Wideacre

Wideacre by Philippa Gregory
Historical Fiction

Wideacre is a historical fiction set in Georgian England. Beatrice Lacey has been unfortunate to be born a female. She loves the land she has grown upon. She loves it too much! Beatrice will go to any lengths to stay on this land. As a girl she is expected to marry and move away. Beatrice is just plain evil. Once she starts a path to claim Wideacre she descends further and further into evil.

Seduction, Maiming, betrayal, incest and murder seem to mean nothing to her. The land is the only thing. Will she destroy herself or Wideacre first?

This novel grabs the reader and you are pulled into the story until the final chapter is done

Rating:

(4.0/5)

The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly

The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly
Mystery

This is the fourth novel in the Harry Bosch detective series. It's quite different from the previous because Bosch has been suspended from the LAPD and takes on a cold case on his own. There are no rules and nothing can stop Bosch from determining who killed his mother when he was just a boy.
Meanwhile, Bosch is forced to go through therapy with Dr. Hinojos, who is quite an interesting character. She gives Bosch a different perspective on everything and it would be nice to see her in the upcoming novels.
Bosch's investigation takes him to Florida where he meets a woman (and then sleeps with her) called Jazz. She's a bit of a mystery but Bosch wants to see more of her. Sylvia was his previous girlfriend, who I really enjoyed, so I'm not sure how I think Jazz compares to her.
In this novel, Bosch was much less restricted. He's out on his own, doing his own thing, on his own terms. I like how he doesn't take shit from anyone and thinks quick on his feet. I'm interested in seeing how things change for him now that he has solved his mother's murder and will (likely) be heading back to the LAPD.
This book is the best in the series so far!

Rating:

(4/5)

The Madam

The Madam by Julianna Baggott
Literature

In 1924 in West Virginia, Alma decides to join her husband in a trip to Florida to buy a trunk full of potential treasures. She has to leave her children behind. When the trunk turns out to be full of old clothing, her husband abandons her.

Alma returns home, retrieves her two oldest children and starts a brothel. What ensues is a story of a strong woman. Alma loves her children and will do anything to protect them. This story is about how women help women and how a woman can overcome circumstances and rise above them.

I found the story just wandered along at times

Rating:

(3.0/5)

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Pseudo Memoir

Practically everyone knows about the controversy that this book caused after Oprah placed it on her book list then found out that parts of it were fictionalized. Frey has apparently only been a minor player to the FBI, and that dentist scene probably isn't real. But Frey is an addict, an alcoholic, and a criminal - which he often repeats throughout the book. When his parents bring him to this clinic, he has a hole in his cheek and just doesn't care about anything. He soon learns that if he does anymore drugs or drinks anymore he will most likely wind up dead.

Frey in no way makes thing easy in his recovery. He doesn't believe in the 12 steps of AA or any higher beings, which the treatment centre people say is the only thing that could possibly cure you. Instead, Frey believes it's just a matter of personal choice.

Despite the fact that you have to read this book with a grain of salt, it is quite something. It really gets down into the nitty gritty of drug and alcohol addiction and shows how Frey tries to climb out of his hole. The relationships he creates with the other people in the centre is fascinating. I really liked reading about Leonard, the mobster, and I'm interested in reading Frey's other book; "My Friend Leonard".

The writing is scattered. Frey doesn't believe in proper sentence structure, but once you get used to it, you hardly notice it. I was glad to see that Frey included a little "where are they now" section at the end. This book really puts a personal face on drug and alcohol addiction in attempts to get readers to understand what is going on behind all the negatives.

Rating:

(4/5)

Ceremony in Death

Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb
Mystery

Ceremony in Death is another Eve Dallas mystery. This one involves satanism and the Wiccan religions. The information about these two beliefs was interesting.

I love how Robb is developing the relationship between Dallas and Roarke. You can sense the sizzle between these two. Also I feel each is maturing in their love.

The mystery also explored the question of direct order vs.loyalty. An interesting moral question. I will look forward to the next in the series

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Day of Confession

Day of Confession by Allan Folsom
Mystery

Day of Confession is a mystery that is slightly different; about 1/3 of the way through the book you know the details of the crime and the criminal. The remainder of the book is about how 'they' get caught. And what happens is still a surprise.

A Cardinal is killed and Henry Addison's brother, a priest,is thought to have pulled the trigger. Father Addison is on a bus that explodes and is presumed dead. Henry discovers the body is not that of his brother. Whereupon he is soon fingered for the murder of a policeman. Now on the run and trying to find out about his brother Henry is soon involved with Vatican conspiracies to take over the world and international terrorists.

The book is action packed and reads like a block buster movie. The only nit is that the romance in the book is totally unneccesary and totally unbelievable.

Rating:

(4.0/5)

The Dress Lodger

The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman
Historical Fiction

This book is set in Sunderland, England in 1831 at the time of a cholera epidemic. Gustine is a young mother who works in a pottery factory by day and rents a gown to prostitize herself at night. Henry Chiver is a doctor who craves to learn more about anatomy. Gustine works at finding bodies for Henry to autopsy.

Gustine's baby was born with a medical condition. If she helps Henry will this help her baby? Both Gustiine and Henry are lost souls. They seem to cross the boundaries set by this period in time.

The descriptions of a factory town of this era are so vivid one feels the filth. I agree that there is a Dickensian feel to the book. This makes it a read you have to focus on.

The narrator of the story changes and this at times confused me.

Rating:

(3.5/5)

Numbers Challenge

I am going to enter a challenge come Jan 08. A challenge to read some of those TBRs that have a number in the title.

Callista of SMS Book Reviews is hosting the challenge. The goal is to read 5 books by Jun08.

I will choose from

Just One Look by Harlan Coben

Nanking 1937 by Zhaoyan Ye

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen

Four Fires by Bryce Courtenay

The Eight by Katherine Neville

The First Time by Joy Fielding

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell

24 Hours by Greg Iles

Night

Night by Elie Wiesel
Non-fiction

What a powerful small book. Wiesel was born in Transylvania. In 1944 at the age of fifteen he and his family were rounded up and transported to Auschwitz and then Buchenwald.

Wiesel recounts the hardships and cruelty of the 'final solution'. He tells his story with a clarity that is hard to read about. He questions the obediance of the Jews and explains what happened. He relates very matter of factly about the transport, life in the concentration camps, the forced marches and finally his release.

It is very hard to review such a dramatic book. I will let Wiesel tell it himself.

"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
Never shallI forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even where I condemned to live as long as God himself.
Never"

I would add, never shall I forget this book.

Rating:

(4.5/5)

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Fiction/Literature

The year is 1906, and Mattie lives with her family on a farm. But this isn't an ordinary family. Mattie's mother has recently passed away from cancer and her brother left for unknown reasons after an argument with their father. With a family full of girls, life on the farm is tough. Mattie tries to keep up with her school work and eventually gets a scholarship to college. But she has to struggle with the decision of whether or not to leave her family for school.

Woven into this story are the letters of Grace Brown, who was murdered by Chester Gillette in 1906 (true story, and after researching this online, the letters in this novel are Grace's actual letters). Mattie finds these while working at a hotel to try and earn money both for herself to potentially go to school and for her father to make life easier on the farm.

Mattie is quite the character. She seems so balanced in her decision-making. She wants to learn, but doesn't want to let her family down. She is insecure with love and running her family, but very secure with words and composition. Although, I have to be honest, I thought that Matt was a guy for about the first 30 pages of the book!

Even though later in the book Grace's letters help Mattie make her decision, I thought that they didn't flow well with the book and that I didn't really care. Mattie's home life was page turning, whereas Grace's letters were very blah.

This was a great book that show the trials and tribulations of life on a farm in the early 1900s.

Rating:

(4/5)

Girls' Poker Night by Jill A. Davis

Girls' Poker Night by Jill A. Davis
Chick Lit

Ruby Capote moves from Boston to New York to escape her boyfriend and start a new job as a columnist. She starts to fall for her boss, the editor of The New York News, but she has commitment issues and pushes him away. Ruby also discusses her shrink, her co-workers, and her weekly poker sessions with her friends.

The book is written in very small snippets that led me to believe Davis might be a stand up comedian. She used to write for David Lettermen and other tv shows, so I guess that explains it. It's writing for people with ADD and it's really annoying. It's like Davis wanted to get a joke out of most of those snippets, until about 1/10th the way through the book where nothing is funny anymore (and it wasn't that funny to begin with).

The main character, Ruby, is flakey and impossible to like. Her friends seem superficial. I couldn't relate to the characters, the storyline, and I didn't really care. If you have this book in your TBR pile, pass it on!

Rating:

(2/5)

The Last Coyote

The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly
Mystery

Bosch's life is in shambles. His girlfriend has left him. His house is condemned and he is under suspension for assualting his boss.

Bosch decides to spend his time investigating a cold case from 1961, the murder of a prostitute, his mother.

Bosch as usual,is the 'take no guff' kind of cop. his questions generate more questions and eventually lead to more murder.

Bosch is the kind of cop you would want on your side. "Everyone counts" I was very happy to see Pounds get it. I was thoroughly sick to death of him.

I loved this book. It was the best so far!! I certainly hope that Jazz sticks around for a while.

Rating:

(4.0/5)