The Carriage House, by Carla Neggers

August 14, 20096 Comments

Finished 8-10-09, rating 3/5, romantic suspense, pub. 2001

This is Book 1 in the Texas Rangers 4 book series.

“I can sell it.”

“Who would buy it? It’s run-down. It’s on the flipping historic register. It’s on a minuscule lot. And, I might add–” She swiveled around in her expensive ergonomic chair, zeroing in on her office mate and friend with those piercing green eyes. “I might add that the place is haunted.”

“That’s just a rumor.”

Chapter 1

Tess Haviland is in her 30’s, owns her own graphic design business and is single and childless, much to the disappointment of her dad. As payment for her services, the eccentric Ike Grantham gives her an old carriage house on Boston’s North Shore, a place that has special memories for Tess. Soon after gifting her with the house Ike disappears and Tess puts off doing anything with the house. Now a year later she receives a tax bill and decides to go out to the house to see if she wants to keep it.

Once she arrives at the dilapidated carriage house she is appalled at the condition and the renovations that are necessary. On her first night there she meets the neighbors, sexy Andrew Thorne, his princess daughter Dolly, and the skeleton she finds in the dirt basement. Spooked and scared, Tess doesn’t call the police right away and this is where the story really begins.

The characters were all enjoyable, if not memorable. The story was fast paced and although you knew who did it relatively early on there was some confusion thrown in to keep you reading. I really liked the secondary characters. Andrew’s cousin Harley Beckett was an original and Tess’s dad and godfather were loving manly men and it was easy to forgive their chauvinistic ways.

To be fair, I should say that I started this on the plane last week and the fact that it kept my attention at all is an endorsement. I could be the world’s worst flier. So, it did keep my interest for pages at a time and this is all I could have hoped for on the plane.

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

August 11, 2009August 11, 200910 Comments

Finished 8-6-09, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2009

Book 15 in the Stephanie Plum series

I’d been hoping to find my apartment dark and deserted. I loved Ranger’s apartment, but it wasn’t home. Looking up at my windows, I wasn’t sure that was home, either. I’m in limbo, I thought. My whole friggin’ life is in limbo.

Chapter 12

Stephanie Plum is back for another round as a Trenton bounty hunter. She is single again, after having a fight with Morelli about peanut butter and Ranger is looking as yummy as ever. Lula witnesses a beheading and is being hunted by murderers, albeit bad ones. Lula and Grandma Mazur are entering a cooking contest and many mishaps ensue. And Stephanie’s mom has decided to fix her up with men she meets in the supermarket.

I’ll start with the things I liked. Evanovich knows how to write funny books. The scene with Stephanie in the hot dog costume had me laughing out loud. And even though the book does not wrap it up with a bow it does seem like Stephanie has made a choice between her two hot men. Of course, that does not mean that she will do anything about it, which moves us right into my dislikes.

I chose the quote from the book because that is how I feel about this series. I’m all for zany and funny and ridiculous things that would never happen in real life, but after 15+ books there needs to be some growth. Stephanie has lost some appeal for me because she complains about her lot in life, seems unhappy with her job, apartment… but she never actually does anything about it. She never seems to make any choices.

As for the actual story itself, I did find it funny in parts, but the emphasis on juvenile humor -farts, big penises, diarrhea- did get a little tiresome.

I know I’ve read lots of good reviews for this one, but it was just more of the same for me and I want something new and fresh or some growth for Stephanie. So, I’m really going to do it this time, I’m taking my name off the Stephanie Plum holds at the library.

Sliver of Truth, by Lisa Unger

August 6, 20095 Comments

Finished 8-4-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2007

There’s always a cost for denial. How high a cost depends largely on the importance of the truth being ignored…What I’m saying is that our actions, our choices have consequences that are sometimes impossible to predict. But when our actions and choices are based on fear and denial…well, nothing good can come of that. Ever. I had learned this the hard way. Was still learning.

Chapter 5

This is the sequel to Beautiful Lies and I think you need to read Beautiful Lies first. Not just because I always have to read books in the order they were intended, but because this book will make a whole lot more sense if you do. As a matter of fact, if you haven’t read BL, add it to your TBR list and skip this review until after you’ve read it.

Ridley Jones is back to her normal routine a year after her world fell apart. Her relationship with her parents is strained, as is life with her boyfriend Jake. She is still working as a freelance journalist in New York City, but her life takes another dramatic turn as the FBI show her photos that seem to prove that her biological father, Uncle Max, is still alive and being hunted for his crimes. Being used as bait does not sit well with Ridley and lots of bad choices are made.

I love the rambling first person narrative of Ridley. It draws me in and makes me care. Ridley is a complete mess, but one with courage and heart. She makes lots of bad choices and has questionable taste in men, but I am always rooting for her. She is wonderfully flawed.

I didn’t love this as much as I did Beautiful Lies, but it was a solidly entertaining follow up. Some of the story and inner dialogue felt a touch repetitive, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying Ridley’s journey.

The Second Son, by Charles Sailor

August 5, 2009February 23, 201422 Comments

Finished 7-31-09, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 1979

“I see the blood, officer. But this body’s healing.”

The cops looked at one another and then moved in for a closer look at Carlos’s stomach. A large purple bruise spread across the skin, but the wound was closed.

“See?” said the examining paremedic. “Nothing.”

The team leader looked at Joseph, who stared blankly at Carlos. “You saw it! Tell them!”

“Yes, it was there when I…” Joseph stopped and the officer finished the sentence for him.

“When you put your hand on it.” The officer looked scared. He stepped back from Joseph and asked, slowly. “What’d you do anyway? What are you–some kind of magician?”

Chapter 8

Joseph Turner is a n ordinary man working construction on high-rise buildings in Manhattan. One day, while saving his friend, he falls 24 stories. Joseph walks away without a scratch much to the surprise of the onlookers on the street and he becomes a media sensation. Just as the attention starts to die down Joseph feels compelled to run into a burning building after the firemen have pulled out to rescue two children. All three are completely unharmed. Then he heals a gunshot wound and the world takes notice. Politicians and church leaders all clamor to gain the support of the cult hero and one organization takes proactive measures by kidnapping him.

I loved the premise. Who is Joseph Turner and what was happening to him? Was it real or all a dream? Joseph was a great hero – strong of heart and mind, generous, open, kind, and non-judgemental. I really wanted to know what would become of him.

But, as much as I liked the premise and first half of the book, I was equally disappointed with the rest. It became so glaringly obvious in its intent that it turned me off. It became very heavy handed and the author’s problem with religion and authority was on display.

I thought the first half was original and fresh and the perfect set-up. I was caught up in the excitement and the questions, but the second half was all over the place. It completely lost its focus with its wide range of politics, hit men, the Catholic Church, healings, betrayals, the message of personal healing. It lost the heart of Joseph’s story, which is what I cared about.

It was a good book and I gave it an extra half a point for originality. This book was loaned to me by a friend who told me I had to read it. I’m glad I did.

Teaser Tuesday – the funny thing is…

August 4, 2009September 30, 200918 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 fact is, I’d rather write a book than read a book. It’s like reading, only you get paid for it. Otherwise, it has all the same elements. I don’t know what’s on the next page. It’s suspenseful, yet I can control where it goes. It’s like interactive reading. Besides, I’ve already read books. A lot of them. Well, definitely more than seven.

the funny thing is…by Ellen Degeneres, page 2

I was flipping through a few books to see what I was going to take when we go to Vail on Saturday and this one made the cut.

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

August 2, 2009August 2, 200911 Comments

Finished 7-31-09, rating 4/5, fiction classic, pub. 1843

“Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!”

He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost. this nephew of Scrooge’s, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t mean that, I’m sure.”

“I do,” said Scrooge. “Merry Christmas! what right have you to be merry? what reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”

“Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, “Bah!” again; and followed it up with a “Humbug.”

Stave I

Ebenezer Scrooge is synonymous with old, mean miser. He cares more about money than people and he makes no apologies for it. Then he is visited by the ghost of Marley and his world turns upside down. During that fateful Christmas Eve, he was visited by three more spirits -past, present, and future. These visions of what was, is, and may yet be leave Scrooge a changed man.

I do not know how I have made it 37 years without ever reading this slight classic novel or seeing any of the movies (if I don’t count the Jim Carrey one). Actually, I never needed to because our culture has so blended this tale into it’s Christmas fabric that we all know about Scrooge and his cautionary tale.

My husband and I read this aloud to each other over a few weeks time and while some of the language made it challenging, the Bah! Humbugs! at the beginning and the Whoops! at the end made the reading fun. It was a challenge to see who could read it with more flourish. I think Jason won.

We both really liked this book. Jason liked seeing a changed man at the end and my favorite part was Marleys’s appearance as the door knocker. It was a fun read (even in July!) and I’m glad I finally read this novel, my first experience with Dickens. I enjoyed the writing so much that I am looking forward to reading more of his books. I’ve had a few on my shelves for years, just sitting there intimidating me. No more!

Free Books for August

August 1, 2009August 1, 20095 Comments

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. free books aug 09

1. Destiny Unleashed by Sherryl Woods – paperback has been read a few times. Romance. B&N review here. for Linda B

2. The Harvest by Scott Nicholson – paperback read once. Horror. B&N review here. for Alexa

3. The Essential Keats selected by Philip Levine – small hardcover, never been read. Amazon review here. for gautami

4. Strangers From a Different Shore : A History of Asian Americans by Ronald Takaki – brand new trade paperback (won it in a bundle). B&N review here. for Staci

As always, Happy Reading!

House of Many Shadows, by Barbara Michaels

July 30, 2009July 30, 20099 Comments

Finished 7-27-09, rating 3.5/5, pub. 1974

“What period is the house? Colonial?”

“No, it’s a perfect monstrosity of a Victorian mansion-Gothic revival, I think they call it, with stained glass and the rest. I think it’s perfectly awful, but apparently that sort of thing is now considered amusing, and it’s an excellent example of it’s type.”

“Good heavens,” Meg said, as the image took shape in her mind. “It sounds overpowering. Are you sure it isn’t haunted? I don’t think I could stand living with a ghost just now.”

“Why should it be haunted?” Sylvia asked reasonably.

“I was joking.”

Chapter 1

Meg thinks she’s going crazy. She had an accident and now she suffers from hallucinations that her doctors say are temporary. But they don’t feel temporary to Meg and she asks her very rich cousin, Sylvia, to help her out since she has had to leave her job. Sylvia offers her a place to stay in the Pennsylvania country and Meg is appreciative of the generosity.

Meg arrives at the house and is greeted by an old childhood nemesis in Andy and the two must learn to play nice since he is the only other person living on the secluded 20 acre property. After a few physical encounters the two realize that just by touching they both have the same hallucination. Are they seeing ghosts or visions, or a reenactment of the past? The two begin to investigate the history of the house to get answers.

The book was a spooky page turner. The visions combined with the history and geneology made this a great read for me. The real relationship between Meg and Andy was prickly and I enjoyed the references to Andy being a coward. Meg was the tough one and I loved reading about a strong woman – even if she was seeing things that weren’t there.

Michaels did a great job of wrapping up the mystery of the house and visions in a satisfying way, but there were a few loose ends about the characters that I would have liked knowing about. It left me thinking the book wasn’t quite done even after I’d turned the last page. All in all it was a good spooky mystery and I would read another by Michaels.

For those who don’t know, Barabara Michaels is really Elizabeth Peters.

The Quilter’s Apprentice, by Jennifer Chiaverini

July 29, 200910 Comments

Finished 7-25-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 1999

This is the first book in the Elm Creek Quilts series

“Who’s not being fair? I didn’t mean to suggest that judges make arbitrary choices, just that matters of personal taste strongly influence how we evaluate art. That being the case, I’d prefer the appreciation of a broad range of people, quilters and nonquilters alike, rather than the stamp of approval from a few select so-called experts.”

Chapter 19

Sarah and Matt move from Penn State town State College to the small college town of Waterford for Matt’s new job. Sarah is having no luck finding a job and begins to feel some resentment for having left a good job and good friends until she is offered temporary employment by Matt’s new employer. Sarah is to help Sylvia clear out an old mansion and prepare it for sale.

As part of her payment, Sylvia is teaching Sarah to quilt and each new block is a story about Sylvia’s life and how the family mansion became run down and abandoned. The two women become friends and Sarah cannot bear the thought of Sylvia selling the house and moving away. As Sarah settles into her new job she meets a small group of quilters who befriend her, but dislike Sylvia.

This story was a warm and inviting escape into the world of quilting and friendship. I was able to identify with Sarah as she lost her sense of self when she was jobless, friendless, and lonely in a new town. She did have mom issues that I assume will be dealt with in a later book and acted a bit immature at times, but the imperfections were mostly interesting to me.

I loved the sassy Sylvia and her story and look forward to continuing with this series in the future. This is a great book for quilters, but also for anyone who loves reading about the often complex friendships between women. I really liked it.

Teaser Tuesday

July 28, 2009September 30, 200923 Comments

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!

She wondered, Is it possible, maybe even normal, to spend twenty years of your life with someone, to love that person more than you love yourself sometimes and then sometimes to truly hate him, so much that you think you about taking your new cast-iron grill pan and bringing it down on the top of his head? Or maybe these thoughts were just a result of one of her random yet tempestuous perimenopausal moments.

first two sentences from Sliver of Truth by Lisa Unger

I’m going to start this one in the next few days. It’s the sequel to Beautiful Lies, which I loved. What are you reading this week?

Stacy's Books

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