• 904 and counting …

    Finished Burn Notice: The Fix by Tod Goldberg. This book is a tie-in based on the TV show of the same name. I really enjoy the show, so when I heard there were going to be some companion books, I snapped this one up.

    Note: I’ve got to give a shout-out to HelenKay Dimon for first posting about the book on her blog. Otherwise, I don’t know that I would have found out about it (or the others that are planned). So thanks, HelenKay! 😎

    In true Burn Notice fashion, this book finds Michael reluctantly agreeing to help a wealthy socialite find her wayward husband, who turns out to be a con man who’s stealing all her money. Michael also has to deal with a deadly Russian spy who thinks Michael is a drug dealer and responsible for some of her problems. She demands that Michael come up with $3 million for her to pay off her bosses — or else.

    If you like the TV show, you’ll love this book. Goldberg really nailed Michael’s voice and the overall tone of the TV show. I could almost hear Jeffrey Donovan doing his usual sardonic voice-overs in many places. The voice was definitely the best part of the book and really made you feel like you were reading an episode of the show.

    I also enjoyed getting a little more insight into and background on Michael’s relationship with Fiona, his spy missions with Sam, and his memories of his father.

    The only thing I didn’t quite get was the ending. The con man husband has been impresonating a real hardcore, black-ops military type. Michael deals with the husband, then he gets the black-ops guy involved in his own deal with the Russian spy. Michael takes the black-ops guy down with the Russian spy. But I didn’t really understand why Michael needed to do anything with the black-ops guy. The con man husband was the one using the black-ops guy’s name/identity, making him the victim of identity theft. I think I missed something when I was reading. (And I hope this paragraph wasn’t too confusing).

    But overall, if you love the TV show or you’re just looking for a fun, breezey afternoon read, pick up The Fix. I enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to the other books in the series. Thumbs up.

    Up next: Swine Not? by Jimmy Buffett

    Books in my TBR pile: About 17 or so.

  • O, Christmas tree …

    3 Comments

    So I went out to the mall today to run an errand. And what do I see sitting inside JC Penney all shiny and green and lit up and ready to be taken home? Christmas trees.

    Seriously. Christmas trees.

    People do realize that it’s October, right? That we’re still three weeks away from Halloween? That it’s still 2 1/2 months until Christmas? :rolleyes:

    Seems like the holiday trees come out earlier and earlier every single year. It takes some of the magic out of the season for me. There shouldn’t be any Christmas decorations out until at least Thanksgiving. That’s actually what I do Thanksgiving morning — put up my Christmas tree for the holiday season. But I’m weird that way. 😎

    But I guess those trees in the mall are telling me to start making my holiday shopping list now. Sigh …

  • Rain, rain, rain …

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    It’s raining in my neck of the woods today. A cool, silver, gray drizzle that somehow makes everything seem darker and much more hushed. Makes me want to curl up with a good book or take a nap. 😎

    What about you? Are you enjoying the weather in your neck of the woods? Are the leaves changing yet? I’m starting to see a few trees turning. I think the explosion of color is still a couple weeks away, though. Maybe today’s rain will help with that …

  • · ·

    When art imitates life …

    So I did some work on Assassin 3 this weekend, and I wrote a scene where Finnegan Lane drops barbecue sauce on his suit jacket. Finn is the foster brother/best friend/handler to Gin Blanco, the assassin. There’s nothing Finn likes more than a well-tailored suit, so staining his jacket upset him.

    After I write this scene, I go out and get barbecue for lunch. And what happens? I drop baked beans all over my placemat on my kitchen table. Sigh … :rolleyes: