How to use this Page

I tend to prefer books which use the city as a backdrop for the action of the story, rather than books which are about a particular city. Yet, I know there is a desire for parents to find books which will introduce famous cities to their children, perhaps hoping that it will instill an appreciation for and curiousity about other places, or a desire to visit other lands.

Tim Egan's Dodsworth easy reader series does a great job of introducing young readers to famous cities but without taking them on a boring walking tour. The delightfully quirky Dodsworth and his stowaway duck sidekick reminded me of a screwball comedy duo. Each humorous book follows the pair on their misadventures through each city. I liked the details Egan slips in, like how everyone on Fifth Avenue is smartly dressed, or how the duck inadvertently creates an impressionist painting in Paris by dancing on his artwork. Currently available are Dodsworth in New York, Dodsworth in Paris, and Dodsworth in London. Dodsworth in Rome is up next (April 2011), and after that...? I vote for Dodsworth in Madrid.

This reminds me, I need

It is thanks to LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program that I received The Dogs of War: A Commissario Alec Blume by Conor Fitzgerald. The Dogs of War is the first of a series of Alec Blume novels - detective mysteries set in present day Rome.



The blurb:
In a hot summer morning, Arturo Clement is sloppily murdered in his Roman apartment by a mysterious slasher. The killing is brutal, amateurish, and by all appearances random. But Clemente is no ordinary victim: He has made enemies by campaigning against illegal dog fighting, and he is married to a prominent politician. And his mistress is Manuela Innocenzi, the daughter of a dangerous crime boss.

By the time police inspector Alec Blume arrives at the crime scene, it has already been compromised. Blume, a clever American expatriate with skeletons in his closet and a disposition against authority, soon realizes that he is being watched from on high. Forced to negotiate with powerful, suspicious people on all sides of teh law, Blume must rely on instinct, drive, and luck to find the killer.

But Blume is contending with more than a search for justice. The murder of his own parents continues to haunt him, and his solitary existence and petulant nature are now beginning to risk more innocent lives. As he careens toward the conclusion of the case, he must decide who to trust, when to take a stand, and when to step back and save his own neck.

The Dogs of Rome is both a riveting detective story and a vision of underground Rome. Blume is a perfect hero for this story: intelligent but flawed, cynical but unafraid. He is a trustworthy and compelling protagonist for this first installment in a gritty and promising series.

Review:
I am partial to detective mysteries and especially enjoy those set in exotic locations or historic periods. So, I jumped at the chance to review the first novel in Colin Fitzgerald's Commissario Alec Blume series, The Dogs of War.Set in present day Rome, The Dogs of Rome combines a familiarity with Rome, Roman culture, and Italian politics with a strong and complex detective mystery. Alec Blume is a flawed but engaging character - and a fine detective. When faced with an unusual murder scene, he systematically searches for the truth - wading through corrupted evidence, ignoring pointed directives from his superiors and pressure from both the political elite and powerful players in the criminal world.Alec Blume isn't just driven by a desire to learn the truth - he is sufficiently worldly and the reader realizes that there is more to him than that. But for his cynicism, Blume has a strong appreciation of the innocent and the good, and an appeal to his better self leads him to promise to find the truth no matter where it leads. It leads the reader to on a fascinating chase with unexpected twists and a satisfying conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed The Dogs of Rome by Conor Fitzgerald and am looking forward to reading more adventures of Commissario Alec Blume.

ISBN-10: 1608190153 - Hardcover $25.00
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First Edition edition (March 2, 2010), 400 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher and through LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

About the Author:
Conor Fitzgerald has lived in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Italy. He has worked as an arts editor, p

As we all exit the colloseum the roars became hideous as the rape continued. Dick was dragged front and center for the crowds pleasure as more joined in on their fun. It was the Taliban that took over from there. My, my, how the wheels of Karma spin swiftly when the gears are oiled nice and right. Ophelia instructs me to view the envelope that was presented with Christ painted on so artfully. The envelope was dressed with a golden sealed ribbon that shined in the rays of sunlight.

When I pulled the golden ribbon it opened with a glowing light of warmth. The card was in the shape of a golden leaf sent from the Pope with an obligatory invitation to see him. Wow, an invitation to see the Pope within the Vatican. I guess I’m making some progress in the right direction. It also stated I was to arrive alone and it was an important invite. The Jinni’s were not upset. Actually quite happy not to attend. The card seemed to pull me in the direction of where I was headed and the Jinni’s stated that in an instant thought, they would be with me in seconds if any trouble were to arise. Always thanking them I said, “I’m off to see the Pope, will see you all this evening.” And in an instant they vanished in the cool breeze.

  The whole climax was quite a rush and the adrenalin was still pumping within me. When I arrived at the Vatican, there were two Bishops greeting my invitation, leading me inside. The view of this awesome Biblical castle was illustrious and just so wonderous. I was completely enthralled by it all. Amazing architectural designs of pure artistry and serene power. They quickly ushered me to see the man of the hour, Mr. Pope.

“Greetings my son of God. You are a mighty man”. I reply, “I am honoured to be in the presence of such holy grace. I’m speechless.”  Speaking with a mighty tongue he continues, ” You are a warrior among us, and a warrior of God.”  He adds, ” I am the only High Priest to bless you. I permitted the battle to prove that good will always prevail over evil and that truth shines like the mornings sun with a dazzling performance of rightousness by the mighty of one. You Sterling Christianson  have won that battle. There will be many more ahead of you son, but now you have the true blessings of me, The Pope.” He splashed Holy water on me and waved the sign of the cross and with a silent tongue I left in awe.

It was a long morning and great day that left me with deep hunger for food and  thirst for the finest wine Rome had to offer. As I drifted to the nearest cafe surrounded by olive trees a small but precious leaf floated into my hand with a softening touch of serenity. It was over. The nightmare was finally over for sure. I kept the leaf tucked within my fingers and sat down to order some fine Italian cuisine thinking, What the hell am I going to tell my wife?                                                                                                                                                                                                         

As we all exit the colloseum the roars became hideous as the rape continued. Dick was dragged front and center for the crowds pleasure as more joined in on their fun. It was the Taliban that took over from there. My, my, how the wheels of Karma spin swiftly when the gears are oiled nice and right. Ophelia instructs me to view the envelope that was presented with Christ painted on so artfully. The envelope was dressed with a golden sealed ribbon that shined in the rays of sunlight.

When I pulled the golden ribbon it opened with a glowing light of warmth. The card was in the shape of a golden leaf sent from the Pope with an obligatory invitation to see him. Wow, an invitation to see the Pope within the Vatican. I guess I’m making some progress in the right direction. It also stated I was to arrive alone and it was an important invite. The Jinni’s were not upset. Actually quite happy not to attend. The card seemed to pull me in the direction of where I was headed and the Jinni’s stated that in an instant thought, they would be with me in seconds if any trouble were to arise. Always thanking them I said, “I’m off to see the Pope, will see you all this evening.” And in an instant they vanished in the cool breeze.

  The whole climax was quite a rush and the adrenalin was still pumping within me. When I arrived at the Vatican, there were two Bishops greeting my invitation, leading me inside. The view of this awesome Biblical castle was illustrious and just so wonderous. I was completely enthralled by it all. Amazing architectural designs of pure artistry and serene power. They quickly ushered me to see the man of the hour, Mr. Pope.

“Greetings my son of God. You are a mighty man”. I reply, “I am honoured to be in the presence of such holy grace. I’m speechless.”  Speaking with a mighty tongue he continues, ” You are a warrior among us, and a warrior of God.”  He adds, ” I am the only High Priest to bless you. I permitted the battle to prove that good will always prevail over evil and that truth shines like the mornings sun with a dazzling performance of rightousness by the mighty of one. You Sterling Christianson  have won that battle. There will be many more ahead of you son, but now you have the true blessings of me, The Pope.” He splashed Holy water on me and waved the sign of the cross and with a silent tongue I left in awe.

It was a long morning and great day that left me with deep hunger for food and  thirst for the finest wine Rome had to offer. As I drifted to the nearest cafe surrounded by olive trees a small but precious leaf floated into my hand with a softening touch of serenity. It was over. The nightmare was finally over for sure. I kept the leaf tucked within my fingers and sat down to order some fine Italian cuisine thinking, What the hell am I going to tell my wife?                                                                                                                                                                                                         

(Venice, Italy) That image you see is not Venice, it is Rome. There has always been a bit of conflict between Venice and Rome -- Venice was excommunicated by the Pope on more than one occassion, which did not stop Venice from doing business as usual.

I spoke earlier today with a friend from Milano who was in Sienna. He was the first one to tell me about the flooding in Rome, where it has been declared a natural disaster by the mayor, and so far three people have died. The River Tiber is threatening to overflow its banks as I write this. He asked me how things were in Venice. Here are my observations:

On my way to dinner last night, I noticed the precautions the businesses had taken in response to the three level siren alarm. The restaurant downstairs on the riva was serving dinner right on the Grand Canal as the water licked toward the feet of the customers. I said, you are open? They laughed. "Always!" The wooden planks for walking had been set in place. A bank (as in a place to store your money) had very neatly moved everything off the floor and up on the desks, then locked up for the night. The doors in front of all the shops had their high-water blockades set in place.

Then, this morning we all had on our high water boots as we went about our day; otherwise it was pretty much business as usual. There was a feeling of comradery, as if we were all in this together and would simply make the best of things. A Canadian woman in Campo San Maurizio asked me how to get to the University of Ca' Foscari for a conference; she had on shoes, not boots. I said, you are not prepared. She was from Ottawa. I said, surely you have boots in Ottawa and she said her boots were too warm for Venice. With some deft twists and turns, I managed to bring her to the vaporetto stop at Sant 'Angelo without getting her feet wet.

There were very few tourists, and the ones who were here were having fun. It was easy to separate the wise from the uneducated tourists today because the latter either didn't have their boots on, or they were wearing the noisy plastic tourist boots. At the top of the Rialto Bridge I saw some very interesting boots similar to our boots, but different -- they were elegant, yet practical. I said, "Where did you get those boots?" They said, "We are from Northern France and we brought them from there."

I think this is a great new fad and that all tourists coming to Venice should bring their high-water boots from their own countries. In fact, perhaps we should start importing them. There's a fantastic new business idea for all you Venetian merchants, and I am quite sure you will make a profit. A store called Aqua Alta Supplies for all your high-water needs.

I hear the ever-enterprising hotel association is offering high water boots as part of a package, with a map of alternate routes. The museums and art galleries are dry. People are cheerful. The streets have never been cleaner. It couldn't be a better time to come to Venice!

Ciao from Venice,
Cat
http://venetiancat.blogspot.com/

(Click on event name for more information)

Shanghai International Literacy Festival~ Mar 1 - 15, Shanghai, China

The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival~ Mar 2 - 12, Hong Kong

Adelaide Festival Awards For Literature Winners Announced~ Mar 2, Adelaide, Australia

Growing Up Asian in America Art & Essay Contest for Youth~ entry deadline Mar 6, San Francisco, CA, USA

World Book Day~ Mar 6, United Kingdom and Ireland

The 12th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 7 - 8, Redlands, CA, USA

Masak-Masak: A Potluck of Delectable Stories from Around the World~ Mar 8, Singapore

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winner Announced~ Mar 12, Vimmerby, Sweden

World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20

World Poetry Day~ Mar 21

Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia

Bangkok International Book Fair~ Mar 26 - Apr 7, Bangkok, Thailand

The Toronto Festival of Storytelling~ Mar 28 - Apr 6, Toronto, ON, Canada

Storylines Margaret Mahy Award Lecture~ Mar 29, Pakuranga, New Zealand

Tom Fitzgibbon Award and Joy Cowley Award Winners Announced~ Mar 29, Pakuranga, New Zealand

Bologna Children’s Book Fair~ Mar 31 - Apr 3, Bologna, Italy

Hans Christian Anderson Awards Announced~ Mar 31, Bologna, Italy