Ace and Hoser Blook

Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers by Louise Rennison

2012-01-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers by Louise Rennison
Teen

Georgia Nicolson is back, worrying about her love life, looks, and friends. When she learns that she's going to the USA (Hamburger-ago-go land, as she calls it), she invites her friend Jas and then tries to come up with a plan to find her love, Masimo, who is in the USA playing music. What she doesn't realize is that she's going to Memphis and Masimo is in New York City.

True to all other Georgia Nicolson books, Georgia is incredibly rude to her friends. Why any of her friends would want to be friends is completely beyond me because she's so self-absorbed and rude. Despite there, there are still funny moments in the book and they usually involve Georgia's sister and/or the cats Angus and Gordy. Overall, not that great but still mildly entertaining.

First Line: "Sun shining like a big yellow shining...er, warmey planet on fire thing."

Rating:
(2.5/5)

The Keeper of Lost Causes

2012-01-22T16:10:00.002-05:00

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Mystery

Carl Mørck is a Danish homicide policeman. He was considered one of the best. In his last case he was shot in the head, another officer died and his partner is paralyzed and suicidal. He is feeling guilty. Mørck is now disgruntled, morose and abrasive. The other officers want nothing to do with him.

Copenhagen police have been instructed to set up a Department Q which will look at cold cases of national interest. Mørck is promoted and set up as the department chief in the basement of headquarters. Mørck thinks this is his dream job where he does not have to do anything but put his feet up, smoke and dream his life away.

Mørck finds out that along with the creation of the new department is a large budget which the homicide department is intending to use. He bargains and gets an assistant, Assad, a car and some needed equipment. Ah, life is so easy!!

However, Assad who is really the janitor prods Mørck to actually do his job. Mørck selects the five year case of Merete Lynggaard who is missing and presumed killed. Lynggaard was the head of the Social Democrat party and a bright and shining star on the political scene.

In a parallel story the novel traces Lynggaard who is held in a pressure chamber and her torture over the past years.

Mørck is be-leaguered, difficult and disliked by his colleagues but the reader sees through this and understands his flaws which makes this protagonist one of my favourites. There is an aura of mystery surrounding Assad which I hope will be probed further as this series progresses.

An excellent read.

First Line: "She scratched her fingertips on the smooth walls until they bled, and pounded her fists on the thick panes until she could no longer feel her hands."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Julie and Romeo Get Lucky by Jeanne Ray

2012-01-19T22:09:00.002-05:00

Julie and Romeo Get Lucky by Jeanne Ray
Romance

Julie and Romeo have worked past their decades-old family feud, falling in love, and combined their two flower shops to one business. Julie's biggest concern is her granddaughter's obsession with watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory until Romeo blows his back out and is stuck in Julie's bed, unable to move. Then her daughter becomes pregnant with triplets and forced to bed rest, which she decides to take in Julie's home. Suddenly, Julie has a house filled of people stuck in bed plus her regular guests of her other daughter's entire family.

How Julie has enough patience to deal with all the demanding people in her house is beyond me. I would have snapped on the first day. This book was cute, but the continuous mentions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory started grating on my nerves. Despite that, I think this was actually better than the first book. I'm not sure if there's a third one yet but I could see it easily following this book.

First Line: "I heard the Candyman's voice as soon as I opened the door."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2012-01-12T22:43:00.000-05:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Teen

Katniss Everdeen is a teenager living in District 12 of a land once known as North America, now known as Panem. The Capitol runs the land, surrounded by 12 districts and an area where the 13th was but was obliterated when an uprising occurred. As part of the punishment for the districts rebelling, every year a Hunger Games is held where two teens from each district are selected as tributes to compete in a gruesome game to last person standing. Each tribute is tasked with killing the others until they is only one left and it is televised for all to see.

When Katniss' younger sister Prim's name is pulled to join the Games, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. Peeta, the baker's son, is picked to go with her and he has had a crush on Katniss for a very long time. The two play up the lovers angle trying to get sympathy from viewers because gifts can be given during the Games. When thrown in to the Games, the two require a lot of strength, courage, and determination to get through one of the worst experiences of their lives and make sure they come out alive.

I had a lot of trouble putting this book down at night because I needed to know what was going to happen to Katniss and Peeta at the end of the book. I was continuously surprised that there wasn't more anger from all of the tributes at being thrown in to this situation by the Capitol and the parents of the tributes didn't seem to care much either. The Games have been going on for over 70 years, why wasn't there another uprising to stop their kids from being slaughtered?

I really enjoyed Katniss as a character. She's just what young girls need as a literary character to look up to. I'm sure this will make a great movie.

First Line: "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Speak of the Devil by Richard Hawke

2012-01-08T00:27:00.003-05:00

Speak of the Devil by Richard Hawke
Thriller

Fritz Malone is the bastard son of the former police commissioner in New York City and knows a thing or two about the job. Rather than becoming a cop though, he became a private investigator. Fritz goes out to get his girlfriend some bagels and finds himself in the middle of a Thanksgiving day massacre at the parade. He takes a gun from a fallen cop, chases the shooter, and shots him in the arm before police take him and the gunman in to custody. Fritz finds himself in the middle of a blackmail scandal of the mayor that the police don't want the media to find out about. He's asked to quietly investigate when another bomb goes off and another note is received from the blackmailer. Fritz needs to find this guy, and fast, to stop more people from getting hurt.

Fritz has a great dry sense of humor that easily enamors him to the reader. Even in stressful situations, he always has a comeback or a quip. I really enjoyed him as a character and felt that his relationship with his girlfriend was quite believable.

In terms of the mystery, it was a fast-paced thriller. Hawke leaves clues for the reader throughout the story but the twist at the end is still surprising. I would pick up Hawke's next novel for Fritz Malone.

First Line: "If she had known she would be dead in another five minutes, maybe she wouldn't have swatted her son so hard."

Rating:
(4/5)

Home Front

2012-01-02T13:17:00.006-05:00

Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Fiction/Literature

Michael and Joleen Zarkades are an average American couple. Michael is a criminal defense lawyer and Joleen is in the National Guard and flies a Black Hawk helicopter. They have two children, Betsy, age 12 and Lulu, age 4. They have been married for twelve years but are now facing a difficult patch in their marriage with the big D (divorce) looming.

Betsy has just entered middle school and is at the, to borrow a term from the book, frenemy stage. Her best friends are friends one day and enemies as cruel as they can be the next day. She is obnoxious to her mother and her father has distanced himself from his family so Betsy is anxious for his attention.

All their lives are changed as Joleen is called up for deployment to Iraq. She is duty-bound to go but what happens to her family and how does she cope worrying about them as they are worrying about her

This book is about duty, honour, love, forgiveness and surmounting the difficulties in one's life. PTSD is the main topic and is well-researched. This book is about American forces but could just as easily be written about our Canada forces in Afghanistan. There is a strong message and one that should be read. Our forces need our consideration and help even when they have returned from these countries. These men and women have given up their lives for us and even though some of us may not understand this level of commitment one has to admire what they go though over there and upon their return.

To say this book is emotional is a vast understatement, I spent the greater part of it in tears. Another winner from this great author

First Line: "The way she saw it, some families were like well-tended parks, with pretty daffodil borders and big, sprawling trees that offered respite from the summer sun."

Video in which Kristin interviewed helicopter pilot and mother, Warrant Officer Teresa Burgess, who was an advisor to Kristin for HOME FRONT

Buy this Book

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain

2011-12-29T23:10:00.001-05:00

Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain
Mystery/Thriller

Anthony Bourdain is best known as a chef and the author of Kitchen Confidential. This novel is his first attempt at fiction and it tells the story of Tommy, nephew to a mobster but trying to break away from that lifestyle and make one as a chef. He has a job working as a sous-chef at a fancy French restaurant, but his uncle Sally got him that job. Tommy becomes close to the head chef, Michael, who has a methadone addiction and he also learns that Sally has his hand in the restaurant, with the owner owing him business. As the FBI closes in, they try to squeeze anyone they can about more information on Sally and his cronies.

Since Bourdain knows all the ins and outs of the restaurant business, it's no surprise that his first fiction novel focuses around a restaurant. That's really where his writing shines, when the speaks about making food and being in the kitchen. The mobster/mystery part of the book was a bit lack-luster. It could have been any old book about mobsters. I would read one of Bourdain's non-fiction books but I don't think I'd pick up another of his fiction works.

First Line: "That the dead body should be found washed up on the beach was not so unusual."

Rating:
(3/5)

Speak of the Devil

2011-12-28T14:41:00.002-05:00

Speak of the Devil by Richard Hawke
Mystery

Fritz Malone, a private investigator and bastard son of a former police chief decides to go out for bagels on a beautiful Thanksgiving morning. He lingers to watch the parade and suddenly sees a gunman taking aim on the princess on a float. Fritz throws the bagels at the princess , saving her life and takes after the gunman. Both Fritz and the gunman are apprehended by the police and instead of being driven to the local precinct are driven to a building near police headquarters.

Fritz learns that the city as been under the threats of Nightmare for awhile and this is one of those threats being carried out. The gunman turns out to be only a messenger and the current police commissioner asks Fritz to take this case on before any more threats are carried out.

Speak of the Devil is an intrigue and thriller that reels the reader in and keeps him turning the pages. I did not see the end coming and this makes it a great whodunit for me. Fritz is an engaging detective with loads of baggage and his girlfriend Margo is a perfect counterpoint for him. I will look forward to the next in the series.

First Line: "If she had known she would be dead in another five minutes, she wouldn't have swatted her son so hard"

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Informed Consent by Sandra Glahn

2011-12-23T22:51:00.000-05:00

Informed Consent by Sandra Glahn
Fiction

Dr. Jeremy Cramer has lived through many tragedies, including his father drowning in water and his son dying in a car crash. He's always blamed himself for those accidents in the back of his mind and wondered what he could do about them. As an infectious disease researcher, Jeremy gets the chance to research why children usually survive cold water submersion but adults don't. Politics makes him change his research focus to slowing down the progression of AIDS but there are applications there too.

Having to put in many late nights, Jeremy's marriage is in shambles. His wife blames him for their son's death though she hasn't admitted to it. Things get even worse when Jeremy puts another of his children in danger by bringing him in to the lab at work. Jeremy wonders why he dangers everything he loves.

This book continuously poses ethical questions and makes you question what you would do in the same scenario. Given the chance, I think I'd act similarly to the main character. Despite this book being a medical book, the author did a good job of explaining all of the medical terms in laymen terms.

Glahn makes it easy to immediately connect with the characters, which allows the reader to get in to the book quite quickly. I had troubles putting the book down!

First Line: "Like most children, Jeremy Cramer thought his children would never die."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The one you really want

2011-12-22T12:59:00.002-05:00

The one you really want by Jill Mansell
Romance

Nancy's husband gave her a shiny new red lawnmower for Christmas. But Nancy had figured she was getting jewelry when the local jeweler sent her husband a thank-you card for all his business. Nancy leaves Edinburgh and her adulterous husband for her friend Carmen's luxury London flat.

Carmen's husband Spike the member of a famous rock band died and Carmen figures she will now be single for the rest of her life. She has a ton of money and a beautiful flat which she will share with Nancy and her husband's brother Rennie.

Carmen's next door neighbour is Connor whose daughter Mia has come to live with him. Mia can't stand her father's current girlfriend and decides to play matchmaker with some disastrous results.

This was an amusing read. A great romance with quite a few characters which makes it that more interesting

First Line: "'Go on, you can say it,' Nancy offered, because it was so obviously what Carmen was longing to blurt out down the phone."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore

2011-12-18T21:31:00.003-05:00

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore
Literature/Fiction

Most of the residents of Pine Cove are on anti-depressants, as prescribed by the local psychiatrist Dr. Val Riordan. But when one of her patients allegedly commits suicide, Dr. Val thinks that maybe it's a better idea for none of her patients to be on medicine and forces them to take placebos. But a sudden, very weird, event causes a few people to go missing and seems to cause the entire city to become horny. The event turns out to be a giant sea-dragon coming out of the sea to seek revenge on a man that killed one of his family members.

Typical to all Christopher Moore books, this quirky tale is completely off the wall but still incredibly entertaining. I found that there were a bit too many characters to keep track of in this novel. I don't think Mavis, the bar owner, was a necessary character and things could have been cut out to reduce the confusion to the reader. There's usually a laugh-out-loud point of all Moore books but I didn't find that with this book.

First Line: "September in Pine Cove is a sigh of relief, a nightcap, a long-deserved nap."

Rating:
(4/5)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2011-12-07T21:46:00.001-05:00

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Fiction

A man and his boy set out in a post-apocalyptic world down a road, heading south to warmer climates. The world has been like this for a few years and the father decides they can't stand another winter where they are. Life is getting more and more dangerous because there is less and less food. It seems that plants and most animals haven't been able to survive the disaster, whatever the disaster is.

The story paints a picture of a very stressful and weary journey for the two. The father wants nothing more than to protect his son, both from danger and from seeing things a young child shouldn't see, which is incredibly difficult in this time. The conversations between the two is quite brief but is usually filled with hope though at sometime it's forced hope.

For such a grim subject, this book is surprisingly easy to read. Looking back on this book, if I were to write a post-apocalyptic book, I'd include all of the elements from this book: a journey, trying to find food, finding bad guys, etc. Yet somehow the book still seemed like it was original. I really enjoyed this read.

First Line: "When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he'd reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Fool's Mate

2011-12-06T13:58:00.003-05:00

Fool's Mate by Laura Pedersen
Romance

Josie Kincaid is a hard-worked and underpaid Journalist who is the go-to person in the TV newsroom where she works. She re-writes stories, checks facts and dreams of becoming an investigative journalist and changing the world. In order to achieve this she has become one of the guys, drinking too much, sleeping around and being very aggressive.

Josie has shared her office with a bunch of other journalists. When she has scared off the latest office mate, it is Calvin Thomas, son of a well-known Connecticut senator who moves in. He is everything Josie hates; preppy, monied, Republican and engaged. Calvin is a lawyer who wants to give journalism a 'try' instead of going into the family business of politics. Josie is everything Calvin hates; out-spoken, a slob and angry.

As this fast-paced story progresses Josie is forced to acknowledge her destructive behaviour. Josie finds that lifestyle changes are hard to achieve. But when Josie gets the assignment of a lifetime she is forced to look at life differently.

Laura Pederson has written a romance with a little intrigue and humour. I loved the station manager T.E. and his witty sayings. I found Josie a bit hard to understand and relate to at first as she is such a hard-core journalist but as the story progressed one can not help but root for her.

First Line: "The president of the United States was in the middle of surgery to remove a polyp from the presidential colon, a volcano of Vesuvian ferocity had erupted in Alaska, there'd been an assassination attempt on the military dictator of Myanmar, and it was only nine o'clock in the morning."
Buy this Book

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2011-12-02T22:55:00.001-05:00

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Science Fiction

Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy go to a special school that's on for kids like them. They live there and learn there and, in many ways, they are like normal teenagers. But some things don't seem to make much sense to those three and as they slowly start to peel away the layers, they learn more about what their future is going to be like. As they learn about their future, they also need to go through regular teenage problems, like betrayal, gossip, and sex.

Years later, Kathy meets up with Ruth and Tommy to re-live some of their good times together and some of their more passionate arguments. They still have a lot of questions about what happened while they were at school and what's still to happen to them in the future.

This book is a very subtle science fiction. The way Ishiguro presented the more science fiction elements of this book were slipped in to the book like they were no big deal and as if they are secondary elements to the story. Not only were these elements the odder parts of the story but they were also the twists in the story and I don't recall ever having read a book where the author is so nonchalant about the twists of his story.

One thing I never understood about the book is why the characters just accept their fate. Why don't some of them run away? Some of them would dream of running off to the USA and becoming actors. Why didn't they try? Also, why did Kathy put up with Ruth all that time? I would have given up with her and found other friends.

First Line: "My name is Kathy H."

Rating:
(4/5)

Isle of Palms

2011-11-30T11:10:00.001-05:00

Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank
Women's Fiction

Anna Abbott grew up on the Isle of Palms(IOP) and moved away when her mother died and her emotionally cold grandmother and controlling father took her to Mount Pleasant to live. However the IOP has been in Anna's heart for a long time. Anna was date raped at her senior prom and has a daughter, Emily.

Anna married her best friend Jim who is gay and for 10 years they raised Emily together. Emily has just finished her first year in college and Anna decides to buy a small house on IOP. And if that is not enough Anna loses her hair dressing job and decides to start her own salon.

This is a book about the low country which I love. It is so nice to read about areas one is familiar with. The book is woman's fiction but also romance with a good dose of humour.

I could not understand the lack of anger which seemed to surround the rape. Maybe this is because of her beautiful daughter but it might also be because so many years have passed. There were a lot of quirky friends and neighbours which lead to a fun read even though the plot is a little feeble

First Line: "Okay."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Testimony

2011-11-29T15:12:00.002-05:00

Testimony by Anita Shreve
Literature/Fiction

When the headmaster of a Vermont Prep school receives a videotape of three basketball players engaging in sex with a underage girl, he has to decide what to do. Should he cover it up or expose it and what should happen to the people involved?

This book shows how this incident affects everyone. The boys themselves, the 14 year old girl, the parents of the boys and even the school and future athletes. Each person's voice is heard and this is what makes this story so interesting. The book shows what happens in the future but also what went on in the past to bring the boys to this room.

This all stems from a single slip of a car on black ice. WOW!

First Line: "It was a small cassette, not much bigger than the palm of his hand, and when Mike thought about the terrible license and risk exhibited on the tape, as well as its resultant destructive power, it was as though the two-by-three plastic package had been radioactive."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray

2011-11-25T22:09:00.001-05:00

Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray
Romance

The Rosemans and the Cacciamanis have hated each other as long as they remember. Running competing flower shops, many bad things have been done to each other, including salting rose bushes. But when Julie Roseman meets Romeo Cacciamani at a conference, all she feels is wonder about why this feud has gone on so long. The two share a coffee, and then dinner, and then all hell breaks loose when their children find out that they have spent time together. Navigating between their angry family and budding love, can their relationship survive and can they figure out what they are all fighting about anyways?

This book is a simple romance and easy to read. Though I really do wish the author had come up with an easier last name to read than "Cacciamani". I'm sure there are a lot of other, shorter Italian last names that could have been used. It was nice that the love story didn't involve 20-somethings, but actually 60 year olds, putting a more mature twist on the story. It was cute but nothing special.

First Line: "The first time I heard the name Cacciamani, I was five years old."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

A Blade of Grass by Lewis DeSoto

2011-11-21T22:25:00.001-05:00

A Blade of Grass by Lewis DeSoto
Fiction/Literature

Marit is a young British wife to Ben when they move to Africa, purchase land, and try their hand at farming. Marit keeps to herself but enjoys the luxuries of going in to town and drinking at the local hotel. This is not a peaceful life. There's a war raging on the borders of their land and Ben one day drives over a bomb, killing himself. Marit is left to fend for herself in this foreign land, with strong barriers between whites and blacks. Marit befriends her maid, Tembi, bringing her in to the house to stay and treating her as an equal. What starts is an unlikely friendship.

Tembi and Marit have many troubles to contend with, including some distrust in each other, and their friendship is pushed to the limits. The story feels so real because it's not always happy and in fact becomes quite depressing at the end. The beginning was a bit slow but about half way through it I was having troubles putting the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. It's interesting to read a book about Africa and the tensions there as I haven't read many books on this subject. I enjoyed it!

First Line: "First she must wash the seeds."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Trading Places

2011-11-19T14:48:00.001-05:00

Trading Places by Fern Michaels
Romantic Mystery

Aggie and Lizzy Jade are twins. Aggie, who is quiet and reserved, works for the Atlanta PD. She is seriously injured in a stakeout that kills her partner and almost kills her K-9, Gus. Aggie feels it was a set-up and since the cops after her 6 months of rehabilitation are no closer to finding the perpetrators decides to ask her twin to change places with her and investigate the murder.

Lizzy Jade is a wealthy professional gambler living in Vegas. She is more than willing to help. Lizzy involves the local newspaper journalist in her efforts.

This is a fast-paced book with more romance than mystery. It is very hard to put aside the questions about the switch. How on earth can Lizzy learn all there is to know about policing procedures. How can Alice (a female dog) possibly replace Gus, the K-9 and someone not notice. Why would Lizzy invite a boatload of friends to visit under the circumstances? Too many questions to make up for the quick read.

First Line: "His hand reached for hers inside the dark car."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Testimony by Anita Shreve

2011-11-11T22:02:00.001-05:00

Testimony by Anita Shreve
Fiction

When the headmaster of Avery Private School receives a tape from one of his faculty members, he knows it's not going to be good news. It winds up showing three members of the basketball team having sexual relations with an underage girl. The book slowly unwinds the story in to the past and in to the future to show what events happened to bring those three boys and girl to the room that night and make the biggest mistakes of their lives.

The story is mostly told from the perspective of three people: Mike the headmaster, Silas one of the boys involved in the scandal, and Noelle, his girlfriend. Mike tells the reader at the beginning of the novel what happened as a result of the controversy and then all of the narratives piece it together. Some of the narratives I found weren't required. For example, the person from the newspaper. I didn't feel like I learned anything from that piece so I'm not sure what the purpose of it was.

There wasn't really anything surprising about this book but it was still an interesting read. It's amazing how a single event, in this case some black ice on a road that caused an accident, could set off such a chain of events.

Rating:
(3.5/5)

To Kill a Mockingbird

2011-11-09T15:54:00.001-05:00

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fiction/Literature

I read this book while in high school and decided to give it a re-read.

This book is set in a sleepy Alabama town in the Great Depression. The Finch family, Atticus the father and Jem and Scout, his son and daughter are the main characters. Atticus is a father that does not say 'do as I say and not as I do' but actually lives the exemplary life. He imparts wisdom and humour and is honourable.

Atticus represents Tom Robinson, a black man charged with raping a white teenager. Atticus is concerned about how the trial and his representation of a black man will affect his children.

This story although about racial prejudice is more about compassion and honour, kindness and cruelty, and innocence.

I loved this book every bit as much as the first time I read it decades ago. A real classic!!!!

First Line: "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow."

Rating:
(5.0/5)

The Broken Hearts Club by Ethan Black

2011-11-06T21:42:00.000-05:00

The Broken Hearts Club by Ethan Black
Mystery

Dr. Ian Bainbridge, a psychologist, has started the Broken Hearts Club for men trying to get over being dumped by their girlfriends. There's the mechanic, the banker, the literary agent, and the man that never shows up. The swap stories of how broken hearted they are and their grief sometimes turns to anger. One night, that anger builds up to the point where the banker visits his ex girlfriend and murders her in a blind rage. In comes Detective Voort, who also has recently had his heart broken.

This book wasn't the best written novel and there were parts at the beginning that made absolutely no sense until the end of the book. The twist was an interesting one but the ending was too cliche for my tastes. It's also quite graphic in parts and I felt like this didn't add anything to the novel, but rather that the author was trying to shock the reader and then didn't follow through on this by making the entire book this way.

First Line: "'Grief? I'll tell you about grief' says the man in the dark suit"

Rating:
(3/5)

Jane Fonda:The Private Life of a Public Woman

2011-11-06T14:35:00.003-05:00

Jane Fonda:The Private Life of a Public Woman by Patricia Bosworth
Biography

Patricia Bosworth has definitely done her homework in this well-written and researched book about Jane Fonda. Bosworth has delved into the psychological aspects of Fonda's life and written not only about her acting and activist careers but her insecurities and foibles.

Jane Fonda's childhood was not the privileged one the public thinks a child of a famous actor (Henry Fonda) would have but one full of determination to please her cold, unemotional father and rejection of her mother. Her mother commits suicide and this combined with her father's seeming constant disapproval forms Jane into the woman she becomes.

Jane first married Roger Vadim, who molded her into the sex kitten and superstar actress she became. Her second marriage was to Tom Hayden who seems only to want her money. Ted Turner actively pursued Jane until she married him.

Career-wise, Jane has acted and no one who grew up in the sixties can forget Hanoi Jane. Jane visited North Vietnam while the US was at war with them and sat on anti-aircraft guns for a picture and talked to POWs. She was vilified at the time and received death threats. She has since helped many activist organizations.

Next was her career as workout guru. This has been a bonanza that continues to this day.

This book brought Jane to life and gave an insight into her which was very interesting. It is a very large book and at times I did find it a bit sluggish but this is probably due to the shear volume of Jane's achievements. I wonder if because Jane has not been in the limelight for a number of years whether this book will appeal to those who are younger.

Jane is a bundle of energy who never stops. She is constantly in motion and has more careers than anyone would have in several lifetimes. Unfortunately throughout her life she sometimes does things without thinking through the consequences and that gets her into a great deal of difficulty.

First Line: "Only Jane Fonda can upstage Oprah Winfrey"

Buy this Book

Rating:
(4.0/5)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

2011-10-30T21:18:00.003-05:00

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Teen Mystery

When multi-millionaire Sam Westing dies, his will asks those people to move in to a new apartment complex and play in his game to win $20M from his estate. He pairs up the heirs and gives them each a clue, asking them to figure out who murdered him. The clues that each pair were given, however, make no sense by themselves. While the heirs try to figure out what these clues mean, there is a person stealing stuff and putting small bombs around the apartment. The two don't seem to have anything to do with each other though, which is part of the reason why I felt this book was disjointed.

This book is supposed to be a book for young adults, but I couldn't figure out the mystery and don't think an average teenager could either. I couldn't even guess because not enough information was given to do so. When the mystery was finally revealed, it wasn't really a shocker and definitely wasn't worth the confusion that was in the rest of the book. I didn't enjoy this one.

First Line: "The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east."

Rating:
(3/5

The Eyre Affair

2011-10-26T13:05:00.002-05:00

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Sci-fi

Jasper Fforde has written a devilish clever novel. It is partly sci-fi, partly mystery and partly speculative fiction.

Thursday Next lives in an alternate world where the Crimean War still wages and England is not an empire but just a country and Wales is a Leninist state.

The villian, Acheron Styx, is as evil as they come and has stolen an original manuscript of Dickens and is holding the characters up for ransom. When this Machiavellian plan goes awry, Styx moves on to Jane Eyre. Thursday pursues Styx outside and inside the novel in order to fight this evil.

There are a lot of play on words, maybe too many but still fun to catch and chuckle about. This book was okay. Will I read another in the series. Yes, but. I just can't put my finger on what I didn't like but to say it was a little bit too much. As a side note the reader does not have to have read Jane Eyre but it will increase the enjoyment if you have.

First Line: "My father had a face that could stop a clock."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Beyond the Abbey Gates by Catherine MacCoun

2011-10-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

Beyond the Abbey Gates by Catherine MacCoun
Historical Fiction
Ingrid is a nun that grew up at Greyleigh Abbey and took an interest in the infirmary at a young age. As she helps the elder nun that works there, she realizes that she can miraculously cure people. The Abbey declares her a saint and wants her to see visitors that have written in about their illnesses. Ingrid is less sure she is a saint. She couldn't feel God working through her when she performed the miracle and doesn't feel special at all.

When a young troubadour breaks his leg near the abbey, he is entrusted to Ingrid's care to help his leg heal. Jack is incredibly bored and being a womanizer, there is nothing for him to do in the Abbey. As Ingrid cares for him, he feels the connection and eventually the two sleep together. Ingrid runs away from the Abbey and Jack tries to find her.

This book was a rather slow go for me. I don't think enough background was given on Ingrid to explain why she thought she wasn't a saint. I also didn't understand her connection with God; was there one or wasn't there? Once she got out of the Abbey, the story moved a bit better and was more interesting. This was not my favourite historical fiction.
First Line: "When the man was injured so near their gate, the nuns said it was God's will."
Rating:
(3.5/5)

Russian Winter

2011-10-13T13:45:00.003-05:00

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay
Historical Fiction

Nina Revskaya is a former ballerina with the Bolshoi ballet. She is now living in Boston in a wheelchair and has decided to auction her precious jewelry. She believes this might ease her mind about the memories of her past life.

Nina auditioned and was accepted into the Bolshoi ballet school. She dedicated her life to her dance. All around her Stalin made his mark and people disappeared into the night. Neighbours informed on each other. People were packed into small apartments and life was tough. Nina seemed to be on the outskirts of all this.

Nina falls in love with a renown poet, Viktor and though him meets Gersh, a Russian Jew and composer. This was not a safe friendship as jews were persecuted during Stalin's years in power.

As Nina in Boston reflects on her life she is approached by Grigori Solodin, a translator of Nina's husband's poetry. He has a matching piece to her amber earring and bracelet. Of course, he wants some answers which Nina does not want to face. Slowly the mysteries get unraveled.

I enjoyed this book and felt the pace was just right. I loved learning about Stalin's regime and especially about the rigors of the Bolshoi ballet.

First Line: "The afternoon was so cold, so relentlessly gray, few pedestrians passed the long island of trees dividing Commonwealth Avenue, and even little dogs, shunted along impatiently, wore thermal coats and offended expressions."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

2011-10-10T21:16:00.004-05:00

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fiction
It seems like most people I know got a chance to read this book in high school. It wasn't required reading for me in high school so it took me a while to get around to reading it. I'm glad I did and I'm sure I'll read it again later in my life.

Everyone knows this story is of a sleepy town in Alabama during the Great Depression. It focuses on the Finch family, with lawyer father Atticus, son Jem, and daughter Scout. The two kids have an innocent and somewhat naive view of the world, which starts to change when Atticus is told to represent Tom Robinson, a black man charged with raping a white teenager. These were the days of strong racial prejudice and while Atticus doesn't worry about himself, he does worry about what his kids will have to endear during and after the trial. It's a story of growing up and good vs. evil.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really took to each member of the Finch family and felt that Atticus Finch was one of the most enjoyable fathers to read about in literature. The life lessons he wanted to impart on his children were so simple and yet so essential. He was a true advocate for justice and made sure to act in such a way that he could come home and face his kids, proud of what he had done. The two children were just as endearing; Jem always protecting and teaching his sister, Scout always having innocent inquiries and trying to do good by her family.

First Line: "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow."
Rating:
(5/5)

The Paris Wife

2011-10-07T13:46:00.003-05:00

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Historical Fiction

This novel/biography is from the point of view of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. It depicts the time line of meeting in Chicago, travelling to Paris, having a child in Toronto and back to Paris.

The author has managed to capture the characters and the ambiance of the 1920s. Nowadays we have our 'bad' celebs like Paris Hilton. This story takes the reader on a journey of how two people in love degrade into these 'bad' people along with the others of the time like Gertrude Stein and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

The reader does not know whether to feel sorry for Hadley and her love and support of the larger than life Hemingway or wring her neck over her seeming 'wimpiness'.
McLain brought the characters to life and made me first google about Hemingway's life and second want to read some of his novels a second time.

First Line: "Though I often looked for one, I finally had to admit that there could be no cure for Paris."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Holy Fools

2011-10-06T12:44:00.001-05:00

Holy Fools by Joanne Harris
Historical Fiction

This book is set in seventeenth century France in an out of the way monastery by the sea. When Juliette finds herself pregnant she escapes her life as a gypsy and tightrope walker to lead a peaceful and serene life at the monastery. She tends to her garden and her daughter and teaches the novices to read Latin.

All is well until the abbess dies and the new abbess who is only eleven comes with an old acquaintance, Le Merle. He is posing as a priest but has the most evil of agendas. Juliette, now Sister Auguste would expose him but he is holding her daughter and she must find a way to help the other nuns and save her daughter.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the storyline compelling but the ending fell flat. I had difficulty getting into the story but once there, was riveted. The information about the nuns and their lives during this time period was interesting.

First Line: "It begins with the players."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

2011-10-04T21:31:00.001-05:00

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Literature

Alice is a published Harvard professor in psychology, specializing in linguistics. When she starts to forget small items, she thinks maybe she is headed for early menopause. The items she forgets start to become bigger problems and eventually Alice forgets where she is for a moment in Harvard Square. Still hiding this from her family, Alice visits her family doctor and a neurologist and is given a positive diagnosis: Alzheimer's.

Alice has to share this devastating news with her husband and family, knowing that there's a 50% chance her three children have the disease. Alice notices things getting worse and knows that it's her Alzheimers but can't stop it. Slowly this disease starts eating away from her, affecting everything she does and all of her relationships.

This book is guaranteed to hit home for anyone that has dealt with this disease. My grandmother lived with Alzheimers and after reading this book, I wonder if she knew that her memory lapses were from the disease and if she had similar thoughts to Alice's on whether she wanted to carry on and the depression of knowing that you're slipping away. An incredibly emotional read, this is both a tragic and captivating story. It makes you want to have discussions with your loved ones on how they will react if you ever contract the disease yourself, especially after the disappointing way Alice's husband reacts. It's hard to believe that this is Genova's first novel.

First Line: "Alice sat at her desk in their bedroom distracted by the sounds of John racing through each of the rooms on the first floor."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

2011-10-01T13:31:00.003-05:00

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay
Fiction

Nina Revskaya was one of the great stars of the Russian ballet during a perilous time for her country. Nina escapes Russia to Boston, where we meet her as an elderly lady who is selling off her jewelry collection. She is frustrated by her body starting to fail her and for other reasons that, at the start of the story, the reader is unsure of. The process of selling off her jewels brings back memories of Nina during her ballet days, when she met her husband Viktor, danced with her best friend, and watched a good friend taken by Stalin's government for crimes he did not commit. Nina's memories also come back when she is contacted by Grigori Solodin, a translator of Nina's husband's poetry who has a necklace that exactly matches some of the jewels that Nina has put up for auction. Some of her memories as painful as she remembers her life in Russia.

This book was a little hard to get in to because I had problems reconciling the sweet Nina of the past versus the crusty Nina of the present. Obviously something makes her this way but it takes a very long time to figure out. Once you realizes what it is that Nina believes happened and how she reacts to it, you become much more invested in the book. I think that a little could have been cut out of the story to get to this point sooner because I enjoyed the novel quite a bit at this part but I felt it took a bit long to get there.

The novel also gives an idea of how normal people coped in the Stalin era. There were worries about spies and being reported on, about doing nothing wrong and still being arrested, about having one person say something bad about you which could ruin everything, and even about taking a train stop a few stops too far and being where it is illegal to be. These people had to be so careful about everything it's a wonder that any of them had any fun.

Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Broken Hearts Club

2011-09-23T15:37:00.002-05:00

The Broken Hearts Club by Ethan Black
Mystery

A psychologist has brought together a group of men to meet once a week at a tavern in New York. They all suffer from a broken heart. There is a banker, a literary agent and a mechanic. As they continue to talk they get more and more angry and then this turns to hate and finally to rage. The rejection fuels the rage and then it spins out of control.

Detective Voort, the richest cop in New York, with his partner, Mickie is assigned the case to catch the killer. But the killer seems to change identities at will and knows how to cover his tracks.

Voort is dating Camilla, who has just dumped him. Will he be dragged into this vortex of violence?

This is not the best-written book but has an interesting plot and is definitely thrilling. Note: This is a sexually graphic book.

First Line: "Grief? I'll tell you about grief, says the man in the dark suit."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Jane Eyre

2011-09-22T12:10:00.005-05:00

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Fiction/Literature

Jane Eyre was born poor. When she was very young her parents died and her uncle, who was wealthy, had her come and live with his family. However her uncle died and Jane was not wanted in the household. Her cousins were not kindly towards her and she suffered abuse from her male cousin and aunt. Fairly soon she was sent off to a boarding school. The boarding school was austere but Jane loved to learn and 'turned out' fairly well.

After finishing school she stayed to teach but soon grew bored and placed an ad for a position of governess. She found herself as a governess to Mr. Rochester's ward at Thornfield. But all is not as it seems, there is a very strange woman servant who works in the attic. A strange man appears one day and disappears with Mr. Rochester only to turn up injured. The doctor visits to patch him up and he then is spirited away. Jane grows steadily in love with Mr. Rochester.

This novel was written in the 19th century when women were little more than a man's possession. Jane is a strong-willed feminine character. She is not afraid of going it alone and has strong principles. There were several situations where it would have been so much simpler to just give in. Even the male characters have something to learn, mostly humility.

I had never read this book before and was enthralled. It is an ageless book full of strong characters, good and evil, romance and mystery.

First Line: "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

A Man Named Dave

2011-09-20T10:23:00.002-05:00

A Man Named Dave by Dave Peltzer
Memoir

This is the third in a series of books about Dave Peltzer's life. Dave was from the age of 4-12 abused in the most horrific ways by his mother while his father passively did nothing. This last book takes place after he is grown and on his own.

Dave goes through a exhausting and rigorous ordeal of paperwork to apply to the US Air Force. After many many rounds of this he is finally accepted and although he wants to be a fireman, he ends up as a mid-flight re-fueler via a stint of cooking. First of all, how he made it through the psychological evaluations is astonishing. Dave works hard and it is to forget all he has been through and to prove to himself he is worthy. The second thing is how inept at paperwork the Air Force is. They misplace his paperwork for the fireman placement and then also misplace his paperwork for the re-fueler position. Is the Air Force that inept??

While in the Air Force Dave works other jobs in order to support his wife, Patsy and their son. Dave is a workaholic and replaces work for emotions but all the while seems to be very much in touch of his emotions around his son. He also starts to help other abused children.

One has to admire the resiliency and persistence of Dave. He tries and tries to get some sort of approval from his mother and father. Dave's self-esteem and feeling of worthiness is almost non-existent. Surprise!! Dave has trouble in trusting other people. This book details how he starts on the road to his full mental health.

First Line: "I'm scared."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

2011-09-18T21:50:00.001-05:00

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
Non-Fiction

What the Dog Saw is an accumulation of different articles that Gladwell has written for the magazine The New Yorker, split in to three categories: Obsessives, Pioneers, and Other Varieties of Minor Genius, Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses, and finally Personality, Character, and Intelligence. Most of the articles are written pre-2005 which dates some of them, though this doesn't negatively impact the book. Gladwell is a creative thinker and I started this book with high expectations having really enjoyed his other works. Though you'd think that reading small articles would make the book easier to read, I actually found it harder because every 15 pages or so I'd have to start fresh with a new story.

Of the three sections, I enjoyed Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses the best because it had the most food for thought. For example, why should the Enron guys be put in jail when they clearly made everything public and didn't hide what they were doing with the company vs. Nixon who hid everything. Both lied, cheated, and stole so what differentiates them? I liked the Obsessives, Pioneers, and other Varieties of Minor Genius the least. There was one article I couldn't even get through.

While I did enjoy this book, I would recommend Gladwell's others over this.

First Line: "The extraordinary story of the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ begins with Nathan Morris, the son of the shoemaker and cantor Kidders Morris, who came over from the Old Country in the 1880s, and settled in Asbury Park, New Jersey."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Time and Again

2011-09-11T14:15:00.002-05:00

Time and Again by Jack Finney
Fiction/Literature

What a lovely book. Si Morley is a bored illustrator working in advertising in 1970s New York when he is approached by a top-secret government team. They want him to travel back in time to San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake. Si convinces the team to allow him to travel to 1882 New York and witness the mailing of a letter.

The letter is a piece of his girlfriend's history which involved a rich ancestor who committed suicide. Si travels back to a more gentler time and embarks on solving the mystery of the missing words in the letter and the subsequent sequence of events. At first Si is not allowed to interact with anyone lest he change anything in the future but as he travels back several times he does interact with the people. Will the future be changed?

This book is a great combination of science fiction, romance, historical fiction and mystery. I simply loved it!!!!

First Line: "In shirt-sleeves, the way I generally worked, I sat sketching a bar of soap taped to an upper corner of my drawing board."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

A Factory of Cunning

2011-09-07T09:52:00.001-05:00

A Factory of Cunning by Philippa Stockley
Historical Fiction

"Mrs. Fox" arrives in late eighteenth-century London on the run from a scandalous French past. She has taken on a new identity and wishes to rehabilitate herself to her former class level. At the same time a dear friend from the Netherlands has asked her to destroy Earl Much. Earl Much is a British aristocrat who collects priceless objets d'art and ruins young maidens.

The reader is transported to a world of bawdy houses, debauchery, ruination of willful maidens and intrigue. The earl proves to be a equal match to the cunning sinfulness of Mrs. Fox.

This is written in an epistolary mode, that of letters and diary entries. It was very difficult to get into the story to start with but finally near the middle of the story I started to 'get' it.

First Line: "Scribbled at the quayside, London."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Still Alice

2011-09-05T12:02:00.004-05:00

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Fiction/Literature

Alice Howland is a 50 year old Harvard professor with three grown children. She has begun to notice some forgetfulness but becomes alarmed when she goes out for her customary run and gets lost. This must be more than menopausal symptoms. It is. A diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimers is devastating.

The reader follows Alice through her increasing fogginess and confusion. Her family deals with the disease in varying ways.

I found it very difficult to read this book as my mother had Alzheimers. Every test that Alice took, I took and failed. Every single thing I forgot got blown out of proportion. Several of the earlier things that Alice forgot were things that had happened to my mom that the family put down to busyness and forgetfulness. To read the book as through Alice's eyes gave me an insight into my mother's problems. Like Lydia, I took charge and could relate to her. I had a hard time with how John, her husband dealt with the disease. It seemed to me to be selfish and not very caring. A fascinating book from the eyes of an Alzheimer patient.

First Line: "Alice sat at her desk in their bedroom distracted by the sounds of John racing through each of the rooms on the first floor."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

2011-09-04T23:05:00.001-05:00

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
Non-Fiction

Debbie Rodriguez is a hair dresser who decides to go to Afghanistan and open up a beauty school to teach Afghan women about hair dressing, makeup, and other similar activities to make them more self-sufficient. As expected, there's a lot of problems for women in Afghanistan and Debbie is right in the middle of it. She learns of her students' problems, some of which are heart wrenching. Debbie only sort of tries to assimilate to the culture. She never really seems to learn the language but ends up marrying an Afghan man. She takes her mission to teach the women of Afghanistan to be self-sufficient through opening up a beauty school and becomes fairly successful.

I enjoyed this novel's story, but I couldn't really understand or connect to Debbie. She left her kids behind after a bad divorce and it seems like she didn't give much thought to them after landing in Afghanistan. She also married an Afghan man without being able to speak the same language as him or understand who he was. She knew he had another wife, but would throw a tantrum when that wife got pregnant. She seemed to throw tantrums quite frequently which became annoying. How she survived in that environment with her attitude is beyond me. If you can ignore this part of the book, the rest of it is quite touching and a good idea of how to help out women in a troubled nation.

First Line: "The women arrive in the salon just before eight in the morning."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Change of Heart

2011-09-03T11:55:00.001-05:00

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Literature/Fiction

June Nealon's life has not been easy. Her first husband was killed by a drunken driver and she was left to raise their daughter. June marries the policeman who looked into the accident and is 7 months pregnant when a day labourer kills her husband and her daughter.

Now, twelve years later Shay Bourne is on his last days on the death row. Claire, June's daughter is at death's door because of a faulty heart. Shay wishes to donate his heart to Claire. Other characters include Father Michael a conflicted spiritual adviser and Maggie a competent lawyer and spinster.

This book has elements of other stories in it: The Green Mile by Stephen King and The Chamber by John Grisham. Does this constitute plagiarism? It is a story about religion, the death penalty, salvation, vengeance and regrets. This is a typical Jodi Picoult story even to the twist at the end. I found this story to be quite unbelievable. However, the concepts were interesting to read about and provoked a lot of thought about the issues

First Line: "In the beginning, I believed in second chances."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

A Step From Heaven

2011-09-02T14:24:00.001-05:00

A Step from Heaven by An Na
Young Adult

Young Ju is only 4 when her family moves from Korea to the US. This book follows the journey of a young immigrant entering the school system without a word of English and being sort of in between the American and Korean cultures. Her father strives to maintain his Korean culture and values and becomes increasingly frustrated. He eventually becomes abusive and finally decides to return home.

Young Ju's mother is more able to cope and after having a son joins a Korean church and starts to become assimilated. The son while spoiled for just being a boy spirals into worse and worse behaviour.

This book reads like a collection of short stories. I had a bit of difficulty with all the Korean words and would have liked a translation somewhere. An interesting journey about a family trying to achieve the American dream.

First Line: "Just to the edge, Young Ju."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

One Red Paperclip

2011-08-31T15:18:00.002-05:00

One Red Paperclip by Kyle MacDonald
Memoir

Kyle MacDonald is an unemployed slacker. He realizes he is sponging off his girlfriend and decides to trade a red paper clip eventually for a house. The idea is to trade bigger and better. His first trade is a paper clip for a fish pen; his last a movie role for a house.

The writing in this book is atrocious with many repetitive sentences seemingly to fill up space. Also Kyle writes what he considers hilarious events which for this reader fell dead. Although the trades were interesting there was a lot of media attention for the latter ones which helped Kyle immensely. What I couldn't help wondering all along the way was who was paying for the flights, hotels and meals, etc. None of this was mentioned but his father accompanied him many times and assisted him, maybe he was the financial backer.

At the end of each chapter was a motivational quip which was rather insulting but sounded like Kyle need to prove to himself he was doing something worthwhile. Maybe if this book had been written just in fun and not so serious and preachy, it would have been a better read.

First Line: "Dom and I round the corner."

Rating:
(2.5/5)

I am the Messenger

2011-08-31T09:43:00.001-05:00

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Young Adult

Ed Kennedy is a slacker. He drives a cab, plays cards with his friends and wishes for a romance with his girl pal. He definitely has not reached his potential. All that changes when he inadvertently stops a bank robbery and becomes a hero.

Thereafter, a set of aces arrive giving him clues as to what he is to do. These 'jobs' involve easy ones like befriending an elderly lady and reading to her to harder ones like stopping a man from raping and abusing his wife. The reader can see Ed evolve after each set of challenges.

This is definitely not a YA book. At first, I found the book quite simplistic and wondered what was the point. I enjoyed the journey and the characters but really fell in love with the book at the last sentence when it all became clear.

First Line: "The gunman is useless."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

2011-08-25T21:56:00.002-05:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Fiction

Juliet Ashton is a writer living in post-WWII London. She has lost her flat due to a bomb and is looking for her next literary inspiration when fate intervenes. She is sent a letter from Dawsey Adams of the island Guernsey who owns a book that used to belong to her and is asking her more about that author. As Juliet learns more about Dawsey, she realizes that Guernsey was under occupation during the war and the islanders had quite a difficult time during those years. Juliet asks Dawsey if he could get other islanders to write her about their experiences during the occupation and she slowly comes up with the idea for her book.

This book is written entirely as letters between the different characters. I usually find that this formatting doesn't give the reader enough detail but in this book that wasn't the case. One complaint I do have about the formatting of this book is that the book started out with letters to and from Juliet. By the end of the book it was only letters from Juliet. I believe there was still value in reading the letters written to Juliet and I missed those at the end of the book.

Given the formatting, I was surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. I enjoyed the stories that the islanders gave about the occupation and how both the good and bad side was portrayed. There was a fair amount going on the book but everything wrapped up quite nicely by the end.

First Line: "Susan Scott is a wonder."

Rating:
(4/5)

The Closers by Michael Connelly

2011-08-20T21:22:00.003-05:00

The Closers by Michael Connelly
Mystery

Detective Harry Bosch is back on the force after almost three years of retirement. When he returns, he's put with his old partner Kiz Rider and the two become part of the Open Unsolved unit. Bosch and Rider are lucky because one of the cases they have been assigned just came back with DNA analysis. The murder happened back in 1988, before DNA analysis was common, and in a racially-charged era. Bosch and Rider have to familiarize themselves with the case, start hunting down the leads, and figure out who the murderer was to bring them to justice.

Even though there was only one book with Harry retired and off the force, I enjoy him as part of the police much more. There's interaction with him and a partner or boss which adds to the story line. He also seems able to accomplish more when he's part of the force. From the start of this book, I could feel Bosch's excitement to figure out the puzzle of an already existing case. Like all of Connelly's other Bosch books, this one grips you from the start and you can't wait to find out who the murderer is.

First Line: "Within the practice and protocol of the Los Angeles Police Department a two-six call is the one that draws the most immediate response while striking the most fear behind the bulletproof vest."

Rating:
(4/5)

The Moonlit Cage

2011-08-12T15:44:00.002-05:00

The Moonlit Cage by Linda Holeman
Historical Fiction

This story is set in the mid 1800s in Afghanistan, India and England. Darya is born a Muslim Tajik in Afghanistan. She is taught to be obedient and know her place in life (women are seen as little more than slaves). She does try but is curious and intelligent and consequently is continually physically abused by her father. Her father's second wife curses her and her life might as well be over as the village shuns her and she has no prospects whatsoever.

Her father sells her into marriage with a nomad. When Darya fails to provide him with an heir, he also starts to abuse her and finally forces her to run away in fear of her life.

This starts a very perilous journey from Afghanistan to Bombay and then further to England and more abuse.

This was such a sad story. The difference and segregation between the natives and the English colonists is frankly disgusting but common for that period. The naivety of the hero and his supposed good deeds is just so sad. The fact that there are people so willing to take advantage of unfortunates is also sad and has not changed throughout the centuries.

I found this book a little slow to begin with but once the reader gets into the book it is very hard to put down. I wanted to applaud Darya for her courage and strength and had to read to the very end hoping she would finally achieve a better life.

First Line: "I have always been told I was wicked."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Informed Consent

2011-08-12T15:14:00.001-05:00

Informed Consent by Sandra Glahn
Fiction/Literature

Jeremy Cramer, M.D is researching why children survive hypothermic submersion better than adults when he makes a breakthrough discovery in AIDS research. This discovery thrusts him into a media frenzy and he becomes a political 'basketball' for the hospital administration. But all this is nothing when he accidentally infects a nurse with AIDS and his negligence allows his son to contact a life-threatening disease.

As if this were not enough his marriage is threatened because this is the second child of his to possibly die.

Jeremy must face some very real dilemmas and barriers. Medical, spiritual ethics and morals are brought into the story. To what lengths would you go to save your child and your marriage?

This is a fantastic story that captivated me from the very beginning. The ethical and medical issues were presented in a very well researched and thought-out manner. A must read!

First Line: "_Like most children, Jeremy Cramer thought his father would never die."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Friday Night Knitting Club

2011-08-11T13:52:00.004-05:00

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Women's Literature

Georgia Walker is a single mother who owns a yarn shop in Manhattan. The club consists of her daughter Dakota, a 12-year-old, who flits in and out of the club with baked goods and entrepreneurial ambitions; a widow named Anita who is Georgia's mentor; an academic named Darwin ; a 40-year-old single woman named Lucie who fools a date into getting her pregnant; an aspiring purse designer and part-time worker in the shop named Petra ; Georgia's best friend, named K.C. in her mid-40s hoping to get into law school; and Georgia's childhood friend Cat who is a wealthy wife bored to tears.

When Dakota's father, James comes back into Georgia's life, Georgia's life becomes even more hectic than it already is. James wants to spend more time with Dakota and also Georgia. Dakota loves having a dad around and loves the gifts she gets.

Anita is Georgia's sounding board and mentor. She is a widow but her children are now grown and living elsewhere. Marty the downstairs Deli owner is interested in Anita.

Darwin, Lucie, Petra and K. C. all have their own issues which the other members of the knitting club help them with.

The pattern at the end of the book is for a scarf and I would have expected to see the sweater pattern that everyone in the club was knitting. ???

This was an okay book. It seemed to me that the story has been done before and was not as smooth as it should have been.

First Line: "The hours of WALKER AND DAUGHTER: KNITTERS were clearly displayed in multicolored letters on a white sandwich board placed just so at the top of the stair landing."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

A Step from Heaven by An Na

2011-08-10T19:03:00.000-05:00

A Step from Heaven by An Na
Teen

Young Ju is very young when she learns that her family is moving from Korea to America (Mi Gook). She doesn't quite understand and thinks that the trip on the plane to the USA will take her to heaven. She grows up in America with an American schooling system but still has very Asian parents that try to make her adhere to her Korean culture. Young Ju's father becomes verbally and physically abusive the longer the family stays in Korea, making Young Ju question whether she should act according to her Korean background or act like kids of her new country.

This short book has definite segregation between it's chapters, as there was usually a change in time between them. It was never made very clear how much time had elapsed from the last chapter which made me feel like I was always trying to get my bearings. The only other problem I had with the book is that many Korean words are used and I had to enlist my husband to help me translate as he is 1/2 Korean.

The story is mildly depressing but there is always the glimmer of hope of living the "American dream" and being better off by having moved to a new country. I enjoyed this story of a family's immigration and cultural adaption experience.

First Line: "Just to the edge, Young Ju."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

2011-08-07T21:17:00.003-05:00

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
Literature/Fiction

Between, Georgia is a very small town with a large amount of drama. Nonny Frett biologically is a member of the Crabtree family but was adopted by the Frett family, their bitter enemies. Nonny's mother is a blind, deaf, and extremely talented at making dolls. One of her aunts is a recluse and the other is overbearing.

When one of the Crabtree's dogs attacks her aunt, the feud between the two families starts to bubble over. Nonny tries to be the mediator but she has her hands full trying to get a divorce and understand why her aunt is taking out anger towards her daughter on her niece.

Jackson has a gift for making books page turners and crafting characters that you can connect to, whether you like them or hate them. I found myself flipping ahead in this book to figure out what was going to happen, which is something I rarely do. After this book, Joshilyn Jackson has replaced Jodi Picoult as my favourite family drama writer.

First Line: "The war began thirty years, nine months, and seven days ago, when I was deaf and blind, floating silent and serene inside Hazel Crabtree."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Analyst

2011-08-07T15:41:00.001-05:00

The Analyst by John Katzenback
Thriller

Dr. Frederick Starks is a New York Psychoanalyst. On his 53rd birthday, he receives a note from Rumplestiltskin. In 15 days he must find out the identity of R and the reason he is out to destroy him. If he fails then R will destroy 52 of Dr. Starks' loved ones, one by one until he commits suicide.

Is this for real? Starks, a widower has led an uneventful routine life. As the days unfold it becomes all too plain how serious this threat is as Starks' bank account is rifled, his credit ruined and even his apartment destroyed. Can Starks find out who R is in time?

This is one of those thrillers that is riveting. It is definitely on my Best of 2011 list. This is the first of Katzenbach's books I have read and he is now on my TBR list. Loved it!!!!

First Line: "In the year he fully expected to die, he spent the majority of his fifty-third birthday as he did most other days, listening to people complain about their mothers."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Naked

2011-08-07T14:59:00.002-05:00

Naked by David Sedaris
Memoir

This is a collection of autobiographical essays that are supposed to be hilarious. Unfortunately while I did find a couple amusing, hilarious they were not.

Sedaris has led a very offbeat life and most of the essays evoked sympathy rather than humour. I also found Sedaris to be rather full of himself. To be honest, I am not a fan of short stories and that might have been a bit of the problem.

First Line: "I'm thinking of asking the servants to wax my change before placing it in the Chinese tank I keep on my dresser."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

A Blade of Grass

2011-08-06T15:36:00.001-05:00

A Blade of Grass by Lewis DeSoto
Fiction/Literature

A young newlywed couple, Ben and Margit come to live on their farm in South Africa in the 1970s. Their farm borders a neighbouring country in turmoil. They are full of hopes and dreams as are most young couples.

Tembi is a young black worker in the farm, full of rebellion and also with her own dreams.

When violence erupts and Margit is widowed she is forced to look for help. The local Afrikaner community is not very welcoming and is leaving the countryside in fear. The black workers on the farm have no desire to obey a white mistress. Margrit refuses to leave and turns to Tembi for assistance.

This is a novel that questions all our values. Who does the land belong to? The purchasers, the workers, the natives or the animals? The countryside is described in breath-taking beauty. The only nit I have is that I wish a few situations were better described. Still, a wonderful novel that makes the reader think.

First Line: "First she must wash the seeds."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

One Red Paperclip by Kyle MacDonald

2011-08-01T20:56:00.002-05:00

One Red Paperclip by Kyle MacDonald
Non-Fiction

Kyle MacDonald was having trouble making ends meet and felt like he was continuously sponging off his girlfriend Dominique. He looks around his desk and sees one red paperclip, then decides that he's going to trade that paperclip for bigger and better things until he eventually has a house. It starts small, trading the paperclip for a pen, the pen for a doorknob. He meets many different people along the way and eventually the media starts to catch on, interviewing him and following his journey.

This definitely is not the best written book in the world (in fact I think I could have written it just as well), but the journey from each trade is captivating. It's such a simple idea and yet it amazes me how much effort was required to make some of the trades. At the end of each chapter, which is the story of moving from one trade to the next, there were "lessons" that MacDonald learned from that trade (or didn't, because some of them honestly had nothing to do with the chapter before it), which were very out of place in the book. I stopped reading them after a few chapters because it felt insulting that a guy trading from nothing to something was going to try and teach me life lessons.

This is a fun book and should be treated as such, if you're interested in how a Canadian boy traded a paperclip for a house.

First Line: "Dom and I round the corner."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Portrait in Death

2011-07-31T15:12:00.001-05:00

Portrait in Death by J. D. Robb
Mystery

Nadine Furst, news reporter and ally of Eve Dallas has received the pictures of a beautiful young person posed when dead. Dallas finds the body in a dumpster. Eve is now on the trail of a murderer who believes he can capture his victim's images. He is a perfectionist and every detail of the crime seems to be perfected. The murderer observes and records his victims every move until he can own and record their image for one last time.

Eve is ecstatic that Somerset, the butler she loves to hate but loves he takes such good care of Roarke, is going away for 2 weeks. On the morning he is to depart Somerset falls and breaks his leg. Curses!!

Trueheart, a rookie cop gets to go undercover and has to save himself from suffering the same fate as the other victims.

Roarke finds out about his past. Roarke handles things very differently from Dallas and his finding out and the resolution of his feelings and how Eve goes about helping Roarke deal with his past is very touching.

Another great book in the series. After 16 books in the series, the characters continue to develop. The murder in each book takes a back seat to the wonderful way in which these characters interact.

First Line: "We begin to die with our first breath."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Certain Prey

2011-07-31T11:15:00.002-05:00

Certain Prey by John Sandford
Mystery

Carmel Loan gets whatever she wants and she wants Hale Allen. A pesky little detail is that he is already married to a wealthy socialite. Carmel is an intelligent, beautiful and driven lawyer. Carmel contacts a former client and arranges for a 'hit'.

Clara Rinker is a petite and attractive Southern bar owner who happens to be the mafia's best professional killer. She comes to do her job and it should be a walk in the park but an innocent policeman comes to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets shot also.

Enter Lucas Davenport. He not only makes the connection between Carmel and the 'hit' but also starts to find out about the hit man. When Carmel and Clara join forces to eliminate some witnesses the killing spree escalates and soon even Lucas is in their sights.

The Prey books are not really a who-done-it but a how will justice be served series of books. They are excellent but this time I felt the connection between Carmel and the murders was intuition at best and not based on investigation or testimony. A bit too far from just plain good police work for me.

First Line: "Clara Rinker."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Kabul Beauty School

2011-07-29T11:51:00.002-05:00

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
Memoir

Deborah Rodriguez decides to help women in Afghanistan by teaching them how to run a beauty salon. This is something that would allow these women some income and a small bit of independence. Debbie describes the ordeal of starting such a venture from the donation of products and equipment in the US to transportation and the set-up of a school and then even the lottery type system to pick out the students.

The bravery of the Afghani women is unbelievable and their ambition and thirst for knowledge is wonderful to see.

This is not the best written book as the language is simplistic. I did not connect with Debbie at all but felt she was one of those brash, loud, opinionated 'Americans' the rest of the world has come to dislike. Debbie was just out of an abusive relationship when she started this project and I wondered how she could leave her young sons over and over again. Surely they would need her at this time.

While in Afghanistan Debbie becomes the second wife of an Afghani. He is very open-minded, but she becomes upset when she finds out that his first wife is pregnant. Please, is she that naive?

This was an extremely interesting story but I just couldn't relate to the author.

First Line: "The women arrive at the salon just before eight in the morning."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood

2011-07-28T22:30:00.002-05:00

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
Fiction/Romance

Charlie St. Cloud and his brother Sam are huge baseball fans. When Charlie borrows a neighbour's car to drive to the Red Sox game, the brothers don't think anything of it. On the way home, they are involved in a horrible accident and Sam doesn't survive his injuries. Charlie has no signs of life for a moment, but comes back after making a promise to his brother to never leave him. Now, many years later, Charlie is leading an incredibly sheltered life, working at the graveyard, in order to stay close to his brother.

Charlie is gifted or cursed with the ability to see not only his dead brother, but also the other spirits in the graveyard who have just died and are passing on. Every night Charlie plays ball with his brother and cannot be late or else his brother starts to fade, which has never allowed him to become close to anyone else, until he meets Tess. Tess is an independent woman who is set on sailing around the world by herself but feels a spark with Charlie shortly before she's set to sail off.

This book is a very easy read and could be classified as a romance as much as fiction/literature. It's not too sappy, though I found it to be quite predictable. I was a bit worried it was going to become a Romeo/Juliette story line but thankfully it didn't go down that path. It's a pretty sweet story. I watched the trailer for the movie after finishing the book and it looks to be quite different from the book (and quite stupid to be honest). Read the book rather than watch the movie!

First Line: "I believe in miracles."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

2011-07-24T21:12:00.002-05:00

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Young Adult/Literature

Ed Kennedy just happens to be in a bank when a really bad bank robber holds up the bank. Ed manages to stop the robbery and is lauded as a local hero. Shortly thereafter he receives his first ace in the mail. An ace of diamonds with the name of three people on the card. Ed soon realizes that he must visit these people and bring them a message.

Some of the messages are good, such as keeping company with an elderly lady and reading her Withering Heights. Some of the messages are bad, like it being suggested that he murder a man that rapes his wife every night. Ed knows that there are more cards coming and more messages that need to be sent and they get harder and harder with each card.

This is supposed to be a young adult book but it sure doesn't read like one. The themes are more mature than what I would expect to see in a young adult. As soon as I started reading this, I was hooked. Even though Zusak uses a lot of short sentences, which doesn't always lead to a well written book, that's not the case. I very easily connected with the characters and couldn't put the book down to learn how Ed was going to help out each of his messages and which message he was going to give them. I like this book just as much as The Book Thief, which I also thoroughly enjoyed!

First Line: "The gunman is useless."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Rachel's Holiday

2011-07-24T13:51:00.001-05:00

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
Fiction/Literature

Rachel has had an accidental overdose of drugs. She finds herself in the hospital and then railroaded by her family, friends and boyfriend into The Cloisters for a two month rehab program. Rachel doesn't think she abuses drugs but she needs a holiday and will love the jacuzzi,gym and pampering you get at these places. NOT

Rachel soon discovers she is in for some serious therapy with a therapist who has been there and knows the steps the addict goes through. The Cloisters is not full of 'beautiful' people and further they expect Rachel to do some work. Hello, reality.

Marian Keyes has written a novel about addiction from the viewpoint of the abuser. The reader at first wonders if Rachel is really an addict and then slowly realizes as Rachel does the extent of the addiction. Keyes has done a masterful job at this. Also Keyes interjects some humour which makes this an entertaining read

First Line: "They said I was a drug addict."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Never Let Me Go

2011-07-23T11:42:00.002-05:00

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Fiction/Literature

Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. They were taught to be healthy and artistic and told over and over about how special they were.

After many years Kathy is now a carer and Ruth and Tommy have re-entered her life. Their shared past forces them to re-assess their choices and understand their future.

This book is a science fiction but one would hate to totally classify it as such because of the wonderful way in which Ishiguro has written the story. His writing style is calm and conversational which seems to make the telling of this story even more horrific. He uses the same style as in The Remains of the Day.

I just have to interject that with a friend like Ruth, Kathy doesn't need any enemies. What a bitch!

I loved reading the book and the story tends to remain with you for some time. Ishiguro has dealt with some very controversial subjects without the story becoming a political platform. Very thought provoking!!

First Line: "My name is Kathy H."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb

2011-07-19T20:29:00.002-05:00

Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb
Mystery

When a woman is found dead on the pavement, suspected of being thrown off her balcony, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called to the scene. She brings her aide Peabody and they quickly determine that the woman was dead before she fell. Digging in to her past, Dallas finds that the woman was scheduled to meet a man she met in a chat room for poet enthusiasts. Following the threads, Dallas determines that the man she met drugged her with two different drugs and served her very expensive wine before raping and killing her.

Once again, Peabody and McNab are at each others throats for most of the book. When they finally get back together it's a bit of a relief. Hopefully it stays that way for the rest of the series because their whining is childish and annoying.

There's really nothing to say for this novel that I haven't said for every previous novel in the past. It was fun and thrilling at the same time!

First Line: "Death came in dreams."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Romancing Mister Bridgerton

2011-07-17T14:29:00.002-05:00

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Historical Romance

This is a first-rate historical romance. Penelope Featherington is a plump, plain wallflower spinster whose destiny seems to be caring for her mother. Colin Bridgerton, the brother of Penelope's closest friend, is attractive, suave and debonair. Colin has just returned from being away.

Penelope has worshiped Colin from afar for most of her life. Colin, tired of being thought of nothing but an empty-headed man about town, suddenly discovers Penelope.

Together they discover each other's secrets and start to grown up. They enjoy the 'balls' in London and all the gossip that abounds. A lovely romance where the plain Jane finds Mr. Right. I especially liked Mrs. Danbury and her no nonsense approach to life.

First Line: "On the sixth of April, in the year 1812 - precisely two days before her sixteenth birthday - Penelope Featherington fell in love."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

2011-07-10T21:29:00.003-05:00

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Fiction/Literature

Sarah, a ten year old girl, lives in Paris with her parents and brother when in 1942, French police come knocking on their door. Sarah hides her brother in a cupboard and locks him in so that the police can't take him, thinking she'll be back within the day to let him out. However Sarah doesn't know that the French Police are rounding up Jewish families and taking them to the Velodrome d'Hiver with over 10,000 others.

A stain on French history, sixty years later, Julia Jarmond is asked to write a piece on the roundup for her newspaper. An American living in Paris, Julia didn't know about this, but finds herself much closer to this piece of history than she knows. The apartment that she is moving in to with her husband and child is the one where Sarah lived and locked her brother in the cupboard.

This book switches between Sarah's narrative and Julia's narrative. Sarah's narrative is much more honest but more painful and sad. She tells her story that starts as a naive child but very quickly learns about what her parents have hidden from her and why she is being taken from home.

It's pretty easy to see where the story is going to go, but it's an interesting journey to get there. I found it simply written but got in to the novel quite quickly. About 2/3rds the way through the novel, Sarah's narrative stopped and I think it would have added a special touch to the novel to have one last chapter with the final part of her story at the end of the novel. After I had finished, I looked up the Vel d'Hiv and read about the history of this horrific event. I had never heard about it in the past and felt that this novel was a perfect way to bring this event to light.

First Line: "The girl was the first to hear the loud pounding on the door."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

2011-07-04T21:06:00.002-05:00

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
Historical Fiction

Ever since she was born, Catalina the Infanta of Spain knew she was betrothed to Prince Arthur of England, set to become the Queen of England. She watches her parents fight against the Moors and drive them out of Spain, pulling from their strength when she is sent to England at the age of 16. She marries Arthur and becomes the Princess of Wales and the two learn to love each other after a rocky start. However Arthur dies after only five months of marriage and Catalina has to find a way to still become the Queen of England.

This is a very interesting look at what things may have been like for Queen Katherine. Many suspected that her marriage was consummated with Arthur and this novel tells the story of a woman in love with her husband who makes him a promise on his deathbed to become the Queen.

I found the first 50 pages of this book to be quite slow and I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the book. Once Catalina got to England, things started to get more interesting and I got in to the novel. The book focuses on her marriage to Arthur and her fall from grace after that. Once she marries Henry, it seems that Gregory no longer has any use for the story, skips a bunch of details, and then ends the book. This novel is definitely an interesting read but is not Gregory's best.

First Line: "There was a scream, and then the loud roar of fire enveloping silken hangings, then a mounting crescendo of shouts of panic that spread and spread from one tent to another as the flames ran too, leaping from one silk standard to another, running up guy ropes and bursting through muslin doors."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Where or When

2011-06-30T15:11:00.001-05:00

Where or When by Anita Shreve
Literature/Fiction

Charles Callahan is reminded of his first love, Sian Richards when he chances across the picture of her in the newspaper. Charles met Sian at a summer camp in his late teens. He decides to write a letter to her and warily she answers him back.

Charles is in the midst of financial woes but has a wife and three children. Sian is living on a farm with one child. The letter-writing becomes more and more intense until a meeting is arranged and then an affair starts.

I liked the premise of lost love but found this book to be way off the mark. First of all, this was lust and not anything approaching love. I find it hard to believe an all-encompassing love could be found at a summer camp and left behind all those years while each of them found alternate partners. The ending also was completely unsatisfying.

First Line: "I remember everything."

Rating:
(3.0/5)

Seven Up

2011-06-29T15:13:00.002-05:00

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
Mystery

Stephanie has to bring in Eddie DeChooch, a senior citizen who was caught smuggling cigarettes. How hard can it be to bring in a old man? Stephanie takes Lulu, an oversize ex-prostitute with her and Eddie escapes out the bathroom window. Eddie escapes time and time again. Eddie also has no trouble in shooting his gun. However, he does have trouble in seeing. After finding a dead body in Eddie's shed, the police also are trying to find Eddie.

Stephanie's family is now planning her wedding after Stephanie shoots off her mouth and says August would be a good time to get married. Next thing you know they have her in a bridal salon and booking the hall. Whoa!!! Is this going too fast when Stephanie and Morelli aren't really that sure yet?

Mooner comes to Stephanie for help as Dougie the dealer is missing. Was he also involved with the cigarette smuggling? When Mooner and then Grandma also go missing, it is just too much and Stephanie ramps it up and calls on Ranger for help. But Ranger wants compensation for his help.

This is another winner in the series. There were some very good LOL moments. Eight here I come :)

First Line: "For the better part of my childhood, my professional aspirations were simple - I wanted to be an intergalactic princess."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Night Watch

2011-06-26T15:07:00.002-05:00

Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Historical Fiction

This book starts at the end which is 1947and then proceeds to 1944 and then 1941. It follows four characters in London. In 1947, post-war London it is how they all end up.

But the most interesting of the sections is 1944 during WWII. Some are ambulance drivers driving their injured to hospitals in the middle of air raids. One is a person who searches houses after the air raids to find undetonated bombs and other nasty stuff.

1941 is the section describing how they originally met.

Sarah Waters is known for the homosexual content in her books and this book is no different but it is just part of the story and does not overwhelm the plot. I found the first section a bit tedious but loved the second part. This is a different kind of read where you know the ending but now want to find out about the middle and the beginning.

First Line: "So this, said Kay to herself, is the sort of person you've become: a person whose clocks and wrist watches have stopped, and who tells the time, instead, by the particular kind of cripple arriving at her landlord's door."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

2011-06-25T15:41:00.003-05:00

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
Genre of book

This is the second in the series of Lord John books but can be read as a stand-alone. In this book Lord John is searching out the reason behind his father's death. Although ruled a suicide Lord John knows it was murder. A page of his late father's journal was delivered to both his brother and his mother. Also Lord John has been attacked twice. Lord John is now determined to find out if his father was a Jacobite and who murdered him.

Lord John's mother is getting remarried and there is a new brother, Percival Wainwright to be introduced to and get to know. Percival is so attractive and seems to be equally attracted to Lord John. But this is the era where homosexually is the gravest of sins and severely punished.

Gabaldon writes books that are very readable. I loved the story of Lord John and Percival and loved the descriptions of war in Prussia and France. However, I found the story about Lord John's father very confusing. Whether it was the number of characters involved or the use of initials (Mr. A) or the storylines that seem to go nowhere (Jamie Frasier's letter writing), I was lost and unable to figure out what was going on.

The other nit I have is the total out of character sexual boasting by Lord John to Jamie. It was so unlike Lord John I couldn't believe what I had read and had to re-read it a second time.

First Line: "To the best of Lord John Grey's knowledge, stepmothers as depicted in fiction tended to be venal, evil, cunning, homicidal and occasionally cannibalistic."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Beyond the Abbey Gates

2011-06-23T12:51:00.002-05:00

Beyond the Abbey Gates by Catherine MacCoun
Historical Fiction

This story takes place in the mid 1300s. Ingrid Fairfax has been raised in a convent. She has healing powers which she doubts and is not all that happy about. She abhors the days when the nuns open the convent to the sick. When Jacques Brigand des Coeurs, a travelling troubadour breaks his leg just outside the doors of the convent, he is brought inside to recover.

Jacques seduces Ingrid and forces her to examine her way of life. She leaves the convent and then it is a story of missing each other. Ingrid is treated abominably as women of this period often were.

The history of this book was interesting. I found Ingrid to be a little too perfect for my liking. I would have liked her to at least be angry with the way she is treated.

First Line: "When the man was injured so near their gate, the nuns said it was God's will."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

My Sergei

2011-06-23T11:12:00.002-05:00

My Sergei by Ekaterina Gordeeva
Memoir

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were gold medal pairs figure skaters from Russia. This story goes through the initial pairing up at age 11 for Katia until more recent times.

The training and rigorous regimen required by their coaches for their amateur careers was impressive. Beside the talent and obvious attachment this must of helped them win their medals. Katia also describes the slow growing of their love and eventually marriage and the birth of their daughter.

Their move to the United States and their move to the 'professionals' and the life of the ice shows are all described.

In 1995, Sergei died of a heart attack and Katia is devastated. How she copes both on and off the ice and how she builds a life for herself and her daughter as a single parent shows her courage.

This book has some pictures which are great to look at. Ekaterina is not the best of writers but is very frank almost to the point of making the reader think she is without emotion at times.

First Line: "For me, a new life is coming, a different life from that which I knew."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

2011-06-22T20:35:00.004-05:00

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
Mystery

Stephanie Plum is back, trying to find the retired Eddie DeChooch. Thinking he'll be an easy catch because he's so old, Plum goes after him with her friend Lula, an ex-prostitute, only to have him slide out a window and escape. Not to be outdone by a senior, Stephanie tries again, and again, and again. Her car suffers another not-so-surprising destruction in the process. Meanwhile, her mother and grandmother are starting to plan Stephanie's wedding to Morelli without her and Stephanie isn't even sure if she is ready to marry anyways. Stephanie's sister also comes back to New Jersey from California, her husband having left her, and decides that maybe she needs to try to be a lesbian.

As always, these novels are pure entertainment. There are laugh out loud moments in this book that had me chuckling as I was reading through it, a rare feat for a novel. This was a quick, fluff read and exactly what I needed between some of the heavier books I have been reading. I can't wait to read the next one!

First Line: "For the better part of my childhood, my professional aspirations were simple - I wanted to be an intergalactic princess."

Rating:
(4/5)

The Lost Boy

2011-06-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer
Memoir

This story is a continuation of David Pelzer's story. The first book "A child called "It" should be read first. Although a recap is done about the abusive nature of his mother and all the horrendous things she did to him, the first book gives you more of the background.

In this book we follow Pelzer's journey though a series of foster families. One can not say enough about the patience and virtue of these families and how they try to help these children.

Pelzer has some setbacks on his journey, not all of them his own doing but he is very unlucky by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Furthermore, his mother continues to visit him and tries to continue her abuse verbally. Pelzer defines resilence. A very good read

First Line: "Winter 1970, Daly City, California - I'm alone."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Miss Marple The Complete Short Stories

2011-06-21T14:58:00.005-05:00

Miss Marple The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
Mystery

Miss Marple is an unmarried elderly lady living in the small English town of St. Mary Mead. Miss Marple is able to solve mysteries like no other. She has lived in her small town all her life and recalls seemingly unconnected events that lead her to solve the mystery. St. Mary Mead is a microcosm of the world in general and Miss Marple has a large number of friends, relatives and tradespeople she knows.

I can not select one story as my favourite as they are all excellent. Agatha Christie is a fantastic mystery writer as evidenced by these short stories.

First Line: "Unsolved Mysteries."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

The Interpretation of Murder

2011-06-21T13:36:00.003-05:00

The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
Historical Mystery

A young socialite has been strangled. The following night another young woman, Nora Acton is found bound and seriously wounded. She is unable to speak and does not recall her attack at all.

Dr Sigmund Freud and his followers including, Carl Jung have come to visit New York in 1909 to speak at American Universities. Dr. Freud is asked to help Nora but because his visit is temporary he asks his host, psychoanalyst, Dr Stratham Younger, to treat her. Dr Younger finds himself becoming increasingly attracted to the lovely Nora. Younger finds Nora's thoughts to involve sexual perversions, convoluted twists and turns and even lies.

Nora finally fingers wealthy industrialist, Bramwell. Bramwell however, has the best of alibis as he was with the mayor during the night in question. Between Younger and Detective Livermore this mystery is full of ups and downs and convoluted plots.

Carl Jung is portrayed as having a serious personality disorder of his own and wants Freud's fame and renown but the amiable Dr Freud seems unaffected by all this. This part of the story is confusing and seems to go nowhere.

Also part of the story that was totally unnecessary was Younger's fascination with Hamlet and the "to be or not to be" speech. The psychoanalysis of this was supposed to be very intellectual but probably is far above any reader's head. The author makes the reader feel very stupid for not understanding.

I loved the history of New York in this time frame. The building of the Brooklyn bridge and how this was done was very interesting.

First Line: "There is no mystery to happiness."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Between, Georgia

2011-06-18T15:38:00.002-05:00

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
Fiction/ Literature

This is a Hatfield/McCoy feud story. Nonny has been raised by the Fretts but her biological family is the Crabtrees. Nonny's adoptive mother, Stacie is deaf and talented at making dolls heads, her twin sister is extremely reclusive and the older sister of the bunch, Bernese is just plain crazy.

The Crabtrees are as redneck as you come even to owning the rapid and dangerous dogs.

Nonny is the go-between for these two families. She is also somewhat separated from her husband. Henry Crabtree, a decent man is interested in Nonny but sort of gets lost in the shuffle

This book is excellent and Jackson can portray all these various types of women very well but where I feel the story is weak is in the male voices of the story. Henry, Noony's husband and especially Bernese's husband seem to be wimpish and hardly there

First Line: "The war began thirty years, nine months and sevendays ago, when I was deaf and blind, floating silent and serene inside Hazel Crabtree."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles

2011-06-18T12:13:00.002-05:00

Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles
Historical Fiction

Adair Colley and her family have managed to escape being pulled in to the Civil War for a few years before the militia comes to her home, arrests her father, tries to find her brother, and when they cannot, set the house on fire. Adair and her sisters leave the house with just a few personal belongings to try and find their father. In to enemy territory, she inquires about her father and instead is denounced as a spy and sent to jail without her sisters.

For each section of this book, it felt like the author was going to make that part the main part of the novel and I always hoped that it wouldn't be. About half way through the book, when Adair finally got out of jail, I realized I was so bored with the book that I decided not to continue with it. I couldn't tell if Adair's emotions were real or not, which bothered me, and I found that I just couldn't connect with her, so I didn't care what happened. I'm not a huge Civil War fan which could be part of the problem, but even if this took place in a different time I don't think I would be any more interested in it.

First Line: "It was the third year of the war and by now there was hardly anybody left in the country except the women and the children."

Rating:
(1.5/5)

A Bend in the Road

2011-06-17T13:59:00.001-05:00

A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
Romance

Miles is a small town cop whose wife went out for a run and never returned. She was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Miles has had difficulty coping but has to for his 7 year old son, Jonas.

Sarah was involved in a ugly divorce and moved to New Bern for a new start. She teaches the second grade. She notices that Jonas has not been getting the help he needs and contacts Miles to come in for a parent-teacher interview.

Starry love, love, severe angst, angst, a little twist and back to love, love.

Nicolas Sparks' stories are pretty much the same; love, angst and but I can't live without you plots. These are not stories that are meaty but rather mindless reads. Was this a good story? Yes, as long as you aren't expecting anything else. Could I have spent my life more productively? Of course, but sometimes fluff is needed to clear your mind.

First Line: "Where does a story truly begin?"

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Julie and Romeo Get Lucky

2011-06-17T13:35:00.001-05:00

Julie and Romeo Get Lucky by Jeanne Ray
Romance

Julie Roseman and Romeo Cacciamani are rival florists who just happen to be in love and in their 60s. Julie's daughter, husband and two children live with her and Romeo lives with his ancient mother and his son and his family. Neither can find a quiet moment to spend together.

However they do find the time to spend together when Romeo puts his back out at Julie's and spends his time in her bed sometimes comatose and constantly in pain. Meanwhile Julie's other daughter comes home to live and her daughters are like they have regressed into their teens with all the fights and bickering. Julie's eight year old granddaughter, Sarah is obsessed with Willy Wonka and winning the lottery and finds unique ways to con family members into buying lottery tickets for her.

This is a fun book. A book about real life, the chaos, confusion, family and love that binds it all together. I have not read the first book but will go back and read it as I enjoyed this one.

First Line: "I heard the Candyman's voice as soon as I opened the door."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Seventh Heaven

2011-06-16T12:03:00.002-05:00

Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman
Fiction/Literature

In the late 1950s in suburban America, women stayed at home and tended their children and husbands. Brand new houses were built all the same in a cookie-cutter fashion. When Nora Silk moves into one of these neighbourhoods and she has no visible husband and dresses provocatively, she is looked upon with suspicion and ignored. But what happens is the street is turned upside down.

Other families on the street include: the McCarthys, boys, Ace and Jackie, and their patient father dubbed "the saint" by his sons; the Hennessys,Ellen, her cop husband Joe and son Stevie who makes Nora's son Billie's life a living hell; the Shapiros, Danny who could get into any college he wants due to his good grades and financial ability; and Rickie is seems unable to make wise choices about boyfriends and school; Donna Durgin, who walks out on her young children and husband because her life feels too empty.

The description of the time period was 'spot on'. I had a bit of trouble with all the myriad of characters and felt the book was mediocre. The story meandered and though quite good in parts would then lost its path.

First Line: "Late in August, three crows took up residence in the chimney of the corner house on Hemlock Street."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Switch

2011-06-14T14:42:00.001-05:00

the Switch by Sandra Brown
Mystery

Gillian and Melina Lloyd are identical twins. When Gillian hears her biological clock ticking, she puts herself in the hands of the world-famous Waters Clinic and is artificially inseminated. Melinda, a media escort, convinces Gillian to switch places with her and chauffeur sexy astronaut Chief Hart around town. It turns out to be a fateful decision as Gillian's mutilated body is found the next day.

Melinda decides to involve herself in the police investigation to find out who killed her twin. She hooks up with Hart who is interested in clearing his name. The dead woman's smarmy boyfriend, Jem Hennings, has a vested interest in focusing police efforts on Hart, but Melina has her own reasons for thinking him wrong.

Jem's connection with a charismatic preacher known as Brother Gabriel is troubling. As is their associations with the Fertility Clinic. Melina tracks Brother Gabriel to his lair and uncovers his diabolical plot.

I enjoyed this book even though the ending is known well in advance.

First Line: "Kiss, kiss"

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Summer's Child

2011-06-14T14:30:00.001-05:00

Summer's Child by Luanne Rice
Romance

Leila Jamieson went missing years ago but Mark Murphy, a now retired police detective is still searching for her. Leila's grandmother, Maeve continues to mourn the loss of her granddaughter.

Lily Malone owns a needlework shop in Nova Scotia, Her 9 year daughter, Rose was born with heart defects and has to undergo regularly scheduled operations in order to survive. Rose has befriended a new girl in town, Jessica. When Rose must undergo another operation, Jessica comes up with a fund-raising idea.

The Neill family in Nova Scotia run whale watching tours. All except Liam who believes they may be harming the whales. Liam who is quite introverted has begun seeing Lily and is enchanted with her daughter.

All of these stories intertwine with twists and turns, near tragedy and hope. I enjoyed the story especially the part about the whale. What I didn't enjoy was the cliffhanger so that the reader is conned into buying a second book.

First Line: "At the time, it was the biggest story in the state."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon

2011-06-13T19:46:00.002-05:00

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
Historical Fiction

Lord John Grey is back in the second of his series. He is with his brother when a page from his dead father's journal is delivered to him. Grey knew that his father was murdered even though the death was made to look like a suicide, which had people wondering if he was a Jacobite supporter. Grey never questioned that his father was a Jacobite but after receiving the letter and speaking with his brother about it, he starts to question what he knows.

Meanwhile, as Grey investigates his father's past and those who are involved, his mother mentions that she is getting re-married so Grey has new family members in which to get used to. This includes a new step-brother Percy who Grey immediately takes a shine to. As the two are out, Grey is attacked and he suspects this is due to him looking in to his father's death.

This is another long book of almost 500 pages. Sometimes I wonder if Gabaldon cannot write books fewer than 450 pages. This was quite similar to the previous Lord John book in that it was interesting but I felt like I didn't fully understand some of the things that happened and was always slightly confused. I'm not sure why that was the case. I still enjoyed the book though and will continue on to read the third book in the series to see what Grey gets up to. For those that enjoy the Outlander series, Jaime Fraser makes a couple of short appearances in this novel.

First Line: "To the best of Lord John Grey's knowledge, stepmothers as depicted in fiction tended to be venal, evil, cunning, homicidal, and occasionally cannibalistic."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Denniston Rose

2011-06-12T15:34:00.002-05:00

The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick
Historical Fiction

Rose, a five year child and her mother ride up the perilously steep incline late one night to Denniston. Denniston is a coal mining town high on a plateau on the west coast of New Zealand. This is the 1880s. Life is tough as only a makeshift town exists.

Rose's mother takes up with Jimmy Cork, a drunkard. Rose is left to fend for herself. The English miners are knowledgeable about mining and very close-knit and want to run the other miners off. The other miners are ex-goldminers trying to turn their luck around and those escaping from the law and family. This is a very rough and aggressive community.

This is a story about survival and isolation and mining in 1880s New Zealand. The reader can't help but admire Rose's spirit and 'pull' for her all the way.

First Line: "Rose of Tralee and her mother arrived on the Hill at night during a storm."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

A Year in the World

2011-06-12T11:19:00.003-05:00

A Year in the World by Frances Mayes
Non-Fiction

A Year in the World is a traveloque. With her home in Tuscany as a home base,Frances Mayes travels to Portugal, England, Scotland, Turkey, Spain, France and southern Italy.

Mayes seems to love the different cultures she encounters. She rents homes and shops in the local markets. She tours the gardens in England and Scotland. She sails along the Turkey coast hiking to archaeological sites. She explores the Greek isles. Mayes provides information about art, architecture, food, and social traditions.

The traveloque part of the book was interesting. However I became quite irked when in a description of a cruise she goes on to describe a fat person in a white bathing suit entering the ship's pool as a whale. Since when does this constitute any part of a traveloque. It seems that the sight of fat people annoys Mayes as this was not the only instance in this book. My suggestion leave this bias at home or at least out of the book.

Further the title is a misnomer as this is a series of trips done over a span of years.

First Line: "The silhouette of Alghero rises from the Mediterranean."

Rating:
(3.0/5)

Gilead

2011-06-09T14:58:00.004-05:00

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Fiction/Literature

John Ames believes he is at the end of his life and starts to write a letter/diary to his 7 year old son. His grandfather, a preacher, had moved from Maine to Kansas and joined up with the Union side during the Civil War. His father, also a preacher, on the other hand was a pacifist and became estranged from his father. The grandfather eventually died on his own in the Wilderness.

I found this book to be disjointed and maybe that is the intention as this is a series of entries in a dairy. Also the book was extremely preachy and rambling. These might have been because the writings are of a preacher and an elderly one at that. However, it made for a ponderous read

First Line: "I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I'm old, and you said, I don't think you're old."

Rating:
(3.0/5)

Under the Duvet

2011-06-09T12:09:00.002-05:00

Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
Autobiography

This is the autobiography of Marian Keyes. She has written a number of newspaper and magazine articles and included all of this as a book.

She has touched on weight loss, her Irish family, addiction and relationships.

Some of these were funny and her take on life was interesting. Authors sometimes seem to have a different perspective than ordinary folks like me and it is just fun to read about a normal life experience and see it turned upside down.

First Line: "When I was twenty-one I got it into my head that I wanted to be a journalist."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud

2011-06-08T15:33:00.002-05:00

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
Romance

When Charlie St. Cloud was 15, he 'borrowed' a car to take his 12 year old brother Sam to a baseball game and instead had a deadly accident. Charlie barely survived and his brother did not but Charlie promised him he would never leave him. Now 28, Charlie is the caretaker of the cemetery where Sam is buried and every evening at dusk throws balls with Sam. Yes, the dead brother.

Tess is planning a world-wide solo sailing adventure when she meets Charlie. Over time there develops a beautiful relationship.

But Charlie eventually has to decide between his brother and Tess and even life and death.

This book is a sweet love story with a twist.

First Line: "I believe in miracles."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Purity in Death

2011-06-08T11:24:00.002-05:00

Purity in Death by J. D. Robb
Mystery

Louie Cogburn, a small time criminal, has been suffering from an increasingly bad headache. His neighbour knocks on the door to tell him to turn down his music and Louie answers with a baseball bat swinging. The first policeman at the scene, Trueheart tries to stun Louie and ends up killing him. The message on Cogburn's computer reads "Absolute Purity Achieved".

Eve Dallas is assigned the investigation. Nothing explains the man's rage or why a stun caused his death. When a second murder under the same circimstances takes place, the police start to wonder if a computer virus can be transferred to humans.

Again, Roarke helps out in the technological area.

The sub-plot of Peabody and McNab is wonderful. McNab has been rendered paralytic and wants to end it with Peabody as he now considers himself useless baggage. Peabody is as loyal as they come and refuses to even consider it. This makes for a great side story.

This is another great one. I loved the idea of a computer as a murder weapon.

First Line: "The heat was murder."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

The Girl Who Played with Fire

2011-06-07T09:57:00.002-05:00

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Mystery

Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of that publication, the author and his girlfriend are found murdered.

LIsbeth Salander has been traveling the globe spending some of the money she stole in the last of this series. She just recently returned to Stockholm and brought an apartment and car under an assumed name.

The police start investigating the murder and find the weapon with Salander's prints on it. The weapon had belonged to Nils Bjurnman, her guardian who was also discovered murdered. The only connection seems to be Salander and the police start to actively search for her.

Blomkvist refuses to believe Salander would be the murderer and sets out to do his own investigation.

This is a thriller which definitely involves the reader right up until the end and further sells the next book because of a cliffhanger. I have always wondered why Salander was so close-mouthed and private. These questions are answered and the answers provide the twists and turns of a great mystery.

First Line: "She lay on her back fastened by leather straps to a narrow bed with a steel frame."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Reunion in Death

2011-06-05T13:27:00.001-05:00

Reunion in Death by J. D. Robb
Mystery

A beloved old man is poisoned and Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas realizes very quickly the killer is Julianna Dunne who has just been released from prison. Roarke is next in her sights and between Dallas protecting her man who says he doesn't need any protection and Julianna stalking Roarke, this makes for a very edgy novel.

Dallas also confronts her past and the associated demons head-on by visiting Texas. How Dallas deals with the wide open spaces and cows and horses makes for some humourous moments.

In this installment are also the ever loyal Peabody and her boy toy flashy McNab, licensed companion Charles and his new love interest Dr. Louise.

This series never fails to deliver. I especially liked that Peabody got her own first case and had her parents visit at the same time.

First Line: "Murder was work."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Seduction in Death

2011-06-05T11:45:00.002-05:00

Seduction in Death by J. D. Robb
Mystery

Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas must find a Casanova who kills. Women meet their killer online. He says all the right things and arranges the perfect setting only to pump them full of date rape drugs and kill them. Dallas was a victim of rape and child abuse and this case hits a little too close to home.

The killer changes his appearance to suit his victim and seems to be able to hide his electronic trail rather well. Enter Roarke, Dallas' husband and owner of nearly everything. Roarke with his fancy equipment and superb technological ability assists Dallas.

Delia Peabody, Dallas's assistant and Ian McNab come to better terms about their on-off relationship.

This book is a good mystery but I love the continuing development of characters. Dallas is better at accepting help from Roarke but is as stubborn as ever when she is side-lined with the flu. I also liked the uncomfortableness when Dallas is asked for relationship advice from Peabody.

First Line: "Death came in dreams."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

McNally's Bluff

2011-06-03T13:20:00.002-05:00

McNally's Bluff by Lawrence Sanders
Mystery

Archy McNally, Discreet Inquirer, is attending the party of Palm Beach newcomer and former carnival owner, Matthew Hayes. The party involves finding one's way to the center of a maze.

The goal in the center yields an unwelcome surprise in the form of Matt's dead wife, Marlena Marvel. It is almost impossible that she appeared as a performer and without anyone seeing a thing turns up dead in the centre of the maze.

No one seems to have a motive but when more dead bodies turn up McNally must sift through the possible suspects and find the killer.

A light-hearted read that is just pure fun. I love McNally's joie de vivre

First Line: "The ladies shrieked in despair; the gentlemen moaned in frustration."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

McNally's Dare

2011-06-03T12:55:00.003-05:00

McNally's Dare by Lawrence Sanders
Mystery

Archy McNally is Discreet Inquirer to the rich and famous in Palm Beach. Playing at a posh tennis benefit, Archy is on hand to help discover the drowning death of one of the waiters. The prime suspect is Lance Talbot but Archy is his alibi. Lance has recently inherited a fortune from his mother.

Archy soon has three different clients wanting the same thing. Archy is to find the killer. This seems to hinge all on a missing toe. Archy gets help, of course from the police and finds his way through the twists and turns with wit and humour. Archy is also having a wonderful time with his new love interest, Georgina.

This is a light-hearted mystery that is a quick read. Archy always brings a smile with his irreverent ways.

First Line: "I am lying facedown on the leather=padded massage table clad immodestly in my heather-gray briefs while a curvaceous masseuse in a rather abbreviated nurse's uniform strokes my left hand, one finger at a time"

Rating:
(4.0/5)

Calder Storm

2011-06-02T14:11:00.002-05:00

Calder Storm by Janet Dailey
Romance

This is Trey Calder's story. Trey falls heavily for Sloan, a photographer. They marry quickly and Sloan is introduced to Calder ranch and the multitude of Calders living there. However, there is a problem when Trey discovers Sloan is Max Rutledge's ward. The Rutledges and Calders have been enemies forever. Rutledge would like nothing better than to destroy the Calders and if he can use Sloan he will. All this comes to light as Sloan discovers she is pregnant.

Sloan and Trey must battle through distrust, innuendos and spite. Neither seems to be able to directly confront the other.

Dailey has again killed off a major character, albeit not one as well liked this time. I just do not see the purpose of this death unless it is a way of dealing with too many characters. The romance in these books is getting a little formulaic.

First Line: "The headquarters for the Fort Worth-based conglomerate known as Maresco, sleekly modern in its glass and granite architecture, stood a modest four stories tall"

Rating:
(3.0/5)

Lone Calder Star

2011-06-02T10:17:00.002-05:00

Lone Calder Star by Janet Dailey
Romance

The Cee Bar ranch in Texas has been run by the Calders for over 100 years. So when the Calders are having difficulty keeping foremen to run the ranch, Quint is sent to investigate. Quint pretends to be a simple cowboy and as soon as he hits town everyone is warning him off the Cee Bar.

Max Rutledge and his grandson, Boone are wanting to buy the ranch at any cost. Quint be-friends "Empty" Garner and his granddaughter Dallas. Things turn very ugly and there is a suspicious fire and anthrax.

The very best thing about this book is that no one dies. YIPPEE!! Dallas seemed to me to be not as headstrong as any of the other Calder women as evidenced by the fact of her relationship with Rutledge. An okay romance.

First Line: "Clouds blanketed the Texas landscape southwest of Fort Worth as a stiff wind broomed the countryside, sweeping up anything that wasn't firmly attached."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Around the World in the Middle Seat by Joyce Brooks

2011-06-01T21:57:00.002-05:00

Around the World in the Middle Seat by Joyce Brooks
Travel

Joyce Brooks is a well-travelled tour guide/travel leader from Texas. She worked for a bank, coming up with national and international trips for bank customers to go on with her. Usually she would take her husband though sometimes she travelled by herself, with a group of at least more than 20 other people, typically senior citizens.

The book is broken up in to sections with different themes (ex. medical problems, using the washroom, etc.) and then Brooks explains when she encountered different problems relating to the subject of the chapter. No story is longer than a couple of pages. For this reason, I found the book a little disjointed. I think I would have preferred to read about her stories by region rather than by story type. Brooks also did the majority of her travelling in the 80s and 90s, which unfortunately makes the book seem a bit dated even though it was written in 2002.

There are tips at the end of the book about starting your own tour group which are interesting to read, even though I have no interest in doing that. Obviously Brooks has a lot of patience as I know I wouldn't be able to handle some of the requests that she got!

First Line: "Have you ever been trapped in the middle seat in coach for fourteen hours?"

Rating:
(3/5)

Calder Promise

2011-05-31T14:35:00.003-05:00

Calder Promise by Janet Dailey
Romance

This is Laura's story. Laura is the daughter of Jessie and not a thing like her mother. She is touring Europe with her spoiled 'Aunt' Tara when she encounters two men: Boone Rutledge, son of a wealthy Texas cattle baron and Sebastian Dunshill, Earl of Crawford. Laura flits around Europe and eventually home with these two men dangling after her like puppies in need of a drink. There is even a scene where Laura dives naked into the Trevi fountain in Rome. Improbable!!

This is not a bad series but not great either. The stories are starting to seem the same each time. Romantic love triangle, a tad of mystery followed by the death of a character the reader loves. Enough already with the deaths

First Line: "The flattering glow of candlelight welcomed the arriving guests to the home of Count and Countess Valerie, a sixteenth-century palazzo on Rome's Capitoline Hill."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Secret Prey

2011-05-31T11:57:00.002-05:00

Secret Prey by John Sandford
Mystery

Bank President,Daniel Kresge is murdered while on a hunting trip with several other executives in the bank. Kresge was involved in a merger that would have netted him a lot of money and seen several people lose their jobs. He was also undergoing a costly divorce and he was a despicable human. The suspects are endless. Deputy Police Chief Lucas Davenport is leading the investigation.

Before a new president can be chosen, Wilson MacDonald is named as the interim president. Jim Bone and Susan O'Dell are also in the running for the job. Just as Davenport feels an arrest might be made O'Dell is murdered. Back to the chalkboard the police go. An interesting set of coincidences showing several executives having been killed or having disappeared comes to light.

In the meantime, Davenport's friends are being attacked. Is this another coincidence or connected to the killings?

Another great Prey book with a demented serial killer.

First Line: "The chairman of the board pulled the door shut behind him, stacked his rifle against the log-sided cabin, and walked down to the end of the porch."

Rating:
(4.0/5)