Arizona Ghost Stories by Antonio R. Garcez

Title: Arizona Ghost Stories
Author: Antonio R. Garcez
ISBN: 0-9740988-0-9, Red Rabbit Press, 2005
Genre: Ghost Stories
Rating: B-

First Line: Arivaca, about 11 miles north of Arizona's border with Mexico, was mapped by Father Eusebio Kino in 1695.

Author Garcez takes us on a journey through the state of Arizona. All the towns he stops in along the way are in alphabetical order, and he gives a little history of each to set the stage for the ghost stories. In addition, ghost stories from several of the Native American tribes in the state are shared.

Garcez doesn't set out to explain ghosts, and he lets each person tell his own story. If you want to read a book filled with tales that are going to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, I wouldn't pick this book up because I found it rather tame in that respect. But as a history (of sorts) of each town, I found it to be very interesting and well worth my time.

I have to confess that I did get a few cold chills reading about Bisbee and the Copper Queen Hotel. Denis and I spent our honeymoon in that historic hotel in a room on the third floor. On our way down to Bisbee, I joked with Denis, telling him that the third floor of the Copper Queen was supposedly haunted. That was the extent of my knowledge. We laughed about it for a minute or two, and then we forgot all about it.

On our second night there, I was awakened at 3 AM by what sounded like an angry Shaquille O'Neal in a pair of hob-nailed boots stomping up and down the hallway right outside our door. When it didn't stop, I got out of bed, crept over to the door, and looked out the peephole. Even though I could hear that loud, angry stomping right outside the door, I couldn't see a thing. I was immediately covered in goose flesh. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, I got back in bed, pulled the covers up to my ears and plastered myself to Denis's back. In reading Arizona Ghost Stories I discovered that I'm not the only person who's heard that ghostly stomping-- and that there are several other things going on up on the third floor of the Copper Queen.

I enjoyed this book, and even if you decide you don't need to know anything about Arizona's ghosts, I'll just bet there are books written about the ghosts in your own area. You ought to check and see!

[Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble.]

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
ISBN: 0469674328, Scholastic, 2004
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: A

First Line: Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water.

It's 1935. Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan has just moved to Alcatraz with his family, and he's not happy about it. Not one little bit:

The convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.

Moose's sister is autistic, and his mother's life revolves around the girl. They've moved to Alcatraz because his father got a better-paying job there that would allow them to send Natalie to a special school-- if they can get her accepted there.

Moose is a typical boy. He doesn't care all that much for school, and he loves playing baseball. Once they've moved to Alcatraz, Moose finds that his father is so busy picking up extra hours (and extra money) that he's too exhausted to spend time with his son. His mother has to take the boat to San Francisco every day so she can earn money needed for Natalie's schooling. Just as Moose begins to fit in with the other children on the island, Mrs. Flanagan's work hours increase, and Moose has to make sacrifices in order to take care of Natalie.

As I read this book, my heart bled for Moose. Everything in the Flanagan household revolved around Natalie and her needs. Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. No one paid attention to Moose unless he questioned the grown-ups' protocol, and then he got the kind of attention no child wants.

Choldenko's book is well-written and flows smoothly. I felt as though I were on Alcatraz during the Depression. The kids living on the island were kids: the warden's daughter was an up-and-coming con artist with her schemes to bring in some money; Moose's baseball playing buddies didn't hit a false note as they got used to their new player; and a six-year-old's explanation as to why a pregnant woman on the island needed to stay off her feet had me spluttering and cleaning tea off my monitor.

The most gratifying part of reading Al Capone Does My Shirts is the way Moose interacted with everyone and the way he began to grow up and see things through other people's eyes. Living with an autistic child is dealt with honestly, in part due to the fact that the author's sister was diagnosed with autism.

This is a book that both children and adults can enjoy. The period detail hits all the right notes, the pacing is sure and never flags, and the story is involving from first page to last. Choldenko's skill brings all these characters to life-- you commiserate with them, laugh with them, cry with them, and even try to solve their problems with them. Moose, Natalie and everyone else are real, and that's one of the best compliments I can give any author.

I've just heard about Choldenko's Al Capone Shines My Shoes. Anyone want to bet on whether or not I'll read it?

[Source: Paperback Swap.]

Inspirational Haverholme Priory As Seen By Simon Marsden

Haverholme Priory in Lincolnshire, England has some very well documented spirits. Some are known to frequent the Ghost Walk, and dogs and horses want nothing to do with a bridge at the end of a long avenue of elm trees. This area terrifies them. It's also said that Charles Dickens used Haverholme as his model for Chesney Wold in Bleak House.

Marsden's photograph once again is creepily atmospheric. That tower looming above me is watching me, daring me to come closer. Daring me to hear footsteps crunching on the gravel of the Ghost Walk. Enticing me to walk the avenue of elms down to the bridge. Something tells me I may not be brave enough to accept the challenge.

If you enjoy architecture, history, photography and things that go bump in the night as much as I do, find yourself a copy of The Haunted Realm: Ghosts, Spirits and Their Uncanny Abodes by Simon Marsden because I'm not going to turn loose of my 1987 edition! Marsden's book can be found at Amazon and on his own website and archive.

Reading about these historic and spooky old places is putting me in the perfect mood for Halloween!

Simon Marsden Visits Castle Grant

Visit Castle Grant in Scotland and you may see a ghostly piper trying to deliver news of the defeat at Culloden, or a serving maid whose tasks are never done. You may even see the small benevolent spirit of Barbara Grant who learned the consequences of defying her father's wishes. Barbara's father insisted she marry a man she did not love. When she refused to obey, he locked her in a cupboard where she was left to starve to death unless she changed her mind. She chose death.

A visit to Castle Grant might turn out to be the highlight of your holiday. In Simon Marsden's wonderful photograph, it does look foreboding-- a place of ultimatums and unhappiness.

If you'd like to read more about Castle Grant and other spine-chilling places to visit in the British Isles, grab a copy of The Haunted Realm: Ghosts, Spirits and Their Uncanny Abodes by Simon Marsden. His photography is marvelous, and the accompanying text draws you in and keeps the pages turning. The cover seen to the left is from my copy of the 1987 edition. The book has been updated and can be found at places such as Amazon or on Sir Marsden's own website where you'll also find greeting cards, calendars and other items available for purchase.

Visiting haunted houses is the perfect way for me to get in the mood for Halloween!

Scene of the Blog Featuring Jaime of Confessions of a Bibliophile!

I have one of the best jobs on the Internet-- I get to introduce some wonderful book bloggers and let them show you where they create those posts that we all love to read. Not only that, but I get to peek at their blogging spaces first!

This week my guest blogger is Jaime of Confessions of a Bibliophile. This Virginian's blog is bright, uncluttered and clean-- just like a magazine. (Heavens. See what happens when I go for a rhyme? I apologize!) I had to smile the first time I read Jaime's explanation of, not only how to spell her name, but the fact that she was a female. Fortunately I've never had the gender issue with my name, but I certainly understand the spelling part!

Jaime openly admits that she's obsessed with books. From a preference for mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction and literary fiction (which strongly resembles my own favorite genres), Jaime's been branching out into Chick Lit and Young Adult novels. Hmm... I've branched out into YA myself.... I really enjoy Confessions of a Bibliophile. If you're not already a fan, why don't you stop by Jaime's blog and say hi? Chances are you'll be adding her to your blog reader of choice!

Okie dokie. Time for me to stop hogging the spotlight and let Jaime show you where she does her blogging. (Click on the photos to view them full size.) Take it way, Jaime!

This is where I actually do most of my blogging (and knitting. and living.). The stack of books there have been waiting patiently for over a week to be cataloged and put away. I also do some blogging at work, but that would make a much less interesting picture!

This is what I see when I'm sitting in my space! Don't ask what I'm watching, I have no idea. These are just three of my 8 bookshelves, and hold primarily TBR books. Oh, and one of my cats decided to be in the photo. I don't have kids, so I have cat toys strewn about my living room.

See how woefully behind I am in my review book reading? And even more paperbacks I haven't read yet!

Books, knitting, books, television, books, comfy chair, books, laptop, books, good lighting, books, cat, books... looks like the perfect set-up to me! In my opinion there's nothing woeful about a large TBR stack (or stacks). That makes me smile. What would be woeful would be the lack of a healthy TBR. I can get the shakes just thinking about having nothing in the house to read.

I would imagine that your pets keep a pretty close eye on you while you're knitting, reading or blogging, and that they know precisely when to stage An Intervention so you don't strain your eyes. Ah yes. I used to have pets!

Thanks so much for showing us your creative space, Jaime. All of us who crave having our Inner Peeping Toms fed each Wednesday certainly thank you!

Who'll be showing off a blogging space next Wednesday? Stop by Scene of the Blog here at Kittling: Books to find out!

Wordless Wednesday

Agathla Peak (El Capitan)
Monument Valley, Arizona

Click on photo to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.

Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein

Title: Tilt-a-Whirl
Author: Chris Grabenstein
ISBN: 978-0-78671-781-1, Carroll & Graf, 2006
Genre: Police Procedural, #1 Ceepak & Boyle mystery
Rating: A

First Line: Some guys have a code they live by, some guys don't.

Sea Haven, New Jersey cops John Ceepak and Danny Boyle are eating breakfast in the Pancake Palace when a young girl covered in blood runs screaming down the middle of the street. She is Ashley Hart, and her father, millionaire Reginald Hart, has just been shot to death on the Tilt-a-Whirl ride at Sunnyside Playland. For part-timer Boyle, it will be his first murder investigation. For John Ceepak, a former M.P. recently returned from Iraq, it's far from being his first experience with violence and death.

This is another of those series that I've heard so much about from my fellow mystery-loving friends. Instead of trying to get my hands on the books immediately, I filed the info away and bided my time with lots of other books. My inner bookworm always seems to know when it's the right time for me to try a new author, and now it was time for Chris Grabenstein.

I must've read too much F. Scott Fitzgerald in my youth ("Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.") because I tend to be very distrustful of rich characters when I read mysteries. Although the plot is a strong one, it really didn't hold many surprises for me-- undoubtedly due to my own cynicism. No, the gold mine in this excellent book is its characters, Danny Boyle and John Ceepak.

Danny Boyle is such a kid. He's twenty-four, and he likes being a summer cop because he has time to spend with his buddies on the beach. He hasn't given much thought to his future, and although he may make sarcastic comments about driving Ceepak around town or the number of items Ceepak can pull out of the pockets in his cargo pants, it's obvious that Boyle has a growing case of hero worship. Ceepak is the only person Boyle knows who has a Code: "I will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate those who do."

Ceepak on the other hand seems very stiff and unapproachable, and I doubted that I'd warm up to him; however, Grabenstein gives us just enough glimpses into the character's past for his behavior to make sense. By book's end, I felt as though Danny Boyle were my kid brother and John Ceepak a man I definitely wanted to know more about.

For some strange reason this partnership of Boyle and Ceepak seemed to beg for a comparison, and after tossing aside--among others-- Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes, I finally settled on a new one: The Lone Ranger and Beaver Cleaver. (Hopefully I haven't totally alienated Tonto and Wally.) Ceepak is a loner. Life has carved big chunks out of him, and although he wants to Do Good and be a Good Example, he needs his downtime away from others. Boyle is so full of wide-eyed innocence that it's not only fun but a pleasure to watch him grow up.

These two New Jersey cops have really got their hooks in me, and I won't be satisfied until I've read every single one of their adventures!

[Book source: Paperback Swap]

The Curse of Alloa Tower

Alloa Tower in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, looms unhappily above its visitors. It has good reason to be unhappy: the hereditary curse upon the Erskines, Earls of May, has no equal as a prophecy of doom that came true almost to the last detail. What gives the curse its spine-tingling authenticity is the fact that it was well known long before the predictions came to pass.

The curse is a bit long, but here are the highlights:

The family would become extinct and their lands would be given to strangers; an Erskine would see his house burnt and his wife would die in the fire; horses would be stabled in the Great Hall; but when an ash sapling grew from the topmost stone of the tower, the curse would have run its course.

All these things came to pass, including the ash sapling which appeared between 1815 and 1820. Simon Marsden's photograph captures the unhappy atmosphere surrounding the tower to perfection.


If you'd like to read more of Alloa Tower and its curse-- along with all the histories and photographs of the other buildings in the book, find yourself a copy of The Haunted Realm: Ghosts, Spirits and Their Uncanny Abodes by Simon Marsden. The book cover you see to the left is from my personal copy of the 1987 edition. It has been updated and can be found at Amazon as well as Sir Marsden's own website and archive-- where you will also be able to find other items that just might tickle your fancy.

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

You Speak Aussie Slang

Aussie Slang: 100% British Slang: 75% Canadian Slang: 75% Prison Slang: 50% Victorian Slang: 50% Southern Slang: 25%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

I've had people tell me that I talk funny. I guess they knew what they were talking about!

Watton Priory Through the Eyes of Simon Marsden

Watton Priory in East Yorkshire is my kind of house: it's riddled with secret cupboards and passages and there is also a river running beneath the building. Although the house is mainly in the style of the Tudors, it also incorporates the remains of an eighth-century nunnery and a medieval priory. You would expect a house such as this to have several ghosts-- and it does--but the two "stars" are both women grieving over their lost children.

If you want to read more about this fascinating (if spooky) house, you'll have to get your hands on a copy of Simon Marsden's The Haunted Realm: Ghosts, Spirits and Their Uncanny Abodes. You can find it at Amazon, or you can go directly to Sir Marsden's website where you can find other items such as greeting cards and prints available for purchase.

But before I leave you, I just have to take another look at Watton Priory. There's something rather judgmental and anticipatory in the way the house sits there. I could swear the house is watching me. Waiting for me.

Some people don't care for black and white photography, and I tend to be one of them. But there are times when it's perfect. Black and white photography is absolutely perfect for these places with sad and tragic histories, don't you agree?

Mailbox Monday-- Almost Nothing to Write Home About!

I almost didn't have anything to post about today! Last week, I sent 4 books to new Paperback Swap foster homes, and I only received 1 in return. It's not going to take me long to give you the rundown!


First though, I'd like to thank Marcia of The Printed Page for hosting this weekly meme. When I first began blogging, I used to participate in a lot of memes. Now I only participate in two, so you know how much I enjoy Mailbox Monday!


Here's the scoop on the one lone book that I found in my mailbox last week:


A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church (PBS). "Inspector O, a North Korean state police officer, is given an unusual assignment: go to a certain part of a certain road at dawn and photograph a certain vehicle. Little does he suspect that this seemingly inconsequential task will escalate into a case that will lead him to risk his job, and his life. The (pseudonymous) author, a veteran intelligence officer, has intimate knowledge of Asian life and politics, and it shows: he gives the North Korea setting a feeling of palpable reality, depicting the nature of daily life under a totalitarian government not just with broad sociopolitical descriptions but also with specific everyday details. Inspector O is completely believable and sympathetic, a working cop who isn't entirely sure he believes in the things his government tells him to believe in."

That's all, folks! Stop by next Monday when the acquisitive side of my bookaholism hopes I have a much longer list of books about which to tell you!

Haiku Getsu-youbi #2

Simon Marsden Looks at Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey on the Yorkshire coast has to be one of the most atmospheric places in England, and Simon Marsden's black and white photograph captures it perfectly. Whitby's ghosts? An ancient coach pulled by four headless horses which races along the clifftop near the abbey before plunging over the cliff into the dark water below. Constance de Beverley (Sir Walter Scott's Marmion) who violated her vows and was bricked up alive in a Whitby Abbey dungeon. Those are only two of the spirits who call the abbey home.

What makes Whitby Abbey so special for readers? Bram Stoker visited once and was so impressed that he was inspired to write Dracula.

The next time I'm in the UK, I definitely want to visit Whitby Abbey, but in the meantime, I do love looking closely at Simon Marsden's photograph. The photograph alone can scare me! If you'd like to see and read more on the subject, you need to find a copy of The Haunted Realm: Ghosts, Spirits and Their Uncanny Abodes by Simon Marsden. The book can be found at places such as Amazon, or at Sir Marsden's website where you'll also find posters, prints, calendars and other items that are available.

Weekly Link Round-Up

Today I'm really multi-tasking: working at various tasks online while I'm listening to panels and joining in text chat at the Poisoned Pen Web Convention that's taking place all day long. For a mystery lover like me, it's wonderful to hear so many of my favorite authors. I'm learning and enjoying, and I certainly hope there's a repeat event next year!

One thing that I've noticed this week is that everyone is so wound up with Dewey's Read-a-thon that there hasn't been all that much news. In a way, it's a shame. In another, it just helps me out with this post. (Please no hate mail! The read-a-thon is a marvelous event, and I do not mean to infer anything else!)

Books in the News

• Emily at Skylight Books has an excellent post about the ongoing Amazon vs. Wal-Mart bestseller price war.
• The New York Times also talks about the price wars.
• Sweden had 91 murders last year... and 84 crime novels. There's an interesting post about this at the Globalpost.

Blogging Tips and Social Media

• The Seven Deadly Sins of Twitter.
• 11 Tips for Getting Your Comments Noticed on a Popular Blog.
• 10 Simple Ways to Show Kindness Online.
• What Have I Done for You Lately?
• Don't Be a Greedy Blogger.

Around the Water Cooler in the Book Blogosphere

• Ryan of Wordsmithonia has an excellent series of Halloween-themed posts. One of my favorites is: 10 Kids I Will Not Babysit.
• Natalie of Book Line and Sinker wants to know What Books Scare You?

New to My Google Reader

• My Porch
• The True Book Addict
• The Fiction Vixen
• Janel's Jumble

That's it for this week. Stop by next week when I'll have a whole new bunch of links for you to take a look at!

Celebrate Halloween with Simon Marsden's The Haunted Realm

This year I'm doing something a bit different for Halloween-- partly because I was nosing around on my shelves and came across one of my favorite books.

This is my 1987 edition of Simon Marsden's The Haunted Realm: Ghosts, Spirits and Their Uncanny Abodes. In researching what I wanted to do, I learned that Simon Marsden is now a Sir, and he has his own website: Simon Marsden Photographer & The Marsden Archive.

Not only has The Haunted Realm been updated, but now there are calendars, prints, greeting cards, DVDs, and posters available for purchase. I love his atmospheric photographs, and something tells me that I'll soon be visiting his website to make further purchases!

Starting tomorrow (Sunday), I'm going to be featuring one house per day from The Haunted Realm, giving you a taste of marvelous photography and hauntings until Saturday when I will feature my own photography and a tale of one of my English family ghosts from West Yorkshire. I do hope you'll join me in this week-long celebration of the otherworldly!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Marsden Archive for allowing me to use a few photographs from my edition of the book. I'd also like to remind everyone always to ask before using anyone else's work. It's the right-- and the only-- thing to do!

Ghost Puppy

Have you ever had something happen that defies explanation? I certainly have! Halloween's not very far away, so I thought this was a good time to tell y'all about

Ghost Puppy

My mother and I moved into this house in the late spring of 1981 along with my black toy poodle, Jeremy. Jeremy chose me to be his best buddy when he was three months old. In the spring of 1981 he was ten, and we'd spent very little time apart. We'd had many adventures together, and we'd have many more. When I wasn't at work, Jeremy was right by my side. Wherever I was, he was, so those rare occasions when he was ticked off at me always hit me hard.

Yes, once in a blue moon that little fur ball would wake up totally infuriated with me. He didn't want to look at me. He didn't want to be anywhere near me, and he certainly didn't want to hear the sound of my voice. When you spend most of your waking hours (and all your sleeping hours) joined at the hip with your best buddy, it's really tough to take when all of a sudden you're persona non grata. Mom would joke around about it and say that those were the only times when Jeremy ever paid her any attention, but that little fellow doing that really hurt my feelings! I would obsessively think back over all my behavior, trying to pinpoint what made him mad at me.

We'd settled into our new space well. Once in a while Mom and I might've caught a glimpse of something out of the corners of our eyes, but we didn't talk about it. After all, it couldn't really be anything... could it?

Unfortunately Jere woke up one morning mad at me. Perhaps he had a bad dream in which I had a starring role. Whatever the reason, he wanted nothing to do with me.

When I came home from work, it was more of the same. I was getting the silent treatment while that little black hairball snuggled in Mom's lap. I went out and swam for a bit, then took a shower and went to bed. After reading for about an hour, I turned out the light and decided to go to sleep. Not having a three-pound canine by my left hip certainly brought home the fact that I was lonely-- and still couldn't figure out what horrible thing I'd done to warrant this treatment!

About an hour later, I heard the jingle of Jeremy's dog tags out in the hallway as he shook himself. I didn't say a word because if he was no longer mad at me, I didn't want to give him any reason to change his mind. I heard him come into the bedroom to the foot of the bed where he shook himself once again. I smiled. He wanted to make sure I was awake for his grand entrance, the little devil! I laid still and didn't make a sound.

He walked around to the side of the bed, snorted, and the next thing I felt was his front paws striking the side of the mattress-- almost as if he were asking for help up. The second time I felt that thump, I couldn't stand it any longer. I patted the bed right by my hip and said, "Whatsa matter, kid-- eat too much supper?" Thump! went his paws against the mattress.

"Got a catch in your get-along and need a hand up, huh?" I teased. Before I could move, he jumped up on the bed. Instead of coming to his usual spot by my hip, he moved to the foot of the bed closest to the door, circled around three times, laid down and sighed. Oh well. He might not be in his spot, but at least he was getting over his mad. That was the important thing. "'night, Jere," I said as I drifted to sleep almost immediately.

I woke up an hour later and got up to get a drink of cold water. When I got out of bed, I noticed that Jeremy wasn't there. When I walked down to the kitchen and got a glass out of the cupboard, there was Mom sitting in the family room, knitting, with Jeremy sitting on her lap. He was glaring at me.

"Boy, that didn't last long."

Mom looked over at me. "What didn't last long?" she asked.

"Well, I thought Jere was over his mad because he came down and got in bed with me for a while about an hour ago."

Mom looked at me as though I'd lost my last marble. "I don't know what you're talking about because Jeremy hasn't been out of my lap once in the past three hours! I think he's taken root and will have to be surgically removed," she said.

"Jere's been in here all evening? He hasn't left once?"

"No, he hasn't. I'm really ready for him to get over being mad at you!" she replied.

I walked back down to my bedroom. I got in bed and pulled the covers up to my nose.

If Jeremy was in the family room... what got in bed with me an hour ago?

bookfinds @ Kittling: Books

It never ceases to amaze me how I continue to find books without really making an effort to look for them. It all boils down to having the right newsletters land in my inbox, I suppose. Checking Paperback Swap's Daily Wish List can also alert me to new books, and of course I pay attention to the titles recommended on my favorite book blogs!

[Well now, that was a first. I just looked out in time to see a butterfly fly over the birdbath and scare off the birds that were perched on the rim. Must be the Arnold Schwarzenegger of butterflies!]

Anyway, let's get back to books. I thought I'd share three titles with you that I've just learned about:


Brady, Rachel. Final Approach (Poisoned Pen $25 Oct. 30). A grieving Emily Locke, knocked way off course four years ago by the boating accident that killed her husband and baby daughter, hears from Richard Cole. Cole was a cop working a case where Emily had helped recover a kidnapped child. She’s still furious with Cole, now a PI, about his conduct of the case. But Cole asks for her help for another missing child. It will require her to
perform undercover reconnaissance at a skydiving establishment near Houston, nearly 1000 miles away. Shaky but resolute, Rachel agrees, posing as a new recruit to NASA and a genuine skydiving enthusiast when she arrives at the airstrip.



Goodman, Pete. Smoking Frog Lives (Cambri $15 Nov. 8). The scene is Yaxnax, a minor Maya city, abandoned for over a thousand years. Someone dressed as Smoking Frog, a great war chief of the pre-classic period, decapitates a bound captive in a Maya ritual slaying. Nick Michaels, a private investigator is trying to change professions, but his old life will not go quietly. His career in archaeology will have to wait while he chases the elusive Smoking Frog. Finally, Nick discovers what Smoking Frog is looking for, an ancient statue of Tlaloc, the Maya god of blood and blood sacrifice. Knowing this, Nick stages a long con. He lures Smoking Frog to a meeting at a sacred cenote where the location of the statue will be revealed and captures him in an explosive finish. Smoking Frog Lives features a terrific sense of place and exotic details, including native hallucinogens and poisons in a rousing PI/adventure novel with an authentic Maya setting.


Dudgeon, Piers. Neverland: JM Barrie, The DuMauriers, and the Dark Side of Peter Pan. (Pegasus $27). This expose of Barrie’s “fascination and obsession with the Du Maurier family” is supposed to be “a shocking study of greed and psychological abuse, as we observe Barrie as he applies these lessons in mind control to captivate George’s daughter Sylvia, his son Gerald, as well as their children— who became the inspiration for the Darling family in Barrie’s immortal Peter Pan. Barrie later altered Sylvia’s will after her death so that he could become the boys’ legal guardian, while pushing several members of the family to nervous breakdown and suicide. Barrie’s compulsion to dominate was so apparent to those around him that D. H. Lawrence once wrote: "J. M Barrie has a fatal touch for those he loves. They die.” Wow.



Thanks once again to the Poisoned Pen for adding books to my wish list!

I Blame Paperback Swap!

Week after week in my Mailbox Monday posts, I tell you how many books come into the house and how many go out. Paperback Swap is the major reason for both the arrivals and the departures. To date, you've only seen my TBR shelves that are bursting at the seams. Those photos were shared during Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Since you haven't seen the shelves in my library, you have no real idea of the effect Paperback Swap has had on that particular room. I thought I would dig up Before and After photos to show you just what has happened to my library shelves since joining.

[I'll warn you that most of the Before photos were taken during the 2007 holiday season, so pardon the decorations. Most bookaholics can ignore fripperies and focus on the books, so I don't think I'll throw too many of you into It's Too Soon to See That!!! Syndrome. Also...don't forget that you can click on each photo to view it full size.]


FAR LEFT: The bookcase on the far left holds non-fiction, and you can see that I haven't parted with very much on those shelves. The bookcase on the right is the beginning of my fiction shelves, authors A to B to be precise. It's not exactly stuffed, however....

LEFT: Look at the difference now! There are some major gaps on those shelves, aren't there?


FAR LEFT: The bookcase with the motorcycle helmet on top is Fiction, Authors C-D. There's a shoji-type screen in the corner and the books continue on in the next bookcase.

LEFT: You can see some gaps on the shelves of the first bookcase, but you can tell that I haven't really gone through the books on the next one, can't you?



FAR LEFT: In this group of photos, the major thing to look at is the row of books on top of the 3-shelf bookcases. Full up, aren't they?

LEFT: In this photo, you can see that the top row has been reduced by half (I ain't gettin' rid of my Jasper Ffordes and F. Scott Fitzgeralds!) and there are major gaps in the shelves below.


FAR LEFT: Get a load of that top shelf now! Compared to the Before photo, there's scarcely a book up there, and I'd like to keep it that way. Most of the books in the bookcase units are leaning in one direction or another, too.

LEFT: Just thought I'd show you more gaps. That third shelf holds Harry Potter, and I don't think he's going anywhere either!


Hopefully you can see the success I've had with Paperback Swap now that you've been able to take a look at Before and After. I do have bulging TBR shelves, and the fiction that I do have is being pared down to my all-time favorite books-- the books I would re-read when I feel so inclined. The other books have been traded via Paperback Swap, or they've been donated to places where they are needed and will be read and appreciated.

You haven't seen all of my bookcases, by the way. There are nine more. Big ones. I would like to be able to condense all my books so that they would fit into the library. We shall see if I can make that come true.

If any of you would like more info or tips on using Paperback Swap, please ask. And don't forget: these are the shelves of someone who had been a dedicated book hoarder for decades! I need a strong presence of books about me to feel truly comfortable and at home. I've parted with close to one thousand books, and I'm not even close to breaking out in hives.

Flesh House by Stuart MacBride

Title: Flesh House
Author: Stuart MacBride
ISBN: 9780007244553, Harper Collins, 2009
Genre: Police Procedural, #4 Logan McRae mystery
Rating: A

First Line: "No, you listen to me: if my six-year-old son isn't back here in ten minutes I'm going to come round there and rip you a new arsehole, are we clear?"

When the newest Stuart MacBride mystery arrives here at Casa Kittling, I feel as though Fort Knox has just delivered another gold bar. Yes, I love these books, but if a blend of (often) black humor and very gruesome scenes aren't your thing, save yourself some time and skip this review.

Detective Sergeant Logan McRae works the mean streets of Aberdeen, Scotland, and he'd probably tell you that police headquarters is often more dire than the streets. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, a strong sense of duty, and he often has brilliant flashes of intuition. He is also a piece of taffy pulled between two of the most obnoxious detective inspectors you'll ever find in crime fiction-- and they both have death grips on him. If I were McRae, sooner or later I'd snap and wear my "Some Mornings It's Not Worth Chewing Through the Restraints" t-shirt to work where I'd tell both inspectors exactly what I thought of them as I turned in my warrant card.

Twenty years ago "The Flesher" was butchering people all over the UK until the Grampian Police put him in prison. It's eleven years later, he's out on appeal, and now he's missing and people are being turned into oven-ready joints again. When members of the original investigation team begin disappearing, McRae realizes that the case might not be as clear cut as everyone else seems to think.

Flesh House begins slowly and continues to build-- typical MacBride. Most of the humor is in the first half of the book. I've begun to think of this as a diversionary tactic. MacBride wants you to keep laughing while he moves his chess pieces into position all over the board. Hopefully by the time you wipe the tears from your eyes and calm down, his trap is set and you don't have a prayer of escape. Me? I'm a sheep to the slaughter when it comes to this particular crime fiction writer. He can be hilarious. I'll give you a few examples. You'll either agree that he's brilliant, or you'll look at both of us as if we forgot to don our strait jackets this morning...

Logan had met their state-of-the-art security system-- it was a sixty-eight-year-old man called Harold. Logan had sneezed more alert things than him.

Which sounded incredibly unlikely to Logan: Insch wouldn't ask for help if his crotch was on fire. From the look on her face, Isobel didn't believe it either.

As Logan watched, Detective Constable Simon Rennie boogied his way past them, doing a pretty good impersonation of an octopus being electrocuted.

This is MacBride's most complex mystery yet, and since cannibalism is one of the strong themes running throughout the book, I'm wondering how many fans he lost with Flesh House . He definitely doesn't sugar coat the theme. (I have a very high tolerance of such things, and it even bothered me a time or two.) But I kept reading because I love his writing and I love the character of Logan McRae. The slapstick, the underlying seriousness, the gruesome scenes are all woven into stories that I can't resist. A carrot was dangled in front of McRae in this book, and it seems to have changed his way of thinking a bit. All the threads weren't tied off neatly at the end, so I'm just going to have to see what happens in the next book.

I can't wait.

The Writing Class by Jincy Willett

Title: The Writing Class
Author: Jincy Willett
ISBN: 9780312330668, Thomas Dunne Books, 2008
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Rating: C+

First Line: Lumbers into class five minutes late, dragging, along with her yard-wide butt, a beat-up vinyl briefcase stuffed with old notebooks.

Amy Gallup used to be a contender. A published and award-winning writer at the age of twenty-two, she now exists by writing blurbs for other authors' books and by teaching creative writing classes for the local university's extension program. Her former life is gone: no career, no husband, just a grumpy, flatulent basset hound who barely tolerates her.

This semester's class is filled with the usual suspects: a doctor who wants to be the next Robin Cook, the enthusiastic repeat student, the slacker, the know-it-all, and so on. Amy's seen them all before. But when students start getting threatening phone calls in the middle of the night and frightening pranks pulled on them out in the parking lot, Amy knows that this class is different. When one of the students is murdered, the class bands together to discover who among them is the killer.

The Writing Class really didn't work as a mystery for me because it took very little thought to realize whom the killer had to be. The occasional chapters written from the killer's point of view were very jarring and pulled me out of the story instead of raising suspense. Where the book did succeed was with the character of Amy herself. She is very well-drawn and comes to life on the page as the details of her life unfold.

Another flash of brilliance was during the class lectures. There is a gold mine of writing tips contained in Amy's lectures, and the information is given in a very entertaining and often laugh-out-loud funny style.

If you pick up this book wanting a strong, solid mystery, you may be in for disappointment. If you pick it up wanting a story about a truly involving character who just happens to give great advice on writing, you should enjoy The Writing Class.

Scene of the Blog Featuring TJ of Book Love Affair!

I have the pleasure of welcoming TJ of Book Love Affair to Scene of the Blog today. TJ's blog has a nice clean layout that does an excellent job of making her posts and graphics stand out. Besides reviews and giveaways, she has a weekly series called Monday Coming Attractions which tends to be very interesting reading. (For example, this week she talks about her experience with a Sony e-reader, and she managed to nail my own thoughts on the subject.)

Another reason I like to stop by her blog is the chance to see Remy... but more of Remy later!

If you haven't met TJ or read her blog, after you read this edition of Scene of the Blog, I hope you make a point of stopping over at Book Love Affair to say hi. Chances are you'll have another addition to your blog reader of choice!

Let's take a look at TJ's creative spaces, shall we? Don't forget that you can click on all the photos to view them full size.

This image is of me in San Francisco (which I live near). I often go there for book signings, readings, etc.

This is called the 'command center'. I think it has some sort of video game connotation, as both my husband and I are avid gamers, but I have no idea which game. I like to keep my desk in a state of ordered chaos. Meaning, I know where everything is and no matter how messy it looks, it has some sort of system! The pile of books farthest to the right are all university related. Every other stack is apart of my to be read pile (the books with the spines facing the photo are my 'read these first' section). On the wall are all posters that have been gifted to me over time. To the left is a posted of Rorschach from the Watchmen movie (though I love both graphic novel and movie), center is a The Dark Knight movie poster, and to the right is my Doctor Who poster from season two. Looking closer, you'll see that I keep notes on post-its that I attach to my monitor. These often have to do with ideas for future blog posts or reminders of what books I need to review.

The computer itself is my beloved Dell XPS 420, which has been affectionately named 'The Beast' (and if anyone knows that reference, a cookie to you). It's by far the best computer I've ever invested in and I love it to pieces.

Also, I drink Coke products as if my life depending on it. I switch between Coca-Cola Zero and Sprite Zero, but they're fixtures as much as my computer!

And sometimes, when I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll go into the library/office and write out a blog post or review by hand. Sometimes it just feels nice to be with my books!

(Why do I get the insane idea that I could sneak into TJ's library, grab the books I want and then make my getaway on that bike?) She sits by a nice large window, which makes me wonder about her view. I love the artwork on the walls above her desk, and I certainly love those piles of books... and those stuffed bookcases! Sheer bliss! Like so many of the rest of us, TJ's love affair with books is clearly reflected in her home.

By the way, if you saw something furry in the bottom left hand corner of the second photo, you managed to catch a glimpse of Remy before the cuddly one dodged out of camera range!

Thank you so much, TJ, for allowing this glimpse into your creative spaces. We really appreciate it!

This week California, next week....??? Stop by next Wednesday to see which book blogger's creative space will be spotlighted on Scene of the Blog!

Wordless Wednesday

The Mittens
Monument Valley, Arizona

Click photo to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Title: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Author: John Boyne
ISBN: 0385610319, David Fickling Books, 2006
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Rating: C

First Line: One afternoon, when Bruno came home from school, he was surprised to find Maria, the family's maid-- who always kept her head bowed and never looked up from the carpet-- standing in his bedroom, pulling all his belongings out of the wardrobe and packing them in four large wooden crates, even the things he'd hidden at the back that belonged to him and were nobody else's business.

Bruno is the son of a high-ranking SS officer in Nazi Germany. He and his older sister, Gretel, are growing up in luxury in Berlin when Hitler promotes their father and they find themselves moving to "Out-With" in Poland. Neither of the children have any idea what sort of place Out-With (Auschwitz) is, and they wonder what in the world all the people dressed in striped pajamas are doing on the other side of that tall fence. One day Bruno goes exploring and meets Shmuel, a young boy wearing striped pajamas who lives on the other side of the fence. They become friends.

I had heard many good things about this book, and I looked forward to reading it. If it's read at face value and as if it's a fable, it can be a very powerful book indeed. However, I had problems with it. 99% of the time I have no trouble with my "willing suspension of disbelief." I can turn off my judgement and let the writer tell me a story, and I'll believe it... as long as nothing throws me out of the narrative. I kept getting tossed out of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and I still have a few scrapes and bruises from the experience.

The character who kept kicking me in the shins was Bruno. I found it impossible to believe that the nine-year-old son of a high-ranking Nazi would be so totally naive about Jews, Hitler, and almost everything else going on in the world around him. Putting that aside, Bruno was a spoiled, petty little brat who-- on rare occasions-- showed a glimmer of humanity, but when push came to shove, he did and said anything in his power to save his own neck. His air of entitlement made him impossible for me to like. (In fact the only character in the book that truly came to life for me was Pavel, the prisoner forced to peel potatoes and wait on the family at table.)

The ending of the book is indeed powerful. Since I normally try my best not to give plot details away, I won't say anything about it here. I'll only mention my own reaction:

You reap what you sow.

Although I did have problems with The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, I am glad that I read the book. I have a feeling that, in this particular case, Boyne's novel would've worked better if I had been a tween or a teenager with less baggage and fewer firmly held beliefs.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ISFP)

Your personality type is caring, peaceful, artistic, and calm. Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 8% of all women and 6% of all men. You are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Mailbox Monday-- As Summer Lingers On

It's heading toward the end of October, right? Just checking because it was 102 degrees Fahrenheit here Saturday. I'm beginning to wonder which season Phoenix is going to skip entirely: autumn or winter!

Last week I sent 6 books out to new Paperback Swap foster homes and received 4. My PBS wish list has slowed down a bit. Here's the scoop on the books I found in my mailbox last week:

--Come Death and High Water by Ann Cleeves (PBS). For anyone who read my review of The Crow Trap last week, you know that I'm a fan of Ann Cleeves, regardless of the mystery series she writes. This is the second book in her George and Molly Palmer-Jones birdwatching series. I enjoyed the first one and am looking forward to reading this book.

--One Grave Too Many by Beverly Connor (PBS), the first in the Diane Fallon forensic mystery series. "With spot-on details, a smart new voice, and ingenious plot twists, Beverly Connor has been compared to the hottest crime writers on the scene. Now, she ratchets up the suspense with a brand new series featuring one of today's most cunning and complex sleuths: forensic anthropologist Diane Fallon. Her new job as director of the RiverTrail Museum of Natural History in Georgia takes Diane out of the game-until a former love and a murdered family bring her back in."

--Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver (PBS), the second in the Kathryn Dance mystery series (if you don't count her appearance in one of the Lincoln Rhyme books). "Dance, an agent with the California Bureau of Investigation, gets an eye-opening education in some of the hottest areas of the cyberworld. After an auto accident kills two teens, vicious smears of Travis Brigham, the teen driver deemed responsible but not charged in the accident, appear on the Chilton Report, a popular blog. After one of the accusing bloggers barely survives an assault, Brigham becomes a person of interest. Brigham disappears, and attacks, each preceded by a crude roadside cross, spread to other Chilton bloggers. Meanwhile, Dance also looks into a mercy killing at Monterrey Bay Hospital that takes an unexpected turn, and Robert Harper, a special prosecutor from the attorney general's office in Sacramento, begins an investigation that will affect her."

--Runner by Thomas Perry (PBS), the latest in the Jane Whitefield mystery series. "Whitefield, a Native American living a quiet life as the wife of a surgeon in upstate New York, is retired from her under-the-radar work as a “guide,” someone who helps people in peril vanish from their pursuers. Then a bomb explodes during a hospital fund-raiser, and Jane discovers that the explosion was directed at a pregnant young woman, a “runner” desperately in need of disappearing. Back in the game but having lost more than a step (cell phones and ubiquitous databases, among other technological innovations, have dramatically changed the business of disappearing), Jane sets out to guide one more runner to safety. Naturally, it doesn’t go as planned, and rather than protecting the hunted, Jane becomes the hunter."

Marcia of The Printed Page hosts this fun weekly meme, so if you want to join in or find out what other bloggers discovered in their mailboxes, click on the redhead in the flirty skirt at the top of this post. You'll be taken right to The Printed Page. Thanks, Marcia!

Haiku Getsu-youbi

Once again I thought I would share a haiku I wrote back in the late 1970s. It's been so long since the poor thing's been out I thought it needed some fresh air!