Want To Go Private? Sarah Darer Littman

length 330 pages

Abby is feeling lost these days, starting high school, a bratty sister and parents that don't pay enough attention to her. To top it all off her BFF Faith has found new friends while Abby lags behind. Soon Abby meets Luke online and everything spirals out of control.

Queen Of Hearts martha Brooks

length 211 pages
Marie-Claire is 15 when she is diagnosed with TB and send to a Sanatorium. She witnesses the decline of others while struggling with her own illness and finds that sometimes you have to open your heart to heal. 

"First Drop of Crimson" by Jeaniene Frost

Wow, what a book!  This is the first in a series of spinoffs from Frost's popular Night Huntress series, which is on my list to read.  She writes an action filled story centered on Denise, a human whose family is being targeted by a demon double-crossed by one of her ancestors, now an immortal nowhere to be found.  The demon has infected her with some of his essence and only her delivery of this mystery relative to him will free her and save the rest of her family.  She enlists the help of Slade, a Master Vampire with a tragic past.  Their growing attraction to each other complicates the dangerous situations with living, dead, and undead beings.  Tons of action, suspense, and thrills kept me reading when I should have been doing something more productive.  This book reminds me a lot of Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series.  Highly recommended.  371 pages.

"The Third Circle" by Amanda Quick

Part of the Arcane Society novels, this book deals with Leona Hewitt, a crystal worker with paranormal talents.  She's in search of the aurora stone, a powerful crystal that belongs to her family but was stolen from her mother when she was murdered.  Thaddeus Ware is a mesmerist who uses his powers of hypnosis to solve crimes for the Arcane Society.  He is also after the aurora stone but for different reasons.  I enjoyed this novel for its two lead characters with paranormal powers and for Leona's loyal dog, Fog, who has powers of his own.  418 pages.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Here is one of the titles I missed while growing up. I didn't read the book, missed the movies and only recall bits and pieces from commercials. Somehow I don't think my life was deprived as a result, though. What a crazy imagination the author has! 96 pages.

Bachelor's Puzzle by Ginger Chambers

I ran across this book at a used book sale and couldn't resist. The plot involves a library director, water damage in a library, and a library building project. It also involves romance and sibling machinations. It lived up to my expectations of a light read with nothing world-changing. This is part of a series that involves an ongoing mystery, but I'm not interested enough to check out the other titles. 298 pages.

Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See

Pearl Chin and her sister May are two modern young women of 1937 Shanghai. They live a carefree life, at home with their parents, earning money as models for calendars and advertisements and enjoying nightlife with their friends. Their world is torn apart when they sold off as brides to the sons of a Chinese-American merchant, as payment for their father's gambling debts. At the same time, Japan invades China, and the girls witness the horrors of war and are themselves engulfed in them. The story follows the girls as they escape to America and join the household of their husbands and their parents, only to find that the older son is a 'paper' son, not a U.S. citizen, so they are in danger of deportation. I found the story more interesting for the picture of Chinese life in Shanghai and 1940's Los Angeles, than for the rather melodramatic and contrived plot. 336 pages.

"Pictorial Folk History of Jefferson City, Missouri 1890-1900" by Joseph S. Summers, Jr.

This little book of JC history is in our Missouri Authors Collection.  I checked it out because I enjoy seeing old photographs of familiar towns, especially if many of the buildings are still standing.  That's definitely the case with JC.  Covering 1890-1900, the author has compiled many old photos and drawings of JC landmarks, including buildings now in use by state government.  Panoramic photos taken from the top of the old Capitol building as well as those of downtown High Street crowded with citizens (almost all of whom are wearing hats!) were the most interesting.  96 pages.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

Posted for Paul Mathews

The kid wants to gamble, he got a system, he’s set-up, he dies, so starts this book it has a theft ring, dirty cops, un-fateful husband, and her life is saved by someone you wouldn’t suspect. Another vintage Sue Grafton.  400 pages,  audio book 16 hrs 7 min.

Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler

Posted for Paul Mathews

A well presented book by 12 mystery writers I didn’t know and 5 I did. Amusing, humorous, deductive, and even the cat helps to solve one, but I won’t say which story it was.  245 pages, listening time 8 hours.

Airhead by Meg Cabot

This was a pretty good book. I can't wait to read the next one because the ending is a cliffhanger. It is about a girl named Emerson Watts. She has a brain transplant and the funny thing is her brain is transplanted into a supermodels body. She has to learn how to change everything about her life. The doctors tell everyone that she has amnesia that is why she can't remember anything. She goes from an average teenager to a supermodel in a month. Plus she has to pretend like she doesn't know anyone even though she does. It is a good read. It has 352 pages.

"Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year - 2012 Edition" edited by Charles Brooks

I found this book while browsing the stacks at MRRL, and, as I've enjoyed editorial cartoons for a long time, checked it out.  It is divided into chapters by subject and includes cartoons from papers all over the country, including three from Jim Dyke of the Jefferson City News-Tribune.  Not all of them are political as sports, crime, entertainment, and other issues are covered. I really enjoyed this book although I was disappointed that RJ Matson, Lee Judge, and John Darkow were not included, although freelance cartoonist Bob Unell from the Kansas City Star was with three.  202 pages.

Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith

In this second installment of the series, we continue to follow the lives of the people who live at 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. Bertie still has an impossible mother. Pat still can't quite figure out what to do with her life. Bruce is his usual narcissistic self. Domenica is getting restless. I don't know why I am drawn to this series. It really moves fairly slowly. Some of the characters are tiring. I guess it is the gentle nature of the storyteller and the psychological insights that keep me coming back for more. 368 pages.

"Listening to Rural Midwstern Idioms/Folk Sayings" by Bob Bohlken

This short book is in our Missouri Authors Collection and is a real disappointment.  The author, who has a PhD from KU and taught at NWMSU in Maryville, claims that this is a guide to rural Midwestern folk sayings, but he lists no proof that they originated in the Midwest.  For example, according to the Phrase Finder web site, the first known use of "let the cat out of the bag" in print is in a 1760 edition of The London Magazine.  Additionally, there's a whole chapter of very widely used sayings which originated in sports, and there is no proof of Midwestern origins for any of them.

The book appears not to have had an editor as there are spelling and punctuation errors.  Many of the idioms appear more than once, although in different chapters, and seem to be padding the book.  The entry for each one has an allusion which explains its literal meaning and a reference to what it now means.  An example of the idiom in a sentence ends each entry.  Most of the allusions were completely unneeded.  For example, in the entry "put his foot in his mouth," the author writes "alludes to an unusual and difficult act."  Really?  That tells me nothing about the saying.  I'd much rather know the origin than the literal meaning.

Another complaint is that the author continually explains the sayings as nouns, especially people, rather than verbs, adjectival phrases, or adverbial clauses.  In the previous example, "put his foot in his mouth", he writes, "refers to someone who gets into trouble by saying the wrong thing."  I believe that the saying is a verb, not a "someone," which is a noun.   Another example is the entry for the saying "play it by ear."  The author writes "alludes to listening carefully.  Refers to someone who should not speak before analyzing what others have said.  In this situation I advise you to play it by ear."  In my opinion, the author got the meaning of the saying completely wrong, and refers to it as a noun.  UGH!

I did chuckle at a few of the sayings, most of which I've heard many times with a few differences.  Those new to me that made me laugh are "ugly enough to knock a maggot off a gut wagon," "ugly as homemade soap," and "busy as a one-armed paperhanger with hives."  70 pages.

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

239 pages

When the moon's gravitational pull increases, causing massive natural disasters on earth, Miranda and her family struggle to survive in a world without cities or sunlight, and wonder if anyone else in still alive. Third book in the Life As We Knew It series.      

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

This is an awesome book. I really encourage everyone to read it. It really makes you think.

I read it in two days it was so good it just sucked me in. Two days is saying a lot considering I have to young kids.

Please Please read.

198 pages.

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan

I've decided this year I am going to try to read a wider variety of fiction and nonfiction works, maybe going back to some classics or bestselling authors that I missed the first time around. Since I skipped most of the Oprah Book Club picks, I opted to start my new reading regimen with Gap Creek. Here we learn about life at the end of the 1800s through the eyes of Julie Harmon. Whether she is with her family or her new husband, Hank, you can be sure Julie is always hard at work, doing her best to complete tasks that must be done but others are unwilling or unable to do. Julie has more calamities befall her than a soap opera. There were times I wanted to scream, "No! No! Stop being an enabler!" But, I quickly remembered this was only fiction and any resemblance to reality was purely coincidental. Still, I found myself drawn into the drama, rooting for Julie and her kin to not only survive, but thrive. 336 pages.

In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything

By: Michael Waltrip

I have a secret I've kept from you, my coworkers for 4 years.  I'm a NASCAR fan!  There I said and I feel better.  I started getting into NASCAR because I bought a very cheap racing simulator when I was about 11 and wanted to watch the races to learn how to race.

I read the sample chapter of this book and knew I had to get it.  Michael Waltrip is known in NASCAR as being the guy who sponsors love because he plugs them all the time.  He's funny and smart about racing and I've been a fan of him since I've been into racing. 

In 2001 his life, and all racing fan's lives changed when Dale Earnhardt died on the last lap of the Daytona 500.  Earnhardt was the super driver of NASCAR , so much so his death was covered as breaking news on CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC.

Waltrip's life changed a little more than mine did however because Dale was his friend and his car owner.  You see Mikey had been in Cup for about 15 years and he never won a race.  It was starting to get to the point people thought he'd never win a race but Dale told him that he'd win if he was driving a car for him.  Dale hired Mikey to drive in 2001 and died helping protect the lead for Mikey. 

The book covers the guilt he felt about losing his friend on the most important day of his life.  The book also covers the relationship he built with his father as an adult because they didn't really have a relationship when he was a child.

This book is good for racing fans and non racing fans because it talks about a mans journey through the pain of losing his father and best friend.

240 Pages

"Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties and Cats Gone Bad" by Jim Edgar

I bought this book several years ago at a bookstore while on vacation because some of the pictures and captions made me laugh out loud.  This small tome is a quick read since each page consists of a picture of a cat (or cats), a funny caption, the cat's name, age, and hobby.  The pictures were submitted to a web site called My Cat Hates You, which may be a precursor of super popular LOLcats and Icanhascheezburger sites.  Cats looking surprised, dressed in costumes, hugging dolls, and generally caught being mischievous make up most of the pictures, and some of the captions are adult themed (but not many).  In my opinion, those of us who've lived with cats and observed their silly looks and behaviors would best appreciate this book.  246 pages.

Death by Sarcasm by Dani Amore

When I read the excerpt for this book the protagonist, P.I. Mary Cooper, indicated that she believed in using humor to unite rather than her uncle's use of sarcasm to hurt. When her uncle, a professional comedian, is murdered, Mary is determined to solve the case. Along the way she discovers just how many people have been hurt by her uncle's sharp tongue. For me the disappointing part was I expected to see more of Mary's use of positive humor; instead, she often resorted to her uncle's tactics of hurtful sarcasm. It was only an okay read. 151 pages.

"To Seduce an Angel" by Kate Moore

This is the final book in the Sons of Sin trilogy (I posted about the other two, "To Tempt a Saint" and "To Save the Devil," in 2011).  Kit Jones is the youngest son of an infamous London courtesan and her late husband, the son of a duke.  Kit was rescued four years ago from living on the streets after being kidnapped from his family as a young teen.  He's now been named the Marquess of Daventry, much to the consternation of his evil grandfather and dangerous cousin, who were behind the kidnapping.

Daventry hires Emma Portland as a tutor for his charges, youngsters who once lived on the streets of London with him.  But she has been blackmailed by his grandfather to spy on Daventry, something that she finds harder and harder to do as she discovers that they have much in common and begins to fall in love with him.

I enjoyed this story with its two unusual leads.  They're both only 20 but lived very harsh and difficult lives in their teens, and Emma is still living that life of fear.  Several twists in the plot kept me interested, as well as the author's unusual turns of phrase.  284 pages.

Retirement Can Be Murder by Phil Edwards

This was a new author for me and the title sounded intriguing, so I decided to give it a whirl. Jake Russo has been relegated to writing the Sarasota beat news with strict orders to focus on the nice life, entertainment and palm trees. But, when Jake meets a senior in fear for her life who happens to die shortly thereafter, can anything but a major crime be afoot? Jake and his comical photographer are determined to get to the truth of the matter despite their own personal risk of life and limb. 272 pages.