An Inspiring Friendship

Jim Bradford thought he and his wife, Brenda, would start working on their bucket list when their girls were grown. Then one day he went to an out-of-the way diner for a cup of coffee. A small boy, HK Derryberry, was sitting at a table with his ear glued to an old radio. HK had braces on his legs, he was blind, and wearing ill-fitting clothes. Once Jim Bradford saw him, he couldn’t look away. This was the start of an unusual friendship and the beginning of HK Derryberry overcoming his blindness and cerebral palsy to become an intriguing young man.

This is a wonderful story. Through Bradford we get to know HK, his grandmother, Pearl, and the sad tale of his early life when his mother was killed and his father abandoned him to his grandmother. So many people did amazing things to help this small boy realize his potential. A teacher took a special interest in him and helped him to learn to use a machine to read braille with one hand. His other hand was affected by cerebral palsy.

I highly recommend this book. It’s a wonderful story of how a boy came to find a father figure and a man found a son. There are too many dreadful stories. This one is uplifting. It’s one of the best stories I’ve read lately.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing for this review.

 

Thoughts Determine Actions

The premise of Hahn’s book is that thoughts influence actions. Our thoughts shape who we are. If our thoughts are focused on anxiety and temptations, we don’t leave room for Jesus. What the book suggests is that we can order our thought to live a more godly life, a life of peace and happiness rather than anxiety and fear.

The book makes important points for not only our individual lives but for how our communities can be better places to live. One of the most important chapters for me was Chapter 10, Replacement Therapy. Hahn makes the point that God wants us to be filled with love and peace. Too often we are encouraged to remove things from our lives, sin and wicked ways. Hahn makes the point that it’s important to fill our live and learn how to make our thoughts close to the mind Christ. When we’re full of good thoughts there is no place for sinful imaginings. Chapter 11, Who’s the Boss, is also an excellent chapter. God is the boss and we need to train our thoughts to bring them into conformity with that idea.

This is an excellent book. If you’d like to free yourself to lead a happier more peace life in conformity with God, I highly recommend it. It’s not a particularly easy book to read. It’s filled more with Bible teaching than examples from everyday life. However, it’s well worth taking the time to read and appreciate it.

I received this book from Handlebar for this review.  

A Teenage Couple Died Too Young

Fifteen years ago, Leo and Diana were struck by a train. Were they playing chicken with the locomotive; was it bad luck; or something more sinister?Detective Napoleon, Nap, Dumas wants to know why his twin brother, Leo, died. The same night, Nap’s girlfriend, Maura disappeared. Now her finger prints have appeared in another murder scene and the victim is another classmate. Nap wants to know what happened to his brother, and particularly why Maura disappeared.

This is a great mystery. I didn’t figure out all the connections until the very end. Nap is a good character. You can’t help liking him and rooting for him to solve the old mystery even if the final solution is much darker than he wants.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. Coban is at his best. Nap is a good cop, but to solve murders, he is capable of bending the rules. In this case when Rex Canton dies, he can’t help but see the connection to his brother’s death, since Canton was a classmate. When other former classmates, feel threatened, Nap believes that he is on the track of what caused his brother’s death.

If you like thrillers with great characters and a plot that’s hard to unravel until the end, this is a very good one. The pace is fast. I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend it.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.  

Cold Cases, the Swedish Welfare System, and Murder

Denise and her young friends appear to be gaming the Swedish Welfare System. They dress well, party, and don’t want to work. Anne-Line, their case worker,is frustrated. Why should they receive benefits when they’re so clearly gaming the system? Then the young girls become the victims of a serial killer. Department Q is assigned the case.

The murder of an elderly woman in a park resembles a cold case Department Q is investigating. This puts them in conflict with the department upstairs and affects Department Q’s future. The members of the cold case team, Detective Carl, Assad, and Rose are experiencing their own problems. Rose is recovering from a mental breakdown and appears to be on her way to another one. Assad and Carl care for Rose and want to help her, but the resemblance of one of their cases to her past may be pushing her over the edge.

I found this book hard to get into. It’s part of a series and while it can be read as a standalone, I found parts confusing. The opening is devoted primarily to the welfare system and the young girls who are gaming it. When Department Q comes in, they’re trying to wrap up an old case and worried about the existence of their department. In the end all the threads come together for a satisfying ending, but you have to get well into the book to become immersed in the cases.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Murder, Corruption, and the Mistral

Captaine Roger Blanc specializes in ferreting our corruption. He thinks he’s solved an important case in Paris when suddenly he’s transferred to Provence, to a small provincial hamlet. His wife decides to stay behind in Paris with her lover, so he’s alone in a crumbling house that was once housed an olive olive press.

On his first day on the job, the Commandant assigns a murder case that looks like a drug related death that will go immediately to Marseilles. Unfortunately, Blanc’s partner Tonon recognizes the body as belonging to a local thug who delights in terrorizing his neighbors. The Commandant expects the case to go away, but when another body turns up, this time a builder who may or may not have been accidentally killed on his sailboat, Blanc can’t give up the hunt.

The best part of this book is the scenes of Provence, the scent of wild thyme, and the haunting winds of the Mistral. I enjoyed the way Blanc, the Parisian, begins to appreciate his new home. He’s a character you can’t help but relate to. He knows that he may be getting himself crosswise with his new superior, but when he scents the mystery, he has to go after the culprit.

The mystery is not hard to figure out. The author gives us all the clues early in the novel. However, because the French police and criminal justice system are

so different from ours, it’s a fascinating read. If you enjoy a good mystery, and likable characters in an exotic local, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.   

A Legal Thriller with an Intertwined Romance

Mason Pharmaceutical Company (MPC) is being sued by numerous plaintiffs. Their drug, Celix , taken by migraine sufferers, allegedly causes brain tumors. Kate Sullivan, a rising star in the Atlanta legal community, wants to be chief counsel on the combined cases. She achieves her wish, but is thrown into a dangerous situation.

One of the chief scientists at MPC, Ellie Proctor, contacts her about possible problems with the testing of the drug. Kate hires a professional investigator, Landon James, to find whether Ellie can be trusted. When the scientist is murdered, Kate and Landon are thrown into a deadly struggle to keep Kate safe.

The plot in this book is fast paced and keeps you wondering how the case will be resolved. For me the best part was seeing the detailed workings of a big law firm preparing for a civil case. It was very realistic. I was a little disappointed in the conclusion. I thought is was a little too violent for the pace of the novel. 

Kate is a character you can relate to. She is consumed by her job and sincerely wants the best for her clients. Landon is likewise a good character. He’s pursued by his demons from his time as an Army Ranger in Iraq, but he wants to keep Kate safe and gradually he begins to fall in love with her. It’s not easy for these two serious people to finally admit to the feelings they have for each other.

This book is Christian fiction, but Kate’s belief fits well into the story and is not overpowering. If you enjoy a good thriller without sex and little violence, you’ll like this book.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.   

An English Village Full of Secrets

Miss Seeton is back. In this, the twenty-second Miss Seeton mystery, she’s returned in the same form as before. For those unfamiliar with Miss Seeton, she carries a sketch pad, umbrella, and her pictures help the police to solve crimes.

Back from a tour of the North where a golden heron was one of the featured sights, Miss Seeton is ready for another adventure. Nigel Colveden has married a French girl, the daughter of a count. The couple plans to live in local cottage and the ladies have decided that a quilt where each lady provides a square in her choice of embroidery or applique will be the perfect gift. While sketching the newlyweds cottage for inspiration on her part of the quilt, Miss Seeton’s drawing reveals something quite unexpected. This is in addition to the mural portrait of Henry VII found when renovating the Tudor cottage.

Happenings in the village are not the only secrets. Scotland yard and Miss Seeton’s old friends, Chief Superintendent Delphick and Sargeant Ranger, are involved in international secrets. Miss Seeton is helpful as usual.

If you enjoy English village mysteries, this is a fun one. The plot is full of complications, the characters are quirky, and Miss Seeton overcomes all to solve the case. I found the book rather slow. The characters take their time gossiping about Miss Seeton, the village happenings, and in the case of Scotland Yard, the new case.

If you’re a Miss Seeton fan, this book will be a delight. It’s also standalone, if you’re new to the series, but you have to love the slower pace of English mysteries. It can get a bit tiresome waiting for all the village ladies to have their gossip and get on with the action.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Memoir of the Restaurant Business

Jan Agg owns bars and restaurants. Perhaps the one most people have heard of is The Black Hoof in Toronto. It’s a restaurant and bar that specializes in charcuterie. I have never been to a bar specializing in serving a selection of spicy meats, but it sounds delicious.

The book is the story of how Jen found her passion in developing and owning great restaurants. It’s not an easy life to provide delicious food for a varied clientele, but according to Jen, it can be very satisfying. The story covers her early life, first marriage, and subsequent success in the restaurant business with her second husband. I enjoyed the history. It’s good to read about people overcoming obstacles to achieve success, However, I found the amount of time devoted to her early life less interesting than the rest of the book.

My favorite chapters were the first two where she describes her method of running a restaurant and takes you behind the scenes to discuss how she expects her servers to act and how she keeps the restaurant functioning at top speed

.

The author has a great many opinions and is not afraid to share them This makes the book fun to read. She’s also quite open about her sexual experiences. This doesn’t have much to do with her success as a restaurateur, so if you’re offended by her frankness, you can skip those parts.

I recommend this book. It’s a lively memoir and gives a very interesting picture of the restaurant and bar business. I found myself looking more carefully at the service in the restaurants I enjoy.

I received this book from Viking/Penguin for his review.

A Double Murder in the French Wine Country

An old couple is found shot to death in their cottage near the famous Chateau Yquem. Benjamin Cooker, wine expert and amateur detective, is intrigued by the double homicide, particularly because it reminds him of the famous sauternes produced by the Chateau.

Virgilie, Cooker’s assistant, has a long term friend managing his wife’s family vineyards in the area. Cooker has him contact the friend to learn more about the tragedy. With the scent of a mystery and the promise of memorable wines to sample, Benjamin and Vergilie set off for the Sauternes wine region.

As with the other books in this series, the descriptions of the wine and the countryside are magnificent. They draw you into the setting and make it real.

The mystery in this book is much more a typical mystery than some of the earlier books. Benjamin and Vergilie are caught up in the search for the killer. I was pleased to see Vergilie getting a much larger role. With a beautiful girl, the granddaughter of the murdered couple, and his friend, who has more than a passing connection to the mystery, Virgilie has a major part in this novel.

Benjamin, Elizabeth, his wife, and Virgilie are wonderful characters. I particularly love hearing about the feasts Elizabeth prepares. Benjamin is a source of information about the wine country, and Virgilie adds a light touch with his romantic escapades.

I highly recommend this book if you love wine, or just like a good mystery.

I received this book from Le French Book for this review.

Lilah Concocts a Drop Dead Pudding

Lilah would love to have a full time catering business, but right now her catering consists of making dishes for customers who want to pass the dishes off as their own. One of her first customers, and the mother of her boyfriend, Jay, Ellie loves to get dishes from Lilah and pass them off as her creations. This time, she takes a rice pudding casserole to Marcus Cantwell’s 65^th birthday party.

All is going well. Marcus and the children love the pudding until Marcus slumps over, face first in the remains of the pudding. Fearing that she may be suspected of murder, Lilah decides to unravel the murder. There are plenty of suspects. Marcus was married three times and has five children. Distributing the money via his will provides a reason for any of the beneficiaries to commit murder.

The author does a good job of making the suspects and their motivations real. I had suspicions about the murderer, but it took until the end to see the whole picture. One of the delightful benefits of this book is the plethora of delicious dishes Lilah concocts. It will make you hungry just reading about them.

Romance is in the air. Lilah and Jay are going over a rough patch and with three ex-wives people wonder about Marcus’ relationship with Ellie.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. If you like murder mixed with delicious food and a helping of romance, you’ll love this book.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing

Group for this review.

Enhance Your Creativity: Detach from Your Smart Phone

Smart phones are useful, but they can become a crutch that keeps us from getting in touch with our creative side and distances us from other people. Zomorodi, host of WNYC Studio’s ‘Not to Self,’ realized that being constantly plugged in to her smart phone was keeping her from doing other things, like thinking. She wondered if other people had the same problem. She got her answer when she offered her listeners a series of experiments to help them get away from their phones and hundreds of people signed up.

The book describes the experiments and encourages the reader to try them. One of my favorites was deleting an app you’re spending too much time on. Zamorodi was addicted to Two Dots. It wasn’t easy to delete the app, but it was remarkable how much time she had to think when when she wasn’t glued to the device.

The book also contains information she gathered from neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists. The research is discussed in the chapter which is most closely related to the experiment being described.

I don’t have a particularly bad phone habit, but I found the exercises helpful. Some of the research is well worth reading. You know that people aren’t really paying attention to you when their eyes keeping straying to their smart phone. Just the presence of the smart phone in viewing range can reduce the empathy between friends. I recommend this book if you want to cut your phone dependence, or if you’re interested in the psychology of phone use.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

The Magical Cats Help to Solve a Murder

Kathleen Paulson, Head Librarian in Mayville Heights, MN and owner of the two cats, Owen and Hercules, is pulled into a mystery when Leo James is murdered and his nephew Simon is suspected.

Leo has a twin brother, Victor James. He’s been away from the town for years after seducing Leo’s wife who later died in a one-car crash. Leo has never forgiven his brother, but now Victor has cancer. He says he wants to return and try to make amends.

A wall in the local post office is taken down revealing a space no one remembered. The space contains undelivered mail and a number of photographs. Kathleen and the library staff are asked to take on the identification of the photos to try to get them back to the owners. This task on top of trying to solve Leo’s murder has her quite busy, not to mention keeping track of her magical cats who can disappear and walk through walls. Kathleen doesn’t want people to think the cats are freaks so she tries to keep their magical talents a secret.

This is a delightful cozy mystery. The intriguing plot involves long lost letters and old crimes. The facts come out throughout the story, but it’s not easy to guess the murderer before the end. Kathleen and her cats are great sleuths. I particularly like the little bit of supernatural attached to the cats. It’s not heavy handed just a little extra sparkle for these fascinating creatures.

If you enjoy small town mysteries, this is a good one. It doesn’t hurt that the cats have prominent role in solving the mystery.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing Group for this review.

Shades of Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, and an 1800s Romance

Clara Chapman is becoming anxious. Not only was she left at the altar by her fiance, who stole her family fortune, but the aunt she’s living with is dying and then she’ll have no place to go unless her one time maid gets her a job in the hat factory.

Ben Lane, her finace, is wrongfully imprisoned. He didn’t steal the money. He was grabbed on the way to the church and thrown into prison without a trial. He still loves and misses Clara, but he doubts he will ever be able to clear his name and claim her.

On Christmas Eve the ex-lovers receive invitations to Bleakly Manor. If they can stay through the 12 days of Christmas, Clara will receive 500 pounds, which she dearly needs, and Ben will receive his freedom. The catch is that only one person, the one left at the end of the 12 days, will receive the prize.

In addition to Clara and Ben, several other eccentric individuals have received invitations. They all want the prize, and some are willing to do anything to get it.

This is a lovely story. The 1800s Christmas traditions are showcased. Readers familiar with Bleak House will find much to remind them of Dickens, particularly the zany characters, and for Agatha Christie fans, the plot has aspects of Ten Little Indians.

The main characters, Ben and Clara, are delightful lovers. They want to be together, but the hurt keeps them from trusting. It’s a clean romance. No one jumps into bed, but you can feel the tension between Ben and Clara.

If you love cozy mysteries, this is a good one. Although the theme is Christmas, you don’t have to wait. The story is good at any time of year.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Great Photos, Interesting Recipes

The best thing about this cookbook, next to the recipes, is the mouth watering pictures of the finished dishes. It made me want to try all of them.

The recipes are good and generally easy to make. However, there are often several steps that are done before or after using the slow cooker. This has the advantage of increasing the flavor of most dishes, but also adds preparation time. It’s a trade-off.

The book features useful information such as the Slow Cooker Commandments and The Basics, which are information included at the beginning of each chapter. The book contains recipes for meat, seafood, poultry, side dishes, stocks and sauces, breakfast and sweets. I found the content heavy on meat dishes. We don’t eat much meat. I would have preferred more meatless dishes. However, Spaghetti Boulognese is excellent.

The chapter on sauces and stocks is very helpful. The slow cooker is an excellent device for preparing stocks. The chapter on fish was also useful. We eat a great deal of salmon. It’s easy to overcook it. However, poaching in slow cooker makes it come out perfect.

I hadn’t really tried baking in a slow cooker, but the Blueberry Cornmeal Buckle turned out very well as did the Apple-Cranberry Crisp.

If you enjoy slow cooker cooking, this is a very helpful book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Making of a Speaker of the House

New Gingrich is and has been a colorful and polarizing political figure. This biography does him justice. Starting with Gingrich’s youth in Pennsylvania, it moves quickly to his days as a college professor. Although the book doesn’t state it explicitly, I believe that Gingrich loved to teach. He kept his professorship through all his early campaigns. This was partly a matter of money, but since he continued teaching when in congress, I believe it is also a matter of enjoying the activity.

The stories of Gingrich’s three early campaigns to gain a seat in the House are fascinating. You can definitely say he isn’t a quitter. The early days in the House are also interesting. Gingrich was and is a conservative. His struggles to get the House to embrace a conservative agenda are well worth reading.

Much as I loved the book, I did have some disappointment. It’s well written and easy to read, not dry like some biographies. Gingrich’s early life and tenure in the house before becoming Speaker are well done. However, the book ends just when things are getting exciting. He’s on the verge of becoming Speaker. This leaves out all the interesting incidents surrounding being removed from the Speaker position by his party, the impeachment of Clinton, and his run for President in 2012. I’m sure there are equally interesting incidents in these years. Perhaps another book is planned.

I received this book from Booklookbloggers for this review.