"A Bad Day's Work"

Nora McFarland's debut novel, "A Bad Day's Work," is well worth reading. McFarland's heroine, Lilly Hawkins, just can't seem to catch a break. Lilly's day didn't get off to a very good start and, just when she thinks things can't get worse, they do and she hasn't a clue as to why so many people have it in for her. Running for her life does have its advantages, though - It reconnects her with her Uncle Bud who has some pretty creative ways to keep her safe. In the meantime, Rod, a fellow co-worker, invites himself along for the ride and the "ride" becomes even more exciting. Introduce Leland Warner -- wealthy but reclusive -- and new twists are thrown in. I have the feeling Warner, Uncle Bud, and Rod as well as other co-workers will continue to pop up in Lilly's future adventures and I look forward to getting to know them all better. You'll have to read this Lilly Hawkins mystery for yourself. I'm glad I don't have long to wait for the second book in this mystery series, "Hot, Shot, and Bothered," which is due out in August.

Enjoy!

pazt

"The Latehomecomer - A Hmong Family Memoir"

"The Latehomecomer, A Hmong Family Memoir" by Kao Kalia Yang is one of the best memoirs I have ever read! Kalia is a remarkable young woman/author and this story is more than just her story - her memoir. It is the story of her family as well as a tribute to the Hmong people who fought on the side of the United States during the Vietnam War and many paid for that loyalty with their lives, the lives of their families, and the loss of their homes.

Kalia writes not only of her family's struggle to survive in the jungles of Laos while evading soldiers who want to kill them but also of their life in refugee camps in Thailand before coming to America. Although her family saw America as a way to start a new life and find a place to put down roots for them and their families, it was much harder than any of them thought it might be and being accepted has not been easy.

It took time for Kalia to find her voice but she has an excellent one and her depictions are so moving. Kalia writes in such a way that I could not help but feel for her and her family and empathize with their struggles. This book is a tribute to Kalia's grandmother and the love Kalia has for her as well as a tribute to the love her parents have for each other that has endured through many difficult times.

Kalia's high school teacher, Mrs. Gallentin, was instrumental in helping her find her voice. Pages 198-201 tell about Mrs. Gallentin's encouragement as well as a poignant story Kalia wrote for a class assignment that shares the story of her parent's love. That story demonstrates the insights this young woman has -- what an observer!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough -- a must read!

If you would like to sample some of her writing, check out her web site at www.kaokaliayang.com. The bio page at the end of her book indicates she has also released a film, "The Place Where We Were Born," documenting the experiences of Hmong American refugees.

She is also co-founder of Words Wanted which is an agency dedicated to helping immigrants with writing, translating, and business services.

pazt

"Walking Home: A Traveler in the Alaskan Wilderness...."

Today is a first for me -- I have a guest writer - my spouse wrote the following about "Walking Home" by Lynn Schooler. As he was reading this book, he read passages to me and we both thoroughly enjoyed it so I wanted to share my spouse's thoughts on the book as well as some quotes he shared from the book - enjoy this excellent book! pazt

Schooler is a resident of Juneau, Alaska, and has lived in the state often referred to as “The Last Frontier” for 40 years. He’s worked as a commercial fisherman, a shipwright, a wilderness guide, and an award-winning wildlife photographer. He’s also written The Blue Bear and The Last Shot.

In this 2010-published narrative, Schooler finds himself in middle age and at the end of Juneau’s worst winter in history. He’s been pre-occupied building a handcrafted home for he and his wife, and at the same time knows his marriage is in trouble. Good friends are dying while other locals jumping from bridges to their deaths … so Schooler escapes.

Walking Home is his story of his solo journey into the wilderness. He takes his small boat north, anchors in a cove, and hikes along the wild Gulf of Alaska coastline.

His narrative of course tells the story of his journey, but it’s also a story of the people who have made a living on this coast, those who have lived there, and those who have died there. The human story tells about the region’s Tlingit People, and trappers, miners, explorers, shipwrecked sailors, and hermits. Schooler also gives the reader stunning insights into the natural world of the Southeast Alaskan coastline.

Along the way, the author struggles with questions about his life, his wife, their relationship, but … most importantly … questions about his place in the world he inhabits – and loves!

One of Schooler’s observations that stands out is his encounter with flocks of birds heading north for the summer. A stiff north headwind had kept the northbound flyers grounded for two days, and now, a low-pressure system moves in and gives them a boost on their northbound journey.

“… the birds had gone airborne in masse to gain an energy-saving boost by surfing north on the oncoming pressure wave.

‘I understood all this intellectually, but there was also something else going on. High overhead I could see a long, wavering line of sandhill cranes. At sea level flock after flock of phalaropes sped by just outside the breaking waves. Most impressive of all were the flocks of sandpipers, which roared past by the thousands, parting to fly around me like water flowing around a boulder in a stream…

“I understood that the first bird I had seen, the lone fluttering sandpiper … was simply that, a single bird, alone in a harsh and vast landscape. In its solitude, it was inconsequential. But a thousand birds, or ten time ten to a hundred thousand, had become a single consciousness, flying in perfect unison.

“I knew that many of the birds would not survive the journey … For the individual there is no reasonable hope of a long life, but in the cyclical flocking, migrating, nesting, hatching, and migrating again, over and over through the centuries, there is continuity. And that, I understood, is what truly matters, for we, too contribute to our own kind’s continuation, whether through children and grandchildren or by building a sold home to provide a shelter for coming generations. Though we will inevitably die and be forgotten, as have the majority of kings and generals throughout history, it is a consolation that in the absence of any permanence there is continuity. In sum, it does not matter if we are forgotten; what matters is the effect we have on those around us and those who come after us. What matters is how our own lives affect the larger, perpetual community of the living.

“Slowly the flocks thinned out, and it began to rain. I made camp that evening … Rain drummed on the tent all night, but I was warm and dry inside. And some time in the night I decided to head back to Juneau. As with the birds, I realized, it is a connection with one’s own kind that matters the solitude of the outer coast was a grand, almost overwhelming experience, but now it was time to go home, to be with my neighbors and friends, sharpen my tools, and court my wife again. It was time to catch up with my own flock.”

"A Harvest of Bones"

Yes, I know this picture is not the cover for "A Harvest of Bones" by Yasmine Galenorn but that particular paperback in her Chintz 'n China series doesn't appear to be available on Amazon.com. Emerald O'Brien, Galenorn's heroine in this series, is enjoying some time off from her china shop leaving it in the capable hands of her employees. Her boyfriend, Joe, is also taking time off from his job so they can spend some time clearing the vacant lot he has purchased next to her home. However, as usual, Emerald discovers a body -- or, in this case, bones -- leading to the discovery of a 50 year old mystery that she and her friends must solve. In the meantime, Emerald's family's cat, Samantha, has disappeared leaving her children very sad. Will the solving of a 50 year old death lead to Samantha's return? Although this book is less suspenseful perhaps than some of the earlier ones in this series, it was a quick, fun read.

pazt

"A Drink Before The War"

"A Drink Before The War" (winner of the Shamus Award) by Dennis Lehane is the novel where he introduces Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro -- a couple of private investigators who are smart, tough, and good friends. Since this is the first in a series about these investigators, we're introduced to their personal life and friendship and I like that in depth background information that brings the characters to life. When Kenzie takes on the task of finding a missing cleaning woman for some powerful Boston politicians, Gennaro isn't too happy. As it turns out, the theft this woman has been accused of is more complex than it would appear at first glance. Kenzie and Gennaro find themselves embroiled in murder and scandal and have to find a way to dig themselves out without becoming victims, too. It's an engrossing read and I look forward to the next book in this series.

pazt

"Equations of Life"

"Equations of Life" by Simon Morden (or should I say Dr. Simon Morden - a bona fide rocket scientist per his bio inside the front cover) is Morden's first adult novel and also the first one of the Samuil Petrovitch trilogy. "Equations of Life" is set in the London metrozone after Armageddon and follows the adventures of Petrovitch -- a Russian immigrant, student, and survivor of the bombs that fell on St. Petersburg. Acting on instinct Petrovitch thwarts the kidnapping of the daughter of a wealthy and powerful Japanese businessman (aka mobster). Although he earns the gratitude of said father, he also gains a slew of troubles that endanger the quiet, unnoticed life he's led to date. However, it's not all bad as he makes some new "friends" and his adventures might even lead to romance. Petrovitch, in my opinion, doesn't always know when to keep his mouth shut but fortunately for him people tend to listen to him before shooting or the book would have been very short!

The book is full of adventure but it's also an unveiling of the man behind the mask Petrovitch wears -- layer by layer peeling away until we discover who he really is and what he values most in life.

A good read - If you're interested in reading the short stories that Morden wrote that led eventually to this novel, the author says they are available on his web site for free or to download. I believe that site is www.bookofmorden.co.uk.

pazt