A Season for the Dead by David Hewson

A Season for the Dead by David Hewson
Mystery

When a man enters the Vatican library carrying a bloody bag and lays the skin of a man across the table of his ex-lover, Nic Costa and his partner follow to see what is going on. Costa is an Italian police officer and knows that he has no jurisdiction in the Vatican but he enters the library to help. There is not just one murder, however, but multiple ones where the victims are posed as martyrs and the connection between all the victims is sleeping with one person: Sara Farnese. Meanwhile, Costa has to deal with his ailing father, pain in the ass boss Falcone, and controversial cardinal.
Having read Lucifer's Shadow by Hewson I had high expectations for this one and sadly they did not live up. I found this book disjointed and poorly explained. Some things made no sense and the 'revelations' in the book were underwhelming.
Even though all of that is a reason to stop reading the book, I found Costa to be a very engaging character. He has a strong morale center and connects well with everyone. But this made the ending all the more unbelievable.
I thought that Costa's boss, Falcone, was rough and rude to the point that the character was no longer believable. And Sara Farnese seemed so cold that I don't understand how her and Costa made a connection.
I don't recommend reading this book. Read Lucifer's Shadow instead, which was a much better mystery.

Rating:

(2.5/5)

Breath, Eyes, Memory

Breath, Eyes,Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Fiction/Literature

At twelve,Sophie Caco is summoned to New York from a poor village in Haiti. She does not really know her mother and 'saves' her from her nightmares of getting raped each night. When Sophie starts to date, she is 'tested' for virginity just as her mother had been. This severely traumitizes her. It is not until she returns to Haiti with her child that Sophie can overcome this shame.
Danticat paints Haiti with rich verbiage showing us the landscape, traditions and politics. I enjoyed the folk tales and the stories of the Haitians. The story itself was a little too vague for me. This may be because I just could not relate to the story.

Rating:

(3.0/5)

Nineteen Minutes

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Literature

Picoult has a knack for writing stories about events and then adding a twist. Nineteen Minutes delivers again. Sterling, New Hampshire is everytown, United States. In nineteen minutes everyone's lives changes. All it takes is nineteen minutes to kill 10 people and injury a lot of others. Peter is the teenager who has been bullied all of his life and finally 'cracks'.

This is a story where everyone is a victim, everyone a hero and everyone a protanganist. Picoult blurs the lines between good and evil. It makes whoever is a parent question their own parenting skills and wonder whether anyone 'knows' their own offspring.

What really is the problem in school shootings? Is it bullying? Is it too much access to violence? Is it ready access to guns? Is it inadequate parenting? Has society done enough to stop the continuing tragedy? When will it ever be okay to be different?

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Hide & Seek

Hide & Seek by Ian Rankin
Mystery

From Amazon:
At night the summer sky stays light over Edinburgh. But in a shadowy, crumbling housing development, a junkie lies dead of an overdose, his bruised body surrounded by signs of Satanic worship. John Rebus could call the death and accident--but won't. Instead, he tracks down a violent-tempered young woman who knew the dead boy and heard him cry out his terrifyng last words: "Hide! Hide!" Now, with the help of a bright, conflicted young detective, Rebus is following the girl through a brutal world of bad deals, bad dope and bad company. From a beautiful city's darkest side to the private sanctums of the upper crust, Rebus is seeking the perfect hiding place for a killer


Hide & Seek is the sequel to Knots & Crosses and it certainly delivers. The plot is sinister and hard hitting and shows the underbelly of Edinburgh. Rebus disects the crime,casting off red herrings until the threads have finally come together. I am sad to see Gill no longer a romantic interest. Rebus now has a little gentler demeanor. I feel like the length of time Rankin took to write the second book in this series somehow changed Rebus's character. Rebus though still cares about the 'little guy' and this is what makes this book even better

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Three to get Deadly

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Mystery

Stepahnie Plum is always a pleasure to read about. This time she is after Uncle Mo who sells candy to the neighbourhood. What could he have possibly done?

Between eccentric friends and some real hunks things get very 'hairy'. Stephanie is shot at yet again and states she hates getting shot at. What does she do but go back to her job and ignore ny warnings. Although Morelli is hot, hot, hot, I sometimes wonder if the mysterious Ranger might not be a better romantic interest.

This book has a lot of humour intermingled with a lot of dead bodies. I felt this book was a little bit unbelieveable in story line but not enough to not look forward to the next book in the series.

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Service Included

Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch
Non-Fiction

Service Included is a book about the food industry. Damrosch shows us the inside world of a 4-star NYC restaurant. We see the machinations involved in producing a true gourmet dining experience. I learned a great deal about how the food is presented and how the staff works very hard to have impeccable service. Damrosch recounts her training for this exclusive restaurant. She must learn how to anticipate the diner's need before they even know what they want. She must also learn how not to interrupt people but still provide service.

Although some of Damrosch's opinions might be offensive; her tips included throughout the book are informative and sometimes very funny.

Damrosch writes about her blossoming love affair with the sommelier. She also tells some great stories about marriage proposals and celebrities. Damrosch relates how even on her day off she is still taste tasting and trying other restaurants.

I don't think I will be one of those people willing to spend $20,000 on one meal but it is very entertaining to read about the experience. This book gives one the insight into what makes a restaurant great.

Rating:

(3.5/5)

Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch

Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch
Non-fiction/Food

Damrosch is a captain at one of the few 4 star restaurants in New York. Four plus hour meals and 16 course dinners are not uncommon at the French restaurant Per Se. Damrosch takes readers behind the scenes of such a restaurant and tells stories that those not in the industry would never otherwise know.

It is truly amazing how many aspects of a meal there are to consider. How to serve, when to serve, what to serve, what to serve it with, what utensils need to be used, what temperature those utensils should be, which direction they should face, which wine goes with each course. It is incredible that anyone could ever remember even half of this!

Of course, the most interesting part is the social aspect. What do these people really think of those they are serving and what are their relationships like with their co-workers? While Damrosch doesn't drop many names, she still gives many interesting stories. Imagine spending $20,000 on a dinner! Who would even think of doing that?

Damrosch also writes about her relationship with a sommelier who works at the restaurant, and how living in New York and working all night can affect your relationship. You would think that after spending all day around food they would want to do something different, but instead they go to try out other restaurants (or even their own).

Quite an interesting book. There are a couple of points and tips in here that have stuck with me because I would have never expected them! It's like water cooler topics!

Rating:

(4/5)

The Lake of Dead Languages

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
Mystery

From the Publisher
In the evocative tradition of Donna Tartt’s first novel, The Secret History, comes this accomplished debut of youthful innocence drowned by dark sins. Twenty years ago, Jane Hudson left the Heart Lake School for Girls in the Adirondacks after a terrible tragedy. Now she has returned to the placid, isolated shores of the lakeside school as a Latin teacher, recently separated and hoping to make a fresh start with her young daughter. But ominous messages from the past dredge up forgotten memories that will become a living nightmare.

Since freshmen year, Jane and her two roommates, Lucy Toller and Deirdre Hall, were inseparable–studying the classics, performing school girl rituals on the lake, and sneaking out after curfew to meet Lucy’s charismatic brother Matt. However, the last winter before graduation, everything changed. For in that sheltered, ice-encrusted wonderland, three lives were taken, all victims of senseless suicide. Only Jane was left to carry the burden of a mystery that has stayed hidden for more than two decades in the dark depths of Heart Lake.

Now pages from Jane’s missing journal, written during that tragic time, have reappeared, revealing shocking, long-buried secrets. And suddenly, young, troubled girls are beginning to die again . . . as piece by piece the shattering truth slowly floats to the surface

This mystery is extremely well written. The story is told in two times; the present and 20 years ago. I have never read a book that so seamlessly interweaves two time periods. When Jane attended Heart Lake School there were two tradegic deaths. Now she has returned to teach Latin and deaths are happening again. What really happened 20 years ago?

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Carved in Bone

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
Mystery

From the Publisher
On the campus of the University of Tennessee lies a patch of ground unlike any in the world. The "Body Farm" is a place where human corpses are left to the elements, and every manner of decay is fully explored -- for the sake of science and the cause of justice. The scientist who created the Body Farm has broken cold cases and revolutionized forensics, and now, in this heart-stopping novel, he spins an astonishing tale inspired by his own experiences. A woman's corpse lies hidden in a cave in the mountains of East Tennessee. Undiscovered for thirty years, her body has been transformed by the cave's chemistry into a near-perfect mummy -- one that discloses an explosive secret to renowned anthropologist Bill Brockton. Dr. Brockton has spent his career surrounded by death and decay at the Body Farm, but even he is baffled by this case unfolding in a unique environment where nothing is quite what it seems. The surreal setting is Cooke County, a remote mountain community that's clannish, insular, and distrustful of outsiders. The heartbreaking discovery of the young woman's corpse reopens old wounds and rekindles feuds dating back decades. The county's powerful and uncooperative sheriff and his inept deputy threaten to derail Brockton's investigation altogether. So do Brockton's other nemeses: his lingering guilt over the death of his wife, and the fury of a medical examiner whom Brockton dares to oppose in court. Carved in Bone is a richly atmospheric, superbly suspenseful, and magnificently rendered trip into the world of forensic science, the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, and the dark passageways of the human psyche. Full of vivid characters and startling twists and turns, thisthrilling novel heralds the debut of a major new voice in crime fiction -- and an unforgettable work from the hand of a scientific legend.


A great book about forensic anthropology. A well-crafted murder mystery set in the back woods of Tennessee. The details of the forensics are sometimes stomach turning but still riveting.

A body dead for 30 years is found. What is the involvement of the sheriff? Does he know what is going on in his own county?

Rating:

(4.0/5)

The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Fiction/Literature

I know I'm a little late to jump on this train and that practically everyone has read this book. Better late than never though, no?

Eddie is a maintenance worker at a theme park on a pier. His wife died years ago and he has always been mad at his father for trapping him in the life he lives. When Eddie dies trying to save a young girl at the pier, he meets 5 people from his past (including people that he never really met or didn't remember). They all teach him lessons as to what the purpose of his life was and how to let go of some of the anger he had over his life.

This was a really quick read and was a touching story. It teaches us that we all have a purpose in life, regardless of how small we think a contribution we are making.

This is the second Mitch Albom book I've read and I think they are too deep for me. I'm not too sure if I'll read his latest one. I'll probably wait for my mom to read it and if she really likes it, I'll read it.

Rating:

(3.5/5)

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Fiction/Literature

Sophie Caco lives with her aunt in Haiti while her mother has escaped from life and a rape to New York. At the age of 12, Sophie is summoned by her mother to New York and she has to leave everything she knows behind for a new world. Her mother is haunted by dreams of the rape that produced Sophie every night, and every night Sophie wakes her mother and "saves her".

When Sophie's mother realizes that Sophie is starting to fall in love, Sophie is "tested" to make sure that she is still pure. This traumatizes Sophie for the rest of her life. Yet Sophie's mom tells her stories of how and why her mother did it to her. Eventually, Sophie runs away to be with her soon to be husband, has a child, and travels back to Haiti where she learns more about what and why her mother has done.

Of all the Oprah Book Club books that I have read, I've found this one the easiest to read. It reads like an auto-biography, and I suspect that it follows pretty closely to Danticat's own life and her experiences in Haiti. There is a prominent member of the Canadian government right now that is a Haitian native and when the book speaks of Haitian beauty, I picture this individual who is stunning!

I really enjoyed the folk stories that the grandmother, aunt, and mother tell their children. I don't know much about Haitian culture so it was nice to read about that. Since I've never been in a situation that is even close to what Sophie and her mother have been in, I couldn't quite understand their relationship. Being that there is abuse involved, I guess I can't be surprised that Oprah chose it as her book club book. If you're going to read it, read it for the tales and information on Haiti!

Rating:

(3.5/5)