Sunday, June 20, 2010

Mailbox Monday-- It's All the Dustbuster's Fault!

This is my favorite meme, hosted by Marcia on her blog, The Printed Page. Viewing all the participants' acquisitions always leads me to new titles and new authors. If you'd like to take a look or join with the rest of us, click on that redhead to the right. She'll take you right to the heart of the action. Thanks, Marcia!

I blame it all on the dustbuster. Seriously. If I hadn't decided to buy a dustbuster from Amazon, and if I hadn't seen that promotion on books, and if I hadn't taken a look at what was available... well, you get my drift. It's all that dustbuster's fault (which works beautifully might I add).

If I hadn't been led astray, I would not have received any books this week. Instead of posting, I could float around in the pool and polish my halo.

Too bad about that halo. It really REALLY needs some polish.

This past week, I sent 5 books to new Paperback Swap (PBS) foster homes, and received 3 after a fit of weakness at Amazon. Here's the rundown on the books I received:

  1. Redneck Haiku by Mary K. Witte (Amazon). "The redneck lifestyle is exposed through the hilariously antithetical filter of formal Japanese haiku in this collection of original verses. Each of the over 100 wickedly funny poems contains just three lines and 17 syllables, yet together they address the whole spectrum of redneck culture, including RVs, Wal-Mart, beer, Pop-Tarts, pickups, monster trucks, NASCAR, boats, trailers, trailer parks, barns, hunting, shotguns, dogs, Las Vegas, and the lottery." I enjoy writing haiku, and I've been known to do a redneck thing or two, so this should be an entertaining read.
  2. The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (Amazon). "On a cold and rainy Stockholm night, nine bus riders are gunned down by a mysterious assassin. The press portrays it as a freak attack and dubs the killer a madman. But Superintendent Martin Beck thinks otherwise—one of his most ambitious young detectives was among those killed—and he suspects it was more than coincidence. Working on a hunch, Beck seeks out the girlfriend of the murdered detective, and with her help Beck reconstructs the steps that led to his murder. The police comb the country for the killer, only to find that this attack may be connected to a case that has been unsolved for years." This is one of those mysteries that I've heard nothing but good about for a long time. I thought it was finally time to get my hands on a copy.
  3. Vodka Doesn't Freeze by Leah Giarratano (Amazon). "When a middle-aged man is brutally murdered in the hills overlooking a children's pool, it is immediately clear to Sergeant Jill Jackson that someone has stopped a dangerous pedophile in his tracks. Jill is at first ambivalent about pursuing the killer, but when more men die—all of them known to police as child sex offenders—she is forced to admit that a serial killer is on the loose. As the investigation deepens, Jill unearths a long-established pedophile ring, a club of wealthy men who have thought until now that that they were untouchable. As she faces predators and their victims, a psychotherapist losing her mind, and her own nightmares come to life, Jill is forced to decide whether or not she really wants to catch this killer." Another book that I've heard a lot of good about, so it was time to bring it on home.

Have you read any of these titles? Would you recommend them? Which ones?

Now it's time for me to see all the goodies everyone else has received-- just like Christmas!

15 comments:

  1. Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö are two of my favorite crime authors. It's probably blasphemy for a lot of people, but I prefer them to Stieg Larsson...

    I think I've read almost all and also recommend "The Laughing Policeman".

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  2. Redneck Haiku sounds interesting :)

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  3. I recently mooched a copy of the laughing Policeman as I've never read any of their books and felt I ought to. Hope you like Vodka, it's grim but I really like the heroine - I have Leah Giarratano's 4th book next up on my reading pile - so glad to see an Aussie book being sold in the US.

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  4. The Laughing Policeman sounds like a real pageturner. Enjoy all your new books.

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  5. Looks like you get some good ones this week

    Here's mine

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  6. The Laughing Policeman and Vodka Doesn't Freeze sounds good!

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  7. It sounds like I need to break something so I can place an amazon order! LOL Redneck Haiku sounds hilarious! I can't wait to read that review.

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  8. Redneck Haiku sounds perfect for my brother-in-law. Must keep that in mind for a Christmas gift. LOL

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  9. The Laughing Policeman is a really fine, classical police procedural.

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  10. One thing I miss when reading posts in Google reader is people's wonderful design jobs--like yours!

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  11. Alex-- I don't think it's blasphemy. We all can't love the same authors; we're just not wired to do so. :)

    Mary-- Some of the haiku I've read are wonderful!

    Bernadette-- I don't mind grim because there's always something on my shelves to balance it out.

    Kaye-- I will. Thanks!

    Lisa-- Thanks for stopping by.

    Elysium-- I'm looking forward to reading them both.

    Kathy-- I didn't break my dustbuster; I never had one. I got tired of hauling out the big gun to do a little job!

    Anna-- LOL!

    Dorte-- I prize your recommendations, so thank you!

    RAnn-- Thank you. I know what you mean... I seldom have the time to actually visit blogs, but I will take the time if the blogger posts about a design change.

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  12. I love the title Vodka Doesn't Freeze. Makes me wonder what this one is about. Enjoy.

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  13. Wisteria-- That title is catchy. Every time I see it I think, "Yeah, I've heard that somewhere before." Probably because I've read so many books set in Russia! LOL

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  14. I have wanted to read The Laughing Policeman for a while now. I can't wait to see what you think of it.

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  15. Ryan-- If I had a dollar for every time I've seen The Laughing Policeman mentioned, I'd have a couple of free days available to read the book!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!