Baby Girl, AKA Aaliyah

Where were you when you heard about what happened to Aaliyah?

That's the question many fans of hers share; thus, most certainly me included.  I remember my first hearing of her death clearly.  I was in one of those MSN chat rooms at the time that very night the incident happened.  Someone came in and blazed the news: Aaliyah was dead.  I couldn't believe it and, since I was already online, immediately jumped into investigator mode only to find that it was true.  And, yes, I was hurt.  I remember having this odd fascination with her age (twenty-two) and how I couldn't imagine what twenty-two would look like while I stood dazed at age eighteen. And I wondered, would I make it to twenty-two one day if something like this could happen to someone as fascinating and talented as Aaliyah?

Aaliyah to Me

Nevertheless, the convulsive notion was how her death emphasized how fleeting, cruel, and unfair the mortal existence was.  Though I’m hardly one to go into deep existential thoughts, her sudden death truly troubled me.  I had been listening to her since her first album.  Memories upon memories of her music stacked up against moments upon moments of my adolescent and teenage years.  I had just gotten her third album, Aaliyah, the month before her death, which was released that July.  And to this day, it remains an album that stapled a life-changing and transitional summer (other than being my favorite album of hers) for me.  Heck, the first single off the album, "We Need a Resolution" came out that April. And it's a song that tied my final days as a high school student as my signature song when I reflect on those days.

China Bayles is BACK!

 

This BABY came in a day early today!  China Bayles is back, after her 2019 lukewarm #27 investigation in A Plain Vanilla Murder.  Nevertheless, I have a good feeling about Hemlock.  Every fifth or so book, Albert takes China out of her home in Pecan Springs and place her in another locale for a mix of crime and history.  So I have a lot of faith in Hemlock picking up the ball where the last entry dropped it (completely).  Anyway, my ride-or-die spirit will always see what's up with China, so here's to a solid start to my week. 

My Magnetic Bookmark Set Up

 

#SubgenreSeptember is the #MarchMysteryMadness Bridge (No Tolls Required)

#FridayReads Features the New Tracy Clark Mystery, Runner

Welllllllll, Tracy Clark's fourth Chicago P.I. Mystery called Runner, featuring our sister Cass Raines, is officially OUT. When I write OUT, I mean OUT! As in me walking out of work for the weekend so I can sit down somewhere (I honestly hope it rains so I can order out as well) and read it over the weekend. This is a series I look forward to for a new release each year, and so far we're in year four with a hopeful five down the slide.

Seriously, I want this series to be one of those long-running private-eye series where long into the future I can profess how I was a DAY ONE reader. Corny notions, but it's how I feel.

Evidently, Runner is going to be one of those winter-based chilly kinds of mysteries.

CHOP IT UP: While Justice Sleeps

A young law clerk works for a Supreme Court Justice who falls into a coma. Before his faltering health, he has given guardianship to his unexpected clerk with strict instructions for her to abide by his wishes. Furthermore, he has planted a trail of clues leading her to unveil a conspiracy aligning the US President in connection to a biological experiment with designs of enacting genocide toward a specific community of people. Stacy Abrams's suspense thriller, While Justice Sleeps, was an automatic buy for me this year. No doubt. While the book was released in early May, and I bought it soon after, I'm just not getting to it and finishing it; I'm so troubled by the expression of "too many books with too little time."

Either way, I was excited to make it a focus venture this month, and I have to say I really enjoyed the book. I knew Abrams was going to implement an intelligent thriller. Like, I just knew it. And I wasn't disappointed–at all. She used her character, Avery Keene, to take us readers through legalese court and justice realms. Also, the often-infuriating chess game of politics (though the commentary wasn't as involved), biological weaponry, and personal avenues featured the main protagonist and her addict mother. Nevertheless, it is a busy, busy thriller. But unlike many thrillers I have attempted to read, Abrams' pace was outstanding! I'm a "I need more details" type of reader, so breakneck suspense isn't always fun for me. However, While Justice Speaks was suspenseful, it carried a balance of engaging details. Each event or uncovered clue brought information and motion. And, once again for emphasis, the book remained sharp and intelligent throughout. 

The story was way bigger than I anticipated, and not a single moment in the story's unfolding felt convoluted or read too conspired. However, I would say from my overall experience, two things did kind of bug me.

One: while the thriller was brilliant, I was hoping Abrams would pull away from lots of thriller conventions and present us with something fresher. Certain areas of the story were predictable, only because they mirrored standard patterns seen in thriller books. This is especially evident with the characterization of some of the antagonistic characters.

Two: while I enjoyed Avery, for whatever reason, I had trouble settling on what type of character she was. She's young at twenty-six, but serving as a clerk, it was evident she was intelligent. But I felt like she allowed too many characters to speak down to her, and I explicitly grew angry every time a male character would grab her arm. Nevertheless, in some cases, her rebuttal to being treated like a child often turned into moments of reinforcing the notion. Essentially, I recognized she was in command, but I never quite felt it completely. A lot of times, it felt like it was more projection to me. I also felt like she need more personality, and given that she's biracial, I would have loved more commentary on her experiences. Without those last two elements, she was borderline serviceable and placid at times. But not to get it twisted; she was great when she was great, which is throughout most of the book.

Anyway, I just wanted to run those thoughts down. I hope another book is coming out featuring this same cast.

An ex-CEO "Sponsored" Me Some Christie Kicks

Sooooooo. As many readers here know, this blog acts as a reading journal of sorts. I document bits and pieces of life and this and that and books and bric à brac. Therefore, quite frequently, a story relating to a purchase pops up. Or, in this case, a Christie Kicks book haul "sponsored" by a retiring CEO. Here is what I was blessed with this week. The CEO of the company I work for has retired, right? He is the owner and all that jazz. So, he has gotten to where he wants to give his chair over to someone else. Cool, stuff? Now, the really cool stuff is that he has given his employees $100 times however many years they have worked for the company. In my case, I'm in my fifth year. You can do the math. So, what can a book lover do with a bonus check a week before payday (besides knock out some bills early) …?

Go invest in these leather-bound Barnes & Noble Agatha Christie collection books–that is what.

Listen, I was playing no games today. I finally read The Murder on the Orient Express; I am 25-pages from the end of And Then There Were None.  Needless to see, a particular hunger to study Christie's techniques have sat in. Besides, I have been doing super well in completing coursework toward finally finishing my degree program. No, for real.  I have busted my tail these past two weeks just so I could have the weekend free to read and not work on writing papers.

Heck, I deserved this treat. So, I took it.  In the famous words of Pattie Labelle circa the Be Yourself album of 1989: I can’t complain…

THANKS, Mr. ex-CEO, man. We will talk about the raise with the new guy. But in the meantime, I like this kind of stuff.

BOOKS! It's what's for dinner. MYSTERY BOOKS! It’s the delicious poison on the steak.

Bon Appetit, homie!