Sleep No More by Iris Johansen - I think I'm done with this author for awhile. All the women have beautiful eyes, are brilliant and very strong, although some of them don't know it yet. All the men treat the women with respect, encourage them in their careers and still keep the romance alive. All the villains are psychopaths. The main character, Eve Duncan, still has trouble setting boundaries with her mother. In this book she finds out she has an older step sister who has just escaped from a mental institution.
2 stars
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Jack Reacher's Rules - Jack Reach is a fiction character created by Lee Child but this book was compiled by someone else. It's just a very short book with the rules Jack lives by and if you've read most of the books you already know them. It was kind of fun to see them altogether. Some of the rules only work if you're 6'5 though.
3 stars
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When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde - a man finds a newborn boy in the woods and their lives become intertwined. Every few chapter the viewpoint switches between the man and the boy. Interesting to see how never giving up on someone can change their life.
3.5 stars
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Sutton by J. R. Moehringer - a fictionalized account of the life of Willie Sutton, a famous bank robber. I really like this one, how it was written and the story itself. Some bad language and sex.
4.5 stars
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Dec 16-22, 2012
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan - the first in the Wheel of Time series. A fantasy with a hero who doesn't know he's the hero yet and his friends and new acquaintances caught up in a fight with good against evil. I got a little irritated since the book seemed to drag along at times but it was interesting enough that I kept going. One thing I liked was I could keep all the characters straight and new ones were introduced slowly. I'm interested enough to read the second in the series.
3.5 stars
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Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel Smith - a witty (sometimes trying to be too much so) description of the author's anxiety and how he learned to deal with it. This was helpful seeing anxiety from the sufferer's viewpoint.
3 stars
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Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham - another novel featuring psychologist Joe O'Loughlin. This time his daughter's best friend is accused of killing her father. Somehow this becomes mixed up with a hate crime trial. I was surprised by the ending.
3.5 stars
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Black List by Brad Thor - a member of a Black Ops force finds himself on black list - marked for assasination - and doesn't know why. A secret organization is planning to take down the internet and thereby take over the country. Some intense action with a lot of computer talk in the middle. My eyes glazed over during that part. Would be really scary if it weren't fiction. A part of me wonders how much is true.
3 stars
3.5 stars
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Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel Smith - a witty (sometimes trying to be too much so) description of the author's anxiety and how he learned to deal with it. This was helpful seeing anxiety from the sufferer's viewpoint.
3 stars
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Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham - another novel featuring psychologist Joe O'Loughlin. This time his daughter's best friend is accused of killing her father. Somehow this becomes mixed up with a hate crime trial. I was surprised by the ending.
3.5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black List by Brad Thor - a member of a Black Ops force finds himself on black list - marked for assasination - and doesn't know why. A secret organization is planning to take down the internet and thereby take over the country. Some intense action with a lot of computer talk in the middle. My eyes glazed over during that part. Would be really scary if it weren't fiction. A part of me wonders how much is true.
3 stars
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Dec 9-15, 2012
No books read last week!
A Wanted Man by Lee Child - this is a Jack Reacher book, and as usual is pretty fast and furious. Jack travels the country by hitchhiking and this time is picked up by two men and a woman who aren't quite what they seem. I always enjoy how Jack figures things out. Somewhat violent.
4 stars
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Unwind by Neal Shusterman - a book written for young adults but I really enjoyed it. What would happen if abortion were illegal, but people could "unwind" their children after their 13th birthday if they didn't want them? The stories of 3 kids intertwine as they run from the authorities. Exactly what unwinding is is revealed slowly throughout the story.
4 stars - I'm already on the waiting list for the 2nd book in the series.
A Wanted Man by Lee Child - this is a Jack Reacher book, and as usual is pretty fast and furious. Jack travels the country by hitchhiking and this time is picked up by two men and a woman who aren't quite what they seem. I always enjoy how Jack figures things out. Somewhat violent.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unwind by Neal Shusterman - a book written for young adults but I really enjoyed it. What would happen if abortion were illegal, but people could "unwind" their children after their 13th birthday if they didn't want them? The stories of 3 kids intertwine as they run from the authorities. Exactly what unwinding is is revealed slowly throughout the story.
4 stars - I'm already on the waiting list for the 2nd book in the series.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Nov 25-Dec1 2012
Say You're Sorry by Michael Robotham - this won't be for everyone. It's about two teen girls who have been missing for 3 years and then one of them turns up dead. Some of the story is told from the viewpoint of the other missing girl and the rest is the psychologist who is helping the police. It was certainly suspenseful although I had an inkling early on about the perpetrator and I was right.
3.5 stars because it kept me guessing
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The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle - I wouldn't really consider this a mystery although there are some good guys and some bad guys. It did make me want to go to Marseille and eat French food though.
2 stars
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The Longest Way Home , One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down by Andrew McCarthy - yes, the actor. Couldn't finish this one. I just didn't like his writing style.
0 stars
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Worth Fighting For by Lisa Niemi Swayze - this is mostly about Lisa and Patrick's relationship after he is diagnosed with cancer. I thought she was pretty honest in sharing her emotions. I found the whole book pretty sad.
3 stars
3.5 stars because it kept me guessing
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The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle - I wouldn't really consider this a mystery although there are some good guys and some bad guys. It did make me want to go to Marseille and eat French food though.
2 stars
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The Longest Way Home , One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down by Andrew McCarthy - yes, the actor. Couldn't finish this one. I just didn't like his writing style.
0 stars
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Worth Fighting For by Lisa Niemi Swayze - this is mostly about Lisa and Patrick's relationship after he is diagnosed with cancer. I thought she was pretty honest in sharing her emotions. I found the whole book pretty sad.
3 stars
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Nov 18-24, 2012
The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien - this is probably about the 6th time I've read this book. Read it again to get ready for the movie. I find this more lighthearted than the LOTR books. I enjoyed it this time almost as much as the first.
5 stars
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A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn - this is one of my current favorite authors. It's written from a dog's point of view and I find that part very humorous. The mystery part is usually pretty good and this one had me going until the very end. These aren't meant to be great literature but are lots of fun for a fun read, especially if you like dogs.
4 stars - I only rate it this high because Chet thinks like I think dogs do (if they really think :).)
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The Dark Winter by David Mark - a debut novel by the author and I really enjoyed it. A series of seemingly unrelated murders and a not so usual detective. It's supposed to be the beginning of a series and I'm looking forward to the next one.
4.5 stars
5 stars
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A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn - this is one of my current favorite authors. It's written from a dog's point of view and I find that part very humorous. The mystery part is usually pretty good and this one had me going until the very end. These aren't meant to be great literature but are lots of fun for a fun read, especially if you like dogs.
4 stars - I only rate it this high because Chet thinks like I think dogs do (if they really think :).)
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The Dark Winter by David Mark - a debut novel by the author and I really enjoyed it. A series of seemingly unrelated murders and a not so usual detective. It's supposed to be the beginning of a series and I'm looking forward to the next one.
4.5 stars
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Nov 11-17, 2012
I actually went inside the library and browsed this week. 2 out of the 3 books I found were quite good.
Another Time, Another Life by Leif G.W. Persson - This novel spans 25 years and concerns the bombing of the West German embassy in Sweden. What starts as a murder investigation 14 years later becomes secret occurrences in the Swedish secret police. I wasn't sure I was going to like this or even finish it because it was a little slow going at first. But when I got into it I thought it quite good.
4 stars
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Seconds Away by Harlan Coben - This is the second in the author's young adult series. The story follows the nephew of Myron Bolitar who is the main character in many of Mr Coben's novels. Each book follows a mystery, but there is a larger mystery in both dealing with the death of Mickey's father. No answers yet! Guess that means there will be a third book in the series for sure. I've found both books enjoyable although they are definately for a younger audience.
3 stars
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Dancing Dogs by Jon Katz - a collection of short fiction stories. A nice quick read if you like dog stories. The story about dog heaven had an interesting perspective - in heaven dogs get to do all the things we don't want them to; roll in stinky stuff, bark all the time, eat garbage, and go potty wherever they want. Dog hell is pretty much how they live here. This author has written quite a few books of non-fiction about his adventures with dogs.
3 stars
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The Bedlam Detective by Stephen Gallagher - Not an author I've read before. This is set in 1912 and is about a detective who gathers evidence of wealthy people's insanity so that they can be declared insane and their assets seized. That's not what the story is about, though. Young girls have gone missing and then are found dead and no one knows what really happened. The story is told from a few different viewpoints. I had absolutely no idea who the perpetrator was and was really surprised. I think this would be a good series but have no idea if there will be more.
4 stars
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Come Home by Lisa Scottoline - a mystery with mother love thrown in. Jill's ex-stepdaughter shows up distraught over her father's death, claiming he's been murdered. Lots of twists at the end. I'm not sure I thought people acted true to life and I have a little trouble with Jill's fiance.
2.5 stars
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Force of Nature by C J Box - I made the mistake of "just going to read the first few pages to see if I'll like it" at 3 am and finished the book at 6:30. At just kept moving right along and I really got sucked in. This is the latest in a series about a game warden. I've read a few but have missed a couple. This one deals more with his friend who lives off the grid and is a fugitive from shadowy figures in the government. Fairly violent, I always read those parts fast.
3.5 stars
Another Time, Another Life by Leif G.W. Persson - This novel spans 25 years and concerns the bombing of the West German embassy in Sweden. What starts as a murder investigation 14 years later becomes secret occurrences in the Swedish secret police. I wasn't sure I was going to like this or even finish it because it was a little slow going at first. But when I got into it I thought it quite good.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seconds Away by Harlan Coben - This is the second in the author's young adult series. The story follows the nephew of Myron Bolitar who is the main character in many of Mr Coben's novels. Each book follows a mystery, but there is a larger mystery in both dealing with the death of Mickey's father. No answers yet! Guess that means there will be a third book in the series for sure. I've found both books enjoyable although they are definately for a younger audience.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dancing Dogs by Jon Katz - a collection of short fiction stories. A nice quick read if you like dog stories. The story about dog heaven had an interesting perspective - in heaven dogs get to do all the things we don't want them to; roll in stinky stuff, bark all the time, eat garbage, and go potty wherever they want. Dog hell is pretty much how they live here. This author has written quite a few books of non-fiction about his adventures with dogs.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bedlam Detective by Stephen Gallagher - Not an author I've read before. This is set in 1912 and is about a detective who gathers evidence of wealthy people's insanity so that they can be declared insane and their assets seized. That's not what the story is about, though. Young girls have gone missing and then are found dead and no one knows what really happened. The story is told from a few different viewpoints. I had absolutely no idea who the perpetrator was and was really surprised. I think this would be a good series but have no idea if there will be more.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Come Home by Lisa Scottoline - a mystery with mother love thrown in. Jill's ex-stepdaughter shows up distraught over her father's death, claiming he's been murdered. Lots of twists at the end. I'm not sure I thought people acted true to life and I have a little trouble with Jill's fiance.
2.5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Force of Nature by C J Box - I made the mistake of "just going to read the first few pages to see if I'll like it" at 3 am and finished the book at 6:30. At just kept moving right along and I really got sucked in. This is the latest in a series about a game warden. I've read a few but have missed a couple. This one deals more with his friend who lives off the grid and is a fugitive from shadowy figures in the government. Fairly violent, I always read those parts fast.
3.5 stars
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Week of Nov 4-10, 2012
Had a busy week this week but the library came through with a bunch of books so I got a lot of reading in too.
Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs - This is one of the Temperance Brennan books that the tv series Bones is based on. I didn't think it was one of the better ones. Way too many acronyms and descriptions of forensics techniques. Plus it was about dead babies.
2 stars - I wouldn't recommend it unless you're determined to read every book in the series.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry - This is the second in the Giver series and I enjoyed it the most of the three I've read. Perhaps because I've become used to the author's style, or because I had read the third book previously and so had a little more resolution than normal.
3 stars
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Munster's Case by Hakan Nesser - Set in Sweden, this is about an elderly man murdered in his sleep right after he has won a share in a lottery. The police don't have a clue and seem burdened with ennui and depression. Like many Scandinavian mysteries it's rather dark. These people don't get enough sun in the winter.
4 stars - because I didn't get an inkling of why the murder happened until more than halfway through the book, and I never guessed the murderer.
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Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginides - a friend gave it 4 stars so I decided to give it a try. About a hermaphrodite and the history leading up to her/his birth and what happens when she becomes truly aware of her true self.
4 stars - Very well written and I didn't find it pruient.
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The Third Gate by Lincoln Child - I wish I had followed my instinct and not finished this book. Personal preference, I don't like supernatural or paranormal books and I didn't realize this was one at first. Archeologists (sp?) are searching for an ancient tomb buried under a swamp called the Sud and calamaties ensue.
1 star - personal preference
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The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton - 16 year old Laurel sees her mother stab a man and 50 years later tries to find the reason. The book goes back and forth in time and is told from different viewpoints but I didn't find that irritating at all. Managed to keep myself from reading the end first and really enjoyed the whole book.
4.5 stars - One of the better books I've read this year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delusion in Death by J D Robb(Nora Roberts) - this is the 35th book in the series and I've read every one. It's a police series set in the future. All the cases take place one right after the other, so only 2 1/2 years have gone by since the first one. These won't be for everyone - there are sex scenes(between the detective and her impossibly rich, impossibly handsome husband) and some of the murders are fairly gruesome. I read them because I'm hooked on the characters and want to know how they're going to develop. This book is about mass murder in a bar caused by a drug that makes all the patrons turn on each other.
3 stars
Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs - This is one of the Temperance Brennan books that the tv series Bones is based on. I didn't think it was one of the better ones. Way too many acronyms and descriptions of forensics techniques. Plus it was about dead babies.
2 stars - I wouldn't recommend it unless you're determined to read every book in the series.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry - This is the second in the Giver series and I enjoyed it the most of the three I've read. Perhaps because I've become used to the author's style, or because I had read the third book previously and so had a little more resolution than normal.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Munster's Case by Hakan Nesser - Set in Sweden, this is about an elderly man murdered in his sleep right after he has won a share in a lottery. The police don't have a clue and seem burdened with ennui and depression. Like many Scandinavian mysteries it's rather dark. These people don't get enough sun in the winter.
4 stars - because I didn't get an inkling of why the murder happened until more than halfway through the book, and I never guessed the murderer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginides - a friend gave it 4 stars so I decided to give it a try. About a hermaphrodite and the history leading up to her/his birth and what happens when she becomes truly aware of her true self.
4 stars - Very well written and I didn't find it pruient.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Third Gate by Lincoln Child - I wish I had followed my instinct and not finished this book. Personal preference, I don't like supernatural or paranormal books and I didn't realize this was one at first. Archeologists (sp?) are searching for an ancient tomb buried under a swamp called the Sud and calamaties ensue.
1 star - personal preference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton - 16 year old Laurel sees her mother stab a man and 50 years later tries to find the reason. The book goes back and forth in time and is told from different viewpoints but I didn't find that irritating at all. Managed to keep myself from reading the end first and really enjoyed the whole book.
4.5 stars - One of the better books I've read this year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delusion in Death by J D Robb(Nora Roberts) - this is the 35th book in the series and I've read every one. It's a police series set in the future. All the cases take place one right after the other, so only 2 1/2 years have gone by since the first one. These won't be for everyone - there are sex scenes(between the detective and her impossibly rich, impossibly handsome husband) and some of the murders are fairly gruesome. I read them because I'm hooked on the characters and want to know how they're going to develop. This book is about mass murder in a bar caused by a drug that makes all the patrons turn on each other.
3 stars
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