Kittling: Books

Ribbons, Ribbons Everywhere on this Weekly Link Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:26:00 +0000

I went to one of my favorite places today: a Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts store. I went in there because I knew they had yarn on sale, but I walked out with not only a few skeins of yarn, but several buttons and a rack to organize all my spools of ribbon.

My ribbons are organized!

I was most excited about the rack to organize my ribbon. I've been wanting something like this for a long time, but everything I'd come across couldn't really adjust to the different sizes of the spools. This one does adjust, and I can hang it on the wall if I choose.

I use a lot of the narrow gauge ribbon as hangers for the Christmas ornaments I make. The three big spools you can see at the very bottom of the rack belonged to my grandmother. They date from the 1940s and have come in very useful in my ornament making. When I mentioned using 30-year-old yarn and 70-year-old ribbon to make ornaments, a friend quipped, "You're making new antiques!"

Other than that, it's been a nice, quiet week here. Nothing much happening but stitching, cooking and reading. And now for some links!

Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

A Russian billionaire buys a New York City apartment...for $88 million. The seller says the money will be donated to charity. (Where do I sign up?)
Private libraries are disappearing in India.
Have you ever dreamed of finding hidden treasure? These men did in France.
5 reasons why we need librarians and information professionals in the internet age.
Bookish wedding planning.
I loved reading about some of Betty Webb's research for her book, Desert Wind.
The iPad holds more value than the Kindle.
Jacinda of The Reading Housewives of Indiana talks a bit about her reading dislikes and asks about ours.

I ♥ Lists & Quizzes

Books that will change the way you think about love.
The Huffington Post's favorite bookish love scenes from films.
A quiz on love in literature.
The 10 greatest kisses in literature.
The 10 greatest Shakespeare film adaptations.
Top ten literary frenemies.

Book Candy

When it comes to books, all you need is love.
Photos of quilts that were inspired by books. If you click on the numbered links below the photo montage, you'll be able to see them all in larger sizes. They're amazing!
Wow... take a look at Wade Davis's writing studio! (Click on the photos to view them larger.)
I love this necklace that uses an L.M. Montgomery quote!
Bookshelves made from reclaimed pipe.

New to My Google Reader

That's it for this week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!

The Steam Pig by James McClure

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Title: The Steam Pig
Author: James McClure
ISBN: 9781569476529
Publisher: Soho Crime, 2010
Paperback, 272 pages
Originally published in 1971.
Genre: Police Procedural, #1 Kramer and Zondi mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: For an undertaker George Henry Abbott was a sad man.

In this first book in the Kramer and Zondi mystery series set in South Africa and originally published in 1971, a beautiful blonde has been killed by a bicycle spoke to the heart. The use of bicycle spokes as murder weapons is the signature of Bantu gangsters. Why would the Bantu kill a white woman in this manner? It's something that Kramer and his Bantu partner, Zondi, are going to have to find out.

This is a series that I've been meaning to sample for a long time because I've heard so many good things about it. Although I found McClure's gritty, almost terse, writing style a bit confusing from time to time and his characters not very well fleshed out, I found a lot to like about The Steam Pig.

I found the well-paced plot to contain several surprises, but more than anything I loved McClure's subtlety. This book was written during the time of apartheid, and McClure's books were wildly popular in South Africa when they were first published. This means that these mysteries had to appeal to both supporters and opponents of the system of racial segregation that finally came to an end in 1994.

You can find the language of racism in The Steam Pig. There are kaffirs, "boys", etc.-- but the language is applied with a light touch. The races are segregated. The laws are being upheld. But they are being upheld by a mixed race partnership that is really a friendship if you take the time to look deep enough. And it will take time because Kramer and Zondi are experts at toeing the "boss and boy" line when in company. They don't stand out; they blend in. But for anyone who cares to observe closely, it's easy to see that the laws Kramer and Zondi insist upon being upheld first aren't the laws of racial segregation; they're the laws of human decency and finding killers regardless of the color of the victim's skin.

Although I really wish Kramer and Zondi had been fleshed out a bit more, I was-- and still am-- in awe of McClure's skill. He put together an engrossing mystery that's all about what's beneath the surface. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

The Steam Pig at Amazon.

The Steam Pig at The Book Depository.

The Steam Pig at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

#5 in the Series On Sale Now!

The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:21:00 +0000

Title: The Wedding Gift
Author: Kathleen McKenna
ISBN: 9781611940527
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books, 2011
Paperback, 254 pages
Genre: Suspense, Paranormal
Rating: B-
Source: Net Galley

First Line: Well, if I didn't want to cry, I guess I would be laughing.

High school senior Leeann Worthier is a girl from the poor side of town who's learned to trade on her good looks to get the things she wants. One of the things she wants is a life on Easy Street, which she obtains by marrying the rich boy in town after graduation.

As a wedding gift, Leann's new in-laws give the couple the Willets House. On the surface, being given a mansion to live in sounds like a good deal, but the Willets House has a history. You see, one day about twenty years ago, Robina Willets killed her husband, her five children... and then committed suicide in that very house. A few years later, two boys dared each other to go in the house. One of the boys died-- Leeann's brother.

Leeann's not crazy about moving into the house, but it is beautiful, and it does have a nice big swimming pool.... It's not until Leeann learns that she and her new husband are living with a very unhappy and very dangerous spirit that Leeann becomes afraid.

Most readers are going to know within the first few pages whether or not they're going to like the book. Leeann tells her own story, and if you like her, you're going to like the book. McKenna nailed Leeann's character. In many ways, she's a typical teenage girl, obsessed with her looks, her clothes, and boys. Her father likes to drink, so the family's never had much, and Leeann learned at an early age that folks are usually quite nice to pretty girls. In turns she's ignorant, hateful, devious, laugh-out-loud funny, and has an honesty about herself that ultimately won me over.

Another element of the book that the author gets just right is what I call the Creep Factor. I don't scare easily, but the ghost in the Willets House had my flesh crawling and had me listening for faint, unusual noises in the house as I read. What's even better, readers learn that the ghost's story is actually heartbreaking, so there's a fundamental emotional shift from fright and repulsion to understanding and compassion.

A feisty, flawed narrator who's not afraid to speak her mind. A downright scary ghost worthy of compassion. And a big surprise when the identity of the person who caused it all is revealed. Leeann may turn some folks away at the door, but for those who are won over by her sass and honesty, there are genuine chills and thrills to follow.

The Wedding Gift at Amazon.

The Wedding Gift at The Book Depository.

The Wedding Gift at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

Scene of the Blog Will Resume Next Week

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Due to a family emergency, this week's featured blogger asked for a postponement. It's been a scramble trying to line up participants, so Scene of the Blog will take a vacation this week.

Tune in next week when normal programming will resume!

A Wordless Wednesday for Sweethearts

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Tender Moments by John Weiss

Night Rounds by Helene Tursten

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:24:00 +0000

Title: Night Rounds
Author: Helene Tursten
Translated by: Laura A. Wideburg
ISBN: 9781616950064
Publisher: Soho Crime, 2012
Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #2 Detective Inspector Irene Huss mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: "You're absolutely certain this was the nurse you saw last night?"

An old hospital is hit by a blackout. When the lights come back on, one nurse is dead and another has vanished. There's only one witness, and she claims that Nurse Tekla is responsible. The witness isn't being taken seriously because Nurse Tekla died in the hospital over sixty years ago.

Enter Irene Huss, a former Ju-Jitsu champion, the mother of twin teenage girls, the wife of a successful chef, and a Detective Inspector in the Violent Crimes Unit of Goteborg, Sweden. It is her responsibility to make sense of doctors, nurses, patients, ghosts... and all the complex relationships involved.

This is one series that's hurt by the way it's being published in the US. Undoubtedly due to legalities beyond my ken, the publishing order has been #1, #3, #5, and now with Night Rounds, #2. I read a lot of series, and I like to read them in order as much as possible, but in this case, I'd need to learn Swedish in order to do so. Irene Huss is a woman whose personal life is very much a part of the story and of the sort of character she is. Reading these books out of sequence is a bit like repeatedly stubbing your toe-- When did he? Why are they? She stopped? How did? Huh? If you like to read series (and read them in order), you might want to keep this in mind. If you're coming to Night Rounds with a clean slate, this won't make a bit of difference, so we'll move right along.

Perhaps it's because she's in her forties, but Irene Huss seems to size up everyone she meets by how they look. It's a bit annoying, but I think it's meant to convey the fact that Irene feels time is marching on and she's ageing faster than she'd like. This habit has everything to do with her, and very little to do with the people with whom she's comparing herself. As I said earlier, Irene's personal life has a great deal to do with the type of inspector she is and with the action in the book. This adds a dimension to the book that I really enjoy. Police who are The Job and nothing but The Job tend to become boring.

Irene's investigation is anything but boring. She and her team are stymied at every turn in that old, crumbling pile of a hospital with its one doctor and tales of the nurse who hung herself in the attic. The entire building seems filled with lurking shadows and breathy whispers. The case keeps returning to Nurse Tekla, Nurse Tekla, Nurse Tekla until Irene wants to scream.

The only way she can get rid of Nurse Tekla is by doing the job painstakingly. By interviewing every person. By checking all the records. By knocking on every door. By double-checking. By triple-checking. It's long hard work, but Huss and her team are up to the task of taking the focus off the ghost stories and turning it on a very real killer. Helene Tursten's series is a fine blend of character study and police procedural, and regardless of their publishing order, I enjoy reading her books.

Night Rounds at Amazon.

Night Rounds at The Book Depository.

Night Rounds at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

What Kind of Leader Would You Be?

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

You Are a Laissez-Faire Leader

You think that people should make their own decisions. You don't relish being a leader.

You're much more likely to give guidance than orders. You are a firm believer in choice.

You find that most people are more capable and wise than others give them credit for.

Everyone has different needs, and whenever possible, you try to lead with that in mind.

What Kind of Leader Would You Be?

Scene of the Crime with Author Jenn McKinlay!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:31:00 +0000

I was at my favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen, last week when I realized that they only had one copy left of Due or Die-- the second book in Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's mystery series. If the maneuver had been caught on film, my hand would've been a blur as it snatched up that lone copy and added it to my to-buy stack. I had enjoyed the first, Books Can Be Deceiving, so much that I knew I had to buy the second.

If you like to read cozy mysteries, you've probably read a book or two in one of Jenn's series. She writes about the operators of a cupcake bakery, the director of a public library, a decoupage teacher, and a group of skilled bargain hunters. Don't worry-- a link is coming up that will help you with Jenn's books!

Jenn McKinlay

If you'd like to learn more about the author, here are a few links for you:

Jenn McKinlay's website

Jenn McKinlay on Twitter

Jenn McKinlay on Facebook

@ The Poisoned Pen with Deborah Crombie!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:39:00 +0000

The stage is set!

Denis and I arrived bright and early for Deborah Crombie's appearance at my very favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona. An early arrival was a must because I had my shopping list in hand. I simply cannot go to this bookstore without buying something-- and I have plenty of witnesses who can create quite a windstorm just by nodding their heads in agreement!

I took a bit too long browsing and buying, though, because I was a bit late in getting a couple of prime seats. A group of friends got in just ahead of me and snagged almost all the best spots. Little did I know that this would have an effect on my photographer (Denis).

"I sold my first book twenty years ago this week."

From the outset, it felt as though we were all friends, bound together by the talented author sitting in front of us. Barbara Peters, founder of The Poisoned Pen, chatted away with Deborah, and we hung on their every word. I already felt as though this were a special evening, and when Deborah told us that she'd sold her very first book twenty years ago this week, my feeling was confirmed. (It also made me think of all the pleasure she's given me over those years.)

At the beginning, Barbara and Deborah chatted about the series in general. Ever since I read Leave the Grave Green, I've had trouble with that title-- more often than not calling it Leave the Grass Green. When Barbara mentioned Leave the Grass Green and then said, "Oh, you know-- the fertilizer book," we all broke into laughter. It's always nice to know you're not alone in your idiosyncrasies!

For a long time, Deborah had no intention of getting her characters, Duncan and Gemma, together. They were very different and quite prickly with each other. But by the time the third (fertilizer!) book was being written, Duncan and Gemma had plans, and as a writer, Deborah had to follow their lead and let the series evolve the way in which the characters wanted.

Barbara Peters (L) and Deborah Crombie

Deborah gave us a lot of insight into the way she writes. She likes to have a working title from the very beginning, and is happy that most of those titles stayed the course and have become the titles with which we are all familiar.

It takes, on average, fifteen to eighteen months for her to write a book because of the research she does. There have been times that she's traveled to England, done research and returned home to Texas to begin writing only to find that she has several more things she needs to check. And if you're curious about where she stays while in England, Deborah can always be found in her beloved Notting Hill, which is very familiar to anyone who's read the books.

While they chatted, Barbara put in another plug for her "pottery book." She'd love to have one of Crombie's books set in Stoke-on-Trent, so something tells me she's a Wedgewood fan.

"Did you see the Inspector Lewis episode where Hathaway is sculling?

Talk soon moved to Crombie's latest book, No Mark Upon Her, which has a lot to do with the sport of rowing. It's the first of her books to be released in the UK before it appeared in the US. No Mark Upon Her is more of a straight procedural novel because, as Barbara Peters says, "You can't make 'em all personal dramas."

Crombie told us that the sport had always seemed beautiful to her, and mentioned the scene in an episode of "Inspector Lewis" when Hathaway is sculling down the river. She then made me smile when she admitted that she prefers the television series of "Inspector Morse" and "Inspector Lewis" to reading the novels of Colin Dexter, because I feel the very same way.

She talked a bit about the fact that the abuse of power is always present in long-entrenched organizations like the Metropolitan Police, but that she believes women in the police force have it a bit easier than, for example, the days of a character like Jane Tennison in "Prime Suspect."

"I didn't even tell you what to do if we fell in."

Deborah Crombie @ The Poisoned Pen

Rowing is a subject near and dear to Crombie's heart. She told us that she'd gone punting with author Laurie King, and that punting "isn't as easy as you might think!"

Crombie knew someone who got her into the prestigious Leander Club. A gentleman came in while she was there, and they began to talk. She told him about the book she was writing and that rowing played an important part.

The man immediately began asking her all sorts of questions about the part rowing played in the book and about the mechanics of the plot. As their conversation ended, he said that he would be more than happy to take her out on the river so she could experience what rowing was really like.

Naturally, Crombie jumped at the chance. When the man left, her friend asked her, "You know who that was, don't you?" Crombie had been speaking to Sir Stephen Williams OBE, twice winner of the Olympic gold medal in the coxless four.

"Sir Steve" did indeed take Deborah rowing on the Thames, at the precise time of day that the character in her book would be training. Deborah managed to get in and out of the tiny boat without falling in the river, and Sir Steve said, "I must not have been worried. I didn't even tell you what to do if we fell in." Deborah told us all, "If you are captivated by the first chapter, it's all due to Steve." I was captivated, Deborah. What a wonderful memory!

"...tromping around in the mud at night and hiding in hedgerows."

Crombie also told us about going out with the Berkshire Search and Rescue team on a few training runs, which involved a lot of "tromping around in the mud at night and hiding in hedgerows." Search and Rescue plays an important part in No Mark Upon Her, but she was surprised by just how important the characters of Kieran and Tavie-- as well as their dogs-- became. All of them demanded a larger share of the action!

We were allowed a sneak peak into the future when Crombie told us that she was hard at work on her next book, which involves the Crystal Palace and rock guitarists. (I can't wait!)

The evening came to an end much too soon to my liking, and it wasn't until Denis and I returned home that we realized that the hairdo of a lady sitting in front of us had encroached on almost every single one of the photographs Denis had taken. Ah well!

If you have a chance to attend one of Deborah Crombie's appearances on her book tour, please go. You'll have a very enjoyable time! And even if you don't have a chance to meet this talented writer, do the next best thing: get your hands on her books and read, read, read!

On Sale Now!

An "Out Having Fun" Weekly Link Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:08:00 +0000

If it weren't for the fact that Denis is waiting for the Foreign Department of his UK bank to open so he can talk to someone with a pulse, I'd be laying in bed reading. As it is, I've decided to stay up and be a good girl. I've been having too much fun this week and posting late more often than not. (Although one isn't my fault. Blogger decided to save my Wordless Wednesday post for a rainy day. I had to go track it down and boot it out where it belongs.)

A new bookmark for my collection!

One of the major reasons why I was out having too much fun to post has a lot to do with that squashy yellow guy marking my spot in One Blood over there to the right. See him? I know. He looks a mite peaky, doesn't he?

Wednesday night Denis and I went to the Poisoned Pen for Deborah Crombie's author signing. We arrived early. I quickly ran through my shopping list, made my purchase, and went to choose our seats. Then I sat and proceeded to people watch.

You see, not only was I there to see one of my favorite authors in the flesh, I was also supposed to meet another Arizona book blogger. I have to admit to some nervousness because I'd gotten distracted and neglected to send Gaye an email telling her to look out for a woman with short white hair, wearing glasses and a Johnny Cash outfit. The only thing I had going for me was Denis's accent. The ladies we were seated amongst were very friendly and chatty, and I just hoped that Gaye had her English accent antennae tuned up. She did, we met, and she gave me my wonderful squashy yellow guy as a birthday gift. Gaye is every bit as bubbly and enthusiastic and just plain fun as I thought she'd be, and I have a feeling that this is only the first of many meetings to come!

Links? You want some links? Oh yeah. This is the link round-up, isn't it? My bad!

Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

In honor of his upcoming birthday, Abraham Lincoln is commemorated by a three-story sculpture of 15,000 books.
I hope the bus stops in Phoenix! -- Atria Books to kick off mystery bus tour in April.
Malaysian jungle adventurers solve World War II mysteries.
Anyone besides me remember the BBC series "Poldark" starring (sigh) Robin Ellis? Not only did I find an article in which Ellis talks about the series, I found his website. He's an author, a diabetic, and has written Delicious Dishes for Diabetics.
Should we celebrate scathing book reviews?
A bookstore has started renting space to artists and crafters to draw in more business. That's all I need... another reason to be unable to leave a bookstore!
New formats are coming for digital publishing and eReading.
Reading notes: perfect for readers who hate to write in their books!

I ♥ Lists & Quizzes

Charles Dickens at 200: a fiendishly difficult birthday quiz.
Queen Elizabeth II in literature.
The pocket notebooks of 20 famous men.
15 famous authors' beautiful estates.

New to My Google Reader

That's all for this week. Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!

One Blood by Graeme Kent

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:35:00 +0000

Title: One Blood
Author: Graeme Kent
ISBN: 9781616950583
Publisher: Soho Crime, 2012
Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery, #2 Sergeant Kella and Sister Conchita mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Publicist

First Line: The Japanese destroyer came out of the night at forty knots like a huge shark snarling across the lagoon.

Sister Conchita may be just a bit too forthright and prone to act now and ask forgiveness later. She's been sent to a run-down mission in the Western District of the Solomon Islands. Her assignment being only temporary, she's still determined to wake up the four obstinate elderly nuns and get their help in cleaning up the place. Her plans don't get off to a good start. On the mission's very first open day, they are besieged by tourists, two of the four nuns are AWOL, and a man is killed in the chapel. Sister Conchita can't believe that the government is content to call a very suspicious death a heart attack, and she is not prepared to let the matter rest.

Normally she would ask Ben Kella for help. Kella, a sergeant in the Solomon Islands Police Force and an aofia (hereditary spiritual peacekeeper of the Lau people), he's assigned to investigate the sabotage that's been threatening the local operations of an international logging company.

As Sister Conchita and Kella begin their investigations, they discover common elements-- especially three strange, unfriendly men who are very interested in the islands of Kasolo and Olasana. You see, it's 1960, and in a few weeks the people of the United States will be deciding whether to vote for Richard Nixon or John F. Kennedy as President. The islands of Kasolo and Olasana are where the survivors of PT 109 hid from the Japanese and tried to recuperate. Although it's not the first time strangers have come sniffing around in search of stories about Kennedy, there's something different... something ominous... about these men.

Once again Graeme Kent has written a mystery that transported me to the Solomon Islands of the 1960s. In this place, at this time, World War II is not a thing of the past. People canoe across lagoons over the easily visible twisted hulks of fighter planes and ships. The "good old boy" colonial government is still at work, filled with officials who do not want to admit that their days are numbered and that the educated young islanders they're ignoring today will be the leaders of tomorrow. Smugglers still know the secret coves and hiding places of these waters, and they use them.

Having a main character who's not only a policeman but a spiritual leader of his people gives the reader a chance to learn the customs of the peoples of the Solomon Islands in a very non-intrusive way. Many times Kella responds to the summons for a policeman and discovers that his services as aofia are really required.

I have to admit that the plot line concerning JFK put me in a pair of blinders that shielded me from almost everything else but Kent's excellent cast of characters. The author seems to know instinctively when it's time to insert a laugh-out-loud funny piece of humor to lighten the mood, and although those old nuns in that run-down mission could be by turns infuriating and heartbreaking, they could also be extremely funny.

Sister Conchita is as headstrong and stubborn a person as one will ever meet, and one has to wonder who's going to give up first: Sister Conchita or the Catholic Church. Sister Conchita and Ben Kella are both outsiders in their own worlds who want to make things right. Pairing them is a bit of genius.

As I said earlier, the plot line concerning JFK had me so engrossed that when the solutions to the other threads concerning the murder of the man in the mission chapel and the sabotage at the logging company site were revealed, I was completely surprised. That doesn't happen very often at all.

When I read the first book in the series, Devil-Devil, I thought it could be the start of something very special. Now after reading One Blood, I know this is something very special. Let this series be your next armchair journey to a beautiful faraway land filled with fascinating customs, wonderful characters, and delectable mysteries. Then your smile will be as big and as bright as my own when I hear of Graeme Kent's newest book.

One Blood at Amazon.

One Blood at The Book Depository.

One Blood at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

Please stop by Monday, March 5,

when Graeme Kent will be my guest on

Scene of the Crime!

Desert Wind by Betty Webb

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:22:00 +0000

Title: Desert Wind
Author: Betty Webb
ISBN: 9781590589816
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2012
Paperback, 317 pages
Genre: Private Investigator, #7 Lena Jones mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Net Galley

First Line: From his vantage point with the horses on a small hillock, Gabe Boone watched the cameras track the actor across the simmering desert floor toward the skin-draped yurt.

Jimmy Sisiwan-- Lena Jones' partner in Desert Investigations-- is her bedrock. Not only does she rely on his talent and expertise at work, she considers him family. Having been shot in the head and left for dead by her mother and then raised in a series of foster homes, Lena doesn't give her trust or love to anyone easily. So when Jimmy is arrested and jailed in the remote northern Arizona town of Walapai Flats, Lena closes down the Scottsdale business and heads north.

When she gets there, she finds a town divided over the issue of plans for a new uranium mine. Some welcome the desperately needed new jobs. Others find two reasons to be worried: (1) The owner of the new mine previously owned another uranium mine on Navajo land that was so mismanaged, it had to be closed down due to polluted water and soaring rates of cancer. (2) The new mine is ten miles from the Grand Canyon, and all water run-off would drain directly into it. This is one issue that has already turned deadly-- and shows no sign of stopping.

Characters and story are everything in Desert Wind. As part of her investigation, Lena becomes acquainted with Jimmy's adoptive father, a rancher who lives outside town, and many other Walapai Flats inhabitants. The longtime residents are tough nuts to crack, and Lena soon learns why. Through chapters tucked in between the ones with present-day action, we learn that Walapai Flats is still suffering from a sixty-year-old injustice: the United States' testing of nuclear bombs on its own citizens. For decades, these people have had family members die while they're lied to by strangers who smile and carry credentials.

(The United States conducted atmospheric and underground testing of nuclear bombs in Nevada during the 1950s. Low population density, mile upon mile of flat, government-owned land, and an easterly wind blowing away from the populous west coast were factors that decided in the Nevada site's favor.)

Unfortunately, it was no favor for any living thing caught in the path of those easterly winds, and Betty Webb once again proves how brilliantly she can break our hearts and raise our ire against blatant injustice while she spins a tale of mystery. Whenever someone asks me about books that depict the "real Arizona," I start talking Betty Webb and Lena Jones. Yes, these books deal with human rights issues, but the author never once forgets the mystery or the people who populate it. The characters, the land, the human rights topics-- Webb serves up the whole enchilada for a true reading hunger.

Desert Wind at Amazon.

Desert Wind at The Book Depository.

Desert Wind at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

Scene of the Blog Featuring Louise of Book Bliss!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:07:00 +0000

This week we're visiting Northern Ireland to see where Louise is inspired to create her blog, Book Bliss. (I love her blog name, don't you?) I enjoy her blog with its colorful header that shows her surrounded by towering stacks of books. Posts have been a bit scarce of late for two reasons: she's been working tons of hours at her new job, and she's been practicing on the saxophone her husband bought her for Christmas. Things will get back to normal soon, but in the mean time, if you've never visited Book Bliss before, I hope you take the time to do so now. Please don't forget to say hello to Louise while you're there!

If you're visiting from Louise's blog-- Welcome! I'm glad you stopped by to take a look at Louise's creative spaces. If you'd like to see any of the photos in a larger size, all you have to do is click on them and they'll open in a new window. If you'd like to take a look at the spaces of other book bloggers who've been featured here, click on the Scene of the Blog tab at the top of my header. You have two ways to search: by location or by blog name. Louise is about to start the tour, so let's not keep her waiting!

First off, I'm based in Northern Ireland but until recently have been working in Lancashire, England. This involved a lot of travelling which meant that I had loads of time for reading. Now that I'm between jobs, I have even more time for reading and I'm hoping to reduce my TBR pile. Because of the amount of travelling I do I tend to do a lot of my reading on a Kindle, when I'm away for 2 weeks at a time it can be difficult to carry paper books with me and I tend to panic if I think I might run out of reading material. Saying that I do get books through the Amazon Vine programme and from competition wins and publishers, so I'll try to have 1 'real' book with me and then replace it every couple of weeks, while filling the rest of my time with my Kindle books.

Louise's comfy blogging sofa

When I'm at home I try to do my blog work on my sofa. I have a laptop and I like to be comfy, so I'll often curl up with the laptop on my knee.

Louise blogs here when football is on the telly!

However, when my husband is at home then I tend to move to the bedroom to type. He finds my constant key clicking annoying when he's trying to watch football!

Bedside TBR pile!

I'm currently having some work done on my house, I'm having my roof space converted into two bedrooms which means that the bedroom I usually blog from is going to move upstairs, and I'm going to get an office!! Yey!! I'm so excited, not only will I have a desk to sit at when I'm feeling all official but I'm going to have a sofa in there as well so I can still curl up with the laptop on my knee if I want to. I've also convinced my husband that we need to have plenty of bookshelves in there as currently any books I have are locked away in drawers as I have absolutely no shelf space. Feel free to pop back next year to see how my blogging space has changed.

My husband was born and raised in Lancashire, Louise, and I'm very familiar with the area. (Unfortunately I've never been to Northern Ireland.)

It always makes me smile when we bookaholics talk about what we do to ensure we always have something at hand to read. It's perfectly understandable to us, but I know firsthand how many people do not understand and think we're a bit unhinged.

A new office? I'm excited for you! And plenty of bookcases are a must! You will definitely have to show us the finished room! Thank you so much for giving us this glimpse into your home and creative spaces. We really appreciate it.

Don't forget to stop by next Wednesday when I'll be featuring another book blogger from our worldwide community!

A Gluttonous Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Click photo to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.

No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:41:00 +0000

Title: No Mark Upon Her
Author: Deborah Crombie
ISBN: 9780061990618
Publisher: William Morrow
Hardcover, 384 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #14 Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: A glance at the sky made her swear aloud.

The Kincaid and James household is still getting used to the new addition to their family. Gemma's leave is almost over, and when she returns to work, Duncan will be the one staying at home with the children. However, when a search and rescue team discovers a woman's body in debris along the banks of the Thames, their plans may go up in smoke. The dead woman, Rebecca Meredith, not only was a rower training to compete in the Olympics, she was a high-ranking detective with the Metropolitan Police. This is a case which must be solved quickly.

Matters are further complicated when a detective at the Notting Hill station asks Gemma for advice regarding a separate investigation. Gemma welcomes the chance to focus on something besides home and hearth, and she lends a hand. The information she uncovers ties in with Duncan's case, revealing a possibly related series of crimes that widens the field of suspects. Someone has a secret that must remain hidden at all costs; a secret involving powerful people that could reach right into the heart of the Metropolitan police.

As in other books in this series, Crombie incorporates a slice of English life into No Mark Upon Her-- this time competitive rowing. (In 2010, a quarter of a million people came to the banks of the Thames to watch the races between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and this is only one of the many regattas held each year.) This information adds texture and atmosphere to a multi-layered story.

As Duncan begins investigating, what seems to be a simple case of murder soon turns into a cover-up, and eventually the cover-up also turns into something more. Secrets have been festering beneath the surface for years, and those secrets have turned into a deadly Hydra that Duncan and Gemma must vanquish before any more people lose their lives.

The search and rescue team members Kiernan and Tavie-- as well as their dogs-- are welcome additions to the cast, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing them in future books. Speaking of that cast, it's one of the best in fiction. The relationships between Duncan, Gemma, their children, and the other people in their lives grow and change in each book. I feel as though I should be able to walk up to their door in Notting Hill, ring the bell, and be welcomed inside for a cup of tea and a nice long chat. When characters have that much depth, it makes for a series that readers never want to end.

If you've never read a book in this series before, don't be shy about starting with No Mark Upon Her. You can read it and not feel lost among the characters and their history. But if you're looking for a series that has it all-- like this one does-- I suggest you begin at the very beginning (A Share in Death). I almost envy the pleasure that awaits you!

No Mark Upon Her at Amazon.

No Mark Upon Her at The Book Depository.

No Mark Upon Her at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

The Petit Dessert Test

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

You Are Quirky

You have a serious side, but you also can be uproariously funny. You love to laugh.

You also love to play, and playing with you is an adventure. You're always changing up the rules of the game.

You are a deeply introspective person. You are constantly examining yourself.

You know who you are, and you're good with that. Too bad if no one else is.

The Petit Dessert Test

Scene of the Crime with Author Deborah Crombie!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:11:00 +0000

This week should be called Deborah Crombie Week here at Kittling: Books, and I couldn't be happier. Today you'll get to know Deborah a bit better through her answers to my interview questions. Tomorrow you'll be able to read my review of her latest book, No Mark Upon Her, on its release date. Wednesday, Deborah will be appearing at the Poisoned Pen, my favorite bookstore on earth, and you'll get to read all about it on Friday because Denis and I have made plans to attend.

Deborah Crombie writes the sort of books that I buy automatically. I don't have to know what they're about; I just know they're going to be good. Deborah plops me right down in England and gives me an excellent mystery to solve with one of the best casts of characters in crime fiction. If you have yet to read one of her Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James novels, please don't wait any longer-- you've been denying yourself some marvelous reading!

Deborah Crombie

If you'd like to learn more about Deborah Crombie and her books, here are some links for you:

Deborah Crombie's website

Deborah Crombie on Facebook

Deborah Crombie on Twitter

Deborah Crombie on Jungle Red Writers

Deborah Crombie's books (in order)

Now it's time for the fun part: the interview!

What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

I still have my childhood copies of Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. I've only half-jokingly said they were responsible for making me an Anglophile for life, but it's probably true. And, um, I still have teddy bears, too....

[So do I, Deborah, so do I!]

Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

Free time? What's that? Seriously, I--of course--love to read. I love walking my German shepherd, Neela. I putz around in the garden and cook things that are not very complicated. (I was a better and much more adventurous cook before I wrote novels.) This year, I'm determined to at least start my first quilt, and to ride the fabulous purple bike I got from LL Bean LAST YEAR! And my very favorite thing of all is to be in London, and just walk. All day.

[Speaking of walking in London, those maps in your books are fabulous!]

If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

Tartan Thistle B&B, McKinney, Texas

I live the historic district in McKinney, Texas, which is north of Dallas. This is black-land prairie, so it was cotton country. In the mid 1800s, McKinney was bigger than Dallas, because we had a cotton mill. We have a beautifully restored, quintessentially Southern town square with the courthouse (now a performing arts venue) in the center, lots of shops and cafes and restaurants. I can't think of many things more pleasant than spending a day on the square (unless I'm in London) and I'd also recommend just driving around the area and looking at the beautiful 19th century houses.

You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Kate Winslet

Oh, eeek. I can't imagine casting me. But I suppose in a fantasy world I might pick Kate Winslet. With a very slight Texas accent.

Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

Completely off the top of my head, Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden.

Although I'm not quite sure you can classify the Dresden books as crime fiction.

Name one book that you've read that you wish you had written. What is it about that book that made it come to mind?

Okay, I was going to say The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, because then I'd be really rich, but I haven't actually read it. So, something I've read recently that I absolutely loved, a book called (in the UK) Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. (The US title is Midnight Riot, and the cover is so horrible I'm amazed anyone bought it.) I think this book, and the sequel, are just brilliant and funny and so original. (You are probably noticing a fantasy trend here...)

How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published? What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore?

I was so gobsmacked when I heard my first book--first three books, actually--were going to be published that I think I just walked around in a daze for weeks. I don't remember going out for a special celebration. (I suspect I wasn't getting paid enough ....)

I don't have a really distinct memory of seeing the book in a store for the first time, although I know it was at the (sadly, long gone) Mystery Book Store in Dallas. I do know that I was very proud, and very happy to have my family there.

I do LOVE it now, though, when a new book comes out and there are STACKS of them in the front of the bookstore. That's so exciting.

I don't know if you've seen it, but I love Parnell Hall's video about book signings. What is the most unusual experience you've had at a book signing or author event?

I haven't seen this, but will look it up. Parnell is always a hoot.

Oh, my, so many signings. I do remember once, signing with a couple of friends, years ago, at a Barnes and Noble in San Antonio. The only person who came near us was a soldier on leave from the nearby base.

He had obviously been smoking LOTS of pot, and was very happy to sit down and tell us how cool it was that we were signing books. But he didn't buy one....

What's the best thing about eBooks? What's the worst?

I'm all for anything that encourages people to read. And I'm hoping that digital media will bring a resurgence of the short story, which would really be fun.

I think, however, that losing brick and mortar bookstores would be a huge loss, emotionally, financially, culturally. Not only do they provide a "third place" where like-minded people come together in a community, but I don't think blogs and social media can replace a trusted bookseller's enthusiasm in hand-selling books to customers.

It was those booksellers who gave me a start in my career. I'm sure my books would have sunk like stones without them.

On Sale February 7!

Speaking of short stories (which I've started reading more of now that I have an eReader), Deborah has a short story, "Nocturne," available free on Kindle or Nook. Not only will you be able to read a fun story centered on Duncan's son, Kit, you'll be able to read the first three chapters of No Mark Upon Her. After reading "Nocturne" and those three chapters, I know you'll have to get your hands on a copy of the book!

Thank you for spending this time with us, Deborah. May your book sales do nothing but increase!

A Confused Weekly Link Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:27:00 +0000

It's interesting what can confuse a person. For the last several years that I was a member of the work force, I had a schedule of which I boasted that everyone else's Monday was my Friday and everyone else's Friday was my Monday. But I wore a watch and knew what day of the week and month it was. I can't say that now. I can't tell you the last time I wore a watch, and with Denis's work schedule seemingly changing at each and every whim of the City of Phoenix, I have no clue what day of the week it is unless I plot it out on my calendar/planner. I have a better chance of telling someone what day of the month it is... and even then I'm liable to be a day or two off!

Denis and I spent a very relaxing week down in Bisbee last week, which was the reason for no link round-up. But I'm back, and my calendar assures me that it's Friday, so let's get some links rounded up!

Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

A Pakistani bookseller's novel idea for his rickshaw.
"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," an Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Film.
The Bookstore's Last Stand
The 2011 Survey of Book-Buying Behavior
A mysterious "winged" structure from ancient Rome is discovered.
Some of my worst friends are books.
In the land of the non-reader
The Whoopensocker dictionary of American dialect completed after 50 years.
A Dragons in Literature quiz

I ♥ Lists

12 books you need on your bookshelf
The 9 coolest literary siblings
10 literary-inspired looks for a well-read wardrobe
10 legendary bad girls of literature
The most dangerous novels of all time
Your favorite authors' favorite books of all time
The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World-- and I've been to #16!

Book Candy

Book china. Write me down for one of the large platters!
Lord of the Rings nail art
Perfect for kids-- a whale of a bookshelf!
I love this print-- 51 Love Stories.
I like the looks of this type of "floating" shelf, but are the books comfortable?
a bathtub made of books
A bookcase by the bathtub

Social Media

Pinterest becomes the #1 traffic driver for several top retailers.
I've recently joined Pinterest, if any of you care to look me up.

eBooks

Amazon Kindle still atop the list of unused Christmas gifts.
The Poisoned Pen has added even more great 99¢ eBooks to their Discover Mystery page. It's a fantastic way to add some wonderful first-in-series mysteries to your library!

New to My Google Reader

Well, that's it for this week. Be sure to stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!

Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:03:00 +0000

Title: Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army and Other Diabolical Insects
Author: Amy Stewart
ISBN: 9781565129603
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2011
Hardcover, 288 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rating: A
Source: Purchased at Barnes and Noble

First Line: In 1909, the Chicago Daily Tribune ran an article titled "If Bugs Were the Size of Men."

In a companion volume to her Wicked Plants, Amy Stewart mines entomological gold. In short chapters she informs us all of what biological and financial threats insects pose to humans, what they've done in generations gone by, and what we've been doing to them.

I think my favorite part-- other than all the knowledge I gleaned-- was the Schmidt Sting Pain Index which seems to have been written by a person filled with knowledge, the gift of words, and a brilliant sense of humor. My least favorite? I could have done without one of the paragraphs in the cockroach chapter. I can still do a little dance of horror and disgust just thinking about it.

If you enjoy books filled with fascinating and often humorous facts about the natural world, you'll enjoy Amy Stewart's Wicked Bugs (as well as her Wicked Plants). However, if even the sight of an insect sends you into a tizzy, please do not pick up this book!

Wicked Bugs at Amazon.

Wicked Bugs at The Book Depository.

Wicked Bugs at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

Scene of the Blog Featuring Meike of From My Mental Library!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:08:00 +0000

I happened to stumble across this week's featured blogger by reading a comment she left on another blog. When I tracked Meike down to her own blog, From My Mental Library, I lost track of time as I wandered through the posts of this talented writer from Germany.

Here are the categories listed just below the header: Book and film reviews, Daily Life, Family, Fashion for the shallow-minded, Inside My Mind, Recipes, Short Stories, Special Occasions, Travelling. I think it's easy to see that this is a special blog just from the categories!

If you've never visited From My Mental Library before, I certainly hope you take the time to do so, and please remember to say hello while you're there. If you're visiting from Meike's blog-- Welcome! If you'd like to see any of the photos in a larger size, all you have to do is click on them and they will open in a new window. Of course, you're also welcome to click on the Scene of the Blog tab at the very top of my header to take a look at the creative spaces of other book bloggers from around the world!

Meike is ready to give us a tour, so let's not keep her waiting!

Still relatively new in Blogland (I started in March 2009), I soon realized that I had found THE literary genre for myself.

Lacking the stamina for a novel (a draft has been in my head for at least 20 years) and the necessary time and funding for a non-fiction work, but feeling an essential need for writing, there is nothing that fits the bill as well as blogging. Here, I can go on about whatever I have in mind, for as long or as short as I want to. I can show my readers pictures, share recipes, voice my opinion about any subject under the sun, write book reviews and publish my own short stories, all of which I have done in the past and hopefully will keep doing.

My readers are very important to me, and I appreciate each and every comment. At currently 60 followers (one of which is I - something I don't think should be technically possible, but there you go!), I know that there are huge numbers of other bloggers out there with a really impressive list of followers, but what counts to me is that I am able to keep in touch with those select few who seem to like returning to my blog, and have something interesting, funny or encouraging to say.

Where does it all happen?

Meike's desk

My personal computer is in my bedroom, and it is here where I mostly read other blogs and write my own, and also where I play my favourite computer games, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.

Click on the photo to read some spines!

Originally, I was trained as a library assistant many moons ago. My love of books is not quite as evident in my flat as it could be; I have downsized considerably, and nowadays mainly get my reading from the library, lacking both the money and the space for buying books as much as I'd like. To the right is a closer look at the book shelf next to my computer.

On the lowest level are old childhood friends such as the Narnia books, and several photo albums.

The second level from the bottom contains my collection of space and space-travel related books, as well as some works about and by Wernher von Braun.

Then comes a shelf filled with the "Insel" (German for island) series, which I used to collect when I was younger. A lot of those are ex-library books that were about to be thrown away. Above those, another level full of childhood friends, namely by Edith Nesbit and Astrid Lindgren, two authors whose influence on children's literature in general and my childhood in particular was and still is tangible.

Next is my M.C. Beaton shelf. Yes, I know - this is not for the high-brow literature lover, but these are books I enjoy, and I keep getting more and more from my mum, and also from my mother-in-law in the birthday and Christmas parcels she sends from England.

Most of you will instantly recognize the colourful backs of the Harry Potter books on the top shelf, and above that, all the large-format books which you sometimes find classified as coffee table books.

An armchair for reading

A lot of my reading happens here.
This old armchair was part of my grandparents' living room furniture, and it is so comfortable that I spend many of my lunch breaks there, when I am not going out for lunch. The armchair even has its own blog entry!

Working from home

In May of last year, I changed jobs and now work from home. When my personal computer needed a new HDD the other day, I was glad to have the corporate laptop there to keep me connected to Blogland! This is my home office.

Where Meike's recipes are tested

The recipes you will occasionally find on my blog have been tried, tested and photographed here!

The subject of one of Meike's first posts

And one of the very first blog entries I ever published was about this little old lady.

Thank you, Cathy, for offering me the opportunity to appear on "Scene of the Blog"!

You're very welcome, Meike. Thank you so much for the tour. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I enjoyed it very much! I love all the light coming in the windows and all the greenery outside. (Can you tell I live in the desert?) That lovely "little old lady" looks as though she's waiting to help you with your next blog post!

I hope you all have enjoyed this week's Scene of the Blog-- and please don't forget to check out From My Mental Library! Stop by next Wednesday when I'll be featuring another book blogger from our worldwide community.

A Wordless Wednesday Street That's Not for the Faint of Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Click to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.

This is High Road, the highest street in Bisbee, Arizona. It's the street you travel down in order to get to the green house I posted a photo of on a previous Wordless Wednesday. Not very wide and up on the side of a mountain. As you can see, the houses on the right side of High Road extend down the mountainside and you see mostly rooftops. Due to construction down at the other end, Denis had to put the Jeep in reverse and back down High Road until he could find a place big enough to turn around in. British chauffeurs are the Best!

February New Mystery Releases!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:14:00 +0000

Having just returned from a very relaxing week down in Bisbee, Arizona, it seems as though January flew by even more rapidly than the previous months. What is there about vacation time that makes it go by so much quicker?

Even though it seems impossible, it's time to gather up all the information about the books I'm looking forward to in February. I've already gotten my hands on a few of them, and let me tell you, there's some excellent reading to be found in the month ahead!

As usual, the books are grouped by release dates, and I've included the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book spots. Here's to a brand-new year of reading!

===February 2===

Title: The Glass Room

Author: Ann Cleeves

Series: #5 Vera Stanhope set in East Yorkshire, England.

ISBN: 9780230745827

Publisher: Macmillan

Hardcover, 352 pages

*UK release*

Synopsis: "DI Vera Stanhope is not one to make friends easily, but her hippie neighbors keep her well-supplied in homebrew and conversation so she has more tolerance for them than most. When one of them goes missing she feels duty-bound to find out what happened. But her path leads her to more than a missing friend. It’s an easy job to track the young woman down to the Writer’s House, a country retreat where aspiring authors gather to workshop and work through their novels. It gets complicated when a body is discovered and Vera’s neighbor is found with a knife in her hand. Calling in the team, Vera knows that she should hand the case over to someone else. She’s too close to the main suspect. But the investigation is too tempting and she’s never been one to follow the rules. There seems to be no motive. No meaning to the crime. Then another body is found, and Vera suspects that someone is playing games with her. Somewhere there is a killer who has taken murder off the page and is making it real...."

===February 7===

Title: The Walled Flower

Author: Lorraine Bartlett

Series: #2 in the Victoria Square series set in upstate New York.

ISBN: 9780425246160

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "If Katie Bonner's late husband hadn't invested all their savings in the crafts fair Artisans Alley, the Webster mansion could have been hers to remodel into a bed-and-breakfast. Instead that dream belongs to another young couple. But that dream becomes a nightmare when a skeleton is discovered sealed in the walls of the mansion. The bones belong to Helen Winston, who went missing twenty-two years ago. Heather's aunt, a jewelry vendor at Artisans Alley, asks Kate for help finding her niece's murderer. The case may be cold, but the killer is very much alive-- and ready to go to any lengths to keep past secrets buried...."

Title: One Blood

Author: Graeme Kent

Series: #2 in the Ben Kella and Sister Conchita series set in the 1960s Solomon Islands.

ISBN: 9781616950583

Publisher: Soho Crime

Hardcover, 304 pages

*Upcoming review and author interview on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "Once again, Ben Kella has his hands full. A sergeant in the Solomon Islands Police Force, as well as an aofia, a hereditary spiritual peacekeeper of the Lau people, he’s called to investigate acts of sabotage that threaten the local operations of a powerful international logging company.

Meanwhile, Sister Conchita, a young nun with a flair for detection, has been forced to assume command of a run-down mission in the lush Western District of the Solomon Islands. When an American tourist is murdered in the mission church, she and Kella join forces to uncover the links between these goings-on and a sudden upsurge of interest in John F. Kennedy, who was once a wartime U.S. naval officer in the area but now, in 1960, thousands of miles away, about to become the thirty-fifth American President. Set in one of the most beautiful areas of the South Pacific, One Blood is the second entry in an exciting new series."

Title: Desert Wind

Author: Betty Webb
Series: #7 in the Lena Jones Private Investigator series set in Arizona.
ISBN: 9781590589816
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Paperback, 250 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "When P.I. Lena Jones’s Pima Indian partner Jimmy Sisiwan is arrested in the remote northern Arizona town of Walapai Flats, Lena closes the Desert Investigations office and rushes to his aid. What she finds is a town up in arms over a new uranium mine located only ten miles from the magnificent Grand Canyon. Jimmy’s sister-in-law, founder of Victims of Uranium Mining, has been murdered, but the opposing side is taken hits, too. Ike Donohue, the mine’s public relations flak, is found shot to death, casting suspicion on Jimmy and his entire family. During Lena’s investigation, she finds not only a community decimated by dangerous mining practices, but a connection to actor John Wayne and the mysterious deaths resulting from the 1953 filming of “The Conqueror.” Gabe Boone, a wrangler on that doomed film, is still alive, but the only person the aged man will confide in is John Wayne’s ghost. It’s up to Lena to penetrate Gabe’s defenses and find out the decades-old tragedy no one in Walapai Flats wants to talk about. By delving into the area’s history, Lena learns that old sins never die; they’re still taking lives. As with “Desert Wives: Polygamy Can Be Murder,” this seventh book in the Lena Jones series exposes real life crimes, and the reason why high-ranking government officials want those crimes to remain under wraps."

Title: Old Haunts
Author: E.J. Copperman
Series: #3 in the Haunted Guesthouse series set in New Jersey.
ISBN: 9780425246207
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "The ghosts haunting Alison Kerby's Jersey Shore guesthouse are sad. Maxie wants to know who murdered her ex-husband, and Paul pines for his still-living almost-fiancee. The only one who isn't missing her ex is Alison-- because The Swine just arrived on her doorstep...."

Title: Buried in a Book
Author: Lucy Arlington
Series: #1 in the Novel Idea series set in North Carolina.
ISBN: 9780425246191
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "After losing her job as a journalist at the age of forty-five, Lila Wilkins accepts an internship at A Novel Idea, a thriving literary agency in North Carolina. Being paid to read seems perfect to Lila, although it's difficult with the cast of quirky co-workers and piles of query letters. But when a penniless aspiring author drops dead in the agency's waiting room-- and Lila discovers a series of threatening letters-- she's determined to find out who wrote him off."

Title: No Mark Upon Her
Author: Deborah Crombie
Series: #14 in the Kincaid and James series set in England.
ISBN: 9780061990618
Publisher: William Morrow
Hardcover, 384 pages

*Upcoming review and author interview on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "When a K9 search-and-rescue team discovers a woman's body tangled up with debris in the river, Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kincaid finds himself heading an investigation fraught with complications. The victim, Rebecca Meredith, was a talented but difficult woman with many admirers—and just as many enemies. An Olympic contender on the verge of a controversial comeback, she was also a high-ranking detective with the Met—a fact that raises a host of political and ethical issues in an already sensitive case.

To further complicate the situation, a separate investigation, led by Detective Inspector Gemma James, Kincaid's wife, soon reveals a disturbing—and possibly related—series of crimes, widening the field of suspects. But when someone tries to kill the search-and-rescue team member who found Rebecca's body, the case becomes even more complex and dangerous, involving powerful interests with tentacles that reach deep into the heart of the Met itself.

Surrounded by enemies with friendly faces, pressured to find answers quickly while protecting the Yard at all costs, his career and reputation on the line, Kincaid must race to catch the killer before more innocent lives are lost—including his own."

===February 8===

Title: Gem of a Ghost

Author: Sue Ann Jaffarian
Series: #3 in the Ghost of Granny Apples series set in California.
ISBN: 9780738713816
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Paperback, 336 pages

Synopsis: "When overbearing, ultra-rich Joanna Reid demands that Emma Whitecastle get rid of the ghost of her late husband Max, a former action film star who was killed in a car accident, Emma intends to refuse. But when Joanna reveals that she thinks Max killed himself, Emma decides to help find out why the film star’s spirit has returned. Joanna may know more than she lets on, including why Lainey, her daughter with Max, has attempted suicide multiple times. Emma and Granny Apples have their “nosing about” work cut out for them in this multi-faceted, ghost-filled mystery."

===February 14===

Title: Night Rounds

Author: Helene Tursten

Series: #2 in the Detective Inspector Irene Huss series set in Goteborg, Sweden.

ISBN: 9781616950064

Publisher: Soho Crime

Hardcover, 336 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books*

Synopsis: "Irene Huss is a former Ju-Jitsu champion, a mother of twin teenage girls, the wife of a successful chef, and a Detective Inspector with the Violent Crimes Unit in Goteborg, Sweden.

One nurse lies dead and another vanishes after their hospital is hit by a blackout. The only witness claims to have seen Nurse Tekla doing her rounds, but Nurse Tekla died sixty years ago. Detective Inspector Irene Huss of the Violent Crimes Unit has the challenge of disentangling wandering ghosts and complex human relationships to get to the bottom of this intriguing case."

===February 28===

Title: Archive 17

Author: Sam Eastland

Series: #3 in the Inspector Pekkala series set in Stalinist Russia.

ISBN: 9780345525734

Publisher: Bantam

Hardcover, 272 pages

Synopsis: "It is 1939. Russia teeters on the verge of war with Germany. It is also on the brink of bankruptcy. To preserve his regime, Stalin orders a search for the legendary missing gold of Tsar Nicholas II. For this task, he chooses Pekkala, the former investigator for the Tsar. To accomplish his mission, Pekkala will go undercover, returning to Siberia and the nightmare of his own past, where he was once a prisoner in the notorious Gulag known as Borodok.

Pekkala must infiltrate a gang of convicts still loyal to the Tsar who, it is rumored, know the whereabouts of the precious gold. He soon learns that the best-kept secrets are those that no one even knows exist.

In the brutal frozen fortress where his survival once made him a myth, he begins to unravel the true identity of a murdered inmate, whose own mission to Siberia has lain buried for years deep within the mysterious Archive 17, where long-lost files obscure a shocking conspiracy that could decide the future of the Soviet Union itself. As more people die around him, Pekkala must decide where his true loyalties lie, or else take his place among the dead.

With the superb research and stunning suspense that are his trademarks, Sam Eastland delivers his most powerful Pekkala novel yet—the best in a mystery series riveting readers and reviewers alike."

That's it for this month! Have I tempted you with any of these titles???

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:57:00 +0000

Title: A Place of Secrets
Author: Rachel Hore
ISBN: 9780805094497
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks, 2012
Paperback, 400 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: B+
Source: LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program

First Line: The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again.

Auction house appraiser Jude Gower answers the telephone one afternoon at Beecham's Auctioneers in Mayfair and finds herself embarking on a dream job. At Starbrough Hall in Norfolk, England, she is to examine and price the manuscripts and instruments of an eighteenth-century astronomer. She is welcomed by Chantal Wickham, and since both have lost their husbands, Jude feels close to the older woman almost immediately. Hard times are forcing the Wickhams to sell the astronomer's works; they've already sold most of their land and the old tower that was built as an observatory by Anthony Wickham, the astronomer. It was in the tower that Anthony Wickham and his daughter, Esther, made their most amazing discoveries.

Although Jude has spent most of her life in London, her family once lived in the neighborhood of Starbrough Hall, and she feels at home there. She meets Euan, a well-known writer and naturalist, and spends as much time as she can with her sister and six-year-old niece-- who's having disturbing dreams... the same dreams that Jude had as a child. The further Jude delves into the life of Esther Wickham, the more she begins to wonder if these dreams are passed down from generation to generation. Can she possibly find the answers she needs to make the dreams stop before someone is hurt?

A Place of Secrets fleshes out the standard romantic suspense skeleton very well. Jude is a widow who's spent the past few years putting her dead husband on a pedestal. No man she's met can measure up to her memories. Euan is the perfect hero: handsome, articulate, talented... and jealously guarded by Jude's sister. Since the sisters haven't gotten along for most of their lives, Jude tries to steer clear of Euan to keep the peace. It's rather easy because the fascinating part of this book is all about Esther Wickham, a foundling who became a willing apprentice to a gifted amateur astronomer. Jude is every bit as mesmerized by Esther as the reader.

There is much said about dreams repeating themselves through the generations, but there's very little, if any, real paranormal activity going on at Starbrough Hall. The story has everything to do with how secrets fester the longer they remain hidden, with how the facts can be distorted and misinterpreted throughout the centuries. Jude proves to be an excellent detective as she catalogs the treasures that are soon to be sold. The more she learns about Esther, the more she is compelled to search for every single detail that exists. Esther is the stand-out character in this book, and she doesn't speak in dreams. She speaks the only way she can: through the documents and objects that were left behind.

Unraveling the pieces of the story and laying bare all the hidden details became my focus as I read A Place of Secrets. It was a difficult book to put down, and I find that the character of Esther haunts me still.

A Place of Secrets at Amazon.

A Place of Secrets at The Book Depository.

A Place of Secrets at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.

Are You a Hot Tub or a Pool?

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000

You Are a Pool

You expect the best from the world. You remain open to life and completely optimistic.

You believe in yourself and the people around you. You know that others can always surprise you.

You are lovable, endearing, and affectionate. People gravitate toward your positive spirit.

You’re very unique, but you meld well with a group. You are easy to get along with.

Are You a Hot Tub or Pool?

Scene of the Crime with Author John J. Lamb!

noreply@blogger.com (Cathy) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:25:00 +0000

Once upon a time, I used to collect teddy bears. Then I imported a very special one-of-a-kind English teddy bear and had to make room for his things in the house. I donated most of my collection to the local police department knowing that these lovable stuffed animals could give comfort to traumatized children. I still have some of my bears, and they get to play underneath all my Christmas trees during the holidays. When it's not that most wonderful time of the year, I do know of a place where I can get my "teddy bear fix"...

John J. Lamb and Friends

John J. Lamb's Bear Collector's mystery series. During John's career in law enforcement, he was a street cop, a hostage negotiator, a CSI, a homicide investigator, a detective sergeant, and the hostage negotiation team leader. His wife, Joyce, is a latent fingerprint expert and crime analyst. They live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where they've been known to go to a teddy bear show or two.

As you can see just from his bona fides, John has plenty of crime solving experience as well as a fondness for teddy bears. What you won't see until you pick up one of his books is that he's also a very talented writer.

I picked up the first Bear Collector mystery simply because I wanted the aforementioned teddy bear fix. As I read The Mournful Teddy, I discovered that I'd picked up a very well-written book with knowledge of both police work and teddy bears, as well as an interesting plot, a good sense of humor, and some characters that I just had to get to know better. It's my hope that you'll visit John's website to get to know him a bit better, and that you'll take the time to get your hands on one of his books and read it. Chances are very good that you'll be wanting to read the rest!

What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

That book was Star Rangers, a science fiction novel by Andre Norton. It was 1967 and I found it on the shelf at the local library. I'd never read anything like it and was engrossed from the outset. The story begins with the premise that the galactic civilization is collapsing and a Star Patrol ship crashes on an unknown planet that turns out to be Earth. I know it sounds fairly unremarkable, but there were several things about it that made it special. For starters, Norton was wonderful writer. The characters seemed like actual people--even the non-human members of the patrol. And by God, Norton knew how to end a book powerfully...something I've since learned is quite difficult to do. Up until that time, books were boring...something you had to read because an adult demanded it. After that I became a voracious reader and soon began to wonder if I could actually write a story.

Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

In spring and summer, I spend a lot of my free time working in our flower and vegetable gardens with my wife. There's something emotionally refreshing about being outside and working with the soil. I also devote a joyful hour every day to walking my three golden retrievers along back roads near the Shenandoah River. Some weekends my wife and I go to teddy bear shows. Around this time of year, we go out to orchards on the west side of valley and bring back a bushel of apples, which we soon turn into apple sauce, apple butter, and the most incredible apple pie you've ever tasted.

If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

Along Skyline Drive

My wife and I live in farm country outside of a small town in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park are about three miles to the east as the crow flies. If you decide to drive Skyline Drive through the park, come in mid-October. The autumn foliage is incredibly beautiful.

You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor

That's a hard one to answer, because I've never really given it any thought. My wife says that my jaw-line reminds her of Spencer Tracy. However, back when I worked homicide, my partner said that I looked and behaved like Gene Hackman as the character of Lex Luthor in the original Superman movie.

Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

Like so many male authors, I first became interested in the genre by reading Raymond Chandler's books. So, of course, Philip Marlowe was a great favorite. Yet, the longer I was a cop the more I found Marlowe's insouciance in the face of danger to be unbelievable. When things turn to hell and someone points a gun at you, believe me, you aren't thinking of something to say that's witty or tough. More recently, my favorite character was Inspector Frost from R.D. Wingfield's books. Inspector Frost is one of the few fictional cops who resembles a genuine homicide investigator. He's a burn-out, yet not self-pitying. He finds emotional refuge in coarse humor and works nonstop to catch the killer.

Name one book that you've read that you wish you had written. What is it about that book that made it come to mind?

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, which won the Pulitzer and was cited by Ken Burns as an inspiration for his wonderful PBS Civil War miniseries. The book had the same impact on me as Star Rangers. Shaara took a potentially hackneyed topic like the Battle of Gettysburg and turned it into a tense, thrilling, and heartbreaking book. The problem was that when I eventually started my first (and deservedly forgotten) novel, I subconsciously modeled my writing after Shaara's. It didn't work and the experience taught me a lesson. I could admire someone else's work, but I had to develop my own voice.

What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore? How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published?

My very first book was San Diego Specters, a collection of investigations into the haunted (and not-so-haunted) places of San Diego. It was 1998 and I was going to my very first book signing at a Barnes & Noble. Arriving at the shop, I saw a poster in the window that featured my book and a picture of me. I just stood there for a few seconds in awe. You work so long as a writer, hoping that someday you'll be published, so there's a certain element of unreality when you confront proof that your dream has come true.

I don't know if you've seen it, but I love Parnell Hall's video about book signings. What is the most unusual experience you've had at a book signing or author event?

I was doing a book signing at a teddy bear show near Baltimore when Dan, an old police coworker, showed up. We'd been street cops and detectives with Oceanside PD in California, back when it was one of the more violent cities in the state. Dan began telling old war stories...stories about ghastly murder scenes and fights with violent suspects, and the horribly funny things cops say to each other when confronting tragedy. The tales made the book buyers and my book vendor stare at us in shock. You see, my reputation nowadays is the smiling teddy bear guy who writes cozy mysteries. People don't know that I was a tough cop in a savage city. The funny thing is that those war stories made some people buy the books who otherwise wouldn't. The customers told me that if I could write half as well as I told a story they knew they'd enjoy the book.

The way some people talk, the only way to read now or in the future is with some sort of electronic device, like my husband's Nook. What is your opinion of eBooks, and how will they affect you as a published author?

I don't think anyone knows what the unintended consequences of the electronic revolution currently overtaking books will be. My fear is that it will eliminate bookshops, which would be a very bad thing.

Get a Copy Now!

Thank you so much for spending this time with us, John. We appreciate the opportunity to get to know you a little better.

May your book sales do nothing but increase!


from the Musical Instrument Museum