An Arizona Cheesehead's Thoughts

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was our book club selection for the month. Plahniuk is clearly one of those people that make you wonder, "How is his brain so different that it comes up with crazy stuff like this?" I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut's work when reading this book. Tender Branson is the last survivor of a religious cult who goes on to fame and fortune then complete, tragic, failure. This book skewers the rich, celebrity and organized religion and the masses who follow it. It's surreal yet often believable. We get the story of Tender's life as he recites it into the black box of a plane he's hijacked and intends to crash to the ground with when the fuel runs out. Or, does he? Very clever writing and good discussion material. View all my reviews

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth My rating: 3 of 5 stars The world is a dark and scary place filled with more dangers than just terrorists and Republicans. :-) Fortunately, for the US, the President has a super agent working for him to fight against werewolves, aliens and monsters of unimaginable evil. What makes his agent rise above all others is that he's one of the monsters. A vampire tied by oath to the Presidential office for 140 years, Nathaniel Cade is a lean, mean predator. Along with his new handler, former White House staffer Zach Barrows, Cade must investigate and diffuse a horrific attack on the US. Good stuff and a nice combination of paranormal and spy stories. View all my reviews

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton My rating: 4 of 5 stars It was not my intent to read this 549 page book in one setting but I did. I had to stay up until 3 AM to do it but I found I just couldn't put it down after I got 100 pages in. The story crosses over years between the early 1900s up to 2005 and tells the tales of three women, Cassandra, Nell and Eliza. Cassandra is a young widow living in Australia with her Grandmother, Nell, who raised her since she was a small child. When Nell passes away, Cassandra finds out what her Grandmother learned on her 21st birthday. Nell's parents found her as a four year old who had been abandoned on a ship from England to Australia and raised her as her own. Cassandra also finds her Grandmother's journals as she tried to discover her identity. Armed with a book of fairy tales, written by Eliza Makepeace and found in young Nell's suitcase, Cassandra endeavors to complete the search for Nell's family. It was a beautifu...

Undead and Unstable by MaryJanice Davidson My rating: 3 of 5 stars Finally! Some actual action and plot progression. It's about time. This was a good airplane read. Vampire Queen Betsy and friends actually spent some time talking to each other in this entry in the series and Betsy did more than just flit around and whine. It's about time because I was going to abandon the series if this book wasn't enjoyable. It was and I look forward to the next book. View all my reviews

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nice fantasy selection. Alina Starkov is an orphan in a world of magic with a gaping divide of darkness with flesh eating monsters. She and her childhood companion are in the army but Alina soon shows that she possesses incredible magic that hasn't been seen in ages. Alina is whisked off for training by the Darkling, a wizard who controls the magical folks under the command of their King. Palace intrigue, politics, magic and a love story ensue as Alina tries to learn to control her power and survive the machinations of others. This was a nice first entry in the series. I will definitely be checking out the next book when it's released. View all my reviews

The Innocent by David Baldacci My rating: 3 of 5 stars I love Baldacci's writing so I knew I would enjoy this book. Will Robie is an assassin for the US government. He's dispatched on an assignment but chooses to not make the kill because it doesn't feel right. Soon, he's on the lam with a young girl whose parents have been murdered. It was a good story of Will putting the pieces together and developing relationships with people, especially the girl. I did figure some stuff out before it was revealed but enough of the story was a surprise to keep me interested. View all my reviews

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was our book club selection and we all really enjoyed it. Rodriguez' story was both humorous and heartbreaking. The humor came from her stories of not following the Afghani way and the heartbreak from the stories of her pupils. The women of Afghanistan appear to be very much victimized by their society. Yes, that's coming from a Western viewpoint but giving away child brides, beating women and restricting them from leaving their homes should be universally viewed as wrong. The gist of the story is that Rodriguez, without a lot of forethought, heads off to Afghanistan to teach women how to be hair stylists so they can earn their own money and potentially start their own businesses. While there, Rodriguez impulsively marries and becomes a second wife. She seems to ultimately be OK with that which was strange. However, the relationship seemed to sincerely work albeit...

I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've gone without posting on my blog since I started it. It's been almost a month. It's not that I don't have lots to write about. Work is sooooooo busy and my social life is just as full. I'm just so overwhelmed between the two that, when I do manage to have some down time at home, all I want to do is watch mindless TV and drink wine. Seriously, my mind is mush and my energy level is non-existent. My house and my yard are a mess, I'm behind on club administrative work and all I can think about is sitting in the chair with the DVR controller in hand. Up until this weekend, I had only read one book this month and only because it was for book club. Sad. I think  about writing something and even halfway compose it but it just seems like too much work to actually type it all out. Actually, it seems like too much energy to even take my laptop out of its case when I get home. You know it's got to be bad when I don...

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James My rating: 3 of 5 stars Well, I had to read this since everyone else is. Yep, reads like Twilight fan fiction all right. Innocent heroine stalked by older, very experienced male with instant love based on nothing more than pheromones. Or, in this case, how a dude looks in grey pants and how a girl bites her lip. I didn't think the writing was great and the emails as exposition device was lazy. However, I have to give it up to James on the sex scenes. They are well worth the rest of the book. Man, smoking hot. I think every dude with a lady should be looking for some tips there. I'll probably read the next two books and feel ashamed of myself that I fell into the hype just as I did when I finished the third Twilight book. View all my reviews

Maybe not the best days, but memorable. I had the 70s on 7 on Sirius on my radio this morning and the first song I heard was One Bad Apple . Do you remember that Osmond Brothers hit? Apparently, I'm the only one that I know who does. Granted, it was a hit before my time (released in 1970 and I was clearly not into pop music then) but I was still a fan. But behind the times because when I got this lunch box in the Fifth Grade, I was seriously ridiculed. I thought I was styling Regardless of my childhood trauma, hearing the song today convinced me it was going to be a great day. And, it was. Right up until about 3 PM but that's another story. For those who can't remember the song, or have no idea what it even is, here's a YouTube: Those outfits, those dance moves!

I admit, I'm addicted to my electronics. Even when they're ticking me off (another blue screen of death!?!?!), I know I don't want to live without them. I really don't. So, picture this situation. I was at the airport for my last trip to Des Moines to see Jimmy Buffett. Phred Parrot and I were at the bar having breakfast beers (OK, one beer and it was just for me) when I decided I needed to get his picture. Except I couldn't find my phone. Panic immediately ensued. I had switched to my travel purse and frantically went through it several times then searched my backpack in the off chance that I'd put my camera in there. The more I searched, the more this line of thought developed. "I'll just have to buy a new camera right when I get there." Did I need a new camera? No. Was I willing to go without one for one weekend? No. Would I have been happy with just a cheap digital to get me through the weekend? No. I saved myself several hundred bu...

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was our book club selection this month. Surprisingly, even though it's a classic, none of us had read it. I really liked it. The story takes place in Brooklyn before WWI and our heroine is Francie. Her family is poor, her Dad's an alcoholic and this is back in the day when people were lucky to get to even an eighth grade education. However, as grim as their life may be, there was hope, love and determination. A wonderful cast of characters with Aunt Sissy being my favorite. She was an unapologetic promiscuous woman for her time but had a great heart. Francie's Mom, Katie, was a strong woman determined to do things right by her children. And, Francie was pragmatic, observant and caring in her own right. If you haven't read it, you should. Not only because of its status in American literature but because it's a good story with both humor and pathos. View all my reviews

Phred Parrot, club mascot, bird of the world. I don't want to say that Phred Parrot gets around but, damn, that bird gets around and gets remembered! On my last trip to Des Moines, Phred was my companion and we headed to the bar for breakfast beers after we got through security. (He was smuggled through security in my backpack. I'm not paying for his own plane ticket.) As I got him set up for a picture, the bartender said, "Hey, I know him. That's Phred with a P H." Yep, it really happened. Turns out that Gretchen the bartender remembered Phred from a previous visit to the bar while he was on his way to "somewhere beachy". That doesn't really narrow it done for his travels so I described some of the humans he'd been with lately but she only remembered him. Turns out the trip was with Goat and Queen as they visited Hawaii.  Gretchen also said that she'd tried to find him on FB so I told her to try again under "...

Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love this series about the consolidation of England under the reign of Alfred The Great. Uhtred has spent his life and his money in the service of the dying Alfred and then his son Edward in order to fight the Danes and others who don't share Alfred's vision of one great land under a Christian God. There are graphic fights, politics, murders, intrigue and romance. The heathen in me especially enjoys Uhtred's goading of the corrupt clergy that surrounded the devout Alfred. The entire series is a fine set of historical fiction. View all my reviews

The Technologists by Matthew Pearl My rating: 4 of 5 stars I always worry when I read historical fiction that I'm going to "misremember" historical facts afterwards. I don't think I have too much to fear from this book, however, because it's a rather outrageous tale. The story revolves around the first graduation class of MIT. Back in the day, technology was feared and misunderstood. Workers feared automation would eliminate their jobs and the general public had little or no knowledge of what even the word technology meant. When Boston comes under attack from an unknown person(s), it's up to our fledging scientists to determine how the terrorist like attacks were achieved and how to predict and prevent the next incident. There was a lot of science talk, well developed characters and, as it's a mystery, several red herrings. Good read and it gave a good feeling for what Boston was like right after the Civil War. View all my reviews

It's been easy to focus on all the negatives going on around me. Incessant work, overwhelming social activities, challenging travel...it's all been a pain in the arse. The thing is, no matter how bad or frustrating your life is, someone has it worse. And, I found that out last Friday night. My friend Morgan sent me a text while I was in Canada asking if I wanted to play in a charity poker tournament at his house on Friday night. I went directly from the airport to the game. Half of the money was going to the prize fund and the other half was going to his co-worker for medical bills. The medical bills were for his co-worker's step-daughter who just had a heart transplant. OK, imagine that you're a 16 year old girl who thinks you have the flu. You don't get better so your parents take you to the emergency room. They tell you that you just need an IV to get rehydrated but then, within days, you find out your heart is failing and you need a transplant. Now, im...

Disclaimer:  this is not a paid endorsement for lia sophia jewelry. Another Disclaimer:  I would happily be paid to endorse lia sophia jewelry since I sing its praises to everyone. Seriously, I've earned some dough for them. I love jewelry. From the fancy to the simply elegant, I feel better and prettier when I'm wearing it. But, there are some pieces that I really, really, really love and I catch myself staring at them throughout the day because of my adoration. Today, I'm wearing a new necklace. Flower Pot Necklace The picture doesn't do it justice. It's very bright and summery and very sparkly. A co-worker and I flew by each other in the hall and she called out, "That's a pretty necklace." I beamed. I'm also wearing a new ring. Forget Me Not I love it! It's very sparkly and there's a touch of white enamel on two of the flowers that add just the right touch of color. The good thing about hosting a party is that yo...

Awesome! Steven and I caught The Avengers on Saturday morning. As long as I didn't think too much about the plot, it was fantastic. Lots of action and lots of humor. You could see Joss Whedon's fingerprints all over it. If you don't know who Joss Whedon is I probably don't want to be your friend. He's the guy behind Buffy, Angel and Firefly and I think he's brilliant. And aggravating. I still haven't forgiven him for killing Wash in Serenity. It does make watching his stuff interesting because he will off very popular characters. Back to the movie, I really enjoyed Black Widow in this one. She hardly did anything in the last Iron Man movie except dress up like a secretary, pout and toss her hair about while fighting. Seriously, why didn't any of those bad guys just grab on to that mane and yank it? In this movie, she gets lots of screen time (almost as much as Iron Man and Captain America) and shows her brains as well as her fighting skills. Oh, ...

That can't be right I had another birthday last week. Yes, it beats the alternative but I'm having major denial issues when I do the math. Seriously, I cannot be this old. To add insult to injury, I was sitting in the airport on my way to Calgary (where I spent my birthday on a business trip) when I saw this sign. WTF? If you were born in 1991, you're old enough to drink?!!? It seems like 1991 was only a few years ago. Sigh. At least I haven't been hit up by AARP. Yet.

Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow, I did not see that coming! No, I won't spoil it. Merit and Ethan are threatened by the mayor of Chicago. Apparently, vampire raves have gotten out of hand and three young women were bled to death. If the vampires can't control the issue, the mayor is putting Ethan in jail. All this is happening while they get a visit from one of ruling vampire council members who threatens to take control of their House. Lots of shenanigans and violence and the surprise ending. This is a good series. View all my reviews