"The Second Time We Met," by Leila Cobo

I picked up The Second Time We Met completely at random, from the library display shelf while I was waiting in line.  I love the anticipation of that type of book selection.  Will it be good?  Will I fall in love with the characters?  Will the story capture me?  Will I wonder why on earth it's published?  Much better than unwrapping a Christmas present.

The Second Time We Met, by Leila Cobo, begins in a humble village in Colombia, where protective fathers try to keep their daughters away from the handsome young guerillas encamped around town.  It doesn't work.

Years later, happy and well-adjusted young Asher faces a crisis in his life.  For the first time, he really begins to wonder about his birth mother.  

Thus begins the search.

It's a beautifully written book.  I didn't connect with Asher as well as I wanted, and it slowed at times, but I really felt I knew Rita and her life and Colombian surroundings.  

The very last page was a bit of a jar.  I actually turned the page expecting more.  The ending in general, however, was well done:  not everything tied up in perfect bows, but enough of a resolution to satisfy the reader.

My rating:  4

I would read more of Leila Cobo's work.  Click here to buy The Second Time We Met.       

The Page 99 Test

Here's a fun site for writers:  page99test.com.  

The theory is that when people are thumbing through books at a book store or library, they often go to a spot around a hundred pages in, and then read an excerpt so see if they like the style and content.  This apparently is a natural place for your thumb to stop.  Savvy readers know that the first pages and cover blurb might not be the best indication of quality.  They're too reworked, too perfect, too aware of the need to hook the reader.  By page 99, the writer's true colors will appear.  

As Ford Maddox Ford said, "Open the book to page ninety-nine, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you."  

What writers do here is upload their random page 99 (though some cheat, I think, and upload a page they particularly like, or even the first page).  Others then rate this on whether they'd turn the page and whether they'd buy the book.  You can also write specific comments.  This is very helpful feedback to writers.  It's also interesting for the rater:  you see if your opinions match others', and what particularly struck other people.

If you're a new writer, be prepared for some brutal honesty.  It'll help you get the thick skin needed if you ever want to reveal your work to the world at large.

Try it out for yourself.   You need to sign up for an account, but it's free.    

"The Full Cupboard of LIfe," by Alexander McCall Smith

The Full Cupboard of Life is one of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, about a "traditionally built" and down-to-earth Botswanan detective who solves most of her cases through cleverness.  I loved the first book, a charming, warm-hearted, unusual bit of writing.

The Full Cupboard of Life retained much of that charming speech and quiet observation, but the plot unfortunately lacked a lot.  The central premise could have been quite interesting--Mma Ramotswe trying to decide if a rich lady's four suitors are sincere--but it gets very little screen time.  She doesn't even make it to the third and fourth suitors.  The other subplots aren't all that gripping either.

I still liked the descriptions of the land and the lifestyle, and would read more by Alexander McCall Smith.  

My rating:  3

Arizona Wildflowers at Lake Pleasant

Mexican Poppies and Lupin, Lake Pleasant, Arizona, March 15

Lake Pleasant, Arizona.  Pipeline Trail.

Desert Hyacinth against a field of poppies, Lake Pleasant Arizona

Wildflower season in Arizona is short.  If you want to see the spectacular contrasts of a desert in bloom, go within the next week or so.  These were taken at Lake Pleasant, a desert lake just northwest of Phoenix.  This is the Pipeline trail, the best place there to see wildflowers.  

Skagway Gold Rush

Go Nomad published another of my articles, this one about Skagway Alaska, and its wild history.  It's a fascinating place, and beautiful.  Click to read "Gold Rush Fever and Tales of Soapy Smith in Skagway, Alaska."

Downtown Skagway, Alaska, with its frontier facades  designed to make customers think the businesses inside were more respectable than they really were.

Lower Dewey Lake, a short hike from Skagway

If you want to know more about how to see Alaska for yourself, 

check out my new book on Amazon:   Cruising Alaska on a Budget,

Volcano Pacaya

Me at Pacaya

Near Antigua, Guatemala, Volcán Pacaya is one of the most easily accessible volcanoes in the country.  We went at dusk so we could see the lava fields both in sunlight and darkness, and even though we left late and blew a tire, and thus had to sprint up the mountain, and our guide lost my half of the tour on the volcano, it was an awesome trip.  After all, it was already dark when we got lost, so though we didn't all have flashlights, we could easily avoid stepping anywhere terribly dangerous because the terribly dangerous places all glowed.  

As I said, great fun.  The type they'd never let you have in America.  J 

And if you want to know how to gain sudden popularity, take a bag of marshmallows with you to a volcano.    

Volcán Pacaya.  Yes, that's a marshmallow I roasted on lava.  Photo by Mel and Wes, my Aussie hostel friends.   

"Storm Front," by Jim Butcher

I'd heard Jim Butcher's Dresden Files recommended by various writers and readers of speculative fiction, but since urban fantasy isn't my favorite genre, I hadn't bothered looking up the books.

Then I found Storm Front (volume 1) at Goodwill and idly read the first page.  Hooked!

I love the voice of the protagonist:  rather goofy and self-effacing, but charming.  

Great world building.  The magic is pretty clear, interesting, and not all powerful, which is important to me in fantasy.  Good narrative structure and pacing.  Exciting and unique action scenes.  

We do spend a bit too much time in the main character's head.  I don't mind that so much, but some of my critiquer friends would be seriously annoyed.

As I said, urban fantasy isn't my favorite, but I really enjoyed the book, and would read more by the talented Jim Butcher.  

My rating:  4

Check out Jim Butcher's website or buy Storm Front.