I think Geoffrey Dunn's The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power
should be required reading for anyone considering ever voting for or sending money to this woman. Of course, so far the audience seems to be the choir, those of us who believe she's a sociopathic narcissist who should never be anywhere near power. This book seems to be underrepresented on bookstore shelves, and the author hasn't garnered much media attention, which I think is a travesty. This is a well-written, exhaustively researched, and thought-provoking book about a political figure who could only have achieved prominence in this particular place and time. (Of course, the same is often said of Hitler.)Dunn paints a disturbing portrait, based on extensive interviews and research, of Palin as a pathological liar. He quotes her own press releases, Facebook and Twitter posts, and memoir to show how she distorts and denies facts (such as declaring her relief at being cleared of any ethics violations in regard to "Troopergate," in response to the bipartisan investigating committee's announcement that she had committed ethical violations by abusing the power of her office). Because I follow several anti-Palin blogs, much of the information in the book wasn't new to me, although Dunn pulls everything together cohesively and provides extensive context and background. And he fleshes out some scandals to which I'd seen many allusions online but of which I'd been unable to find details.
Especially telling is Dunn's account of the 2008 Presidential campaign, which Palin seems to have assumed, rightfully or not, was all about her rather than John McCain. I haven't yet read Game Change
, though it's on my list, but Dunn refers to some of the more notorious incidents from that book. It's clear from his account that to Palin, "going rogue" means doing whatever she wants, whenever she wants, regardless of expense or inconvenience to anyone else, prior commitments and promises she herself made, or political or personal ramifications. A final note: Palin, in her nauseatingly oft-repeated meme about being a victim of the "lamestream media," whines about the scrutiny of her children. Without subjecting them to further undue scrutiny, Dunn shows just how much she has contributed to the media interest in her kids by constantly referring to them in ways other candidates and political figures didn't and don't. He contrasts McCain and Biden, who both had sons in the Armed Forces, with Palin, who uses her son's military record as a credential. (She now refers to him as a "combat vet" even though his discharge papers show that in Iraq, his job was driving top officials around--he never saw combat.)
This is, as I've said, an excellent read, but I had to take it in small doses. It's discouraging that by uttering a few catch phrases and palling around with Franklin Graham (Billy Graham's son and the CEO of Samaritan's Purse, who draws a million-dollar annual salary from the "charity"), a charlatan like this woman can stir up the religious right, even though there's so little evidence that Christianity is anything more to her than a buzzword to garner votes.
by Mehmet Murat Somer is set in two locales that might be exotic and unfamiliar to most readers (as they were to me): Istanbul, Turkey, and specifically its drag culture. Our narrator, a computer hacker by day, hosts a drag club by night. No sooner does she become infatuated with a wealthy lawyer than his brother-in-law is arrested for murdering a minibus driver and gigolo. Our intrepid heroine, who models her wardrobe choices on Audrey Hepburn's movie attire, sets out to investigate. 
, and I hope for more entries, although the fact that both titles are remaindered on Amazon (and I picked this one up in the $1 bin at Borders) doesn't seem auspicious.
, are stronger and more intense reads.
is a Chief Inspector Gamache/Three Pines mystery, and I'd advise reading the previous entries in the series before tackling this one. The book affords more insights into Gamache's relationship with his wife, Raine-Marie, as well as Penny's usual insights into her characters. Sometimes these insights become a bit excessive, but the strength of the series is in its well-drawn, sympathetic, complex characters. In this case, Penny reveals a dark, calculating facet to a beloved Three Pines character, with repercussions for the rest of the village and for Gamache, who finds himself investigating someone who has become a dear friend.
by MaryJoy Martin is a collection of Colorado ghost stories. Fairly entertaining for those who like such things, and with a few stories that I think could inspire some interesting fiction eventually...
, and it's a fine introduction indeed. A woman comes to the attention of the police as a result of a hit-and-run accident. She keeps their attention by claiming she is one of a pair of sisters kidnapped thirty years earlier. While she has intimate knowledge of the case, however, pieces of her story don't quite add up, and she isn't entirely cooperative with their investigation.
by Thomas Emson
consists of three R.L. Stine novels: The Curse of Camp Cold Lake, Ghost Camp, and Welcome to Camp Nightmare. I'd never read a "Goosebumps" title, and I didn't have high expectations, but I was still disappointed. I'd hoped for a good little frisson of fear, at least; only the first title delivered, and only sort of. I didn't see the end coming; the twist was decent, but the narrator was such a brat that I had trouble caring about her fate.
by Max Brooks, but it received enough positive press that I figured I'd check it out. I'm glad I did! It's an innovative, sometimes dystopian and sometimes triumphant chronicle of a 10-year zombie war and the people who survived. The characters are strong and compelling; Brooks captures their many voices well, sometimes in only a few pages. Despite the different narrative voices, the continuity is strong, and the story builds effectively.
, Jasper Kent continues
by Christine King