In The Crossing Places, by Elly Griffiths, forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway gets involved in modern and ancient mysteries due in part to her specialization in bones.  Setting takes precedence in this lyrically written story set on the marshy northeast coast of England, the "crossing place," where land meets sea.  Feisty Ruth, seeking solace and independence in the desolate but gorgeous landscape she has come to love, is very much a part of the modern world, while exploring the ancient, and unearthing fascinating evidence of how landscape shaped early cultures, their rites, rituals and spiritual places.  Dialogue and character interaction move the story along, resulting in a finely wrought mystery tied inextricably to its incredible setting.

Hell or High Water by Joy Castro, a story of post-Katrina New Orleans, is a terrific read. Journalist Nola Cespedes, the mouthy, quirky and flawed heroine, immediately grabs the reader with her dialogue and headstrong activities.  Though you probably wouldn't do what she does, you can't help but love her.  The book is fast paced, dealing with a kidnapping/murder, the criminal world of New Orleans, and flashbacks into the past.  The language is brisk and snappy, reflecting contemporary dialogue, but what really shines is New Orleans itself.  I love books with a strong sense of place, and this is truly outstanding.  History, physical place, and characters combine in a fresh and totally non-touristy picture of the city. Differences in socio-economic backgrounds play a large part in establishing the theme of the book, characterized by Nola's search for her own identity.

The book cover exercises were a lot of fun.  I did quite well on the adult game, not so well on the children's...so...looks like that's where some attention needs to be focused.

After looking through the offerings for genre and ra resources, I chose Salon-books, and Street Fiction.  Both have clean, attractive layouts which appeal to me, and good content.  Street Fiction includes catergories, Urban fiction, Urban nonfiction, Urban Christian fiction and Urban teen fiction, which have good author, series and title lists.  I'm looking forward to exploring a genre I have not much experience with.

Day one - first success