Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Monday, October 16, 2017
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Prince and I by Karen Hawkins
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Prince and I by Karen Hawkins: Reviewed by Ambrea Murian MacDonald loved Rowallen Castle, and she loved the immeasurably happy life she lived. But when the ea...
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: INTERVIEW WITH LAUREAN BROOKS!
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: INTERVIEW WITH LAUREAN BROOKS!: Today I’m pleased to have as my guest Laurean Brooks. She was brave enough to let me interview her. Here’s the result: Please tell us a...
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: TEXAS LITERARY CALENDAR 9/16-22
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: TEXAS LITERARY CALENDAR 9/16-22: Bookish events in Texas for the week of October 16-22, 2017: Special Events: 9th DFW Metroplex Linguistics Conference , Fort Worth, Octob...
4 Down, 21 To Go
4 Down, 21 To Go as of today. No change here one way or the other. We met with the radiation doctor after the treatment and he remains very optimistic about how things are going. Sandi is frustrated at how things don't seem to be getting better, but he says it will take a bit longer. How long? He never really answered that question.
After she has another radiation treatment tomorrow, we see her main cancer folks for blood work and an office visit.
After she has another radiation treatment tomorrow, we see her main cancer folks for blood work and an office visit.
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Silent Murders by Mary Miley
Silent Murders by Mary Miley (Minotaur, 2014) is the second book in the Jazz Age historical mysteries. After recovering from events described in the tumultuous series debut that introduced Leah Randall, a vaudeville actress who aged out of the child parts she’d been playing, Leah has taken the names of her cousin and her father and moved to Hollywood. Now known as Jessie Beckett, friends from vaudeville helped her find a job as a script girl in the new United Artists film studio founded by Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W. Griffith. Jessie is beside herself with delight when Bruno Heilmann, a famous director, invites her to one of his enormous parties. She is even happier when she discovers one of the caterers at the party is a former vaudevillian who often shared a stage with Jessie’s late mother. She makes an appointment to meet the caterer to talk over old times as she leaves the party.
Jessie learns early
the next day that Heilmann has been found dead, clearly murdered, setting
Hollywood in a tailspin. When Jessie arrives at the home of the caterer
that afternoon for tea, she is devastated to find her dead, another murder
victim. Within a few days, two more of the party-goers are poisoned. Jessie
uses her acting skills, her access to costumes and make-up, and her ability to
move around the film world unnoticed to investigate the crimes and protect her
new Hollywood family.
Miley based this book
on the unsolved 1922 murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor. About
this time a series of scandals made Hollywood synonymous in the mind of the
public with depravity and immorality, and Miley mentions these scandals as this
story unfolds. This is a well-written, soundly researched narrative that can be
read as a stand-alone.
I particularly like the entertainment history that is woven
into the background and the implications that changing technology had for the
people who made their livelihoods from show business. In the first book, Jessie
is out of work because the venues for vaudeville are drying up as the silent
movie becomes the preferred form of mass entertainment. In this book the
changes that sound would bring to the film industry are discussed in a brief
aside. Many of the silent film stars were from other countries and had strong
accents or little ability to speak English. They did not survive the transition
to the talkies. The stars that could adapt continued their careers, for
instance, consider Jack Benny, who started his career on the vaudeville circuit
and transitioned into radio, film, and television. Not everyone was as
versatile. Parallels to the effects of technological changes in the past 30
years are all too easy to draw.
·
Hardcover: 320 pages
·
Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition (September 23, 2014)
·
Language: English
·
ISBN-10: 1250051371
·
ISBN-13: 978-1250051370
Aubrey Hamilton © 2017
Aubrey Hamilton is a former
librarian who works on Federal IT projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Saturday, October 14, 2017
KRL This Week Update for 10/14/17
Up in KRL this morning a review &
giveaway of another Halloween mystery, "A Catered Costume Party" by
Isis Crawford
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/a-catered-costume-party-by-isis-crawford/
And a review of "The Adventures of the
REAL Tom Sawyer" A Memoir by Tom Sawyer. We also have an awesome
giveaway-not only can you win a copy of the book but you can win a signed copy
of a script from an episode of "Murder She Wrote" (written by Tom)!
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/the-adventures-of-the-real-tom-sawyer-by-tom-sawyer/
Also another Halloween mystery short story,
this one by Margaret Hamilton
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/taste-before-you-buy-a-halloween-mystery-short-story/
And a review & giveaway of another
Halloween mystery by Kathi
Daley,"Trick
or Treason"
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/trick-or-treason-by-kathi-daley/
We also have a review & giveaway of a
fun Halloween anthology-"Witch and Treat"
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/witch-and-treat-a-collection-of-paranormal-cozy-shorts/
And a review & giveaway of another
mystery set in the Halloween season-"A Hive of Homicides" by Meera
Lester,
and a fun Halloween related guest post by Meera
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/a-hive-of-homicides-by-meera-lester/
We also have a review & giveaway of
another perfect book for your Halloween reading, "The Haunting of Dr.
Bowne" by C.A. Verstraete
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/the-haunting-of-dr-bowen-by-c-a-verstraete/
And for those who also enjoy fantasy, over on KRL News &
Reviews a review of "The Hunt" by Chloe Neill,
and a giveaway of the first book in the series
http://www.krlnews.com/2017/10/the-hunt-by-chloe-neill-reviewgiveaway.html
If you are looking for some fun Halloween
reading for the kids, up in KRL this morning we have a review & giveaway of
"Skoob Revisited" by Clovis author Kathy Goosev Howell
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/14/skoob-revisited-by-kathy-goosev-howell/
Happy reading,
Lorie--
KRL is now selling advertising & we have special discounts for
mystery authors & bookstores! Ask me about it!
Mystery section in Kings River Life http://KingsRiverLife.com
Check out my own blog at http://mysteryratscloset.blogspot.com/
mystery authors & bookstores! Ask me about it!
Mystery section in Kings River Life http://KingsRiverLife.com
Friday, October 13, 2017
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn: Reviewed by Jeanne When Dr. William Ravenswood and his sister Mary arrive in London in 1815, they are all but friendless. They a...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Eleanor Oliphant, Lost City, Shadow Ma...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Eleanor Oliphant, Lost City, Shadow Ma...: To start, Nevermore dived into Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine , a debut novel by Gail Honeyman . Eleanor Oliphant is not yo...
FFB Review: Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story by Craig Johnson
Earlier
this week I reviewed the latest incredible book by Craig Johnson, The Western Star. Memories of a
legendary train are a major part of that book. As I was reading, I was reminded
of another book of his where memories of a mode of transportation played a
major role in the tale. For this Friday in October when there has already been
snow in the Northern Rockies it seemed appropriate to remind you of Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story
first reviewed here in late December 2013. Patti is at Bouchercon 2017 with her husband, so this
week Todd Mason has the honors at his Sweet Freedom blog for more
reading suggestions.
The Tuesday before Christmas brings
snow, relative quiet, and no real plans for Sheriff Walt Longmire other than
his annual rereading of A Christmas Carol.
That is until the quiet dark haired woman toting a garment bag walked into his office.
Eventually it becomes clear that she wants to see the former Sheriff, Lucian
Connally. The woman claims to have something that she would like to return to
him.
Lucian is living at the “Durant Home
for Assisted Living” and could probably use a visit from somebody besides
Sheriff Walt Longmire and Dog. Not only is the home’s television another victim
of Lucian’s legendary temper having died by gunshot, the man is not in the best
of moods because it is Christmas and he has been drinking quite a bit. He has
no idea who the mystery woman is either until she says “Steamboat.”
What follows is an incredibly
suspenseful flashback tale of a flight to save a child’s life against the
odds---medical and environmental. On Christmas Eve in 1988 an aging WWII plane
and a cast of locals including the recently retired Lucian and first year
Sheriff Walt Longmire pulled off a Christmas miracle. Though readers can
surmise from nearly the start that the dark haired woman was that child, there
is plenty of suspense in how the flight happened and why she is back now.
While Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt
Longmire Story is a short book as it is a novella, it is a powerful and
deeply moving book. Craig Johnson brings alive the storm, the people, and the
history of a legendary aircraft in a way that few novelists could do. The
resulting 160 page book might simply be the best thing the man has ever
written.
Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story
Craig Johnson
Viking (part of Penguin Group)
ISBN# 978-0-670-01578-8
October 2013
Hardback (also available in e-book and
audio)
160 Pages
$20.00
Material supplied by the good folks of
the Plano Texas Public Library System.
You can also read Lesa Holstine's take on the book here.
You can also read Lesa Holstine's take on the book here.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013, 2017
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Navel Gazing by Michael Ian Black
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Navel Gazing by Michael Ian Black: Reviewed by Ambrea When I first picked up Navel Gazing , I realized I recognized the author’s name. He was relatively famous, I...
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