Reviews

"Court Yard Hounds" is an album of sturdy, listenable and sometimes delightful songs that arose out of frustration, or at least impatience: Dixie Chicks members (and sisters) Emily Robison and Martie Maguire wanted to record a new CD, but lead singer Natalie Maines didn't feel ready.

Having read all of Daniel Silva's "Gabriel Allon" books I decided to go back to his earlier works. The Mark of the Assassin is similar to his later stories in that it deals with intelligence agents and rogue/evil/shadowy individuals and organizations.

This is not a title that I would have just picked off the shelf to read. Instead, an acquaintence mentioned that it was Skinny Bitch that inspired her to begin eating in a more healthy way. The authors are two former models who live in Los Angeles.

I have enjoyed most of Anne Lamott’s work, especially the non-fiction. Imperfect Birds was not my favorite. The story centers around 17 year old, Rosie, her mother, Elizabeth and step-father, James. The entire book follows Rosie’s entanglement in drug use. I think parents who are dealing with this issue might find some help in the story, but for me, it was a slow read.

McCall Smith must be a rabid observer of the human condition. Once again he has written a book based on the day-to-day activities of a group of very different people, illustrating as he does so well that life is far from ordinary. This time his characters live in a London apartment building nicknamed Corduroy Mansions.

Sixteen year old science geek, Grace Kelly Cook has graduated from high school early and is off to college where she hopes to finally be able to have a social life away from her overprotective mother. With the help and support of her roommate Jentry, Grace Kelly or GK as Jentry calls her undergoes a "geek to chic" makeover and rushes the hippest sorority on campus, the Alphas.

Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas isn’t one of her best, but I still enjoyed it. I’m game for most books that take place in the early 1900’s, in the mountains of Colorado. Dallas knows that time and place well (Prayers For Sale). Whiter Than Snow is a story of love, tragedy, forgiveness, despair, and resilience.

There’s something romantic about the World War II era for me, so I’ve read many novels set in that period. This one is certainly romantic, and it has an unusual premise and a twist at the end that adds to the interest. Sydney was an excellent, but untrained swimmer when she began competing at age 18 in 1936. She was so good that she went with the U.S. team to the Olympics in Berlin.

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig(see the blog post from 5/14/10) is aptly described as a "gem".  Morrie Morgan, one of the main characters of both books,  is among my favorite literary characters.  Without revealing too many details of  The Whistling Season,  Morrie reappears a decade later in Butte, Montana where the sto