CONFESSIONS OF A CARB QUEEN

This is the story of a woman, who at 38 years of age, finds herself at 468 pounds and desperate to find a way to change her life. Her story is heartbreaking and the tales of her binges are nearly unbelievable. She admits that she ate to the point of nearly being comatose on a regular basis. Her description of her life as a fat person was hard to read, much less imagine. She tells of how hard it was to even get herself out of bed because she was nearly suffocating. When she finally decides to go to the Rice Clinic in Durham, NC to lose the weight, the story is just as hard to read. The reader suffers, too, as she describes her struggle to resist the foods she craves so much. When she does slip up, we can see it coming, but it isn't any easier to take. Finally, as Sue reaches a weight loss of 250 pounds, the reader is eagerly cheering her on.

This book was both sad and inspirational. At times, one wants to scream at the fat Sue about why she is so out of control and why she is making the choices that she does. It is also heartbreaking to think of how hard it is to live in the body of a 450 pound woman. Anyone who has struggled to diet and to avoid the foods that they love so much can relate to the struggles as she tries to change her life forever. Sue's choices of flawed men made me angry and I wanted to tell her to grow up as again and again she is disappointed by the expectations she has for her family members. Mostly, though, I came away inspired to keep moving, watch what I eat and keep battling. One comes to love Sue as she finally comes to love herself.

Rating - 4 stars

MURDER OF A SMALL TOWN HONEY

Skye is a school psychologist who has returned to her small hometown. She is less than thrilled to be back in Scrumble River where everyone seems to remember her as a high school girl who was eager to be out of town and on her way to bigger things. Skye is just getting the school year started when Mrs. Gumtree, a local celebrity from a children's TV show, is murdered just before the Chokecherry Days parade was supposed to begin. Everyone was surprised to learn that Mrs. Gumtree was really a young woman who had spent her senior year in Scrumble River. It seems that Honey was not the sweet girl her name might suggest, but Skye really gets pulled into the investigation when her brother, Vince, is accused of the murder.

I was thinking that I had read this book by Denise Swanson a long time ago and for some reason, I really didn't think that I had liked it. I was somewhat surprised that I really did enjoy the book. It is a little thin in places - Skye does some things that I don't think a psychologist would ever consider doing and her attitude about her small town is sometimes a little wearing. However, I really did enjoy the book and I'll probably try another sometime soon.

Rating - 4.25 stars

COLD DISH

Walt Longmire is a Wyoming sheriff in a small town and he has serious trouble on his hands. A young man has been found murdered. The list of people who might have wanted to kill Cody Pritchard is exceptionally long since Cody and his friends brutally raped a young Indian girl with fetal alcohol syndrome. Most of the people in town and the reservation think Cody and his friend got off too easily. Walt has to figure out who committed the murder before anyone else gets killed. The hardest part is that he isn't sure who he can trust. Even his best friend, an Indian, is one of the prime suspects for Cody's murder.

I had heard that Craig Johnson's books were very good and I found this one to be a delight. Johnson's characters are well-rounded human beings, very likable but human with flaws, nonetheless. Walt is a great guy and his desire to begin dating is a wonderful side story. I loved Johnson's description of the scenery of the West. His writing is so fun to read - it's almost lyrical. The story is gritty and tough but the reading is pure delight.

Rating - 5 stars

Voodoo River

Elvis Cole finds himself in Lousiana tracing the adoption of a Hollywood celebrity. She tells Cole that she just wants her medical information from her birth parents. Cole finds life in Lousiana to be much different from Hollywood, but he soon is drawn into a relationship with Lucy, the attorney for adoptees. Life would be nice if he could just spend time with Lucy, but Elvis soon realizes that there are more secrets in the Lousiana Bayou than he could ever imagine. Elvis must decide whether he is more committed to protecting his client or for working for justice in an untolerable situation.

I really liked this book alot but at times it seemed to drag. I loved seeing Elvis with someone as nice as Lucy but I also got pretty confused by the two conflicting mob groups and the scam they were running. It all got pretty convoluted. As always, Robert Crais tells gives vivid descriptions of his settings and characters. I especially enjoyed the character of the old lady who hopped around her trailer with a can of Raid to kill bugs. I'll be checking out more of Robert Crais and I'll hope this book was one of his "not so great" ones.

Rating - 4 stars

BROKEN WINDOW

Arthur Rhyme is accused of a murder that he swears he didn't commit. There is nothing new about hearing that someone feels they are unjustly accused of a crime but Arthur happens to be the cousin of the criminalist, Lincoln Rhyme. When Arthur's wife, Judy, begs Lincoln to look into the murder, Lincoln is very skepital. However, he and his team soon realize that someone is using data to set up innocent victims as murder suspects. Amelia Sachs is soon digging into a company that collects and sells all kinds of data and the implications are frightening. Someone can analyze the data and predict when and where a person will be, what products he buys and what his interests are. He is planting evidence to set the person up to take the fall for murder while he takes his pleasures in the world.

Jeffrey Deavers has another hit with this book. I love Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. As always, this book was quite suspenseful but his characters are rich, human and likable. Deavers adds enough of their personal lives to keep things cohesive and interesting. It has also been fun to see the characters in this series develop. Deaver's theories in this book about the data that is being collected on all of us and how available it is to certain people is truly scary and thought-provoking.

Rating - 5 stars

MISS ZUKAS AND THE LIBRARY MURDERS

This is the first in the Miss Zukas, the librarian, series. Working in a library, one doesn't expect to find a dead body lying in one of the aisles between bookcases but that is exactly what happens to Miss Zukas one morning at work. Soon, she is drawn into the investigation after finding a slip of yellow paper with something written on it in a directory. She can't make sense of the words on the paper but suddenly, strange things are happening to her. Someone has broken into her apartment and she thinks she is being followed. Along with her crazy friend, Ruth, Helma is determined to figure out what's going on, and maybe then she'll share some info with the Chief of Police.

I read another of the Miss Zukas books by Jo Dereske not so long ago. I liked the book but Helma drove me kind of crazy. She is such a stiff and proper person. Her friend, Ruth, on the other hand is kind of wild and exuberant. Quite the combination. I actually liked this book better. We got some background on Helma and somehow, it helped me like her more. Despite a rather confusing ending, I will probably try another book in this series again sometime.

Rating - 4 stars.