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February 6, 2013
Osaka a memorable dining experience
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SWEET TOOTH
By Ian McEwan
Nan A. Talese/Doubleday $26.95
“Sweet Tooth” is the code name given by MI5, England’s intelligence agency, to an operation designed to find and fund struggling writers whose politics agree with government. Beautiful college student Serena Frome, working undercover, discovers and falls in love with writer Tom Healy, an affair destined to fail, as are a number of her other romances. Despite its serious premise, the book is light hearted with occasional laugh out loud moments.
JUICY and DELICIOUS
By Lucy Alibar
Diversion Books $9.99
If you’ve seen the movie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” you may be surprised to learn that Hushpuppy was originally written as a boy but was changed to a girl for the movie for which Houma’s Quvenzhané Wallis has been nominated for Best Actress Oscar honors. You’ll learn why that change was made in a note by author Lucy Alibar, who co-wrote the movie with Director Behn Zeitlin, both also Oscar nominees. If you haven’t yet seen the movie, read the play first. You will, I think, enjoy it more.
A MILLION WINGS
By Susan Schadt
Wild Abundance Publishing $50
Whether you’re a duck hunter or not, you’ll savor the great photographs of Lisa Buser and relish the stories shared in the kitchens and around fireplaces of the finest private hunting clubs and lodges in the Mississippi Flyway. From Missouri to Louisiana, the scenery is stunning and the joy and camaraderie of these famed clubs and their owners are made evident in this wonderful volume that will appeal to anyone with an appreciation for the outdoors and all that it inspires.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALEX CROSS
By James Patterson
Little, Brown $28.99
Christmas Eve turns out to be a very busy one for Police Detective Alex Cross as he’s called away from family celebrations to rush to a family hostage situation: A father is threatening to kill his ex-wife and children, and Alex must risk his own life to save theirs. But that’s not all; a second call has Alex confronting a terrorist intent on putting millions of citizens at risk. The clock is ticking swiftly as Alex hurries to defuse a deadly situation. For Alex, Santa will just have to wait.
THE BLACK BOX
By Michael Connelly
Little, Brown $27.99
During the LA riots in 1992, Detective Harry Bosch discovered the body of female Danish photographer, Anneke Jespersen, but before he can investigate he’s assigned to another case amid the chaos in the burning city. But the memory of the dead girl continually haunts him and now, 20 years later, Harry finds a clue that may help him solve her murder. Pursuing the case, however, puts Bosch at serious odds with his supervisor, who orders him to drop it. If you know Bosch, that’s not very likely.
THE INTERCEPT
By Dick Wolf
William Morrow $27.99
Could the terror of 9/11 happen again? It seems likely, when a passenger on a flight to New York City attempts to hijack the plane but is overpowered by five passengers and a flight attendant who, after defusing the threat, are soon dubbed by the press as “The Six” and hailed as heroes. But NYPD Detective Jeremy Fisk suspects the hijacking was just a ploy, allowing the real terrorist to deplane without being detected. His target: the new One World Trade Center being dedicated on the Fourth of July. Terrifying.
HEADS in BEDS
By Jacob Tomsky
Doubleday $25.95
This memoir by Tomsky gives a no-holds-barred look at hotels from the inside out, revealing easy ways to get upgrades, free movies and lots of other good stuff. The secret? Start handing out twenty-dollar bills on arrival and often throughout your stay. A recent college grad with a philosophy degree and no ambition, Tomsky took a job as parking attendant at a new, upscale hotel in New Orleans, working his way up to the front desk in a Manhattan hotel and all the way back to the Crescent City. It’s funny and revealing.
– Raymond “Ray” Saadi is a longtime local radio station owner/operator who’s moved from broadcasting to books. Now retired, he has been writing book reviews for more than 12 years.
Ian McEwan, author of 12 novels, is able to weave light-heartedness with serious subject matter in “Sweet Tooth.” The Englishman tackles free speech, love and undercover investigation in his latest work.
“Sweet Tooth”
“Juicy and Delicious”
“A Million Wings”
“Merry Christmas, Alex Cross”
“The Black Box”
“The Intercept”
“Heads in Beds”
