A Single Eye by Susan Dunlap.
It's been a long time since Dunlap has published a book. I think the last one was No Immunity in 1998. I've always liked her writing, and her female protagonists are all strong, smart women.
Darcy Lott, the main character of A Single Eye is no exception. She's a professional stuntwoman based in New York. One big problem for someone in her profession: she's afraid of the woods. Deciding to face her fear, Darcy heads up to a Buddhist monastery in Northern California.
However, the way to enlightenment is filled with roadblocks in the guise of the other people at the retreat. There is a lot of history between some of them, including betrayal and murder....
24 February 2007
19 February 2007
Claire Fontaine, Crime Fighter by Tracy Enright
Given the size of my TBR piles (there's the books I have checked out from the library and the books I own, not to mention my library request list), I really don't need to browse the shelves for new books to read. But, I still do, and the last time I did, I came across this book.
I checked it out because of the subtitle: A novel of life and death... and shoes. (Italics are theirs.) Our heroine, Claire Fontaine, is an almost-thirty heiress, who gets a hankering to be a private investigator. So, her father, who knows the right people, gets her a job with one by the name of Henry Bennett, a jaded ex-cop who is certain that Claire will be more hindrance than help.
He mocks her designer clothes (and shoes), and her vintage Mercedes, and when they interview suspects, he warns her (unsuccessfully) to keep her mouth shut. When she bonds with a witness over things like self-tanner and poor lighting, he gets frustrated, but in the end she wins him over.
A light, charming, and funny read.
Given the size of my TBR piles (there's the books I have checked out from the library and the books I own, not to mention my library request list), I really don't need to browse the shelves for new books to read. But, I still do, and the last time I did, I came across this book.
I checked it out because of the subtitle: A novel of life and death... and shoes. (Italics are theirs.) Our heroine, Claire Fontaine, is an almost-thirty heiress, who gets a hankering to be a private investigator. So, her father, who knows the right people, gets her a job with one by the name of Henry Bennett, a jaded ex-cop who is certain that Claire will be more hindrance than help.
He mocks her designer clothes (and shoes), and her vintage Mercedes, and when they interview suspects, he warns her (unsuccessfully) to keep her mouth shut. When she bonds with a witness over things like self-tanner and poor lighting, he gets frustrated, but in the end she wins him over.
A light, charming, and funny read.
14 February 2007
Just finished reading...
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood.
In the past few months, I've gotten back into knitting in a big way. And, coincidentally, there is a spate of novels which have knitting as a theme.
I digress, but I remember the first novel about knitting that I ever came across: a children's book called Knitwits by William Taylor, about a nine-year-old boy who is upset that his mother is having a baby, and to hide his feelings, announces that he is going to knit a sweater for his new sib.
Recently, I've read Knitting Under the Influence, and Knitting: a Novel (both reviewed in earlier blogs). On my hold list at the library: Chicks with Sticks (It's a purl thing),a young adult novel, and The Friday Night Knitting Club.
Meanwhile, let's get back to The Knitting Circle. It's the story of Mary Baxter, whose 5-year-old daughter has recently died of meningitis. Mary is having trouble dealing with the death, and is in a severe depression, avoiding work and people, and seldom leaving her bed.
Out of the blue, she receives a call from a woman who owns a knitting shop, inviting her to come down and learn to knit. For some reason, Mary goes, and discovers (yes, I know it's trite) the healing power of knitting. A knitting group meets at the shop once a week, and as Mary gets to know the other members, she realizes that she is not alone in her deep grieving.
The structure of the story becomes a little formulaic, as we slowly learn the tragedies in the lives of the other knitters, and the way they've learned to heal.
The author's writing style reminds me very much of Mary Wesley or Joanna Trollope, two of my favourite writers, and at some point, I plan to check out her other work.
In the past few months, I've gotten back into knitting in a big way. And, coincidentally, there is a spate of novels which have knitting as a theme.
I digress, but I remember the first novel about knitting that I ever came across: a children's book called Knitwits by William Taylor, about a nine-year-old boy who is upset that his mother is having a baby, and to hide his feelings, announces that he is going to knit a sweater for his new sib.
Recently, I've read Knitting Under the Influence, and Knitting: a Novel (both reviewed in earlier blogs). On my hold list at the library: Chicks with Sticks (It's a purl thing),a young adult novel, and The Friday Night Knitting Club.
Meanwhile, let's get back to The Knitting Circle. It's the story of Mary Baxter, whose 5-year-old daughter has recently died of meningitis. Mary is having trouble dealing with the death, and is in a severe depression, avoiding work and people, and seldom leaving her bed.
Out of the blue, she receives a call from a woman who owns a knitting shop, inviting her to come down and learn to knit. For some reason, Mary goes, and discovers (yes, I know it's trite) the healing power of knitting. A knitting group meets at the shop once a week, and as Mary gets to know the other members, she realizes that she is not alone in her deep grieving.
The structure of the story becomes a little formulaic, as we slowly learn the tragedies in the lives of the other knitters, and the way they've learned to heal.
The author's writing style reminds me very much of Mary Wesley or Joanna Trollope, two of my favourite writers, and at some point, I plan to check out her other work.
12 February 2007
Just finished reading...
Dust by Martha Grimes
You know, it's just occurred to me that Martha Grimes wrote Dust.
I know. I'm sorry. Sometimes I can't help myself.
I've read (I think) all of Martha Grimes' Richard Jury books, and I've enjoyed them all. Including this one, although it was unusual and left me somewhat confused. Now, there might be spoilers coming, so if you haven't read the book, you may want to stop here.
In Dust, I think Jury behaves extremely out of character. He meets a female police superintendent, and a short while later, they are in his flat, having wild sex. His landlady actually knocks on his door and asks him if someone has broken in, because she heard furniture falling and breaking. This happens almost every time that he and Aguilar, the aforementioned superintendent, see each other.
Meanwhile, Richard is feeling guilty about the pathologist he's been seeing.....
The plot is a little more convoluted than usual, too, dealing with revenge murders and children killed by the German SS during the Holocaust.
I'm trying really hard not to give too much away, so will stop here, just adding that although it's not the best Jury book, it's still pretty darned good.
You know, it's just occurred to me that Martha Grimes wrote Dust.
I know. I'm sorry. Sometimes I can't help myself.
I've read (I think) all of Martha Grimes' Richard Jury books, and I've enjoyed them all. Including this one, although it was unusual and left me somewhat confused. Now, there might be spoilers coming, so if you haven't read the book, you may want to stop here.
In Dust, I think Jury behaves extremely out of character. He meets a female police superintendent, and a short while later, they are in his flat, having wild sex. His landlady actually knocks on his door and asks him if someone has broken in, because she heard furniture falling and breaking. This happens almost every time that he and Aguilar, the aforementioned superintendent, see each other.
Meanwhile, Richard is feeling guilty about the pathologist he's been seeing.....
The plot is a little more convoluted than usual, too, dealing with revenge murders and children killed by the German SS during the Holocaust.
I'm trying really hard not to give too much away, so will stop here, just adding that although it's not the best Jury book, it's still pretty darned good.
01 February 2007
What I've been doing
I haven't been reading as much as usual, because I'm back into knitting. Recently finished a shawl for Aunt Annie's 95th birthday. Her birthday was on December 26th, but it took me a lot longer than I expected, so it wasn't done until mid-January.
My next project was a scarf made from some lovely yarn I found:
It ended up as sort of a cross between a scarf and a necklace (scarflace?):
Right now, I'm working on some things for my sister-in-law, who recently lost a lot of her stuff in an apartment fire. Then, I'm going to make a shawl for my second mum, Winona, whom DH and I are going to visit at the end of April. That shawl pattern is a lot easier, so hopefully won't take a month-and-a-half to finish.
Recently read:
Denise Swanson's Murder of a Real Bad Boy
India Ink's A Blush with Death and Glossed and Found
Susan McBride's Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club
Next up: Martha Grimes' latest Richard Jury mystery, Dust
My next project was a scarf made from some lovely yarn I found:
It ended up as sort of a cross between a scarf and a necklace (scarflace?):
Right now, I'm working on some things for my sister-in-law, who recently lost a lot of her stuff in an apartment fire. Then, I'm going to make a shawl for my second mum, Winona, whom DH and I are going to visit at the end of April. That shawl pattern is a lot easier, so hopefully won't take a month-and-a-half to finish.
Recently read:
Denise Swanson's Murder of a Real Bad Boy
India Ink's A Blush with Death and Glossed and Found
Susan McBride's Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club
Next up: Martha Grimes' latest Richard Jury mystery, Dust
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