Win a copy of Antiquitas Lost: The Last of the Shamalans

Starting December 3rd

Win a copy of Antiquitas Lost: The Last of the Shamalans a rollicking fantasy. Authored by Robert Louis Smith M.D., MSc by entering at Azure Dwarf on December 3rd or on the Interview with the Author that will be posted at Azure Dwarf on December 6th. The Contest runs from Dec. 3 to Dec. 10 and shipping has been restricted to the U.S. or Canada.

Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1) by Lorena McCourtney

I read this on my Droid X, it is a mystery whose protagonist is an unlikely older woman who refuses to age gracefully. 

Ivy Malone is a widow who refuses to accept any limitations.   She suspects foul play in a friend’s disappearance.   She investigates vandalism on her own.   She is an unstoppable force when battling injustice while searching her purse for her Medicare card.  

This book was a treat.   The mystery was suitably complicated to hold your interest but the characterizations were terrific.   Ms. McCourtney has captured an indefatigable spirit in Ivy Malone.   She drives home a point that you are as young as you are willing to accept.   She also drives home a sobering thought that as we age we often become invisible to those around us.  Old people are often overlooked and this book points out why that is a mistake.  A delightful story with a very strong moral!

I recommend the book.

 Body of  work of Lorena McCourtney

Web Site: http://www.lorenamccourtney.com/

Thawed Out & Fed Up by Ryan Brown

Sam Bonham is a no account grifter who discovers internal depths he didn’t realize he had in himself in a pseudo western style.

There were some bizarrely interesting aspects to this book.   Interesting really doesn’t cover it.   Sam Bonham finds himself immersed in a culture he thought died out years before.   Sam is a disagreeable character that you see grown into a likeable human being.  

The set for this play is a western town held hostage by a gang of throw back thugs.   The premise is mildly preposterous and yet still entertaining.   John Wayne and the rest of the characters merely provide scene dressing for the personal redemption of Sam Bonham.  

I recommend it.

Body of work of <a type="amzn"> Ryan Brown </a>

Web Site: http://www.jennablack.com/

My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee

Rhino’s are cool.  Admittedly though I never considered having one for  a pet.   This book describes what is good about having a rhino for a pet.

The illustrations are large, simple and colorful.  They appeal to the younger child.  My 5 year old grandson liked the book but it really wasn’t appropriate for his age.  My 2 year old grandson, however, liked the book a lot.   It is reading level appropriate for 1^st graders but I think the story will be more appreciated by pre-schoolers.  

Very cute and I recommend the book.

Body of work of Jon Agee

Web site:  http://www.jonagee.com/

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Zero Day by David Baldacci

Baldacci has a new hero, a new ethos and another, never boring cliff hanging, throat grabbing thriller.

John Puller takes over for John Carr without a Camel Club or a gang of cronies.  Although Puller is dedicated Army, he runs without a safety net throughout the book.   The Army is his life and his passion is it’s Criminal Investigative Division.  He is an elite Army cop and he is thrown into a situation involving mass mayhem.  Every time he turns around there is another murder.  

Puller ends up partnering with Sam Cole and the two of them bond through their mutual desire to find the perpetrators’ of mayhem in an impoverished coal mining community in West Virginia.

Once again Baldacci paints such a vivid picture.  He sets his stage with clarity and depth.   His characters are both larger than life and realistically human.  

I worked in an impoverished Appalachian coal community years ago.  Baldacci accurately captures the poverty and despair that often results from long term un or under employment. 

One can only hope that we see more of John Puller.  He was a complex, likeable character.

I highly recommend it.

Body of  work of David Baldacci </a>

Web Site: http://www.davidbaldacci.com/web/