Alyssa Goodnight's Blog

There are 100 copies of OLIVE BRIGHT, PIGEONEER up for grabs on Goodreads!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Giveaway ends Nov 12!

Good luck!

It's been a little while since I've had a book released into the world, but I'm delighted to say that this hiatus is almost at an end. At the tail of this year (Dec 29th, to be exact), my debut historical mystery: OLIVE BRIGHT, PIGEONEER will be out!

One part cozy mystery, one part historical fiction, OLIVE is about a young British woman's quest to make a difference in the war effort on the homefront in World War II. With a little humor, a little (a very little) romance, and a lot of quirky characters, it's not so very different from my earlier books. Except that there's a dead body...

Kirkus called it, "A delightful classic village mystery studded with little-known World War II facts: a promising series debut." In addition, OLIVE has garnered advance praise from some truly wonderful authors:

“Olive Bright, Pigeoneer is fresh, original, and sure to enchant. An absolute winner!”
—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of A Murderous Relation

“Written in the spirit of the best classic mysteries...a marvelous read.”
— Tasha Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of In the Shadow of Vesuvius

“Inspired by little known facts of World War II, Graves brings us a fresh, quirky, and charming new heroine.”
— Susan Elia Macneal, New York Times bestselling author of the Edgar-nominated Maggie Hope series

I hope you enjoy it!

It’s been awhile.  Three months of summer hiatus and then September missed because of the craziness going on post-Hurricane Harvey. My boys had been back to school for a week when it hit and were subsequently out of school for TWO FULL WEEKS.  They were more than ready to go back after that (and I was more ready than they were.)  But I’m back, reviewing a cookbook, which is totally new for me.  For this one, I’m willing to make an exception.

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@Barrie Summy

The book: Half Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard

From Amazon:  Whether you need to get dinner on the table for your family tonight or are planning your next get-together with friends, Half Baked Harvest Cookbook has your new favorite recipe.

Tieghan Gerard grew up in the Colorado mountains as one of seven children. When her dad took too long to make dinner every night, she started doing the cooking—at age 15. Ever-determined to reign in the chaos of her big family, Tieghan found her place in the kitchen. She had a knack for creating unique dishes, which led her to launch her blog, Half Baked Harvest. Since then, millions of people have fallen in love with her fresh take on comfort food, stunning photography, and charming life in the mountains.

 

While it might be a trek to get to Tieghan’s barn-turned-test kitchen, her creativity shines here: dress up that cheese board with a real honey comb; decorate a standard salad with spicy, crispy sweet potato fries; serve stir fry over forbidden black rice; give French Onion Soup an Irish kick with Guinness and soda bread; bake a secret ingredient into your apple pie (hint: it’s molasses). And a striking photograph accompanies every recipe, making Half Baked Harvest Cookbook a feast your eyes, too.

My review:  I don’t own very many cookbooks, and my meal repertoire is pretty limited.  (I’ve got some seriously picky eaters at my house.)  I can’t quite remember how I came across the Half Baked Harvest blog–perhaps searching for a recipe for hula pork–but I have been hooked ever since.  I’ve made several recipes from her blog and have been delighted by almost every one.  (Springtime Chicken Pho, Sweet Corn Slaw, Korean Pineapple Pork Lettuce Wraps, Hawaiian Hula Pork Fajitas…)  I follow her recipes on Instagram and am always struck by how yummy they look.  Snapping up her first cookbook was a no brainer.

I have read two cookbooks in my life–this is the second one.  Tieghan has a charming way of injecting enthusiasm into every. single. recipe.  I seriously want to make virtually everything in this cookbook.  There are four reasons for this.

 All of these recipes look and sound scrumptious–her photography is beautiful.
 These recipes are LAYERED with flavors.  Most include a list of toppings or garnishes that you can choose to add or skip per your tastes.  But despite this, these recipes do not have a ridiculous list of ingredients.  Mobilizing 43 ingredients for one recipe is not in my wheelhouse.  I’m more of a 5-10 ingredient girl.  This cookbook is pushing my limits, but in a GOOD way.
The beauty of Half Baked Harvest Cookbook is that Tieghan Gerard is able to come up with new and inventive ways to jazz up old favorites.  Things you may not have paired together (salad, topped with sweet potato fries, for example) seem suddenly to make complete sense.
 This cookbook is not afraid of sugar.  Or butter.  Or full fat coconut milk.  But its focus is on eating healthy (at least most of the time.)

Let me tell you, I’ve been struggling to find a go-to recipe for homemade mac and cheese. (Being gluten free, it’s homemade or nothin’.)  I made The Cheese-maker’s Mac & Cheese from the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook (skipping the Ritz cracker topping and subbing out the smoked Gouda), and we all thought this version was delicious.  Next up, I’m making the Super Breakfast Mango Lassi and I. CANNOT. WAIT.  The kitchen is my oyster!

Seriously, if you’re looking for some fun, inventive, not-too-involved recipes, give this cookbook a try.  (Or experiment with a few gems from her blog first.)  I suspect you will be a total convert.

FCC: I purchased this book, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

The last Book Review Club get together before the summer hiatus!  I admit I’ve been neglecting my reading in favor of binge watching Doc Martin on Netflix, but now I’m back to it, and this month’s selection is My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.

This little treasure, set in 1935 Corfu, is the basis for the Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu, which I happened to stumble over while avidly watching such gems as Indian Summers and Poldark.  I recommend all of them, but whereas most Masterpiece productions tend toward the dramatic, The Durrells in Corfu is lighter, but with an unexpectedly biting wit.  When I realized the series was based on the memoirs of the youngest son, Gerald Durrell, I was intrigued and snapped up a copy of My Family and Other Animals.  I’ve not been disappointed.

From Amazon:

The first book Gerald Durrell’s Corfu Trilogy: a bewitching account of a rare and magical childhood on the island of Corfu, now the inspiration for The Durrells in Corfu on Masterpiece PBS

When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account of Durrell’s family’s experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home.

This little volume is absolutely charming.  It’s a clever, whimsical treatise on the flora and fauna of Corfu, but also a keen, hilarious observation of the Durrell family life.  It will make you wish you’d grown up on Corfu, learning, as Gerald did, by daily observation of his older siblings (two brothers and a sister), his menagerie of animals, and the native Corfiotes.  Gerald was fascinated by all creatures, and his erstwhile tutor George had better success in teaching him when he “was able to give a more zoological tinge to the lesson.”

On making maps:

“Our maps were works of art.  The principal volcanoes belched such flames and sparks one feared they would set the paper continents alight; the mountain ranges of the world were so blue and white with ice and snow that it made one chilly to look at them.  Our brown, sun-drenched deserts were lumpy with camel-humps and pyramids, and our tropical forest so tangled and luxuriant that it was only with difficulty that the slouching jaguars, lithe snakes, and morose gorillas managed to get through them.”

Older brother Larry (a serious writer):

“Isn’t it laughable that future generations should be deprived of my work simply because some horny-handed idiot has tied that stinking beast of burden near my window?” Larry asked.

“Yes, dear,” said Mother; “why don’t you move it if it disturbs you?”

“My dear Mother, I can’t be expected to spend my time chasing donkeys about the olive-groves. I threw a pamphlet on Christian Science at it; what more do you expect me to do?”

Gerald was a prolific writer, and eventually his earnings were sufficient to allow him to open a zoo, its emphasis on breeding endangered species.  Further work of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust led to the establishment of the International Training Centre for the Breeding and Conservation of Endangered Species.

My Family and Other Animals is a delightful, escapist read that highlights the fun in dysfunction and the astounding, delightful variety of the natural world.

Be sure to click the typewriter for the rest of this month’s reviews before you head off to the beach, the mountains, or your own backyard.

In other news, my latest novel, Just Say Yes is on sale through Mother’s Day for 99 cents!  As a friend recently joked, “I’m buying your book! Even if I don’t like it, I’m only out ninety-nine cents!”  EXACTLY.

 

Here we are on March 1st…my boys have just left on their band trip to California, and the weather here is less crisp spring, more balmy, sticky pre-summer.  Ugh.  Things are busy and my reading time is limited, so this month’s Book Review Club pick has been the perfect antidote to otherwise lost reading time.

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@Barrie Summy

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath started as a blog.  A DreamWorks animator, he spent his spare time browsing Wikipedia, feeding his curiosity for amazing women that had never made the history books.  When it became clear his coworkers had never heard of any of them, he used his enthusiasm and skills as an illustrator to tell their stories graphic novel style.  A book deal sprang out of those efforts, resulting in the substantial, royal purple tome that is currently sitting on my nightstand.  In the book, each princess has a page or two of text and a single full page illustration.

From Amazon:

Blending the iconoclastic feminism of The Notorious RBG and the confident irreverence of Go the F**ck to Sleep, a brazen and empowering illustrated collection that celebrates inspirational badass women throughout history, based on the popular Tumblr blog.

Well-behaved women seldom make history. Good thing these women are far from well behaved . . .

Illustrated in a contemporary animation style, Rejected Princesses turns the ubiquitous “pretty pink princess” stereotype portrayed in movies, and on endless toys, books, and tutus on its head, paying homage instead to an awesome collection of strong, fierce, and yes, sometimes weird, women: warrior queens, soldiers, villains, spies, revolutionaries, and more who refused to behave and meekly accept their place.

An entertaining mix of biography, imagery, and humor written in a fresh, young, and riotous voice, this thoroughly researched exploration salutes these awesome women drawn from both historical and fantastical realms, including real life, literature, mythology, and folklore. Each profile features an eye-catching image of both heroic and villainous women in command from across history and around the world, from a princess-cum-pirate in fifth century Denmark, to a rebel preacher in 1630s Boston, to a bloodthirsty Hungarian countess, and a former prostitute who commanded a fleet of more than 70,000 men on China’s seas.

The beauty of this book–beyond the fascinating tales, the funny, witty, conversational style, and the cleverly detailed illustrations–is that each “princess’s” story is only a couple of pages long.  This allows me to read five, or even ten, pages each night before bed and it’s always the perfect amount.  I could see this making a great book for bedtime reading with kids too. In a genius move, the stories are rated with a maturity level 1-5, and marked with flags if they contain violence, rape, sex, abuse, or self-harm (or any combination thereof), which makes steering clear of certain topics a cinch.  To put things in perspective, I’m only about a quarter of the way through the stories (there are a LOT), and I don’t think I’ve read a single one above maturity level 1 yet.

The author’s experience as an illustrator really shines.  He’s made a lot of thoughtful choices with regard to the elements included in the illustrations, and it isn’t difficult to imagine any of these stories potentially being made into an unexpected “princess” movie.  The first story includes art notes, outlining the choices for the illustration, and I loved reading those.  I admit to being a little disappointed that not all of the stories include these notes.  But, it’s a minor complaint of an otherwise impressive book.  The author also maintains a girl-power Tumblr, and a recent post indicates that he is in talks for a Rejected Princesses web or TV series.  That would be very cool indeed.

I’d recommend this book for anyone who thinks women are underrepresented in history books (ALL of us), anyone who likes a bit of humor with their history..ahem, folklore…ahem, mythology, and anyone who is impressed by an author thinking outside the box.

Be sure to click through for the rest of BRC’s reviews!

FCC: I purchased a copy of this book on the recommendation of Deanna Raybourn.

 

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a review on here…this blog is getting away from me.  But thankfully, Barrie Summy and my fellow Book Review Club tribe are keeping me on track most months.

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@Barrie Summy

This month I’m not reviewing a specific book, but a series.  And it’s kind of complicated.  Basically I had listened to Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton as a free gateway audiobook and got a little hooked.  It was a short cozy with a good narrator and it kept my attention through many hours of driving with a rather clever whodunit.  So then I purchased the second audiobook in the series instead of using my monthly credit, because the books are only about five hours long narrated and I’d rather use my credit for a good long story.  I’m about halfway through that one, enjoying it as well, although it’s a different narrator.  Meanwhile, I discovered that Acorn TV (Netflix of British television) is showing an Agatha Raisin series, so I whipped over, signed up for the free trial, and have been binge-watching the first season ever since.  It’s become a bit of an obsession really, but I still haven’t actually read a single one of the books.

I don’t typically read cozies, but I love the Cotswolds setting of this one and all the characters are unique and interesting.  Agatha herself reminds me of a person in my own life who can be rather abrasive and sees nothing wrong with saying whatever’s on her mind.  It amuses me in literature much more than in real life.  There’s also humor, a love interest, and various little village side stories.

From Amazon:

Putting all her eggs in one basket, Agatha Raisin gives up her successful PR firm, sells her London flat, and samples a taste of early retirement in the quiet village of Carsely. Bored, lonely and used to getting her way, she enters a local baking contest: Surely a blue ribbon for the best quiche will make her the toast of the town. But her recipe for social advancement sours when Judge Cummings-Browne not only snubs her entry–but falls over dead! After her quiche’s secret ingredient turns out to be poison, she must reveal the unsavory truth…

Agatha has never baked a thing in her life! In fact, she bought her entry ready-made from an upper crust London quicherie. Grating on the nerves of several Carsely residents, she is soon receiving sinister notes. Has her cheating and meddling landed her in hot water, or are the threats related to the suspicious death? It may mean the difference between egg on her face and a coroner’s tag on her toe…

I recommend Agatha Raisin for anyone who likes a good cozy, a light, humorous mystery, or a quick, entertaining read.  Here’s the trailer for the series debut, now showing on Acorn.  I think they’ve made Agatha quite a bit more likable than she is in the books, but maybe that’s just me.  If you decide to go for the free trial, let me know.  I’ll shoot you an email and earn myself a bounty of one free month.

I’ve only read a single Sherlock Holmes novel, and it was while I was in high school.  The Hound of the Baskervilles was required reading, and I enjoyed it (can’t say the same about Moby Dick).  So, while I am a fan of the CBS series Elementary, the BBC series Sherlock, and the Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law movies, I haven’t read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s other works.  Thus, when I picked up Sherry Thomas’ latest, a historical mystery entitled A Study in Scarlet Women, I wasn’t aware that the title was a clever play on a Conan Doyle serial, A Study in Scarlet–or that the story was modeled loosely on the original.  I chose it because I’m a fan of Holmes and Watson fan–in all their many incarnations–and because Sherry Thomas is a really excellent writer.

From Amazon:

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.

 

When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.

But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.

Charlotte has many traditional Holmes characteristics (not counting her penchant for keeping track of how much plum cake translates to an extra chin), but she is, as expected, not blessed with the freedom subscribed to the original Holmes.  She makes a deal with her father that if she’s not found someone she wishes to marry by the time she’s twenty-five, he will fund her education, which she’s hoping to parlay into a position as headmistress of a girls school.

It comes as no surprise to anyone–except Charlotte–that he reneges on their agreement.  In retaliation, she decides to ruin herself and thus avoid a marriage she doesn’t want.  As expected, she is quite thoroughly successful.  This one decision is the impetus for the drastic turn in her fortunes:  Charlotte leaves home, and the woman responsible for spreading her ruin throughout society is found murdered, with both her father and sister considered prime suspects.  But Charlotte, having carefully studied Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage (a Who’s Who of Britain’s aristocracy), has connected this murder to two other recent murders, prompting her to send a letter (penned as Sherlock Holmes) to the coroner.  Suddenly, London is agog with curiosity–who is this Sherlock Holmes and what does he know?–but Charlotte is running out of funds and getting desperate.

A somewhat anonymous benefactor and a new patroness are her saving grace.  While consulting on the case of the three murders, Charlotte takes in clients needing help with little mysteries, all while pretending to be the sister of the mysterious Sherlock Holmes.  As can be expected, all the mysteries get neatly tied up, and Charlotte is left in prime position to embark on a new life, which will continue on in future Lady Sherlock books.

Without giving anything away, I will tell you that I thought Ms. Thomas did an impressive job of tying this story back to the original Sherlock Holmes stories.  It’s ingenious really.  So clever.  Make no mistake: this book is its own story–completely unique and fresh–but with the built in appeal of a much beloved classic character (different as she may be).  The only stumbling block for me was the heavy dose of information right at the beginning.  Within the first few pages, three or four storylines were introduced with various characters, and I had a bit of trouble keeping them all straight.  I did have to go back and re-read a few sections over again, but that is a minor detail for an otherwise stellar start to a series I’m very much looking forward to continuing.

Attention FCC: I bought this book, and now it’s a keeper!

Happy October!  As Anne Shirley says, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a review.  In truth, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything.  I’ll claim the usual excuse: I’ve been busy doing lots of other things.  I’ve started writing a new book–one that’s a COMPLETE  departure for me.  It requires a lot of research, and I’m delighted to find that much of it is coming from online sources, which means I have access to every bit of it any time I need it.  I’m nervous about it, but excited too.  So that’s my quick and dirty update.

 

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@Barrie Summy

As to books, I’ve been reading mostly mysteries of all sorts, and recently I finally got around to reading Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.  This book is not new.  In fact, over the months and years since it’s been out (book 12 in the series was recently released), someone in this book review club could very well have reviewed it.  Now that I’ve read it, here are my thoughts…

But first, from Amazon:

Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when she was thirteen. Her employer, suffragette Lady Rowan Compton, soon became her patron, taking the remarkably bright youngster under her wing. Lady Rowan’s friend, Maurice Blanche, often retained as an investigator by the European elite, recognized Maisie’s intuitive gifts and helped her earn admission to the prestigious Girton College in Cambridge, where Maisie planned to complete her education.

 

The outbreak of war changed everything. Maisie trained as a nurse, then left for France to serve at the Front, where she found—and lost—an important part of herself. Ten years after the Armistice, in the spring of 1929, Maisie sets out on her own as a private investigator, one who has learned that coincidences are meaningful, and truth elusive. Her very first case involves suspected infidelity but reveals something very different.

 

In the aftermath of the Great War, a former officer has founded a working farm known as The Retreat, that acts as a convalescent refuge for ex-soldiers too shattered to resume normal life. When Fate brings Maisie a second case involving The Retreat, she must finally confront the ghost that has haunted her for over a decade.

This book was really like a book within a book.  The story starts with Maisie starting a new case that has its origins in the Great War.  She is intelligent, logical, intuitive (almost to the point of disbelief), and motivated.  Her investigation is progressing smoothly until her patroness invites her to visit and expresses a concern about her own son that relates to her current investigation.

Before we can find out the details on the intersection of Maisie’s personal and professional lives, the story flashes back twelve years (if I remember right).  Suddenly we’re immersed in Maisie’s old life as a servant and the progression of how she met her mentor and inspired Lady Rowan’s offer of patronage, and her time as a nurse during the war.  I completely forgot about the original story!  But then we’re back to the present (1920s) and Maisie is planting someone on the inside of the Retreat to unearth further information in the investigation.  As expected, that goes awry, but eventually leads to her solving the mystery.

My thoughts:

This book was incredibly well-written and researched.  The details of World War I and post-war life in Britain are fantastic. Maisie is an admirable heroine and quite likeable, although she is almost too perfect.  She’s never tired, despite rising before dawn to read and study, then working a full day in service, then staying up late to read further.  She’s nice to fault, always good spirited…you get the idea.  And the intuition is just a little much.  But the ending is my biggest complaint.  I can’t reveal why exactly, because that would be too much of a spoiler, but suffice it to say that I was shocked by the out-of-character behavior and disappointed both in Maisie and the author for ending the story that way.

Still, it’s a relatively minor fault in an otherwise really excellent book.  I’ve been told that this first book in the series is more historical fiction and the subsequent books are more mystery, now that the reader has been brought up to date on the backstory. I plan to read the second book in the series and see what I think.

Be sure to click on the typewriter for plenty more reviews!

 

First of June, beginning of the summer, and the last Book Review Club until September! So if you need to stock up on summer reading material, take note, as I’m sure there will be a stellar selection of books reviewed this month. (Just click on the typewriter at the end of this post.)

A couple Twitter pals and I have started the Meet Mystery Bookclub, wherein we select the first in a series of detective novels, read it over the course of a few weeks (a few chapters a week), and chat about it using a prearranged hashtag. Our first selection was The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (#MeetPoirot), this month it is Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (#MeetWimsey), and July and August are scheduled (I think) for Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (#MeetPeabody) and Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (#MeetFisher). If you’re interested in joining us, follow @MeetMystery to get the details!

But aside from all that, I read a debut mystery novel this month by a husband and wife duo (Renee Patrick), called Design for Dying.

From Amazon:

Los Angeles, 1937. Lillian Frost has traded dreams of stardom for security as a department store salesgirl . . . until she discovers she’s a suspect in the murder of her former roommate, Ruby Carroll. Party girl Ruby died wearing a gown she stole from the wardrobe department at Paramount Pictures, domain of Edith Head.

Edith has yet to win the first of her eight Academy Awards; right now she’s barely hanging on to her job, and a scandal is the last thing she needs. To clear Lillian’s name and save Edith’s career, the two women join forces.

Unraveling the mystery pits them against a Hungarian princess on the lam, a hotshot director on the make, and a private investigator who’s not on the level. All they have going for them are dogged determination, assists from the likes of Bob Hope and Barbara Stanwyck, and a killer sense of style. In show business, that just might be enough.

The first in a series of riveting behind-the-scenes mysteries, Renee Patrick’s Design for Dying is a delightful romp through Hollywood’s Golden Age.

This book was an impulse buy–it sold me almost instantly.  Between the cover design, the reviews (including blurbs from some of my fave mystery authors), and the back cover copy, I was completely intrigued.  And it didn’t disappoint!  Lillian Frost is a spunky amateur sleuth who emphatically doesn’t have stars in her eyes, and Edith Head is a feisty sidekick with plenty of connections, worldliness, and behind-the-scenes style strategies.  There was an impressive cast of characters (some quite famous!), a keep-you-guessing mystery, and just a hint of romance.  And it’s setup quite nicely for future books in the series.  So, if you’ve been looking for a Hollywood cozy (you probably haven’t, but if you knew one existed, you might have been), this is it.  Slide on your sunglasses and lounge by the pool with this sparkling debut.

FCC: I purchased an autographed hardback of this book at my local indie bookstore, Murder by the Book.

Be sure to click over for plenty of other great reviews!

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@Barrie Summy

My Book Review Club selection for May is Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach.  I just happened to enter a Goodreads Giveaway for this book based on some early praise I read, and I was quite delighted to win a copy.

From Amazon:

Parker Santé hasn’t spoken a word in five years. While his classmates plan for bright futures, he skips school to hang out in hotels, killing time by watching the guests. But when he meets a silver-haired girl named Zelda Toth, a girl who claims to be quite a bit older than she looks, he’ll discover there just might be a few things left worth living for.

From the celebrated author of We All Looked Up comes a unique story of first and last loves.

There were so many elements of this book that I loved, but I want to be careful not to reveal any spoilers, so this review will try to hit the highlights and not dig too deep.

First, my complaint.  Parker has a habit of stealing things.  In fact, that’s how he meets Zelda–she leaves her bag behind, he finds a wad of cash in it, and walks off with it. And this isn’t an isolated incident–various other shoplifting occurrences are mentioned, but this character flaw is never explained.  He’s not portrayed as troublingly poor, and it doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of his personality.  I think the meet-cute with Zelda would have been just as effective if it had been his first time stealing.  (A roll of hundred dollar bills would tempt a lot of people…)

Honestly, that was the novel’s only shortcoming.  Parker is immediately fascinated–and smitten–with Zelda, as was I.  And when he realizes she is waiting for a phone call, and plans to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge when she gets it, he is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.  Thus, there is a sense of urgency–and mystery–threaded through these pages.  I loved the purpose for the novel (which I can’t reveal), the relationship between Zelda and Parker, Parker’s original stories–most of them fairy tales, the chess club, particularly Alana, and the humor!  LOVED the humor.

“You say you’re tired out with life, right?  Well, I’m going to untire you.  I’m going to make you want to live.

That’s a tall order, Parker Santé.

I’m a tall guy.

She laughed, probably because I’m actually not very tall, and then I kissed her, the first time I’d initiated a kiss in my whole life. We kept on kissing for a long time, making everyone else in the Japanese Tea Garden jealous, or at the very least, super uncomfortable.”

Thanks for the Trouble deals with death, isolation, loneliness, and um, other things I won’t cover here, yet it still manages to stay fun and uplifting.  Highly recommended.

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@Barrie Summy