The Latest from James Grippando

Grippando's latest, Cane and Abe (a very clever title, as you will see when you read it), will be released January 20.  And, like his other 20 books, I liked it. I actually like his Jack Swytek books, which account for 11 of his 21, more than his stand-alones.  And the other 10 are, of course, stand-alones.  Did I like Cane and Abe?  I did.  Is he one of the authors on my B list?  He is.  This one is a very solid 2.5/4.  I think it was a 3/4 for 300 pages but faltered in the last 50.  The solved mystery didn't cut it for me.

So let's get to Goodreads' synopsis:

An explosive psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author James Grippando in which Miami’s top prosecutor becomes a prime suspect when his wife’s disappearance may have a chilling connection to the vicious murders of beautiful women in the Florida Everglades
Unbelievable was the word for her. Samantha Vine was unbelievably beautiful. It was unbelievable that she’d married me. Even more unbelievable that she was gone . . . 
Samantha died too soon. Abe Beckham’s new wife, Angelina, feels like Samantha never left. Through it all, Abe has managed to remain a star prosecutor at the Miami State Attorney’s Office. But his personal life is a mess, and it’s about to get worse. 
When a woman’s body is discovered dumped in the Everglades, Abe is called upon to stay on top of the investigation. The FBI is tracking a killer in South Florida they call “Cutter” because his brutal methods harken back to Florida’s dark past, when machete-wielding men cut sugarcane by hand in the blazing sun.
But when the feds discover that Abe had a brief encounter with the victim after Samantha’s death, and when Angelina goes missing, the respected attorney finds himself in the hot seat. Suspicion surrounds him. His closest friends, family, professional colleagues, and the media no longer trust his motives. Was Angelina right? Was their marriage failing because he loved Samantha too much? Or was there another woman, and did Abe have a dark side that simply wanted his new but very unhappy wife gone?

As you can see, it's a pretty intricate plot.  That part was okay for me.  And I thought that most of the writing was pretty good.  Here are a couple of lines that stood out for me:

1.  Grippando is describing stacks of boxes in an attorney's office.  He says:  "It was leaning to the left, the legal aid version of the Tower of Pisa."
2.  "It was 3:00 in the afternoon, the geriatric version of happy hour..."
3.  When Abe and his wife, Angelina, are in her attorney's office, Abe asks her to leave with him.  "She looked at her lawyer, but she didn't move.  Winters had her under a sit-and-stay command worthy of the Westminster Kennel Club."

Pretty good stuff.  But then he's talking about his wife taking a 20-minute drive, and he says that she had "time aplenty" to do some plotting.  I think that's an odd construction. I'm probably just nitpicking.  But if it stands out to me, I imagine it will also stand out to others.

Do I recommend Cane and Abe?  Sure.  I recommend most books/authors from my B List.  Will I put Cane and Abe (or any other Grippando) on my table at Recycle?  That would be no.

  

The Results Are In - The Goodreads Reader Favorites 2014

The Goodreads Awards are the only ones based on readers' input.  There were 3,317,504 votes cast.  And here are the winners in all 20 categories:

Fiction - Landline - Rainbow Rowll
Non-Fiction - The Opposite of Loneliness - Marina Keegan
Mystery/Thriller - Mr. Mercedes - Stephen King
Historical Fiction - All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
YA Fiction - We Were Liars - e. lockhart
Romance - Written in My Own Heart's Blood - Diana Gabaldon
Humor - Yes Please - Amy Poehler
Science Fiction - The Martian - Andy Weir
Fantasy - The Book of Life - Deborah Harkness
Horror - Prince Lestat - Ann Rice
Memoir & Autobiography - This Star Won't Go Out - Esther Earl
History & Biography - The Romanov Sisters - Helen Rappaport
Business Book - #Girl Boss - Sophia Amoruso
Food & Cookbook - Make It Ahead - Ina Garten
Graphic Novels & Comics - Serenity:Leaves in the Wind - Zack Whedon,Georges Jeanty,Fabio Moon
Poetry - Lullabies - Lang Leav
Debut Goodreads Author - Red Rising - Pierce Brown
YA Fantasy - The Mortal Instruments:City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare
Middle Grade & Children's - The Blood of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Picture Books - The Pigeon Needs a Bath - Mo Willems

I have only read 1 of these books - All the Light We Cannot See - and I liked it a lot (review on 11/15/14).  But I have 2 others in my TBR pile, sitting among 30 others.  One is The Martian (science fiction), and the other is We Were Liars (YA Fiction).  Both of these were highly recommended to me by Kepler's staff at 2 different events I attended.  I bought them without knowing how popular they were.  I guess I'll move them up the pile(s) a bit.

NEXT UP:  I've got a few reviews coming in the next week or so:
Cane and Abe - James Grippando (hitting the stores in early January)
The Mathematician's Shiva - Stuart Rojstaczer (our RBC selection for January - the 13th)
Proof of Heaven - Eben Alexander, M.D. (the December book for the Los Gatos Library Third Tuesday Night Book Club)

Series - Redux

It has been over 3.5 years since my last post about series.  Here's what I wrote back in 2011:

3/11 - series that I liked that have ended
4/5 - series that I like that have not ended

Are there still any series that I'm reading?  Actually, quite a few.  Some are from the 4/5/11 list, and some started after that post.  Here they are:

Ken Follett - The Century Trilogy - great series, with #3 (which I haven't read) out since September

Jeffrey Archer - The Clifton Chronicles - book 4, Be Careful what You Wish for - came out earlier this year - 1st 3 books were terrific

Terry Brooks - Landover - a fantasy series that I really like - 6 so far, with a 7th (I just found out) coming in 2015

Daniel Silva - Gabriel Allon - Silva puts one out every year, and I make sure to read it - he's at least as good, if not better, with each new one

Greg Iles - published book 1 of a new trilogy a few months ago - with his Natchez, Mississippi protagonist, Penn Cage - Natchez Burning is excellent

Sheldon Siegel - Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez legal thrillers - he's written 7 and will have #8 in 2015

Sheldon Siegel - book #1 of the Detective David Gold (based in Chicago, Sheldon's birth city - he lives in the Bay Area now) series - 1st book is The Terrorist Next Door - really enjoyed it

Dan Brown - I haven't read #4, Inferno, yet, but it's in my TBR pile - I liked the 1st 3 a lot

James Grippando - Jack Swytek - there have been 11 so far, and they're all entertaining

David Rosenfelt - Andy Carpenter - 13 to date - always enjoy them - see Grippando above

W.E.B. Griffin - Presidential Agent, Charley Castillo - he's done 8, and I'm waiting for #9 - except that he has started a new series, Clandestine Operations, with The Assassination Option #1 - I haven't read that one yet but expect I will

Sam Eastland - Inspector Pekkala - I've only read 3 of the 5 - I have to get on that one

David Baldacci - really liked The Camel Club series - but one of his latest series, with government assassin Will Robie, is close - 3 so far

Alina Sayre - The Voyages of the Legend - fantasy series for middle graders (8-12) - book 2 is coming out in 2 days (December 1) - I've read them both - The Illuminator's Gift and The Illuminator's Test - and have loved them both

It's very possible that I've missed one or more series that I'm still reading.  We'll concede that possibility!  If you want any specific information on any of these, let me know (not that you can't find out on your own, of course).

Latest list of authors I'm in contact with - 15 months later

The last time I posted this list was August of last year.  Of course, every list (this is #3, I believe) has additions and subtractions.  For this one, I have lost 14 and have added...(drum roll, please) 41!  This is NOT a misprint.  However, I did have a built-in meeter/greeter - my job at VHOB.  I was in charge of author events for about 10 or 11 months.  So, obviously, I had an opportunity to meet a lot of authors.  AND, since January, we have had our book club.  1st, it was the VHOB Book Club.  Then, in September, we moved it Recycle Books.  And, let's remember, the author comes to our book club meetings.  Well, regardless of the reasons, I've got a bunch of new authors for the list.  Here's the latest group:

Adair, Marina
Auchard, Betty
Barrett, Elisabeth
Baszile, Natalie
Billheimer, John
Black, Cara
Browne, S.G.
Bumpus, Carole
Castro, Jenn
Clayton, Meg Waite
Dart, Julie
DeGregorio, Mike
DePaul, Virna
Ford, Jamie
Franco, Betsy
Franklin-Willis, Amy
Gelder, Ann
Goodson, William
Goss, Erica
Gunther, Linda
Guzeman, Tracy
Hafner, Katie
Haynes, Jasmine
Herron, Rachael
Hillerman, Anne
Hoffman, Beth
Horn, J.D.
Jackson, Nate
Jacobson, Alan
Jayne, Hannah
Johnson, Victoria
King, Laurie R.
King, Shelly
Kirschman, Ellen
Kramer, Bryan
Kretschmer, G. Elizabeth
Lavigne, Michael
Lescroart, John
Littlefield, Sophie
Lukas, Michael David
Mason, Christine Z.
McBurney-Lin, Jana
McKenzie, C. Lee
Myers, Tim
Packer, Ann
Pandian, Gigi
Pastrone, Lauri
Piccinini, Toni
Raffel, Keith
Rojstaczer, Stuart
Safran, Joshua
Sayre, Alina (Amalia Hillmann, illustrator)
Szczepanski, Marian
Senft, Adina
Siegel, Sheldon
Silverberry, A.R.
Sloan, Robin
Smith, JoAn
Sporleder, Steve
Sussman, Ellen
Swan, Joan
Taylor, Nick
Vitello, Suzi
Waters, Rayme
Wecker, Helene

65!!! (If I forgot anybody, I apologize.  Please let me know, and I'll revise the list.)  I can't begin to tell you how exciting it is to know these authors/people.  Now, I just hope that I can keep in touch with all of them - and more.

The FOURTH TUESDAY BOOK CLUB at Books, Inc. in Palo Alto - Glad to Be Back!

Well, last night was the 1st time I've been to Books, Inc., Palo Alto, for the FOURTH TUESDAY BOOK CLUB in quite a while.  I went regularly for close to a year, but have been MIA for probably 8 or 9 months, maybe even more.  It was great to be back.  Margie Scott Tucker, a co-owner of the Books, Inc. chain (there are 11 locations) leads the discussion.  She does a great job.  Everybody goes around the room and gives their synopsis/opinion of the book, and then Margie asks questions.  But, unlike some book clubs (sorry RBC people), the questions are very well thought out and produce a lot of discussion.   And I really like how everybody participates and nobody dominates (I don't do that, Margie, do I?).  Tuesday night was no exception.  Our book was All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr.  As you know from my review of November 15, I liked it a lot. Most of us there tonight did.

When you have someone like Margie directing you - and when one of your book club members is Meg Waite Clayton, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, who has written 4 books, with a 5th coming out next August - then you're bound to have some interesting facts presented to you.  Here are a few:

1.  It took Anthony Doerr 10 years to write this book.
2.  This is his 5th book, but only his 2nd novel.  2 of the others are short story collections, and the 5th is a memoir.
3.  Both Margie and Meg said it was unusual for a book of this length (530 pages) to have such short chapters.
4.  Our resident experts are seeing an editorial trend for novels to go back and forth in time.  The way Doerr did it bothered some of our book club members a bit.
5.  The Art of Fielding (which I liked and reviewed on August 10, 2012), by Chad Harbach, took 15 years to write.

Are some of these factoids random?  Sure.  But that's what makes them so interesting. Us book groupies love these insider details.

So, I was really glad to be there, and have already ordered the book for the January meeting - Painted Horses, by Malcolm Brooks.  See you all then.

Everybody in this group is important.  But Margie is standing on the far right, and Meg is next to her.

Alina Sayre's The Illuminator's Test, #2 in the Series

As I got ready to start The Illuminator's Test, book 2 in Alina Sayre's fantasy series, The Voyages of the Legend, I had a pretty unusual feeling come over me - I realized that I was really excited to read it!  It felt like I was picking up the next Gabriel Allon (Silva) or Will Robie (Baldacci) or Harry Clifton (Archer).  And then I started reading.  And you know what?  I felt like I was settling in with people that I knew.  How great is that?

Of course the next question is:  Did I like it?  And the answer is:  A lot!  #2 had a similar arc to #1.  That is, I really liked the 1st part and loved the 2nd part.  In this case, the transition happened at about the half-way point.  In #1, it was a 2/3-1/3 split.  But I am not complaining.  I think Alina needed the 1st half to get to the 2nd half (this is not as ridiculous as it sounds).  The 1st book got them to Rhynlyr, and the 2nd book needed a half to set up their new situation and surroundings.  Once that was done, then BOOM!  It takes off.

As I mentioned in the review of #1 (posted on June 2 of this year), The Illuminator's Gift, I'm not much into fantasy (with Terry Brooks' 6-book Landover series being an exception) - and I'm old!  So, nobody (including me) would expect that I would like a fantasy series where the main protagonist is 12 (now 13) - and a girl!  Go figure.  The fact is that I like this series a lot and am eagerly looking forward to #3 (Alina, when is that one coming out?).

Let me tell you what I like about The Illuminator's Test.  It will take me a while.

1.  It's very well-written.  You gotta have that.
2.  Because all of the main characters are together, you get to see right away what happens just by starting the next chapter.
3.  Alina has a glossary of names, with pronunciations (which you have to have in a fantasy), in the back of the book.
4.  There are a bunch of illustrations in this one.  In #1, the only illustration was on the cover.  This time, Amalia Hillmann has got illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.  I like it.
5.  #2 really moves the story forward.  Instead of being just another episode, it actually has our heroes/heroines transitioning from one geographical location to another.
6.  It's fun to get a history of the One Kingdom, with it's supreme leader and his right-hand-ers.
7.  Oh, and let's not forget that I shed a few on pages...oh, never mind.  There are too many to list.  I will say, though, that very near the end I cried and laughed at the same time, which had waterworks rolling down my cheeks.  No big deal, right?  Uh, did I forget to mention that I was walking on the treadmill in the gym at the time?  I believe there might have been a curious look or 2 thrown my way!

So, that's a lot of stuff to like about The Illuminator's Gift, right?  I know that Alina's 2 books are set up for middle graders (8-12).  But take it from a "mature" reader - it's well-worth it for all ages (and genders).

P.S.  Right after I finished The Illuminator's Test, I started reading the latest from the nationally prominent author, Phillip Margolin (it's called Woman with a Gun and is not out yet).  I was struck by how different the quality of the writing was from Alina's book.  Phillip, I'm sorry to say, but your writing doesn't even begin to measure up to Alina's.

P.P.S.  The official pub date is 12/1.  At that time, you will be able to buy the ebook and print versions of both books on Amazon.  Shortly after that, the paper books will be in a couple of the local bookstores.  I'll let you know about specific locations and dates.

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR ALINA AT RECYCLE:  On December 7, Alina will be joining me out in front of Recycle Books during the Farmer's Market.  She will be there from 10:15-12:15, selling and signing both of her books - the new one, The Illuminator's Test, and the 1st one, The Illuminator's Gift.  Come say hello and pick up her books as gifts for your kids/nieces/nephews/grandkids, etc.

And on January 21, The RBC will have a middle-grade night with Alina.  We will structure our book club meeting like we do with all of our meetings - i.e. the kids will come to Recycle at 6:30 to talk about the book.  And, then, at 7:00, Alina will come to answer questions and sign books.  I've already got my 9-year old granddaughter, Haley, committed to the event.  And I have asked her to let her friends know.  Doesn't this sound like a bunch of fun?

A Couple of Recent Author Events

I've had a chance to go to a couple of author events this month (not counting having the very engaging and inspirational Joshua Safran at our Recycle Book Club meeting this past Tuesday night).  The 1st was the launch of Keith Raffel's 5th book, Temple Mount.  It was held at Keith's home base bookstore, Kepler's.  And, not surprisingly, there was a large crowd.  On top of that, Ellen Sussman interviewed Keith.  For me, it was a real treat to have 2 of my favorite authors together in one place.

The 2nd event was last week at Village House of Books.  John Lescroart has written around 25 books, 15 of them with Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky.  I booked John about 6 months ago!  And, even though I don't work at VHOB any more, I was excited to meet him.  And John didn't disappoint.  He's got a long history of writing and gave us a lot of it. Interestingly enough, his career took off with book #4, The 13th Juror, which was about a battered woman.  The timing happened to coincide with the OJ trial.  Nothing like a little serendipity to help launch a career!  

EDITORIAL COMMENT:  People, if you are not in the habit of going to author events, you may want to re-think that.  They are so much fun.  And I really believe that the authors appreciate the crowds they draw.  Think about it.  Just about every good-sized city has at least one bookstore that has author events.  Now, I'm done.