Author: ekkarn

This Week in Babysitting – March 15-21!

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Babysitting Zoe

Another Fun Week with Zoe and Oliver

 

Babysitting this week included three days with Zoe and one with Oliver.For two of the days with Zoe, my wife was with me, for the third day my son Nick was there, like you need two people with Zoe!  Now for Oliver, and extra set of hands, or two, or three, would be welcomed!

Babysitting Zoe is a lot like watching paint dry, or the Tour Dr France, you know there’s a lot going on, but it doesn’t seem like it!  Zoe is really observant and takes everything in. She watches her toys very intently and plays well by herself for long periods of time. This week she had her first taste of baby food and loves it! Somehow I don’t think that even at the same age, Oliver would have played the same way with this toy!!

In between my days with Zoe was a fun day with Oliver. After Oliver’s now normal crying protest when Mom and Dad leave, which ceased on Thursday fairly quickly, we played a little until it was time for breakfast. At breakfast Oliver looked tired, and granddad had visions of Oliver taking an early and nice long nap!! The first video I  sent Grammie was this one from breakfast!!

Then after breakfast and Oliver got his second wind, I sent this video, asking the question: Does he still look
tired?? Her response – not one bit!

She also questioned why he took the long way around the table to get the book! Who knows the mind of Oliver!!

By the time it rolled around for Oliver’s bottle, I was convinced that he would go to sleep, which he did,I tried to lay him on the couch but h stirred and then I tried to take him upstairs to lay him down. At that point he wanted no parts of a nap.  The short sleep that he did have, must have been a power nap, because he was good to go for another hour or more of playing!! Finally,  I decided to give him lunch early so at least I could sit down for a few minutes. He started eating a nugget,  his eyes started to droop, and he soon fell asleep sitting up!! I quickly took him upstairs to put him in his crib and then followed with my laptop and my lunch so that I was sure to hear him when he stirred. He slept for almost two hours! Yeah!!

After his nap, he had his second bottle and we had a great afternoon. We played with his big Lego blocks, the abacus, and even read some of his new books. All in all, it was a good day, as is any, that I get to spend with him. Good – but tiring – it’s why young folks have kids! Old folks get tired too quickly!!

The other day, I wrote about how on the way down in the morning, I listened to the rocking blues of Joanne Shaw Taylor to get me ready for the day, well, on the way home I listened to the latest album Firelight from the quiet nuevo flamenco guitars of Terra Guitarra to recover from the day!! I can’t wait until Monday to start all over again with Zoe then Oliver and back to Zoe, should be another fun week!!

Here is Terra Guitarra with “Malaguena” from the album Firelight (more to come)

Breaking Creed -Alex Kava

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Breaking Creed – Ryder Creed #1 – Alex Kava

Alex Kava has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read A Perfect Evil, the debut Maggie O’Dell novel. That was one helluva way to start a series. Over the years, Kava wrote 10 more Maggie O’Dell books, each one a wild ride.

In Breaking Creed, Kava introduces a brand-new character to her fans: Ryder Creed. Like Maggie’s debut, Ryder’s first outing is a gripping, well-crafted thriller that pulls you in from the start.

Introducing Ryder Creed

Ryder Creed is a retired Marine who rescues homeless dogs and trains them to sniff out contraband and track down criminals. In this case, Ryder is called to search the Choque Azul, a ship suspected of carrying drugs. Working with his fearless Jack Russell Terrier, Grace, Ryder searches the hold beneath the ship’s fish catch. What he finds isn’t drugs — it’s something far worse: children being trafficked. The discovery upends Creed’s life and puts him in the crosshairs of dangerous people.

Enter Maggie O’Dell

Meanwhile, Maggie and the FBI receive a gruesome package: a body floating in the Potomac, accompanied by a promise of more to come. When Ryder is called in to help Maggie locate the murder scene, sparks fly — both professionally and personally.

The pairing of Maggie O’Dell and Ryder Creed feels natural, much like Karin Slaughter blending her Grant County and Will Trent series. The chemistry between the two suggests this won’t be their only case together — and fans will be glad for that.

Why It Works

One of Kava’s trademarks is giving her characters unique, high-stakes challenges — from Ebola exposure (years before the 2014 outbreak) to tangling with violent cartels. That carries over here, with Creed and O’Dell facing off against ruthless criminals while relying on the specialized skills of Creed’s dogs. Grace, in particular, is a standout character you can’t help but root for.

The Bottom Line

Breaking Creed earns 4 stars from me. Ryder Creed is a welcome addition to the thriller genre — a memorable, compelling character with a unique skill set. As author Gayle Lynds put it:

“Creed is special, a memorable character — he trains homeless dogs to sniff out contraband and hunt criminals. When he teams up with Kava’s iconic FBI forensics specialist Maggie O’Dell, you’ll discover the most exciting crime-solving duo of the year.”

And with Grace at his side, he’s even harder to beat. So check them out — this is the start of something special.

Book 11 of 2015015

 

 

 

 

 

Safari – Parnell Hall Stanley Hastings (Book #19)

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Safari (Book #19) is the first Stanley Hastings mystery set outside the United States. Most of the series takes place in New York City, where Stanley works as a private investigator for negligence attorney Richard Rosenberg, much to the annoyance of NYPD Sergeant MacAullif.

The only other book set away from New York was appropriately titled Cozy, in which Stanley and Alice vacation at a bed and breakfast in New England.

The Story

In Safari, Stanley and his wife Alice are finally on the trip she’s dreamed about forever — a safari in Zambia. Stanley, of course, is less enthusiastic. They book with Clemson Safaris, a budget outfit led by the gung-ho great white hunter Clemson. The tour offers up-close encounters with elephants, lions, hyenas, and other wild animals. But soon, a spotter working for Clemson is found dead — supposedly from a falling fruit from the sausage tree. Then a tourist dies in her sleep. Both deaths are soon determined to be murder, and Stanley is called upon to solve the case… though as usual, he doesn’t have a clue!

What Makes It Work

Parnell Hall’s strength has always been dialogue — witty, funny, and full of wordplay. Marilyn Stasio of the New York Times Book Review noted:

“The Stanley Hastings mysteries depend on subversively sly wordplay. In the violent verbal world he inhabits, Stanley would be happy just to win an argument.”

The San Diego Union wrote:

“A light-hearted romp, drolly told, and made pleasant by its deprecating, much put-upon and wholly charming hero.”

And when reviewing Stakeout, Booklist observed:

“Stanley, who seems to have more in common with Barney Fife than Sam Spade, is actually a pretty fair detective, and, more important, his narration is witty, self-deprecating, and observant. The plot is logical in a convoluted sort of way, and the resolution is satisfying. Stakeout continues the Hastings tradition of murder with a wink and a smile.”

Bottom Line

Safari was a three-star book for me. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think it was one of Hall’s very best. Still, it’s a cozy, light, quick, fun mystery — and fans of Janet Evanovich and other humorous authors will definitely enjoy it

Author’s Website
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Parnel Hall - author of Stanley Hastings and Puzzle Lady novels

About Parnell Hall

If you like a little humor in your books….

You might enjoy these authors:

Tim Dorsey
Janet Evanovich
Christopher Moore

Whether you’re solving crosswords with Cora or running from the mob with Stephanie Plum, these authors prove that a good mystery is always better with a side of laughter.

Reading Challenge Update and March Reads

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March Reading Challenge Update and Current Reads

 

So I finished book 8 of the year The Things Carried on February 27 and Book 9 Hard Rain by Barry Eisler on March 2nd. Both of those books were from my TBR pile and they bring the total number of books I have read in 2015 from my TBR pile to six. Since The Things They Carried is about the Vietnam War,it is historical fiction and the first book I have read this year that counts toward that challenge! While Hard Rain is a cloak & dagger book and brings the total in that challenge to 5! So here is where I stand now on my various challenges!

Reading Challenge From TBR Pile Buy/Library Total Goal %complete
2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 0 1 1 11 9%
2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 4 1 5 23 22%
2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 1 0 1 5 20%
2015 Science Fiction/Fantasy Challenge 1 1 2 12 17%
Totals 6 3 9 51 18%

 

Now as for what am I planning to read in March.Well I’m still reading The President’s War about the six presidents who were still alive during the Civil War and what five of them thought of the actions of the sitting President Lincoln’s actions, along with Breaking Creed and Crown of Midnight. However, other night when I was reviewing the new books arriving in March, I came across a new Stanley Hastings mystery Safari from Parnell Hall!! I love the Hastings series so I checked the library and it was available,so I requested it I picked it up on Friday. I have to read it, So I put Green-Eyed Lady on hold.  The good thing though is that Hall’s books are usually fast reads! While I was at the library, I also picked up When Gods Die by C.S. Harris. It is the second book in the Sebastian St.Cyr series. Set in England in 1811, the book goes towards my historical fiction challenge!! Si if you excuse me I have some reading to do!!

Currently Reading Challenge From Page Total %complete
The President’s War – Chris DeRose Nonfiction Library 130 316 41%
Breaking Creed – Alex Kava Cloak & Dagger Library 14 310 5%
When Gods Die – C.S. Harris Historical Fiction Library 30 336 9%
Crown of Midnight – Sarah J Maas Fantasy Library 86 418 21%
Safari – Parnell Hall Cloak & Dagger Library 20 261 8%

 

Hard Rain – Barry Eisler (John Rain # 2)

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Hard Rain – Barry Eisler – Book 9 for 2015

 

It’s been a while since I visited Japan and the world of assassin John Rain. In fact it’s been so long that I have forgotten most of what happened in Rain Fall, Book 1 of the Barry Eisler series, when I started Hard Rain Book 2 in the series. What I didn’t forget was that the half-American, half Japanese Rain was a killer and a good one. What he is particularly good at is making his hits look like the victim died of  “natural causes” I also remembered that he has rules, no children, no one else is involved except rain and his client, and the victim has to be a principal, someone of importance!

When Hard Rain opens John Rain has left his Tokyo home for Osaka and is considering getting out of the business. But a former nemesis from the Japanese FBI, Tatsu doesn’t want him to retire, in fact, Tatsu has a job for him. The hit is on an assassin at large, who unlike Rain has no rules and kills indiscriminately.  Before Rain will take the job though, he goes to Tokyo to determine how difficult the hit will be. When Rain arrives in Tokyo he meets with his friend, a hacker, named Harry. Harry has a new girlfriend that seems way out of Harry’s league and that doesn’t sit well with Rain. Rain’s first assumption is that someone is setting Harry up, as he investigates he discovers Harry is also being followed,,,,,, soon Rain is sucked back into the world of violent criminals, and US government officials. The hit may be the most difficult  that Rain had ever faced and the deadliest!!!

John Rain is one of those characters that I would never like in real life, but hey, when he is going up against the Japanese underworld, and shifty CIA agents I’m going to root for the guy! He’s loyal to his few friends and he knows his job, as does Barry Eisler. Eisler does a great job of making Tokyo come alive and the descriptions of Japanese culture, the fights and surveillance tactics were great. The one thing that did bother me  was that Rain dispatched more people than I thought necessary, Not that they didn’t need it!

Bottom Line: Hard Rain is a solid four stars (really liked it). I like John Rain and will continue to read the series, which is now up to book 8. I book 6 Requiem for an Assassin is on my TBR shelves but I do think I will try to read the books in order! I  also hope I can shorten the time between visits with Mr. Rain!

Zoe Provides a Recovery Day!

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Oliver provides the Workout and Zoe the Recovery – Yin and Yang Once More!

 

If babysitting Oliver is the workout, then babysitting Zoe is the recovery day!! About the only part of my body that got a good workout yesterday were my fingers. They were chewed on by Miss Zoe most of the day! They were preferred over the teething rings! When I got there Zoe was asleep, Melissa said she would probably wake up about 9:30 and she would be ready to eat again at sometime between 10:30 and 11:00, sounded good to me! So I set up the laptop and got to work and occasionally checked on her. The checking became more regular as she was still asleep when 9:30 came around, She was still asleep at 10:00 and at 10:30 now I was worrying, but she was still moving around, so logically I knew she was ok. At about 10:50 or so I was texting with my wife she asked when Zoe was supposed to eat, I said about  five minutes ago,- LOL! Anyway we both thought that her stomach would have her waking soon! Our thoughts were borne out when she awoke a few minutes later, and Kathy wished good luck.

I sat Zoe up with her toys for a few minutes while I heated her bottle and I sent this video to my wife……

 

 

With the comment “I like this playing!” Anyway I gave her a bottle and then we watched some videos and played a little, at around two o’clock she got a little fussy and fell back to sleep. That nap though was a short one and only lasted about half an hour! But then she only had a short time until she could eat again, which she did, Then she got changed, and we brought some more books downstairs and we again watched videos, played with some toys, chewed on Granddad’s fingers and before I knew it her dad was home. Here is one of the toys she played with. This video was not from yesterday but the time before but she is still amazing with her body control, for a six month old!

 

All in all it was another fine day with Zoe and my fingers have recovered nicely. They say that “variety is the spice of life” and I must say that Renaissance Granddad’s life is wonderfully spicy because of the variety in my grandchildren. One thing is the same though, Zoe and Oliver are both the best grandchildren ever and both super smart!!

An Active Day with Oliver!!

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Oliver makes babysitting a workout!!

 

So my last two days have been spent with my two favorite little people! Tuesday was spent with grandson Oliver and today with granddaughter Zoe. Since I am writing about them  tonight may give you an idea which day was more tiring!!  I must say though that my tiredness on Tuesday was increased by the traffic on 295 which caused Andrew to arrive home about a half hour late.

Anyway, Tuesday’s babysitting day did not start very well When I arrived Oliver got down from the couch and went to his playroom and brought me two books, that was the highpoint of the first hour! After that, Mr Oliver proceeded to melt down and cry hysterically for his mom. I tried several things but nothing seemed to work. I could get him calm for a few seconds and then it was back to hysteria! But through it, he wanted me to pick him up!! Anyway, I finally got him calmed down and a heartbroken mom snuck out the front door. After mom left, Oliver was for the most part calm and the day proceeded as normal, All that crying tired the young man out and soon after his morning bottle he conked out for about an hour and a half!

Since he was pretty much on schedule I  thought that a little afternoon playing would lead to a nap after his 3:30 bottle. You are wrong oh wise granddad! While we sat and watched Baby Einstein Lullaby and Mr Oliver yawned away I  kept my fingers crossed, but they uncrossed when he sat up and start bouncing up and down on the couch!! Yes, all that relaxing did not lead to a nap, but rather allowed him to get his second wind!! Unfortunately, my second wind was nowhere to be seen. So granddad sat and watched the show as Oliver rocked out to Uptown Funk while holding the iPhone charging cord!! .

So between the meltdown and the rocking out to Uptown Funk, we did have a nice day reading, and throwing balls around the house, The family cat Zack even go into the action…….

There were some quiet times when we read and Oliver played with his favorite toy of the day the cords from the living room blinds!! Ye,s it was another greater day and I’m tired just thinking about it……so I’ll tell you about my day with Zoe tomorrow.

Oliver and the blinds

ADD and Blogging – Not Perfect Together!!

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So my ADD and I have delayed writing anything today for about as long as I can. I was supposed to babysit Oliver today, but the icy road conditions this morning necessitated a change of plans, so I will be babysitting him tomorrow and Zoe on Wednesday, both for full days! Which is why today I exercised this morning and tonight!! So how did I delay writing today?  Well this morning I decided to go through some piles of papers and magazines and then vacuum the room where I spend most of my time. Couple that with finishing up some laundry from yesterday and reading some in Hard Rain and before I knew, it was lunchtime! My afternoon and evening were spent finishing Hard Rain, a trip to Target and dinner, after which I still hadn’t written anything!!

I did listen to some music though throughout the day. This morning while I was straightening up and cleaning it was some blues from Tinsley Ellis and his new album Tough Love, and the soundtrack for my reading was the jazz trumpet of Eddie Henderson and his latest Collective Portrait and the Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet’s The 21st Century Trad Band. All three of the albums have been in my music rotation for a while but I haven’t written about any of them yet! This afternoon on my trip to Target I  listened to Robert Earl Keen‘s new release Happy Prisoner full of songs that feature murders and prisons and all that good time bluegrass stuff!  I also listened to a little of the new release from Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and her solo release Tomorrow Is My Turn.

Additionally, this morning I read that on this date in 1998  Images from the American spacecraft Galileo indicated that the Jupiter moon Europa has a liquid ocean and a source of interior heat. I did a search at Google that sent me to an article at Space.com – Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa: Best Bet for Alien Life?, which II read along with another article at Space.com, concerning the best bets for finding life in our solar system.

Oh yeah, while I was checking out things that happened on this date at Wikipedia I spotted this under Did You Know…

… that the engineer Willie Hobbs Moore, credited with expanding Japanese manufacturing practices at Ford Motor Company, was the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in physics?

….since I didn’t. I had to go and read about Ms. Hobbs Moore , but then at the bottom of Willie Moore’s page there was a link to an article at The Star Garden about Women in Science which was extremely interesting! I think I’ll try to put together a post about Willie Moore and some of the other women scientists of the 20th century!!

So you can see that today was an ADD day, a little exercising, reading both on the Web and Barry Eisler;s Hard Rain and some music listening. Oh and I worked on my blog Finding Out! transferring it so that it will be a subdomain of this blog!! And now as midnight approaches I better stop and post this or I will have posted nothing today!! Good Night and Good Day!!

 

New Releases for March 2015

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New Releases from Four of My Favorite Authors

 

Ok so now I have to put my reading into high-gear! Why you ask? Well after briefly reading The Big Thrill on-line magazine I discovered that there will be new releases from four of my favorite authors in March,.Here’s a little about those new releases…..

Endangerd - C J BoxEndangered – C J Box – Joe Pickett No 15

From Amazon

She was gone. Joe Pickett had good reason to dislike Dallas Cates, even if he was a rodeo champion, and now he has even more—Joe’s eighteen-year-old ward, April, has run off with him.

And then comes even worse news: The body of a girl has been found in a ditch along the highway—alive, but just barely, the victim of blunt force trauma. It is April, and the doctors aren’t sure if she’ll recover. Cates denies having anything to do with it—says she ran away from him, too—and there’s evidence that points to another man. But Joe knows in his gut who’s responsible. What he doesn’t know is the kind of danger he’s about to encounter. Cates is bad enough, but Cates’s family is like none Joe has ever met before. More

One thing that I have loved about the Joe Pickett series from C.J. Box has been the development of the characters from novel to novel and it appears that this new release will continue the tradition! I can’t wait!

The Patriot Threat - Steve BerryThe Patriot Threat – Steve Berry – Cotton Malone # 10

From Amazon:

The 16th Amendment to the Constitution is why Americans pay income taxes. But what if there were problems associated with that amendment? Secrets that call into question decades of tax collecting? In fact, there is a surprising truth to this hidden possibility.

Cotton Malone, once a member of an elite intelligence division within the Justice Department known as the Magellan Billet, is now retired and owns an old bookshop in Denmark. But when his former-boss, Stephanie Nelle, asks him to track a rogue North Korean who may have acquired some top secret Treasury Department files–the kind that could bring the United States to its knees–Malone is vaulted into a harrowing twenty-four hour chase that begins on the canals in Venice and ends in the remote highlands of Croatia.More

I am a little behind on this series, but since I haven’t read all of the books in order anyway, I may just read this new release now, because it sounds really good!!

 

Inspector of the Dead

Inspector of the Dead – David Morrell

From  Amazon

The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation. More

I loved  David Morrell’s Murder as a Fine Art, which was the first of Morrell’s books to feature Thomas De Quincey.I was hoping for this new release, when I finished Murder as a Fine Art! Once again I can;t wait!!

The Strangers = Harlan Coben

The Stranger – Harlan Coben

From Amazon:

The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world.More

As  I read this introduction to this new release from Harlan Coben, it seems like it’s just about like every other book he has written some small thing comes out of the past and shatters the protagonist of the novel’s world. With that said, I know I will be totally engrossed in the story Harlan writes and will love the book!!

Like i said at the beginning of this post with these new releases coming in March I better get cracking on the books that I am currently reading. Here are my current reads…..

1. The President’s War – Chris DeRose

2. Green-Eyed Lady – Chuck Greaves

3. Crown of Midnight – Sarah J Maas

4. Hard Rain – Barry Eisler

The one I am the closest to finishing is Hard Rain, which is really getting good! So I’m off to read that one and pine for these new releases

The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien

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The Things They Carried  – Tim O’Brien (Book 8 of 2015)

 

For those of us who like me, were lucky enough to have a high draft number, (mine was 306), and escaped the war in Vietnam, Tim O’Brien has shown us slices  of  life in it,  in his novel The Things They Carried. And it’s everything that we thought it was, everything that we protested to end.

About The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried is a collection of short stories, several of which were published prior to being incorporated into the book, that paints a vivid picture of the Vietnam experience, which for the most part it wasn’t pretty. The book follows the exploits of the men that Tim O’Brien served with the one’s who died like: Curt Lemon, Ted Lavender, and Kiowa and those who made it through, alive, but changed forever like: Lt Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, and the narrator who has been writing about the war, since it ended, hoping some how that the stories will save him.

While all of the stories were amazing little slices of life in Vietnam, the one that got me was Chapter Four “On the Rainy River” where Tim is confronted with the being drafted to fight in a war that he really didn’t support and contemplates going to Canada. As I mentioned previously, I was lucky enough not to have to face that dilemma, but through the years, I have wonder what I would have done. In my mind, I always go to Canada, but in reality I don’t think that would have happened. I really don’t know how I could have handle even a tenth a hundredth of what Tim describes in The Things They Carried. At best maybe I could have been a Radar O’Reilly, I know wrong war, but you get the picture. My heart goes out to all those who lost their lives either in Vietnam or after they returned.

After I finished the book I thought, you know, the book really had no plot, no hook that catches you and keeps you reading. But then I leafed through the book, and realized that you can reread any story and get something from it, and that is wonderful. Each story provides a slice of life in Vietnam, some sad, while others just fascinating.

I read through the quotes about the book and this one from the Richmond Times Dispatch comes the closest to how I feel about the book….

“The Things They Carried is more than “another” book about Vietnam….It is a master stroke of form and imagery…. The Things They Carried is about life, about men who fought and die, about buddies, and about a lost innocence that might be recaptured through the memory of stories. O’Brien tells us these stories because he must. He tells them a they have never been told before…. If Cacciato was the book about Vietnam, then this is the book about surviving it”

Bottom Line

: The Things They Carried is an A++ book. I guess that is why the book won the prestigious French Prix du Meilleur Livre Erranger award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award! huh! Everyone who wants to know more about the Vietnam War or life in general should read it!!