Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Started: 9/27/08
Finished: 10/2/08
Year: 2005
Pages: 292
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: Library book, love the TV series
Blurb (from book jacket): "Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. It's just not easy bring an ethical serial killer-especially while trying to avoid the unshakable suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes (who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniax...which, of course, he is). In an attempt to throw Doakes off his trail, Dexter has had to slip deep into his foolproof disguise. While not working as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his cheerful girlfriend, Rita and her two children, sipping light beer and slowly becoming the worlds' first serial couch potato. But how long can Dexter play Kick the Can instead of Slice the Slasher? How long before his Dark Passenger forces him to drop the charade and let his inner monster run free?
"In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami-a man who twisted technique leaves even Dexter speechless. As Dexter's dark appetite is revived, his sister, Deborah (a newly minted,tough-as-nails Miami detective), is drawn headlong into the case. It quickly becomes clear that it will take a monster to catch a monster-but it isn't until his archnemesis is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself into the search for a new plaything. Unless, or course, his plaything finds him first..."
Opinion: It was easy for me to picture the characters from the show in this book. I will be reading the other books in this series.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Started: 8/31/08
Finished: 9/27/08
Year: 1994
Pages: 599
Genre: Historical suspense
Grade: A
Reason for reading: It's a re-read that I grabbed off the TBR pile
Blurb (from back cover): "Step into another time-and unforgettable terror. The year is 1896. The City is New York. The hunt is on for a baffling new kind of criminal...a serial killer."
Opinion: I had read this book several years ago and enjoyed. This is one of the few books that I'll re-read. It covers a complete investigation and deals with early forensics.

It Only Takes a Moment by Mary Jane Clark

Started: 8/26/08
Finished: 8/31/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 341
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "Eliza Blake, host of the top-rated KEY News morning show, has witnessed tragedy and danger in her career. But nothing the accomplished professional has experienced has prepared her for when her seven-year-old daugher, Janie, is snatched from summer camp. The country's viewers are glued to their television sets, anxiously awaiting the news that their favorite morning-television personality's little girl has been found.
"With each passing day, the FBI and local authorities track down every lead: A profile of the kidnapper's most likely characteristics is developed, every fan letter written to Eliza over the last six months is scrutinized, every sex offender registered within a fifty-mile radius is interviewed, and psychics from around the country appear on Eliza's doorstep offering their help.
"But Eliza isn't going to sit around and wait for answers. She and the rest of the Sunrise Suspense Society-brilliant produce Annabell Murphy, cameraman extraordinaire B. J. D'Elia, and psychiatrist Dr. Margo Gonzalez-will band together to outwit a cunning criminal whose shocking motives threaten to snuff out a terrified little girl's life."
Opinion: I enjoyed this quick read. She writes short chapters like James Patterson so the book moves very quickly. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf in the upcoming months.

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Started: 8/18/08
Finished: 8/26/08
Year: originally published 1851. This edition 1963
Pages: 285
Genre: Classic
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, one of 1001 books you should read before you die
Blurb (from back cover): "Among the Puritan ancestors of the sensitve and guilt-persecuted Hawthorne was a judge-John Hawthorne-who participated in the infamous witchcraft trials of Salem. This John Hawthorne was probably the original of the cruel Colonel Pyncheon, builder of the House of the Seven Gables, upon whose head old Matthew Maule, about to be hanged, uttered the curse that was to haunt the old house and its inhabitants for generations.
"The climax of this powerful and darkly tragic novel comes when Judge Pyncheon, wealthy and hypocritical cousin of Miss Hepzibah Pyncheon and her brother Clifford, attempts to have Clifford declared insane. In a conclusion of great depth-and containing some of Hawthorne's best writing-the judge's hand is stayed by death and his wealth reverts to his intended victims. When the Pyncheons' country cousin Phoebe marries the lodger Holgrave-old Maule's descendant-the ancient curse is broken and peace descends on the House of the Seven Gables."
Opinion: Hawthorne certainly has his own writing style-10 pages on one's death? It was an enjoyable classic but one that I don't think that I needed to read.

Diary of a Serial Killer by Ed Gaffney

Started: 8/11/08
Finished: 8/18/08
Year: 2007
Pages: 352
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from back cover-parts are hidden by library stickers):"For Zack Wilson and Terry Tallach, time is precious. Not just because they're paid by the hour. Or because their careers have taken off after a succession of high-profile cases. Or because a baffling, shocking serial murder case is threatening to tear Zack's family apart. For these two lawyers, time is precious because they have just walked into the wrong courtroom at the wrong time, where a man is shooting a gun into a crowd that includes Zack's innocent young son."
Opinion: A great suspenseful mystery that kept me guessing until the last chapter. Well-written.

Borrowed Lives by Laramie Dunaway

Started: 8/1/08
Finished: 8/11/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 413
Genre: Fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: There is no written blurb on the gallery copy that I received. Basically, a woman takes over the identity of her best friend when she dies and attempts to live her life.
Opinion: I could never get a true feeling of why Luna would do what she did. What I really enjoyed was how most of the chapters ended suspenseful. It made you want to turn the page and continue reading. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com in the following months.

Singing in the Comback Choir by Bebe Moore Campbell

Started: 7/27/08
Finished: 8/1/08
Year: 1998
Genre: African-American fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: fan of the author, library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "Forgiveness is the key to the recovery of the soul. It is the lesson that the characters in Bebe Moore Campbell's poignant new novel must learn.
"Life is good for Maxine McCoy. She is the executive producer of a popular talk show, married to a man she loves, and pregnant with their child. Although she faces challenges-coming to terms with her husband's past infidelity, attempting to reverse her program's sliding ratings-as she looks down on Los Angeles from her hilltop home, Maxine feels satisfied, grateful that she has managed to rise about the limited circumstances of her childhood in a struggling Philadelphia community. But her security is shattered when a call from the caretaker of her seventy-six-year old grandmother, who reared the orphaned Maxine, summons her back to the old neighborhood she'd rather forget.
"Once a brilliant singing star, Maxine's grandmother, Lindy, has become a smoking, drinking, embittered woman whose glorious voice as atrophied from disuse. The house that previously shook with laughter and music is dim and lifeless, and the aspiring community Maxine grew up in is now a blighted, crime-infested area, its residents resigned to living narrow lives of fear and despair. Maxine is determined to move her grandmother away from the hopelessness around her, but Lindy is prepared to fight for her indepencece. When an opportunity arises for Lindy to sing again, both she and Maxine understand that Lindy and her neighborhood are worthy of restoration."
Opinion: I have read a few of Ms. Campbell's other novels and have thoroughly enjoyed them. Parts of this novel were slow. Very strong lesson to learn which makes it worth reading.

Miss Julia Paints the Town by Ann B. Ross

Started: 7/20/08
Finished: 7/27/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 326
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "On a certain day in spring, Miss Julia learns that the mayor of Abbotsville plans to tear down the historic courthouse and sell the site to developers; Helen Stroud's husband has absconded with investors' money; Mildred Allen's husband has disappeared after a car wreck; LuAnne Conover's husband has left hearth and home to 'find himelf'; and Emma Sue Ledbetter's husband is considering accepting a call to another church. Looks as though spring has blown into Abbotsville like a lion, not a lamb, and carried off all the clear-thinking people with it.
"Fortunately, Miss Julia is at her best in the misdt of a storm. She consoles (more than she should have to, really), she observes (some migth say spies), and she quickly enlistes Etta Mae Wiggins in a plot to scare off the development money by exposing the town's many eccentric characters. Abbotsville has plenty of local color of the kind not usually listed in brochures for upscale condos: Tonya and her sex change, Miss Julia and her stint as a biker chick and a NASCAR fan, and the mysterious apparition on a church wall, just to name a few.
"Marriages, divorces, fraud charges, and reconciliations all play out against a backdrop of Miss Julia's struggle to save the historic courthouse, her own marriage, and her sanity. This time, Miss Julia scales new heights to get her prized treasure and finds herself in a position she never dreamed possible."
Opinion: A very prim and proper character. I have read another one of these books in the series and enjoyed it. Since the stories take place in NC and I now live down here, the scenery makes a lot more sense. A fairly good mystery.

Cell by Stephen King

Started: 7/12/08
Finished: 7/20/08
Year: 2006
Pages: 351
Genre: Suspense, thriller
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it out of a TBR box.
Blurb (from book jacket): "On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He's just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He's already picked up a small (but, expensive!) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he'll get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay's feeling good about the future.
"That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone's cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature...and then begins to evolve.
"There's really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points him to Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirming their direction: KASHWAK=NO-FO. A promise, perhaps. Or a threat...
"There are one hundred and ninety-three million cell phones in the United States alone. Who doesn't have one? Stephen King's utterly gripping, gory, and fascinating novel doesn't just ask the questions "Can you hear me now?" it answers it with a vengeance."
Opinion: It has a very similar feeling to The Stand but on a much shorter version. It is not one of his better novels but still worth the read.

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

Started: 7/7/08
Finished: 7/12/08
Year: 2007
Pages: 354
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: Library book, fan of the author
Blurb (from book jacket): "Amy Redwing has dedicated her life to the southern California organization she founded to rescue abandoned and endangered golden retrievers. Among dog lovers, she's a legend for the risks she'll take to save an animal from abuse. Among her friends, Amy's heedless devotion is often cause for concern. To Brian McCarthy, whose commitment she can't allow herself to return, Amy's behavior is far more puzzling and hides a shattering secret.
"No one is surprised when Amy risks her life to save Nickie, nor when she takes the female golden into her home. The bond between Amy and Nickie is immediate and uncanny. Even her two other goldens, Fred and Ethel, recognize Nickie as special, a natural alpha. But the instant joy Nickie brings is shadowed by a series of eerie incidents. An ominious stranger. A mysterious home invasion. And the unmistakable sense that someone is watching Amy's every more and that, whoever it is, he's not alone.
"Someone has come back to turn Amy into the desperate, hunted creature she's always been there to save. But now there's no one to save Amy and those she loves."
Opinion: Parts of this novel moved me but the ending was extremely rushed...one of the worst endings that I have read in a while. The fact that it moved me to tears is why it got the high grade. Not a horror like classic Dean Koontz but still enjoyable.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Started: 7/4/08
Finished: 7/7/08
Year: 1994 (this edition, originally published 1850)
Pages: 180
Genre: Classic
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books you must read
Blurb (from back cover) "Hester Prynne is the adulteress, forced by the Puritan community to wear a scarlet letter A on the breast of her gown. Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister and the secret father of her child, Pearl, struggles with the agony of conscience and his own weakenss. Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, revenges himself on Dimmesdale by calculating assaults on the frail mental state of the conscience-striken cleric. The result is an American tragedy of stark power and emotional depth that has mesmerized critics and readers for nearly a century and a half."
Opinion: Well, I'm thankful I never had to read this in school. It wasn't a bad story and like with several classics, there is an underlying message being said.

L. A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker

Started: 6/29/08
Finished: 7/4/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 371
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: Library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "Los Angeles is gripped by the exploding celebrity of Allison Murietta, her real identity unknown, a modern-day Jesse James with the compulsion to steal beautiful things, the vanity to invite the media along, and the conscience to donate much of her bounty to charity. Nobody ever gets hurt-until a job ends with ten gangsters lying dead and a half-million dollars worth of glittering diamonds missing.
"Rookie Deputy Charlie Hood discovers the bodies, and he prevents an eyewitness-a schoolteacher named Suzanne Jones-from leaving the scene in her Corvette. Drawn to the mysterious charisma that has him off-balance from the beginning, Hood begins an intense affair with Suzanne. As the media frenzy surrounding Allison's exploits swells to a fever pitch and the Southland's most notorious killer sets out after her, a glimmer of recognition blooms in Hood, forcing him to chose between a deeply held sense of honor and a passion that threatens to consume him completely. With a stone-cold killer locked in relentless pursuit, Suzanne and Hood continue their desperate dance around the secrets that brought them together, unsure whether each new dawn may signal the day their lies catch up with them."
Opinion: I was really disappointed in this book. Plot wasn't strong. Ending just seemed to go on and on and on. Not really worth it in my opinion

In The Face by Lorelei Armstrong

Started: 6/21/08
Finished: 6/30/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 394
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: There is no printed blurb on the gallery copy that I have. It is about a cop who gets wrapped up in technologically based murders.
Opinion: I'm not thrilled by this book. The beginning was very scattered. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in upcoming months.

All I Want to do is Kill by Dale Hudson

Started: 6/8/08
Finished: 6/21/08
Year: 2007
Pages: 480
Genre: True Crime
Grade: A-
Reason for reading: grabbed it out of a TBR box
Blurb (from back cover): "Holly Harvey was a Barbie doll beauty. Sandy Ketchum a dark, troubled soul. Fueled by sex, drugs, and obsession, they swore that nothing would ever tear them apart. Even if it meant killing anyone who got in their way...
"A good and decent couple, Holly Harvey's grandparents Carl and Sarah Collier wanted Holly to stop getting high and seeing Sandy. When the teenagers struck, it was with a depraved savagery few investigators had ever seen before. Dozens of deep, bloody stab wounds were found on each body. The Colliers fought for their lives-but never had a chance against their granddaughter's rage.
"Soaked in blood, Holly and Sandy took off in the Collier's truck. When police arrested them, Holly had a to-do lise written in pen on her arm: 'Kill, keys, money, jewelry.' The girls' lawyers battled furiously for an acquittal. Then it was up to a jury to decide: What price would they finally pay for their love, their rage-and their evil?"
Opinion: Another great true crime book from Dale Hudson. Unlike other true crime stories, this book did not focus on the court proceedings but more on the background of the girls. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Phantom of the Opera

Started: 5/29/08
Finished: 6/8/08
Year: 1911
Pages: 270
Genre: Classic
Grade: B
Reason for reading: one of the 1001 books you should read before you die, booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Filled with the color and theatrical spectacle of the Paris Opera House in the nineteenth century, and the ageless fascination of love transformed into murderous obsession, this classic work of mystery and suspense remains a riveting journey into the dark regions of the human heart. The tale begins as an investigation into the strange stories of an "opera ghost," legendary for making the performers at this great Paris art emporium apprehensive when they sit alone in their dressing rooms or walk alone in the building's labyrinthine corridors. Some even think they've seen the ghost in evening clothes moving in the shadows. But it isn't until the triumphant performance of sensual Christine Daae that a sense of dread begins to pervade the dim backstage areas and subterranean passages of the glorious opera house. Then the Phantom of the Opera begins to strike in an ever-increasing pattern of fear and violence that culminates in the startling disappearance of the beautiful young singer. A story that has captured the imagination of audiences in adaptations for almost a century, The Phantom of the Opera continues to thrill audiences to this day as an unparalleled work of sheer entertainment."
Opinion: I have seen the Broadway musical that is based on this novel. I find that the book is more enjoyable. It is filled with mystery and suspense and just overall fun.

LoveHampton by Sherri Rifkin

Started 5/25/08
Finished: 5/29/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 312
Genre: Chick Lit
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "After a recent breakup sent her into a self-imposed "personal hiatus," thirty-something New York TV-promo producer Tori Miller is determined to get a life. The faster way? A Hamptons summer share house. She ditches her old look-thanks to a last-minute makeover on a reality show pilot-and over the next three months, the new-and-improved "Miller" becomes the wing woman to a glamorous new BFF, goes head-to-head with her house's prickily Resident Alpha Female, and is drawn into a web of secrets by a charming Brit. But soon she finds herself entangled in one too many complicated romantic situations-and the many Hamptons Unwritten Rules threaten to implode her new, carefully cultivated social standing. Now the fabulous life Tori has might not be the one she wants, and she must decide who she really is, what she wants, and what she's willing to give up to get there...all by Labor Day."
Opinion: For a debut novel, this is one of the better ones I've read. The one big thing that bothered me, only because I lived out there for 4 years, was the unrealistic timing to get to different places out in the Hamptons. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the coming months.

72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell

Started: 5/15/08
Finished: 5/25/08
Year: 2004
Pages: 319
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: fan of the author and grabbed it out of a TBR box
Blurb (nothing specified on book): A mother is facing the difficulties of having a bipolar daughter and fighting the system.
Opinion: Since I've been working with mentally ill children since I was about 17, I have seen the many ups and downs that parents have to go through in order to get help for their children. This book hits on several of them. Some, I think are taken to the extreme to prove a point. I hope that some politicians and hospital head honchos take a look at this book and see where they can make it easier to get help for families like this.

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red Edited by Joyce Reardon, Ph. D.

Started: 5/11/08
Finished: 5/15/08
Pages: 252
Year: 2001
Genre: Horror
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed in out of a TBR box.
Blurb (from back cover): "At the turn of the twentieth century, Ellen Rimbauer, the young bride of Seattle industrialist John Rimbauer, began keeping a remarkable diary. This diary became the secret place where Ellen could confess her anxieties about her new marriage, express her confusion over her emerging sexuality, and contemplate the nightmare that her life was becoming. The diary not only follows the development of a girl into womanhood, it follows the construction of the Rimbauer mansion-called Rose Red-an enormous home that would be the site of so many horrific and inexplicable tragedies in the years ahead.
"The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red is a rare document, one that gives us an unusual view of daily life among the aristocracy in the early 1900s, a window into one woman's hidden emotional torment, and a record of the mysterious events at Rose Red that scandalized society at the time. Edited by Joyce Reardon, Ph.D., as part of her research, the diary is being published as preparations are being made by Dr. Reardon to enter Rose Red and fully invesigate its disturbing history"
Opinion: This book wasn't too bad and I'm interested in now watching the mini-series that Stephen King had a role in developing.

Lying with Strangers by James Grippando

Started: 4/30/08
Finished: 5/11/08
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed out of a TBR box
Blurb (from book jacket): "Peyton Shield's nightmare begins one icy winter night when, as she is driving home from the hospital where she works as pediatric intern, she is run off the road. She suspects it was no accident, as she fears she's being stalked. But no one believes her, not ever her husband, Kevin Stokes. He thinks she's being paranoid-and the police think she's cracking under stress. After Kevin accuses her of having an affair with an ex-boyfriend, Peyton begins to wonder if her jealous husband might be the one who wants her dead...
"As Petyon quickly learns, the only person she can count on is herself. And without anyone to trust, she realizes she's in more danger than she could ever imagine."
Opinion: The last little twist to this novel ruined it for me. Not believable at all and it bothers me. Other than that, a great little suspenseful novel.

Murder 2: The Second Casebook of Forensic Detection by Colin Evans

Started: 4/16/08
Finished: 4/30/08
Year: 2004
Pages: 303
Genre: Forensic Science
Grade: A
Reason for reading: an interest of mine, grabbed it out of a TBR box
Blurb: There is no written blurb on the back so...it contains several small chapters on different cases where forensic science was utilized. Also contained some information on some key forensic science pioneers.
Opinion: I can see this book being used for a beginner forensic class in school. It contains a lot of general information that is interesting to me. I would recommend this to people who are interested in forensic science and how it can be used in solving different types of crimes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Started: 3/3/08
Finished: 4/15/08
Year: 2007
Pages: 759
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it out of the TBR box/finish the series
Blurb (from book jacket): "We now present the seventh and final installment in the epic take of Harry Potter."
Opinion: Not too bad of an ending to a great series of books. And I'm still surprised that I was able to avoid the spoilers when it came out. I wasn't surprised by who ended up dying in the book or how the whole thing ended. It's too bad that another author has not been able to do what Rowling has done-get people reading again and maintain it.

Ricochet by Sandra Brown

Started: 3/2/08
Finished: 3/30/08
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "When Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher is summoned to the home of Judge Cato Laird in the middle of the night to investigate a fatal shooting, he knows that discretion and kid-glove treatment are the keys to staying in the judge's good graces and keeping his job.
"At first glance, the case appears open-and-shut: Elise, the judge's trophy wife, interrupted a burglary in progress and killed the intruder in self-defense. But Duncan is immediately suspicious of Elise's innocent act. His gut feeling is that her account of the shooting is only partially true-and it's the parts she's leaving out that bothers him.
"Determined to learn the dead man's connection to the Lairds and get at the truth, Duncan investigates further and quickly finds his career, as well as his integrity, in jeopardy-because he can't deny his increasing attraction to Elise Laird, even if she is a married woman, a proven liar, and a murder suspect.
"When Elise seeks Duncan out privately and makes an incredible allegation, he initally dismisses it as the manipulative lie of a guilty woman. But what if she's telling the truth? Then that single fatal gunshot at her home takes on even more sinister significance, possibly involving Duncan's nemesis, the brutal crime lord Robert Savich.
"And then Elise goes missing...
"Ricochet's plot twists-as only Sandra Brown can write them-and palpable suspense combine to create this gripping thriller, in which a decent cop's worst enemy may be his own conscience, and trusting the wrong person could mean the difference between life and death."
Opinion: This was a decent murder mystery with enough intrigue to keep me interested, even though I did start and finish another book while reading this one.

Killer Instinct by Martina Navratilova and Liz Nickles

Started: 3/16/08
Finished: 3/28/08
Year: 1997
Pages: 290
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Grabbed it out of a TBR box
Blurb (from book jacket): "Jordan Myles is at the top of her game. A former world-class tennis champion now hosting her own TV show, she is also a partner at the exclusive Desert Springs Sports Science Clinic, working with the game's biggest up-and-comers. Her long-time relationship with Dr. Gus Laidlaw is getting serious, and marriage seems imminent. Things couldn't be better for Jordan-until many of her world-famous clients start suffering from sudden, mysterious collapses and one dies after falling off a cliff. Make way for Jordan Myles, amateur detective.
"In Martina Navratilova's third Jordan Mysles mystery, Jordan, along with her junk-food-junkie sidekick, Noel (the Fish) Fisher, discovers that the brutal competition of tennis is nothing compared to the dog-eat-dog world of product merchandising. A behind-the-scenes tale of turmoil, suspicion, and subterfuge that only a sports-industry insider like Martina Navratilova could write, Killer Instinct features an enthralling cast of characters, including an exotic young Dutch-Indonesian tennis sensation, Jasmine Li, and her one-name-wonder boyfriend, Malik, a transplanted star from the NBA dead set on becoming the first basketball player to win a Grand Slam.
"Killer Instinct reflects the captivating energy and masterful strategy of the world's most respected female sports champion-Martina Navratilova. Every tennis fan-and every every mystery fan-will love this page-turning grand slam of a novel."
Opinion: I have to say that I was impressed with this book. When some sport celebrities attempt to write a fictional novel, it just doesn't work. This one does. I enjoyed picking out the real tennis players' characteristics in some of the fictional characters.

The Vampire of New York by Lee Hunt

Started: 2/5/08
Finished: 3/2/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 359
Genre: Horror/Vampires
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "1863: During a shipwreck in the frigid waters off the coast of North America, one man dies-and a demon is rechristened. Enoch Bale, once known as Count Draculiya, reaches America's shores. On the eve of the New York Draft Riots, Echo Van Helsing comes to the city to avenge the mysterious murder of her father by a hideous creature out of ancient myth. Instead she is met by conspiracy, unholy terror, and a terrible truth.
"The Present: Archaeologist Carrie Norton makes a startling find in a historic Manhattan site: the mummified corpse of a Civil War-era homicide victim. Cold-case detective Max Slattery sees something more: gruesome, uncanny parallels to a recent series of brutal slayings. Their investigation is about to take them places neither expected, because while the man responsible may be long dead, he is not long gone..."
Opinion: This wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Of course, my lack of reading time plays a factor also.

Smoke, Mirrors and Murders by Ann Rule

Started: 12/28/07
Finished: 2/5/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 464
Reason for reading: always have enjoyed Ann Rule's books
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B
Blurb (from back cover): "In some murder cases, the truth behind the most tragic of crimes crystalizes with relative ease. Not so with these fascinating accounts drawn from the personal files of Ann Rule, America's #1 bestselling true-crime writer. What happens when the case itself becomes an intractable puzzle, when clues are shrouded in smoke and mirrors, and when criminals skillfully evade law enforcement in a maddening cat-and-mouse chase? Even the most devoted true-crime reader won't predict the outcome of these truly baffling cases until the conclusions revealed in Ann Rule's marvelously insightful narrative: An ideal family is targeted for death by the least likely enemy, who plotted their demise from behind bars...A sexual predator hides behind multiple fake identities, eluding police for years while his past victimes live in fear that he will hunt them down...A modest preacher's wife confesses to shooting her husband after an argument-but there's more to her shattering story than meets the eye. These and other true cases are analyzed with stunning clarity in a page-turning collection you won't be able to put down."
Opinion: Another good book by Ann Rule. It's another collection of crimes that she has come across over the years.

Silk by Alessandro Baricco

Started: 11/25/07
Finished: 12/24/07
Year: 1997
Pages: 148
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B
Reason for reading: part of a Bookcrossing bookring
Blurb (from back cover): "In 1861 French Silkworm merchant Herve Joncour travels to Japan. He strikes a business deal with a local baron there and is utterly bewitched by the man's concubine, a girl who does not have oriental eyes. Subtle, tender and surprising, Silk is an entracing tale of erotic possession and the lasting power of love."
Opinion: This is one of the 1001 books to have read and I can see why. This should have only taken a day or two to read but since I'm still trying to adjust to a new reading time since I don't have the subway commute anymore. This was a very compelling book. I enjoyed it.

Step on a Crack by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Started: 11/11/07
Finished: 11/25/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 383
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "The nation has fallen into mourning after the death of a beloved former first lady. The most powerful people in the world gather in New York for her funeral-then the inconceivable occurs. Billionaires, politicians, and superstars of every kind are suddenly trapped within one man's brilliant and cold-blooded scenario.
"Detective Michael Bennett-father of ten-is pulled into the fray. As the danger escalates, Michael experiences a devastating loss: after fighting it for many years, his wife has succumbed to a terrible disease. As New York descends into chaos, he faces raising his ten heartbroken children alone-and rescuing thirty-four hostages.
"Day after day, Bennett confronts the most ruthless man he has ever encountered. As the entire world watches and the tension builds to a searing heat, Bennett has to find a way out-or face responsiblity for a deadly debacle.
Opinion: An interesting turn of events at a funeral for a First Lady. And then to find out who was behind it all...very interesting.

True Evil by Greg Iles

Started 10/30/07
Finished: 11/11/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 512
Genre: Thriller
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Dr. Chris Shepard is thirty-six years old, newly married, and well on his way to a perfect life. Or so he believes. But that future is forever cast into doubt the day Special Agent Alexandra Morse walks into his office and drops a bombshell: Dr. Shepard's beautiful new wife is plotting his murder. Shepard is so shocked that he almost throws Agent Morse out of his office. Yet once he is alone, doubt begins to gnaw at him. Paranoia magnifies the small cracks in his marital relationship, and soon he can have no peace unless he knows he truth. When Agent Morse reappears, Chris agrees to act as bait to help her unravel the divorce lawyer's scheme, which may already have cost nine unsuspecting spouses their lives.
"At the center of the mystery lies a maddeningly simple question: If these people realy were murdered, why can't the FBI prove it? Rigorous autopsies have uncovered no forensic evidence of foul play, and the police believe no crimes have occurred. As Dr. Shepard and Agent Morse struggle against an invisible adversary, Shepard realizes that he's working with a desperate woman. The reason: the killer's last known victim was Alex Morses's sister, who from her deathbed accused her husband of murder and extracted a vow tht Alex save her ten-year-old nephew from his father. This has driven Alex to risk both her life and career to fulfill that vow. But Chris Shepard soon feels desperaation of his own. As he probes his wife's hidden past, he is confronted by the probability that the woman he loves wants him dead.
"He has adopted her son and given her everything he has to give, and yet somewhere out there, a killer with the brilliance to outwit the top forensic scientists in the world is closing in on him.
"Who is this merciless assassin? Why is murder an art form for him? And what clues could exist to lead them to a man of such twisted talents? Not even the clients who hire him know his identity, and the lawyer who works with him fears him above all else. Most terrifing, those who choose murder over divorce soon learn a terrible truth: once set in motion, the instrument of their anger cannot be stopped."
Opinion: Another nail bitter by Greg Iles. Some of the relationship stuff was too unrealistic for me but luckily, did not take away from the great plot and action of the story.

Real Hauntings by Hans Holzer

Started: 10/29/07
Finished: 10/30/07
Year: 1995 (2002 this edition)
Pages: 337
Genre: New Age/Occult
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "Hans Holzer's Real Hauntings continues his account of true, authenticated case histories of hauntings throughout the United States.
"From the restless shade of a sea captain on Cape Cod, to the remorseful parishioner at St. Mark's in New York who is unable to forget her extramarital affair, to the little girl ghost of Landsdowne, Pennsylvania, who can't quite understand what happened to her world, Real Hauntings chronicles the fascinating and dramatic accounts of the true experiences that ordinary people have had with the world beyond our own.
"New Hampshire, Virginia, California, Louisiana, Minnesota: Ghostly encounters can occur anywhere and to anyone. Among the many remarkable encounters in Real Hauntings is the story about the ghost of a young girl killed during a wild party in Hollywood; the testimony of tenants at an 18th-century carriage house in New York's Hell's Kitchen regarding the several ghosts they have encountered; and the account of the piano-playing phantom in an old house in Arkansas. In all, twenty-five true, witnessed accounts are reported here by Dr. Hans Holzer."
Opinion: Much better than the last book that I just read. Much more details about what is seen and heard. Would love to see some scientific ghost hunting groups examine some of the places that were written about.

More Where the Ghost Are by Hans Holzer

Started: 10/26/07
Finished: 10/29/07
Year: 2002
Pages: 179
Genre: New Age/Occult
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Do you want to know where the ghosts are? See them for yourself? Whether you're unsure, incredulous, or a true believer, renowned paranormal expert Hans Holzer will lead you on a thrilling tour of haunted locales. In this sequel to his bestselling Where the Ghosts Are, the author/investigator takes you to even more sites inhabited by spirits that manifest in a variey of fascinating ways. Meet and marvel at ghosts found in sites as diverse as the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a sorority house at the University of Charleston in South Carolina, the little-known resort of Aetna Springs, California (reportedly inhabited by the spirits of unhappy monks), and the house in Washington, D.C., where President Woodrow Wilson once lived."
Opinion: An average book about different alleged haunted sites. Some I was familiar with, others I wasn't. I wanted more about each site and felt a little disappointed that there wasn't more to it.

CoreText: A handbook for writers by Hairston, Ruszkiewicz and Seward

Started: 10/24/07
Finished: 10/26/07
Year: 1997
Pages: 306
Genre: Handbook
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "CoreText is an innovative handbook written collaboratively by two writing teachers and a software designer. Not only does it give succinct, clear answers to questions about usage, style, and the strategies of research, but it provides crucial information about electronic sources and documentation for writers doing research online. It also aids writers who want to use the graphic capacities of computers to produce visually attractive documents.
"The key features of CoreText are:
"Emphasis on the role of audience and purpose in the writing process
"A chapter on critical thinking and persuasion
"Three chapters on crafting sentences and using language responsibly
"A chapter on essentials for ESL writers
"Two chapters on document design and model documents
"A comprehensive research section with up-to-date information about using and documenting electronic sources
"Complete documentation guides for four citation systems: ACW, APA, CMS, and MLA
"Finally CoreText's unique trim size, lie-flat design, and fresh use of four colors throughout make information easily accessible."
Opinion: A great handbook for all different types of writers. I'll definitely be utilizing this.

16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber

Started: 10/22/07
Finished: 10/24/07
Year: 2001
Pages: 377
Genre: Romance
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Dear Reader, You don't know me yet, but in a few hours that's going to change. You see, I'm inviting you to my home and my town of Cedar Cove because I want you to meet my family, friends and neighbors. Come and hear their stories-maybe even their secrets!
"I have to admit that my own secrets are pretty open. My marriage failed some years ago, and I have a rather...difficult relationship with my daughter, Justine. Then there's my mother, Charlotte, who has plenty of opinions and is always willing to share them.
"Here's an example: I'm a family court judge and she likes to drop in on my courtroom. Recently I was hearing a divorced petition. In Charlotte's view, young Cecilia and Ian Randall hadn't tried hard enough to make their marriage work-and I agreed. So I rendered my judgment: Divorce Denied.
"Well, you wouldn't believe the reaction! Thanks to an article by Jack Griffin, the editor of our local paper (and a man I wouldn't mind seeing more of!), everyone's talking.
"Cedar Cover-people love it and sometimes they leave it, but they never forget it!
"See you soon...Olivia."
Opinion: This was a slightly confusing story with all of the characters and keeping them straight. Some powerful stories. The ending fell flat...very flat. Wanted more about all of the characters and didn't get it.

Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria by Sigmund Freud

Started: 10/20/07
Finished: 10/22/07
Year: 1963
Pages: 124
Genre: Psychology
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "An appealing and intelligent eighteen-year-old girl to whom Freud gives the pseudonym 'Dora' is the subject of a case history that has all the intrigue and unexpected twists of a first-rate detective novel. Freud pursues the secrets of Dora's psyche by using as clues her nervous mannerisms, her own reports on the peculiarities of her family, and the content of her dreams.
"The personalities involved in Dora's disturbed emotional life were, in their own ways, as complex as she: an obsessive mother, an adulterous father, her father's mistress, Frau K., and Frau K.'s husband, who had made amorous advances toward Dora. Faced with the odd behavior of her family and friends, and unable to confront her own forbidden sexual desires, Dora falls in the destructive pattern of a powerful hysteria. In this influential and provocative case history, Freud uses all his analytic genius and literary skill to reveal Dora's inner life and explain the motives behind the fixation on her father's mistress."
Opinion: It's an interesting look into an actual case of Sigmund Freud's. Many disagree with his theories but to actually see them applied to someone was interesting.

Desert Cut by Betty Webb

Started: 10/16/07
Finished: 10/20/07
Year: 2008
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.
Blurb (coming)
Opinion: Not as strong as her previous mysteries have been. I was kinda disappointed in this one. Too many twists and turns. A good subject matter to include in a mystery however.

The High King by Lloyd Alexander

Started: 10/15/07
Finished: 10/16/07
Year: 1968
Pages: 285
Genre: Children's Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: part of a bookring on Bookcrossing.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "In this magnificent finale to the chronicles of Prydain, the whole land is the stage for the ultimate clash between the forces of good and evil which determines the fate of Prydain and of Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper who wanted to be a hero.
"The last and greatest quest of Taran and his companions begins when the sword Drnwyn, the most powerful weapon in the kingdom, falls into the hands of Arwan Death-lord, threatening Prydain with annihilation. Taran and Prince Gwydian raise an army to march against Arawn's terrible cohorts, human and inhuman, in a decisive struggle which may be their last. After a winter march filled with danger, the challenge of battle and the tragedy of defeat, love and sorrow, Taran and his army finally arrive at the very portal of Annuvin, Arawn's stronghold and, ultimately, to a decision for Taran that is the most crucial of his life."
Opinion: I'm glad that I gave this series another shot. I had read the first book back in 6th grade and hated it. This was a good way to end the series-questions were resolved and also brought back to things that were introduced in the first book.

On Writing by Stephen King

Started: 10/11/07
Finished: 10/15/07
Year: 2000
Pages: 297
Genre: How to write
Grade: A
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Long life the King, hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King's On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999-and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recover. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it-fans, writers and anyone who loves a great story well told."
Opinion: Reading this made me feel like I was getting first hand advice from a prolific writer. The memories that Stephen King put throughout this book is entertaining and show what he went through to get to where he is now. A great book.

Christ the Lord by Anne Rice

Started: 10/9/07
Finished: 10/11/07
Year: 2000
Pages: 339
Genre: Literature
Grade: C-
Reason for reading: part of a bookray through Bookcrossing.com
Blurb (from back cover): "With the Holy Land in turmoil, seven-year-old Jesus and his family leave Egypt for the dangerous road home to Jerusalem. As they travel, the boy tries to unlock the secret of his birth and comprehend his terrifying power to work miracles. Anne Rice's dazzling, kaleidoscopic novel, based on the gospels and the most respected New Testament scholarship, summons up the voice, the presence, and the words of Jesus, allowing him to tell his own story as he struggles to grasp the holy purpose of his life."
Opinion: If I had never read any of Anne Rice's previous novels both her erotica and horror fiction, I would have thought that this was a decent book despite the subject matter. Anne Rice took a huge chance in having this book published.

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

Started: 10/7/07
Finished: 10/9/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 272
Genre: Romance
Grade: A-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life-boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his close buddies-he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is until Gabby Holland moves in next door.
"Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the attractive redhead seems to have a grudge against him...and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Still, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage, and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: How far should you go to keep the hope of love alive?"
Opinion: Another touching story by Nicholas Sparks. Not as strong as some of his previous works but definite makes you think about what you would do if you were in the situation of his characters. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com.

The Red Room by Nicci French

Started: 10/1/07
Finished: 10/7/07
Year: 2001
Pages: 468
Genre: Thriller
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "The first time London police psychiatrist Kit Quinn interviews a homeless sexual predator named Michael Doll, he slashes her face with a broken mug. Months later, after the emotionally vulnerable Kit is asked to question Doll about the killing of a teenage runaway, she reluctantly concedes his innocence and he walks free. Then another woman is abducted and murdered-and again the clues lead to Doll. Now, as a seductive and mysterious new lover enters her life, Kit finds Michael Doll always in the shadows. Outside her doorway. Calling her on the phone. Wanting to have her. Yet, even as Doll's obsession escalates, Kit is gripped with paralyzing fear that the killer isn't Doll-but someone close to her heart."
Opinion: This was a little long and had some bits that just weren't relevant to the story. Overall it was a good thriller and a good read.

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas

Started: 9/26/07
Finished: 10/1/07
Year: 2005
Pages: 339
Genre: Autobiographical
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "The summer Koren Zailckas turns fourteen she is standing in the kitchen of her best friend Natalie's house, dripping wet after a swim in the lake. With a sly grin, Natalie emerges from a cupboard holding a bottle of Southern Comfort. With one stiff sip, Zailckas is initiated into the world of drinking. From then on, she will drink faithfully, fanatically. In high school, her experimentation will lead to a stomach pumping at age sixteen. In college, her excess will give way to a pattern of self-poisoning that will grow more destructive with each year. At age twenty-two, Zailckas will wake up in an unfamiliar apartment in New York City, elbow her friend who is passed out next to her, and ask, 'Where are we?' Smashed is a sober look at how she got there and, after years of blackouts and smashups, what it took for her to realize she had to stop drinking."
Opinion: A strong look into a different form of alcohol abuse-one that isn't really looked at and should be. This should be a must read for pre-teens and parents

Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander

Started: 9/24/07
Finished: 9/26/07
Year: 1967
Pages: 254
Genre: Children's Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: part of a bookring for the series
Blurb (from back cover): "Taran, the assistant pig-keeper, who wants to be a hero, goes questing for knowledge of his parentage, hoping that his journey will ennoble him in the eyes of Eilonwy, the princess with the red-gold hair. Accompanied by several loyal friends, Taran begins his search when three wily enchantresses of the Marshes of Morva send him to consult the Mirror of Llunet for the answers he is seeking, cryptically promising that 'the finding takes no more than the looking.' During his adventures he meets Craddoc, the shepherd and the common people of Prydain, whom he comes to respect and admire. With their help, he continues his mission to learn the secret of the Mirror and the truth about himself."
Opinion: Not as good as others in the series but it was a story that had to be told for Taran's character. Went by quickly.

Throw Darts at a Cheesecake by Denise Dietz

Started: 9/20/07
Finished: 9/24/07
Year: 1999
Pages: 251
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "At the weekly meeting of Weight Winners, losing is everything. Group leader Ellie Bernstein herself has shed fifty-five pounds of 'weight pollution,' along with a cheating husband and an unfulfilling life. Now the thin woman within is free and fabulous. Until she discovers losing weight is not only murder, it's downright lethal.
"One by one, their group's Big Losers are being systematically murdered. Is some jealous member of the Friday meeting a secret killer? Could this be a closet psycho's demented weight-loss technique-eliminate the competition? Motive aside, Ellie's got to watch her back as well as her calories before she finds herself on the most permanent diet of all...death."
Opinion: I wanted this to be a better book. There were too many suspects. Too much emphasis on weight loss (which makes sense since the author is a Weight Watchers participant). There were unrealistic relationships between Ellie and another main character. It did have its laughs and that's basically what saved it.

Blue Heron Marsh by Douglas Quinn

Started: 9/18/07
Finished: 9/20/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 260
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Webb Sawyer has recently been released from a US Army psychiatric hospital. Out of personal revenge, he'd killed a Serbian death squad leader.
"When Clara Zemeniewski is arrested for the murder by hanging of her father, Willard Haynes, her friend Amanda Eure tracks down Webb and provides evidence that may exonerate Clara. But Webb's old friend and prosecutor, Randy Fearing, isn't interested. He already has the killer.
"Webb and Amanda go on a search for more information to prove Clara is innocent. During their search Clara kills herself. The case appears to be over. Webb and Amanda have a falling out.
"However, Webb isn't satisfied and continues the investigation. His search leads him to four other victims who died in a similar manner. All had attended a private boys school. Webb discovers that fourty years earlier there was a black man hanged to death by seven white boys, all from the school. The murder was covered up and the boys were never charged.
"The trail leads to the original victim's son. But all isn't as it appears. The concept of truth and justice is turned upside down. And when Webb does find out the truth, he is at a loss about what to do."
Opinion: Great concept of a story. Great setting. Nice little personal antics throughout the book. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.

The Book of Evidence by John Banville

Started: 9/11/07
Finished: 9/18/07
Year: 1989
Pages: 220
Genre: Literature
Grade: A
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Freddie Montgomery is on trial for a murder he committed because he could. Finding himself without sufficient funds to pay back a debt, and leaving his wife and child behind as collateral on a Mediterranean island, Montgomery has returned to Ireland after years of self-imposed exile to raise the money. But all sources appear to have dried up. Even the few pictures his family owned have been sold off. In a blindly desperate attempt to get back one of those paintings, he bludgeons a young girl and hides from the police, implicating an old family friend before he is caught. How did he-with his background, education, culture-come to this?
"Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, The Book of Evidence presents the engrossing testimony of an improbable murderer, offering not evidence of his innocence, but of his life. In startlingly fluid prose, at once coldly terrifying and darkly funny, the narrative reveals an articulate villain whose amorality is as much a revelation to himself as his humanity is to us."
Opinion: I really enjoyed how this book was written. You will find yourself submerged into Freddie's life and the crime he did. Just strongly written.

Judging Children as Children by Michael A. Corriero

Started: 9/7/07
Finished: 9/11/07
Year: 2006
Genre: Non-fiction
Grade: A
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "At a time when America's court system increasingly tries juvenile offenders as adults, Michael Corriero draws directly from his experience as the founding judge of a special juvenile court to propose a new approach to dealing with youthful offenders.
"Since 1992, Judge C orriero has presided over the Manhattan Youth Part, a New York City court specifically designed to discipline teenage offenders. Its guiding principles, clearly laid out in this book, are that children are developmentally different from adults and that a judge can be a formidable force in shaping the lives of children who appear in court.
"Judging Children as Children makes a compelling argument for a better system of justice that recognizes the mental, emotional, and physical abilities of young people and provides them with an opportunity to be rehabilitated as productive members of society instead of being locked up in prisons."
Opinion: I have been in front of this judge when I worked in group homes and I liked watching him with the teenagers that went before him. I had seen this book on Amazon or something and had to get it. It's a great look at the Youth Part that he presides at and how he feels it should be incorporated across the nation.

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander

Started: 9/6/07
Finished: 9/7/07
Year: 1965
Pages: 224
Genre: Children's Literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: part of a bookring of the series through Bookcrossing
Blurb: No jacket or blurb on the back
Opinion: Very fast paced which makes sense since it's geared towards kids. Another adventure for Taran and his partners.

The Crafty Teddy by John J. Lamb

Started: 9/4/07
Finished: 9/6/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 288
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Retired San Francisco cop Brad Lyon is settling into a quieter life with his wife, Ashleigh, in Virginia's mountain country, where they collect and create teddy bears. But even here, stuff happens...
"The peace of the Shenanadoah Valley is shattered when an intruder breaks into the Lyon home and makes off with their antique Farnell Alpha teddy bear-one of the most celebrated stuffed animals in history, and also Brad's gift to Ash on their twentieth wedding anniversary.
"Afterward, life seems to be getting back to normal-until a trio of Japanese gangsters inexplicably shows up in town, and then the local museum director is found dead. Even though it all seems a but fur-fetched, Brad knowns he's got a 187 on his hands-that's California penal code for murder..."
Opinion: I really enjoyed the humor in this book but if you haven't read previous books in the series, you will be lost like I was. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Started: 8/28/07
Finished: 9/4/07
Year: 1995
Pages: 603
Genre: Literature
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books to read
Blurb: "With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of Charles Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism of India. The time is 1975. The place is an unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a State of Emergency, in whose upheavals four strangers-a spirited widow, a young student uprooted from his idyllic hill station, and two tailors who have fled the caste violence of their native village-will be thrust together, forced to share one cramped apartment and an uncertain future.
"As the characters move from distrust to friendship and from friendship to love, A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state."
Opinion: It's a strong story but the ending fell very flat for me. It would have been an A if the ending was better.

Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell

Started: 8/23/07
Finished: 8/28/07
Year: 2002
Pages: 361
Genre: True Crime
Grade: A-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb: There was no book jacket-it's basically looking at the Jack the Ripper cases with today's forensic technology
Opinion: An interesting take on the Jack the Ripper cases. Was it really who Cornwell states it is? Who knows. We will never officially find out-hence why this makes such an interesting cases to research.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Started: 8/22/07
Finished: 8/23/07
Year: 1964
Pages: 224
Genre: Fantasy
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: reread to start off the rest of the series
Blurb (from back cover): "This is a tale of enchantment, of good and evil, and of the Assistant Pig-Keeper who wants to become a hero. Young Taran sets out, with a few strangely assorted companions, on a hazardous mission to save his beloved land, Prydain, from the forces of evil. He meets adventures in which, humor and gallantry are blended in a way that will keep readers of many ages completely absorbed-for this is fantasy that is rooted in reality and truth."
Opinion: I recently received the whole series as part of a bookray through Bookcrossing.com. I read this book back in 6th grade and hated it. I reread it awhile ago and didn't hate it. I had forgotten a lot of it and was glad that I read it so I can then read the rest of the series.

Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee

Started: 8/21/07
Finished: 8/22/07
Year: 1999
Genre: Literature
Grade: B+
Pages: 220
Reason for reading: booksfree.com book, one of the 1001 books you should read
Blurb (from back cover): "At fifty-two, Professor David Lurie is divorced, filled with desire, but lacking in passion. When an affair with a student leaves him jobless, shunned by friends, and ridiculed by his ex-wife, he retreats to his daughter Lucy's smallholding. David's visit becomes an extended stay as he attempts to find meaning in his one remaining relationship. Instead, an incident of unimaginable terror and violence forces father and daughter to confront their strained relationship-and the equally complicated racial complexities of the new South Africa."
Opinion: I was really enjoying this one until about the last chapter or so. It just seemed to end and I wanted more. I liked the style of writing.

The Good Wife: The Shocking Betrayal and Brutal Murder of a Godly Woman in Texas by Clint Richmond

Started: 8/17/07
Finished: 8/21/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 338
Genre: True crime
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Roger and Penny Scaggs seemed a poster couple for family values. Evangelical Christians living in booming Austin, Texas, in the mid-1990's, they were respected leaders in their church and community. As Roger diligently worked his way up the high-tech corporate ladder, Penny kept a pristine home and coached similarly devout young women on how to be perfect wivies. But on a windy March evening, this godly woman met the devil head-on. And when the police discovered her lifeless body-repeatedly bludgeoned with a lead pipe, then mutilated with a knife from her own spotless kitchen-they were shocked by the rage and savagery behind her slaying.
"The Good Wife is a startling true story of greed, hatred, betrayal, and an unimaginable murder-a tale of the dark decay that can be hidden behind a facade of saintliness when a marriage seemingly made in heaven descends into hell."
Opinion: A fairly good true crime novel. However I wish there was more about Roger's reaction to the whole mess. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.

The Island by Heather Graham

Started: 8/15/07
Finished: 8/17/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 372
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from my dad
Blurb (from back cover): "On a weekend vacation Beth Anderson is unnerved when a stroll on the beach reveals what appears to be a skull. As a stranger approaches, Beth panics and covers the evidence. But when she later returns to the beach, the skull is gone.
"Determined to fin solid evidence to bring to the police, Beth digs deeper into the mystery of the skull-and everywhere she goes, Keith Henson, the stranger from the beach, seems to appear. He claims to be keeping an eye on her safety, but Beth senses other motives. Then a body washes ashore, and Beth begins to think she needs more help than she bargained for. Because investigating is a dangerous game, and someone wants to stop Beth from playing."
Opinion: I'm still a little surprised that my dad suggested this book but it does have a suspense in it that I can see him enjoying it. The actual culprit wasn't as predictable as I thought it was going to be which is a plus. I've read other Heather Graham books and have enjoyed them.

One Night in Boston by Allie Boniface

Started: 8/14/07
Finished: 8/15/07
Pages: 248
Year: 2007
Genre: Romance
Grade: B
Reason for reading: won the book, reviewing for MyShelf.com
Blurb: It was an e-book so no formal blurb
Opinion: A very simple and sweet romance book with no hardcore sex. A great and quick read. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.

Deadwood: Stories of the Black Hills by David Milch

Started: 8/14/07
Finished: 8/14/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 230
Genre: TV biography
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed it from Scott, like the HBO series
Blurb (from back cover): "There is nothing on television like the award-winning HBO series Deadwood. Beautiful, profane, complex, and sublime, the show is drama at its very best. Entertaining and illuminating, Deadwood: Stories of the Black Hills offers a mesmerizing portrait of the most dangerous settlement in the West. This unprecedented look at the people, places, and history of Deadwood comes straight from the show's creator, chief writer, and executive producer, David Milch.
"Through in-depth discussions of the themes and motivations that course through the lawless camp, Milch sheds light on the characters and events in Deadwood. Fresh interviews with the Deadwood cast, scores of never-before-seen photographs, and historical images and illustrations bring the show and the place to life.
Opinion: I thought that the interviews with cast members were insightful and entertaining. There were also little tidbits from actually newspapers from that time that I thought were great. What I disliked the most was the layout of the book-stuff was just kinda placed there without giving thought to the continuity of the main chapters material.

Category 7 by Bill Evans and Marianna Jameson

Started: 8/9/07
Finished: 8/14/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 383
Genre: Thriller
Grade: B-
Blurb (from book jacket): "A Category 4 hurricane, with winds of up to 155 miles per hour, tears roofs off buildings, smashes windows and doors, and can send floodwaters up to the second floor. Evacuation is suggested for up to six miles inland.
"Hurricane Katrina was a Category 4 when she made landfall.
"Hurricane Simone is a Category 7-the biggest, strongest storm in recorded history. When she hits New York City, skyscrapers will fall. Subways and tunnels will flood. Lower Manhattan and much of Queens and Brooklyn will disappear under more than thirty feet of water.
"All along the Eastern Seaboard, towns and cities are being evacuated as wind-driven rain lashes the coast and storm surges crash through seawalls. Roads are packed with fleeing motorists, whose cars are jammed with every personal possession that can be crammed in, plus family members, friends, and beloved pets. A huge natural disaster is brewing in the Atlantic.
"Except that Simone isn't natural. She's the product of rogue weather science being wielded by billionaire Carter Thompson as part of a personal vendetta against US President Winslow Benson. Once, Carter wanted to bring rain to the desert and feed the starving peoples of the planet. Now he wants to show Benson-and the rest of the world-just how powerful wind and water can be.
"If technology created Simone, perhaps technology can stop her. It's up to Kate Sherman, once a member of Carter's weather team, and Jake Baxtger, a weatherman for the CIA, to try, using a secret US Navy Weapon. The catch? It has to be deployed inside the hurricane."
Opinion: Bill Evans is my local weatherman and after hearing him talk about his book, I was looking forward to reading it. For a debut novel, it's what it intended-some suspense, mystery, conclusion. The suspense could have been built up a little more in my opinion. A decent read.

The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon

Started: 8/7/07
Finished: 8/9/07
Year: 2003 (this edition)
Pages: 311
Genre: Thriller
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "A human time bomb is turned loose on an unsuspecting nation in The Manchurian Candidate, a stunning and startling novel first published in 1959. This unnerving psychological thriller is at once a spy story, a love story, a savage satire, and a fascinating tale of megalomaniacal motherhood and anticommunist hysteria.
"Sergeant Raymond Shaw, brainwashed secretly and then freed with the rest of his patrol after being captured in Korea, comes home an unwitting hero and Congressional Medal of Honor winner to be idolized by America. Only the Communists who indoctrinated him know when and how he will explode, and they alone control his actions as the fateful hour approaches.
"Murder and violence, terror in its most deceptive forms, greed without disguise, and a weird recurrent nightmare move the characters at a breathtaking pace through the capitals of the world as the novel races toward its spectacular climax. Richard Condon displays a wild vitality, a wonderful imagination, and an unerring sense of the ridiculous in this classic novel of suspense."
Opinion: Not as good as some reviewers have said it was. I've seen the movie but I'll have to watch it again.

Super-Cannes by J. G. Ballard

Started: 8/4/07
Finished: 8/7/07
Year: 2000
Pages: 390
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, 1001 books you should read
Blurb (from back cover): "Eden-Olympia is more than just a multinational business park, it is a virtual city-state in itself, built for the most elite high-tech industries. Isolated and secure, the residents lack nothing. Yet one day a doctor at the clinic goes on a suicidal shooting spree. Dr. Jane Sinclair is hired as his replacement, and her husband, Paul, uncovers the dangerous psychological vents that maintain Eden-Olympia's smoothly running surface."
Opinion: Not one of the best books I've heard. Certainly not one of the worst books. A lot of sexual references and tension.

Fantasy Football: The Next Level by David Dorey

Started: 8/2/07
Finished: 8/4/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 262
Genre: Reference
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "For veteran players and newcomers alike, here is the definitive guide to playing fantasy football-and winning your league every season. Written by leading fantasy football expert David Dorey, this book takes you from draft day to the playoffs from the off-season into preseason, and reveals the most common mistakes fantasy owners make. Using David's patented LAG (League Analysis and Graphing) system as well as other tools and tips, you'll learn how to:
"Understand the true value of each position to your team's success
"Get a handle on your league's scoring system
"Use past statistics when drafting your team-and know when to throw them out the window
"Keep your focus and your discipline on draft day
"Ignore the hype surrounding last year's superstar and build your team with players who will produce this season."
Opinion: If you take fantasy football seriously and are willing to put in a little work, then this book is worth it. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com

Don't Worry, Make Money by Richard Carlson

Started: 8/1/07
Finished: 8/2/07
Year: 1997
Pages: 221
Genre: Reference
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from the back cover): "Learn about the relationship between moods and money.
"Be aware of what you don't know, and what you're not good at.
"Experiment with the one-hour solution
"Spend the bulk of your time on the 'critical inch' of your business
"Avoid giving away your power
"Full of interesting and unique ideas for the overworked businessperson, Don't Worry, Make Money shows readers how to live a life that's more wealthy, productive, and carefree by refusing to let worry get you down."
Opinion: This book wasn't fully what I wanted it to be. It's more geared towards business and there's nothing wrong with that. There are some good pointers that can be applied to everyone.

Gabriel's Gift by Hanif Kureishi

Started: 7/30/07
Finished: 7/31/07
Year: 2001
Pages: 221
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, 1001 books to read
Blurb (from back cover): "Gabriel's father, a washed-up rock musician, has been chucked out of the house by Gabriel's mother, who works nights and sleeps days. Lonely Gabriel finds solace in a mysterious connection to his decreased twin, Archie, and in his gift for producing real objects simply by drawing them. Then a chance visit with rock star Lester Jones, his father's former band mate, provides Gabriel with a tool that might help mend his family. All he has to do is figure out how to use it."
Opinion: An enjoyable read but I don't know if it should be one of the 1001 books. Has a screenplay type of writing.

Sleep Before Evening by Magdalena Ball

Started: 7/28/07
Finished: 7/30/07
Year: 2007
Genre: Fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: No printed blurb on e-book copy-a Long Island girl loses her grandfather and she tries to overcome it.
Opinion: A great concept but some little things didn't work (subway directions). Hard to believe that the main character would have gotten involved in what she did get involved with. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com

What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter

Started: 7/27/07
Finished: 7/27/07
Year: 1990
Pages: 226
Genre: Writing help
Grade: B
Reason for reading: improve writing skills
Blurb (from back cover): "What If? is the first handbook for writers based on the idea that specific exercises are one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction. With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers. These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, thinking like a writer. They deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. What If? will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion, a book that gracefully borrows a whisper from the muse."
Opinion: Some really good ideas in sparking some writing. I'm sure that I'll be using some of them in the future.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Started: 7/19/07
Finished: 7/27/07
Year: 1982 (this edition), 1844
Pages: 720
Genre: Classic
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com book,
Blurb (from back cover): "Dumas's tale of swashbuckling and heroism follows the fortunes of d'Artagnan, a headstrong country boy who travels to Paris to join the Musketeers-the bodyguard of King Louis XIII. Here he falls in with Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and the four friends soon find themselves caught up in court politics and intrigue. Together they must outwit Cardinal Richelieu and his plot to gain influence over the King, and thwart the beautiful spy Milady's scheme to disgrace the Queen. In The Three Musketeers, Dumas breathed fresh life into the genre of historical romance, creating a vividly realized cast of characters and a stirring dramatic narrative."
Opinion: A fairly decent classic. I can see why it has survived all of these years. However, the title is very misleading.

The Critic by Peter May

Started: 7/16/07
Finished: 7/19/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 289
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Gil Petty, the world's number one wine critic, had gone missing during a tasting tour of the little-known wine region of Gaillac. Four years aga, his body was discovered strung up on a cross in a vineyard in southwest France.
"Dressed in the ceremonial crimson robes of the Brotherhood of the Order of the Divine Bottle, the semi-decayed body had been preserved in red wine before being planted like a scarecrow among the heavily-laden vines. His murderer was never found.
"Petty's influence was powerful. A single good review meant overnight success for a winemaker; a single bad one spelled ruin.
"But possible clues in Petty's reviews are locked behind the seemingly unbreakable code he invited to keep them secure from prying eyes prior to publication. Advance information would have brought rich rewards for wine speculators. Secrecy was essential.
"Scots exile and former forensics expert Enzo Macleod reopens this well-chilled cold case to discover that the genteel world of winemakers hides a business driven by greed, envy, and desperation.
"In the idyllic vineyards, Enzo finds no shortage of possible killers, includng local winemakers, The Brotherhood of the Divine Bottle (an ancient society dedicated to promoting Gaillac wine), and Petty's daughter, Michelle.
"Enzo fortified by copious quantities of wine, hunts an elusive murderer who is quite prepared to kill again."
Opinion: A fairly strong mystery-wasn't quite sure whodunit until the end. Well written. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com

Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse translated by John Bester

Started: 7/11/07
Finished: 7/16/07
Pages: 300
Year: 1969
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf (got it from a bookbox)
Blurb (from back cover): "Black Rain is centered around the story of a young woman who was caught in the radioactive "black rain" that fell after the bombing of Hiroshima. Ibuse bases his tale on real-life diaries and interviews with victims of the holocaust; the result is a book that is free from sentimentality yet manages to reveal the magnitude of the human suffering caused by the atom bomb. The life Yasuko, on whom the black rain fell, is changed forever by periodic bouts of radiation sickness and the suspicion that her future children, too, may be affected.
"Ibuse tempers the horror of his subject with the gentle humor for which he is famous. His sensitivity to the complex web of emotions in a traditional community torn asunder by this historical even has made Black Rain one of the most acclaimed treatments of the Hiroshima story."
Opinion: Kinda confusing while reading it to determine which narrator was speaking. Interesting story overall.

The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble

Started: 7/5/07
Finished: 7/11/07
Year: 2004
Pages: 325
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books you should read
Blurb (from back cover): "On the cusp of a trip to Korea, Barbara Halliwell receives an unexpected package with no return address. Inside she finds a centuries-old memoir by a Korean crown princess that details the mysteries of the Korean court as well as the dramas that left the princess childless and her husband dead by his own hand. In Seoul, the intriguing Dr. Oo takes Barbara through the courts themselves, an experience that leaves her as enchanted by him as by the mysterious life of the princess. She returns to England spellbound, wondering whether her life can ever return to normal-whether she truly wants it to."
Opinion: The beginning started off slowly then kinda picked up. Do I feel better now that I read this? Not really. Do I feel that it's worthy of being one of the 1001? Maybe-it was good writing.

By Their Father's Hand by Monte Francis

Started: 7/1/07
Finished: 7/5/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 285
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Neighbors were unaware of what went on behind the tightly closed doors of a house in Fresno, California-the home of an imposing, 300-pound Marcus Wesson, his wife, children, nieces, and grandchildren. But on March 12, 2004, gunshots were heard inside the Wesson home, and police officers responding to what they believed was a routine domestic disturbance were horrified by the senseless carnage they discovered when they entered.
"By Their Father's Hand is a chilling true story of incest, abuse, madness, and murder, and one family's terrible and ultimately fatal ordeal at the hands of a powerful, manipulative man-a cultist who envisioned vengeful gods and vampires, and totally controlled those closest to him before their world came to a brutal and bloody halt."
Opinion: Some obvious mistakes in the book but a decent story. Can tell that it's a debut novel. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

Borderliners by Peter Hoeg

Started: 6/28/07
Finished: 7/1/07
Year: 1995
Pages: 277
Genre: Literature
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "They're refugees from orphanages and reform schools, children in danger of being institutionalized for not fitting in. Borderliners. Now they've been given one last change: transfer to an exclusive private academy whee they will be integrated with normal, privileged students. What they don't know-yet-is that they are subjects of a secret experiment in social Darwinism. All they have is time, every moment of which is rigidly managed by their Dickensian academy. For Peter and his newfound friends, August and Katarina, the only escape from the draconian present in in re-creating time and space for themselves in an insidious rebellion that is both revolutionary-and suicidal.
Opinion: Started off slow, picked up, and then fell flat. An interesting concept but I'm not crazy in how it was done.

The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Desperate Measures by David Morrell

Started: 5/25/07
Finished: 5/30/07
Year: 1994
Pages: 503
Genre: Suspense/Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "The suicide of Matt Pittman, fallen star journalist, is abruptly interrupted by a phone call and unexpected assignment: write an obituary of a man who is not yet dead. Suddenly, clinging desperately to a life he'd so recently been eager to discard, Matt will be thrust into the heart of a conspiracy whose global influence remains terrifyingly unsurpassed. And he will find himself both a suspect for murder by the police and a target for murder by invisible killers determined to destroy him-and anyone he comes close to-before he finds out why."
Opinion: A lot of twists and turns...too many in my opinion. But still a fun read.

Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker

Started: 5/24/07
Finished: 5/25/07
Year: 1992
Pages: 288
Genre: Literature
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb: A book about female circumcision and how it can affect a family.
Opinion: A fascinating read. Reminded me of a college presentation that I did with my then boyfriend Mike and our friend Tracy about female circumcision and what can happen to the women. I really enjoyed it.

Secrets of a Former Fat Girl by Lisa Delaney

Started: 5/21/07
Finished: 5/24/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 246
Genre: Self-help, weight loss
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "Any woman who has ever been a 'fat girl' knows the label sticks in your mind, regardless of how much weight you lose. That's what Lisa Delaney thought, too. Twenty years ago, at 5'4" and 185 pounds, Delaney was despondent over diets that never worked and disappointed by her full job and lack of love life. Fortunately, a late-night epiphany involving a half gallon of mint chocolate chop ice cream convinced her that becoming a former fat girl-in body and spirit-was the key to creating a life she truly loved."
"Today, seventy pounds lighter, Lisa is a full-fledged Former Fat Girl. She's a successful writer and editor at a national magazine. She is married to a man she loves. And she wears a size two.
"Eye-opening, compassionate, and filled with practical advice, Secrets of a Former Fat Girl reveals the seven secrets of Delaney's success (Secret #1: Forget Dieting), exploring how shifting from wannabe Former Fat Girl to actual Former Fat Girl is as much about seeing yourself as a confident, secure, desirable woman as it is about achieving an ideal weight. Using the story of her own transformation as a guide, Delaney provides the reader with invaluable tips and guidance for how to create an exercise plan that works for you; how to find a gym and workout clothes you love (they do exist); how to deal with those pesky relatives who seem determined to sabotage your goals (we all have them); and, most importantly, how to reimagine your own best life and 'see' yourself slim.
"Whether you want to drop two, four, or more dress sizes, Secrets of a Former Fat Girl offers the strategies and support to help you effect real change once and for all."
Opinion: I enjoyed the writing style but didn't agree with all of the advice that was given. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.

Say Cheesy by Darby Conley: A Get Fuzzy Collection

Started: 5/21/07
Finished: 5/21/07
Year: 2005
Pages: 127
Genre: Comic book
Grade: A
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb: A collection of Get Fuzzy comics
Opinion: Some very funny bits regarding Satchel and Bucky. Some current events and pop culture is in some of the comics-very subtle and funny.

Fury by Salman Rushdie

Started: 5/19/07
Finished: 5/21/07
Year: 2001
Pages: 259
Genre: Literature
Grade: C
Reason for reading-booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Malik Solanka, historian of ideas and world-famous dollmaker, steps out of his life one day, abandons his family in London without a word of explanation, and flees for New York. There's a fury within him, and he fears he has become dangerous to those he loves. He arrives in New York at a time of unprecedented plenty, in the highest hour of America's wealth and power, seeking to 'erase' himself. But fury is all around him.
"Fury is a work of explosive energy, at once a pitiless and picth-black comedy, a profoundly disturbing inquiry into the darkest of human nature, and a love story of mesmerizing force. It is also an astonishing portrait of New York. Not since the Bombay of Midnight's Children have a time and place been so intensely and accurately captured in a novel."
Opinion: A lot of description that made me skim over parts of the book. I got the basic gist but I didn't find myself engrossed in it.

High Crimes by Joseph Finder

Started: 5/16/07
Finished: 5/19/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 388
Genre: Legal Mystery
Grade: A
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Star attorney Claire Heller Chapman has known only love and respect from her successful husband. But now police are saying Tom Chapman is not who he says he is. Thirteen years ago, they claim, he had a different face and a different name-and was responsible for a crime so heinous that only a maniac could have committed it. Now Claire must put her reputation, her family, and her life on the line to defend this man she never knew-in a case where all evidence is classified, all the rules are being changed around her...and the stakes are higher and deadlier than she or anyone else could have ever imagined."
Opinion: One of the better legal mysteries that I've read. Not crazy about the ending. The book was fast paced and I wanted to keep reading it. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris

Started: 5/14/07
Finished: 5/16/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 323
Genre: Horror
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf, have enjoyed the rest of the series
Blurb (from book jacket): "Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck.
"He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him.
"Hannibal's uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle's beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki.
"Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France.
"But Hannibal's demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn.
"He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in the epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death's prodigy."
Opinion: Eh. A disappointment compared to some of the other books in the series. I'll check out the movie just because I've seen the rest of them but am ready to face the fact that it just won't be as good.

She Wanted It All by Kathryn Casey

Started: 5/9/07
Finished: 5/14/07
Year: 2005
Pages: 448
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "The wife: She wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way.
"The lesbian lover: A love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness, she would do anything to set Celeste free.
"The beauty salon receptionist: Celeste hired her to tie up the loose ends...in a second conspiracy to commit murder."
Opinion: A decent true crime story about a woman who basically was a gold-digger and would do anything, including sacrificing her own children to get what she wants. A good read.

The Lisbon Crossing by Tom Gabbay

Started: 5/8/07
Finished: 5/9/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 310
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "Teeming with Nazis, spies, and ambiguous loyalties, the early days of World War II come alive with dark intrigue and heart-stopping action in this brilliant second tale from the author of the hit thriller The Berlin Conspiracy.
"It's the summer of 1940 and Europe is in the grip of the Nazi war machine. Jack Teller arrives in neutral Lisbon on the arm of international screen legend Lili Sterne, to help her search for her childhood friend, Eva Lange. Having escaped Germany, staying one step ahead of the Nazi terror, Eva is believed to be hiding among the thousands of desperate refugees who have descended upon Lisbon. But Jack isn't the first on her trail. Top Hollywood detective Eddie Grimes had been on the case-until he turned up dead.
"Instead of answers, Jack uncovers a series of lies that leads from Estoril's glittering nightclubs-rubbing elbows with the likes of Edward, Duke of Windsor, and his scheming wife, Wallis Simpson-into Lisbon's dank and dangerous backstreets. Along the way, Jack makes a shocking discovery that takes him from Portugal to the perilous boulevards of Nazi-occupied Paris, where his actions could change the course of the war."
Opinion: Not as strong as I wanted it to be. Never got a real sense of setting of WWII. Romance between some characters was unbelievable. Characterization of Jack was great. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

A Hand to Guide Me by Denzel Washington

Started: 5/2/07
Finished: 5/8/07
Year: 2006
Pages: 272
Genre: Memoir
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: Love Denzel, grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "Everyone needs a hand from time to time, a gentle nudge to get on track. And you never know when the help you provide will lift someone toward a life of greatness.
"A Hand to Guide Me showcases how the kindness of mentors has shaped the lives of people you know and respect. In their own words, legendary personalities tell how people stepped up to guide them. From Hank Aaron and Muhammad Ali to Bob Woodward and James Worthy, the voices in this book may be household names now, but they credit their success to the guidance of others long ago.
"Seventy-four stores in all, each one is a revelation about how important any one of us can be to the youth around us."
Opinion: A great book that includes several memoirs from several well-known celebrities and heads of companies. I enjoyed it.

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Started: 4/30/07
Finished: 5/2/07
Year: 1995
Pages: 311
Genre: fantasy
Grade: B
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Moggot, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death-and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own hidden destiny."
Opinion: As someone who really doesn't read a lot of fantasy, I found this book exciting and well worth the read.