Bayou Bytes Blog

The book that started it all... Very rarely do I pick up books with covers that feature a fetching young woman in 1920's garb, looking resolute, worried, or scared. These always end up being campy, poorly written, and redundant. However, in 2013, I picked up The Haunting of Maddy Clare (2012) by Simone St. James and thought, "What the heck? Let's go for it." I read it in one day. It was full of intrigue, historical accuracy, clever women, fighting the patriarchy, sexual tension (St. James can paint a steamy picture!), and, possibly best of all, ghosts. I made my mother read it, I did an entire display around it at my library job, and then unfortunately for me, forgot about it. Fast forward five years later, when I check out Lost Among the Living (2016). I read the other five St. James novels in a month. And am still obsessing over them. Simone St. James Simone St. James is a Canadian author who worked in television before becoming an author. She has made ...

For everyone who needs help and for everyone who is interested in helping, this is the best, comprehensive list I have found.   I swiped it from NPR , because, honestly, I trust them. General Relief Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner established a Harvey relief fund at  The Greater Houston Community Foundation . The organization  connects  donors with a network of nonprofits and innovative solutions in the social sector. GlobalGiving , which calls itself the largest global crowdfunding community, has a goal of raising $2 million for its Harvey relief fund. Funds will be used first for immediate needs of food, water and shelter and then transition to long-term recovery efforts. United Way of Greater Houston  has launched a relief fund for storm-related needs and recovery. The organization says it already maintains a disaster relief fund but anticipates the needs of Harvey will far exceed those existing resources. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy ...

The Ruth Galloway series, books 1 (2009)- 9 (2017). The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths, the first book in the Ruth Galloway series, sat on my to-read shelf for a long time. The murder mystery description had caught my eye, but at the same time, the story line described seemed mystical and almost stereotypical in it's 'British woman with bad ass job saves the day' angle. After letting it sit there for a long while, I finally dove into this one.  I regret that I didn't do it sooner. We are first introduced to British archaeologist, Ruth Galloway, through the discovery and exhumation of the body of a little girl, found in a salt marsh near Norfolk, England.  She is met by surly Detective Chief Inspector, Harry Nelson, who expects Ruth to date the body in hopes that is the solution to a long time cold case.  This brief bit of archaeological dating in tandem with the cold case intrigues Ruth, and she dives into a case that is much more complicated and much more deadl...

So, I am all for free books and you should be too! Good luck!!

Recently, I have embarked on a new, rather morbid fascination with nonfiction featuring shipwrecks and the stranded crew's quests for survival.  This is a departure from my usual crime spree nonfiction and my love for political nonfiction.  Shipwreck: the very word conjures up images of carnage, desperation, survival, unkempt beards, cannibalism, and the ultimate battle between the forces of nature and man.  As a society, we have romanticized the idea of a shipwreck, of the castaways stranded, and of the epic battle to get home.  There is absolutely nothing romantic about  Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing   and In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick .  These are stories of horrible circumstances, lives in peril, the brutality of nature, the despair and hopelessness that come with the dawning realization that they are probably not going to survive.  Nevertheless... I hate to a...

When a book starts out with "The problem with my life was that it was someone else's idea," you know you're in for a rough ride.  The heartbreaking and beautiful  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe  is rough, soft, draining, and uplifting in a way that is hoped for but unexpected.  Published in 2012 by American poet and author, Benjamin Alire Sáenz ,  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe  is a novel marketed to the young adult audience and explores a several year friendship between two Mexican-American young men, Aristotle (Ari) and Dante, who could not be anymore different.  However, they are strangely drawn to one another and become fast friends.   Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe  is more than just a story about friends though; it is about discovering the secrets of the universe, which, in the end, is discovering who you truly are. Ari is a quiet, unsure teen, who is st...

 As a librarian, people suggest books to me almost constantly.  Most suggestions are well-intended, but I usually do not heed them; I have very particular tastes in books and most of the suggestions do not make the cut.  However, when a coworker suggested The Rook by Daniel O'Malley, I considered and then put it on hold. Oh. My. Gosh.  What a book.  A 2012 debut (a DEBUT!!!!) novel from O'Malley, an Australian author, The Rook  begins with a woman in a park, at dark, surrounded by dead people wearing latex gloves, and no memory.  Long story short, Myfanwy Thomas is a member of the Checquy, a secret government organization dedicated to fighting the supernatural.  The Checquy, as Thomas discovers, is a hierarchical government agency that deals not only with supernatural events, but also with the everyday humdrum boring monotony of government work.  That is all I am going to give away about the plot.  This is the type of book that needs...