Set sail for murder

Friday, April 30, 2010

I learned that I like the way Sebastian Barry writes. I am drawn to the Irish voice, the colloquial words, and the utter beauty of his original phrases. I kept wanting to write down the most beautiful words he used, he was writing in poetry, or lyrical terms. I did not know anything about the Irish civil war, and that seemed to me something too hard to bear, as any war is. I suppose our civil war was similar, neighbor against neighbor at times. Barry certainly did a good job interpreting the voices of the dead Irish and their own turmoils. I liked the reference to Fred Astaire, it reminded me of how much my own mother was drawn to his talents on screen. The protagonist, Rosanne thinks that Fred Astaire was a saint.


"On one of those days God created Fred Astaire. Saturday maybe, since that was the day for pictures. When you saw Fred you felt better about everything. He was a cure. He was bottled in the films and all around the earth from Castlebar to Cairo, he healed the halt and the blind. That's the gospel truth. St. Fred. Fred the Redeemer." Now isn't that a beautiful metaphor.
My Life in France My Life in France by Julia Child



My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a wonderful life Julia Child had, what a wonderful person she was in real life. I learned she had a wonderful husband who was behind her every move in writing and TV. This is a great book, full of wonderful stories of her marriage and career.



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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Blueberry Muffin Murder

Joanne Fluke's mysteries are just good fun. If you're looking for something light, but still enough of a story then try one of Joanne Flukes mysteries in the Hannah Swensen series. Minnesota is the setting, and in the Blueberry Muffin Murder we are starting off in the middle of winter carnival. I know, I read a lot of cold books this winter, and this is aother one, just to remind me how serious cold can really get a person down. If you want a good look at Minnesota winters, check out the video, New in Town with Renee Zellweger. It's great fun and I especially liked the friendly neighbor ladies doing scrapbooking. With that in mind try a Hannah Swenson mystery and see if you don't enjoy the fun. Enjoy the recipes, too.





Friday, April 16, 2010

Steig Larsson's Millennium series

I am hooked. I am reading the second book in the Millennium series about Lisbeth Salander and I can't put the book down. It's unusual for me to read this type of book, but the book's characters are believable and the background that the author adds about his characters only makes it more interesting. The main characters have unique personalities, someone you wouldn't meet everyday. The vulnerabily of Lisbeth makes her more interesting. That most people are not drawn to her, that they find her 'weird' makes her character more sad. She is a loner, and not interested in what other people think of her, but we learn that she does care when she undergoes plastic surgery. The interesting mix of police, journalists, and detectives has the book standing on edge. The author has convincingly drawn the tension between the three entities well. What is being kept from each other, while the reader is privy to all three points of view, helps to create the tension. When will the police find out the real story, and what will they do with it? The story is well plotted. All three of Steig Larsson's books will make excellent movies, as proven by the release of the first. The videoes of the movie trailers can be viewed on utube.