"The Godfather's Revenge" by Mark Winegardner

I am loving this new title, the second Mark Winegardner has written in the bold and bodacious style of Mario Puzo. Using characters we know from the book and the film, Winegardner also created several new ones, and in this second novel (following The Godfather Returns), he adds more life to each of these characters, old and new.

The last novel seemed almost too full of separate story lines: why Fredo turned on his brother and how someone in the Corleone organization plotted his betrayal; how the CIA set up "boot camps" for mob soldiers to learn how to bring down Castro's regime; and how Michael Corleone guaranteed a character named Jimmy Shea (read John Kennedy) a stint in the Oval Office. It was a great, interesting book, but now that many of the characters from it are dead, this new book is a slimmer, trimmer read. And much more gripping. We don't know what's going to happen here. Will Michael and his men find Nick Geraci before he can wreak havoc on the family? Will Tom Hagen survive a smear campaign that Geraci engineered? Will the women in the family ever find peace? (There are some great scenes with the women--don't miss those!)

Anyway, I'd recommend this books to fans of the original Godfather books and fans of the film. Fabulous stuff.

And, I updated my profile. Yes, I'm a mob movie fan. I can't even fit all of the movies I like in the space provided.

FYI, this site will also host my comments on the technological training we're undergoing here at the library. "Can You Tech It?" runs for the next two months and hopefully, I'll finish in time : ) So, fellow readers and staff, I'll include comments about a book and comments about techie stuff at the same time. Sound fair? It will get me more in practice...and make me update this site more!! By the way, I have more Dexter pictures : ) So watch this site!

"Heat" by Bill Buford

Have you felt the Heat yet? Check out this sizzling nonfiction title as soon as you can. More info soon. As for me, I'm busy being a foster mom to this cutey-pie, Dexter, the marvelous English setter...

Sorry!

It's been too long since I have written, but I have been reading up a storm! I recently finished all of the Miss Marple novels (excluding the short stories). More on those later--the best and the worst!

I'm also making my way through most of the "Hard Case Crime" series. Hard Case Crime is a new imprint of Dorchester publishing. They are re-releasing old pulp noir mystery titles, as well as some new ones. My favorites so far, in no particular order, are 361 by Donald Westlake, written in the 60s, and Straight Cut by Madison Smartt Bell (a recent publication). Both are excellent character studies, as well as hard-nosed, no-nonsense tales of nasty deeds and nastier people. Speaking of which, there are actually quite a few chuckles to be found in another recent entry in the series, Bust, by new-to-the-scene authors Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. Their femme fatale is quite a creation, who manages to get by on her looks and serendipity.

Finally, I'm currently reading Plunder of the Sun by David Dodge, another entry in the series, and Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Kabat-Zinn (oops, his first name is escaping me). It's a dive, not a dip, into mindfulness meditation. Wish me luck!!

Greetings and salutations

Welcome all readers. Hoping to share with you my thoughts on books I'm reading or have read. Since this is my first post, I'll keep it short. Photos and book comments to follow!