What Charlie Read in June 2013

 

Welcome to the inaugural post of the monthly series about what my husband, Charlie, read the previous month!  For background on why I started this series, read my previous post:  The Voracious Reader.  Charlie reads all the time.  Hours upon hours upon hours (lucky guy).  So, this first post in this ongoing series is what Charlie read in June 2013.

Here’s Charlie’s rating system:

Butterflies are part of our logo, so I decided to use them!

5 Butterflies = excellent; definite read

 

4 Butterflies = very good; recommended read

 

3 Butterflies = good; entertaining

 

The King’s Deception (2013) by Steve Berry

 

 

This book is an ongoing series with the protagonist, Cotton Malone.  The one and only Steve Berry book I’ve read was The Templar Legacy, which I thought was very good.  I like anything that has a medieval bent, whether set in modern times or in the medieval past.  Charlie is not a fan of historical fiction, so I wasn’t sure he’d like this book because of its medieval connection.  But, I gave it to Charlie to read anyway and he’s been reading Steve Berry ever since.

Set in modern times, Cotton (along with his son) escorts a teenage fugitive to England and both boys disappear.  Cotton is thrown into an international situation with historical implications involving the Tudor family and the reign of Elizabeth I.  To say more would give the plot away…needless to say, it’s a twist on the Tudor family not explored before.

Charlie liked the intrigue and suspense of this book.  He said it was well-paced and hard to put down.  He gives The King’s Deception:

 

Back Story (2003) by Robert B. Parker

 

 

This book, too, is about an ongoing series’ character, Spenser.  Spenser is a private detective along with his ever-present friend, Hawk.  In the 1980’s, there was a TV series for several years called Spenser for Hire and I loved that series.  It starred Robert Urich as Spenser and Avery Brooks as Hawk.  It was short-lived, cancelled after just 3 years.  Although I enjoyed the TV series, I’ve never read any of Robert B. Parker’s books.  But Charlie loves them and loves Robert B. Parker’s other well-known ongoing series character, Jesse Stone.  And, he’s read many books from both series.

A synopsis of this book:  as a favor, a friend asks Spenser to solve a 30-year-old murder that occurred during a bank robbery in 1974 by a revolutionary group.  No one witnessed the murder and it was never solved.

Charlie finds the serial characters of Spenser and Hawk intriguing and interesting and likes the interplay between these two friends.  He says the plot is good and the book fast-paced.  He gives Back Story:

 

To the Nines (2003) by Janet Evanovich

 

 

The serial character in this ongoing series, Stephanie Plum, is a hoot.  She is a bit of a bumbler and has a knack for getting into jams and then having to work her way out of them, mostly hilariously.  Charlie loves Janet Evanovich because 95% of her books are extremely funny, making the reader laugh out loud, and her Stephanie Plum novels are no different.  Charlie loves Janet so much that I think he’d drop me in a red-hot minute if he thought he had a chance with her {grin}!

In this story, Stephanie, who works as a bail bonds bounty hunter for her cousin, Vinnie, in New Jersey, hunts down an illegal immigrant who jumped bail.  Trekking all the way to Las Vegas, Stephanie gets involved with a group of killers before catching her man.

While I haven’t (yet) read any of the Stephanie Plum series, I’m a huge fan of Janet Evanovich and introduced her work to Charlie.  I take full credit for his enjoyment of this author’s books {grin}.

Charlie likes the humor of the Stephanie Plum books.  The book is fast-paced and he couldn’t put it down.  Charlie gives To the Nines:

 

The Cat Who Saw Stars (1998) by Lilian Jackson Braun

 

 

This, too, is a series of books with recurring characters (do you see a pattern here?).  Jim Qwilleran is a journalist, a bachelor and a philanthropist that lives on the East Coast in the fictional town of Mooseville.   He has two Siamese cats, Koko (like our very own Snowshoe Siamese cat, Coco) and Yum Yum.  Koko in particular is very intuitive, leading Jim down paths in solving mysteries.  Plus, he always knows when the phone is going to ring before it does!

In this tale, a hiker stops by a neighbor’s house and asks to spend the night on the neighbor’s beach.  Days later, the hiker is gone, but all of his possessions remain.  The town thinks that he’s been abducted by aliens (rumors of a UFO abound).  Koko escapes from Qwill’s house and as he saunters down the beach, sniffs and scratches at the sand, uncovering the hiker’s body.   The murder mystery unfolds from there.

Charlie likes the folksy characters in the town of Mooseville as well as the angle of the cats, Koko and Yum Yum (big surprise since Charlie is a cat lover!).  The story was suspenseful and well-paced.  Charlie gives The Cat Who Saw Stars:

 

The Heist (2013) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

 

 

This collaboration is about a FBI agent, Katie O’Hare, who is assigned to work with Nicolas Fox, a con-artist caught by the FBI.  Nicolas convinces the FBI to offer him a job instead of jail time (shades of the television show, White Collar).  He and Katie (his boss) create a sting to capture a financial investor who has swindles his clients out of millions and millions of dollars (shades of Bernie Madoff).

Charlie liked this book, although it isn’t filled with Janet Evanovich’s usual humor.  He says the plot is really good, the book well-paced and he didn’t want to put it down.  Charlie gives The Heist:

 

The Last Patriot (2008) by Brad Thor

 

 

Although set in modern times, this books flashes back to both 1682 in Mecca and 1789 in France.  In the present day, Scot Harvath, an all-American hero for post September 11th, saves the intended victim of a car bombing, thrusting him back into the life he wanted to leave behind.  He uncovers a long-buried secret so powerful, it could defeat militant Islam.

Per Charlie, this book is an action-packed page turner.  Charlie gives The Last Patriot:

 

What Carole Read in June 2013

 

I thought I’d throw my two cents in!  Though not fiction, good reads if you are on a mission to increase your social media presence!

Pinterest for Dummies (2012) by Kelby Carr

Pinterest Marketing for Dummies (2012) by Kelby Carr

 

 

 

 

Even though I’d been using Pinterest for more than 6 months when I purchased these books, I purchased them because I think there is always more to learn!  I knew that Pinterest is the major driver of traffic to blogs and I didn’t want to leave any Pinterest tip uncovered, so purchased both books.  While I already knew much of what is covered in these two books, they provided me with insight into several key areas of Pinterest that I believe has helped our blog traffic jump to the next level (thank you, Kelby!).

Written in the typical “Dummies” fashion, they are an easy read and a great reference book to keep on hand.  Pinterest Marketing for Dummies covers much the same material as Pinterest for Dummies (the basics, how to get started, etc.), but goes to the next level from a marketing perspective.  Kelby is the founder and CEO of Type-A Parent blog, an online magazine as well as social media network for mom and dad bloggers as well as Type-A Parent Conference.  As a guru of social media, she is a very well-respected figure in this space.  I give both of these books:

There you have it!  What Charlie Read in June 2013 plus a couple from me!

Do you have books you love and want to share in either Charlie’s genre (action, mystery, suspense thrillers) or in mine (blogging and social media)?  Please leave a comment; we’d love to hear from you!

Tootles,

 

Related Posts:

(other book reviews)

• 3 Cheap and Easy Ideas for Better Food Photography
• Hero Worship
• The Voracious Reader

(other posts about Coco, our cat)

• A Boy Named Coco
• Herding Cats