Killer by Jonathan Kellerman - the 29th Alex Delaware novel. A child custody case turns into murder and kidnapping. Very surprised by who did it.
3 stars
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Still Foolin' Em by Billy Crystal - Billy laments turning 65. Sometimes funny but I found it rather crude. And it must be hard to write about the highlights of your life without sounding like you're bragging. Still...
2 stars
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Carry On Warrior: Thoughts On Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton - the creator of momastery.com brings her blog post openess to a book. She feels we should go through life with our armor off in order to be vulnerable and open to other hurting people. The book doesn't really follow a timeline so that made it a little difficult to follow for me.
3 stars
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The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - a 12 yo boy is having trouble adjusting to the death of his mother when he finds himself in an alternate world seemingly based on his fantasy books. The story takes place in England at the beginning of WWII. I was hoping this was going to be a 4 or 5 star book. But it takes 75 pages for the story to really start. And I thought the author put too many modern day sensibilities into it. It was also rather gruesome.
3 stars
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Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger - a woman discovers her entire life is not what she thought and is put in danger. Some sex scenes but they can be skipped by going to the end of the chapter or paragraph break.
3 stars
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Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark - a D.A. in Los Angeles looks into the supposed murder/suicide of one of her colleagues. I didn't realize when I put this book on my list that it was written by one of the prosecutors in the O.J. Simpson trial. A little too much time dwelling on the diet and clothing choices of the main character but the plot was pretty good.
3 stars
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Anatomy of Fear by Jonathan Santlofer - an interesting plot, following a police sketch artist as he begins to develop a picture of a serial killer. But filled with too many of the elements that I find irritating. Multiple points of view, at least six, sometimes changing viewpoints from paragraph to paragraph. If there had been pets in the story, they would have had a viewpoint too. Then there was the thrown in Santeria, Spanish with no interpretation, corrupt police officials and the obligatory romance. I did like the actual sketches by the author.
2 stars
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Don't Know Jack by Diane Capri - a different take on the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. Two FBI agents are sent on a covert operation to find Jack, but they're not sure why. They go to the setting of the first Jack Reacher novel and meet many of the same characters from that book. Their view of Jack is very different from those of us who have read the series, hence the title of the book. Lots of action but I really couldn't follow all the money talk.
3 stars
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Cry Wolf by J. Carson Black - a man is found dead in the parking lot of a park and the detectives investigating soon find that he was a compulsive liar. This means they have to follow many dead end leads before finding the truth. This is the fourth in a series but the first I've read.
3 stars
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
March 16-22, 2014
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - an elderly minister writes a letter to his very young son. Deep thoughts on religion, true Christianity and forgiveness. Some of the sentences were very beautiful but at times my eyes glazed over. I'm still not really sure what I thought of this book. I may buy it to do some underlining and thinking.
3 stars
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Sum It Up by Pat Summitt - a really good autobiography by the most winning coach in NCAA history. I'm not a sports fan so I read this because it was written after her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimers. One thing she's most proud of - 100% of her players graduated.
3 stars (would have been 4 if I liked sports)
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Until I Say Goodbye: My Year of Living With Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel - a memoir written by the author after her diagnosis of ALS (she typed with one thumb on her iphone). She decided to have as many experiences as she could while she could still enjoy them.
4 stars
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The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths - an archaelogist is called to identify some bones found in the salt marsh near a henge. She then becomes involved in two separate cases of missing girls. The first in a series.
3 stars
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Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller - a memoir by a woman who grew up in a hoarder's house. She seems to still be dealing with alternating between anger and forgiveness.
3 stars
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Inherit the Dead by Jonathan Sandlofer - written by 20 different mystery authors, each of them writing a chapter. A good idea (it was for a charity), but I don't think it quite worked. A little too much repetition, some of the chapters seemed to be devoted to just travel time and the ending didn't hold up.
2 stars
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Scaredy-Cat by Mark Billingham - I saw the first two books in this series on Netlix, but only vaguely remembered the second so read it. What is thought to be a serial killer turns out to be two men working together. Lots of frustration by the police before things are wrapped up. A little too long.
3 stars
3 stars
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Sum It Up by Pat Summitt - a really good autobiography by the most winning coach in NCAA history. I'm not a sports fan so I read this because it was written after her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimers. One thing she's most proud of - 100% of her players graduated.
3 stars (would have been 4 if I liked sports)
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Until I Say Goodbye: My Year of Living With Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel - a memoir written by the author after her diagnosis of ALS (she typed with one thumb on her iphone). She decided to have as many experiences as she could while she could still enjoy them.
4 stars
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The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths - an archaelogist is called to identify some bones found in the salt marsh near a henge. She then becomes involved in two separate cases of missing girls. The first in a series.
3 stars
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Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller - a memoir by a woman who grew up in a hoarder's house. She seems to still be dealing with alternating between anger and forgiveness.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inherit the Dead by Jonathan Sandlofer - written by 20 different mystery authors, each of them writing a chapter. A good idea (it was for a charity), but I don't think it quite worked. A little too much repetition, some of the chapters seemed to be devoted to just travel time and the ending didn't hold up.
2 stars
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Scaredy-Cat by Mark Billingham - I saw the first two books in this series on Netlix, but only vaguely remembered the second so read it. What is thought to be a serial killer turns out to be two men working together. Lots of frustration by the police before things are wrapped up. A little too long.
3 stars
Sunday, March 16, 2014
March 9-15, 2014
Killing Raven by Margaret Coel - Lawyer Vicky Holden is hired by the new casino for contract work but discovers something else is going on. Meanwhile, Father John is called to the sight of a murder and worries there will be another. The ending was exciting and I'm going to continue with this series in spite of the aggravation of unrequited love.
3 stars
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Daybreak by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson - someone is killing goose hunters in Iceland. The author really liked describing the detectives apartments and clothing without making them seem real. Fairly mundane right up to the end which was quite exciting. As far as I know, this is a stand alone, not part of a series. I'm giving this author another chance with a book that received good reviews on Goodreads.
2 stars
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The Star of Istanbul by Robert Olen Butler - Christopher Cobb is a journalist turned spy for the US when he is sent off on the Lusitania to follow a suspected German spy. This is the second book in the series and there were many references made to the first which ruined any reason to read it. The author is a Pulitzer prize winner. In my limited experience reading such authors, it seems to mean a paragraph is written when a simple sentence would do.
2 stars
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Ripper by Isabel Allende - the first mystery by this author and certainly not her forte. An airhead mother, nerdy/brainy teen, jealous ex who is also a cop and other cliches fill this book about a serial killer that no one realizes is a serial killer until the 5th victim. Every single person in this book has a back story, including the buildings and even a stream. Why did I need to know the stream had salmon going up it two weeks ago? They did not make a reappearance. The last 10 pages were exciting but I hated the outcome. This 500 page book was in desperate need of an editor and about 200 less pages.
1 star
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The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen - Dept Q investigates a 20 year old cold case that has ties to a political party trying to gain a foothold in Denmark. I put this down about a third of the way through because although I can deal with murder, I have a lot of trouble with colds and the flu described in minute detail. I don't do well with phlegm. When I picked up the book again, everyone seemed to have recovered and the story flowed along from there.
3 stars
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The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness - In the middle of the night George finds a crane in his backyard that has been shot by an arrow. After rescuing it, his life changes drastically. I don't really know what to call this book, I guess an adult fairy tale. What's real and what isn't?
4 stars
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Lion Plays Rough by Lachlan Smith - I found the plot very convoluted, involving corrupt police, unethical lawyers and drug runners. Very few people in this story behave in an ethical way.
2 stars
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Lucky Us by Joan Silber - 40-something Gabe and 20-something Elisa fall in love and are thinking of getting married when suddenly their world falls apart. Told from both points of view. Lots of matter of fact sex.
3 stars
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The Accident by Chris Pavone - an anonymous manuscript will bring down some powerful people - IF it is published. Told mostly from the viewpoint of a book agent, a person in the CIA, and the author of the manuscript. It was a little hard to get into at first while trying to figure out who was who and what was going on. But the story builds and becomes very exciting at the end as more is revealed.
4 stars
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daybreak by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson - someone is killing goose hunters in Iceland. The author really liked describing the detectives apartments and clothing without making them seem real. Fairly mundane right up to the end which was quite exciting. As far as I know, this is a stand alone, not part of a series. I'm giving this author another chance with a book that received good reviews on Goodreads.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Star of Istanbul by Robert Olen Butler - Christopher Cobb is a journalist turned spy for the US when he is sent off on the Lusitania to follow a suspected German spy. This is the second book in the series and there were many references made to the first which ruined any reason to read it. The author is a Pulitzer prize winner. In my limited experience reading such authors, it seems to mean a paragraph is written when a simple sentence would do.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ripper by Isabel Allende - the first mystery by this author and certainly not her forte. An airhead mother, nerdy/brainy teen, jealous ex who is also a cop and other cliches fill this book about a serial killer that no one realizes is a serial killer until the 5th victim. Every single person in this book has a back story, including the buildings and even a stream. Why did I need to know the stream had salmon going up it two weeks ago? They did not make a reappearance. The last 10 pages were exciting but I hated the outcome. This 500 page book was in desperate need of an editor and about 200 less pages.
1 star
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The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen - Dept Q investigates a 20 year old cold case that has ties to a political party trying to gain a foothold in Denmark. I put this down about a third of the way through because although I can deal with murder, I have a lot of trouble with colds and the flu described in minute detail. I don't do well with phlegm. When I picked up the book again, everyone seemed to have recovered and the story flowed along from there.
3 stars
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The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness - In the middle of the night George finds a crane in his backyard that has been shot by an arrow. After rescuing it, his life changes drastically. I don't really know what to call this book, I guess an adult fairy tale. What's real and what isn't?
4 stars
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Lion Plays Rough by Lachlan Smith - I found the plot very convoluted, involving corrupt police, unethical lawyers and drug runners. Very few people in this story behave in an ethical way.
2 stars
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Lucky Us by Joan Silber - 40-something Gabe and 20-something Elisa fall in love and are thinking of getting married when suddenly their world falls apart. Told from both points of view. Lots of matter of fact sex.
3 stars
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The Accident by Chris Pavone - an anonymous manuscript will bring down some powerful people - IF it is published. Told mostly from the viewpoint of a book agent, a person in the CIA, and the author of the manuscript. It was a little hard to get into at first while trying to figure out who was who and what was going on. But the story builds and becomes very exciting at the end as more is revealed.
4 stars
Saturday, March 8, 2014
March 2-8, 2014
The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood - the story of two women, one in 1960 and one 1911. One feels trapped in her marriage and the other is still searching for her lover lost in the San Francisco earthquake. The author uses food and brand names when talking about the 60's, which made it fun for me.
4 stars
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Nemesis by Jo Nesbo - there are several different plot lines in the 4th Harry Hole(holay) book. A bank robber kills a teller and Harry's ex girlfriend is found dead after he has a night there he can't remember.
3 stars
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The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo - Harry must investigate a serial killer along with the Inspector he is sure is involved in illegal activities. I was totally surprised by the killer's identity. Quite an exciting ending. And now I'm caught up with this series.
4 stars
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Moloka'i by Alan Brennert - a 7 year old girl has leprosy and is sent to the lepers colony on Moloka'i. There she finds a different kind of family and we follow her life till the end. The story begins almost a century ago and ends in 1970. Some sex.
3 stars
4 stars
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Nemesis by Jo Nesbo - there are several different plot lines in the 4th Harry Hole(holay) book. A bank robber kills a teller and Harry's ex girlfriend is found dead after he has a night there he can't remember.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo - Harry must investigate a serial killer along with the Inspector he is sure is involved in illegal activities. I was totally surprised by the killer's identity. Quite an exciting ending. And now I'm caught up with this series.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert - a 7 year old girl has leprosy and is sent to the lepers colony on Moloka'i. There she finds a different kind of family and we follow her life till the end. The story begins almost a century ago and ends in 1970. Some sex.
3 stars
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