What It Is by Lynda Barry

Lynda Barry has authored a book that is half autobiography and half writers-and-artists guide. The biography doesn't recite dates, places, and names. Rather, she talks about teachers, others adults, and her peers who stifled or encouraged her creativity as an artist. Particular incidents, told in just a few words, are good examples of how to discourage creativity in a child.

The second part of the book is a workbook with specific exercises for writers and artists. This is all presented in Barry's graphic style, with drawings of sea monsters, monkeys, and self-portraits. A wonderful book that encourages creativity for all ages.

Murder on the Waterfront by Michael Jahn

Two ships are docked on Manhattan's west side waterfront. The ultramodern cruise liner Trinidad Princess is hosting a fundraiser for a conservative candidate for president. And on the shabby but chic Sevastopol Trader, a modeling agency is holding a launch party with supermodels and beautiful people to celebrate a new perfume.

Captain Bill Donovan, NYPD, and his retired cop/wife Marcie, attend the political get-together as representatives of the police department. But when they see more congenial friends on the Trader, they jump ship. And it's aboard the Trader that a body is discovered the next morning. The presidential candidate's top strategist was stabbed to death, and there are plenty of suspects.

Now that Donovan is a husband and father, a reader would expect him to slow his pace. Maybe he doesn't put himself in as much physical danger, but the suspense doesn't let up. Readers who enjoy Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series should try Jahn's bools. This one is eighth in the series.

Weddings can be Murder by Christie Craig

Katie Ray flushed her $8,000 engagement ring down the toilet by accident--or was it? She's having second thoughts about her wedding, and with good reason. Someone is kidnapping and killing brides who have hired an elite wedding planner. The wedding planner hired Private Investigator Carl Hades to investigate; police didn't take her claims seriously. When the planner is killed, Katie and Carl are trapped in a storeroom overnight. Sparks fly, and not just because the killer is going to burn the building down.

A mostly humorous romantic mystery.

Dead Men Don't Get the Munchies by Miranda Bliss

Annie, a bank teller who has a part-time job at Bellywasher’s, a local pub owned by her boyfriend Jim. Jim is offering cooking classes and Annie, who can’t boil water, is slated to be his assistant. During the first class one of the students, Brad Peterson, an obnoxious weasel with a capital W, is threatened by Annie’s friend Eve. And when Brad is murdered, Eve is the prime suspect. Of course, Annie has to investigate. Light and fluffy mystery.

Dead Man's Puzzle by Parnell Hall

In ten words or less: Sherry's in Africa; Cora bluffs her way through another investigation.

Review: Cora Felton is at loose ends with her niece Sherry on her honeymoon in Africa. Sherry had it all planned out for Cora--she left her a supply of crossword puzzles to fax to her editor, for few people know that Cora's a fake and that Sherry is the real Puzzle Lady.

But when an elderly man is found dead in a dilapidated shack, the Chief of Police brings Cora a puzzle the man had on his table. And what had been assumed to be a natural death turned into a murder, and as usual, Sherry's ex-husband is right in the middle.

Why bother? A reader might wonder why the police chief lets a nosy amateur push her way into every murder investigation in his jurisdiction, but Cora always manages to close the case--even when they're fifty years old. Always great fun!

January 2012 Books I've read

Wondering what to do with old books now that you have an ebook reader? Lisa Occhipinti, who sells her creations on etsy, shows how to turn volumes into clocks, a shelf, a lamp, a jewelry box, and irony of ironies, a Kindle keeper.

The Repurposed Library: 33 craft projects that give old books new life by Lisa Occhipinti
Good to Go: a guide to preparing for the end of life by Jo Myers
Cat Pay the Devil by Shirley Murphy
Double Take by Catherine Coulter
Charitable Body by Robert Barnard
You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled by Parnell Hall
Last Coincidence by Robert Goldsborough
Get It Together: organize your records so your family won't have to by Melanie Cullen
Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
Winter of Discontent by Jeanne Dams
Death on Deadline by Robert Goldsborough
Silver Spire by Robert Goldsborough

December's Books

If you are looking to make needle felted projects out of your cat's hair, read Crafting with Cat Hair. Most projects are embellishments to put on scarfs, mittens, etc., but the finger puppets are made entirely of cat hair. An especially sentimental project is a mini-portrait of your cats, made from its very own hair. This makes a nice keepsake of a much-loved pet.

Crafting with cat hair: cute handicrafts to make with your cat by Kaori Tsutaya
Cat Calls: wonderful stories and practical advice from a veteran cat sitter by Jeanne Adlon
As the pig turns: an Agatha Raisin mystery by M.C. Beaton
The evil that men do by Jeanne Dams
And a puzzle to die on by Parnell Hall
A clue for the puzzle lady by Parnell Hall
Shot by Parnell Hall
Murder Mr. Mosley by John Greenwood

Get Real by Donald Westlake

Career thief John Dortmunder is approached with a proposition from a reality show producer. The producer wants to film Dortmunder and his associates planning and committing a heist. Dortmunder reluctantly agrees, but only after insisting that the target be a property owned by the production company. Of course, the producers are plotting to thwart the burglars, and Dortmunder, Tiny, Murch et al have mislead the television folks about their real target.

Westlake, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, died in 2008. His Dortmunder books are the epitome of the caper novel--no one wrote a comic mystery like Westlake.

A Bitter Feast by S.J. Rozan

Four restaurant workers have gone missing in Chinatown, and the local cops don't seem all that concerned. Peter Lee, a childhood friend of Lydia Chin and a lawyer working on behalf of the Chinese Restaurant Workers' Union, asks her to find them. When a bomb explodes at the union's headquarters, Peter is critically injured and another, unknown man is dead.

Lydia, joined by her partner Bill Smith, goes undercover as a dim sum lady at a local restaurant to find out more about the missing men. She discovers the smuggling of illegal immigrants, heroin, Chinese mobsters, and federal agents working at cross purposes.

Anyone who enjoys mysteries that emphasize characters, such as the books of Julia Spencer-Fleming and Elizabeth George, will want to read this series.

The Bilbao Looking Glass by Charlotte MacLeod
In ten words or less: Annoying old woman bumped off; too many suspects to list.

Review: When Sarah Kelling visits her summer home after a long absence, she finds a precious antique looking glass in the hall. It doesn't belong to her, and no one else but a trusted caretaker has a key. Her friend--soon to be fiance--art investigator Max Bittersohn--calls the police, only to be accused of stealing the piece. When Sarah and Max aattend a party at a neighbor's house, one of the hosts is killer, a spiteful gossip whose death is little mourned. Again, Max is accused of the crime. Even though Max's family is from the area, he's not one of the yacht club elite. Sarah and Max team up to exonerate him of the crime, with the help of both his and her relatives.
Why bother? MacLeod is the master of the clever, cozy mystery.

The Silver Ghost by Charlotte MacLeod

In ten words or less: Which eccentric relative or friend committed murder at Renaissance Revel?

Review: Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn attend the Renaissance Revel of Sarah's family friends, Bill and Abigail Billingsgate. During the festivities, one of the Billingsgate's employees is killed, and Sarah's Aunt Appie goes missing. The Billingsgate's valuable antique cars have been going missing, and Sarah and Max investigate. The local police are incompetent, and the couple must interview the eccentric collection of Kelling relatives in attendance.

Why bother? MacLeod's description of the Revel alone is worth reading the book. Who knew Morris dancing could be so funny? Sarah and Max are a pair of level headed thinkers among the assortment of odd ducks that are Sarah's old monied family.

Death Wore White by Jim Kelly

A blizzard strands eight cars on a lonely coastal road. When one of the drivers is discovered dead--a chisel through his eye--the detectives are stymied. None of the drivers has seen anything suspicious, and there are no footprints leading to or from the vehicle.

Detective Inspector Peter Shaw, recently promoted and now paired with his father's former partner, has not only got the murder to solve, but a body has washed up on the beach, with a suspicious bite mark. And Shaw wants to re-open the case of a child murder that caused his father to leave the force in disgrace.

Lots of suspects and red herrings. Fans of British police procedurals will want to give this author a try.

No Colder Place by S.J. Rozan

Bill Smith goes undercover at a construction site as a bricklayer--he hasn't laid a brick in more than twenty years. Equipment has been stolen, and one of the laborers has gone missing. When the missing worker is discovered, dead, in a pit on the site, Smith asks his partner Lydia Chin to join the investigation as a secretary in the construction office on site. She grumbles that her skills are wasted working as a secretary, and tells Bill as much. But when an experienced site supervisor falls to his death, Smith and Chin know it's not an accident.

This is the fourth book in the series--I stay up until all hours to finish these books. Every one has been exciting, with great characters and enough plot twists to keep up the interest.

November's Books

Esther Averill wrote her series of thirteen stories about Jenny Linsky, the little black cat, from 1944-1972. Jenny, who wears a red scarf, lives with retired sailor Captain Tinker. In Jenny's Moonlight Adventure, she faces down dogs to retrieve her friend's nose flute. A charming book.
Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver
Dying for a Date by Cindy Sample
Jenny's Moonlight Adventure by Esther Averill
A Killer's Christmas in Wales by Elizabeth Duncan
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
Making Spirits Bright by Fern Michaels
House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

October's Books

Bizarre Botanicals includes intriguing photos and facts of unusual plants--some well-know (bleeding heart, Venus flytrap, staghorn fern), some not (tarantula cactus, blackbat plant, artillery plant). Anyone interested in plants, nature, or strange and unusual facts will enjoy this entertaining and colorful book.

Tragic Toppings by Jessica Beck
Killer Cruise by Laura Levine
And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer
Gooseberry Patch Best Ever Cookies
Bizarre Botanicals by Larry Mellichamp
A Catered Thanksgiving by Isis Crawford
Busy Body by M.C. Beaton
The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stoudt
Ghost Hero by S. J. Rozan
A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz
Better Homes & Gardens Very Merry Cookies
Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley
The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn
Second Sitting by Stella Whitelaw
Indie Author Guide by April Hamilton
Full Mortality by Sasscer Hill
Baloney by John Scieszka
Invasion of the Road Weenies by David Lubar
Sins out of School by Jeanne Dams
The Ax by Donald Westlake
Dress Your Gingerbread by Joanna Farrow
One Tough Texan by Jan Freed
When Elves Attack by Tim Dorsey

Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: on the tacks of the Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
In ten words or less: Theroux travels across Europe, Asia, and discovers political and social change.

Review: Thirty years after Paul Theroux traveled across Europe and Asia--and chronicled his exploits in "The Great Railway Bazaar"--he attempted to recreate his journey.

Many things have changed in the world since his first trip. The Soviet Union dissolved, and China has risen to a powerful economic force. Vietnam is united, and Iraq and Afghanistan are now engaged in wars.

Theroux travels by rail, with a minimum of baggage, and isn't shy about asking locals what they think about the United States. He describes both the kind and generous people who are happy to share a meal and conversation, and the madams who peddle child prostitutes to tourists.

Why bother? Even if you haven't read Theroux's "Great Railway Bazaar," you're in for a fascinating trip across two continents. His descriptions will make you laugh, or move you to anger, and will make you want to know more about places most people will never visit. Theroux is opinionated and brash, but never boring.

SATURDAY AT THE FARMERS' MARKET

Today is the last week for the farmers' market. Here's a recipe to dress up some winter squash--not that it really needs it.

HONEYED SQUASH

2 cups water
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup butter
2 Tlb. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tlb. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. pepper

Cook squash in water until squash is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain.

Mash squash; add remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until heated through--about five minutes.

Hanging Curve: a Mickey Rawlings mystery by Troy Soos

In ten words or less: Did Klan lynch pitcher? Ballplayer Mickey investigates.

Review: A utility infielder for the St. Louis Browns, Mickey Rawlings hopes he'll finally get to play on a championship team. When a former teammate asks Mickey to play in an exhibition game against a black semi-pro team, he agrees. He hasn't gotten much playing time lately, and he's heard about how good some of those black players are. So good, in fact, that their pitcher, Slip Crawford, strikes Mickey out every times he comes to the plate.

The Klu Klux Klan, in robes and hoods, are in attendance at the game. A few days later Slip Crawford is found lynched. Was the Klan involved? Mickey joins forces with a black civil rights lawyer and a white journalist to investigate.

Why bother? Soos combines a fine mystery with a chilling background. He's evoked the feeling of 1922, with race riots and Jim Crow laws, in a style that is convincing and disturbing. For fans of baseball and historical mysteries.

Satch, Dizzy and Rapid Robert: the Wild Saga of Interracial Baseball Before Jackie Robinson by Timothy M. Gay

In ten words or less: Before integration, baseball legends Paige, Dean and Feller barnstorm across America.

Review: Jackie Robinson integrated major league baseball in 1947, but in decades before that, black and white players competed against each other in barnstorming exhibition games. Hastily assembled teams of all stars played in towns across America to crowed who had only read about the feats of such legends as Satchel Paige, Dizzy Dean, and Bob Feller. Players could make more barnstorming than during the regular season.
Why bother? Jim Crow laws kept talented black players from competing in the majors, along with the racist attitudes of club owners and the commissioner. Author Timothy Gay tells a fine story of these legends of baseball--what they were like on and off the field. He examines the casual racism of the times, and how the military experiences of many of the players helped to change major league baseball.

September's Books

A fan of the "Little House on the Prairie" books, "The Wilder Life" author Wendy McClure travels to the sites of Laura Ingalls Wilder's homes in the midwest. She churns butter, grinds wheat by hand, and compares the books to the television series. Was Laura's life really like the books and was Pa anything like Michael Landon? A fun read for Little House fans.

Formatting and submitting your manuscript by Cynthia Laufenberg
Ninety days to your novel by Sarah Domet
The Wilder life: my adventures in the lost world of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure
How to keep your Volkswagen alive by Christopher Boucher
Wicked River: the Mississippi when it last ran wild by Lee Sandlin
Thick as thieves by Peter Spiegelman
Killer profile: Criminal Minds by Max Allan Collins
Wicked autumn by G.M Malliet
The second mouse by Archer Mayor