Books I've Read
Recent Books
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
Gator A-Go-Go
Serge Storms, #12. It's Spring Break time in Florida!
Quote:
"I've completely rededicated myself to a life of nonviolence."Quote:
A groggy Coleman startled. Another jab with the pistol. A loud groan. Coleman's eye blinked and stared into the barrel of a huge gun. He grabbed his heart. "Thank God! I was having a nightmare I was out of dope."Quote:
"I'm amazed at the level of thought," said Serge. "And yet you still put your shoes on the wrong feet."
Coleman looked down. "There's a difference?"Read:
4/2024
Into The Dark
Echo Falls, #3. It was a pretty good mystery to me!
Having dealt with military supply organizations I have doubts about the whole taking his weapon home with him thing. I lost a pair of pliers and they wouldn't let me out until I came up with another pair!
Quote:
That expression she heard from time to time, begging the question? Ingrid understood it at lastRead:
4/2024
Cadillac Beach
Serge Storms, #6. Serge wanders around looking for some jewels stolen several decades before. Possibly by his grandfather Sergio. Who seems a LOT like Serge! Story is told alternating between the 1960s and what ever the present time of the book is.
Quote:
Mrs. Lippowicz put her hands on her hips and looked sternly at her son. "Why can't you be more like your nice friend Serge?"
Serge turned to Lenny and grinned.Quote:
An empty plastic grocery bag from Publix billowed
out in the breeze and bounced across the street, a Florida tumbleweed.Read:
4/2024
Light From Uncommon Stars
First off, I enjoyed reading this pretty much. Especially the violin stuff, and donuts! This was the #2 for the 2022 Hugo. I read some comments about the book that showed me some problematic areas I had not thought about.
Quote:
There is a reason that most luthiers never let players see what they do to their instruments. They would faint. -- I've seen it on YouTube. Brutal!Quote:
Why was he taking shit from backward shits who had never even left their shitstain planet?Read:
4/2024
Behind The Curtin
Echo Falls, #2. Ingrid learns about anabolic steroids. Very enjoyable read!
Quote:
Spangled: Ingrid loved the word. Maybe it didn't make sense, but that was America to her, summed up.Quote:
Ingrid leaned her bike--Univega, bright red--against the window. -- Is that her 31 speed bike from the first book?Quote:
"This country has way too much history," Stacy said. "If we lived in 1770, we wouldn't have to study the Continental Congress."Read:
4/2024
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge: A Novel
Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of Peter Abrahams! A widow gets all her money ripped off over the telephone (one of those scams) so she travels to Romania to get it back. I enjoyed it very much!
I chatted on the internet with a girl in Romania once, you don't suppose...
Quote:
"This may sound harebrained," she began.
He interrupted. "That's one expression I've never understood."
"H-A-R-E," said Mrs. Plansky. "Like bunny rabbit."
Max smacked his forehead... "What an idiot!" he said...Read:
4/2024
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
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
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