The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout 271 pages

This is one of the best Nero Wolfe mysteries.  It is full of intrigue, and an awful lot of flirtation.  If you love excellent dialogue and mysteries that keep you guessing, you won't be disappointed.  When a powerful government official scheduled to speak to a group of millionaires turns up dead, the business world clamors for a solution and Nero Wolfe takes the case.  There’s really not a lot more to tell…Archie is irresistibly charming, as always.  Wolfe gets sick of having too many clients and warring agencies constantly crashing his office calm.  Another fantastic Nero Wolfe mystery read by Michael Prichard!

Hardcore Twenty-four by Janet Evanovich, 320 page

I think I've read everything Janet Evanovich has published since the first Stephanie Plum book "One for the Money."

We're now on book 24 in the series and not much has changed in Stephanie's life.  Since about book eight, I typically read and then complain that it wasn't that good.  Guess what?  I liked this one.

The same formula and all the regular zany characters are here but I enjoyed this one more than most.  Thanks Janet.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, 396 pages

This book was originally published in Sweden and was translated into English by Rod Bradbury.  It is a comic caper about Allan Karlsson, who escapes from a nursing home on his 100th birthday.

First stop?  The bus station where a criminal with a suitcase full of cash needs to use the bathroom and entrusts Allan with the suitcase.  Oops.

The book fluctuates between the present and Allan's storied life.  Remember how Forrest Gump was present for A LOT of stuff in history?  Yeah, so was Allan.  I rate the book enjoyable, but not lovable. 

The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg, 320 pages

This is book #5 in the Fox and O'Hare series that is a collaboration between Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg.

Fox is Kate Fox an FBI agent secretly tasked to work with O'Hare.  O'Hare is Nicolas O'Hare con man and super criminal extraordinaire who looks like he is on the run, but is secretly working with the FBI to bring down really bad guys.

This time the duo is trying to stop a Serbian bad guy from unleashing a small pox epidemic on the world.

Deep?  Uh, no.  Fun? You betcha.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett 377 pages

Have you ever read any Terry Pratchett?  If not, you really should.  He had a real knack for presenting the absurd and outlandish, and making it not just accessible, but believable.  If you love British humor and fantasy in the sense that this is just a different world, where golems and vampires rub elbows with trolls, many of whom are on the police force, and just regular Joes, you really need to give him a try.  This particular story opens with a hanging death.  Kind of.  Moist Von Lipwig has many names, but that is his true name.  He's a master of fraud and a cunning con man.  He's done well being completely bland and unmemorable, but it finally catches up to him.  He's sentenced to death.  He hangs.  Then he's cut down...still drawing breath.  Lord Vetenari seems to know everything there is to know about Lipwig and he makes him an offer he has not choice but to accept.  Live and become the new postmaster or go through the door to your left.  (By the way, the door to his left leads only to a plummeting death).  Welcome the new postmaster.  The post office has been closed for a long while, but mail was never thrown out.  Every inch of every surface is piled with mail.  Then Lipwig does something very simple, very...natural.  He delivers a letter.  The rest is a roller coaster of mad fun.  I cannot recommend this book highly enough!   I loved it!

Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum #22) by Janet Evanovich, 292 pages

Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter not-extraordinaire, and her crew are at it again.  All the zany characters we know and love from the other 21 Stephanie Plum novels are here including Lula, Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli and Ranger.

To be fair, Stephanie really is improving as a bounty hunter, as she should be after so many outings.

Listening to another Stephanie Plum book is similar to spending the afternoon with an old friend.  There won't be many surprises but it will be a fun afternoon with laughs.

The Scam by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg, 304 pages

This is book #4 in the Fox & O'Hare Series by Evanovich and Goldberg.  Kate O'Hare is an FBI agent who is publicly trying to bring down con man Nicolas Fox.  The reality is that she has been ordered to work with him conning and bringing down other bad guys.

In typical Evanovich fashion, there is a zany cast of supporting characters who appear in all the Fox & O'Hare books.  These are fun mind candy and I was not disappointed.  The book ended with a cliff hanger so I'm looking forward to book #5.

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore, 336 pages

Christopher Moore writes howl out loud funny books. The "Serpent of Venice" features Pocket, who was the protagonist in "Fool." This book is a little bit of Shakespeare's "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice," along with a dose of and Edgar Allan Poe's “The Cask of Amontillado.” There's some real history here too, but don't be too married to that.
If you enjoy humor, irony, are not easily offended and don't mind the f-bomb being dropped pretty frequently, then I'm pretty confident you will enjoy this tale. And if you are a fan of audiobooks, all the better, my friend. It is a HI-larious listen. One thing I particularly got a kick out of is that the "chorus" is a character in this book and the other characters get pretty ticked off with it by the end.

YES PLEASE by Amy Poehler, 352 pages

YES PLEASE is Amy Poehler's first, and maybe last book.  I listened to the book, that she read with the help of Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Kathleen Turner, Patrick Stewart, Mike Schur, along with her parents Eileen and William Poehler.

Amy made no bones about the fact that a book is hard to write, hence it might be her last.  However, I hope it's not because it was darned good. The book is part memoir and part her philosophy of life.

If you have to choose between reading and listening on this one - I am going to recommend that you listen.  Patrick Stewart reading funny haiku poetry?  Loved it.

The Hen of the Baskervilles by Donna Andrews 308 pages

Meg Langslow is at it again in this goofy mystery.  This time, she is a co-chair for a local festival where the soon-to-be-ex husband of a friend is murdered.  It's up to Meg to prove her friend's innocence, but that's not going to be easy with a neighboring police force mucking things up for everyone.  Llamas, chickens and wine makers all get in on the fun.  These are really great books for light reading, and I almost always laugh out loud at certain parts.

Some Like It Hawk by Donna Andrews 344 pages

This isn't even a guilty pleasure.  I love these books by Donna Andrews.  They remind me of the Thin Man series or some Cary Grant screwball comedy type thing.  Anyway, they are the perfect book to take to the beach or to read if you need something light and fun, but are a fan of mysteries.

This particular title in the series takes place around the 4th of July, which is lucky, since the entire town is trying to keep a secret tunnel with a squeaky door secret from the organization that is trying to buy up all their land and buildings.  Meg Langslow does her part making as much noise as a blacksmith as possible during the town's celebrations, so that people can get in and out of the tunnel without arousing suspicion.  At the other end of the tunnel is the ex-town clerk, who has barricaded himself in the court house and has successfully prevented the "Evil Lenders" from completely railroading the entire town.  A murder occurs and the clerk is prime suspect, but Meg and her motley crew are going to do their best to make sure the murder isn't pinned on the wrong man.  These mysteries are just pure silly fun.

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich, 352 pages

I always complain about Janet Evanovich books.  Not this one.  By golly, I laughed out loud several times.  Sure, the same old characters are there: Stephanie, Lula, Joe, Ranger, Grandma Mazur, Grandma Bella, Momma Plum, Daddy Plum. . .  And they are all up to their normal antics but maybe I've given in to the fact that not much is going to change except for a new mad cap, comic, yet deadly situation that Stephanie somehow manages to survive in spite of and with the help of her friends, family and her two guys - Trenton, NJ Cop Joe Morelli and man of mystery Ranger.

Lately, there also seems to be a crazy animal or two running loose.  This time it is a pack of feral chihuahuas on Stark Street, the scary part of town.  This book also features the return of grumpy little person Randy Briggs and a smackdown between Grandma Mazur (Stephanie's grandmother) and Grandma Bella (Joe's grandmother).

Anyway, I'm giving this one a thumbs up.  Sit back, read (or listen) and while away a few summer hours.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell 323 pages

 

 

When Lincoln gets a job as an “internet security officer” for a local newspaper, he doesn’t realize this means spending his nights in an office, reading other people’s email. Beth and Jennifer are friends who send constant personal emails to each other, not realizing it is someone’s job to moniter them. Lincoln is supposed to send them a warning for misuse of company email, but their emails are funny and sweet and he starts to enjoy reading them. Soon he realizes he is falling in love with Beth through her writing, but now he has a problem; if he finds out who she is and introduces himself, how is he going to explain that he’s been reading her personal emails for months?

This book was really cute. The ending is satisfying without being too cliché, and all the characters are loveable. I really enjoyed that it wasn’t just a romance, but had some really strong friendships as well. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a light, fun read.

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich 414 pages

Imagine, having one of the worst days of your life, hair is a mess, clothes are mussed, rushing to catch a plane and then, sitting next to Mr. Perfect!  I mean a real hunk!  Poor Holly, a recent widow who eats to ease her emotional pain, meets Logan, athletic trainer to the stars.  Logan decides to take Holly on as a special project. He soon realizes that she is not like the perfect looking cookie-cutter girlfriends in his recent past, in more ways than the obvious.  As Holly works her butt off, literally, a very interesting complex woman emerges and their friendship turns to something more.  Will Logan be willing to step out with someone who clearly is not his usual type?  Will Holly be able to overcome her insecurities and realize she deserves someone special?  Stephanie Evanovich's debut novel is a cute romantic comedy and will adapt well to the screen, but does not pack the laugh out loud punch we have come to expect from the name Evanovich.  Try it on for size!

13 Gifts by Wendy Mass           341 pages

This title is a Mark Twain award nominee this year.  You will find that a lot of my posts will be Mark Twain and Truman award nominees.

13 Gifts is the third in a very loose series by Wendy Mass.  I say it's loose, because while there are cross-over characters, you can read them as stand-alone titles.  I read 11 Birthdays (which was very Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray-esque) when it was a nominee and enjoyed it very much.  I think that 13 Gifts was a fun read, but not as engaging as 11 Birthdays.  A girl gets shipped off to her parents' hometown for the summer after getting into a pickle at her school.  A series of misfortunes and bad decisions land her in more hot water once she gets to Willow Falls.  Her only way out is to gather up an odd list of items for an even stranger shopkeeper.  As one character points out - there are no coincidences in Willow Falls.  Finding out how it all links up is really fun.  Along the way, she learns quite a bit about herself, her parents and what it takes to make and keep friends.  This book is great for 4th through 6th graders.