Dark Days Ahead

It is election season... still. Things aren't looking good for the energetic, progressive sweep of two years ago. We are a people easily disillusioned, easily swayed. The opinions of the great masses can't stand up to the realization that recovery of such magnitude takes decades, not moments- regardless of who is in charge. There are no magic bullet, just hard work in our future. It just promises to take longer and be more unpleasant when the ones that have taken no responsibility for the mess (for which every one is responsible) have shluffed it off on someone else, wiped their hands on expensive sets of slack and gone about the business of distracting this country into a tizzy. Depressing, but a good reason to read.

Both my mom and I, who share more personality traits than either of us likes to admit, love falling into a good book. Good is a relative term of course. Momma wouldn't know a great novel if it hit her on the head and I try to avoid them unless I want people to see me reading them. We like a book that gets you invested, messes with your sleep, sucks you in and takes over your life. We like those books that gain control over good sense... the ones that make you pick the longest line in the grocery store, so you can steal a few pages while waiting. Sometimes (not often), we agree on these books and talk about the characters as if they are real people at the dinner table, while my sister rolls her eyes and my niece asks questions about fictitious apparitions of the mind like they are cousins she might one day meet.

Fall is already promising a long, dark winter. We have both been relatively unsuccessful in finding "good" books as of late and are depressed by it, constantly asking the other what they have dug up. I want to get lost, stumble around in somebody else's mind for a while. It really is the ultimate form of voyeurism... to plop down in the middle of someone's life, learn their secrets and their fears without having to reveal your own. And then somehow, inexplicably, you tie your worries to them, wonder where they are now, what has happened to them. It is a wonderful trick these writers have. I'm not talking about the F. Scotts and Faulkners of the world, the proud historians of American life, but the trashrag authors in the trenches filling pages with... well, trash, commonness... but have this ability to create worlds that transcend that line between real and make believe. It is a rare gift to create something from nothing.

I look forward to finding it again. I know I will soon. I'll let you know when I do.

Not a book review...

If you are going to criticize me for my job, all I ask is that you have an original thought about organized labor.

I’m not going to even to mention the fact that when you barely know a person, it is considered rude to begin by criticizing an issue to which they have obviously dedicated their life. I don’t mention the inhuman and un-American labor practices of Wal-Mart on our first meeting when you tell me you work as the manager of my least favorite big box retail store. I don’t say that I believe the Catholic Church is misguided in its dogma and has caused more suffering in the name of Jesus Christ that any other institution when you tell me you lead the women’s group at the local Parish on Tuesday nights until we have at least shared a drink together.

But please… have just one original idea about why labor unions should be banished from the Earth and do not regurgitate the same old, lifeless, illiterate arguments that I have heard nearly every day of my life since I was old enough to get tossed in the back of a cruiser for throwing rocks at trucks that crossed the picket line.

For ease of operations, I have broken these “arguments” into three categories:

Labor unions were probably necessary at one time, but we don’t need them today.

This is probably my favorite, simply because the person is attempting to placate me. Hey, if you were doing this work seventy years ago I would have totally supported it… now, you are just irrelevant. Thanks, I appreciate the ‘Atta Boy.

To begin with, here are some things labor unions have done since 1959:

Helped pass the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1974, Americans with Disability Act (ADA) of 1990

Help pass, spent union dollars advocating for and in some cases helped draft the 1966, 1974, 1977,1985, 1989, 1996 and 2007 amendments (we don’t take any credit for 2004) to the Fair Labor Standards Act (think minimum wage and overtime)

Instrumental to the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 1993 and have advocated in several states, cities and other municipalities for the passage of sick leave coverage for workers

Creation of OSHA in 1974

Took large strains off Medicaid, Medicare, the Social Security Administration, Veteran’s Affairs, local food pantries and charitable organizations from the 1960s to present (though decreasing in recent years with the reduction of union density) due to use of short and long term disability plans, defined benefit plans (both in the private and public sectors), and health insurance coverage for retirees created, enforced and guaranteed in collective bargaining agreements

All prevailing wage laws, unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation laws

Increased the standard of living for all workers, union and non-union alike, creation of the 40 hour work week, the weekend, overtime, break time, lunch breaks, environmental and safety standards, oh.. and a little thing we like to call employer paid health care

Union membership in the U.S. declined by 21.1% during the last decade, giving the US one of the lowest levels of unionization among industrialized countries. You think it is coincidence that employer paid health care and retirement plans are under attack? Wait another decade sitting on your hands and see if you can afford to go to the doctor or stop working before you die.

Labor unions kill the free market.

I love me some capitalism. I am an American after all. But the free market is amoral. It cares for neither good nor bad- it is merely a tool. And news flash- people can manipulate the free market and there are some bad, greedy people out there… making the free market a bad, greedy tool to serve their bad, greedy needs.

Capitalism without a counterbalance, whether that be regulation or united labor, is like a ship without a rudder- sure it will move, but you can’t guarantee a direction or that you won’t run into an iceberg.

Much of the world hasn't yet learned the lesson that labor unions already know- by increasing the wages of employees it not only increases corporate productivity but boost employee purchasing power. Workers spend their pay checks, demand goes up and profit increase and you can pay your workers more… sound somewhat familiar from economics class?

Plus as you anyone who has bought a pair of shoes at Payless can tell you, cheaper isn’t always better- and there is more to the cost of doing business than this race-to-the-bottom, globalism goodness. This is America- the land of the free and the home of the brave- and it should be a place that does not accept the mistreatment of women and children and workers simply so if can save a buck. Nothing is free and that Made in China label on your back probably broke somebody’s back. But if you are fine with that, it probably says more about your morals than mine.

And we have all now know what the deregulated free market tastes like…

I know a union carpenter that makes $450.00 per hour.

Well, I know a union nursing home worker that can barely afford to feed her family and a lot of non-union ones that have to go to the food pantry. I know union janitors that can’t pay for prescription drugs and workers that have been denied a union that haven’t had a raise in fifteen years (except when the minimum wage increases, see above), have no access to health insurance and are fired when they call in sick for the first time in a decade. I also know workers that have been spit on, shot at, run over and/or have been sprayed in the face with bleach for trying to unionize a facility (which, incidentally, they have the legal right to do in this place we call the land of the free).

By the way, I don’t know any union carpenters that make $450.00 per hour or $150.00 per hour, but I know plenty that work hard, make a good living at what they do, own their homes, have health insurance, and can afford to send their kids to college. And I am pretty damn happy about that. I am of the opinion that all people, union and non-union alike, that work hard should be paid a fair wage and support themselves. Go us.

First Fall Post

Elections season is always so crazy... August and September fly by in even numbered years and often times, I miss the fact that fall has even arrived before it is gone. My favorite season rarely spreads itself more than a handful of weeks and I have missed a good portion of them already. On Saturday, I was lucky enough to turn my phone and breathe it in.

I went to Mt. Gilead State Park- a relatively small piece of land that boasts very little besides sadly kept trails. Roots stuck precariously in my path and I managed my way across bridges that either groaned under my weight (which is not that usual) or dipped, unsupported, toward the water. Some leaves were colored around the edges, promising amazing things in the next few weeks. Other trees had already shed their reds or yellows leaving the curled, crunchy mess at my feet. The air smelled liked honeycrisps and rain and the shifting wind that will eventually bring the snow. This time of year always makes me miss home.

I've only read two books worth note in the last few weeks, both of which I had been waiting for most of the summer.

Just minutes ago, I finished Carolyn Crane's sequel Double Cross. As is typical with series, it was not nearly as good as the original book. It took its good time starting up and I found the heroine, Justine, a bit too much to bare this time around. Her neurosis grew on me again, toward the end. The series is about a group of individuals with genetic mutations, known as highcaps- that have powers that range from telekinsis to telepathy to the ability to manipulate earth or memories or understand the physiological mapping of an individual. In the charge of one such highcap, Packard, is a group of minions known as disillusionists that have an overabundance of a particular emotion or neurosis. These disillusionist are able to zap certain individuals in order to disillusion (or emotionally reboot them) so they can be reformed. After the last book, Packard's minions are tasked with rebooting bad highcaps, Mayor Otto (a highcap that manipulates earth) has kept imprisoned. Then you got your Justine, Packard, Otto love triangle, a whole bunch of dirty secrets from the past, a highcap that can wipe your memory, and a conspiracy theorist capable of producing anti-highcap glasses and there you go. I'll give Crane another whirl after this, but I'm not hoping for much.

Also a slight disappointment was the third installment of the Parasol Protectorate series- Blameless by Gail Carriger. After her witty and exceedingly entertaining Changeless with one of the best up-in-the-air-endings I had read in ages, I was a bit underwhelmed. Though this won't be the last novel in the series, it had all of the markings that it perhaps should be. The major tension in the story was released with little less than a sigh and a shrug, which was an unbelievable as it was anticlimactic. The ruckus Lady Maccon pulls her increasing weight to be sure, but the cast of characters pulling her down have turned into a hodgepodge of half-formed cliches and self righteous sense of comedy that never fully forms. I generally don't wander in the Steampunk genre often, but it is a favorite as of late. Hey, I can suspend all sorts of realities in favor of an entertaining romp... but the ludicrous nature this installment has settled for makes me wish I had stopped at two.

August Book Club

Confessions first. I have been a bad reader. I have read a couple inane novels (including the new Janet Evanovich, yes I know... it's never coming back), the updated Ohio Campaign Finance Handbook and a lot political mailers and source materials, but I haven't reviewed anything since well... nothing has been too spectacular. Happily, the best book I have read this month also happened to be the August book selection at our little inbred liberal Book Club. Nathan chose The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death this month by Charlie Huston. Alan Ball (of TrueBlood fame) has bought the rights and it seems this little gem might be making an appearance on HBO in the near future... and let's face it, we all knows what happens when a gay man is in charge of casting.

Death introduces us to your everyday asshole slacker, Web, who likes to hang out at his best friend's tattoo shop and whip clever verbal barbs like it was his job (since he doesn't have one). The story eludes to a not so pleasant experience in his past that unravels throughout the story, ending with Web naked in the fetal position under a cot in his boss' office after he has slept with the equally broken and intellectually astute, Soledad.

Through a series of highly unlikely, but entirely plausible events, Web begins to work for the guy that removes the biowaste from the tattoo shop. Po Chin, the owner and operator of a cleaning company that cleans anything and everything no one else will touch, also seems to owe Web for some unknown kindness that is also revealed later in the story.

Sunshine Cleaning for a more jaded and perhaps cleverer soul, the books descriptions are unique, entirely not politically correct, and your basic riot. The crime scenes Web is forced to clean are gruesome and seem true to life, told through the eyes of a man that can't get too upset about anything anymore and has no ability to emotionally connect with anyone. The description of a man committing suicide while holding water in his mouth is especially eye opening.

Death is a big departure from Huston's other works with which I am familiar, including the Joe Pitt Casebooks (I really was a fan of My Dead Body, not that that surprises anyone). I definitely wouldn't consider this part of his normal "pulp" genre, though the noir is clear enough. Overall, I had to say it was tight, well-written, and a quick read. A good book for the inner asshole we all have. I

July Bookclub Read

So this month, Pat suggested Bel Canto by Ann Patchett for our liberal-minded book club. I really enjoy the book club picks simply because I pick up (download) a book I wouldn't normal think of reading. However upon reading, I began to realize that I had read Patchett's first novel several years back- The Patron Saint of Liars. Patchett's voice if very unique and easily recognizable. I like her language so well that I find myself reading her work out loud (or the kindle does it for me)

Bel Canto is about a South American country (that remains unnamed throughout the book) that has the good fortune of attracting a high level Japanese business man, Mr. Hosokawa, to celebrate his birthday in their country with hopes of convincing him to invest money in the poor, backwards nation. However, the only reason Mr. Hosokawa agreed to go the God forsaken place was because they had wrangled his favorite operatic soprano to sing. Unfortunately during the festivities, a guerrilla group commandeers the party and hold everyone hostage. Many of these "terrorists" are barely teenagers and their generals unable to be ruthless enough to get results. Patchett weaves an interesting tapestry of the relationships that enviably form during the several month standoff.

I'll have to say that my experience reading Bel Canto was strange. It was easy to see how this situation would end, so I was reluctant to read a great deal of this book at a time- not because I didn't enjoy it, but more because I invested so quickly in the characters that I did not want to see them harmed. As long as I stopped while everyone was still ok, I felt more at ease somehow. This is not a book you want to devour, but read in bits and pieces. I will actually really miss the characters in this book, wonder where they went and hope they are all right.

Not something I could handle every day, but a nice change of pace.

June Round-up

I'm a little light in my reading this month. Work's been a mess and all I manage to do most days is fall on my face and go to sleep. I have also been catching some bad writing, so I don't have that many books worth mentioning.

The best of the latest would have to be The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. The story follows a women, whose parents were killed when she was just a toddler, allegedly be a man who worked on the her families ranch. The story opens with the events that night that everyone already knows and travels the background of the rich, but honest family of the Linders. The man that killed Jody's parents has been released from prison and the entire town is ready to go up in flames. Between the mystery of the murders and the wonderfully-crafted, small town feel, it was a quick, witty and enjoyable read. Jody's relations to her uncles and grandparents, as well as with the son of the man that killed her father are believable and richly written. Though the mystery was of the Scooby Doo variety (which left the reader guessing instead of actually able to make logical leaps to the conclusion), the end was just, if not completely satisfying.

I also read another co-authored novel by Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer, authors of Anges and Hitman from my last post, called Don't Look Down. Though this book follows a very similar formulaic plot as the Anges (which I blame on Cruise), it was still enjoyable, well-written and suspenseful- though the ending was muddled. Lucy Armstrong gets roped in finishing up a directing job on an action movie that has really has hit some hard times as a favor to her ex-husband. Unbeknownest to her, the movie is now bankrolled by the Russian mob and is only a cover. Enter J.T. Wilder, Green Beret, CIA babysitter, stunt consultant. Add in a one-eyed alligator, some wonder woman history, some jade sexual implements- and you have an amusing time that is almost completely devoid of logic. Fun nonetheless.

Then, a Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin. For about the first 40 pages, I was convinced I was going to put this book down. But who am I kidding? I almost never do that. And this story worked on me until I didn't exactly hate of it. Written during the World's Fair in Chicago, it is a coming of age story about Violet Hayes, who leaves her small town to live with her three crazy aunts. She is exposed to the rich and prosperous life she is expected to want, suffragist that she is supposed to abhor and the depths of poverty she is supposed to ignore. A bit a contrived, but the depth of historical context made it well worth reading.

Finally, another Nancy Bartholomew book, Sophie's Last Stand. Nothing extraordinary, but entertaining. Sophie Mazaratti (another Stephenie Plum- like character) and her zany mishaps. Good read in the genre.

So behind...

I've been reading my ass off and been really bad about writing any of it down, so here is my little catch up. May was an exciting time for installments in two of my favorite series. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward was the next book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This was the HER (happily ever after for all you non-romance readers) for Xhex and John Matthew. I had been looking forward to this book, but as many series do after the fifth or sixth book, Ward is loosing steam and maybe some traction. I'm over it and that's disappointing, but it was a great ride.

And of course Charlaine Harris hit us with her tenth Sookie Stackhouse Novel, Dead in the Family. I did not have high expectations and I wasn't disappointed. The last few novels have been clearly filler. Harris finally hit the jackpot (and rightfully so), but I can't help feeling that if TrueBlood hadn't hit the big time, she would have tied Sookie up by now and is just bidding her time. Still it was by far superior to the last installment and when I read these books, it always feels like I'm spending some time with an old friend. It might not be like the good old days, but it's always nice to catch up. On the up side, I got my mother completely hooked on these and she plowed through the first nine in less than six weeks. Hey, I get this reading thing from somewhere.

My husband and I drove to and from New Orleans for vacation last week, so I had an incredible amount of time to read. I finished four books in total. On the way down, I read Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand and Stella, Get Your Gun by Nancy Bartholomew. I was attempting Gist once again, even though I'm not a fan. Bertrand is a new author that will have his first solo novel out this summer (Back on Murder). I have heard wonderful things about him from my fellow mystery readers who have reviewed the advanced copy. As a disclaimer, both Gist (Romance) and Bertrand (Murder Mysteries) have a slight Christian slight- which I don't typically enjoy. But both authors are progressive about the ideas of faith and sin in a modern age and I find anyone attempting to hold on to non-traditional ideas faith intriguing. Beguiled, though much lauded by fans of the Gist, was slightly disappointing and I think Ms. Gist and I won't be seeing each other further. On the hand, the mystery was compelling though a bit sheer in its layers for my taste. A pleasant romp. I may be compelled to seek out Bertrand's new work.

On the other hand, Stella, Get Your Gun was a pleasant surprise, not to mention an introduction to both a new author and series- which is always exciting for me. I wasn't looking for any heavy lifting during my vacation and this was definitely no literary masterpiece (not that I actually read those), but Bartholomew was witty, clever and smart in this small town, slightly feministy murder mystery. Admittedly, the main character (Stella Valocchi) is a more intelligent, less incompetent Stephanie Plum with better hair. Stella has made her way to FL and become a rather good cop. The night of her big break in a major case, she catches her live-in boyfriend and her partner slapping asses in her bed. She pulls a gun, steals his dog and heads back up north to her aunt and uncle only to find her uncle's been murdered. Add in the CIA, a long lost boyfriend, an uncle reincarnated into a dog and you have a pretty fantastic car read. Janet Evanovich, eat your heart out.

On the way back, I hit Crux by Moira Rogers, which is hardly worth mentioning (and free via my Kindle) and Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer. I'm not usually a fan of dual author reads, but Agnes and the Hitman was the best mystery I have read in a while- southern mystery genre. Cranky Agnes has just released a mob cookbook revealing recipes of Uncle Joey, who retired in a quiet southern town outside Savannah with two other former mobsters. After appearing in her weekly food critic column with her dog Rhett and buying an old mansion named Two Rivers, Agnes begins to have unpleasant visits from dognappers and hitmen a like. Joey enlists the services of his nephew, Shane, who has a way with a Glock and well, is hot because that's just the kind of story this is. While Shane protects Agnes, she has to plan a wedding, avoid going to jail for bludgeoning men with her frying pan, figure out what is in the hidden bomb shelter in her basement, and contend with mobsters, southern belles, a cheating fiance and the U.S. government. I haven't laughed this often for a book in a while. The characters are well cared for, the mystery tight and cleverly spliced with humor and emotion, and Agne's columns which are quick witted commentaries on life, family and food. I will be digging for the other works Cruise and Mayer have co-authored.

Tada!

Soulless and Changeless

Soulless and Changeless (Parasol Protectorate Series)

By: Gail Carriger

Genre: Historical Urban Fantasy Mystery/Steampunk
Grade: A-
Rating: PG-13/R


I would be neglectful to let these books go unreviewed. I was pleasantly surprised to come across these books from a list of recommendations from another reader I trust. Thanks, Wendy D! Soulless is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies meets Harper Connelly meets Lady Emily. A unique and refreshing romp through a world I've been getting quite tired of.

Spinster Alexia Tarabott was put on the shelf years ago. She's half-Italian and strong witted with a large nose and barbed tongue. She seems to happily sit on the edge of polite society with no romantic expectations. Oh and she doesn't have a soul.

See in this alternative view of the turn of the 19th century industrialized London, every yin has a yang. Werewolves and vampires (I know, I know... its sad that I'm reading another GD vampire book- but not really a vampire book) are fully integrated into polite society and seem to have an overabundance of soul (only those with strong souls are convertible as it were). But Tarabott is the opposite. She had no soul, which only apparent side effect is that when she touches something supernatural, it reverts to human form until she breaks contact- neither human nor supernatural.

Tarabott ends up inadvertently and rather inconveniently killing a vampire at a house party (with a parasol) bringing in the furry form of Scottish DAR agent, Lord Conall Maccon (werewolf) to investigate. Throw in a group of scientists who worship a golden octopus, a gay vampire best friend, an alternative universe inclusive of invention, religion, and new societal norms and this mystery with a twist is over before you knew it began. Carriger has brought something intriguing and new to a genre that has been beaten to death over the past decade, by cleverly combining urban fantasy mystery with steampunk- painting a rich canvas to explore.

I have also recently finished the second book in this series, Changeless. The sequel was just as good (if not better) than Soulless, this time following Tarabott (now Lady Maccon) up to Scotland in an attempt to find her husband. The mystery in the second was much more prominent, as Carriger had the opportunity to introduce and flushed out her main characters quite nicely in the first book. Lady Maccon continues to challenge the norms set for women, wives and alphas in this steampunk, romantic romp. The imagery is desisive, impressive and hard- perfectly balanced with our heroine's personality. The new characters are endearingly used as foils and satire... and then shockingly forces unto themselves. I will have to say that it was one of the tightest mysteries I have read in quite a while. No Scooby Do mystery here. Though the romance in this series is clearly secondary, there is no lack of emotional connection to the players. The end of Changless was heartbreaking, I have already pre-ordered the next installment Blameless, which is supposed to be released in September. (I hope they don't jerk me around on my Kindle pre-order. This is me shaking my fist at Amazon.)

I whole-heartedly recommend Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series and can't wait to see what happens next.

Floundering Again...

I've been reading a lot lately... ok, I read a lot normally. I have been reading more than normal lately. Part of this is due to the lack of anything good to watch on T.V. I've been slightly enchanted by Glee and regularly watch The Good Wife, but other than giving House or Bones an occasional glance I could do without the T.V. entirely. Well, until June and TrueBlood- but that's another unhealthy journal entry.

I'm being diligent about Traveling Mercies, using is more as a daily point of inspiration than a novel. But otherwise, I have been floundering in my selections, stopping midway to read something else and come back. This is unlike me. I follow through even when painful, but my attention is scattered. I'm midway through Immortal in Death and now threw down Embers if a fit of disgust last night. If I can't keep my attention on a book, I can't get truly sucked in and that's always what I'm looking for.

I have finished a few books since my last entry, but nothing that memorable. I read yet another Elizabeth Rolls, but definitely think I need more time between her books. They are generally good little escapes, but I feel ridiculous reading them at present. I also finished Storm Born in another series by Richelle Mead. I'm diligently trying to get enamored with her after some other trusted readers I know recommended both the Georgia Kincaid and the Dark Swan series, but I have a bad case of the icks or perhaps more accurately the indifferents. It isn't as if Storm Born was a bad book and I will likely eventually sit down to read the sequel Thorn Queen. I just don't feel that compelled to know what happens next, which is extremely unusual.

I've been switching between Urban Fantasy mystery and Regency series too much lately. Perhaps its time to go back to solid mysteries for a while again. Change in genre- maybe that's what I need.

I am excited about a few upcoming titles. The new Sookie Stackhouse is coming to a Kindle near you on May 4th. The new Blackdagger Brotherhood is out April 27th (though they are jacking me around on whether it will be offered on the Kindle or not). I'm also pretty stoked to read Soulless by Gail Carriger that I discovered last week. I'm waiting for my trip to KY this weekend to try that one out. Guess I'm not doing a very good job with that change in genre thing.

Where is my literary dignity?

It is a fleeting and cruel mistress. I have never really understood why people are so much snootier about what they read then about what they watch. I mean, people admit to watching American Idol and Big Brother and those stupid reality TV shows on MTV all of the time without a hint of embarrassment, but you pull a romance off the shelf in Kroeger out of sheer boredom and somehow you are less of a reader because you read anything you can get your hands on.

I'm guilty of it. I glance at what people are reading in the coffee shop or the bus and I make some pretty harsh judgments about their intellect and their taste. I have so many friends that are purists or writers themselves- that always seem to be reading from the lists you should be reading from. You know, a little Faulkner, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Austen, Orwell, Fitzgerald, Homer, Tolstoy Fest... all those books you are supposed to read before you die. They are the best 50 or 100 or 1000 books of all time. And don't get me wrong, I love all of those authors. Some of my favorite books are classics. See? I'm doing it again. I'm trying to prove I have literary street cred. I'm a good little reader, honest.

It is probably another reason I love the Kindle so much. I don't have to front, I just get to read. I can read whatever I want, whenever I want and no one glances at my book cover and thinks less of me. Wow, I didn't realize I had all of these reading insecurities.

But ultimately, reading is supposed to be a form of entertainment, right? And maybe the problem is that everyone is obsessed (at least in my circles) with the next great American (or not) novel is. Why read if it isn't the best or impressive or what everyone else is supposed to be reading? But I don't want to watch Casablanca or the African Queen or Singing in the Rain all of the time because they are great movies, classics. Some times, I want something dumb or trifling or only somewhat clever, but entertaining.

I only watch 2 or 3 TV shows a week. The rest of my mindless entertainment happens to be reading. And frankly, I don't want to read about politics, the labor movement, and social justice when I get home. I want the literary high that I jones for. I want that- I need to find out what happens, ponder the characters existence, is there another book in this series feeling- that I don't get with my methodical plodding through Steinbeck's Cannery Row (hands down one of my favorite books) or the dance I do with Faulkner's Barn Burning.

I know that I'm not alone. It just takes a quick glance at the NY Time's Bestseller list this week to know that not everyone is reading the classics or even something that wouldn't get you snorted at during a happy hour. I mean Chelsea Handler has 3 titles in the top 10 on the damn thing. And the hardcover bestseller is: SILVER BORNE, by Patricia Briggs. (In the fifth book starring Mercy Thompson, a shapeshifter and auto mechanic in Washington State, Mercy works on her relationship with the leader of the werewolf pack and helps a suicidal friend.) Now, I have never read Ms. Briggs, but my guess is that the urban fantasy genre is getting way more play than anyone is admitting.

So in the interest of full disclosure, I'm going to list my last 10 read- whether I have been too embarrassed to review them or admit to reading them:

Traveling Mercies (still reading) by Anne Lamott
Immortal in Death (still reading) by J.D. Robb
Gemini Tiger (still reading) by tommy jonq
Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
A Compromised Lady by Elizabeth Rolls
Dreamfever (reread) By Karen Marie Moning
A Bride in the Bargain by Deeane Gist
Utopia by Sir St Thomas Moore
Pride and Prejudice and Zoombies (reread) by Seth Grahame-Smith

Wow, I actually feel a little better. Thanks.

Recently Discovered- Carolyn Crane

Mind Games

By: Carolyn Crane

Genre: Fiction, Urban Fantasy (Yes, I said it)
Rating: R
Grade: B+
Sticking with the Author: Yes, second book in the series comes out in September.

Ever since I got sucked into Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse world (the series upon which the HBO series TrueBlood is based), I have occasionally taken her advice on new reads. I generally don't mind a little romp in the Urban Fantasy genre, though my tolerance for vampire and werewolf novels is relatively low. I don't want to have to learn an entire new language or caste of people populating a new reality. It's too much for me. I have a hard enough time with English and my own socio-economic realities, thank you very much.

But, I like a little Sherrilyn Kenyon every now and again (though I greatly prefer her League series to the Darkhunters- which has become way over played). And when I don't have anything better to read, I often go back to the old reliable JD Robb "In Death" series. Innocent, though slightly embarrassing distractions. I needed some brain candy after my last book.

I was pleasantly surprised with Carolyn Crane's debut novel, Mind Games. No vampires, no werewolves, no fairies- thank you Jesus! We meet Justine (Crane should have really rethought the heroine's name), who is a full blown hypochondriac, convinced she is going to die from vein star disease (which sounds like something like an aneurysm). Her mother was a bit of a health freak too, but actually died of the disease when Justine was only 13. She is crippled in fear and hospital debt from the late night ER visits where no one can find anything wrong. Crane's prose was fascinating, making one wonder if she, herself, may of had more than a few late night calls to the hospital. Justine knows she is irrational, but can't help herself.

She goes to dinner one night with her oh-so-very-normal boyfriend, Chubby (yes, unfortunate on the name front) and meets the owner of the restaurant, Packard. Packard has the ability to see a person's psychological structure (referred to as a hicap) and can see our girl, Justine, is about a hop, skip and a jump from the psych ward. Seems Packard has the ability to siphon on Justine's bad juju and fear and make her feel normal, but there's a catch. Packard wants to teach Justine how to dump her bad stuff into bad people in an attempt to "disillusion" them. This is basically an attempt to play on the fears and neurosis of criminals and reboot them, make them better people. She isn't the only one. Seem Packard has gather a rather motley little crew of people that shoot their brand of fear into others, giving them both the freedom to live without their stifling brand of psychological poison and the added bonus of being a rather well paid vigilante.

Of course, nothing is as it seems. Packard never leaves his restaurant and you find he is actually incapable of it. Further, his own freedom may just be more important to him then his little troop of disillusionists. And Justine is hella attracted to Packard (and visa versa), even after she finds the web of lies he has spun. And we have a gorgeously neurotic police chief, Otto Sanchez (I know, seriously with these names?) Oh, which beautiful boy to trust?

I liked Justine. She was imperfect and believable. You putt all your eggs in her basket, as it were and her well-being becomes quickly important to you. I felt Packard's character had a great start, but his development quickly drowned midway through. Also, I do think there were just too many characters to keep track of. The main disillusionists were well developed and necessary to the storyline, I just felt like she was popping extras in for the hell of it. It was hard to keep everyone's brand of crazy straight.

Overall, a quick read (though actually pretty long for the genre- 384 pages), thoroughly entertaining and surprising. I was actually quite impressed with the writing. Though sparse, Crane has a way of describing things in wholly unexpected ways. I liked that though she described the physical dimensions of those around her, she (and by extension the reader) relate more to their psychological characteristics. The book could have ended where it was, but it appears as though there will be three in total. The next in the series comes out in September- Double Cross. Lavar already pre-ordered it for me, so I'm looking forward to it.

Finally....

A Reliable Wife

By Robert Goolrick

Genre: Fiction
Rating: R
Grade: A-

It took me an unforgivably long time to finish this book. For some reason, I had a hard time with it even though I found it easily written. Goolrick has only previously written non-fiction, specifically a memoir about sexual trauma he experienced as a child in the End of the World as We Know It. This was an odd departure from that. Apart from the subject matter, I found the writing completely different, both in tone and candance. Having such an affinity for his previous book, I couldn't help but be slightly disappointed for the first few chapters.

Reading some of the review summaries before I metaphorically cracked the spine, I expected some sort of existential bonice-ripper. I think, in part, it was that. But, I still find myself scratching my head, only knowing that I enjoyed the book though not entirely sure why.

The book begins in 1907 with Ralph Truitt, the richest man in his little Wisconsin town, meeting his new bride, who has responded (rather dishonestly) to an add he had placed in the paper for a simple, honest wife. Instead, he finds Catherine Land, a woman completely unexpected (especially considering the picture she had sent him was of a different women). I'm giving nothing away when I say that Catherine has ulterior motives. She comes with a small vial of arsenic and intends on slowly poisoning her new husband and inheriting his money. On the way back to his place after picking her up at the train station, they hit a rut in the road. Ralph is thrown from the carriage and Catherine is forced to nurse him back to health before they can marry.

Ralph has spent the majority of his adult life miserable after he had cast his first wife from his home after finding her canoodling with the Italian piano teacher. His disabled daughter died long ago in his arms and his son (who is most likely the piano teacher's son) ran off to escape the perpetual beatings. For the last twenty years, Ralph has held the financial well being of an entire community on his shoulders. He has been kind, fair, honest... and completely miserable. He is surrounded by a town full of people that depend on him, but do not know him. He is surrounded by a town full of people that go insane during the long winters and commit heinous crimes. He goes to their trials and their funerals.

He finds a strange sort of happiness with Catherine, both the ease of married companionship and the fulfillment of sexual need. And she finds something similar in him. The ability to rest, to see the middle of things and perhaps contemplate a life with him- even though, drop by drop she is killing him.

The story twists and turns in unexpected ways. I'm rarely surprised, but never saw many of the twists coming. I don't want to give anything unexpected away, because in this case the unfolding of the plot is the essential joy of the book. It is ultimately a story about our ability to forgive almost anything, and finding unique and unimaginable ways to be redeemed.

No character is completely likable, but no one is completely lost either. Though I'm still not sure why, I loved this book.

Bleh...

I've had a hard time getting through anything really good lately. Lavar and I have been using the elliptical and it is rather difficult to read anything that takes a good deal of concentration while bouncing up and down. Though it makes the half hour go much faster, it has also limited my reviews as I can't say I've finished anything memorable the last two weeks.

I'm still trudging through the Anne Lamott book, which is good and well written but not exactly something I stay up late at night finishing. Also, on my back burner is A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick, who also wrote the memoir The End of the World as We Know It. I was hot on this book until it got uncomfortable (in a good way), but now I can only do a chapter at a time. I promise to finish it this weekend.

I did get my mother hooked on the Sookie Stackhouse series recently by sending the first eight in the series to her home. I hope it rids her of her unfortunate Twilight obsession.. ek gods. Well, see how it goes. Maybe Harper Connelly next.

Wish I could feel better about sequels.

Ordinary World
By: Elisa Lorello

Genre: Casual Fiction, Slight Romance, Bargain Bin
Content: PG-13
Grade: B-
Sticking with the Author: As of now, she has written no other works of fiction

Coming off my bargain bin high after finding Faking It a few weeks ago, I would have to say I was slightly disappointed with the follow-up in Ordinary World. I was originally sad to let all the characters go and even missed them a little, which is unusual for me as I don't often get too attached. Now, part of me wishes I had left them where they were.

In Ms. Lorello's defense, her style and word choice was still excellent. I had many read out loud moments again in the sequel. I was truly impressed, yet again, with the language, the cadence and feel. But though her story arc in Faking It flailed somewhat and was definitely unbelievable at times, I felt Ms. Lorello had stayed true to real life in the end. Things are messy. In the end of Ordinary World, it was that the author tried too hard to give readers the ending most probably craved after the first novel.

I do give extra credit for the fact that her book opens and spends a lot of time defying the concept of happily ever after. Sometimes life just sucks and people die. Andi has been happily married to Sam for six years when the book opens and quickly loses him in a car crash. She loses her mind with grief, can no longer function and finds joy in nothing. Her happiness had been so wrapped up in Sam that it seems she is now empty. It's a scary concept that many of us can relate to, especially when you have the privilege of being married to your best friend. It would be hard believe that their end wouldn't be your end too.

I like that Andi is broken and she stays broken, though I did want to smack her often enough. Lorello does not give us a cure for what ails her. But as the time moves on, Andi tries to pick herself up. She goes to Italy on a vacation that was to be a surprise from Sam for the both of them. She is reunited with Devin (aka hot escort) from the last book, whose name is actually David (Devin was his hot escort name) in a bathroom in Rome.

Their romance rekindles, sort of. Even when they are alone, there is always three people in the room. Though Sam occupies very little page time alive, his presence is felt through the entire book. He is always there. The Andi she has become while being married to Sam feels like she is cheating on her husband when she is with David (the version of Devin that wants to be with her and is no longer inaccessible)- so she kinds of hedges her bets and tries to be friends with Devin instead. The use of the two names throughout the book is a not-so-subtle attempt to divide the character in half, to show the before and after of both their friendship and David/Devin's personality. Clever perhaps initially, but it gets to wear on the reader once it surpasses its usefulness.

David's understanding of Andi's situation was as impressive as it was unbelievable, and I had a difficult time believe it was he same man (not that six years can't change you).

The story was still above average and the writing was incredible. I am anxious to see if Ms. Lorello sticks with fiction. I'll be happy to pick up another title she pens.

Austen continued...

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
By: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Genre: Bookclub, The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!
Grade: A-
Rating: PG-13 (violence can be a bit explicit)
Sticking with the Author: Yes

My liberal block book club read Zombies this month, so this was a second reading for me. If possible, think I actually liked it even better the second time around. Smith's rewrite of the old favorite inserts legions of the undead into mix, which flows surprisingly well. Elizabeth Bennett is no longer just a somewhat poor, contrary gentlewoman, her intellect is now equaled with her ability to kill zombies.

Her father, who was completely undevoted to his daughters' education in the Austen version of the novel, is obsessed with having all of the girls trained in the deadly arts. It seems they have spent quite a lot of time under the tutelage of a Chinese master and are pretty much the only protection Longbourn has from the zombies. In another twist, it is relatively easy become a zombie (all it takes is a simple bite), though they appear to be easily thwarted as they often confuse cauliflower with the brains they like to eat.

The large death toll also has an interesting consequence of satirizing P&P on a much deeper level than purely plunking zombies down in 1813. The ridiculousness, depravity, and indifference of many of the minor characters and particularly Mrs. Bennett deepens and becomes more obvious. These characters find their comforts more important than the death that surrounds them or the even the need to protect themselves. The feelings of each character are more obvious, less hidden in Austen's sometimes burdensome prose.

Darcy retains his old charm from Austen's version, but also has the added bonus of also being the Regency period's version of Jackie Chan. His feelings for Elizabeth are also much more central to the story, less out of left field that they appear to be in the original. Smith does a fantastic job of combining Austen's best lines and adding his own, making the writing flow easily. Though the language feels more modern, it still retains Austen's charm.

Spoiler: I would have to say my absolutely favorite part was what happened with Mr. Wickham. Though having to live your life with Lydia was probably a rather harsh punishment to begin with, I always felt this need for vengeance that was never quite fulfilled in the original version. Here, Wickham not only has to marry Lydia, but is also maimed by Darcy and ends up convalescing in a home for disable pastors in Ireland. Highly entertaining. I did fell bad for poor Charlotte though, becoming a zombie and all. She always got the short end of the stick.

Extremely entertaining and well written. I look forward to Smith's continued projects with Austen's stories.

My dear Miss Woodhouse, you really are too kind

Emma
By Jane Austen

Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction, ChickLit, Bookclub
Grade: A-
Rating: PG
Stick with the Author: Without a doubt

I've always had a soft spot for Ms. Austen. She writes high class trash. The kind of stuff you don't have to be embarrassed about reading at Cup O'Joes, but can still enjoy in the same way you can Janet Evanovich or J.D. Robb. The only thing that really saddens me about Austen is how much Mark Twain (another big favorite of mine) hated her.

"Jane Austen? Why I go so far as to say that any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book." Twain in Remembered Yesterdays. Well, there is no accounting for taste, he also hated Presbyterians.

But you have to stick up for a woman who was really a radical for her time. She allowed us to know the voices of women, who would have otherwise never been known. She allowed those women to think that who they were mattered or could matter, that they had some consequence. I have no doubt of Twain's own streak of feminism and he was one hell of a radical himself, but he didn't give credit when it was due.

Since they have made this in a movie about a million times now, I suppose I don't have to go into the story. I mean, who hasn't seen Clueless? Spoiled, rich daughter likes to play matchmaker and basically wreaks havoc on her friend's lives. She tries to be a better person and ends up with Mr. Wonderful. The end.

Anyway, I feel like a traitor to my sex when it comes to Emma. I dislike her and continue to dislike her throughout the entire book. I can safely say of all of Ms. Austen's heroines, she is my least favorite and probably the most suspicious of character. Yes, I suppose she somewhat redeems herself in the end and I should give her some slack because she is young and naive. But she persists in being forever self involved, wretched and unlike most of the Austen main ladies, just plain dumb. I find her unworthy of her friendship with Mrs. Weston and the love of Mr. Knightly. She is, of course, not the most annoying or unlikeable character in the book. Everyone loves to hate Mr. and Mrs. Elton.

I also feel a bit disloyal to Mr. Darcy in that I think I like Mr. Knightly just a bit more. His manners are easy, though his non-contrary nature makes for a bit less suspense. I have read this book so often through my life and when I was younger, found his role somewhat condescending. I don't like the fact that Emma needs a man to make her a tolerable person. But in all fairness, he was sixteen years her elder, the only real single man of her station, and as a man had the liberty to know something more of life.

Not my favorite Austen. The prose is purposefully rambling which becomes burdensome and heavy, but as always her stories are intriguing and little glimpses inside a life we would never otherwise know. It's no Pride and Prejudice, but I wouldn't kick Mr. Knightly out of my bed for eating crackers either.

Oh $0.99 Kindle purchases, how I love thee....

Faking It
By Elisa Lorello

Genre: Casual Fiction, Slight Romance, Bargain Bin
Content: PG-13
Grade: B
Sticking with the Author: Yes

I had been attempting to find something amusing to read when spending a few hours in the car on the way to Cleveland. I happened upon Faking It for a buck on Amazon. I found that the language was more impressive than the story arc, which was often unbelievable. But, I was happily distracted and that's all I really ask for.

Elisa Lorello teaches academic writing at NC State. She had taught rhetoric and composition. Though at first it appeared that her heavy emphasis on language might upend a casual work of fiction, she managed to find a pleasing medium. It isn't often in a popcorn paperback that I stop to reread lines out loud simply because I like the way they sound, but I found my self doing that again and again in Faking It. My poor husband had to endure several rounds of "Listen to this" during commercial breaks during Monday Night Raw, so I don't think he particularly cared for Ms. Lorello. But her language hearkens strongly to much more accomplished writers and I cannot find fault in it.

Faking It is about a thirty something rhetoric professor (shocking, I know), Andi Cutrone, who has come back to NY heartbroken after spending several years teaching in New England. She gets settled in a non-tenured track position near her best friend and seems to be an intelligent, competent professional. What comes next is an absurd and awkward turn of events at a faculty event, which almost made me put the book down (ok, almost made me hit the menu button on Lavar) and back away slowly. But hey, I can suspend my disbelief with the best of them. It's kind of like when I quit opening my IRA statements last year and just pretended everything was all right.

So everyone is hanging out at a typical faculty happy hour and a one female professor comes in on the arm of a truly gorgeous man that happens to be an escort. Ok, I'm fine at this point. I'm sure these things happen. Perhaps not to me, but I'm in Ohio not New York and the closest thing we have to escort here are... well, just regular old prostitutes and that's only in the Short North or Victorian Village. But the weird turn here is that all of these lady rhetoric professors seem to be passing this escort (Devin) around like a blunt at a George Clinton concert. He's like having a really good gutter guy that you tell your friends about. You should really call Mike to clean your gutter, here's his card.

Oh and did I mention that Devin doesn't actually sleep (in the most Bill Clinton understanding of sexual intimacies) with any of these women but they max out there credit cards or take out second mortgages on their homes to pay for a night with him? Well, he is an art history major so you have to take that into account. Very a la the Wedding Date and you are saying to yourself right now... that's what she's reading? I'm slightly disappointed in her. Please be patient.

Now, our heroine who has been minding her own business grading papers and getting over her lost love. She finally decides that her inexperience in the ways of love requires her to make the acquaintance of our fine escort in the hopes of entering into an agreement. She's doesn't got the kind of cash Devin requires, so she want to bargain, to barter, to exchange goods. She'll teach him to write if she teaches her to well... not suck in the sack. Again, I'm sure this happens all the time. I'm going to ask my Jiffy Lube guy, Thomas, if I can write him his last will and testament in exchange for my next oil change (but I will insist he throw in a new cabin air filter, I'm not cheap). But Devin agrees to the arrangement over cheese cake and a written contract is drawn up and signed and is of course, ridiculously unenforceable... but again, I'm suspending disbelief.

But what comes next is actually a surprisingly candid reflection on the way relationships and experiences in childhood compound through the years and end up affecting people into adulthood in ways they never imagined- in work, love, sex, guilt. The painful pieces always stay with us and help to form our patterns and attachments. This book breaks down the preconceived notions that people have about one another and themselves through the self discovery of Devin and Andi. There relationship is alternatively uncomfortable and soulful. The discoveries feel real, though it took us an awful long time to get here hauling a rather large and burdensome literary device.

Andi begins to understand herself and finds Sam, another English professor, with whom she begins a long distance relationship. She then struggles with between the feelings she develops with Sam and the inevitable pull she feels for the gorgeous escort that is teaching her what most teenage girls figure out on their own in exchange for a community college creative writing class. It's a story as old as time really.

That being said, this is no Pretty Woman and people aren't wrapped up in pretty little packages. They stay broken and there are no happily ever afters....

All in all, definitely worth my time.