Since I'm now dividing my time between Liberal, Ks. and Kerrville, Tx., until the time comes for a permanent "move" (although, even with the home base in Texas, we'll always be planning trips back to Liberal for family and friends!)--anyway, when one is getting to know one state while keeping memories of the other state, your five senses seem to really kick in.  Or, at least, mine do. Places smell a certain way, the voice cadences change, temperatures are noticed more, the food, while really excellent in both places--we're speaking of different areas of BOTH states here, not just one's immediate territory within ten miles of one's abode!--the music has a definite"feel" for that territory, etc, etc, etc. 

For instance, I kept wondering why, in Kerrville, we seldom heard much about the K.U. or K. State Basketball teams until it occurred to me that Texas began their kids in school sports in, as far as I was able to tell, pre-school--and there are a LOT of schools in just the San Antonio area that we live in and a LOT of sports programs.  Thank Heavens my son, Rick, told me about bringing up K.U. on the computer and clicking on "Athletics" so I could get the scores!  I was, for a K.U. fan, pleased that "little Baylor", as I keep calling them, really put up a good-never-say-quit fight against K.U. which, while they didn't win, they could feel proud of.

Do you know how many E:Mails I found on my computer, here at the library, when I returned from Kerrville? 4,172!! And I don't even use Viagra--or dating services--or whatever all those ads are for that are certainly found on my TV screen!  I have often wondered if those advertisers really sell enough but they obviously do or they'd stop the irritating ads, right?  This week is the Fiction line-up and, AGAIN, let me remind you that my reviews are only, due to space limitation, the very tiny tip of the iceberg, so please come in and browse over what's available on our New York Times Bestseller rack and on the special shelves for new fiction that is not on the NYT Bestseller list but is still very new and readable and, we hope, enjoyable. 

It's hard to describe Douglas Preston or his usual partner, Lincoln Child; but let me assure you that whether they are writing together or separately, their stories are going to keep you up reading way into the night! Their stories are, although rather fantastic, entirely believable and thought provoking and once you've read them separately or together, you'll look for them in your library or bookstore.  This one, "Blasphemy:" is by Preston and of it, his oft-times writing partner, Child, said--"Douglas Preston has finally gone too far. On way or another, I'm afraid he may burn for this book."  Another quote is, "Science versus religion--the ultimate crunch. Preston has written the Novel of the Year, an extraordinary, unique, fascinating, wildly imaginative mix of thriller, satire, sc- fi, and every other genre in the book. Blasphemy--you're going to love it."

This is about a supercollider in the mountains of Arizona that is due to penetrate the earth and, at its core, will reveal what happened at the very moment of creation and is the brainchild of Nobel Laureate Gregory North Hazelius.  Some have questioned whether it will unlock the mysteries of the Universe "or will it, as some have warned, suck the Earth into a mini black hole?  Then there is the powerful evangelist, the Reverend Don T. Spates, who warns this "scientific experiment" is "a Satanic attempt to disprove Genesis and challenge God Almighty on  the very throne of Heaven"  The Government has asked an ex-monk and CIA "spook" to learn from the team what is revealed and everyone wonders if it's something that will save Earth or destroy it!

As is my wont, I always read  the book I"m reviewing in 4 or 5 places--not, I hasten to add, the whole book--to get the "feel" of the characters, plot, etc. Well, I opened this book and started to read--thinking I'd just read several paragraphs--and 20 minutes later realize I'd have to just QUIT. Both of these men write addictively i.e. once one starts the story, you just want to keep going until the end or until 3a.m., whichever comes first. Picture me slapping you gently--GENTLY, I SAY--on the cheek and urging you to come in and plan to  get this book--who can tell me what a "supercollider" is?  Well, read this book and learn the answer! 

Everyone who reads fiction surely has read or at least HEARD of Stuart Woods ( he has many best sellers to his credit as well as loyal fans) and his latest is "Beverly Hills Dead".  This has to do with, surprise!, Hollywood, and a return to the atmosphere of the 1940's in Hollywood where to be labeled "Red"/Communist was the kiss of death, personally and professionally.

Rick Barron, head of production at Centurion Studios and happily married to a beautiful actress, starts being aware that the Red Scare seems to be coming on strong again and with it murder, witch hunts, betrayal, and dirty dealings "that even the picture-perfect veneer of Hollywood can't hide."  The name of the game driving people and events is money and power--does anyone know of two better ones?

This author is a gen-u-wine genius at delivering plot lines, making you think you're listening in on private conversations--even thoughts--of his characters and he's particularly adept at being believable!  There are self-made men in this book and self-destructing ones, all in all, I can reasonably assure you of a good read in these last days of cold weather.

Himself is going to love this next book 'cause he loves sea stories (a holdover from being in the Navy, no doubt!) and adventures and, just possibly, pretty ladies! Enter Bernard Cornwell's, "Sword Song; The Battle for London" and it all takes place a few years ago in 885--no, there is no typo whereby I meant to type in "1885".  In that far-ago time,  the same themes of mankind are still appearing as they did before Christ as born on up to today, to wit; ambition, greed, enmity between family members, love, deceit, violence and lots of fighting--a bunch! You see,

O Best Beloved, England is at peace at the moment, "divided between the Danish kingdom to the north and the Saxon kingdom of Wessex in the South." Our main character--and a dandy one in terms of being "human"--is Uhtred, a warrior by instinct and a Viking by Nature who has a wife, two children, land, and the favor of  his king, Alfred.  His charge from the king is to hold down the land around the Thames River in the city of London (I mean, where ELSE would you find the Thames River?)  Then comes the Viking forces to occupy the city of London and conquer Wessex and guess whose help they need? Right!  Uhtred's. Who is seriously  concerned between his allegiance to his king, who wants Uhtred to expel the men occupying London, and the storm clouds of people's loyalty to him or the Viking intruders.  Then there's his daughter, Aetheleflaed (let's call her "Alex", okay?), who is newly married, and  by her very existence is threatening Alfred's kingdom.  It's on NYT Best Seller list which many authors and readers swear by--and at.

The theme of "Bone Rattler", by Eliot Pattison, as well as its unusual name, is rather different, and is set in Colonial America.  It involves an exiled Scots clan chief, Duncan McCallum who, while aboard a British convict ship, "witnesses a bizarre series of murders and suicides among the HIghland Scot prisoners. 

His jailers demand that he solve the murders while still being a prisoner, and Duncan soon decides that the murders on board the ship involve the Indians, so when he gets to the colony of New York, he encounters Lord Ramsey in his fort, "a heart of darkness where British soldiers, rogue Scots warriors, French raiders, and Huron and Iroquois warriors engage in physical, psychological, and spiritual battles.  More murders happen and Duncan becomes charmed by Ramsey's daughter who seems to understand the "heathen" ways too well. In any case, he leaves and plunges into the wilderness, fleeing individuals who are both English and Indian, knowing he will never survive unless he can "connect the dots" between soldiers, priests, and motives for murder. 

My last author, Marcus Sakey, has written a tough, human, and tight story of death, cops, betrayal, and love's warmth and safety, "At the City's Edge", and I have really enjoyed reading, as I always do, some of the passages of the book.  If you like Robert Parker and Ed McBain, you'll like the rapid-flow dialogue and the plot is simplicitiy itself. Jason Palmer returns from Iraq "with an other than honorable" discharge and learns after being home a little while that his brother has been gunned down, murdered in front of his son. So, working with Elena Cruz, "the first woman to make Chicago's prestigious Gang Intelligence Unit", they set to work to unravel a conspiracy "stretching from the darkest alleys of the ghetto to the manicured lawns of the city's power brokers."  This story goes from one peak to the next and, I promise you, all the energy talked about is amazing--the good guys really have to work fast! 

Hey, guys, that's it for this week! Pray for warm weather--with possibly a little rain--, send bunnies and  chocolate eggs to the small ones in your family at Easter, remember to WALK your dog (and yourself) every day, do something kind for somebody (and don't tell them that it was you!) and feel free to wish me "Happy Birthday" next week--39 again!  (That last was honestly put in here to see if anyone reads this column!)  Stay healthy and grateful for small things!  Bye!