The Tenth Justice. Finished 7-15-15, 4/5,  thriller, 389 pages, pub. 1997

Unabridged audio read by Scott Brick.  14 hours.

Fresh from Yale Law, Ben Addison is a new clerk for one of the Supreme Court’s most respected justices. Along with his co-clerk, Lisa, Ben represents the best of the fledgling legal community: sharp, perfectionistic, and painstakingly conscientious – but just as green. So when he inadvertently reveals the confidential outcome of an upcoming Court decision, and one of the parties to the case makes millions, Ben starts to sweat. Big time. Ben confides in Lisa and turns to his D.C. housemates for help. They offer their coveted insiders’ access – Nathan works at the State Department, Eric reports for a Washington daily, and Ober is an assistant to a leading senator – to help outsnake the blackmailer who holds Ben’s once-golden future hostage. But it’s not long before these inseparable pals discover how dangerous their misuse of power can be, even when accompanied by the very best of intentions.

from Goodreads

For much of this book I didn’t understand how Ben, a supposedly brilliant Yale grad and newly touted Supreme Court clerk, could do and say so many dumb things.  He was likeable enough, but not the brightest star in the sky (a star’s a star though, I guess) and he frustrated me.  He and his three best friends had a lot of confidence in his brilliance but I wasn’t convinced.

Aside with how doltish Ben seemed for much of the book, I really liked it. The Supreme Court is always a draw for me, as is the Washington DC setting, although there was little political intrigue for a DC thriller.  What there was though were enough secrets and behind the scenes negotiations, crosses and double-crosses to keep me riveted.

I liked the relationship Ben and his three best friends from high school shared and was sad when one of their fates was less than happy.  It added a little bit of reality to an otherwise outlandish story.

This is my second Meltzer book but the first one he wrote and I was impressed with his debut into the novel publishing business.  Have any of you read any of his newer books that you’d recommend?

The Mask. Finished 7-2-15, 4/5stars, thriller, 352 pages, pub. 2015

Book 5 of the Vanessa Michael Munroe series  (1-Informationist) (2- The Innocent) (3- The Doll) (3.5- TheVessel) (4-The Catch)

Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and information hunter, has a reputation for getting things done: dangerous and not quite legal things that have taken her undercover into some of the world’s deadliest places. Still healing from a Somali hijacking gone wrong and a brutal attack that left her near death, Munroe joins her lover, Miles Bradford, in Japan where he’s working as a security consultant protecting high-value technology from industrial espionage. In the domesticity of their routine she finds long sought-after peace—until Bradford is arrested for murder, and the same interests who targeted him come after her, too.
    Searching for answers and fighting to stay alive, Munroe will soon discover how far she’ll go to save Bradford from spending the next twenty years in locked-up isolation; how many laws she’ll break when the truth seems worse than his lies; and who to trust and who she must kill. Because she’s a strategist and hunter with a predator’s instincts, and the man she loves has just stabbed her in the back.  

from Goodreads

I have been a fan of Michael’s since her first book and suggest that you start there or maybe the second if you are a newbie to the series.  I know these books can be read as standalones but I really don’t think you’d get Michael without the other books.  This latest entry to the series was a lot different from the others, in a way that I can appreciate as a fan, but if I had only read this one I’m not sure if I would have been as invested.

Michael is still recovering emotionally from her last job in Africa and she takes the peace that living with Miles, a man who loves her and her complicated ways, offers her.  She relocates to Japan and sits idle while he works.  This is a recipe for unhappiness for the fiery and capable Michael, normally the one who gets paid handsomely to acquire information.  She is in the passenger seat and only when the wheels come off and land Miles in a Japanese prison is she able to get back to what makes her tick, her work.

I loved learning about the Japanese culture, the work culture especially since the corporate world is where most of the story took place.  For me, this was the best part of the book.  Actually, it’s always one of my favorite parts of each of the books in the series.  Stevens, who grew up travelling around the world in a cult, knows how to really immerse the reader in a foreign place.  I loved learning more about what life looks like in Japan.

Michael was healing  and there was enough kick-assery to show her core strength but not as much as we’ve seen in previous novels. I liked this as a part of the series, almost like Michael’s pause for healing, and am looking forward to more of her story and Miles too since he is one awesome dude to love a woman as tough as Michael.

This book was sent to me by the publisher.

The Fault in Our Stars. Finished 5-19-15, 5/5, Young Adult, pub.

Unabridged audio read by Kate Rudd. 7 hours:19 minutes

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

from Goodreads

What can I say about a book most of the bookish world has already read?  You were right to fall in love with this bittersweet YA book that was worth every tear because for every tear there was a chuckle or smile or life affirming lesson.  This book had everything that I’d been missing in the few John Green books I’ve read.  The same connection that Hazel Grace and Augustus had to each other was the one that I felt to them and their story.

Hazel Grace with her Stage IV thyroid cancer and oxygen tank met her match in Augustus with his osteosarcoma and one leg.  Their witty conversations were perfection.  Augustus had a fear of leaving the world without ever leaving his mark and Hazel was afraid of being the grenade that blew up everyone who loved her when she died.  These two teens were able to convey more about the fears of dying better than any other book I can think of right now.  But their fears did not get in the way of living.  They were both just trying to live the life they were given the best way they knew how, with a lot of strength and humor.  A word about Hazel’s relationship with her parents.  I loved this relationship and felt that it was so real.  As an only child like Hazel, I understood the sometimes desperate responsibility she felt for her parents happiness.  Perfectly told in every way.

I loved it and am only sorry it took me so long to read it, tears and all!

GIVEAWAY over

Claimed by Vicki

I listened to the audio on my drive to Chicago and had to keep stopping it so I could wipe away the tears that might have caused a wreck. The narration was perfection and I have an unopened MP3-CD  that I won from my library for the first person who tells me they want it.  Just let me know in a comment with a way to contact you for an address.  I’ll ship it anywhere just because I love this book so much!