Friday, December 31, 2010

Sometimes Mine by Martha Moody

For Twelve years I loved a man I knew to be somebody's husband. I didn't think of him as a husband.

Title: Sometimes Mine
Author: Martha Moody
ISBN: 9781594484681
Publisher: Riverhead Books/2009
Pages: 326

Genie Toledo has everything going for her. She is a top cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio and has a long standing affair with Mick Crabbe, who is a well-known college basketball coach. He lives in West Virginia and they get to see each other every Thursday. Genie is comfortable with it. She is not really keen to be more involved. But things take an unexpected turn. And she is forced to face all this alone. Only then she realizes the importance of Mick in her life. And also tat she cannot go without connecting with others. That includes his family. And her daughter.

Two people, one of them married, find each other so much dependent on each other. One of them is terminally ill. And the other has to cope alone. Martha Moody touches our heart with her handling of this sensitive issue. We are touched by her words and our heart goes out for Genie and Mick. 

I am definitely going to read more by this author...

Follow Friday/Follow Friday 40 and over

Follow Friday, is hosted by ParaJunkee,  and
Follow Friday 40 and over is hosted by Java

ParaJunkee asks,"What are your new years book blogging resolutions?"

Only to read, nothing else. I had a reading slump this year which lasted more than four months. I don't wish for a repeat of that.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Heir by Grace Burrowes

Title: The Heir
Author: Grace Burrowes
ISBN: 9781402244346
Publisher:  Sourcebooks/2010
Pages: 448

In this historical romance, I liked some of the  secondary characters rather well.  With an independent minded heroine, the housekeeper Anna Seaton, there are some good dialogues between her and Gayle Windham, earl of Westhaven, son and heir to the duke of Moreland. He is trying to escape the machinations of his father to get him married. He chooses to live in his London house in the sweltering heat and is literally hit by Anna, who thinks he has designs for a housemaid. When she realizes her mistake, she tends to him, taking care of all his needs. Inevitably they are attracted to each other but Anna has her secrets and she refuses to marry him. Gayle Windham is determined to marry her..

As romances go, it is good. At places it does not seem very smooth but the storyline keeps our interest alive. His brothers are kind of weird but they do lighten it up. The duke too is lovable in his own way. And Morgan, the housemaid wins our heart. I liked Anna and of course, Gayle. Their chemistry is good. What more does one need from a romance? For all those romance lovers, who don't mind steamy scenes, it is a good read, for a cold winter day or night...

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Best Reads of 2010/BTT

I was in a reading slump for more than four months. Yet I managed to read 96 novels and on my 97th now. No, I will not reach 100! But that is okay. I read a lot of Crime Fiction. Here I post 15 best reads of 2010, in no particular order. They are in reading order, though..


Honourable mentions:

the clouds roll away Sibella Giorella (CF)
The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers
Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen
The Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
Inside Out by Barry Eisler (CF)
The Gendarme by Mark T Mustian
Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross (CF)
The Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby
The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

I read a lot of poetry but if one counts book wise, I read only one poetry book:

Taste of Cherry by Kara Candito

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Here I would like to say that as I am kind of selective in my reading, there isn't a Worst book status. And for favourite book, I think the novels listed above are favourite in way or the other.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Teaser Tuesday: If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell

Assessing the cold weight of the metal cartridges in the palm of my hand, I felt a tingle at the base of my neck.

"What exactly went down here last night, Max?"
~Page 11, If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell

Monday, December 27, 2010

Mondays: Mailbox/What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday has moved over to Let Them Read Books for the month of December and In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted at The Story Siren.

I did not receive/get/bought any single book, in the past week!! A vacuumed Christmas, book-wise!
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I finished only book:

Forty-something Genie Toledo has compensated for the mistakes she's made by throwing herself into her work as a top cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio, and holding everyone-including her college-age daughter-at arms' length. Only Mick Crabbe-the charming, famous, married college basketball coach with whom she's had a decade-long affair-can penetrate her shell. That is, until an unexpected turn of events forces Genie to realize just how dependent she is on him and the other people in her life.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas

Follow Friday 40/Book Beginnings on Friday

Follow Friday, is hosted by ParaJunkee,  Book Blogger Hop, is hosted by Jennifer (Crazy-For-Books), and
Follow Friday 40 and over is hosted by Java

Do feel free to explore my blog. You will definitely find something that interests you as I read wide range of genres, except maybe for a few. I also write poetry. You can read that on my other blog, rooted. Now go, explore both of my blogs! And follow them, if you like!! I follow blogs I like via Google Reader...


Enjoy!

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Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Katy from A Few More Pages. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

For twelve years I loved a man I knew to be somebody's husband. I didn't think of him as a husband. I thought of him as my my fated one, my true and perfect heart.

Sometimes Mine by Martha Moody

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Booking through Life-Changing


Which Book Changed Your Life?

I can't just name one book or specify several.There are many books which influence our life. I think every book we read does affect us in one way or the other. However I will mention poetry here. After reading Robert Browning and Robert Burns, I was turned to poetry. I used to pick up each and every poetry book, I saw in my school or college library! Imagine a science student doing that! The rest they say is history! I am a poet myself, still reading poetry like crazy. 

Literary Blog Hop: Under-appreciated literary fiction

Literary Blog Hop is hosted by The Blue Bookcase. If you features book reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion, you too can join in!

This week's question:

What literary title (fiction or non-fiction) do you love that has been under-appreciated?  We all know about the latest Dan Brown, and James Patterson isn't hurting for publicity.  What quiet masterpiece do you want more readers to know?

I read Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins in 2008. It is about being married, the intricacies of it, the intimacy of it. Tom is very much in love with his wife, Ann, who is pregnant. They move to a new house and she sees a man stalking her. Is he real or just an imagination of her mind? This is pegged as a Gothic novel.

Perkins has a way with words. Her writing has many layers to it. I found the novel almost surreal and mystical at places. Intense too. I want more people to read it. Couples, who are in the verge of a relationship or committed to each other. Also single persons who need to know the finer nuances of marriage, love, relationships and the feelings and emotions that go with it. 

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Teaser Tuesday: The Wake of Forgiveness by Bruce Machart


"Karel had never accustomed himself to the way a woman's joy and sorrow could sound so much same when given voice. He'd grown up around boys, in the midst of men, for whom pain was weathered in silence and pleasure announced in exaggerated groans of relief."
~Page 285

Title: The Wake of Forgiveness
Author: Bruce Machart
ISBN: 9780151014439
Publisher: Houghton  Mifflin Harcourt/2010
Pages: 309

Based in Texas, this novel starts from 1895 and goes on to 1924 spanning almost 30 years. When a landowners fourth child is born, his wife dies. Karel, the child is hardly ever loved by his father. But his brothers do seem to love him. Karel often dreams of the mother he has never known and wishes for his father to love him, which does not happen. 

Since a toddler, Karel is good with horses. Only while riding, Karel feels bonded to his father, who does his best not to encourage the boy. When a Spanish Landowner comes into town along with his daughters in tow, 15 year old Karel is made to race for the stakes of his family. It turns out that it is his brothers who gain but he is left alone with his father. And he gets estranged from his brothers. Fourteen years later, when tragedy strikes, Karel knows that he has to to make a move which might bring him and his brother closer to each other. 

With horses, and racing and people whose life surrounds around the animals, this novel is captures the spirit of Texas of those times. Karel is not treated well by his father but we never see him hating his father. His father had made him and his brothers plow the fields due to which all of them have been permanently marked by the yoke. All this are a bonding factor between them. And when time comes for them to reconcile, they are only too eager to meet each other halfway through.

It goes back and forth, abut it does not distract us from the novel. Long after finishing it, the story, the characters stay in the mind. Especially Karel. After all, it is his story. The prose is wonderful, moving and well written.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Mondays: Mailbox/Where Am I/And gifts too!!

Mailbox Monday has moved over to Let Them Read Books for the month of December and In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted at The Story Siren.

I received only one  book, in the past week, thanks to the author:

In order to escape the machinations of his father the Duke, Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, is spending the summer in his townhouse in London. His father is desperate for Gayle to get married, going so far as to bribe potential fiancées or threaten them with his lofty connections. The discomfort of the hot sweltering summer is nothing compared to the onslaught of women who do not interest him, a category that, oddly, does not include his new housekeeper. Anna Seaton excels at her position, remembering the earl’s preferences, and making sure he has a well-kept home. But she does remain remote. The more Gayle sees Anna, the more he realizes that she is no ordinary housekeeper: She is beautiful, well-read, and acts and speaks like a true lady. As the two become intimate, he realizes that she is hiding a secret. And while he plans to make her his wife, she is planning her escape.
I got these from Veens! As you can see a bracelet (how did she know I love bracelets?!), that toy zuzu (it is a keyring), a small notebook (I needed one!), a card which can be used as book mark, a purse, and a letter. I must not forget the novel, Tinkers by Paul Harding, a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Synopsis:

An old man lies dying. As time collapses into memory, he travels deep into his past where he is reunited with his father and relives the wonder and pain of his impoverished New England youth. At once heartbreaking and life affirming, Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, and the fierce beauty of nature.
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I finished reading:
93) The Wake of Forgiveness by Bruce Machart
92) The Heir by Grace Burrowes 
91) From the Dead by John Herrick

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Sunday Salon: Well, I seem to out of my reading slack!


Yes, you got it right! I finished two books last week and on my third! After a long slack, that is a POSITIVE! My total is 93 and I think I can reach 100. I am keeping my fingers crossed. But if I do not, that is okay too. I am on a self-enforced book buying ban, although I did cheat a bit by buying The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. 

Creativity wise, I am on a writing spree. My poetry is flowing. I discovered new poetry sites, and also sites which offer great prompts. That is another feather in my cap, this poetry writing!

I will write about my best reads of 2010 in the last week of the year. Not that I read much in the last four months! I deleted a lot f blogs from my google reader but I added more than I deleted. I am very thankful that my book blogger friends were supportive when I was down in the dumps and also encouraged me when I was on that reading slack. 

Right now, I better get back to reading. A crime fiction, that is! Wish me luck, so that I stick to it!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Booking through Character

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If you could be a character from any book, who would you be? And why?

If I take classic literature, I would like to be Jane Eyre. She was a very strong character. She knew her mind and despite her station, knew to stand up for her rights. In her time, not many did that. I admire her for that.

If I consider, recent characters, I would like to be Lisbeth Salander. I admire her for her spirit, her intelligence, her independence. 

Both have similarities but so much different. For obvious reasons, circumstances, time period and so much more.

Book Beginnings on Friday/Friday Find


Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Katy from A Few More Pages. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.


His two good horses he saves for racing, for the straight makeshift furlongs of the moonlit creekbed, for the chance to take more land from his godforsaken neighbor, Patrick Dalton, whose Scots-Irish surname remains on the town map and post mark but no longer on the largest deed in the county. 

The Wake of Forgiveness by Bruce Machart
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Friday Find:

Twelve Moons by Mary Oliver 

In her fourth volume of poetry, Twelve Moons, Pulitzer Prize-winning Mary Oliver continues to explore the alluring, yet well-nigh inaccessible kingdoms of nature and human relationships, and man's profound, persistent desire for a joyous union with them. these vibrant, magical poems pulse with an aching awareness of nature's unaffected beauty. Her absorbing intimate vision leads us into the natural and human kingdoms we only fleetingly grasp.

Book Blogger Hop/Follow me

Follow Friday, is hosted by ParaJunkee,  Book Blogger Hop, is hosted by Jennifer (Crazy-For-Books), and
Follow Friday 40 and over is hosted by Java


Jennifer asks, "What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"

It depend. Sometimes plots are so good that you don't care for the characters and sometimes you love the characters so much that you forget about the plot. For a good mystery, a plot is very important. And for literary fiction, characters are very important.

 ParaJunkee asks, "What did you study in college, or are currently studying and did it lead to your current 9 to 5 or are you doing something totally different?"

I hold two masters degrees. I did my masters in Chemistry as well as English. And I am a Math Teacher. How did that come about is a long story. I write poetry and wish to go around meeting poets and writers. Also I  want to do something in the publishing department. But don't know how to go about it. Any suggestions? Any openings? 

Do feel free to explore my blog. You will definitely find something that interests you as I read wide range of genres, except maybe for a few. I also write poetry. You can read that on my other blog, rooted. Now go, explore both of my blogs! And follow them, if you like!! I follow blogs I like via Google Reader...

Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Teaser Tuesday: From the Dead by John Herrick

From the Dead
The pain sharpened. Jesse rocked back and forth, not in comfort but in anguish, while he convulsed on the floor in terror. As he writhed in torture, he crouched low into fetal position. In a torrent, sodium-laden tears burst from his eyes and pattered on the floor.
~~~Page 114

Title: From the Dead
Author: John Herrick
ISBN: 9780982147016
Publisher: SegueBlue/2010
Pages: 375

Jesse leaves home at the age of eighteen years for Hollywood. His father is a preacher and Jesse can't measure up to him. But Jesse doesn't get the break he craves. He ends up doing roles as extra and works for a photographer. His relationship with Jada, whom he had met as soon as he arrived there has become a burden for both of them. Yet he is unable to break it. One day it all crashes down around him. He tries to end it all...

When he comes out of death's door, he realizes he has too go back home to Ohio. To reconcile with his father and his long lost love and then discovers another secret, that he has had a son all these years. When his son gets sick, he knows the only way he can save his son's life, is by giving up on his own. 

There is not much of a suspense in this book,yet it keeps us engrossed in it. We feel for Jesse, his sister, his father, his lost love and his son, Drew. Jesse gets a second chance but he is prepared to give it up all, for his son. Somehow this book touches us. There is happiness, sadness and hope, mercy too, in every page. I would say, it is a good debut. 

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Mondays: Mailbox/Where Am I

Mailbox Monday has moved over to Let Them Read Booksor the month of December and In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted at The Story Siren.

I received only one  book, in the past week, thanks to the author:

If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell: Since she took over her father's construction business, Mel Turner's made quite a name for herself remodeling historic houses in the San Francisco Bay Area. But now her reputation may be on the line.

At her newest renovation project, a run-down Pacific Heights mansion, Mel is visited by the ghost of a colleague who recently met a bad end with power tools. Mel hopes that by tracking down the killer, she can rid herself of the ghostly presence of the murdered man.
Mel's only clue is an odd box she discovers inside a wall at the job site. If she can make sense of its mysterious contents, she might be able to nail a killer—before she herself becomes the next construction casualty...
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I finished reading

1)Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd


2) From the Dead by John HerrickA preacher's son, a father in hiding, a guilty heart filled with secrets: When Jesse Barlow escaped to Hollywood, he hungered for fame--but eleven years of failure result in a drug-induced suicide attempt. Revived at death's doorstep, Jesse returns to his Ohio hometown to make amends with his preacher father, a former love, and Jesse's own secret son. But Jesse's renewed commitment becomes a baptism by fire when his son's advanced illness calls for a sacrifice--one that could cost Jesse the very life he regained.

Sunday Salon: Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd


A few days later, as I was leaving for the outer mall, my husband asked me to pick him up some slacks. "What color?" I asked.
"Blue and brown ought to do it," he answered.
"Marine blue, navy blue, dark blue, chocolate brown, mocha brown, latte brown?" I queried.
Through clenched teeth he replied, "I just want blue and brown." Men, why do they always have to complicate things?
~ Page 106


Title: Miss Hildreth Wore Brown-Anecdotes of a Southern Belle
Author: Olivia deBelle Byrd
ISBN: 9781600377488
Publisher Morgan James/2010
Pages: 157

This book defies description! With hilarious reflections, it is shows us the life and attitude of  Southern women. They are in no way fazed by anything and take it in their stride. And the scandals they come across are explained in scandalous ways by those belles! 

The characters jump out the pages, and stay with us. I chuckled through this book. Pausing and savouring certain quirks. I had posted about that coffee episode some days back. There are more with the author trying her best to get her children married, and one where she buys clothes for her daughter. The thong episode is hilarious and reading this book, I almost fell from my chair, many a times.

A light, breezy read, and in no way the characters are larger than life. They are real people and it seems we have met a few like them in our lives. Anyone who wants a good chuckle, ought to read this book.

We're getting dressed for Christmas party, and I looked down at my husband's feet. "You have on a blue sock and a brown sock," I pointed out.
"I do not," he said
"Yes, you do. I'm looking at your feet." I insisted.
Looking down he smugly replied, "I have on a marine blue sock and a mocha brown sock."
~Page 107

Friday, December 10, 2010

Book Blogger Hop/Follow me

Follow Friday, is hosted by ParaJunkee,  Book Blogger Hop, is hosted by Jennifer (Crazy-For-Books), and
Follow Friday 40 and over is hosted by Java



Jennifer asks "What is the thing you like most about reading book blogs? Is it the reviews, author guest posts, articles, giveaways, or something else entirely?"

I like to visit book blogs! Period. For great reviews, Varied viewpoint. Interaction. And lot more.

ParaJunkee asks "Do you have an under-noticed author that you think we should all know about?"

Warwick Deeping. He was a prolific writer but I don't see his books around anymore. As if he did not write anything. He ought to be widely read. Do check him out.

Do feel free to explore my blog. You will definitely find something that interests you as I read wide range of genres, except maybe for a few. I also write poetry. You can read that on my other blog, rooted. Now go, explore both of my blogs! And follow them, if you like!! I follow blogs I like via Google Reader...

Enjoy!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Booking through Crappy Books/weekly Geeks: Guilty Pleasures

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Do you ever crave reading crappy books?

Weekly GeeksThe Books that you Love but are Embarrassed to be Seen Reading. Tell us WHY you love them

How does one define crappy books? If it means meaningless stuff, then I would say, sometimes I do. I pick upromance novels which makes no sense other than THAT fairy tale ending. Or maybe not even that. Yet.....

We do need those guilty pleasures. Or reading becomes a chore. Some say, if they read junk, then they are wasting time. Time is relative, is it not. If I die tomorrow, who really cares what kind of books I had been reading?. Other than myself. The point is, I am already dead, to care any more! Frankly, I do not read to score points, do I?

Literary Blog Hop: Pet Peeves

Literary Blog Hop is hosted by The Blue Bookcase. If you features book reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion, you too can join in!

This week's question is:


What is one of your literary pet peeves? Is there something that writers do that really sets your teeth on edge? Be specific, and give examples if you can.

I do have a few literary pet peeves. One being the use of present tense by the narrator. And when it done in a Historical novel, I want to throw the book! However, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens remains to be one of my all time favourite novels, despite the use of present tense. But every writer, who does that, is not Charles Dickens

I also do not like long sentences. When the prose goes on and on, without line breaks, I am completely lost. And when an author describes pages and pages, and does not show anything for it. I also do not like when there are too long conversation. I also do not care for dialects, which don't make much sense.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A-Z Wednesday: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J K Rowling
ISBN-10: 0747591059
ISBN-13: 978-0747591054
Publisher: Bloomsbury; Children's edition (21 Jul 2007)
Hardcover: 608 pages


I have not watched the movie, but I thought I would repost this review here. I had read the book as soon as it was released. 


In this last part of the series, Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the look out for Horcruxes. While in the lookout, there are subtle changes between their relationships. All three try hard to cope with that in their own ways. This book is also about growing up, friendship and acceptance of that. I have deliberately left out the wizardry, the evil, the magic and what have yous. Enough has been said about that. I am not even going to tell the story in a nutshell. I had guessed about the relationship between Dumbledore and Snape.

The Deathly Hallows are characterized by an equilateral triangle with a circle inscribed within it. A straight line bisects both the triangle and the circle. The circle represents the Stone of Resurrection, the triangle represents the Cloak of Invisibility, and the line represents the Elder Wand. In fact, this symbol fascinated me more than anything else did.

There are too many internal dialogues. Voldemart and Harry are shown to be communicating most of the times. So do Dumbledore and Snape too, with Harry. Lose ends are tied up and that makes the book very flat. It cannot hold a candle against the very well crafted Goblet of Fire or The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The Alphabet in Crime Fiction - a Community Meme


A weekly event hosted every Monday by Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise

Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise is once again hosting the very popular Alphabet in Crime Fiction for 2011.

Rules:
  • Each week, beginning Monday 10 January 2011, you write a blog post about crime fiction related to the letter of the week.
  • Your post MUST be related to either the first letter of a book's title, the first letter of an author's first name, or the first letter of the author's surname.
  • You could write a review, or a bio of an author, so long as it fits the rules somehow.
Please check Kerrie's blog each Monday for the letter of the week , and then link your post back to the page; then link up on the Mr. Linky for that week.

Those bloggers wishing to make a commitment to this event may do so by visiting the introductory post about it and linking up with Mr.Linky.

Teaser Tuesday: Miss Hildreth Wore Brown by Olivia deBelle Byrd


One of those fancy new coffee shops opened up, so I decided to give it a whirl. Of course, you have to wait in line forever while they ask if you want an espresso, mocha, cappuccino, latte, or low fat, nonfat, whole milk, or grande, short, tall. On my turn, I ordered coffee. The prepubescent girl behind the counter said, "Like, I don't think we have that."


~Page 12Miss Hildreth Wore Brown-Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Mondays: Mailbox/Whereabouts

Mailbox Monday has moved over to Let Them Read Booksor the month of December and In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted at The Story Siren.

I received two books, in the past week, thanks to authors:

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown-Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd

The characters who dance across the pages range from Great-Aunt Lottie Mae, who is as “old-fashioned and opinionated as the day is long,” to Mrs. Brewton, who calls everyone “dahling” whether they are darling or not, to Isabella with her penchant for mint juleps and drama.
    
Humorous anecdotes from a Christmas coffee, where one can converse with a lady who has Christmas trees with blinking lights dangling from her ears, to Sunday church, where a mink coat is mistaken for possum, will delight Southerners and baffle many a non-Southerner. There is the proverbial Southern beauty pageant, where even a six-month-old can win a tiara, to a funeral faux pas of the iron clad Southern rule—one never wears white after Labor Day and, dear gussy, most certainly not to a funeral.

Silent Kill by David Fingerman:
Police must follow a labyrinth, leading into the darkest tunnel of a twisted mind. A mind that carries no value for human life... Minneapolis police officer Louise Miller has attitude. Not only does she have to deal with the good old boy mentality of the department, but she's also a gay police officer who has to deal with harassment on a higher level. When one of her few friends on the force goes missing Miller investigates, despite her captain's order to leave it to the detectives. As Miller scours the precinct for any sign of the missing officer, Elias Boughton is on a psychopathic rampage. Kidnapping and murder are games he plays, blindly obeying a voice from his past. As the body count rises, Miller is convinced the detectives are heading in the wrong direction. Trying to fit the puzzle together, each clue revolves around a particular Rottweiler. As the mystery unravels so does her life, and the case becomes more personal than she ever dared imagine.


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Finally......

Sunday Salon: Remedies by Kate Ledger

Title: Remedies
Author: Kate Ledger
ISBN: 9780425234488
Publisher: Berkeley Books/2010
Pages: 384

After a LONG time, I finished a novel. And it feels good.

Remedies is set in Baltimore, where Simon Bears is practicing Doctor and his wife Emily is a partner in a Public Relations firm. They have a 13-year-old daughter, Jamie.  On the surface everything seems to be going great for them. However, time has stood still for them since they lost their infant son 15 years ago. They are in a mode of denial about their relationship. And Jamie too is living under the shadow of her dead sibling, Caleb.

Simon Bears treats Chronic patients by trying to relieve their pain. Then he stumbles upon something which seems to be working for relieving the persistent pain. He knows it is a major breakthrough. He also pursues unusual interests. Emily is totally dissatisfied with her life and when she meets an old lover, she knows she wants out. Jamie deals with her pain in her own way. Each one them seem to be unaware of the other's problems. 

Remedies speaks about pain. Of the body, the heart and the mind. And can one or all of it be cured? Kate Ledger has tackled that very well. The dilemma a modern couple goes through. Or they way they are unable to communicate with each other. And also that, it spills over to their daughter. 

Kate has tried to deal with these issues but somehow Simon and Emily seem out of the reader's reach. And Emily's relationship with Jamie, was something, I could connect with. No mother leaves her own child to her own devices the Emily does. Yet I will say, Kate Ledger knows that a broken marriage can't be resolved that easily. Not unless both make an effort. Despite some hiccups, she writes well. I will look out for her next novel.