tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75815971357212702582024-03-13T03:47:01.965-07:00Bookworm's Book ShelfA blog filled with a bookworm's ramblings, books, cats, jokes and music.Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.comBlogger487125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-49860060961721049882022-04-03T11:37:00.004-07:002022-04-03T11:37:44.467-07:00Book Review: "Righteous Prey" by John Sandford<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-4zh_EYJkvrXBswS79XuoaQD9kWv-AKI98ryQQeYsC8Gkx_7rseyCDsKmE1HIB7-jjY4gM9892y7_xS1lYKMQ_ogpQmJ1NjG_4ZYjhq6OB0XybV38yIsmJeOR29NAQg4WB6Ux9DSumNk09vywaXFvpMc8QtY1vM8ywFtkDO6-NBbRioeo1w9ptdLGw/s500/righteous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="332" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-4zh_EYJkvrXBswS79XuoaQD9kWv-AKI98ryQQeYsC8Gkx_7rseyCDsKmE1HIB7-jjY4gM9892y7_xS1lYKMQ_ogpQmJ1NjG_4ZYjhq6OB0XybV38yIsmJeOR29NAQg4WB6Ux9DSumNk09vywaXFvpMc8QtY1vM8ywFtkDO6-NBbRioeo1w9ptdLGw/w198-h299/righteous.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Righteous Prey </i>is the latest release in the Prey series by John Sandford. Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up on their most challenging case to date. They are tracking "The Five", a coalition of the bored wealthy who have decided to seek the ultimate thrill of killing individuals they deem undesirable and avoiding the FBI and police who seek them. After each murder, a Bitcoin worth the going price of the day is donated anonymously to a worthwhile cause leaving the charity in a dilemma. Do they profit from murder?</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">U.S. Marshall Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers face one of their toughest cases yet. They have to identify the killers who have no connection to their victims. The crimes have been well planned with little in the way of clues. Will Davenport and Flowers ability to think outside the box be enough to solve be enough to apprehend "The Five" before more bodies fall. You'll have to read the book to find out.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I found this book to be a very satisfying read. There was plenty of action. It might not have been quite as gory as some of past "Prey" books given the body count. However, I found that to be a welcome change. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I would rate this as five stars.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jy2gVnwKFqKZz4_g6iPhvt3yG52AdnxP2HpaBA0QulQhiBQ9eqnIlrFrBasrv5PvG2Yn7eEtaFRkKbM4dRXrxQ-ydqxTR3b0jZxrkFkhUOXgB79d5D-Zfx8GpthkX3e9WF0ITXPnQkqRJXaygQ2CO_x3KN-wGrCu3KQh_P2Cfe9hUyy9ECcavB07yQ/s612/five%20stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="612" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jy2gVnwKFqKZz4_g6iPhvt3yG52AdnxP2HpaBA0QulQhiBQ9eqnIlrFrBasrv5PvG2Yn7eEtaFRkKbM4dRXrxQ-ydqxTR3b0jZxrkFkhUOXgB79d5D-Zfx8GpthkX3e9WF0ITXPnQkqRJXaygQ2CO_x3KN-wGrCu3KQh_P2Cfe9hUyy9ECcavB07yQ/s320/five%20stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: #c0a154; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.524px;"><span style="color: red;"><b><br /></b></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><i><b>In the spirit of full disclosure, I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /> </p>Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-51613723879712654972021-09-11T20:06:00.001-07:002021-09-11T20:06:55.883-07:00Blogstream Saturday Night<p style="text-align: center;"> A lot of my Facebook friends belonged to a defunct blog site called Blogstream. It was more than a blog site...It became a community where cyber friendships were formed. On Saturday night, the bloggers would post music...a call to celebrate life...and dance like no one was watching. Here are a few of my favorite music posts from back in the day.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Old Time Rock and Roll</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SLrkgC8LoZg" width="320" youtube-src-id="SLrkgC8LoZg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shake a Tail Feather</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qdbrIrFxas0" width="320" youtube-src-id="qdbrIrFxas0"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Let's Twist Again</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KxQZQ86jJHg" width="320" youtube-src-id="KxQZQ86jJHg"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-90786768142424180132020-07-06T19:08:00.001-07:002020-07-06T19:08:30.397-07:00Charlie Daniel R.I.P. 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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-52281021429970376952020-07-03T18:49:00.000-07:002020-07-03T18:49:15.776-07:00Book Review: Harry Truman's excellent adventure : the true story of a great American road trip by Matthew Algeo <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2233786__Sharry+truman%27s+excellent+adventure__Orightresult__X5;jsessionid=25CA01EF93958E40CE743CE01BA60195?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Harry Truman's excellent adventure : the true story of a great American road tri</span><span style="color: #1155cc;">p</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> by </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Matthew Algeo is an intriguing look at a more innocent time in our nation’s history. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The book chronicles the 2500 mile post presidential road trip that</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> Harry and Bess Truman </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">took in 1953. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was the first and last time in our </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">and paparazzi following </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">them everywhere.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-86888402759950198552020-07-03T16:17:00.002-07:002020-07-03T21:09:46.097-07:00Book Discussion Group Speed Dating<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some time ago, I participated in a Book Group Speed Dating Program at my library. We had five minutes to introduce four books to leaders of book discussion groups. After five minutes, we'd move to another table and repeat. It was a lot of fun. These were my choices for the event.</span></div>
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<img alt="The Lathe of Heaven by [Ursula K. Le Guin]" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kNxRM9O-L.jpg" width="131" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lath</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e of Heaven </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Ursula K. LeGuin is a Sci Fi classic. The central character is George Orr...a man blessed or cursed with effective dreaming. His dreams change the past and present reality. Since Orr is the only one who remembers the previous reality he self medicates with drugs. Under threat of being institutionalized, he is forced to undergo voluntary psychiatric care.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The psychiatrist, Dr. Haber, decides to use Orr’s effective dreaming </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">to make himself rich and powerful. The drawback is Orr’s dreams never quite deliver the desired results. For example, Haber has George dream of a </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">world without racism. When he awakes everyone is a uniform grey color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your group will be able to find many things to discuss in this slender volume. Global warming, overpopulation, racism, war, behavioral sciences and the </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">quest for personal power are a few of the topics/themes. When my group read</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lathe of Heaven</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, it was split which made for a very interesting discussion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some members didn’t detect the themes; some embraced them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our next book is narrated by dog named Enzo. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Art of Racing in the Rain </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Garth Stein spent 156 weeks on the NY bestsellers list...and no...that wasn’t dog time...that’s people time. It deals with some of the basic questions we humans struggle with and are sometimes even afraid to ask ourselves. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why are we here?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">What's our greater purpose in the grand scheme of things?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where do we go after death? </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are the keys to true happiness?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">What makes them palatable is they are being pondered and experienced by the dog philosopher of the book, Enzo. His human, Denny, is a race car driver. Enzo uses the metaphor of racing in the rain to describe some of our basic struggles in life. Topics and themes that are covered are control, money, death, humanity, love, family and food. Dogs think about food all the time. Enzo, not only thinks about food, he also thinks about how others relate to food and what we can learn from that relationship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My group found great wisdom in </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Art of Racing in the Rain</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It is book that will not only touch your emotions. It will give your group plenty of topics to discuss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Orphan Train: A Novel" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91zb-CNu2ZL._AC_UY218_.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next book I’d like to recommend is </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orphan Train</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Christina Baker Kline. It tells the story of Molly Ayer, a 17 year old on her twelfth foster home and Vivian Daly, a 91 year old survivor of the orphan train movement. Molly is serving fifty hours of community service helping Vivian clean out her attic. What follows is a learning experience for both of them...and an unexpected friendship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orphan Train </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> offers many discussion points. The obvious choice is to contrast today’s foster care system to the orphan train movement of the 1920s-30s. As Molly and Vivian struggle with their past and present realities, your groups will discover a treasure trove of topics and themes to discuss that include: the need to belong or feel connected to others, self identity, safety, survival, trauma, loss, secrets, reality, illusion, and hope and skepticism. Ann Hood sums it up quite well in her blurb on the back of the book: “In </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orphan Train</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Christina Baker Kline seamlessly knits together the past and present. Kline reminds us that we never really lose anyone or perhaps most importantly ourselves.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="The Invention of Hugo Cabret" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nr9WgXLeL._AC_UY218_.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And now for something completely different, my last book is </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Invention of Hugo Cabret </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Brian Selznick. When I distributed the book to my group, there were a lot of “deer in the headlight looks” because of its size. It is 533 pages long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They were somewhat relieved when I assured them an average reader could knock it out in a few hours. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s not quite a graphic novel...not really a picture book rather Selznick </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">created a new genre: a novel told in words and pictures. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">It follows the adventures of an orphan boy who lives in a Parisian train station where he maintains its clocks like his late uncle taught him. Through a series of events, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hugo is pulled into the world of George Melies. It is a world of secrets, magic, film and mechanical men.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your group will find many topics and themes to discuss. They range from awe and amazement to isolation to family and friendship. Another important theme paid homage to memories, the past, and the origins of the movie industry. The illustrations (including early movie stills) will give you another avenue of discussion. We sometimes are quick to dismiss a children’s book...but sometimes they can be the best discussions.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-73410004902711914672020-07-03T15:54:00.001-07:002020-07-03T15:54:59.445-07:00Purrrfect Summer Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I have a confession. I’m addicted to cat mysteries. Cats are natural sleuths. If they’re </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">connected to a library or bookstore, they are unstoppable. This summer if you’re</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> looking for a purrfect summer read, let me recommend a few of my favorite series.</span></div>
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<img alt="The Cat Who Saw Red (Cat Who... Book 4)" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81vHpjtv6wL._AC_UL320_.jpg" width="121" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The Cat Who” mysteries by the late Lillian Jackson Braun are at the top of the list.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> She wrote 29 mysteries featuring KoKo and Yum-Yum and their two legged</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> companion, James Qwilleran. The mysteries are set in the fictional town of Pickax </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">located in Moose County "400 miles north of everywhere." While not the greatest mysteries, the characters, dialogue, and of course, the cats make these a light hearted summer read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Curiosity Thrilled the Cat (A Magical Cats Mystery Book 1)" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91YeaNgESDL._AC_UY218_.jpg" style="font-size: 11pt;" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The magical cats mysteries by Sofie Kelly are for lack of a better term magical. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Kathleen Paulson moves from Boston to Mayville Heights, Minnesota. She ends </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">up with </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">two cats, </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Owen and </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hercules, who are gifted with magical abilities.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">One can walk </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">through walls and the other can become invisible. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">They put their talents to </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">use in solving murders.</span></div>
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<img alt="Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Mystery Book 1) by [Miranda James]" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UPuqMEJfL.jpg" width="124" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">One of the most unique cats in literary history is Diesel. He comes to life in the Cat in</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the Stacks mysteries by Miranda James. Diesel is a 30 pound cat who likes walks,</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> treats, and is extremely vocal. He is also an excellent judge of character. In addition, </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">his owner is a fiftyish librarian. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Together they are unstoppable.</span></div>
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<img alt="Cat on the Edge: A Joe Grey Mystery by [Shirley Rousseau Murphy]" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51RROvn0WdL.jpg" style="font-size: 11pt;" width="123" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The last entry on my list are the Joe Grey mysteries by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Joe and Dulcie are cats with a secret known to their owners, They can talk. Since </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">discovering their gift, they have been the snitches who assist the Molena Point Police </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Department in solving crimes. This is probably my favorite cat series. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The author knows cats and the mayhem they bring to their caretakers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">All these series share inquisitive felines, strong writing, some quirky characters and</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> a sense of humor. The authors also know cats...their cattitudes and mannerisms. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">These are nice and easy summer reads.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-9402560924654415582020-07-03T05:38:00.001-07:002020-07-03T05:38:02.789-07:00DVD Review: "Odd Thomas"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I waited with anxious anticipation for my request of “</span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2395332__Sodd+thomas__Orightresult__X5;jsessionid=E222CB735D808D8FEF3C767DFCC31E43?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Odd Thomas</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">” to arrive. Hollywood has a</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> long history of changing crucial elements of a favorite series. I must say I was pleasantly </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">surprised by director Stephen Sommers take on the Dean Koontz series. With some </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">relatively minor exceptions, it was the closest book to movie interpretation that I’ve seen.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">For those of you unfamiliar with the books, Odd is a small town fry cook who has</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> paranormal abilities. He can see dead people. Odd can also see bodachs who are </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">wraith like demons who are attracted to pain and destruction. When he sees his town of</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> Pico Mundo overrun with bodachs, he realizes it heralds a near apocalyptic event. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Enlisting the help of his girlfriend, Stormy, and the local police chief, Odd races against </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">time to save the day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“</span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2395332__Sodd+thomas__Orightresult__X5;jsessionid=E222CB735D808D8FEF3C767DFCC31E43?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Odd Thomas</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">” stars Anton Yelchin. He does an excellent job portraying Odd’s </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">quirkiness and naivety. There is a strong supporting cast featuring Addison Timlin as </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Stormy and Willem Dafoe as Chief Wyatt Porter. The movie is able to capture </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">the essence of Koontz’s creation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I loved the blend of supernatural, humor with scenes of intense action. It is filled with </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">t</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wists and turns. I impatiently waited for its release since I first read it was in</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> production. I was hoping that “</span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2395332__Sodd+thomas__Orightresult__X5;jsessionid=E222CB735D808D8FEF3C767DFCC31E43?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Odd Thomas</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” was the first in a movie franchise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My hopes were dashed when Anton Yelchin died in a freak accident at his home.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-77320611956732106932020-07-03T05:28:00.000-07:002020-07-03T05:28:05.207-07:00Book Review: "Kicking It" edited by Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I’m not a big fan of short story anthologies as a rule. They usually leave little room for </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">character or plot development. I picked up “Kicking It” because it reminded me of the </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Nancy Sinatra song from the mid 1960s “These Boots Were Made for Walkin”. I must</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> say </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the editors Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price surprised me with this collection.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-5f271b22-7fff-c7f0-70af-6f63c9823489" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The stories were assembled around the theme of strong, beautiful women and fancy</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> footwear. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, I forgot to mention...the boots and shoes are enchanted and/or cursed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The heroines in the stories must use their their powers to stop evil from winning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The characters range from witches to a descendant of Lucifer. The stories are filled with </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">action, humor and enchanted footwear.</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you like urban fantasy or fancy footwear, this anthology is for you. You will never </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">look at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">shoes or boots in quite the same way. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-51600261620178308882020-07-03T05:21:00.003-07:002020-07-03T05:21:50.458-07:00Book Review: Death's Rival by Faith Hunter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Death's Rival (Jane Yellowrock Book 5)" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SZ0i3zubL._AC_UY218_.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2337063__Sdeaths+rival__Orightresult__X3;jsessionid=5B56AECE569728554AD4B894C2EB401F?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;">Death's rival </a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">is the fifth book in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. Since </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">she walked out of a forest as a child, Jane has been on a quest to find her roots. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Over the course of the series, she has discovered that she is the last of the </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Cherokee skinwalkers. In one of her shifts, Jane’s soul merged with Beast one of her </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">animal forms. This dichotomy offers a fresh twist to the typical urban fantasy tale.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-5a0e4d2d-7fff-d086-86f6-01f758923562" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">For years, Jane was a vampire hunter. However, her employment status was changed </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">when she was hired by Leo Pellisier, Master Vampire of New Orleans, to rid the city of an </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">out of control rogue. Now, Leo and his territory is under attack. A mysterious Master has</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> unleashed a plague that can cause the undead to sicken and face final death. Jane must </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">use her skills to track and destroy this challenge.</span></div>
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<a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2337063__Sdeaths+rival__Orightresult__X3;jsessionid=5B56AECE569728554AD4B894C2EB401F?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Death's rival</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> combines a great mix of well developed characters, a strong story line, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">and intense action sequences. The tension builds to the climatic battle between Jane and </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">the Master who has unleashed the plague. Secrets are revealed and Jane Yellowrock </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">will never be the same.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">If you haven’t read any books in this series, I recommend that they be read in order. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">While they are stand alone books, certain characters and plot development would be </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">easier to understand if the reader is familiar with the series. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-70538323594594375462020-07-02T20:19:00.001-07:002020-07-02T20:19:21.867-07:00Book Review: "Nightworld" by F. Paul Wilson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Nightworld: A Repairman Jack Novel (Adversary Cycle/Repairman Jack Book 16) by [F. Paul Wilson]" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qR32GFBuL.jpg" width="199" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The end of the world begins when the sun rose late one morning. Scientists are baffled</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> by this celestial phenomenon. The next disturbance occurs when bottomless sinkholes</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> began to appear. When night fell, flesh-eating monsters appeared to attack the New York </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">populace. The following pages are filled with intense action, terror, loss of hope as the </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">world is bombarded with attacks from “The Otherness”.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-4a78b870-7fff-2fc0-a74d-f6fe38dc9fc3" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Mankind is doomed unless a small band of fighters led by centuries old, Glaeken, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">can reforge an ancient weapon to combat the evil. This is a classic battle of good versus</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> evil or order versus chaos. Who will fall? Who will be victorious? You’ll have to read </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">this suspenseful book to find out.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">It was deja vu all over again as I read “Nightworld”....except it was different </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">this time.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">F. Paul Wilson’s “Nightworld” is a heavily revised version of a book he wrote </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">almost twenty years ago. He merges his “Adversary Cycle” with his “Secret History of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">the World” series that features Repairman Jack. If you haven’t read any of Wilson’s other</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> books, you will be entirely lost in this superb supernatural thriller. Fortunately, you will have </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">a lot of great reading to catch up on before you tackle this one.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-3262093381969168182020-07-02T20:13:00.001-07:002020-07-02T20:13:52.322-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Dead Mann Running: A Hessius Mann Novel by [Stefan Petrucha]" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cbkS-JrBL.jpg" width="198" /></div>
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<a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2339269__Sdead+mann+running__Orightresult__X3?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Dead Mann running : a Hessius Mann novel</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> is the latest in the series by Stefan Petrucha. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">It features chakz detective, Hessius Mann. If you missed the first book in the series,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> a chakz is a zombie of a different sort. Set in near future, the nation is plagued by a rash of </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">innocent people executed by the government. A company named ChemBet offers a solution </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">in the Radical Invigoration Procedure (RIP). It can bring back the recently departed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Problems developed when the chakz were discovered to have lost some brain function. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">If they are isolated with little or no social interaction then they could become feral in other </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">words they are a new breed of zombies. Mann has better mental function than most. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Needing money the ex-cop, Mann becomes a private detective.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-73e30548-7fff-9548-12f9-4f9daa3b501d" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The story opens when a severed arm...just an arm...drops off a briefcase containing a </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">mysterious blue chemical. Mann is debating whether to investigate when the attacks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> begin. The story is filled with intense action, gory descriptions, and sympathetic </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">characters. The violence is eased by a wicked vein of dark humor that is blended </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">into the narration.</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re a zombie fan </span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2339269__Sdead+mann+running__Orightresult__X3?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dead Mann running : a Hessius Mann novel</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will be very enjoyable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re a newbie to paranormal urban fantasy told in a gritty style, it is a great introduction </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to the genre. The only problem I had with the book is wondering how the </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">author is going to proceed in this series.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-62626797296667724482020-07-02T20:07:00.001-07:002020-07-02T20:07:18.051-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Dead Weight (An E.J. Pugh Mystery Book 10) by [Susan Rogers Cooper]" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EhFzoqOoL.jpg" width="202" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2331936__Sdead+weight__Orightresult__X5?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;">Dead weight</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> by Susan Rogers Cooper is the tenth book in the series to feature romance </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">writer and amateur sleuth E.J. Pugh. It is a delightful blend of folksy storytelling, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">unique characters, humor, and mayhem.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-c45e5eb9-7fff-c6b9-6f80-c296db6fb658" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The book opens with E.J. attending the memorial service of one of her weight loss</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> group acquaintances, Berta Harris. E.J.’s suspicions are tweaked by the conflicting </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">stories of Berta’s demise. Did she die in the hospital from complications or was she </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">dragged to her death by a car? No one seems to know. When Berta’s best friend is </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">murdered, E.J. is convinced that the deaths are connected. She launches an investigation</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> that puts stress on her family and threatens her marriage. Will her family survive?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This is an entertaining cozy mystery. The dialogue is light and fun.There are enough</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> t</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wists </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">and turns to please the mystery buff. However, it is the characters and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the humor that are</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the book’s winning strengths. </span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-50097707214776676612020-07-02T20:00:00.001-07:002020-07-02T20:00:53.996-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson Book 7) by [Patricia Briggs]" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XGKEUjrmL.jpg" width="198" /></div>
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<a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2352291__Sfrost+burned__Orightresult__X5;jsessionid=3E1A42D08D391B59A73CBE28EDF8247B?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Frost burned</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> by Patricia Briggs is the seventh book in the Mercy Thompson series. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">For those of you who are unfamiliar with this series, Mercy is a mechanic by trade and </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">a Native American “walker”, a shapeshifter who shifts to the form of a coyote. </span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-1c6c71a2-7fff-53bb-246b-468413325039" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The book opens with Mercy still adjusting to her new role as the wife of the local </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">werewolf pack’s Alpha. Mercy and her stepdaughter, Jesse, are involved in a car accident </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">on a Black Friday shopping trip. Mercy and Jesse are alarmed when they can’t contact </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">any of the pack members for assistance. Using her mate bond, Mercy knows</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> that Adam is in pain but alive. Mercy puts together a team of unlikely allies to </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">rescue the pack.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Patricia Briggs manages to combine the world of the paranormal and government </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">conspiracies </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">into an action packed thriller. There are scenes of intense action, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">high emotion </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">plenty of twists and turns that leaves the reader wanting more. </span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-24581872652113520692020-07-02T19:56:00.001-07:002020-07-02T19:56:19.440-07:00Book Review: "I, Robot: to protect" by Mickey Zucker Reichert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Isacc Asimov's I, Robot: To Protect by [Mickey Zucker Reichert]" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51pXJYtao5L.jpg" width="220" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“</span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2308461__Si+robot__P0%2C1__Orightresult__X5?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I, robot: to protect</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">” revisits the world created by the master of science fiction,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> Isaac Asimov. Although Asimov passed away in 1992, the three laws of robotics he created </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">lives on in books and movies. This book was authorized by the estate of Isaac Asimov.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> It is written by Mickey Zucker Reichert. </span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-f256defa-7fff-a35f-52c8-29e68d520076" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This book is a prequel to Asimov’s work. It tells the back story of Susan Calvin before </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">she becomes involved with robotics. It opens with her being a psychiatry resident at</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> Manhattan Hasbro teaching hospital. Her patients range from the near comatose</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> to a four year old sociopath. Susan makes some brilliant diagnoses/breakthroughs in her</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> first few weeks.This causes her to be chosen for an experimental project using nanobots. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">While the experimental programs offers hope, it attracts the animosity of the Society of</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> America who fear they will create a cyborg. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">While the book has some problems, it is a worthy addition to the Asimov universe. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The science fiction purist might be upset because this book is more medical thriller than </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">a true science fiction story that one might expect. It also takes some creative licenses with</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> Asimov’s original timeline. The most obvious example is the twenty something Susan </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Calvin </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">was unaware of robots until she stumbles over an android in the hospital doing scut work. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">In the original timeline Asimov established, she wrote her first paper on robotics at 16.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">On the plus side, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Reichert develops the three laws of robotics. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The dialogue between Susan and Nate on the laws was fabulous. If you enjoy </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">medical</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">thrillers </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with a hint of science fiction, I recommend “</span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2308461__Si+robot__P0%2C1__Orightresult__X5?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I, robot: to protect</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. </span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-10050155277610494492020-07-02T16:53:00.002-07:002020-07-02T16:53:45.341-07:00Book Review: "An Apple for the Creature" edited by Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="An Apple for the Creature [Paperback] [Sep 26, 2013] Charlaine Harris And Toni L.P. Kelner" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51VeNVnaFFL._AC_UY218_.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2330001__San+apple+for+the+creature__Orightresult__X5;jsessionid=E072E008DF7F21502772609112197BF8?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">An apple for the creature</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> is the new anthology that is edited by Charlaine Harris and </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Toni L.P. Kelner. What can be more terrifying than the first day of school or that important </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">test you didn’t spend anytime studying? How about combining these school day fears</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> with paranormal twists served up to us by some of the premier </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">authors of urban fantasy?</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-0c5cb1d9-7fff-1be4-692f-3bb59771865e" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Charlaine Harris’ entry entitled “Playing Possum” is a take on the cupcakes for</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> the class. Sookie Stackhouse, being a dutiful aunt, takes cookies to her nephew’s class</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> for a party. The celebration is interrupted by an angry ex of the school secretary. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Sookie must use her telepathic abilities to save the day.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> Ilona Andrews’ “Magic Tests” centers on Julie, Kate Daniels’ ward as she is sent to a</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> boarding school. Julie must use her wits to solve a mystery at the school. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">It introduces us to some new supernatural creatures. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A short story collection does not allow a great deal of time for character or plot </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">development. However, </span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2330001__San+apple+for+the+creature__Orightresult__X5;jsessionid=E072E008DF7F21502772609112197BF8?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An apple for the creature</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a good introduction to urban fantasy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have ever been frightened of school, check out this delightful paranormal romp. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-49674942366125335422020-07-02T16:46:00.000-07:002020-07-02T16:47:02.804-07:00Book Review: "Casino Infernale" by Simon R. Green<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="A Secret Histories Novel Casino Infernale (Paperback) - Common" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51tGKUFoMDL._AC_UL320_.jpg" width="205" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2370132__Scasino+infernale__Orightresult__X5?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;">Casino Infernale</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> by Simon R. Green is Book 7 in his Secret Histories series. It’s an </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">action packed supernatural thriller featuring Eddie Drood and the wild witch, Molly Metcalf. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Their mission is to infiltrate the Casino Infernale and break the infamous Shadow Bank. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">If they’re successful, they will prevent a supernatural war that would destroy the world.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ab6ce1d-7fff-d6e3-f413-f4cb9af016b0" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Simon R. Green masterfully blends scenes of intense action that features a lot of gore</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> with a snarky sense of humor. His characters are interesting and fleshed out. This book </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">reads almost like a “Who’s Who” of heroes and villains that have been introduced in his</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> previous books. I especially liked Bruin Bear and the Sea Goat.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> By including them, Green introduces a touch of whimsy in the story line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would recommend that you read at least one of the earlier Secret Histories books. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It would establish the characters and their relationships in your mind and make for a more </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">enjoyable read.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-43341359320710161532020-07-01T22:58:00.000-07:002020-07-01T22:58:27.614-07:00Book Review: "The Return Man" by V.M. Zito<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The story opens after the zombie apocalypse has divided the United States into </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">two distinct sections. The eastern states are the Safe States of America. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The western states, where the Resurrection virus began, are now the </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Evacuated States of America. Walking corpses roam looking for fresh meat. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">It is here that our hero Dr. Henry Marco makes his living as the </span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2333112__Sv+m+zito__P0%2C1__Orightresult__X1?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Return man.</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">He is a post apocalyptic bounty hunter hired by grieving relatives in the Safe States to </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">execute or “return” their zombie loved ones to a final rest.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d4f8ae6-7fff-7ecf-6802-9b882e7af4f9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Homeland Security hires or coerces Marco to undertake his most dangerous mission yet. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">He has to travel to California where the outbreak began and collect critical research that</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> may protect the Safe States. Besides the resurrected zombies, Marco faces danger </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">from a rogue militia element and a Chinese agent. Who will survive?</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To find out, you’ll have to read the book. V.M. Zito has done a masterful job of writing i</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n the </span><a href="http://encore.slcl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2333112__Sv+m+zito__P0%2C1__Orightresult__X1?lang=eng&suite=cobalt" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Return man.</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> He combines well developed characters, a solid storyline, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with nonstop action that should satisfy zombie lovers of all ages. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book is not for the faint of heart or those with weak stomachs. Some scenes </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are especially grisly and contain a high gore content. </span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-2749265028444114662020-07-01T22:38:00.001-07:002020-07-01T22:51:12.919-07:00Book Review: St. Lou-isms by John L. Oldani<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">One definition of the word folklore states that it is the traditional beliefs, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In his latest book,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “</span><a href="http://webpac.slcl.org/search~S32?/Xst+louisms&searchscope=32&SORT=D/Xst+louisms&searchscope=32&SORT=D&SUBKEY=st+louisms/1%2C2%2C2%2CB/frameset&FF=Xst+louisms&searchscope=32&SORT=D&1%2C1%2C" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 14pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">St. Lou-isms : lingo, lore, and the lighter side of life</span></a><br />
<a href="http://webpac.slcl.org/search~S32?/Xst+louisms&searchscope=32&SORT=D/Xst+louisms&searchscope=32&SORT=D&SUBKEY=st+louisms/1%2C2%2C2%2CB/frameset&FF=Xst+louisms&searchscope=32&SORT=D&1%2C1%2C" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 14pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the Gateway City</span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. John Oldani includes tales and stories from the </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">many ethnic groups that </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">make our city special.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-191f831a-7fff-a45a-ae49-0375c37c3520" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">All our secrets are exposed from St. Louis pick up lines to our lingo to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">urban legends. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">For example, do you warsh your dishes and rinsh them </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">in the zink? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">Included in the book are urban legends. Do you remember </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">the choking Doberman </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">or the black widow beehive? Have you heard </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">about the zombies in Wildwood? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">Read about them here.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Dr. Oldani takes us an informative, fun filled search as he explores the folklore </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">around our great city. It’s obvious that he loves St. Louis and</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> its folklore. It seems like he explores the lingo and folklore from the </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">redneck to the newer immigrants. The book takes us all over the city </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">f</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">rom the city limits to Wildwood as Oldani explores the connections </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">and similarities that cross cultural boundaries in St. Louis.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> If you can laugh at our foibles, this book is for you.</span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-89148995150948022032019-07-11T16:53:00.000-07:002019-07-11T16:53:26.864-07:00Birthday 2019 - Part 2 A Trip to the Zoo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Since today was my birthday, I got to pick the activity. When I stepped outside, I was shocked that the temps weren't in the high nineties with humidity to match. It is almost unheard of for St Louis in July to have a day as weather perfect today. So I chose the Zoo as today's activity.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>I know some people don't like zoos. They say they can't stand to see animals in cages, pens or behind bars. The St Louis Zoo is a bit different. They are leaders in animal conservation, research and conservation. </b></div>
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<b>We spent a 2 hours or so walking or riding the tram to see some of our favorite animals. Here are a few of them:</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vmMvQ0CPeIc/XSfKWQNwAGI/AAAAAAAABgY/v7B9TaoH2MU1lmU3FAGbvVqi5tpoCtbXQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20190711_155908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vmMvQ0CPeIc/XSfKWQNwAGI/AAAAAAAABgY/v7B9TaoH2MU1lmU3FAGbvVqi5tpoCtbXQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_20190711_155908.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b>Nap Time</b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TSBM7wswPg/XSfKWRsPr2I/AAAAAAAABgY/TgHhhsKUkEwEqekzT51oNndlX5OTiq88QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20190711_155846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TSBM7wswPg/XSfKWRsPr2I/AAAAAAAABgY/TgHhhsKUkEwEqekzT51oNndlX5OTiq88QCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_20190711_155846.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b> Feeding Time</b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mdhJSr8dx9s/XSfKWbptl_I/AAAAAAAABgY/7p8GiIhjbkIcNQ5IWcV05blZZRP9Z5DdgCKgBGAs/s1600/00000IMG_00000_BURST20190711155735073_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mdhJSr8dx9s/XSfKWbptl_I/AAAAAAAABgY/7p8GiIhjbkIcNQ5IWcV05blZZRP9Z5DdgCKgBGAs/s320/00000IMG_00000_BURST20190711155735073_COVER.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V9WyR1QlIKU/XSfKWTmsfnI/AAAAAAAABgY/WNGBOUGKtK4FdD_jwa7h-55yCX8Q-6m3ACKgBGAs/s1600/00000IMG_00000_BURST20190711155728387_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V9WyR1QlIKU/XSfKWTmsfnI/AAAAAAAABgY/WNGBOUGKtK4FdD_jwa7h-55yCX8Q-6m3ACKgBGAs/s320/00000IMG_00000_BURST20190711155728387_COVER.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hDW40jphq0/XSfKWV5kgXI/AAAAAAAABgY/5IjC8V_YiGsv3iMP8Mp2II0qSgUo9ICQQCKgBGAs/s1600/00000IMG_00000_BURST20190711155720527_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hDW40jphq0/XSfKWV5kgXI/AAAAAAAABgY/5IjC8V_YiGsv3iMP8Mp2II0qSgUo9ICQQCKgBGAs/s320/00000IMG_00000_BURST20190711155720527_COVER.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9GBQi07FTk/XSfKWZp2E0I/AAAAAAAABgY/4Z5blRqLmqMnS_kwvT-78hczqZAVSWBjwCKgBGAs/s1600/00000PORTRAIT_00000_BURST20190711154205850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9GBQi07FTk/XSfKWZp2E0I/AAAAAAAABgY/4Z5blRqLmqMnS_kwvT-78hczqZAVSWBjwCKgBGAs/s320/00000PORTRAIT_00000_BURST20190711154205850.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hyNIwRmCxjc/XSfKWUc_BqI/AAAAAAAABgY/-qiDTnk1NrUBpu0VNarRCkFWiVutBBJHACKgBGAs/s1600/00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190711154205850_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hyNIwRmCxjc/XSfKWUc_BqI/AAAAAAAABgY/-qiDTnk1NrUBpu0VNarRCkFWiVutBBJHACKgBGAs/s320/00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190711154205850_COVER.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b> The penguin below is a baby emperor. His beak is still black. A zookeeper told us his name is Stephen...last name King for Stephen King. </b></div>
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The Zoo's newest baby zebra is pictured below.</div>
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Basking in the sun</div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-50033910925598895862019-07-11T16:29:00.001-07:002019-07-11T16:29:52.816-07:00Birthday 2019 - part 1 Lunch at 58hundred<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Celebrated my birthday today by going to lunch at new restaurant called 5800 Southwest. For an appetizer, </b><b>we had the Brussel sprout tacos.</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;"><b>lime crema, pickled red onions, caramelized onions, toasted almonds</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;"><b>I had the 58 Burger:</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;"><b>Chris had the Quinoa bowl:</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;"><b>quinoa & brown rice, broccoli, cauliflower, roasted onions, peppers, zucchini</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;">The food was excellent. Server was attentive without hovering. I would recommend it if you were looking for a place where herbivores and carnivores could eat together...in fact...that's what a sign in their window </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;">states.</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The menu might be a bit smaller than some places, but you can count on its quality.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #090921; font-family: dinneuzeitgroteskltw01-_812426, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://www.58hundred.com/menu">https://www.58hundred.com/menu</a></b></span></span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-66019480255275072142019-03-21T17:55:00.000-07:002019-03-21T17:55:06.136-07:00Book Review: "That Old Scoundrel Death" by Bill Crider<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"That Old Scoundrel Death" is the 25th and last book to feature one of my favorite characters of mystery fiction, Sheriff Dan Rhodes. Bill Crider was claimed by that old scoundrel death last year. He will certainly be missed by me.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>If you have never read one of the Dan Rhodes mysteries, you are in for a treat. They are a blend of police procedural and homespun humor. "That old scoundrel death" opens with Rhodes stopping to investigate a road rage incident. The story progresses to a fight over a historic schoolhouse and ends in a murder investigation.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>We find the usual cast of characters Dan Rhodes, his wife Ivy, Seepy Benton, Ruth, Hack and Lawton. Add to this cast feuding families, meth heads, and a murder victim who gave folks different names and Blacklin County is in an uproar. Fortunately, the sheriff is up to the task.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>This book might be a little slower in places. The humor might be a bit muted. It is still a worthy read. I give it my five star rating.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So long, Sheriff Rhodes...Rest in Peace, Bill. Thank you for many hours of reading enjoyment over the years.</b></span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-89697889468058944402019-03-16T08:43:00.000-07:002019-03-16T08:43:57.158-07:00Danny Boy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-63409768467596044052018-04-05T14:12:00.001-07:002018-04-05T14:12:22.906-07:00The Capitalist Pig BBQ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The other night we saw the show "Cheap Eats" on the Cooking Channel. Since it was located in St. Louis MO, we had to try it. The restaurant's ambiance is one of the things that makes the dining experience unique. It is located in the old </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Third District Station. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Chris and I had a little bit of fun as inmates.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The food was excellent. I had a pulled pork platter with fries and baked beans. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The fries were some of the best I ever had. I tried all their sauces. My favorite was the blackberry Ancho sauce. It had a touch of heat but did not overpower the palate. It came with with a delicious corn muffin. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Chris had a bacon cheeseburger with gruyere cheese and caramelized onions. Her side was Billy Goat potato chips. The drinks were Fitz's Diet Root Beer. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It was a fun dining experience. It is a hidden gem that we can't wait to introduce to our family and friends.</b></span></div>
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-19706338789992207322018-02-18T13:40:00.001-08:002018-02-18T13:40:28.452-08:00The Lighter Side of Blogging- revisited<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581597135721270258.post-88928232839049639622018-02-18T13:26:00.001-08:002018-02-18T13:26:27.571-08:00Computer Usage...according to Weird Al Yankovic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06364740587803624978noreply@blogger.com0