Books I've Read
Books Listed by Author
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No Sunscreen For The Dead
Serge Storms, #22. Serge and Coleman help out some senior citizens, and get involved in some Cold War spy residue. Great stuff, I love these books!
Quote:
"Will I be okay?"
"As long as you stay under your deks, you'll be fine," his father lied.Quote:
Then Ted would turn on his tape recorder at the appointed time and hope his correspondence would be read on the air. -- It happened to me, once! Quote:
A good-looking hooker had been first on the scene and called in the explosion over her police radio.Read:
4/2024
Nuclear Jellyfish
Amazing Serge and Coleman tale of diamond couriers, diamond thieves, and traveling salesmen. First fiction book that mentions "numbers stations", although I'm not sure that a 1941 Trans-Oceanic can transmit, even with a Latin bombshell with full, fiery lip, operating it. Whoa, the imagery!
Quote:
... Melvil Dewey of Dewey Decimal Sytem fame, who changed life as I know it, and not for the better. Can't tell you how many times I've been hot on the trail of a book, and the library's aisles run out before I get to the number and I go, 'What the fuck?'... (pg. 51)
Quote:
Serge on the 1909-SVDB Lincoln cent:
"I stared at that empty hole in my penny book every day after school until it represented all issues of emotional rejection. I despise that coin with every cell in my body." (pg. 173)
Read:
8/2009
Orange Crush
Serge Storms, #3. Political race in Florida. Where is Serge?
Words I Had To Look Up:
Morpheme -- A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that contains meaning. Quote:
...was embossed with von Zeppelin's HO-gauge vision.Quote:
"But he's different in other ways," said Escrow. "Acting erratic, bizarre."
"Like how?" asked Perry.
"He's started reading."
Dempsey nodded with concern. "Keep an eye on that."Quote:
"Thanks," said Tanya.
"M-m-m-my treat," said Jenny.Quote:
"What's this whole Parrot Head phenomenon about, anyway?" asked Crease.
"It's kind of like AA in reverse."Quote:
A shaken Jimmy Carter appeared on CNN outside a post office in Palm Beach, flames in the background. "I've never seen anything like this!"Read:
4/2024
Pineapple Grenade
Serge Storms, #15. Serge tries prevent the assassination of a Latin American President. Plus other stuff.
Quote:
"The Canadians! Christ!"
"No shit. They scare the hell out of me," said Serge.Quote:
"Where's the rule that says you can't just unilaterally declare yourself a spy and snoop around for no reason?"Quote:
...in dim light that only came from the glowing bars and cocktail tables, fitted underneath with special diodes. -- "Special diodes"? What are those??? Quote:
"Federal agent!" Serge flashed his badge. "Open this room! Now!"
"No inglés." -- Why Felicia is right there, why doesn't she translate? Read:
4/2024
Shark Skin Suite
Serge decides to become a sort-of paralegal, and so he and Coleman assist Brook on a court case she is involved with.
Read:
5/2018
The BIG Bamboo
Serge and Coleman go to Hollywood.
Words I Had To Look Up:
(pg. 50) -- A light open-necked cotton shirt, often with large pockets and pleats down the front, that is typically worn outside the pants.
Read:
11/2011
The Maltese Iguana
Serge Storms, #26. Serge takes on COVID. The Alexa/Seri interaction is hysterical. Fart.
Quote:
"It's all there in black and white," said Serge. "You all should read the rules instead of embarrassing yourselves." -- I did this in Monopoly too. People were mad!! Quote:
The immoral song "Let It Be" was winding down... -- Huh?? Read:
5/2024
The Pope Of Palm Beach
Serge Storms, #21. Serge goes to a book-signing or two. The library book return gets over-filled. Some coke smugglers get delayed revenge ... or not.
Quote:
Pablo stood still a moment, comprehending the folly of shooting multiple times into anything that's around your neck.Read:
5/2024
The Riptide Ultra-Glide
Segre Storms, #16. Recently unemployed teachers Pat and Bar McDougal go to Florida for a vacation, while Coleman finds he is famous.
I feel like I might have read this before, but it's not on the list!
Quote:
"That's wrong," said Coleman.
Serge resumed work on his Spanish fort. "I knew I should have bought those cannons ahead of time."Quote:
A two-stroke engine gunned.
...
"He's on a motorcycle," said Coleman.
...
"[...]...Now he's offering a ride[...]."
...
"He's gunning the engine again."
...
A final fuel injection of the V-twin. -- A two-stroke V-twin?Quote:
Serge examined the gift. "That is cool. I'm jealous." -- I never figured out what the cool gift was.Quote:
The trio nodded. "I think we got it."
"Repeat it back," said Coleman.
"Use sunscreen; don't do heroin."
Coleman nodded. "Carry on."Quote:
"I didn't invent coffee; I just do what it tells me."Read:
4/2024
The Stingray Shuffle
Serge Storms, #5. Serge is still chasing that suitcase, and it takes him on a railroad trip from New York to somewhere in Florida, I forget exactly where.
Quote:
...and a fishing guide named Skip. -- A nod to Hiaasen?Quote:
"... Wait! Look! There's something shiny down there! Help me move these bales of dope."Quote:
"I'm glad I was never part of the drug culture," said Serge, loading an automatic pistol in his lap.
"This isn't about the drug culture--it's about women," said Lenny.Quote:
Serge raised up and exploded: "I did it my way!Quote:
"... As long as you know the gauge conversion, which happens to be three-point-five millimeters to the foot, the rest is easy..." -- I would have gone with scale conversion there. Read:
4/2024
Tiger Shrimp Tango
Serge and Coleman go through the self-check aisle at the grocery store, among other things.
Read:
5/2018
Torpedo Juice
Serge Storms, #7. Serge gets married, almost killed by a serial killer, and, oh yeah, Colman comes back from the dead.
Quote:
"Stop right there," said Serge. "This is beginning to sound like some lame soap opera device to bring back a character they regretted killing off."Quote:
"...To borrow from Fire-sign Theater, Everything You Know Is Wrong..."Read:
5/2024
Triggerfish Twist
A nice family moves to their new home on Triggerfish Lane in Florida. Serge, Coleman, and Sharon move in across the street. A very funny book with lots of great quotes. None of which are repeatable here.
Read:
12/2010
Tropic Of Stupid
Serge Storms, #24. A bit of touching and inspirational religious stuff that made me tear up a bit, amongst the usual shenanigans of Serge and Coleman.
Quote:
"That was just wrong," said Sparrow. He didn't mean immoral. He meant tactically short-sighted.Quote:
"Naw." Serge flicked his wrist. "The nearest serial killer is probably a million miles away..." Quote:
"What's that?" Asked Serge.
"Nettle's baseball card...So he can smell my ass!"Read:
4/2024
When Elves Attack
Serge Storms, #14. It's Christmas time in Florida. Will there be any snow this year?
Quote:
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.
--SHIRLEY TEMPLEQuote:
"How about some ice cream? There's the food court."
"Jim, why do you always think a woman just needs ice cream to put her in a better mood?"
"It doesn't?"
"No, it's true. Where'd you see the ice cream parlor?"Quote:
"Last time you went the wrong way on the interstate. The semi missed us by inches."
"The traffic signs were confusing."
"'Do Not Enter,'" said Eunice. "Yeah that's a mystery for the ages."Read:
4/2024
The London Eye Mystery
Ted and sister Kate try to figure out how their cousin Salim disappeared from the London Eye "Ferris" sort-of-wheel. EDIT--There was no Read date, don't know when I read it!
Words I Had To Look Up:
Oesophagus (pg. 2) -- British spelling of esophagus. Duh!
Shreddies (pg. 5) -- British breakfast cereal, from Post. Looks like Wheat Chex to me!
Lilo (pg. 42) -- An inflatable mattress.
Topological (pg. 45) -- A simplified map not necessarily related to geography. The famous London subway map is an example.
Topographical (pg. 45) -- Basically, has contour lines showing hills and such.
Dialled (pg. 258) -- Same as dialed, I guess.Read:
No date
Phineas L. MacGuire... Erupts!
Third grader Mac is allergic to purple, loves science, and is too old for dinosaurs.
Read:
5/2009Read:
12/2009
Shooting The Moon
Jamie's brother enlists in the Army, to the objections of their officer father, as a medic and is sent to Vietnam. She volunteers at the base rec center and learns to develop and print the photographic film he sends home to her.
Read:
12/2009
The Secret Language Of Girls
Sixth-grade Kate is learning about romance, and best friends, and ex-best friends. I really enjoyed this book!
Read:
10/2013
Best of the best 20 years of the years best science fiction
A whole bunch of stories (37), edited by Dozois, which I cannnot imagine how one pronounces, that were mostly pretty good, some excellent, and a couple I didn't care for. I think my favorite was Even The Queen, by Connie Willis. I remember I read a story of hers in Galileo twenty years ago, and was charmed by it.
Read:
7/2006
20 books displayed
[Abadzis - Addison] [Aiken - Alexander] [Alexie - Anderson] [Anderson - Asimov] [Asimov - Backman] [Backman - Baldree] [Balf - Barnard] [Barnard - Barnes] [Barnes - Barr] [Barr - Beanton] [Beanton - Beaton] [Beaton - Beaton] [Beaton - Bender] [Benedict - Block] [Block - Block] [Block - Bohjalian] [Bond - Bova] [Bowen - Briody] [Brodie - Buchanan] [Buck - Bujold] [Bujold - Cain] [Cain - Card] [Card - Carlson editor] [Carr - Chambers] [Chambers - Choldenko] [Clagett - Clearly] [Clements - Coel] [Cohen - Colfer] [Colfer - Collins] [Collins - Connelly] [Connelly - Constantine] [Constantine - Corder] [Corder - Cornwell] [Cornwell - Crais] [Crais - Crichton] [Crichton - Curtis] [Curtis - Dahl] [Dahl - Deaver] [Del Rey - Dixon] [Dixon - Dorsey] [Dorsey - Dozois] [Dozois - Dunning] [DuPrau - Elkins] [Ellms - Evanovich] [Evanovich - Fairstein] [Fairstein - Ferris] [Fforde - Flanagan] [Flanagan - Foer] [Follett - Fournier] [Fowler - Francis] [Francis - Francis] [Francis - Freedman] [Freedman - Gaiman] [Gaiman - Geist] [Geist - Goldberg] [Goldberg - Grafton] [Grafton - Grant] [Grant - Greer] [Greer - Grimes] [Grimes - Haddix] [Haddix - Hale] [Hale - Hallinan] [Hallinan - Harper] [Harris - Hebden] [Heinlein - Heinlein] [Heinlein - Henry] [Henry - Herriot] [Herriot - Hiaasen] [Hiaasen - Hillerman] [Hillerman - Hobb] [Hobbs - Horowitz] [Horowitz - Hulme] [Hunter - Jemisin] [Jemisin - Jones] [Jones - Kaminsky] [Kaminsky - Kelly] [Kelman - King] [King - Knight] [Knight - Kratman] [Kratman - Lansing] [Larson - Lebbon] [Leblanc - Lefcourt] [Lefcourt - Lescroart] [Lescroart - Link, editor] [Link, editor - Lovegrove] [Lovegrove - Luna] [Luna - Macleish] [Macleod - Mankell] [Manley - Martine] [Martine - Massey] [Matas - McCaffrey] [McCall Smith - McCrumb] [McCrumb - Meier] [Meloy - Miller] [Miller - Moon] [Moon - Mortimer] [Mortimer - Nance] [Nance - Niven] [Niven - Novik] [Novik - O'Brian] [O'Brian - Older] [Older - Paolini] [Paolini - Pargin] [Pargin - Parker] [Parker - Parker] [Parker - Pattou] [Paulsen - Pearson] [Pearson - Perry] [Peters - Pohl] [Pohl - Poyer] [Poyer - Pratchett] [Pratchett - Pratchett] [Pratchett - Pronzini] [Pronzini - Pynchon] [Pynchon - Raskin] [Raskin - Resnick] [Resnick - Riordan] [Riordan - Rollins] [Roosevelt - Rushdie] [Russell - Saberhagen] [Sachar - Scalzi] [Scalzi - Schmitz] [Schonborg - Scottoline] [Scottoline - Shames] [Shames - Shute] [Sijie - Smith] [Smith - Spector] [Spencer - Stark] [Stark - Stephenson] [Stephenson - Stroke] [Stroke - Strunk] [Sturgeon - Taylor] [Taylor - Townsend] [Tracy - Updale] [Urban - Van Name] [van Vogt - Walsh] [Walsh - Weber] [Weber - Wells] [Wells - Westerman] [Westerman - Westlake] [Westlake - Willis] [Willis - Wodehouse] [Wodehouse - Yates] [Yates - Zusak]