Blue Books

Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No. 15)

From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Cornwell's 15th novel to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after 2005's Predator) delivers her trademark grisly crime scenes, but lacks the coherence and emotional resonance of earlier books. Soon after relocating to Charleston, S.C., to launch a private forensics lab, Scarpetta is asked to consult on the murder of U.S. tennis star Drew Martin, whose mutilated body was found in Rome. Contradictory evidence leaves Scarpetta, the Italian carabinieri and Scarpetta's lover, forensic psychologist Benton Wesley, stumped. But when she discovers unsettling connections between Martin's murder, the body of an unidentified South Carolina boy and her old nemesis, the maniacal psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn Self, Scarpetta encounters a killer as deadly as any she's ever faced. With her recent switch from first- to third-person narration, Cornwell loses what once made her series so compelling: a window into the mind of a strong, intelligent woman holding her own in a profession dominated by men. Here, the abrupt shifts in point of view slow the momentum, and the reader flounders in excessive forensic minutiae.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Theres no faulting the messenger in Patricia Cornwells latest thriller. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson renders the latest adventure of forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta quite perfectly. What Masterson cant do is save the novel, a pale imitation of a once robust franchise. Masterson breathes life into the colorful cast of characters that inhabit the Scarpetta world, giving each one a distinct personality. Ostensibly the book is about the murder of a 16-year-old tennis star by The Sandman. After a maddening series of subplots, hes captured in a couple sentences. It happens so fast this listener thought hed missed something. Either this is a terrible abridgment, or this series is dead. M.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Born Confused (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards))

From Publishers Weekly
In this enlightening first novel, Hidier offers readers an engrossing, personal account of the Indian-American experience through the eyes of an insightful narrator. Dimple Lala, a New Jersey teen interested in photography, has been confused about her identity since she entered the world the "wrong way," causing her mother "twelve treacherous hours of painful labor." Her fascination with photography reveals Dimple's keen sense of perception as well as her role as an observer rather than a participant. "Not quite Indian, and not quite American," Dimple unsuccessfully tries to blend in, riding on the coattails of her blue-eyed, blonde best friend, Gwyn. The author nimbly describes the shared outsider status that drew together the two, "the rich little girl who lived like an orphan and the brown little girl who existed as if she were still umbilically attached to her parents." During Dimple's 17th year, however, the tables suddenly turn when Dimple's parents introduce her to Karsh Kapoor, the son of their close friends from India. Through their meeting, the author reveals Dimple's mother's own secret creative aspirations (to become a dancer in her youth) as well as another first-generation teen's attempt to straddle both cultures. When Gwyn becomes infatuated with Karsh, Dimple helps Gwyn become a suitable girlfriend for him, even as she gradually comes to admire Karsh herself. In the process, the heroine embarks on a journey of self-discovery. On one level, the book explores the growing pains, rebellious phases, peer pressures and first love experienced universally by teens. On a deeper level, it celebrates a harmonious blending of cultures as it traces one adolescent's bumpy trek towards self-actualization. If a few subplots take the main action on a slight detour (e.g., Gwyn's relationship with her high school-cum-college boyfriend, etc.), the sparkling prose will carry readers along. The author seamlessly integrates descriptions of Indian food, dress and customs, often spiced with Dimple's sarcastic commentary. But even as Dimple distances herself from her family's traditions, her sense of respect and genuine affection for her accomplished parents (both doctors) are never far from the surface. The author poetically captures the essence of her characters and the richness of seemingly insignificant moments. Absorbing and intoxicating, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression. Ages 13-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-Dimple Lala has spent her entire life trying to fit in. In India, she is too American, while in America she feels unable to conform, largely because of her parents' efforts to educate and involve her in Indian culture. By her 17th birthday, she feels incapable of making anyone happy and is hopelessly confused as to where she belongs. Her parents are unhappy about her obsession with photography and her dating activities, while Dimple herself feels that her best friend, Gwyn, is either ignoring her for a new boyfriend or trying to usurp Dimple's family. Her parents come up with what they think is a perfect solution-they introduce her to Karsh, a suitable boy. Dimple is turned off at the thought. Just when she is sure that things can't get more complicated, she meets him again, now involved in activities that would render him completely unsuitable to her parents but that interest her. By this time Gwyn decides that he seems like the perfect boyfriend for her and Dimple ends up with a number of tricky situations. This involving story, filled with detail about the protagonist's life and background, will reward its readers. The family background and richness in cultural information add a new level to the familiar girl-meets-boy story. Teens will be rooting for Dimple and her quest to find her own place in her family and country.
Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bottleneck Blues Guitar (Guitar Books)

Product Description
A comprehensive instruction guide to blues slide guitar styles. Contains over 25 transcriptions of authentic bottleneck blues tunes by such masters as Son House, Robert Johnson, Tampa Red, and many more.

Bright Captivity (Book One of the Georgia Trilogy)

From Publishers Weekly
Legions of fans will undoubtedly welcome another warm historical saga from Price ( Stranger in Savannah ). In this first volume of a projected trilogy, she chronicles a passionate (yet decorous) romance, basing her characters on real persons. Anne Couper is celebrating her 18th birthday when the British capture St. Simon's Island, Ga., during the War of 1812. She and a group of her houseguests are held in a far from onerous captivity, and Anne and handsome Lt. John Fraser of the Royal Marines fall in love. Their courtship and marriage create numerous conflicts. Should John accept Anne's father's generous offer of a plantation on St. Simon's Island? Can he, the consummate soldier, regain his commission after the war and rejoin his regiment? The young couple is given counsel and love from a host of agreeable family members and friends, including Anne's distant cousin, a Scottish lord, and his friend author Walter Scott. Anne and John, at times colorless, are far too well bred to display conflict or excitement, yet the book springs to life in its descriptions both of the lush landscape of a Georgia plantation and the wild, primitive highlands of Scotland. 150,000 first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Review
"Price deftly combines fiction and history into a passionate tale."--Rave Reviews

Building the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC) (Images of America)

Product Description
The Blue Ridge Parkway began as a dream in the late 1800s and became reality in 1983 when the 469-mile scenic highway was completed. Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began in September 1935 at Cumberland Knob. Heavy construction was done by contractors who won bids for the different projects along various sections of the parkway. Civilian Conservation Corps troops took care of the roadsides,

landscaping, and structure building. As part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, this project was intended to provide jobs throughout the region. Images of America: Building the Blue Ridge Parkway contains approximately 200 construction photographs of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

About The Author
Karen J. Hall grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and has visited the parkway often over the years. She is the author of Postcard History Series: Blue Ridge Parkway. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia. FRIENDS raises funds for parkway projects. Very understaffed and underfunded, the National Park Service cannot preserve the original splendor of all of the viewsheds; FRIENDS is committed to raising the necessary funds and providing the volunteers for trails and viewshed restoration.

Buyer's Guide to American Wines: The Right Wine for the Right Price

Buyer's guide to American wines: The right wine for the right price

Buyer's Guide to American Wines: The Right Wine for the Right Price

California Top 10 Garden Guide (Sunset Books)

Book Description
Geared toward a new generation of California gardeners, this user-friendly guide is one of the first in a ground-breaking new Sunset series. It covers all categories and regional varieties, focusing on readily available plants that deliver optimal results with easy-to-understand selection and growing instructions. Includes a Calendar of Top 10 Tasks for each season with tips on pruning trees, feeding citrus, planting bare-root roses, and more. Richly illustrated with hundreds of photos and backed up by specific how-to instructions and illustrations, it provides all the resources to create a thriving garden in the Golden State. Edited by Sunset magazine senior garden editor Kathleen N. Brenzel.

Cane River (Oprah's Book Club)

Product Review
Lalita Tademy's riveting family saga chronicles four generations of women born into slavery along the Cane River in Louisiana. It is also a tale about the blurring of racial boundaries: great-grandmother Elisabeth notices an unmistakable "bleaching of the line" as first her daughter Suzette, then her granddaughter Philomene, and finally her great-granddaughter Emily choose (or are forcibly persuaded) to bear the illegitimate offspring of the area's white French planters. In many cases these children are loved by their fathers, and their paternity is widely acknowledged. However, neither state law nor local custom allows them to inherit wealth or property, a fact that gives Cane River much of its narrative drive.

The author makes it clear exactly where these prohibitions came from. Plantation society was rigidly hierarchical, after all, particularly on the heels of the Civil War and the economic hardships that came with Reconstruction. The only permissible path upward for hard-working, ambitious African Americans was indirect. A meteoric rise, or too obvious an appearance of prosperity, would be swiftly punished. To enable the slow but steady advance of their clan, the black women of Cane River plot, plead, deceive, and manipulate their way through history, extracting crucial gifts of money and property along the way. In the wake of a visit from the 1880 census taker, the aged Elisabeth reflects on how far they had come.

When the census taker looked at them, he saw colored first, asking questions like single or married, trying to introduce shame where there was none. He took what he saw and foolishly put those things down on a list for others to study. Could he even understand the pride in being able to say that Emily could read and write? They could ask whatever they wanted, but what he should have been marking in the book was family, and landholder, and educated, each generation gathering momentum, adding something special to the brew.

Charlie Bone and The Beast (Children Of The Red King, Book 6)

Product Description
Life should be perfect for Charlie now that his parents have been reunited. But mystery and adventure always find him. This time Asa, a fellow classmate who changes into a beast at dusk, and Charlie's sometime-enemy, is missing. His parents seek out Charlie for help. Manfred is holding Asa captive in a forest cave and now Charlie needs the help of the Flames to rescue his classmate.

Manfred has also taken the new endowed student, Dagobert Endless, under his wing and Charlie is highly suspicious of the pair. Can the Flames and Charlie rescue Asa without being caught by Manfred and Dagobert?

Chicago Blues (Eddison Blues Books, 1.)

Product Description
Chicago has always had a reputation as a ”wide open town” with a high tolerance for gangsters, illegal liquor, and crooked politicians. It has also been the home for countless black musicians and the birthplace of a distinctly urban blues—more sophisticated, cynical, and street-smart than the anguished songs of the Mississippi delta—a music called the Chicago blues. This is the history of that music and the dozens of black artists who congregated on the South and Near West Sides. Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, Tampa Red, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Wells, Eddie Taylor—all of these giants played throughout the city and created a musical style that had imitators and influence all over the world.