The Clouds Roll Away (Raleigh Harmon)
is a wonderful book!
About the book (from Amazon):
Closing her assignment with the FBI's Seattle office, forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon returns to her hometown of Richmond, Virginia, expecting a warm welcome. Instead she finds herself investigating an ugly cross burning at a celebrity's mansion and standing in the crosshairs of her boss at the Bureau. And the deeper Raleigh digs into the case, the murkier the water becomes...until she's left wondering who the real victims might be.
To make matters worse, Raleigh's personal life offers almost zero clarity. Her former confidant is suddenly remote while her former boyfriend keeps popping up wherever she goes. And then there's her mother. Raleigh's move home was supposed to improve Nadine's fragile sanity, but instead seems to be making things worse.
As the threads of the case begin crossing and double-crossing, Raleigh is forced to rely on her forensic skills, her faith, and the fervent hope that breakthrough will come, bringing with it that singular moment when the clouds roll away and everything finally makes sense.
My Comments:
While mystery/thriller-type books are not my usual read, I haven't had the best luck lately with my usual historical/romantic-type fiction, and there was something intriguing about this one, so when Phenix & Phenix Publicists offered me a complimentary review copy, I accepted. First of all, the author, Sibella Giorello can write, and write beautifully. I'm a rapid reader, I read for ideas, not details, as a general rule. I devour books, I don't generally savor them. Language is usually the medium, not something I appreciate on its own behalf; but this book is different. Yes, it was a good story, but there were times when I stopped my breakneck reading speed and read paragraphs out loud just to hear the language.
The book is Christian fiction, but that doesn't mean it is sappy sweet and full of all sorts of preaching. What it does mean is that the language is clean, despite the fact that main characters are rappers and gang members. It means that the characters go to church. It means that when Raleigh questions a dying KKK member, she asks him if he has thought about the hereafter. Raleigh has a strong faith and believes that grace, not fate, has kept her alive. I'll be the first to tell you that much Christian fiction isn't worth reading if you aren't into religion, but I really think this book could have a much larger audience.
This is the third book in the series. While there was reference to some back story, primarily the fact that Raleigh was newly back in her hometown of Richmond VA, after having been banished to Washington State. She has a romantic interest who is from her past as well. While this story came to a satisfying end, there were threads left open, presumably for another book.
Grade A-.
is a fun book in which Bailey, a dog, shares what he does all day while his "dad", a postman, is at work. Bailey, who lives in Phoenix AZ, begins his day with breakfast and a nap. Then he heads out through the doggie door and chases a lizard. Next, he climbs the fence, and meets his neighbor dog, Frankie. They head to the pool for a swim, to the park, and to the neighborhood taco stand. On the way home "Dad" sees them and gives them a ride, noting that he hopes they don't get out like this every day. 
is Christian historical fiction, heavy on the Christian.
is a book that tackles what the authors, Rod Paige (former U.S. Secretary of Education) and his sister, Elaine Witty, Ed.D, see as the greatest civil rights issue of our day, the academic achievement gap between African-American and non-African-American children. Witty takes the entire educational, social and political establishment to task for their failure to recognize this as the greatest problem facing African-Americans today and calls for a concerted effort by "Authentic African-American Leadership" to do something about it. While recognizing that the gap has many historical causes going all the way back to slavery, the authors clearly state that the past cannot be changed, but the future can. While many cite a panoply of social ills as contributing to the gap, the book points out that waiting to cure those social ills before closing the achievement gap simply assures that another generation of African-American youth will be subjects of that gap. 
(and give me a small commission)
Anna Ballasi, the publicist from Hachette Books who sent me 
asked bloggers to submit questions for an interview she was conducting. 
before most folks. 
is a Christian romance, written by Sarah Sundin, set during WWII. It features Allie, the daughter of wealthy parents, but a young woman who, despite her college education, has never been able to please her mother. Allie is engaged to marry Baxter, the manager of her father's business. Her parents love him, but she doesn't, and realizes he doesn't love her either. Allie goes to spend a week with a college friend who is getting married. While there, she meets Walt, an Army pilot. Sparks fly, but in the end each decides not to keep in touch with the other. Luckily, that decision doesn't last long. Through their letters they get to about each other and about themselves.
is a Christian Romance, sent to me for review by Donna Hausler at the Baker Publishing Group. The heroine is Priscilla, a young woman from Boston who was travelling to Texas to attend the wedding of her late sister's husband. The stagecoach in which she and her mother were traveling was attacked by bandits. After being robbed, her parents were killed and she was raped. Before she could be killed, a Texas ranger rescues her and takes her to her brother-in-law's ranch, where she meets Zach, who just happens to have a fair physical resemblance to her attacker (who the Ranger killed). The touch of any man terrifies her, but as things develop, she needs a husband and he volunteers. 
I guess you know you are getting older when you take a look at a cover like this and think "What a cute baby-face". Despite the fact that he is too young for me, I have to admit I liked the book. 
is a cute children's book in which a little girl is afraid of monsters until one day she happens to consider that the monster may be a lot like her, or even afraid of her too. They become friends and have tea together. The cover shown above is representative of the illustrations in the book. My five year old enjoyed the book, and while there is nothing wrong with it, it didn't particularly impress me either. It is by Sally O. Lee, who wrote 
which I reviewed last year. Grade: B-
Since I enjoyed Candance Calverts's 
so much (
is about Erin Quinn and Scott McKenna. They meet when he is trying to keep her out of the ER during an emergency. She had been called in on her day off and had forgotten her ID. Both Erin and Scott have been hurt recently; both are afraid to let go of the hurt to love again, but....
there are generally two types of cookbooks: the kind with elaborate recipes and fancy ingredients that make dishes the kids won't eat; and the kind with a few ingredients, usually including some processed base like canned soup, ketchup or barbecue sauce, that are easy to get on the table and kid-friendly. This book, 
, doesn't fit in either category. 
One task most new moms dread is taking their baby's temperature. When I had my oldest, they taught us how to when I was in the hospital and our discharge kit included a glass rectal thermometer. Of course you not only had to know how to insert it, but how to read it. Baby wasn't fond of the operation either. Next, the ear thermometers were the thing, and I guess they still sell them. My doctor's office used them for a while, but quit, saying they weren't accurate. I just thought they were expensive. I bought a digital thermometer and used it under my kids arms, or, when they got older, in their mouths. Still, my preferred method of temperature taking was to kiss their forehead and declare that they didn't have a fever, had a low fever, or a high fever. I really didn't see the need to know more than that most of the time and the in-exact nature of my method did not matter.
. I wish it had been in my discharge kit when I had my first baby, and it will be the device we will use here to measure temperature. You simply uncap the device (my kids have found that it doesn't work well if you forget this step) and swipe it across the patient's forehead. The temperature is displayed digitally. 