At the concert

A long-standing tradition is to go to see my friend Jackie's favorite band, Better Than Ezra every time they come to town. Last weekend was our fifth? or possibly sixth? time seeing them. (My friend on the end has not been elevated to crazed band groupie status, but we are working on him:-)

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Toys

For months I have said that I had absolutely no reason to get a Kindle.  But lately, I find that the Kindle apps for my computers and cell phone have made reading my award nominees really handy, especially when I am stuck at the auto repair or doctors office. I have tried the Nook apps but just don't find them as handy.  The text size is great but it takes up tons and tons of space on my phone and everything has seemed to run slower since I installed it.

I think this Kindle deserves to go on my "I don't need it as much as I need assorted house repair items but I really want it" Christmas/Birthday list.  Even more than that, I think I need a nicely loaded Amazon gift card so I can buy more e-books.

A Thousand Cuts

A Thousand Cuts by Detective Inspector Lucia May has been assigned to investigate what looks like an open and shut case of school violence. During the course of the investigation, she finds the reasons for a school teacher opening fire on a school assembly were not as clear and straightforward as everyone would like to believe.  Even as she continues to investigate in the face of extreme pressure from staff at the school, coworkers and even her supervisor she finds that discovering the reasons why the teacher did what he did will risk her the respect of her peers and even her career.

I could not stop thinking about this novel, which alternates first-hand witness police reports with third person narration of the investigation. This is an extremely effective portrayal of where mixing politics, money and a toxic school culture can lead.