Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

THE DRY by Jane Harper

January 10, 2017

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This is a thriller that is garnering a lot of attention and tons of starred reviews, and I did enjoy reading it. But I did keep putting it down, so don’t know that I’d give it a starred review myself.

It is set in rural Australia, which felt like it could have been rural North Dakota or some other area I’m not all that familiar with. A small farming town. A drought. And a family murdered in their own home, the father an apparent suicide.

The local sheriff is not comfortable with the scenario that the father did it. Something isn’t sitting right with him. So when Federal Agent Aaron Faulk returns to town for his childhood best friend’s funeral, he ends up staying to help with the investigation.

The story meanders off in several directions. Luke, the suicide and assumed murderer, was Aaron’s alibi when a young girl friend of theirs turned up drowned when they were in high school. A page was found with the name Faulk written on it in her room, making Aaron and his father prime suspects. Nothing was ever proven, but Aaron’s father felt it best to leave town. So that’s one unsolved murder. The family is another.

There are a lot of red herrings and suspicious characters, and the ending was quite suspenseful and a bit of a surprise, all the hallmarks of a good thriller. This is a debut so expect more from this talented author.

1/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE DRY by Jane Harper. Flatiron Books (January 10, 2017). ISBN 978-1250105608. 336p.

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THE SLEEPWALKER by Chris Bohjalian

January 9, 2017

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A prodigious amount of research has obviously gone into the writing of this novel by Chris Bohjalian, whose books cover a wide variety of subjects.

Many people sleepwalk; most fortunately without causing themselves severe harm. Others are not so fortunate and in their walks can do injury to themselves and even possibly kill themselves. Annalee Ahlberg has a history of sleepwalking and is enrolled in a medical project to try and help her. She is also taking medicines prescribed for sleepwalkers.

The novel is written from the viewpoint of Lianna, the oldest of her two daughters, and describes one instance where Lianna actually saved Annalee’s life when she pulled her back from the Gale River Bridge near their home in Vermont. Both Lianna and her younger sister Paige have had episodes of walking in their sleep although nothing apparently as severe as Annalee.

One evening Annalee disappears and just does not appear shortly afterward. After a massive search by neighbors, friends and authorities it becomes fairly apparent that she is dead, possibly drowned in the Gale River. Paige starts to swim the river fairly frequently looking for any clue or sign pointing to the whereabouts, dead or alive, of her mother. No trace is found.

Lianna has a meeting with the police to attempt to determine if they are still investigating her mother’s disappearance. In the course of attempting to get information she meets Gavin Rikert, a detective with the local police department. Lianna and Gavin develop an attraction for each other and it comes out that Gavin is a sleepwalker who is also being treated by the same doctor that worked with Annalee. Also discovered by Lianna is the fact that her mother and Gavin met for talks several times without her father being aware of it. Were they lovers?

Bohjalian has no problem keeping the reader glued to the book. He provides information about forms of sleepwalking, which among other things can include sleep sex on the part of one of the partners. A very intellectually rewarding novel as well as commanding the rapt attention of the reader, and certainly another well done book by Chris Bohjalian.

1/17 Paul Lane

THE SLEEPWALKER by Chris Bohjalian. Doubleday (January 10, 2017). ISBN 978-0385538916. 304p.

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Diana Gabaldon in Conversation with Julie Kosin

January 8, 2017

OUTLANDER author Diana Gabaldon speaks with Julie Kosin, editor at Harper’s Bazaar, about her books, writing process, and the Outlander TV adaptation. Filmed at the Random House Open House, 12/15/16.

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A personal note

January 6, 2017

Dear Readers,

I’m taking this time to let you know that I will be slowing down a bit with the blog. For most of my life, I’ve read a book a day. But a few years ago I started needing reading glasses, which I am not all that comfortable with, so that slowed down my reading. I do love reading on my Kindle or iPad sans glasses, but even that I find somewhat tiring as well. That slowed my reading down to 3-4 books a week. Yes, I can hear you laughing, I know that’s still more than most people read but for me it felt strange.

As I got used to that, I discovered another vision problem, this one a bit more serious than just aging eyes. I was diagnosed with a rare form of glaucoma called Narrow Angle or Angle-Closure Glaucoma. I am very fortunate to live near the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the best eye hospital in the country (US News & World Report) and had laser surgery called laser iridotomy. The ophthalmologist also has me using prescription eye drops.

A year or so later, I started having vision problems again. Blurry vision, night blindness, intermittent spots before my eyes, all of which made reading more difficult. I’ve now added another eye drop to my day which is helping a bit. I go back to the doctor next week and will see what he has to say.

Meanwhile, I’m down to reading just a couple of books a week and since my job keeps me on a computer for most of the day, which I find fatiguing to my eyes, it is also slowing down my review process.

Is there a bigger fear in life for a reader than losing one’s vision? Not for me. So I’m being prudent here, slowing things down, and I wanted to let you all know.

If you subscribe to the blog, you will be notified when I post a new review. Otherwise, check back when you can. I have some awesome videos to share, including an interview with Diana Gabaldon that Outlander fans won’t want to miss! And of course, I am still giving away books.

Thanks for your understanding, and hopefully this will just be a minimal setback. One can only hope for the best…

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THE OLD MAN by Thomas Perry

January 4, 2017

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The refrain from an old song is “The Old Man ain’t what he used to be.” But Dan Chase is the very viable exception to that supposed rule.

Thirty five years before the story begins, Dan was an extremely capable agent for U.S. Army Intelligence. He was sent to Libya to covertly assist a rebel army by presenting 20 million dollars to a man acting as the agent for the rebels. The deal went sour when Dan found that said agent had kept the funds. He acted based on his own assessment of the situation and absconded with the money. Now 35 years later he is living in Vermont, retired, a widower with a grown daughter on her own. He has two huge dogs to keep him company.

Unlike other retirees, Dan has amassed a cache of “survival” gear including weapons, cash, fake passports and licenses. And just when he believes himself safe after all the years that have passed since the action in Libya, he is attacked by mercenaries that want to kill him. His instincts propel him into action that finds him embroiled in fighting hired killers, stuck in a precarious car chase, and not knowing if those hunting him were hired by the man in Libya from whom he took the cash, or his previous employer, the US government.

In fleeing from his home in Vermont, he rents a room in an apartment owned by a divorcee who happens to be attractive and drawn to Dan. When he is forced to leave this apartment and flee his enemies the woman goes with him and apparently is in love with him.

Perry’s writing is fast, compelling, and draws in the reader. The only reservation I experienced was that the ending is sudden and too pat. This does not make the reading experience any less enjoyable, just not fitting the temper of the rest of the novel. But I certainly would look for a sequel and pick it up if Perry decides that he would like to go in that direction.

1/17 Paul Lane

THE OLD MAN by Thomas Perry. Mysterious Press (January 3, 2017). ISBN 978-0802125866. 352p.

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THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Jack Higgins

January 3, 2017

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The Graveyard Shift was originally published in 1985 and re-released in 2008. The ebook version is now available.

Written before Higgins’ blockbuster hit, The Eagle has Landed, the novel is a classic example of mid-twentieth century hard boiled detective works. True to methods established in later Jack Higgins books, it establishes a prime character that can later be used as the centerpiece in future novels. Detective Sargent Nick Miller is a college educated young career policeman: he is perceptive, bright and certainly unorthodox in his methods.

After nine years in prison, Ben Garvald has been released. Neither his wife nor his sister-in-law are happy with that fact. His sister-in-law goes to the police and asks for protection from Ben for both herself and Ben’s wife. The police assign Nick Miller to look into the matter much to the dismay of an associate of his who has more time with the police and is actually a subordinate of his.

A factor that is also important to the police is the matter of money stolen during the crime that Ben has been imprisoned for and never recovered. Nick’s subordinate decides to go after Ben on his own thinking that when he recovers the money he will enhance his reputation on the force. The two policemen move out and the novel becomes a well done crime story. Like his later books, The Graveyard Shift keeps the reader riveted and at the end sure that Nick Miller will be back.

1/17 Paul Lane

THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Jack Higgins. Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (January 3, 2017). ASIN B01M3UPEQQ. 150p.

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BREAKING BREADS by Uri Scheft

January 2, 2017

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A New World of Israeli Baking–Flatbreads, Stuffed Breads, Challahs, Cookies, and the Legendary Chocolate Babka

Raquel Pelzel, contributor

This is an intriguing and unusual cookbook, aimed at the bread baker. If you’ve never baked bread, start with Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread and leave this cookbook aside for a bit, but if you love baking bread and would like to expand your repertoire, this is an excellent book to turn to. While there is a chapter on Sweets & Cookies, and they are unusual and like the rest of the recipes, clearly laid out and easy to follow for a baker with some skills, the emphasis of the book is on specialty breads.

Scheft opened his first bakery in Israel but is best known in this country for his beloved Manhattan “Breads Bakery” (3 locations,) where people flock for his amazing chocolate babka (and Nutella!) and chocolate rugelach. As the subtitle intimates, Middle Eastern and especially Israeli influences abound. But Scheft also trained in Europe as a pastry chef, so he has some serious skills that he is able to simplify for the home baker.

The chapters:

Challah
Babka
Flatbreads
A Few Classics & New Discoveries
Stuffed Breads
Sweets & Cookies
With…
The Baker’s Pantry
The Baker’s Toolkit

The chapter titled “With…” includes recipes for Hummus, Tahina, Babaghanouj, Kalamata Tapenade, and other savory tapas like dishes. These are used throughout the recipes in this book but can certainly be used on their own. Set a table with a few of these delicacies, and your guests will clamor for more.

The pictures are stunning and really add a lot to the book. Like most serious bakers, Scheft uses metric weight for his recipes, so break out your digital scale and slide it over to grams. Be sure to take a good look at the Baker’s Pantry before attempting these recipes – I bake a lot, and I didn’t have a lot of these things; apricot kernels, bitter almonds, dates, dried chickpeas, nigella, marzipan, labne, etc. Scheft also prefers specific brands like Plugra butter, King Arthur flour, Valrhona or Callebaut chocolate, etc. The Baker’s Toolkit consists mostly of items bakers will tend to have on hand like bench scrapers, digital scale, parchment paper, rolling pins and so forth, but even here there are a couple of unusual items like a kugelhopf pan and couche.

I have to say this is not a cookbook for a new baker or the feint of heart. Many of the recipes are complicated but again, clearly laid out so if you are familiar with baking bread and understand how dough needs to be handled, then you will love this book. The babka recipes alone are worth the price of admission and come two ways, with a Basic Babka Dough and an Advanced Babka Dough, which is a laminated dough. If you’ve never attempted a laminated dough, the pictures are positively inspirational and make the whole process look completely doable.

Scheft offers a basic challah recipe, then takes it further with all sorts of ways to braid and seed it that you have to see to believe, then takes it another step further with a Whole Wheat and Flax Challah, Chocolate and Orange Confit Challah, and next on my list, Sticky Pull-Apart Cinnamon Challah Braid.

If you’ve ever wanted to attempt to make an apple strudel like grandma used to, or hamentaschen or rugelach, then this is your cookbook. I know I will be working my way through it for years to come.

1/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BREAKING BREADS by Uri Scheft. Artisan (October 18, 2016). ISBN 978-1579656829. 352p.

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Win the January ’17 bookshelf of signed thrillers!

January 1, 2017

Happy New Year and welcome to the January bookshelf of signed thrillers! Lots of new books to win – some favorite authors or find a new author. To enter, go to the Win Books page. Best of luck!

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THE RISING by Heather Graham and Jon Land: From acclaimed thriller-suspense novelists Heather Graham and Jon Land comes a story of action, mystery, and the endurance of young love in The Rising.

HER EVERY FEAR by Peter Swanson: The author of the wildly popular The Kind Worth Killing returns with an electrifying and downright Hitchcockian psychological thriller—as tantalizing as the cinema classics Rear Window and Wait Until Dark—involving a young woman caught in a vise of voyeurism, betrayal, manipulation, and murder.

THE PRISONER by Alex Berenson: To unmask a CIA mole, John Wells must resume his old undercover identity as an al Qaeda jihadi—and hope he can survive it—in this cutting-edge novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

ELEVENTH GRAVE IN MOONLIGHT by Darynda Jones: Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in Eleventh Grave in Moonlight, the latest installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

THE BEEKEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Jane Jordan: Set on 19th century Exmoor in England, where the lives of the cottagers, blacksmiths and wealthy landowners entwine in this darkly romantic thriller.

You can win autographed copies of all these books! If you are new to the site, each month I run a contest in conjunction with the International Thriller Writers organization. We put together a list of books from debut authors to bestsellers, so you can win some of your favorites and find some new favorites.

What makes this contest really special is that all of the books (except eBooks) are signed by the author! Books with multiple authors will be signed by at least one of the authors.

Don’t forget, if you subscribe to the newsletter or follow this blog, you get an extra entry into every contest you enter. Check out the Win Books page for more information on all these books and how you to enter this month’s contest.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

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Happy 2017!

December 31, 2016

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Happy New Year! I wish you all a year filled with good health, with joy, with love, and lots of good books!

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Best Books of 2016: Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

December 30, 2016

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THE MOST CHARMING READ OF THE YEAR: NINE WOMEN, ONE DRESS by Jane L. Rosen
I got to the airport a little earlier than I needed to, zipped right through TSA and got to spend all that time before my flight reading this fabulous book. Let me tell you I have never enjoyed waiting at an airport more! Nine Women, One Dress is a completely compelling, utterly charming very New York City book and I loved every page. If I could gift every one of you a copy of this book, I would. I was so sorry to turn the last page and spent the ride home from the airport telling my family all about it. I still can’t shut up about it.

BEST SERIES READ: THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE by Michael Connelly
A Harry Bosch Novel, Book 19
Harry Bosch is back and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Michael Connelly is the finest writer today in crime fiction.

BEST STANDALONE THRILLER: REDEMPTION ROAD by John Hart
Hart has written a compelling page turner, yet somehow manages to find the balance between rocketing suspense and creative imagery. This is a multi-layered novel, and all of the characters have difficult choices to make as they try and find their own redemption. I stayed up late into the night to finish this truly excellent, profoundly moving book.

BEST LEGAL THRILLER: THE ADVOCATE’S DAUGHTER by Anthony Franze
I haven’t read a legal thriller this good in a long time. There are a lot of variables in this story and the pacing is relentless, making this an all nighter for me. The characters are well developed and the family scenes especially rang true. And I loved all the details about the Supreme Court, a place most of us don’t know much about (and be sure to read the notes at the end, but only after you read the book!) This book put me in mind of The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer, his first book and still one of my favorite legal thrillers ever. Franze is in excellent company here and I look forward to more from this author.

BEST MYSTERY: WILDE LAKE by Laura Lippman
Laura Lippman, why do you make us wait so long for new books? Somewhat reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, (and I don’t say that lightly,) this is a deeply compelling story with themes of family, secrets, murder, mental illness, truth and justice. And easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.

BEST WOMEN’S FICTION: IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover
The amount of domestic abuse that goes on in this country is absolutely horrifying, and if this book is powerful enough to get even one person to leave, or to help one person to understand what may be going on in their family, or with friends, then that would be a wonderful thing. Either way, the level of compassion and empathy expressed for both the abuser and the victim is refreshing, educational and inspirational. It Ends with Us is an important and compelling read. Don’t miss it.

BEST FOODIE FICTION: THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING by Louise Miller
A pastry chef accidentally sets fire to a restaurant and runs away to a small town to start over. This is one of those charming novels that are so hard to come by. I just adored this book and it was a one night read for me. There’s even a recipe for apple pie at the end but I haven’t made it – yet.

BEST JEWISH LIT: THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE by Lynda Cohen Loigman
The story is about a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York and starts out in the late 1940’s. This story follows the lives of these women, their marriages and families, and how secrets can destroy lives. I laughed, I cried but most of all, I couldn’t put it down. I loved it. If you loved Joshua: A Brooklyn Tale by Andrew Kane, or you are a fan of Naomi Ragen, then this is the book for you.

BEST HISTORICAL ROMANCE: THE PERKS OF LOVING A SCOUNDREL by Jennifer McQuiston
Seduction Diaries, Book 3
This has become one of my favorite series. The heroines are all smart, nerdy girls who don’t particularly want to get married and have no use for society, and this one is no different. Our heroine Mary is extremely knowledgeable about so many different things, all from her reading. She is also a real romantic, basing all understanding of men and women and relationships on novels. She eventually finds out that life is not quite the same as it appears in books, but nonetheless gets her happy ending.

BEST CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: THE TOTAL PACKAGE by Stephanie Evanovich

This is the latest contemporary romance from someone who has become one of my favorite authors… angst, the laughs and hot sex -and Evanovich really excels at all three. This is a terrific romance for fans of Jennifer Crusie or Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I loved it!

BEST COOKBOOK: DORIE’S COOKIES by Dorie Greenspan

Who doesn’t like cookies? Even people who won’t attempt to bake a cake or bread will make cookies. And this is a treasure trove! It’s worth the purchase price alone for this one life changing tip: roll out cookie dough between parchment paper, instead of chilling first and struggling later. I’ve seen reviews call it an “instant classic” and I agree. Do yourself a favor and buy this book, and if you don’t like baking, buy it for the stories that go along with the recipes. Then give it to someone who bakes.

BEST NONFICTION: BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This book has been one of the most talked about books of 2015, won the National Book Award and tops many of the best books of the year lists. I’ve put off reading it because I knew it was going to upset me, and it did. But it is, in my humble opinion, one of the most important books of my lifetime. That is a big statement – and it’s true. The language is lyrical and powerful, the subject matter moving and emotional and important, and the themes all encompassing and worthy of deep discussion.

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL: RELISH by Lucy Knisley

I haven’t read a graphic novel in quite a while, it’s not something I read regularly. They have to be pretty special to get me to pick one up and this one is. Written with great warmth and humor, this is a graphic novel to be enjoyed by anyone who likes a good memoir, and foodies everywhere.

BEST COFFEE TABLE BOOK: THE MAKING OF OUTLANDER: THE SERIES by Tara Bennett
Outlander! If, like me, you’ve read all the books (twice) and listened to the audio books (twice) and watched the Starz TV series and are suffering from a severe case of ‘Droughtlander’, then you, my friends, have been given a reprieve. This is an amazing, beautiful book that goes through the TV series episode by episode, and character by character. The photographs are simply breathtaking, and there are a lot of them.

BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK: FINDING WINNIE by Lindsay Mattick
The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Winner of the 2016 Caldecott Medal.
If, like me, you didn’t know that Winnie the Pooh was actually based on a real bear, you will find this a most fascinating read. The author, Lindsay Mattick, is the great-granddaughter of Captain Harry Colebourn, and as the back flap of the book tells us, she “grew up thinking of Winnie-the-Pooh as her own great-grandbear.” Harry gave the bear to the London Zoo, where a little boy befriended the bear. That boy’s name was Christopher Robin and the rest, as they say, is history. The book’s last pages are like a scrapbook, with photos of Harry, Winnie, the page from his diary when he bought the cub, and more. If you’re a fan of Winnie-the-Pooh, (and who isn’t,) you will enjoy this amazing, engaging book.

12/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

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