Finished 6-19-10, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 2000

Book 4 in the Jack Reacher series (Book 1) (Book 2) (Book 3)

Ex Military Police, Jack Reacher has stopped roaming the country and settled in New York City in his own house to be near his girlfriend Jodie.  He’s still trying to right wrongs with his own brand of justice and after one such run-in he is picked up by the FBI.  Reacher has a problem.  Women that he knew from his Army days are being killed and the FBI think it could be him.  He proves that it’s not, but because his last fight landed two important people in the hospital, the FBI force him to work with them to find the killer.  At first Reacher is an unwilling and uninterested participant, but then it gets personal and Reacher is out for blood.

When I read the last Reacher novel Rhapsody in Books left a comment saying “it’s sort of like watching an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie” and I couldn’t say it better.  Jack is a man who knows how to get things done and he’s not afraid of violence or adhering to the law.  And usually the body count is quite high.  This book was surprising in that Jack killed so few people!  It felt more like a straight mystery and it was a nice change of pace since it forced Reacher to work within the lines of the law.  Well, mostly 🙂

I think I could read this whole series straight through and never get bored.  The action is non-stop and the mysteries are good.  This one I did figure out before the end, but there was enough doubt to leave me second guessing.  If you like edge of your seat action and books that find you reading late into the night then this is the series for you.

This is from my personal library and chosen by ‘Nise and Sheral.  Here’s what they had to say…

“Jack Reacher is a great character.”  ‘Nise

“Love his books.”  Sheral

Finished audio 6-10-10, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2009

Unabridged audio read by the author

Helen is a 50 something widowed author who is still trying to find her way a year after her husband’s death.  She cannot do the most basic things around the house relying instead on her 27-year-old daughter Tessa and she has not been able to write at all.  When she finds out the nest egg she thought would support her financially is gone, having been taken out of the bank by her husband before his death, she has no idea what to think.  She takes a job teaching a writing workshop and the eccentric students force her writer’s instincts to kick in.  When the truth comes out about where the $850,000 went a fork in the road presents itself and Helen is forced to evaluate her life and what she wants to do with it.

Elizabeth Berg always writes books I can relate to even though I am not in the same age range or situation as the main character.  There is such truth and beauty in her writing that I am immediately drawn in, as I was here.  And the fact that she read it herself was wonderful.   My favorite part of the book revolved around Helen receiving a not-so-flattering letter from a reader and how it affected her.  It felt like Berg may have been telling her own story.

I did feel it was similar in some ways to another of her books, The Year of Pleasures, and I actually think I prefer The Year of Pleasures.  Helen did get on my nerves at times.  What woman, no matter how reliant she is on her husband, calls the police when she has a leak? 

So, it was good, not my favorite, but a solid read, or in my case, listen to.

I borrowed this audiobook from the library.

Finished 6-7-10, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 1998

His voice began to drift off.  The earth, baby…sometimes I think it’s just a holding pen for crackpots.  Who knows what planets have discarded us as factory rejects, unfit to live among more civilized planetary societies.  We may be living on the dark side of the moon and don’t know it.”

-The Court of Two Sisters chapter

Dena is a high-profile, on the rise network anchor who has the looks and smarts to have the world at her feet.  Only she has no real friends, is afraid to love and drinks herself into oblivion most nights.  The bright lights of New York City have always been her goal and now that she’s there she finds that she must do questionable gotcha interviews to stay on top.  It’s the 1970’s and the beginning of  tabloid journalism and even the icy, ambitious Dena has qualms about the tactics and the stress leads to a serious health issue that sidelines her in the small town of Elmwood Springs, Missouri.

Dena’s 1970’s story jumps back to the early days of Elmwood Springs and the people who that relate to Dena.  It’s a small town with nice, honest, and eccentric people.  When Dena finds herself convalescing there her heart begins to thaw just a little and she begins to question her childhood and the mystery surrounding her mother.  Dena also touches base with her best friend from college, Sookie, a loveable woman living in a small Georgia town.

Dena has so many flaws, but for some reason she is easy to like because you sense the goodness underneath all of the reserve.  Everyone seems to love her een though for most of the book she offers nothing back, how lucky is that?  The story itself is charming and rich, if a bit meandering at first.  I enjoyed the rose-colored glasses view of Elmwood Springs as the ideal dream and loved its juxtaposition with mean, heartless New York City.  Neither seemed particularly accurate, but it was a fun ride until the mystery involving Dena’s mother unraveled.  For me it seemed a bit anticlimactic.  Realistically, I know it could have happened but I was hoping for more.  It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book, only left me with a less positive feeling than I’d felt the rest of the book.

I really liked my first Fannie Flagg book and its southern charm.

This is from my personal library and chosen by Debbie, Molly, and Sarah.  Here’s what they had to say…

“I love all of hers because of the great characters and the small town settings.”  Debbie

“A novel about a small-town filled with many interesting, quirky characters.”  Sarah

“She writes with great humor and I have a feeling you will want some good laughs after reading the rest of my choices. Plus, I have this book sitting in my to read pile and would love to have someone to read along with it ;0)”  Molly

Finished 5-16-10, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2007

Sanitized simulacra, lack of indoor plumbing, and oppressive mothers notwithstanding, there is something about the simplicity and quiet of  this world that not only does not disappoint, but which exceeds any expectation.  I don’t have the constant noise in my brain from all the Internet, ipod, and radio signals streaming all those sounds and words and pictures into my consciousness practically every waking moment of every day.  I never even noticed that noise in my brain until I realized I didn’t have it anymore.

Chapter 14

Courtney Stone goes to sleep in current day Los Angeles and wakes up in 19th century England.  And she’s not even herself.  She finds herself in the body of Jane Mansfield whose love life strangely mirrors her own.  Courtney has always been a fan on Jane Austen and the regency time period, but she finds that novels do not always capture the dark side of pre-plumbing living.  How long will she be stuck in Jane’s body?  And is there anything she can do to get home?

This was a fun and frothy read.  I loved when she was able to meet Jane Austen and Austen thought she was a lunatic.  I enjoyed the story, but I’m not sure it’s one that will stick with me.  It was almost too light, but still fun.  I know there is a sequel and I will probably pick it up at some point.

This was from my personal library.

Finished audio 5-9-10, rating 4/5, Legal Mystery, pub. 2006

This was originally published as a serial in the Sunday New York Times Magazine.  Turow added material and published it in book form.

George Mason is the main character of this legal thriller and his first appearance was in Turow’s Personal Injuries, which I’ve never read but still really enjoyed this one.  Mason is an appellate judge and he is in the middle of deciding  a high-profile rape case that reminds him of an indiscretion of his 40 years before, his wife is battling cancer and he is receiving death threats both at work and at home.  George Mason has a lot on his plate. 

I liked his indecision over the rape case and how it related to his college days.  It made him see the boys convicted in a light that most of us would never entertain and I thought that was the most compelling part of the story.  But ultimately the story hinges on the death threats and who wants the judge dead and I found the culprit to be a satisfying one.  I mean, I didn’t really suspect him or her but it made some sense at the end. 

I think because this story was originally a magazine serial it didn’t really focus enough attention on every aspect of the story.  I wish his wife’s illness had been integrated a little more, but that is  a small complaint.  I found the story to be thought-provoking and a good thriller.

I checked this audio book out of the library and Jason and I listened to it on our trip to and from my parent’s house for Mother’s Day.  Read by Stephen Lang.

Finished 4-28-10, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 2000

Book 2 in the Merci Rayborn series

I always think a series should be read in order, but for the first time on my blog I’m going to say that you don’t have to read the first one to truly appreciate the second in this series.  Here’s my review of the first one.  I didn’t really care for Merci in Blue Hour, but I did like her in this one.

Merci is a homicide detective living with her young son and widowed father.  She has a new partner, after her last one (and the father of her child) was killed, a love interest, and a new case that threatens at least one of those relationships.  A prostitute is murdered and it looks like there is at least one cop involved.  Then Merci is handed a cold case 30 years old and it is also a murdered prostitute involving cops.  Could they somehow be related?  And why is someone trying to help her by providing evidence? 

Merci really did grow on me this time around.  She still has some issues, but the death of Hess a few years ago and the birth of her son has softened her a bit.  This is not one of those mysteries that wraps up everything with a beautiful bow.  Yes, all of the storylines reached a conclusion, but there were some difficult decisions to be made and Merci is just the gal to make them.  Life is messy and this mystery captured that.  Loved it.  My only complaint was the large cast of characters.  I sometimes had a difficult time remembering who was who.

I’m looking forward to the next one is the series.  This book came from my own library.

Finished audio 3-24-10, rating 4/5, horror, pub. 1977

Jack and Wendy take their son to the Overlook Hotel for the winter.  They are the caretakers, and only inhabitants, of this sprawling hotel set in the Rocky Mountains and they are completely cut off from the rest of the world as the snow strands them there.  The hotel has a colorful past and present and the ‘ghosts’ in the Overlook want little Danny because he has the shine and they drive Jack insane to get to Danny.  Can the love of a mother save her son or will Danny fall victim to the evil that surrounds him? 

I don’t know how I made it to age 38 without reading this or seeing the movie.  As a matter of fact I knew next to nothing about it except for the clip of crazy Jack Nicholson that most of us have seen at one time or another.  I have to admit that even with that picture in my head that is not how I saw the dad in this book.  Guess I’ll have to watch the movie now.

I liked this one.  It was suspenseful and I was even surprised at the end.  Stephen King knows how to tell a good story and this one was very good.

I checked this audio book out from the library and it was skillfully read by actor Campbell Scott.

Finished 3-1-10, rating 4/5, romance, pub. 2010

“I don’t need to look at any contract.  I am the sole owner of Blue Sky Air.”

He muttered something under his breath, and Jenny had the sinking feeling she should be glad she hadn’t  been able to understand what he’d said.  “You’re exactly like Steven described.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just like Steven said.  All package, no product.”

For a moment she couldn’t breathe.

He was lying.  Steven would never have said anything like that about her.

Chapter One

Jenny was trying to run the fledgling business that she had started with her fiance before he had died nine months before.  Jenny is not the black sheep of the family, but she is the youngest sibling and the one everyone protects from harm.  Jared blows into town and announces that he is a partner in the Blue Sky Air charter business and he would like Jenny to buy him out.  Only Jenny can’t pay him because the business isn’t making any money.  So, Jared moves in with her and helps her get the business in order, all the while waiting for the money that will give him the freedom he craves.

This is a sweet romance with lots of family drama.  I loved Jenny’s family and the way they all came together and loved each other even if they didn’t always get along.  Jenny’s sister and nephew are important characters in the story and Jared himself is a great hero.  The author does a wonderful job of really digging into Jared’s history and psyche. 

I really enjoyed this one, but I wish that Jenny and Jared could have been a little less physically perfect.  This is what Jared though about Jenny, “She’d look completely at home frolicking around Hugh Hefner’s mansion in a bunny suit.”  His nickname for her was Bunny.  As for Jared, “he was one of those men who always looked good, whether they’d gotten off a motorcycle, out of the shower, or out of bed,”  and so on.  For me, their perfection made them less interesting.  A flaw or two can make a character endearing, but being reminded the Jenny was drop dead gorgeous every time Jared called her Bunny was a bit much for me.  Maybe I’m just jealous 🙂

I received this from the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program.