tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76997112438116359642024-03-13T03:52:43.868-04:00Curiosities: Curious Book NewsA journal of book shop news, book reviews, and other curiositiesCurious Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13637566400058321974noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-24627036370700934192016-12-04T07:12:00.000-05:002016-12-04T07:12:02.427-05:00Ray's Reviews: The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“The Wrong Side of Goodbye” by bestselling author Michael Connelly</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">(Little, Brown, $29) is the latest in his exceptionally popular series</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">starring Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The former LAPD Homicide Detective and cold case specialist has left the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">department after 30 years. Now he’s working part time as a private</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">detective.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> He doesn’t have an office - soon he’s contacted by Whitney Vance, a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">reclusive billionaire.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Summoned to Vance’s huge mansion, Bosch agrees to investigate whether the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">industrialist had any heirs, which requires a lot of painstaking</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">research.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> When he was just 18, Vance had an affair with a Mexican girl, who became</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">pregnant and then disappeared. Bosch follows many leads, following a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">trail with a link to the War in Viet-Nam, bringing back painful memories.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Bosch attempts to track down the truth, utilizing a wide variety of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">resources to find pertinent information.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Other corporate executives may have a lot to lose – and Bosch is wary of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">possible of intervention as he uncovers long hidden family secrets.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> But Bosch has other problems – he’s also working part-time as an unpaid</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">reserve officer in the small San Fernando CA police department.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> One of the cases he’s dealing with involves a serial rapist, known as</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“the Screen Cutter” because of his method of gaining access to his</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">victim’s dwellings.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> During his investigation, Bosch and members of his department make some</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">unnerving discoveries, leading to distinctively deadly situations.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “The Lincoln Lawyer”, Bosch’s half-brother Mickey Haller, plays an</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">important role as the tension mounts. The author expertly examines the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">challenges facing small police departments, including budget cuts,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">internal friction and inexperience.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This is an excellent police procedural crime novel, one of Connelly’s</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">best; it’s full of well-developed characters, taut situations and vivid</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">descriptions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Readers who’ve been to the Los Angeles area are likely to appreciate</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">details relating to the freeways, traffic and assorted restaurants.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> While it helps to be familiar with the characters through Connelly’s</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">earlier novels, this also works well as a stand-alone entry.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> His main character has appeared for two years on “Bosch”, the Amazon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Prime television series, although aspects of the character’s past are</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">somewhat altered.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This is a highly entertaining tale that’s easily one of the top crime</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novels of the year.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on December 4, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-34464415760773519262016-11-20T07:13:00.000-05:002016-12-02T07:13:53.054-05:00Ray's Reviews: CATS! <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> If you’re a cat lover and need something to lift your spirits, here’s a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">quick look at a pair of books you might have missed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> While one is brightly illustrated and the other is full of photos, each</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">is likely to leave you smiling.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Cat vs. Human Fairy Tails” by Yasmine Surovec (Andrews McMeel, $14.95)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">is a cute paperback collection of fairy tales drawn in a very simplistic,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">cartoonish style.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Each story is briefly showcased, using great images of one to four panels</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">per page, creatively combining vivid colors and word balloons.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Surovec, who has a large web following with her blog, adroitly retells</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">ten favorite fairy tales, featuring furry felines as main characters or</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">having them playing pivotal parts in the plot.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Rapunzel” alters the storyline a bit, with the bored and lonely heroine</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">lowering her long, braided hair only to find it full of kitties when she</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">beings it back up.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Later, she gets a major surprise when a prince appears, looking for his</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">beloved cats. Of course, there’s a purr-fect happy ending, but that’s the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">way it should be.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Other tales include “Goldilocks”, with a kitten who prefers an empty box</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">over any bed choices, “Sleeping Beauty”, with unexpected results, and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“Jack and the Beanstalk”, a pretty seedy story.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Surovec has written/illustrated numerous highly entertaining books for</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">feline fans, including “Cat vs. Humans”, “Poems About Cats”, “My Pet</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Human” and “I See Kitty”.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Men with Cats” by New York photographer David Williams (Quirk Books,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">$12.95) is subtitled “Intimate Portraits of Feline Friendship.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It offers over 140 pages of sharp color photographs living up to the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">title, usually with one page devoted to the image and an opposing one</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">with a brief explanation of their human/feline relationship.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Sometimes the people discuss how they acquired their cats; others talk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">about their cat’s behavior or different attitudes and affections.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Many of the cats are photographed on laps or beds, a few are on top of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">shoulders or furniture.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Cats are everywhere, in many different colors and types - inside,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">outside, near fireplaces and outdoors.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The exceptionally talented photographer began his efforts on this book in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">2009; he’d be smart to work on a companion volume: “Women with Cats.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed books</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">regularly since 1987. He has two cats, Parker and Callie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on November 20, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-79229699773896236062016-07-24T04:00:00.000-04:002016-07-24T04:00:14.532-04:00Ray's Reviews: A Most Curious Murder by Michigan Author Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “A Most Curious Murder” by Mancelona MI author Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">(Crooked Lane, $25.99) is a bizarre cozy mystery overflowing with odd, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">quirky characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s one of those books aimed at a very specific audience that’s likely </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">to disappoint many other readers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> This is a debut novel in a new "Little Library Mystery" series that’s set </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">in the small town of Bear Lake MI.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It stars Jenny Weston, who’s frustrated after a nasty divorce; she’s </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">moved back from Chicago to recover. She’s recuperating at the house she </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">grew up in, staying with her mother Dora.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> All sorts of things seem to go wrong after Jenny arrives – earlier, her </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">mother’s beloved little lending library was destroyed outside their home </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">- the books were ruined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Jenny meets a strange new neighbor, Zoe Zola, her mother’s friend, an </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">outspoken “little person” worried about the situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Zoe is a successful writer working on a book about Lewis Carroll and his </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">most famous creation, "Alice in Wonderland”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Jenny and Zoe decide to do their own investigating – they suspect the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">culprit is Adam Cane, a cranky, reclusive neighbor from a wealthy family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Their work becomes considerably more challenging when Adam is discovered </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">murdered in Zoe’s fairy garden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> The town’s police chief, who went to school with Jenny, believes Zoe did it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Jenny is joined by Tony, a handsome carpenter who’s an ex-cop; more </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">investigation turns up few clues and another dead body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Zoe’s held for questioning, a lawyer gets involved and other </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">complications muddle the case.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Jenny’s womanizing, alcoholic ex-boyfriend, who’s got many personal </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">problems, is also a suspect; Jenny doesn’t have fond memories of their </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">abrupt earlier break-up years earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> While the book is entertaining at times, Zoe’s dialogue is very confusing </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">– even if you’re an “Alice” fan. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">There’s a touch of romance, but lots of </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">anxiety and little humor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Most characters aren’t particularly likable – after a while, I just </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">didn’t really care who destroyed the lending library or committed the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">murders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> After a few hundred pages, I started peeking to see how much more I </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">still had to read – never a good sign.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Buzzelli has written eight other novels, including three using the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">pseudonym of Elizabeth Lee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> <i>Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987. One of his favorite books</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">is Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on July 24, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-60911971390090931232016-07-10T05:00:00.000-04:002016-07-10T05:00:20.407-04:00Ray's Reviews: Devil's Grace by Local Author Karen Dean Benson<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Devil’s Grace” by Bath author Karen Dean Benson (Satin Romance, $15.95) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">is a compelling historical romance that’s subtitled “Renn Arelia’s </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Story.” Benson is a member of East Lansing’s MSUCC Creative Writing</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Group.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s an intriguing debut novel, the first in her “Ladies of Mischief” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">series, set in the late 1700’s in England and Spain.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The well-designed 290-page trade paperback showcases eighteen-year-old, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">beautiful Renn Arelia Sheridan, who’s orphaned when her parents </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">tragically drown in a carriage accident.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> She enjoys teaching young children, but her new guardians, a duke and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">duchess, have other ideas. They tell her that her parents, who ran </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">prosperous horse-breeding stables, left her nothing.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The pair have searched Renn’s room and the entire manor, looking for a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">valuable emerald locket. They put the location up for sale and dismiss </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the staff, forcing Renn to go with them to the ancestral Chippenham </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">estate in London.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> They have other devious plans for her, including an arranged marriage to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">a wealthy, obnoxious French Marquis.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> When strong-willed Renn rebuffs the betrothal, she gets into real </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">trouble; she quickly makes her escape into the dark night.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> She’s almost run over by a carriage and is picked up by handsome </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Sebastian Navarre, Spanish Captain of “The Wind Devil”.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Renn is soon aboard his ship, wanting to dropped-off at Gravesend, where </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">she plans to teach in an orphanage.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> An unexpected romance occurs, the intrigue never stops and the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">swiftly-paced book soon becomes impossible to put down.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Benson’s terrific tale is full of well-developed characters, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">carefully-researched locales and settings, believable dialogue, dangerous </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">threats and a brooding air of tension.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Her second volume in the series “Mission Song - Chenoa’s Story” (Satin </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Romance, $16.95) is a stand-alone novel that’s set in the 1830’s.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It follows the journey of a young woman who escapes the suffocating </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">restrictions of a Boston convent, returning to Carmel, Alta California, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">where she was born.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> As in Benson’s first book, there are many family secrets, unusual </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">relationships, thwarted romance and violence; a nasty, vengeful character </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">with evil intentions must be stopped.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Mulberry Bend – Aisling’s Story”, the third entry in the series, set in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the 1860’s, has numerous surprises as well; it’s scheduled for release </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">later this summer.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> More information is available at </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.karendeanbenson.com&source=gmail&ust=1467997023897000&usg=AFQjCNEwI2loB8PxnWWsODJGp8w3Gs1pYg" href="http://www.karendeanbenson.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">www.karendeanbenson.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> <i>Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, </i></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">has reviewed books </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">by Michigan authors and crime novels regularly since 1987.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on July 10, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-39141272688512968642016-07-03T05:00:00.000-04:002016-07-03T05:00:14.769-04:00Ray's Reviews: Double Tap by Peter McGarvey<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">If you’re looking for bizarre, adrenaline-charged entertainment, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“Double Tap”, by Canadian author Peter McGarvey (Cliff House Publishing, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">$14.95) should certainly be on your reading list.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It is likely to have specialized appeal however, as the entertaining </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">crime novel has many deadly scenes of violence and sexual overtones.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">More than half of the characters end up as corpses in a variety of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">often-gruesome murder scenes – untraceable to the main characters Rip </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Hunter and his sidekick Wilma.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Operating as expensive contract killers out of Detroit, the deadly duo </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">are quite successful, relying exclusively on recommendations from their </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">many satisfied customers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">This well-researched trade paperback is laced with dark humor, focusing </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">on the incredible and sometimes improbable lengths the psychopaths will </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">go to get information.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Against his better judgment, Rip takes on an unusual assignment – track </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">down the killers of a prominent Senator for the Senator’s daughter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It’s odd because he already knows the answer – Rip and Wilma did the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">unsolved crime three years earlier; they have to dig much deeper to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">discover the source of the money given to the person who hired them.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Their crime-laden journey gets them into many hectic confrontations, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">including deadly action with mobsters, renegade bikers, crooked cops, a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">nasty prison guard, a satanic cult, sadistic reclusive billionaires, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">hungry alligators and much, much more.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Intriguing characters abound, including a clever therapist, power-driven </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">inmates, assorted geniuses, other successful hitmen and a pretty </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">drug-smuggler.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The action doesn’t take place only in Detroit; the blood-spattered tale </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">begins in Switzerland and moves around the country with conflict in a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Michigan prison, a whiteout snowstorm in Buffalo NY and a Class Four </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">hurricane in Charleston SC.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Just when you think “What else can possibly go wrong?” something does – </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">their use of a truth serum and a drone gets unexpected, often surprising </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">results.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">While the characters names are occasionally annoying, the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">carefully-concocted, convoluted plot has an ending that’s impossible to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">predict.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">This is the second book in a series, following “Hair-Trigger”, where Rip </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">and Wilma break their own rules and get into lots of trouble.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">McGarvey is also the author of two books in the Molly Parsons series, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“Dark Sunset” and “Bloody Sunset” starring a Michigan small-town police </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">officer with a haunted past.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">More information is available at </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.petermcgarvey.com&source=gmail&ust=1467401937294000&usg=AFQjCNFFZgyf99JvGNBtCigasu8tIgK1-w" href="http://www.petermcgarvey.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">www.petermcgarvey.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
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<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on July 3, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-31233729595826743002016-06-26T18:09:00.003-04:002016-06-26T18:09:39.268-04:00Ray's Reviews: Joseph Heywood's Buckular Dystrophy<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Buckular Dystrophy” by Joseph Heywood (Lyons Press, $26.95) is the tenth </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">book in his popular Woods Cop series starring veteran Michigan game </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">warden Grady Service.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Set almost exclusively in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the entertaining </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">book is more of a series of vignettes loosely tied together by assorted </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">plot threads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It showcases hard-working Service with an unlikely partner, his crafty </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">archrival Limpy Allerdyce, who’s out of jail now and says he’s reformed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Taking place mostly in a two-month time period before and during 2009 </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Michigan deer hunting season, Heywood’s novel focuses on the craziness </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">that occurs each year at this time in the UP.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s a large wilderness area with numerous hunting camps, few big bucks, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">eager poachers, strange interlopers, clever hunters and an unusual </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">assortment of peculiar characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Service and Allerdyce get involved in many bizarre cases, tracking down </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">clues in the best police procedural manner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> They find hunters without licenses, illegal profiteers, deer heads </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">without tags, weird relationships, impressive mounts, illegal blinds and </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">much, much more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Heywood is, however, an acquired taste that may not be easy for all </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">mystery readers to enjoy. The dialogue is challenging at times as the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">author utilizes dialect to the extreme, twisting verbiage in a manner </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">that makes it difficult for the serious speed reader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It certainly may be realistic - and the way that many Yoopers talk, but </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">it doesn’t make it any easier for the unfamiliar reader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Those expecting clear closure to the assorted criminal incidents will </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">also have to be very patient – until the last page-and-a-half of the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">book - where the author provides an accounting of the cases and the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Service gets considerable assistance from other conservation officers, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">associates, judges and diligent federal law enforcement professionals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Dark humor and detailed realism abound; there’s still room for more </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Service and/or Allerdyce encounters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s best to follow the intriguing adventures of Grady Service by reading </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">the “Woods Cop” series in order, following the conservation officer’s </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">growth through triumph and tragedy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Dedicated Heywood fans may also enjoy two other books that feature </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">similar characters in excellent recent short story collections: “Hard </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ground” and “More Hard Ground.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> The 1965 MSU graduate’s website is: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://josephheywood.com&source=gmail&ust=1467064447482000&usg=AFQjCNG28MTQoBwU2eN5Yt6tkQwri0OrUw" href="http://josephheywood.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">josephheywood.com</a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">, although </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">ironically there’s only minimal mention of his latest book.</span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on June 26, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-66953631869784655022016-06-12T13:33:00.000-04:002016-06-26T18:09:52.440-04:00Ray's Reviews: Zigzag by Bill Pronzini<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Zigzag”, by award-winning veteran author Bill Pronzini (Forge Books, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">$24.95) is the latest in his popular series starring a main character </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">known only “The Nameless Detective.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> This isn’t your usual hard-boiled detective novel, instead it’s an </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">intriguing collection of two novellas and two short stories.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> “Zigzag” is a 120-page novella that starts out as a simple accident </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">investigation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It soon escalates into much more, especially when the semi-retired </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">private investigator discovers a pair of dead bodies and a dead dog </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">outside of an isolated cabin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> He does the smart thing and calls the cops, but finds that his challenges </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">are just beginning. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">He decides to look into the case a bit more, helping </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">out the wife of one of the victims.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Pronzini, who’s received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">of America, has a great reputation for deftly creating unexpected plot </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">twists – and this convoluted tale is no exception.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> “Grapplin”, which originally appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">focuses on a murder and a missing persons case – dating back to 1963 in </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">New Orleans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> The Nameless Detective, as usual, asks many questions, uncovering useful </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">information before getting satisfying results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> “Nightscape”, which also appeared in Ellery Queen’s, starts off with an </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">odd incident at a 24 Hour Diner. The main character and his partner are </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">trying to track down a deadbeat dad who owes more than $30,000 in child </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">support to his ex for their two kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Things get a little wild and there’s a brief flurry of violence as a </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">fight ensues - from a different source.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> The Nameless Detective offers insights: “Funny business, detective work. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Crazy business sometimes. Mostly it’s a lot of dull routine, with small </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">triumphs and as much frustration as satisfaction. But once in a great </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">while, something happens that not only makes it all worthwhile but defies </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">the laws of probability.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Pronzini makes it all believable, with strong characters, creative </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">storytelling and a great understanding of human emotions and behavior.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> “Revenant” is an exceptionally bizarre case, where the hero again gets </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">involved in a peculiar life-or-death situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> The author has written over 40 books in the Nameless Detective series </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">over the last four decades; it’s fun to watch the characters grow, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">priorities shift and lifestyle changes occur.</span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span></div>
</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on June 12, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-24771403171211350082016-05-04T12:48:00.000-04:002016-06-26T18:10:39.878-04:00Ray's Reviews: Extreme Pray by Sandford<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Extreme Prey” by John Sandford (Putnam, $29) is the latest in his </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">best-selling series starring Lucas Davenport, who used to work for the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDOJRYwVpSm6ZNhGeVr96QfNGKWMkMnC8b-5nPRQx726gU7KG9tKL67LXgM0wSXEiFZbL8Q-x9CQNt7D0BcWu741P283d_3TWMOojl4m0g6iIGEtfPeOcbhaA6JKa6UP7mMeWm86u0vjB/s1600/sandford+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDOJRYwVpSm6ZNhGeVr96QfNGKWMkMnC8b-5nPRQx726gU7KG9tKL67LXgM0wSXEiFZbL8Q-x9CQNt7D0BcWu741P283d_3TWMOojl4m0g6iIGEtfPeOcbhaA6JKa6UP7mMeWm86u0vjB/s320/sandford+cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> He’s left the organization and is fixing up his Wisconsin cabin when an </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">old friend, Minnesota governor Elmer Henderson, asks him for help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Henderson, who’s running for President, believes there’s a very real </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">threat by extremists to another candidate in his party, Michaela Bowden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> The campaign is now in Iowa; Davenport agrees to investigate and </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">discovers a wide variety of extremists and activists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Marlys Purdy, in her fifties, with white, curly hair, has many anger </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">issues dating back thirty years ago, when she and her husband lost their </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">480-acre farm and a $300,000 mortgage down payment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Her husband killed himself </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1859995367" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 12.8px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">two years later</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">; she’s very bitter, as is </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cole, one of her sons, who served in Iraq but came back with mental </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">problems after being injured in a bomb attack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> She’s a fringe member of a few radical political groups; Davenport </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">starts investigating but has very few leads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Working under significant time constraints, Davenport feels like he’s a </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">human ping-pong ball, bouncing around the state. He gets help from a </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">variety of Iowa police departments and state cops, desperately searching</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">for information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Davenport tries to get Bowden to cancel an appearance at the Iowa State </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Fair with little success – despite major additional security, he’s sure </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">that her life will be in danger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> The Purdy’s have their own clever plans – and murderous ways – the body </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">count raises as the cold-blooded killers proceed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Longtime Sandford fans won’t be disappointed in his latest Lucas </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Davenport novel, even if there are only minor appearances by family </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">members or Virgil Flowers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s full of well-developed characters, significant violence and </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">insightful views of contemporary politics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> This is an investigative procedural crime novel; the last third of the </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">book is so exceptionally fast-paced that the reader can’t turn the pages </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">quickly enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s a mesmerizing tale torn from today’s electoral headlines and really </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">should have a red-white-and-blue cover design.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> His last book, “Gathering Prey”, (Putnam. $9.99) mostly set in Michigan, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">is now out in paperback.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> For more information, visit his official website </span><a href="http://www.johnsandford.org/" rel="noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">www.johnsandford.org</a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">click on website directory.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime </i></span><i></i><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great Sandford titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on May 1, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-91386032222903353472016-04-24T12:53:00.000-04:002016-06-26T18:10:49.314-04:00Ray's Reviews: Book Cover Designs by Matthew Goodman<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Book Cover Designs” by Matthew Goodman (Schiffer, $34.99) is a thick, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">heavy, oversize paperback that’s full of gorgeous photographs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4pxep0FrSJJwFaiCoJosK6amsYJasePMf3pBrz3RM3XtttSUkpfTqBFprsj_RRcQkPLfzbRmMvLrtZoPVqw40S39azdGHldMZAHBvMkkeWVoHJFIOccTtUDLYtTgu2FsghUdolpFh3bF/s1600/book-cover-designs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4pxep0FrSJJwFaiCoJosK6amsYJasePMf3pBrz3RM3XtttSUkpfTqBFprsj_RRcQkPLfzbRmMvLrtZoPVqw40S39azdGHldMZAHBvMkkeWVoHJFIOccTtUDLYtTgu2FsghUdolpFh3bF/s320/book-cover-designs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> These striking images of colorful artwork used for hardback and paperback </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">book covers are fascinating and intriguing from the perspective of a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">reader, book collector or graphic designer.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> If you feel like you really want to judge a book by its cover – this is a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">great place to start. Many of the vivid, carefully crafted designs do </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">exactly what they are supposed to do – get your attention, whether now or </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">on the bookshelf when you’re browsing in a book store.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This well-researched volume includes artwork on a wide variety of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">subjects including fiction and non-fiction, although there’s relatively </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">little science fiction artwork.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There are more than 500 images from over 50 different designers, arranged </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">in groupings alphabetically – by the designer’s first names. This can be </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">a little frustrating to the average reader, who may be looking for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">artwork by a particular designer but might not remember their first name.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Each grouping includes an image of the designer and a very brief </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">description of their techniques or methodology.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> These one-page introductions to the designer are printed in very small </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">type using quite light ink, making it difficult to read – in stark </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">contrast to the bright colorful graphic cover designs. Book and photo </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">credits are in even smaller, lighter type!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Here’s a partial description of David High’s designer’s approach, which </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">is very similar to many others: “…My process is pretty much the same for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">every book. Read as much of the manuscript as is available and initially </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">do what I think is best for the book, using the ideas that come while </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">reading. Go over notes from client/editor/author and second-guess </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">everything. Do a “gazillion” alternatives. Rest. Look at everything fresh </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">and try to edit down. Procrastinate. Panic. Do some frantic-last minute- </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">down-to-the-wire solutions…”</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This is a book full of memorable and sometimes disturbing, knockout </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">graphics, offering a highly creative view of contemporary book design.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There are many bright images of books that you’re likely to have never </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">seen – by unfamiliar authors. There are also cover designs for writers </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">like Albert Camus or Jack Kerouac – designed to appeal to a new </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">generation of readers.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The author’s website is </span><a href="http://www.publishingdesigner.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">www.publishingdesigner.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed books </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">regularly since 1987.</span></i><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on April 24, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-54001057840121473522016-04-13T14:25:00.004-04:002016-04-13T14:25:43.153-04:00SALE ALERT!<div style="text-align: center;">
CLEARANCE SALE! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFz9yL4tFTPWuM-XwGEewuRxurpQOZeo1UNFTBMFZOMP-mdaGwvp3heUoNlmhJ7plRwDAcYhR4cK4t4Vzaf6N_kDf8J4WuPBizUXtEYmNiL-YMdZfqvZYDAm9VsSk9rKM7BSD3lATL1Pm/s1600/clearance1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFz9yL4tFTPWuM-XwGEewuRxurpQOZeo1UNFTBMFZOMP-mdaGwvp3heUoNlmhJ7plRwDAcYhR4cK4t4Vzaf6N_kDf8J4WuPBizUXtEYmNiL-YMdZfqvZYDAm9VsSk9rKM7BSD3lATL1Pm/s1600/clearance1.jpg" /></a></div>
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We're doing some spring cleaning, because we need the
space to shelve whopping amounts of new inventory. </div>
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We've got tons and
tons of great stuff that has to go in order to make room for other great
stuff.</div>
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<br /> As a result, for a limited time, almost EVERYTHING is
HALF-OFF!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Anything that isn't half-off is 20% off, which is still pretty
good.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHATeDDZ6kw9s4wm0SE1sOy6QVKVJCl8KUeq67m7UruAZghW4dx2EPp4xOVoJ7r6HVF-taJByvq_MsrRY6wjjh1gefq2BlZrPh4XbQas-P5wqgMwBfl_DfqNFUTvm1096IoIqnyxdb30D/s1600/12938364_10156863616450397_520678506272539163_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHATeDDZ6kw9s4wm0SE1sOy6QVKVJCl8KUeq67m7UruAZghW4dx2EPp4xOVoJ7r6HVF-taJByvq_MsrRY6wjjh1gefq2BlZrPh4XbQas-P5wqgMwBfl_DfqNFUTvm1096IoIqnyxdb30D/s320/12938364_10156863616450397_520678506272539163_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /> Stuff that's 20% off includes any new items (like new books
or Curious T-shirts), signed limited editions, stuff behind the counter,
pulp magazines and related items.</div>
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But, come on in for all the gory details.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFvvk0DHwDFSe0FVaybtnq2EIeYHmCZs1SL5TyW1Pqx5HA6tAxxpnb2yjlL3ixBLyfR3yPuVq2Mk3D9oiKh_nu4IfE9gasIQQxA2Tc6vgIVr3nXXDgZ0N7R6VElUZfrAcZGbKRJjrEc0_/s1600/clearance2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFvvk0DHwDFSe0FVaybtnq2EIeYHmCZs1SL5TyW1Pqx5HA6tAxxpnb2yjlL3ixBLyfR3yPuVq2Mk3D9oiKh_nu4IfE9gasIQQxA2Tc6vgIVr3nXXDgZ0N7R6VElUZfrAcZGbKRJjrEc0_/s1600/clearance2.jpg" /></a></div>
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It's hard to emphasize how good a sale this is. </div>
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We expect to run
it until . . . we've cleared enough shelf space for the new stuff. </div>
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So,
don't wait too long! </div>
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Our regular prices are good, but a clearance sale
is amazing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-84256713091771484062016-04-10T07:00:00.000-04:002016-04-10T07:00:01.332-04:00Ray's Reviews: Revisionary by Jim C. Hines, Libriomancer / Magic Ex Libris Book #4<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpTutyAjY47gMMvmKyBragSon6bAXpVMuTiLgaSDsbD36KrHTKsJvDfkcYVPP0MADCySZ88KC9Gvtawn4M7-BWsZEOBcFlOgkQ6fzh60WzdeMabppJT-Cj3m4UnJ2k4U4qrWeRHThqhQI/s1600/libriomancer+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpTutyAjY47gMMvmKyBragSon6bAXpVMuTiLgaSDsbD36KrHTKsJvDfkcYVPP0MADCySZ88KC9Gvtawn4M7-BWsZEOBcFlOgkQ6fzh60WzdeMabppJT-Cj3m4UnJ2k4U4qrWeRHThqhQI/s320/libriomancer+4.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Revisionary” by Holt author Jim C. Hines (DAW Books, $26) is the fourth </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">book is his exceptionally popular Magic Ex Libris urban fantasy series.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It again showcases Libriomancer Issac Vainio, his </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">not-exactly-a-girlfriend Lena, (who’s a dryad), Nidhi and his flame </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">spider Smudge.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Vainio is a different role now, having revealed Magic to the world – but </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">faces significantly more threatening challenges.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The action begins in Lansing in the first chapter, where the state’s </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Governor and Attorney General, both anti-Magic proponents, are killed - </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">by werewolves.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> But, before you get too far, it would definitely be a good idea to pick </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">up and read the first three books in the series “Libriomancer”, “Codex </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Born” and “Unbound” before starting this one.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It’ll allow you to follow the growth and exciting experiences of Vainio, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">who was initially a meek librarian in Copper River MI.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Vainio is a member of the Porters - a secret organization whose members </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">have the ability to reach into books and draw forth objects. There are </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">limitations size-wise and otherwise – but it’s a fascinating concept.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> As you may well imagine, one would have to be quite selective – using the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">wrong type of item could cause major chaos.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There have been few members of the group over the last five centuries for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">good reason – they don’t want their secret abilities to be known.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Vainio has changed all that – and the response from around the world has </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">been intense and varied.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Government groups want to put potential supernatural enemies in prisons </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">and internment camps – and other conspiracies abound.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Vanguard, an organization made up of magical creatures and ex-Porter </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">members, wants to create havoc by declaring war on the real world.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">action really speeds up in the last third of the book, as Hines reveals a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">devious plan that will have life-changing results.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Long-time fans of this excellent, entertaining series will be </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">disappointed that this is the last book in the series. Hines feels he’s </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">accomplished his goals and wants to move on to other creative challenges.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The magical adventures of Vainio, Lena, Nidhi and Smudge will still offer </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">fond, lingering memories for readers who’ve enjoyed one of the genre’s </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">best contemporary urban fantasy series.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The author’s official website is </span><a href="http://jimchines.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">jimchines.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> <i> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed</i></span></div>
</span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Michigan books, mysteries and science fiction novels regularly since</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">1987.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great Jim Hines titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
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<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on April 10, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-18710502209644367732016-03-20T14:13:00.000-04:002016-03-21T14:13:31.158-04:00Ray's Reviews: Poem Journey by Joyce Benvenuto<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Poem Journey” by Joyce Benvenuto (Thunder Bay Press, $17.95) is</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">subtitled “More Poems and Prose from along Old Grand River.”</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This is a sequel to her first book of poetry, “A Grand River: Poems for</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Michigan”, (Thunder Bay Press, $15.95) published in 2012.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> But it’s more than just a sequel, Benvenuto has added many more vintage</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">photographs as well as sections of carefully-crafted prose.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s a small, well-designed 110-page hardback, with an intriguing cover</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">design made of colorful street signs of areas along the flowing Old Grand</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">River waterway or the winding Grand River Avenue.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Both books are organized similarly, following strands of history</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">geographically from Detroit to Grand Haven - and chronologically, from</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">early ancestors to present times.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Benvenuto skillfully combines fact and fiction in her myth-making, noting</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">in her brief introduction “Reader be warned: I am a storyteller.”</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> She describes many fond memories of her childhood, teen years and more</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">spent along the bustling roadway or quiet riverside.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Benvenuto also writes smoothly about assorted experiences in her Michigan</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">travels in relevant areas, dealing with friendships and encounters made</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">during her explorations and journeys.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> One of the most fascinating sections is “Time”, involving a trip to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">nearby Portland, to see if she and a friend might be able to locate a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">long-and well-kept secret place – the burial site of Chief Okemos.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> They face many challenges, as the location is not highly publicized as a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">tourist attraction and is far off the beaten trail.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> She discloses her not easily-duplicated method of discovery and shows</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">proof – a photograph that shows a memorial marker: “Grave of Okemos,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">noted Chippewa Chief 1858 - Erected by the Daughters of the American</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Revolution – 1921.”</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Benvenuto offers enjoyable escapism, deftly using vivid imagery to make</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the past come alive with superb visualization.</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It is best to relax with both books, starting with the first, and savor</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the words slowly – preferably under warm bedcovers or near the light of a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">glowing fireplace.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The author is a Haslett resident and MSU graduate, having taught in the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Haslett Public Schools for 18 years and taught creative writing students</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed</i></span></div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Michigan books and crime novels regularly since 1987. He grew up in</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Northwest Detroit, about a mile from Grand River Avenue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Find these books and other great titles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on March 20, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-32568222061242272122016-03-14T11:02:00.000-04:002016-03-14T11:06:30.390-04:0063rd Michigan Antiquarian Book and Paper Show (Press Release)<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>PRESS RELEASE</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For Immediate Release – please list our event in any community </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>calendar or local events listing.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>63rd Michigan Antiquarian Book </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>and Paper Show</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sunday, April 3, 2016</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">9:30 am - 5pm</span></div>
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<b>Lansing Center</b></div>
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<b>333 E. Michigan Ave.</b></div>
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<b>Lansing, MI</b></div>
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Admission is $5.00, children 13 and</div>
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The Midwest's largest antiquarian book and paper show will be held Sunday, April 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, MI.</div>
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If it's on paper you're likely to find it at the 63th Michigan Antiquarian Book and Paper Show. Organized by the Mid-Michigan Antiquarian Book Dealers Association, this show has become a regular event for book and paper enthusiasts from across the country.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvNdUPVeVtiHJ5Ev-ooE5hiWOCt1IkCJWetEHYOqvJYunEBXp-0wK9ymtcUDcVASnT1JQCxI_w62ppZ6u27kj9AoUdAocDfDsoKqm-ssBeb5F1qcd2QAJPsATnANYDLpKwcvX7HU18Z5n/s1600/show+promo+-+aerial+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvNdUPVeVtiHJ5Ev-ooE5hiWOCt1IkCJWetEHYOqvJYunEBXp-0wK9ymtcUDcVASnT1JQCxI_w62ppZ6u27kj9AoUdAocDfDsoKqm-ssBeb5F1qcd2QAJPsATnANYDLpKwcvX7HU18Z5n/s320/show+promo+-+aerial+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dealers from across the United States offer vintage, antiquarian and collectible books, magazines and paper itemsof all kinds for sale. There is something for everyone including first editions, signed books, children's andillustrated books, regional histories, mysteries, cookbooks,movie posters, sports collectibles, postcards, photographs, maps and much more!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAx8VhEWqprxzbDlMaZRTscscp_pDzKjNvtpuPnPRTgBVe2pv9wVcwmPwluT9uZAhyphenhyphenPGnBgYvlfLP8iZilb_F4jCC3tR5OKnRio-j0NwnHBwWY6tEGQbaum__TAaAp8ZvcfW0lQYNiWEZ/s1600/IMG_2556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAx8VhEWqprxzbDlMaZRTscscp_pDzKjNvtpuPnPRTgBVe2pv9wVcwmPwluT9uZAhyphenhyphenPGnBgYvlfLP8iZilb_F4jCC3tR5OKnRio-j0NwnHBwWY6tEGQbaum__TAaAp8ZvcfW0lQYNiWEZ/s320/IMG_2556.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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For further information, please contact:</div>
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Ray Walsh at Curious Book Shop (517) 3320112</div>
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MMABDA (517) 3320123</div>
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www.curiousbooks.com</div>
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www.facebook.com/michiganbookshow/</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-61043237298363862862016-03-13T10:34:00.000-04:002016-03-21T14:09:26.369-04:00Ray's Reviews: Peninsulam Publishing Books by Michigan Writers<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> In the world of small press publishing, it can be tough to make your own</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">niche. Green Lake author Russell Slater is trying to be successful with</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Peninsulam Publishing, uniquely devoted to books by Michigan authors that</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">are set in Michigan.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Here’s a quick look at four recent books, with a wide variety of subjects.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Traveling Circus” by author/illustrator Ingar Rudholm is a well-designed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">166-page $14.95 trade paperback that’s aimed at young adults, although</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">it’s also likely to appeal to older readers.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The entertaining tale opens in Whitehall, introducing Flynn Parkes, a shy</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">14-year-old who’s being bullied in school. Trying to escape parental</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">problems, Flynn breaks away and rides his bike to an unusual traveling</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">circus.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> He’s kidnapped by the circus’ shifty ringmaster, who has devious plans.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">There are many intriguing characters, including a wise fortuneteller, a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">pair of strange clowns, a muscular strong man and a beautiful mermaid.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Flynn becomes a human cannonball, is almost eaten by lions and nearly</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">drowns – he’s desperately trying to escape. All the action takes place in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">just a few days; this is an unusual coming-of-age story with unexpected</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">results.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This fast-paced memorable tale deals with decision-making, confidence and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">belief in oneself – with a touch of magic thrown in for good measure.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Return to Strange Home” by Pater Wilmerink ($6.95) is a 60-page military</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">science fiction novella set in 2065, ten years after a madman released a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">cloud of deadly bioagents that decimated Western Michigan.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Space-traveling Captain Paul Wells returns to the planet and his home in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the quarantined area on the shores of Lake Michigan, only to find that</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">something alien has taken over his house.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Strange entities abound; he faces tough challenges as he struggles for</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">survival in a changed world.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “I’m a Michigander” by Slater ($12.99) features colorful illustrations by</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Jordan Richardson. It’s aimed at younger readers, showcasing a big-eyed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">young boy who promotes various aspects of the state, using rhymed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">couplets.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Eddy Elk and Mandy Moose” by Slater, illustrated by Laura Gordon,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">($6.99) is also designed for younger readers. It explores insights</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">offered the two large animals about the state's natural wonders, after</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">they’ve stepped out of the Michigan State Flag.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> These two books are great fun, ideal for local libraries or families with</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">small kids.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">More information can be found on their website: </span><a href="http://www.peninsulampublishing.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">www.peninsulampublishing.com</a><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Ray</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious book Shop, has reviewed crime</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Find these books and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on March 13, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-72959030564862752502016-03-06T10:39:00.000-05:002016-03-14T10:39:38.114-04:00Ray's Reviews: Kentucky Woman by Mike Brogan<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Kentucky Woman” by Michigan author Mike Brogan (Lighthouse, $15.99) is</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">another exciting thriller that’s almost impossible to put down.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> In this strange and snowy winter season, that’s not altogether bad – it’s</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">sometimes tough to find good mysteries that won’t lull you easily into</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">sleep.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Brogan’s latest fast-paced tale grabs you from the first page and propels</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">you through 80 short chapters – you’re liable not to get anything else</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">done!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Ellie Stuart is a young law student in Louisville KY, whose adoptive</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">parents were killed in a terrible boating accident. She’s trying to track</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">down her real parents and is having little luck.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> When a student with a similar name is attacked nearby and Ellie is almost</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">run over on her bicycle by a man in a van, she begins to worry that</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">someone may be after her.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> She meets Quinn Parker, an injured football player who’s also studying</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">law at the University of Louisville.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> He gets assigned by his professor to do a research project. He’s to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">interview the attorney in charge of the estate of Harlan Radford, a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">self-made Kentucky billionaire, who left no major heirs.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Quinn is going to visit an attorney in charge of the estate in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Manchester, near the area where Ellie grew up. She joins Quinn on a quick</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">trip there; they stop at the local court house to try to get more</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">information.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Meanwhile, there are other attempts on Ellie’s life; they think they’re</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">being followed as unusual incidents occur.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Ellie and Quinn make startling discoveries that lead them to believe that</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">she may indeed by the rightful heir of Radford’s fortune.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The body count quickly rises as the pair continue their investigation. A</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">nasty villain, who has a lot to lose, is frustrated when his attempts to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">kill Ellie are thwarted.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Brogan deftly raises the tension level to the boiling point with many</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">plot twists that are both surprising yet believable. He utilizes the best</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">elements of a police procedural novel while dealing with clever killers</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">and break-through DNA scientific discoveries.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The author, a former advertising executive who lives in suburban Detroit,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">has also written a number of other excellent suspense novels, including</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“Business to Die For”, “Dead Air” and “G-8”.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This gripping novel could be made into a great movie!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find these books and other great titles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on March 6, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-27102280807567734162016-02-14T10:38:00.000-05:002016-03-21T14:08:39.561-04:00Ray's Reviews: Seized by Elizabeth Heiter<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Seized” by University of Michigan graduate Elizabeth Heiter (Mira Books,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">$7.99) is a taut thriller that could be torn from tomorrow’s newspaper</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">headlines.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The third paperback in the acclaimed “Profiler” series again focuses on</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">biracial FBI profiler Evelyn Baine.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> She is sent out to Montana State Prison to interview a bomber</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">who’d blown up two black churches and a mosque.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Baine had been assigned there by her boss at the FBI’s Behavioral</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Analysis Unit as punishment for not following orders months earlier.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Getting ready to fly back, Baine is approached by Jen Martinez, from a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">different FBI Unit. Martinez suspects that a nearby survivalist cult is</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">planning terrorist activities but can’t get her superiors to respond.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Baine’s interest is piqued; she joins Martinez on a trip to “Butler’s</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Compound”, where she’s met by Ward Butler, the group’s forceful leader.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Soon Baine and the other agent are held captive; when the Hostage Rescue</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Unit arrives, the exceptionally stressful situation boils over.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Locked away at the compound, the two agents seek a way out – but there’s</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">little opportunity as danger abounds and the terrorist threat becomes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">reality.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The fast-paced novel gets considerably more complicated; significant</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">problems arise when carefully-orchestrated efforts don’t work exactly as</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">planned.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Baine doesn’t really get to use her special profiler talents much until</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the last third of the book, when she realizes that some of her earlier</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">observations were not based on all the facts.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The convoluted plot twists and turns in so many ways that the reader may</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">need to keep a scorecard to keep track of it all.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Fortunately, Heiter provides a bit of assistance with a detailed two-page</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">list of the FBI’s terms and acronyms.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This is a well-researched novel showcasing a flawed character who must</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">make quick decisions – sometimes with dire consequences.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There’s significantly less romance in this installment than the last</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">book, “Vanished”. Heiter began the series with “Hunted” and more books</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">are on the way.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The Profiler series could easily be turned into a dandy television</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">series. Heiter’s latest is a thought-provoking thriller by a rising star</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">in contemporary crime fiction.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The author has also written another series featuring the F.B.I., “The</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Lawmen” but they are romances showcasing different female main</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">characters.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Ray</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Find these books and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
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<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on February 14, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-91522658056112211622016-01-17T10:28:00.000-05:002016-01-17T10:28:03.068-05:00Ray's Reviews: KITTEN EDITION!<br />
If you’re feline friendly or just a cat-lover, here’s a quick look at a<br />
pair of recent releases that should definitely make you smile.<br />
One is jam-packed with striking color images; the other is a collection<br />
of insights by a well-known American underground poet and author.<br />
“Felines of New York” by Jim Tews (Simon & Shuster, $14.99) is an<br />
oversized 232-page paperback showcasing cats at home, work or play, with<br />
hardly a human in sight.<br />
Most photographs are full page, with an opposing page used for captions.<br />
All of the cats are identified by name and locale in New York City.<br />
The majority of images were taken inside, which is understandable – many<br />
pet owners contacted Tews after visiting his photo website.<br />
Tews is a successful stand-up comedian – this book is an unabashed<br />
take-off on the best-selling photo book “Humans of New York” by Brandon<br />
Stanton.<br />
Cats are shown perched on windowsills, in comfortable chairs, inside<br />
boxes, sitting in front of doorways or often on highly polished floors.<br />
Some are also depicted playing with toys, hiding, getting ready to pounce<br />
or just sauntering along. My favorite is “Tiny the Usurper” from Park<br />
Slope, taken inside a bookshop.<br />
Unfortunately, this book isn’t ideal for every cat-lover. Usage of<br />
unnecessary f-words in a few of the captions may cause straight-laced<br />
potential buyers to rightfully hesitate before buying this as a gift.<br />
“Charles Bukowski on Cats” edited by Abel Debritto (HarperCollins,<br />
$25.99) is a slim 120-page hardback that offers an entertaining mixture<br />
of poetry and prose.<br />
Bukowski (1920-1994) was a prolific off-beat writer who still is<br />
exceptionally popular, particularly on college campuses.<br />
These snippets and short pieces or poems about cats were taken from a<br />
variety of sources, including obscure magazines, books and numerous<br />
unpublished manuscripts accessed by Debritto.<br />
There are a few black-and-white photos of Bukowski with assorted cats; it<br />
also includes his only known drawing of a cat.<br />
Some poems and writings may seem a bit repetitious, but they are often<br />
just different views of a memorable incident. Strong imagery abounds –<br />
his love for cats shines through, without getting mushy.<br />
“Bukowki on Writing” edited by Debritto was the first in this series;<br />
“Bukowski on Love” is due out next month.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<img alt="Grumpy Cat on the Charles Bukowski quote -"No" | Grumpy Cat ..." class="detail__media__img-highres js-detail-img js-detail-img-high" src="https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-cache-ec0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F37%2Fbb%2F97%2F37bb975a453597fbdc3b7149c05a54a8.jpg&f=1" style="display: block; height: 280px; width: 373.333px;" /><br />
<i><br />
Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed books<br />
regularly since 1987. He has two cats, Parker and Callie.</i><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find these books and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
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<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on January 10, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-10067342417088165552016-01-10T02:00:00.000-05:002016-01-10T02:00:11.103-05:00Ray's Reviews: Grisham's Rogue Lawyer and The Crossing by Michael Connelly<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Two recent crime novels by exceptionally popular writers showcase</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">aggressive attorneys who often take cases that nobody else wants.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Rogue Lawyer” by bestselling author John Grisham (Doubleday, $28.95)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">introduces Sebastian Rudd, an atypical lawyer who’s working out of a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">beat-up, bullet-proof customized van since his office was firebombed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> He’s got one employee, Partner, who is his heavily armed driver/</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">bodyguard/law clerk/confidant and golf caddie.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This book is actually four intertwined novellas, dealing with a child</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">molester, a nasty crime lord and a man who fired at a SWAT team that</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">invaded the wrong house – his house.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There’s much more, including cage fighting, kidnapping and human</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">trafficking; Rudd’s ex-wife adds more problems as she squabbles over</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">visitation rights to their son.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Grisham’s latest colorful novel isn’t spectacular, but’s it’s still a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">fast-and-easy read for those who are looking for solid escapism</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There’s even the possibility of a sequel, with Grisham recounting</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">more unnerving situations facing the quick-thinking attorney and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">his desperate clients.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “The Crossing” by award-winning author Michael Connelly (Little, Brown,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">$28) involves a case that a sleazy Los Angeles defense lawyer is</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">handling.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Mickey Haller (“The Lincoln Lawyer”) is representing a reformed former</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">gang member who’s accused of viciously murdering a pretty woman, leaving</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">evidence at the scene.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Haller calls his half-brother Harry Bosch, a retired Los Angeles Police</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Department Homicide and Cold Case detective, asking for his help.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Bosch initially doesn’t want to work for Haller and feels that his</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">reputation would be compromised after working thirty years as a cop.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> He agrees to look into the facts of the case, examining files and making</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">notations. He slowly discovers holes in the prosecution’s presentation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">But if Haller’s client didn’t commit the crime, who did?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The private eye is hired to investigate further. Bosch calls in favors</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">from a variety of former associates, seeking the truth regardless of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">where the chips may fall.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Complications arise when Haller is arrested and jailed on a spurious</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">traffic offense. Bosch’s efforts lead him to believe that a major clue</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">has been overlooked – and that there is a cover-up from inside the LAPD.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Connelly is in fine form with a compelling tale of tense suspense; it’s a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">solid police procedural that also works well as a legal thriller.</span><br />
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<i><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books since 1987.</span></i></div>
</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find these books and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on January 10, 2016.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-1204139576078023522015-12-29T13:49:00.002-05:002015-12-29T13:49:50.289-05:00SERIOUS SALE NEWS<h1 style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<a data-cke-saved-href="http://curiousbooks.com/" href="http://curiousbooks.com/" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;" target="_blank"><img align="none" data-cke-saved-src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/32ed2f55d6d5113057a43db17/images/79b921b2-b8ec-44f0-bfa8-c7a3afcf1757.jpg" height="173" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/32ed2f55d6d5113057a43db17/images/79b921b2-b8ec-44f0-bfa8-c7a3afcf1757.jpg" style="cursor: default; height: 173px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.9; width: 252px;" width="252" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Announcing our HUGE winter clearance sale! </span></h1>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; text-align: center;">
<em>50% off almost everything, 20% off the rest!</em><br /><br /><strong>Lasts through 3:00pm on December 30th</strong></div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: center;">
<br /><em>What's 20% off?</em><br /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Anything marked "New" or "Net"<br />Pulps and Related Materials<br />Signed and Limited Edition Books<br />Vintage Football Programs and Movie Posters</span><br /><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Items in a display case or behind the front counter<br /><br /><em>What's 50% off?</em><br />Everything Else! </span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<br /><em>Booklovers, Take Note:</em><br />Curious will revert to our Winter Hours, beginning Jan. 2nd.<br />We'll be closing at 7pm most nights, rather than 8, in an effort to gain a wee bit more reading time. More information is available at <a data-cke-saved-href="http://curiousbooks.com/" href="http://curiousbooks.com/" target="_blank">curiousbooks.com</a>.<br /><br /><br /><em>A happy New Year! Grant that I<br />May bring no tear to any eye<br />When this New Year in time shall end<br />Let it be said I've played the friend,<br />Have lived and loved and labored here,<br />And made of it a happy year.</em><br />- Edgar Guest</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-34375884733527392482015-12-27T13:51:00.000-05:002015-12-29T13:52:06.383-05:00Ray's Reviews: Go Spartans by Darla Hall<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> If you’re getting ready for the big football game on New Year’s Eve, the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">phrase “Go Spartans” is likely to be on your mind.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s also the title of a colorful new 48-page oversize paperback, selling</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">for $14.99. Attractively designed as an activity book, it can provide fun</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">for the whole family.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This is an ideal choice for the die-hard Spartan fan, particularly if you</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">have 6-to-12 year-old children.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This book was created by Darla Hall, from Birmingham AL. and her</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">business, In the Sports Zone. She developed it initially as a gift for a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">young boy she knew who was hit by a car and broke both of his legs.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> A portion of the profit is donated as activity books for children</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">in local hospitals.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It is part of a nation-wide series of over 100 books promoting</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">collegiate sports as well as professional baseball and football teams.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It’s organized to be useful this season or actually any season – since no</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">sports stars are mentioned by name.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The book opens with a few pages for drawing, allowing you to describe</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">your winning football or basketball play. There’s also a page where you</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">can draw yourself, family, friends or favorite player.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Other highly-creative sections offer games, mazes, connect the dots,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">trivia, word searches, cut-outs, a crossword puzzle, MSU facts and song</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">information.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> A dozen pages are devoted to “Dream Teams”, where you can design your own</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">MSU Dream Team, with spaces for names, positions and personal data.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Included are areas where you can create your own card front or back</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">designs.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There are four pages at the end of the book designated as writing</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">sections, where you can become creative, noting what you would do if you</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">were selected as the team coach, what you love about Spartan football</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">and more.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> An attractive page of MSU related decals are tipped in at the rear of the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">book. Information is also provided on how to download your free app at</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the ITunes Store.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Adults with considerable time on their hands may find it challenging to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">count how many times the Sparty symbol, Block S or Spartan logo appear</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">throughout the book. I gave up when I counted almost 200 of them!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Ray</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Walsh is the owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Michigan books and crime novels regularly since 1987.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></i>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on December 27, 2015.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-22653059052854234072015-12-20T13:53:00.000-05:002015-12-29T13:53:53.302-05:00Ray's Reviews - Coloring Book Edition: The Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> If you’re looking for a last-minute holiday gift, here’s a quick look at</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">an unusual book that’s likely to give the recipient many hours of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">relaxing entertainment.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “The Enchanted Forest” by Johanna Basford (King, $15.95) is a wonderful</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">collection of intricate drawings that are meant to be hand-colored.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> While it’s great for high-energy kids who need something to occupy their</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">time (other than the internet!), this book has sold amazingly well as</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">escape therapy for exhausted adults who need relaxation. It may also be</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">used as a coloring project for families.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The thick over-sized paperback is described as “An Inky Quest and</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Coloring Book”. It challenges the reader to track down items that are</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">drawn into the images throughout, including 40 birds, 36 fish, 16</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">gargoyles, 14 butterflies, two unicorns and a cat, among others.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> There are also nine symbols carved into square tablets that need to be</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">discovered- so the castle door can be unlocked. Then the quest will be</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">over and one will discover what lies within.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> An Enchanted Forest Key is provided at the end of the book, so the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">colorist knows exactly what hidden images appear on each page.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The colorist must then draw the nine symbols – (just finding them isn't</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">enough!); turning the next few pages create an additional unexpected</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">fold-out surprise.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> If you don’t have colored pencils easily available, you may want to get</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">some - this is not a book that works well with magic markers or even</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">crayons.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Most felt pens will unfortunately leak color though to the other side;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the best type of markers are Staedtler triplus fineliner marking pens</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">with a 0.3 mm point.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The creator and illustrator has also produced “Secret Garden”, an earlier</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">book with a similar design, that has sold over 1.5 million copies and has</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">been translated into 36 languages.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Johanna Basford is a Scottish illustrator; her third book, “Lost Ocean”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">came out very recently by a different American publisher but drew</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">complaints - thinner paper was used in the production.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Coloring books for grown-ups are part of a growing national trend – a few</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">years ago, it was a marginal market at best.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Enchanted Forest” should come with a warning label – it’s so addictive</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">you may want to buy an extra copy for yourself!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Ray</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed books</span></i></div>
<i><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">regularly since 1987.</span></i></div>
</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on December 20, 2015.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-38827914711123706212015-12-13T13:55:00.000-05:002015-12-29T13:55:45.279-05:00Ray's Reviews: The Promise by Robert Crais<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “The Promise” by Robert Crais (Putnam, $27.95) is the latest novel in his</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">bestselling series starring private eye Elvis Cole and his sidekick, Joe</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Pike.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> They’re joined by LAPD Officer Scott James and his K-9 partner Maggie in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the follow-up to “Suspect”.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This time out, Cole, who modestly bills himself as “The World’s</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Greatest Detective”, gets hired by Meryl Lawrence. She wants Cole to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">track down Amy Bryslen, a co-worker who has just vanished.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Breslyn is a chemical engineer with a background in explosives. Her</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">journalist son was killed by a bomb seven months earlier in Nigeria.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">She’s distraught and has taken $460,000 from a corporate bank account.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Cole follows up on a few leads that Lawrence gives him and quickly finds</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">himself in deep trouble.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> He’s checking out a small house in Echo Park where a friend of Breslyn’s</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">is supposed to live. A fugitive from the police runs into the house; </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">he’s soon dead.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> A violent killer called Mr. Rollins was in the house but leaves as police</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">swarm in.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Cole is a witness, he saw the man running out; James and Maggie see the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">fleeing suspect but can’t track him down.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> When a large cache of explosives are found at the house, the plot quickly</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">becomes more complicated.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Targeted by police who think that Cole is deeply involved, the quirky</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">private investigator calls Pike and his mercenary friend John Stone in to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">help.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Meanwhile, nasty Mr. Rollins is trying to eliminate James and his dog;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">the pair are taken off the case but continue to work with Cole and Pike.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> While you may need a scorecard to track of all of the characters, the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">author does an excellent job shifting viewpoints frequently. Some</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">chapters are deftly relayed as situations seen from a dog’s viewpoint!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Ulterior motives abound and there’s continuous deception – but Crais</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">never disappoints the reader. It’s a fast-paced novel could easily be</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">torn from tomorrow’s headlines – contemporary crime fiction at its best!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> If you haven’t read any other Crais novels, it’s not too late to start –</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">he’s written excellent stand-alone novels and many others in the Elvis</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Cole/Joe Pike series.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Crais, who also scripted many Hollywood tv shows, was part of MSU’s</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Clarion Writer’s Workshop in the 1970’s.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Ray</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on December 13, 2015.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-63866779355798473972015-12-06T13:56:00.000-05:002015-12-29T13:57:25.805-05:00Ray's Reviews: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Playing With Fire” by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine, $28) is a stand-alone</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novel by the author of the best-selling Rizzoli and Isles medical</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">thrillers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This is a disturbing tale that’s set in the present - and in the past;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">it’s a love story – and a hate story. There’s music and laughter -</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">there’s death and destruction.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s not what Gerritsen’s loyal fans are used to, but it’s a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">well-crafted, carefully plotted, unusual literary thriller.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It begins when violinist Julia Ansdell discovers a unique hand-written</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">piece of music inside of an old book that she purchases at an antique</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">shop in Rome.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Back home in Boston, Julia plays the captivating composition in front of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Lisa, her 3-year old daughter, getting violent, unexpected results.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Gerritsen then flashes back to Venice in 1938, focusing on 18-year-old</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Lorenzo Todesco. He’s a young Jewish student who has inherited a violin</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">that once belonged to his grandfather’s grandfather.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Lorenzo’s father has a small violin repair shop; one of his customers,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Professor Balboni, has a 17-year-old daughter, Laura, who plays the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">cello.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The professor suggests that the 2 students play together at a music</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">competition held at a local university. Before he meets her, Lorenzo is</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">reluctant; he has a vivid imagination, but is pleasantly surprised.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Lorenzo creates a complex piece of music for the competition – the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Incendio waltz – a distinctive composition that seems to have a life of</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">its own.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Gerritsen then returns to the present, with Julia trying to figure out</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">what’s causing her young daughter’s reactions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> In her search for answers, Julia goes to Venice, where she traces the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">lives of Lorenzo, Laura and their families. The novel gets more complex</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">as the plots intertwine; Julia discovers that she is in dangerous</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">territory; she’s become a target for a family with deadly secrets.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The author masterfully increases the tension, exposing many dark aspects</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">and horrors of life in Fascist Italy and nearby areas, before and during</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">World War II.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> In a section of historical notes, Gerritsen discloses why she wrote the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">novel and the challenges she faced in researching it. There’s also a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">brief useful bibliography.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “Playing with Fire” is a thought-provoking tale with images likely to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">linger long after the last page is turned.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> More information is available online at </span><a href="http://tessgerritsen.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">tessgerritsen.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Ray</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</i></span></div>
</span><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on December 6, 2015.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-62439913814120300432015-11-29T13:59:00.000-05:002015-12-29T13:59:54.472-05:00Ray's Reviews: The Sundown Speech by Michigan Author Loren Estleman<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> “The Sundown Speech” by Whitmore Lake author Loren Estleman (Forge Books,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">$24.99) is the 25th in his popular series starring hard-boiled Detroit</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">area private detective Amos Walker.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> This time out, most of the action is set in Ann Arbor, on or near the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">campus of the University of Michigan.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> It’s not a contemporary case, but is a long flashback to one that took</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">place about a dozen years ago.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Walker is hired by Dante and Heloise Gunnar, who’ve invested $15,000 in a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">movie that was supposed to be produced in the college town. They gave</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">their money to Jerry Marcus, the independent film’s writer and director –</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">but he’s vanished.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The film has disappeared too; the private investigator learns that it was</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">about aliens from a totalitarian planet who come to Earth to clone both</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">front-running U.S. Presidential candidates.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> After a few hours of work, Walker locates where Marcus has been living –</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">but finds him dead, his body stuffed into a cupboard, with a bullet in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">his head.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Dante’s arrested for the murder – and Walker is hired again to prove his</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">innocence.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The hard-working private eye questions college student Holly Zacharius, a</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">witness who may have been the last person to see Marcus alive.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The case quickly becomes more complicated – especially when shots are</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">fired at Walker and Zacharius.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> In his search for information, Walker deals with frustrated journalists,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">hard-working cops and assorted business people, getting unexpected</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">results.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> He discovers a clever, deadly plot and gets immersed in a last-second</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">struggle for survival.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Originally published as a novella in serial form in 2004 in the Ann</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Arbor News, this excellent, carefully crafted crime novel has been</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">greatly expanded and re-imagined.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Estleman, who was born and raised in Ann Arbor, has done a superb job in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">re-creating the atmosphere of the college town of a dozen years ago. It</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">was a different time, when Border’s Book Shop was still a major player</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">and cell phones or computers were not predominant.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> If you haven’t read any of the Amos Walker books, it’s not too late to</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">start. While it’s best to read them in chronological order, they work</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">well individually as outstanding examples of enjoyable, hard-boiled</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">detective fiction.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The award-winning author has written over 70 novels including other</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Detroit crime novels and many Westerns.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ray</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.</span></div>
</span></i><br />
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<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Find this book and other great titles</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 20.8px;">
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>at the Curious Book Shop, an independent </b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Curious Book Shop</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>307 East Grand River Avenue</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>East Lansing, Michigan</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>517.332.0112</b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small; line-height: 20.7969px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on November 29, 2015.</span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650637085631972159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7699711243811635964.post-9400035419778966842015-10-19T12:18:00.000-04:002015-10-19T12:19:38.819-04:00And So It Begins - Our MASSIVE Anniversary Sale! <h1 style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.8px;">
Greetings, Booklover!</h1>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
We thought that you'd like to know about our exciting annual sale!<br />
<br />
It is a pleasure to announce, on this most auspicious occasion, that beginning today... </div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
<strong>THE ENTIRE SHOP IS ON SALE! </strong> (Well, the items within the shop, at least.)<br />
<br />
To celebrate our 46th Anniversary, for a limited time only!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong>We're offering Almost Everything at 46% OFF!<br />And 25% off Everything Else! </strong></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
(The "Everything Else" category includes new books, pulps and pulp-related items, football programs, movie posters, signed limited editions, items behind the counter, and Curious shirts.)<br />
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Everything is discounted. Everything! It's a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping, or to stock up on winter necessities on your "To Read List".<br />
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In mid-October of 1973*, a long-haired MSU student named Ray started selling groovy science fiction novels out of the basement of a house. A booklover to the core, he had unknowingly struck upon a great way to buy more books for himself, and began a strange and wonderful career.<br />
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Since those early halcyon days, Ray Walsh has taken Curious Book Shop through multiple manifestations (and locations). In 1973 we moved to our current location, and have since offered information and enlightenment from our small (but sturdy!) spot at 307 East Grand River Avenue.<br />
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From its vantage point on the edge of MSU's campus, Curious has greeted 46 incoming freshman classes, has bid farewell to countless wizened graduates and gleefully welcomed back alumni on a regular basis.<br />
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We have provided shelter to writers and thinkers of all sorts, and have served as the setting for numerous first dates and marriage proposals. We have observed various political protests (and drunken sports celebrations), <span style="line-height: 20.8px;">weathered the tenure of 9 MSU presidents </span><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">(beginning with John Hannah in the late 60s), and hosted countless book signings and shows. We</span> have watched with interest the evolution of the book industry and the growth of East Lansing.<br />
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Sparty's visage and that special shade of Spartan Green have changed a few times, but Curious remains the same. Over the years, Ray and the gang have paired innumerable books (and art, and comics, and more!) with happy new owners, and show no signs of slowing down.<br />
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In the past 46 years, this quiet bookshop has aged well. It's only 18' wide, but 100' deep - and there's 3 floors! Intriguing titles arrive daily; we've expanded our selection of new releases in hardback and paperback. <span style="line-height: 20.8px;">The information held within these tomes is vast and awe-inspiring.</span><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Our shelves are brimming with books on an incredibly wide variety of subjects. There are fantastic stories for young and old; erudite texts for hardnosed academics; centuries-old books with beautiful bindings; worn and trusty classics in need of a new home.</span></div>
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<strong>We have it all, and now it's all on sale! </strong></div>
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Join us as we celebrate another journey around the sun, this being our forty-sixth circuit. <span style="line-height: 20.8px;">Without the ongoing love and support from our local literary community, Curious simply would not exist.<br /><br /><strong>Please accept our thanks and endless gratitude in the form of SUPER-MEGA SAVINGS... </strong></span><br />
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Here's to another year of bookish delights!<br />
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Many Thanks and Much Love,<br />
Ray, Mark, Audrey and the Curious Gang<br />
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*Newsletter recipients may notice a date discrepancy, as the newsletter listed the move to our current location as a 1967 event. False! Sorry for the confusion.<br /><br />** A happy coincidence - this is the 300th blog entry! </div>
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