A New Writer, Sara Paretsky, In My Life

V.I. Warshawsky, the heroine of many thrillers by Sara Paretsky, has got my attention. I just finished reading Paretsky's wonderful mystery, "Body Work." It got me through many, cold nights.

And Warshawsky's reflection on her own life reached way down deep into my soul where I have to live with so many actions and presentations I have done... always trying to be honest, often wondering who I think I am to even presume I had the right to encourage and guide others in the way my calling permits me to do. Here is Warshawki's take on how she touches other people's lives:"Likesal's claim I seem to put myself on a plane above everyone else. It's not that. I don't. I thikn I'm driven more by despair, even, than confidence, especially the despair of seeing so much misery around me. And then I leap into action and make it worse."
Those words touched me in some places I seldom go. I have decided that I am going to read more of Sara Paretsky's work.
Let me know if you have read some of her novels and what you think about them. Check out Sara Paretsky on You Tube:

The Quickie... A Novel By James Patterson And Michael Ledwidge

James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge's Quickie socked it too me...kept me turning pages for three straight days! I loved the main character, Lauren Stillwell. Quickly I felt at home with her in New York City and its surroundings-- now shocked, then angry, saddened, and wanting desperately to get even with her husband. And really wanting a happy ending and....










Here's a quick summary of the story
James Pastterson's steamiest summer thriller yet starts with a one-night stand gone terriby wrong.
A Stolen Kiss
When she sees her husband with another woman Lauren Stillwell's heart nearly stops beating Their marriage is perfect, she has a great job, she loves her life. But his betrayal turns her into something she never imagined she could be- a woman lusting for revenge.





Was Her First Crime
It was supposed to be a quickie, a way to even the score. But Lauren's night of passion takes a shocking turn when she witnesses an unexpected, unbelievable, deadly creime. Her horrifying secret threatens to tear her life apart, pitting her need to uncover the truth against her fear that the truth may be too horrible to bear. And whichever choice she makes could cost her dearly-her job, her marriage, even her life.






Quickie got me feeling and thinking about a lot of good old human stuff:
a. I felt afraid because I know that, like Lauren Stillwell, either out of fear or anger or loyalty to friends, I might choose to ignore what is going around me, lie to protect those about whom I care, or strike out at those who abandon or betray me.

b. I find it easy to imagine how uncomfortable one feels when, like Lauren, is considered by friends and other individuals in one's profession to be trustworthy when one is anything but.

c. I wanted the story to end with good winning over evil... but...

d. Quickie left me just a little more able to say "every now and then, life gets really messy... try to keep walking, ok?!"


I got this one at the Martin Luther King Library!!!

In The Lake of the Woods---A Novel By Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien's book,In The Lake Of The Woods, is one great read. It is absorbing, thought provoking with characters I quickly grew to love or hate, and with a story that opened my eyes to a deeper appreciation of how violence destroys the lives of many, many people

What happened to Kathy Wade? That question is the focus of Tim O'Brien's 1994 novel...Did she finally decide to leave her manipulative husband? Was she the victim of a tragic accident? Was she murdered?

Her husband, John Wade, appears to be a loveable, sincere human being. But what makes him tick... his desire to serve others, his need to be loved?

His beautiful wife, Kathy, appears to be happy and very much in love with him.
He appears to be devoted to her. But behind those appearances... what fears and hurts hid behind the ways Kathy and John Wade presented themselves to others?


In one of his footnotes, our author, a veteran of the Viet Nam War, proposes that John Wade's life, like his own, had been changed by what he had seen and done as a soldier in Viet Nam: "We moved like sleepwalkers through the empty villages, shadowed by an enemy we could never find, calling in medevac choopers and loading up the caualties and then moving out again toward the next deadly little ville. And behind us we left a wake of fire and smoke."
Footnote 127

Tim O'Brien states that John Wade, actually, was emotionally and mentally scarred by what he had seen and done in Viet Nam. He appeared to be happy, optimistic, courageous, and trusting... he actually was very needy, filled with shame and anger, unsure, and full of fear. Kathy Wade did her best to support her husband, though, over the hard, weary years of their marriage, he became emotionally distant; and, at times, he spoke and acted in ways that frightened her.

I wonder, in those lonely hours, when many of us finally permit ourselves to attend to what we are thinking and feeling do have to admit that, perhaps, we are needy, ashamed, angry, unsure, and full of fear?



Then, we decide to let go of those questions, and "get on with our lives." But when those feelings show themselves to others-- when we respond suddenly to something that another person or group of people say or do something that touches us in our inner hard, dark places we find ourselves reacting in surprising ways.

Before we know it we are frowning not smiling, despairing not hoping, striking out thoughtlessly not responding appropriately.

I spent many hours with In The Lake Of The Woods because so many moments in the book invited me to consider my own dark places-- to stop, look at, and listen to my fears and recall my follies.

Readers... please share with the rest of us some book, poem, song, or other experience that has been the occasion for you to stop, look at, and listen to your inner concerns.

And consider reading Tim O'Brien's In The Lake Of The Woods!

In this video two people focus on the main theme of In The Lake Of The Woods. Enjoy!

LUCK BE A LADY DON'T DIE-- A BOOK REVIEW

What a fantasy trip I just completed! Robert J. Randisi's mystery novel, "Luck Be A Lady, Don't Die", was one nostalgic page turning, keep the midnight light burning book.
Here's a quick summary of the story:"Vegas, 1960. Gamblin', drinkin', and everybody's misbehavin'. Six months ago, whiley they were filming Ocean's 11, the Rat Pack needed Eddie Gianelli's help to track down the mugh who was sending threatening letters to Dino. Now they're back for the premiere and it's Frank who needs Eddie's help. Seems a babe he was planning to meet with in Sin City took a powder-leaving behind her luggage and a stiff in the bathtub. She's on the lam, and it's up to Eddie to find her and figure out if she's a victim or a killer."

Randisi's writing style is crisp and clear. He draws pictures quickly; he frequently used a word, phrase, or created a scene that got me chuckling. And the story's twists and turns led to a hard, inevitable conclusion.


And Eddie Gianelli, the story's hero, was neither the greatest of saints nor the worst of sinners... he was honest, courageous, self-righteous, and emotionally insecure.








Looking for some relaxing reading this summer... check out Luck Be A Lady, Don't Die!
I found this book at my wonderful Martin Luther King Library, Tacoma, Hilltop...

Joey B, Sammy D, the Chairman, Dino, and Peter L ... I love you

Enjoy the trailer from the original Ocean's Eleven Movie