Snow Angels Best 100 Mysteries of All Time

Snow Angels—Stewart O’Nan–1994-IP It’s tough to choose a Stewart O’Nan book that is better than another O’Nan book. I decided on Snow Angels because it’s the first I read and sold many copies of, and because it’s far more than a crime novel, it’s the exploration of how life falls apart, how happy families are … Read more

Great Black Kanba–Best 100 Mysteries of All Time

Great Black Kanba—Constance and Gwynth Little–1944–IP The sisters were consistently hilarious. “Carolyn Hart (Grand Dame of cosy mystery writing) calls this tale of mistaken identity, barking lizards, multiple beaus and murder on a trans-Australia railroad trip one of her five favorite mysteries ” Great Black Kanba turns out to be my favorite of the bunch, … Read more

Readers Who Love E-Readers

The number one reason I’ve found that people love kindle or nook or and ipad or iphone to read books, is how much easier a e-reader is to travel with, instead of individual titles heaped in a bag or loaded into luggage. Especially  when flying.  Instead of impulse buying a paperback at an airport terminal, … Read more

Delusions of Beulah

by Jas Faulkner 

paula paula paula

writer’s note: I had planned this really great photo essay about bookstore dogs and cats.  Then I started to upload my pictures and my CF card failed. While I was at Geek Squad trying to get my pictures, the nice young man who corrects all of my technical SNAFUS asked me if I’d heard about Paula Deen.   I’m rather fond of this kid, as he hails from Detroit and we have a favorite hockey team in common, so  I let it slide that he would think I cared one whit about the doings of La Deen.  

I went back home to find a stack of galleys waiting for me.  On the top of the pile was a new account of the American Civil War as told by a Dominionist historian.  Doing a little research, I found that he’s part of a group of people who envision a rather scrubbed version of  mid-Nineteenth Century America. He, and many people like him (and like our Paula Deen) find 2013 lacking and wish to go back to a simpler time, a time when there was little pushback at the social hierarchy, a time when they could be gentlepeople of refinement and leisure.

Read more

Why Do I Read?

I often contemplate various abstract things, such as ‘Does God pick and choose who to listen to during a disaster, like say, a tornado, and only save those he decides are worthy? Because lady A prayed and survived, but lady B prayed and did not. Lady A claims God was looking out for her–so does … Read more