Started: 5/22/09
Finished: 5/22/09
Year: 1994
Genre: Animals
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from book jacket): "Between these covers, teller and tales finally meet in a warm and joyful new collection that will bring delight to the hearts of readers the world over. Here are Buster, the kitten who arrived on Christmas; Alfred, the cat at the sweet shop; Emily, who lived with the gentleman tramp; and Olly ang Ginny, the kittens who charmed readers when thry first appeared at the Herriots' house in thr worldwide bestseller Every Living Thing. And along with these come others, each story as memorable and heartwsrming as thr last, each told with that magic blend of gentle wit and human compassion that markes every word from James Herriot's pen.
Opinion: A sweet collection of stories all about cats and their antics.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Trick or Treat by Kerry Greenwood
Started: 5/18/09
Finished: 5/22/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 246
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "When a cut-price franchise bakery opens its doors just down the street from Earthly Delights and crowds flock to purchase the bread, baker Corinna Chapman is understandably nervous. Meanwhile, her lover Daniel's old friend Georgiana Hope has temporarily set up residence in his house, and it doesn't take Corinna long to work out that she's tall, blonde, gorgeous, and up to something. Daniel is making excuses and Corinna is worried about his absences. Even more worrisome is the strange outbreak of madness that seems to be centered on Lonsdale Street.
"Can Corinna find her way through a maze of health regulations, missing boyfriends, sinister strangers, fraudulent companies and back-alley ambushes? Or will this be the end of the Earthly Delights Bakery?
Opinion: This novel appears to me to be choppy. For an Advanced Reader Copy from a puplisher that I've received several from before, there is A LOT of editing that needs to be done before the final novel comes out in America-it's already been released in Australia several years ago.
Finished: 5/22/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 246
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "When a cut-price franchise bakery opens its doors just down the street from Earthly Delights and crowds flock to purchase the bread, baker Corinna Chapman is understandably nervous. Meanwhile, her lover Daniel's old friend Georgiana Hope has temporarily set up residence in his house, and it doesn't take Corinna long to work out that she's tall, blonde, gorgeous, and up to something. Daniel is making excuses and Corinna is worried about his absences. Even more worrisome is the strange outbreak of madness that seems to be centered on Lonsdale Street.
"Can Corinna find her way through a maze of health regulations, missing boyfriends, sinister strangers, fraudulent companies and back-alley ambushes? Or will this be the end of the Earthly Delights Bakery?
Opinion: This novel appears to me to be choppy. For an Advanced Reader Copy from a puplisher that I've received several from before, there is A LOT of editing that needs to be done before the final novel comes out in America-it's already been released in Australia several years ago.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Started: 5/15/09
Finished: 5/18/09
Year: 2003
Pages: 331
Genre: Non-fiction, religion
Grade: B+
Blurb (from book jacket): "Jon Krakauer's literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. In Under the Banner of Heaven, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by a pair of Mormon Fundamentalist brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their blameless victims. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this crime, Krakauer constructs a multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messsianic delusion, savage violence, and unyielding faith. In the process, he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest growing religion, analyzes the abduction of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart (and her forced 'marrage' to her polygamous kidnapper), and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
"Krakauer takes readers inside isolated communities in the American West, Canada, and Mexico, where some forty thousand Mormon Fundamentalists believe that the mainstream Mormon Church went unforgivably astray when it renounced polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establisment in Salt Lake City, the leaders of these outlaw sects are zealots who answer only to God. Marrying prodigiousy and with virtual impunity (the leader of the largest fundamentalist church took seventy-five 'plural wives,' several of whom were wed to him when they were fourteen or fifteen and he was in his eighties), fundamentalist prophets exercise absolute control over the lives of their followers and preach that any day now the world will be swept clean in a hurricane of fire, sparing only their most obedient adherents.
"Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyes look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the United States' most successful homegrown faith and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism. The result is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of nonfiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behavior."
Opinion: Wow. This is the first Krakauer book I've read and I had no idea what it was about when I got it. I'm not one that believes in certain religion and didn't know much about the Mormon religion. Greatly researched and an interesting look into the history of the Mormons.
Finished: 5/18/09
Year: 2003
Pages: 331
Genre: Non-fiction, religion
Grade: B+
Blurb (from book jacket): "Jon Krakauer's literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. In Under the Banner of Heaven, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by a pair of Mormon Fundamentalist brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their blameless victims. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this crime, Krakauer constructs a multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messsianic delusion, savage violence, and unyielding faith. In the process, he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest growing religion, analyzes the abduction of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart (and her forced 'marrage' to her polygamous kidnapper), and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
"Krakauer takes readers inside isolated communities in the American West, Canada, and Mexico, where some forty thousand Mormon Fundamentalists believe that the mainstream Mormon Church went unforgivably astray when it renounced polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establisment in Salt Lake City, the leaders of these outlaw sects are zealots who answer only to God. Marrying prodigiousy and with virtual impunity (the leader of the largest fundamentalist church took seventy-five 'plural wives,' several of whom were wed to him when they were fourteen or fifteen and he was in his eighties), fundamentalist prophets exercise absolute control over the lives of their followers and preach that any day now the world will be swept clean in a hurricane of fire, sparing only their most obedient adherents.
"Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyes look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the United States' most successful homegrown faith and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism. The result is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of nonfiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behavior."
Opinion: Wow. This is the first Krakauer book I've read and I had no idea what it was about when I got it. I'm not one that believes in certain religion and didn't know much about the Mormon religion. Greatly researched and an interesting look into the history of the Mormons.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Persuader by Lee Child
Started: 5/10/09
Finished: 5/15/09
Year: 2003
Pages: 465
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Jack Reacher is the Persuader.
"An ex-military cop and the ultimate loner. No family, no possessions, no commitments, no fear, nothing-except a strong sense of justice.
"Which is why Reacher agrees to help a female agent caught in a death trap. Why Reacher must outwit and outfight a criminal army.
"Because once Reacher finds trouble, he cannot quit.
"Not once.
"Not ever."
Opinion: A great thriller. Definitely one of the better books I've read this year so far.
Finished: 5/15/09
Year: 2003
Pages: 465
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Jack Reacher is the Persuader.
"An ex-military cop and the ultimate loner. No family, no possessions, no commitments, no fear, nothing-except a strong sense of justice.
"Which is why Reacher agrees to help a female agent caught in a death trap. Why Reacher must outwit and outfight a criminal army.
"Because once Reacher finds trouble, he cannot quit.
"Not once.
"Not ever."
Opinion: A great thriller. Definitely one of the better books I've read this year so far.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Milagro Lane by Jay Brandon
Started: 5/3/09
Finished: 5/10/09
Year: 2008
Pages: 241
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: "When Estela Valenzuela appears at the funeral of the scion of one of the oldest, richest families in town, she is a mystery-an apparent stranger who seems to know everyone. Gabe Grohman, the son of the deceased, is fascinated by her. Through Estela he discovers parts of the city he never knew, even a part that doesn't exist: Milagro Lane, a street of mind where one can only go in rare, fulfilling moments."
Opinion: Much of the extended blurb on the book is focused on how much the book is about San Antonio. I did not get that feel from reading it. It was a good read. For a more extended review, please check out MyShelf in the upcoming months.
Finished: 5/10/09
Year: 2008
Pages: 241
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: "When Estela Valenzuela appears at the funeral of the scion of one of the oldest, richest families in town, she is a mystery-an apparent stranger who seems to know everyone. Gabe Grohman, the son of the deceased, is fascinated by her. Through Estela he discovers parts of the city he never knew, even a part that doesn't exist: Milagro Lane, a street of mind where one can only go in rare, fulfilling moments."
Opinion: Much of the extended blurb on the book is focused on how much the book is about San Antonio. I did not get that feel from reading it. It was a good read. For a more extended review, please check out MyShelf in the upcoming months.
Monday, May 04, 2009
The Beach House by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge
Started: 4/28/098
Finished: 5/3/09
Year: 2002
Pages: 358
Genre: mystery
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from book jacket): "Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the news comes that his brother, Peter, has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother practically grew up in the water, and that this couldn't be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead.
"But the police say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brother's last night, he confronts a maddening barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the wealthy summer residents from local workers like Peter. Motivated by a hundred forms of grief, Jack rallies his hometown friends to help him find the truth of Peter's death-no matter how rich or corrupt the people who stand in their way.
"Jack's relentless crusade puts him into a head-on collision with one of the most powerful and ruthless men in New York, a man who wipes out resistance with a snap of his fingers. As it unfolds that his brother was involved with some of the richest women and men in America-in ways Jack never imagined-his dream of justice fades. Only if he can somehow beat the rich at their own game will he be able to avenge his brother."
Opinion: One of the better Patterson books that I've read. Good story. Interesting plot. I liked how it ended-not rushed.
Finished: 5/3/09
Year: 2002
Pages: 358
Genre: mystery
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from book jacket): "Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the news comes that his brother, Peter, has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother practically grew up in the water, and that this couldn't be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead.
"But the police say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brother's last night, he confronts a maddening barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the wealthy summer residents from local workers like Peter. Motivated by a hundred forms of grief, Jack rallies his hometown friends to help him find the truth of Peter's death-no matter how rich or corrupt the people who stand in their way.
"Jack's relentless crusade puts him into a head-on collision with one of the most powerful and ruthless men in New York, a man who wipes out resistance with a snap of his fingers. As it unfolds that his brother was involved with some of the richest women and men in America-in ways Jack never imagined-his dream of justice fades. Only if he can somehow beat the rich at their own game will he be able to avenge his brother."
Opinion: One of the better Patterson books that I've read. Good story. Interesting plot. I liked how it ended-not rushed.
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