Sara's Log of Borrowed Books
January/February 2005 - Sara
Donaldson, D. J. Blood on the bayou. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991. [ISBN 0312053878]
Number 2 in the Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn series.
Donaldson, D. J. Cajun nights. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988. [ISBN 0312021755]
Number 1 in a mystery series featuring Chief Medical Examiner Andy Broussard and his assistant, psychologist Dr. Kit Franklyn, set in New Orleans.
Donaldson, D. J. Louisiana fever. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. [ISBN 0312143621]
Number 5 in the Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn series.
Donaldson, D. J. New Orleans requiem. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994. [ISBN 0312104952]
Number 4 in the Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn series.
Donaldson, D. J. No Mardi Gras for the dead. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. [ISBN 0312082711]
Number 3 in the Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn series.
Donaldson, D. J. Sleeping with the crawfish. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. [ISBN 0312170254]
Number 6 in the Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn series.
Freemantle, Brian. Mind/reader. New York: Thomas Dunne (St. Martin's Press), 1997. [ISBN 0312186541]
A European thriller featuring Dr. Claudine Carter, a forensic psychologist/profiler working for Europol, the European Union's FBI.
Lovett, Sarah. Dangerous attachments. New York: Villard Books, 1995. [ISBN 067943559X]
Number 1 in a mystery series featuring Dr. Sylvia Strange, a forensic psychologist, set in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Lovett, Sarah. Dark alchemy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003. [ISBN 0684855992]
Number 5 in the Dr. Sylvia Strange series.
O'Connell, Carol. Dead famous. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2003. [ISBN 0399150846]
Number 7 in the Kathleen Mallory series.
O'Connell, Carol. Killing critics. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. [ISBN 0399141685]
Number 3 in the Kathleen Mallory series.
O'Connell, Carol. The Man who cast two shadows. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1995. [ISBN 0399140646]
Number 2 in a police/mystery series featuring Kathleen Mallory, a New York City detective who also happens to be a sociopath.
O'Connell, Carol. Shell game. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1999. [ISBN 0399144951]
Number 5 in the Kathleen Mallory series.
Slaughter, Karin. Blindsighted. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. [ISBN 0688174574]
Number 1 in a mystery series featuring pediatrician and coroner Dr. Sara Linton, set in Georgia.
Slaughter, Karin. A Faint cold fear. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. [ISBN 0688174582]
Number 3 in the Sara Linton series.
Slaughter, Karin. Indelible. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. [ISBN 0060567104]
Number 4 in the Sara Linton series.
Slaughter, Karin. Kisscut. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. [ISBN 0688174590]
Number 2 in the Sara Linton series.
November/December 2004 - Sara
Aslett, Don. How to have a 48-hour day. Pocatello, Idaho: Marsh Creek Press, 1996. [ISBN 0937750131]
Time-saving cleaning tips.
Ball, Edward. The Sweet hell inside: a family history. New York: William Morrow, 2001. [ISBN 068816840X]
This is story of the Harleston family of South Carolina, which Ball came across while researching Slaves in the Family. Very engrossing.
Carroll, Deborah D. Teaching your children life skills. New York: Berkley Books, 1997. [ISBN 0425153037]
Probably will buy a copy of this to use as the children grow.
George, Anne. Murder carries a torch: a Southern Sisters mystery. New York: Avon Books, 2000. [ISBN 0380978105]
Number 7 in the Southern Sisters series.
George, Anne. Murder shoots the bull: a Southern Sisters mystery. New York: Avon Books, 1999. [ISBN 0380976889]
Number 6 in the Southern Sisters series.
Peel, Kathy. The Family manager's everyday survival guide. New York : Ballantine Books, 1998. [ISBN 0345419855]
Time management guide. Lots of useful ideas.
Roth, Philip. The Plot against America: a novel. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. [ISBN 0618509283]
WOW! That's the best word for this work of "historical imagining". The plot: Franklin D. Roosevelt loses his bid for a third presidential term to aviator/national hero/Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh. This starts the "absorption" of American Jews into mainstream American society, and an increase in anti-Semitic public sentiment. The main characters are a young Philip Roth, his brother, and his parents. I've never really cared for "alternate history" or "what-if" books, but this one really held my interest.
Schofield, Deniece. Confessions of a happily organized family. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1997. [ISBN 1558704248]
Tips to organize your family.
Schofield, Deniece. Confessions of an organized homemaker: the secrets to uncluttering your home and taking control of your life. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1994. [ISBN 1558703616]
The title says it all.
Walker, Rebecca. Black, white and Jewish: autobiography of a shifting self. New York: Riverhead Books, 2001. [ISBN 1573229075]
A fascinating autobiography. The author is the daughter of author Alice Walker (The Color Purple) and lawyer Mel Leventhal. Her story is a look at the challenge of personal identity.
Wyckoff, Malia M. You can afford to stay home with your kids: a step-by-step guide for converting your family from two incomes to one.
October 2004 - Sara
Fowler, Earlene. Broken dishes. New York: Berkley, 2004. [ISBN 042519597X]
Number 11 in a mystery series set in the coastal ranching area of California. All the titles are taken from quilt patterns. The main character is Benni Harper, a Western "cowgirl" and quilt expert. I highly recommend this series if you like a strong female character who is not a professional detective.
George, Anne. Murder runs in the family: a Southern Sisters mystery. New York: Avon Books, 1997. [ISBN 0380784491]
Number 3 in a mystery series set in Birmingham, Alabama. The main characters are sisters Patricia Anne "Mouse" Hollowell and Mary Alice "Sister" Crane (aka the Southern Sisters). The plot of this novel involves the "dog-eat-dog" world of professional genealogy. This book just cracked me up; lots of humor interspersed with a little suspense. I'll be borrowing the other titles in the series in the future.
Haizlip, Shirlee Taylor. Finding Grace: two sisters and the search for meaning beyond the color line. New York: Free Press, 2004. [ISBN 0743200535]
This is the sequel to The Sweeter the Juice, the true story about Shirlee's search for her mother's biracial family, who had "crossed over the color line" and "passed for white", leaving Shirlee's mom in the black community as a child. In Finding Grace, we find out how Shirlee's mom and aunt started a new relationship after 76 years of no communication. We also find out how the "white" side of the family reacted to learning the truth about their forebears. Both books are awesome and inspired me to further work on "lost lines" of my own family.
Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's champion. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. [ISBN 031217005X]
Number 2 in the Lily Bard series.
Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's counselor. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. [ISBN 0312277628]
Number 5 in the Lily Bard series.
Harris, Charlaine. Shakespeare's landlord. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. [ISBN 0312144156]
Number 1 in a mystery series set in Arkansas. The main character is Lily Bard, a cleaning woman with a tragic past. I picked up this series late in 2003, so I'm catching up with the early books.
Jones, Edward P. The Known world. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. [ISBN 0060557540]
This novel is about a free black family that owned slaves prior to the Civil War in Western Virginia. The newspaper review of this book was pretty good. I found it captivating, although somewhat disjointed (too much going back and forth on the timeline, IMO).
McCray, Carrie Allen. Freedom's child: the story of my mother, a Confederate general's black daughter. New York: Penguin, 1998. [ISBN 0140282521]
The life of Mary Rice Hayes Allen, an early NAACP activist. I think it is a fascinating biography.
Major, Clarence. Come by here: my mother's life; an extraordinary woman dreams a world beyond the color line. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. [ISBN 0471415189]
The life of Inez Hull Major, written in first-person narrative. I had to read it all in one sitting. The author is an established poet and novelist.
Minerbrook, Scott. Divided to the vein: a journey into race and family. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1996. [ISBN 0151931070]
The story of Scott's search for closure in his life; discusses his white relatives, who disowned his mother; his black relatives, who disliked her; his parents' tumultous marriage; his strained relationship with his family. The author is a national newsmagazine correspondent. I had a difficult time making it through this book - mostly because it invokes a lot of emotion. It took several sessions to finish the book, and I found it to be very engrossing.
Spencer-Fleming, Julia. A Fountain filled with blood. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2003. [ISBN 0312304102]
Number 2 in a mystery series set in upstate New York. The main character is the Reverend Clare Fergusson, a female Episcopal priest, formerly an Army helicopter pilot. I can't wait for the third book!
October 2004 - Connor
Bajaj, Varsha. How many kisses do you want tonight?
Cooper, Elisha. Magic thinks big.
Elliott, David. Hazel Nutt, Alien Hunter.
Ketteman, Helen. Armadilly chili.
Ketteman, Helen. Bubba the cowboy prince : a fractured Texas tale.
Ketteman, Helen. Luck with potatoes.
Schulz, Kathy. I need a little help.
