Tag: Books

Teaser Tuesdays

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teasertuesdays2TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers

 

“He used to have a habit of tinkering around with my sheila (my car), even as I’d tried to tempt him into tinkering with something else (me).  Strangely enough, he had a habit of popping up at just the right minute whenever I needed help.  Something that didn’t sit well with me because I liked to think I could take care of myself.”

Working Stiff by Tori Carrington, page 61

Come on, tease me with your current read!

Second Nature, by Alice Hoffman

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Cover ImageFinished 1-23-09, 2/5, fiction, pub. 1994

There was the faint possibility that Roy was right, that she’d become so intent on having things her way she’d stopped thinking altogether, driven by something as untrustworthy as pure emotion.  She now had, after all, a man in her kitchen who could easily murder her and sneak out the back door without leaving any footprints behind.

Chapter 2

Robin is an almost divorced mother of a teen son.  The Wolf Man had been living with the wolves in northern Michigan since he was three and was found later, as an adult, wounded by two hunters.  The Wolf Man, eventually known as Stephen, refuses to talk to the medical doctors and he is locked up in mental hospitals until Robin comes along and rescues him.  She whisks him away to her home in suburbia and plans to teach Stephen what he needs to know to blend into society and someday make his way back to Michigan.

I could not get past the ridiculous premise to completely enjoy the characters in the story.  A wolf/man who has lived with a wolf pack from the age of 3 1/2 with no human interaction, can read, write, hold conversations with strangers, and begin an affair all within the span of a few months?  There were many other storylines—Robin’s divorce, Connor’s first love, an aging parent’s declining health, and a brother’s nervous breakdown–that were all interesting and engaging, yet the wolf man was always there to remind me how outrageous it all was.  His character kept pulling me out of the story.  That being said, I did like other characters and the true emotions of love, loyalty, and betrayal.

I’ve read other Alice Hoffman titles I liked, but this was a complete miss for me.

9 in ’09 with Carla Neggers

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This Friday New York Times bestselling author, Carla Neggers, has graciously agreed to answer 9 questions.  She has written over 50 books and 10 best sellers.  I have reviewed The Widow and The Angel. 

Carla graduated magna cum laude from Boston University and lives with her husband in Vermont.  You can visit her website for more information, http://www.carlaneggers.com

I met Carla last May at a book signing here in Cleveland (photo below).  She was charming and gracious enough to spend an hour answering our questions.  When I contacted her yesterday about doing this interview she contacted me and answered my questions within 24 hours.  Thank you Carla! 

1. I loved the Ireland setting for The Angel and I know it was inspired, at least in part, by a family vacation.  Have any other of your travels shown up in your books?
Ireland’s incredible. I can’t wait to go there again! I’ve been to almost every place my books have been set. One of my early mainstream novels, BETRAYALS, is being reissued in March (with a stunning new cover), and part of it is set in southern France. Where I’ve never been. I must go, don’t you think? Many of my books are set in New England, where I live, so that’s easy; and Boston is “my” city. THE RAPIDS, one of the books in my “U.S. Marshals” series, is partly set in Holland. My father was Dutch, and I have many first cousins there. In fact, we’re heading to Holland this summer for a visit…via London and Paris. 😉
2. You have written so many books.  Would you consider any of the characters favorites or more personal to you? 
Every character is an individual to me. I can see them — they’re no more interchangeable in my mind than my six brothers and sisters are to me. Right now, I’m totally taken with the Rush family in THE MIST. They own boutique hotels and have a penchant for spying. And the Davenports…Will Davenport makes a brief appearance in THE ANGEL but takes center stage in THE MIST. He and Lizzie Rush have to stop an American billionaire bent on violent revenge.
 
3. You are a New York Times bestselling author.  What advice do you have for other writers who are trying to achieve that goal?
Focus on writing the best book you can. There’s an old saying that a good book is a writer’s triumph and a bestseller is a publisher’s triumph. And celebrate every milestone on the way. Don’t wait to make the bestseller lists to break out the champagne!
4.  Do you read reviews of your books, in print or online, and how do they affect you?
Everyone appreciates a compliment! 
5.  Do you have any rituals or routines when you are writing?
I try never to eat at the computer. 🙂 
6.  I love quotes.  Do you have a favorite?
I have two mottos. One is from the Tao: “Let life ripe and fall, force is not the way at all.” The other is from a friend: “Anxiety focuses the mind.” They’re not as contradictory as you might think!
7.  What are you reading right now?
THE MEMORIST by M.J. Rose. It’s fabulous! 
8.  If you were placed in the life of one fictional character who would you choose?
One who lives happily ever after!
9.  And finally, what are you working on now?
I’m writing COLD RIVER, the sequel to COLD PURSUIT — which has my first-ever true cliffhanger ending. We know “whodunit” but we don’t know the mastermind behind the killers. COLD RIVER is set in Vermont in the middle of winter…so research is easy. I’m going cross-country skiing on my lunch hour today. Research!
For a complete list of Carla’s books, click here.

A Gentle Rain, by Deborah Smith

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Cover ImageFinished on 1-20-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2007

Shakey pointed a fake finger at me.  “You and that scar-faced mare?  You’re racin’ for all of us who are missin’ a part or two.  You probably won’t win, but at least you’ll get in the game.  You’re proof that God needs even the angels who are missin’ a wing.”

Chapter 20

Kara was raised as one of the elite.  Worth millions, with powerful friends in all the right places, she always felt inferior to her very successful relatives.  When her parents die she discovers she had been adopted and decides to find her bith parents.  Mac and Lily are still together and living on the Thocco Ranch.  Kara changes her name and heads to Florida where she ingratiates herself into the lives of everyone at the ranch. 

Ben Thocco has come up the hard way.  Born dirt poor he lost his parents at a young age and had to escape to Mexico with his younger brother so the courts would not separate them.  Now, in his late 30’s, he is a successful Florida ranch owner still caring for his younger brother who suffers from Down’s Syndrome and a serious heart condition.  His ranch hands are special needs adult who contribute to the ranch and form a makeshift family of society’s outcasts. 

This story of mentally challenged adults and a love between two people who need each other really touched me.  The theme of being different and being loved and accepted anyway is one that we should all be reminded of from time to time.  The book drew me in because of the people, but there was also so much story to tell.  Ben is fighting to save his ranch and his brother’s life and Kara is trying to come to terms with her wealth and what is best for her birth parents. 

I thought the last section of the book had more story than it really needed and I wish I could say more, but it might spoil it.  The end was too tidy and that is the only reason this didn’t rate higher for me. 

This book will appeal to many people.  Jane Austen fans will love the quotes sprinkled throughout the book.  Floridians, ranchers, and horse racing fans will enjoy the story.  Anyone interested in the emotional impact of finding out you’re adopted will not be disappointed.  And, of course, anyone who has someone in their life that is different will appreciate the story of the Thocco Ranch.

The Angel, by Carla Neggers

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Cover ImageFinished 1-18-09, rating 4/5, romantic suspense, pub. 2008

This is not a sequel, but it is book 2 of the Boston PD-FBI series.

She joined him at the table, her cheeks flushed as she buttered a small piece of bread.  “Once upon a time,” she said, laying on her Irish accent, “there were three brothers who lived on the southwest coast of Ireland–a farmer, a hermit monk and a ne’er-do-well, who was, of course, everybody’s favorite…

Prologue

 And so begins the magical tale of the three brothers and the Stone Angel.  This Irish legend is the basis of Keira’s impending six-week trip to Ireland.  She is a successful folklorist and illustrator who is researching Irish stories for an upcoming conference and the trip to Ireland is both professional and personal.  Her mother, now a religious recluse, had gone to Ireland in her youth and returned home pregnant with Keira.

Keira’s uncle, Boston homicide detective Bob O’Reilly, was concerned about her, even more so when she discovers a man dead the night before she leaves.  When he doesn’t hear from her in Ireland he calls a search-and-rescue expert to find her.  When Simon finds her the sparks fly and Simon stays by her side as they head back to Boston.  Once back in Boston a wide range of characters and mishaps prove that the legend may have some truth and every one who knows about it is at risk.

This book really does have a magical feel to it.  There are angels, fairies, Satan, and evil, all fighting an ageless battle.  I’ve never really been interested in fairy tales or folktales, but I must admit there is something very romantic and mystical about them that I’ve never really appreciated.  Also, I fell in love with Ireland even though most of the action was in Boston.  The mystery and rugged beauty appealed to me and now I might have to put Ireland on my list of hopeful vacation destinations!

This is not a sequel, but I think you will not fully appreciate this story without reading the first, The Widow.  My review is here.  Abigail, Owen, and Abigail’s father all play significant roles and I appreciate that she incorporated them into the story instead of them being relegated to a mere mention here and there. 

Book 3, The Mist, will be released this summer.  I am looking forward to it 🙂

Teaser Tuesdays-A Gentle Rain

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teasertuesdays2TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!

I had found my birth parents and their protective mentor.  He seemed a fine man, albeit brusque and sardonic.  Their lives with him appeared stable, productive and content.  Thanks to quirky coincidence, I had won the opportunity to be part of their lives.

A Gentle Rain by Deborah Smith, page 71

Yes, I cheated a little by including a few extra sentences, but I couldn’t help myself!  Let me know what your teaser is.  I look forward to getting some new book ideas.

Naked Came the Manatee, Carl Hiaasen editor

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Cover ImageFinished 1-17-09, rating 2.5/5, fiction, pub. 1996

This novel is a serial collaborataion of 13 of South Florida’s best writers and was originally written for The Miami Herald’s Tropic magazine.  David Barry writes the first chapter, passes it off to Les Standiford, Paul Levine, Edna Buchanan, James W. Hall, Carolina Hospital, Evelyn Mayerson, Tananarive Due, Brian Antoni, Vicki Hendricks, John Dufresne, Elmore Leonard, and Carl Hiaasen plays clean up in the last chapter.  A few of the authors’ serial characters show up- Buchanan’s Britt Montero, Standiford’s John Deal, and Levine’s Jake Lassiter.

A 102 year old woman rescues a man from the bay and he is in possession of a canister with shocking contents.  The canister is one of a pair, both containing the head of Fidel Castro.  There are chases, murders, confusion, and a multitude of characters, including Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro.  And there is a very introspective manatee in the bay named Booger, who thinks of the 102 year old grandmother as his ‘ma’. 

This is an interesting experiment, but it is a hot mess of a novel.  There are characters that move in and out of the story with little or no explanation, each author wanting to add something new instead of trying to build on what’s there.  The last chapter where Carl Hiaasen tries to explain everything is pretty funny considering what he had to work with.  It was wacky in a good way, but it was probably best suited to it’s original form, as a weekly magazine installment.

Rumpleville Chronicles presents The Bomb That Followed Me Home

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Author-Cevin Soling  Illustrator-Steve Kille

The Rumpleville series are contemporary fables that are replete with social commentary…The fairy tale format highlights the perverse morality of contemporary culture and foiled promised of “happily ever after” endings. 

This was from the press release I received with the book.  I requested the book because I thought it was a children’s book.  I still thought that when I took it out of the mailing envelope and saw a children’s book.  It wasn’t until a few pages into the book that I realized this is not  for kids.  So, of we completely take that off the table I can review it as a book for more mature readers, let’s say teenagers or older.

A boy realizes he is being followed home by a bomb (that hides in the landfills).  As he walks by his neighbors house (the only part of the book I truly enjoyed) he remembers all of the reasons he dislikes them.  Once home there is this

“Suddenly something chafed against my leg.  I glanced down, and there at my feet was the cutest bomb I had ever seen.”

The boy wants to keep it, but his parents won’t let him, relating it to having a dog.  I won’t spoil the end, but really it just made an absurd book bad.  My husband disliked it more than I did.  The illustrations were okay and I suppose kids would enjoy the art.  You would have to make up your own story.

This is book three in the Rumpleville Chronicles.

This was not to my sense of humor (except the neighbor gibberish part), but it would probably appeal to someone with a more twisted sense of humor.  If that person might be you, leave a comment and I’ll mail the book on to you, free of charge.

Garden of Beasts: A Novel of Berlin 1936, by Jeffery Deaver

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Cover ImageFinished audio 1-14-09, rating 3.5, fiction, pub. 2004

In this historical novel Paul Shumann is a hit man for the mob who gets caught red-handed and is offered the choice of the electric chair or traveling to Germany to kill one of Hitler’s power men, Reinhard Ernst.  The choice was an easy one and Paul travels to Germany with the Olympic team where cameos by real Olympians, including the hero of the games, Jesse Owens, add interest.  Once Paul reaches Germany he is almost immediately embroiled in a murder that has the Crypto searching Berlin and beyond for the hit man.

The many storylines are compelling.  You get to meet Hitler and other real characters like Himmler and Goring.  The Cryptos search for Paul is a cat and mouse game that forces Paul into the shadows.  There are a few there to help Paul complete his heady task of killing Ernst.  And the men pulling the strings back in New York are not exactly what they seem.  There is also love and national loyalty at play.

This novel has plenty going on and there were many things I really liked about it.  I thought the first two-thirds of the book was a great set-up full of wonderful characters and storylines.  It was interesting to see that some of the police were not Hitler supporters and it added real depth to the real story being enacted Hitler.  Paul’s sense of duty to his job and his interest in righting injustice made him a compelling main character.

As much as I enjoyed the first part of the book I equally did not find the end satisfying.  The wrap up had plenty of twist and turns, which was good, but at the end there still seemed to be a few things left incomplete. 

If this time period intrigues you or you are a Jeffery Deaver fan you should give this book a try.

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

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TwilightFinished 1-10-09, rating 3.5/5, YA fiction, pub. 2005

Bella is a normal teenager with divorced parents and low self-esteem.  She moves up to Washington state to live with her father and becomes very popular with the boys of the small town.  One boy in particular, Edward, makes her heart jump and the two begin a relationship.  Of course, she does find out that he is a vampire, but that is of no real concern, they are young and in love.

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I placed my name on the waiting list at the library and finally it was my turn!   It is a nice story about young love and vampires, but nothing more and nothing less.  I used to devour teen romances back in my own teen years and this feels the same.  It is fluffy, shallow, and not really challenging in any way.  The fact that Bella is your average girl and suddenly every boy around her seems lost in love, including a vampire who has not fallen in love in his 100+ years, seems like overkill.

On the positive side it was interesting and about halfway through the pace picked up and became more of a page turner.  The first half may have been a little slow, but once the vampires began fighting each other it gained some momentum.  The game of baseball the vampire clan, the Cullens, played in the woods during thunderstorms was original and fun.

I was expecting something great from all of the hype surrounding the book and the movie and I was a little disappointed.  I can see why teen girls love it but, I am probably not going to finish the series.  There are just too many really good books out there!

More reviews-

Heather @ Book Addiction