Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atchinson - Ruby's life is told from the day of her conception. The story goes back and forth in time as we learn more about the extended family. No one seems very happy but the writing sucked me in.
4 stars
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Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - an American writer living in Paris is assigned to a piece on the 60th anniversary of the rounding up of Jews in Paris during WWII. She discovers a link to her husband's family. I think I'm done with this theme of book for awhile but I might have one more in my pile.
3 stars
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Sept 15-21, 2013
Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson - an Inspector Banks mystery. I thought I had missed this in the series but had a nagging feeling I'd read it the whole time. I didn't care for one of the plot lines of the story.
3 stars
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A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson - I don't like cult religion/land grab for oil/big government conspiracy plots and this had all three. If you've seen any police/detective shows for more than 3 seasons, you've already seen this story. Also, this seemed darker than previous books. I think Walt and the author are getting tired.
3 stars
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Outtakes From a Marriage by Ann Leary - Julia thinks everything if fine with her marriage to a successful actor. Then she accidentally hears a voice mail to her husband. Funnier than it sounds. Ann is Denis Leary's wife.
3 stars
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After Her by Joyce Maynard - a mystery/coming of age story based on the Hillside Strangler case. But I thought it was really about the bond between sisters and importance of a father's presence.
4 stars
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Beyond the Bear: How I Learned to Live and Love Again after Being Blinded by a Bear by Dan Bigley - this fell flat for me. I didn't think the story was told in a very dynamic way and I wish some areas had been more explored. He did work really hard to regain his life, though.
2 stars
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Second Watch by J.A. Jance - J.P. Beaumont is finally having knee surgery and the drugs make him think of his first case. Good twist at the end.
3 stars
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Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell - a time-travel book that confused me terribly but I still really enjoyed. Every year the traveler celebrates his birthday with his former and future selves. This time something goes wrong and it's up to one version of himself to figure it out. I still didn't figure it out totally by the end of the book and yet,
4 stars
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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - a short little book taken from the last lecture given by Randy when he knew he was dying from pancreatic cancer. I found myself actually more interested in his job as a professor working in virtual reality.
3 stars
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Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfield - Twin sisters, one has given up her psychic (?) gift and the other predicts an earthquake in St Louis. A little more than halfway throught this book I started skimming as it seemed to take forever to get to the main point. Too much graphic sex and I didn't care for either sister.
1 star
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Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum - Trudy knows nothing of the life her mother led as a young woman in war time Germany. The story goes back and forth between wartime and about 50 years later as Trudy becomes involved in a remembrance project. Some uncomfortable themes.
4 stars
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The Fault in our Stars by John Green - a young adult book about teens dealing with cancer. I really liked the way this was written. At first I didn't think the conversations rang true but then I realized the kids are very intelligent and interesting and that's what makes their inevitable death so sad.
4 stars
3 stars
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A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson - I don't like cult religion/land grab for oil/big government conspiracy plots and this had all three. If you've seen any police/detective shows for more than 3 seasons, you've already seen this story. Also, this seemed darker than previous books. I think Walt and the author are getting tired.
3 stars
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Outtakes From a Marriage by Ann Leary - Julia thinks everything if fine with her marriage to a successful actor. Then she accidentally hears a voice mail to her husband. Funnier than it sounds. Ann is Denis Leary's wife.
3 stars
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After Her by Joyce Maynard - a mystery/coming of age story based on the Hillside Strangler case. But I thought it was really about the bond between sisters and importance of a father's presence.
4 stars
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Beyond the Bear: How I Learned to Live and Love Again after Being Blinded by a Bear by Dan Bigley - this fell flat for me. I didn't think the story was told in a very dynamic way and I wish some areas had been more explored. He did work really hard to regain his life, though.
2 stars
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Second Watch by J.A. Jance - J.P. Beaumont is finally having knee surgery and the drugs make him think of his first case. Good twist at the end.
3 stars
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Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell - a time-travel book that confused me terribly but I still really enjoyed. Every year the traveler celebrates his birthday with his former and future selves. This time something goes wrong and it's up to one version of himself to figure it out. I still didn't figure it out totally by the end of the book and yet,
4 stars
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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - a short little book taken from the last lecture given by Randy when he knew he was dying from pancreatic cancer. I found myself actually more interested in his job as a professor working in virtual reality.
3 stars
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Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfield - Twin sisters, one has given up her psychic (?) gift and the other predicts an earthquake in St Louis. A little more than halfway throught this book I started skimming as it seemed to take forever to get to the main point. Too much graphic sex and I didn't care for either sister.
1 star
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Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum - Trudy knows nothing of the life her mother led as a young woman in war time Germany. The story goes back and forth between wartime and about 50 years later as Trudy becomes involved in a remembrance project. Some uncomfortable themes.
4 stars
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The Fault in our Stars by John Green - a young adult book about teens dealing with cancer. I really liked the way this was written. At first I didn't think the conversations rang true but then I realized the kids are very intelligent and interesting and that's what makes their inevitable death so sad.
4 stars
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Sept 8-14, 2013
It Happens in the Dark by Carol O' Connell - this is a Mallory series mystery. I haven't decided yet if Mallory is a sociopath or just doesn't deal with people well. She's a brilliant, ice-cold detective. This time murders keep taking place during the first act of a play that might be about an actual massacre.
4 stars
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Austenland by Shannon Hale - in which our heroine is gifted a 3 week stay at an estate in England in order to totally immerse herself in everything Jane Austen. I'm not an Austen fan but I found this amusing.
4 stars
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Night Film by Marisha Pessl - a reclusive film maker's daughter commits suicide and a disgraced reporter decides to dig for the truth. I was immediately drawn into this book and was enjoying it quite a bit when about half way through, dark magic was thrown in and it turned into almost a horror novel. By then I was so wrapped up in the story I had to continue, skimming some of the darker stuff. I really don't know how to categorize this book - mystery or horror. Also written in a different style with interactive elements and other media inserted. It would have received 5 stars if not for the magic stuff.
4 stars
*Cindy, this is not for you, don't read.
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A Mist of Prophecies by Steven Saylor - I was reminded of this series by someone on fb, and I was glad because I could remember the series but not the author. Takes place in Rome at the time Caesar and Pompey were fighting. One of the wives of Rome's most powerful men may be involved in a murder. I did think the main character acted out of character.
3 stars
4 stars
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Austenland by Shannon Hale - in which our heroine is gifted a 3 week stay at an estate in England in order to totally immerse herself in everything Jane Austen. I'm not an Austen fan but I found this amusing.
4 stars
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Night Film by Marisha Pessl - a reclusive film maker's daughter commits suicide and a disgraced reporter decides to dig for the truth. I was immediately drawn into this book and was enjoying it quite a bit when about half way through, dark magic was thrown in and it turned into almost a horror novel. By then I was so wrapped up in the story I had to continue, skimming some of the darker stuff. I really don't know how to categorize this book - mystery or horror. Also written in a different style with interactive elements and other media inserted. It would have received 5 stars if not for the magic stuff.
4 stars
*Cindy, this is not for you, don't read.
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A Mist of Prophecies by Steven Saylor - I was reminded of this series by someone on fb, and I was glad because I could remember the series but not the author. Takes place in Rome at the time Caesar and Pompey were fighting. One of the wives of Rome's most powerful men may be involved in a murder. I did think the main character acted out of character.
3 stars
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Sept 1-7, 2013
Eva's Eye by Karin Fossum - written in 1995, translated in this year. It's the first in a Norwegian series featuring Inspector Sejer. Another of those translated out of order series. I found this story very odd. Halfway through the book the murderer confesses and the rest of the book is how and why it was done. Then there's an unexpected twist at the end.
3 stars
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Bear Is Broken by Lachlan Smith - a fairly good debut novel. Leo Maxwell, a new lawyer, is having lunch with his brother when his brother is shot in the head. As Leo tries to find out who was behind the murder attempt the answers begin to lead him to the murder of his mother when he was 10. Lots of twists and turns along with some language and sex.
3 stars
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The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford - I didn't know much about Charles Dickens so it was interesting to read why he wrote A Christmas Carol. A little dry in places.
3 stars
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I also started two other books but didn't finish them. One was too crude (Mr. FunnyPants) and one too convoluted (A Delicate Truth).
3 stars
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Bear Is Broken by Lachlan Smith - a fairly good debut novel. Leo Maxwell, a new lawyer, is having lunch with his brother when his brother is shot in the head. As Leo tries to find out who was behind the murder attempt the answers begin to lead him to the murder of his mother when he was 10. Lots of twists and turns along with some language and sex.
3 stars
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The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford - I didn't know much about Charles Dickens so it was interesting to read why he wrote A Christmas Carol. A little dry in places.
3 stars
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I also started two other books but didn't finish them. One was too crude (Mr. FunnyPants) and one too convoluted (A Delicate Truth).
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