Book Review: Flowerbed of State

Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After meeting Dorothy St. James at a writer's retreat last year, I had the good fortune to get an advanced reading copy of the first book in her new series, Flowerbed of State, scheduled for release in May 2011.

This book is well-written and charming--a bright blossom in the garden of cozy mysteries. Casey Calhoun, an assistant gardener at the White House wakes up to find herself lying in the mud surrounded by ruffled pink tulips. How she got there is a mystery quickly compounded by the discovery of a dead body nearby.

Casey is an intriguing protagonist. She's both spunky enough to hold the reader's interest and vulnerable enough to be believable. The rest of the cast of is interesting and varied, the setting captivating. The author skillfully draws the reader into the world of the White House staff and the beautiful city that is our nation's capital. I'll definitely be reading more in this series.

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Why Judge the RITAs?

This year, as always, I signed up with Romance Writers of America to judge the RITA contest. I received my package of books, unpacked them with great ritual, and then dove in eagerly. Now, just a few short weeks later, I'm coming to the end of my journey. This is both good and bad. I'm always excited to receive my box of books from RWA, but I'm also happy to reach the end of the stack and resume my regular reading schedule.

Today, as I hover on the cusp of the completed task for yet another year, I thought I'd blog about the reasons I keep signing up year after year, even in the years when I don't enter the contest myself.

5. Free books. Anybody who's a book lover can appreciate the allure of free books. Anybody who grew up in a day without online shopping and e-books can appreciate the allure of books delivered to your doorstep. It never gets old for me.


4. New Authors. I'm not gonna lie, not every book I get in my bundle is a keeper. Some are very good, some are excellent, and some ... aren't. But every year I discover at least one author new to me that I want to read again. In a world where mediocrity is rewarded with alarming frequency, that alone is worth the time and energy it takes to read a panel of books.

3. The chance to give. It's very easy to live a narrow little life. We're human. It happens. As a writer pursuing an occupation that is, by its very nature, solitary, it's very easy to focus on me, my problems, my books, my issues, my trials and tribulations. Life's a whole lot better when I can step outside of myself for a little while and think about somebody besides me. Judging the RITA contest every year is a chance to do that -- unless, of course, I get wrapped up in how it's going to affect me!

2. It's for RWA. I've been a member of RWA since sometime in early 1993. I've served on the chapter level and I've served at the national level. I admire and respect the professional staff in Houston, and I admire and respect the people who give their time and energy to serve on the board and on committees every year. As long as RWA chooses to have a contest, they can count on me to do my part.

1. A legitimate excuse to read during work hours. Nobody can raise an eyebrow when they find me sitting in my chair with a book. Not that anyone in my house would raise an eyebrow. I raised my kids right, and my grand-kids are being brought up right too. Nothing makes my heart happier than to have the two year-old toddle over to the bookcase and then run to me saying, "Want book! Want book!"

So tomorrow or the next day I'll log in and submit my score for the last book in my stack, and the moment will be bittersweet. I'm finished! I'm finished!

.... but wait! That means I'm finished

100 Books: #16 The Poet

Michael Connelly's The Poet hits my list of books I want to read at #16. Yes, it's been out for a long, long time. Yes, I should have read it before now. I haven't, and that's why it's on my list. 

I really like Michael Connelly's books. Harry Bosch is one of my all-time favorite characters, so I'm interested to see whether I'll enjoy spending time in Jack McEvoy's head. It doesn't always happen, you know. Sometimes you find an author and a character that just click. You like them both so well, you rush to buy that new series, only to discover that it doesn't click at all. I'm hoping that's not the case with Michael and Jack.

This series does have something else going for it. According to the blurbs I've read, Jack is a Denver Post crime beat reporter. I've never lived in Denver, but my parents lived there for over 20 years, so jumping into this book should feel a little like going home.

Have any of you read it? What did you think? 

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Guilty Pleasures

We all have 'em, don't we? Things we absolutely love that we don't usually talk about with friends and family? Things we'll admit to, but only with a little blush and a protest or two about why they're not really that bad. So, in honor of Thursday Thirteen, here's my list of

13 Guilty Pleasures

1.  An Idiot Abroad. Ricky Gervais and his friend Stephen Merchant send their friend(?) and colleague, Karl Pilkington, around the world to visit the 7 Wonders. Karl is billed as being uncultured, and he grouses through most of each episode about the countries he visits, the people, their hygiene, living conditions, and food. It's generally hilarious, with just enough honestly touching moments to keep me from completely hating Karl and his buddies. 

2. Some reality TV, like Celebrity Apprentice. Okay, so it's a train wreck. And I can still hear Joan Rivers screeching, "She's a poker player," at ... whoever the poker-playing "celebrity" was in the last season -- or was it the season before that? Obviously, I'm not thoroughly invested in the show but it is good for a laugh now and then. It's starting again on March 6th, and I just looked up the cast to see who's going to be on it this season. I've heard of about half of the people listed, which begs the question -- should this show really be called Celebrity Apprentice?  Celebrity Rehab's also on the list. I know this really makes me sound like I'm hooked on celebrities, but I'm not. I swear. Like Apprentice, I usually know about half the cast. It's the human interaction that fascinates me. I use it for research. Really. I do like Dancing with the Stars, but American Idol is lost on me. I've never willingly watched a reality dating show.

3. Ben & Jerry's. I was going to specify a flavor, but I find that's impossible. Some days it has to be Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler. Others, nothing but Cherry Garcia. Or Boston Creme Pie, or Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream. I was raised on ice cream as comfort food, which probably isn't a good thing. But there you have it. There's never a bad time for Ben & Jerry's.

4. My Snuggie.  Who would have thought that I'd use a Snuggie in Florida! Thanks to my friend Linda for such a great gift! I'll be kind of sad when it gets warm again and I have to put it away.

5. Diet Pepsi.  Diet Coke will do in a pinch, but nothing beats an icy-cold Diet Pepsi! 

6. A trip to the office supply store. Any office supply store will do. An office-supply aisle at a one-stop store will do if I'm having a real office-supply moment, but as any true office-supply aficionado knows, those one-stop stores are sadly lacking. Just put me inside the front door and let me wander. If I don't have a need for that set of pens or those stacking trays, I'll invent one.

7. Sonic's Grape CreamSlush Treat.  See above notes about ice cream. I first discovered the amazing taste sensation of frozen grape-flavored whatever in ice cream form at a local drive-in called the Iceberg Drive Inn. Their grape milkshake is ... well, amazing! I don't live near the Iceberg anymore, so Sonic is my source for frozen grape ice cream. My only regret is that the CreamSlush Treat is not part of Sonic's Happy Hour two-for-one deal. 

8. Kurt Russell. I'll watch him in anything, anytime. 

9. Maguire's Irish Pub. The atmosphere alone is worth a visit, and I've never had anything off the menu that I wouldn't order again. Their Reuben Eggrolls are out of this world. 

10. Uninterrupted reading time. 

 

11. A trip to a yarn store. A good craft store will do, as long as they have a good supply of yarn. I love to crochet. Afghans. As gifts. And every once in a while I make something for myself. I recently finished this afghan for a friend's baby. Next up, an afghan for my niece's little boy -- promised to him so long ago, I'm embarrassed to admit it.

12. Shopping for purses. They don't have to be expensive, but they do have to be cute. And different. And ... cute. Variety is the spice of life!

13. Getting my nails done. I used to have a standing appointment every three weeks with a manicurist named Shauna. The hour or two I spent sitting in that chair and talking about all the important things in the world were some of the best hours in my month. I haven't been to a manicurist in well over a year, but I'm crossing fingers that when circumstances change, I'll be able to find someone I like half as well as I liked Shauna. 

And there you have it. Thirteen of my guilty pleasures. What are some of yours?

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Overall a good book, but I thought it was too repetitive in places and a bit too long-winded in others. It contained all the expected elements -- trouble with the Malfoys, help from Dumbledore, Ron and Hermoine. A good assortment of suspicious characters to keep young readers guessing. Still, I thought it could have benefited from a little judicious editing. It would have been a really great 500-page book.



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100 Books: #15 The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate

Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate are (is?) #15 on my list of books I want to read. A friend gave me this book years ago because it was one of her favorites. I know absolutely nothing about it except that. But she was a good friend and her tastes in other things matched mine pretty closely, so I accepted the gift with gratitude and promptly placed it on my bookshelf.

Now that I'm trying to compose a list of 100 Books I Want to Read (more appropriately titled 100 Books I've Allowed to Languish on my TBR Stack for Far Too Long!!) I'm resurrecting this gift and putting it near the top of my pile. What? you say! You consider #15 to be "near the top?"

Well . . . yeah! I'm a bookaholic. I have more than 1,000 unread books in my personal collection, and that's after weeding out an embarrassingly large number and giving them away before my cross-country move 14 months ago. This paltry 1,100 or so books is but a drop in the bucket. So being assigned the #15 spot ... well, it's an honor. As well it should be. If I were any kind of friend, I'd have read this one a long, long time ago!

I ask those of you reading this just one thing. Please tell me I'm not the only book-a-holic out there whose TBR piles could make up the inventory for a small book store! Come on. Confess. How big is your TBR pile?

Thirteen Romantic Movies

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are my top 13 Favorite Romantic Movies:

 1. Notting Hill (1999)

Starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. He's Hugh-Grantishly charming and she's ... well, she's Julia. Just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. The requisite "chasing the girl through crowded city streets" scene in this movie is one of the best ever. 

2. Love, Actually (2003)

Hugh Grant again, this time with the glorious Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, and Alan Rickman, to name just a few of the talented actors in this movie. The scenes between Emma and Alan's characters are particularly touching. Bill Nighy is delightfully icky, but you can't help but love him. Even Kiera Knightly, who usually isn't a favorite, wins me over.

3. America's Sweethearts (2001) 

John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones are America's Sweethearts, once-married actors who made a string of romantic comedies together. Now they're divorced, but the studio needs them to appear together to promote their last movie. Julia Roberts and Billy Chrystal round out the cast. Hilarity ensues. What's not to love?

4. Overboard (1987) 

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. She's a spoiled rich socialite. He's a poor carpenter. She falls off her yacht and loses her memory. He's Kurt Russell. She struggles to find her way in a strange new world. He's Kurt Russell. The chemistry between them is unmistakable. He's Kurt Russell. Need I say more? 

5.  Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

A classic romance. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. If you haven't seen it, don't wait. It's thoroughly charming -- and I mean that in a good way :) I find myself quoting lines from this one. "It's like a little clue."

6. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Back in the day, I didn't expect to like this movie. The premise sounded implausible, at best. But it's one of my favorites. Kinda makes you want someone to lean, if you know what I mean.

7. Return to Me (2000)

David Duchovny plays a widower still mourning the loss of his wife. Minnie Driver is a heart transplant patient who received Duchovny's late-wife's heart. Carroll O'Connell and his band of friends are scene-stealers all the way through. One of my favorites. 

8. P.S. I Love You (2007)

 

This movie has several things to recommend it. First, Gerard Butler. Second, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Third, Harry Connick, Jr. And Hillary Swank's pretty darned good too. Kathy Bates as Swank's mother is a great character. Does it even matter what the plot is? Barely. But the plot works and the scenery is stunning.

9. Some Like it Hot (1959) 

 

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are on the run, hiding from gangsters after witnessing a mob hit. Their only way out of town is to become members of an all-girl band. Marilyn Monroe stars as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk and Joe E Brown is hilarious as Osgood Fielding III. Wonderful. 

10. Teacher's Pet (1958)

Clark Gable plays a rough-edged newspaper man. Doris Day is a journalism professor at the local college. Since Doris Day's character despises Gable's character by reputation, he naturally pretends to be someone else when he's forced to take her class. Gig Young as Dr. Hugo Pine is wonderful. 

11. Truly, Madly Deeply (1990)

Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman in a deeply emotional movie that's also wonderfully funny. If I remember right, this was the first movie I ever saw Rickman in and I became a fan for life. Stevenson's portrayal of grief in a scene at her counselor's office is one of the most realistic I've ever seen. 

12. Sliding Doors (1998)

Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah in a wonderful movie about chance. What if one split-second move could forever alter the future? That's what happens to Paltrow's character, and we see her life playing out in two versions, running along in parallel.

13. It Happened One Night (1934) 

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in a wonderful romantic comedy. She's a runaway heiress. He's a reporter looking for a story. The story goes that this movie was a favorite of animator Friz Freleng, and Gable's character during the hitch-hiking scene helped inspire the creation of Bugs Bunny. 

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Even though I'm now on the other side of the country, I still try to keep up with the books my long-time book club is reading. This book is one of two books we read in January. It's one I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own, but I'm very glad that the ladies of the club added it to our reading list this year.

It's the story of a young orphan boy named Tree-ear, named after a mushroom that grows without benefit of a parent seed. He lives with Crane-man, a kind man who takes him in after his parents are killed. Crane-man receives his name because of one crippled leg. The two live under a bridge in good weather and survive by digging through rubbish bins for cast-off clothes and food.

Eventually, Tree-ear finds himself working for a master potter to pay a debt and the book traces his journey from servant to apprentice and eventually to a skilled artist in his own right. It's a touching story, beautifully written and gently told.

The book was awarded a Newbery Medal. Although the blurb on Amazon.com says it's for ages 10-14, I'd recommend it to anyone from 10 up.


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Ten Favorite Photos

 

Ten favorite photos in no particular order

Copyright Stholen Moments Photography

This one pretty much speaks for itself 

 

 My dog's first experience with a real body of water. 

Home from deployment. 

 

 

Big Sis and her friend Benjamin

Vanessa and me on the way home from Jacksonville

Sunrise on the Isle of Palms

Copyright Stholen Moments Photography

Riding on the Polar Express -- arriving at the North Pole

 

Taken on our last Pioneer Day in Utah

Why I had a little trouble working while living with the grandkids! 

This was the view from my "office."