Monday, September 29, 2014

Banned Book Week


Right.  I'm a week late with this info.  Doesn't make it any less interesting, though.


Banned Books Week has been celebrating the freedom to read and drawing attention to censorship issues in the last week of September since 1982. This year, Banned Books Week runs from September 21st to September 27th and specifically focuses on comics and graphic novels. Learn more about the event and banned books in general with some great articles, infographics and quizzes that we culled throughout the week!
  • Banned Books by the Numbers: The Huffington Post made banned books visible with this super helpful visual breakdown of the most popular banned books in 2013 and the reasons behind them.
  • Celebrity Videos: What’s better than seeing someone you admire talk about their favorite banned book? From Markus Zusak (THE BOOK THIEF) explaining how THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton made him want to be a writer to Whoopi Goldberg reading one of her favorite Shel Silverstein poems, there’s a wealth of entertainment here.
  • How Scandalous is Your Reading History? Take this Buzzfeed quiz and see how many banned books you’ve read (I got a 38 out of 93!).
  • 10 Great Book to Screen Adaptations: For those of you who can’t get enough of our Books on Screen feature, wordandfilm.com compiled a list of some of the best banned books to make it to the movie theater. Pass the popcorn!
  • Banned Books blog posts: On her website, writer E. Kristin Anderson dedicates the entire month of September to guest blog posts by authors talking all things banned books. Contributors so far have included William Ritter (JACKABY), Jessica Verday (OF MONSTERS AND MADNESS), Carrie Mesrobian (SEX & VIOLENCE) and more. 

Monday, September 22, 2014

Introducing a New Voice in Mystery Writing

What a pleasure to read a well written book by a colleague, acquaintance or friend.  Deadline for Death, by friend and guest blogger, Steve Head, arrived a week or so ago.  Actually, Steve sent an electronic copy of an early draft over a year ago.  I read the first chapters quickly, discovered that reading off a computer does not work for me so I never finished.  I recall sending Steve several questions and comments, which he politely rebuffed and refuted.  But now, battery free copy in hand, I can say that this book does not have the usual tell-tale signs of a first novel.  In fact. Steve's novel holds up well against mysteries written by many well established authors.


"Deadline" takes place over eight days in 1952, the time not only serving as a backdrop but also being integral to the plot.  The Wyoming setting also provides an anchor for the action.  Each character, distinct and unique in voice, attitude and history, plays a significant role.  Incidental players add local color and just the right dash of humor, especially Rose, the waitress at the Atomic Cafe.  (Thanks for the silly bit on page 304, Steve!).

The plot?  When Corky  Freeman, young newspaper photographer, is found dead, the local newspaper editor, Wilson Dodge's digging about turns up more than answers to whodunit.  Several apparent political murders follow, begging the question of whether or not Corky was involved in some clandestine small town governance plot.  I kept guessing.  My guesses were nearly always wrong.  I don't mean to imply that the logic of the action was flawed.  The plot was so layered, detailed and fast that I had to keep my eye on every detail in order to pop the final puzzle piece into place.

Jolly good work, Steve.  Congratulations.

FYI - Steve is hoping to make the trip from Nebraska to Manitowoc for a signing at some point.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Flesh, Blood and the Bard


Patricia Cornwell and Kay Scarpetta have been a formidable team for many years - twenty-two books worth, to be exact.  Having been a fan of the "Quincy" TV show, these novels filled a void for me when the show ran its course and was cancelled.  Cornwell's series began with the aptly titled Postmortem, and introduced the smart, tough, and ever on duty medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta.  For a while, I was loyal and grabbed each new book as soon as it hit the shelves, but then, something happened.  Scarpetta got an IPhone, a computer, a notebook and all sorts of other gadgets and a flurry for techno plots emerged.  I moved on and discovered new writers and challenging themes.

But last week this new novel appeared in my mailbox and so I gave it a try.  What a refreshing reunion this has been.  Are the books all I remember them to be?  Well, the base characters have evolved - nice to see that, and the opening scenes show a softer Scarpetta than I recall.  The plot began quickly incorporating contemporary themes including racial profiling, terrorism and 911.  Scarpetta herself appears to be in imminent danger, and if you are a fan, you know that her niece, Lucy is sure to play into things - Lucy being the "Blood" in the title. 

In the opening pages, Kay Scarpetta finds herself in the unsettling pursuit of a serial sniper who leaves no incriminating evidence except fragments of copper.  The sniper's shots seem impossible, yet they are so perfect they cause instant death.  The victims appear to have nothing in common and there is no pattern to indicate where the killer will strike next.  First New Jersey, then Massachusetts and then the depths off the coast of South Florida where Scarpetta investigates as shipwreck.  It is there that she comes fact-to-face with shocking evidence that implicates her techno-genius niece, Lucy.  I will say no more!

Between murders, I am trying to read Unbroken, our book club selection for next week.  That one is not going well.  I'll blame it on lack of concentration due to our upcoming Heart-A-Rama/UW-Manitwooc show.  Tickets are still available.  Hope to see you on Friday or Saturday night. For more information go to www.heartarama.blogspot.com


Thanks for stopping by.