Tag: Books

2010 Series Wrap Up

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I love a good series.  I especially love a series that ends with me wanting more rather than me plodding through the same plot over and over again.  I keep track of my series reading here, only adding a series once I’ve read the second book.

I continued with Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series (The Burning Wire) and John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport series (Storm Prey).  I’ve read every book in both of these series, 29 in all, and highly recommend them. I caught up on the Melinda Wells’ Delilah Cooks mystery series and love that one as well.  I also finished up the Merci Rayborn trilogy by T. Jefferson Parker and can’t recommend it enough to police procedural lovers.

I continued on with Lee Childs’ Jack Reacher series and it is a new favorite.  I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and I have a lot of good reading to look forward to since I just finished #4 out of the 14 book series.  I decided this was the year I would finally give up on Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum.  This is one series that I used to love, but has been recycling the same story over and over again.  Enough was enough for me and I didn’t read the latest. 

I re-read a favorite series of mine, Brenda Joyce’s Deadly series.  The first one in years is coming out in 2011.  A great series for historical romance readers.

I read a few books that have sequels or are the beginning of a series and I plan to continue with…Love Walked in by Marisa de los Santos, The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, The Tea Room by Jennifer Donnelly, Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler, and Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner.  Wow, that’s more than I thought!

There are a few series that I read the first book of and am not interested enough to continue…The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, and Fortunate Harbor by Emilie Richards.

I’m hoping that I can catch up with the series that I’ve already started and read fewer new ones in 2011.  I enjoy so much about series reading, it’s like catching up with old friends, but I need to keep in touch with the friends I already have before adding more to my list!

Murder List, by Julie Garwood

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Murder List by Julie Garwood: Book CoverFinished 12-12-10, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 2004

They both pulled out their notepads.  Regan wrote across the top of the paper, “Murder List” and underlined the words twice.  Underneath she wrote, “People I Want Dead.”  Now what?  Stalling for time, she tapped her pen against the folder until the man in front of her turned and frowned.

Chapter 10

Regan is a successful hotel heiress with three older brothers and two very best friends, all hot, of course.  She is leading a charmed life until one silly exercise while helping a friend turns into a nightmare.  She makes her Murder List and then the people on it start showing up dead and she is put under police protection.  Enter the very sexy detective assigned to her, Alec, who can’t believe his good luck in guarding someone like Regan.

I liked this book a lot because it was fun and entertaining.  I finished the last page satisfied.  The chracters were likeable and each had their own story.  I wouldn’t mind reading more about each of the brothers.  The two best friends too could use their own stories.

It is only now that I’m typing this that I realize there were quite a few aspects that could have been better.  I wish we’d spent a little more time in the mind of the killer and the execution of the list was not exactly edge of your seat entertainment.  So, if you are looking for a light read with some mystery and romance this is a good one.  Anything more and you may want to skip it.

This is from my personal library.

 

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

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Cover ImageFinished 12-5-10, rating 5/5, fiction, pub. 2001

This is a place of mystery, Daniel, a sanctuary.  Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul.  The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it.  Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens….When a library disappears, or a bookshop closes down, when a book is consigned to oblivion, those of us who know this place, its guardians, make sure that it gets here.  In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day when they will reach a new reader’s hands.  In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner.  Every book you see here has been somebody’s best friend.  Now they have only us, Daniel.  Do you think you’ll be able to keep such a secret?”

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books

This is a book for book lovers just in case you couldn’t tell from the passage above.  And the above is pretty much why I haven’t bought an e-reader, but on to the story.  In 1945, Daniel is just a boy when his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books hidden in the back streets of Barcelona and when his obsession with the mysterious author, Julian Carax begins.  Daniel chose The Shadow of Wind to take home and he soon began to search out other Carax titles.  Only there weren’t any.  Someone had been destroying them all one by one.  Daniel was sixteen when he began to search out the books in earnest and he was aided in his quest by the cagey and charming Fermin.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with Daniel and Fermin and I was drawn into the mess they got themselves into when they started asking questions about Carax.  Why were so many people trying to keep the truth hidden?  And who were the good guys?  The characters they meet along the way heightened the suspense and I loved them all (well, I loved their addition to the story!).

It takes a lot to keep my attention these days.  Trying to find a balance between me for 39 years and mother of an infant me is trickier than I thought.  I have the attention span of a gnat these days, but this book kept me reading every spare moment I had, even if it was only a few minutes at a time.  I loved the drama, the mystery, the love, the Spanish setting, the wide cast of characters, and the love and respect of books shown in the story.  This book has a little bit of everything and I loved it.  Since I’m rating this a 5 it is obviously one of my favorites this year!

This was from my personal library and chosen by Vasilly and Alessandra.  Here’s what they had to say…

“Set in Barcelona in the 1950s, a masterpiece about the love for books.”  Alessandra

“You want to dig deeper into the book as you read.”  Vasilly

Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom, by Queen Latifah

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Put on Your Crown by Queen Latifah: CD Audiobook CoverFinished unabridged audio on 12-1-10, rating 3.5/5, inspirational for girls, pub. 2010

Read by Queen Latifah, with her mother Rita Owens

Queen Latifah has always seemed like a genuine and charming person to me.  I’m not really familiar with her music, but I do like to watch her on the big screen.  I even remember her from the 1990’s TV show, Living Single. So, I was very happy to win this audiobook from Zia.  I really like when authors read their work and I enjoyed listening to her tell her story.  Her mother also reads a small portion of the book.

Queen Latifah, real name Dana Evans, has led a life full of ups and downs and still managed to come out on top full of confidence and spirit.  This book is all about helping girls and young women find the confidence to be bold and brave and smart.  She does not claim to be perfect, far from it, she admits mistakes.  I think girls, especially those who like her and those who need the courage not to follow the crowd will really benefit from listening to this.  It is inspirational. 

I was not the target audience but I did enjoy it and Queen Latifah still seems like a genuine and charming person.  I am giving away this unabridged audiobook this month, you only need to be the first one to comment on this post and request it.

Free Books for December

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In my ongoing quest to keep books moving out and not just in I give away a few books each month.  Leave a comment, tell me which book you want and I’ll get the book to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon.  The first one to request each book wins.  Once you’ve ‘won’ the book I can get your shipping address if I need it.  Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want.  These have all been read a time or two.

I know I’ve been getting the books out late the past few months and I apologize.  Happy reading 🙂

1. Put on You Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom by Queen Latifah.  Unabridged Audio on 4 CDs.  4 hours.  Published 2010.

2. Midnight Warrior by Iris Johansen.  Mass market romance. 358 pages. Published 1994. for Linda H

3. See Jane Run by Joy Fielding.  Mass market fiction. 404 pages.  Published 1991.  for Mariska

4. Great Modern European Short Stories selected by Douglas and Sylvia Angus.  Trade Paperback, like new. 303 pages. Published originally in 1967.  This is the 1996 version. for Amy

Keeper of the Keys by Perri O’Shaughnessy

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Keeper of the Keys by Perri O'Shaughnessy: CD Audiobook CoverKeeper of the Keys. Finished unabridged audio 11-29-10, rating 3.5/5, fiction. pub. 2006

Read by Dick Hill & Laural Merlington.  Total time 9 hours.

Leigh has gone missing, but no one but her father seems concerned at first, at least not her husband, Ray.  He is more concerned with the last fight they’d had about her affair.  When her father sends in his police buddies and an old best friend start sniffing around Ray must find his wife or suffer the consequences.

After the first few cds I thought it was a fairly predictable mystery with an okay premise.  I was proved wrong about it being predictable, unreasonable at times but not a cookie cutter mystery.  Ray was an interesting character who left the reader wondering was going on with his model home and key obsession.  Leigh’s story was mainly told by her relationship with other people, Ray, her ex-best friend, her lover…so I felt sympathy for her even if I hardly knew her.  Was she alive or dead and was Ray as crazy as he seemed?

What made this story good for me were the performances by the two readers.  Both Hill and Merlington really brought the characters to life and probably made the book better than if I’d read it.  It was a good pick for our Thanksgiving road trip, Jason and I both enjoyed it.  Gage is undecided, at least we think so since he hasn’t given us his opinion yet.

I borrowed this audio from the library.

Remember When, by Nora Roberts/JD Robb

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Cover ImageFinished 11-18-10, rating 3.5/5, mystery, pub. 2003

She was a businesswoman, a solid member of the community, and a fraud.  In the back room of her store, she poured two cups of coffee and knew she was about to lie to a man she considered a friend.  And deny all knowledge of one she’d loved.

Chapter 1

 This two part novel, written by romance writer Roberts and her alter ego mystery writer Robb, focuses on a New York City diamond heist.  In the first half of the book Laine has attempted to overcome her parentage by changing her name and not letting anyone in her new town of Angel’s Gap know that her father is an incarcerated thief, but her past finds her.  Laine is confronted by the murder of an old friend, her father, a killer who is stalking her, and a sexy man who may or may not be using her for his own gain.  Aside from the ridiculously fast way in which Laine fell in ‘love’ I enjoyed this first half of the story.  It was fun, suspenseful, and the characters were enjoyable.

The second half of the novel is part of the In Death Eve Dallas series and takes place over 50 years later in 2059.  I have never read this futuristic series so I was not familiar with Eve or her friends.  I thought this part of the book was okay.  I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read the series, but I wasn’t that interested in it either.  We knew who the bad guy was fairly quickly and then it was just sort of biding time til the end.  If I was a fan of the series I may have enjoyed time with the characters, but as it was I didn’t care much.

The diamond heist that tied the two halves together was enough to make it interesting.  It is a fun, light read.

This is from my personal library and was chosen by Donna and Debby.

Sundays With Gage and On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam MD

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This is the perfect picture of what a sleeping newborn should look like – and yes, I do see the resemblance to a frog.  Sleeper, check.  Baby on back, check.  Absolutely nothing else in crib, check.  As you can see Gage knows the correct procedure.  At least every time but nighttime.  I consider it a little funny that this night owl has a son who seems to think daytimes are for napping and when the sun goes down it is time to party.  I won’t go into the sleeping woes of this new mama because my parents came for the weekend and I got two nights of extra sleep.  I’m feeling good and ready for the mostly sleepless nights of the upcoming week. 

The following book was given to me for a pregnancy gift, but I only read it after Gage arrived.  My loss.  It has proved invaluable.

This photo was taken when Gage was 2 weeks old.  He’s pushing 4 weeks now 😉

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On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo: Book CoverFinished 11-6-10, rating 4.5/5, parenting, revised & updated 2006

I am not a huge fan of schedules but I think that babies and children can benefit from them so I was happy to read this book on how to give my baby some structure.  The book recommends forming and maintaining a routine for your infant that is based on sleeping, feeding, and waketime.  There are tips on how to establishing a schedule for your child and I have found it useful.  I have not been able to follow it to the letter (Gage is only a newborn, after all!), but by using the guidelines loosely I have found my day to have a little more certainty. 

I think there may be a danger if you try to follow it too closely.  I’ve tried that and there are some things that I think will not work for Gage.  Making him nap when he wants to play for a few hours seems counterproductive to getting him to sleep at night.  But keeping in mind the three blocks of time and shaping them to suit your needs I think will help many first time parents feel more in control and knowledgeable.  Having a plan, whether you follow it to the letter or not, goes a long way in making you feel prepared.

While I think the first chapter called Your Baby Needs a Family was well intended it did seem to lack empathy for most mothers and fathers out there that for whatever reason do not have the ideal nuclear family.  If you are one of them, as are most families these days, I might just skip that chapter altogether.

This book was a gift from my friend, Kate.

The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon and Illustrated by Hoang Nguyen

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The Exile by Diana Gabaldon: Book CoverFinished 11-6-10, rating 2.5/5, graphic novel, pub. 2010

I am a huge fan of the Outlander series so when I saw this was being published I was excited.  The series is so exciting and the settings are so colorful that it had to be good.  And I’d finally get to see how Gabaldon envisioned Jamie and Claire.  Well, I was disappointed in all aspects. 

The story jumped around a lot and if you aren’t already familiar with the book I think it would be confusing and to add to the confusion many of Jamie’s clan members look way too much alike.  I had to go back and check who was who more than once. 

As for Jamie and Claire, well, I have a few gripes about them too.  I would have been okay with Claire except her cleavage was just too ridiculous.  There was no reason for it and it was distracting.  And Jamie is more rugged and manly in my mind (think Aragorn minus all the dirt and with red hair).  The body seemed right, but the face didn’t do it for me.  These are the same things that make it hard for a movie to stand up to the book in the minds of fans.  It was still interesting to see what Gabaldon had in mind as she wrote it.

With those complaints I did still find it a fairly fun experience.  It was quick and the illustrations were good.  This is my first graphic novel and I’m not sure the genre is for me.  I have one more sitting on the shelf so I’ll have to see what I think of that one before I write off the whole genre.  I would recommend this one to Outlander fans only and then I would tell you just to find it at the library or borrow it from a friend.

This was from my personal library.

Free Books for November

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In my ongoing quest to keep books moving out and not just in I give away a few books each month.  Leave a comment, tell me which book you want and I’ll get the book to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon.  The first one to request each book wins.  Once you’ve ‘won’ the book I can get your shipping address if I need it.  Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want.  These have all been read a time or two.

1. Confessions of a Shopaholic  by Sophie Kinsella.  mass market fiction. B&N review. for Misha

2. Weep No More, My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark.  mass market mystery.  B&N review.  for Mariska

3. The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum. mass market fiction.  B&N review. for Linda B

4. Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash. trade paperback non-fiction.  B&N review.  for Carol M

Happy Reading!