Wicked:The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Macguire

Started: 2/15/10
Finished: 2/22/10
Year: 1995
Pages: 406
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: borrowed from Jen M.
Blurb (from back cover): "When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?
"Gregory Maquire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil."
Opinion: I was hoping to be more entertained by this book. I liked seeing the Witch's side of the story but something was missing.

The Runner by Peter May

Started: 1/31/10
Finished: 2/15/10
Year: 2010 (US release)
Pages: 336
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "A top Chinese swimmer kills himself of the eve of an international event, shattering his country's hopes of victory against the Americans. An Olympic weightlifter dies in the arms of his Beijing mistress, a scandal to be hushed up at the highest level. Tragic coincidence-or something more sinister?
"Beijing detective Li Yan is troubled to discover that they are not the first of China's athletes to die. He is so troubled that he brings American pathologist Margaret Campbell out of retirement to perform the autopsies. Could natural causes conceal the most unnatural deaths and threaten the future of international athletics?
"Battling to save his career and preparing for marriage, Li Yan knows the key to the case lies with a champion runner-the only member of the athletics team prepared to talk. But when the runner disappears, time starts running out in the race to catch the killer."
Opinion: Picked up basically where the last book of the series ended. There could have been more of a conclusion about a major plot idea but readers are left hanging to read the next one. Overall a good police novel. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the upcoming months.

The Silent Bride by Leslie Glass

Started: 1/20/10
Finished: 1/31/10
Year: 2002
Pages: 379
Genre: mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it from the TBR pile
Blurb (from the back cover): "A beautiful bride's glorious trip down the aisle is cut short by a sniper's bullet. The crime has stunned the city and baffled NYPD detective April Woo. The sweet, modest, eighteen-year-old virgin couldn't have had an enemy in the world...
"Under the magnificent steeples of St. Patrick's Cathedral, a posh society wedding ends in the same horror. Rich and spoiled, the second bride shares only one thing with the victim before her: getting caught in the crosshairs of a madman' gun...
"What links the startling crimes? Who's next to die? With the wedding of April's friend fast approaching, April and homicide specialist Mike Sanchez sift through the evidence for clues to the killer's identity. But they have to work fast. Because the mysterious maotive-and the next target-are becoming dangerously clear..."
Opinion: Decent mystery. Person behind the murders was kinda predictable but the way it was written, left me always wondering until the end.