March Reading

The books I read in March:

Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky (library) actually I read this one in February, but forgot to add it to that list, a fun look at the Hotel industry!

Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich (library) same old same old from Evanovich, but did make me laugh several times
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (library) the movie was very true to the book
Sutton by J. R. Moehringer (library) inspired by our gangster tour in Chicago to read about this NYC bank robber
The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen (library) lots of fun (I'm a huge fan)
The Walnut Tree by Charles Todd (library) more romance than mystery in this latest Charles Todd book
I Do and I Don't a History of Marriage in the Movies by Jeanine Basinger (library) Analysis of how marriage was portrayed in movies from silent films to the present. very good
The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro (library) A great take on the Gardner Art Heist. I liked it a lot
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (library) OMG, loved it, cannot image how they can make a movie from this...hmmmm
The Empty Copper Sea by John D MacDonald loved reading this while on the beach in florida
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (library) WWII England intrigue, reminded me a bit too of Elizabeth Berg WWII stories also
Going Away Shoes by Jill McCorkle (library) short stories by one of my favorite authors
Creatures of Habit by Jill McCorkle (library) more short stories and I am not sure how I got out of the loop on these two books, but better late than never.
March by Geraldine Brooks (library) you know Little Women and their dad was off in the war, this is the story of their dad, reminded me of cold mountain a little bit
Reached by Allyson Condie (library) Okay, I had to read it to finish this trilogy, actually liked it better than the second one (maybe because it tied up loose ends)
Prima Donna by Megan Chance set in 1800's Seattle an opera singer flees her past
The Green Ripper by John D MacDonald This one should be read after Empty Copper Sea as some of the same characters return but could stand on it's own as well....You read Copper Sea aftewards and it is a bit of a spoiler
Bad Blood by Dana Stabenaw (library) Kate Shugak mystery
Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd (library) Ian Rutledge mystery
The Railway Detective by Edward Marston

20 books read this month

Monday's Postcard: DC Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC are a tourist attraction since the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the Mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC.
On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park.
First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted 3,800 more trees in 1965. In 1981, the cycle of giving came full circle when Japanese horticulturists were given cuttings from the trees to replace some cherry trees in Japan which had been destroyed in a flood. This year the festival runs from March 20-April 14

Monday's Postcard: St. Patrick's Day

A day late, but I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day! Ryan and I are enjoying our vacation in the Florida Keys. We toured  Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas the other day and I have been having seafood every day. The Dry Tortugas are 70 miles away from Key West at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. A book by one of my favorite authors,  Flashback by Nevada Barr, is set on Fort Jefferson. The mystery shifts between the site as a contemporary national park and as Fort Jefferson during the post-Civil War era.

Monday's Postcard: Cats

Cats from Grandmother Arkebauer --She often sent Mainzer Cats cards to me and my sister and the notes on the back would correspond with something that was going on in our lives. The cats falling off the floating dock has a note on the back about my Dad building a dock behind our house in North Carolina. The cats at the piano has a note reminding me to practice my piano exercises (yes, I took piano lessons when I was a kid).

The cats with the airplanes are among my favorites --they refer to visits to or from Grandmother (she would fly to North Carolina or we would fly to Indiana)

The Alfred Mainzer Company has published these cards for 50-60 years. These funny cats are drawn by European artist Eugen Hartung. The images were popular and used on postcards which are still sold today. They are usually called Mainzer Cats after the name of the publisher.

Monday's Postcard: Edinburgh, Scotland

From Edinburgh, Scotland, Greyfriars Bobby and The Knox House. I have visited both of these locations while in Edinburgh.

February Reading

The Schooling of Claybird Catts by Janis Owens (library) reminds me of Clyde Edgarton books

Hello Gorgeous by William J Mann (library) I am a fan of Barbra Streisand, so I enjoyed it, also inspired me to listen to her earlier stuff.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (library) interesting for me, since I went through palliative care with my Dad and Mom

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowlings (library) reminded me of Elizabeth George, but without the mystery.

The Turquoise Lament by John D. MacDonald

Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City by Wendelin Van Draanen fun

Scat by Carl Hiaasen (library) he writes for young adults too and very well

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke (library) mystery set in Louisiana

The Killing Moon by Chuck Hogan (library) creepy but human characters reminded me of Stephen Kings characterizations a bit

The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau (library) Pulitzer prize winner (I have a goal to read more of these)

The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D MacDonald Travis McGee kicking butt and taking names

The Buzzard Table by Margaret Maron (library) I'm a fan and read most all her stuff -nice mysteries

On Chesil  Beach by Ian McEwan (library) McEwan wrote Atonement and this is a sexy novelette about a honeymoon couple

The Way West by A B Guthrie (library) inspired by my Louis L'Amour reading last month I read this one about the Oregon Trail. Great Western story

The Stand Off by Chuck Hogan (library) Hogan's first book 

The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain (library) valid points here

My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss (library) Italian-American grew up in Boston and Berlin and living in Berlin now--I was hoping for more German recipes, but the memories and recipes tied together nicely

Script and Scribble by Kitty Burns Florey (library) what has happened to handwriting in this age of typing!!

Dead Silence by Randy Wayne White (library) Doc Ford kicking butt and taking names again

Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan (library)

Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay (library) great thriller. Premise is what if you saw a murder on google streetview?.....

21 books read this month

My favorite quote from a book this month:  “One of the many things I love about bound books is their sheer physicality. Electronic books live out of sight and out of mind. But printed books have body, presence. Sure, sometimes they'll elude you by hiding in improbable places... But at other times they'll confront you, and you'll literally stumble over some tomes you hadn't thought about in weeks or years. I often seek electronic books, but they never come after me. They may make me feel, but I can't feel them. They are all soul with no flesh, no texture, and no weight. They can get in your head but can't whack you upside it.” 

― Will Schwalbe, The End of Your Life Book Club