Favorite Fictional Character --- Perry Mason

Who doesn't love Perry Mason?  If you are one of those strange people who don't love him, I would have to assume that you were born on Mars and have 4 eyes in the middle of your forehead, maybe a tail as well.  If that's not the reason, well then you are just plain strange.

Perry starred in a series of novels and short stories by Erle Stanley Gardner, over 80 of them actually, and he has been in the collective memory of us all ever since.  Now my memories of him don't come from the books.  I'm actually reading my first one right now, The Case Of The Daring Divorcee, and I'm loving it so far.  Instead I first grew to know, and yes have a crush on, Perry by watching the TV show that aired from 1957-1966.

Since I'm only 33 years old, I wasn't able to watch the show when it first aired, but every time it would come on in syndication I would gobble the episodes up like Halloween candy.  There was something so imposing but attractive about the way Raymond Burr brought the character to life.  Perry was an intelligent defense attorney who with the help of his secretary Della Street, and his PI, Paul Drake, would take on those cases that seemed the most dire and undefinable.  He would take on for the most part murder cases where the defendant looks extremely guilty.  He actually seemed to enjoy the case the most when it was harder than what he had dealt with before. 

What really set him apart were his tactics and the way he would play the trial as if it was a board game.  He was great at manipulating the evidence and the actual people involved in the case.  He would deliberately mislead the police, keep information back, and do whatever else it took to protect his client.  Lucky for him he always did it ethically (for the most part) and he could get the real murderer to crack on the witness stand.  Those breakdowns on the stand were always the pay off for me.  Watching Perry wear down the real culprit and get them to confess under oath was always a pleasure to watch.

I think the other thing I always found fascinating about Perry Mason, was the mystery about who he was outside of work.  His personal life was really never explored in the show or in the books for that matter.  The reader/viewer, with the help of very, very few random clues, were left to their own devices to fill in the gaps about him as a man.  His motivations, his wants, and desires are all left undisclosed, making Perry probably one of the most famous characters that we know very little about.  He is a brilliant enigma that I never get tired of being around.

For anyone interested, CBS.com has 39 full episodes of the TV show to watch online.

Death Mask by Graham Masterton

Synopsis From Back Cover:

He appeared as if from nowhere, brutally slashed a man and a young woman in an office elevator, then vanished again without a trace.  The woman survived and gave the police a detailed description of the killer's bizarre face, yet the police can find no sign of him anywhere.  It's as if he never existed.  But now he's killed again.  And again.  One woman holds the key to his terrifying secret...but how do you stop a murderer who isn't there?

With a body count well over 30 (maybe even over 40, I lost track) this has to be one of the bloodiest books I have read in a very long time, and I loved every minute of it.  I haven't read much of Graham Masterton's work, but of the few books I've read, I loved every single one.  This one is no different.

Molly is a gifted artist who has worked with the police in the past, sketching pictures of suspects and missing people.  Lately her work is coming off the page and appearing in the real world.  So far it's only happening with roses, but who knows what's next, or why and how it's happening.  So when she is contacted to do a sketch of the man who attacked the victims in the elevator, she is presented with a killer who has a very red face, almost mask like in appearance, and black slits for eyes.  He is then dubbed Red Mask and his reign of tear is just getting started.  Through twists and turns Molly, with the help of her psychic mother-in-law Sissy, must figure out a way to stop Red Mask before he slaughters more innocents, including Molly's young daughter.

Death Mask explores the idea of where art ends and life begins.  Did the Red Mask exist before he was sketched or did he jump off the page the way the roses did?  If he did jump off the page, then who attacked the first two victims in the elevator?  Why does two attacks happen at the very same time in two different locations in the city?  Molly and Sissy must explore all the questions and more to figure out where the Red Mask came from and why he's doing these horrendous acts of violence.

Now while this book is classified as horror, which is where it belongs, I think a good argument could be made for fans of mystery and urban fantasy to give this one a try.  There are strong elements of both genres that serve to explain, highlight, and serve as a catalyst for the bloodletting action.

If anyone is still reading this review by this point I would like to share something I found.  While I was wandering around all things Graham Masterton I came across a gem of a short story.  As most of you know I'm a big fan of "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.  It's my favorite poem and I'm addicted to all things associated with it, so when I found this short story, "Half-Sick of Shadows", that combines the story of that tragically doomed Lady and the Lamia legend, I almost fell out of my chair.  Please go read it yourself, I promise you won't be dissapointed.

This will qualify for two challenge, the Typically British Reading Challenge 2010 and the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge 2010 both of which are hosted by Carolyn of Book Chick City.

Mailbox Monday for 6/28/10

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page

I went into Barnes & Noble to pick up The Mageborn Traitor by Melanie Rawn, which was a rebuy for me, and I ended up walking out with two other books.  On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony, another rebuy, and Peril at End House by Agatha Christie went home with me as well.  All three of them are in paperback.

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie was a bargain book hardcover from Borders.

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure and Zan-Gah: And the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman were both recieved by the publisher for review.

Noah's Castle by John Rowe Townsend was received from the publisher for review.

I bought The Actor's Guide to Adultery by Rick Coop in hardcover for $1 from the Friends of the Library bookstore.

I received an extra copy of Never Wave Goodbye by Doug Magee from the publisher, so expect a giveaway with the review next month.

CSN Stores Review Coming Up!

Can I say how super excited I am to be given an opportunity to review one of CSN Stores great products.  They seem to have every thing imaginable under the sun so narrowing down what I'm going to review is going to be a little hard.

They have every item of furniture you could ever need to have in your home.  I've been needing to look at new TV stands for a while now so that was the first place I looked.  I'm absolutely in love with this one, Nuevo Silva TV stand.

Of course you can never have too many bookcases and I'm thinking of getting a smaller one corner that I currently have nothing there.  It's screaming for adornment.  This one caught my eye, Sauder Studio Edge Akimbo Bookcase Bronze.

Or I may get a globe for Aidan who is fascinated by geography right now, a larger crock pot so I can start cooking whole chickens which my son loves to eat, or maybe even a new rug for my living room, maybe even new wall sconces for my bathroom, the possibilities are endless.  I'm going to leave my final decision a secret right now but I promise it's probably something I mentioned in this post.  Come on back to find out what I'm reviewing.  In the meantime please head on over to CSN Stores to look around and discover what they have to offer.

The Blue Moon Cafe by Rick R. Reed

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Someone--or something--is killing Seattle’s gay men.

A creature moves through the darkest night, lit only by the full moon, taking them, one by one, from the rain city’s gay gathering areas.

Someone--or something--is falling in love with Thad Matthews.

Against a backdrop of horror and fear, young Thad finds his first true love in the most unlikely of places—a new Italian restaurant called The Blue Moon Cafe. Sam is everything Thad has ever dreamed of in a man: compassionate, giving, handsome, and with brown eyes Thad feels he could sink into. And Sam can cook! But as the pair’s love begins to grow, so do the questions and uncertainties, the main one being, why do Sam’s unexplained disappearances always coincide with the full moon?
 
After the disaster that was The Secret Keeper, I was a little gun shy about reviewing anymore gay fiction that was written by an author I was unfamiliar with.  I would happily read if for my own enjoyment, but I wasn't sure I would wanted to agree to reviewing a book that I wasn't sure I would enjoy.  After a few days of thinking about it, I realized that I was being a little odd about it.  Why should I hold back on gay fiction when I wasn't having any doubts about other genres of fiction.  If I was willing to take a chance with a book that sounded good I shouldn't be holding gay fiction to a different standard.  I'm not even sure why I was thinking those thoughts to begin with, and I'm too tired to figure it out now.  Needless to say I agreed to review the book, and for the most part I'm glad I did.
 
Now some of you may remember a guest post I had written for Tasha at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, And Books about my take on male/male romance written by women.  While the book I'm reviewing this time around is written by a gay man, I must say that some of my qualms hold true even here.  I've never been a big fan of erotic fiction because for the most part the sex doesn't come across as believable, the storylines normally dont' for that matter either.  For the most part erotic fiction is sex fantasies put down on paper, at least that's what I normally get out of them.  So I'm always a little hesitant when reading a book that I know is going to have quite a few sex scenes, which as you can tell from the cover, this book does have.  Enough chatter from me, let's get to the book and it's review.
 
Despite all my reservations this was a quick paced romp of werewolves and sex told using a sexy couple who have an obvious attraction to each other.  What I loved about the relationship between Thad and Sam is that while it's definitely sexual, there is deep if rather quick connection between the two of them.  A connection that neither one can deny, even if they wish otherwise.  Theirs is a believable relationship that works despite the obvious mistrust that secrets can create between two people.
 
The only thing that bothered me was Thad's fickleness when things wouldn't go his way.  When he is faced with complications between him and Sam he turns to his friend Jared, who he may have feelings for.  This is explored at the end of the book, which while believable given the circumstances, leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth for Thad.  I still like him, just not sure I would ever want to date him.
 
Overall I enjoyed this one.  If you like hot sex between two guys with a dash of murder, mystery, and werewolf mayhem thrown in, I strongly recommend this book to you.
 
This will qualify for the GLBT Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by Amy of The Zen Leaf.

Wild Hunt by Margaret Ronald

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Genevieve Scelan thought she was done with magic.  She was wrong.

Sure, six weeks earlier Evie - bike messenger, supernatural tracker, and avid Red Sox fan - had been instrumental in bringing down the Fiana, the organization of magicians that had ruled Boston's undercurrent for hundreds of years. But now they were gone, Boston could breathe easy again, the Sox had a chance at the pennant, and Evie was ready to relax.

Except it turns out that when you take down the guy on top, everyone assumes you're going to fill his spot, and now Evie finds herself at the center of a whole lot of unwelcome magical attention. On top of that, a new client needs her to call up a family ghost and ask about a stolen inheritance; Evie's friend Nate has a supernatural problem of his own; and a legendary pack of hounds has been terrorizing Boston's undercurrent. And try as Evie might to deny the legacy that runs through her blood, when the Hunt is called, the Hound must run...
 
This is going to sound really strange but if I had written this review even a few days ago, I feel it would have been more positive.  For some reason over the last few days I've been going over in my head what I thought and felt while reading this book, and I'm now coming away with different thoughts.  I still really enjoyed the book and felt it was a good follow up to the first book in the series, Spiral Hunt, but now I'm also thinking it was a bit more confusing as well.
 
I'm absolutely in love with both Evie and Nate after this book and I was ecstatic to see them grow as characters and as a couple. Evie is forced into a situation where she is out on a limb with no sign up being able climb back down. With the defeat of Fiana, she is now being looked up to as the assumed leader of the magical community of Boston. Who else but the one who defeated the magic mob would take over? Nature abhors a vacuum, power can't survive in one. Evie needs to decided what she cares about more, her own life or that of the city. The choices she makes on the way will thrill and fascinate you. Evie is written with such a sense of humor that you can't help but like her and root for to come out on top.

Nate on the other hand is going through changes of his own.  He is still taking care of his younger sister, who seems to be growing in her own powers, and having to deal with a long absent father who wants to talk to him.   Little does Nate know but he is about to need Evie in a way that he never anticipated or that his father will be the catalyst for the change he is about to go through.
 
The characters and how the events they are participating in change their lives, is what I loved about this book.  They are both so human and so real that you as the reader are not only able to understand every decision they make, but you are hard pressed to think of a different way to handle them.
 
Now to what I'm not so sure I liked as much, namely that this book had way too much going on.  Evie is such a fun character that you want more of her and less of the crazy circumstance she finds herself in.  This book is chalk full of Chinese mythology, ghosts, time travel, lycanthropy, the Wild West, spirit roads, water spirits, the Wild Hunt, and the Gardner Museum.  There is so much going on that you almost feel sorry for Evie, she is never really able to stop and catch a breath.  Now since this is an urban fantasy book, every single element comes together at the end, but sometimes it's a little distracting to keep track of everything that is going on.
 
Even with all that being said, this was a solid second book in a series that I plan on following for as long as it lasts.

BBAW 2010 Registration Is Now Open

Well it's almost time for Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2010.  It's just around the corner and now is the time to get registered.  Registration ends on July 7th, so if you are interested in nominating your blog or even in voting you need to get over and register.

BBAW is a celebration of all things book blogging.  It's a time for awards, interviews, prizes and getting to know our fellow bloggers on a level you may not have before.  I had a blast last year and got to know some fantastic bloggers who I now consider friends.  So needless to say I'm very excited to participate this year as well.  Now I'm a little self effacing at times so for me to submit myself into the awards process took a little prodding from some friends (thank you guys).  Now that I've decided to take the plunge I'm excited to see what happens.

As part of this year's nominating process we are being asked to select a niche that we feel our particular blog falls into.  I'm rather all over the place as far as the books I review so the only niche that I would feel comfortable saying I'm in would be Best Eclectic Blog.  Once we decide on the niche, we need to select 5 posts that paints the picture of our blogs. 

So with no further ado here are my 5 posts for Best Eclectic Blog:

The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff

The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet by Myrlin A. Hermes

Dream House by Valerie Laken

In The Woods by Tana French

January GLBT Mini Challenge: Why Reading GLBT Works Is Important To Me