, and instructions on various techniques used to work the gourds.

Gunpowder green by Laura Childs

Theodosia Browning owns a tea shop, and gets involved in a murder investigation when a starting pistol explodes at a yacht race. Way too much information about tea for me, but otherwise a pleasant enough read.

Layered Nutty Fruit Bars

There was a big snowstorm here, so I spent the morning making these.

Servings: Makes 24 to 36
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs
1 (9-ounce) package NONE SUCH® Condensed Mincemeat, crumbled
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
3/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 13x9-inch baking pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan. Crumble NONE SUCH® evenly over crumbs. Pour EAGLE BRAND® evenly over NONE SUCH®. Top with chocolate pieces and nuts.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars.

November’s Books

"Saucer attack!" is a eye-opening and fun book. "Saucers came into the public psyche at a time of great tension and paranoia in America. People feared 'the Bomb' and communist infiltration."

The first "sighting" of a flying saucer occurred in June 1947, and by 1950 books were published and a film called "The flying saucer" had been released. George Adamski and Buck Nelson had gained notoriety for their stories of contacts with alien beings.

This book has fantastic color reproductions of some great UFO art. Covers from magazines, posters from such films as "Invasion of the saucer-men," "It conquered the world" and "The thing." Great fun!

Rome 1960 by David Maraniss
Put a lid on it by Donald Westlake
I am not a cop by Richard Belzer
When you are engulfed in flames by David Sedaris
Woman’s Day Christmas cookies, candies, and cakes
Taste of Home’s gifts from a jar
Rough weather by Robert B. Parker
Nim Chimpsky: the chimp who would be human by Elizabeth Hess
Death books a return by Marion Moore Hill
Alex and me: how a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence and formed a deep bond in the process by Irene Pepperberg
The day I ate whatever I wanted by Elizabeth Berg
Saucer Attack! By Eric Nesheim
Hot by Julia Harper
Big book of the unexplained by Doug Moench
The private patient by P.D. James