Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - it took me two weeks to read this book. I put it down halfway through and finally decided to finish it. Too much military strategy for me. Very young children are tested to see if they can become the one commander of the space force to win against the buggers. Lots of cruelty by adults and other children. In his forward the author himself says you either love it or hate it. I don't think I hate but now I'm not sure I'll see the movie.
2 stars
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The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis - I've read several of the books in this series about Marcus Didius Falco, an informer in ancient Rome. Now the series has been rebooted with his adopted daughter, Flavia Albia, taking over the role of informer. I miss her parents and their relationship. It takes awhile for the story to get going and I found it rather confusing. Also, I guessed a crucial reveal about halfway through and also guessed the perpetrator. So this didn't really hold my interest.
2 stars
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The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow - a well-off woman finds herself suddenly a widow and the money her husband promised would be there to take care of her has disappeared. She and her two almost adult daughters must learn to live a new life and pull together. The ending was unexpected and I'm not sure I believe it.
3.5 stars
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Stranded by Alex Kava - finally, a mystery that kept me going right till the end (although I guessed the killer early on, but wasn't sure). This is part of the Maggie O'Dell series about an FBI agent who tracks serial killers. She and her partner are looking for a serial killer who targets people at rest areas along the highway. Don't think I'll be able to stop at one after dark again. Just a tinge of gruesome.
4 stars
Monday, July 22, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
July 14-20, 2013
Diners, Drive-in, Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown by Guy Fieri - a collection of some of the places from the show with a short thought from Guy, a couple of lines from members of his Krew, sometimes something from the owners about how the show changed their business and then a recipe. Most of the recipes are not really something that would be easy to make at home. This book would be better used as a travel guide and I think many people do that. In the back is a list of all the places the show has been, not just the ones in the book.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann - this is a book that is getting rave reviews but I didn't enjoy it. I spent most of the book wondering what it was about and when I would get to the story. It weaves real people and events from 1845 to 2012 and moves from Ireland to North America. The author writes beautiful sentences but what are they about?
2 stars
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Her: A Memoir by Christa Parravani - a true story of a woman dealing with the death of her twin sister. This was a very raw, let it all out book. The author pulls no punches when telling the depths each sister went to dealing with their various issues. 50% of twins die within a couple of years of their twins death. I came away with the idea that perhaps their relationship was not a healthy twin relationship but I don't know what it's like to be an identical twin.
3 stars
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A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - this is a glorified Harlequin romance novel. The writing is nice but it's basically a girl loves boy/ loses boy over misunderstanding/ finds boy again. And it wraps up in a true hurricane story in 1938. There are sex scenes but not salacious.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan - if you're not a fan of Jim Gaffigan's comedy you probably won't like this book. Very short chapters about raising 5 children in New York in a 2 bedroom apt. I really enjoyed his chapter on people's reaction to his having 5 children. I also like his obvious love and admiration for his wife. Because I laughed out loud a few times it gets
4 stars
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Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth - this is the second of the three books Call the Midwife are based on. I didn't think this was quite as good as the first, there wasn't as much nursing. It was more of an in depth look at three cases. She does go into quite a lot of detail about the workhouses and that was horrific.
3 stars
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Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter:A Memoir by Melissa Frances - Melissa was on Little House On the Prairie the last two years of the show. This book tells of her and her sister's life constantly trying to please their mother but not knowing what was going to set her off. Melissa liked acting but she didn't like how her mother's love was lavished or withheld depending on her performance.
4 stars
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann - this is a book that is getting rave reviews but I didn't enjoy it. I spent most of the book wondering what it was about and when I would get to the story. It weaves real people and events from 1845 to 2012 and moves from Ireland to North America. The author writes beautiful sentences but what are they about?
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Her: A Memoir by Christa Parravani - a true story of a woman dealing with the death of her twin sister. This was a very raw, let it all out book. The author pulls no punches when telling the depths each sister went to dealing with their various issues. 50% of twins die within a couple of years of their twins death. I came away with the idea that perhaps their relationship was not a healthy twin relationship but I don't know what it's like to be an identical twin.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - this is a glorified Harlequin romance novel. The writing is nice but it's basically a girl loves boy/ loses boy over misunderstanding/ finds boy again. And it wraps up in a true hurricane story in 1938. There are sex scenes but not salacious.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan - if you're not a fan of Jim Gaffigan's comedy you probably won't like this book. Very short chapters about raising 5 children in New York in a 2 bedroom apt. I really enjoyed his chapter on people's reaction to his having 5 children. I also like his obvious love and admiration for his wife. Because I laughed out loud a few times it gets
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth - this is the second of the three books Call the Midwife are based on. I didn't think this was quite as good as the first, there wasn't as much nursing. It was more of an in depth look at three cases. She does go into quite a lot of detail about the workhouses and that was horrific.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter:A Memoir by Melissa Frances - Melissa was on Little House On the Prairie the last two years of the show. This book tells of her and her sister's life constantly trying to please their mother but not knowing what was going to set her off. Melissa liked acting but she didn't like how her mother's love was lavished or withheld depending on her performance.
4 stars
Sunday, July 14, 2013
July 7-13, 2013
Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb - another in the series of futuristic Eve Dallas books. I like these for the author's take on a slightly (2060) future era and on the relationships Eve has built over time. This time Eve is investigating the supposed mugging of an accountant. There are sex scenes between Eve and her husband - I skip right past them and they've become very formulaic.
3 stars
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Carrie and Me by Carol Burnett - Carol's daughter, Carrie, died of cancer in her late 30's. In this book she tells of their troubled relationship during Carrie's teen years. Then the rest is mostly a series of emails to each other. The second half of the book is a short story written by Carrie that was unfinished when she died. I was a little disappointed in this book, I didn't feel it had a lot of depth. But then I wouldn't be able to write a book about a dead daughter at all. And the fictional story is just eh.
2 stars
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The Raft by S.A. Bodeen - a young adult book that reads like a young adult book, very short chapters. A young girl is on a cargo plane that crashes and is adrift on the ocean with no food or water. The co-pilot is unconscious and she must make decisions on her own.
3 stars
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The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye - 1845, the New York police force has just been formed and Timothy Wilde unexpectedly finds himself a member of the force. He's thrust into an investigation of the disappearance and possible murder of several children. I wanted to give this 5 stars but it's very dark. Probably fairly accurate for the times. The politics, immigrant tension and reaction to poverty seem very familiar.
4 stars
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carrie and Me by Carol Burnett - Carol's daughter, Carrie, died of cancer in her late 30's. In this book she tells of their troubled relationship during Carrie's teen years. Then the rest is mostly a series of emails to each other. The second half of the book is a short story written by Carrie that was unfinished when she died. I was a little disappointed in this book, I didn't feel it had a lot of depth. But then I wouldn't be able to write a book about a dead daughter at all. And the fictional story is just eh.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Raft by S.A. Bodeen - a young adult book that reads like a young adult book, very short chapters. A young girl is on a cargo plane that crashes and is adrift on the ocean with no food or water. The co-pilot is unconscious and she must make decisions on her own.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye - 1845, the New York police force has just been formed and Timothy Wilde unexpectedly finds himself a member of the force. He's thrust into an investigation of the disappearance and possible murder of several children. I wanted to give this 5 stars but it's very dark. Probably fairly accurate for the times. The politics, immigrant tension and reaction to poverty seem very familiar.
4 stars
Sunday, July 7, 2013
June 30-July 6, 2013
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - a woman dies and relives parts of her life with different possibilities over and over. Not really reincarnation since she is the same person every time. Takes place during the I and II World Wars. I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It's the kind of quirky book I usually like but something about the end bothered me.
4 stars
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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 pretty honest about his struggles. He does talk quite a bit about being a Mormon and his struggle with that. Gives some definition to what being a Mormon means that I found very interesting. I liked this book so much I actually sent an email to the author (which I've never done) and he answered within the hour!
5 stars
4 stars
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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 pretty honest about his struggles. He does talk quite a bit about being a Mormon and his struggle with that. Gives some definition to what being a Mormon means that I found very interesting. I liked this book so much I actually sent an email to the author (which I've never done) and he answered within the hour!
5 stars
Sunday, June 30, 2013
June 23-29, 2013
The Golden Egg by Donna Leon - I love these stories about Commissario Brunetti. They flow along so gently. In the course of his investigations, Brunetti must maneuver the corrupt politics of Venice. He has the help of his superior's secretary and a few of the officers under him. The stories are as much about his home life with his wife and two children as they are the mystery. This time he investigates the supposed suicide of a special needs man while having to seem not to do so.
4 stars
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Chat by Archer Mayor - Joe Gunther investigates the maybe related deaths of two John Does while also looking into the car accident involving his mother and brother.
3 stars
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Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French - a disturbed woman is discovered serving tea in her living room to a man who has been dead for at least 2 weeks. Psychiatrist Frieda Klein is brought in by the police to help investigate. This really had a lot of twists and turns and kept me going - I had no idea who did it.
4 stars
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Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman - a first novel and the first book I've read on my laptop. Small town police corruption that goes back generations and is discovered after a policeman commits suicide and his wife is left wondering what went wrong.
2 stars
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She Left Me the Gun:My Mother's Life Before Me by Emma Brockes - the author's mother had a horrible upbringing that she never talked about. After her death Emma travels to South Africa to discover the story.
4 stars
4 stars
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Chat by Archer Mayor - Joe Gunther investigates the maybe related deaths of two John Does while also looking into the car accident involving his mother and brother.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French - a disturbed woman is discovered serving tea in her living room to a man who has been dead for at least 2 weeks. Psychiatrist Frieda Klein is brought in by the police to help investigate. This really had a lot of twists and turns and kept me going - I had no idea who did it.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman - a first novel and the first book I've read on my laptop. Small town police corruption that goes back generations and is discovered after a policeman commits suicide and his wife is left wondering what went wrong.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She Left Me the Gun:My Mother's Life Before Me by Emma Brockes - the author's mother had a horrible upbringing that she never talked about. After her death Emma travels to South Africa to discover the story.
4 stars
Sunday, June 23, 2013
June 16-22, 2013
The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo - a Harry Hole (pronounced hula) book. The frustrating thing about foreign language books is that they are often not published in English in the order they were written. So this was a little confusing since it referenced events I haven't read yet. Also, I found the beginning of the book very disjointed and sometimes couldn't tell which character was being written about. About halfway through, I put the book down thinking I wouldn't finish it. I gave it another chance and am glad I did as I thought it improved in the last half. In fact I would have given it 4 stars if not for the beginning.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lethal Investments by K. O. Dahl - another Norwegian author. This was a murder mystery that ended up being about an investment scandal and I couldn't follow all the finance stuff. Rather depressing and too much nudity. Would be R if a movie. I don't think I'll read anymore of this series.
2 stars
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Judgement Call by J.A. Jance - one of her Joanna Brady novels. I was starting to worry about this author when I couldn't finish her last book. Maybe because it was a different series. The mystery part was good and I figured it out right along with Joanna. I'm very tired of her difficult mother though. If Joanna was talking about her on a forum we would all encourage her to cut off contact.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson - the 8th Walt Longmire book. I thought this was the weakest book in the series so far. Not as much humor and again, more Indian mysticism.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus tv review
I just finished the first season of the Longmire series on tv. After the first episode I realized if I was going to enjoy the show I would have to let go of everything in the books. Only the Longmire character is right except for being too young. Instead of saying at the beginning of the show, based on, it should say very loosely based on. I like the show but not nearly as much as the books.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lethal Investments by K. O. Dahl - another Norwegian author. This was a murder mystery that ended up being about an investment scandal and I couldn't follow all the finance stuff. Rather depressing and too much nudity. Would be R if a movie. I don't think I'll read anymore of this series.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judgement Call by J.A. Jance - one of her Joanna Brady novels. I was starting to worry about this author when I couldn't finish her last book. Maybe because it was a different series. The mystery part was good and I figured it out right along with Joanna. I'm very tired of her difficult mother though. If Joanna was talking about her on a forum we would all encourage her to cut off contact.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson - the 8th Walt Longmire book. I thought this was the weakest book in the series so far. Not as much humor and again, more Indian mysticism.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus tv review
I just finished the first season of the Longmire series on tv. After the first episode I realized if I was going to enjoy the show I would have to let go of everything in the books. Only the Longmire character is right except for being too young. Instead of saying at the beginning of the show, based on, it should say very loosely based on. I like the show but not nearly as much as the books.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
June 9-15, 2013
The Second Mouse by Archer Mayor - another in the Joe Gunther series. An apparent suicide may be murder and leads to criminals engaged in other crimes. Not quite as good as the previous book, I do get tired of Willy Kunkle.
3 stars
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Divergent by Veronica Roth - another dystopian young adult book. Society is divided into five factions - at the age of 16 everyone must decide which faction they will choose. Tris makes a surprising choice and learns things are not as they seem. First in a series - the second is out and titled Insurgent.
3 stars
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Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson - a Walt Longmire book. This time Walt is mostly alone as he tracks escaped criminals up a mountain in a snow storm. Quite a bit of mysticism this time.
3 stars
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The Informationist by Taylor Stevens - a female heroine in the mode of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The setting is Africa, which is what made the book interesting to me. Somewhat repetitious.
2 stars
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Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger - a coming-of-age too soon story. Five deaths occur one summer in a small town in Minnesota and they profoundly affect Frank and his family.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss - a lament about everyday rudeness.
3 stars
3 stars
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Divergent by Veronica Roth - another dystopian young adult book. Society is divided into five factions - at the age of 16 everyone must decide which faction they will choose. Tris makes a surprising choice and learns things are not as they seem. First in a series - the second is out and titled Insurgent.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson - a Walt Longmire book. This time Walt is mostly alone as he tracks escaped criminals up a mountain in a snow storm. Quite a bit of mysticism this time.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Informationist by Taylor Stevens - a female heroine in the mode of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The setting is Africa, which is what made the book interesting to me. Somewhat repetitious.
2 stars
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Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger - a coming-of-age too soon story. Five deaths occur one summer in a small town in Minnesota and they profoundly affect Frank and his family.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss - a lament about everyday rudeness.
3 stars
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