There's many things--MANY--that I so enjoy about this part of the U.S. and that includes our gorgeous sunsets (I'm not much for sunrises, you understand!) and, certainly, the type of people you find here and the spectacular fireworks display every July 4th--but--BUT I do NOT enjoy our Spring weather. Never have! Of course, back in my original part of the country it ain't so hot, either, but I tend to like things "neat and tidy and settled" and for the next 4 months, that's a forlorn hope. However, what is, is, and the only thing you can do is shake your head. Today, at the start of the column, it is about 52 degrees and in 3 days we anticipate a winter storm followed by, I betcha, weather in the sixties.Ah, well, let us look on the bright side and realize that warm, even hot, weather is coming and, meanwhile, we can find a good book here at the library to while away the hours. 

I cannot profess a fondness for Sci-Fi or Fantasy, although I really enjoyed "Eragon" at the movie recently and look forward to other dragon stories!, and they're too long to review--too many details--but I will mention one of them we brought in, to wit; "The Lady of Serpents; The Vampyricon", by Douglas Clegg. Aleric is one of the main figures in the story and was "once known as Falconer, for his ability to communicate with predator birds and for his service as a falcon trainer for the royal court" but when his love for the Baron's daughter became known, he lost everything and became reborn as a vampire. Okay. He was hailed as the messiah of the vampires and seemed headed for glory until he was captured by the sorceress Enora and was ordered to fight in the arena "for her amusement." Enora also wants eternal life and any who dare oppose her are disposed of--even vampires! This may not be everyone's "cup of tea" but there is an audience, in our patrons, who do and will like this genre--so, for those readers, come in and check it out. 

Let's do 2 reviews, one fairly quick, for the male readers; "Burned with the Coyote Brand", by Dan Cushman, is a trio of Western stories dealing with land grabs, vengeance, family honor, stolen cattle, and (in one of them) a lady who wears a black mask.  There are feuds, gunfights, and a daughter raised by a loving father whom everyone considers a coward for not shooting either his wife or the man she left him for--sounds reasonable to me--particularly in Texas

The quick review has to be for a large--and undoubtedly wonderful-- proven author's works; "The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour; The Adventure Stories, Volume 4". I cannot fathom that there is anyone who loves Western fiction who has not read some of his stories and both Himself and I really enjoy them. 

In this collection, a down-at-the-heels fortune hunter risks a great deal to save a couple in the wilds of Borneo; you can share the harrowing journey across Asia with a widow and her young son and many other adventures.  Come in and look through it --you'll take it home with you--just don't read it in bed 'cause if you drop it, you'll put a hole in your chest clear through to your backbone!

Sometimes people tell  me that they haven't been in the library for years, have no idea what we offer, and haven't had a library card since 1904! (Well, a long time anyway!) I had no idea how to respond--in a civil way--past my first reaction of "Oh, M'God, you've GOT to be kidding!" So, instead I tell them of all the services we offer, the library card is free (bring along a government-issued ID with current address on it AND if you are under the age of 18, bring a parent with you to sign for you and show THEIR ID), our selections of books and videos are VERY good, computers are available and, soon, we will have lap-tops for in-library use --so DO NOT say you haven't been in the library for 45 years and ask how much a card costs? Get yourself in heare and enjoy your city library--ask to meet our Director, Kristen Becker, and ask her or Kim, who directs the desk, or anyone on staff where something is or how do you get a computer reserved--or for my autograph!

A nice lady, one day last Fall, told me in all seriousness--"I thought it was YOUR library, Mrs Yoxall--you mean it belongs to the CITY all this time?" (Read my above first reaction!) When I unclamped my tongue from my molars, I assured her it was HER library, too, and to please treat it as such--you don't even have to whisper anymore!  GET YOURSELF IN HERE!

No, don't stop me, Larry Phillips, I'm on a roll and will finish with one last thought (he's my editor and a dear, long-suffering soul!)--do you know what the second major change that Adolph HItler made in Germany when he took over--the first being he got rid of the courts and any representation for not going to prison and/or killed--his second sweeping change was closing and destroying all the contents of the libraries Smart move--if the people you're subjecting to complete domination can't go to read about human freedoms (including many great German authors, by the way), no news to read in papers beyond your state-controlled ones--they're held captive and can be brainwashed.

OF course, Kristen and I and all the staff would be standing in front of the library with shovels and BB guns to prevent it, but, seriously, being able to have and use a library is your RIGHT--whether you are Conservative, Liberal, INdependent, Vegetarian or Left-Handed! "In closing" is so overused by speakers as to now be cautioned NOT to use it when giving a speech, however, my last book is a dandy and will be mentioned "in closing"--namely, Joseph Wambaugh is back after a years-long absence and everyone's delighted! He does police procedurals like no other--the closest being Michael Connelly or Goerge Pelecanos--and "Hollywood Station" really is great reading for man or woman. 

If you're a cop in Hollywood Division, all is not glamour and "your very own star" on whatever that sidewalk is--no, it's robbery of a jewelry store, a connection to a Russian nightclub, and "a cluelessly ambitious pair of tweakers" (WHAT is a "tweaker", pray tell?)  The sergeant they call The Oracle, has, on the team he sends out; Budgie Polk (you'll love the names Wambaugh uses), Wesley Drubb, Fausto Gamboa, and Hollywood Nate--all of who spend an inordinate amount of time in musty, smelling-of-coffee-and- hamburgers patrol cars --investigating what goes on in the REAL underbelly of a city that is considered a glitzy destination to so many! 

But it's not just the quick, quirky plots that Wambaugh uses that make him the author you laugh out loud at and recommend to your friends--it's the dialogue, turns of the plot, oddball characters and absolutely believable all-encompassing atmosphere of his stories that hook you--i.e. the first sentence is "Wanna play pit bull polo, dude? "and his fellow cop's answer is predictable "What's that?" See? Funny AND believable AND leads the reader on to discover what it is and when he played it and how it's going  to be used two years later in police work .You'd better come and get this one--ask any informed reader if they have read and liked Wambaugh--except for those who read only Romance novels or only Non-Fiction.

Have a good week ahead, I'm off to Kerrville to find, hopefully, furniture for a house and will be back 8 days later--Himself has suggested looking in Target and PIer One (I just gave him "the look" and didn't dignify it with an answer)--so, you bundle up, clear out the garden. Trim straggly small branches off the trees, on a nice afternoon when it's coming up din-din time, broil a small steak and veggies on the grill and if you can't eat outside, eat inside but NO FAIR  watching TV.

Eat dinner slowly and enjoy it and begin to appreciate what the Europeans enjoy which is called "Dining", not a 20 minute gobble--seriously, try it--your mother, sister, and/or wife always has told you you eat too fast!  Look for Valentine cards, soon, and send one to somebody simply signed--"An Admirer"--drives 'em nuts! If you're making iced sugar cookies, I would be willing to take 2 off your hands and be YOUR admirer--see ya! Bye! Trooper sends his regards and thanks everyone who's inquired after his arthritis--at 85 lbs. and 11 and a half years, dogs start having some problems. Bye again!