The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths - this time Ruth Galloway becomes involved in the discovery of six bodies buried near the sea. It looks like murder. Were they Germans trying to invade in WWII? This is my favorite so far of the series. I'm getting quite caught up in the character's lives.
3.5 stars
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The Swan Gondola by Timothy Shaffert - set in Omaha during the 1898 World's Fair, this is the story of a doomed love. A little too much mysticism for me and the author seemed to be trying a strange link to the Oz story. I actually put this down halfway through and almost didn't pick it up again.
2 stars
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A Wilder Rose by Susan Wittig Albert - a fictionalized account of the years Rose Wilder Lane spent revising and editing the Little House on the Prairie books for her mother. The author used Rose's journals and letters as her inspiration. It's also a story of the depression years.
3 stars
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The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman - an 8 year old makes a wish and her life is changed forever. Years later she's struck by lightning and her life takes another turn. A quite different book. Some sex.
3 stars
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The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North - Harry is a time traveler of a different sort, he lives the same life over and over and remembers his past lives. He gets a message from the future that the world is ending and must spend many of his lives figuring out what's going on.
5 stars
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Bone Deep by Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford is asked by a friend to track down some Indian artifacts perhaps being sold in Florida. Of course it's not as simple as that.
3 stars
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Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr - the 17th Anna Pidgeon novel. It's been four years since the last and imo worth the wait. Anna is on vacation with her paraplegic friend and her daughter. With them are a designer of outdoor equipment and her daughter. While Anna is canoeing, armed men burst into camp and take the women hostage. It's up to Anna to save them.
4 stars
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The Crypt Thief by Mark Pryor - the second Hugo Marston book. He's the security chief at the American embassy in Paris. When and American tourist is killed in a cemetery, Hugo is called to investigate. Lots of action. Some language.
4 stars
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
April 13-19. 2014
The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths - once again Ruth Galloway finds herself involved in a decades old murder investigation. And now someone is threatening her life. Pretty exciting at the end and with a twist. I'm getting involved in the two main characters lives now and will try to read the 3rd in the series soon.
3 stars
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The Fiddler in the Subway by Gene Weingarten - a collection of articles written by a journalist for the Washington Post. It was interesting to see how sometimes his idea for an article took a completely different turn when he started investigating it. I had to skip the chapter about parents who accidentally left their children in hot cars.
3 stars
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Immoral by Brian Freeman - this was quite a twisty tale of two missing girls. Lots of surprises. However, the clinical and detailed sex scenes and other descriptions of personal details really were unnecessary and distracting. I had hoped this would be the start of a new series for me but I won't be continuing.
3 stars for the story
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Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier - the first (1991) in a long series of cozy mysteries featuring Lucy Stone. While working at Country Cousins, Lucy finds her boss dead in his car. Quite a lot of home life besides the mystery part but that's what makes it a cozy. I'll be reading more of these to offset my heavier reading.
3 stars
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Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories by Eoin Colfer - actually, each story is written by a different author. The doctor is Doctor Who and each story is about all the different Doctors, starting with the first. Some were better than others and I enjoyed the ones about 9, 10, and 11 the best because those are the Doctors I know. Although this isn't advertised as a YA book, all the authors are YA.
3 stars
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Follow Her Home by Steph Cha - this author never met a metaphor she didn't like. At first I was drawn in by the mystery but the ending left me confused and irritated. I'm surprised this was published in book form - it read much more like a free ebook.
1 star
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The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill - the 5th in the Simon Serrailler series, it takes some time before Simon makes an appearance. Prostitutes are being murdered and then other women go missing. Again quite a bit of family life going on.
3 stars
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The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss - a fantasy that takes forever to tell and then of course is part of a trilogy or more. Took me awhile to get through this as I kept putting it down. There seems to be a lot of nothing happening and then there will be a little action. And yet I will probably read the second book because I want to know how much more nothing there will be before we know what's going on. I'm wondering if the author knows since the third book was supposed to be published this year but it will be 2015 instead.
2 stars
3 stars
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The Fiddler in the Subway by Gene Weingarten - a collection of articles written by a journalist for the Washington Post. It was interesting to see how sometimes his idea for an article took a completely different turn when he started investigating it. I had to skip the chapter about parents who accidentally left their children in hot cars.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Immoral by Brian Freeman - this was quite a twisty tale of two missing girls. Lots of surprises. However, the clinical and detailed sex scenes and other descriptions of personal details really were unnecessary and distracting. I had hoped this would be the start of a new series for me but I won't be continuing.
3 stars for the story
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Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier - the first (1991) in a long series of cozy mysteries featuring Lucy Stone. While working at Country Cousins, Lucy finds her boss dead in his car. Quite a lot of home life besides the mystery part but that's what makes it a cozy. I'll be reading more of these to offset my heavier reading.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories by Eoin Colfer - actually, each story is written by a different author. The doctor is Doctor Who and each story is about all the different Doctors, starting with the first. Some were better than others and I enjoyed the ones about 9, 10, and 11 the best because those are the Doctors I know. Although this isn't advertised as a YA book, all the authors are YA.
3 stars
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Follow Her Home by Steph Cha - this author never met a metaphor she didn't like. At first I was drawn in by the mystery but the ending left me confused and irritated. I'm surprised this was published in book form - it read much more like a free ebook.
1 star
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill - the 5th in the Simon Serrailler series, it takes some time before Simon makes an appearance. Prostitutes are being murdered and then other women go missing. Again quite a bit of family life going on.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss - a fantasy that takes forever to tell and then of course is part of a trilogy or more. Took me awhile to get through this as I kept putting it down. There seems to be a lot of nothing happening and then there will be a little action. And yet I will probably read the second book because I want to know how much more nothing there will be before we know what's going on. I'm wondering if the author knows since the third book was supposed to be published this year but it will be 2015 instead.
2 stars
Saturday, April 12, 2014
April 6 - 12, 2014
Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb - an Eve Dallas story. Bodies are found concealed in the wall of a building being demolished. This book was a little longer than normal and didn't seem quite as intense. It also seemed to be much more foul mouthed than previous books. There are of course the obligatory sex scenes that are easily skipped. I read these for the character development but I think the author is getting tired, this is the 38th in the series, and she also writes as Nora Roberts.
2 stars
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The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis - the beginning of a new series, published in 1998. Detective sergeant Wesley Peterson has transferred from London to Tradmouth and finds himself investigating a murder on his first day. As an amateur archaeologist, he's also interested in a dig his friend in doing in town where two bodies are found. I liked the characters and I'll continue the series.
3 stars
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Precious Thing by Colette McBeth - a news reporter is called to a missing person story and finds that is her best friend. Just when you think you know what's going on there's another twist. Just the kind of book I like.
5 stars
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Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi - Boy runs from her abusive father and marries a man with a young daughter. When she has her own daughter she discovers her husband is a black man passing for white. The blurbs made this sound like the retelling of a fairy tale but I didn't really get that. I felt this book could have been so much more. Didn't really get it and really disliked the end.
2 stars
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The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill - another Simon Serailler novel. A gunman is killing young women who are either recently married or about to be. There's also a family crisis which is given at least as much time as the mystery.
3 stars
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52 Steps to Murder by Steve Demaree - a cozy mystery featuring two older, out of shape detectives. Lots of time going over and over the suspects but I was still surprised at the end. Not especially well written but because of the humor I gave it
3 stars
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Angel Fire by Lisa Unger - writer Lydia Strong is dreading the anniversary of her mother's murder when she begins to suspect there is a serial killer at work where she is now living. Lots of anguish and unrequited love. Didn't really care about the characters in this one.
2 stars
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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - the life of a widowed book seller is changed drastically when a baby is left in his store. Each chapter begins with a synopsis of a short story. Some language. I loved the way this was written.
5 stars
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The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis - a Wesley Peterson book that once again connects a murder in the present with bodies found at archeological digs. I was quite surprised at the outcome.
3 stars
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The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg - a woman's suicide is found to be murder. Many viewpoints and all mixed together instead of having a chapter to themselves. I was surprised by the murderer but there were too many competing storylines in this one.
2 stars
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Elaine's Circle:A Teacher, A Student, and One Unforgettable Year by Bob Katz - read this book after seeing it on a friend's blog. A true story of a boy with cancer and how his 4th grade class rallies around him due to the influence of their teacher. I didn't really care for the writing but liked the story.
3 stars
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America Through the Lens: Photographers Who Changed the Nation by Martin W. Sandler - another book found on a friend's blog. This is a YA book about different photographers who took photos of the country or of social ills. Interesting, and I think I'll do some more reading about some of them.
3 stars
2 stars
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The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis - the beginning of a new series, published in 1998. Detective sergeant Wesley Peterson has transferred from London to Tradmouth and finds himself investigating a murder on his first day. As an amateur archaeologist, he's also interested in a dig his friend in doing in town where two bodies are found. I liked the characters and I'll continue the series.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Precious Thing by Colette McBeth - a news reporter is called to a missing person story and finds that is her best friend. Just when you think you know what's going on there's another twist. Just the kind of book I like.
5 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi - Boy runs from her abusive father and marries a man with a young daughter. When she has her own daughter she discovers her husband is a black man passing for white. The blurbs made this sound like the retelling of a fairy tale but I didn't really get that. I felt this book could have been so much more. Didn't really get it and really disliked the end.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill - another Simon Serailler novel. A gunman is killing young women who are either recently married or about to be. There's also a family crisis which is given at least as much time as the mystery.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
52 Steps to Murder by Steve Demaree - a cozy mystery featuring two older, out of shape detectives. Lots of time going over and over the suspects but I was still surprised at the end. Not especially well written but because of the humor I gave it
3 stars
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Angel Fire by Lisa Unger - writer Lydia Strong is dreading the anniversary of her mother's murder when she begins to suspect there is a serial killer at work where she is now living. Lots of anguish and unrequited love. Didn't really care about the characters in this one.
2 stars
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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - the life of a widowed book seller is changed drastically when a baby is left in his store. Each chapter begins with a synopsis of a short story. Some language. I loved the way this was written.
5 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis - a Wesley Peterson book that once again connects a murder in the present with bodies found at archeological digs. I was quite surprised at the outcome.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg - a woman's suicide is found to be murder. Many viewpoints and all mixed together instead of having a chapter to themselves. I was surprised by the murderer but there were too many competing storylines in this one.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elaine's Circle:A Teacher, A Student, and One Unforgettable Year by Bob Katz - read this book after seeing it on a friend's blog. A true story of a boy with cancer and how his 4th grade class rallies around him due to the influence of their teacher. I didn't really care for the writing but liked the story.
3 stars
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America Through the Lens: Photographers Who Changed the Nation by Martin W. Sandler - another book found on a friend's blog. This is a YA book about different photographers who took photos of the country or of social ills. Interesting, and I think I'll do some more reading about some of them.
3 stars
Saturday, April 5, 2014
March 30 - April 5, 2014
Missing You by Harlan Coben - a police detective see the profile of her ex-fiancee on an online dating sight and then becomes caught up in a missing persons case that seems to be connected. She's also still looking into the murder of her father 18 years earlier. I was surprised by the final twist.
4 stars
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Oak Harbor by Peggy Christine Darst - an Images of America book, it's a pictorial look at the history of Oak Harbor, my home town. Mostly just captions under photographs, somewhat repetitious, but I enjoyed reading it. There might be one about your home town.
3 stars
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What's So Funny: My Hilarious Life by Tim Conway - I didn't find this as funny as I had hoped. Tim says it himself, he's more of a performance artist than a comedian. I did like the nice things he had to say about his parents and home town. I wonder if his first wife, the mother of his six children, would tell a different story.
2 stars
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e.e. cummings: a life by Susan Cheever - I didn't know much about Cummings before reading this book. I didn't really enjoy the author's writing, it was somewhat repetitious.
2 stars
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Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill - the third in the Simon Serrailler series. Since beginning this series I've learned that the author doesn't consider them mysteries so much as character studies. That makes the fact that some cases are not resolved more palatable. It also makes the series rather dark and sometimes Simon is not very sympathetic. I'm still continuing with the series for now.
3 stars
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Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Life of Humphrey Bogart by Stefan Kanfer - a fairly straight forward look at the actor. This is how I like biographies - start at the beginning and go straight through. The author does like to throw in big words once in awhile and uses the last chapter to give us his opinion on the current movie culture.
3 stars
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Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman - a girl supposedly raised by wolves is "rescued" by a wealthy family and brought to New York. A series of grisly murders seem to follow her and the eldest son, who is telling the story, suspects the girl or himself.
4 stars
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By Its Cover by Donna Leon - a Commissario Brunetti mystery. Books have been vandalized and stolen from one of Venice's libraries. I always like the way Brunetti calmly goes about solving the mysteries while working in a corrupt political climate. I also enjoy the glimpses of his home life.
4 stars
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The Judgement of Caesar by Steven Saylor - Gordianus the Finder finds himself in Alexandria at the beginning of the Alexandrian War. His son is accused of the attempted murder of Caesar and/or Cleopatra. I always enjoy these imagined historical meetings.
3 stars
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oak Harbor by Peggy Christine Darst - an Images of America book, it's a pictorial look at the history of Oak Harbor, my home town. Mostly just captions under photographs, somewhat repetitious, but I enjoyed reading it. There might be one about your home town.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What's So Funny: My Hilarious Life by Tim Conway - I didn't find this as funny as I had hoped. Tim says it himself, he's more of a performance artist than a comedian. I did like the nice things he had to say about his parents and home town. I wonder if his first wife, the mother of his six children, would tell a different story.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
e.e. cummings: a life by Susan Cheever - I didn't know much about Cummings before reading this book. I didn't really enjoy the author's writing, it was somewhat repetitious.
2 stars
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Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill - the third in the Simon Serrailler series. Since beginning this series I've learned that the author doesn't consider them mysteries so much as character studies. That makes the fact that some cases are not resolved more palatable. It also makes the series rather dark and sometimes Simon is not very sympathetic. I'm still continuing with the series for now.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Life of Humphrey Bogart by Stefan Kanfer - a fairly straight forward look at the actor. This is how I like biographies - start at the beginning and go straight through. The author does like to throw in big words once in awhile and uses the last chapter to give us his opinion on the current movie culture.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman - a girl supposedly raised by wolves is "rescued" by a wealthy family and brought to New York. A series of grisly murders seem to follow her and the eldest son, who is telling the story, suspects the girl or himself.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Its Cover by Donna Leon - a Commissario Brunetti mystery. Books have been vandalized and stolen from one of Venice's libraries. I always like the way Brunetti calmly goes about solving the mysteries while working in a corrupt political climate. I also enjoy the glimpses of his home life.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Judgement of Caesar by Steven Saylor - Gordianus the Finder finds himself in Alexandria at the beginning of the Alexandrian War. His son is accused of the attempted murder of Caesar and/or Cleopatra. I always enjoy these imagined historical meetings.
3 stars
Sunday, March 30, 2014
March 23-29, 2014
Killer by Jonathan Kellerman - the 29th Alex Delaware novel. A child custody case turns into murder and kidnapping. Very surprised by who did it.
3 stars
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Still Foolin' Em by Billy Crystal - Billy laments turning 65. Sometimes funny but I found it rather crude. And it must be hard to write about the highlights of your life without sounding like you're bragging. Still...
2 stars
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Carry On Warrior: Thoughts On Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton - the creator of momastery.com brings her blog post openess to a book. She feels we should go through life with our armor off in order to be vulnerable and open to other hurting people. The book doesn't really follow a timeline so that made it a little difficult to follow for me.
3 stars
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The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - a 12 yo boy is having trouble adjusting to the death of his mother when he finds himself in an alternate world seemingly based on his fantasy books. The story takes place in England at the beginning of WWII. I was hoping this was going to be a 4 or 5 star book. But it takes 75 pages for the story to really start. And I thought the author put too many modern day sensibilities into it. It was also rather gruesome.
3 stars
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Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger - a woman discovers her entire life is not what she thought and is put in danger. Some sex scenes but they can be skipped by going to the end of the chapter or paragraph break.
3 stars
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Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark - a D.A. in Los Angeles looks into the supposed murder/suicide of one of her colleagues. I didn't realize when I put this book on my list that it was written by one of the prosecutors in the O.J. Simpson trial. A little too much time dwelling on the diet and clothing choices of the main character but the plot was pretty good.
3 stars
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Anatomy of Fear by Jonathan Santlofer - an interesting plot, following a police sketch artist as he begins to develop a picture of a serial killer. But filled with too many of the elements that I find irritating. Multiple points of view, at least six, sometimes changing viewpoints from paragraph to paragraph. If there had been pets in the story, they would have had a viewpoint too. Then there was the thrown in Santeria, Spanish with no interpretation, corrupt police officials and the obligatory romance. I did like the actual sketches by the author.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Know Jack by Diane Capri - a different take on the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. Two FBI agents are sent on a covert operation to find Jack, but they're not sure why. They go to the setting of the first Jack Reacher novel and meet many of the same characters from that book. Their view of Jack is very different from those of us who have read the series, hence the title of the book. Lots of action but I really couldn't follow all the money talk.
3 stars
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Cry Wolf by J. Carson Black - a man is found dead in the parking lot of a park and the detectives investigating soon find that he was a compulsive liar. This means they have to follow many dead end leads before finding the truth. This is the fourth in a series but the first I've read.
3 stars
3 stars
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Still Foolin' Em by Billy Crystal - Billy laments turning 65. Sometimes funny but I found it rather crude. And it must be hard to write about the highlights of your life without sounding like you're bragging. Still...
2 stars
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Carry On Warrior: Thoughts On Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton - the creator of momastery.com brings her blog post openess to a book. She feels we should go through life with our armor off in order to be vulnerable and open to other hurting people. The book doesn't really follow a timeline so that made it a little difficult to follow for me.
3 stars
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The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - a 12 yo boy is having trouble adjusting to the death of his mother when he finds himself in an alternate world seemingly based on his fantasy books. The story takes place in England at the beginning of WWII. I was hoping this was going to be a 4 or 5 star book. But it takes 75 pages for the story to really start. And I thought the author put too many modern day sensibilities into it. It was also rather gruesome.
3 stars
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Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger - a woman discovers her entire life is not what she thought and is put in danger. Some sex scenes but they can be skipped by going to the end of the chapter or paragraph break.
3 stars
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Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark - a D.A. in Los Angeles looks into the supposed murder/suicide of one of her colleagues. I didn't realize when I put this book on my list that it was written by one of the prosecutors in the O.J. Simpson trial. A little too much time dwelling on the diet and clothing choices of the main character but the plot was pretty good.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anatomy of Fear by Jonathan Santlofer - an interesting plot, following a police sketch artist as he begins to develop a picture of a serial killer. But filled with too many of the elements that I find irritating. Multiple points of view, at least six, sometimes changing viewpoints from paragraph to paragraph. If there had been pets in the story, they would have had a viewpoint too. Then there was the thrown in Santeria, Spanish with no interpretation, corrupt police officials and the obligatory romance. I did like the actual sketches by the author.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Know Jack by Diane Capri - a different take on the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. Two FBI agents are sent on a covert operation to find Jack, but they're not sure why. They go to the setting of the first Jack Reacher novel and meet many of the same characters from that book. Their view of Jack is very different from those of us who have read the series, hence the title of the book. Lots of action but I really couldn't follow all the money talk.
3 stars
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Cry Wolf by J. Carson Black - a man is found dead in the parking lot of a park and the detectives investigating soon find that he was a compulsive liar. This means they have to follow many dead end leads before finding the truth. This is the fourth in a series but the first I've read.
3 stars
Sunday, March 23, 2014
March 16-22, 2014
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - an elderly minister writes a letter to his very young son. Deep thoughts on religion, true Christianity and forgiveness. Some of the sentences were very beautiful but at times my eyes glazed over. I'm still not really sure what I thought of this book. I may buy it to do some underlining and thinking.
3 stars
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Sum It Up by Pat Summitt - a really good autobiography by the most winning coach in NCAA history. I'm not a sports fan so I read this because it was written after her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimers. One thing she's most proud of - 100% of her players graduated.
3 stars (would have been 4 if I liked sports)
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Until I Say Goodbye: My Year of Living With Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel - a memoir written by the author after her diagnosis of ALS (she typed with one thumb on her iphone). She decided to have as many experiences as she could while she could still enjoy them.
4 stars
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The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths - an archaelogist is called to identify some bones found in the salt marsh near a henge. She then becomes involved in two separate cases of missing girls. The first in a series.
3 stars
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Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller - a memoir by a woman who grew up in a hoarder's house. She seems to still be dealing with alternating between anger and forgiveness.
3 stars
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Inherit the Dead by Jonathan Sandlofer - written by 20 different mystery authors, each of them writing a chapter. A good idea (it was for a charity), but I don't think it quite worked. A little too much repetition, some of the chapters seemed to be devoted to just travel time and the ending didn't hold up.
2 stars
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Scaredy-Cat by Mark Billingham - I saw the first two books in this series on Netlix, but only vaguely remembered the second so read it. What is thought to be a serial killer turns out to be two men working together. Lots of frustration by the police before things are wrapped up. A little too long.
3 stars
3 stars
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Sum It Up by Pat Summitt - a really good autobiography by the most winning coach in NCAA history. I'm not a sports fan so I read this because it was written after her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimers. One thing she's most proud of - 100% of her players graduated.
3 stars (would have been 4 if I liked sports)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Until I Say Goodbye: My Year of Living With Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel - a memoir written by the author after her diagnosis of ALS (she typed with one thumb on her iphone). She decided to have as many experiences as she could while she could still enjoy them.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths - an archaelogist is called to identify some bones found in the salt marsh near a henge. She then becomes involved in two separate cases of missing girls. The first in a series.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller - a memoir by a woman who grew up in a hoarder's house. She seems to still be dealing with alternating between anger and forgiveness.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inherit the Dead by Jonathan Sandlofer - written by 20 different mystery authors, each of them writing a chapter. A good idea (it was for a charity), but I don't think it quite worked. A little too much repetition, some of the chapters seemed to be devoted to just travel time and the ending didn't hold up.
2 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scaredy-Cat by Mark Billingham - I saw the first two books in this series on Netlix, but only vaguely remembered the second so read it. What is thought to be a serial killer turns out to be two men working together. Lots of frustration by the police before things are wrapped up. A little too long.
3 stars
Sunday, March 16, 2014
March 9-15, 2014
Killing Raven by Margaret Coel - Lawyer Vicky Holden is hired by the new casino for contract work but discovers something else is going on. Meanwhile, Father John is called to the sight of a murder and worries there will be another. The ending was exciting and I'm going to continue with this series in spite of the aggravation of unrequited love.
3 stars
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Daybreak by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson - someone is killing goose hunters in Iceland. The author really liked describing the detectives apartments and clothing without making them seem real. Fairly mundane right up to the end which was quite exciting. As far as I know, this is a stand alone, not part of a series. I'm giving this author another chance with a book that received good reviews on Goodreads.
2 stars
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The Star of Istanbul by Robert Olen Butler - Christopher Cobb is a journalist turned spy for the US when he is sent off on the Lusitania to follow a suspected German spy. This is the second book in the series and there were many references made to the first which ruined any reason to read it. The author is a Pulitzer prize winner. In my limited experience reading such authors, it seems to mean a paragraph is written when a simple sentence would do.
2 stars
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Ripper by Isabel Allende - the first mystery by this author and certainly not her forte. An airhead mother, nerdy/brainy teen, jealous ex who is also a cop and other cliches fill this book about a serial killer that no one realizes is a serial killer until the 5th victim. Every single person in this book has a back story, including the buildings and even a stream. Why did I need to know the stream had salmon going up it two weeks ago? They did not make a reappearance. The last 10 pages were exciting but I hated the outcome. This 500 page book was in desperate need of an editor and about 200 less pages.
1 star
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The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen - Dept Q investigates a 20 year old cold case that has ties to a political party trying to gain a foothold in Denmark. I put this down about a third of the way through because although I can deal with murder, I have a lot of trouble with colds and the flu described in minute detail. I don't do well with phlegm. When I picked up the book again, everyone seemed to have recovered and the story flowed along from there.
3 stars
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The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness - In the middle of the night George finds a crane in his backyard that has been shot by an arrow. After rescuing it, his life changes drastically. I don't really know what to call this book, I guess an adult fairy tale. What's real and what isn't?
4 stars
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Lion Plays Rough by Lachlan Smith - I found the plot very convoluted, involving corrupt police, unethical lawyers and drug runners. Very few people in this story behave in an ethical way.
2 stars
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Lucky Us by Joan Silber - 40-something Gabe and 20-something Elisa fall in love and are thinking of getting married when suddenly their world falls apart. Told from both points of view. Lots of matter of fact sex.
3 stars
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The Accident by Chris Pavone - an anonymous manuscript will bring down some powerful people - IF it is published. Told mostly from the viewpoint of a book agent, a person in the CIA, and the author of the manuscript. It was a little hard to get into at first while trying to figure out who was who and what was going on. But the story builds and becomes very exciting at the end as more is revealed.
4 stars
3 stars
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Daybreak by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson - someone is killing goose hunters in Iceland. The author really liked describing the detectives apartments and clothing without making them seem real. Fairly mundane right up to the end which was quite exciting. As far as I know, this is a stand alone, not part of a series. I'm giving this author another chance with a book that received good reviews on Goodreads.
2 stars
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The Star of Istanbul by Robert Olen Butler - Christopher Cobb is a journalist turned spy for the US when he is sent off on the Lusitania to follow a suspected German spy. This is the second book in the series and there were many references made to the first which ruined any reason to read it. The author is a Pulitzer prize winner. In my limited experience reading such authors, it seems to mean a paragraph is written when a simple sentence would do.
2 stars
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Ripper by Isabel Allende - the first mystery by this author and certainly not her forte. An airhead mother, nerdy/brainy teen, jealous ex who is also a cop and other cliches fill this book about a serial killer that no one realizes is a serial killer until the 5th victim. Every single person in this book has a back story, including the buildings and even a stream. Why did I need to know the stream had salmon going up it two weeks ago? They did not make a reappearance. The last 10 pages were exciting but I hated the outcome. This 500 page book was in desperate need of an editor and about 200 less pages.
1 star
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The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen - Dept Q investigates a 20 year old cold case that has ties to a political party trying to gain a foothold in Denmark. I put this down about a third of the way through because although I can deal with murder, I have a lot of trouble with colds and the flu described in minute detail. I don't do well with phlegm. When I picked up the book again, everyone seemed to have recovered and the story flowed along from there.
3 stars
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The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness - In the middle of the night George finds a crane in his backyard that has been shot by an arrow. After rescuing it, his life changes drastically. I don't really know what to call this book, I guess an adult fairy tale. What's real and what isn't?
4 stars
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Lion Plays Rough by Lachlan Smith - I found the plot very convoluted, involving corrupt police, unethical lawyers and drug runners. Very few people in this story behave in an ethical way.
2 stars
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Lucky Us by Joan Silber - 40-something Gabe and 20-something Elisa fall in love and are thinking of getting married when suddenly their world falls apart. Told from both points of view. Lots of matter of fact sex.
3 stars
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The Accident by Chris Pavone - an anonymous manuscript will bring down some powerful people - IF it is published. Told mostly from the viewpoint of a book agent, a person in the CIA, and the author of the manuscript. It was a little hard to get into at first while trying to figure out who was who and what was going on. But the story builds and becomes very exciting at the end as more is revealed.
4 stars
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