Damage Control, by Robert Dugoni

Bad. Just a bad book.

Lush Life, by Richard Price

I don't really remember much about this book, which is a bad sign, since it's not just a throw-away thriller.

The Bad Seed, by William March

I read this because Stephen King told me to in his column for Entertainment Weekly. I find he rarely leads me astray, at least as far as books are concerned. Totally creepy and a little bit terrifying.

Lie Down In Darkness, by William Styron

It was really neat to read this just after Sophie's Choice, since the first novel Stingo is working on is clearly inspired by this, Styron's first novel. I didn't enjoy it as much, but it was still a good read. The south is so clear in his writing, and the characters so damaged.

Sophie's Choice, by William Styron

I love this book, and I read it every 5 years or so, probably. Happened to catch the movie, which inspired the re-read, and then my getting some other Styron books out of the library.

Definitely harder to read the parts about her children now that we've got Clara.

The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly

A second Mickey Haller book, in which he and Harry Bosch butt heads and discover things. I always love Connelly, but I think I would have liked this more if the perspective had shifted from Haller to Bosch. Haller's just not as compelling a character for me.

The Ruins, by Scott Smith

This is a re-read. I like Smith's books. They're all about how extreme situations reveal us in ways we might not prefer. This one is especially creepy, with an element of fantasy that adds to the tension and gives the story an unpredictability that I enjoyed.

The Gate House, by Nelson De Mille

This is a sort of sequel to The Gold Coast, written and taking place 10 or 15 years later. It's basically the same story, updated for the times and with a few tweaks here and there. Still enjoyed it.

The Gold Coast, by Nelson De Mille

Chris and I both read this, and we do enjoy DeMille, though we both agreed it was a little predictable, and occasionally we don't buy the actions of the main characters. But they're otherwise interesting, engaging characters, and I always want to know what's going to happen with them.

Lady Killer, by Lisa Scottoline

One of the Mary DiNunzio books. I go back and read a Scottoline every now and then when there's not anything else around to read. I don't think she's a very good writer. Her characters are wholly unbelievable and frequently do stupid things that advance the story, but that take you out of it as you consider their stupidity.

Indignation, by Philip Roth

My first Roth, inspired by a Facebook quiz that asked "Roth or Updike?" and I had no answer, having read neither. Didn't love this book, and I'm planning to read some older Roth to see if it's him, or just the book.

Rough Weather, by Robert Parker

More of the same fabulous Parker stuff. Love everything he does.

Two Minute Rule, by Robert Crais

So, I read this ages ago and I remember nothing, so I decided I would just say that, rather than look up a synopsis. It is a basic thriller, I guess. Not super-memorable, though I confess that I don't tend to remember those kinds of books much anyway, unless I really connect to the character, or it's part of a series. The Gabriel Alon books are an example of that.

City Of Thieves, by David Benioff

Liked this one a lot. I read it as part of an online book club, which is fantastic. Each person take a month, picks 3 books, we vote, we read, and we discuss. It's a perfect, no pressure situation, and as much as I think I would enjoy a real life book club, this is much better suited for life right now.

Anyway, this book is a WWII story about unlikely friends, unlikely heroes, served up with a pretty harsh description of what it was like in Russia. You don't hear much about Russia in WWII lit, and it was really interesting.

Word Of Honor, by Nelson De Mille

A book about a My Lai-style massacre in Vietnam, and the "truth" behind it. A little too wordy when it comes to court martial details, but interesting to read, especially since it was written in 1985, much closer to the war.

Under Cover Of Darkness, James Grippando

Eh. Mediocre thriller. Stupid "twist" at the end, led up to by unmotivated, hard-to-believe characters.

Backstory, by Robert Parker

Funny that I used the word "backstory" in my last post. Classic Spenser. Need I say more?

Careless in Red, by Elizabeth George

Love, love, love Elizabeth George. I think it's funny that she's from California. I love what she did with Lynley in his grief, and how a mystery brings her out of it. Love the dense detailing of characters and back stories.

The Innocent, by Harlan Coben

I like Coben's books. This one follows an ex-con in it-could-happen-to-anyone circumstances, and follows him through a sort of ridiculous, but still fun, plot against him and his wife.

Witches of Eastwick, by John Updike

Someone sent me a quiz about books on Facebook, and one of the questions was "Updike or Roth," which made me realize I'd somehow managed never to read either, so I picked this up at the library. I enjoyed it, despite vague memories of a crappy movie. It was interestingly dated, which didn't detract from the enjoyment for me.

Next, gotta get some Roth.

Assassin, by Ted Bell

Huh. I don't remember anything about this book, which probably means it was just an okay thriller, based on the title.

The Lost Van Gogh, by A.J. Zerries

A. J. Zerries is actually a husband and wife team, and it shows in the writing. I'm not aware of ever reading a really good team-written novel. This one is ludicrous, with unmotivated, really stupid characters, and a circuitous story that is nearly impossible to follow and believe in.

Extreme Measures, by Vince Flynn

I don't always love Flynn's writing, but I do love the way he uses his main character to espouse his political views. He kind of says what lots of people are thinking about the direction of the country, stopping terrorism, etc. I enjoyed this one more than the recent ones I've read.

The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard, by Erin McGraw

It's hard to read books where mother leave children, even if you sort of understand why. This one is kind of heartbreaking, but there is some redemption in the end. Also kind of neat to read a period piece set in LA. Lots of familiar landmarks.

Echo Park, by Michael Connelly

Reread of an old favorite.

The Third Angel, by Alice Hoffman

I'm posting this well after the fact, and it probably doesn't speak well for the book that I remember next to nothing about it, and don't care to look it up. I like old Alice Hoffman books, but the more recent ones have not done as much for me.

Solve Your Baby's Sleep Problems, by Richard Ferber

Much preferred this book to Weissbluth's book. Ferber seems to allow for different temperaments, different techniques, and he never suggests that by not using his program, your child will grow up to be an Ambien-addicted insomniac with social problems.

Confessions of a Contractor, by Richard Murphy

This is not a particularly good book, but is interesting in that it is chick lit written by a man, which brings to mind a sort of rude term that rhymes with "chick lit." A new style, I guess. Hoping it won't catch on.

Red Rover, by Deirdre McNamer

I liked this book. Didn't love it. Kind of bounced around in time a little too much for me, and without any initial payoff. The end was wrapped up a little too fast, but the characters are interesting, and the setting in Montana is really vivid.

The Fourth Hand, by John Irving

I always like his books, though I find that they frequently have a few too many words in them, you know what I mean? This one is the same: quirky characters, ridiculously singular situations. Fun.

The Forgery of Venus, by Michael Gruber

A fun book. A weird book. I'm still not sure if the narrator was crazy or not, and which of the many alternate realities presented was the real one. But really fun, and full of art and history.

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

I picked this up randomly off of the kids' rack, knowing that I liked Neil Gaiman's adult books, but totally unaware that it was a movie coming out soon. In one of those fun coincidences, I saw three giant billboards (true LA-style) for Coraline as I was in the midst of reading it.

I've heard raves about the movie, especially in 3D, and if it hews closely to the book, I can imagine. Creepy story, not at all condescending in the way kids' books often are. Also not lesson-heavy, though a thoughtful reader could certainly find several.

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

I read this as part of an online book group, and then missed the conversation about it until it was over. This is not a book I would have picked up, and maybe even not a book I would have finished (though I usually finish books even when I don't like them), so I'm glad I felt some accountability.

It's a very stylized prose that takes some getting used to, and Murakami's technique of telling the reader what they're seeing and thinking is a little off-putting. That said, the "real" part of the story was good, and the characters were interesting, as was the framework of putting the whole story in one night, with hourly chapters.

My favorite part was the monologue toward the end by one of the hotel workers. If I ever act again, it will make a great audition piece.

My least favorite part was the metaphysical/magical realism bit about the main character's sister and the strange room/tv she was locked in. Odd. Unmotivated. Unresolved.

Dark Hollow, by John Connolly

More of the same. Spooky, spooky.

The White Road, by John Connolly

These are creepy thrillers, and I enjoy them, despite their outlandishness. Charlie Parker is a sort-of PI with a gift for seeing dead people -- hijinks ensue.

Finally Sitting Down

All right, part of the reason I've been waiting is that I've been trying to find the list of the books I read in December 2008, but I haven't found it, so I'm just going to go out of order. I'm the only one who cares about the numbers, and I'm managing that with tags, so here we go.

I Know, I Know

2 months with nothing. No posts, nothing. I have been reading. I can only blame the impending holidays, the holidays themselves, and the aftermath of the holidays, in which we have been trying to get back to what passes for normal around here.

I will catch up soon. Hopefully this weekend.

Feeding Your Baby, by Judy More

This one I liked, and not least because it is British, and therefore filled with entertaining linguistic departures from my own vocabulary (For instance, pulses means beans and such, which I didn't know before). It also references all kinds of British formula and milk products I'm not familiar with, but the recommendations and the recipes are great. There are really good for-the-whole-family recipes I'm eager to try.

The Outside Man, by Richard North Patterson

I usually really like RNP, but this one is kind of all over the place. The story is murky, and mostly in an unpleasant-to-keep-track of way, and the characters just didn't resonate for me at all. Disappointing.

The Baby Sleep Book, by William Sears

There's a ridiculously long subtitle that I didn't include. This book is much better written than the Weissbluth, and occupies the other end of the sleep-training spectrum. Still not much help.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth, MD

We are in the midst of some really challenging sleep issues, and I've been reading quite a few books about it. This one is on the more extreme end of things, and I can't say I liked it. Philosophically, I'm definitely not in line with Weissbluth so much, but the bigger factor for me was his tone and the quality of the writing. It strikes me as really poorly written, and the tone is so alarmist, like if you don't do it his way, your child will end up addicted to Ambien or worse, and a chronic insomniac and manic-depressive.

The frustrating thing about these books is that no one really knows anything, and you can find a book to support any course of action. As a research-hound, I'm feeling a bit at sea over this.

Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream, by H. G. Bissinger

First, may I say that Friday Night Lights is one of the best shows on TV, and it is a sad testament to the poor taste of the viewing public that it is not more highly rated.

Second, the book is fascinating, and it's neat to see little bits of the book that I recall directly from the series. I need to watch the movie again, too; I believe it's written more closely to the book than the series.

It's also cool that the book has such a sense of time and place. It's the 80s, and the political and economic backdrop is as much a character as any of the people in the book.

Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross

My friend Tanya alerted me to this one, and somewhere in the back of my head, I remember reading it years ago. It was fun to read again, though. Lots of history, good character development, and kind of neat to think that it might very well be true.

Mommy Made and Daddy Too, by Martha and David Kimmel with Suzanne Goldenson

A new friend made through my mom's group lent me this, and I'm asking for it for Christmas. It's a really user-friendly introduction with lots of yummy recipes, and lots of good information on each food. I've made several of the recipes already, and Clara seems to enjoy them!

Super Baby Food, by Ruth Yaron

I had this on hold at the library when a friend gave me her old copy of it. It's a little bit overwhelming, but appears to be full of good recipes.

Plum Island, by Nelson DeMille

Another John Corey book, and just as fun. Gets a little tediously implausible at the very end, but still good.

Night Fall, by Nelson DeMille

DeMille's character John Corey makes me and Chris laugh out loud occasionally, which is saying something, especially with Chris.

I enjoyed it. Slightly rogue cop, going off the reservation to solve a covered-up mystery. The ending of this book is both satisfying and unsatisfying, the reasons for which will be obvious if you read it, I think.

It Had To Be You, by Cecily von Ziegesar

A Gossip Girl prequel. Kind of more goofy than the rest of them.

Because I'm Worth It, by Cecily von Ziegesar

Another Gossip Girl book.

You Know You Love Me, by Cecily von Ziegesar

One of the Gossip Girl series.

All I Want Is Everything, by Cecily von Ziegesar

One of the Gossip Girl series.

I Like It Like That, by Cecily von Ziegesar

One of the Gossip Girl series.

You're the One That I Want, by Cecily von Ziegesar

One of the Gossip Girl series.

It Had To Be You, by Cecily von Ziegesar

One of the Gossip Girl series.

Gossip Girl, by Cecily von Ziegesar

So, confession time. One of my latest guilty pleasures is the TV series "Gossip Girl". My penchant for reading books that have been adapted for screen has led me to read some of the series, which I will list after this, probably not in order.

The books are definitely engaging, and very quick reads. The TV adaptation is good. They've taken the essence of the series, and conflated some characters and story lines, and so far all the changes are good ones for television.

I have to say, these books scare me just a little, as they are targeted to pre-teens. They're pretty racy! Sex, drinking, drugs, etc. Entertaining reading, sure, but I hope there are no such books popular when Clara is older.

Later, At The Bar, by Rebecca Barry

If this girl hasn't read some Richard Russo books, I will eat my hat. Nice stories with that small, northeastern town flavor.

Hard News, by Jeffrey Deaver

Female protagonist, not the most realistic voice. Also a fairly unconvincing 4-year-old character. Still, an okay book.

Did I use any complete sentences there?

So Much To Catch Up On

Yeah, I know. It's been 2 months. I'm not sure I've kept very good track of what I've actually read, so there are probably going to be a few missing, and I'm certain they're not in the order I actually read them.

In other news, all is well in the Pierce family. We had a lovely Thanksgiving at home, our first time hosting, with a great potluck meal and 6 friends of various vintages. It was so nice, and fairly stress-free. Our friend Will cooked the turkey, which certainly contributed to my low stress level.

Clara got to try a bunch of new foods: turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, a tiny bit of hot cocoa, a crumb of pumpkin bread, some bites of roll. We're breaking all kinds of food introduction rules over here.

The Killing Kind, by John Connolly

P.I novel with supernatural overtones. Lots of fun. The dialogue and charcters are vaguely reminiscent of Parker's Spenser books.

Iron Orchid, by Stuart Woods

I love how Woods' characters wander through each other's books. It's fun to run into Will Lee and Katharine Rule and Stone Barrington in a Holly Barker book. His books are always good reading.

Perfect Nightmare, by John Saul

Perfectly disjointed, and full of characters you won't care about.

Beautiful Boy, by David Sheff

A really well-written, emotionally charged, and truly terrifying book. I read it just after having my first child, and it scared the hell out of me, and made me think about how I will deal with the idea and temptation of drugs when Clara is older.

Sheff not only tells his personal story of being an addict's parent, but he supports it with lots of research, most of it very scary, about meth addiction. I don't think I realized how horrible meth addiction is.

It's heartbreaking to see Sheff looking to himself as a possible source of his son's terrible downward spiral, and the scenes he details of Nic being sweet and wonderful with his half-brother and -sister make it all the more terrible how far down he goes.

I don't know if Nic has stayed clean at this point. I'm almost afraid to try to find out.

Tweak, by Nic Sheff

I'm about to write a longer, more reflective review of Nic's father's book detailing his son's meth addiction. Mostly because it was a longer, more reflective book. This one was mostly self-indulgent, I thought, and a little whiny. Sheff seems to be trying to find someone else to blame for his addiction. The last bit about the most successful rehab is interesting, though. It's almost as if Sheff becomes a different person when he is writing about trying to become a different person.

This book is only interesting as a companion piece, as counterpoint to his father's book. It doesn't stand alone.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution, by Elizabeth Pantley

I read this so long ago I don't remember what it was about, specifically. I don't remember being wowed by it.

The Attachment Parenting Book, by William and Martha Sears

I admit, I had gotten the idea somewhere that Attachment Parenting was a weird, no-boundaries hippie thing, so I didn't read this until recently. I was pleasantly surprised to find it very common sense, and kind of what we're doing already. Who needs parenting style books?

Hit Parade, by Lawrence Block

See other Keller review. Same stuff. Fun, though. Good dialogue.

Hit Man, by Lawrence Block

A Keller book. The nicest hitman you'll ever meet. These books read like short stories with the same characters.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, by Dyan Sheldon

Maybe I'm just getting to be old and fuddy-duddy, but the newer pre-teen-ish books are so stupid, compared to the ones I read. Yikes.

The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson

I'm not sure I ever read this one as a kid, but I really enjoyed it. Some pretty serious issues in there. Made me think about how challenging it will be to talk to Clara about the hard parts of being human.

The Zero Game, by Brad Meltzer

The first 20% of this book was told in one voice, and then Meltzer killed that voice off, and switched to another we'd only heard a little of so far. Disconcerting. Not the most fun I've ever had reading, but not awful.

Gone Bamboo, by Anthony Bourdain

Sort of the continuation of Bone In The Throat, but with slightly different characters in similar situations. Equally fun.

Bone In The Throat, by Anthony Bourdain

More of the same fun mobster/chef action from Bourdain. Very engaging. You can see him imagining himself as the protagonist.

The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

This one was as good as I remembered it. I read all of his books as a child. Maybe they're squirreled away in a box in my parents' house somewhere. Really fun to read again.

The Color of Blood, by Declan Hughes

Irish P.I. novel. Pretty much like American P.I. novels, but with dialect. Fun.

Footloose, by Leanne Banks

The worst kind of chick lit, veering into outright romance trash. Not as much fun as it sounds.

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

I hated her last book, so when I picked this one up to reread, I was afraid I would discover that I was crazy when I read it before, and that it was awful. Not so. Maybe not as good as I remember it being the first time, but then, it's a rare book that is. She is very good at pain.

Tanner On Ice, by Lawrence Block

I really enjoyed this weird little book. It's my first Tanner book, and while the language seemed almost dated, it was right for the character somehow. Fun.

The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly

I love re-reading these. Every one I read, I can claim more of the LA references.

What To Eat, by Marion Nestle

This is a really great book, and reminds me, in an odd way, of my religious studies classes studying the bible with Professor Greenwald. We looked at the bible historically, semantically, fictionally, etc., and Nestle examines food in a similar way. She looks not only at the expected calories and fat and carb content, but also the political history of certain foods, and the sometimes frightening strength of the lobbies behind foods. It makes me never want to trust anything on an label again. She outlines strategies for getting the most out of food on your plate and in the grocery store. Very interesting.

Way Behind, I Know

Well. It's been some time, so I'm about to do quick reviews of a bunch of books. They are in no particular order. All is well here. The baby continues to grow, we work and play and enjoy the weather in LA.

The Bobby Gold Stories, by Anthony Bourdain

My first novel by Bourdain. It reads like a fictionalized Kitchen Confidential crossed with a Sopranos script. Nice writing style.

In A Strange City, by Laura Lippman

Moderately good mystery. Not my favorite series of mysteries. Nice Edgar Allan Poe/Baltimore plot basis.

Gone For Good, by Harlan Coben

Enjoyable, but his books feature really similar plot devices, so they are best read separated by other literary fare.

Tell No One, by Harlan Coben

Solid thrillers. I like his books a lot, and maybe I like this a little better than the ones featuring Myron Bolitar, master sports agent.

Finally Caught Up

So, you may have guessed that I didn't actually just read all of those books I posted. They've been scattered over the last month or two. I don't know why I find it so hard to keep up to date. I guess it's just not in my nature. I can't blame the baby, because I did it before her.

Speaking of the baby:

Well, never mind. Can't upload. Will try again later.

Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain

I've so much enjoyed Bourdain's appearances on Top Chef, and his own show about traveling the world in search of weird wonderful food. One of my clients has this book on her shelf and every time I see her I say to myself, "gotta get that one." Finally, I have.

Fun book. Self-deprecating and wry, and a really interesting look into the cooking subculture. He's written some novels, apparently, and I've put those on hold at the library. I'm predicting they will be a little self-indulgent, but fun.

Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer

We just saw the movie, which was disappointing. Heavily over-directed. I read the book for the first time long enough ago that I couldn't remember what was tweaked a little and what was straight from the book. It's a pretty close adaptation, but there are conflated characters, and a couple of timeline issues. They also chose to present an absolute cause for the boy's death, while the book presented several possibilities.

Anyway, do both, or skip the movie, read the book.

Darker Than Night, by John Lutz

I read another one of this series a while back, a later one, and it's fun to put the pieces in place as far as character and relationships go. I'll read some more of his books.

Dead Watch, by John Sandford

A new hero for Sandford, and I'm not sure if I liked him. He seems a little too good to be true. Maybe he'll grow on me.

I miss Davenport and Kidd.

Marked Man, by William Lashner

Another one I don't really remember much of: I guess it's a standard legal thriller.

A Matter of Degree, by Tom Philbin

Interesting. The protagonist is kind of creepy, just a little too interested in the killers he chases. It reads a little dated, published in 87. I won't seek it out, but if I came across another of this series on a hotel bookshelf or something, I would read it.

Blinded, by Stephen White

It is not a good recommendation for this book that I had to google it to remember what it was about. Your basic thriller. I found the characters a little less than genuine.

Hit List, by Lawrence Block

This is my first Block, as far as I can remember, and I enjoyed it. I don't know what it is that makes assassins so compelling, but they seem to make really good main characters. I'm interested to read more John Keller books.

Blue Screen, by Robert Parker

I have to say, there is not much other than name and circumstance (and gender, in Sunny Randall's case) to distinguish Parker's non-Spenserian characters from Spenser himself. I'm not complaining. It's kind of refreshing, just to have a slightly different take, but the clever dialogue, overall toughness, and moral relativism is the same whichever protagonist we follow.

This one is good, just like the others.

Runaway Jury, by John Grisham

I read this a long time ago, but recently caught part of the movie on cable, and wanted to see how much it matched. It's an engaging story. Better than many of his have been recently.

The Other Side of the Story, by Marian Keyes

More fun than I thought it would be, and the author is very good at distinguishing the voices of the three "sides" of the story.

Watermelon, by Marian Keyes

Fluff. UK fluff, but fluff just the same. Fun to read for me right now in the throes of early-motherhood, since the main character has a baby in the beginning. It reads like an early book, though, and I wonder if her writing improved.

Cathedral, by Nelson DeMille

This one is a good read, and it's interesting how dated it feels. I don't think it's even 20 years old.

Anne of Windy Poplars, by L. M. Montgomery

I've just been re-reading the Anne books, and I hear on the radio that it's the 100th anniversary of Anne. Lovely, lovely books.

New England White, by Stephen L. Carter

I enjoyed his other novel so much, I was really looking forward to this one, and I enjoyed it, too. The main character is a side character from The Emperor of Ocean Park, which is kind of neat. Lots of overlap in terms of setting, characters, themes... It's also written from a different point of view. The writing is dense, but in a good way. You actually have to work a little to read this, and I think that's good.