ekkarn – Page 32

Storm Front (Dresden Files Book #1) – Jim Butcher

By ekkarn January 24, 2015 March 28, 2026 Books-Fiction, Branches Books

Storm Front Book #1 of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series, is the fourth book that I have read in 2015.

This is the first of Jim Butcher’s books that I have read. Reading Storm Front counts as a book read for several of my 2015 Reading Challenges. First Storm Front has been on my to be read (TBR) pile for several years now (don’t ask me why!!) so it fits into the TBR Pile Reading Challenge. It is a murder mystery so it count toward my goal for the2015 Clock and Dagger Reading Challenge. And since Storm Front features Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, a wizard and the series spawned a TV show on the SciFi Network it definitely belongs in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category!

Harry’s ad reads….

HARRY DRESDEN – WIZARD
Lost Items found. Paranormal Investigations
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other
Entertainment

The Story

In Storm Front, Harry is called in by Chicago Police Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, director of Special Investigations to help solve the gruesome murder of Tommy Tomm, bodyguard for Chicago mobster Johnny Marcone and Jennifer Stanton an employe of The Velvet Room escort service. (their hearts were ripped out) in the Madison Hotel. That same evening, Harry is contacted by Monica Sells to help find her husband Victor, who just packed some things and left his home. Monica believes, that his disappearance has something to do with his new-found interest in magic, hence she has called on a wizard rather than the police to help find him!!

Since the murders required some very powerful black magic, Harry has become a prime murder suspect, not of the police (at least at first) but by the White Council that watches Harry and other wizards to assure that they do not bend or break any of the Laws of Magic! If the White Council finds that Harry did commit the crime he would have broken the First Law of Magic and would be executed!! So Harry is soon on the trail of a very powerful practitioner of black magic maybe even a little more powerful than Harry but without they years of training or the willingness to obey the Laws of Magic!!

My Take on Storm Front

Obviously this debut book was a winner and has led to a succesful series that now stands at 16, soon to be 17 books. Book 16 Skin Game finished at #3 in this years poll at Goodreads for the Best Fantasy Book!

I love Storm Front both as a murder mystery and as a suspenseful fantasy novel with a great lovable protagonist in Harry Dresden battling some pretty challenging demons!

Bottom line: Storm Front

Bottom line: Storm Front is certainly a very strong 4.5 to 5 star book! A well crafted fast-paced page turner that works as both a mystery and fantasy book with a wonderfully humorous main character! I am definitely ready for Book 2 Fool Moon!!

Post Update 2026

By the time I read Storm Front in 2015 there were 15 books in the Harry Dresden series! And sadly I haven’t read any of them! I guess I need to create a new Reading Challenge!

Series Links

About Jim Butcher

Don’t Talk to Strangers (Keye Street Series # 3) – Amanda Kyle Williams

By ekkarn January 22, 2015 September 21, 2025 Books-Fiction, Branches Books

So I wasn’t really sure about Amanda Kyle Williams Keye Street series after book one TheStranger You Seek, But I liked the book enough to move onto book two in the series Stranger in the Room. In that book, as Keye and Atlanta Police Detective Aaron Rauser chased the Wishbone Killer, and I became a fan of Keye Street. Now after reading Don’t Talk to Strangers Keye Street has joined Alex Kava’s Maggie O’Dell, Carol O’Connell‘s Kathleen Mallory and Tess Gerritsen‘s Jane Rizzoli, among my favorite female protagonists!

In book three of the series, Keye Street leaves the streets of Atlanta and her new live-in boyfriend Rauser for the rural confines of Whisper, Georgia, Sheriff Ken Meltzer of Hitchiti County in which Whisper lays, calls Keye in as a consultant on the murder of two thirteen year-old girls brutally murdered years apart, with their bodies dumped at the same location! Both girls had been kidnapped and held captive for months before being killed. Once Keye arrives in Whisper she is viewed as an outsider not only by the residents of this tight-knit community but by the fellow members of the sheriff’s department Major Tina Brolin and Detective Raymond. Sheriff Meltzer though admires Keye for more than just profiling abilities! As Keye developes her profile of the killer, as someone who stalks and plans and waits, the killer ups his game and taunts Keye and the Sheriff by snatching a third girl!! Can Keye and Meltzer save the third victim from the grizzly death that they know awaits her?

Keye Street is a very intriguing character, a brilliant profilier with the FBI, whose career imploded when Keye lost her battle with the bottle. Now as a recovering alcoholic, she heads her own detective agency, Corporate Intelligence & Investigations (CI&I) with her stoner/hacker business partner Neil Donovan and their only employee Latischa the daughter of a bail bondsman whose skips Keye chases down! Keye also acts as a consultant for the Atlanta Police Department and Detective/Friend/Lover Aaron Rauser!

This storyline in Don’t Talk to Strangers, like those in the preceding books in the series is well-developed, fast-paced, and packs a punch at the end that leaves you saying…. “Please write faster Ms. Williams!!” The Atlanta Journal Constitution says that “Keye Street is one of the most addictive new series heroines” and Tess Gerritsen writes…..

“Keye Street immediately puts herself in the TOP ECHELON of SUSPENSE HEROES. She is a brutally funny and powerful human-one of the most realistic protagonists in crime fiction that I’ve had the thrill to read”

I agree with both of those sentiments! So check out Keye Street in all three books in the series.

Bottomline: A strong 4 plus stars out of 5 for maybe the best book yet in this series. While all three books can be enjoyed separately, my recommendation is to start at beginning to get to know Keye Street, Aaron Rauser and the crew!

Book 3 for 2015 and Book 3 in the 2015 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge!!

Links for Further Explorations of the Works of Amanda Kyle Williams

Author Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon

Update: What I’m Reading and My Reading Challenges!

By ekkarn January 21, 2015 October 24, 2025 Potpouri-Books

Ok so let’s update my January reading and my Reading Challenges. So far I’ve finished two of my projected reads for the month and I’m well into the three other reads! The books I finished were Strangled and The Monkey’s Raincoat! The three that I am reading are….

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

This book has been on my TBR pile for several years.I first became a fan of Harry Dresden through the TV Show that was on SciFy several years ago. In reading about the show at Wikipedia, I see that it was on the air in 2007 . So sometime between then and now, I picked up the book. Heres a little more about Storm Front Butcher’s first novel. From Wikipedia

he wrote the first book in The Dresden Files—about a professional wizard, named Harry Dresden, in modern-day Chicago—as an exercise for a writing course in 1996 at the age of 25.

For two years, Butcher floated his manuscript among various publishers before hitting the convention circuit to make contacts in the industry. After meeting Butcher in person, Ricia Mainhardt, the agent who discovered Laurell K. Hamilton, agreed to represent him, which kick-started his writing career.[5] However, Butcher and Mainhardt have since parted ways; Jennifer Jackson is his current agent

Six months after Butcher was signed by Mainhardt, Storm Front, the first novel in The Dresden Files, was picked up by Roc/Penguin Books for publishing. It was released as a paperback in April 2000. Read More

So far I am really enjoying the book!

.Don’t Talk to Strangers – Amanda Kyle Williams

Along with Storm Front I am also reading Don’t Talk to Strangers the third installment Amanda Kyle Williams Keye Street series. In this episode, Keye leaves here usual home of Atlanta and takes a job consulting on a case in Whisper, Ga, where the bodies of two young girls who had disappeared ten years apart have been found. They had been kidnapped and held captive and then brutally,murdered, their bodies were then dumped the same site!! The case presents a real challenge to Keye’s profiling ability, while the appeal of the Sheriff she’s working with challenges her fidelity to Rauser!!

Revelation Space – Alastair Reynolds

Keeping with my resolution to read more Science Fiction, I am working my way through Revelation Space. It has taken me a while to get comfortable with the plot and the various characters. But that is something that is normal for me when I read science fiction or fantasy. For example I read The Hobbit back when I was in college and loved it. But for years I’ve put off reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy because I thought it would be too hard to get back into the books. It’s the same excuse I use for not reading more of Terry Practchett’s DiscWorld books. I know that it’s a lame excuse and maybe I can get past it this year!!

Anyway Revelation Space is a terrific book and I am enjoying reading it and of course the other two books.

So January has been a good reading month so far and an encouraging start to 2015. Below you well find a little spreadsheet that I mad up so that I can track my progress through the year. Can you say obsessive, I know my wife will say it is. anyway we’ll see how long it lasts…….

Reading Challenges	From TBR Pile	Buy/Library	Total	Goal
2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge	0	0	0	11
2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge	2	0	2	23
2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge	0	0	0	5
2015 Science Fiction/Fantasy Challenge	0	0	0	12
Totals	2	0	2	51

Currently Reading	Challenge	From	Page	Total	%Complete
Storm Front – Jim Butcher	Science Fiction	TBR Pile	98	322	30%
Revelation Space- Alastair Reynolds	Science Fiction	TBR Pile	219	585	37%
Don’t Talk to Strangers – Amanda Kyle Williams	Cloak & Dagger	Library	159	318	50%

Book-Ed – 2015 Reading Challenge Plans

By ekkarn January 19, 2015 October 24, 2025 Potpouri-Books

Ok so I’ve never participated in an online Reading Challenge, but after looking at various blogs it looks like a pretty great idea so I’m in! Here are the Challenges I will be participating in, along with the TBR Pile Reading Challenge. Here are the Reading Challenges with the links and sign-ups, aliong with my plans for the number of books I will read. I have also included a breakdown of where the books will come from, so that I can meet the TBR Pile Reading Challenge!

The Reading Challenges……

1. 2015 Non Fiction Reading Challenge

Hosted by The Introvertd Reader My Goal- Level: Seeker 11-15

I always like to read non-fiction, some politics, history and self-help books!

Of the 11 books I plan to read 5 will be off of my f TBR Pile and 6 will be new either from the library or purchases

Nonfiction Reading Challenge hosted at The Introverted Reader

Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photographyat FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2. 2015 Cloak and Dagger Mystery Reading Challenge – Level 20 – Inspector Ian Rutledge

http://www.a-bookish-girl.com/2014/12/2015-cloak-dagger-mystery-reading.html

The majority of the books I read are mysteries and thrillers! So this one is not hard at all!

Of the 23 books I hope to read I want 11 books to be from my TBR Pile and the other 12 to be new releases and/or books from library – tot

3.2015’s “Reading Through Time” Historical Fiction Reading Challenge – Level: 5 – Anthony Doerr

This one has a wide range of books that can be read, should be fun!!

For this challenge I think I’ll mak it 5 new books from library etc.

4. Science Fiction/Fantasy – Unknown Challenge

I haven’t really found a challenge that fits this genre, yet but I know this year I’m going to read more SciFi and Fantasy!!

Unknown Level ???

I plan to read 12 Sci/Fi or Fantasy Books, 4 from my TBR pile and 8 new purchased or from the library.

All this breaks down as follows:

Reading Challenge	From TBR Pile	Buy/Library	Total
2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge	5	6	11
2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge	11	12	23
2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge		5	5
2015 Science Fiction/Fantasy Challenge	6	6	12
Totals	22	29	51

The breakdown above gives me enough books from my TBR pile to meet the level I set for the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge also!!

Tomorrow I will sign up for all these challenges and then I have to get reading!! So far I’ve finished two mysteries in 2015 Strangled and The Monkey’s Raincoat and I am in the middle of three more books – two science fiction and one mystery!!

Ok so there is the plan – wish me luck! It’s a new experience – planning, oh my!!

The Monkey’s Raincoat – Robert Crais (Elvis Cole #1) – A Great Series Starter

By ekkarn January 18, 2015 March 28, 2026 Branches Books

Robert Crais began the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series in 1987 with the release of The Monkey’s Raincoat. Since then Crais has written fourteen more novels featuring the two members of Elvis’ detective agency. I have read seven of the novels, starting with 1993’s release Free Fall (Book #4) and ending with Book #11 Chasing Darkness in 2008.

I missed No 6 Sunset Express released in 1996). also missed books 1,2 and 3! Don’t ask me why!.

At the beginning of this month I wrote two posts. The first post, Six Great Mystery Series and Their First Books lists six books that I have read that start a great mystery series.

The second post was Books to Read to Start Three Great Series. In the second post, one of the books was The Monkey’s Raincoat, which was sitting on my TBR bookshelves!

When I discovered the2015 TBR Pile Challenge at Carpe Librum Girl, it became a no-brainer that I was going to read The Monkey’s Raincoat and I did so in a little over one day!!

Remember when I said before don’t ask me why, I hadn’t read this book before, well, that was the question that I asked myself when I was done!!

The second question, which followed quickly was – why did you STOP reading this series?? T

he answer must lie in the saying “Too Many Books, Too Little Time” because it doesn’t lay in the quality of the books. I love both of the lead characters in the series and the storylines were always great. All I can say is, that I hope to get back into the later books of the series, soon!

But now back to The Monkey’s Raincoat released back in 1987. The book received the following accolades:

Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel (1988),
Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (1988),
Shamus Award Nominee for Best Original PI Paperback (1988),
Edgar Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original (1988)

From the Back of the Book…..

Ellen Lang has lost something very valuable indeed -her husband and young son. The case seems simple enough, but PI Elvis Cole and his sociopath sidekick Joe Pike aren’t thrilled by the prospect of another straightforward domestic…

But all is not what it seems. Their search down these seamy side of Hollywood’s studio lots and sculpted lawns soon lands Elvis and Joe deep in the non-Disney world of drugs sex and murder. Things are looking up – and soon everybody, from the cops to starlets to crooks has declared war on the good guys. For Ellen, Hollywood isn’t Funtown any more. For Elvis it’s a good living. He hopes.

Bottomline:

The Monkey’s Raincoat is a solid 4 to 4.5 out of 5!! I loved the plot, along with both Elvis and Joe! Elvis’ humorous personality adds relief from the grim reality that Ellen Lang has to deal with, and Joe Pike protects them both!! Just don’t ask how??

Now Book #2 in the series is Stalking the Angel and is available for Kindle at $5.99 and Book #3Lullaby Town is on my TBR Pile. Do I read # 2 first and then #3 or just jump to #3??? Decisions. Decisions!!

2026 Post Update

Well the decision made was to read #3 Lullaby Town. However, I never read Stalking the Angel. In fact I didn’t read Crais’s 2015 release The Promise (Elvis Cole #16) until 2019. In 2019 I also read Taken (Elvis Cole #15 which was released in 2012.

Since 2019 four Elvis Cole novels have been released of which I have read only one A Dangerous Man (Elvis Cole #18). Overall, I have read 14 of the 20 Elvis Cole novels. The ones I missed were #2, #6, #14,#17,#19,#20. This year I hope to read at least 2 of them!

Series Links

About Robert Crais

Robert Crais is the author of the bestselling Cole & Pike novels. A native of Louisiana, Crais moved to Hollywood in the late 70s where he began a successful career in television, writing scripts for such major series as Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice and Hill…Read full bio

A New Year – A New Approach monthly planning of books to read? Oh My!

By ekkarn January 18, 2015 October 24, 2025 Potpouri-Books

A little after the beginning of January, I was exploring various book blogs and came across a blog where the writer was introducing the books that she was going to read for the month. The books were all laid out a and very artfully photographed. Aside from the very attractive picture, I was intrigued by the idea of actually saying these are th books that I am going to read this month!! See being an ADD kind of guy, I do kinda set out to read certain book, and then, well, I get distracted by another book and off I go and the books that I planned to read, go back to the library unread!!

So in an effort to change, I laid out five books to read in January and very unartfully photographed them! They are obviously at the top of this post. I coupled the novel idea of planning ahead, with the TBR Reading Challenge and chose three books that have been on my TBR pile for a long time. They are:

Strangled – Brian McGrory

The Monkey’s Raincoat – Robert Crais (Book 1 of Elvis Cole series)

Storm Front – Jim Butcher (Book 1 of the Dresden Files)

Reading Storm Front also serves the purpose of getting me started reading The Dresden Files series, which is something that I’ve been meaning to do!!

A goal of mine for 2015 is to get back to reading more Science Fiction a genre that I used to read a lot, but one that has splipped by the way over time…..Alastair Reynolds’ book Revelation Space seems like a good place to start!!

The final book is my current mystery read from the library. It is Don’t Talk to Strangers and is the third book in the Keye Street series written by Amanda Kyle Williams. I read the first two books in the series last year (2014) and after a somewhat slow start the series and the characters have grown on me!! You can read what I thought about the first to books here and here!

So far I have finished two of the books Strangled and The Monkey’s Raincoat. Both of these books are from my TBR pile, which actually makes a very little dent in my huge pile!! You can read my review of Strangled here and The Monkey’s Raincoat review will be up shortly!

So wish me luck as ADD Ed tries to be organized!!!

CARPE LIBRUM TBR PILE CHALLENGE 2015 ! I signed up!

By ekkarn January 17, 2015 January 17, 2015 Books-Fiction

So I haven’t made any New Year’s Resolutions yet, because like many people I don’t think they work. You make the resolutions stick to them in January and by February you’re back to being your old self. What I want to do is to take my time look at where I want to go, how I want to improve myself and then make monthly type goals ala The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. One thing I do know that I want to do is improve this blog…one way to do that I think is to make it more personal. More about me and what I’m doing as far the books I’m reading and the music I have listened to. I’ve browsed around other book blogs to see what they do and I have gotten a few ideas. I want to continue following and reading several blogs to get additional ideas.

One of the many challenges that I saw was at Carpelibrumgirl.blogspot.com. It’s her 2015 TBR Pile Challenge. (To Be Read)Here’s how it works……

THE RULES:

The challenge will run from January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015. The sign up link below will remain open until January 10, 2015 at 11:30am PST.
Anyone can enter! You don’t have to be a blogger, just as long as you review the book you’ve read. You can review on your book on your blog, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Instagram etc.
Any genre, length, or format of book counts as long as it is a book that’s been sitting on your self for some time. Short stories and novellas do count! The only stipulations that the book must have been released in 2014 or earlier. No 2015 ARCs or 2015 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed.
On the 30th of every other month, she will post a wrap-up for the previous two months and will contain new linkys for you to add your own wrap-up posts.
THERE WILL BE 2 GIVEAWAYS! – IN July and December. Giveaway details will be explained once the giveaway post goes up. She doesn’t want to overwhelm you with too many details now 🙂
You don’t have to follow her to join the challenge, but you do have to follow her to be entered in the giveaways on Instagram/Twitter at @carpelibrumgirl and on her Blog through Google Friend Connect ( on the side bar) or Bloglovin Link ( also on the side bar) either one or will do!.

The Book Levels:

* Put this in your Sign up post or (Social Media Desription signup)*

(how many books you’re planning to read for this challenge in 2015)

1-10 – A Friendly Acquaintance

11-20 – A Firm Grasp on My Pile

21-30 – Clearing it out

31-40 – I Got This!

41-50 – More Room on My Shelves!

50+ – I’m Married to my TBR Pile

So How Do I Join??

Write a post about joining the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, post about it on Facebook or tweet about it via Twitter or repost my IG Post on your IG Page!.
In your post, don’t forget to include: the button/banner, link back to My Sign Up Page, the level you’re aiming at and – if you want – a list of books you’re hoping to read for the challenge.
Place the challenge button in your sidebar (please use the grab link at the Bottom of the post).
Link up in the linky below using the link to your post/tweet.
That’s it! You’re done! Welcome to the challenge, stay tuned for lots of fun! And most importantly, good luck with tackling your TBR Pile!

My TBR Pile Challenge Goal is 21-30 – Clearing it out – I have also joined the Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge and set my goal at 45 books so I think maybe half should be from my TBR pile!! Wish me luck and join us!!

Oh and I have already read one book off of my TBR pile Strangled by Brian McGrory you can read the review here!!

Shahab Tolouie Master of the Fusetar born Jan 15, 1975!

By ekkarn January 15, 2015 July 19, 2025 Uncategorized

So last year the FreeWheelin/ Music Safari discovered that on this date in 1975, a very talented world fusion guitarist, Shahab Tolouie was born! That’s him at the start of this post, he is pictured with a guitar of his creation an instrumentally speaking a very cool guitar. Well technically speaking, it is not a guitar it is a

Fusetar (eng.“fusion”, “tar” – farsi. “strings” – fusion of strings). This three-necked instrument represents the culmination of his sound experiments in search of a mode of expression of his new musical concepts. The fusion of Setar, flamenco guitar, and fretless guitar

Now the reason that this Iranian born musician created the Fusetar was to fuse the musical traditions of Iran and Spain by combining them into his own expression of Persian and Flamenco fusion. He has named the fusion of any ethnic music style with Spanish flamenco Ethnoflamenco.

Here’s what Shahab says about music:

Music is the common language and element that connects all people, nations and races together without borders. Musicians are citizens of the borderless world, and they create the best way of expression without fighting. These are the gifts that music brings to us all.

Now if you have read this blog before you know that I am in total agreement with that sentiment!!

After Shahab finished high school he left Iran and went to Seville Spain. While in Spain he completed the flamenco master course and attained the highest level of achievement “Nivel Alto” Returning to Iran Shahab was recognized as one as the best guitar players in his homeland by The House of Music of Iran”

The style he has created by fusing Flamenco and Persian music “Ethnoflamenco” also uses lyrics from the ancient Sufi poems of Moulana Rumi, the unique Ghazals of Hafez and the poems of Ferdousi. In addition, as a multi-instrumentalist, he incorporates different traditional Persian instruments such as the Setar, Laud, Mandola, Daf and Dammam, along with the Flamenco Guitar, into his compositions.

Ok I can see I will be off to explore some of those traditional Persian instruments and the people who play them!!

I listened this morning to Shahab’s 2009 release Tango Perso and really enjoyed it, once again I have no idea what the translation of the lyric is but the overall effect of the music was great… and yes, it certainly is a mixture of the to musical styles!!!

You can check out more about Shahab Tolouie at:

His website: http://www.shahab-tolouie.com/category/news/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/shahab.tolouie.fanpage

EthnoCloud:http://ethnocloud.com/Shahab_Tolouie/

YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/musicatlas

Here’s the Shahab Tolouie Quartet performing “Noche Azul (Blue Night” in Prague!! So Happy Birthday, Shahab!!!

Strangled – Brian McGrory (Book #4 – Jack Flynn)

By ekkarn January 15, 2015 September 21, 2025 Branches Books

Strangled from Brian McGrory is the fourth book featuring Boston Record reporter Jack Flynn. It is the first time that I’ve joined Mr. Flynn on one of his adventures, but I don’t believe it will be my last meeting with Jack! In this installment, Jack, is caught in the middle of an investigation into a series of brutal murders in Boston, that appear to be reminiscent of the work of the Boston Strangler.; Garish bows were left tied around the neck of the victims, while their bodies were left in ghoulish positions to greet investigators, when they entered the murder scenes.. Could it be, that Albert DeSalvo the convicted Boston Strangler wasn’t the Strangler after all, and that the real Strangler is still at large and at work?

In Strangled, Jack is thrust into the investigation, by the murderer -“The Phanton Fiend” aka The Boston Strangler who keeps sending him information concerning the murders. Jack is between a rock and a hard place, does he publish the information in his possession possibly causing a panic throughout the city and incurring the wrath of the Mayor and the Chief of Police, The Chief of Police was the lead detective on the original investigation,who is now running for mayor. and he may be put in a bad light if DeSalvo was not the Strangler. Alternatively does Jack sit on the story making the Strangler mad, and forcing him to step up his killing!!

McGrory has created in Strangled, a fine story based on the speculation that Albert DeSalvo convicted of rapes, but not the stranglings, was not the actual strangler, but had received knowledge of the crimes from the real strangler! I enjoyed this fairly quick read and liked the character of Jack Flynn. There was some good humor in Strangled as Jack often related both what he said and what he should have said! Another pleasant aspect of the book, was Jack love life. The story opens on Jack’s planned wedding day, with Jack contemplating calling his fiance to call off the wedding, only to be beaten to the punch by the bride to be! Later in the book, Jack has a chance meeting with the woman he let walk out of his life, can a spark still be there between them???

About the author: From Goodreads:

McGrory is the editor of The Boston Globe. A 23-year veteran of the Globe, he was previously a Metro columnist and associate editor. Born and raised in Boston and the region, he has also worked as the Globe’s Metro editor, White House reporter, national reporter, general assignment reporter, and suburban reporter. More at Goodreads

Author Page at Amazon

Bottom line Rating 3.75 out of 5. Strangled had enjoyable characters, was an interesting and enjoyable read, but for me there was nothing really extra special about the book.. (Book 1 of 2015 – from my to be read pile!)

Male Book Bloggers? and a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt!

By ekkarn January 9, 2015 October 24, 2025 Potpouri-Books

So for part of this evening I have looked at other blogs about books and reading. What I found is that a ton of them are out there, and the majority are written by women! It also appears that they do a lot of communicating between each other (something that us guys don’t do all that well. So my questions is – Are there any male book bloggers out there??? And then if there are, say hi and let’s talk!! Whatcha’ been reading??……

I also saw several interesting book reading challenges that are part of the Bout of Books 12. The one that kicked off Bout of Books 12 was from Caught Read Handed and was a bookshelf scavenger hunt. The instructions are to……

Find a book with the following criteria on a bookshelf:

1. Find an author with the same initials as you
2. Find a book with the color yellow on it
3. Find an author’s name with the letter “S” in it
4. Find a book with a female protagonist
5. Find the longest book you own
6. Find a book with a map in it or on it
7. Find a book with a face on it (photograph or illustrated)
Bonus: Find something on your shelf that isn’t a book.

While I am not actively a participant in the Bout of Books 12, I did scour my bookshelves trying to find the above items. Here’s what I found…..

1. I couldn’t find any authors with both my initials E K . I did find some Evans and Ethan Black, and Karin Fossum and Karin Slaughter and Janet Evanovich but no EKs

2. ….a book with the color yellow on it