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
Sunday, December 29, 2013
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Nov 17-23, 2013
Etched in Sand by Regina Calcaterra - I'm always amazed at the cruelty of some parents toward their children and of the resilience of those same children. Regina is one of 5 children. She escaped her mother by declaring emancipation when she was 14. She has gone on to become a lawyer and political advocate, especially for older foster children.
4 stars
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The Divorce Horse
Christmas in Absaroka County - both by Craig Johnson - these are very short e-books. Divorce Horse covers a gap between two books and obviously the other is 4 short stories taking place around Christmas.
3 stars
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W is For Wasted by Sue Grafton - Kinsey gets involved trying to find the identity of a homeless man and is surprised by connections to herself. Part of the story is told from another viewpoint.
3 stars
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Quiet Dell: A Novel by Jayne Anne Phillips - based on a true story from the 1930's, this is a highly fictionalized account of the murder of a mother and her three children. While the true part was interesting, the fiction portion was too modernized.Too much sex, all of it irrelevant to the story.
2 stars
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Critical Mass by Sara Paretsky - finally, an author I've been reading for years still has it. V.I. Warshawski originally is looking for the daughter of a friend of her mentor's. That becomes a search for a grandson, missing documents and national secrets.
4 stars
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Tatiana by Martin Cruz Smith - I have no idea if the Russia portrayed in this book is accurate since Mr. Smith doesn't live there. However, I always enjoy his books. This time Arkady becomes involved in the death of a mob boss and the suicide of a journalist. I like the terse way this author writes.
3 stars
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The Fourth Sacrifice by Peter May - Margaret Campbell, the forensic pathologist from the previous book, is getting ready to leave China when once again she's asked to help the Chinese police investigate a murder that seems to be a part of the series. I find her a little whiny and easily annoyed. The mystery part was good though. A gratuitous sex scene, easily skipped.
3 stars
4 stars
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The Divorce Horse
Christmas in Absaroka County - both by Craig Johnson - these are very short e-books. Divorce Horse covers a gap between two books and obviously the other is 4 short stories taking place around Christmas.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
W is For Wasted by Sue Grafton - Kinsey gets involved trying to find the identity of a homeless man and is surprised by connections to herself. Part of the story is told from another viewpoint.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quiet Dell: A Novel by Jayne Anne Phillips - based on a true story from the 1930's, this is a highly fictionalized account of the murder of a mother and her three children. While the true part was interesting, the fiction portion was too modernized.Too much sex, all of it irrelevant to the story.
2 stars
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Critical Mass by Sara Paretsky - finally, an author I've been reading for years still has it. V.I. Warshawski originally is looking for the daughter of a friend of her mentor's. That becomes a search for a grandson, missing documents and national secrets.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tatiana by Martin Cruz Smith - I have no idea if the Russia portrayed in this book is accurate since Mr. Smith doesn't live there. However, I always enjoy his books. This time Arkady becomes involved in the death of a mob boss and the suicide of a journalist. I like the terse way this author writes.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fourth Sacrifice by Peter May - Margaret Campbell, the forensic pathologist from the previous book, is getting ready to leave China when once again she's asked to help the Chinese police investigate a murder that seems to be a part of the series. I find her a little whiny and easily annoyed. The mystery part was good though. A gratuitous sex scene, easily skipped.
3 stars
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Nov 10-16, 2013
Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb - Eve Dallas is on the trail of a killer fueled by revenge on anyone who has crossed him. We know who the killer is almost right away and this time it's a matter of trying to figure out who he will go after next. The violence in this one bothered me, probably because it was more personal. Also the usual couple of obligatory sex scenes.
3 stars
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Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason - a skeleton is found when foundations are being built for new houses and Erlander's team is called in. Since the skeleton is about 50 years old, it takes lots of police work to figure it out. The story is also told from the past. I find it irritating that the first two books in this series have not been translated yet.
3 stars
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Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George - reading this 720 page book was like watching a 3 hour movie that should have been 1 1/2 hours. Way too long and convoluted. And not really an Inspector Lynley book as much as a Det Barbara Havers. Her young friend Hadiyyah has been kidnapped and she becomes much too involved. There were moments of excitement but there were lots of words in between. A disappointing book from one of my favorite authors.
2 stars
3 stars
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Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason - a skeleton is found when foundations are being built for new houses and Erlander's team is called in. Since the skeleton is about 50 years old, it takes lots of police work to figure it out. The story is also told from the past. I find it irritating that the first two books in this series have not been translated yet.
3 stars
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Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George - reading this 720 page book was like watching a 3 hour movie that should have been 1 1/2 hours. Way too long and convoluted. And not really an Inspector Lynley book as much as a Det Barbara Havers. Her young friend Hadiyyah has been kidnapped and she becomes much too involved. There were moments of excitement but there were lots of words in between. A disappointing book from one of my favorite authors.
2 stars
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