The Russian Hill Murders, by Shirley Tallman

November 15, 2009November 15, 20098 Comments

Finished 11-9-09, rating 4.5/5, mystery, pub. 2005

Book 2 in the Sarah Woolson series

I had long since grown weary of these tantrums. “So, you see, Mr. Shepard, you need not trouble yourself,” I continued, doing my best to ignore this outbreak. “Mrs. Mankin will be my responsibility.”

“She will be no such thing! Under no circumstances are you to take that woman’s case. Do you understand me?”

I was dismayed to feel my own temper rising; above all, I was determined to maintain my composure. “As you are fond of pointing out, Mr. Shepard, I am a mere woman. Nevertheless, you have made yourself perfectly clear.” I didn’t think it expedient to add that, despite its clarity, I had no intention of obeying his edict.

Chapter 2

Sarah Woolson is one of three women attorneys in California in the 1880’s and the only way she was able to get a job in a San Fransisco law firm was through boldness and a little luck. She is stuck in a closet-sized office doing work for the men in the office when a woman walks in asking for her assistance. As Sarah goes against her boss, with the help of fellow attorney Robert, she also becomes the focus of a sexy man who she later fears could be a murderer. There are two mysteries to solve, one involving the horrible sweatshops of the day, and a little romance for Sarah, who wants no part of it. And Sarah finally gets her day in court defending a Chinese man accused of murder.

I read the first book last month and loved it so much that I had to read the next as soon as my library could get it for me. I liked this one even more than the first. Sarah is a tough cookie, maybe a little too tough to identify with in the first book, but in this one we get to see a bit of her vulnerability. I loved seeing her family again and the mystery was great. I did figure it out before the end, but I really didn’t care.

I’ve already put the third one on hold at the library. This was a library copy.

My review of Book 1.

Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding

November 12, 20098 Comments

Finished 10-31-09, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 1996

completely exhausted by entire day of date-preparation. Being a woman is worse than being a farmer–there is so much harvesting and crop spraying to be done: legs to be waxed, underarms shaved, eyebrows plucked, feet pumiced, skin exfoliated and moisturized, spots cleansed, roots dyed, eyelashes tinted, nails filed, cellulite massaged, stomach muscles exercised. The whole performance is so highly tuned you only need to neglect it for a few days for the whole thing to go to seed.

Sunday 15 January

Bridget is a single thirty-something Londoner in a dead-end job who is shagging her boss. This is her diary of a year that details her weight, alcohol intake, cigarettes smoked and is an irreverent look at a woman not sure who she is or what she wants. Well, besides shagging her boss. She’s barely able to run her own life. let alone those of her parents, who are splitting up. Bridget is helpless, funny, and charming.

I was shocked to realize as I finished this book that I actually preferred the movie. Granted it is a favorite of mine, so expectations were high, but I really thought the movie was more fun and more romantic. The book had a harder edge and while I usually like that, the movie had already won me over. The mother in this movie was horrible and I was surprised that the movie did not really include the character of Tom, who I really liked.

This book was good and I liked it. Bridget is a character was easy to fall in love with and hard to forget. I think I’m going to watch the movie tonight and relive the laughs. Look for my review of the movie tomorrow.

This was from my personal library.

The Mist, by Carla Neggers

November 11, 2009January 18, 20136 Comments

The Mist. Finished 11-07-09, rating 3.5/5, romantic suspense, pub. 2009

This is Book 3 in the Boston PD/FBI series

“What brings you to the Beara Peninsula? Davenport asked.

“I’m hiking the Beara Way.” She wasn’t, and she didn’t like to lie, but it was easier–and possibly safer for all concerned–than telling the truth. “Not start to finish. It’s almost two hundred kilometers. I don’t have that much time to spare.”

“You’re on your own?”

She gave him a bright smile. “Now, that’s a bold question to ask a woman having coffee and crumble by herself.”

Chapter 1

The story starts in Ireland where Lizzie rescues Keira from a man trying to kill her and then to Boston as Lizzie races to save another woman’s life while still retaining her anonymity. Keira’s father is a spy and he taught her the tricks of the trade, but she is still only a hotelier and getting involved with a money laundering psycho may have been more than she could handle.

As a British spy himself, Will, was keeping his eye on Lizzie. She knew more than she let on and he was intrigued by the mystery of her. Back in Boston he was able to reconnect with his old friend and FBI agent, Simon, and get involved in the search for a man he thought was long dead.

I reviewed the first two books in this series and enjoyed them, but I would not recommend this one unless you have read them. I’m sure that it is intended as a stand-alone novel, but there is a large cast of characters and they all have their own storylines and histories. Even I had to pause once or twice to remember who was who and I’ d read the first two books! That is a part of my biggest complaint with the book. It was supposed to be Will and Lizzie’s story, but they did not seem like the focus. There was just too much going on to invest much in them.

I liked the story and revisiting with old friends. I recommend this series for anyone who likes romantic suspense.

This was a library book.

My review of Book 1 and Book 2

Teaser Tuesday – The House on Tradd Street

November 10, 200930 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!). Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The words were too small for me to read, and I hadn’t brought by reading glasses. I squinted, trying to hide this fact from Jack, but, of course, he caught on right away.

“I keep forgetting that you’re older than me, Mellie. Here, let me read them out loud.”

Chapter 10

I haven’t started this yet, so these sentences were totally random, but funny. So, what are you going to tease me with today?

Hug a Veteran Quiz

November 9, 2009November 15, 200921 Comments

Thanks to everyone who mentioned not only my veterans, but your own.

My father is a Vietnam veteran and my husband served his time in the Navy, and Wednesday is the day to make sure we thank them and every other veteran for their service to America. That’s the theme of this week’s quiz. Leave the number and the answer and no googling – that’s cheating and no fun. All books are FICTION.

1. All this Civil War vet wanted to do is return home to North Carolina and the love of his life, but the journey was a difficult one. He was played by Jude Law in the movie version. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier – Bags, Books & Bon Jovi

2. Lee Child has written a thriller series based on this ex-military cop. Jack Reacher – Bags, Books & Bon Jovi

3. Two men return home from war in 1946 Mississippi. This book won the 2006 Bellwether Prize (recognizing social responsibility). MUDBOUND BY HILLARY JORDAN

4. A Vietnam soldier decides to go AWOL and walk to France. This won the National Book Award for fiction in 1979. GOING AFTER CACCIATO BY TIM O’BRIEN

5. This recent publication is a novel based loosely on the author’s life as a classmate of George W. Bush, marine in Vietnam, and the first Vietnam veteran to attend Harvard. LOON – A MARINE STORY BY JACK MCLEAN

6. This is the debut novel of the man who brought us Forest Gump. This is about an officer in the Vietnam War. Better Times Than These by Winston Groom – Bermudaonion

7. A son investigates his father’s life as a soldier in WWII. A surprising look at war from an author who writes bestselling legal thrillers. Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow – Under the Boardwalk

8. This series by Robyn Carr always features a military veteran as hero of the story. – The Virgin River series – Bookfan

And a few notable veteran authors

9. This highly decorated Vietnam veteran is a current Virginia senator and says this about his writing, “I’ve written for a living all my life, so writing is as much a part of me as working out.” Senator Jim Webb – Linda B

10. This author of The Painted Veil served as a secret agent for the British during WWI. W Somerset Maugham – Fleurfisher

The Postman Always Rings Twice, by James M. Cain

November 8, 2009June 30, 20127 Comments

Finished 10-25-09, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 1934

“I’m not what you think I am, Frank. I want to work and be something, that’s all. But you can’t do it without love. Do you know that, Frank? Anyway, a woman can’t. Well, I’ve made one mistake. And I’ve got to be a hell cat, just once, to fix it. But I’m not really a hell cat, Frank.”

“They hang you for that.”

“Not if you do it right. You’re smart, Frank. I never fooled you for a minute. You’ll think of a way.”

Chapter 3

Frank is not the first man to fall for the damsel in distress and do things that he never would have though of on his own and he probably won’t be the last. Frank is a drifter, catching rides when he can, and picking up jobs until he moves on and Cora is married to the Greek, Nick, who owns a roadside diner and auto shop. It doesn’t take long for the sparks to fly and a plan of murder to be hatched. When things go wrong the lies and double crosses make it hard to know how this short novel will end.

This is noir (“crime fiction featuring hard-boiled cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings“) at it’s best. Cynical and bleak mark the setting, plot, and dialogue. I loved that the dialogue showcased the feeling of the character rather that just putting words in their mouth to move the story along. I had to read between the lines to figure out what was going on much of the time and I loved that.

That being said, I’m not sure that noir is something I can ever quite love. I appreciate the fact that it was well done, but it is a little too dark for me. I have the movie on my DVR and I’ll have see if that gives a different view of the book.

This was from my personal library.

Awards and Holiday Fun

November 8, 2009November 8, 20096 Comments

This was given to me by Melody from Melody’s Reading Corner. Melody is a fellow Teaser Tuesday participant and in addition to her book reviews I love her photos for Wordless Wednsday.

I am going to pass along this to alita.reads. Another Teaser Tuesday friend and I love her book reviews.

And this comes from Laura from Laura’s Reviews. I love Laura’s book reviews and if you visit her blog you can still vote for the most romantic character in literature (my guy’s winning).

I’m passing this along to Staci at Life in the Thumb. She’s a great commenter and her blog is a daily must for me. It should be for you too.

Thanks so much for thinking of me Melody and Laura. I really appreciate it 🙂

And now for some fun. I can’t believe we are a week into November already, but that does mean I need to start thinking about gifts. And this year I’m going to participate in the Holiday Swap.

bookbloggerholidayswap I’ll get the name of another book blogger and get to be a Secret Santa. Some people dislike these silly holiday games, but I LOVE them. I’m not the best secret keeper when it comes to gifts because if I love it I can’t wait until the person gets it so they can love it too 🙂 But, I will try to keep my enthusiasm in check. If you would like to participate you have until November 11th to sign up and you can do it here. You do need to have a blog to participate.

What goes around comes around

November 6, 200914 Comments

“You know who you are? Even Steven.”

– Kramer, to Jerry, in Seinfeld’s “The Opposite”

I can usually find a way to reference a Seinfeld episode every day and when I found out I had won another book giveaway on October 31st, I felt like Even Steven.

In October I gave away 11 books, pens, and gels for my birthday on the 11th. Here’s what I gave away…

Word Lily won the last giveaway and chose to receive a copy of A Confederacy of Dunces. And then do you know what happened? You can probably guess by the Seinfeld reference, since I’ve never been that great at a punch line. These books came into my house through giveaways…

even steven

As you can see I’m still waiting for two books that will bring the total to 11 books won in October. So, I’m feeling like Even Steven and that is not a bad thing these days 🙂

Here are the blogs that contributed to this wonderful selection of books that I now have at my fingertips… Bermudaonion (two came from Kathy), Thoughts of Joy, Pudgy Penguin Perusals, Musings of a Bookish Kitty, Girls Just Reading, Find Your Next Book Here, He Followed Me Home, Bloody Bad, Savvy Verse & Wit, Hallie Ephron. Thank you ladies!

So, what do you think? Does what goes around come around?

Manhunting, by Jennifer Crusie

November 5, 20095 Comments

Finished audio 10-25-09, rating 3/5, Romance, pub. 2007

Kate is a successful in her career, but disappointed in her love life. A friend convinces her to spend some time at the Cabins resort where eligible men and women go to meet. When Kate arrives she has no problem finding the men, but has a problem with the quality of men she’s meeting. And handyman Jake isn’t helping her feel any better about herself with his rude and judgemental comments.

As Kate becomes more involved in the small town she finds that she will be sad to leave, man or no. And when Jake proves to be the most eligible man, Kate must reassess her goals for being there.

I love Jennifer Crusie, with her humor and wit, but this book didn’t do it for me. It was light and fun, but I was not caught up in the story. In the interest of full disclosure, I did listen to this during the read-a-thon last week between the hours of 11pm -6am, so my judgment may not be 100% accurate 🙂 I would not hesitate to recommend other Crusie books.

This was a library copy.

The Funny Thing Is…, by Ellen Degeneres

November 4, 200915 Comments

Finished 10-24-09, rating 3.5/5, Humor, pub. 2003

There is also the fact that the food is free and I always think free food tastes the best. Like when you go to those hotel manager’s receptions. Even though the food is taquitos and Swedish meatballs, they’re free and actually pretty good. The thing with prison food that might worry me is that someone might try to poison a prisoner and I might accidentally get the plate that was meant for the intended victim. That would be bad. But let’s just say I lived through that. Well then, I could probably live through just about anything! Think what a strong constitution I would have. And probably a new zest for life. What’s so bad about prison? That’s what I wanna know.

That’s why prison wouldn’t be so bad chapter

If you enjoy Ellen’s talk show, you will enjoy this book. It features her charming style of conversation, hilarious insights and crazy dinner party stories, which I believe are pure fiction or Gloria Estefan has some explaining to do. I included the excerpt from the prison chapter because it was my favorite and made me laugh out loud, but there were other chapters that made me laugh too.

Most of her observations made me smile more than laugh. I didn’t love every chapter, but I finished the book happy and feeling like I’d just spent some time with Ellen, so the book was a success.

I read this during the 24 hour read-a-thon and it was perfect for it. It lightened my mood after so many hours spent reading.

This book was from my own personal library.

Stacy's Books

books, movies, and boy

Tag: Books