A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can get both provocation and privacy.
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I have a “thing” for sharks, so when the weather stayed in the triple-digits for yet another week, I was already thinking about rereading The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America’s Great White Sharks by Susan Casey. On Saturday, I came inside from swimming feeling too hot, strangely exhausted, and [...]
On Thursday, June 25th, Booking through Thursday asked: Now that summer is here (in the northern hemisphere, anyway), what is the most “Summery” book you can think of? The one that captures the essence of summer for you? (I’m not asking for you to list your ideal “beach reading,” you understand, but the book that [...]
Lulu in Marrakech Diane Johnson Get it at Amazon >> I had just finished re-reading The Eight. which had some lovely scenes set in Tangier, and wanted something similarly exotic. I was standing in Barnes and Noble, talking to my friend Deb on the phone, and I saw the lovely red cover with Lulu in [...]
On Teaser Tuesdays readers are asked to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between 7 and 12 lines. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way [...]
The Language of Bees Laurie R. King Get it at Amazon.com >> In the latest installment of the Holmes and Russell series, The Language of Bees the bees Holmes is raising in Sussex serve as both metaphor and counterpoint to the action-packed mystery. One of his hives is swarming, something bees apparently do when they [...]
Whether you’re in the waiting room for your Manhattan Psychologist, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon or Plano Cosmetic Dentist, chances are at least some of your wait time will be spent completing forms. Paperwork in the “real world” is annoying, but in a blog paperwork becomes a meme – a form we fill in for fun. [...]
Locked Rooms Laurie R. King Get it from Amazon >> Just when you thought it was safe to revisit this blog, I’ve got yet another Holmes/Russell novel to review. Of the nine books in the series, so far, I have to confess that this one is my favorite because it delves into Mary’s past in [...]
For my first Sunday Salon, it seems appropriate that I talk about the escapist reading I’ve done in the past few days, for what is Sunday but an escape from the endless errands of Saturday and the tedium of the work-week? Forgive me if my account is a bit vague. Money doesn’t grow on trees [...]
On Thursday, June 11th, Booking through Thursday asked: There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.) But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three [...]
The Game Laurie R. King Get it at Amazon >> When I first realized that The Game was the name of the seventh Holmes and Russell mystery, I thought it referred to a literal game. I knew it didn’t mean XBox, of course, since these novels take place in the twenties. Chess, I thought, might [...]
