tymfos amazing 2012 pyrotechnic book project

I seem to have this book problem . . .


glitter-graphics.com

So it's time to fire off some of my more colorful TBR books. There's no point in leaving them just sitting on the shelf.

Books read from my book shelf, with a goal of 53 60:



My own personal rules for my challenge:

1. A minimum of three BOMBS should be read per month. More is better!
2. In order to count as BOMBS, I must own the books. the books can't be new -- only pre-2012 books will count -- with one exception.
3. The one exception to that rule is ER books. I had to make that exception that because I caught myself neglecting to read books that I owed reviews on in order to meet my minimum number of books-off-the-shelf.
(I've changed this to simplify the keeping of statistics and for the simple fact that -- whenever I read the book -- it is off the TBR pile.)
3. At least TWO of the books each month must be physical books (not e-books) owned pre-2012, or ER books.
4. I'm aiming for a minimum of 53 BOMBS read for the year.
5. For the first time, I think I'll include e-books in the mix, as my Sony Reader is getting pretty cluttered.

January
1. Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter (pre 2012)
2. Graveyard Dust: A Benjamin January mystery by Barbara Hambly (pre 2012)
3. Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace by Cathleen Falsani (NON pre-2012)
4. Winter Blues by Norman E. Rosenthal (pre 2012)
5. The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney (ER edition granted pre-2012)
6. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (pre-2012)
7. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (pre-2012)

February
8. Drowning in Oil: BP & the Reckless Pursuit of Profit by Loren C. Steffy (NOT owned pre-2012)
9 The Cypress House by Michael Koryta (pre-2012)
10 The Great American Gamble by Joe Menzer (pre-2012)
11 At the Altar of Speed by Leigh Montville (pre-2012)
12 The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2 Fredericksburg to Meridian (pre-2012)

March
13. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (pre 2012)
14 Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman (pre-2012)
15 When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum (pre-2012)
16 Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin (pre-2012)
17 Gods of Gotham by Lindsay Faye (ER book)

April
18 Sherman's March by Burke Davis (pre-2012)
19 Miracles and Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories from Doctors, by Nancy B. Kennedy (ER book)
20 Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines (ER book)

May
21 Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet (pre-2012)
22 State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (pre-2012)
23 The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin (pre-2012)
24 We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews (pre-2012)
25 Under a Flaming Sky by Daniel James Brown (pre-2012)
26 Waterproof: a novel of the Johnstown flood by Judith Redline Coopey (NOT pre-2012)

June
27 Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (pre-2012)
28 Haunted Foothills (no touchstone) by M.A. Mogus & Ed Kelemen (NOT pre-2012)
29 The Devil's Tea Tables by Mack Samples (pre-2012)

July
30 The Kindness of Strangers by Julie Smith (pre-2012)
31 Hurting with God by Glenn Pemberton (ER book, but not pre-2012)
32 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (pre-2012)
33 The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins (ER book, NOT pre-2012)
34 Three Months in the Southern States by Col. Arthur James Lyon Fremantle (E-BOOK, pre-2012)

August
35 The Body in the Bog by Katherine Hall Page (pre-2012)
36 The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Frederick Stonehouse (NOT pre-2012)
37 Summer of Night by Dan Simmons (pre-2012)
38 Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein (NOT pre-2012)
39 Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante (not sure when bought)
40 Dead Easy by Phillip DePoy (pre-2012)
41 Burning Rubber by Charles Jennings (NOT pre-2012; e-book)
42 Women and the Lakes by Frederick Stonehouse (pre-2012)

September:
43 A Weekend in September by John Edward Weems (pre-2012)
44 The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt (NOT pre-2012; e-book)
45. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (NOT pre-2012)
46. A Ghostly Road Tour of Michigan's Upper Peninsula by Jan Langley (NOT pre-2012)
47. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede (pre-2012)

October
48. Book of Shadows by Alexandra Sokoloff (pre-2012)
49. The Empty House and other Ghost Stories by Algernon Blackwood (pre-2012 e-book)
50. The Haunting of the Presidents by Joel Martin (pre-2012)

November
51. Parnassus on Wheels by Rick Morley (e-book; pre-2012)
52. A Praying Life by Paul Miller (NOT pre-2012)
53. The Body in the Moonlight by Katherine Hall Page (pre-2012)
54 The Ghosts of Virginia by L.B. Taylor (pre-2012)

December
55. City of Refuge by Tom Piazza (pre-2012)
56. The Lost Stradivarius by J Meade Falkner (e-book on reader pre-2012; also using audio to read)
57. Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves (NON pre-2012)
58. Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein (owned e-book, NON pre-2012)

currently reading:

Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott (owned e-book / also doing audio)

I'm also doing the 12-month sub-challenge from the 12 in 12 Category Challenge. I'll read at least one book related to each month. The title, author, series, or main character will have the name, number, birthstone, flower, etc. of the month; or the book will be that number volume in a series (e.g.: 3rd in series for March, the 3rd month). Planned or possible books and authors are in regular type. Completed books are in boldface. I would like for that book to be one of my BOMBS whenever possible,. I know these are possibilities:

January: Graveyard Dust: a Benjamin January mystery, by Barbara Hambly DONE
The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney DONE
and/or first in series books:
Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter DONE
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon DONE
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill DONE

or any of a zillion first-in-series books on my shelves

February: The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2, by Shelby Foote (I may start this in January, since it's a long book and February is a short month!)DONE
or The Body in the Kelp, #2 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
or Birds of a Feather, #2 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear

March: Butchers Hill, # 3 in the Tess Monighan series, by Laura Lippman DONE
or Pardonable Lies, #3 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
or Sherman's March by Burke Davis (e-book) DONE (but a bit late, went into April)
or Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens

April: Messenger of Truth, #4 in the Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
Four Weird Tales by Algernon Blackwood (e-book)

May: We'll Always Have Parrots, #5 in the Meg Lanslow series, by Donna Andrews DONE

June: Six Geese a Slaying by Donna Andrews

July: The Body in the Bog, #7 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
or Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews
or Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen

August:

September: Cockatiels at Seven is #9 in the Meg Langslow series, by Donna Andrews, so it could go here, too.
or The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede DONE

October: The Body in the Big Apple, #10 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page
or Six Geese a Slaying is #10 in the Meg Langslow series, so it could go here.

November: The Body in the Moonlight, #11 in the Faith Fairchild series, by Katherine Hall Page DONE

December:

Terri,

I'm doing the 12-month sub-challenge from the 12 in 12 Category Challenge too but since I have a Math category - which is basically the same, I'm set.

I guess we're all crazy about challenges, I'm going to try and do that sub-challenge as well!

Very interesting idea for a challenge, tymfos!

7. Ah, a Math category would be helpful for that challenge, Cheli!

8. I'm worried that I'll not manage to keep up all the threads that need updating with all these challenges, Judy. The group thread/ticker for this one would be especially easy to forget.

9. I'm really just combining ideas I've gotten from some of the different challenge groups I'm in.

Well, my first attempt for this challenge was a dud -- I got it off my e-reader all right, but only because I gave up and deleted it after 50 pages or so. Weird Tales vol. 1 by E.T. Hoffman -- an 1895 translation of a German work available free through Project Gutenberg -- was weird, but not something I liked at all.

I've started Graveyard Dust from the Benjamin January series. I think this will be better, and will fit the sub-challenge.

BOMBS Challenge Book #1
Title: Blindsighted
Author: Karin Slaughter
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Subject: grisly sex assault/murder
Setting: Grant County, GA
Series: Referred to both as the Sara Linton series, and the Grant County series -- book #1
Dates Read: finished 1/8/12
Number of pages: 310
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used in 2010.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: doctor, doctor
How does it fit the category? main character is county's pediatrician and coroner
Alternate category any of the mystery or series categories
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First in series
My Rating: still thinking.
Notes:

As mentioned above, this book deals with very grisly crimes. The ick factor almost did me in, but the characters were sufficiently compelling that I read on.

Sara Linton is a pediatrician who returned to practice on her home turf of Grant County, GA, after a residency at a major Atlanta hospital. She is also the county coroner. And she obviously has some kind of secret dating back to her Atlanta days. Jeffery Tolliver is the police chief, and Sara's ex-husband.

When a local college professor is the victim of a brutal and twisted murder, Sara and Jeffery must manage to work together to try to solve the puzzle. Then there are other police officers -- good ol' boy Frank, and the moody young Lena (sister of the murder victim) who becomes a central character in the story.

Author Slaughter keeps the suspense going. I must say, though, I guessed the murderer early on -- and I can't say how, exactly, as there didn't seem to be many clues until near the end.

ETA to add: I don't know -- the more I think about Blindsighted, the less I like it. I keep thinking of questions that weren't answered to my satisfaction, threads of the story that were just dropped. And then, there's the abuse of religious imagery by the criminal, the point of which, in several cases, I never got except for shock value -- the psychology involved was never explored. I probably won't continue the series. (I mean, it's not like there aren't enough series on my TBR pile as it is . . .)

BOMBS Challenge Book #2
Title: Graveyard Dust: A Benjamin January mystery
Author: Barbara Hambly
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Subject: January's sister is accused of murder
Setting: New Orleans, 1834
Series: Benjamin January #3
Dates Read: finished 1/20/12
Number of pages: 401+
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used several years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: On the Bayou
How does it fit the category? Set around New Orleans
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? January, for first month challenge
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes: for 12 in 12 monthly sub-challenge

In this book set in 1834 New Orleans, Benjamin January's sister Olympe is accused of helping another woman to murder her husband. Issues of slavery and the status of free men and women of color are, as usual, front and center as the story unfolds. This book also deals with voodoo; it's interesting to see how, on the one hand, it was commonly lumped together with witchcraft and devil worship by Anglos and French whites alike; yet many white citizens would happily pay for voodoo potions and gris gris when seeking solutions to problems.

I have mixed feelings about this one. Like others I've read in this series, it was rather difficult to get into. There are so many characters, with rather complicated relationships; the characters are sometimes referred to by first name, sometimes by last name; many of the names are French, which makes them harder to differentiate to English-speaking ears, and both Anglicized and authentic French versions of the same name are sometimes used; of course, there are related characters with same last name; and even the Anglo names tend to not be easy to differentiate. (Among the few Anglos are Greenaway and Granville, for example.) I'm constantly looking back, thinking "who was that, and how is he/she related to the other characters?"

Yet I'm glad I read this book. I enjoyed the historical detail; I also appreciated the author's foreward and afterward admitting the limits of available knowledge on some subjects. Since whites of the time dismissed voodoo or lumped it together with other religious practices they found "exotic," no formal study of it was done until many years after this book takes place; Hambly admits having to extrapolate from later sources on that subject, seeking to discern what came before. I personally, thinking back, am not sure I "buy" how she drew the character of one real historical person she used, the famous Voodoo Queen Marie Leveau. But it worked for the book.

I rather appreciated the theological questions raised by this book. The adult Benjamin January is a devout Catholic; his sister Olympe is a voodooienne. As a Catholic, he prays for his sister's salvation from what he sees as a life of idolatry; he tries to put his own trust in God, but finds himself nonetheless fearing the power of Voodoo, as he was taught to as a child; Mamzelle Marie challenges him to broaden his understanding of God. Wherever your personal beliefs come down on the issues, these are complex and significant spiritual matters. There are also issues of the nature of evil and of forgiveness.

I think I'm going to tweak my rules for this challenge. I think I'm going to eliminate the rule entirely about when books had to be purchased to count. Whether I read that new book now or next year, it's off the TBR pile. It also makes my statistic-keeping simpler regarding the ratio of books read and purchased. As it is, those new books that I read fall into a sort of limbo on that score.

Off the Shelf Book #3
Title: Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace
Author: Cathleen Falsani
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Subject: grace
Setting: all over the world
Dates Read: 1/19/12 through 1/22/12
Number of pages: 219 plus credits and permissions
Off the Shelf?) Source?: Yes, Ollies
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? about faith
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First things First -- God is first!
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes: Falsani is the former religion columnist for the Chicago Sun Times; now is with Sojourners

Author Cathleen Falsani calls herself a "liberal" and also a "born-again Christian." Those are tags that don't go together in the minds of most Americans, I suspect, but they fit her. In one of the essays in this book, she mourns how the label "born again" has been turned into a recipe with set steps and uniform result. Her God (like mine) is more complicated than that, and I appreciate that.

Indeed, her born-again faith is much more complex than that of many I know who brandish that label, and in that I sense an authenticity. She admits to "moments of great faith followed immediately by sheer panic." She struggles with the fact that, having been born-again at age 10, most of her big mistakes have come after being saved, not before. Mostly, she mourns that so many who call themselves Christian can't see the forest for the trees; that too many folks are caught up in petty legalisms and have lost sight of the true basics of the Christian life: grace and love. That's where the title comes in: "Sin boldly" is from a quote by one of Martin Luther's letters written during the Protestant Reformation; a reminder that obsession with legalism can make us too timid to be any earthly good to God and our neighbors. If we act (and even if we don't), we will eventually stumble and sin, even with the best of intentions; but whatever we do, we ought to do boldly, in the confidence that God's grace covers us.

In this book, Falsani travels the world seeking moments of grace in a variety of surroundings. From the slums of Nairobi to a cottage on Lake Champlain; from the Katrina-ravaged Gulf coast to an African safari; in the struggles of both her mother and her pet cat against breast cancer (who knew cats got breast cancer?), Falsani experiences, and shares with the reader, startling moments of grace.

I found this book thought-provoking and moving. Falsani is not perfect, and doesn't claim to be, but her book was the perfect fit for where I've been spiritually these days.

BOMBS Challenge book #4
Title: Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder: What it is and how to Overcome It, Revised Edition
Author: Norman E. Rosenthal
Copyright/Year of original publication:2006
Subject: The impact of seasonal changes upon mood
Dates Read: finished 1/23/12
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased at library sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color My World
How does it fit the category? "Blues"
Alternate category "Doctor, Doctor"
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? N/A
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

Apparently, the author was involved in the ground-breaking research which first documented and defined the impact of seasonal changes upon mood --Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), commonly referred to as "the winter blues," though some people actually have difficulty with summer -- and how light therapy and other treatments can be of help. The book helps to define what it is and offers tips on dealing with it: do it yourself strategies for those with mild cases, and what can be done with professional help for those more seriously afflicted. My own mild "winter blues" do not rise (or, rather, sink) nearly to the level of full-scale SAD which, in it's full-blown form, can be truly incapacitating.

The book also offers interesting historical and even literary examples of how the seasons have impacted people over the centuries. It seems well-written and comprehensive. There is even a section with recipes designed to help beat the "carb cravings" many people with SAD crave.

I'm a little skeptical -- I understand and accept what he says about the physical impact of light/lack thereof upon the human organism; but I do think he downplays the ordinary psychological impact of a season where the weather keeps people from doing so many things they enjoy doing.

I read to much fiction ;-)

Your latest read sounds interesting and I understand your skepticism, but I do know people who had great benefit of those so called "daylight" lamps, so there must be something with needing daylight.
Like you, I usually have mild winter-blues, but last year when we had a lot of snow, reflecting the sunlight, I had no winter-blues at all!
Rainy and cold weather do both, no sunlight and, besides walking the dogs, no use being outside ;-)

16 Is there such a thing as reading too much fiction? :)

Oh, I definitely believe that light makes a difference. I'm not ready to go out and buy one of those light therapy boxes, but I've been more intentional about getting more sunlight since reading Winter Blues. I'm finding that even a little more seems to help my mood.

Regardless of light, I doubt I'll ever be as cheerful walking to work bundled up in a winter coat, slipping and sliding on ice, as I am in the spring with short sleeves and sure footing.

Off the Shelf Book # 5
Title: The Invisible Ones
Author: Stef Penney
Copyright/Year of oriinal publication: 2012
Subject: searching for a missing person among English gypsies
Setting: England
Dates Read: finished 1/27/12
Number of pages: 401 (ARC bound proofs)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, 2011 ARC bound proofs from LT ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? Gypsies / nomadic existence
Alternate category one of the mystery categories
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? January/First things, Kind of fits, with word "Ones"
My Rating: 3.95 stars
Notes: LT ER program, bound proofs

I received an ARC of this book, in the form of bound uncorrected proofs, through the LT ER program. My review is based on that copy.

I was a bit slow getting into this book, but by halfway through it had grabbed me. I stayed up late last night, and was up early this morning reading over breakfast, again over lunch; grabbed it to finish as soon as I got home from work.

The book is told from the POV of two different characters -- Ray Lovell, a half-gypsy PI; and JJ, a teenage gypsy boy. There is a third POV, as Ray's entries are actually divided into two time frames for much of the book. Some take place in hospital after an event that affected his memory, and some take place at a time before he landed in the hospital. It sounds complicated, but it works.

Ray was hired to find the daughter of a gypsy, a young woman who hasn't been seen nor heard from since not long after her marriage into another Romany gypsy family. But this is no simple missing persons case; there are twists and turns a plenty. As the story moved along, I was pulled into the story trying to figure out what was really going on.

The book offers a fascinating look into gypsy life. I know little on the subject, but the level of detail suggests that Penney researched the subject thoroughly. The characters were, for the most part, interesting and thoughtfully drawn, with one exception that is noted below.

The book was not perfect. Some aspects seemed a little bit implausible. JJ's behavior starting about midway through the book didn't ring true to the character as he had been portrayed up to that point. I supposed one can chalk it up to teenage temperament and a rather unstable home situation? Someone prejudiced against Gypsies might explain it by just saying, "eventually, blood will tell." Actually, for this book, that's not such a bad line; blood was everything and everywhere in this book: bloodlines, blood ties, "black blood," blood diseases, bloodshed.

I also found the final twist a little implausible, at least at first glance. But then, putting together facts known to one narrator and not to the other, it suddenly came clearer.

The Invisible Ones was a compelling literary mystery with an unusual cast of characters. I enjoyed the book very much.

Off-the-shelf book # 6
Title: Death at La Fenice
Author: Donna Leon
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1992
Subject: famous conductor poisoned during intermission of opera
Setting: Venice, Italy
Series: Inspector Brunetti #1
Dates Read: started 1/28/12; finished 1/29/12
Number of pages: 278
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, purchased used several years ago.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color my World
How does it fit the category? international -- set in Italy
Alternate category mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First things First / first in series
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

This is a marvelously well-written novel, with a marvelous sense of place and realistic, well-developed characters. Inspector Brunetti is a delightful protagonist. The mystery itself was slightly less appealing than the setting and characters who populated it. Some of this may be attributed to a spoiler I saw on another LT thread. But there were still plenty of surprises in store, despite a basic knowledge of "who dunnit." I can't say I particularly liked the ending.

Managed to finish off one last book for January, just under the wire:

Off-the-Shelf book #7
Title: The Coroner's Lunch
Author: Colin Cotterill
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Setting: Laos, 1976
Series: Dr. Siri Paiboun #1
Dates Read: finished 1/31/12
Number of pages: 257
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used somewhere pre-2012
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color My World
How does it fit the category? setting in Laos; non US writer
Alternate category mystery or series categories, perhaps even "spooky"
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? First in series
My Rating: not sure yet
Notes:

I'm still thinking about this one. I'll probably post a review eventually. I enjoyed it, but it was very different.

Well, I was doing really well keeping my books-read-off-the-shelf to books-acquired ratio in the proper balance. Then I went to Ollie's again last week and bought 3 books. Now, since I gave my hubby his Valentine early (a NY Giants pub glass, to enjoy with the Super Bowl), he has reciprocated and given me an early Valentine -- six books from my Amazon wish list. I'm lovin' the books -- but now I'm behind in my shelf ratio!

The haul:

From Ollies:
The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
My Thoughts Be Bloody by Nora Titone

From hubby:
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey (he knew I needed this ASAP for February's month-book sub-challenge)
Curse of the Narrows by Laura M. MacDonald
Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton
Harbour: A Novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist
And the Laugh Shall be First by William H. Willimon
Drowning in Oil: BP & the Reckless Pursuit of Profit, by Loren C. Steffy

I also received an LT ER book today:
The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

So now my ratio is suddenly 11 books acquired vs. 7 books read. To make matters worse:
a) one of my off-the-shelf books this month is a 900-page chunkster that will take a long time to get through
b) I just got my new library card giving me access to the e-book and audiobook collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia; and I had to try it out to make sure I could successfully download and transfer material to my portables!

I think I am fighting an uphill battle.

ETA to add I keep typing the word "ration" instead of the word "ratio." Perhaps it's a Freudian slip, as deep down I know I must ration my book-buying!

Nice haul, I know not good for the ratio, but on the other hand, it is always good to have enough real books if all e-thingies stop working ;-)

Absolutely!

Off-the-Shelf Book #8
Title: Drowning in Oil: BP & the Reckless Pursuit of Profit
Author: Loren C. Steffy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Subject: BP safety issues & disasters, including the Deepwater Horizon / Macondo oil well blowout & Gulf oil spill and the Texas City BP oil refinery fire of March, 2005
Setting: Worldwide
Dates Read: finished 2/8/2012
Number of pages: 259 plus sources, notes, & index
Off the Shelf? Source?: Barely hit the shelf, but owned; gift. Does not count toward pre-2012 pair.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? disasters
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? n/a
My Rating: 3.6 stars
Notes:

This was a pretty interesting account of BP operations and how their corporate culture may have led to some very public failures: the massive oil spil in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and the Texas City refinery fire of 2005 being the most prominent. Sometimes I got the feeling that the writer had too much of an agenda. There were sections that I found a bit sketchy. But most of what he said fit with things I've read elsewhere. The account of BP history was a bit sketchy, but sufficient for the purposes of the book. The accounts of the disasters were gripping but not overdone. There were notes and a list of sources, but the author acknowledges using a number of anonymous sources inside and outside BP who were afraid to have their names known.

My last read, Birds of a Feather, felt like it should count as a book off my shelf, because it's been sitting around since last summer -- but it was a loan from a friend, so alas it does not.

Lately I've had a hard time settling in and reading anything. I start a book and put it aside, start another. I think I've tried and abandoned half a dozen books this month. Finally I decided to ignore themes and challenges and all those other things that limit my book choices and just pull one off the shelf that I'm dying to read.

I started Michael Koryta's The Cypress House last night, and am already almost halfway through. I love his books!

I'm just catching up on posts and the first thing I saw was the blinking sign - love it! Mine would say "Stops at Book Sales" - and it's book sale time of year again, hurray! Of course, that's not going to help the BOMBS ratio. Speaking of which, I'm going to borrow your stats layout if you don't mind. I've been thinking I'd like to do something similar and you've put the work in already to think it through.

I know how you are feeling, Terri. I tend to over commit myself with challenges, group reads etc, and then when the time comes I often don't really feel like reading what I have signed up for. Enjoyment of a book is so tied up with mood. So congratulations on just picking a book at random that you want to read.

26 As soon as I saw that graphic, I knew I had to use it. Oh, I love book sales, too! There's a huge one in State College, PA every May, and I already have my calendar marked for it. And you are welcome to borrow the stats layout -- I'm sure I've incorporated ideas borrowed from other LTers.

27 Judy, I've decided that when reading starts to feel like a chore, something is wrong -- and I need to fix it pronto! I think I made the right move.

off-the-shelf Book #9
Title: The Cypress House
Author: Michael Koryta
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Setting: Florida, September 1935 (Great Depression)
Dates Read: 2/12/12 through 2/14/12
Number of pages: 424
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes / purchased last year at Borders final clearance
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? paranormal element
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

I love Michael Koryta's writing, and I haven't been disappointed by any of his books yet. The Cypress House has a paranormal element which is significant but doesn't by any means dominate the story line. There is plenty of down-to-earth suspense and action, too. I like the blend. I love the atmosphere that he conveys. I enjoy the characters he crafts -- both the good and the evil ones.

The fact that he works into his story the massive hurricane of Labor Day weekend, 1935, was a bonus for this history loving reader!

This was a great book to ward off a reading funk!

Off-the-Shelf book #10
Title: The Great American Gamble: How the 1979 Daytona 500 Gave Birth to a NASCAR Nation
Author: Joe Menzer
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Subject: The first Daytona 500 televised live in its entirety -- with lots of NASCAR history as background
Setting: Daytona Beach, FL
Dates Read: "Speed Weeks" 2012 -- finished 2/25/12
Number of pages: 279 (including photos) plus bibliography and index
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased at Ollies in 2010
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: The Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? Sports
Alternate category King of the Road
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Not part of monthly theme; read for Speed Weeks
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This book was a decent read, well-written. I knew a lot of the information already; I'm sure much of it was touched on in Menzer's earlier work, The Wildest Ride, a history of NASCAR, which I read some time ago, and in other books I've read about NASCAR.

There was an hours-long rain delay yesterday before NASCAR decided it must post postpone the Daytona 500 for a day due to weather. The quiet afternoon (with son taking a nap and hubby channel surfing) gave me a chance to get through my second "Speed Weeks" read.

Off-the-Shelf book #11
Title: At the Altar of Speed: the Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt
Author: Leigh Montville
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Subject: life of Dale Earnhardt/impact on popular culture
Dates Read: 2/25/12 through 2/27/12
Number of pages: 203
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: purchased 2011 used
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? he was a 7-time champion
Alternate category King of the Road
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? doesn't; it's a Speed Weeks read
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

This is one of the many books about the stock car great Dale Earnhardt that were hurried to press in 2001 following his death in that year's Daytona 500. I suspect this is one of the better ones. Published by Doubleday, written by a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, it seemed fairly accurate and balanced for a hurried publication. I did notice a few minor errors (mainly regarding NASCAR procedure); there may have been others that I wouldn't recognize regarding specifics of Earnhardt's life, but nothing obvious.

Montville was a "general assignment" writer, meaning not a motorsports specialist, but he had interviewed Earnhardt in his later years and developed an interest in his career and public perceptions of the man. This book opened each chapter with an example of fans' (or in some cases, fellow drivers') expressions of sorrow over Earnhardt's death, then proceeded to give part of Dale's life story. He also analyzed the nature of Earnhardt's appeal to such a devoted fan base.

I'm always a little leery of books that take advantage of interest in the death of a popular figure. In his introduction, the author was decent enough to thank those willing to talk to him in the months immediately following Earnhardt's death, and to say he understood and respected those who did not want to talk. I still probably took half a star away for the timing of the book and an element of the format: the title, and the fact that the opening segment of each chapter was titled "at the altar." It just seemed a bit over the top.

But I found the book a mostly effective telling of a true American rags-to-riches story, and an honest and respectful look at a NASCAR star who died too soon.

Off-the-shelf Book #12
Title: The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote
Author: Shelby Foote
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1963
Dates Read: 1/12 through 2/29/12
Number of pages: 966+
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes/Owned for a number of years
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? US history
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Two's -- volume 2
My Rating: 4.5 stars.
Notes:

I'm not sure there's anything to say about this book that hasn't already been said. The trilogy of which this volume is a part is a classic work of narrative history. Shelby Foote made history come alive in these pages.

A mystery for Mystery March; and this brings me back even with having read as many off the shelf as I've acquired this year (until the new ER book arrives, anyway!)

Off-the-shelf Book #13
Title: Red Bones
Author: Ann Cleeves
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Subject: murder at an archaeological dig
Setting: Shetland Islands
Series: Shetland Quartet #3
Dates Read: 3/2/12 through 3/5/12
Number of pages: 392
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Off the shelf, bought last year at Border's closing sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color my World
How does it fit the category? "red" in title, set in Shetland Islands
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Marvelous Mystery March (3M): third in series, mystery
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This is another fine installment in Ann Cleeve's series set in the Shetland Islands. Like the first two, it's rather slow-paced and very atmospheric. Cleeves is great at dissecting the mixed motives, crass assumptions, and skewed perceptions that so often make human relationships a minefield. She also thoroughly understands the small village mentality that wants to know everyone else's business, but wants to keep one's own family secrets -- sometimes at any cost. A complex mystery, and I did not guess "whodunit."

Off-the-shelf Book #14
Title: Butchers Hill
Author: Laura Lippman
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998
Subject: Tess's first two cases for her own PI office; both deal with foster care & adoption issues, one with murder
Setting: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Series: Tess Monaghan #3
Dates Read: finished 3/7/12
Number of pages: 275
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Off the shelf; sent by Stasia
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: On and On
How does it fit the category? Series
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? 3M -- marvelous Mystery March -- 3rd in series and mystery
My Rating:3.7 stars
Notes:

I started this book not sure if I'd like it. But before I knew it I was hooked. Kept picking it up when I should be doing other things. It's a definite improvement over the previous installment in the series, which wasn't too shabby itself.

Tess is on her own now as a PI. Her first two cases have a common thread -- dealing with issues of children's services, such as adoption and foster care. But there is murder here, too. A good story with some interesting characters.

**fake exasperated sigh**
Another book keeping me up late, that I couldn't put down!

Off-the-shelf Book #15
Title: When the Devil Holds the Candle
Author: Karin Fossum
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998 (Norwegian) 2004 (English Translation)
Subject: the tangled webs of destruction that people weave
Setting: Norway
Series: Inspector Sejer
Dates Read: finished 3/10/12
Number of pages: 259
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased 2011 at Border's closing sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: What's Goin' On
How does it fit the category? mystery
Alternate category any series or mystery category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? 3M/ Mystery March & Third in Series
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

My, the tangled web that people can weave! This book has a little of everything: greed, selfishness, bigotry, homophobia, violence, madness. Fossum does madness with style. In the earliest part of the book, she throws out assorted story lines and POVs, allows them to dance a bit, and when the dust settles -- abracadabra! -- a compelling thriller emerges.

Andreas and Zipp, best friends still in their teens, are out on the town and raising some hell. Oh, and hell is pretty much what is in store for them -- especially one of them -- when they take on first a young mother, then a strange old woman. (Harmless, is she? NOT!!)

This is not so much a "whodunit" as a "what is it," "what's going on," "what happens next," and "how will it all sort out -- or will it?"

Off-theShelf Book #16
Title: Wait Till Next Year
Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1997
Subject: memoir of her life growing up in the 50's on Long Island as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan
Setting: Rockville Center, Long Island, NY, USA
Series: no
Dates Read: finished 3/14/12
Number of pages: 257 plus acknowledgments & reading group guide
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? Sports emphasis
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? This is part of the Spring Training Read
My Rating: 3.9 stars
Notes:

I enjoyed this memoir by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. There is much more than baseball here -- it's her growing up experiences as a child of the suburban 1950's. But it pretty much begins and ends with baseball, and the game is a thread running through the entire book.

Off-The-Shelf Book #17
Title: Gods of Gotham
Author: Lindsay Faye
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: murder, religious bigotry, origins of the NYPD
Setting: New York City, 1845
Series: No (at least I don't know that she plans a sequel)
Dates Read: finished 3/21/12
Number of pages: 414 (in uncorrected proofs)
Off the Shelf? Pre-2012 or ER? Source?: Yes, ER, LT's ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: TBA
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Mystery March
My Rating: TBA
Notes:

I received an Early Reviewer copy of uncorrected proofs of this book from the publisher through the Library Thing Early Reviewer program, and my review is based on this copy.

In this historical mystery, set in 1845, Timothy Wilde gets a job on the newly-minted New York Police Department (courtesy of his politically-connected brother). Patrolling the 6th Ward, at the edge of the notorious Five-Points slum, he encounters a blood-soaked young girl.

This tale is filled with grim realities. Author Lindsay Faye vividly portrays the wretched poverty of the immigrants, and the tremendous religious bigotry that the Irish, in particular, faced as they fled Ireland's Potato Famine. (It never ceases to amaze me, the ungodly things that some people do allegedly in the name of God.) Each chapter begins with a genuine quotation from that era which demonstrates how much the Catholics were hated by the great majority of native New Yorkers. Particularly chilling is the exploitation of children, which appears to be accepted as a routine fact of life. But what Timothy Wilde uncovers about the fate of some children is shocking even for that place and time.

This book is very well written. Faye has clearly done her homework; this novel is filled with historical detail which brings 1845 New York City alive. The characters are complex and well-drawn, defying stereotypes. The biggest difficulty I had reading the book was that it was almost too well done. The story and setting is a grim one, indeed.

I also must note that for uncorrected proofs, this was amazingly clean copy -- thus I would wager that the finished edition will be free of the spelling/grammar errors too often found in books nowadays.

OK, I just set myself back by purchasing a pile of books at Ollie's. Some of them were early purchases for my son's birthday, and one was for hubby, but there were eight that were definitely my own book buys.

Sounds like you had a good time! :-)

I did! And they were real bargains, too! Several of them -- including a couple of hard-cover editions -- were only 50 cents! I got a hard-cover full-color coffee table type book, list price $50, for $1.75.

I'd better get going reading the stuff on my shelves so I have room for them . . .

At those prices Terri, no guilt involved!

41 I like to think so, Judy!

April is Autism Awareness Month (at least in the U.S. -- I think some countries observe it in different months). I've started a thread for Autism Awareness Month reading over on the 75 Challenge group. Come join me for some April Reading Along the Autism Spectrum

http://www.librarything.com/topic/135101

Off-the-Shelves-Book #18
Title: Sherman's March
Author: Burke Davis
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1980
Subject: General Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas during the US Civil War
Setting: Georgia, South & North Carolina
Dates Read: finished 4/2/12
Number of pages: 302 plus bibliography & indix
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, bought at library sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? US History
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? read for "March" theme (word "March" in title)
My Rating: 3.2 stars
Notes:

This is a narrative non-fiction account of William Tecumseh Sherman and his army's famous "march to the sea" and beyond. There are no footnotes, but there is an extensive bibliography. Many of the sources are not quite impartial; being diaries, letters, & memoirs of soldiers who participated in, and of Confederate residents who suffered in, areas afflicted by the march. Perhaps that accounts for some of the sense of contradiction. But I also get the sense that General Sherman was a bit of a contradiction himself. At times he was ruthless, at other times unexpectedly kind. He relentlessly practiced "total war," yet at times expressed regret over the pain caused to innocents. This is a man who would refuse to speak to an old West Point friend who turned Confederate, yet socialized freely with other Confederate citizens who were willing to spend time with him. This is a man loved as "Uncle Billy" by his troops during the famous march through Georgia and the Carolinas because of his apparent concern for their welfare; and yet who allowed many to fall by the wayside and die in a blistering march back to Washington after the war ended. Frankly, I cannot quite fathom the man.

Author Burke Davis does a creditable job of presenting a multi-faceted narrative about this complex historical figure and the controversial military campaign he led through the South. This book was full of information of which I was not fully aware; I especially didn't know the details of how Secretary of War Stanton ruthlessly attempted to libel him as a traitor when Sherman was negotiating for the surrender of Johnston's army. I guess politics has always been nasty.

Off-The-Shelf book #19
Title: Miracles & Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories from Doctors
Author: Nancy B. Kennedy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: uplifting stories from medical practice
Setting: clinics, hospitals, etc. around the world
Series: Miracles & Moments of Grace 2
Dates Read: finished 4/11/12
Number of pages: 231 plus acknowledgments, endnotes, & indix
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: yes, LT ER book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? book category Christian Inspiration
Alternate category Doctor, Doctor
Why did I read this now? was part of my Lenten devotional reading
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

I received a copy of this book through the LT Early Reviewer program, and this review is based on this book. There was no indication on the book that it was uncorrected proofs or anything different from what was released as a 1st edition; though I contacted the publisher to try to clarify this, no response was forthcoming.

This is a book of very short first-person stories by doctors (in some cases written by the doctors themselves, in some cases told to Nancy Kennedy for her to write, according to the preface). They are accounts of personal experiences with patients which the doctors found in some way inspiring. Some seemed close to outright miracles; some were merely thought-provoking or offered spiritual insights. Some of the stories featured overtly Christian references; others were "religious" in less specific ways; some were simply inspiring in ways that could be appreciated without a religious frame of reference. Almost all were thought provoking and enjoyable. The writing style was simple and straightforward. I must comment that one was one of the neatest "near death experience" stories I've ever read.

There was one major editing gaffe -- a paragraph which appeared in two places within 2 pages -- the reason I asked if my copy was uncorrected proofs. Otherwise, I have no complaints about the book. It certainly isn't great literature, but it's a lovely little pick-me-up to read stories from these doctors who obviously love and are committed to their work.

Off-the-Shelf book #20
Title: Voyagers of the Titanic -- ER edition, bound uncorrected proofs
Author: Richard Davenport-Hines
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: people who were on the Titanic
Setting: aboard the Titanic; also the shipyards of Belfast; White Star Line offices in NY and London
Dates Read: April, 2012
Number of pages: 312 plus notes
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, ER, from LT ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: "Help!"
How does it fit the category? disaster
Alternate category n/a
Why did I read this book now? I owed a review; also, 100th anniversary of Titanic
My Rating: 3 stars
Notes:

OK, this book appeared to be quite well-researched. There were lots of notes. It was an interesting idea to sort the various groups of people aboard ship into groups and then look at lots of individuals within each group. But much of it was rather dry reading. I found my eyes glazing as I swam through page after page of names, origins, and planned destinations. I supposed it helped bring home the reality of how many people were on the ship when it went down. And, to be fair, there were many pieces of interesting information included. But it was rather mind-numbing.

It seems ghoulish to say that the book got more interesting when the ship started to sink. But if one looks for an actual story rather than dry facts, storytelling requires conflict, and the stories of disasters are told and retold again and again, in part, because they are rife with conflict. It's hard for a writer to be boring when dealing with even the bare facts of that fateful night when Titanic went down, since it was so full of drama. In the confusion of the crew and the faulty information provided to passengers early in the tragedy, I found echoes of the recent Costa Concordia capsizing. (Don't we ever learn from history?)

The part of the book I actually found most interesting was actually the aftermath of the sinking, because it contained a lot of information I hadn't read elsewhere. Yes, I knew about the two inquiries on either side of the Atlantic; but Davenport-Hines really does a neat job summing up the tone of each inquiry, and relating it to the very nature of the two respective nations. And who would think there'd have been "fake" bereaved relatives?

This was a well-researched book with some facts I hadn't read elsewhere. And I'm sure it adds useful material to the information readily available to readers about the ship and its sinking. But if you're looking for a telling of the ship's story, there are more worthwhile books available.

Off-theShelf book #21
Title: Born on a Blue Day
Author: Daniel Tammet
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Subject: memoir of a man who is an autistic savant
Setting: England and other places around the world
Dates Read: started April 2012; finished 5/7/12
Number of pages: 237 (including reading group guide & conversation with author)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased from library sale pre-2012
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color My World
How does it fit the category? See title
Alternate category
Monthly theme/emphasis? / how does it fit? Started last month for April Autism Awareness
My Rating: 4.75 stars
Notes:

This fascinating memoir by Daniel Tammet explores the world of a man who has Asperger's Syndrome, Savant Syndrome, and synesthesia. He is amazing! In 2003 he set a European record by reciting over 25,000 digits of pi, that infinite decimal number so useful in geometric and other applications. When asked why he did it, he responded:pi is for me an extremely beautiful and utterly unique thing. But the record attempt was done to benefit charity, used as a fundraiser by the National Society for Epilepsy in the UK.

Tammet openly discusses the difficulties he's had with social interaction, with tolerating change, with different sounds and textures and in dealing with non-literal language. He also shares the joy he experiences in the unusual way he experiences the world, especially numbers. He attempts to describe the colorful landscapes he sees as he deals with numbers. His is a unique mind, not simply in how he experiences the world, but int hat he is able to describe it so clearly to those around him. He willingly subjects himself to scientific scrutiny.

Sometimes people ask me if I mind being a guinea pig for the scientists. I have no problem with it because I know that I am helping them to understand the human brain better, which is something that will benefit everyone. It is also gratifying for me to learn more about myself, and the way in which my mind works.

He comments how his difference from others, which separated him from others and caused him such distress when he was younger, has become something which has now allowed him to reach out to and interact with so many different people. It's very inspiring to see how he has learned to live a full, independent life despite the difficulties which his Asperger's syndrome presents.

Amazon order came. Three more books on the TBR shelf. . .

Off-the-shelf book #22
Title: State of the Onion
Author: Julie Hyzy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Subject: White house kitchen and a wily assassin
Setting: The White House, Washington, DC
Series: White House Chef #1
Dates Read: started 5/4/12; finished 5/18/12
Number of pages:300 plus recipes
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased when Borders went out of business
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? White House is American, and pies come from kitchens!
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Why did I read this book now? May Murder & Mayhem; I wanted a cozy
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

Assistant chef Olivia (Ollie) Paras comes face to face with an intruder on the White House grounds; mayhem ensues, and eventually murder. This all happens as she's vying to replace the retiring Executive Chef, squaring off with a really nasty chef who has her own cooking show.

This was a pretty decent cozy. Cozies always drive me crazy because the main character always does things that you know she shouldn't and that will get her into trouble. But this book kept the aggravation to a minimum, and the character was aware when she did something foolish.

I enjoyed all the details about how the White House kitchen staff does their work, all the protocol details that I'd never think of. The mystery wasn't bad, either. I liked the characters (though Ollie's competition for the chef job is a bit of a stereotype.)

Off the Shelf book #23
Title: The Killer's Cousin
Author: Nancy Werlin
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1998
Subject: accused-but-acquitted young man goes off to redo Senior Year of HS living with Aunt, Uncle, and weird cousin; believes he experiences a dead cousin's ghost.
Setting: Cambridge, MA
Series: No
Dates Read: finished 5/20/12
Number of pages: 229
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes; found at Ollie's
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? There seems to be a ghost
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Looking for a book that would fit May Murder & Mayhem and my "Spooky" 12 in 12 category (this barely fit either, as it turned out.)
My Rating:3.2 stars
Notes: Edgar award Best YA novel; ALA Best Book for Young Adults; ALA Quick Pick

David goes to live with his Uncle Vic and Aunt Julia and their daughter Lilly to escape the notoriety generated by his controversial murder trial, at which he was finally acquitted; he's going to try to re-do his interrupted Senior year of high school at a prep school in Cambridge. He moves into the attic apartment where his deceased cousin Kathy used to live, and immediately experiences what he comes to believe is Kathy's ghost. Meanwhile, Cousin Lilly seems determined to make him uncomfortable.

This book won all sorts of accolades when it was published, including an Edgar award as best YA novel, and inclusion on ALA book lists. But I really didn't enjoy this book while I was reading it. Told from David's unhappy POV, it was dreary and filled with characters who didn't seem quite real to me. Julia and Vic came across as artificial and prone to emotional/relational shifts that seemed to turn on a dime. Lilly was thoroughly disagreeable through most of the book.

The book was easier to appreciate after finishing it and seeing how it all turned out. But I still had trouble accepting the volatility of the characters and their relationships, how attitudes seemed to change too quickly rather than evolve naturally. Scary to think, the ghostly part may have been the easiest part to believe. Go figure.

You appear to be right on track with this challenge, Terri. You're slightly shy of 50% which should put you in line to complete the challenge well before year end.

Judy, I'm enjoying my reading this year. And I am actually creating some "wiggle room" on my TBR shelf!

I did just order and receive a book that I'm not counting in my "newly acquired" figures -- it's for the whole family, a resource related to our planned vacation this year.

Off-the-Shelf Book #24
Title: We'll Always Have Parrots
Author: Donna Andrews
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2004
Subject: murder
Setting: a fan convention
Series: Meg Langslow #5
Dates Read: finished 5/28/12
Number of pages: 293
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, pre 2012 purchase
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Magical Mystery Tour
How does it fit the category? Mystery
Alternate category any mystery/series category
Why did I read this now? May Murder & Mayhem group read; May 12 in 12 monthly challenge
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

Another madcap adventure with Meg & Co. This time, they are at a fan convention of the TV show in which Michael has a role. Someone had the bright idea of bringing parrots and monkeys to the convention, and they have gotten loose. The convention-goers are pretty wild, too.

It's pretty obvious early on who will get killed. There are no shortage of suspects when the deed is done, because everyone hates the woman.

This book was clever and witty and even had a decent mystery. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a cozy, because I didn't enjoy it as much as most other readers seemed to. But it was well done.

Off-the-Shelf Book #25
Title: Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894
Author: Daniel James Brown
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Subject: Horrific wildfire that wiped out entire towns and killed hundreds (non-fiction)
Setting: Northeastern Minnesota
Dates Read: finished 5/28/12
Number of pages: 214 plus notes, sources, index, and reader's guide
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased at used bookstore in 2010
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? disaster
Why did I read this now? Needed a book for the "Help!" category
My Rating: 4.1 stars
Notes:

This is a gripping account of a terrible disaster about which I previously knew nothing. Daniel James Brown tells the story of the massive firestorm that killed his great-grandfather and hundreds of other residents of Northeastern Minnesota. He says that he emulated Sebastian Junger's Perfect Storm and Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, and I'd say he studied his role models and learned his lessons well. This was gripping narrtive fiction. Along the way, he teaches the reader a little about the history of wildfires, forestry management, PTSD research, and burn treatment. But the real story is the wildfire, and the people confronted by it.

This book is not for the faint-hearted, as Brown describes the damage wrought upon people, animals, and land in some detail.

Oddly, this disaster appears to take place not too far from the setting of the Cork O'Connor series that I've been reading lately.

>52 tymfos: - I really need to get going on that series; it sounds like such fun.

It's a fun series, Betty.

Off-the-shelf book #26
Title: Waterproof: a novel of the Johnstown flood
Author: Judith Redline Coopey
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: how people respond to and remember difficult times
Setting: Johnstown, Pennsylvania in the aftermath of the great 1889 flood, and fifty years later
Dates Read: 5/28/12 - 5/30/12
Number of pages: 262
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, but not pre-2012; purchased at library book-signing
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? flood
Alternate category American Pie
Why did I read this book now? attended book signing / discussion by author last week
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

From the book jacket: Fifty years after an earthen dam broke and sent a thirty foot wall of raging destruction down on the city of Johnstown, PA, Pamela McRae looks back on the tragedy with new perspective.

I may be a bit biased on this one because 1) it's relatively local 2) I met the author 3) she's a Central PA native (born in Altoona; raised near Williamsburg; Penn State grad). Add in the fact that there's a major disaster involved, and I have to love it.

This book is the story of Pamela: Pamela as an older woman, living a modest but comfortable existence in 1939 and looking back at her life; and young Pamela at and shortly after the time of the great Johnstown Flood of 1889, as she is remembered by her older self. The segments which are Pamela in 1939 are written in first person present tense; the portions which are her memories are written in first person past tense. The writing is conversational in tone. The narrative pulled me in -- the author was very good at working in teasers which made me want to read on. On one level, it's a simple story about common people who have been through a terrible ordeal. On another level, it's a study in how different people respond to tragedy and disaster, and how difficult circumstances can kill the spirit of some, while nurturing growth in others. While some gave in to despair and/or rage following the flood, Pam didn't want to go there; she was determined to make herself waterproof.

The author said she did a lot of historical research, as she does NOT like historical fiction that plays fast and loose with the facts; I could see evidence of that research in details about Johnstown of the times described in the book.

The ending is tied up a little too neatly for my cynical nature, but that was OK, too.

The book is self-published, but the quality is as good as many books I've seen from major publishers lately. The author said she availed herself of professional help in proofreading and design, and it shows. A library patron complained of some typos in our library copy, but I noticed only a couple of very minor errors in my own copy -- and I'm generally pretty fussy about those things.

Had to go to Ollie's to pick up a book for a graduation present. Came home with two for me. Then, today a trip to a farmer's market yielded a 50 cent paperback. That's three more added to the pile.

I did not count one book I bought as a reference for an upcoming vacation. That's for all of us in the family, not just my TBR pile.

I'm debating whether the books I just bought are what I should count for my Thingaversary tomorrow. I'd really rather not . . . there's a big used book sale coming up in less than two weeks. On the other hand, I'm not halfway through the year, I'm coming up against my book-buying limit for the year. Maybe Thingaversary books shouldn't count against the limit?

Off-the-Shelf Book #27
Title: Dandelion Wine
Author: Ray Bradbury
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1946
Subject: one magical summer in the life of a boy and his small town
Setting: Green Town, Illinois; summer of 1928
Dates Read: finished 6/14/12
Number of pages: 239
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes; long ago paperback exchange purchase
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Magical Mystery Tour
How does it fit the category? not a mystery, but very magical!
Alternate category American Pie
Why did I read this book now? In memory of Ray Bradbury, who died last week
My Rating: 4.6 stars
Notes:

It was a quiet morning, the town covered over with darkness and at ease in bed. Summer gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow. You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer.

So begins Ray Bradbury's magical tale of Green Town, in the summer of 1928, and the eventful 12th summer of Douglas Spaulding's young life.

Boy," whispered Douglas.

Boy, indeed! Bradbury painted pictures with words in a way unlike any other author. Green Town, 1928, is a wondrous place where Leo Auffman tries to build a Happiness Machine, and Mr. Tridden takes the trolley over one last ride over the abandoned track beyond town. Townsfolk brave the dark depths of The Ravine, knowing that The Lonely One may be somewhere about, stalking for his next murder victim. And as the summer progresses, the memories are bottled up, with one bottle of dandelion wine labeled and stored for each wonder-packed day of the summer.

Bradbury's prose makes the summer come alive with the patter of sneakered feet, the slam of screen doors, and the heat of the summer sun. Marvelous, marvelous writing.

Oh, yesterday I purchased two books at a used book sale. Those were two of the four Thingaversary books I'm entitled to by tradition (at least the tradition in the 75 challenge group). Three for three years in LT, and one to grow on.

So the TBR pile is still bigger, even though I finished one off.

Purchased a book at the Farmer's Market on Saturday as the third of my Thingaversary books; and another today in Ligonier as my fourth and final Thingaversary book. These books I do NOT count toward my limit of acquired books. I bought one additional book, and a little booklet of ghostly regional folklore. Those two extras do count toward the total acquired.

Off-The-Shelf Book #28
Title: Haunted Foothills (no touchstone)
Author: M.A. Mogus & Ed Kelemen
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Subject: spooky regional folklore
Setting: western foothills of the Laurel Mountains of Western Pennsylvania
Dates Read: cover-to-cover 6/19/12
Number of pages: 55
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Sort of. Barely touched the shelf, purchased today (counts as non-pre-2012 part of quota)
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? ghost stories
Why did I read this book now? Bought it today, had it with me to start reading while eating lunch.
My Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Notes:

This little 45-page booklet hardly qualifies as a book. It is extremely self-published -- 55 pages bound only via 2 staples. It's so obscure, I can't find it even on Amazon; its sole distribution seems to be via local bookstore(s) near the area where it takes place. But it has an ISBN, so I'm counting it.

This one started out very well. As in many such books of folklore, there was a good dose of regional history, providing background to some nice little ghost stories. I only noticed one glaring editing error (a missing verb in one sentence, as I recall). But it did sort of bog down in the middle.

Much of the book is focused on the West Overton Village and Museum, which is OK as ghost stories abound on the property. But I knocked off at least a star from my rating because there was too much chatter about the "haunted Halloween" events they hold there. Tell me about the history and the ghosts, please; I'm not interested in PR about fundraisers!

BTW, in the author bios at the end, I enjoyed the description of the one author's home life, with "a pair of humongous dogs and a clutch of attitude-ridden cats." :)

Off-The-Shelf Challenge Book #29
Title:The Devil's Tea Tables: West Virginia Ghost Tales and Other Stories
Author: Mack Samples
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Subject: West Virginia folklore
Setting: Elk River area of West Virginia
Dates Read: 6/22/12 through 6/23/12
Number of pages: 115
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased somewhere in my past travels
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? A few ghost stories in the mix (I had hoped for more)
Why did I read this book now? Needed a quick read for my off-the-shelf challenge, that also would fit a gap in my 12 in 12 challenge
My Rating: 2.9 stars
Notes:

I needed a quick read for my off-the-shelf challenge, and a book of ghost stories usually works well for me. Alas, the book had more "Other Stories" than "Ghost Tales."

The author tried to emulate the format of Canturbury Tales, but this guy is no match for Chaucer. He started off with an awfully corny poem describing the 25 travelers gathered around the campfire telling their tales; each story was ostensibly "shared" by one of these travelers. It was an interesting glimpse at life in rural West Virginia in years past, but I didn't really like many of the stories.

BTW, I would STRONGLY warn animal lovers not to read this, as some animals were treated quite unkindly.

I started this in June, and finished it in July. By my rules here it counts for July . . . though I'm using it to fill in another challenge relating to June . . .

Off-the-Shelf Book #30
Title: The Kindness of Strangers
Author: Julie Smith
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1996
Subject: a depressed cop suspects that a minister running for mayor is evil, insane, and running a cult . . . a married man falls in love with his teen-aged babysitter . . . threats of a hurricane . . . and a few other assorted storylines
Setting: New Orleans and vicinity
Series: Skip Langdon, #6
Dates Read: finished 7/1/12
Number of pages: 338
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, owned for ages
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Jambalaya (on the bayou)
How does it fit the category? set around New Orleans, some of it in bayou country
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Why did I read this book now? 6th in series for June/6th month sub-challenge in the 12 in 12 challenge; fits slot in 12 in 12 category; wanted a book off my TBR shelf
My Rating: 2 stars
Notes:

The Skip Langdon series is one that I usually enjoy, despite the fact that it was started long before I worried about reading series in order, and has therefore been read in a helter-skelter, out-of-order fashion, as books became available to me over the years. I generally find Skip a likable, believable character and I love the New Orleans setting. But this one was a disappointment.

I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK. I didn't like any of the characters (even Skip, who I usually like), I found the level of conspiracy hard to believe, I just didn't really care about these folks for much of the book. I almost gave up on it multiple times. I'm glad I stayed with it, because about 3/4 of the way through, I got drawn in to the point where I wanted to know how it would turn out. Perhaps it helped that, at that point, Smith wrote a hurricane into the story (of this pre-Katrina book). But she left some important matters unresolved (almost screaming "sequel" with the same baddie on tap).

I do think there are aspects of this book which suffered from the fact that I was NOT reading the series in order.

Off-the-shelf book #31
Title: Hurting with God: Learning to Lament with the Psalms
Author: Glenn Pemberton
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: Why the Psalms of lament are important
Dates Read: finished 7/7/12
Number of pages: 252 (incl. notes, sources, study guide, appendix)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, counts because it is ER book
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: "Spirit in the Sky"
How does it fit the category? bible/theology studies
Why did I read this book now? ER book, and it looked interesting
My Rating: still deciding
Notes:

I'll need to do a more formal review of this book because it is an ER book. But right now I'll say that this book gave me lots of food for thought. Pemberton has carefully studied the Psalms and has thoroughly thought through and structured his arguments in a very persuasive way. I understand the Psalms of Lament much better now, and have more appreciation for them.

Pemberton comes by his interest in the Psalms of lament naturally, after suffering permanent nerve damage which has left him in serious chronic pain; during the course of writing, he also lost a home to fire and went through a painful divorce. He makes appropriate references to his difficulties and how they inform his understanding of the Psalms and his dialog with God; but they do not overshadow in any way the actual Bible research he has done.

Pemberton is concerned that modern Christian worship has taken a form much different than its Biblical model as found in the Psalms of ancient Israel's worship. He argues that our focus on praise to the exclusion of lament is less faithful than it may appear. Being truly honest with God requires acknowledging the difficulties of life up front in our prayers and worship. A healthy relationship with God has room for questions and compaints in our dialog with God. The author cites New Testament models, including prayers of Jesus, which validate lament as an appropriate prayer form for Christians.

Pemberton makes the distinction between the biblical forms of lament and simply complaining. In the Psalms, lament always comes from a position of faith, even when that faith questions God's actions or lack thereof. God can handle our honest questions and laments when we are bewildered by life and turn to God in our confusion, pain, and anger.

Pemberton takes special care in dealing with the imprecatory Psalms, because these are the most controversial, often viewed as inappropriate for use by Christians taught to love enemies. He divides them into sub-categories, and makes several points about which I'd never thought. 1) the situations of the Psalmist in these psalms are hard for middle-class Americans to understand; rather, they are generally the voice of seriously oppressed and victimized people who are, too often, marginalized in mainstream churches. 2) While the Psalmist may be honest in acknowledging to God ill-wishes toward his enemy ill, retribution (if any) is left in God's hands.

The book includes a great many references both to scripture and to other bible scholars and theologians; there is good list of sources for further study, and a study guide included which looks like it might be useful in a Bible Study group.

Off-the-Shelf Challenge book #32
Title: Wolf Hall
Author: Hilary Mantel
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Subject: historical fiction about life of Thomas Cromwell
Setting: England in the time of Henry VIII
Dates Read: finished 7-15-12
Number of pages: 532
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or R?) Source?: YES, purchased used at book sale
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? King Henry VIII figures prominenetly
Alternate category Winner Takes it All (Man Book Prize winner, 2009)
Why did I read this book now? fits gap in 12 in 12 challenge
My Rating: TBD
Notes:

What to say about this book? So much has been said already. Like many readers, I found the pronoun usage mildly exasperating. There were times when it felt a bit tedious, figuring out who was saying what. There were moments of boredom, and moments of sheer delight. I appreciated Mantel's deft touch with humor. I enjoyed the experience of seeing Henry VIII's England through the eyes of what I would normally consider a rather unsympathetic character -- and having her create a sense of understanding the man. If Cromwell's story were invented of pure fabric for a novel, it would be criticized as unbelievable. But the man really lived, and managed to survive and thrive in that cut-throat environment. It's pretty clear that Mantel did her homework on the history, and she did make it come alive in her telling.

Off-the-Shelf Challenge #33
Title: The Lost Ones (Early Reviewer Copy)
Author: Ace Atkins
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2012
Subject: ex-Army-Ranger-turned-sheriff deals with gun runners & troubled friends & family
Setting: Tibbehah, Mississippi
Series: Quinn Colson #2
Dates Read: finished 7/27/12
Number of pages: 339 (in ARC)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: ER, from LT ER program
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: what's goin' on
How does it fit the category? crime solving
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? needed to review
My Rating: 3.35 stars
Notes:

Quinn Colson comes home from service as an Army Ranger, and winds up elected to his late uncle's old office, as Sheriff of Tebbehah County, Mississippi. Several of his friends are ex-military, too, and suffered damage of various kinds in the war. Then there's his family: a recovering alcoholic mother who still mourns over Elvis Presley's death; and his sister Caddie the Prodigal Daughter, welcomed back by Mom, who has found religion and is intent on pushing it onto her brother. (I can't quote from this copy because it's uncorrected proofs, but there was one exchange between brother and sister I wish I could quote, because it is priceless.)

Quinn is dealing with serious child and animal abuse, gun runners and federal agents, while coming to terms with incidents from his and Caddie's childhood. In the process, there are lots of shots fired.

This book is second in a series. There were references to the previous book (and some were likely spoilers) but the book was easy to follow without having read the first book.

I need to think on this one. I had some style issues with it, POV issues. It was written in third person, but the author would still often write for a spell rather like he was in the character's head (not always Standard English, ya know) and then throw in a line that was clearly not reflecting the POV character's attitude at all, IMO. I don't know. It was a good enough story, but it felt choppy at times. There were some sections that were in the past, and I didn't feel that the transition to those sections was effective at times.

It was a decent read, but it didn't really grab my attention and hold me until a little too close to the end. It took a long time for me to warm up to any of the characters, but I eventually did. I think my luke-warm reception may have simply been a matter of taste.

OK, I need 20 more books for my stated goal. That would be 4 per month. Yes, that's do-able!

Finally, here's one off my virtual bookshelf:

Off-the-Shelf book #34
Title: Three Months in the Southern States (E-Book)
Author: Col. Arthur James Lyon Fremantle
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1863
Subject: British officer spends time as an observer of the Confedrate States of America, 1863
Setting: Throughout the Southern States, and also Gettysburg, PA
Dates Read: April through July, 2012
Number of pages: n/a (e-book -- different pagination on different devices)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES downloaded pre-2012 from Project Gutenberg
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Not sure yet
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Started in April because that month was in the sub-title, for monthly challenge. Didn't finish in time.
My Rating: hard to rate
Notes:

This is a fascinating perspective on the Civil War. Colonel Arthur Fremantle of Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Cold Stream Guards spent time as an observer of the Confederate armies. He traveled with major officers, even Robert E. Lee himself. At times his observations are offensive to modern sensibilities, as he took on the views of his hosts. He thinks slaves are quite happy serving their masters and views the white southerners as the ones being oppressed by Northern armies of aggression. What I found most interesting was seeing his view of Gettysburg; most accounts I've read are overviews, but here we have one person telling it from where he sits, and not knowing what else is going on except what he's told by his hosts. Thus it is much less the Northern victory to him. As far as liking what he says, I have trouble giving it a high rating; for its historical value, it's good stuff.

Off-the-Shelf Book #35
Title: The Body in the Bog
Author: Katherine Hall Page
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1996
Subject: threats & death surrounding the development of a local wetland into housing development
Setting: Aleford, Massachusetts
Series: Faith Fairchild #7
Dates Read: 7-30-12 through 8-10-12
Number of pages: 262
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, purchased used several years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: What's goin' On
How does it fit the category? Mystery
Alternate category any series or mystery category
Why did I read this book now? 7th in series started in 7th month for sub-challenge
My Rating:3.76 stars
Notes:

I always enjoy these cozy mysteries (with recipes) featuring minister's wife (and professional caterer) Faith Fairchild. In this outing, a local developer is threatening the local bog, and the local citizenry is threatening the developer's plans, and someone is sending threatening letters, and someone (else?) is making threatening phone calls. With all these threats, sure as rain there will be bodies showing up in Aleford. Can Faith help the police solve this mystery? Or will her goose be cooked in the attempt?

Off-the-shelf book #36
Title: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Author: Frederick Stonehouse
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: the famous sinking of a Great Lakes iron ore transport ship
Setting: Lake Superior, November 1975
Dates Read: finished 8-11-12
Number of pages:
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Barely hit the shelf, but mine (not pre-2012, though)
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? disaster
Alternate category American Pie (US history)
Why did I read this book now? why not?
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Notes:

This book is a nuts-and-bolts account of what happened to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized in song. It is NOT a complete history of the Fitzgerald from boatyard to its sinking, or a riveting work of narrative history, nor a reconstruction of what the crew must have been through, a la The Perfect Storm. It IS a fairly straightforward organizing of such facts as are known about the sinking of the steamer, a presentation of some opinions (clearly labeled as opinions), a gathering of some pertinent documents. The Coast Guard investigation report (abbreviated) is included, as is the shipping industry group's rebuttal, and info about the NTSB investigation. My 25th-anniversary edition includes updates on later expeditions to the wreck. There are photos of the Fitzgerald in her prime and underwater, as well as photos of other Great Lakes steamers that came to unpleasant ends, and of rescue vessels (who were not able to resuce anyone this time). It also includes the lyrics of the song Gordon Lightfoot wrote about the wreck, which has helped to keep the ship's name and legend large in popular consciousness.

For what it sets out to do, it does the job. It's informative, a little repetitive, but clear.

Off-the-Shelf book #37
Title: Summer of Night
Author: Dan Simmons
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1991
Subject: Group of boys fight Evil (with a capital E) centered in a creepy old school building
Setting: Elm Haven, Illinois, USA, Summer of 1960
Series: Elm Haven #1 (of 2)
Dates Read: finished early a.m., 8/26/12
Number of pages: 600
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes!
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? Classic horror
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Seemed like it would be a great summer read.
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

Old Central School still stood upright, holding its secrets and silences firmly within. Eighty-four years of chalkdust floated in the rare shafts of sunlight inside while the memories of more than eight decades of varnishings rose from the dark stairs and floors to tinge the trapped air with the mahogany scent of coffins. The walls of Old Central were so thick that they seemed to absorb sounds while the tall windows , their glass warped and distorted by age and gravity, tinted the air with a sepia tiredness. . . .

By the spring of 1960, Old Central School had come to resemble some of the ancient teachers who had taught in her: too old to continue but too proud to retire, held stiffly upright by habit and a simple refusal to bend. Barren herself, a fierce old spinster, Old Central borrowed other people's children over the decades." (from the first page of Summer of Night)

It is summer of 1960, and Old Central School has completed its last year as an active shcool. A group of friends, most of them having just completed 6th grade, are ready for summer fun. But it's not going to be an easy summer. Something Evil is afoot. A boy has disappeared. A dead soldier is wandering about. The odorous Rendering Truck roams the streets in search of more than dead animals. There are rumors of a crused Bell. And something is slithering under the ground. . .

I love the writing in this book. I love the warm scenes of ordinary small-town circa 1960s life juxtaposed against vivid descriptions of the dark horror of Evil that is enveloping the town. Simmons takes his time with descriptions that pull the reader back into small-town life the summer of 1960. There are mentions Huntley & Brinkley and the nomination of JFK. There are marvelous passages that bring small town/rural life alive to the reader. Some might say he describes too much -- at 600 pages, this book isn't a quick read. But without being rooted in that solid sense of a real place and time, I'm not sure this story would work nearly as well as it does.

There are also things straight out of the author's chilling imagination. This is a horror novel, populated with the undead and other things that go bump (and slither and scratch) in the night. A certain suspension of disbelief is required of the reader -- not only regarding supernatural things, but also about the actions of these kids in fighting that Powerful Evil. But the author taps into an arsenal of natural childhood fears; fear of the dark, of something in the closet or under the bed; a reluctance to go into the basement, the threat of a menacing truck. Indeed, he does so much with the dreaded, odorous "Rendering Truck" that I wonder if a real-life version of such a truck was part of the writer's actual childhood terrors.

This is a classic Good vs. Evil tale. Some of it's rather gross, and the ending (as with many horror novels) is a bit much. But I enjoyed it.

Off-the-Shelf book #38
Title: Tilt-A-Whirl
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2005
Subject: Murder on an amusement park ride
Setting: Sea Haven, New Jersey (at the Jersey Shore)
Series: John Ceepak (Jersey Shore mysteries) #1
Dates Read: read 8/26/12
Number of pages: 321
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, but not pre-2012; Amazon purchase
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: TBD
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Just plain felt like it; summer read
My Rating: 3.75 stars
Notes:

An amusement park ride is the scene of the murder of a billionaire. Reginald Hart was "kind of like Donald Trump, only richer and without the gravity-defying comb-over. Plus now he's dead." The murder throws the barrier island town of Sea Haven into a panic, as tourists flee the area. "This is bad for business, worse than the riptide or pink jellyfish -- even worse than that shark in Jaws because, face it, to avoid the damn shark, all you really had to do was stay out of the water."

On the case are our narrator (1st person, present-tense) Danny Boyd -- a fun-loving 24-year-old summer hire on the local police force -- and his partner John Ceepak, a former Army MP just back from Iraq. Ceepak and Danny couldn't be more different in attitude or experience, though they share a love of Bruce Springsteen's music.

This was a very quick read. As you can see by my quotes, this started off as a fun read, with lots of quirky humor. But, further in, there's a definite serious side, too. The characters seemed a little stereotyped at first, but they grew on me. And having grown up near the Jersey shore, the setting was oh-so-familiar. "Sea Haven" may be fictional, but it's a lot like places I've been. Not highbrow literature, but a great way to spend some hours on a summer Sunday; and the ending packed a surprising punch. I'll almost certainly continue this series.

Off-the-Shelf Book #39
Title: Turn of Mind
Author: Alice LaPlante
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2011
Subject: a surgeon with Alzheimers under suspicion for a murder
Setting: Chicago, IL
Dates Read: 8/26/12 through 8/27/12
Number of pages: 305
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Off shelf, not sure when I bought
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Doctor, Doctor
How does it fit the category? central character is a retired surgeon
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Not sure
My Rating: still deciding, somewhere in the 4-star range
Notes:

Dr. Jennifer White (don't call her Jen!) was a respected orthopedic surgeon, specializing in hand surgery; but now she is spiraling down the long decline of Alzheimer's disease. If that isn't bad enough, she is a "person of interest" in the killing of her friend and neighbor Amanda, who was found dead with several fingers freshly amputated.

This book is written from Dr. White's POV as her mind slowly deteriorates. Sad, scary, maddening, confusing, touching, puzzling -- these are all words that may, in turn, be used to describe this narrative. I questioned the depth of the swings of cognitive ability between the good days and the bad, but what do I know? The book says that such swings can be extreme, though it's hard to picture someone being as lucid and articulate as Dr. White is on her "good days," when hours later she can't recognize her children or remember that her husband is dead.

We struggle right along with her as she tried to fathom friend from foe and what ulterior motives those around her may have. People who seem to have the best of intentions at one moment seem downright sinister shortly thereafter.

This book was hard to put down, and I read it through within about 24 hours of picking it up. It's a quick, absorbing, tragic story told in a unique way; it's hard to believe it's LaPlante's first novel!

Off-the-Shelf Book #40
Title: Dead Easy
Author: Phillip DePoy
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Subject: Threats, murder, secrets
Setting: Atlanta, Georgia
Series: Flap Tucker
Dates Read: 8/28/12 - 8/29/12
Number of pages: 272
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES; bought from Amazon last year
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Magical Mystery Tour
How does it fit the category? mystery
Alternate category any series or mystery category
Why did I read this now? to finish this series
My Rating: 3.79 stars
Notes:

A package with a human hand arrives at Easy, as well as threats and, eventually, there's a dead body or two (of course, since this is a murder mystery). The relationship between Flap and Dally becomes strained, as they suspect one another of involvement in the mayhem. And then there are Dally's secrets.

I love Phillip DePoy's writing. This final (last since 2000) entry in the Flap Tucker series pushes Flap and Dally into uncharted territory as Dally's past comes back to haunt her.

Off-The-(virtual)-Shelf Book #41
Title: Burning Rubber (E-Book/Kindle)
Author: Charles Jennings
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Subject: history of Formula 1 racing
Setting: racing circuits throughout the world
Dates Read: 7/25/12 - 8/29/12
Number of pages: n/a (e-book -- pagination varies with settings
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, but NOT pre-2012 and not hard-copy; new Kindle purchase
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: The Winner Takes it All
How does it fit the category? sports
Alternate category Color My World
Why did I read this book now? recommendation from LTer and my mood, also on sale from Amazon
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This history of Formula 1 racing was a lot of fun to read. I know some readers have (fairly) complained that it is too biased toward British racing teams (it's written by a Brit) but since I'm a Team McLaren fan, that's OK with me. I was a bit surprised at some of the things that were glossed over (only a 1-line mention of the "technological espionage" scandal involving Team McLaren in 2007, for instance) but it was an enjoyable look at the personalities and machines that have populated F1 over the years.

One more book for August, short and with lots of photos.

(no cover image available) Off-the-Shelf Book #42
Title: Women and the Lakes
Author: Frederick Stonehouse
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2000
Subject: maritime tales about women on the Great Lakes
Setting: U.S. Great Lakes
Dates Read: 8/29/12 - 8/31/12
Number of pages: 176, including phtos
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used several years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? Waterways were the "roads" of the past; these women traveled or lighted (lighthouse keepers) those "roads"
Alternate category American Pie, Help
Why did I read this now? Just visited the Great Lakes; also wanted a short non-fiction book to end the month
My Rating: 3.2 stars
Notes:

This book had some very interesting stories, but the writing didn't appeal to me as much as the other book I read by Stonehouse.

First book done for September:

Off-the-Shelf Book #43
Title: A Weekend in September
Author: John Edward Weems
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1957 (my copy was a 1999 reprint)
Subject: The Galveston hurricane of 1900
Setting: Galveston, Texas, USA
Dates Read: 9/1/12 - 9/2/12
Number of pages: 180 (including acknowledgments & index)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used several years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? Terrible disaster
Alternate category
Why did I read this now? Needed a "September" titled read
My Rating: 4.2 stars
Notes:

This is the second book I've read about the terrible Galveston hurricane of 1900, which killed an estimated 6,000 people, maybe more -- making it the deadliest hurricane in US history. Having savored Erik Larson's marvelous Isaac's Storm, I had little expectation that this slender volume (180 pages, including index) would tell me anything new, or be engrossing reading. I was wrong. While written in a very different style than Larson's narrative history, this book had appeal all its own.

Published in 1957, many survivors of the hurricane were still alive during the research of this book. Thus it is filled with quotations from eyewitnesses who were interviewed by Weems. This is a traditional historical account, a strictly chronological rendering of the events of the hurricane, divided into chapters with clear temporal boundaries. As an enhancement of my reading, I chose to read, over the weekend, in increments matching the time-periods being discussed. Thus, beginning at midnight Sept. 1, I read the preliminary chapters and the chapter dealing with Friday night through Saturday morning, 8 a.m.; I read the chapter describing the events of Saturday 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday morning; etc., saving the Sunday/aftermath section for today.

The book contains a number of pages of photographs, indicating what Galveston was like before and after the terrible storm. There is also a map. If I were to make one criticism, I wish the map were a little clearer, especially the panel showing the larger Galveston area. The fact that an opposite contrast scheme was used for the area map from that of the city map (in the city map, the water is dark; in the area map, the land is dark) poses a bit of a cognitive impediment, at least for this reader. Also, so many people's stories were included that I found myself paging back to see, "now who was this?" These are minor complaints. I found the book informative and it held my attention.

INSOMNIA. Grrrr. But at least I finished another book, for what it's worth. I've been nibbling away at this one for over a month. I don't know why I didn't just "Pearl Rule" it and be done with it long ago . . .

Off-the-Shelf Book #44
Title: The Dead of Summer
Author: Mari Jungstedt
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2007
Subject: murder in a Swedish resort area
Setting: Gotland, Sweden
Series: Anders Knutas #5 (though I didn't know it was 5th in a series when I bought it)
Dates Read: 7/25/12 - 9/3/12
Number of pages: n/a (e-book)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, owned, but not pre-2012; NOOK download purchase
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color my World
How does it fit the category? set in another country
Alternate category any mystery category
Why did I read this book now? was B&N NOOK "deal of the day" when I decided to try out my NOOK app
My Rating: 1 1/2 stars
Notes:

I didn't like this book. The characters seemed wooden and unengaging; some of their actions were unconvincing. The mystery was bleh. The writing style felt chunky and amateurish to me. (Maybe it was the translation.) There was one section, near the end, when things seemed like they were picking up as the clues came together. But at the very end, the story took an unconvincing turn with a huge info dump about one of the characters, totally taking the story in another direction altogether. It just didn't work for me at all. I'm not even sure why I finished it. I probably wouldn't have, except I used it as my bedtime book because it wasn't exciting enough to keep me awake at night. Only the ending was so aggravating, it's kept me awake tonight after all, for all the wrong reasons.

Off-the-shelf book #45
Title: Disco for the Departed
Author: Colin Cotterill
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Subject: Further adventures of Lao coronor
Setting: Laos
Series: Dr. Siri #3
Dates Read: finished 9/7/12
Number of pages: 247
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES -- used book (NON-pre-2012); also used AUDIO to listen to a lot of it, but the book is off the shelf!
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Doctor, Doctor
How does it fit the category? Main character is doctor
Alternate category any mystery or series category; Color my World
Why did I read this book now? want to continue the series
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

Dr. Siri, coronor of Laos, is investgating a body found encased in cement. Of course, with Dr. Siri, it can't just be a straightforward murder. The spirit world is involved. I find this glimpse into a totally different culture, worldview, spirituality, etc., quite fascinating. Dr. Siri and his crew are lovable.

Off-the-Shelf Book #46
Title: A Ghostly Road Trip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Author: Jan Langley
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2006
Subject: Spooky stories purported to be true
Setting: Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Dates Read: finished 9/10/12
Number of pages: 158
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, but NOT pre-2012
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? "Road tour"
Alternate category Spooky
Why did I read this now? recent trip to Michigan
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Notes:

This book is, in many ways, fairly typical of the "true" local ghost tales genre. The quality of the writing and editing may be a bit better than average. The historical documentation of the stories behind the ghosts is not first-rate. Anyway, overall, I enjoyed the book. The fact that the locations are, for the most part, set up as a "road trip" you can follow around the Upper Peninsula adds a nice dimension. Of course, given the nature of the accounts, enough of the tales are anonymous/"in the vicinity of" stories that you can't actually visit a lot of the sites -- only their locales.

One very concrete location is the Seul Choix Point lighthouse, which I visited while we were recently in Michigan. (No, I didn't see/hear/smell any ghosts while I was there.) The opening and closing chapters involve that lighthouse, because apparently that was the haunting which got the author started in collecting ghost stories.

Here's a photo I took of the lighthouse; and they have a pretty neat bird house, too:

The birdhouse is lovely!

Isn't it special? I just thought it was marvelous, and had to get a photo!

Off-the-Shelves Book #47
Title: The Day the World Came to Town
Author: Jim Defede
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2002
Subject: accommodating those diverted on planes from Europe when US airspace was closed on 9/11 and following
Setting: Gander, Newfoundland, Canada
Dates Read: 9/11/12 through 9/15/12
Number of pages: 244
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used somewhere, sometime, prior to this year
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Help!
How does it fit the category? In the face of disaster, the people in Gander offered all manner of HELP
Alternate category Color My World, King of the Road
Why did I read this book now? 9/11 commemoration
My Rating: 4.8 stars
Notes:

I absolutely loved this book about the people of the small city of Gander, Newfoundland and the surrounding area, and how they coped with the influx of thousands of airliner passengers forced to land there when US airspace was closed on 9/11.

There was so much to love about this book! Right off, Defede startled me into the realization that the US handed off some of our security nightmare to Canada, which the Canadians accepted without hesitation. After all, the fear was that there were more terrorists lurking on airplanes, right?

The book takes a look at a number of folks whose travels and lives were interrupted by the plane diversion -- including (among others) the parents of a FDNY firefighter at Ground Zero, a couple returning to the US with a newly-adopted daughter, and a US general high up in the Army intelligence community. And then there are the "Newfies."

The people of the Gander area went so far beyond allowing these people to land. They toook them to heart. They stripped their own beds so the visitors could have sheets. They invited strangers into their homes to shower, in those cases were the shelters lacked such facilities. They offered the telephones and internet connections and ears to hear sad stories. They cooked and commiserated. This book was filled with many, many heart-warming interactions between the Newfies and their guests.

And in the process of reading, I learned a lot about Newfoundland, and the history of Gander -- and why in the world so many people wound up there on 9/11.

I can't say enough good things about this book.

Off-the-Shelf Book #48
Title: Book of Shadows
Author: Alexandra Sokoloff
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Subject: ritual killings
Setting: Boston, Massachusetts; and Salem, Mass.
Dates Read: finished 10/5/12
Number of pages: 309
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased at the Book Barn, Niantic CT several years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spooky
How does it fit the category? one creepy book
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Halloween-time reading
My Rating: 3 stars??
Notes:

OK, what shall I call this? Paranormal police procedural? Boston homicide detective Adam Garrett and his partner Carl Landauer are called to a landfill where a body has been found -- missing its head and left hand. They quickly zero in on a suspect, and make an arrest. They are approached by a woman, Tanith Cabarrus, a witch who owns a shop in Salem called Book of Shadows, who insistes that they have the wrong man -- and that there have been and will be more victims. Garrett -- who is markedly attracted to Tanith -- consults her as to the meaning of some of the evidence relating to the murder. The killing appears to be linked to satanic rituals -- some evil person is apparently trying to summon forth a powerful demon.

Is Tanith really trying to help? Or is she somehow involved in the killing?

This book was out of my comfort zone as far as the details of the perpetrator's demonic rituals and some of the witchcraft Tanith uses, as well as some sexual scenes. I will acknowledge that it's a clever story with lots of twists and turns, and it kept me turning pages to see what was going to happen. Sokoloff seems to have a knack for writing horror stories that are a little unusual, and appear to be well-researched as to particular types of practices.

But it gave me nightmares. No more like that one for me.

It did offer a clear warning for kids who are bored or longing for power not to go messing with black magic that can tangle them up with dangerous powers beyond their control or comprehension.

So far, I've only finished one off the shelf this month. I'm working on two more that I might get done by tomorrow night.

Off-the-Shelf book #49
Title: The Empty House and other ghost stories
Author: Algernon Blackwood
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: short stories/ horror
Setting: varied
Series: no
Dates Read: finished 10/31/12
Number of pages: n/a (e-book, varies with format)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes (virtual shelf), download from Project Gutenberg
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: not sure
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Halloween
My Rating: 4 stars
Notes:

This is a marvelous collection of good, old-fashioned quiet horror. Not all the stories are exactly ghost stories, but they are all chilling and mostly quite original. A great Halloween read!

OK, with this book I barely made my "quota" for the month. . .

75 Off-the-Shelf Book #50
Title: The Haunting of the Presidents
Author: Joes Martin & William Birnes
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2003
Subject: supernatural events surrounding the White House, US Presidents, other places they lived, and other sites in Wasington, DC
Setting: Washington DC and other presidential locations
Series: no
Dates Read: finished 10/31/12
Number of pages: 400 + appendix
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, purchased used some time ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category?
Alternate category Spooky
Why did I read this now? Halloween read
My Rating: 2 stars
Notes:

I was disappointed in this book. Much of it was written in a very dry style. The writers insisted on including their pet conspiracy theories in the mix. Sources included lots of "anonymous" folks, tabloids, and other questionable witnesses. There was a lot of speculation about how certain words and actions of people might suggest a supernatural experience of which they'd not spoken. I found the chapter on Nancy Reagan's astrologer absolutely boring, and the one about Hillary Clinton "channeling" Eleanor Roosevelt silly -- sounds like she was simply engaging in an imaginative exercise of WWED (what would Eleanor do?). Then there was the final chapter about the mediums "channeling" the presidents -- not my cuppa.

Oh, and then there was some questionable organization. For instance, the chapter titled "Presidential Birthplaces" included a lot of sites that were not presidential birthplaces, and very few places where presidents were actually born. There was also a fair amount of repetition between the different sections.

Within the dross, there were a few pearls of stories that appeared to have some documentation. I enjoyed those, but not enough to make it worthwhile slogging through 400 pages of this stuff. I admit to skimming some of the boring sections.

This one is sort of a cheat. I've had the book on my e-reader for well over a year; but mostly I listened to this from a new free e-books app on my iPhone. But it's a book that I've had for a while that's now read, so I'm counting it.

Off-the-Shelf Book #51
Title: Parnassus on Wheels (AUDIO & E BOOK)
Author: Christopher Morley
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: author's sister buys traveling book business from literate peddler; brother is not amused
Setting: Long Island, circa many years ago, when it was still rural
Series: Roger Mifflin #1
Dates Read: finished 11/6/12
Number of pages: n/a
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, at least partly, off the virtual shelf. E book downloaded from Project Gutenberg last year. Audio via new E-book phone app
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: King of the Road
How does it fit the category? traveling salespersons
Alternate category American Pie
Why did I read this book now? wanted to try audio book app.
My Rating:3.7 stars
Notes:

As a reader, how can I not like this story full of books? This was a delightful little tale of a woman, sick of doing all the domestic tasks & keeping the farm running for her author brother, who is always off on some adventure; a traveling book salesman, who wants to sell his business -- his "Parnassus on Wheels" -- originally planning to sell to the author; but the sister decides it's high time she had an adventure. Brother is determined to spoil things. Misadventures ensue.

ETA to add: Mind you, it's a little a product of its time (c1917). A woman bookseller was a novel idea at the time, and she still needed a man to "rescue" her from some tough spots. But I think it was ahead of its time in recognizing that a woman's life needed more than just domestic life to be happy.

Off-the-Shelf Book #52
Title: A Praying Life
Author: Paul E. Miller
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2009
Subject: prayer
Dates Read: finished 11/21/12
Number of pages: 279
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, but not pre-2012. Bought this year from Amazon
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Spirit in the Sky
How does it fit the category? spirituality
Alternate category n/a
Why did I read this now? wanted to
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Notes:

I found this a very uneven read -- at least for me personally. That's why it's taken me months to get through it. Early on in the book, I got some great insights. I loved his emphasis on honesty in prayer -- on bringing everything to God, even when it might not make us look good. (After all, God knows what we're thinking, anyway!) I liked the fact that he saw it as OK if our minds wandered while praying -- that maybe the things our mind wandered to might be things we ought to be praying about, if they were that important to us.

I also could relate a bit to his struggles raising one of his daughters, a girl who has autism. My son has autism, though not as severe as his daughter does, and, for instance, I could relate to his difficulties praying when his daughter was pacing in her room overhead. (Sometimes I think my son is going to bring the ceiling of my den down on my head, as his room is directly overhead! It's a bit distracting.) I could certainly relate to his worries over how she would get along in the world.

But there were some aspects of the book that didn't resonate with me at all. He seemed to over-react to normal things -- he was concerned that his other daughter was too attached to things of this world because she really liked one of their cars. That seemed kind of fanatical to me. (I believe it's OK to enjoy the good things we have, as long as we're not selfish or greedy or dishonest in order to have them, or place them ahead of God in some way.) There were a bunch of little things like that which made it hard for me to find some parts of the book helpful. He acknowledged that he had very little contact with non-Christians before he made that a particular goal; and then his only purpose seemed to be in converting them. I didn't get the feeling he valued them simply as friends or colleagues. That reminded me of too many people I know who insulate themselves from anyone who has ideas different from theirs. And there was a lot that was just repetition of ideas I'd already heard regarding journaling and such.

I'm giving it 3 1/2 stars because I did get a couple of major insights from the book, where it really spoke to me -- Those were four-star moments that offset the shaky qualities of much of the book.

Off-the-Shelf Book #53
Title: The Body in the Moonlight
Author: Katherine Hall Page
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2001
Subject: a "mystery dinner" ends in real murder
Setting: Aleford, Massachusetts, USA
Series: Faith Fairchild #11
Dates Read: finished 11/29/12 (just past midnight)
Number of pages: 307 + recipes & excerpt from next in series
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, pre-2012
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: one of the series or mystery categories to be determined
How does it fit the category? mystery series
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? 11th book for 11th month sub-challenge; needed another off-the-shelf
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

First Parish of Aleford, Massachusetts is celebrating its 250th anniversary, and Faith's catering company is handling the food for a "mystery dinner" fundraiser, while the congregation bickers over whether to fix the church's steeple or crypt. But when one of the dinner guests keels over dead -- poisoned -- it's not good for business, to say the least. Add in some nasty rumors about the local elementary school principal -- and some innuendo about the dead woman & Faith's husband, the Rev. Tom Fairchild -- and life in Aleford is not happy for my favorite catering clergy spouse chef.

I really like the Faith Fairchild series when I'm in the mood for a cozy mystery. It's a series I've read as I've been able to get hold of them over the years. Other than the kids getting older, and some secondary characters moving in and out of the story, I hardly notice where I am in the series, so it's not vital to read them in order. This installment was a pretty good one, though not my favorite in the series.

Off-the-Shelf book #54
Title: The Ghosts of Virginia
Author: L.B. Taylor, Jr.
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1993
Subject: spooky Virginia folklore and other "true" ghost stories
Setting: throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia
Series: (does have a sequel -- vol. 2)
Dates Read: finished 11/30/12
Number of pages: 381
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, purchased used years ago
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: American Pie
How does it fit the category? Lots of American Folklore in this book
Alternate category
Why did I read this book now? Needed a book "off the shelf" and also prompted by trip to VA
My Rating: 3.7 stars
Notes:

This is a thick book of purportedly true ghost stories from throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Most fall into the category of folklore. In addition to some chills, this book contains a lot of Virginia history, and much architectural information about historic properties in Virginia. There are frequent quotations from descriptions in the Virginia Landmarks Register. There are also numerous photos (of many of the properties) and drawings (of purported spooky events). Despite a rather dry writing style and occasional odd wordings/syntax, this is more well done than many of the regional "true ghost story" books, especially for readers interested in history and architecture as well as eerie stories.

There is at least one historical inaccuracy in this book which is a product of when it was written.

I've been trying to be so good about not buying books lately . . . but tonight I went on a Kindle binge. Combined with a newly-downloaded ER book, I'm now 10 over the limit I set. :(

off-the-shelf #55
Title: City of Refuge
Author: Tom Piazza
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2008
Subject: two families dislocated by Hurricane Katrina
Setting: New Orleans, Chicago, and Houston (and a few interim stops along the way)
Dates Read: finished 12/5/12
Number of pages: 400
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Off the shelf, purchased 2010.
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Jambalaya
How does it fit the category? Set in New Orleans
Alternate category Help! (disaster)
Why did I read this book now? fit categories I needed; was an "off the shelf" book; looked good
My Rating: 4.1 stars
Notes:

This novel focuses on two families. SJ., his sister Lucy, and her son Wesley are an African American family in the Lower Ninth Ward who are lifelong New Orleanians. Craig and Alice are Midwestern transplants living uptown with their two kids. Craig loves the city, but Alice is increasingly uncomfortable raising their children in New Orleans.

When Katrina approaches, Craig and Alice decide to evacuate. SJ and family don't. Both families are (unknown to them) about to embark on a long odyssey that will take them far from home and all that is familiar to them.

I mostly loved this book. I thought there were a couple of cheap shots (one in particular) thrown at Pres. Bush. (Not that I'm a Bush fan, but there's plenty to legitimately criticize about the all-around government response to Katrina without taking personal jabs at anyone.) But mostly I loved this book. It really helped me to feel (as much as an outsider can, which is surely limited) what the people must have gone through when the disaster hit and in the aftermath. It actually brought me to tears in a few spots.

I especially enjoyed that he managed to show different sides of characters as the story progresses. Some characters I initially disliked at first showed redeeming traits later on as I got to know and understand them better.

Today as I was out and about, I was listening to a public domain audio book by LibriVox. It was a bit odd, as they used different readers for different chapters -- and the character narrating most of the book was a female, and one of the readers was a man. But I followed the story just fine.

This is a book I also have had for quite a while as an e-book from Project Gutenberg. So I "read" it partly with my eyes and partly with my ears. I'm counting it as an "off-the- (virtual)shelf" book for that challenge, since it was on my e-reader for several years (though I just acquired the audio version).

Off-the-Shelf book #56
Title: The Lost Stradivarius (E Book and AUDIO)
Author: John Meade Falkner
Copyright/Year of original publication: 1895
Subject: a haunting (or haunted?) violin & song lead to a man's demise
Setting: Oxford University, the English countryside, and Naples, Italy
Dates Read: finished 12/13/12
Number of pages: n/a (e-book pages vary with formatting; also partly done on audio)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Off my virtual shelf, obtained pre-2012 from Project Gutenberg; audio via LibriVox
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: What's Goin' On?
How does it fit the category? mysterious
Alternate category Spook (but that category is full)
Why did I read this book now? wanted to read something that had been on my e-reader for a while
My Rating: 3.24 stars
Notes:

This short novel (novella?) is an old horror classic that turns up on many of the public domain book websites. From time to time as I listened I got a sense of deja vu, and wonder if maybe I read it years ago when I was young? (I've always loved ghost stories.)

Sir John Maltravers is happy in his studies at Oxford when an old musical manuscript comes into his possession. It contains one piece which seems to have a supernatural effect. Add in a hidden, rare violin, and you have the beginnings of a creepy little story that has apparently been scaring people since 1895. I found the writing style a bit melodramatic, and some of the attitudes (typical for their day) annoying. But it was a decent, quiet little horror story.

off-the-shelf book #57
Title: Blue Lightning
Author: Ann Cleeves
Copyright/Year of original publication: 2010
Subject: murder of a prominent bird scientist
Setting: a remote observatory in the Shetland Islands
Series: Shetland Quartet
Dates Read: finished 12/16/12
Number of pages: 357
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: Yes, but not pre-2012; from Amazon this year
Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Color my World
How does it fit the category? color blue in title; set in Shetland Islands
Alternate category any mystery or series category
Why did I read this now? finish out the quartet
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

This is the fourth of Ann Cleeves' series featuring Detective Jimmy Perez and set in the Shetland Islands. The director of a remote bird observatory located in a lighthouse on Fair Isle is murdered. There is a limited pool of suspects. Whodunit? Detective Jimmy Perez is on his home turf on the remote Fair Isle, and isolated from help from other police resources due to weather which is preventing planes and boats from making the passage there.

Cleeves gives us an interesting cast of characters and a great deal of atmosphere. It's also a complex puzzle, and I didn't guess the answer. I found the going a bit slow until about halfway through, when the pace picked up a bit. Still, this is not an action thriller by any means. It's a subtle book. Overall, I liked it, though I was a bit disappointed near the end. Cleeves threw in one final twist of which I approved heartily. Is she trying to leave room for something resembling a sequel? Originally this series was supposed to be a trio, now it is a quartet; is there a quintet in the future? If so, it will be a bit different from the earlier installments. And that's all I'm going to say. . .

Title: Mad Mouse (E-Book)
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Copyright/Year of original publication:
Subject: a paintball attack escalates to something much more serious!
Setting: The New Jersey Shore
Series: John Ceepak, #2
Dates Read: finished 12/18/12
Number of pages: n/a (e-book, varies with font/size setting)
Off the Shelf? (pre-2012 or ER?) Source?: YES, owned e-book, but NON-pre-2012
Category for 12 in 12 challenge:
How does it fit the category? series mystery
Alternate category any series or mystery category
Why did I read this book now? Thoughts of Jersey Shore in wake of Hurricane Sandy
My Rating: 3.8 stars
Notes:

This is the second book in the John Ceepak series, set in a fictional New Jersey coastal town. The narrator in this series is junior police officer Danny Boyle, who contrasts nicely with his partner: the duty-bound, by-the-book Iraq war veteran Ceepak. This one begins with a deceptively mild situation -- an apparent paintball attack upon Danny and his friends. But by the end of the book, Danny and Ceepak are trying to thwart a mass shooting with real bullets.

I chose this book wanting something set at the Jersey Shore, mindful of that area due to Hurricane Sandy's recent devastation there -- especially on the barrier island where this book is set. That it wound up involving a planned mass shooting (I'm not going to tell you if the plan went through!) brought it chillingly near to another disaster -- this one man-made -- fresh in all our minds. It made the reading experience a bit more raw than it otherwise might have been.

These books are by turns light and heavy. Danny is irreverent and often immature, but he winds up dealing with serious crime, however bizarre some of the details may be. I mean, a murder on Halibut Street can be just as much of a nightmare as one on Elm Street -- but the name gives a bit of the flaky character of shore towns in summer.

I did find the device of the town officials trying to hush up the local crime spree, for fear of losing Labor Day Weekend business, a bit old and overdone.