Black Rabbit Ink

New Cece Caruso Book This October!

I love Cece Caruso. She's quirky and spunky and knows what a snood is. I can't help it.

So when I found out today that Cece - the vintage clothes loving writer of biographies on dead mystery authors - is coming back in October to solve a new mystery, I was absolutely giddy.

This time, Cece will be tangled up in a mystery involving the master himself, Alfred Hitchcock. The plot involves switched cell phones and Vertigo-ish happenings. The book, Dial H for Hitchcock, will hit stores on October 27.

This means if you haven't yet read any of Susan Kandel's fun, fashionable, and fabulous Cece Caruso books, you have a few months to get caught up. My favorite is Not A Girl Detective. You gotta love a book that pays a satisfying homage to Nancy Drew and includes the opening line "When I couldn't tell the rain from my tears I knew it was time to pull over".

A few more quick things about the Cece Caruso books? Each can be read as a stand-alone novel. Each is chock full of snappy dialogue and technicolor characters with several twisty subplots. And each has a suspense filled who-dun-it revolving around famous mystery writers like Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Carolyn Keene, and Dashiell Hammett.

Sigh. I. Can't. Wait.

Is it October yet?


     I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason

     Shamus in the Green Room

    Not a Girl Detective

   Christietown: A Novel About Vintage Clothing, Romance, Mystery, and Agatha Christie 

Quote of the Week

"Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him."

Mel Brooks

Bookshelf Review: The Angel's Game

Title: The Angel's Game

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Translated by Lucia Graves)

David Martin is obsessed with two things: his dream to be a respected writer and his desire to be with a woman he can never have. Life has made obtaining either impossible. He makes his living writing penny dreadful novels, a career that pays his bills but leaves him feeling dissatisfied.  His attempt at a serious novel is a flop, and the woman he loves becomes engaged to someone else. Enter mysterious publisher Andreas Corelli with an opportunity to write a book for which “people will live and die” and David will be marvelously compensated. But soon, strange and deadly tragedies begin to plague him, one by one.  Tragedies that leave him questioning Corelli’s true intentions, as well as his own. 

This book is an odd thing. On one hand, I was able to put it down without an urgent need to pick it back up again and continue the story. Rather than read it in one sitting, I took weeks to finish it. On the other hand, though, I could not stop thinking about it. Zafon’s sentences, his words, his imagination…all are absolutely mesmerizing. 

The setting - Barcelona in the early 20th century – is magnificently described in vivid detail, with brilliant imagery that turns the streets of Barcelona into an enchanting background for David’s story.  Zafon does an excellent job of creating a surreal world of haunting beauty that is full of life. Characters are interesting and unique as well, especially Isabella.  There are several characters to keep up with, though, and some of the more secondary ones become lost in the shuffle.  A few are introduced, but their possible subplots never fully realized. 

The plot is very complex and, at times, a little slow. But, it has many twists and turns, each revealing another tantalizing layer to the gothic world Zafon has created. Several little mysteries entice readers to keep turning pages: people disappear or are murdered, relationships are betrayed, and the line separating villain from victim becomes blurred. Then there are the questions surrounding Diego Marlasca, the man previously contracted to write Corelli’s book. The man who went mad and killed himself. The man whose abandoned mansion David has unknowingly chosen to make his own. Slowly, David begins to notice the eerie parallels between his life and Marlasca’s, and finds himself trapped in a sinister game he might not be able to win.   

The Angel’s Game is a dark book.  It is also quite lengthy, occasionally difficult to follow, and the ending is rushed with vague closure. Despite this, though, it is truly an intriguing read. While some plot resolutions may be a bit confusing, Zafon’s mastery in storytelling is undeniable. I will definitely be reading his first novel, The Shadow of the Wind, as soon as I get a chance.

Yahoo Music/Pepsi Smash: "Womanizer" Performed By The All American Rejects

Sniff...No Lambert For Me

I think Adam Lambert is amazing. But, I didn't have any interest in the much balleyhooed Adam Lambert issue of Rolling Stone. Until I saw this. Now, I so want a copy, just because I can't have one.

 

Bookshelf Review: Cracked Up To Be

Name: Cracked Up to Be

Author: Courtney Summers

On a hot summer night, Parker Fadley made a decision with consequences so horrible, her life was changed forever. Now the former head cheerleader and Honor Roll student is on academic probation, her family is on suicide watch, her friends are her enemies, and she has to spend every Friday afternoon with a guidance counselor. Making it worse is a new guy who keeps pestering her, trying to discover what made such a good girl go so bad.  All she wants is to be left alone; but is that what she really needs?

Every once in a while a book comes along that is absolute awesomeness. As a reader, you plunge headfirst into the story, unable to come up for air until the last word has been read. As a writer, you wish like crazy that you could write that way. Cracked Up To Be is one of those books.

This is not an easy, light book to read. Summers tackles some heavy themes - suicide, alcoholism, guilt. She also centers the story squarely on the shoulders of Parker, a protagonist who is severely depressed, sort of rude, and mostly untrustworthy. The result? An unforgettable story of ramshackle redemption that will captivate readers with its blunt but powerful prose.

Characters are solidly developed, especially the complicated Parker. Using sarcasm and manipulative tricks, she pushes away anyone trying to help her, but little quirks, such as snapping her fingers when stressed, show how vulnerable she really is. Parker’s inability to handle her regret is realistically portrayed, as is the mixed reactions of pity, anger, and pain her friends and family display in response to her evasive maneuvers.

The plot moves swiftly with flashbacks sprinkled throughout the chapters that slowly reveal Parker’s secret, piece by piece, before reaching a startling ending that readers will not see coming. Not all loose ends are tied up, and a few questions remain regarding the true impact of the ending’s events on Parker. However, the mystery of what happened to lead Parker to dismantle her perfect life is satisfactorily resolved.

Cracked Up To Be is a quick 224 pages, but Summers makes every single word count, keeping the narrative honest and raw. She doesn’t hold anything back; the book has strong language, several sexual/drug references, and intense situations. Because of this, it is most appropriate for older teen and adult readers.

Quote of the Week

"Remember that each character must sound different from the others. And they should not all sound like you."

Anne Lamott

Random Thought #3

My day sucked. Until my husband showed me these pictures.

My mother-in-law is always finding new and interesting animals in her backyard. There have been rabbit families, a baby bear or two (ackkk!), and various snakes, such as the Copperhead I almost stepped on one memorable Fourth of July.

The other day, she found this.

A baby deer. A fawn. Barely bigger than my mother-in-law's itty bitty dachshund, Mitzi. They put it in a bucket so they could move it somewhere safer than the neighbor's hot driveway. It ended up in another neighbor's bushes, hiding in the cool shade until its mother came to get it later that day.

Who can stay mad about picky paperpushers with this little darling staring back at them?

Bookshelf Review: The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

Name:The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

Author: Farahad Zama

Mr. Ali, an Indian man bored with retirement, opens a marriage bureau. Soon, business is booming and he has several customers, each with a list of requirements for heights, castes, wealth, looks, and reputations. As problems arise in the process, Mr. Ali is quick to dole out tidbits of wisdom on marriage and families to alleviate the tension. But, while solving his client's problems might be simple, working through the issues disrupting his life – including a son who is leading a rebellion against the government and an assistant distracted by her own marriage related woes – might be more than he can handle.


The story, told from the viewpoints of both Mr. Ali and his assistant Aruna, is a lighthearted glimpse into the intricacies of arranged marriages and the relationships they form, as well as an exploration of India’s culture, traditions, and politics. The plot is not suspenseful; about halfway through, it becomes obvious how this story will end. It also moves slowly, with  little action and occasional bits of awkward dialogue. However, Zama’s characters, especially Mr. and Mrs. Ali, are so likable and interesting that it doesn’t really matter. The story is also helped by richly depicted settings which allow readers to feel the blistering heat of the afternoon sun, taste the dryness of the dusty roads, and smell the thick scent of mangoes in an orchard.

Readers not familiar with India’s castes/sub-castes or the city of Vizag might want to begin with the excerpts from Mrs. Ali's English essays, which are placed at the end of the book. The background information these offer is helpful in understanding the situations that occur in the story.



Overall, The Marriage Bureau for Rich People is a charming and quick read. Some of the dialog is stiff, and the storyline is predictable, but colorful characters and an exotic setting make this book a page turner. 



The Marriage Bureau for Rich People will be in bookstores on June 11, 2009.