A Fatal Grace/ Dead Cold

by Louise Penny

Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors and I absolutely love her Inspector Gamache series.  I listened to this book with Candleman on a trip to southern Utah in Nov.  It was not his choice but he ended up loving it.

This is book 2 in the series.  I'm sure it is advisable to read this series in order especially to follow the continuing story of Gmache's enemies in the force.  Unfortunately, I've been reading them out of order and don't feel like it's detracted from the storyline too much.

I love coming back to this fictitious village just south of Montreal and reconnecting with the people.  They are real, flawed and multi-dimensional - just the type I would love to have for neighbors.  Most of them, anyway.  The setting makes me long to visit that area again.  It reminds me a a beautiful little town called Knowlton we visited that is real and is located just south of Montreal.  Absolutely picturesque and filled with charm.  That's how I think of Three Pines.

The mystery is complex and was hard for me to solve.  One of the things I like best about Penny's books is the wisdom sprinkled throughout.  I am going to need to reread this one so I can book dart those many passages I loved while listening to it.

If you haven't picked up one of these books in the Armand Gamache series, I highly recommend you do.  Start with Still Life.

A Fatal Grace is the title used in the U.S.  Elsewhere it goes by Dead Cold.  Why they can't use the same title is beyond me...

Alice I Have Been

by Melanie Benjamin

I read Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for the first time a few years ago for a Classics Challenge.  I totally did NOT understand Lewis Carroll's writing even though I was reading an annotated copy and had seen Disney's version.  I recognized many parts and was surprised to find that many poems and stories I was familiar with originated with the Alice books.

Even though Lewis Carroll's genius soared way over my head, I developed a strong interest in the little girl Carroll wrote about and in the author himself.  Unfortunately, there are not many personal papers remaining to provide insight on the relationship that existed between Alice Liddell and Charles Dodgson.

Benjamin is upfront about informing the reader this fictional story told from Alice's perspective.  Although much is unknown Benjamin weaves her story around substantiated events.

The book is divided into 3 major sections based on the men in Alice's life.  The first is Alice's questionable relationship with Charles Dodgson, one that is both filled with love and mystery and leaves Alice totally baffled when her mother stops them from being with each other even though Dodgson continues to work on campus.  Next is Alice's relationship with Prince Leopold that ends with questions for the reader, at least this reader.  I wish there was more known about why that relationship ended.  The final section is about Alice's marriage to a man who basically rescues her from spinsterhood.  It was during this part that I choked up and even shed some tears.

I loved this book!  Good story, good writing.  I strongly recommend Alice I Have Been, even if you're not a fan of Alice In Wonderland.  I read this book in November and have no worthy excuses for my delay in reviewing it.  I've thought of it many times over the ensuing months and finally decided I needed to review it so I could recommend it to others.

I received this book as a advanced reader's copy.  I did not receive any other payment for my review.

Triangle of Deception

by Haggai Carmon

This is the write-up featured on the author's blog:
"Working in a joint CIA/Mossad sting operation, Dan Gordon chose the path of deception – a triangle of deception.

In this fourth installment in the Dan Gordon intelligence thriller series, Dan is on the hunt for the source of funding to terrorist group Hezbollah. He infiltrates the Lebanese network in the Paraguayan terrorist hub, Ciudad del Este, through a Lebanese expat in Sierra Leone, only to realize the operation is even more far-reaching than he has been told. A chase for false documents turns a Shakespearean drama of double identities and uncertain loyalties into a web of lies.

Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Dan lands in a grim Romanian jail. Was it a security leak that got him in trouble? Why was he told to abandon top-secret CIA documents in a hotel room in Turkey? Was Dan made a sacrificial lamb for the CIA to make their plan look credible? Has he stumbled on a much bigger plot, one with the potential to unlock Al Qaeda’s machinations in the Americas? And how will he extricate himself from his stickiest situation yet?"

The Author

Haggai Carmon is an Israeli-born international attorney sharing his time and practice between the United States, Israel and the rest of the world. Since 1985, he has represented the U.S. Department of Justice in its Israeli litigation. Several other federal agencies have also assigned him with worldwide responsibility for undercover legal intelligence gathering outside the United States in complex, multimillion dollar cases, most involving money laundering.

He has performed this sensitive investigative work in more than thirty foreign countries.

The Story Behind My Stories: What Inspired My Intelligence Thrillers

By Haggai Carmon
My intelligence thrillers were inspired by my professional Israeli background, as well as by twenty years of service for the United States Government. During those years, I had a publicly known “daytime” job as well as a covert “nighttime” job. Since 1985, I have represented the United States Government in its Israeli civil litigation, appearing in Israeli courts in lawsuits to which the U.S. is a party. However, away from the public eye, I was also engaged by the U.S. Government to perform intelligence gathering in multi-million dollar, white-collar crime cases that required sensitive undercover work in more than thirty countries. Obviously, while working for the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies, I could not share the hair-raising aspects of my assignments with anyone but my supervisors, and some adventures not even with them. Sadly, many of these events, which are sometimes more fascinating and breathtaking than the best fiction I have ever read, will never see the light of day. The story of Dan Gordon and his battle against the invisible, but very real FOE – forces of evil – is my idea of the next-best thing.

A globetrotting legal practice has left little time in my life for hobbies. However, one night in a small hotel in a faraway country, I finally had the time to fulfill my urge to write. I was on U.S. Government assignment collecting intelligence on a particularly vile and violent criminal organization. Earlier that evening, I’d received a phone call from my local INTERPOL contact. “You’ve been exposed. I suggest you stay in your hotel. We’ll arrange for your safe departure tomorrow morning.” Is it any wonder I couldn’t sleep that night, between jet lag and the rage that came from being unarmed and unable to leave the hotel without my hosts’ protection? I poured it all into the writing, and the result was my first novel, Triple Identity.

This book gives a very real look into the world of undercover operations.  I found myself wondering, "Why would anyone let themselves be talked into this job?"  This is a man's book.  By that I mean it's a book men would feel comfortable picking up and then find themselves totally captured while reading.  That's not to say this is a book women would not enjoy because it is.  I found it captivating as well as interesting. 

Triangle of Deception is the fourth in a series featuring Dan Gordon.  I had not read the first three, so you can easily pick this one up and read it as a stand alone.  I'm looking forward to reading the earlier books and look forward to future releases.

3rd Degree

by James Patterson

 Lindsay Boxer a homicide detective, Cindy Thomas a reporter, Claire Washburn the Chief medical Examiner and Jill Bernhardt a lawyer form the group that meet together as friends that collaborate on solving murders.

One of the girls becomes seriously involved in a dangerous situation in this 3rd installment of the Women's Murder Club.

Syren: Septimus Heap Book Five

by Angie Sage

I hardly know where to start telling you how much I enjoyed this book.  Syren is written for ages 9-12 and yet it held my interest for all 630 pages.  Many Junior and YA adult books are not so well written and as interesting as Angie Sage's series featuring Septimus Heap.  I often find myself thinking, "I can see how this would be good for a younger reader."  Syren draws that same thought and this additional one, "Totally enjoyable for readers 9 through 99."  I loved it.

The writing, the story, and the characters all drew me in.  There were several tales of adventure that intertwined throughout and kept me interested.  Syren has so many endearing characters that are so vividly described, like Aunt Zelda who looks more like a quilted tent than a woman. 

The Septimus Heap series is one of the better fantasy novels I've read and I highly recommend it.

An Offering of Leaves

I feel very fortunate to participate in this very first Green Books Campaign. Today at 1:00 pm Eastern time 100 bloggers will be posting their reviews of 100 different "green" books. The common thread is that each book is printed in an eco-friendly manner.

My book choice was influenced by yoga-guru and longtime blogging friend, Jenclair.  I only have a rudimentary knowledge of yoga but have been interested in her studies and training which she talks about occasionally on her blog, A Garden Carried in the Pocket.

I discovered, after receiving An Offering of Leaves by Ruth Laurer-Manenti, that it is not about yoga but rather a collection of stories "Lady Ruth" shares with her yoga students.  The stories are based on her personal experiences and represent the yogic commitments to non-violence, compassion, and service.  Ruth's stories gently infused my soul with an increased understanding of the philosophy of yoga. 

 One of my favorites was the story of quiltmaking - Handmade Perfection.  She tells of the beauty and perfection of a quilt.  My mother makes beautiful quilts and I have enjoyed making a few quilts myself.  Perhaps this is why I liked this story so much, but I think the concept will resonate for most of us.

    When you look at these quilts, you would never think that because one square is different from the rest, these quilts aren't perfect.  They're complete.  Nothing is missing.  They're stunning.  All the hardship, resourcefulness, and love that is in these women is woven into these quilts.  They're handmade.  They reflect depth of chara ter and depth of life.
   I think sometimes we have a conditioned idea of what perfect is.  Perfect would be like every square being the same, or having exactly the right amount of fabric.  But in thiss case, the perfection of these quilts, just like our perfection, is large enough to contain imperfections, irregularity, or surprise.

An Offering of Leaves is published by Lantern using FSC certified paper.  FCS stands for Forest Stewardship Council, which is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.  Established in 1993 as a response to concerns over global deforestation, FSC is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives of the last decade to promote responsible forest management worldwide.

The Green Books Campaign has been organized by Eco-Libris and aims to encourage both publishers and readers to get greener and make sure books are printed responsibly.  Visit this page of the Eco-Libris blog to see the entire list of books being reviewed all at the same time, as well as a list of all the bloggers participating.

Looking After Pigeon Review and Giveaway

One spring day in New York City, five-year-old Pigeon’s father disappears, leaving her to face a new and bewildering life with her mother and older siblings in an uncle’s house on the Jersey shore.
“Our mother named her children after birds” – so begins a now grown up Pigeon as she describes the tumultuous events of this pivotal childhood summer with her brother Robin, and her older sister Dove. In the heat and unfamiliarity of a beach town near Atlantic City, each member of her family looks for a caretaker of some kind—Robin in a fortune teller, Dove in older lovers, her Uncle Edward in the feckless owner of a diner, and her mother Joan in a religious cult. All the while, Pigeon, the youngest, searches for her father, believing he will return to the family to care for her. Through the course of the summer, Pigeon comes to the realization that, in spite of disappointments and grief, she has become quite capable of looking after herself. And through the course of narrating this story, the grown-up Pigeon comes to the further realization that she is willing finally to trust in love.


When I was offered this book as part of a TLC Tour, I thought it sounded very interesting.  Unfortunately, I did not connect with the characters or the story.  It may have just been the wrong time for me and this book to come together.  


The first page introduces us to a grown-up Pigeon who is beset with moodiness and bad memories.  Her live-in boyfriend encourages her to seek counseling, which she resists, but she does succumb to his suggestion to write down the events of that summer before she turned six.  That is the summer that troubles her even after 20+ years.   The book is told from the voice of 5-yo Pigeon with some insights thrown in from the grown-up Pigeon. 


I didn't feel like the events of that summer were impressively traumatic to cause Pigeon such unrest for that many years afterwards.  She seemed like such a independent child and so resourceful in entertaining and taking care of herself that I would think she could have healed better than she did.


As a reader of mysteries and thrillers this book seemed quite uneventful.  I expected something more to happen and was disappointed that it didn't.   All that said, I think this book will appeal to many so I'm offering my copy in a

GIVEAWAY!

Be forewarned - the title page has a little water damage, but the outside covers are in great shape.

To enter:

• Leave a comment with your email - encode it something like this: booklogged at gmail dot com

I will draw for a winner on Nov. 8 - one week from today.  This drawing is open to U.S. readers only.