Cheshire Library

Linda Reads: Some Like It Hot by Susan Andersen

/ Linda / Leave a comment

New York Times, USAToday and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author Susan Andersen’s newest book, Some Like It Hot, is a heart- warming romance and the second title in her Razor Bay series.

Harper Summerville has taken over for her beloved late father as the investigator of needy non-profit organizations to see if they meet the guidelines of her family’s philanthropic foundation.  Like her father, she loves the vagabond lifestyle, but her mother wants her to settle somewhere permanent.  Her latest job leads her to Razor Bay, Washington where she works undercover at the local resort so she can evaluate the Cedar Village home for troubled boys.  She is an energetic, fun loving, and independent woman.  Even though Harper is uncharacteristically attracted to the town of Razor Bay, she has every intention of leaving as soon as her evaluation of Cedar Village is done.

Max Bradshaw recently returned to Razor Bay after serving as a Marine and works for the local sheriff’s office.  He’s a pretty reserved and quiet guy who is trying to overcome some demons from his childhood.  His emotional baggage from his childhood makes him the perfect volunteer at Cedar Village.  He’s determined to make a new, permanent life in Razor Bay.

There are sparks when Max and Harper first meet, but they are both determined not to give in to any attraction they have because they have entirely different goals in life.  But sometimes, the heart just doesn’t want to listen to the brain!  Their relationship bounces from highs to lows and bottoms out when Max finds out why Harper is really in Razor Bay.

This is a wonderful story, with relatable characters and sensual romance.  It blends family, friends and romance into an intriguing and believable story that takes place in a beautiful setting.

In Memorium, Ann C. Crispin 1950-2013

/ Susan O. / Leave a comment

Just barely a month ago, I was sitting on a panel next to writer Ann Crispin hashing out issues with the film, Star Trek: Into Darkness. I’d known she’d been battling cancer for some time, but I was surprised how well she seemed.  I guess she was very good at hiding it, for she passed away on September 6, 2013, just 3 days after posting to her fans that she was not doing well after all. She was 63 years old.

Ann was a gifted science fiction and fantasy writer.  She wrote Star Wars novels, V novels, the StarBridge series, and created novels and backstory for Pirates of the Caribbean, but her Star Trek novels, Yesterday’s Son, and later, Sarek, are often regarded as among the best Star Trek novels ever written; they are certainly in my top ten, and I’ve read hundreds. Ann knew and truly loved her material, and it showed in her clever and conscientious works.  Earlier this year, she was named the 2013 Grandmaster by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

A native of Connecticut, Ann served as Regional Director and later Vice-President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She cofounded Writer Beware, a subgroup of the SFWA, to help writers avoid the myriad con artists and scams aimed at them, and prosecute the people running them. At her workshops she would drill into her students, “Money flows to the writer, never away. If someone is asking you for money up front to publish your work, run. It is a scam.”

Ann was a frequent guest at science-fiction conventions, often running workshops for writers, one of which I attended perhaps 15 years ago. Ann was a tough teacher and a tough editor, which was not unreasonable. Like Hollywood, the writing industry is a tough business, and it’s best to get the stars out of your eyes at the start. While I felt gifted for not getting her “You need to go back and take a class in basic grammar and sentence structure” speech, my hands shook for the next year with every word I put to paper. She helped greatly, but at the time it felt like getting pushed off a cliff.

Ann’s books will survive, but they are a shadow to such a brilliant and talented writer.   

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Love the Warriors series? Try some of these books…

/ Sharon Tyler / 3 Comments

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Time Cat

Are you, or your child, a big fan of Erin Hunter’s Warriors series? There are many fans out there, which sometimes makes waiting for the next book pretty hard. So, while you are waiting for the next release, you might want take a look at some books that I think you might like because of your love of these warrior cat tales.

Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander is a classic in adventure fiction. In this tale Jason and his magic cat Gareth travel through time to visit countries all over the world during different periods of history.

Whittington by Alan Armstrong is about a feline descendant of Dick Whittington’s famous cat from English folklore. He appears at a rundown barnyard plagued by rats and restores harmony while telling his ancestor’s story.

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The Tygrine Cat

The Tygrine Cat by Inbali Iserles follow Mati, a cat who is lost and alone. He seeks acceptance from a pack of feral cats at Cressida Lock, but to defeat the assassin on his trail, Mati must unlock the secret of his identity and learn to harness an ancient and deadly feline power.

Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey takes place in an alternate London in the year 1910. A penniless young dancer is visited by a cat who communicates with her mind to mind. Though she is certain she must be going mad, she is desperate enough to follow the cat’s advice to impersonate a famous Russian ballerina.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett is about a talking cat, intelligent rats, and a strange boy that cooperate in a Pied Piper style scheme until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by a deadly evil rat king.

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Highway Cats

Highway Cats by Janet Taylor Lisle is the story about a group of mangy highway cats that is changed forever after the mysterious arrival of three kittens.

If you prefer getting caught up in another series, rater than a stand alone book, you might also want to read Redwall by Brian Jacques, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, Lion Boy by Zizou Corder, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky, or Catwings by Ursula Le Guin.

As usual, there is no way to list all of the appropriate books here, I am sure I have left someone’s favorite out. If you have another recommendation of favorite that I missed, please mention it in a comment so other Warrior fans can read it too!

On Our Shelves: New Paperbacks

/ Linda / Leave a comment

New paperbacks to suit a variety of tastes.

Big Sky Wedding (Parable, Montana) by Linda Lael Miller – Wedding bells are ringing in Parable, Montana, but Brylee Parrish hasn’t enjoyed the sound since being jilted at the altar by Hutch Carmody. She’s over Hutch now, and running a multimillion-dollar business is challenging enough for this country gal. So she should avoid falling head over boot heels for A-list actor Zane Sutton.

Gentle On My Mind (Caribou Crossings Series) by Susan Fox – Brooke Kincaid knows second chances don’t come cheap. She’s spent five years repairing past mistakes and making her life in Caribou Crossing steady and predictable. But now a stranger’s Harley has shattered her fence and her peace of mind in one swoop.

Against The Mark (The Against Series) by Kat Martin – A young woman’s quest to find the murderer of her estranged father and the private investigator who helps her.

Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi – Buttoned-up book lover DJ is all sensible shoes, drab skirts and studious glasses. After an ill-advised spring-break-fueled fling left her mortified, she’s committed to her prim and proper look. When she’s hired by a rural library in middle-of-nowhere Kansas, she finally has the lifestyle to match—and she can’t wait to get her admin on.

The Hero (A Thunder Point Novel) by Robyn Carr – In a moment of desperation, Devon McAllister took her daughter and fled a place where they should have been safe and secure. She has no idea what is around the next bend, but she is pretty certain it can’t be worse than what they’ve left behind. Her plan is to escape to somewhere she can be invisible. Instead, an unexpected offer of assistance leads her to Thunder Point, a tiny Oregon town with a willingness to help someone in need.

For The Love of Magic (Spellbound Falls Series) by Janet Chapman – After forty years of marriage, Rana Oceanus has done the unthinkable and run away from her mighty, magical husband. Not that she ran very far, having purchased a house in Spellbound Falls right on the shore of the Bottomless Sea, where she intends to prepare for the scariest battle of her life. The only flaw in her plan, however, is that she is still very much in love with Titus…

The Knight’s Temptress by Amanda Scott – Sir Ian Colquhoun has never feared danger. So when Lady Lachina MacFarlan is captured by a ruthless enemy, mounting a daring rescue seems only natural for the courageous knight.

Realm of Shadows (The Alliance Vampires) by Heather Graham – Tara Mason wants more than tourist sights out of her trip to the city of dreams, something strange and off the beaten path. But is it her own curiosity that draws her to an ancient cemetery on the outskirts of Paris? Or is she lured by a dark, immortal force she is powerless to resist?

 Clammed Up (A Maine Clambake Mystery) by Barbara Ross – Summer has come to Busman’s Harbor, Maine, and tourists are lining up for a taste of authentic New England seafood, courtesy of the Snowden Family Clambake Company. But there’s something sinister on the boil this season.

Love Inspired selections:  The Boss’s Bride by Brenda Minton, The Doctor’s Family Reunion by Mindy Obesnhaus, A Father’s Promise by Carolyne Aarsen.

Jenn Reads: Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe

/ Jenn / Leave a comment

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Wow! This is an oldie!” And yes, I suppose

Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

at this point, Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg could be considered a modern classic. This was a July pick for the girlfriend’s book club I run outside of the library.

Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe tells the joint stories of Mrs. Threadgood and Evelyn in the 1980’s and Idgie and her friend Ruth starting in the 1920’s. There is a good deal of time jumping in this book, so pay close attention to who is telling what, when.

Evelyn is a middle-aged housewife who raised two grown children and waits on her working husband hand and foot. Every Sunday they take a visit to the nursing home to visit her husband’s mother. One Sunday she is sitting eating a candy bar (a common occurrence in this book) and an elderly lady sits down and starts talking to her. Mrs. Threadgood, a former resident of Whistle Stop, Alabama, tells Evelyn the story of her family and friends.

Idgie and Ruth open a diner called Fried Green Tomatoes, the only restaurant in the entire train town (population is less than 250) and are the care-takers of the homeless, the refugees, the workers, the despondent, and the African-American population. The “n” word does appear a lot in this book, just as a warning, but it is important to remember the time and place this storyline is set in. Ruth and Idgie are women ahead of their time, colorblind, independent, and accepting.

There are too many stories for me to list here, but you can expect murders, spousal abuse, racial issues, sexuality issues, the KKK, and much more. There were a couple of things that stood out to me however. First, it is never too late to change your life. Evelyn is deeply unhappy with her current state- she is unfulfilled in every aspect of her life. Through Mrs. Threadgood’s stories, companionship, and friendship, Evelyn learns she is not just a housewife, she’s a woman.

Second, the power of friendship. If you want to believe that Ruth and Idgie are just good friends (which they are not), you can see how important it is to have someone to have your back, stand up for you, support you, and be there when the going gets rough. Oftentimes family disappoints and abandons you, and friends become family.

If you read my posts, you know I listen to many books on audio. This book I actually read! I enjoyed it and thought it was an appropriate book not only for the time of year, but for our book club as well. Books that celebrate friendship and women are perfect picks for book clubs made up of girlfriends! I recommend reading this book and then watching the movie, which is pretty close to the book.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

See you in the stacks,

Jenn 🙂