Mini Review: The Crack in the Lens

Today's review offering is The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith. It's the fourth historical mystery about Sherlock Holmes loving, cowboy brothers Old Red and Big Red.

This book finds the duo traveling back to Texas to figure out who killed Old Red's one true love several years before. With a cold trail to follow, can Old Red still find the killer? Why does everyone in town seem intent to running them out? And will Old Red's emotions make it impossible for him to use logic like he normally does.

This aren't nearly the clean cozy type books I normally read, and each one seems to be getting darker as well. That's absolutely the case here, as things get quite dark in the middle.

It is still a compelling read, however. Because I already know and love the characters, I found their reversed personalities interesting. The plot kept me turning pages trying to figure out all this was happening.

This isn't quite a normal book for me, but I did enjoy it.

Word Association For November 8th

Wow, I'm actually doing the Word Association on Sunday for a change. Is this a sign the world is ending?

1. Alarm :: Clock
2. Guest :: Relations
3. Worm :: Dirt
4. Puppies :: Cute
5. Honor :: Obey
6. No! :: Yes!
7. Stomach :: Ache
8. Counter :: Stats
9. Waffles :: Maple Syrup
10. Plates :: Dishes

Pretend I Have a Life

I must admit, I haven't been doing much updating outside of reading for the last couple of weeks. But frankly, that's because there hasn't been much going on.

Work has been, well, work. Not too much of excitement has happened recently. That might change this week with the Finance Retreat Monday and Tuesday.

Other than that, I pretty much come home and try to stay current on TV. What happened to that guy who wasn't going to add any new shows this year so he wouldn't be this stressed about it? I'd sure like to find him again.

I've also entered a 12 Christmas ornament review writing challenge at Epinions. Frankly, those reviews don't take a whole lot of time, but it does take a little bit more time.

On the TV front, I am certainly hooked on FlashForward. My favorite new show of the year by far. I think there is some potential with V, but we'll have to see how it progresses. On the returning show front, I still really enjoy Castle.

And the final season of Monk has been fantastic. They've gotten back to those little character moments that truly make the show. I will miss it, but I am thankful for 8 good years with the characters.

Last night I started out what will be a busy weekend by going to a game night for the career group. Played Farkle (aka Bunko. First time for me.) and talked. I took some Tim Tams, which were a huge hit.

Word Association for November 5

Shall we do this week's word association?

1. Hairbrush :: "Oh Where is my hairbrush?"
2. Sneak :: Attack
3. Hole :: in the Wall
4. Horror :: Movie
5. Standard :: Issue
6. Mailbox :: Etc.
7. Attachment :: E-Mail
8. Type :: Computer
9. Nails :: Salon
10. Storage :: Unlimited

Thanks. Now I think I'll have a certain VeggieTales song stuck in my head all night.

Mini Review: Through the Looking Glass

Let's get these posted, shall we?

Today's book is Through the Looking Glass (and What Alice Found There) by Lewis Carroll.

Once again, we follow Alice through a surreal adventure. This time, she finds herself in Mirror House. While exploring, she gets involved as a Pawn in a Chess game trying to become queen herself. Will she survive the adventures to make it to the eighth square?

I remember liking this book better than Alice in Wonderland, and I still feel that way. This one is very clever. I love how Alice finds things exactly backward of what she expects, like how to get to the garden (face the house). My favorite of these is the White Queen howling in pain before she is pricked with her hair pin.

I also had forgotten just how much Disney took from this book for the movie, and how much stuff we attribute to Alice in Wonderland that truly originated here. I remembered Tweedledum and Tweedledee, but I had forgotten that unbirthdays originated here.

Mini Review: A Date You Can't Refuse

I've got some mini reviews to catch up on, so let's get to it. Today, we'll look at A Date You Can't Refuse by Harley Jane Kozak.

Wollie never expected to transition her jury duty service into a new job, but that's just what happens when Yuri Milos offers her a job at MediasRex. The company trains Europeans on how to be American media darlings, and Wollie's job would be part driver, part dating/social setting coach. Further complicating things, the FBI rope her into spying on the MediasRex employees in exchange for guaranteeing that her brother will stay at his half-way house.

She has hardly moved into the MediasRex complex when she discovers that her predecessor died in a car crash that no one is willing to discuss. Was it the accident everyone says it is or murder? A body in a nearby canyon only increases the stakes. Can Wollie get out alive?

Despite how complicated it might sound, the plot actually flows quite nicely, and I was never lost for a moment. Confused by everything happening? Yes, but only as much as Wollie was. I was kept guessing by multiple plot points and twists and surprises. Trust me, that made it all the more fun.

Even with all the characters in the book, they really did stand apart, which made it quite easy to keep all the elements straight.

And it was funny. I was laughing as some of the antics of the characters at various points.

Trust me, if you are looking for a lightly comic romp, this is the book for you.

Challenge Completed: Support Your Local Library

I was going to conclude with a different book, but I've decided to go ahead and call this challenge completed. (I'm saving that library book for next year's reading challenge.)

So here are the books I read as part of the Support Your Local Library Challenge. Quite heavy on kid's books, wasn't it?

1. The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzie & Holly Black
2. The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzie & Holly Black
3. Lucinda's Secret by Tony DiTerlizzie & Holly Black
4. The Ironwood Tree by Tony Di Terlizzie & Holly Black
5. The Wrath of Mulgarath by Tony DiTerlizzie & Holly Black
6. Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
7. Mark's Story: The Gospel According to Peter by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
8. The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
9. Shark Island by Joan Druett
10. Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin
11. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs by Donald J. Sobol
12. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Word Association for October 28

Let's squeeze in this week's word assocation tonight, shall we?

1. Redskins :: Jim Zorn
2. Show :: Ticket
3. Smoker :: Gross
4. Bad movie :: Great Review
5. Play :: Theatre
6. Jaguar :: Car
7. Click :: Remote
8. Production :: Company
9. Sand :: Beach
10. Foreign :: Currency

Okay, so who's impressed that I actually came up with a name for the Redskins? (I mean, besides me.)

Mini Review: Dial H for Hitchcock

Time for this month's What's On Your Nightstand.

Okay, so I'm doing these mini review slightly out of order at the moment. But since Dial H for Hitchcock actually comes out today officially, I thought I would start with it.

This series, written by Susan Kandel, features Cece Caruso, biographer of dead mystery authors. Somehow, as she works on each book, she finds herself in a case that is similar to their style.

In this book, Cece is struggling to finish her book on Hitchcock, so she goes to see a showing of Vertigo at a revival theater. The next morning, she finds a stranger's cell phone in her purse. Trying to return it, she witnesses a murder. Then the killer calls her on that phone and threatens her to keep quiet. As she begins to trying to unravel the plot, she finds herself in a classic wrong man conspiracy. Can she get out of it?

I've known Hitchcock would be the subject of this entry in the series for a couple of years now, so I've watched about 6 of his films in preparation. I have a feeling it really helped me enjoy the film and spot the parallels, not that you'd need it to enjoy the book.

There were very minimal pacing issues in the first third of the book, but after that it took off and never looked back. There weren't any suspense moments like Hitchcock had, but those are kind of hard to do in first person narration.

All in all, I really enjoyed this entry in the series. I'm sorry I've finished it already. I'd love to keep savoring it.

And that's a Wrap

Well, I was really hoping to finish Dial H for Hitchcock. For one thing, I need to know how it all ends. But I am 50 pages from the end and have reached my limit. Besides, I do need to be at church at 8 tomorrow.

So as a grand total, I got in one adult novel and one classic kid's novel. Just over that, really, since I started with 70 pages of a novel this morning and finished with 50 pages left tonight.

Just think how much I would have gotten read if I hadn't been driving all over Southern California this afternoon.

Hey, this was fun. I hope it works out for me to do it again in the spring. And maybe actually devote the entire day to it.