Just Finished, some New Books and the Music Challenge

 

With it being so nice and sunny, we usually leave the patio doors open to let the fresh air in. The dogs love it. They basically have free access to the garden and can bark at the neighbours any time they might happen to dare to use their backyards. One little trick I like to use, when my voice starts to go from shouting at the dogs to 'SHUT-UP' so much, is to turn the sprinklers on in that portion of the yard. That works pretty good, but Clyde likes to then stand on the bottom step of the deck and drink from one of the sprinkler heads. It's hard to see but that is what the video above is trying to show. Ed Note - It appears that this video isn't working. I'll try once more and see what happens.. I'll have to substitute a picture of little Clyde instead as the video is not working)

Just Finished

I finished the 2nd Inspector Morse mystery this morning and loved it. Unfortunately, I think I was lying down on the couch in an uncomfortable position because I've had a stiff shoulder ever since. Not that that has anything to do with how much I enjoyed the book. :) My review is below.








"Last Seen Wearing by Colin Dexter is the second Inspector Morse mystery. I've watched all of the episodes of the TV series based on the books and I've also enjoyed both the follow-on Lewis and the prequel, Endeavour. Having said all this, it was nice to find the book was still fresh and as much as some of the story seemed familiar, I still had no idea where it was headed.
Morse is assigned a cold case by his chief, Superintendent Strange, because the previous inspector had been killed in a car accident. Morse doesn't want the case as it involves a missing girl; she'd been gone for two years. He wants murders, something he can sink his teeth into. However, forced to take the case, he asks for Sgt Lewis to be assigned to help him.
The case revolves around a few people, Valerie Taylor's parents, the new Head of her high school, her old French teacher and the assistant Head. The question to be answered is whether Valerie is dead or has run away? With many plodding first steps, the case begins to interest Morse. He's sure she is dead, but a letter purportedly from the girl, throws a spanner into his theory.
It was interesting to follow the investigation, the stops and starts, the threads that Morse and Lewis follow, have to backtrack, and then the new paths they lead to. I had my ideas about the case and parts came to fruition but the ultimate solution was still a nice twist and also very satisfying. Morse is an interesting inspector, smart, relying on intuition, often following the wrong path, but finding inspiration at the end. Lewis is a rock, more steady and reliable and helps keep Morse grounded. I've enjoyed both of the first two books so far and will continue to follow Dexter's stories of his great investigator (4 stars)"

Next in line is the first Jack Connolly mystery by Ken Bruen, The Guards. Connolly is an Irish ex-policeman turned private eye. He's a hard drinker with many issues. Jo and I enjoyed the TV series based on the books very much. Iain Glen stars as Jack Connolly and does an excellent job. Now to find out how good the books are.

Just Purchased
I got the following four books yesterday from Nearly New Books, my local used book store.

1. Cimmarron Rose by James Lee Burke.
"Small - town attorney Billy Bob Holland has haunting secrets - and enemies more lethal than when he was a gun-carrying Texas Ranger. When Vernon Smothers' stepson Lucas is charged with a young woman's brutal murder, Billy Bob must come to the teenager's defense - for Lucas is actually Billy Bob's illegitimate son. In a town where the powerful exploit the innocent with impunity, Billy Bob must stir up a passel of would-be killers - from wealthy, wilful Darl Vanzandt to bitter ex-con Garland T. Moon to the privileged youths of the elite East End - to shoot down a murder rap and redeem his own scarred past."

2. The Desert Spear by Peter Brett.
"The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that prey upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind half-forgotten symbols of power. Legends tell of a Deliverer: a general who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. But is the return of the Deliverer just another myth? Perhaps not. Out of the desert rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the desert tribes into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar' Dama Ka, the Deliverer, and he caries ancient weapons - a spear and a crown - that give credence to his claim. But the Northerners claim their own Deliverer: the Warded Man, a dark, forbidding figure. Once, the Shar' Dama Ka and the Warded Man were friends. Now they are fierce adversaries. Yet as old allegiances are tested and fresh alliances forged, all are unaware of the appearance of a new breed of demon, more intelligent - and deadly - than any that have come before."

3. The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman.
"Old Joseph Joe witnessed the shoot-out between two strangers at the Shiprock Wash-O-Mat. One died. The other drove off into the dry lands of the Big Reservation. But not before he had given Old Joe a look at a Polaroid of the man he was searching for. The old Navajo couldn't tell Tribal Policeman Jim Chee what was written on the photo. He didn't read the white man's words.
But Chee had enough to send him after a killer. The trail led to an Indian Hogan infected by a corpse, a ghost kept from its journey into the underworld, and an odyssey of murder and revenge that stretched from the desert to the dark underbelly of Los Angeles... and a healing ceremonial where the cure may turn out to be death."

4. For Kicks by Dick Francis.
"Proprietor of a stud farm in the breathtaking region of Australia's Snowy Mountains? Or muck raking stable boy in Yorkshire?
the Earl of October persuades young Australian Danny Roke to accept the English alternative. It's the change of scene and the challenge that pushes Danny undercover, on the scent of a suspected racehorse dope scandal.
But the pain involved, dealing with vicious swindlers and the Earl's two attractive daughters, could overturn all his pleasure in the chase..."
The Missus's Music Challenge

Today I'll look at Days 56 and 57.

Day 56 - A Song from your First Singing Crush. This was an easy one for me. I chose All That You Dream by Linda Ronstadt, from her Living in the USA album. What a great voice!
Jo chose Darlin' by David Cassidy. He seemed a popular choice, his songs were chosen a few times. Some other non-David Cassidy choices included Silence is Golden by The Tremeloes, I'm Into Something Good by Herman's Hermits, Blues Away by The Jacksons, etc.
Day 57 - Song that Reminds you of the One that Got Away. Kind of a difficult one for me, as I've not had a great many relationships, but I chose Special To Me by Jessica Harper from the Phantom of the Paradise movie. Jo picked Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon. Other choices included Shipbuilding by Robert Wyatt, Sunshine After the Rain by Elkie Brooks, Got You Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra, etc.


(If you want to hear my selections, just click on the song title and it'll take you to You Tube.)
Only 3 more days left of this challenge. Many folks are asking for a new one, as it was as popular as the first one Jo posted. She may have run out of ideas though.

I'm going to stop there today. Next entry, I'll get back to the history and science excerpts and continue with the Birth Date Thing.. Have a great mid-week!