Not reading that much, and what I do read, I just can’t make myself blog about it. My other problem, I like other people’s reviews much better than my own. For instance, I read James Blaylock’s Homunculus. It’s a tough book to jump into, many claim it as the  beginning of steampunk. By page 80, I’m really getting into the story, so I search out reviews to see if I’m on the right track.

Great review already out there, IMHO. Stainless Steel Droppings.  Plus, GoodReads reviews. This is what I find with everything I read. Faster readers, better reviews, and I just want to read other peoples reviews and get back to reading.

Handily, my friend and colleague and fellow blogger can take over the reins of Okie Reads. After all, he’s an okie and he reads, perfect qualifications.

So without further adieu, I’m taking a back seat, may jump in occasionally but for the most part it’s Young Bill Young’s OkieReads.

You can watch it stream live.  GalleyCat is great because they give you a sample from each of the finalists. Here’s the link from the NBF‘s own page.

The late Anthony Shadid, Oklahoma City born writer and journalist,  is a non-fiction finalist for House of Stone. Hope he will receive the award. Morning Media Menu podcast is supposed to announce the winners in the morning. An alternative to the rather high-brow offerings of the National Book folks would be the Goodreads Choice Awards.  The  categories alone are enough to draw you in.

Once the reading cells start up again Poisoned Pen Press mysteries are the perfect antidote to boredom.

First I read Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman. It’s a J. D. Books Mystery. Couple goes missing. Territorial issues have the local Sheriff Charley Sutter turning to Bureau of Land Management Ranger  J.D. Books for help.  Skeleton Picnic is the euphemism for Native American artifact and pot hunting trips, clearly illegal. Evidence shows the couple have not left by their own means. Further investigation, with his new young deputy, Beth Tanner, reveal these are not the only people going missing in the Four Corners region. Family conflicts create tension for Books and lead to more questions than answers. This book provides a good mix of interesting characters, with a strong Southwest setting. Ethical considerations bump against local traditions of collecting artifacts. Ending will not disappoint.

Looks like I missed the first in the series, On Deadly Ground, will have to go and pick it up.  

Another from the Poison Pen fare, is Kerry Greenwood’s Cooking the Books: A Corinna Chapman Mystery. Good news for all you  Phryne Fisher fans, now you have a new woman sleuth to follow. Corinna is a great baker, has a yummy boyfriend, and gets drawn into  film set antics that lead to murder. She’s working for her caterer friend as a baker on the set of a new soap opera, called “Kiss the Bride”. The lead actress is like the tiger that erupts on the set. There is a sub-plot going with her private detective boyfriend investigating missing bearer bonds last held by a mistreated corporate employee. Setting is Melbourne, Australia, you can almost smell Corinna’s baking as she solves crimes in this 6th in the series.

Poisoned Pen Press offers a variety of Kerry Greenwood mysteries, stop by and store up.

And even though I’m a big fan of Poisoned Pen, I picked up a mystery I just didn’t  like. Clea Simon’s Cats Can’t Shoot: A Pru Marlowe Pet Noir. Pru is an animal behavioralist and pet psychic.  Did the white Persian really kill her owner by stepping on the dueling pistol? Pru tries to get the kitty to trust her and reveal the truth. I liked the plot, Pru’s interactions with ex-boyfriends, and the disagreeable wife, but all the animal dialogue just got in my way. I have four dogs and a cat and  can’t imagine those conversations going on in their heads, and my cat is as verbal as it gets. While this is an interesting twist on the mystery tale, its just not one for me.

Well, I guess horrible things aren’t too far removed from the Dystopian novel. Taking a turn down this road leads to GoodReads analysis of distopian books. They also have a chart with a handy key for reader tastes. The Goodreads blog  should be your next stop while you’re there.

From the site Field Candy:  “Are you a big fan of books? We mean, are you a really big fan of books. Because this is, well, it’s an enormous book. It looks like a giant has dropped his favourite best seller. Plus, it also lets you meet up with other book fans on the campsite. You can even hold book groups in your tent and discuss whether Twilight is better than Harry Potter.”

Jack Maxwell is the amazing designer of this literary marvel.

Simon Brett is a master of the mystery plot. His stories keep you guessing right up to the end. I had a completely different person picked out as the murderer of young fragile Fennel Whittaker. Carole and Jude play off their opposite personalities as they investigate the various suspects.

The Cornelian Art Gallery kicks off a Private View, that starts more in motion than controversial art. The art show reveals a canvas of characters, boyfriends, ex-lovers, jealous siblings, parents needing parenting, and the townspeople of Fethering. Simon Brett mysteries are packed with plot twists and turns, leading you on with an Agatha Christie flair.

One of the best things about Simon Brett is his prolific writing. Choose from the Charles Paris, Mrs. Pageter, Fethering series, or the new series with Blotto and Twinks. Looks like it’s turning into a very British summer for me.

Here’s a lovely video from The Big Read funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ray Bradbury thoughts on books, reading and libraries.

Please enjoy and remember back to your first Ray Bradbury story or book.

Our host for the New Strand Theatre production, The Two Murderers, is the less than scrupulous entrepeneur, Robert Kramer. Combine him with an unhappy wife, unfaithful lovers, a set designer with an interest in torture chambers, a plagiarizing playwright, murderous puppets, and you’ve got a perfect Peculiar Crimes Unit story.

Nathan, baby of Robert and Judith Kramer is mysteriously strangled by Punch (of Punch & Judy fame) and tossed from the window. There we begin a string of deaths, with ties to The Two Murderers and the Punch and Judy characters. Twists and turns, as Bryant & May, and their team look to solve a hanging, death by Scold’s Bridle, and pitchfork. Even amid murder and mayhem, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments between characters. 

A side story involves Arthur Bryant writing his memoirs and the mysterious demise of his editor, Anna Marquand, with national security implications, of course. Never a dull moment in a Christopher Fowler mystery.