Southern Reading Challenge Wrap Up

Maggie's Southern Reading Challenge was one of the challenges I told myself I would not take on. The last thing I needed to do this summer was take on another challenge, but as I was going through the books in my TBR room, I discovered a few that would qualify. Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors, and I hadn't yet tried reading her Lily Bard series. This was the perfect excuse. Why not get all caught up with one of my series reads by reading the latest Jack Kerley book? I should probably make some sort of effort to work towards that annual goal of mine. To balance things out, I chose a book recommended by another blogger, something a little outside of my normal reading zone, a novel by Charles Martin. There were certainly more I could have chosen from, and I would not have minded reading those either, but other reading commitments required I stick to the minimum.

Maggie hoped to give readers a taste of the South, and she certainly succeeded in that.

My Southern Selections:
Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley
When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

What was my favorite Southern novel of the three I read?

This is a tough question to answer. Each of these books received a Very Good rating from me.

Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite series authors, and I was quite impressed with the first book in her Lily Bard series. Lily is one tough woman and I really appreciated that there was a strong set of teeth in this cozy.

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin was a beautiful story--tragic and hopeful all rolled into one.

Jack Kerley's writing gets better and better with each book. He not only writes an entertaining tale, but he kept me on the edge of my seat almost through the entire book. There's enough twists and turns to keep any suspense enthusiast happy.

What book could I have done without?

I cannot even comtemplate question like this, frankly. Each of these books was well worth reading. I got to spend time in small town Arkansas, in a quiet lake side community in Georgia and in the heart of Mobile, Alabama. It was a lovely summer!

What was the best part of the Southern Reading Challenge?

With all of these challenges, the best part is diving into books that I have been wanting to read for ages, but have put off getting to for one reason or the other. For this challenge, I was introduced to a new author who I definitely will revisit in the future, experienced a different genre by a favorite author and enjoyed the company of old friends in the other.

I also had the pleasure of visiting the other participants' blogs, seeing what they were reading and taking down notes of possible books I might someday want to read. I will never lack for something to read, that's for sure!

Maggie did a great job of inspiring a sense of community and camaraderie with the Southern Reading Challenge. I cannot begin to thank her enough for putting this challenge together and allowing me to be a part of it. Thank you, Maggie!

A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley

A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley
Onyx, 2006
Suspense/Thriller; 375 pgs

Completed: 08/19/2007
Rating: (Very Good)

First Sentence: “Are you sure he ran this way?”

Reason for Reading: I enjoyed Jack Kerley’s earlier books in the Ryder and Nautilus series, and welcomed the chance to I revisit the two detectives. This is my final selection for the Southern Reading Challenge.

Comments: I always enjoy stepping into Jack Kerley’s world for a little while. He offers up a taste of the South, an entertaining and complex story, and characters I cannot help but enjoy spending time with. A Garden of Vipers had its share of excitement, that’s for sure.

In the third novel of the Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus series, the detectives set out to solve a brutal murder of a young reporter. As their investigation unfolds, they uncover a web of dark secrets, conspiracy and vicious crimes—all of it seeming to lead to one of the most wealthiest and powerful families in Mobile, Alabama. Getting too close to the truth puts their lives on the line, and it is just a matter of time before it all comes to a head.

In this particular novel, the politics of bureaucracy do not play a part as it had in the first novel and to a lesser degree in the second, which provided an opportunity for Ryder and Nautilus to work their case unfettered. They really are good at their jobs and getting to the truth; both smart men and on top of their game.

I like Jack Kerley’s writing. His hard-boiled style, sprinkled with wit here and there, makes for good reading. Mr. Kerley captures the police culture and heart of his characters in such a way as to put the reader right there in the pages of the book. He weaves his story together seamlessly, the twists and turns offering a surprise here and there,although all the while leaving a logical trail. Jack Kerley just keeps getting better and better.

Favorite Part: One of my favorite parts came early on in the novel when Nautilus and Logan are racing to the scene of the crime and fighting over who will get the case. Does that really happen?

On a more general note, one of my favorite spots in this and the other two novels in the series is Carson Ryder’s house. It’s right on the water and there's a since of quiet and calm about the place that offers a break from the harried excitement of Ryder's life. When Ryder gets in his kayak to free his mind, I wouldn't mind going along for the ride.

Check out the author's website.

I Won the Sense of Place Contest!

I am so excited! I won the Sense of Place Contest for the Maggie's Southern Reading Challenge. My entry is included with my review of Charles Martin's When Crickets Cry. It truly was a book that evoked a sense of place. Someday perhaps I will be able to visit Lake Burton. I'm certainly ready right now, if only my boss could spare me.

My prize, you ask? An autographed copy of Plain Heathen Mishief by Martin Clark. It sounds like it will be quite a fun adventure! I look forward to reading it.

I think most of all though I enjoyed visiting the other participants' blogs. There were so many great entries. If you get the chance visit Maggie's blog and click on the links of the various participants.




On a side note, today I received a pin for being with my agency for 10 years (my actual anniversary was back in June). One of my coworkers was in stitches, laughing so hard despite trying to keep a straight face and show her admiration for the pin. She thinks I deserve a big bonus. I think I deserve an all expense paid trip to Lake Burton. At least in 20 years, I will get to choose a gift from a catalog. Maybe a pen or a mug?

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. - Proverbs 4:23

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
West Bow Press, 2006
Fiction (Christian); 336 pgs

Completed: 07/11/2007
Rating: (Very Good)


First Sentence: I pushed against the spring hinge, cracked open the screen door, and scattered two hummingbirds fighting over my feeder.

Reason for Reading: Amanda over at A Patchwork of Books was the one who first recommended this book to me earlier this year, and it fit in perfectly as my second choice for the Southern Reading Challenge.

Comments: Set in the beautiful town of Clayton, Georgia right on the shores of Lake Burton, Charles Martin’s novel, When Crickets Cry, is a soulful novel that goes straight for the heart, both literally and figuratively speaking. Seven-year-old Annie first comes into contact with Reese outside of the hardware store where her aunt Cindy works, while selling lemonade. She is a special child, strong in spirit but with a bad heart. The day the two meet is a day that neither of them will forget. Shortly after Reese leaves the lemonade stand having had his fill, a strong wind comes along blowing Annie’s cup of money over and into the intersection. Before anyone can react, a truck hits her and Reese flies into action, saving Annie’s life.

Reese long ago pushed his past behind him and is simply surviving. As Reese and Annie’s friendship grows, it becomes harder and harder to keep his secrets and the painful past hidden. As Annie and her aunt begin to help Reese heal his heart wounds, he in turn must decide whether protecting his past is worth the life of a child.

As I began reading this book, I immediately knew it was one to be savored. The writing style itself sets the tone, a gentle and measured pace, while the language painted the landscape of a small town tourist community in such a way that I was standing right inside the story. The characters themselves completed the picture, their actions shaping the story as it unfolded. Reese is a complex character; it is obvious from the very first that he has a good heart. His love and devotion for Emma were so true and touched me deeply. Reese’s pain over losing her was genuine and debilitating. Annie is a young child who had been forced to grow up fast because of her health problems. She has an innocence about her just the same and her spirit never wavers. Charlie, Reese’s brother-in-law, and Cindy, Annie’s aunt, are the pillars of strength for both Reese and Annie. Cindy especially struggles, raising her sick niece on her own and trying to meet the financial obligations that come with so many doctor’s appointments, treatments and surgeries.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I love the title itself, and the story is not only heartbreaking but also heartwarming. It is a novel most of all of love and friendship, but also of letting go, making sacrifices, redemption, and of having hope.

Christian fiction is not a genre I usually indulge in, and while this book is classified as such, it can be read and enjoyed by just about anyone. Faith plays a large part in the lives of Annie and Reese, but the novel never gets preachy nor is the spiritual aspect ever overwhelming. It’s a natural part of the story that makes sense in the lives of the characters and the events that take place.

Favorite Part: Where to begin? And once I do, where to stop? I enjoyed so much of this book. Emma and Reese’s love story; Annie and her lemonade stand and crickets; The Well; Reese and Annie’s first meeting, including the rescue; and the doctor’s explanation to Charlie about the red blood cells being dump trucks come to mind immediately.

Sense of Place: Maggie over at Maggie Reads is hosting a contest, asking readers of Southern novels to select a passage that offers a sense of place from the novel and post it along with a photo (either your own or one you find on the internet) on your blog and then add the link from your blog post on her blog. The following is my contribution along with some extra passages that I felt captured the sense of setting in the novel.

Below me the Tallulah River spread out seamlessly into Lake Burton in a sheet of translucent, unmoving green, untouched by the antique cutwaters and Jet Skis that would split her skin and roll her to shore at 7:01 a.m.

Behind me, fog rose off the water and swirled in miniature twisters that spun slowly like dancing ghosts, up through the overhanging dogwood branches and hummingbird wings, disappearing some thirty feet in the air.

The roads around Burton are a plethora of Norman Rockwell’s Americana—apple orchards, dilapidated gristmills, craft stores, comb honey, smoked bacon, Coca-Cola, the Marlboro man, and cold beer at every turn. Vintage cars painted in rust dot the pastures that flow with creeks, cows, and horses. All summer long, hay bales rolled into one-ton mounds sit big as shacks, covered in white plastic like melted snowmen until the winter cold sheds their coat and feeds them to the livestock. And farmers, those whose lives are connected to the lake yet uninterested in it, sit atop green or red tractors beneath dusty brimmed hats, roll cigarettes, and pull at the earth for one more year like a pig suckling the hind teat.

Around here, folks sit in rocking chairs, sip mint juleps, and hold heated arguments about what exactly is the best time of day on the lake. At dawn, the shadows fall ahead of you, reaching out to touch the coming day. At noon, you stand on your shadows, caught somewhere between what was and what will be. At dusk, the shadows fall behind you and cover your tracks. In my experience, the folks who choose dusk usually have something to hide.
Check out the author's website for more information about his books.

Miscellaneous: My friend (Christy) warned me that this book would elicit an ugly cry—the kind of cry that leaves the eyes swollen and red, the nose stuffed, and maybe even result in a cry related hangover. She did not lie. Of course, I’m a big crybaby anyway when it comes to the books I read. A touching moment, happy or sad will bring tears to my eyes. The ugly cry though is not one I experience often. It takes a special book to turn my eyes into the Tallulah Falls.

Shakespeare's Landord by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris
Berkley Prime Crime Mystery, 1997
Mystery; 214 pgs

Completed: 06/28/2007
Rating: (Very Good)

First Sentence: I gathered myself, my bare feet gripping the wooden floor, my thigh muscles braced for the attack.

Reason for Reading: I enjoy reading Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series and decided to branch out and try her Lily Bard mysteries. This is one of my selections for the Southern Reading Challenge.

Comments: I was not quite sure what to expect when I picked up Charlaine Harris’ Shakespeare’s Landord. Maybe I thought I would find myself reading a cozy little mystery set in a small Southern town. What I got, however, was a darker, more edgy mystery set in that small Southern town, which was even better. Some readers, including the author, have called the author’s Lily Bard series a cozy mystery series with teeth.

Lily Bard is a woman with a secret. She left behind her old life to get away from painful memories. With her hair cut short and dyed, often wearing baggy clothes, all in an effort to disguise herself, Lily wants nothing more than to keep a low profile and live her life in the small quiet town of Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily, working as a cleaning woman and doing odd jobs for her clientele, finds the body of her former landlord on a late night stroll through her neighborhood. When Chief of Police, Claude Friedrich begins digging for suspects, Lily’s past makes her a suspect. She becomes determined to find the killer herself, hoping to preserve some of what she had built in that small sleepy town of Shakespeare.

The novel is full of colorful characters from the elderly but astute Mrs. Hofstettler to the spoiled Deedra Dean. As their cleaning lady, Lily probably knows more about them than they know themselves, including some of their secrets.

It is Lily herself that adds the edge to this mystery. She is tough as nails, a karate expert, sarcastic and a bit antisocial. She does her job, keeps her mouth shut and leads a relatively safe and peaceful life, which suddenly changes with the murder of the landlord. Lily begins to wake up from the fog she’s been living in, realizing she is a part of the world, that people notice her, care about her, and maybe she can still live rather than just merely exist.

With its southern charm and easygoing atmosphere, Shakespeare makes the perfect setting for Charlaine Harris’ novel. It adds gentleness to the story while at the same time revealing the rough edges under the surface. Small town gossip may flourish, but there’s a genuine friendliness and concern for each other, almost everyone looking out for each other.

Shakespeare’s Landlord is only the first in the Lily Bard mystery series, and I definitely plan on stopping by Shakespeare again. Charlaine Harris continues to be one of my favorite series’ writers.

Favorite Part: I most enjoyed following Lily around while she went about her various jobs. It was through that method that readers get a close up and personal glimpse into many of the characters of the novel. Bobo Winthrop and the condom incident had me chuckling out loud. Mrs. Hofstettler was full of southern charm and I enjoyed the moments spent with her. I got the impression that she has a little spitfire left in her despite her health problems. Chief Friedrich was another of my favorite characters. He was always such the gentleman.

Note about the Author: Charlaine Harris is a born and bred Southerner, having been raisd in the Mississippi Delta and now calling southern Arkansas home. Check out the author's website for interviews, a biography and bibliography.

More Classics, Medical Mysteries and a Taste of the South

Lately I have been feeling like the slowest reader on earth. I do so little reading during the work week and then on the weekend it's a mad dash to make up for lost time with whatever book I am reading.

I am on target with the TBR Challenge and am looking forward to the start of the Nonfiction Five Challenge that will begin next month. I am in the middle of my second book for the Once Upon a Time Challenge and am working through my selections for the Spring Reading Thing and the Reading Through the Decades Challenge. I still have not earned my place as an active participant in the New York Times Notable Books Challenge, but I hope to soon (I know, I know, I keep saying that and actions do speak louder than words . . .). I finished off my last book for the Chunkster Challenge this month, and am glad to now have two challenges under my belt for the year.

Although I made no announcement here on my blog, I had decided to stop signing up for reading challenges for the time being, especially during this busy time of the year when all the books I seem to be able to read are challenge books. While all the challenge books are obviously ones I want to read (why else would I select them?), it is nice to have room for a spontaneous choice now and then.

However, one of my fellow mystery readers, Kathrin (who has been reading mysteries enough for both of us since I seem to be slacking in that area lately), is running the Classics Reading Challenge this summer and into the fall. She was unable to participate in the Winter Classics Challenge but did not want to miss out on an opportunity to read a few classics before the year was out. I had indicated back when she was first considering the idea that I might be interested, and I have since decided to support her in the challenge she's hosting. Her challenge is quite flexible: participants will read 3 to 5 classic novels between July 1st and November 30th.


Classic Selections:
Persuasion by Jane Austen [read]
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle [read]
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde [read]



The last month or so I have been craving a good suspense/thriller novel, and when Debi over at Caught Between Worlds announced the Medical Mystery Madness Challenge, I gave it some thought. Since a lot of my reading seems to be dictated by challenges lately, why not sign up for a challenge reading one of those books I've been craving? This might be the only way I can fit them in! The challenge involves reading 2 or more medical thrillers between June 1 and November 1.


Medical Mystery Selections:
Brain Dead by Eileen Dreyer [read]
Life Support by Tess Gerritsen [read]
The Society by Michael Palmer [read]
The Pumpkin Seed Massacre by Susan Slater [read]

And what about Maggie's Southern Reading Challenge, which spans over three months, June through August? I really did plan on staying out of this one. I was actually surprised to discover how few Southern authors are among by TBR collection. It is shameful really. I am sure I will regret signing up for another challenge. I can just imagine my husband reading this and shaking his head, wondering if I will ever be able to make time for him outside of my reading. Challenges are like the snooze button on my alarm - just one more time won't hurt. Hopefully my selections all qualify since I'm kind of going Southern-lite this round (I might be stretching it a bit).

Southern Selections:
Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris [read]
A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley [read]
When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin [read]

There are many terrific sounding challenges out there that I would love to participate in, but it is not realistic for me to do so at this time. Check out Caribousmom's A Novel Challenge blog for the latest list of reading challenges. You may just find something you would be interested in!

On a different note, I was excited to see Anjin (aka Kira), post about one of our favorite mystery writers, Michael Connelly, on his Bullet Points blog. I love to see my darling husband excited about the books and it's especially nice when we can share an interest in a particular author or book.

Back to my own reading . . .