Happy Halloween -- Some are more into the holiday than others...

Yes it's Friday!

I'm currently reading GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE GUNS by Toni McGee Causey. This is 2nd of 3 in series featuring Bobbie Faye Sumrall, a one-woman disaster area and accidental sleuth. Here's a description:

Bobbie Faye Sumrall is back, and this time she is being chased by the FBI, criminal elements in her own family, the Irish Mob, and Homeland Security, all of whom are convinced that she knows the location of a priceless cache of diamonds. With a little help from her friends, most notably sexy FBI agent Trevor and her ex-lover hunky detective Cam, Bobbie Faye manages to stay just ahead of the Grim Reaper as she leaves a trail of destruction in her wake while racing through once peaceful Lake Charles, Louisiana. Other denizens play a role in Bobbie Faye’s adventure—CeCe, the voodoo queen who owns the shop where Bobbie Faye works the gun counter; Francesca, her drama queen cousin; Aubrey, the high-school senior who sells “Bobbie Faye debris” on eBay; and local news reporter Reggie “Buzz Saw” O’Connor, who lives by the creed that if there’s no news, make some up.

It was reprinted this year and has 352 pages. Here's an excerpt:

Chapter One

Bobbie Faye Sumrall was full up on crazy, thank you very much, and had a side order of cranky to spare. The bank—citing the picky little reason that it didn't want to lend money to people who were routinely shot at—said no to a loan for a new (used) car. It wasn't like she'd ever been hit by an actual bullet, for crying out freaking loud. Immediately after that, she couldn't get an insurance company to give her a quote for a start-up business grant application she needed to turn in. (Three insurance giants had gotten restraining orders as soon as they heard who was calling.) (Wusses.) And then the FBI guy she'd been blistering hot and bothered about had dropped off the planet two weeks earlier, and geez, there was only so much rejection a girl could take. She needed to have one night, one measly little night, to sleep well. That wasn't too much to ask, right? Apparently, the Universe thought it was. Bobbie Faye and the Universe were like warring spouses locked in an eternal battle, trying to blow one another up rather than admit the other was savvier. (The Universe, by the way? A big fat cheater.)

Otherwise today, I've walked Tug (very windy out), trying to get rid of the cough that has stayed and stayed, and spent some time online doing a mystery scavenger hunt though I'd make a very bad detective because I don't know whodunnit.

Tonight on tv, I've got Say Yes to the Dress and that's about it. This weekend Steve and I will be working on getting rid of the last of the cold, I'll be doing some cleaning and laundry.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

A little bookish

I'm a little more than halfway done with the Charlaine Harris book. Harris is very good at world building. Next Tuesday is a good book release day: the new J.D. Robb (KINDRED IN DEATH) and the new C.S. Harris (WHAT REMAINS OF HEAVEN). Excellent! And I've got a gift card for Borders to play with ... mmm!

Looks like Masterpiece Theater on Sunday is going to show Val McDermid's PLACE OF EXECUTION. A fantastic book, it will be interesting to see if they can pull off successfully the visual media.

Tonight we've got Survivor to watch and maybe some of the World Series. I'm listening now to pandora.com, my Who channel, and I'm loving me some Beatles. Ahhhh, lovely lovely.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Trick or Treat a little early

I'm currently reading GRAVE SECRET by Charlaine Harris. This is 4th of 4 in series featuring Harper Connelly, a lightning survivor who can find bodies, and her stepbrother Tolliver, in Sarne, Arkansas. Here's a description:

Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver take a break from looking for the dead to visit the two little girls they both think of as sisters. But, as always happens when they travel to Texas, memories of their horrible childhood resurface. To make matters worse, Tolliver learns from his older brother that their father is out of jail and trying to reestablish contact with other family members. Tolliver wants no part of the man- but he may not have a choice in the matter. Soon, family secrets ensnare them both, as Harper finally discovers what happened to her missing sister, Cameron, so many years before. And what she finds out will change her world forever.

It was just published and has 320 pages. This series is interesting to me; it has a touch of woo woo in that because she was struck by lightening, Harper can find dead people. Never been done before or since in mystery books. I'm not a fan at all of vampires, so I've not taken up her Sookie books; I loved her Lily Bard series and wish that hadn't ended.

Here's an excerpt from GRAVE SECRET:

“All right,” said the straw-haired woman in the denim jacket. “Do your thing.” Her accent made the words sound more like, “Dew yore thang.” Her hawk-like face was eager, the anticipatory look of someone who is ready to taste an unknown food.
We were standing on a wind-swept field some miles south of the interstate that runs between Texarkana and Dallas. A car zoomed by on the narrow two-lane blacktop. It was the only other car I’d seen since I’d followed Lizzie Joyce’s gleaming black Chevy Kodiak pickup out to the Pioneer Rest graveyard, which lay outside the tiny town of Clear Creek.
When our little handful of people fell silent, the whistle of the wind scouring the rolling hill was the only sound in the landscape.
There wasn’t a fence around the little cemetery. It had been cleared, but not recently. This was an old cemetery, as Texas cemeteries go, established when the live oak in the middle of the graveyard had been only a small tree. A flock of birds was cackling in the oak’s branches. Since we were in north Texas, there was grass, but in February it wasn’t green. Though the temperature was in the fifties today, the wind was colder than I’d counted on. I zipped up my jacket. I noticed that Lizzie Joyce wasn’t wearing one.
The people who lived hereabouts were tough and pragmatic, including the thirtyish blonde who’d invited me here. She was lean and muscular, and she must have tugged up her jeans by greasing her legs. I couldn’t imagine how she mounted a horse. But her boots were well-worn, and so was her hat, and if I’d read her belt buckle correctly, she was the previous year’s county-wide barrel riding champion. Lizzie Joyce was the real deal.
She also had more money in her bank account than I would ever earn in my life. The diamonds on her hand flashed in the bright sunlight as she waved toward the piece of ground dedicated to the dead. Ms. Joyce wanted me to get the show on the road.
I prepared to dew mah thang. Since Lizzie was paying me big bucks for this, she wanted to get the most out of it. She’d invited her little entourage, which consisted of her boyfriend, her younger sister, and her brother, who looked as though he’d rather be anywhere else but in Pioneer Rest cemetery.


And this book, being woo woo, is suitable I think for the time of year: we're getting closer to Halloween of course. I've got a couple bags of candy -- last year we had so few kids come by that I decided this year not to go all out buying candy we may be stuck with afterward. The requisite scary movies are now showing on tv as well as documentaries about all things scary and haunted. I don't mind the docs but I've never been fond of scary movies. Yes, I've enjoyed the classics: Nightmare of Elm Street I believe I actually saw in the theatre when it was first released. Halloween with Jamie Curtis is a must. I liked Scream being so clever about the genre. But gory violent death just for the sake of gory violent death doesn't trip my trigger like it does the younger generation. Being that Hallween falls on a Friday this year, I imagine there will be more grown-up parties than kiddie stuff. I prefer to think of the old traditional view of the day -- All Hallow's Eve.

Tonight, Steve has pistol shooting at the gun club -- after tonight he can stay home and get better the rest of the week -- and I'll watch America's Next Top Model because "I love to watch beautiful skinny girls being criticized" (c). Otherwise, I think my cough is slowly getting better and I hope to read tonight and then sleep and sleep. :)

All right, off you go then ...

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Just a happy, good bookish day

I'm currently reading BED OF ROSES by Nora Roberts. This is the 2nd book of The Bride Quartet. Here's a description:

As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do" moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream day come true. Florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends at Vows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to be thriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr. Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose. But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the women of Vows that he's practically family, but the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. When Emma returns his passion—kiss for blistering kiss—they must trust in their history…and in their hearts.

This was just published and has 358 pages. I don't read a whole lot of romance but Nora Roberts is a freak of nature talented writer. Her dialogue is the best and she creates worlds you want to be a part of and never want to end. Here's an excerpt:

Chapter One

Since details crowded her mind, many of them blurry, Emma checked her appointment book over her first cup of coffee. The back- to- back consults gave her nearly as much of a boost as the strong, sweet coffee. Basking in it, she leaned back in the chair in her cozy office to read over the side notes she’d added to each client.

In her experience, the personality of the couple— or often, more accurately, the bride— helped her determine the tone of the consult, the direction they’d pursue. To Emma’s way of thinking, flowers were the heart of a wedding. Whether they were elegant or fun, elaborate or simple, the flowers were the romance.

It was her job to give the client all the heart and romance they desired.

She sighed, stretched, then smiled at the vase of petite roses on her desk. Spring, she thought, was the best. The wedding season kicked into high gear— which meant busy days and long nights designing, arranging, creating not only for this spring’s weddings, but also next.

She loved the continuity as much as the work itself.

That’s what Vows had given her and her three best friends. Continuity, rewarding work, and that sense of personal accomplishment. And she got to play with flowers, live with flowers, practically swim in flowers every day.

This will keep me occupied today. My cough may be getting better -- I could almost sleep horizontal last night -- woo hoo! I took Tug for a quick walk this afternoon. The wind is just terrible out there but it is always like this in late October in Montana. I just didn't want to get too much of the cold wind in my lungs and have a relapse or anything. I must be well by Monday! Tonight, Steve has a committee meeting at the gun club (it never ends) and I'll watch Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock. That's about it.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Bah Monday!

Well, I continued my Anthony Andrews 1980s visit and watched another fave, The Scarlet Pimpernel last night. I'm somewhat holding off on a starting a book until tomorrow. The 2nd of Nora Roberts' wedding biz quartet comes out tomorrow and I plan on getting it. So for today, I don't know.

This cold is still kicking my breathing -- rattling, wheezing, unable to sleep laying down, coughing. And I think the thrush medicine is messing up my appetite. I don't really feel like eating but I do a little to keep energy up. Trying to drink lots. I should go steam again in a bit.

It is super windy today. I won't be able to take Tug for a walk today. Maybe I can get by with a car ride. He's sleeping right now after I let him out in the front yard for a bit.

Steve has another gun club orientation to help with tonight. I've got Lie to Me to watch on tv. Really, the only goal I have today is to get.rid.of.this.cough. Arghhhh!!!

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Autumn

Not much to report from the Madsen home this weekend other than this is a house of sickness. Oy. My cold is not going away as quickly as I'd like and Steve is fighting it now, too, though I don't think it's hit him as hard, thank goodness, at least he doesn't have my neverending cough. I went to the clinic yesterday because I've developed thrush (I'm susceptible unfortunately) and had to get medicine to combat that (the most disgusting concoction ever invented). So that's us. It's kinda nice out so I've got some windows open to air out the house. What we've got is not H1N1, just a bronchial cold.

I still haven't figured out what book mood I'm in so I'm not reading anything but I did watch one of my beloved miniseries on DVD -- Ivanho. Ahhhh, Anthony Andrews in the 80s -- and I'm not really into blonds. My template for good looking guys are tall dark and handsome. But Anthony Andrews in the 80s was just pretty -- Ivanho, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Brideshead Revisited, Sparkling Cyanide. And did you know, I'll bet you didn't, that he was asked to be Remington Steele but turned down the role leaving it open for Pierce Brosnan. Ivanho is one of my favorite stories; the DVD seems to be three movies in one: Andrews is in a romance and is basically recovering from wounds for most of the miniseries so he's laying around and wincing a lot but looking noble and brave as he loves Rowena but is hero to Rebecca, James Mason and Olivia Hussey are in a serious movie, everyone else is in a light comedy.

Yesterday was a really windy day; I watched at one point the neighbor's black cat chasing and pouncing on leaves as they skittered across their lawn which was rather amusing.

Have a good football, falling leaves Sunday ...

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

It's Friday!

This will have to be a quick post. I have to go to the post office to mail off some paperbackswap.com books today or else and with this stupid lousy cold my energy is very much waning. But on the up side, I am not feeling hideously awful like I have the past several days, just feeling bleh so I'd say that's an improvement. I'm soooooo tired of coughing.

Thanks for the good wishes on my job. Very much appreciated.

Tonight on tv I've got Say Yes to the Dress, otherwise I may focus on figuring out what to read next.

Stay well out there ... take vitamin C and other preventatives .... you don't want this thing. :)

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Oh happy day!

I finished WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel. I don't know if I liked it or not, to be honest. I like the POV of Cromwell as that is not done hardly at all but it was written "literary" and necessarily for entertainment, if that makes any sense. So I'm a little disappointed in that I wanted more from it but I'm glad I'm done now so I can move on to other reads. What that will be, I don't know yet. I may need a palate cleanser.

NEWS!! I was offered a job today and I've taken it. It is the one-year temp position with the Unemployment Insurance office. I'm hoping that it may extend beyond one year but I'll take as is for now. I need it and jobs are so freakin' tight in Billings it's ridiculous. My one year unemployed anniversary was a couple days ago and my own funds are running out. Phew! I start November 2nd which is a good thing because ...

... This cold is kicking my butt. I've been coughing my lungs up for four days now -- okay it just feels that way. I wheeze and rattle with every breath. No energy. And I'm throwing everything at it: steaming 6-7 times a day, Vicks vaporub on my chest, fluids, cough drops, etc., etc. The past couple nights I've tried sleeping sitting up so I can get SOME rest. And now Steve is starting to feel unwell. Sigh.

Tonight on tv we've got Survivor. Maybe I'll have picked a book by then and will be able to read the rest of the evening. I don't know what to make for dinner, may have to wing it. Tug is, sadly, getting another really short walk today because I just can't do a better job of it right now.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Teaser Tuesday

Time for the Tuesday Teaser. Again the reminder of what this is all about. We are asked to:

• Grab your current read.


• Let the book fall open to a random page.


• Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.


• Share the title of the book that the “teaser” comes from, so people can find the book if they like the teaser.


• And again remember – avoid spoilers.

TO KNOW EVIL by Stephen Gaspar:

Brother Thomas of Worms stood upright and pressed both hands to his lower back. He grimaced slightly as he raised his narrow eyes towards heaven. His thin lips moved in silent prayer, thanking God that his back could still bend. This northern climate was not good for his joints, and secretly he yearned for warmer countries. Brother Thomas looked over the garden. He was always sad when he harvested the last of his vegetables, for it heralded the beginning of winter and colder weather. He reached back and pulled his black hood over his tonsured head.

Oh blah Monday ...

Getting close to done with WOLF HALL. Whenever I read or watch anything about the whole Anne Boleyn situation -- and I do a lot -- there is this feeling of impending doom (of course) and one just wants to yell at the players to change their actions for a better outcome.

I've picked up a stupid cold in my chest so I haven't been a bundle of energy these past couple days. Lots of deep painful coughing. Today I've been doing a lot of sleeping and steaming. What a bother.

Tonight on tv I have Lie to Me. Otherwise I hope to maybe finish the book and move on to the next.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Ahhhh Saturday

Gorgeous day outside -- in the 70s and a cool-ish wind blowing. Steve and I took Tug for a good long walk, stopped and talked to some friends as we were heading for home, now we're relaxing. I've got dinner going in the crockpot with a new chicken recipe that I hope turns out okay. I've vacuumed up and down and got the bathroom rugs in the washer. The only that would make this a more perfect weekend would be if I were in Indianapolis attending Bouchercon (huge mystery book convention), but ah well. It's pretty darn good as it is. :)

Not much on tv for me tonight so maybe I'll get some reading done. In the meantime, there may be a nap in my future.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

A very good day -- Friday!

Still reading WOLF HALL. It will be slow going, being rather dense in its writing. I can also see why it won a literary prize (Booker) because it is not really in "storytelling" form. Hard to describe.

I've had a great day. I ran a couple errands and then went to the Friends of the Library sale. I was considering not going at all this year because I have so much backlog of things I need to read it's ridiculous and I'm trying to pare down what I do have but ... a book addict cannot resist the call of a book sale because there may be treasures there. I spent about two and a half hours there all told I think and I still didn't look at everything. I wasn't concentrating so much on fiction -- I've learned from many book sales past that a) the selection is really picked over throughout the year b) a lot of the books are rehashes over and over and c) it is pretty much junk but ya never know and d) my taste is more of the B list of authors that aren't readily available. I actually got off pretty lightly this year, dollar-wise. Only $20. My finds this year were mostly in history books. I love American Revolution history, Tudor period England, medieval England, current events. The sale was trying to unload this section of books and were letting them go for three for a dollar. In fiction, eh, a couple Rex Stouts; four cds ... that's about it. Records (vinyl) have usually been my downfall but I didn't even look at 'em. Even if I don't find treasure, I just have a most excellent time spending time there. Almost like doing a Snoopy dance. :)

I got home after that and stopping for some groceries and had to walk Tug right away. Oy, my legs and feet hurt! You'd think by now they'd be fully recovered from this summer but they do not like long periods of standing/walking.

So tonight on tv I've got an episode of Say Yes to the Dress and maybe I'll catch the new series from Discovery, Lobstermen -- sort of like Deadliest Catch only, um, lobster.

It was warm today, in the 60s and people have been out mowing. And school has been for some reason yesterday and today so there's been kids around the neighborhood. I'm ready for cold and dark, hunkering down with books and warm making-tummy-happy stuff. Sigh.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Hey

I finished NINE DRAGONS by Michael Connelly a couple days ago. It was mostly a disappointment to me. It just wasn't a procedural really and Bosch got off message in a way. So now I'm currently reading WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel. Here's a description:

In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII’s court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king’s favor and ascend to the heights of political power. England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king’s freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

It was just published in the US and has 560 pages. This is one of my absolutely favorite periods of time and I love the court intrigue that was going on. It probably wasn't fun to be there but it's fun to read/watch. This book won the 2009 Man Booker literary prize. Here's an excerpt:

PART 1

Across the Narrow Sea

PUTNEY, 1500

So now get up."
Felled, dazed, silent, he has fallen; knocked full length on the cobbles of the yard. His head turns sideways; his eyes are turned toward the gate, as if someone might arrive to help him out. One blow, properly placed, could kill him now.
Blood from the gash on his head— which was his
father’s first effort— is trickling across his face. Add to this, his left eye is blinded; but if he squints sideways, with his right eye he can see that the stitching of his father’s boot is unraveling. The twine has sprung clear of the leather, and a hard knot in it has caught his eyebrow and opened another cut.
"So now get up!" Walter is roaring down at him, working out where to kick him next. He lifts his head an inch or two, and moves forward, on his belly, trying to do it without exposing his hands, on which Walter enjoys stamping. "What are you, an eel?" his parent asks. He trots backward, gathers pace, and aims another kick.
It knocks the last breath out of him; he thinks it may be his last. His forehead returns to the ground; he lies waiting, for Walter to jump on him. The dog, Bella, is barking, shut away in an out house. I’ll miss my dog, he thinks. The yard smells of beer and blood. Someone is shouting, down on the riverbank. Nothing hurts, or perhaps it’s that everything hurts, because there is no separate pain that he can pick out. But the cold strikes him, just in one place: just through his cheekbone as it rests on the cobbles.

I had another interview this morning. The good news is that it's a State job; the bad news is that it's only a one year temp position. But better than nothing so we'll see.

Otherwise today, I walked Tug (freakin' windy!) and ran a couple errands. Tonight we have Survivor to watch.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Wordless Wednesday - Tough Bunny

Teaser (still cold) Tuesday

Time for the Tuesday Teaser. Again the reminder of what this is all about. We are asked to:

• Grab your current read.


• Let the book fall open to a random page.


• Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.


• Share the title of the book that the “teaser” comes from, so people can find the book if they like the teaser.


• And again remember – avoid spoilers.

From NINE DRAGONS by Michael Connelly:

From across the aisle Harry Bosch looked into his partner's cubicle and watched him conduct his daily ritual of straightening the corners on his stacks of files, clearing the paperwork from the center of his desk and finally placing his rinsed out coffee cup in a desk drawer. Bosch checked his watch and saw it was only three-forty. It seemed that each day, Ignacio Ferras began the ritual a minute or two earlier than the day before. It was only Tuesday, the day after Labor Day weekend and the start of a short week, and already he was edging toward the early exit.

It would be nice to get it done tonight so I can move on to my next read, WOLF HALL.

Yup, it's still cold. Interview went well. Now we wait ....

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Show Monday who's da boss

I'm currently reading NINE DRAGONS by Michael Connelly. This is 14th of 14 in series featuring Harry Bosch, a homicide detective in Los Angeles. Here's a description:

Fortune Liquors is a small shop in a tough South L.A. neighborhood, a store Bosch has known for years. The murder of John Li, the store's owner, hits Bosch hard, and he promises Li's family that he'll find the killer. The world Bosch steps into next is unknown territory. He brings in a detective from the Asian Gang Unit for help with translation--not just of languages but also of the cultural norms and expectations that guided Li's life. He uncovers a link to a Hong Kong triad, a lethal and far-reaching crime ring that follows many immigrants to their new lives in the U.S. And instantly his world explodes. The one good thing in Bosch's life, the person he holds most dear, is taken from him and Bosch travels to Hong Kong in an all-or-nothing bid to regain what he's lost. In a place known as Nine Dragons, as the city's Hungry Ghosts festival burns around him, Bosch puts aside everything he knows and risks everything he has in a desperate bid to outmatch the triad's ferocity.

It was just published and has 384 pages. I always like Connelly's writing -- it just flows -- but the plot just possibly took a turn into becoming the movie Taken. We'll see how it goes from here.

I had to get some groceries today (Walmart was wiped out from the weekend, plus they're not carrying much of the stuff they used to, which is irritating) and I vacuumed upstairs, did a load of laundry and walked Tug. For some reason, the temperatures outside stayed below 30 but the mud defroze making walking not so fun again. What a bother.

Tonight on tv I've got Lie to Me (yay!) and the O'Reilly Factor. Tomorrow I have an interview in the afternoon and I should gas the car. Nuttin' else going on I guess. Hope to spend some time reading later on. Gotta go preheat the oven for lasagna for dinner (num!) I dunno, as a "last dinner" kinda request, I'd have a toss up between spaghetti, lasagna or pizza. Heck, if it really was my last meal -- and I knew it -- I'd have all three. Oh and Olive Garden salad and bread sticks. My Norwegian ancestry took a turn for warmer climates and Italian taste buds.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Frosty-faced Sunday

The cold weather is sticking around for another day. Lightly snowing and a little breezy.

I finished THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST. Satisfying, yes. I want to hang around these people and know them more. I don't want their stories to end. But there will be no more and a I DO NOT want some other author taking it up; there can be no match to his plotting.

I'm going to head to the library and pick up my holds. I think I'll probably start the Michael Connelly first, should be a quicker read than the others. Info on it tomorrow.

Football going on today on tv. Steve's Steelers are so far winning; my Cowboys are thus far behind. Figures.

Have a good Sunday

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Just meditating with my eyes closed

Oh the Steig Larsson book is gooood. I'm about halfway through now. I just love multi-layered procedural type step by step putting together of getting the bad guy(s). This has many people coming from different angles to an ultimate conclusion uncovering corruption. You could say this is Sweden's version of The Wire. I read for so long last evening that I think it invaded my dreaming.

I do, however, now have three books waiting for me at the library: the new Michael Connelly NINE DRAGONS, WOLF HALL -- a Henry VIII historical that just won the Booker prize I believe, and another historical. But I won't pick them up and start the 14-day clock ticking on them until I'm done with the Larsson.

This morning I'm doing my news and politics website/blog catchup of the day. In the book blogs I'm sad to see that author Stuart Kaminsky died. I really enjoyed his Lew Fonesca books and I have a few of his Abe Lieberman books in my TBR stacks. He was a solid writer.

It's cold again today -- in the 20s. A good day to hunker down in the warmth of your house, wearing comfy clothes and poking your nose out only to fetch the mail and walk the dog. :)

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

It's Friday

I'm about 150 pages into the Steig Larsson book, enjoying it a lot. It looks like my library, however, is making three books available very soon that I really want to read. When it rains, it pours.

I have many opinions today about current events but won't post them here.

It has snowed a bit overnight (about a half inch) and will be cold (about a high of 21 degrees) so I'm sticking with my plan of not going anywhere today other than walking Tug -- and it may be a shorter walk. :) I'm thinking dinner tonight would be good with grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.

After a phone call interview at 10, I will probably listen to talk radio and read.

Stay warm and comfy out there.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Thursday

It's here! It's here! THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST by Steig Larsson is here! And I'm reading it! This is the third and last book in the Millenium Trilogy. Here's a description:

Salander is plotting her revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. But it is not going to be a straightforward campaign. After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in Intensive Care, and is set to face trial for three murders and one attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must not only prove her innocence, but identify and denounce the corrupt politicians that have allowed the vulnerable to become victims of abuse and violence. Once a victim herself, Salander is now ready to fight back.

This book was just published in the UK and has 576 pages. LOVE this trilogy: a kick-ass heroine and a multi-layered plot. Must be read in order or nothing will make sense. I was going to post a couple reviews but I don't want any spoilers to mess up a reader's experience if you've not read this author yet. Sadly, this is the last book because he died before they were published.

Let's see in the past couple days I've renewed by driver's license that was set to expire next month (OMG horrible horrible photo), interviewed for a second job today and a third one has a phone call tomorrow and probably face-to-face next week. It has snowed yesterday but not stayed on the ground and supposed to again tonight/tomorrow and very cold but better over the weekend.

Suvivor on tv tonight but I think otherwise I will hunker down with the book.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Wordless Wednesday - Hot tubbin'

Teaser Tuesday

Time for the Tuesday Teaser. Again the reminder of what this is all about. We are asked to:

• Grab your current read.


• Let the book fall open to a random page.


• Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.


• Share the title of the book that the “teaser” comes from, so people can find the book if they like the teaser.


• And again remember – avoid spoilers.

While waiting for particular book to arrive (Larsson), I'm currently reading two:

STILL LIFE by Louise Penny --

As the passenger door of the unmarked car was opened for him, Gamache caught the unmistakable fragrance of Tim Horton's coffee in cardboard cups and another aroma, Brioche. The young agent had done her homework. Only while on a murder case did he drink fast-food coffee. It was so associated in his mind with the teamwork, the long hours, the standing in cold, damp fields, that his heart raced every time he smelt industrial coffee and wet cardboard.

and

SPY IN CHANCERY by P.C. Doherty

Corbett shouldered his way through the busy, gaudy-smelling throng. He had been in Paris seven days and was trying to forget his own problems by visiting the self-proclaimed capital of Europe. Paris stretched from the Grands Boulevards on the right bank of the Seine to the Luxembourg Gardens on the left, the city had grown round the castles and manor houses of the King and was spreading out to include the great homes of the merchant princes as well as the wood and daub houses of the
artisans.

Warmer today but windy -- I hate wind. Steve has a board meeting tonight so dinner will be quick. Will watch Hard Rock: Party at the Rehab tonight.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Head rush!

Oy, my eyes are tired. I don't think I'll get much done tonight.

I finished THE EVE OF SAINT HYACINTH by Kate Sedley last night. I like this series and this one had a bit more of the politics of the time period -- King Edward IV and Richard of Gloucester -- which I like.

I had an interview today. It's a county job which is good for the benefits. It will mean nights and weekends during events but that's a part of the job. They're only interviewing 6 people out of the over a hundred applications. I think I did well answering the questions of the three people. At the end, the boss asked if I didn't get the job would I be interested in doing sponsorships/grants on the side for them. I said why yes. They'll make a decision by the end of the week or beginning of next.

It has snowed a little today. The ground is too warm yet for it to stick and the snow turned to rain for a bit. It will probably freeze overnight so the streets will be slick in the morning. I think the rest of the week is supposed to be in the 40s or 50s.

Tonight on tv I've got Lie to Me (yay!) and we'll probably watch a bit of the Packers/Vikings game. I should also go through the books to see what's next up for my mood.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

If I squint a little I can see you through the screen

I'm currently reading THE EVE OF SAINT HYACINTH by Kate Sedley. This is 5th of 18 in series featuring Roger the Chapman, a medieval chapman (peddler) in England. Here's a description:

As England prepares for war with France, the duke of Gloucester, the devoted brother of King Edward IV, is targeted for death. Once again, Roger the Chapman, an itinerant peddler with extraordinary powers of deduction, must come to the aid of the duke. In order to ferret out the traitor, Roger goes undercover as a servant in the royal household. When a probable informant is brutally murdered, Roger works feverishly to unravel the plot and expose the mastermind before the fateful Eve of St. Hyacinth.

It was published in 1996 and has 280 pages.

My Cowboys are playing this afternoon against the always to be rooted against Denver Broncos. Tonight the Steelers are playing the Chargers, I believe. I've got a calzone from Papa Murphy's for something fun for dinner while we watch.

It's a cold dark day. Supposed to have precipitation in the next 24 hours, perhaps snow. Tomorrow morning I've got an interview to go to way across town. Terrific -- drivers on the first snow storm of the season are stupid. Oy.

I went hunting for cold weather accessories in the coat closet because I couldn't find my gloves. I think mittens are like socks -- you always lose one. I had two complete mittens but four singles and still couldn't find the gloves for which I was looking. Lots of scarves for some reason. A pair of earmuffs I thought were gone. No gloves.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Peekaboo

I finished reading the Greenwood last night. Fluffy but fun, quick reading. Auditioning what's next: Sedley, Doherty, Penny, Hallinen, McIntosh, Letemendia, Tremayne, Jecks, Alexander, Knight, etc. I don't yet know what mood I'm in now. Should I read more histmyst or break it up with something contemporary. I've got some audiobooks on the iPod, too, I should get to. Have to read the WSJ yet today.

I've walked Tug and cleaned the microwave (yuck). I'll vacuum the living room again in a bit -- Tug is so messy with his cookies and shedding that I have to do it rather frequently. Vacuum downstairs. Steve is going to fix a garage door later this afternoon and hopefully do the last mowing of the season beforehand.

Reading meme:

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack?
Sometimes. Usually finger food like popcorn or pretzel sticks. M&Ms.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Not horrified but never got in the habit. I usually don't have anything to comment on and I read too fast to stop and write anything down.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ear? Laying the book flat open?
Bookmarks either formal or informal (envelopes, receipts, postcards), laying the book down or just remember the page number.

Fiction, nonfiction, or both?
Both. Mostly fiction -- about 90% -- but I also love history and current events.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Love them both. Some are more conducive to being read out loud, others need to have the words seen and savoured.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters or are you able to put a book down at any point?
Put down at any point.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Nope, just figure it out from the context and move on.

What are you currently reading?
Auditioning...

What is the last book you bought?
THE BEST OF MEN by Claire Letemendia, fiction about the English Civil War in 1642.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
Read more than one at a time. Would be bored by one at a time.

Do you have a favourite time of day and/or place to read?
I've always liked to read in bed, very comfortable. Time of day? anytime.

Do you prefer series or stand-alone books?
Doesn't matter to me as long as it's a good story.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Alan Gordon's jester guild mysteries. CJ Sansom. Jane Austen. This year's favorite standalone: THE BOOK OF UNHOLY MISCHIEF by Elle Newmark.

How do you organize your books?
Alphabetized the keeper books this year in bookcases. Otherwise, separate piles for library books and TBR owned books.




Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

IT IS FRI DAY!!

Finally some movement on the reading front! I finished THE NINTH DAUGHTER by Barbara Hamilton. It was a pleasant read even though I figured out who the bad person was early on. I will read more as they come available. This book ended with the Boston Tea Party.

I'm currently reading MURDER ON THE BALLARAT TRAIN by Kerry Greenwood. This is 3rd of 18 in series featuring Phryne Fisher, in 1920s Melbourne, Australia. Here's a description:

Fisher, Melbourne's uninhibited 1920s private detective, begins with Phryne saving the lives of a group of travelers when someone chloroforms their train compartments. Unfortunately, an elderly woman is discovered missing and then found murdered. It's left to Phryne to unmask the killer while rescuing a young girl who suffers from amnesia.

It was published in 1991 and has 155 pages. One of the reasons I chose to read this book next out of the many I need to read is its short length. I need to make much headway and this will get me going.

In current events, Rio got the 2016 Olympics. I'm glad: 1) the Olympics haven't been in South America 2) Rio's tried three times and 3) Chicago and America doesn't need the debt it will incur.

I walked Tug earlier, I've already vacuumed upstairs and washed the bedding with a load of clothes in the washer. I've a little more computer work to do here but then I think I'll go up and either read a little, journal, or do some organizing of the spare bedroom.

Have a good Friday!

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

It's a wee bit windy out

I just have to make more time for reading. The last several days I've only tried to read after 9 at night and within a half hour I'm so tired I have to stop. I'm making so little progress in my books it's ridiculous. Still reading THE NINTH DAUGHTER by Barbara Hamilton.

Not much happening today. Doing laundry, took Tug for a walk. It's a partly cloudy, chilly, very windy day. I've got dinner going in the crock pot. We have Survivor to watch on tv tonight.

Other than having many opinions about what's going on in current events, that's about it. A cup of tea is sounding pretty good about now.

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster