Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

After Much Anticipation...


The "mystery" package from Amy has arrived, and it is...
Drum roll please...

A book called "Nora Jane!" Not to be outdone, I'm starting a search for a book called "Amy Melissa."


Thanks, Amy... you're all right for an older sister!

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Dirty Water

FYI: This is the book written by my Aunt Mary-Ann and cousin Jere.

I just finished reading “Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery,” written by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, and her son Jere Smith. The story begins with an abandoned baby being found in the Red Sox clubhouse and quickly moves on to murder, corruption and kidnapping, all against the backdrop of the 2007 World Series. Two seemingly unrelated events ­– the baby and the story of a Dominican baseball player – are tied together by coincidence and the writings of a mysterious blogger, who often times has information well ahead of the police. The detective, Rocky Patel; his partner, Marty Flanagan; the Boston Police force; the FBI; the blogger, named Jay; and the Boston Red Sox all team up to tell the story, each delivering a piece of the puzzle along the way.

The narrative, written by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, takes you up and down the streets of downtown Boston, in and around Fenway Park. She describes the area as well as, if not better than, most native Bostonians could. The story she weaves draws you in and makes putting the book down nearly impossible. Her characters come to life with rich backgrounds and descriptive dialog. (“If he keeps bitin’ his nails like he’s doin', he'll end up lookin' like Venus de Milo.”)

Every chapter ends with a blog post from Jay, written by Jere Smith, who writes the real-life Red Sox blog, A Red Sox Fan From Pinstripe Territory. Jay's blog mirrors Jere's real-life blog, with descriptive game details, witty observations and baseball facts that can only be gleaned from a person who has studied baseball hard enough to have a doctorate in the sport. Many of the fans and readers of a Red Sox Fan from Pinstripe Territory make a cameo appearance in the fictional blog, The Number One Place.

“Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery” is a great summer read for baseball fans and mystery lovers alike.


Click here to pre-order Dirty Water from Amazon.com.

Sunday, May 27, 2007


The Clan of the Cave Bear and The Valley of Horses


I re-read The Clan of the Cave Bear last week and read The Valley of Horses afterward. I couldn't put them down until I was finished. Now I can't wait to read the third book in the series, The Mammoth Hunters. Have you read these? Liked them?

Tuesday, April 03, 2007




They Call Me "Gus"

I just finished reading the book about Gus Gray(from the Alabama English post). I have known Gus for a few years now, and he is a great guy. Reading the book written about him opened up a whole new chapter of things I never knew about him. He grew up in rural Alabama in the 50's and early 60's in a very poor family. He was one of 14 children. His "mama" had 18 but only 14 survived. He had one brother who was stabbed in a "beer joint" just for being black. Discrimination was a part of his everyday life as a child, and he knew no different. His family was helped twice by Dr. Martin Luther King for two very unusual reasons. He worked for Fred Hooper for 30 years as the stallion manager and tour guide to Hooper Farm. I highly recommend reading this book. When you come to Florida I will personally introduce you to Gus. The author is Helen E. Wright. There are two copies of the book on Amazon.com.