Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2007

Genre: Mystery

My Rating: B+

Summary (from the author’s website):

Isabel Spellman, the uncompromising—okay, obstinate—twenty-eight year-old San Francisco private eye in Lisa Lutz’s riotous debut novel, THE SPELLMAN FILES has her share of problems. And those problems all happen to be named Spellman.Her parents, Albert and Olivia, co-owners of Spellman Investigations, think nothing of placing their daughter under 24-hour surveillance simply to find out if she has a new boyfriend.

David, her perfect older brother, who escaped the family business by becoming a lawyer, is hypercritical of just about everything Isabel says, wears, or does. Fourteen-year-old sister Rae lives on sugared snacks, considers recreation surveillance her favorite hobby, and believes that life is one endless opportunity for intra-familial blackmail. And good-natured Uncle Ray, a former cop and health food nut, now embraces gambling and drinking; and when he’s not in battle with his niece Rae over the whereabouts of his favorite shirt, must be rescued from “lost weekends.”

My Thoughts:

The reason I wanted to read this book was because I had a chance to meet the author at a panel discussion at the  Santa Rosa Book Fair last Fall. She was so charming and funny and a little sarcastic that she had the audience chuckling a lot.

I had a hunch the author’s personality would come through in her stories. It certainly did. In my opinion she was the main character, Izzy. I could imagine the expressions on her face and the sparkle in her eyes. On top of that, Izzy tells the story in the fiirst person, so it’s even easier to see Lisa Lutz as Izzy Spellman.

The Spellman Files is the first book in the author’s series. It was an excellent introduction to the family of investigators. I enjoyed meeting everyone and learning about Izzy’s background. It was also fun tagging along with Izzy as she followed people and conducted her investigations. There was no big mystery throughout the book. I’m assuming that will come in the next few books. If you’re looking for a fun series set all around San Francisco, check out the Spellman Files.

Author

Publisher: Penguin, 2008

Format: Audiobook, Narrated by Jonathan Davis

My Rating: A

Summary (from the publisher):

The Red Lobster perched in the far corner of a run-down New England mall hasn’t been making its numbers and headquarters has pulled the plug. But manager Manny DeLeon still needs to navigate a tricky last shift with a near-mutinous staff. All the while, he’s wondering how to handle the waitress he’s still in love with, what to do about his pregnant girlfriend, and where to find the present that will make everything better.

My Thoughts:

JoAnn from Lakeside Musing “talked me into” reading this book. She started reading one Stewart O’Nan novel and couldn’t stop herself from reading three more. She highly recommended the author and suggested Last Night at the Lobster was a good place to start. I did exactly what she said. I discovered an audiobook version at the library and set out to see what JoAnn was raving about. (JoAnn’s review of this book is here.)

Stewart O’Nan took me right into the heart of this Red Lobster.  It was it’s last night of operation, which also happened to be the night of an extreme snow storm. He helped me see the restaurant from a variety of angles: the kitchen, the dining room, the back door where the smokers hang out, the storage closet, the outside parking lot and even it’s place next to the shopping mall.

What I liked best in Last Night at the Lobster were the people. The story is told through the eyes of Manny, the restaurant’s manager. I actually felt very sympathetic to him. He cared so much about doing all the right things for the good of the restaurant – even on the very last day. Through Manny I met the crazy kitchen staff as well as the waitresses and busboys. They were quite a contrast to the  rude and demanding customers.

Manny was fighting a losing battle. He wanted to end the night on a high note with the restaurant looking good, but things were stacked against him. Some of the employees abandoned him, one in a very cruel way. The snow storm kept customers away, making his numbers look even worse. In spite of all that, Manny continued to do the right – the thing he believed a good restaurant manager should and would do.

Stewart O’Nan was spot-on in his assessment of people who work in the service industry. He has obviously been around enough restaurants to understand all the people involved, including the customers. His dialogue was very realistic.

JoAnn, you were right about Stewart O’Nan and this book. I can’t wait to start my next one.

The narrator for this audiobook was Jonathan Davis. He did a superb job with all the accents in this dialogue-heavy novel. I’ve added him to my list of narrators to watch for.

Check your local library and/or your local bookstore for a copy of this book. Last Night at the Lobster is also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

Author

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2001

Genre: Mystery

Format: Audio, read by Barbara Rosenblat

Summary from publisher:

After facing down hijackers on a flight to the Middle East and saving the lives of the passengers on board, a young American woman steps off the plane in Damascus in a blaze of celebrity and disappears. The CIA believes Amanda Pym was kidnapped, possibly murdered.

Masquerading as Amanda Pym’s worried aunt, Mrs. Pollifax begins her determined search, slipping through Damascus’s crooked streets and crowded souks . . . and trekking deep into the desert. Yet she is shadowed by deadly enemies, whose sinister agenda threatens not only Mrs. P. but the fragile stability of the entire Middle East. Only a miracle–or a brilliant counterplot– can forestall a disaster that will send shock waves around the world.

My Thoughts:

Most of my friends have read (and raved) about the Mrs. Pollifax series of mysteries. For some reason, I never got around to them. And then I saw this audiobook at the library and decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. Now I see what everyone was talking about.

It’s not deep literature or even a tough mystery, but it sure was a fun way to spend an afternoon. Although Mrs. Pollifax is traveling in an unsafe part of the world, and dealing with some dangerous people, the story never frightened me. Mrs. Pollifax and her sidekick always seemed in control, and clever enough to get themselves out of sticky situations.

Actually, I thought Mrs. Pollifax a very clever character. She is, as they say, a “woman of a certain age” and she uses that to her advantage. She has enough life experience to draw on and it helps her think on her feet. And, she certainly knows how to tell the good guys from the bad ones. In addition, Mrs. Pollifax is the kind of person that others feel comfortable talking with. She’s a great character and I will definitely spend more time with her in the future.

If you are able to find a copy, I suggest listening to the audio version of this book. At the very end there was an excellent interview with the author, Dorothy Gulman. For me, it was an excellent introduction to the series, even though Mrs. Pollifax Unfeiled was the fourteenth (and last) book in the series.

Have you read any of Mrs. Pollifax’s adventures?

In The Fifth Witness, we find that Mickey has been helping clients with foreclosures. He’s been somewhat successful, and business is brisk in this economy. His first foreclosure client has even organized a group of other people who’ve been through foreclosures. The group protested several times in front of her mortgage bank. The bank wasn’t happy and they issued a restraining order against her. And then, the mortgage banker is killed. Of course, Mickey’s client is accused of murder.

As in all of Connelly’s books there are plenty of surprises. For me, the definition of “fifth witness” was a surprise, one that was interesting. I also did not see the ending in advance. I won’t spoil it for you. I’ll just say it was not what I expected. I felt like Connelly was making a subtle announcement about future Mickey Haller books.

While The Fifth Witness was very good, i liked Lincoln Lawyer better. It was a lot edgier – more like what you’d expect on the streets of Los Angeles.

I read this book via an audiobook. It was narrated by Peter Giles. I would have preferred Matthew McConnaghey’s voice in my ears, but Giles did a convincing job. I’m linking this post to Sound Bytes at Jen’s Devourer of Books. It’s a weekly spotlight on audiobooks. Click the button to go visit.

Check your local library and your local bookstore for copies of this book. The Fifth Witness is also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

Published by Little, Brown, and Company, 2011   /   My Rating: B

Author

Publisher: Viking, 1938

Genre: Classic Fiction

Format: Hardcover

Source: Public library

My Rating: A+

For the last two weeks a group of bloggers, sponsored by the The Classic Circuit, has joined together to honor the writing of John Steinbeck. I’m happy to be a part of that group. Over the years I’ve read and enjoyed most of Steinbeck’s novels. I couldn’t recall reading his short stories so I signed up for this particular collection.

The title, The Long Valley, refers to the Salinas Valley in central California. This is where Steinbeck was born (1902) and raised. In this twelve-story collection the Salinas Valley was a major component in all but one of the stories. Steinbeck featured the people, the geography, the culture and possibly some of the events of this farm and ranching area

I was amazed at how much the landscape and geography of the Salinas Valley permeates the book. Nearly every story includes true-to-life descriptions of the world surrounding the characters. Here’s an example from the story titled “Flight.”

“. . . on the wild coast, the Torres family had their farm, a few sloping acres above a cliff that dropped to the brown reefs and to the hissing white waters of the ocean. Behind the farm the stone mountains stood up against the sky. The farm buildings huddled like little clinging aphids on the mountain skirts, crouched low to the ground as though the wind might blow them into the sea.

Can’t you just see what the place looked like from his words?  In The Long Valley, Steinbeck also created great characters. Each story reflects a different group of people that I believe Steinbeck must have known from years of living in Salinas Valley. Just from the first few stories, here is a sample of the great characters:

• Elisa Allen is a rancher’s wife with a gift for making things grow. She is especially proud of her showy chrysanthemums. And then a tinker man in a wagon came by . . .
• Mary Teller also has a gift for gardening. She could visualize the perfect garden and then she made it happen.
• There is also lazy Pepe who must flee into the mountains to try to save his life
• Dr. Phillips operates a lab in Monterrey. It’s filled with snakes and rats and other creatures. One day a young woman comes and wants to own one of the snakes.

The stories reflect the time of their writing – the 1930s – the Depression Years. It’s not that the stories are bleak or sad, but they do reflect those lean times. My favorite story is only four pages long and certainly reminded me of how things were for ordinary working people. The story is called “Breakfast.” I don’t know this for fact, but I believe Steinbeck must have had this experience like this. Here’s the first paragraph:

“This thing fills me with pleasure. I don’t know why, I can see it in the smallest detail. I find myself recalling it again and again, each time bringing more detail out of a sunken memory, remembering brings the curious warm pleasure.

Okay, that was a real teaser. The “thing” he’s referring to is breakfast – a very simple, meager one, but told so beautifully that I tasted it, smelled it, and saw the participants. I could hear their happiness, too.

Let me just mention two more stories. “The Murder” is a story of a rancher and his wife. She’s beautiful and a good housekeeper but not much of a companion. All I can say is that someone is murdered. I didn’t see it coming in spite of the  story’s title. It’s an award-winning tale and is well-known. Another popular story is the three-part “Red Pony”. These stories feature the young son of a rancher, the animals and people on the ranch.

I’d love to tell you about every one of these stories but that would spoil it for you. I urge you to find The Long Valley and read just one of these rich stories. It’s a wonderful way to get the flavor of John Steinbeck, especially if he is a new author for you. Of course, I’m betting you can’t read just one.

In addition to reading The Long Valley for the Classic Circuit’s Steinbeck Tour, I also read it for the Classic Bribe. For more information on these programs, press the buttons below.

Come read at the rest of my review over at Quirky Girls Read

In the past few years there’s been a resurgence in these mobile culinary establishments, and not just in Portland. They’re all over the country, but primarily in larger cities. The resurgence is due in part to the economy and in part because of the desire of talented young chefs to prove themselves. An average new restaurant takes time and upwards of $200,000 plus to get started. A food truck takes $20,000 to $30,000.

Ever since that first tour in Portland, I’ve been paying attention to the food trucks I see in various places. And then Candice tipped me off to a new book on the subject. It’s Food Trucks: Dispatches and Recipes From the Best Kitchens on Wheels (Ten Speed Press, 2011)

Author Heather Shouse spent a year traveling the United States researching the topic of mobile food purveyors. She was looking for innovation and high quality food that didn’t require a giant kitchen and a huge staff. The result of her research is this book. (Wouldn’t you have loved a job like that?)

The book is organized by region and by city. Ms. Shouse gave a good overview of each area. She then spent time talking about the best food trucks she found. For each food truck she told the history of the owners and how they came to establish their business. She also talked about the special food prepared and there is often a recipe from the owner. Also included is where you can usually find that food truck, plus their Twitter account and/or website. There are plenty of colorful pictures and drawings throughout.

I spent most of my time in the sections on the West Coast because that’s where I am. But, for those of you in other parts of the country, you should know there are good food trucks in the Midwest, the South, and in the East Coast. I certainly want to check them all out.

The food? You’re going to find dishes from all cuisines. It seems to be an international menu as these bright young chefs ply their skills to create new dishes. The hottest food truck in LA is one that combines Mexican and Korean foods. These new businesses know their food has to be special if they are going to get customers back on a regular basis. And that’s good for those of us who love to try new dishes.

Give Food Trucks by Heather Shouse a try if you’re looking for a new food adventure.

I found my copy at the library. Check also your local bookstore. Food Trucksis available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, a weekly feature at Beth Fish Reads. Click the button below and it will take you there.

Author

Publisher: Originally published in the UK by Collins Crime Club, 1936/ Cover on the left is a copy of the original dust jacket

My Rating: B+

Summary:  Amy Leatheran is a nurse. She’s just finished a job in Baghdad but, before she can return to London, she secures another position. This time it’s at Tell Yarimjah, an archeological dig outside Bagdad. She’s to help care for Louise Leidner, the wife of the chief archeologist.

Louise Leidner has “fancies” which means she’s afraid of unknown things. She’s also been receiving threatening letters. It’s no surprise when she is the one murdered. It is obvious that the murderer is one on the members of the archeological team. The question is: Which one?

The local police begin their investigation but the police captain invites Hercule Poirot to also help out. (He just happens to be traveling through Baghdad.) Poirot in turn calls upon Nurse Amy to be his assistant. Poirot believes nurses are good observers and so make good witnesses. She’s the one who narrates the story.

My Thoughts:  While reading this story I caught Agatha Christie’s fascination with archeology. This was a fairly new world to her. She’d accompanied her new husband, Max Mallowan, to one of the most famous digs in Iraq where he was assistant to the head archeologist. Ms. Christie based her story’s setting on that dig.

Although she was fascinated, she was not a blind observer. She saw all the details and tried to paint a realistic picture of life at the dig and in the area. She told her readers what Baghdad was like by using Nurse Amy. Here is Amy’s opinion of Baghdad, which I think is Agatha’s opinion:

“The dirt and the mess in Baghdad you wouldn’t believe – and not romantic at all like you’d think from the Arabian Nights! Of course, it’s pretty just on the river, but the town itself is just awful – and no proper shops at all.”

Agatha Christie also modeled the murdered victim after a real person on the dig — the wife of the head archeologist. The woman “was a charming, creative. but imperious woman who ruled with an iron hand her husband and all his archeological associates.” (page 123 of Gillian Giles’ Agatha Christie: The Woman and her Mysteries) Because Ms. Christie couldn’t rock the boat against the wife of her husband’s boss, she found another way to get even. I think she had great fun “killing off” the woman – only in print, of course.

Murder In Mesopotamia was a fun story to read. I liked the voice of Amy Leatheran. It was not quite so heavy-handed as some of Ms. Christie’s other narrators. This book won’t fall into my list top Christie reads, but it was still a good mystery.

Here are my challenge statistics: 24 down – 63 to go. I read this book as part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge. I’m reading all of her books in publication order. For more information on the challenge, visit Kerrie at Mysteries In Paradise.

Check your local library or your local bookstore for copies of this book. Murder in Mesopotamia is also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

Author

Publisher: Doubleday, 2010

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Format:  Audiobook / Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

Source: Public Library

My Rating: B+

Susan is a successful high school principal in a small town in New England, although it hasn’t always been easy. She was kicked out of home at seventeen when she was pregnant and refused to have a abortion or marry the baby’s father.

She worked her way through college and a teaching career. A few years ago Susan was promoted to the principal’s job. Parents and the superintendent are happy with her performance.

Susan believes she has done a good job as a mom. Her daughter Lily, now seventeen, is a good student, has good values, and is very responsible.

And then – Susan learns that Lily is pregnant. A few weeks later she learns that Lily’s two best friends are also pregnant. All three girls are smart, popular, and college-bound. It doesn’t make sense. It turns out it’s all because of a pact the girls made with each other. They agree to get pregnant and raise their babies together.

When the superintendent and the school board finds out, things spiral out of control. Everyone wants to blame someone and Susan is a good target. After all, she’s the principal. In the past Susan has been able to speak honestly to students about her own experience, cautioning safe sex. Now many in town believe she set a bad example. It’s her fault and Susan’s career is in jeopardy.

The three normally responsible teenage girls didn’t bargain for all the hoopla that erupted. They didn’t think how this would effect everyone around them. The whole situation really blows up when the story hits the local newspaper and then the national media.

I’ve always enjoyed Barbara Delinsky’s stories. She usually tackles an honest issue affecting women. She gives us a look at how an issue is seen from multiple angles. In this case the story revolves around what it means to be a good, responsible mother. Do the acts of the children lead to the label of good mother or bad mother? And, what lessons can the new moms-to-be learn from this.

Barbara Delinsky usually gives us a bit of romance in her stories, as she does in this one, but not overdone. And it’s not the main plot line. Ms. Delinsky is also very respectful of the characters she presents. Most of them are more than one dimensional and I always feel they are real people.

I believe Not My Daughter was based on a real “pregnancy pact” that was in the headlines a few years back. I liked looking at the situation from the viewpoint of the various people involved.

I listened to this book on audio-cd. It was read by Cassandra Campbell who did an excellent job, with so many characters in the story. I liked the way she did the Maine accent too.

Check your local library and your local bookstore for copies of this book. Not My Daughteris also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)