Started: 6/25/07
Finished: 6/28/07
Year: 2003 (this edition)
Pages: 234
Genre: Classic Literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Cornelius van Baerle, a respectable tulip-grower, lives only to cultivate the elusive black tulip and win a magnificent prize for its creation. But after his powerful godfather is assassinated, the unwitting Cornelius becomes caught up in deadly political intrigue and is falsely accused of high treason by a bitter rival. Condemned to life imprisonment, his only comfort is Rosa, the jailer's beautiful daughter, and together they concoct a plan to grow the black tulip in secret. Dumas's last major historical novel is a tale of romantic love, jealousy and obsession, interweaving historical events surrounding the brutal murders of two Dutch statesmen in 1672 with the phenomenon of tulipomania that gripped seventeenth-century Holland.
Opinion: Obsession is the word for this book. A very strong characterization of Cornelius. Pretty good read.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Marked Man by William Lashner
Started: 6/21/07
Finished: 6/25/07
Year: 2007 (this edition)
Pages: 499
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "All the Philadelphia attorney knows is that he woke up in the entranceway of his apartment building with his suit in tatters, his socks missing, and a tattoo on his chest that wasn't there the day before: a heart inscribed with the name Chantal Adair.
"Who is Chantal Adair-a drunken folly or the love of Victor Carl's life? He doesn't know but he intends to find out. As soon as he takes care of his client, a thief on the run from the law, who wants to make a deal...and has a stolen Rembrandt to use as leverage.
"But the fine art and the skin art may be more closely linked than Victor realizes. And the closer he comes to making a connection, the closer he comes to being marked, not with a heart, but with a bull's-eye."
Opinion: Way too long with too many unrealistic turns and twists. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.
Finished: 6/25/07
Year: 2007 (this edition)
Pages: 499
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "All the Philadelphia attorney knows is that he woke up in the entranceway of his apartment building with his suit in tatters, his socks missing, and a tattoo on his chest that wasn't there the day before: a heart inscribed with the name Chantal Adair.
"Who is Chantal Adair-a drunken folly or the love of Victor Carl's life? He doesn't know but he intends to find out. As soon as he takes care of his client, a thief on the run from the law, who wants to make a deal...and has a stolen Rembrandt to use as leverage.
"But the fine art and the skin art may be more closely linked than Victor realizes. And the closer he comes to making a connection, the closer he comes to being marked, not with a heart, but with a bull's-eye."
Opinion: Way too long with too many unrealistic turns and twists. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Icebound by Dean Koontz
Started: 6/17/07
Finished: 6/21/07
Year: 1995
Pages: 408
Genre: Adventure/Suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR pile
Blurb: no printed blurb on book
Opinion: This book is very different that Koontz's usual books. There are no scary creatures. A team is stuck on an iceberg that seems to have a life of it's own. Luckily there is a Russian sub but it is just after the Cold War ended-can the Russians be trusted? This was a reread for me.
Finished: 6/21/07
Year: 1995
Pages: 408
Genre: Adventure/Suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR pile
Blurb: no printed blurb on book
Opinion: This book is very different that Koontz's usual books. There are no scary creatures. A team is stuck on an iceberg that seems to have a life of it's own. Luckily there is a Russian sub but it is just after the Cold War ended-can the Russians be trusted? This was a reread for me.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Bad Twin by Gary Troup
Started: 6/15/07
Finished: 6/17/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 258
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: part of a bookring on Bookcrossing
Blurb (from back cover): "It is with a mix of pride and sorrow that Hyperion presents Bad Twin, the last novel by a wonderful author who was taken from us in the very prime of his writing life. As many readers are already aware, Gary Troup has been missing since September 2004, when the jetliner that was carrying him from Sydney to Los Angeles crashed somewhere over the South Pacific. While nothing is more human than to hope for miracles, reason tells us that the author and his fellow travelers cannot have survived this disaster."
Opinion: Even though the blurb says nothing about what the actually book is about...The mystery of searching for an identical twin all across the world was interesting but some of the travels were pointless.
Finished: 6/17/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 258
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: part of a bookring on Bookcrossing
Blurb (from back cover): "It is with a mix of pride and sorrow that Hyperion presents Bad Twin, the last novel by a wonderful author who was taken from us in the very prime of his writing life. As many readers are already aware, Gary Troup has been missing since September 2004, when the jetliner that was carrying him from Sydney to Los Angeles crashed somewhere over the South Pacific. While nothing is more human than to hope for miracles, reason tells us that the author and his fellow travelers cannot have survived this disaster."
Opinion: Even though the blurb says nothing about what the actually book is about...The mystery of searching for an identical twin all across the world was interesting but some of the travels were pointless.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Started: 6/7/07
Finished: 6/15/07
Year: 2002
Pages: 582
Genre: Literature
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb: There was no blurb printed on the book
Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this book-had lots of unexpected twists in it. A little suspenseful. Contained some historical references.
Finished: 6/15/07
Year: 2002
Pages: 582
Genre: Literature
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb: There was no blurb printed on the book
Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this book-had lots of unexpected twists in it. A little suspenseful. Contained some historical references.
Friday, June 08, 2007
The Overlook by Michael Connelly
Started: 6/6/07
Finished: 6/7/07
Year: 2007
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "A body has been found on the overlook near Mulholland Drive. The victim, identified as Dr. Stanley Kent, has two bullet holes in the back of his head from what looks like an execution-style shooting. LAPD detective Harry Bosch is called out to investigate. It is the case he has been waiting for, his first since being recruited to the city's Homicide Special squad.
"As soon as Bosch begins retracing Dr. Kent's steps, contradictions emerge. While Kent doesn't seem to have had ties to organized crime, he did have access to dangerous radioactive substances from just about every hospital in Los Angeles County. What begins as a routine homicide investigation opens up before Bosch into something much larger and more dangerous-and much more urgent.
"Breaking in a new rookie partner and chasing his first fresh case in years, Bosch is soon in conflict not just with the LAPD brass but also with FBI hotshots who are convinced that the case is too important for the likes of the LAPD. Harry's onetime lover Rachel Walling is among the federal agents frantically working the case, making Bosch's job all the more complicated. Guarding one slim advantage, he relentlessly follows his own instincts, hoping they are still true enough to solve the crime-and to save all of Los Angeles from a deadly hazard."
Opinion: A great and quick read. For a complete review-check out MyShelf.com next month.
Finished: 6/7/07
Year: 2007
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "A body has been found on the overlook near Mulholland Drive. The victim, identified as Dr. Stanley Kent, has two bullet holes in the back of his head from what looks like an execution-style shooting. LAPD detective Harry Bosch is called out to investigate. It is the case he has been waiting for, his first since being recruited to the city's Homicide Special squad.
"As soon as Bosch begins retracing Dr. Kent's steps, contradictions emerge. While Kent doesn't seem to have had ties to organized crime, he did have access to dangerous radioactive substances from just about every hospital in Los Angeles County. What begins as a routine homicide investigation opens up before Bosch into something much larger and more dangerous-and much more urgent.
"Breaking in a new rookie partner and chasing his first fresh case in years, Bosch is soon in conflict not just with the LAPD brass but also with FBI hotshots who are convinced that the case is too important for the likes of the LAPD. Harry's onetime lover Rachel Walling is among the federal agents frantically working the case, making Bosch's job all the more complicated. Guarding one slim advantage, he relentlessly follows his own instincts, hoping they are still true enough to solve the crime-and to save all of Los Angeles from a deadly hazard."
Opinion: A great and quick read. For a complete review-check out MyShelf.com next month.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Coast Road by Barbara Delinsky
Started: 6/4/07
Finished: 6/6/07
Year: 1998
Genre: Literature
Grade: A
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf-picked it out of a bookbox
Blurb (from back cover): "When Jack McGill chose his career as an architect over his family, he returned home from yet another business trip to find that his wife Rachel had left him. But now six years later a car accident has left Rachel clinging to life, and she and their two daughters desperately need him. Putting his work on hold for the first time in his life, Jack decides to sit by his ex-wife's bedside. There, meeting Rachel's many friends, and trying to cope with two teenage daughters and their problems, he learns about a woman he never really knew, her expressive art, and the secret that made her leave. Much to his astonishment, Jack begins to see Rachel, his daughters, and the story of his marriage with new eyes.
"Celebrating the things in life that matter most-the kinship of neighbors, the companionship of friends, and the irreplaceable time spent with children and family-Coast Road depicts with exquisite accuracy the ties that bind each of us to those people and places we hold most dear."
Opinion: A great emotional story that sucks you in. A great read.
Finished: 6/6/07
Year: 1998
Genre: Literature
Grade: A
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf-picked it out of a bookbox
Blurb (from back cover): "When Jack McGill chose his career as an architect over his family, he returned home from yet another business trip to find that his wife Rachel had left him. But now six years later a car accident has left Rachel clinging to life, and she and their two daughters desperately need him. Putting his work on hold for the first time in his life, Jack decides to sit by his ex-wife's bedside. There, meeting Rachel's many friends, and trying to cope with two teenage daughters and their problems, he learns about a woman he never really knew, her expressive art, and the secret that made her leave. Much to his astonishment, Jack begins to see Rachel, his daughters, and the story of his marriage with new eyes.
"Celebrating the things in life that matter most-the kinship of neighbors, the companionship of friends, and the irreplaceable time spent with children and family-Coast Road depicts with exquisite accuracy the ties that bind each of us to those people and places we hold most dear."
Opinion: A great emotional story that sucks you in. A great read.
Monday, June 04, 2007
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Started: 6/2/07
Finished: 6/4/07
Year: 1992
Pages: 302
Genre: Fiction/Literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb: No listed blurb on the book
Opinion: I thought that it was a fairly well written book despite the jumping around that seemed to happen. I'm sure that I'll be watching the movie soon.
Finished: 6/4/07
Year: 1992
Pages: 302
Genre: Fiction/Literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb: No listed blurb on the book
Opinion: I thought that it was a fairly well written book despite the jumping around that seemed to happen. I'm sure that I'll be watching the movie soon.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
The Four Hearts
Started: 5/30/07
Finished: 6/2/07
Year: 2007
Pages: ?
Genre: Chick Lit
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review
Blurb: 4 women go to California to strike it rich
Opinion: This story could have been a lot stronger if the story was told in one of the characters point of view instead of all four. The 4 main characters were all strong characters and important to each other. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.
Finished: 6/2/07
Year: 2007
Pages: ?
Genre: Chick Lit
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review
Blurb: 4 women go to California to strike it rich
Opinion: This story could have been a lot stronger if the story was told in one of the characters point of view instead of all four. The 4 main characters were all strong characters and important to each other. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.
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