Going Rogue

Going Rogue (#1,144) is Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series.  Stephanie's boss and cousin Vinnie sets things in motion when he decides to pocket a game token coin placed with him as collateral for a bail bond.  After its former owner turns up as full of bullet holes as Swiss cheese, the people after the coin turn their attention to Vinnie's business.  Of course, he no longer has the coin, and has no idea of where it could be, but that's just the beginning...

Stephanie in the meantime is after two Fail To Appear clients, one a bomb-maker. (And he's the easy one!)  The really tough client is Bella, Joe Morelli's Sicilian grandmother, widely feared throughout the Burg.  After Connie, their office manager is kidnapped, things escalate.  Can Stephanie survive this one?  And wait - is she actually thinking about settling down??!!

Love these books.  They're perfect for getting your mind off your problems and the summer heat!

Wow, No Thank You: Essays

Wow, No Thank You: Essays (#1, 143) by Samantha Irby.  I have to say the thing I liked the most about this book is the cover.  It features a plump, lop-eared bunny sitting up.  I don't even like rabbits that much, but I would take that bunny home in a heartbeat!  I also like the cover of her latest book, Quietly Hostile, which features a hissing skunk.

As for the essays themselves, I would have to say that they are definitely not my cup of tea.  Enough said.  I did not bother to finish this book, but I'm sure it will find plenty of readers.

How To Sell A Haunted House

I don't know how I got the mistaken notion that Grady Hendrix's novel How To Sell A Haunted House (#1, 142) was a light, cozy mystery.  Be warned, it's NOT!  It's a full-blown horror novel complete with creepy dolls, puppets and taxidermy.  I don't normally read horror, but I have to admit this one did hook me in.

When Louise and Mark's parents die suddenly in an accident, it means that Louise has to come home to Charleston to help settle their estate with her estranged brother.  Mark has his own ideas about the house, their childhood home, and the funeral itself.  Dividing an inheritance like this is a nightmare waiting to happen all by itself, but wait!  In this case, there's more - much, much more...

The book has a number of horrifying twists, but I have to admit, Grady Hendrix knows how to grab and hold your attention!  I couldn't stop reading to find out what was going to happen next.  I may never read another one of his books because of the intense creep factor, but if this is what floats your boat, add it to your "To Read" List!  You won't be disappointed.

One nit to pick, however: hated the cover art on this one.  Don't the people putting the covers together ever even skim the books they are supposedly illustrating?  The house that is central to this book is clearly described as a one-story brick ranch, so why is a two-story clapboard house on the cover?  Ugh!!  I suppose most people don't even notice.

Homegrown - Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism

I can remember exactly where I was when I heard the news about the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Kansas back on April 19, 1995.  The news was shocking at the time.  Since then, I have visited the Memorial erected on the site of the former Murrah Building, and have worked with folks at one of the hospitals overwhelmed with casualties that day.  That's why I was interested to see that our local library had a copy of journalist Jeffrey Toobin's book Homegrown - Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism (#1,141).

Mr. Toobin is thorough in his research on Timothy McVeigh, and what led him to take the actions he did that fateful day.  Right up to his execution he had no remorse for what he had done.  In fact, he was disappointed that an uprising against the Federal Government did not follow in the aftermath of the bombing.  He hoped his "Army" of like-minded people would appear.  

Perhaps not then, but Mr. Toobin draws parallels with the acceptance of many of McVeigh's radical views as mainstream ideas by many members of today's Republican Party.  Violence is increasingly acceptable, tolerated and even encouraged as evidenced by those who roamed the halls of Congress on January 6th searching for Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi, and those who egged them on.

Is anywhere safe in America today?  Probably not.  It seems Franklin's prediction may be about to come true.

Killing Me

Amber Jamison is in the wrong place at the wrong time.  She knew there was a serial killer loose in her Tennessee city, but she never believed that she could be his victim.  But she wakes to find herself in the killer's workshop in Killing Me (#1,140) by Michelle Gagnon.  But just in the nick of time, she is rescued by a mysterious figure clad all in black who intends to leave Amber right where she is.  Amber's not buying that.  

Cover blurbs claim Killing Me is laugh-out-loud funny, but I didn't find it so.  It's a queer murder mystery with a host of eccentric characters, none of whom I found particularly sympathetic.  Amber herself is a grifter with a past, trying to go straight (not sexually!) who becomes obsessed with her rescuer.  She can't afford to have the police looking into her case, so she hightails it for Las Vegas, just like most gamblers do.

I wouldn't rate it much above a "meh", but that's me.  I won't be back for the promised sequel.

Swamp Story

I just love stories about the crazy things that happen in Florida, fictional and non-fictional!  Dave Barry has provided a fun read in his latest novel, Swamp Story (#1,139).  It is set, fittingly, in the Everglades where skanky characters are trying variously, to make a hit reality TV show, search for a legendary trove of lost Confederate gold, and gin up interest in an old Bait & Beer store on the Tamiami Trail by creating a mythical Melon Monster haunting the swamp.

Mix in a beautiful woman, a baby, a few drug dealers, social media sensations and an Eastern European criminal organization, and you have more than enough action to keep the pot (!) boiling merrily along.  Oh, and then there's the Python Challenge and a hungry gator.  What more could you ask for in a great summer beach read?

Yellowface

Wow!  Irony heaped upon irony here in R.F. Kuang's latest novel Yellowface (#1,138).  The book world is abuzz over this brutal sendup of what it takes to get a book onto the bestseller list.  This book has it all; racism, tokenism, hubris and just general bad behavior.  So what else is new in fiction?

The basic premise is that white (unsuccessful) writer June Heyward is celebrating (?) the success of her college classmate Athena Liu's best seller when Athena dies in front of her.  What no one knows is that Athena has just completed her latest novel and the manuscript is right there, in the apartment!  Athena was never one to discuss her works in progress, so it's easy enough for June to pick up the manuscript and pass it off as her own, to acclaim all around.  But how long can she sustain the charade, especially when her own work is finally getting the recognition it deserves?

Even book bloggers like me get their lumps in this one!

The Cradle of Ice

It struck me as I was reading the second novel in James Rollins' fantasy triology, The Cradle of Ice (#1,137) just what an old-fashioned book it is in many ways.  And I mean that in the best possible way!  Why did I read all the time when I was a child?  What kept me glued to the pages of the adventure stories and historical fiction I devoured?  It was mostly the way the author spun out his or her tale to keep me turning those pages breathlessly.  I was totally immersed in that world.  That's how I felt reading The Cradle of Ice.

The foundation had been laid in The Starless Crown, so the story just picked up and swept you along into even more new worlds with their own dangerous (and helpful!) creatures.  Magic and mishaps, not to mention downright skullduggery and betrayals, keep the disparate story lines moving along at a brisk pace.  Will our valiant crew of misfits be able to save their world from Moonfall?  They're making progress here, but with steep costs to them personally.  After finishing this meaty installment, there's still another volume to go!  Who will survive?  And will I survive the wait?

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was Rollins' use of language.  Before each section, he has invented quotes from various ancient sources in his mythic realms, complete with archaic spelling, which lend an air of authenticity to the proceedings.  With the illustrations of his fantasy beasts scattered throughout, what's not to enjoy?  Savor this one when you have plenty of time to linger...