California Demon / Frisco Pigeon Mambo

two new book reviews this week.. already working on my third…
perhaps i should be investing some of this reading time into scanning business reply cards…. nah…. maybe later….

California Demon – Julie Kenner
California Demon is the second book in the Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series. it picked up about 4 months after the last book and dragged me into the depths of “Momhood” all over again. i wont go into much detail as the read is well worth the hours you would put into it.
after surviving the last book, Kate is caught up in another treacherous demon scheme where she has to save humanity from high level demons. this time she has extra worries though.. Chapter one begins the problems with her deceased husband. secret notes from him, bank accounts.. and HIS SOUL POSSIBLY INHABITING THE BODY OF HER DAUGHTERS SCIENCE TEACHER! man… its like a soap opera for me,, i cant get enough..
in order to savor the series a little more, i am taking a break to read a couple other books before hitting the third. the third picks up with in minutes of the ending book two gave us.
according to Julie Kenner’s website, the rights for audiobooks of both Carpe Demon and California Demon have been sold. This could be good or bad, it depends on if Julie Kenner does the readings. i have found i gain far more satisfaction from audiobooks read by the author than read by other individuals. they know their book inside and out. they know the proper pronunciation of different name and words they chose to use. they can add inflection and extra enunciation to portions they feel need more depth. they can also purposefully choose to remove inflection in order to throw off listeners and or add doubt about characters.. someone who just reads it may read it well, but in the end they are just reading, not story telling/weaving.
Frisco Pigeon Mambo – C.D. Payne
This book caught me off guard. it was loaned to me by Jenn as one of her favorite books/authors. I tend not to read the backs of books or movies that i will be consuming immediately. reading the summary or teaser will give away too much information. i find myself remembering bits and pieces of the blurb and wondering when they are going to happen. It isnt as bad as when a DVD menu shows all the good parts in the background, but it is enough that it makes aspects of reading a bit uncomfortable, and often times frustrating. i cracked this book open on recommendation alone and was immediately laughing and sucked into the pages.
Frisco Pigeon Mambo is the story of three pigeons (robin, honky, and petey). They are part of a study in a laboratory in which they are “volunteers” for test group C. Test group C spends all day eating Organic Pigeon Chow, drinking Sherry from beakers, and smoking cigarettes from the “smoke-o-matic”. each of them believe themselves to be doing the great work of helping out other humans as part of the volunteer study. thats right, i said other humans… these pigeons believe they are people, and look down on the pigeon world they have heard so much about.
one chapter in, whilst they are being read the “Maltese Falcon” by Maryanne, a lab tech, members of the animal rights group ARF burst into the room and decide to free all of the animals, even the ones who are perfectly content smoking and drinking sherry all day.
The book really picks up from there, showing how these miniaturized humans fight to survive in a city they dont understand. stealing cigarettes and booze they become hated and feared city wide as “the killer pigeons”, though this is confusing to them as they are people, not pigeons. Their only true hope is to find Sam Spade, the detective from the Maltese Falcon story, as he could help guide them back to the lab where they can continue working for the greater good, and have all the smokes and sherry they can ingest again… ahhh, the good ol’ days.
i suggest listening to Sinatra and other similar music while reading this.
Details:
California Demon
  • Paperback: 342 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade; 2006
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 042521043X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425210437
Frisco Pigeon Mambo

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