The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien - good prevails and the king returns.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex by Pierre Lemaitre - my first book of 2014 and it was a doozy. The author earned the CWA International Dagger award for this book and it's his first translated into English. A woman is kidnapped and held prisoner with the stated intent of being watched until she dies. The story alternates between her viewpoint and that of the policeman trying to find her. Lots of plot twists. Pretty gritty and violent, I think most of my readers would find it too much. There is a previous novel featuring the same policeman and it would have been nice to read it first for some important context. I hope more of his novels will be published here.
5 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Thunder Keeper by Margaret Coel - this is part of a series I haven't read in quite awhile so I'm really behind. I have a sneaking suspicion I may have read this before. Indian reservation priest John O'Malley is told in confession that a suicide was murder and tries to find more evidence.
2 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Herring by Archer Mayor - a Joe Gunther mystery, I'm catching up and am at least in this decade now. Three unrelated deaths may actually be the work of a serial killer. A little too much science/technical explanation and Willy Kunckle is still a jerk.
3 stars
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
The 5 star books from 2013
First, a reminder of how a book gets a 5 star rating:
The Art Forger by B A Shapiro - is a Degas a forgery or the real thing? There are two stories in this book - the main character is making a copy of a Degas that is supposed to be an original and at the same time she is becoming convinced that the original is a forgery.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - recently retired Harold receives a letter from an old friend and on his way to post a reply he begins a walk to see her almost by mistake. Quite a different book and I really enjoyed it.
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - a young couple living on an island tending a lighthouse in the 1920's find a baby in a lifeboat along with her dead father. Decisions are made which affect many people.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - takes place in the near future. A young man takes a job in a bookstore and discovers all is not as it seems. He tries to figure out what's going on and stumbles across a mysterious group searching for eternal life. Really much lighter than it sounds and really hard to explain.
With or Without You by Domenica Ruta- a memoir of a very badly raised woman and she is still struggling with it. Pretty raw and with language. I found it fascinating.
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks - Budo is the imaginary friend of Max, an autistic boy. When Max is in danger, Budo must rescue him in spite of the fact no one can see or hear him. I loved this book. The observations Budo makes about Max's parents and the other adults around them are quite interesting. My heart was really pounding near the end. Just the kind of quirky and different book I like.
The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne - absolutely loved this book. He makes his parents sound wonderful, which is so refreshing. I felt he was quite honest about his struggles.
The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence - A 10 yo boy is hit in the head by a meteorite. He's already "different" and this makes him more so. He meets an elderly man and life takes an even more interesting turn. I love the way this author writes. I found it funny, sad and interesting even though I don't agree with his thoughts on God and life after death.
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian - I loved the way this book flowed. It alternates between 1943 and 1955 in Italy. During the war an Italian family loses their villa and several members of their family. And in 1955 someone starts killing the remaining members. It's not really a mystery in the typical sense, but the story of the family and then one of the police officers in particular. Really had me going and I had no idea who the killer was. Totally surprised.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - my library labeled this as historical but it should be labeled fantasy history. A Golem is made for a man on his way to America, but he dies on the journey and she is left masterless. A Jinni is accidentally released from his bottle in a small tin smith's shop in New York in 1898. Somehow the two meet and touch several lives. I really found myself immersed.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - a 13 year old boy is left parentless when his mother is killed in an explosion at a museum. He's shunted from family to family and basically left to raise himself. A 771 page book that just kept me reading and reading.
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell - I was drawn into this book on the very first page and finished it in one sitting. The story of a mousy police typist during the 1920's. She's gradually drawn into a different world by one of the other typists. The ending was a shock, I still don't know what to think.
- It has to interest me from the first page.
- If it's a mystery, I can't guess the bad guy.
- I don't read the end to see if I should keep reading.
- I have to enjoy the way the book is written.
- Nothing irritates me. And believe me, after 57 years of reading I'm easily irritated.
The Art Forger by B A Shapiro - is a Degas a forgery or the real thing? There are two stories in this book - the main character is making a copy of a Degas that is supposed to be an original and at the same time she is becoming convinced that the original is a forgery.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - recently retired Harold receives a letter from an old friend and on his way to post a reply he begins a walk to see her almost by mistake. Quite a different book and I really enjoyed it.
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - a young couple living on an island tending a lighthouse in the 1920's find a baby in a lifeboat along with her dead father. Decisions are made which affect many people.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - takes place in the near future. A young man takes a job in a bookstore and discovers all is not as it seems. He tries to figure out what's going on and stumbles across a mysterious group searching for eternal life. Really much lighter than it sounds and really hard to explain.
With or Without You by Domenica Ruta- a memoir of a very badly raised woman and she is still struggling with it. Pretty raw and with language. I found it fascinating.
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks - Budo is the imaginary friend of Max, an autistic boy. When Max is in danger, Budo must rescue him in spite of the fact no one can see or hear him. I loved this book. The observations Budo makes about Max's parents and the other adults around them are quite interesting. My heart was really pounding near the end. Just the kind of quirky and different book I like.
The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne - absolutely loved this book. He makes his parents sound wonderful, which is so refreshing. I felt he was quite honest about his struggles.
The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence - A 10 yo boy is hit in the head by a meteorite. He's already "different" and this makes him more so. He meets an elderly man and life takes an even more interesting turn. I love the way this author writes. I found it funny, sad and interesting even though I don't agree with his thoughts on God and life after death.
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian - I loved the way this book flowed. It alternates between 1943 and 1955 in Italy. During the war an Italian family loses their villa and several members of their family. And in 1955 someone starts killing the remaining members. It's not really a mystery in the typical sense, but the story of the family and then one of the police officers in particular. Really had me going and I had no idea who the killer was. Totally surprised.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - my library labeled this as historical but it should be labeled fantasy history. A Golem is made for a man on his way to America, but he dies on the journey and she is left masterless. A Jinni is accidentally released from his bottle in a small tin smith's shop in New York in 1898. Somehow the two meet and touch several lives. I really found myself immersed.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - a 13 year old boy is left parentless when his mother is killed in an explosion at a museum. He's shunted from family to family and basically left to raise himself. A 771 page book that just kept me reading and reading.
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell - I was drawn into this book on the very first page and finished it in one sitting. The story of a mousy police typist during the 1920's. She's gradually drawn into a different world by one of the other typists. The ending was a shock, I still don't know what to think.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Dec 22-28, 2013
After seeing The Hobbit last week, I decided to finish out the year with some Tolkien.
The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien - Bilbo finds the ring.
The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien- the ring must be destroyed.
The Two Towers by Tolkien - men are caught between Sauron and Saruman.
4 stars for all
The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien - Bilbo finds the ring.
The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien- the ring must be destroyed.
The Two Towers by Tolkien - men are caught between Sauron and Saruman.
4 stars for all
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Dec 15-21, 2013
Vigilante by Claude Bouchard - a vigilante is killing the bad guys and the police can't catch him. They turn to a computer expert for help. Not very well written, it goes back and forth between viewpoints and everyone seems rather wooden.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose - someone is killing prostitutes. Badly written and the heroine is just stupid. Also too graphic. I think I only finished just to see how bad it could be.
0 stars
The two books above were in a Kindle bundle called Nine Great Mysteries I got for .99 cents. I deleted the rest, not even worth .99 cents.
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Agatha Webb by Anna Katharine Green - in which the reader will attempt to elucidate on the mystery surrounding the death of Agatha Webb, a story found in Greatest Mystery Collection Volume 2, purchased on Amazon, not the great tributary found in South America, but the online store wherein every item known to man may be purchased, for $2.99, an amount fitting the constrained budget of the reader. Too. many. words. This was written in 1899 by a woman considered the mother of mysteries. She was writing detective novels 10 years before Conan Doyle invented Sherlock. There are over 60 books, that's books, not short stories, in this collection. Probably will only be reading them when I'm desperate.
2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman - this is called a Leaphorn and Chee novel although it seems to be centered more on Chee's wife, Bernie. The author is continuing the series begun by her father. A pretty good first time book, although there were a lot of driving scenes.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spirit of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story by Craig Johnson - a Christmas time novella that's not a mystery. It tells the story of a time in 1988 when Walt and the former sheriff, Lucius, undertake a wild flight in a storm. Too much technical detail about the plane and medical procedures.
2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell - I was drawn into this book on the very first page and finished it in one sitting. The story of a mousy police typist during the 1920's. She's gradually drawn into a different world by one of the other typists. The ending was a shock, I still don't know what to think.
5 stars
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose - someone is killing prostitutes. Badly written and the heroine is just stupid. Also too graphic. I think I only finished just to see how bad it could be.
0 stars
The two books above were in a Kindle bundle called Nine Great Mysteries I got for .99 cents. I deleted the rest, not even worth .99 cents.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agatha Webb by Anna Katharine Green - in which the reader will attempt to elucidate on the mystery surrounding the death of Agatha Webb, a story found in Greatest Mystery Collection Volume 2, purchased on Amazon, not the great tributary found in South America, but the online store wherein every item known to man may be purchased, for $2.99, an amount fitting the constrained budget of the reader. Too. many. words. This was written in 1899 by a woman considered the mother of mysteries. She was writing detective novels 10 years before Conan Doyle invented Sherlock. There are over 60 books, that's books, not short stories, in this collection. Probably will only be reading them when I'm desperate.
2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman - this is called a Leaphorn and Chee novel although it seems to be centered more on Chee's wife, Bernie. The author is continuing the series begun by her father. A pretty good first time book, although there were a lot of driving scenes.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spirit of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story by Craig Johnson - a Christmas time novella that's not a mystery. It tells the story of a time in 1988 when Walt and the former sheriff, Lucius, undertake a wild flight in a storm. Too much technical detail about the plane and medical procedures.
2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell - I was drawn into this book on the very first page and finished it in one sitting. The story of a mousy police typist during the 1920's. She's gradually drawn into a different world by one of the other typists. The ending was a shock, I still don't know what to think.
5 stars
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Dec 8-14, 2013
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) - pretty sure I had this on my list before the secret was out about who really wrote it because I would have been prejudiced against it. Cormoran Strike is hired to discover is a model's suicide really is a suicide. I really liked this, it ripped right along.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No Man's Nightingale by Ruth Rendell - the author has been writing about Inspector Wexford for 50 years and I've read all 24. Now he's retired but drawn into an investigation by his house cleaner. Things move pretty slow and don't seem to have a lot to do with the case. Not one of the best of this series.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler - something happened to the narrator's sister many years ago that she has completely blocked out. Because of the incident, her brother has disappeared and is wanted by the FBI for being a terrorist. A major plot point is revealed on page 79. Don't read anymore about this book if you want to be surprised.
4.5 star
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich - the 20th of the Stephanie Plum books and things are still pretty much the same. She can't decide between Morelli and Ranger, she's still a klutz, her grandmother is looney and Lula is still dressing like a hooker. Getting tiresome and some of the situations are completely unbelievable. She needs to pick Ranger and get on with her life.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly - a Micky Haller book. He takes a murder case that soon becomes about dirty law enforcement. I always enjoy Michael Connelly.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Watch by Linda Fairstein - another Alexandra Cooper case. This time she's in France visiting her boyfriend when she's called back to New York do deal with a high profile case. Then her boyfriend gets involved in a murder case. The two stories have absolutely nothing to do with each other. This is supposed to be a series about a strong woman but she doesn't stand up for herself very well and is pretty whiny. I skimmed the middle part of the book.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Second Chance Dog by Jon Katz - I've always enjoyed this author's books about his dogs but this one just dragged on and on. His editors didn't do their job, there was lots of repetition. It's the story of the dog belonging to the woman he wants to date after his divorce. The dog part was good - the rest, not so much.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Widow File by S.G. Redling - Dani works for what she thinks is a highly skilled security company. That turns out to not be true. Really intense action and you're never sure who is actually helping Dani get away. The plot is somewhat convoluted but that doesn't take away from action. This was an ebook I tried just because it was cheap on Kindle First. I'm glad I did. If it hadn't been for too much vulgarity, I would have given it a 5.
4 stars
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No Man's Nightingale by Ruth Rendell - the author has been writing about Inspector Wexford for 50 years and I've read all 24. Now he's retired but drawn into an investigation by his house cleaner. Things move pretty slow and don't seem to have a lot to do with the case. Not one of the best of this series.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler - something happened to the narrator's sister many years ago that she has completely blocked out. Because of the incident, her brother has disappeared and is wanted by the FBI for being a terrorist. A major plot point is revealed on page 79. Don't read anymore about this book if you want to be surprised.
4.5 star
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich - the 20th of the Stephanie Plum books and things are still pretty much the same. She can't decide between Morelli and Ranger, she's still a klutz, her grandmother is looney and Lula is still dressing like a hooker. Getting tiresome and some of the situations are completely unbelievable. She needs to pick Ranger and get on with her life.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly - a Micky Haller book. He takes a murder case that soon becomes about dirty law enforcement. I always enjoy Michael Connelly.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Watch by Linda Fairstein - another Alexandra Cooper case. This time she's in France visiting her boyfriend when she's called back to New York do deal with a high profile case. Then her boyfriend gets involved in a murder case. The two stories have absolutely nothing to do with each other. This is supposed to be a series about a strong woman but she doesn't stand up for herself very well and is pretty whiny. I skimmed the middle part of the book.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Second Chance Dog by Jon Katz - I've always enjoyed this author's books about his dogs but this one just dragged on and on. His editors didn't do their job, there was lots of repetition. It's the story of the dog belonging to the woman he wants to date after his divorce. The dog part was good - the rest, not so much.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Widow File by S.G. Redling - Dani works for what she thinks is a highly skilled security company. That turns out to not be true. Really intense action and you're never sure who is actually helping Dani get away. The plot is somewhat convoluted but that doesn't take away from action. This was an ebook I tried just because it was cheap on Kindle First. I'm glad I did. If it hadn't been for too much vulgarity, I would have given it a 5.
4 stars
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Dec 1-7, 2013
A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets by James Bowen - a true story of a recovering addict and how taking a cat into his life helped him get stronger. James is pretty straightforward about his problems and also has an interesting take on life on the streets of London. The writing isn't the greatest but the cat is.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doing Hard Time by Stuart Woods - this is another Stone Barrington book. And just like many others in the series, everything comes too easily to the main characters and none of them have any problems with money. A far cry from the authors first book, Chiefs. And yet I keep reading them.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bones of Paris by Laurie R King - Paris, 1929, and an American private investigator is hired to look for a missing girl. Everything seems to involve the art world and he runs across famous and infamous people. Somewhat macabre and it seems to move slowly until the end.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Spy Who Loved:The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley - a biography of the first woman spy for the British during WWII. Should have been an interesting book but the writing was dull and at times seemed to be just a list of Polish names. I have to be honest and say I just skimmed the middle of the book. Also poorly edited, I found several errors.
2 stars
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doing Hard Time by Stuart Woods - this is another Stone Barrington book. And just like many others in the series, everything comes too easily to the main characters and none of them have any problems with money. A far cry from the authors first book, Chiefs. And yet I keep reading them.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bones of Paris by Laurie R King - Paris, 1929, and an American private investigator is hired to look for a missing girl. Everything seems to involve the art world and he runs across famous and infamous people. Somewhat macabre and it seems to move slowly until the end.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Spy Who Loved:The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley - a biography of the first woman spy for the British during WWII. Should have been an interesting book but the writing was dull and at times seemed to be just a list of Polish names. I have to be honest and say I just skimmed the middle of the book. Also poorly edited, I found several errors.
2 stars
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Nov 24-30, 2013
Wet Desert by Gary Hansen - I started this book thinking the writing wasn't very good (the author's first book) but then got caught up in the action. A terrorist blows up a dam on the Colorado River and several stories intertwine as people try to escape the flood or solve the problem.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - a 13 year old boy is left parentless when his mother is killed in an explosion at a museum. He's shunted from family to family and basically left to raise himself. A 771 page book that just kept me reading and reading.Language and unsavory happenings.
5 stars*
I think I'm the only one of my blog readers that would give this 5 stars.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - a 13 year old boy is left parentless when his mother is killed in an explosion at a museum. He's shunted from family to family and basically left to raise himself. A 771 page book that just kept me reading and reading.Language and unsavory happenings.
5 stars*
I think I'm the only one of my blog readers that would give this 5 stars.
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