The Age of Will

[][BookDetail]
[*And Then There Were Two*][BookDetail] is a sequel to [*One by One*][One by One] in the Dani Ross mystery series.
The recent explosion in Christian fiction is great. Greed seems to have taken hold, though. Publishers and authors can make more money if they drag the story out through four or five short books. This series is no exception. I find it interesting that the major focus of this particular book is just that–greed.
The book follows Dani Ross and her assistant Ben Savage through their biggest case yet . . . finding out who tried to murder the richest man in the United States. Maybe it was one of his own family . . . . They all want to be sure they get a good share of the inheritance when he is gone.
Greed seems to be the operative word with the rich man’s three former wives and children. They all lunch together with him on a regular basis aboard his yacht . . . and he lets them . . . pretty unrealistic!! It’s also pretty hard to believe this guy lives full-time on his yacht. Don’t most rich people have two or three houses? I sure would!!
Save your money on this series. It is definitely not up to par with this author’s other works.
[BookDetail]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/bookdetail/book_id/11
[Author]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/browsebook/pagenum/1/author/Gilbert%20Morris
[One by One]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/bookdetail/book_id/36

[][BookDetail]
The first chapter of [Nick Hornby's][Nick Hornby] novel, “[A Long Way Down][BookDetail]” introduces the 4 main characters, Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ. Each main character tells the story in a rotating first person, and each section clearly identifies who is speaking. The story starts with Martin explaining why he is on top of a fifteen-story building, on New Years Eve, “Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?”
The pacing of the story is fast and furious. The switching between narrators leaves the reader dizzy, in a “Being John Malkovich” style voyeuristic whirlwind of personalities. Martin, we learn, is a middle-aged morning television talking head, out of work, and out of marriage, because of a well-publicized affair, with an underage girl. Maureen is a conservative single mother of a special needs child, now grown. Jess, turns out to be the rebellious daughter of a well to do politician. JJ is a musician, out of work and out of luck since his band broke up, and sick of delivering pizzas.
[Nick Hornby][Nick Hornby] brings these desperate souls together, on a night when each has decided to end their lives. The characters are well drawn and consistent; at times each is likable, dislikable, frustrating and endearing. The book is well timed and well organized. We are introduced to each character in turn, and we genuinely want to know how life will turn out or end. [Nick Hornby][Nick Hornby] takes a depressing subject and heart breaking characters, and weaves a tale that leaves the reader satisfied and entertained.
[BookDetail]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/bookdetail/book_id/1871
[Nick Hornby]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/browsebook/pagenum/1/author/Nick%20Hornby

Have you ever “read” a cookbook?
Watching the FoodNetwork is entertaining and relaxing. However, there is nothing like reading a good cookbook late at night when the house is quiet. It’s more than relaxing. It’s therapeutic.

It’s not about the structure of meal planning or searching for an exciting new recipe for a potluck. Rather it’s about enjoying the photographs, reading the section headers, identifying with the author’s dilemma of which of a thousand chicken casserole recipes to include. It’s about foods from different eras and different cultures. It’s about ingredients, cooking methods, utensils, etc.
I sensed a kindred spirit when I ran across this blog post.
[Life Begins at 30: Cookbooks as Therapy](http://www.lifebeginsat30.com/jen/2006/11/cookbooks_as_th.html)

Check out this interesting group on flickr called [Your Books][YourBooks], lead by Rejean Pellerin. The group discusses books and features thousands (THOUSANDS) of personal pictures of books.
Fun browsing, here’s one of my favorite’s.

Great group. Enjoy!
[YourBooks]: http://www.flickr.com/groups/your_books/

[][bookcover]
Caution: Puns Ahead!
That should be on the cover of this book–if you hate puns, you won’t find this book as amusing as I did. Because the bad guy calls himself the Gingerbread Man, one might think this was a light book. It certainly was a quick read, but the subject is disturbing, as the Gingerbread Man is a serial killer.
Like many mysteries, the suspense isn’t who the murderer is, but how he is caught. And, with a main character named Jack Daniels, you know this could become a very interesting series. I’m sold!
[bookcover]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/bookdetail/book_id/1687

I just heard about this great [website][Gallery website] and book called the ["Gallery of Regrettable Food"][Book], by James Lileks, on the [Munchcast][Munchcast] podcast episode 30.
The website is great. Loads of old ads for Jello…you name it.
[Gallery website]: http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/
[Book]: http://books.clubreading.com/book/bookdetail/book_id/2590
[Munchcast]: http://twit.tv/mc30

Great story on [NPR.org about a Hare Krishna monk][nprstory] living and going to school in New York. Not only is it a fascinating story, but it has several excellent vegetarian recipes at the end. (Thanks Linda for the heads up about the story.) Enjoy!
[nprstory]: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90639998