I scored a bunch of hardbacks at Half Price Books. Three Connellys and this Hillerman and some other stuff. I saved the Hillermna for our trip to Llano.
I have this to say, "He's back." Skeleton Man wasn't as strong as some of his earlier stuff, but this one is a solid Leaphorn story. It's worth a read.
*** The South Beach Diet, Arthur Agatston, 2003
The first 120 pages of this book have info on blood chemistry and why the diet works. The rest is meal plans and recipes. I've already read up on glucose and cholesterol, so the book didn't tell me much I didn't know already.
However, I gleaned two factoids from the book. Insulin doesn't just regulate blood sugar. It regulates fuel, which means it also regulates fat as well. The other is that the sugar in beer (amusingingly called maltose) has a higher glycemic index than fructose, the sugar found in sodas. Wine is the better choice, which I knew already, but I didn't know why.
This diet (Phase Three) is pretty much the way we should all eat. I was already doing most of what it recommended just based on my own research, but there were some good suggestions and recipies, so it was worth the read.
The Woman is on board, so we've been doing a lot of cooking together, which has been fun. And I learned how to cook an omlet. I don't flip it, though. I'm not a show off.
Three stars for those interested in fixing your blood chemistry, eating better and living longer. Four stars for everyone else. Ha!
**Property Management for Dummies, Robert Griswold, 2001
I have stumbled upon the opportunity to become a slumlord. I read this book to decide if I wanted to or not. If you're faced with such a decision, this is a good book to read. The second edition just came out, so I'm going to check it out. It has a CD with forms and stuff. Cool.
I skimmed two other books, but they didn't have much that wasn't in this one.
*** The Shape of Mercy, Susan Meissner, 2008
The cover looks like a romance novel. I was certain I wouldn't like it, but had committed to reading at least one chapter. Wow.
First, it's not a romance novel. Second, this is good writing. It reminds me a little of Sleep Toward Heaven in that it's about three women: a college girl and an old woman in present day Santa Barbara, and a girl accused of being a witch in seventeenth century Salem. Susan weaves these three stories together expertly.
If you're looking for something fresh, give The Shape of Mercy a shot.
**Murder on the Rocks, Karen MacInerney, 2006
I met Karen at a Texas Writer's League happy hour a few years back. Just now got around to reading her book. Don't tell her!
Murder on the Rocks is a nice little mystery, good for an evening by the fire. It's not my favorite type of story. There's more cooking and romance than I normally require from my murder mysteries, and not enough jerks and social misfits. But a lot of folks love these more domestic/romantic whodunts. You might be one of them!
