Wednesday, April 10, 2013

New Nonfiction- How we think and why we do

In my browsing around Barnes & Noble, looking for ideas for blog entries, I came across several nonfiction books that looked very interesting and thought I'd share them with you.  The coming theme seems to be books on how we act and think and the forces that influence us, and sometimes hold  us back.  I've read The Power of Habit, and found it very interesting and helpful, and look forward to reading the others.  Do any of these pique your interest? If you have read any of these, let us know what you thought of them.
Why are people named Kim, Kelly, and Ken more likely to donate to Hurricane Katrina victims than to Hurricane Rita victims? Are you really more likely to solve puzzles if you watch a light bulb illuminate? How did installing blue lights along a Japanese railway line halt rising crime and suicide rates? Can decorating your walls with the right artwork make you more honest? The human brain is fantastically complex, having engineered space travel and liberated nuclear energy, so it's no wonder that we resist the idea that we're deeply influenced by our surroundings. As profound as they are, these effects are almost impossible to detect both as they're occurring and in hindsight. Drunk Tank Pink is the first detailed exploration of how our environment shapes what we think, how we feel, and the ways we behave.

Thanks to technology, we live in a world that’s much more comfortable than ever before. But here’s the paradox:  our tolerance for discomfort is at an all-time low. And as we wrestle with a sinking “discomfort threshold,” we increasingly find ourselves at the mercy of our primitive instincts and reactions that can perpetuate disease, dysfunction, and impair performance and decision making.

A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed.

Marketers at Procter & Gamble study videos of people making their beds. They are desperately trying to figure out how to sell a new product called Febreze, on track to be one of the biggest flops in company history. Suddenly, one of them detects a nearly imperceptible pattern—and with a slight shift in advertising, Febreze goes on to earn a billion dollars a year.
What do all these people have in common? They achieved success by focusing on the patterns that shape every aspect of our lives.

They succeeded by transforming habits.

If you said advertising, think again. People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral?
Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger has spent the last decade answering these questions. He’s studied why New York Times articles make the paper’s own Most E-mailed List, why products get word of mouth, and how social influence shapes everything from the cars we buy to the clothes we wear to the names we give our children.


At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who invent and create but prefer not to pitch their own ideas; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled “quiet,” it is to introverts we owe many of the great contributions to society—from Van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.


There are those who say the South has disappeared. But in her groundbreaking, thought-provoking exploration of the region, Tracy Thompson, a Georgia native and Pulitzer Prize finalist, asserts that it has merely drawn on its oldest tradition: an ability to adapt and transform itself.
Thompson spent years traveling through the region and discovered a South both amazingly similar and radically different from the land she knew as a child.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Armchair Travelers #1

Mysteries Set in China

I love browsing the lists on Stop You're Killing Me's wonderful website, I'm always intrigued by the mysteries I discover.  You can search their mysteries by location, by period, and even by the occupation of the main character.  So if you like this list, go visit Stop You're Killing Me, and check out their lists.


The Chinese Maze Murders by Robert van Gulik
Judge Dee- magistrate in China during the Tang Dynasty (600s)

The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang
Mei Wang- a private investigator in modern Beijing, China

Yellowthread Street by William Marshall
Harry Feiffer- chief inspector of Yellowthread Street station in Hong Kong, China

The Firemaker by Peter May
Li Yan- Chinese detective, and Margaret Campbell, an American pathologist, in Beijing, China

City of the Dead by Ian Morson
Niccolo Zuliani- Venetian businessman turned bodyguard at the court of Kubilai Khan in 1262

The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison
Shan Tao Yun- Chinese bureaucrat imprisoned in a Himalayan labor camp

The Shanghai Murders by David Rotenberg
Zhong Fong- head of the Special Investigation Unit, in Shanghai, China

Flower Net by Lisa See
Liu Hulan- Chinese police inspector, and David Stark, an American attorney,
combining talents to solve mysteries in modern-day China

Shou by Deborah and Joel Shlian
Lili Quan- China-born California physician who travels to China

The Feng Shui Detective by Nury Vittachi
C.F. Wong- feng shui master, and Joyce McQuinnie, his British-Australian
teenage intern, based in Singapore (later Shanghai, China)

Death of a Red Heroine by Qui Xiaolong
Chen Cao- Inspector in the Shanghai, China, Police Department

Friday, August 31, 2012

Mystery's Histories

Mysteries set in the Regency Period
(1800-1837)
Each book listed is the first in the series.

 Death and the Running Patterer- Robin Adair
(Nicodemus Dunne- a former Bow Street
Runner transported to Sydney
Australia in 1828)
The Thief Taker- T.F. Banks
(Henry Morton a Bow Street Runner)
Pride and Prescience- Carrie Bebris
(Mr. & Mrs Darcy from Jane Austen's
Pride & Prejudice)
Bellfield Hall- Anna Dean
(Miss Dido Kent- a 35 year old
spintress in 1805 England)
Napoleon's Pyramids- William Dietrich
(Ethan Gage- American adventurer
and rascal in 1799)
The Hanover Square Affair- Ashley Gardner
(Captain Gabriel Lacey- former
Cavalry Officer in London, England)
Vienna Waltz- Teresa Grant
(Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch-
a diplomat and his wife
at the Congress of Vienna in 1814)
A Free Man of Color- Barbara Hambly
(Ben January- surgeon and music teacher, in 1830s New Orleans)
What Angels Fear- C.S. Harris
(Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin,
an investigator in Regency England)
A Foriegn Affair- Caro Peacock-
(Liberty Lane- young woman sleuth in 1830s London, England)
Sweet Revenge- Andrea Penrose
(Lady Ariana Hadley- posing as
a French Chef in an aristocratic
household in 1813 London, England)
The Last Days of Newgate- Andrew Pepper
(Pyke- a Bowstreet Runner in 1829 London, England)
Slightly Shady- Amanda Quick
(Lavinia Lake and Tobias March- lovers and
partners-in-crime investigators in Regency London, England)
Death on a Silver Tray- Rosemary Stevens
(Beau Brummel- arbiter of fashion
 in the Regency era of Great Britain)
The Blighted Cliffs- Edwin Thomas
(Martin Jerrold-  lieutenant
in the British Navy in the early 1800s)

And as always, if you are looking for mysteries set in a different time or place, or want to know what book comes next in any of these series, check out
and your local library.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Mysterious Firsts #14- The John Madden Mysteries

Upon its original publication, River of Darkness awed readers who look for intelligent, well-plotted psychological mysteries. This “fine, frightening piece of work” (Kirkus Reviews) introduces inspector John Madden who, in the years following World War I, is sent to a small village to investigate a particularly gruesome attack. The local police dismiss the slaughter as a botched robbery, but Madden detects the signs of a madman at work. With the help of Dr. Helen Blackwell, who introduces him to the latest developments in criminal psychology, Madden sets out to identify and capture the killer, even as the murderer sets his sights on his next innocent victims.
River of Darkness
Finalist 2000 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel
Finalist 2000 Anthony Award for Best Mystery
Finalist 2000 Barry Award for Best British Crime
Finalist 2000 Historical Dagger Award
Finalist 2000 Macavity Award for Best First Novel
Finalist 2000 Dilys Award
The Blood-Dimmed Tide
Finalist 2006 Barry Award for Best British Crime
The Dead of Winter
Finalist 2009 Historical Dagger Award

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Mysterious FIrsts #13- Meg Langslow Series

Meg Langslow is a blacksmith a small town in Virginia, who dubious honor of being chosen to be Maid of Honor in three wedding in one summer. Planning all three weddings is complicated by the discovery of the death of one of the groom's sisters. Throw in one gorgeous wedding assistant, a town full of loony relatives and crazy neighbors. Murder with Peacocks is the first, and while they don't have to be read in order, watching the relationships between characters makes it a more enjoyable ride.























#14 Comes out 7/17/12

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Magic Lost, Trouble Found


Title: Magic Lost, Trouble Found

Author: Lisa Shearin

Series: Raine  Benares Series





Raine Benares – elf, seeker of lost objects & missing people, and the only legitimately-employed member of the infamous Benares family of smugglers and thieves – was just trying to keep a friend out of trouble when she landed hip deep into trouble herself.  Now she’s on the run from the crazy infighting goblin royal family, the leader of the local underworld, and the scrumptious Paladin of the Guardians, all of whom want control of the amulet which bestows unlimited magical power. 



And all Raine wants is to get rid of it!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Running Blind



Jenna Dougherty and her doctor friend, Magdalena, are on a medical mission trip to Mexico when they are kidnapped by a dangerous Mexican mob. Blinded by an injury and held captive, Jenna fears the worst. Enter Nick Jansen. He finds Jenna, but where is Magdalena? Nick rescues Jenna and gets her her safely across the border. Back in Houston, she discovers that her friend was murdered. Everyone believes the good doctor was dealing drugs. Jenna refuses to accept this. As she sets out to prove Magdalena’s innocence, there are repeated attempts on her own life. Are they related to the trip and her friend’s death, or is something else going on? And will she ever see again?