February 6 Was an Excellent Day of Books

Hello All,

February 6 was Day of the Book for me. I had one book come in the mail that I had purchased, THIS FALLEN PREY. I had two more books come to me in the mail at work that were advance reader copies, THE VIEW FROM FLYOVER COUNTRY and A SHARP SOLITUDE. Then, I had six books I had requested as holds arrive at my library!!! I was and am happily surrounded by books!!!

February 6 was also the day of my monthly Early Word Galley Chat, where librarians, publishers and occasionally authors and book sellers, talk about books coming out in the next six months or so. Not so surprisingly, I made a list, and found out about some more books whose publication dates are on the horizon!

Here is my list: 

Recently purchased:

TEMPEST by Beverly Jenkins

THIS FALLEN PREY (Casey Duncan #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Recently received advance reader copies:

THE VIEW FROM FLYOVER COUNTRY: DISPATCHES FROM THE FORGOTTEN AMERICA by Sarah Kendzior

A SHARP SOLITUDE by Christine Carbo 

HOW HARD CAN IT BE? (Kate Reddy #2) by Allison Pearson

NUMBER ONE CHINESE RESTAURANT by Lillian Li 

Library books checked out on February 6:

WHISPERS OF WARNING by Jessica Estevao

THE PLOT IS MURDER by V. M.Burns

MURDER PAST DUE by Miranda James

MANDERLEY FOREVER: A BIOGRAPHY OF DAPHNE DU MAURIER by Tatiana de Rosnay

HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE by Kellye Garrett

LIES THAT COMFORT AND BETRAY by Rosemary Simpson

Recent Discoveries of books to be published: 

BURNING MEREDITH: A Mystery Set in Montana By Elizabeth Gunn

TIME’S CONVERT by Deborah Harkness

Despite all of the goodness above, I still have to go to work and do other things that are not reading! Sigh. It's so nice for the books to wait until I get home.

Happy Reading All!!!

Patti

Favorite Books of 2016

Patti’s Picks for 2016

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison fantasy

The Ill-kept Oath by C.C. Aune fantasy

Wedding Girl by Stacey Ballis fiction/romance

The Cold Between (Central Corps, #1) by Elizabeth Bonesteel science fiction

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs

fantasy

The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1)

by Genevieve Cogman fantasy

Where It Hurts (Gus Murphy #1) by Reed Farrel Coleman

mystery

The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1)

by P.N. Elrod fantasy

A Bed of Scorpions (Sam Clair #2) by Judith Flanders 

mystery

A Fete Worse Than Death (Jack Haldean#1) by Dolores Gordon-Smith mystery

The Language of Secrets (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #2) by Ausma Zehanat Khan mystery

Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal fantasy, historical

Arabella of Mars (Adventures of Arabella Ashby #1)

by David D. Levine fantasy, Regency

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living

by Louise Miller fiction

Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle fiction/romance

The Body in the Birches (Faith Fairchild #22)

by Katherine Hall Page mystery

The Body in the Wardrobe (Faith Fairchild #23)

by Katherine Hall Page mystery

Design for Dying (Lillian Frost & Edith Head #1)

by Renee Patrick mystery

A Great Reckoning (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #12) by Louise Penny mystery

Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen fiction

All Things Murder (Veronica Walsh Mystery #1)

by Jeanne Quigley mystery

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2)

by V.E. Schwab fantasy

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson fiction

Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse by Faith Sullivan fiction

A Useful Woman (Rosalind Thorne Mysteries #1)

by Darcie Wilde mystery

Journey to Munich (Maisie Dobbs #12)

by Jacqueline Winspear mystery

Nonfiction

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly 

Here's to new books in the new year!!!

Happy Reading!!!

Patti

A DEADLY THAW by Sarah Ward

Hello All,

I am a stop on Sarah Ward's blog tour for her new book, A DEADLY THAW. Welcome to Patti's Pens and Picks, and also to Tucson. Yes, it's always sunny, and yes, it's almost always warm.

The warm climate I live in was perfect for reading both of Sarah Ward's Detective Inspector Francis Sadler books, IN BITTER CHILL and her new book, A DEADLY THAW. Both books take place in the north of England, where winters seem to be quite cold.

In A DEADLY THAW, DI Sadler, and the other members of his team, DC Connie Childs and DS Damian Palmer, are called to a case where a man who was presumed dead 12 years ago, and his wife convicted of murder, find another body who is actually the dead man. So who was the first body, and why did Lena Grey serve 11 years for it?

There are also some instances of sexual assault and rape that are somehow connected to the two male murder victims, which makes things even more convoluted. All of this cumulates into one very complicated case.

An interesting thing in Sarah Ward's books is the different points of view. In A DEADLY THAW, we have the suspect's sister, Kat, DC Childs, and DI Sadler, and occasionally Superintendent Dai Llewellyn. It is clear when Ms Ward changes viewpoints, and I found that all the viewpoints were quite helpful.

There is a terrific twist at the end.

I highly recommend both books by Sarah Ward, IN BITTER CHILL and the new book, A DEADLY THAW, now out from Minotaur Books.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Three Terrific Books

Hello All!

Here are some books I’ve finished lately, but haven’t told anyone about, until now:

Crushed by Deborah Coonts

I really enjoyed this new book and direction by Deborah Coonts. Not a mystery, but a story about starting over/fresh with a new project and the possibility of love. Sophia Stone, a widow of five years, has been caring for inherited grapevines from her grandfather, and she is on the brink of a new wine. Nico Treviani is a winemaker for a large winery that wants to sell lots of wine inexpensively, and seems not to care much about its taste. Nico also has recent tragedy in his life; the death of his brother is the loss of a best friend, and a gain of custody of his twin 13 year old nieces. Thanks to Sophia’s daughter, who works for Nico, Sophia’s wine meets Nico, who finds the missing link to make it great. Looming over the project is the possibility of Sophia losing her vines, and Nico losing his job. Can these two people, and their families figure out how to make great wine together?

I loved this book, and as it’s the beginning of a series set in California’s wine country, I’m looking forward to the next book!

This was sent to me by the author and her publicist for a review.

In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward

Ooo, a new police procedural set in England? I’m there! I received In Bitter Chill last year as an advance copy, and as Sarah Ward’s next book is due out at the end of September, I found this and started reading. It takes place in Derbyshire, and we are introduced to Detective Inspector Francis Sadler, Detective Constables Connie Childs and Damian Palmer and Superintendent Llewellwyn. They are investigating a suicide that is linked to a 30 year old murder and kidnapping. They move about their town questioning those that are still available to talk about both, and then another person, connected to the past and present is killed. Can all the dots be connected?

I really enjoyed this book, and the title is very apropos; you could feel the chilly damp weather every time someone stepped out the door. I liked getting to know the characters and the town of Bampton; there is a strong sense of place in this book. I’m looking forward to the next book, Deadly Thaw.

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living

I loved this book! It’s about a pastry chef who accidently sets a fire in the club she works for in Boston, and escapes from it all by moving near to her best friend in a small town of Guthrie, Vermont. Olivia Rawlings ends up working for an inn called the Sugar Maple Inn, concocting wonderful desserts as she adjusts to small town life. Olivia’s transition starts a bit roughly, but as she meets people, and tries some different activities, it becomes apparent that Guthrie is quite possibly where she’s meant to be.

I am in love with books where people start over, and find the perfect new place for themselves or a new career. Olivia is a very cool person, and I look forward to more books by Louise Miller.

I am reading Star Wars Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig and Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. I also recently read and loved Louise Penny’s A Great Reckoning, which was completely amazing.

Now that these books are written down, and I've told you about them, I can get back to more reading!

Happy Reading to all of you!

Patti

FridayReads for May 27, 2016

Happy #FridayReads!

I am so happy that the books I ordered from Aunt Agatha’s arrived yesterday!

A USEFUL WOMAN by Darcie Wilde (signed!) (first in a new Regency mystery series)

KILLER COCKTAIL by Tracy Kiely (I loved the first in this series, MURDER WITH A TWIST)

VANILLA BEANED by Jenn McKinlay (a very fun series set in Scottsdale, AZ)

I also picked up DETROIT HUSTLE: A MEMOIR OF LOVE, LIFE & HOME by Amy Haimerl from the library. You can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can’t take the Detroit out of the girl!

I finished DESIGN FOR DYING by Renee Patrick Thursday morning. Old Hollywood glamour with a murder thrown in, and assistance with sleuthing from Edith Head—I should have saved it for the weekend too!

So, as you can guess, I’ll be reading this weekend. What are you reading, and what are you up to this weekend?

Happy Reading!

Patti

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

Hello All!

I have been reading what seems like a lot of good books, and this is another one. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson is wonderful.

This book takes place in the seaside village of Rye, beginning in the summer of 1914. It brings together (Aunt) Agatha Kent, her husband John, their nephews Hugh and Daniel, the new Latin instructor Beatrice Nash, the Mayor, his wife, the local gentry, Lady Emily and Colonel Wheaton and a young man, called Snout, who is part gypsy. Over the course of the book, the world seems peaceful and full of possibilities, then war breaks out. The village welcomes refugees from Belgium, some more welcome than others, and sends some of its sons to war in various ways. There are parades, fetes, and dances, all to raise money for the war effort.

This is a meaty book, told from several points of view. I enjoyed all of the characters, except the mayor's wife (I don't think anyone is supposed to like her). I didn't read this as fast as some of the others I've been reading, and it seemed a book to be savored this way. Out of concern for several characters, I did keep checking ahead, not finding out too much, but just enough to encourage me. I was pretty happy with the end of the book too.

I highly recommend this book!

Happy Reading,

Patti

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, Random House, March 22, 2016; ISBN 9780812993103

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders

Hello All,

Happy New Year! I finished my third book of the new year on January 13th, and all three have been terrific. I believe 2016 may hold many wonderful books!

The first book I'm blogging about is A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders. Samantha Clair (Sam) is an editor in London, and one of her oldest friends, Aidan, has just found his business partner dead in their gallery. Sam does try to keep out of the situation, but not only is her boyfriend, Jake, a Scotland Yard detective who is working this case, but Sam's work keeps her in the mix of this investigation.

Sam has a bike accident, and several other things occur, including a second murder, to make Jake think that someone is after Sam also. He's slightly overprotective, but for awhile, Sam doesn't think she's in any danger.

What I love about this series is that Sam is a fully fleshed-out character. She's a professional, in her forties, has some issues with both her mother and her boyfriend, and she's smart. I really enjoy spending time with her.

I'm looking forward to the next book! I highly recommend both the first in this series, A Murder of Magpies, and A Bed of Scorpions.

Happy Reading!
Patti

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders, Minotaur Books, March 1, 2016; ISBN 9781250056467

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

A Death in the Family by Michael Stanley

Hello All,

A Death in the Family by Michael Stanley begins with the title; Detective Kubu’s father is murdered. The book takes us through all the sadness and work that everyone goes through when death occurs. The funeral, the grieving, the horrible sense that nothing is right. All of this is made worse by the fact that Wilmon Bengu was murder. Why?

And then the house is robbed, and Mr. Bengu’s will is missing. What now?

Next, a riot ensues when a chief and elders of a community decide against allowing mining on tribal lands; the younger men of the tribe need and want the jobs. The chief and at least 2 elders are killed. What now?

Detective Kubu, who is now an Assistant Superintendent, is heartbroken when his father is murdered. Of course he is told to stay away from the case, but he still hovers at the edges, making several mistakes that earns him the ire of his boss. He is even sent to New York, to give a speech at a conference for his boss, and he still does a little detecting there.

The reader gets more than one point of view in this story; among others, we get the viewpoint of Kubu’s superior, an excellent detective in his own right as well as several others within the police force. I enjoyed the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Jacob Mabaku’s view, and how hard he also worked on the cases.

Upon Kubu’s return, things really heat up, both towards solving who instigated the riot, and who murdered a second man. Unfortunately, Kubu makes a grievous error when interrogating a suspect, and is forced to take a leave of absence. Despite this mistake, the case(s) draw to a close, but not without one final twist at the end.

Happy Reading,

Patti

A Death in the Family by Michael Stanley, Minotaur Books, October 27, 2015; ISBN 9781250070890

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

The Kill by Jane Casey

Hello All!

Thanks to an advance reading copy from Minotaur Books and one or more reviews in Aunt Agatha’s Mystery Bookshop’s newsletter, I have spent the last few months reading Jane Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan mystery series, catching up this week with The Kill.

Maeve is an interesting, smart, yet somewhat insecure Metropolitan Detective. For most of the series she is partnered with DI Josh Derwent, who is very obnoxious mostly (including sexist) but does have a softer side, buried way, way, way deep. There are other parts of organizational structure of the police department that Maeve has to deal with.

Over the course of the series, Maeve also learns to let a great guy into her life, Rob. He even moves to a different department so that they can continue their relationship. She is a bit shy of commitment, but Rob is the guy for her.

I think The Kill is the best of the series. The homicide victims in this book are police—different levels of officers, no connections to each other—how and why are they being murdered. This case for Maeve affects her coworkers, her partner Derwent, and her relationship with Rob. The story is excellent.

Highly recommended!

Happy Reading!

Patti

The Kill by Jane Casey, Minotaur Books, June 2, 2015; ISBN 9781250048844

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

The Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey

The Burning (2010)

The Reckoning (2011)

The Last Girl (2012)

The Stranger You Know (2013) 2015 Mary Higgins Clark Award

The Kill (2014 British publication date; 2015 U.S. pub date)

And the Books Just Keep on Coming!

Hello All,

I continue to be one of the luckiest librarians I know! I have received some awesome advance readers' copies that I want to share with you. I have not read these yet, but hope to in the next few months.

The list is in reverse publication (by month, approximately) order--meaning I'll start at the bottom and work my way up.

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin 
The Man in the Washing Machine by Susan Cox
Death Wears a Mask by Ashley Weaver (I really liked the first in this series)
Buster: the Military Dog Who Saved a Thousand Lives by Will Barrow (nonfiction)
City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor
The Social Sex: A History of Female Friendship by Marilyn Yalom (nonfiction)
Food Whore by Jessica Tom
In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward
Spare Parts by Joshua Davis
Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart
Sisters in Law  by Linda Hirshman (nonfiction)
Art in the Blood by Bonnie Macbird
Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Trombly
Zeroes by Chuck Wendig
Fishbowl by Bradley Somer
Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters
Rome in Love by Anita Hughes
The Drowning Ground by James Morrison
Lamp Black, Wolf Grey by Paula Brackston
Vanishing Games by Roger Hobb (still need to read Ghostman)
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
Days of Awe by Lauren Fox
A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd (I actually would like to read the whole Bess Crawford series)
Armada by Ernest Cline (I'm so excited about this one--Ready Player One was excellent!)
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
Circling the Sun by Paula McClain
Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen
Bell Weather by Dennis Mahoney
Ways of the World by Robert Goddard
Thin Air by Ann Cleeves
The Kill by Jane Casey
The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin
Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson (I loved Shadow Divers by the same author) (nonfiction)
Ruined Abbey by Anne Emery

I'm currently reading Second Street Station by Lawrence H. Levy, and Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews. I finished In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume last week and really enjoyed it.

Now, just a little more time to read...

Happy Reading to all of you!!!
Patti

Blessings Brought To You By Beverly Jenkins

Hello All,

I was lucky enough to have met Beverly Jenkins during a library program I hosted when I lived and worked in Michigan. At the time, she was writing African American historical and contemporary romance; since then she has also given readers a wonderful new series, the Blessings series.

In Bring On the Blessings, Bernadine Brown catches her husband in bed with another woman. She takes him to court and along with her divorce, she is awarded 275 million dollars. She then opens her heart and asks for guidance to do something positive and meaningful with her wealth. Within a short period of time, she finds a town who has put itself up for sale on Ebay, and she buys it.

The town of Henry Adams, KS is rich with African American history, but low on funds to maintain the town, let alone invite growth. Once Bernadine arrives, things start happening. She uses her finances to start rebuilding the town, and to build new structures for more people to move to Henry Adams. Bernadine had also read about foster children, and matching them with parents who are interested in the long haul; really committed to one child and giving them love and family to grow up with. She matches five children with five sets of parents, herself included. Much of the remainder of the book is about how these new families negotiate life with each other, and how Bernadine helps Henry Adams grow into a special town.

Here is the series:

1. Bring on the Blessings
2. A Second Helping
3. Something Old, Something New
4. A Wish and a Prayer
5. Heart of Gold
6. For Your Love (published April 28, 2015)

Each of the books in the series shows the growth of the adults and the children, and especially of the love that is shared in this small, special place. They are best read in order.

I received the most recent title in the series, For Your Love, as an advance reader copy, and I read it a week or so ago. As I have with all the others, I loved it. Ms. Jenkins has added a few new characters, and each family experiences growth and change.

I love these books and these characters--and some of them are real characters (in the humorous sense)! The town really comes together to raise these foster children. One of my favorite things is that when the kids get in trouble, either together or on their own, one of their punishments is to paint a white picket fence! This has been a punishment for a generation or two. Also I really, really love how the town works together to solve problems, and they create ways to really be together as a community.

I wonder if Henry Adams needs a librarian...

Happy Reading!!!
Patti

More Book Blessings

Hello All!

As I have stated before, I am blessed with books. The list below are books I have been fortunate enough to receive from the publisher as an advance readers' copy (arc). Among them are favorite authors, favorite series, new-to-me authors, and debut authors. I read mostly fiction, though I am excited to read the new nonfiction title by Robert Kurson, The Pirate Hunters, as I loved Shadow Divers (also nonfiction).

I like to read arcs as close to the publication date as possible. I feel if I read too far ahead, I'll forget to post to Goodreads and/or write a review when the book is actually published.

MAY
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Fatal Flame by Lyndsay Faye
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
Ruined Abbey by Anne Emery
The Art of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughan
Thin Air by Ann Cleeves (reading this may be delayed as I'm trying to catch up in the series)

JUNE
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume(!!!)
Second Street Station by Lawrence H Levy
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato
The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
The Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson (nonfiction)
Run You Down by Julia Dahl
The Kill by Jane Casey (playing series catch-up, and the author was also recommended to me by Robin Agnew)
Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg
The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard
Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen (an "update" to Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim)
Madeleine's War by Peter Watson

JULY
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

AUGUST
The Race for Paris Clayton
Trouble is a Friend of Mine Stephanie Trombly (young adult)
Fishbowl Bradley Somer
Rome in Love by Anita Hughes
The Drowning Ground by James Marrison
Lamp Black, Wolf Grey by Paula Brackston
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal

After typing all of the above, I've returned at least 4 books I had checked out of the library. So far.

Now, you may ask, where do I find the time to read? As many of you know--I don't have a house (just an apartment), I don't have kids, and I don't have pets. I do have a boyfriend, Mike, who reads (extremely helpful!), and I ride the bus most days (20 minutes of reading at least one way, if not both ways). I also read during some breakfasts and most lunches. I read during commercials when I'm watching TV, and I'll just read instead of watching TV if Mike is watching something I'm not particularly interested in. And of course I read in bed before turning out the light.

I do seem to like to complicate things for myself though. I have recently started reading comic books, so I've got squeeze those in too. And, I read other books besides the ones listed above; for example, Mary Robinette Kowal has a new book coming out at the end of April, Of Noble Family, which I have pre-ordered. And Ace Atkins has a new Spenser book coming out in May, Robert B. Parker's Kickback, for which I'm on the reserve list at the library. Additionally, I read about books constantly, both for my collection development work at the library and for personal interest, and I find myself bringing books home from work to add to the list above.

Thanks and blessings to the authors for writing these wonderful books, and to the publishers for sharing these books early, so I can tell people about them and purchase them for the library.

I don't think I'm completely crazy, just a happy, happy reader (and list-maker) who lives her life surrounded by books!

Happy Reading!
Patti

Blessed By Books

Hello All,

Notes about books…

--I just received an advance readers’ copy (arc) of Beth Cato’s CLOCKWORK CROWN—I’m very excited about this book, as I really enjoyed the first book in this duology, THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER.

--CIRCLING THE SUN by Paula McLain (arc)—I’m excited about this one too. The setting is the same as PBS Mystery “Heat of the Sun”, which I loved.

--Received at the library an arc Beverly Jenkins’s FOR YOUR LOVE. This book is part of her Blessings series, and I love both the series and the author!

--I am SO GEEKED (pun intended) about Ernest Cline’s new book ARMADA, being published this summer. It’s a continuation of READY PLAYER ONE.

--THIN AIR (arc) by Ann Cleeves has finally got me moving through her Shetland series—I’m currently reading the second in the series, WHITE NIGHTS.

--Looking forward to checking out Jane Casey, thanks to an arc of THE KILL, and also recommended to me a while ago by Aunt Agatha’s newsletter.

--Other soon-to-be-read arcs include DEAD TO ME by Mary McCoy, SMALL MERCIES by Eddie Joyce, THE BOOKSELLER by Cynthia Swanson, A DANGEROUS PLACE by Jacqueline Winspear, NIGHT LIFE by David C. Taylor, DOWN DON’T BOTHER ME by Jason Miller and UNFORGETTABLE by Scott Simon.

--More books stacked on my living room floor; I’m reading through Cora Harrison’s Burren series and David Handler’s Berger and Mitry series. To catch me up with some of the arcs I've received, I've got THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP by Alex Grecian, THE BURNING by Jane Casey and MURDER AT HONEYCHURCH HALL by Hannah Dennison ready to go.

With all of the lovely books listed above, I hope I can also keep up with my comic book/graphic novel reading, my beginnings as crafter (mostly coloring and minor journaling at this point), and movie/tv watching with Mike.

Not only am I blessed with all of the above books available to me as arcs or library books, I am also blessed with a boyfriend who is a reader. I am a very, very happy woman.

Happy Reading!

Patti

PS I was looking over my books in preparation for Early Word Galley Chat, 

held monthly on Twitter, to talk with fellow librarians about your favorite (and not-so-favorite) recent galleys (aka advance reader copies). It's held the first Tuesday of each month from 4 to 5 p.m, Eastern, the next one is March 3. You’re welcome to join us at 3:30 for a “pre-Chat” —  virtual cocktails will be served. Hash tag, #ewgc."  http://www.earlyword.com/galleychat/

BTW, my Twitter handle is @bkwmn1992

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

Hello All,

I was very excited when this title, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, appeared in a box of advance readers' copies! I've read two previous Erik Larson titles, Isaac's Storm and In the Garden of Beasts, so I knew this would be an interesting read.

No judgment please, but I had forgotten the complete history of the Lusitania; I started reading this without a recollection of the full story. And another thing that a reader gets with an Erik Larson book--an excellent sense of impending doom. I don't always like the feeling, but it definitely keeps the reader reading!

Mr. Larson tells Dead Wake from several sides: the Germans and their U boat directives; the British Admiralty and their decisions about passenger/merchant ships and protection under wartime conditions; the Lusitania's captain, William Thomas Turner, and the passengers. I felt that I received a very full sense of what was going on with WWI at that specific time (May 1915), and with each of these sides as the Lusitania sailed across the Atlantic.

I was surprised (remember, no judgment) and saddened by the Lusitania's torpedoing and sinking, though I did suspect what was going to happen. The sequence of events were suspenseful, very descriptive, but matter-of-fact in tone.

The resulting actions of the Cunard Steamship Company, Ltd  and the Admiralty of the Royal Navy were appalling to me, especially against the captain of the ship. I do understand that it was wartime, but the trials and secrecy and rush to judgment immediately following the loss of the ship vs delayed final resolution was mind-boggling.

I highly recommend Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
and the other mentioned above by Erik Larson. May all your travels be safe ones.

Happy Reading,
Patti

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
Crown Publishing, March 10, 2015, 9780307408860

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

No Broken Hearts by Sheila York

Hello All!

I've spent some of my late summer/early fall reading Sheila York's Lauren Atwill mystery series, and having a great time. The books in this series are:

1. Star Struck Dead (2003)

2. A Good Knife's Work (2010)

3. Death in Her Face (2012)

4. No Broken Hearts (2014)

Of the above, Star Struck Dead is currently only available as an e-book; the rest should be available as both print and e-book.

Lauren Atwill is a script doctor, one who fixes scripts others have written, and usually with no screen credit. She is just about to be divorced, so she will be able to openly date her private detective boyfriend. This is post-war Hollywood, and there are still guidelines as to behavior in the public eye.

Lauren met Peter when she found a dead body, and they've been dealing with dead bodies and the reasons why they're dead on an unfortunately regular basis. In No Broken Hearts, Lauren's tendency to find bodies is becoming a joke among her fellow screen writers. The teasing doesn't follow her to Epic Studios, where she's been loaned out, but a body does.

No Broken Hearts does include a broken heart or two, and how things are handled behind the scenes in 1940s Hollywood; anything to keep a scandal out of the papers. Lauren and Peter do their best to handle what they can, and stay alive while doing it.

Highly recommended!

Happy Reading!

Patti

No Broken Hearts by Sheila York Five Star 9781432829148

This book was sent to me for review by the author; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

PS I also loved reading about the fashion and the cars of the 1940s!

"Longmire": Not Just A Cancelled TV Show

Hello All,

I read my first book about Sheriff Walt Longmire years ago, about when the series by Craig Johnson started being published. Mr. Johnson was very, very lucky to have his series of books picked up for a television show, shown on the cable network A&E. I'm going to note here that A&E does not own the "Longmire"; it just ran on their network. The company that owns "Longmire", is Warner Horizon.

On or about August 28, A&E canceled "Longmire", citing a drop in ratings from season 2 to Season 3. The cancellation has lead to a great reaction among fans of the show. The hashtag #LongLiveLongmire is now all over social media, as the way to bring attention to the unwise decision made by A&E. 

I love this show, and I think it is well written, well-made, terrifically acted and enjoyable to watch. I am personally very, very tired of so-called reality shows and competition and/or elimination shows. I love watching a strong mystery drama show. 

Craig Johnson put up the article on Facebook I've shared below. Obviously this is close to his heart, but like the fans of the TV show, he feels that A&E has made a grave error:

"There’s an old saying among cowboys—you ride for the brand. If you’re hired on, you do your job the best you can and you don’t whine or complain about the outfit—but there does come a time, if you are mistreated with intent, when you leave that employ and need to clear the air.
If you’ve been stapling barbed wire up in a lineman’s shack for the last couple of weeks, you might not be aware that the A&E network cancelled Longmire. We’re all still kind of reeling from the news that a network would cancel the highest-rated, scripted drama it’s ever had, a show that was consistently one of the top ten cable shows of any given week—one of the top 25 of the summer including the networks.
A lot of people have been asking me why?
The excuse that the network used was that ratings were down from the previous season from 4.2 to 3.9 million, but with adjusted DVR recordings, Longmire was still holding steady at close to 6 million… And that’s with A&E cutting us down to ten episodes and giving us a less than enviable lead-in--four-year-old reruns of Criminal Minds that were pulling -72%, no promotion or advertising, and a general ambivalence to the show as a whole.
The other excuse was that the show wasn’t pulling as much as they wanted in the 18-49 demographic. We more than hold our own in the 25-50 demographic—now, I’m no television executive (thank goodness), but I don’t know of any 18 year-olds out there who are buying Dodge trucks. I still remember being told that Longmire pretty much sold itself, “Oh, we’ve got advertisers lined up to such an extent that Dodge and Downy actually paid extra on the last two episodes of the season so that the show itself would be longer with fewer commercial interruptions.
So what gives?
A&E has made it clear that it wants to own and produce the shows it airs, and the one it doesn’t own, the highest-rated scripted drama they’ve ever had-- Longmire—is not theirs. They’ve had success with Bates Motel (which, even with A&E’s blessings and full support, has yet to achieve the ratings Longmire has) and have had disasters like Those Who Kill (which was cancelled after only two weeks), but then they were trying to strong-arm Warner into selling them Longmire. Now, if I remember correctly, Warner Brothers were the ones who taught Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney how to be tough guys back in the thirties… Good luck with that, A&E. Maybe that next reality show, Tattooed Eskimo Swamp Hunters will turn out to be a winner.
At this point in time, the producers and Warner Horizon are pitching to other networks in hopes that one of them is smart enough to take on a proven winner like Longmire, and we’ll hopefully land in an environment that appreciates and supports the show.
People have been asking what they can do to help in finding Longmire a new home, and the best thing you can do is continue talking up the show in all the social media, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, blogs or the net-sphere. If you’re looking for a place to register your support, sign up for Twitter (it’s easy, even Walt could do it) if you aren’t already on there and join the blitz tonight (Monday) at 10 PM ET/9 C/8 MT/7 PT—the Longmire time slot—and keep tweeting and retweeting #longlivelongmire.
From the response that A&E’s garnered from dropping Longmire, it looks as if it may be the biggest PR disaster for the network. People are actually contacting their cable and satellite providers and requesting that A&E be removed from their subscription packages.—they have had to hire on extra operators for the amount of complaints that have been registered.
Wow.
In closing, I think those executives at A&E forgot to take one thing into consideration—we’re cowboys, we ride for the brand and we don’t walk away.
See you on the trail,
-Craig"

And how you can assist in bringing this to more people's attention, via Facebook & Twitter:

Longmire Posse, Official Fan Site

Because it takes a Posse...please join us Monday at 10pm eastern, 7pm Pacific, as the Longmire Posse floods Facebook and Twitter with#LongLiveLongmire for an hour! Write & share posts with that hashtag on your timeline, and if on Twitter, tweet and retweet #LongLiveLongmire continually for an hour. Encourage your friends to participate! Because a few of us cannot get this trending, it really does take a Posse!

Let's put some names and faces behind the "ratings" and "demographics" and keep making it clear to A&E that they made quite a mistake. 

#LongLiveLongmire!!!

 

Sincerely,

Patti

PS As a librarian and a reader, the Walt Longmire book series is a very good one; Craig Johnson created an incredible character, without which we would not have had this terrific show. Once this is settled, don't forget to give the books a try!

PPS Articles of interest:

http://highlighthollywood.com/2014/09/longlivelongmire-has-aes-cancelation-created-a-pr-backlash-industry-insiders-warn-of-the-case-highlight-hollywood-news/

http://cartermatt.com/131490/longmire-season-4-robert-taylor-sends-video-message-renewal-hope-still-alive/ 

http://dailycaller.com/2014/09/05/longmire-and-hollywoods-misplaced-demographic-focus/