Dead and Gone

"I have never met a vampire personally,

but I don't know what might happen tomorrow."
Bela Lugosi

Dead and Gone
by Charlaine Harris

I just finished the latest book in one of my favorite series and loved it. I have mentioned this series before, the Sookie Stakehouse series by Charlaine Harris. This is one I always look forward to and can count on enjoying.

The vampires have been "out" to the public for a few years. There is nothing for humans to fear, because the Japanese invented a special drink, True Blood, which after 30 seconds in the microwave is almost like the real thing and this way the vamps don't need to "feed" on humans. Since the vamps have matriculated pretty well, other supernatural beings have decided to come "out." The weres and the shifters have decided it's time for the world to know they exist too. Sookie is working at Merlotte's Bar when it appears that time is now. There, on live television, everyone watches as a young girl changes into a werewolf, then in the bar, people watch as some of their bar buddies change into, well, their animal shape. Shifters can change into dogs, cats, horses...who knew that besides werewolves, there were wereseals?

Wereeagles?Werepanthers? Werepigs...the list goes on and on! It seems that weres can be just about any animal. Some are born this way, others are "bitten" into it. Only the eldest child of a pure blood shifter couple will be a shifter. Unlike with vampires, you can't be born a vampire, you have to be bitten to become one. After the initial shock of who has been living next door to them starts to wear off, it appears that while most people can live with strange beings, not everyone is okay with it...one husband shoots his wife when she changes in front of him-since he had no idea he was married to someone who could change into a dog-it came as a big shock to him. When a female werepanther is found dead, the hope for a understanding and being able to all just get along seems to be slim.
Besides dealing with trying to stop the weres from going to war over the death of one of their own, telepathic Sookie has the FBI interested in her abilities, there is a rebel uprising among the fairies, the vampires are in the mist of a political overhaul and Sookie has to grapple with her feelings for Eric, the viking vampire.
Vampires, shifters, weres, fairies, alcoholics, murder, sex, the FBI, and oh yeah...a little romance. What more can you ask for? Take a visit on the supernatural side.
So much going on in Bon Temps, Louisiana with one person involved in the midst of it all: Sookie Stackhouse. The life of our favorite waitress is never dull!

SMILE!

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti

Read. Cook. Eat
Bev Wowak
I love a good memoir. I love a good cookbook. It doesn't get any better for me then a memoir with great recipes in it so I was in heaven reading I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giuia Melucci.

As made very clear here, when you are in a relationship, cook. When you aren't in a relationship, cook. Breaking up? Cook. Trying to impress a new guy? Cook. Going it alone, cook! Just because you have no one in your life does not mean you don't cook for yourself. Melucci does a terrific job of sharing her hard luck with dating and looking for that "everlasting" relationship, hoping that this one is the one. It seems all her fellas loved her cooking, loved her to a point, but when she felt this was it, she had met the one to spend the rest of her life with...it fell apart. Melucci does a great job of sharing her love life snafus with us and yeah, I could relate. I laughed, felt her sadness but mostly I devoured her recipes!

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti is a very enjoyable read, I recommend it, and as a bonus, you will love the recipes! Yes I did....I made almost all the recipes in the book and they are terrific...loved them. When I read cookbook memoirs I know you can read with one hand, cook with the other, then eat and read at the same time.

When I read a book that I really enjoy, I will usually buy it and I will be buying this one...I want those recipes handy so I can make them again!

Cozy Up With a Good Book Recap

"No entertainment is so cheap as reading,
nor any pleasure so lasting."
Mary Woreley Montagu

This is a summary of the adult winter reading club, Cozy Up With a Good Book.
Almost 60 people signed up for the club with 40 of you turning in your reader cards!
When I totaled up the readers cards, there were close to 400 books read!

The top ten most read authors were:

James Patterson

Nora Roberts

David Baldacci

Daniel Silva

Janet Evanovich

John Grisham

Robert B. Parker

Olen Steinhauer

James McBride

Christopher Moore

It is nice to see three different authors crack into the top ten, and I think all three are terrific!

Olen Steinhauer grew up in Virginia and now lives in Budapest with his family. Steinhauer usually writes mysteries set in a fictional Eastern European country but in his latest one, The Tourist, he begins a new trilogy with main character, Milo Weaver. For those of you who like to begin a series at the beginner...and we know who you are...here is one to begin. Steinhauer shares a blog with three other authors, http://www.contemporary-nomad.com/ which I highly recommend you check out. Looking for a new mystery author who will take you half way around the world, keep you on the edge of your seat and fill with tension? Here you go. I have had great feed-back from those who have read his latest book, and it is even better when they come and ask me for more of his books! Love that. ( Little info: The Tourist has been optioned to be made into a film with George Clooney starring. Make sure to read the book.) Steinhauser is one of my (new) authors of note that I have been suggesting to everyone to read. I highly recommend Olen Steinhauer.

James McBride became known for his wonderful classic, Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother. McBride is a true, modern Renaissance man-author; he plays a saxophone in a six piece jazz/r&b band; song writer; his book, Miracle at St. Anna, was made into a movie directed by Spike Lee; he can do it all! Plus, McBride just happens to have the coolest website I have ever seen! Crank up the sound and check it out: http://www.jamesmcbride.com/ . McBride is one of my favorite authors and I was glad to see others enjoying him as well. When I find an author that I want to read over again, I buy the book. James McBride has joined my personal bookshelf. An author that can touch your heart, make you laugh, get teary, think and just feel good....this is James McBride.

Christopher Moore has very different viewpoints on things and is an author for those of you that like a trip on the unusual side. Moore latest, Fool, is his take on England in 1288. (The Other Boleyn Girl it is is not.) Loosely based (very loosely based) on Shakespeare's King Lear-this would be called a bawdy tale-to put it mildly. Think Mel Brooks with Blazing Saddles. You've been warned, for a wickedly, good time, give Chris Moore a try. I would suggest visiting his website so you have an idea of what you will be getting into, http://www.chrismoore.com/.

Here you have three very (very) different authors to give a try.

The top read books read for this winter were:

The Associate by John Grisham

Night & Day by Robert B. Parker

Silent Man by Alex Berenson

**A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffet

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

Wildfire by Nelson DeMille

Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Cross Country by James Patterson

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connolly

**Salty Piece of Land was our book discussion book and it seems everybody read it.

I will say that just because the book was on the most read list does not mean it was well liked by everyone. I always find that interesting, the different reviews.

I hope everyone enjoyed the reading club and it helped the winter pass quickly. I enjoy listening, reading and sharing all your book reviews. Thank you!

The summer reading club begins July 7, 2009 so check your emails!

Enjoy the nice weather and of course, read a good book.

Check Us Out!

The closest we will ever come to an
orderly universe is a good library.
Ashleigh Brilliant

Nancy says it all.....

Your library.....where else
would you get the biggest bang for your
buck! Come on down to your local library and check us out!