A Few Changes

I'm making a few changes in my blog sites. Oh, I'm still reading. All the time. But with the elections coming again, and so much going on in our world, and the fact that it has been a very, very long time since I reviewed anything I have read, I am going to change this blog, at least for a while to "Happenings, Events & Opinions in My World." I used to write about all of this on another site, but five months ago something happened that changed my life.

On May 22, 2010, we rescued a Pit Bull who could not walk. Mr. Buddy Rose is a remarkable dog. You can read his story at www.pdfrazier.com.

Thanks for continuing to follow me and, with any luck, I'll get back to the book reviewing very soon.

7th Heaven by James Patterson (& Maxine Paetro)

7th Heaven is the 7th installment of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club. (The review of the 6th book in this series, The 6th Target, is below under "older posts.") Unlike several other continuing series books, Patterson continues to do a great job keeping his story-lines fresh, exciting, brutal and spell-binding.

Like prior books in this series, the setting for 7th Heaven is modern day San Francisco. Four of the lead characters are members of their self-titled "Women's Murder Club." Lindsey is a detective with the San Francisco Police Department. Yuki is a San Francisco Assistant District Attorney. Claire is the Medical Examiner. And, the fourth and final member of the Women's Murder Club is Cindy, crime reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. These four women work together to solve many of San Francisco's highest profile and most brutal crimes.

7th Heaven is two crime stories. The first is the disappearance of the ailing teenage son of one of California's former governors. The second criminal story-line is the arson murders of several wealthy couples.

One of the reasons I enjoy this series so much is because Patterson weaves the personal lives of these four women into his mysteries. Claire is pregnant. Lindsey is having issues with her boyfriend Joe and her steamy attraction to her detective partner, and her apartment catches fire in the middle of an arson investigation. Yuki finds a new, albeit quirky, love interest as she faces prosecuting one of the biggest cases of her career and continues to deal with the death of her mother. And Cindy continues to seek out alternate sources for her newspaper stories to keep from breaching her trust with her crime fighting friends.

As with all of the books in this series, this book is a hard-to-put-down mystery. Patterson does not get bogged down in the minutiae of forensic detail making this an easier read than some other crime fiction. He also knows enough about San Francisco and the surrounding areas to get the setting details right.

7th Heaven is another suspense-filled, enjoyable read in Patterson's Women's Murder Club Series.

7th Heaven
Authors: James Patterson (and Maxine Paetro)
Available formats:
Hardback, February 2008, 376 pages, approximate cost $20
Hardback, Large Print, February 2008, 435 pages, approximate cost $22
Audio, Compact Disc, Abridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, February 2008, approximate cost $22
Audio, Compact Disc, Unabridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, February 2008, approximate cost $29

Other books by James Patterson are too many to mention in this space (more than 40). The books listed here are James Patterson books I have read.

Women's Murder Club Series:
The 6th Target, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2007
The 5th Horseman, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2006
4th of July, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2005
3rd Degree, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2005
2nd Chance, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2003
1st to Die, 2002

Alex Cross Series:
Four Blind Mice, 2003
Along Came A Spider, 1993

Others:
Maximum Ride, 2006
The Lake House, 2004
The Beach House, Patterson (and Peter de Jonge), 2003
When the Wind Blows, 1999

To learn more about the author James Patterson, visit: http://www.jamespatterson.com/

Full of Grace by Dorothea Benton Frank

Dorothea Benton Frank's Full of Grace is another really good, enjoyable, southern novel. I have been a fan of Frank's books since my Aunt Vee gave me one several years ago. The front cover of this book is inscribed from Aunt Vee making my first Frank book a real treasure. Some of her other titles, Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, Shem Creek, are written about the South Carolina coastal, barrier islands where I grew up. I received my "signed First Edition" copy of Full of Grace as a Christmas present. (Mrs. Pebbles - thank you very much and I love you for always thinking of me.)

For the most part, Full of Grace is set in the South Carolina coastal cities of Charleston and Hilton Head. The two main characters are Grace, a high-end travel agent, and Michael, a research Doctor at the Medical University of SC in Charleston. Grace and Michael live in downtown Charleston.

Grace's parents, Big Al and Connie Russo, have retired and moved from New Jersey to Hilton Head bringing Grace's maternal grandmother to live with them. The Russo's are Catholic Italians. They remind me of the television Soprano's except replacing the mob with Catholicism. They are the typical atypical dysfunctional family.

Grace is an unmarried 32-year-old non-practicing Catholic living with Doctor and scientist Michael who does not believe in God or faith. To add insult to injury for Grace's family, Michael is Irish. Grace lives her life with Michael in Charleston, but spends holidays with her family in Hilton Head without Michael.

Without giving away too much of the plot and storyline, Michael starts having terrible headaches and is diagnosed with a usually fatal form of cancer. A non-existent relationship with Grace's family, Grace's grandmother having visions of ghosts and Michael's Alzheimer stricken mother frame this story of Grace and Michael's love and hope.

This book taught me several things about Catholicism and Catholic symbolism which I did not know. I value historical detail in fiction writing and, as one who knows little about the Catholic faith, I appreciate Frank giving the background and significance of many of these symbols.

This novel has one very different and likable characteristic. The book is written in first person from Grace's point of view but the prologue and the epilogue are written by Michael. Hearing from Michael at the beginning and the end of this book helped to better define his distinct personality and his own feelings about his work, his illness, his stance on religion and his relationship with Grace and her family.

I really liked this book. It is not a hard-to-follow thrilling, suspenseful novel. It is a very touching easy read. I am sure everyone will find at least one member of their own family in the Russo's. The setting of Charleston is "home" for me making this book even more enjoyable. From where the Harris Teeter in downtown Charleston is located to the road between Charleston and Hilton Head being very dangerous, I appreciate Frank's knowledge of her setting.

I have enjoyed every book I have read by Dorothea Benton Frank. I have read all of her novels except the latest two. I look forward to reading these in the very near future.

Full of Grace
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Hardcover, May 2006, 317 pages, barnesandnoble.com Bargain Book $6
Paperback, March 2007, 340 pages, approximate cost $8
Audio, compact disc, abridged, approximate cost $25

Other books by Dorothea Benton Frank:
Bulls Island, new release - April 2008
Christmas Pearl, 2007
The Land of Mango Sunsets, 2007
Pawleys Island, 2005
Shem Creek, 2004
Isle of Palms, 2003
Plantation, 2001
Sullivan's Island, 2000

To learn more about the author Dorothea Benton Frank, visit: http://www.dotfrank.com/

Shipwrecked at Sunset by Jacqueline DeGroot

Author Jacqueline DeGroot's website boasts her books to be "Romance, Sex and Mystery...Books To Lose Yourself In." I could not have said it better myself. These words are an excellent description of Shipwrecked at Sunset.

I received an autographed copy of Shipwrecked at Sunset by Jacqueline DeGroot as a Christmas present. (To J.R. & Jewel - thank you very much!) I love books set on the coast of the Carolinas. They remind me of growing up and life on a barrier island. I have a real appreciation for fiction authors who understand and write factually of the effects weather and man have on our beaches and coasts. DeGroot understands these effects and thoughtfully weaves them into her story.

Also, I have never read a novel which includes a "stuck" drawbridge. I really enjoyed this point in DeGroot's novel. Only those who have experienced sitting in a line of traffic for hours can truly appreciate the argument of whether a malfunctioning drawbridge is "open" or "closed."

Set on a barrier island in North Carolina, Shipwrecked at Sunset has many of the things I love about the southeastern coastline: beaches, waterways, marshlands, historic plantations, Gullah, Civil War history. This book opens as one of the lead characters, Shelby Laine, an inspector of the Division of Coastal Area Management is assessing damage and surveying homeowner requests in the after-math of a hurricane.

The hurricane has also unearthed several other things on this island including a Civil War pistol, a Civil War Blockade running ship, and the remains of a Confederate Officer. The discovery of the body brings a rather unwilling pathologist, Dr. Ben Kenyon, to the island.

Together, Dr. Kenyon and Ms. Laine work to solve the mystery of the dead officer. To do this they must unravel history and a tale forbidden love, and then bring this love back full-circle to present day.

Shipwrecked at Sunset is one mystery and three romantic stories. DeGroot's writing style makes this book an easy read. The Civil War mystery is well-written, a good puzzle and historically interesting. This book is not a terrorizing, horrific mystery, making it quite a respite from some of the books I have read lately. I enjoyed the mystery entwining with two of the three romantic stories. I enjoyed the courtship, romance and falling in love of the main romantic story. Another nice add to this book is the recipes for Benne Wafers, a Lowcountry favorite, included in the back of the book.

I know many of you read the books I review. The down-side of this book, at least from my vantage point, was part of the main romantic storyline. I haven't read a novel in years with so much sex. I found most of the suggestive dialogue and thought processes of this couple to be incredibly presumptuous. Although I don't have anything against this genre, I don't read a lot of romantic, lusty fiction. I know books of this type have a fairly substantial fan base. They are just not the genre for me. Many of you may like these kinds of books, if you do, you will really enjoy this book and others by DeGroot.

I loved the setting and thought the book had a substantial storyline. I could have done without most of the intimacy. "Romance, Sex and Mystery" as DeGroot's website proclaims, is the perfect description of Shipwrecked at Sunset.

Shipwrecked at Sunset
Author: Jacqueline DeGroot
Paperback, 2005, 325 pages, approximate cost $15

Other books by Jacqueline DeGroot:
Widows of Sea Trail, 2008
Running Into Temptation, 2007
Worth Any Price, 2006
For the Love of Amanda, 2004
Barefoot Beaches, 2003
What Dreams Are Made Of, 2002
The Secret of the Kindred Spirit, 2002
Climax, 2001

To learn more about the author Jacqueline DeGroot, visit:
http://www.jacquelinedegroot.com/

Escape by Carolyn Jessop (with Laura Palmer)

"Escape. The moment had come. I had been watching and waiting for months. The time was right. I had to act fast and without fear. I could not afford to fail. Nine lives were at stake: those of my eight children and my own."

Thus begins Carolyn Jessop's Escape, leaving the only world she had ever known. Her first 35 years were spent as a member of a religious sect called the FLDS or the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This book details Carolyn's life from her sixth generation birth into a polygamist family through her early morning flight and subsequent court battle for the custody of her children.

At eighteen, Carolyn became the 4th wife of 55-year-old Merril Jessop, a leader in the FLDS. During the next fifteen years, Carolyn would give birth to eight of Merril's children. When Carolyn fled, Merril had 7 wives and 54 children.

The principal of celestial marriage, or polygamy, is the one tenet which defines the FLDS and separates this sect from the conventional Mormon Church, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Celestial marriage mandates a man to have multiple wives to do well in heaven eventually becoming a god and earning his own planet. The husband is the "priesthood" head of his family.

Except for those living in this community, no one would consider Carolyn's life here to be "normal." Instead of playing Hide and Seek, children in the FLDS played a game called "Apocalypse." Apocalypse starts with the children hiding from the "wicked" (wicked being any outsider to the FLDS beliefs). The wicked came to hunt the FLDS members down and kill them. The game continues with the children being saved by "resurrected Indians." These same Indians rescue the children when the government comes to kill them. Next, the children survive invasions by foreign countries by forming prayer circles. Then, they face and survive famine, only to be put do death if they are not wearing the proper "blessed" undergarments, more commonly known as long underwear. Although she learned and played this game as the "gospel," it would be years later before Carolyn realized the ridiculousness of surviving all of the earlier challenges in this game, only to be put to death for wearing the wrong clothes.

At 10, Carolyn was receiving daily beatings from her severely depressed mother. She quickly learned to become a specialist at studying and understanding her tormentors' behaviors. She learned their actions and adjusted her life in order to survive. She would carry these same survival skills into her adult life as her husband and several of her "sister-wives" became her physical and emotional abusers.

Carolyn had dreams of getting her education and becoming a Doctor. For a woman to be educated, the leader, or "prophet" of the FLDS would have to give his permission. At 2AM one morning, Carolyn's mother awakened her to speak with her father. Her father had talked to the prophet, and yes, she could be educated to become a teacher, not a doctor. Before she could continue her education though, the prophet's "revelation" was for her to be married to Merril Jessop.

In Carolyn's one-sided religion, women have no rights. Women live like this because they do not know any other way. They do not know they have any Constitutional rights. They have grown up knowing they would serve their husbands. They must strive to be in "perfect obedience" to their husband to "be in harmony" with him. Women can not achieve salvation on their own, their husband is their only road to salvation and to an afterlife. The husband is their "father" and their priesthood head. In Carolyn's polygamist family, the wives and children were nothing more than chattel to a tyrannical, power-hungry, abusive husband. The mere thought of calling Merril Jessop a priest or religious man, let alone a father or husband, makes me nauseous. He is a terrorist to his wives and his children.

Reporting abuse to local authorities would only bring more hardship and abuse. The local police are FLDS men loyal to the prophet. The only way to report the abuse without retribution was to flee. Leaving this very closed community undetected, with or without her children was almost unthinkable. Carolyn risked her salvation, her life and the salvation and lives of her children by leaving. She knew if she were caught, there would be untold, terrible "consequences." As a wife of an FLDS leader, her leaving meant she and her children would be hunted down by Merril and his posse of community men.

After escaping this cult, to try to afford her children better protection, Carolyn went to the Attorney General in Utah with details of the abuses in this community. Much later, after more investigation and indictments were issued, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said "I have a corner of my state that is worse than [under] the Taliban."

Carolyn's story includes unbelievable incidents in her community and family of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Certainly this book is most believable because it is so unbelievable. No one could make up the mind-set, cruelty, experiences and most often blind, brainwashed devotion detailed in this book.

To say I enjoyed this book is simply not the right statement. I am very glad I chose to read it. I believe every American needs and should read this book. Maybe I was naive. Ashamedly, I never knew. To come to the realization that women and children living in today's United States are collectively being abused, denied freedom and their Constitutional rights, is shocking.

Yes, I watched HBO's Big Love. Actually, I never missed an episode. I was also quite enthralled late last year with the Warren Jeffs' trial on CourtTV. At the time, I was a little surprised he was convicted. Now, I know the circumstances and the truth about the religious cult Warren Jeffs led. Warren Jeffs was "the prophet" of the FLDS when Carolyn escaped. He deserves punishment more severe than incarceration. He brought many brutal directives to Carolyn's community and religion. Carolyn's book was published after Jeffs was arrested, but before his trial. FLDS followers still consider Warren Jeffs to be their "prophet." Around the time of his arrest it was rumored he had 180 wives. (According to the last count in Escape, Merril Jessop had 14 wives and 40 children young enough to still be living at home.)

I could not put this book down. But, I warn you, be prepared for an entirely different look at life in "the land of the free."

Note: I have purposefully not used capital letters to start many of the words in this post which, to be grammatically correct, should be capitalized. Normally, these words would note esteemed or honored positions in Christianity, religion and family. In this text, those holding these titles are not honorable or esteemed.

(ADDITIONAL INFO: After reading this book, I have been researching the FLDS, some of the members listed in Escape, and the Lost Boys - teenage boys kicked out of the FLDS community for some minor infraction, when in truth, the FLDS leaders did not want their competition to take the younger women as wives. I wanted to find out what is currently happening within the FLDS and if law enforcement and/or government authorities are protecting the women and children. I do not think it fair or appropriate to add this additional information to the review of Carolyn Jessop's book. Within the next few days, I will write about the new information I have found in my personal blog, http://www.pointswelltaken.blogspost.com/.)

Escape
Author: Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer
Available formats:
Hardback, October 2007, 432 pages, approximate cost $18
Audio, Compact Disc, Abridged, read by Alison Fraser, October 2007, approximate cost $18
eBook, October 2007, 304 pages, approximate cost $18

To learn more about the author Carolyn Jessop, visit http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=75833.

Oh What A Slaughter Massacres in the American West 1846-1890 by Larry McMurtry

Many of you may recognize Larry McMurtry as the author of many cowboy and western fiction novels. Or, maybe you know him as the author of The Last Picture Show or Lonesome Dove. Although I know many fans of McMurtry works, I had never read anything by him until I read this book, Oh What A Slaughter. Cowboys, Indians and the West are not really a genre I read often.

My reason for reading this book was because it contained several chapters about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a subject which does interest me and I have researched. I read the Mountain Meadows Massacre chapters and was so intrigued with the history of our American West, the Native Americans and the early settlers, I wanted to read the entire book.

I am not a history aficionado. Growing up in the south, I have always been interested in Civil War history. When I moved to California, some of the first research I did was to find out what part, if any, California had taken in the Civil War. The information I found was pretty basic. California had very little involvement in the Civil War because they were already very busy fighting (slaughtering) Native Americans.

This book is not for everyone. It will not be interesting to experts of the American West or to experts of this historical time period. If you are interested in what was happening in the West from 1846-1890 and haven't already done a lot of reading on the subject, then maybe this book is for you. If you would like to read more about the events of this time period in our history, McMurtry cites many other books which have been written about the different massacres and this time period.

As the title proclaims, this book is a bloody look at pretty disgraceful period of our history. Most of the massacres included in this book are white men, settlers and soldiers killing Native Americans. McMurtry references two battles of Native Americans killing white soldiers and settlers. One of the stories, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, is of white men (Mormons) and Native Americans together killing a group of white settlers.

McMurtry does a good job with background information and the conditions of the West for both the Native Americans, settlers and soldiers. In this book he specifically writes about the Sacramento River Massacre, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Sand Creek, the Marias River Massacre, the Camp Grant Massacre and the Wounded Knee Massacre. He also writes specifically about the much studied military Fetterman (Fort Phil Kearny) and the Custard (Little Bighorn) "massacres" and the Broken Hoop, the period of 1871-1890.

McMurtry also references current information concerning where these events took place. In most cases he gives first hand accounts of his visits to these sacred grounds where many lost their lives.

This book is a quick, although disturbing, read. As stated above, if you don't know much about what happened during this time period, you should read this book. This book is likely the briefest historical account available detailing these different events in the American West. Some of these massacres, including the Mountain Meadows Massacre, are still very controversial.

Oh What A Slaughter
Author: Larry McMurtry
Available formats:
Hardback, November 2005, 165 pages, "Bargain-Priced Book" at barnesandnoble.com cost $6
Hardback, Large Print, March 2006, 256 pages, approximate cost $30
Compact Disc, Unabridged, read by Michael Prichard, approximate cost $25

Other books by Larry McMurtry are too numerous to mention in this space (more than 35). A few of his most famous are:
The Last Picture Show,1966
Lonesome Dove, 1986
Telegraph Days, 2006

Murder on a Girls' Night Out (& other Southern Sisters Mysteries) by Anne George

If you appreciate a little irreverent laugh-out-loud sisterly comedy and a lot of southern charm combined with a fairly good mystery, the Southern Sisters Mysteries should be the next books on your reading list.

Set in Birmingham, Alabama, these books have two completely opposite sisters as the main characters. Patricia Anne, nick-named "Mouse," is a retired school teacher and a respectable, proper, Southern lady of small stature. And, weighing in at two hundred and fifty pounds is Mary Alice, nicknamed "Sister." Sister is loud, bold and flamboyant. Although each of the eight books in this series involves a decent mystery, I absolutely loved the interaction and often times side-splitting humor of these two sisters.

The first book in this series is Murder on a Girls' Night Out. The several times married and widowed Mary Alice and her current 72-year-old boyfriend have been hanging out two steppin' at the Skoot 'n' Boot, a local country-western bar. So, when the current owner of the Skoot 'n' Boot tells Mary Alice he is trying to sell the bar, Mary Alice thinks it's a great opportunity and decides to buy. I won't give away any more of this story, but, I do think to do these books justice and illustrate why I enjoyed them so much, I should at least give you an excerpt of the bantering between the sisters.

"We could even have a renewal of your vows. A lot of people are doing that now. The minister could stand where the Swamp Creatures play and y'all could stand on the glass boot. How does that sound, Mouse? I bet you could still wear your wedding dress. How much do you weigh, anyway?"
"A hundred five." I was beginning to feel out of breath like I always do when I am around Mary Alice for a while. Swamp Creatures? Glass boot?
"You were always anorexic."
"I've never been anorexic!" I reached into the bag and put a whole cookie into my mouth. I was still chewing on it when Mary Alice pulled into the parking lot of the Skoot 'n' Boot. It was not at all what I had expected. It looked like it at one time had been several small shops in an L-shaped building.
"They knocked the walls out." Sister explained.
"But, where's the front door?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Over there. See the sign?"
She pointed upward. On the roof, a huge boot with Skoot 'n' Boot emblazoned on the side with what looked like rhinestones, pointed its toe downward, toward an arrow that said, "Enter."
"The sun was in my eyes," I lied. Sister is always accusing me of not seeing the obvious, and this time she was right.

This is just one example of the "loving & kind" sisterly banter continuing throughout each book in this series.

I had never heard of the author Anne George or of the Southern Sisters Mysteries, until a friend loaned me the first two books. I liked this series so much, I gave a couple of sets of these books away as Christmas presents. Hearing from you, I know many of you are reading the books I have reviewed and enjoyed. Fearing I would spoil my Christmas presents, I've had to wait until after Christmas to write this review.

I am sorry to say the stories of Mary Alice and Patricia Anne are limited to the eight books currently in print. The author, and former school teacher, Anne George passed away in 2001. Although you may have to order them, all of the books in this series are currently available in paperback to purchase. I am not sure of their availability at your local library. If any of you want to let me know, I will be glad to update this posting. If you read the first book, Murder on a Girls' Night Out, I am sure you will want to read more about these hilarious Southern sisters from Birmingham.

Murder on a Girls' Night Out
Author: Anne George
Available format:
Paperback, February, 1996, 244 page, approximate cost $8

Southern Sisters Mystery Series
Murder on a Bad Hair Day, 1996
Murder Runs in the Family, 1996
Murder Makes Waves, 1997
Murder Gets a Life, 1998
Murder Shoots the Bull, 1999
Murder Carries a Torch, 2000
Murder Boogies with Elvis, 2001

Other books by Anne George
This One and Magic Life: A Novel of a Southern Family, 1999
Some of It Is True, Pulitzer nominated book of verse
The Map that Lies Between Us, 2000

To learn more about the author Anne George, visit: http://www.annegeorge.com/