Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Murder Among Friends

was my latest book on the way to my 52 book goal for 2009. Written by Jonnie Jacobs it follows Kate Austen as she tries to solve the mystery surrounding the murder of her friend, Mona. The suspects include a bitter ex-husband, his bimboish fiance Bambi, an angry husband of a student, the daughter's boyfriend, a stranger who is hanging around the school, and the secretly married boyfriend or possibly his wife. That's a heck of a lot of suspects, isn't it?

In this second installment of the Kate Austen cozy mystery series, the author doesn't give away the killer until the last pages. The characters are interesting and a little quirky, the kind of people that are hanging around just about every neighborhood.

I'd definitely give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars on the enjoyable meter.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Hat for January


Thanks to my nephew, Quinn's girlfriend Shayna, I have a picture of my latest hat on a real live (not stuffed) person. Of course, you cannot really tell what the hat looks like, but it will be warm and it will be given to charity.

I used the Ground Flower pattern again, by PhoeKnits and Knit Picks Palette yarn in Iris Heather. Not my favorite color, which is why I didn't use it for socks. Too bland.

Here it is January 25 and I've already made all my goals for the month. I've read four books, and knit a hat and a pair of socks. Well, I've made most of my goals, I didn't lose ten pounds. I did lose about seven pounds, so I'm not going to be too disappointed.

I also won a hat from Aurora at http://foxyartstudio.blogspot.com/ . I am very excited, I rarely win anything. Get well soon Aurora.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Murder Among Neighbors

Kate Austen has a five year old daughter and a husband who left her to go find himself in Europe. One morning she goes for a jog and comes home to murder, a career, and a new love.

The first Kate Austen mystery by Jonnie Jacobs introduced some interesting new characters. The characters in the series are well described, but not all of them are very likable. Set in Walnut Hills, California, the background characters are a little snooty, have money, and belong to the country club. Kate, on the other hand, is clever, gutsy, a little bit funny, and appealingly normal. She sets out to find the person who murdered her friend next door.

Jonnie Jacobs writes a mystery, that stays a mystery almost to the end of the book. I suspected each character and was not able to solve this one before the author completed the last chapter.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Updates

Goals for January:
  • I finished my first socks for January, well before the end of the month.
  • I'm working on my first hat of the year now and should finish it today or tomorrow.
  • I've read three books and have two more to read before the end of the month.
Brrrr, it is so cold here. It's after 1:00 p.m. and the frost from last night has turned the trees white. It's like all the trees are flocked for Christmas. Plus the evil weather people are talking about snow again. What's up with that?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

President Barack H. Obama

What a wonderful day!

The Inauguration is complete, the luncheon has begun, and George W. Bush ceases to have any authority over the United States of America. I'm not sure which is more important for this country, but for me, it is the change that I know will be coming regarding our place in the world.

January 20, 2009, it is now true that "all men are created equal".

Peace

Friday, January 16, 2009

A Fortunate Age

A Fortunate Age by Joanna Smith Rakoff is the story of six highly educated 20 somethings, starting out in New York. It is set in the late 90s and early part of 21st century and follows five Oberlin graduates as they start their lives, families, and careers.

All of the characters come from comfortable families, and seem to not care about monetary success. The book starts with Lil's wedding and we are introduced to her best friends; Beth, Sadie, Emily, Tal, and Dave.

Tal and Emily are actors and Dave is a musician. Although Tal has found some success, Emily is working in a bank and Dave is a waiter. Sadie is an assistant in a publishing house and Lil is a teacher. Beth is also a teacher, although she is off to a slow career start because of a problem with some credits and her Doctoral Dissertation.

Lil's new husband, Tuck, works for a progressive magazine, but loses his job shortly after the marriage, and can't seem to find a new job that lives up to his high opinion of his standards, so Lil becomes the only one in the family who actually earns a paycheck.

Friday, January 9, 2009

The Good Wife Strikes Back

Another true to life book about the pitfalls of letting a marriage stagnate. Elizabeth Buchan writes about Fannie and Will, a couple who just celebrated their 19th anniversary. Will is a British politician and Fannie is his loyal political wife and partner. Their life is complicated by his alcoholic sister, who lives with them, and a daughter who is leaving the nest and setting out on her own.

As Fannie struggles with the day-to-day sameness of a political wife, she also finds she is not sure that the struggle is worth the effort. She longs to find herself and her happiness, by getting more involved in her father's wine business. A trip to Italy is planned and while there, Fannie finds what she misses most . . . herself and ultimately Will.

Dear Sarah

I am so very sorry that the mean old mainstream media was disrespectful of you during your run for Vice President. I apologize for the audacity of Katie Couric asking you what newspapers and magazines you read. How dare she think the American people have the right to know if their elected officials have IQs high enough to actually run the country. Shame on her and the voters. I can certainly understand how you think that anyone who said anything negative about you was just using your celebrity to further their careers. After all, Sarah, you are the center of the universe.

Seriously, keep talking, keep giving interviews, because every time you open your mouth and speak, you put another rock in your boat. How's Russia doing? Still keeping as eye on it from your front porch?

By the way, if you had run as a Democrat in the Democratic party, John McCain would now be the President. Democrats aren't as stupid as you seem to think.

Friday, January 2, 2009

T is for Trespass

To reach my goal of reading 52 books in the next 52 weeks, I chose T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton as my first book of 2009. I really like the alphabetical series that follows Kinsey Millhone, Private Investigator for Santa Teresa, California; however, this was not one of my favorites. I'm not sure if it is because it has been three years since the S was published or if it is because the plot line of this story (elder abuse) could so easily happen to any of us.

This story is told from the viewpoint of Kinsey, the private investigator, who suspects her elderly neighbor is being abused and Solana, the nurse's aide who stole the identity of a coworker, in order to steal the possessions of Kinsey's elderly neighbor, Gus. After Kinsey is hired by Gus' niece to do a background check on Solana, Kinsey starts to suspect that Solana is not she says she is. By then it's too late and Kinsey can't get anyone with authority to believe her suspicions.

The best thing about Kinsey and the alphabet series, is that Kinsey is just like the rest of us. She has a craving for fast and greasy foods, men who aren't good for her, and she is fiercely loyal to her friends.

P.S. It snowed again today, but I had a wonderful lunch with Mary, Marie, and Lee. I sure miss my old neighbors.