Thursday, March 15, 2007

Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker


Started: 3/11/07
Finished: 3/14/07
Year: 1996
Pages: 384
Genre: True Crime/Memoir
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: part of a bookring through Bookcrossing.com
Blurb (from back cover): "During his twenty-five-year FBI career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of the most notorious and sadistic serial killers of our time: the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, the Atlanta child murderer, and Seattle's Green River killer, the case that nearly cost Douglas his life.
"As the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Douglas has confronted, interviewed, and studied scores of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein, who dressed himself in his victims' peeled skin. Using his uncanny ability to become both predator and prey, Douglas examines each crime scene, reliving both the killer's and the victim's actions in his mind, creating their profiles, describing their habits, and predicting their next moves.
"Now, in chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most gruesome, fascinating, and challenging cases-and into the darkest recesses of our worst nightmares."
Opinion: I thought that this was a great read-as someone who is interested in profiling and forensics, I felt that this was beneficial to read and see how profiling developed.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Final Paradox by Mary E. Martin


Started: 3/8/07
Finished: 3/11/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 261
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Harry Jenkins is an honest lawyer, seeking truth and love in a world darkened by fraud and deceit. Years back, Elixicorp, a company developing a drug to forestall memory loss, defrauded millions from Toronto's elite. But since then, no one has been able to find this long buried treasure, which has poisoned the lives of all who seek it.
"His elderly client, Norma Dinnick, teeters between lucidity and madness in her dark world of paradoxical claims. When she instructs Harry to sue the other claimants for the Elixicorp shares, one of the litigants is fatally shot in open court at Osgoode Hall. The murder weapon is an ornate, silver pistol, which is both a means of betrayal and a gift of love. Peter Saunderson, an old acquaintance of Harry's from law school, surfaces to frame his own wife and lover with the courtroom murder and to implicate Harry in the scheme.
"Harry and his father have been estranged for years. Stanley is found unconscious at the foot of his cellar steps, a gun in his hand. Waking from his coma, he asks Harry's forgiveness for a long-buried wrong. This ugly .38 caliber gun becomes the means whereby love and forgiveness is found. Beset with questions, Harry turns to the beautiful Natasha, who guides him to an understanding of the final paradox."
Opinion: Kinda jumps around. The relationship between Harry and his father is touching. The frame-up is interesting. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Echo Burning by Lee Child


Started: 3/5/07
Finished: 3/8/07
Year: 2001
Pages: 412
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Thumbing across the scorched west Texas desert, loner Jack Reacher has nowhere to go, and all the time in the world to get there. Cruising the same stretch of two-lane blacktop is pretty Carmen Greer. But for Reacher, the lift comes with a hitch. Carmen's got a story to tell, and it's a wild one. All about her husband, her family secrets, and a hometown that's pure Gothic. She's also got a plan. Reacher's part of it. And before the sun sets, this ride could cost them both their lives."
Opinion: One of the better books I've read this year. Almost missed a stop on the subway because I was so into the book. Definitely will be checking out some more of his books.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Touch the Wind by Janet Dailey


Started: 3/4/07
Finished: 3/5/07
Year: 1979
Pages: 296
Genre: Romance
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from back cover): "All her life Sheila Rogers got what she wanted, then didn't want it anymore-including a reckless marriage doomed to perish in her husband's arrogant greed.
"Then came the man they called Rafaga, The Wind, the violent, gallant bandido who carried her off in a blaze of gunfire to his mountain retreat.
"He offered her raw passion. She answered with brazed resistance. But there among his followers she saw the gentleness that was also Rafaga, and learned why his name was a quiet promise in his people's hearts.
"She yearned to become the woman who could live beside this powerful, tender man...to warm her body and soul with his proud, defiant strength...to reach out across their separate worlds and..."
Opinion: Very quick read, fairly enjoyable. Didn't like the characterization of some of the characters but not horrible.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Tutu Deadly by Natalie M. Roberts


Started: 2/28/07
Finished: 3/4/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 248
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Meet Jenny T. Partridge, founder of the Ogden, Utah's premier school for budding prima-and not-so-prima-ballerinas. For Jenny, dealing with difficult stage mothers is business as usual...until murder cuts in.
"When the obnoxious mother of Jenny's most talented student meets her make-courtesy of poisoned cookie dough purchased through the Academy's fund-raiser-Jenny must dance as fast as she can to clear her name."
Opinion: Very funny in parts, especially the characterization of Jenny. A good mystery. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The Dark Tower by Stephen King


Started: 2/23/07
Finished: 2/28/07
Year: 2004
Pages: 839
Genre: Fiction
Grade: C-
Reason for reading: finishing The Dark Tower series, borrowed from Natalie
Blurb (from back cover): "Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is unlike anything you have ever read. The final book opens like a door to the uttermost reaches of Stephen King's imagination. You've come this far. Come a little farther. Come all the way. The sound you hear may be the slamming of the door behind you. Welcome to The Dark Tower."
Opinion: I am very disappointed in this series. I feel that Stephen King could have done so much more with this series and didn't. I understand the taking of years to complete it, especially after taking several years off from writing the books. I'm just so disappointed in how it ended. Can't call it horror. Can't call it suspense. Can't call it thriller. Just disappointing.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Thinner by Richard Bachman


Started: 2/19/07
Finished: 2/23/07
Year: 1984
Pages: 318
Genre: Horror
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Billy Halleck, good husband, loving father, is both beneficiary and victim of the American Good Life: he has an expensive home, a nice family, and a rewarding career as a lawyer...but he is also fifty pounds overweight and, as his doctor keeps reminding him, edging into heart attach country.
"Then, in a moment of carelessness, Billy sideswipes an old gypsy woman as she is crossing the street-and her ancient father passes a bizarre and terrible judgment on him.
"'Thinner', the old gypsy man whispers, and caresses his cheek, like a lover. Just one word...but six weeks later and ninety-three pounds lighter, Billy Halleck is more than worried. He's terrified. And desperate enough for one last gamble...that will lead him to a nightmare showdown with the forces of evil melting his flesh away. And away. And away..."
Opinion: This was a re-read for me. I had forgotten certain details so I'm glad I read this one again.

Spanish Dagger by Susan Witting Albert


Started: 2/16/07
Finished: 2/19/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 308
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for myshelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Between the herb shop, the catering business, and now a weekend papermaking class, China Bayles and her friends have as much work as they can handle. Of course, that doesn't stop the rest of their lives from going on-or coming to an end, as the case may be. Ruby, for example, is troubled by her mother's recent strange behavior and upset that her ex-boyfriend has stood her up yet again.Meanwhile, China's half brother is opening up old wounds, trying to investigate their father's supposedly accidental death.
"Although she can't stop her husband from taking the case-after all, he's a PI who hasn't had a bite in months-she can at least put the unsavory business out of mind by gathering supplies for making paper. But in a patch of yucca plants, which make great paper, she finds a body-cause of death, unknown.
"Many residents of Pecan Springs live seemingly simple lives that hide complex and dangerous pasts. It appears this victim was one of them. And now, while unraveling secrets that hit close to home, China must set the record straight-and find a killer."
Opinion: A pretty good mystery. I really liked the little facts that Susan Witting Albert added to each chapter. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com

Friday, February 16, 2007

Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb


Started: 2/14/07
Finished: 2/16/07
Year: 1999
Pages: 132
Genre: Memoir
Grade: C
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "According to ancient Japanese protocol foreigners deigning to approach the emperor did so only with fear and trembling. Terror and self-abasement conveyed respect. Amelie, our well-intentioned and eager young Western heroine, goes to Japan to spend a year working at the Yumimoto Corporation. Returning to the land where she was born is the fulfillment of a dream for Amelie; working there turns into a comic nightmare.
"Alternately disturbing and hilarious, unbelievable and shatteringly convincing, Fear and Trembling will keep readers clutching tight to its pages, caught up in the throes of fear, trembling, and, ultimately, delight."
Opinion: A lot of outlandish things happen in this book-several are unbelievable. Lots of funny parts.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Tender Flame by Al & Joanna Lacy


Started: 2/12/07
Finished: 2/14/07
Year: 1999
Pages: 278
Genre: Romance
Grade: D
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Lieutenant Grant Smith and Lydia Reynolds are in love and engaged to marry. Their plans crumble, however, when Grant is sent with U.S. forces to the Mexican-American War and is reported killed. Devastated, Lydia sadly begins a new life and marries; Grant, who has miraculously survived and escaped from a prison camp, returns home only to find Lydia gone.
"Years later, Grant's daughter, Jessica, accepts a marriage proposal by mail from a young pastor living out West. Through Jessica, Lydia and Grant rediscover each other-and find out if they can rekindle the spark of love born almost a lifetime ago."
Opinion: If the cover had stated that religion was going to play a huge role in this book, I wouldn't have taken it to read. I'm all for sweet romances but without the religious parts.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass


Started: 2/8/07
Finished: 2/12/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 323
Genre: Mystery
Grade: A
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Renowned anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has spent his career surrounded by death at the Body Farm. Now he's being called upon to help solve a baffling puzzle in a remote mountain community. The mummified corpse of a young woman dead for thirty years has been discovered in a cave, the body bizarrely preserved and transformed by the environment's unique chemistry. But Brockton's investigation is threatening to open old wounds among an insular people who won't forget or forgive. And a long-buried secret prematurely exposed could inflame Brockton's own guilt-and the dangerous hostility of bitter enemies determined to see him fail...by any means necessary.
Opinion: A great inside look at a mystery solved with forensics. One of the authors is the founder of The Body Farm in Tennessee. Not for the faint of heart-indepth details.

Friday, February 09, 2007

American Pastoral by Philip Roth


Started: 2/5/07
Finished: 2/8/07
Year: 1997
Pages: 423
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books you should read list
Blurb (from back cover): "As the American century draws to an uneasy close, Philip Roth gives us a novel of unqualified greatness that is an elegy for all our century's promises of prosperity, civic order, and domestic bliss. Roth's protagonist is Swede Levov, a legendary athlete at his Newark high school, who grows up in the booming postwar years to marry a former Miss New Jersey, inherit his father's glove factory, and move into a stone house in the idyllic hamlet of Old Rimrock. And then one day in 1968, Swede's beautiful American luck deserts him.
"For Swede's adored daughter, Merry, has grown from a loving, quick-witted girl into a sullen, fanatical teenager-a teenager capable of an outlandishly savage act of political terrorism. And overnight Swede is wrenched out of the longed-for American pastoraa and into the indigenous American berserk. Compulsively readable, propelled by sorrow, rage, and a deep compassion for its characters, this is Roth's masterpiece."
Opinion: A well-written piece of work with random scenes that didn't make sense to why they were there. Do I feel that my life is more complete having read this? Not really.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

The Texan by K.N. Casper


Started: 2/5/07
Finished: 2/5/07
Year: 2000
Pages: 299
Genre: Romance (Harlequin Superromance)
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back covers): "After the failure of her marriage, Marcie Browder returns to the the vast West Texas ranch she grew up on, to try to recapture her sense of self and security. But almost immediately she has an argument with her father. The next day she finds him murdered...with Tucker McGee, the new ranch foreman, standing over the body.
"McGee isn't the simple cowboy he sometimes seems, and Marcie suspects he had a hand in her father's murder. Then she finds out that McGee suspects her.
"To unearth the real killer, they have to trust each other.
"Trust leads to love.
"Or is it the other way around?"
Opinion: A lot more mystery than romance which is nice. The romance isn't overwhelmingly passionate or overboard as in other romance novels.

Monday, February 05, 2007

True Faith by Alan Gold


Started: 2/2/07
Finished: 2/5/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 297
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Rabbi Robert Geller was rumored to have had so many affairs with women that his congregation was like his own heavenly harem. When his wife is killed, the good rabbi is tried for murder, but the result is a mistrial. Two men who claimed to be hired assassins plead guilty to avoid the death penalty-and Rabbi Geller is released. But neither his daughter, Roberta, nor Lou Tedesco believes he's innocent. And when trouble strikes again, Lou peers into the darkest corners of the rabbi's life to uncover his most private sins..."
Opinion: Not one of the best mysteries I've read. I did however like the characterization throughout the book. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf next month.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte


Started: 1/26/07
Finished: 2/2/07
Year: 1997 (this edition)
Pages: 461
Genre: Classic Romance
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "With her 1847 novel, Jane Eyre, CharlotteBronte created one of the most unforgettable heroines of all time. Jane Eyre is an orphan, penniless and plain, but full of courage and spirit. She has endured incredible hardship to secure her humble status as a governess in the household of her brooding employer, Mr. Rochester. Jane's sharp wit and defiant nature meet with Rocester's sardonic temperament. The two become enmeshed in a deep, intense bond. But Rochester has a terrible secret-a remnant from his past that could threaten any hope of happiness with his only love.
"An unconventional love story that revolutionized the scope of romantic fiction, Jane Eyre is ultimately the tale of one woman's fight to claim her independence and self-respect in a society that has no place for her."
Opinion: One of the best classics that I have read. I loved the spirit that Bronte put into Jane Eyre-in the beginning, it seemed that Jane was much older than she was due to the spirit that her character had. If you're a fan of classics or romance, pick up a copy of this book.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Unprintable by Julie Kaewert


Started: 1/23/07
Finished: 1/26/07
Year: 1998
Pages: 381
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from back cover): "It is possibly the most repugnant piece of fiction in all of England. So why is Plumtree Press, one of the country's most respectable publishing houses, about to add the hotly controversial new novel to its list? Publisher Alex Plumtree isn't talking. So hardly anyone knows he has taken on the project as a favor to the Prime Minister. Forget the bad press and hateful reviews, Alex swiftly finds himself on the wrong side of a lawsuit, bugged, betrayed, roughed up, and implicated in murder. Suddenly Alex doesn't know who to trust. Suddenly Alex doesn't know who to trust. For someone is clearly determined to stop the presses at any cost. The only think Alex does know for certain is that going to press with this book may cost him more than just his reputation...it may cost him his life."
Opinion: Not as good as other Julie Kaewert's books. I had read one and loved it and was looking forward to this one but I found my mind constantly shifting to other things while reading this.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Murder of a Botoxed Blonde by Denise Swanson


Started: 1/22/07
Finished: 1/23/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 237
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "A health spa complete with tofu turkey and 'Dress for Sexcess' lectures is the last place school psychologist Skye Denison wants to spend Thanksgiving. But when her best friend, Trixie Frayne, convinces her to take a complimentary weekend at the new Scumble River Spa, Skye accepts her fate and prepares to be slathered, wrapped, and roasted.
"Then an annoying quartet that includes both Skye's mom and her ex-boyfriend's mother impulsively joins her for a girls-only holiday, and Skye wonders just how bad things can get. She soon finds out-when she's confronted with treatments only a masochist would enjoy, a diet plan fit for a Barbie doll, and a troublesome trespasser searching for a cache of jewels supposedly hidden on the spa grounds seventy years ago. Worst of all, a famous former model turns up dead in the Miracle Mud bath. It looks like no one will be leaving the spa until Skye can identify which of the eccentric guests, pesky local protesters, or sneaky treasure hunters is also a killer deserving of special treatment-in the county jail."
Opinion: Not as clever as Swanson's previous books but still a good mystery. For a complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month

Monday, January 22, 2007

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho


Started: 1/19/07
Finished: 1/22/07
Year: 1999
Pages: 210
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Twenty-four-year old Veronika seems to have enverything-youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. but something is missing in the her life. So, one cold November morning Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. but she does-at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live."
Opinion; I had gotten this title from the 1001 books you should read before you die list that was put out recently. It hit a little too close to home as I've experienced similar things as Veronika has. For that reason, it was important to read it.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth

Started: 1/17/07
Finished: 1/19/07
Year: 1929 (this edition 1986)
Pages: 251
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "It was Charles Moray's peculiar misfortune to have overheard some sinister words spoken in the dark. Something about a murder at sea, inheritance, missing documents. And he had seen a tall man in a grey mask disappear quickly into the night.
"A few days later London was stunned by some shocking news. Lord Standing was dead, washed overboard from the deck of his yacht. Then came a series of other deaths, all somehow related to the Standing case. It was clear to Charles that something had to be done. But involving the police was out of the question, since one of the voices he had heard in the dark was unmistakably that of Margaret Langton-the woman he loved!
"The case was tailor-made for the veteran sleuth Miss Silver..."
Opinion: Not one of the best mysteries that I've read. A certain character was beyond annoying-an 18-year old who acted like she was 12. Other than that it was a good read, the mystery itself was good.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Island Blues by Wendy Howell Mills

Started: 1/15/07
Finished: 1/17/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 268
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Sabrina Dunsweeney desperately needs a job. After moving to isolated Comico Island with her parakeet Calvin to start a new chapter of her life, Sabrina discovers that life in a beautiful, tropical environment isn't all fun and games. When the town council offers her employment as the island's first official ombudsman to cope with the burgeoning tourist influx, Sabrina is thrilled. Her first order of business is to deal with a number of burglaries. But as she digs deeper into the theftless break-ins, she begins to suspect that this mystery has its origins rooted in the rum-soaked days of prohibition.
"Then, Sabrina must face the "Hummers" who have booked a week at one of the local hotels. The Hummers claim that they can hear a hum that no one else can hear, and only by following very private riturals can they rid themselves of the annoying, persistent noise. Then the spokesman of the Hummers is murdered, and Sabrina begins to suspect that the origin of the humming may have an earth-bound-and deadly-source.
"When Sabrina finds herself the target of a killer' rage, she wonders if she will survive her first week on the job..."
Opinion: Lot of subplots to this story. Very easy to read. For a complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Song of Susannah by Stephen King


Started: 1/12/07
Finished: 1/15/07
Year: 2004
Pages: 544
Genre: Fantasy
Grade: B
Reason for reading it: borrowed from friend, continuing with series
Blurb (from back cover): "Susannah Dean is possessed, her body a living vessel for the demon-mother Mia. Something is growing inside Susannah's belly, something terrible, and soon she will give birth to Mia's 'chap.' But three unlikely allies are following them from New York City to the border of End World, hoping to prevent the unthinkable. Meanwhile, Eddie and Roland have tumbled into the state of Maine-where the auther of a novel called Salem's Lot is about to meet his destiny..."
Opinion: Well, when Stephen King makes himself a character in a story is a little far-fetched. Overall, the story was good and enough action to make it worthwhile. Would I need to read this again? No.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr


Started: 1/11/07
Finished: 1/12/07
Year: 2005
Pages: 338
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: love the author, grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from the back cover): "Mycroft Holmes's encoded message to his brother, Sherlock, is unsubtle enough even for Dr. Watson to decipher: a matter concerning the safety of Queen Victoria herself calls them to Edinburgh's Holyroodhouse to investigate the confounding and gruesome deaths of two young men-horrific incidents that took place with Her Highness in residence. The victims were crushed in a manner surpassing human power. And while recent attempts on Her Majesty's life raise a number of possibilities, these intrigues also seem strangely connected to an act of evil that took place centuries earlier...
"For indeed, the slaying of David Rizzio, music master and friend to Mary, Queen of Scots, was an extraordinarily brutal and treacherous act-even for a time when brutality and treachery were the order of the day. Now, the ghosts of Holyroodhouse are being reawakened by someone with a diabolical agenda of greed, madness, and terror as Holmes and Watson set out to trap a killer who is eager to rewrite history in blood..."
Opinion: I didn't enjoy this book as much as I've enjoyed other Carr books. Probably because it was based on Sherlock Holmes and I wasn't expecting it. But it was well written in a similar style to Doyle's original Holmes stories. Still worth reading.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Tripwire by Lee Child


Started: 1/6/07
Finished: 1/11/07
Year: 1999
Pages: 401
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is enjoying the lazy anonymity of Key West when a stranger shows up asking for him. He's got a lot of questions. Reacher does too, especially after the guy turns up dead. The answers lead Reacher on a cold trail back to New York, to the tenuous confidence of an alluring woman, and the dangerous corners of his own past."
Opinion: Interesting writing style and enough adventure to keep readers' attention. Great twist at the end.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Sweet Enemy by Diana Palmer


Started: 1/5/07
Finished: 1/5/07
Year: 1978
Pages: 249
Genre: Romance
Grade: B+
Blurb (from back cover): "Wholesome Maggie Kirk had always been wary of commanding cowboy Clint Raygen. So if her best friend's forbidding older brother rubbed her the wrong way, how come she'd chosen his ranch to recover from a broken heart? She knew the dangers that her foe posed...yet every time she crossed paths with the hard-edged cattle rancher, her pulse would race out of control. Maggie secretly dreamed of awakening to womanhood in Clint's powerful embrace...but did these sweet enemies have a shot at becoming lifelong lovers?"
Opinion: There are some moments of really good emotional writing in this book. Readers will be able to relate to the emotions that both Clint and Maggie feel for each other and how they react. Were they cruel to each other? Yes, and some of it was taken way too far to be forgiveable.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Started: 12/28/06
Finished: 1/5/07
Year: 1994 (this edition) originally published 1907
Pages: 797
Genre: Classic Literature
Grade: C
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Esther Summerson, one of the two narrators of Bleak House, shares in the processes of unrevelling the mystery surrounding her birth and exploring the strange connections which unite the rich and the poor, the exploiters and the exploited, the deranged and the corrupt. Hers is a journey towards painful enlightenment in which there is no turning back. For other characters enlightenment brings danger, disillusion, and death.
Bleak House is Dickens's densest study of the stark contrast and disturbing oddities implicit in the urban civilization of Victorian England.
Opinion: This is in typical Dickens' writing. Not as good as A Christmas Carol or Great Expectations but still worth picking up and taking a gander.

Monday, January 01, 2007

My top ten of 2006

# The Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul - Jack Canfield, et al
# Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer - Moira Anderson Allen
# Introduction to Forensic Psychology - Bruce A. Arrigo
# Women Who Kill - Ann Jones
# Marley & Me
# Fear - Joanna Bourke
# Worth More Dead - Ann Rule
# The Shop on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber
# A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
# Depraved - John Glatt

Thursday, December 28, 2006

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

Started: 12/26/06
Finished: 12/28/06
Year: This edition 1978-originally published in 1951
Genre: Sci-fi short stories
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf, wanting to catch up on some books that people consider classics
Blurb (from back cover): "At the furthest limits of the imagination, in words upon worlds of time and space, and on the green hills of future earth, these are tales to set you shivering, gasping, gaping with terror and with wonder...Nineteen incomparable stories that blend weird fantasy and chilling truth in the magic manner of a master."
Opinion: I had read one of these short stories in high school and loved it. I was happy to read it again in this collection. I'm not a huge fan of science fiction but since these are short stories, it didn't deter me for reading these stories quickly. Well worth picking up.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Cloud Nine by Luanne Rice


Started: 12/22/06
Finished: 12/26/06
Year: 2006-this edition, originally 1999
Genre: fiction
Grade: A
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Sarah Talbot surely thought she'd never live to see another birthday. but against all odds, she beat the disease that threatened her life and she reopened her bedding shop, Cloud Nine. It is a new beginning for Sarah-a fresh start at life that few are give. And Sarah is determined to take advantage of her newfound opportunity. On her first adventure-a ride in a small charted plane-comes a chance meeting with a man who will change the course of her life.
"These two fellow travelers find in each other a kindred spirit and a bond that will give them the courage to confront the past and have faith in the future...no matter how uncertain.
"Shimmering with emotion, grace, and beauty, Cloud Nine is the kind of novel you will cherish and want to share with the most important people in your life."
Opinion: This is one of the most touching and emotional stories that I have read in a long time. I've read other Luanne Rice books and have enjoyed them. I'll now have to find the ones that I haven't read.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

A Proper Wife by Sandra Marton

Started: 12/22/06
Finished: 12/22/06
Year: 1997
Genre: Romance (Harlequin Presents)
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Ryan Kincaid doesn't like being told what to do. When his grandfather pressures him to marry and introduces him to a suitable bride, Ryan is furious. Devon Franklin is the most argumentative, grasping female he's ever met! So what if she's gorgeous and he can't stop thinking about her?
"Devon is perfectly capable of running her own life. She doesn't need a husband and certainly not one like Ryan-disgustingly rich, dangerously handsome, infuriatingly smug...! Who cares if his kisses turn her knees to jelly?
"Perhaps the solution is a whirlwind wedding...and an equally quick divorce?"
Opinion: Unrealistic but still fun to read.

Friday, December 22, 2006

A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve


Started: 12/19/06
Finished: 12/22/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
blurb (from back cover): "At an inn in the Berkshire Mountains, seven former schoolmates gather to celebrate a wedding-a reunion that becomes the occasion of astonishing revelations as the friends collectively recall a long-ago night that indelibly marked each of their lives."
Opinion: Not as good as The Pilot Wife but certainly still well worth it to read. Kinda tears at the heartstrings and causes the reader to think about what if.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Saddled with Trouble by Michele Scott


Started: 12/17/06
Finished: 12/19/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Horse trainer Michaela Bancroft's husband is divorcing her for a twenty-two-year-old beauty queen. Stunned, Michaela is trying to rein in her life when she finds her Uncle Lou murdered in his prize stallion's stall. As she fends off debt collectors-and her ex-husband's renewed interest in her-Michaela begins to suspect that the killer may be someone close to her. When she's nearly run off the road the night after her uncle's funeral, Michaela is convinced she's on the fast track to becoming the next victim..."
Opinion: A fairly good mystery with plenty of suspects and action. For a complete review, check out MyShelf next month.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Private Reasons by Justine Davis

Started: 12/15/06
Finished: 12/17/06
Year: 1994
Genre: Romance (Silohouette Desire)
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Riding instructor Kylie Rainwood had been getting on Tyler West's nerves. His teenage daughter chattered about Kylie morning, noon, and night, so why shouldn't Ty resent the woman who'd stolen his child's affections-even as he grew more out of touch?"
"The moment Ty confronted Kylie, she knew she was in trouble. Every inch of his masculine body was taut with anger and frustration...all directed at her.
"The painful past might have taught Ty to bottle his feelings, but for his daughter's sake, Kylie was determined to help him open up. She never bargained on uncovering his dark, long-buried secrets...or unleashing the torrent of raw passion that swiftly engulfed them both..."
Opinion: A fairly predictable but enjoyable book-a little twist at the end that one wouldn't necessary expect.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton


Started: 12/13/06
Finished: 12/15/06
Year: 2004 (this edition), originally published 1920
Genre: Classic literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, trying to catch up on some classics
Blurb (from back cover): "This is Newland Archer's world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage in Europe, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will courageously define his life-or mercilessly destroy it.
Opinion: I enjoyed Edith Frome when I read it back in high school so I was looking forward to reading this classic. It didn't disappoint. Well worth the time that I took in reading it. I can see why a lot of people have named this as one of their favorites.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Don't Blame Eve: A guide to live your life your way by Jovanka Ciares


Started: 12/12/06
Finished: DNF
Year: 2007
Genre: Self-help, women
Grade: F
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Don't Blame Eve is a wonderful guide to empower, help and transform the lives of women of all colors, countries and cultures. It gives young women different perspective on the issues that affect them and helps them find all the tools necessary to achieve their dreams.
"Every women, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, rich and poor will have the opporutnity to see for herself that a life of peace, happiness, success and gratitude is available to them if they so desire. Jovanka Ciares covers every aspect of a young woman's life in an easy to read, no-nonsense way and inspires readers with practical advice that helps them:
"Open their minds to a better present and a greater future
"Take responsibility for their lives and change their conditioning
"Get organized and maximize their time
"Overcome body image issues and learn to love themselves first
"Be an independent thinker
"Have more fulfilling and long lasting relationships
"Become a more complete and better paid professional
"Maximize their finances and other resources
"Find a way to get what they want
"Eliminate roadblocks
"Remind them of the unlimited power that lies withing each of them...and so much more!"
Opinion: This book could have been so much better if it didn't seem preachy with several references to God and the such. Very frustrating to read.

Houses of Stone by Barbara Michaels


Started: 12/10/06
Finished: 12/12/06
Year: 1993
Genre: Suspense
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "It was a career-making discovery for English professor Karen Holloway: a battered, faded manuscript, the lost masterpiece of a 19th-century poet called Ismene. Almost obessively, Karen delves into her research to unmask the woman behind the mysterious name. But the clues she seeks are hidden in the poet's own words-as a ghost story unfolds before her, a tormented voice from the past..."
Opinion: great concept and overall nicely done. Wish that it had focused more on the mysterious going-ons at the place where Karen was doing her research.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Kim by Rudyard Kipling


Stared: 12/8/06
Finished: 12/10/06
Year: 1987 (this edition), originally 1901
Genre: Classic fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Two men-a boy who grows into early manhood and an old ascetic priest, the lama-are at the centre of the novel. A quest faces them both. Born in India, Kim is nevertheless white, a sahib. While he wants to play the Great Game of Imperialism, he is also spiritually bound to the lama. His aim, as he moves chameleon-like through the two cultures, is to reconcile these opposing strands, while the lama searches for redemption from the Wheel of Life.
"A celebration of their friendship in a beautiful but often hostile environment, Kim captures the opulence of India's exotic landscape, overlaid by the uneasy presence of British Raj."
Opinion: Well, I'm glad that I was never forced to reading this back in high school. My mind was very easily wandering throughout this book. What I find so interesting is why do some people claim that they know what authors are thinking when they wrote the book? I just find that so frustrating. Can I see why this is a classic? Not really. Am I going to attempt this one again? Probably not-too many other books out there for me to read.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Acts of Violets by Kate Collins


Started: 12/6/06
Finished: 12/7/06
Year: 2007
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Abby has been dating Marco-ex-cop, bartender, and all-around hunk-for several months when the Pickle Fest starts. But he's still a mystery to her. And after he disappears for a day, she's stunned to read in the paper: Ex-cop Questioned in Man's Death. It seems the authorities have found Snuggles the Clown pushing up water-spurting daisies-and Marco was the last person seen leaving Snuggle's house. Abby knows in her bones that he's innocent. But why, when his life is on the line, is Marco being so secretive with her? And who is the attractive woman he escorted to the Pickle Fest? To do the legwork, she'll have to delve into the eerie clown underworld, where the smiles are fake and everyone has a trick up his sleeve..."
Opinion: Abby appears to be a young 20-year old something who's new to relationships. Getting past that slight immaturity, the mystery is a fun read. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf next year.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

An Indecent Purposal by Sandra Marton


Started: 12/5/06
Finished: 12/6/06
Year: 1996
Genre: Romance (Harlequin Presents)
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Cade Landon tells his story: "When I heard that my father wanted me to sort out Gordon Oil, I thought that Angelica Gordon would be a pushover. Shows how wrong a man can be! Angelica's different to any other women I've met, and I just can't get enough of her. That doesn't mean I'm in love with her...of course it doesn't. I'm an independent guy, and I don't need any woman as a permanent fixture in my life. So why, when it comes to saving her beloved oil company, do I find myself making all sorts of proposals just to keep this particular "Angel" happy?"
Opinion: Way too fast paced to be realistic. A couple of laugh out loud moments due to the stubborness of both characters.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King


Started: 11/28/06
Finished: 12/4/06
Year: 2003
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com-continuing with the series
Blurb: The 5th edition of the Dark Tower Series.
Opinion: I like this better than the last one but not as good as some of the other books. What I did like about this one was the traveling between Roland's world and New York-living in NY, I can picture where the characters were and what they were looking at. I did get a chuckle at how Stephen King put himself in the book.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

A Charmed Death by Madelyn Alt


Started: 11/27/06
Finished: 11/28/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Now Maggie is Indiana's newest witch. Learning to cope with her newfound powers is tough enough, but add to that keeping the stock at Enchantments organized and remembering to tape reruns of her favorite show, Magnum, P. I., and Maggie's got a full plate.
"But when she witnesses an altercation between a local teenage princess and another customer in Enchantments-and later the girl turns up dead-she feels compelled to investigate. Though the police are at a loss, Maggie has some tricks up her sleeve, or to be more specific, some spells, charms, and mystical intuitions. And with the help of her boss (and favorite witch) Felicity Dow, Maggie is spellbound and determined to get to the bottom of this murder."
Opinion: Included some ghost haunting material which I enjoyed. Fairly predictable but still a fun mystery. For a complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

The One Worth Waiting For by Alicia Scott


Started: 11/25/06
Finished: 11/26/06
Year: 1996
Genre: Romance (Silhouette Intimate Moments)
Grade: B
Blurb (from back cover): "An unspoken promise from years before was all Suzanne Monteomery had to get her through the hard times. But get through them she did, because she knew it was only a matter of time until Garrett Guiness walked back into her life.
"And now Garret was back on her doorstep-though he didn't exactly walk in. He came equipped with a multitude of injuries and not a clue as to how he had gotten them. So maybe the only way he could remember was to leave her once again-with the promise, of course, that he would be back for her.
"Sometimes the more things change..."
Opinion: After reading Wizard and Glass, I needed something to get my mind off of it and this book did the trick. Like all other Harlequins or Silhouettes, the book is predictable but yet it was fun to read-and that to me, sometimes, is the most important thing.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Wizard and Glass by Stephen King


Started: 11/19/06
Finished: 11/24/06
Year: 2003 (this edition)
Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy
Grade: C-
Reason for reading: continue with the Dark Tower Series, borrowed from Natalie
Blurb (from front page): "Roland and his band of followers have narrowly escaped one world and slipped into the next. There Roland tells them a tale of long-ago love and adventure involving a beautiful and quixotic woman named Susan Delgado. And before long, Roland is drawn into an ancient mystery of spellbinding magic and supreme menace..."
Opinion: Probably the worst book in the series so far. I just do not care about Roland's past and it doesn't really seem to take a huge role in who Roland is and why he does what he does. I'm hoping that there will be some connection or I will just be really disappointed in this book.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Who's the Boss by Linda Turner

Started: 11/17/06
Finished: 11/18/06
Year: 1995
Genre: Romance (Silhouette Intimate Moments)
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Riley Whitaker had been sheriff of Hidalgo County for so long, he wasn't figuring on much trouble come election time. So it came as a heck of a shock for a Texas good ol' boy like him to find out he'd be getting the fight of his life-from a woman!
"Becca Prescott sure was riled up, and every woman in the county was on her side in this battle of the sexes. But the damnedest thing was, that feisty little single mother had him wishing he could do a little fraternizing with the enemy..."
Opinion: A pretty good romance quick read. Just what I needed before I go back to the Dark Tower series.

Friday, November 17, 2006

The Ultimate New York Diet by David Kirsch


Started: 11/16/06
Finished: 11/17/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Diet
Grade: C
Blurb (from book jacket): "When supermodel Heidi Klum needed to get into tip-top shape for the Victoria's Secret fashion show-just eight weeks after giving birth to her second child-she turned to a miracle worker, celebrity fitness trainer David Kirsch, and his Ultimate New York Diet.
"But you don't have to be a celebrity-or a New Yorker-to reap the benefits of this fresh approach to a healthy, fit lifestyle. All you need is the desire to take control of your eating and your body and the willingness to change your life for the better. Once you take that first step to a new, improved you, there's no limit to how fabulous you can look and feel!
"The Ultimate New York Diet provides the tools to slim down quickly and safely:
"A diet broken down into three phases over the course of eight weeks, so you can see results fast and be inspired to stay on track.
"Advice on how to make healthy choices at all types of restaurants, allowing you to eat out every night.
"A guilt-free cheat day that allows you to splurge.
"64 quick, easy-to-prepare recipes for healthy, satisfying meals
"Ten-minute workouts you can do anywhere-from your cubicle to a taxicab-that will raise your metabolism so the weight comes off fast.
"David Kirsch, author of the wildly popular Ultimate New York Body Plan, has written this book for the needs of people with busy, multitasking lives-people who want to be on top of their game when it comes to their careers and their bodies. This is not just a diet; it's a life transformation. After completing The Ultimate New York Diet, your attitude toward food, exercise, and wellness will be forever changed and you'll finally have the key to a fit and fabulous body."
Opinion: Not one of the best diet books that I've read. Too many foods that are banned in the first phase-foods that some professionals state are necessary. For a complete review, please check out MyShelf.com next month.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

The Waste Lands by Stephen King


Started: 11/13/06
Finished: 11/16/06
Year: 2003 (this edition) originally 1991
Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from Natalie, continuing the series
Blurb (from front page): "Roland, the last gunslinger, moves ever closer to the Dark Tower of his dreams and nightmares as he travels through city and country in Mid-World-a macabre world that is a twisted image of our own. With him are those he has drawn to this world: street-smart Eddie and courageous, wheelchair-bound Susannah.
"Ahead of him are mind-bending revelations about who and what is driving him. Against him is arrayed a swelling legion of foes-both more and less than human."
Opinion: It's very obvious where Stephen King got his inspiration for this series. The series is getting better as I do continue reading it. Glad that I didn't give up like I had done before. But, still not as good as King's horror books.

Monday, November 13, 2006

On Wings of Angels by Ken Follett


Started: 11/6/06
Finished: 11/12/06
Year: 1984
Genre: Nonfiction
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "The Team: The Eagles, a group of volunteers from the executive ranks of a great American corporation, hand-picked and trained by a retired Green Beret officer.
"The Mission: To penetrate a heavily guarded prison fortress in Iran and free the American imprisoned there.
"The Odds: If you had to calculate them, you didn't go.
"The story on these pages would have been incredibly exciting had it been fiction. But it is more than that-it is fact. It's a story that only Ken Follett, today's master of action and suspense, could do justice to."
Opinion: A surprisingly entertaining read-I'm not a real history buff and could really care less about Ross Perot but this book let me see him in another light. Definitely glad that I grabbed it to read.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Hearts of Darkness by Joseph Conrad


Started: 11/3/06
Finished: 11/6/06
Year: This edition is 1999 but originally published in 1902
Genre: Classic Literature
Grade: C
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb (from book jacket): "In Heart of Darkness, Marlow, a seaman and wanderer, recounts his physical and psychological journey to the center of the African continent in search of the dangers and enigmatic trader Kurtz. While navigating the dark rivers of the Belgian Congo, Marlow witnesses the brutalization of the natives by white traders and struggles with what he discovers is the true heart of darkness."
Opinion: In my attempts to brush up on some classics, I requested this from booksfree. Not one of the best classic books but certainly not one of the worst. I can understand why it's considered a classic and I guess that's the main point-understanding why it is considered a classic.

The Hard Way by Carol Lea Benjamin


Started: 11/1/06
Finished: 11/3/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "A lifelong New Yorker, Rachel Alexander has seen her city change shape through the years. But while New York has never been cleaner and crime is rapidly in decline, a vestige of grittier days remains. When wealthy business owner Eleanor Redstone approaches Rachel to ask if she can investigate her father's murder-a brutal slaying that occurred when he was pushed onto the subway tracks-Rachel takes the case, plunging herself into parts of the city only its poorest residents have ever known. Because to solve Gardner Redstone's murder, Rachel must disguise herself as a homeless woman and live on the streets, searching for the dispossessed man witnesses say made the fatal push. In one of the coldest winters New York City has seen in years, Rachel is helped by a homeless Iraq War veteran, a man whose sad circumstances leave Rachel pondering her own fortunate life. This is a once-in-a-lifetime case that, before it's over, will engulf Rachel in a dangerous new world and change the way that she sees her city forever."
Opinion: One of the better mysteries that I've read. Kept my interest throughout my flight to Florida. For a more complete review, be sure to check out MyShelf next month.

Dangerous by Caroline Cross

Started: 10/31/06
Finished: 11/1/06
Year: 1993
Genre: Romance (Silhouette Desire)
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Logan Bradshaw was a hard man, as hard as the life he led-running a high-country horse ranch and raising two boys alone. The last thing he needed was some damn woman turning his life upside down. No woman alive could be trusted, and that went double for this one, who could make a grown man ache like a schoolboy...
"But Gloryanne Rossiter owned a piece of his spread now, and she meant to stay, whether the dark and dangerous Logan Bradshaw liked it or not. The simple pleasures of the ranch were bringing her a newfound peace of mind-but the rancher was another story. Whenever he laid a hand on her, wild horses couldn't drag her away..."
Opinion: The story is much better than the written blurb on the back. Highly predictable but still entertaining.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank


Started: 10/28/06
Finished: 10/30/06
Year: 2004
Genre: Southern Fiction
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Meet Linda Berland, single parent of two teenage daughters-one of whom is headed off to college. Between that and the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet, and her ex-husband who marries a beautiful, successful woman ten years younger than she is-let's just say Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages. Now she's bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the magical landscape of her ancestors. Welcomed by the help of her advice-dispensing sister and an intriguing ex-investment banker turned restuarant owner, Linda slowly begins to find her way and realizes that she, too, is entitled to a second chance..."
Opinion: At first, it was a bit confusing on who the narrator was because each chapter it seemed to switch up. But it was an enjoyable read that kept my attention. It was nice to read a character who despite all the negative things, still rise above it all and be successful in life.

Parallel Heat by Deidre Knight


Started: 10/24/06
Finished: 10/28/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Paranormal romance
Grade: D
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Warrior and royal guardian Marco McKinley has been assigned a vital mission on Earth, where a war between human fighters and otherworldly soldiers is rising. But he's also been warned about twists of fate yet to come-ones that will transform him into the enemy of his own peple and appoint him the personal protector of beautiful soldier Thea Haven.
"Little do Marco and Thea know, but they have met before in an alternate universe, and they are bound by betrayal and vengeance. Now, on a world at the brink of destruction, they feel only a forbidden passion and the unease that comes with it..."
Opinion: Just not my cup of tea, coffee, soda, what have you. It's going to be hard for me to write a positive review for MyShelf-too much unrealistic romance and passion between characters-yes it's paranormal and I can respect the paranormal features but the romance and passion is just too much

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Buchanan's Baby by Pamela Toth


Started: 10/23/06
Finished: 10/24/06
Year: 1996
Genre: Romance (Silhouette Special Edition)
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf-received from a bookbox
Blurb (from back cover): "They say you never forget your first love, and Donovan Buchanan was more unforgettable than most. The rough-and-ready cowboy had left a trail of broken hearts along the road to success...and he'd left perky waitress Bobbie McBride with just a little bit more. Sweet little Rose was now four years old-and about to mee the daddy who didn't know she existed.
"Bobbie expected all kinds of reactions from Big D., none of them good. But suddenly the hunky hero was proposing marriage! What was a mother to do?"
Opinion: Unrealistic? Sure. Still enjoyable read? Yes. Obvious how stupid men and women can be but that helps us reconnect with our significant others.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser


Started: 10/18/06
Finished: 10/23/06
Year: this edition is from 2000
Genre: Classic Literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Theodore Dreiser's first and perhaps most accessible novel, Sister Carrie is an epic of urban life-the story of an innocent heroine adrift in an indifferent city. When small-town girl Carrie Meeber sets out for Chicago, she is equipped with nothing but a few dollars, a certain unspoiled beauty and charm-and a pitiful lack of preparation for the complex moral choices she will face. Her story is one of struggle-from sweatshop to stage success-and of the love she inspires in a married man twice her age, whose obession with her threatens to destory him."
Opinion: A surprisingly good novel. I had read Dreiser's An American Tragedy and enjoyed that one so I picked this one to read. I'm glad that I did.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Death Drop by Alina Adams


Started: 10/16/06
Finished: 10/18/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Figure skaters start young, but when a baby is seemingly abandoned at a Nationals practice session, Bex suspects that there's more going on than a bid for early coaching. A few hours later, Allison Adler, a young ice-dancing champion, is also discovered at the arena-dead, at the end of a rope.
"It soon becomes clear that Allison was the baby's mother, but the candidates for paternity are multiplying: both her ex-boyfriend, a former champion skater himself, and her married coach claim to be the father. Then the police learn that Allison died by strangulation, not suicide. Suddenly the skating world is full of suspects, and it's about to get thrown for a triple loop..."
Opinion: Not one of the best mysteries that I've read but still enjoyable. Enough twists and turns so the reader isn't 100% sure whodunit. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

Monday, October 16, 2006

The Cellar by Richard Laymon


Started: 10/15/06
Finished: 10/16/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Horror
Grade: B
Reason for reading: had to get a book to read for the ride back home from my interview
Blurb (from back cover): "They call it Beast House. Tourists flock to see it, lured by its history of butchery and sadistic sexual enslavement. They enter, armed with cameras and camcorders, but many never return. The men are slaughtered quickly. The women have a far worse fate in store. But the worst part of the house is what lies beneath it. Behind the cellar door, down the creaky steps, waits a creature of pure evil. At night, when the house is dark and all is quiet...the beast comes out.
"Awakened by an early-morning phone call, Donna found out that her ex-husband, Roy, has been released from prison. She immediately dragged her twelve-year-old daughter out of bed and together they hit the road-fast. The last thing she wants is for Roy to get his hands on them again. But in fleeing one danger, Donna and her daughter are unknowingly heading straight toward another. They're heading toward Beast House."
Opinion: Considering I haven't read a horror book in a while, this one was pretty good. Very quick to read. My big objection was the "romantic" link between Donna and another character. Very unrealistic and unnecessary. Other than that, it has all the key elements to a good horror book.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Fear: A Cultural History by Joanna Bourke


Started: 10/10/06
Finished: 10/14/06
Year: 2006
Genre: History/Psychology
Grade: A
Reason for reading: interest-TBR pile
Blurb (from book cover): "Fear. The word itself conjures the appropriate response. With a dark cacophony of associated words-fright, dread, horror, panic, alarm, anxiety, terror-fear is universally understood as one of the most basic and powerful human emotions, obtaining a nearly palpable and overwhelming substance in today's world.
"In this remarkable, groundbreaking book, acclaimed historian Joanna Bourke covers the landscape of fear over the past two hundred years: from the nineteenth-century dread of being buried alive-a subject dear to the heart of Edgar Allen Poe-to the current worry over being able to die when one chooses; from the diagnoses of phobias and anxieties produced by psychotherapists and livingly catalogued, to the role of popular culture and media in inciting panic and dread; from the horrors of the nuclear age to the cold fear of twenty-first-century terrorism. Fear tells the compelling story of anguish in modern times.
"A blend of social and cultural history with psychology, philosophy, and popular science, this astonishing book-exhaustively researched and beautifully written-offers strikingly original insights into the mind and worldview of the 'long twentieth century' from one of the brilliant scholars of our times."
Opinion: By far, one of the best books I've read this year. It's very obvious that Ms. Bourke did extensive research to complete this well written piece of work. If you have any sort of interest is history or psychology, this is a must get.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King


Started: 10/6/06
Finished: 10/10/06
Year: 2003
Genre: Sci-fi
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com book, also need to continue with the series.
Blurb (from first page): "While pursuing his quest for the Dark Tower through a world that is a nightmarishly distorted mirror image of our own, Roland is drawn through a mysterious door that brings him into contemporary America.
"Here he links forces with defiant young Eddie Dean and with the beautiful, brilliant, and brave Odetta Holmes in a savage struggle agaisnt underworld evil and otherworldly enemies."
Opinion: I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first of the Dark Tower series. At least I have hope that the rest of the series will be decent reading. I have book five on my TBR shelf but I'm going to be borrowing the 3rd and 4th from my coworker/friend.

Friday, October 06, 2006

No Lights, No Sirens by Robert Cea


Started: 10/1/06
Finished: 10/6/06
Year: 2006
Genre: True Crime
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: "What Office Robert Cea learned at the Police Academy never prepared him for the depraved reality of the streets. Beginning his career as an idealistic young policeman, he swore that he'd never become one of the thugs, creeps, and criminal "monsters" he was chasing. He was wrong.
"In No Lights, No Sirens, one ex-New York cop offers a gritty, graphic, brutally authentic portrait of daily life in the patrol cars, the gutters, and the urban dark alleys-exposing the corruption that runs rampant throughout the deparment as law enforcers routinely break the law to stay one step ahead of their prey. Cea's courageous, uncompromising memoir is a gripping and terrifying morality tale with repercussions for us all-the spellbinding true story of an officer who traveled through hell en route to becoming one of the most highly decorated cops in NYPD history...and lost his soul along the way."
Opinion: Not one of the best written stories that I've read. Not enough background was given in my opinion. For a complete review, check out Myshelf next month.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Crime Beat by Michael Connelly


Started: 9/28/06
Finished: 10/1/06
Year: 2006
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B
Reason for reading: fan of Michael Connelly
Blurb (from book jacket): "Before he became a novelist, Michael Connelly was a crime reporter, covering the detectives who worked the homicide beat. In these vivid, hard-hitting articles, Connelly leads the reader past the yellow police tape as he follows the investigators, the victims, their families and friends-and, of course, the killers-to tell the real stories of murder and its aftermath.
"Connelly's firsthand observations would lend inspiration to his novels. His first book, The Black Echo, was drawn from a real-life bank heist, while Trunk Music was based on an unsolved case of a man found in the trunk of his Rolls-Royce. And the vital details of Connelly's best-known characters, both heroes and villains, would get their realism from the cops and killlers he reported on: from loner detective Harry Bosch to the manipulative serial killer the Poet.
"Crime Beat presents stories as fascinating as they are chilling, from the serial killer of young models who cuts a swath across the country to elude police, to the man who leads a bizarre double life on two coasts before his elaborate hoax breaks down. Here, too, we can see Connelly's razor-sharp eye for telling details: a worn-down earpiece on a cop's eyeglasses, the revealing high school yearbook quotes of an alleged cold-blooded murderer, the checkered career of a bumbling gang of killers who publicly advertise their services.
"Stranger than fiction and every bit as gripping, these pieces show once again that Michael Connelly is not only a master of his craft but also one of the Amercian writers in any form. Crime Beat confirms why the Washington Post distinguishes Connelly as the real thing, taking us into the parts of the real America that most of our novelists never visit because they don't even know where, or what, they are."
Opinion: It was nice to read the stories and actually clips that Connelly has complied over the years. As a fan of Connelly's fictional works-it was nice to see the background of where the ideas came from for Harry Bosch's character.