As summer winds down, hopefully we can all set aside some time to sit back and exercise our minds with some light reading. The weather has not been cooperating much; it seems that it has created more work for us to do, cleaning up after one storm or another. Let's hope that fall will be kinder to us and our neighbors. So put your feet up, savor that warm cup of coffee and relax with a good book.
The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb - one of the best writers of Appalachian fiction, Sharon McCrumb weaves a story of both fiction and history. Based on the ballad of "Tom Dooley", the author, after much research, including actual visits to sites, perusing trial manuscripts and census records along with other pertinent information, takes us on a journey into rural Appalachia in the 1800's. What really did happen in the case of Tom Dooley and his lover Laura Foster whom he was accused of murdering? Ms. McCrumb proves herself to be a writer of exceptional quality while capturing the character of the people, along with the beauty of the mountains, truly a balladeer in her own right.
Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman - Jesse Stone finds himself in trouble with the locals as the summer tourist season starts to heat up. A person, from his troubled days on the L.A. force, seeking revenge only adds to his problems.
Almost two years since the death of Robert Parker, Jesse Stone novels continue. Picking up the pen, Michael Brandman, a movie producer, worked with Parker on several motion pictures as well as the Jesse Stone movies currently broadcast on CBS.
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Who doesn't love the circus? Didn't we all want to runaway and join one when we were growing up? Well, here's your chance, to get caught up in the macabre of all the circus can be and more. Then again, maybe this is one circus you'll be glad your mother talked you out of. Celia and Marco are rival illusionists whose lives spiral from the greatness of love to the abyss of heartbreak. They are pitted against each other in a timeless battle until one wins, with no rules, or what winning requires of them The author pulls the different circus characters into the story and each is magically conveyed to the reader, a debut novel that entertains with all the excitement of life under the Big Tent.
Heat Rises by Richard Castle - For those who mix their viewing pleasure (TV) with the written word, September is a dual treat for "Castle" fans. In the third novel, Nikki finds herself stripped of her badge and disgraced, all due to the death of a priest at a New York club. Don't forget to have your reading done by September 19th at 10pm for the Season 4 premiere.
