A book with Bite

I was excited to learn that one of my favorite thriller writers, Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath) was teaming up with three other wickedly fun authors to create "Draculas". Based on previous works by each of these guys, I knew to expect a full-speed, chaotic, blackly humorous, frightfest. I was mostly right.

Written in a style where there are no chapter breaks, only shifts of character perspective, "Draculas" doesn't really allow readers to catch a breath. The action takes place in the close quarters of a small town hospital, so when the action gets rolling, you can feel yourself being pushed and pulled through the claustrophobic hallways while characters are fighting for their lives. There are moments of humor and set against this backdrop, the jokes are darkly hilarious. While a good scary book was what I was expecting, it's not quite what came through. Horrifying? Yes; in the best possible ways. But scary? Not to me, but maybe to some.

It's available now as a Kindle exclusive for $2.99. The story itself is around 80,000 words and the bonus content (yeah, like a friggin' DVD, the book includes interviews with the authors, a behind the scenes look at the making of the project, short stories by the authors, and a look at their upcoming releases) is another 80k.

Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/DRACULAS-Novel-Terror-ebook/dp/B0042AMD2M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1284569826&sr=8-1

Now turn off the lights, lock the doors, and get reading. I'd love to know what you think.

It's all the "Rage"

Back in June I wrote a post about one of my favorite books of the year, "Rage Against the Meshugenah" by Danny Evans aka Dad Gone Mad. Missed out? You can read that post here. I won't go into all the detail that I did back then, but I still feel that "Rage" is a book that spoke to me in a way that very few books have. Now it's your turn to read it. "Rage" officially hits stores today and, as always, I know where you can pick it up.

Pressure?! What do you know about pressure?!

J.A. Konrath has recommended several books to me in the past, but none sounded as intriguing as Jeff Strand’s PRESSURE. When I told Joe that I’d picked up a copy and was getting ready to start it he said, “When you’re done reading it, you’ll want to hug your family.” He was right.

PRESSURE follows a young boy named Alex, who at around 12 years old, while trying to impress some kids from school, is busted for a small crime and sent to boarding school. It is here that he befriends a boy named Darren. Alex knows that there is something odd about Darren, but he doesn’t realize that Darren is murderously insane. Their lives are closely interwoven through college and when Darren says he wants Alex to join him in his bloodlust, Alex wants nothing to do with it. There’s just one problem: Darren won’t take “No” for an answer.

Strand has written a book that you can’t put down. As the tension mounts, you find yourself turning page after page, because you have to know what terrible thing is going to happen next. Once you reach that event, it’s like a release valve being opened because you’re there, you know what’s going on. But then you realize that it’s only a setup to the next catastrophic event. Fortunately, Alex’s narrative has a bit of a smart-ass tone, so there’s a sense of relief from the… ahem… pressure.

PRESSURE is a dark look at the different types of pressures we all face: family, success, dating, popularity, and whether or not you can stand up to/for your friends.

I flew through this book, and have been recommending it like crazy. If you like suspense thrillers, this is one of the best I’ve read in a while. Disturbing, chilling, scary, intense. Pick it up now and find out for yourself.

So that's how you spell "meshugenah"

Being a bookseller has its advantages. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and become friends with a few authors who are willing to send ARCs (advanced reading copies) of their books to my house so that I can read and review them well in advance of their release dates. As it turns out, being a blogger is pretty cool too.

One of my favorite blogs is Danny Evans’ Dad Gone Mad. Danny is the kind of blogger/writer I wanted to be: funny, crude, smart, and funny. As hell. His post “10 Minutes and a Cloud of Smoke” was the first I had read. I’ve been a fan ever since.

Last year, when Swanny Jr. was born, I was thrilled to discover that Uncle Danny had commented on my post detailing the little man’s birth. He’d reached out to little ol’ us and it was a great touch to an already fantastic day.

About a month ago, I commented on one of DGM’s posts regarding his forthcoming book. Figuring there was no way in hell I’d get my hands on it (but it doesn’t hurt to ask), I stated that I was a bookseller, I wanted to read the book, and I thought I could sell a bunch of it in my store. After a couple of emails back on forth, I had “Rage Against the Meshugenah” in my hot little hands. Very cool.

“Rage” is Danny’s memoir about his descent into the depths of clinical depression. It’s brutally honest, absolutely heartbreaking, and often hilarious. More importantly, it sheds a much needed light on the topic of clinical depression in men. A topic near and dear to my heart.

Given the taboo nature of depression (especially in men), it’s something that few people will/can admit to. Too many people suffer from it and not enough get the help they need. Sadly, depression and anxiety both seem to run in my family. Kind of like the Skywalkers and the Force. Different family members have dealt with it in different ways. Some healthy, some not, some not at all.

While reading Danny’s book, I found myself examining my life and I was surprised with how much this book spoke to me. I knew that I would like the book, but I didn’t realize how much I would identify with it. Thankfully, I’ve not had to overcome a near crippling depression like Danny, but I can tell that there have been times in my life when that tag team of Depression and Anxiety have been crouched, ready to drag me down. (to the people who knew me in high school, I’m sorry)

With such on important topic, the best thing that could happen with this book, would be for everybody to read it and realize that depression is not just a way for people to hide from reality. It’s a brutal disease that has not gotten the attention it deserves.

Of course, the second best thing would be that Danny makes seven figures in sales. It comes out in July and I know where you’ll be able to buy a few copies.

Free books! That's right, FREE books!

A couple months ago, author J.A. Konrath stopped by for an interview during the run-up to the release of his book AFRAID, written under the name Jack Kilborn. I won't rehash it in this post, but I encourage you to check it out here.

AFRAID is, hands down, one of the creepiest books I've read in a very long time. Even though it's not for the squeamish, I've recommended and sold it to lots of people. Most folks have told me that they finished it in one sitting and loved it. Get this book as soon as you can.

That said, yesterday I was contacted by someone from Hachette Book Group, the publisher of AFRAID. They've been kind enough to give me a chance to share Jack Kilborn's work with our readers.

Here's your chance to get a FREE ebook of a Jack Kilborn novella called SERIAL. Written with thriller writer Blake Crouch, SERIAL is a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an “After School Special,” it is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides. And it's FREE. There's also a Q & A with both authors, author bibliographies, and excerpts from their most recent and forthcoming works: Kilborn’s AFRAID and Crouch’s ABANDON. And it's FREE. Click HERE to get your copy (the FREE ebook is down in the lower right hand corner). Go ahead, I'll wait.

Everybody back? Great. Hachette has also given me the opportunity to give away 5 copies of AFRAID to readers who are interested. If you'd like a copy, email me at mylifewithdogs@hotmail.com and we'll set something up. If I get more than five requests, I'll write down everybody's names and I'll have Jen draw five names at random.

Let the scares begin.

A post in which J.A. Konrath discusses books, writing, and dogs.

Many of you already know that I’m a big fan of author J.A. (Joe) Konrath. For those who don’t know, he’s the author of numerous short stories and several novels (that are available for free at JAKonrath.com). He’s best known for his thriller series featuring Chicago Police Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels.

On March 31, AFRAID hits store shelves. Writing under the name Jack Kilborn, Joe delivers a startling horror novel that is unlike any of his previous works. As a run-up to the AFRAID release date, Joe is taking a blog book tour. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to have Joe/J.A./Jack here to discuss a little bit about what goes into his writing.

-Joe, there’s quite a contrast between your “Jack Daniels” series and the new Kilborn title AFRAID. When you’re writing, is there a different mind-set between Kilborn and Konrath?

Yes. When I'm Konrath, I'm more playful. I have a great deal of fun writing the Jack Daniels thrillers, and I hope some of that translates to the page.

With Kilborn I try to freak myself out by going places that scare me. I'm pretty sure that also translates to the page, because people who have read AFRAID have cursed me out for giving them nightmares.

Robert Frost said, "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." That also works for fear. Which means I manage to scare myself a lot.

But for some strange reason, that doesn't work with humor. Maybe because when I think of a joke, it isn't a surprise to me, and humor is very much about surprise, whereas fear is a slow, suspenseful build.

That said, I did laugh aloud a few times writing CHERRY BOMB, all of them concerning the character of Slappy. I think Slappy is the greatest character I've ever written. Just thinking about him cracks me up.

-From conversations we’ve had before, I know that you can sometimes crank a book out fairly quickly. What’s involved in your writing process?

I sit my butt in the chair and crank it out. Inspiration is for writers who aren't on a deadline.

Creativity is like any other skill. I'm able to turn it on and off at will.

-I love comedy; so much that about 75% of the content on my iPod is stand-up comedy. There are a lot of laughs in your Konrath books. Who influenced your sense of humor?

We've hung out often enough that you know I can find a joke in any situation. It's a bad habit, sort of like Tourette's, except instead of inappropriate language I spout inappropriate one-liners.

Robin Williams is very good at that. So is Woody Allen, and Groucho Marx. I wouldn't call them influences though--this is just how I'm wired. Pop me in a situation, I start tossing off jokes until I've offended everyone within earshot.

I think of it as comedic chess. What are my possible moves, what's the best one, where will that lead to next.

Some of that happens in my books, but it's really more of an in-person thing. Jokes in books tend to slow down the action.

-You’ve been writing for a while, and your line, “What do you call an author who never gives up? Published,” serves as an inspiration to a lot of aspiring writers. What was the moment when you realized that you wanted to write for more than just the fun of it?

After college. I had the writer dream real bad, wanting to some day be paid for being creative. It only took me ten books, five hundred rejections, and twelve years for the dream to come true. If it took twice as long, I still would have pursued it. I'm the luckiest guy on the planet, and get to make a living doing something I love.

It's a living that involves driving a ten year old car and eating a lot of Ramen noodles, but I still wake up every day with a smile.

-Everybody has to deal with a lot of day-to-day drudgery; did you have any regular jobs before you become a big-shot author?

Photographer. Bartender. Bookseller. Waiter. Corporate video editor. Pizza delivery guy. Water meter reader. That was a fun one. I used the "I'm taking a leak" joke a lot on that job.

-I was picking Jen’s brain for some questions to ask you and she’d like to know what, in your opinion as a reader, makes the perfect book?

I like books where I want the characters to succeed. If the writer throws in a few twists that I didn't see coming, I like them even more.

My basic formula is to take a flawed but likeable hero, drop her into a situation that she'll never be able to survive, then figure out how to keep her alive long enough to triumph. If it's a Jack Daniels book, I also add some jokes. If it's a Jack Kilborn book, I add set pieces meant to prolong and enhance terror.


-Does anyone else in your family write? If so, are they influenced by your writing or vice versa?

Thankfully, I'm the only writer in the family. My eleven year old writes stories for fun, and I've told him he can be whatever he wants to be when he grows up, after he gets his medical degree.

It's a tough profession, writing. I've heard there are more NFL players than full time fiction writers.


-This blog is called My Life with Dogs; so what is you're life with dogs like? Also, one of our dogs died back in January and I know you lost a dog last year. What impact, if any, did that have on your writing?

I have two dogs, Jack and Herb, both bitches. Jack is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, with a bit of Lab in her. She's a big, fat, laid back dog who doesn't mind if you pick her up, throw her around your shoulders, and go for a jog. Which I don't, because she weighs ninety pounds.

Herb is a Shar-pei and a temperamental little princess. She's dark brown, and looks a lot like a pot-bellied pig. Herb bosses Jack around, even though Jack is the pack leader. Much like their relationship in my books.

We had a third dog, Neil, that we had to put to sleep a few months ago. Get your hankies ready and I'll tell the story.

Neil was 15 years old. A German Shorthaired Pointer. Smart as hell, but over the last year his health began to decline. It eventually got to the point where he couldn't walk, so I had to take him in.

Our vet knows my wife, because she's there all the time. Maria has her own dog walking business. But I decided I'd be the one to take the dog on his last walk, because I didn't want her to have to go through the whole saying goodbye tearfest.

So Maria calls ahead, tells them I'm coming. I carry the dog into the office, put him on the little table. There are two nurses and a vet in the room with me. One of the nurses is crying.

The vet explains, "I'm going to hook up a catheter, start an IV drip. Your dog will just go to sleep. You can hold him, talk to him, pet him, while the procedure is going on."

So she puts in the needle, and I'm patting my dog on the head as his eyelids close, and I say, "This sure seems like a lot of work for just a rabies shot."

The nurses' jaws drop, and the vet freaks out, reaching to pull out the tube, her eyes filled with panic.

"Just kidding," I say. "We're killing him."

They've since banned me from the office. But afterward I bet they found it pretty funny.

I wouldn't say it affected my writing, but it did show
me that I could still crack jokes when I was all broken up inside. I
think Neil would have appreciated it, if he hadn't already been dead at
the time.

It was much harder on my son. But luckily, there are many children's
books out there that help kids deal with the death of a pet. Here are a
few titles I found helpful.

IT'S EUTHANASIA, CHARLIE BROWN! by Charles M. Schultz

RIBSY AND THE DRUNK DRIVER by Beverly Cleary

GARFIELD'S MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION by Jim Davis

THE CAT IN THE HAT GETS CANCER by Dr. Seuss

CUDDLES DIED BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T LOVE HER ENOUGH by Judy Blume

FUN FACTS ABOUT DECOMPOSITION by Bill Nye the Science Guy

WHERE'S WALDO'S DOG? by Martin Handford

THE BLACK STALLION: FATAL MALNOURISHMENT! by Walter Farley

ONE FISH, TWO FISH, DEAD FISH, YOUR FAULT by Dr. Seuss

WHERE THE BREATHING ENDS by Shel Silverstein

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT STEW by Margery Williams

SEE SPOT DIE (or DICK AND JANE DIG A GRAVE) by Unknown

PARVO THE PUPPY: A MATTER OF TIME by Ken L. Coff

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ROT by Maurice Sendak

YOU SAID KITTY WAS IN HEAVEN AND I FOUND HER IN THE TRASH by Erma Bombeck

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE DECOMPOSING KITTY by Crockett Johnson

POLLY WANT A EULOGY? by Nina Laden

THE BERENSTAIN BEAR RUG by Jan and Stan Berenstain

ALL DOGS TASTE LIKE CHICKEN a Walt Disney Reader

EVERYTHING DIES, INCLUDING DADDY, MOMMY, AND YOU by Steve from Blue's Clues

WHY WON'T HUCKLE CAT WAKE UP? by Richard Scarry

THE VERY HUNGRY HAMSTER ATE HER BABIES by Eric Carle

A.S.P.C.D.O.A. by Sandra Boynton

BABE THE PORK LOIN by Dick King-Smith

-(By the way, when I read this in my email, I laughed so friggin' hard. I know it's twisted, but it's also hilarious. If, for some reason, you think Joe's a bit too twisted I highly recommend you read this to get Joe's thoughts on pushing the envelope.)-

Now I've got a question for you. I place booksellers on a pedestal somewhere between God and people who buy me beer. You've read both AFRAID, and the new Jack Daniels book, CHERRY BOMB. Without spoiling any of the major plot points, I'd love to get your opinions on both books.


Sure thing. AFRAID was the creepiest book I’ve read in a long time. I’ve reviewed it here in a previous post, but I’ll say again that AFRAID starts with a bang and never lets up. It’s been a while since I’ve had to set a book aside to get away from the tension. Read it as soon as you can. As always, I know where you can find a copy.

Now, about CHERRY BOMB. Hands down, this is the best of the Jack Daniels series. (I say that, knowing that I’m a character in the fifth book, FUZZY NAVEL.) While it’s clearly the same series, CHERRY BOMB has a different feel than the rest of the books. Joe takes us on a journey that will challenge everything we know about the characters we love.

CHERRY BOMB opens mere days after the end of FUZZY NAVEL, with Jack attending the funeral of (name of dead character). The narrative splits equal time between Jack and Alex Kork (the twisted antagonist), making us privy to the all the thoughts and actions of these characters who are readying themselves for a final showdown. In the ultimate game of cat and mouse, which woman’s need for vengeance will win out? Coming in July…

Thanks so much for stopping by, Joe. It’s always interesting, and entertaining, to get little peak behind the curtain.

Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for having me.

Joe

Better leave the lights on...

Lock the doors, too. Friend of the blog J.A. Konrath has a new book on the way.



Writing under the pseudonym Jack Kilborn, Konrath has delivered a book that's unlike any of his previous novels. A straight horror/thriller novel, "Afraid" provides non-stop suspense without the usual laughs found in the "Jack Daniels" series. While humor is an integral part of the "Jack Daniels" books, it would be largely out of place in a book like "Afraid", and I didn't miss it.

The book is set in Safe Haven, Wisconsin, population 907. The only law enforcement is an aging sheriff who's closing in on retirement and no other full time police force. Unfortunately, trouble is coming to town.

A small group of Red-Ops soldiers (psychopathic murderers trained as military Special Forces) have landed in Safe Haven. Their training has programmed them to terrorize, isolate, annihilate. Now they're heading into town. A small group of civilians must come together to survive the hell that is sweeping through town.

"Afraid" is relentless and terrifying. If you're a fan of the previous Konrath books, you'll love "Afraid". If you haven't tried Konrath yet, you'll love "Afraid". See a theme, here?

Perspective

I was born in spring of 1979. He was born in fall of 1980.

In 1989 I attended 5th grade at a good public school in Rock Island and played softball for the local park-board league. I went on vacation with my family in the summer and celebrated holidays like Christmas by playing games all day with my cousins and getting spoiled rotten with presents.

He was 9 and played soccer with his siblings and classmates in Sierra Leone, Africa. He worked with his brothers to help his mother prepare meals, visited his grandparents in a nearby village and came to love rap music.

In 1993 I was 12 and in 8th grade and attended Washington Jr. High School. I was a cheerleader for boys basketball, watched my sophomore sister play basketball for the local high school and can vividly remember that the thing I dreaded most was being seen in public in my father's rusty-old 1977 Suburban.

In 1993, rebels attacked the village where his family lived while he and his brother were away. He never saw the rest of his family again. At the age of 13, he wandered the jungle from village to village looking for safety witnessing the atrocities of a chaotic and gruesome civil war desperate to find a familiar face. When I was trying to fit in with friends in my awkward adolescence in middle school, he was conscripted into the army as a child soldier. He carried an AK-47 and bayonet and was kept so high on drugs (cocaine mixed with gunpowder) that he couldn't sleep for days. He executed prisoners, burned villages, and was shot at and injured but didn't even realize it because he was so drugged.

In 1995, I was starting my junior year of high school. With the new found independence that the age of 16 brings, I was driving my own car, cheering at football games and earning money working at Whitey's. Boyfriends, college applications and teenage drama abounded. He was 15 and had entered Benin Home, a rehabilitation center for child soldiers in Freetown, Sierra Leone...he spent a year there trying to regain his sobriety and humanity and recall the joy of his childhood.

In 1997, when I was holding my newly earned high school diploma and packing my bags for the University of Missouri, this remarkable man suddenly found the stability he came to enjoy with his new family after his rehabilitation unravelling. As I made my way to college, he made the slow and dangerous journey out of his homeland as the military coup he was caught in threatened to thrust him back to the front lines of the war.

Now for the silver lining: at age 19, as I was well on my way to starting O.T. school at MU, Ishamael Beah had made it to the United States. He finished High School and went on to Oberlin College. Now a voice for the children who are robbed of their innocence, he has written a memoir that stands as testimony to the atrocities he lived through.

This was our book club selection for November--and what a good pick it was. His memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier was hands down, the saddest book I've read in a long time. It was moving, honest, terrifying, and redemptive. I cried many times as I read it. I cried for him, what he saw, what he endured and what he put others through. As I journeyed with Ishmael through his memoir, the most striking part for me was that HE IS MY AGE. What different youths he and I have known....I also shed tears for the thousands of other children who are still living this hell today. I pray that not only will those children be helped like he was, but that somehow the world can find a way to support these societies and people in a way that ends war and brings stability and security to them.

Here he is in the U.S. with his "adopted mom", whom he met in 1996 at the UN International Children's Parliament--he was selected along with another young man who had been rehabilitated from Sierra Leone to represent his country. He is now a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee .

While not exactly a light-hearted holiday read, it's a book you shouldn't pass up.

I have to admit, after reading about his struggles, seeing this man's beautiful smile reaffirms to me what he states in his book: "children have the resilience to outlive their sufferings, if given a chance."

Coming in July...

Jack is back. Hoo boy, is she back.

For those who are familiar with the Jaqueline "Jack" Daniels series from J.A. Konrath, you know Jack's story. This scrappy, sharp-tongued, quick-witted, Chicago Police Lieutenant has faced such baddies as the Gingerbread Man, Barry Fuller, the Kork family, and the Chemist. In July's
"Fuzzy Navel", she's really got her work cut out for her.

In Konrath's latest, Jack must track down a trio of snipers that are wreaking havoc in Chicago neighborhoods. Following visits to multiple sniper crime scenes (at one of which, Jack and her partner find themselves under fire from one of the snipers) Jack gets an emergency phone call that sends her racing for home.

When she reaches her destination, she knows that she can't stay there because a pyschopath has holed up in Jack's house and taken the occupants hostage. When Jack gets a chance to make her escape, she realizes that the snipers she was tracking earlier, have followed her home and set up around her home, ready to shoot her when she shows herself.

Told in "real-time", every minute of "FuzzyNavel" is accounted for. The entire book takes place in the span of eight hours, and it's one hell of an enthralling read. At work, I often find that I compare Konrath with the likes of James Patterson. They both tell great stories, but J.A. is a much better writer. This really shines through in "Fuzzy Navel". The action is nearly non-stop, and the characters are people you actually care for. The way relationships are developed in this series is probably what I love best about this series.

In July, check your local book store, and pick up "Fuzzy Navel". It'll blow you away from it's explosive opening scenes, to it's shocking, shattering conclusion.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm a character in the book?

So what have you read lately? I'm patiently waiting for the next Konrath book, but that's a year from now. I'd love to hear your recommendations for what I should check out in the mean time.

"How far would you go to get everything you ever wanted?"

I've said before, on this very blog, that my job has given me the opportunity to meet some very cool people. A couple of Saturdays ago, when I received a book from Marcus Sakey, I was reminded of how lucky I am to know some of these people.

I last saw Marcus in February at Chicago's "Love is Murder", where he told me that he'd finished his third book and was plugging away on a fourth. (fyi: "The Blade Itself" and "At the City's Edge" were his first two)

As I was leaving that conference, I caught up with Marcus and mentioned that I'd love to get an advance reader's copy of the new book whenever it became available. Knowing that he was busy writing, dealing with a new publisher, a new release schedule, and therefore, new deadlines, I didn't know if Marcus would find time to send a copy. Honestly, I'd kind of forgotten about it and was just looking forward to checking it out in August when it hits stores.

But as usual, Marcus was a man of his word. Two Saturdays ago, Jen pulled this

out of the mailbox.

Let me start by saying, if you haven't read Marcus Sakey yet, get started. As great as his first two novels are, "Good People" is better than both of them.

"Good People" introduces us to Tom and Anna Reed, a married couple who have been trying to live the American Dream. A family and the security to enjoy it. But after several attempts to get pregnant, Tom and Anna have found themselves in debt up to their ears, in jobs they don't really care for, and a house they can barely afford.

When their downstairs tenant dies in his sleep, the couple discover nearly $400,000 stashed around his apartment. Figuring him for a lonely recluse who has been squirreling his money away, Tom and Anna decide to keep the money. After all, he had no family or friends, so who were they hurting? Here's the chance for their dreams to come true.

What they don't know may hurt them though, because the guy had double-crossed and taken the money from some very mean characters. Men to won't give up a chance for revenge and who won't stop looking for their money.

The book is tightly wound, with a plot that never stops hammering away a you. There were a few moments when I thought, "Man, I don't like this part." But then I realized that I'd been sucked in, and I was really screaming at this couple for being so stupid.

For me, that's the best. When an author can pull you so far into the story that you feel physically uncomfortable when bad things are happening. Not everybody can do it, but Marcus shows again that he's adept at making you empathize with his characters.

Like I said earlier; if you haven't already, start reading Sakey's books. He's clearly going to be around for a long time, but it never hurts to get on the wagon now.

I might even be able to find someone who'll sell you a copy.

Lookin' for a good read?

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik is the February selection for book club. I admit, probably a read that women will enjoy more so than men, but certainly a great book to pick up. It's a wonderfully told feel good story that details the lives of 5 women who form a book club. The adventures the women share and the paths their lives follow are chronicled over the span of about 30 years in the book. The characters are magnificently written and their personalities perfectly developed. You come to care for all of them with their strengths, their faults and the ups and downs they go through together--joys of births, celebrations of family, abusive and failed marriages, children growing up, going to college and coming out. The love these women have for each other all begins with a snowball fight and the discussion of a book. It's a fast read (it took me 2 days) that you won't be sorry you picked up.

Having read a book detailing the "life" of a book club, caused me to reflect on the nearly 2 years that our book club has been around....It started with about 6 of us from my church. Our group has expanded to include folks from other churches, neighbors and fellow teachers. Depending on the month any where from 6 to 12 of us gather to share take-out food, good discussion and usually great desert.

As far as books go, we've travelled the gamut. There have been girly books

My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid

Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

books with deeper meanings

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

and books that were just plain good

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

We've explored historical fiction

The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

alternate histories

The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth

and different spins on biblical lore

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

The group has journeyed into the world of science fiction

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

dabbled in non-fiction

Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Recently we've even read books and been fortunate enough to have the authors themselves visit us on the night of the discussion

Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath


Philosophy Made Simple by Robert Hellenga

The gatherings typically take place on the 3rd Friday of the month at a local eating establishment or at the home or on one occasion at the business of one of the members. It's become a way for me to make time for myself and read a book that has nothing to do with therapy, raising children or teaching yoga. Our meetings have become a time for me to look forward to good food and good company of grown-ups. Join a book club if you can, I HIGHLY recommend it. What good books have you read lately? Share your favorites or make suggestions for our book club--we're always looking for the next book!

Coming June 2008...

I'm so excited I can't stand up.

A Wild and Crazy Guy...

I just finished Steve Martin's latest book "Born Standing Up". It's a very interesting look at his life, focusing on his stand up comedy. The book opens with a look at Steve's childhood, but due to his mostly strained relationship with his father, the book moves quickly on to his first early performing gigs.

Martin started out working and performing small magic acts at Disneyland. The book explores his moves to Knox Berry Farm, college, and ultimately, life as a struggling comedian.

The book comes to life with Martin's original voice that makes you feel like you're with him every step of the way. I've always been a big Steve Martin fan, but I never realized that he dealt with severe anxiety attacks; or that standup comedy become almost scientific to him.

The book chronicles his journey from opening to "crowds" of less than a hundred people at the Boarding House in San Francisco, to filling arenas that seated 20,000 people in the early '80s. It also finally explains, to us and to Steve, why he walked away from standup at the height of his popularity.

If you're a Steve Martin fan, it's a must-read.

Book review for a movie with the same title

"I am Legend" by Richard Matheson. I read this book the week before the movie opened (Dec. 14, 2007) because I wanted to be able to appreciate the book without any influence from the movie. Originally published in 1954, "I am Legend" takes place in the futuristic year of 1976. Despite this, the story holds up in today's world.

The story is about Robert Neville, a plant worker, who finds himself the last survivor of a plague that has turned the rest of the world into vampires. From the opening scene, we see how Robert spends his days; making stakes, hunting vampires as they sleep (with said stakes), restocking his supplies (from the now empty stores around his California town), and reinforcing his home.

At night, he stays locked in his house, battling the demons in his own mind; his drinking (it helps take his mind off the vampires that surround his house each night), the fact that his daughter was killed by the virus that mutated everyone else, and that he was forced to kill his wife when she was changed by the virus.

Robert struggles to do research, searching for clues to ways to either kill or cure the infected. Typical vampire mythos serve him well. Garlic around the windows, crucifixes (or Torahs for jewish vampires, the Koran for muslims, etc.), holy water, wooden stakes, and sunlight. But he wants to know why certain things work better than others. He comes to the realization that vampirism was able to take over civilization because people don't believe. After all, how do you fight a foe that you don't believe in.

It's a great story that brings to life the complete lonliness and isolation that Robert Neville feels. His only companions are his thoughts and the ever-present vampires. At turns heartbreaking and terrifying, "I am Legend" is one of the best novellas I ever read.



On Saturday, Jen and I were able to wrangle a babysitter for Peanut and head to the movies. It was kind of slim pickings at the theatre, but I was surprised when Jen suggested we should go see "I am Legend". I'd been wanting to see it, but it wasn't really her kind of movie. Much to our surprise, we both really liked it.

It was pretty intense at times, even though I knew the most of what was coming. They did "hollywood" it up a bit, but not in a bad way. The movie maintained the main themes of of the novella, showing us a Robert Neville obsessed with his loneliness, heartbroken at the loss of his family, and desperate to find a way to save himself and humanity.

Will Smith did such a good job bringing Matheson's character to life, it was hard to imagine that he used to be the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Watching the hope and anguish in his performance made the movie seem all the more real. That, and the fact that the ghouls in the movie are infected with a rabies type disease and aren't true vampires.

I know it's almost gone from theatres, but I'd recommend seeing it if you haven't already. Or find someone who has a bootleg copy if you can't make it to the theatres. (the authors of this blog do not condone bootlegging of any type. Unless someone's got an early cut of "Dark Knight".

While you're shopping...

Marcus Sakey's book "The Blade Itself" is out in paperback. Not necessarily a holiday story, but it is a must-read.


Also, pick up any of these fine titles for the thriller lover in your family.

This is completely ridiculous

About a month ago, on NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", director/occasional actor Kevin Smith was on their "Not My Job" segment. During the segment, he discussed the podcast the he airs with his producer/friend Scott Mosier.

Since then, I've gotten caught up on every episode of SModcast. Jen would say that it's come at a price, since I've seemingly immersed myself in all things Kevin Smith.

For example:

Two weeks ago, I rented both "Clerks" and "Clerks 2". It'd been close to ten years since I'd seen "Clerks" and back then, it was one of my favorite movies. Nearly ten years of customer service later and the flick still holds up. I then dug right in to "Clerks 2" and thought it was even better. I could identify with "2" a little more, since I've been waiting on people for roughly half my life, and still find myself at the beck and call of people who sometime irritate me. However, unlike Dante and Randall, I love my job. I was almost sad to see "Clerks 2" end, and have had this on the brain since seeing it. (spoiler alert! If you haven't seen this movie, stop watching at the 2:40 mark)



Then, for my flight to and from L.A., I rented "Dogma" (one of my favorite films. Matt Damon telling Ben Afleck that he needs a nap still kills me), and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back". Sadly, the disc that came from the store was only disc 2 (exta material) so I didn't get to watch "JASBSB". Soon, soon.

Also, I'm reading Smith's "My Boring-Ass Life", a collection of his online diary that has been published in book form. Check it out here, or head to your local Waldenbooks or Borders to have a peek.

Jen, posting about this may have purged my system a little, but I can't make any promises.

Attention Marcus Sakey fans!!!

Check out this great post on "The Outfit" from friend of this blog, Marcus Sakey. If you like thrillers, both the book and movie varieties, it's worth checking out.

Coming January 22, 2008...

I love my job. That's right, I'm one of those irritating folks that truly enjoys what they do. Sure, there a few bumps in the road now and then, but basically, selling books is the best job I've ever had. I've got a great group of people who work in my store, I get a nice discount, I get to travel a little, and I get to discuss books with people who, for the most part, truly love to read.

But the coolest part of my job is occasionally getting to meet authors. J.A. Konrath, Sean Chercover, and Marcus Sakey to name a few. J.A. I've hung out with on several occasions, while I've only met Marcus and Sean once. But all of these guys are great people and have always been kind enough to reply to my emails for requests of book club appearances or in-store signings, or just to say "hey".

That being said, it was an incredible surprise to have Jen call me Monday night while I was at work, to tell me that Marcus had sent me an Advanced Reader's Copy of his new book, "At the City's Edge". I have to admit I was preoccupied with tallying the points of Jen's and my fantasy football team (you're goin down, mrs.) on Monday night, so I didn't get to start reading it until Tuesday afternoon.



Well, I finished it this evening. Man, what a read. Incredibly well written, with suspense that piles on until the final pages, "At the City's Edge" is going to be a must read this winter. It's an explosive thiller that had me, at turns, crying and sitting on the edge of my seat. You know how, when you get really absorbed in a good book, and things are so intense that you find yourself peeking at the bottom of the page, or the next page, to get a sense of what's coming? That's how this book was for me.

Marcus creates characters that seem real and that we can identify with. Jason Palmer, the protagonist, is flawed and entirely human. An Iraq war vet, Jason has returned to Chicago, ready to lose himself to women and booze, only to find that the gang wars in his old neighborhood are worse than ever. His brother is murdered and now someone is hunting his nephew. Unsure of who to trust, Jason finds that he must shoulder responsibilty that he's not ready for, and try to keep his family safe at any cost.

While a work of fiction, "At the City's Edge" is also an interesting socio-economic study that portrays a lot of differences in how rich/poor neighborhoods are viewed; by those within them, and outside of them.

I know it's unfair to tease you with a "review" of a book that's not coming out for another four months, but like I said, my job has perks.

If you'd like a taste of what's to come, you can read the first chapter of "At the City's Edge", here.

We're baaaack...

I woke up Friday morning, went downstairs to let the dogs outside, where I saw our our 15 year old neighbor in his backyard. This is not that unusual (he lives there, after all), but he didn't look like he was ready for school. I asked him what was up and he told me that due to rising flood waters (check local listings), school had been cancelled. He then informed me that he was helping his parents get rid of the water that had seeped into their basement from the 3 1/2 inches of rain we had gotten the night before. After making sure there was nothing we could do to help, I went back inside and relayed the story to Jen. She promptly asked me if I had checked out basement. My reaction? "We have a sump pump. I'm sure we don't have water."

Famous last words...

When I went to the basement, sure enough, all the carpeting was soaked. Thankfully, there was no standing water, and nothing of dire importance was ruined, but it really put a crimp in my plans to spend a relaxing day finishing our book for book club that night. I spent the next seven hours cutting up the remnant carpeting in the basement, moving furniture out to the garage, using the shopvac, and moving fans around to help the drying process.

For one heart-stopping moment, we realized the our computer's CPU had been sitting on the floor under Jen's desk, and so had been exposed to the water. Luckily, when I carried the computer upstairs and plugged it in, everything worked. The only causualty was our DSL modem. Hence, the absence of posts on the blog, and the free reign that some people (mrs.) have had while playing our trivia. As you can clearly see, the new DSL modem showed up today, and we're up and running.

In addition to the excitement of my birthday and water in the basement, I was thrilled to have author (and friend of this blog) J.A. Konrath in my store on Saturday. We had a decent turnout for his book signing, selling quite a few copies and making it a good day. J.A. and I then met Jen and Peanut for dinner and beers, and we had a great time at Grotto's. (J.A., if you're reading this, thanks again for dinner and introducing me to Banana99. I think.) I can't stress this enough: if you get a chance to meet J.A. Konrath, take it. It'd be tough to find a nicer, funnier guy. And he's nearly famous, so he's got that going for him.

We wrapped the weekend up by having dinner with my mom and Maria on Sunday evening. It was great to see them and I know they had fun getting to see Peanut in action.

Well, that's it. Relaxation, panic, hard work, laughs, drinking, great food, and great company. What a weekend.

What a way to spend a weekend...

I know it's been several days without a post, but this book is the reason why. I went into work at 1:00 friday afternoon, to make sure my store was ready for the party we had to celebrate the midnight release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". Instead of closing at 9:00 p.m. like we usually do, we stayed open and our party got started at 9:30.

We had a huge crowd that enjoyed our magician, The Amazing Ryan, took part in a "name that spell" contest, and showed their Potter devotion in our costume contest.

Being a fan of the series, I was really looking forward to the release of this book. Unfortunately, between working until 2:30 Saturday morning, sleeping (a little), and working again on Saturday and Sunday, I read the book a bit slower than I would have liked. So, I'm paying the price today, since I was up until 3:30 this morning finishing the book.

With my potterific weekend firmly behind me, it's time to get back into a somewhat normal routine. Check back in a week or so, and I'll post a short review of the book. I don't want to do it yet, and get hollered at for possibly giving anything away. Not wanting to learn anything ahead of time myself, I've deliberately stayed off the interweb. No spoilers for/from me, thanks.

If you were one of the millions who purchased a copy, I hope your weekend was as good as mine.