Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Book #18 in 2011

Photo Snap Shot, A Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery by Joanna Campbell Slan.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the last one I read in the series. Kiki is again on the trail of a killer after her daughter discovers a dead body at her school. I'm not quite sure why I didn't like it as much. Maybe I read it too soon after the other? I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight.

3 stars.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Book #17 in 2011 (Audio)

Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky. Read by Susan Ericksen.

17 hours.

I don't remember why I picked this book. Maybe it was on a display shelf, or perhaps I searched by narrator. Either way, I put off listening to it for quite some time, and I'm sorry I did. It was much better than I ever expected.

Plot centers on the Grelier family and their neighbors in a Kansas valley where farming is the way of life. A wiccan moves into a distant family member's abandoned home next door and sets off a series of events which may change the valley forever.

A disturbing look at religious fundamentalism and an eye-opening look at what the life of American farmers is like.

From scanning the Amazon.com reviews, it seems this novel may be a departure from Ms. Paretsky's usual style of writing. That's a shame. I'd like to see more books like this.

4 stars.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Book #16 in 2011

Make Take Murder by Joanna Campbell Slan.

Latest book in the Scrap-n-Craft Mystery series.

I wasn't expecting to really enjoy this book. A character named Kiki Lowenstein? Scrapbooking store as a setting? But I was surprised when I was drawn into the story, almost from page 1. Kiki is searching in the dumpster behind her store for a lost paycheck. Instead, she finds a severed leg. The rest of the book is, of course, solving the mystery, with several interesting sub-plots along the way.

I give this book 4 stars, with the caveat that it is clearly chick-lit. You can even add a half a star if you're into scrapbooking. (It made me want to head over the the local scrapping store.)