Readers who've been on the net since the mid-90s will likely remember a recording of a 911 call requesting a «bambulance» [NSFW] for the caller who has been bitten on the neck by a deer he hit with his car. Think of that story multiplied times 270 pages and you've got this book in a nutshell.

This book is a light read that you could finish in a couple of hours. I've spent the last week reading it in little doses and letting it set the tone for my day. Dealing with drunks, idiots or the simply ill mannered isn't quite so tough when you've read a humorous anecdote of the trouble they cause for emergency workers. Of course, anyone who's ever worked in a role that involved any level of customer service will quickly see parallels in stories about concerned passersby calling an ambulance for a collapsed drunk and laugh along with «Control» (the ambulance dispatchers) telling kids making prank calls to look up at the security camera in the call box. Anyone who's had to deal with bureaucracy on a regular basis will feel for the author when he is stuck waiting for a tire change, unable to get to emergencies, because he'd be held responsible if he changed the flat tire on the «Fast Response Unit» and something went wrong.

There's plenty of serious stuff in the book to provoke real thought, too. You'll certainly think twice before trying to beat an ambulance across an intersection or calling in an emergency when getting in the car to drive to the hospital is a more viable option. You'll feel for the emergency workers who take care of us when you read about Reynold's brush with HIV-exposure.

Those who think that the US should emulate Britain's National Health Service should definitely read this book. The common assertion recently is that universal health care frees up emergency rooms for real emergencies. Hardly. It just assures that the indigent who don't have GPs (a family physician) use the ambulance service AND the emergency room as their first stop for medical care.

Bottom line: This is a great book, well worth the read. I got it as an early review copy and it was near the bottom of my list of the books I requested. Sometimes things work out for the best, because I loved this book.

Post from: My Library

Tom Reynolds: Blood, Sweat and Tea

Holmes was the consummate con man, building a «castle» in Chicago that covered a city block, all while shafting the builders and building material suppliers. Facing financial ruin, Holmes began his career of murder with schemes reminiscent of the «Black Widow» mold of female serial killers - a bigamist and playboy, Holmes killed several wives and mistresses for their money. When that failed and he appears to have met a woman he had no intention of killing, he eventually branched out to killing others in insurance schemes. (He may have been involved in an earlier life insurance scheme as well, though whether that involved murder or merely grave robbing or whether it happened at all are unclear.) At some point, Holmes seems to have acquired a taste for murder, as he purposely chose murder, including the murder of three children, to cover his tracks even when it appears the track covering murders brought more attention than simply leaving well enough alone.

The career of Holmes lacks the titillation of the psychosexual crimes of later serial killers like Ted Bundy and his matter of fact methods are not as gruesome as the likes of Ed Gein. Perhaps the most shocking, frightening aspect of Holmes is that he fooled so many while calmly and methodically murdering first for profit alone and then for profit and sport.

Post from: My Library

Harold Schechter: Depraved

Morgan comes from a family of demon enthusiasts that belong to the Spirit Society, a group promoting demon possession. Demon hosts have exceptional strength, resilience and immunity. Legal, licensed and registered they take on dangerous jobs like firefighting and police work. Morgan's brother is a willing host to a demon, his own personality trapped somewhere in the back of the demon mind and Morgan definitely doesn't approve. She approves even less when she finds out, early in the novel, that she's an unwilling host herself and one that's starting a civil war among the demons no less. The penalty for the demon is exorcism and exorcism may leave the host's mind completely shattered, a fact she understands from long experience.

Through the course of the story, Morgan mistreats her boyfriend, fantasizes about/with the demon in her head, fights with her brother's demon for herself and as part of the war, exorcises a legal demon gone roque and discovers things about demon society no other human knows. In this milieu exorcists exist in the same shadowy semi-official second class private cop status as private investigators in all the private dick pulp fiction. So, of course, Morgan has a love-hate relationship with a cop, in this case a demon cop, who also has a thing for her and in the style you might expect of a demon his attraction is not satisfied with vanilla courtship. Even aside from the sacrilegious ideas that all demons aren't evil, demon possession might not be all bad and exorcists can be sexy young women, not just old priests, the easily offended will need to stay away because of the sex and the kink. (The worst Amazon review gave the book three stars because it «bogged down in rough erotic content.» The other reviewers didn't complain.)

This novel is suspenseful, sexy and action packed. The world Black builds is intriguing. The demons internal strife, their positive role in human society and the moral complexity of the human and demon characters make for an interesting read.

Post from: My Library

Jenna Black: The Devil Inside

As you'd expect of a Young Adult novel, this is a light, quick read. Even so Mead includes plenty of meat in the story - suspense, mystery, humor and romance that pushes the borders of what's allowable in the genre.

This book is every bit as good as Succubus Blues. Both are must reads for fans of vampires, paranormal and fantasy.

Post from: My Library

Richelle Mead: Vampire Academy

She answers questions starting with «Am I a Renaissance Soul?», «What do I say when people ask what I do?» and «How do I make a living without a 'career'?» She provides examples from the lives of Renaissance Souls from Leonardo da Vinci to Benjamin Franklin.

Her chapters on earning an income are good. She emphasizes ideas to get a job that earns an income but also contributes to other interests, when getting the perfect job just isn't possible.

The book is really good and well worth the read for anyone who feels too confined in the idea of following one career for 30-40 years and then retiring to play golf. It was good enough that it contributed to the name for my website network (along with several other occurrences of the Renaissance theme).

There are two downsides to her book, shared with many in the emerging «life design» genre. First, a lot of space is devoted just to convincing the reader that it's ok to be a Renaissance Soul. For some, that may be great. For me, I saw the title, intuitively understood what it meant and that it applied to me. I was already familiar with the life stories of Leonardo, Ben Franklin and Oprah Winfrey. I didn't need to be convinced, I needed a *plan*. The pages devoted to convincing were, for me, mostly filler.

Second, it works from an assumption that the reader is either a well paid professional or a single person with no debts for many of its suggestions. For those with obligations and without substantial savings, all her suggestions may be doable, but they'll require the kind of sacrifice from the Renaissance Family that the family may not want to make. For an attorney to move into a job outside the legal field is relatively easy. For a Renaissance Soul with a family, debts and an interest in law to go the other way - especially for what is likely to be a relatively short legal career that never leads to the perks and income partnership, etc. - is not so simple.

The book still has plenty to recommend it for the Average Renaissance Joe, but it's more tailored to Renaissance Joseph, Esquire. For the reader of average means, additional resources may be more necessary, but the book is still a great starting point. Plus, if you do need some convincing that it's OK to try new things, switch jobs and make a career out of following all your dreams instead of just one, this book should do the trick.

Post from: My Library

Margaret Lobenstine: The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One

Anyway... Georgina works as an assistant manager in a bookstore and has a long running obsession with writer Seth Mortensen. When circumstances conspire to bring Seth not only to Seattle but to her bookstore, then back to the coffeeshop in her bookstore every day to do his writing, Georgina spares no time falling in love, even if she doesn't realize it. Of course, it almost goes without saying that Seth stands no chance against her supernatural charms. But I'll say it anyway. Seth stands no chance against her supernatural charms. Of course, with looks like those the hot redhead has plenty of other suitors waiting in the wings...and maybe even a few who have wings. (Oh, that brings me back to the whole rock song formula thing. Take a look at the picture of Richelle Mead on her blog, Even Redheads Get the Blues, by the way. Then take a look at Georgina on the cover (illustration by Chad Michael Ward):

Now, if you're expecting lots of sex, I'd suggest an Anne Rice novel instead. There is one very graphic scene, in Chapter 24 of this 26 Chapter novel and everything else is mostly innuendo.

The only problem I had at all was that the big «Aha!» moment came to early. There was a dead giveaway about 2/3 of the way through the book, which left the last third as wrap-up (including the sex scene). Though there were some red herrings and a couple of surprises past the point, the main «whodunit» mystery was gone. On the other hand, it was a coherent, well crafted story where it wasn't necessary to explain away inconsistencies, which is why it clicked so early. The one seeming inconsistency was well explained and did provide a minor «Aha!» and a bit of delicious, even if not served cold, vengeance for the reader to share.

I'm looking forward to the next in the series, due out in December, Succubus On Top and am even ordering her Young Adult offering published in August, Vampire Academy. I'll be reading more by this new author.

Post from: My Library

Richelle Mead: Succubus Blues

At 389 pages, it's not just an extremely condensed version of Brittanica's 33,000. Jacobs shares his efforts to become a father, made more difficult by the annoyance his encyclopedia obsession causes his wife, Julie. As the future smartest person in the world, he uses his college board scores to join Mensa, then takes the Mensa entrance exam anyway...only to find out, that it's a good thing he had those high college board scores. He exams his rivalry with his father, trying to complete the mission his father didn't, and the reader learns that what psychobabblers might call «dysfunction» is really normal, loving, often hilarious and sometimes touching. The facts he obsesses over range from fertility gods to obscure diseases to Rene Descartes' fetish for cross-eyed women. Along the way he encounters Alex Trebek, Ted Kennedy and a trove of Spock-eared Mensans. The book is funny and enlightening, with much of the enlightenment for Jacobs and the reader coming not because of, but in spite of the fact filled tomes of the Encyclopedia.

Post from: My Library

A.J. Jacobs: The Know-It-All

Fans of Palanhniuk's earlier works will enjoy the themes, the icharacters and the dark comedy. They may or may not like the way Palahniuk resolves the spiritual dilemma. In Fight Club the unspoken solution is that if God is merely our father's writ large, he's a figment of our imagination. In Rant, God is some of our father's in a different way and without the implicit rejection of spiritual side to human existence. Or maybe Rant and all his friends are just as crazy as Tyler/Cornelius/Rupert or whatever other silly name he put on his name tag each night.

Two final notes. The version I actually own is the Audible audiobook version (unabridged). (I listen to these during the 40 minute one-way commute.) The various characters giving their oral biographies are read by appropriate actors and it makes for a fun listen. This novel is explicit. Nah, it's nasty. Fight Club had one particularly nasty line (Marla's «since grade school» line.) If that line offended, stay miles from this book.

Post from: My Library

Chuck Palahniuk: Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey

Tooth and Nail

Rebus carries his own baggage both from a serial killing he handled previously at home, the reason he got called to London, and from a failed marriage. As with many stories the synchronicities multiply as Rebus's ex-wife and teenage daughter are caught up with people involved with his pursuit of the killer.

Early in the book, Rebus is approached by a good looking younger psychologist who offers to profile the killer. The love interest blossoms appropriately providing plenty of extra conflict and suspense.

I have to give this one a big thumbs up for the complete surprise ending. I was at most 10 or 15 pages from the spot where Rankin reveals his killer before I had an inkling of the real culprit. I followed every red herring he offered, which made the «Ah HA!» that much sweeter.

Technorati Tags: suspense, serial killer, book, novel, Ian Rankin, Inspector Rebus

Post from: My Library

Ian Rankin: Tooth and Nail

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John 21:25

And Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal gives us a humorous look at what we might have learned if at least one of those books had actually been written. Levi who was called Biff reveals many great truths about his childhood pal Josh, such as:

• What does the 'H' in 'Jesus H. Christ' stand for?
• Was Jesus really married to Mary Magdalene?
• Where did the Savior of All Mankind spend the 18 years between his visit to the Temple and his baptism by John the Baptist?

Or maybe he doesn't, but Moore and his irreverent character the eponymous Biff sure have a lot of fun speculating. Moore's take on the Biblical characters is colorful, funny and oddly more believable than the typical theologian's fare. Peter may have been the first Pope, but he was first a fisherman and Moore doesn't forget it, which makes for a book every bit as funny as Lust Lizard and Practical Demonkeeping.

The sensitive religious types should probably steer clear of this book (and anything else requiring a sense of humor including this website), but those who enjoyed Monty Python's Life of Brian will find themselves in familiar territory with a slightly different view. For anyone still thinking that even reading this review might be the first step on the road to Hell, consider this from Moore's afterword:

I like to think that while he carried out his sacred mission, Jesus of Nazareth might have enjoyed a sense of irony and the company of a wisecracking buddy. This story is not and never was meant to challenge anyone's faith; however, if one's faith can be shaken by stories in a humorous novel, one may have a bit more praying to do.

Amen.

Read this book and anything else by this author. You can't go wrong.

Post from: My Library

Christopher Moore: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal