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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I also started two other books but didn't finish them. One was too crude (Mr. FunnyPants) and one too convoluted (A Delicate Truth).
Saturday, August 31, 2013
August 25-31, 2013
The Iggy Chronicles, Volume One by Spencer Quinn - a short e-book in the Chet and Bernie mysteries. Chet's best friend Iggy, who I always pictured as a pug but I guess is a poodle, disappears at the same time one of his owners returns to the hospital.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Claws of the Cat: A Shinobi Mystery by Susan Spann - this is set in Japan in 1564. A samurai and the priest he protects help a hostess in a tea house who has been accused of murder. Not quite enough clarity as to why the samurai and priest are together.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman - I was really looking forward to this book and was quite disappointed. The author told so much more than I wanted to know about.every.single.thing. Everything from who built Grand Central Station and how they made their fortune to the state of Jules Verne's marriage. I only wanted to know about the trips. Almost gave it one star but the minutiae settled down some in the second half of the book.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bad Blood by Arne Dahl - first published in 1998, just translated this year. The second in the series called the A-Unit. A serial killer has made his way to Sweden and the team tries to find him. A police procedural type of mystery, I found it very interesting all the avenues they take to get just one clue.Although the subject matter was dark I didn't find this book to be a much of a downer as the previous in the series. Totally unexpected ending. There are 11 books so far in this series - I wish they would be translated faster. A couple of gratuitous sex paragraphs.
4.5 stars
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Claws of the Cat: A Shinobi Mystery by Susan Spann - this is set in Japan in 1564. A samurai and the priest he protects help a hostess in a tea house who has been accused of murder. Not quite enough clarity as to why the samurai and priest are together.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman - I was really looking forward to this book and was quite disappointed. The author told so much more than I wanted to know about.every.single.thing. Everything from who built Grand Central Station and how they made their fortune to the state of Jules Verne's marriage. I only wanted to know about the trips. Almost gave it one star but the minutiae settled down some in the second half of the book.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bad Blood by Arne Dahl - first published in 1998, just translated this year. The second in the series called the A-Unit. A serial killer has made his way to Sweden and the team tries to find him. A police procedural type of mystery, I found it very interesting all the avenues they take to get just one clue.Although the subject matter was dark I didn't find this book to be a much of a downer as the previous in the series. Totally unexpected ending. There are 11 books so far in this series - I wish they would be translated faster. A couple of gratuitous sex paragraphs.
4.5 stars
Friday, August 23, 2013
August 18-24, 2013
The English Girl by Daniel Silva - another in the Gabriel Allon series. Gabriel is an art restorer/Israeli ex-spy (or is he?). He's asked to find the kidnapped mistress of the English Prime Minister. These books usually spend quite a bit of time with the planning stages of things. I find that interesting but some might not.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Restoration by Olaf Olafsson - I read this because it was mentioned by the author of The Light in the Ruins. A villa in the middle of the German retreat from Rome during WWII, a forged painting and two women with secrets. Told from many viewpoints and different times. The war is not the focal point but rather the people caught in the middle.
4 stars
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Restoration by Olaf Olafsson - I read this because it was mentioned by the author of The Light in the Ruins. A villa in the middle of the German retreat from Rome during WWII, a forged painting and two women with secrets. Told from many viewpoints and different times. The war is not the focal point but rather the people caught in the middle.
4 stars
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Aug 11 - 17, 2013
Who Could That Be At This Hour? by Lemony Snicket - this is the beginning of a new series of children's books. I really enjoyed A Series of Unfortunate Events and this time instead of being the narrator, Lemony is the main character. This series is subtitled All the Wrong Questions and ends with a question cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beast by Faye Kellerman - this book annoyed me right away by throwing me in a scene that really had no bearing on the book. And you had to have read her previous book to know what was going on. So that causes it to lose one star. Anyway, an elderly, very wealthy recluse is found dead in his apartment along with his very much alive tiger. The mystery part of the story really kept me going and I was surprised at the end. But there was too much side story that had nothing to do with the mystery.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless - a memoir of the authors childhood with a mother who was probably narcissistic and definitely an alcoholic. And suicidal. I don't know why books like this fascinate me so much, I always read them with a sense of horror. Maybe because they're the polar opposite of my childhood. I really liked the author's style, it keeps you reading. Some language.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
5 stars
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beast by Faye Kellerman - this book annoyed me right away by throwing me in a scene that really had no bearing on the book. And you had to have read her previous book to know what was going on. So that causes it to lose one star. Anyway, an elderly, very wealthy recluse is found dead in his apartment along with his very much alive tiger. The mystery part of the story really kept me going and I was surprised at the end. But there was too much side story that had nothing to do with the mystery.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless - a memoir of the authors childhood with a mother who was probably narcissistic and definitely an alcoholic. And suicidal. I don't know why books like this fascinate me so much, I always read them with a sense of horror. Maybe because they're the polar opposite of my childhood. I really liked the author's style, it keeps you reading. Some language.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
5 stars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)