Tag: book review

Hot Stuff by Janet Evanovich and Leanne Banks

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Cover ImageFinished 5-6-08, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2007

I love Janet Evanovich, but sometimes she tries to make the characters  so unique and entertaining that they just end up being ridiculous.  So, when I was introduced to Pugg in Chapter One I was prepared to ignore his antics, but a wonderful thing happened.  I really enjoyed the other characters and the story so much that by the end I sorta even liked Pugg.

Cate is from a loving family and she is going to school to become a teacher.  She is subletting a room from Marty, a cross dressing singer when bad things begin to happen.  There are weird hang-ups, annoying visitors, and Marty’s disappearance to contend with and that’s before the guard dog, Beast shows up at her door.  At the bar where she bartends she meets Kellen and is unwillingly drawn to him as he begins to charm her.  Circumstances arise that throw Cate and Kellen together and a whirlwind love affair begins.

This was a fun and fast read and I really liked it.  I loved Beast and Cate’s family.  It made for a very enjoyable few hours.

On The Run: A Mafia Childhood by Gregg & Gina Hill

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Cover ImageFinished 5-6-08, rating 4/5, non-fiction, pub. 2004

“My father is the single most irresponsible and uncaring person I’ve ever known.”  Gregg Hill, Chapter 2

When I read (and reviewed) Gangsters and Goodfellas by Henry Hill I found a man who thought very highly of himself and who liked to skip over details that he didn’t think were important.  I decided to follow up that book with this one written by his children about their lives with their father and I am so glad I did.  This is the story of two kids still in hiding from the Mob who have had their lives irrecoverably changed by their father and his choices.

Gregg and Gina spent their childhoods with parties in their house full of drugs, sex, and mobsters or when Henry was in jail, visiting him.  Gregg never really had a close relationship with his father.  He saw what was going on and wanted no part of it.  Gina idolized her father and it wouldn’t be until much later that she saw him for what he was.

When Henry decided to enter the Witness Protection Program with his family, Gregg and Gina viewed it in different ways.  Gregg thought Henry was being selfish and Gina was grateful that Henry wanted the kids with him.  Their first stop was in Nebraska, where they only made it two months before being shipped off to Kentucky for a little longer, and then on to Washington State where they would both finish school.  These moves were necessitated because Henry could not quit breaking the rules and putting them in danger.

There was violence, alcohol, drugs and more arrests to mar the way to adulthood, but it seems that Gregg and Gina have turned out okay.  The book is thoughtful, heartbreaking, and full of harsh reality.  This was a great read and a real look inside the family life of a Mobster who didn’t really want to escape from his past, but his kids did.

Gangsters and Goodfellas:The Mob, Witness Protection & Life on the Run by Henry Hill

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Book CoverFinished 5-4-08, rating 2.5/5, non-fiction, pub. 2004

The bestselling book Wiseguys and the movie Goodfellas was based on the life of ex-mobster Henry Hill.  This book is about his life, how he got caught, the witness protection program, his addictions and where he is now. 

I don’t like mob movies.  I know I’ve seen Goodfellas, but I’ve washed away the memories.  I know with the success of the Sopranos people seem to know more about the mob than they used to, but I’ve never seen it.  So, I actually learned quite a bit about the mob and what goes on and I did find it interesting.  I was more interested in his witness protection experience.  He admits to jerking around the Marshals and being a pain to the men protecting him.  After reading WITSEC I found his attitude a little disheartening, but I guess that’s because I sympathize with the law.

Hill seems to have built a life by people rewarding him for all the bad things he’s done.  The government still pays him to consult or something which I find maddening as a tax payer.  Judgment aside the book was entertaining.  It reads like he is sitting in front of you telling his story, sometimes straightforward and sometimes in circles.  If you are at all interested in this stuff you will probably like this book, but even if you find it a little repulsive you will not be bored.  Hill seems like quite a character.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore

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Cover ImageFinished 5-1-08, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2002

This is a book that I would not have picked up on my own.  I don’t think I have a very good sense of humor when it comes to God or Jesus and the title alone might have offended me.  But, my friend Mark recommended it and that alone was enough for me to try it out.  I also felt better about it since Moore is a born and bred Buckeye (although he has left ‘paradise’ to suffer through the hardships of living in Hawaii and San Francisco 🙂 ).  Anyway, on to Levi also called Biff and Joshua who is Jesus.

Biff has been brought back to the land of the living some 2000 years later so that he can set the record straight on Joshua’s childhood and young adulthood.  The gospels of the New Testament leave out Biff and now Biff must write his own gospel about his time as Joshua’s best friend and constant companion from the age of six.  Biff was brought back and watched over by the angel, Raziel, and the interplay between the two is hysterical. 

Biff starts with when he and Joshua met when they were six.  Joshua was bringing a lizard back to life after his brother killed it.  After that they became inseparable.  Mary had told Joshua he was the Son of God, but when you are six what does that mean?  He and Biff spent their childhoods being boys and loving Mary Magdalene called Maggie.  This section of the book really brought to life the landscape, the people, and the politics of the time. 

Joshua decides he needs to travel to find the three wise men of his storied birth and Biff goes with him.  After all who will do all the lying, cheating, and sinning that is necessary?  As Joshua and Biff travel east to find each of the wise men we see where Joshua learns to be the Messiah.  He and Biff’s many adventures will have you laughing and wishing that you too had a best friend as loyal as Biff.

As they make their way back home the story becomes intertwined with the gospels and Biff tries to explain what Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John got right and what they missed.  Biff’s story ends and we find out why he was left out of the New Testament altogether.

Moore writes with a light touch that is full of sarcasm and wit.  Given the subject matter I was surprised that Moore was able to bring so much humor and still respect the nature of Jesus. I could have done without Biff trying to explain sex to Joshua (although this may be more of a girl thing) and I didn’t like the swearing, especially in the last third of the book.  Actually, I loved the book up until the point when they return to Nazareth, but at that point it lost some of its heart in my opinion.  It was still worth the read and I’d still recommend it, because you’ll never meet another character like Biff.

I really enjoyed this book, although it probably is not for everyone.  If you think you have a wicked sense of humor or can take a certain amount of irreverence then you should give it a try.  You will laugh out loud, guaranteed.  Thanks for the recommendation, Mark.  You’ve helped add to my must read author list.

The Metamorphosis & Other Stories by Franz Kafka

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The Metamorphosis - Franz KafkaThe Metamorposis. Finished 4-25-08, rating 2.5/5, fiction short stories, B&N edition 1996

Kafka’s Metamorphosis is a bizarre tale full of dark humor that sometimes had us laughing out loud.  Gregor is turned into an insect and forced to live out his days at the mercy of his horrified family. Jason was hoping for a little more closure I think.  I remember reading it in college and not liking it then and nothing this time changed my opinion.  Jason and I read this and a few of the others out loud to each other and were ambivalent.

There were a few stories in this collection that I enjoyed.  I enjoyed The Stoker, which I understand is the first chapter of his book Amerika.  A sixteen year old, Karl, made his way to Ellis Island and somehow managed to befriend a ship stoker who had grievances with authority.  Karl tried to aid him, but only managed to find himself the beneficiary of some very good luck.  I can see this as the beginning of an interesting novel.

We both enjoyed A Hunger Artist and I thought In the Penal Colony was very good.  These two stories had different things to say about death which I found thought provoking.  Josephine the Singer, or The Mouse People was enjoyable if a bit too long.  Before the Law was also interesting.

The rest of them I would have been happy to have not read at all.  The Judgement neither of us liked, although it was the one that led to the most discussion after.  The Country Doctor, An Old Leaf, and A Message From the Emperor were a waste of my time.

Hold Tight, by Harlan Coben

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Cover ImageFinished 4-19-08, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2008

“In the end we’re just their caretakers, Mike.  We get them for a little while and then they live their lives.  I just want him to stay alive and healthy until we let him go.  The rest will be up to him.”  Hold Tight, Chapter 2

I mentioned in an earlier post that Jason and I went to a book signing by Coben in Houston a few years ago.  He was charming and smart and just goofy enough to make him interesting.  I was already a fan, but it was nice to know that I liked the guy whose career I was supporting.  I’ve read all of his books and have liked them all, some more than others.  I generally prefer his novels written in the first person because so few authors really do it well.  This wasn’t in first person, but it was fun and I finished it in one day so that must mean I liked it!

This is a book about parents – the love, the fears, and the lengths they’ll go to to protect their kids.  The Bayes fear that they are losing their teenage son, Adam, so they install a spyware program on his computer to keep tabs on him.  The decision was a hard one for them and one that plays out to reveal the real dilemma parents face today.  The Bayes are not the only parents with problems.  Their next-door neighbors need to find a kidney donor for their son.  Their daughter’s best friend was ridiculed by a teacher, school has become unbearable, and her father wants to move to protect her.  The Hills have just lost a son to suicide and the father needs to move on while the mother needs to know why.  The police chief has a stoner son and is willing to lie and intimidate to protect him. 

Amazingly all of these stories come together in a fast-paced thriller that will leave you hoping for the best until the end.  This is a terrific book, especially if you have a teen in the house.  It wasn’t just about the technology, but also many of the pressures kids face today like drugs and bullying.  Coben manages to hit on current issues while keeping the story compelling and the action swift. 

This is just the lastest installment in Coben’s bestselling library.  Enjoy!

Angels Fall, by Nora Roberts

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Cover ImageFinished audio 4-17-08, rating3.5/5, fiction, pub. 2006

Reece is a woman haunted by her violent past in Boston who ends up in Wyoming trying to recover.  She finds a small close-knit town that looks at gossip as a badge of honor.  They watch out for their own.   Reece takes a job at the local diner and begins to heal.

As Reece tries to normalize her life she is shaken when she witnesses a cold-hearted murder.  She finds a new friend in Brody, who believes her, but some distrust among others when no body was found.  Having been in a psychiatric hospital not long before Reece begins to think that she may be going crazy.  Brody’s belief in her gives her hope for her sanity, but she is feeling  more and more fragile as the town watches her seemingly fall apart.

I enjoyed this novel even though I thought I knew the killer right away and I was right.  It had a great story about a woman putting her life back together, with romance, surprising friendships, and a murder mystery.  I rarely read Nora Roberts, but I’d recommend this one.

The Third Heiress, by Brenda Joyce

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Cover ImageFinished 4-12-08, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 1999

 Jill is a lonely woman who meets the man of her dreams and he asks her to marry him.  Ecstatic, Jill is unprepared for him to have second thoughts and the worst happens.  Hal dies because of Jill.  Jill flies his body back to London to his super wealthy  family and is greeted with disdain.

So, begins the mystery of what Hal had meant with his last words whispered to Jill.  She is obsessed with finding the truth and finds an ally in Hal’s cousin, Alex.  She packs up her life in New York to move to London to uncover secrets Hal’s family would rather leave buried.  Alex is the hero or the villain and Hal turns out to be no prince charming.  The pages turned fast because I wanted to know what was what.

I love Brenda Joyce, which should be evident by now since this is her third book I’ve read this year.  To me this felt like a departure for her and not her best work.  It was a bit disjointed, but with that being said I really did enjoy it.  The mystery will keep you reading even if you think you’ve got it figured out because there are so many little questions you need answered.  This is more mystery than romance, but if you are open to that I think you’ll like it.

The Greatest Miracle In The World, by Og Mandino

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Cover ImageFinished 4-3-08, rating 2.5/5, fiction, pub. 1983

This was my first and most probably my last Og Mandino book.  It was sweet, preachy, and a little dated.  I think the sentiment was good and did enjoy Chapter 9, The God Memorandum.  The problem was the eight chapters leading up to it were not my cup of tea.  The story was that Og met God in the flesh and God gave him a memo to print for the world.

The four laws of happiness and success according to God?  1. Count your blessings.  2. Proclaim your rarity.  3. Go another mile.  4. Use wisely your power of choice.  These are rules to live by, but it was one chapter.  The only thing that kept me reading to Chapter 9?  The book is only 98 pages.

I finished this on our layover at JFK on the way to Italy.  I left it on a chair, so I have passed on the God Memorandum to someone bored at the airport and now to you.

Destiny Unleashed, by Sherryl Woods

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Cover ImageFinished 3-28-08, rating 3/5, romance, pub. 2004

Destiny gave up a carefree life in France with a man who wanted to marry her to rush back home to the States after her brother and sister-in-law died in a plane crash.  Destiny took over the care of her three young nephews and left her art and love, William,  behind.  Fast forward 20 years and Destiny has decided to reclaim her life.

Destiny wants be the head of Carlton Industries European division, her family business.  Her nephew Richard, head of the company gives her the position although her only qualification is that her last name is Carlton.  She rushes to London to begin her independence and immediately puts herself into William’s orbit.  William happens to be the head of a rival company and the two are forced together by business and by choice.  The nephews do not approve of this liaison and send their wives to London to find out what is going on.  There is lots of family drama and a little business intrigue too.

Destiny was a wonderful main character.  As a 50 something heroine she brought a lot of charm and it was refreshing.  I thought the book was fun, even if a bit unbelievable.  It was an enjoyable read.