What happens when you are admitted to the hospital as a patient, and the physician assigned to be your doctor has never seen you before and knows absolutely nothing about you? A half-assed attempt to show you my world. Shining, shimmering, splendid.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
P-P-P-PROMOOOOOO!!!!!! The Hospitalist by Michael Weisberg, M.D.
What happens when you are admitted to the hospital as a patient, and the physician assigned to be your doctor has never seen you before and knows absolutely nothing about you? Saturday, December 19, 2015
P-P-P-PROMOOOOOO!!!!!! House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke
From its opening scene in revolutionary Mexico to the Battle of the Marne in 1918, and on to the bordellos and saloons of San Antonio during the reign of the Hole in the Wall Gang, House of the Rising Sun is an epic tale of love, loss, betrayal, vengeance, and retribution that follows Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland on his journey to reunite with his estranged son, Ishmael, a captain in the United States Army.Monday, December 14, 2015
P-P-PROMOOOOOO!!!!!! The Whole Enchilada by Angelina LaRue
—Paula Deen, best-selling author of Paula Deen Cuts the Fat: 250 Favorite Recipes All Lightened Up
—Tom Perini, owner of Perini Ranch Steakhouse and author of Texas Cowboy Cooking
—Annette Joseph, Today show guest and author of Picture Perfect Parties
—Tara Royer Steele, The Pie Queen, owner of Royers Round Top Café and Royers Pie Haven
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Review- Murder at Peacock Mansion by Judy Alter
I’m going to be honest here. I’m not a cozy mystery fan. I love a good mystery, especially a suspense-filled gore fest. I had previously read and reviewed Judy Alter’s Texas is Chili Country, and really enjoyed learning about the history of one of my favorite foods. Being familiar with the author’s writing, I was looking forward to reading her fiction. Being the third book in the Blue Plate Café , Murder at the Peacock Mansion is easily read without having to read the others. There may be a few things that you might question, but not enough to be confusing.
Kate is the owner of the Blue Plate Café, and has a ton of internal dialog; to the point where it interferes with the actual conversation. The plot had potential, but there were so many details that really didn’t add much to the story, so it detracted from the actual mystery. The "whodunnit" part begins to turn into "just tell us" after about page 178. Alter does a good job maintaining the small town feel throughout the story, where everyone knows everyone and their business. As for character development, there’s not too much there, as the story takes place over just a few weeks. But I feel as though no one really learned too much from everything that happened throught the story.
Fans of cozy mysteries would probably enjoy the story and the series, because this is one that also includes recipes of the foods that were mentioned throught the story.
Review- Dear Diary by Suzanne Gene Courtney
Death is no easy event to deal with. It can happen suddenly or you’ll know it’s coming. Either way, it sucks. As a veteran on the funeral home circuit (yes, I know that’s terrible, but I’ve been going to funerals for as long as I can remember.), adults normally have a better understanding of what is happening. Children, on the other hand, sometimes have trouble understanding and coping. Suzanne Gene Courtney’s book, Dear Diary: My brother died today is a short book that can help children understand. Mind you, it does have religious undertones, but not enough to engulf the book.
Dear Diary is the final book in the author’s trilogy of books on death, grief, and understanding. I think books about topics as sensitive as death can be very beneficial to helping a child understand and cope. Sometimes children have trouble opening up to adults about what they are feeling. Something as simple as a book can give them the escape that they need.
P-P-P-PROMOOOOOO!!!!!! Door of the Heart by Diana Finfrock Farrar
Married for twenty years, Tammy & Ed Sloan suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a hot button current social issue when their high school aged son is punished for bullying a fellow athlete who is gay. The wife of a conservative Texas politician, Tammy begins to reexamine her values after the incident blows up in the media and embarks on a mission not just to view LGBT issues through a loving Christian perspective, but to become an active participant for positive change. A generous look at the gay community through a Christian lens, Diana Finfrock Farrar’s novel interweaves multiple story lines that feature endearing characters, both gay and straight, each confronting the consequences of homophobia and demonstrating a need for the understanding and the embracing of the LGBT community, especially in the heart of Bible-belt reactionaryism.

















