Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris

First sentence:

"By the time I opened my eyes and yawned that morning, she had been sitting in the car in the woods for seven hours."

Description:

"Shakespeare, Arkansas, is home to endless back roads, historic buildings, colorful residents--and the occasional murder. It is also home to Lily Bard, the local karate expert/cleaning woman with a particular knack for finding skeletons in closets.

But when the local woman of ill repute is found murdered, being familiar with her dirty laundry could make Lily the next Shakespearean to die."

My thoughts:

This was a good mystery. I liked Lily's observations about various townspeople and how she comes to terms with her preconceived notions about the victim. There was also a nice twist at the end as not everything is as it seems.

Date read: 11/13/2007
Book #: 99
Series: Lily Bard, #4
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Mystery

ISBN-10: 0425196992
ISBN-13: 9780425196991
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Year: 2004
# of Pages: 194
Binding: Paperback
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Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge

That's right - another challenge! This one is hosted by "A Life in Books" and it's called The Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge. It runs from July - December 2007, and the goal is to read six books in which location is a central part of the book.




Here are my books:

• John Burdett. Bangkok Tattoo. (Bangkok, Thailand) -- finished 7/15/2007
  
• Peter Mayle. Anything Considered. (French countryside) -- finished 8/23/2007
  
• Elizabeth Peters. Curse of the Pharaohs. (Egypt) -- finished 10/2/2007
  
• Louis L'Amour. The Haunted Mesa. (American West) -- finished 11/13/2007
  
• Tom Cole. Hell West and Crooked. (Australian Outback)
• Jon Krakauer. Into Thin Air. (Mt. Everest)
  

The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour

First sentence:

"It was night, and he was alone upon the desert."

Description:

"The Navajo called them the Anasazi: an enigmatic race of southwestern cliff dwellers. For centuries, the sudden disappearance of this proud and noble people has baffled historians. Summoned to a dark desert plateau by a desperate letter form an old friend, renowned investigator Mike Raglan is drawn into a world of mystery, violence, and explosive revaltion. Crossing the border beyond the laws of man and nature, he will learn the astonishing legacy of the Anasazi -- but not without a price. Set in the contemporary Southwest, The Haunted Mesa draws on Louis L'Amour's extensive knowledge of Indian lore and mysticism. In this extraordinary book L'Amour tells a tale of epic adventure that takes his readers across the most extraordinary frontier they have ever encountered."

My thoughts:

This book was a good mix of western and science fiction as it looked at southwest Native American culture and offered a parallel world explanation on the disappearance of the Anasazi people. I liked the characters and the story, but I sometimes found the plot repetitive, especially Mike's indecision about what he should do. I also would have liked more storyline set in the other world.

Date read: 11/13/2007
Book #: 98
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Western/SF

ISBN-10: 0553051822
ISBN-13: 978-0553051827
Publisher: Bantam
Year: 1987
# of Pages: 357
Binding: Hardcover
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The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

First sentence:

"The sun poked out briefly, evidence of a universe above them, of infinite knowledge--and just as suddenly it retreated behind the clouds."

Description:

"Set against the backdrop of one of the most virulent epidemics that America ever experienced–the 1918 flu epidemic–Thomas Mullen’s powerful, sweeping first novel is a tale of morality in a time of upheaval.

Deep in the mist-shrouded forests of the Pacific Northwest is a small mill town called Commonwealth, conceived as a haven for workers weary of exploitation. For Philip Worthy, the adopted son of the town’s founder, it is a haven in another sense–as the first place in his life he’s had a loving family to call his own.

And yet, the ideals that define this outpost are being threatened from all sides. A world war is raging, and with the fear of spies rampant, the loyalty of all Americans is coming under scrutiny. Meanwhile, another shadow has fallen across the region in the form of a deadly illness striking down vast swaths of surrounding communities.

When Commonwealth votes to quarantine itself against contagion, guards are posted at the single road leading in and out of town, and Philip Worthy is among them. He will be unlucky enough to be on duty when a cold, hungry, tired–and apparently ill–soldier presents himself at the town’s doorstep begging for sanctuary. The encounter that ensues, and the shots that are fired, will have deafening reverberations throughout Commonwealth, escalating until every human value–love, patriotism, community, family, friendship–not to mention the town’s very survival, is imperiled.

Inspired by a little-known historical footnote regarding towns that quarantined themselves during the 1918 epidemic, The Last Town on Earth is a remarkably moving and accomplished debut."

My thoughts:

It's days later, and I'm still thinking about this book. Choices people make, even with the best intentions, don't always work in the long run. This book is a compelling look at how an epidemic during wartime affects a small town in early 20th century America in ways both large and small.

Date read: 11/8/2007
Book #: 97
Rating: 4* = great
Genre: Historical Fiction

ISBN-10: 1400065208
ISBN-13: 9781400065202
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2006
# of Pages: 387
Binding: Hardcover
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Glasshouse by Charles Stross

First sentence:

"A dark-skinned human with four arms walks toward me across the floor of the club, clad only in a belt strung with human skulls."

Description:

"When Robin wakes up in a clinic with most of his memories missing, it doesn't take him long to discover that someone's trying to kill him. It's the twenty-seventh century, when interstellar travel is by teleport gate and conflicts are fought by network worms that censor refugees' personalities-including Robin's earlier self.

On the run from unknown enemies, he volunteers to participate in a unique experimental polity, the Glasshouse, constructed to simulate a preaccelerated culture. Participants are assigned anonymized identities: it looks like the ideal hiding place for a posthuman on the run. But in this escape-proof environment, Robin will undergo an even more radical change, placing him at the mercy of the experimenters-and at the mercy of his own unbalanced psyche."

My thoughts:

While this book was sometimes difficult to read, it was a fascinating look at identity and society - what makes you "you" - if one's in a different body, is one a different person? Robin/Reeve and friends discover the truth about the "Glasshouse" in very interesting ways.

Date read: 11/6/2007
Book #: 96
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: SF

ISBN-10: 0441014038
ISBN-13: 9780441014033
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Year: 2006
# of Pages: 335
Binding: Hardcover
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Riptide by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

First sentence:

"On an afternoon in June 1790, a Maine cod fisherman named Simon Rutter became caught in a storm and a strong riptide."

Description:

"For generations, treasure hunters have tried to unlock the deadly puzzle known as the Water Pit: a labyrinth of shafts and tunnels that honeycombs the heart of a small island off the coast of Maine. Reputed to be the hiding place of pirate treasure, the Water Pit possesses an inexplicable ability to kill those who venture into it, from professionals to innocent explorers. But now one man has made a startling discovery: The Water Pit is actually a carefully designed fortress, conceived for pirates by a renowned seventeenth-century architect who hid his plans in code. Unlocking the code will break the curse of the Water Pit. Or will it? The most comprehensive, high-tech expedition ever assembled has come to Maine and to Dr. Malin Hatch, owner of the island. While the treasure hunters have their reasons for mounting this assault--$2 billion in gold--Hatch has his own motives to join them. For Hatch, whose brother died on Ragged Island thirty years before, the only escape from the curse is through the black swirling waters and bloodstained chambers of the Pit. With more computing power than a small university, the recovery team slowly chips away at the mystery. But as the seekers try to conquer the Pit, men begin to die. Hatch is confronted with his childhood memories of the tragedy even as he is drawn into a complex relationship with a beautiful French diver. All the while, the last, secret chamber of the Pit waits to unleash the most lethal mystery of all. . . ."

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this thriller set off the coast of Maine. It had pirate lore, secret codes, booby traps - and a sense of impending doom as both the weather and the dangers of the pit's contents become more dangerous by the day.

Date read: 10/28/2007
Book #: 95
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0446607177
ISBN-13: 9780446607179
Publisher: Warner Books
Year: 1999
# of Pages: 496
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl

First sentence:

"I present to you, Your Honor and Gentlemen of the Jury, the truth about this man's death and my life."

Description:

"Baltimore, 1849. The body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave. The public, the press, and even Poe’s own family and friends accept the conclusion that Poe was a second-rate writer who met a disgraceful end as a drunkard. Everyone, in fact, seems to believe this except a young Baltimore lawyer named Quentin Clark, an ardent admirer who puts his own career and reputation at risk in a passionate crusade to salvage Poe’s.

As Quentin explores the puzzling circumstances of Poe’s demise, he discovers that the writer’s last days are riddled with unanswered questions the police are possibly willfully ignoring. Just when Poe’s death seems destined to remain a mystery, and forever sealing his ignominy, inspiration strikes Quentin–in the form of Poe’s own stories. The young attorney realizes that he must find the one person who can solve the strange case of Poe’s death: the real-life model for Poe’s brilliant fictional detective character, C. Auguste Dupin, the hero of ingenious tales of crime and detection.

In short order, Quentin finds himself enmeshed in sinister machinations involving political agents, a female assassin, the corrupt Baltimore slave trade, and the lost secrets of Poe’s final hours. With his own future hanging in the balance, Quentin Clark must turn master investigator himself to unchain his now imperiled fate from that of Poe’s."

My thoughts:

This book had a good attention to detail as I learned a lot about Baltimore and Paris in the late 1840s-1850s. I did find that the plot sometimes dragged a bit as Quentin's personal fate overshadowed the mystery of Poe's death, but it was nicely wrapped up at the end. I also liked Pearl's notes at the end as he explains how he used actual newspaper quotes and letters throughout the narrative.

Date read: 10/24/2007
Book #: 94
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery

ISBN-10: 1400061032
ISBN-13: 9781400061037
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2006
# of Pages: 384
Binding: Hardcover
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