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Emma, I don't know how I happened upon Hiassen, just lucky I guess. I've liked most of his books, some better than others; "Double Whammy" was my first experience with him and it was a "shaking the bed" funny event.

Shortly after I read the book, I found out that bass fishing is a BIG SPORT in Alabama. If I ever even see an article about bass fishing, I split my sides. You know, I should re-read good literature instead of the "junk" I put inside my brain.

Carl Hiassen cares about preserving our natural resources and he tells his story with wit. "a spoon full of sugar....." comes to mind. Since he wrote the book about Stiltsville in Miami, I have been on a quest to see that place. I understand one must charter a boat to get there.

Love Hiassen. He recently wrote a "juvie" book about owls that won either the Newberry Award or was runner up. I was good but not as good as "DW." IMHO.

Kathy

I'll weigh in on Hiassen with a view that will not surprise Kathy. I tried him twice--one, the title of which I forget, and the YA one. Yawn. IMHO.

Maybe ya gotta be a Floridian to get Hiassen. He's a treasure for us -- along with Dave Barry, Elmore Leonard and Leonard Pitts.

Emma, I'm not from Florida and I loved "Double Whammy." His last adult books were not quite as funny or enjoyable but I'll always read what he writes.

Martha is a hard task master (is that the expression?)

We sometimes agree on books and sometimes we don't. I admit to being much, much more shallow.

Kathy

Martha, you should try Double Whammy. Just give it your 50 pages and I think you will be grabbed.

Here's another one, Emma, do you remember the comic strip "That's Jake"? Since he retired from the Sentinel Jake Vest is now a fourth grade teacher here in South Lake County.
Here's another book you're sure to loathe Martha:
"If You Didn't Want Grits How Come You Ordered Breakfast"
The best of Jake Vest.

I like the title.

Dewey Readmore Books was the cat who single-pawed-ly saved Spencer from the economic downturn of the 1980s and brought the whole town together in love and harmony. Dewey, the book about him, is written by a Vicki Myron.

Actually the book is better than my snide description indicates. The sections that dealt with Dewey himself were pretty cool. The autobiographical stuff about the author and the information about the town itself pretty much left me cold. I found myself plowing through those sections so I could get back to Dewey.

Do I recommend? Sure—if you like cats and tedium.

Cimmaron Rose is the first book I've read byJames Lee Burke that's not in the Dave Robicheaux series. This one’s protagonist is Billy Bob Holland, a Texas attorney. The one big similarity I see is that both men struggle with their pasts. On the differences side, I missed two things that run throughout the Robicheaux books: 1) Burke’s obvious love of New Orleans, its surrounding areas and its people and 2) Robicheaux’s philosophical comments on history and human nature.

The story in Cimmaron Rose is good, as are the characters. I’m disappointed that I wasn’t blown away, but I checked the publication date and found it was pretty early Burke. I know it took me a few books to warm up to Robicheaux so I’ll probably give Billy Bob another try. Emma, what’s your take on this series?

I have In the Moon of the Red Ponies (I see it’s Billy Bob) still on the unread shelf, am awaiting the paperback printing of Swan Peak, and am intrigued by White Doves at Morning. Anyone, including Emma of course, have any other Burke books to recommend?

With regret, on page 206 of Leon Uris's The Haj, I stopped reading. In my review of his Mila 18, I said that the story outweighed the politics, philosophy and history, and that balance kept me reading. In The Haj, the balance tilted away from story and more toward politics, philosophy and history. Although the story was interesting, there wasn't enough of it. IMHO.

I had however dog-eared a couple pages before I quit. Let's take a look.

1) In the things-that-make-you-go-hum category: "To an Arab, humiliation is the ultimate punishment." (page 121) Leon Uris knew that when he wrote the book in the 1980s; did the planners behind Abu Ghraib know it, also?

2) "Men and women were locked into lifelong roles from which there was no chance of change or escape. My father explained that only through blind acceptance could one expect to get through this life without going mad." (page 122) Sort of like Republicans?

I do plan on keeping this one, though. I sense it could help my understanding of Middle East history, and I may someday give it another try.