Cat Stories by James Herriot

Started: 5/22/09
Finished: 5/22/09
Year: 1994
Genre: Animals
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from book jacket): "Between these covers, teller and tales finally meet in a warm and joyful new collection that will bring delight to the hearts of readers the world over. Here are Buster, the kitten who arrived on Christmas; Alfred, the cat at the sweet shop; Emily, who lived with the gentleman tramp; and Olly ang Ginny, the kittens who charmed readers when thry first appeared at the Herriots' house in thr worldwide bestseller Every Living Thing. And along with these come others, each story as memorable and heartwsrming as thr last, each told with that magic blend of gentle wit and human compassion that markes every word from James Herriot's pen.
Opinion: A sweet collection of stories all about cats and their antics.

Trick or Treat by Kerry Greenwood

Started: 5/18/09
Finished: 5/22/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 246
Genre: Mystery
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "When a cut-price franchise bakery opens its doors just down the street from Earthly Delights and crowds flock to purchase the bread, baker Corinna Chapman is understandably nervous. Meanwhile, her lover Daniel's old friend Georgiana Hope has temporarily set up residence in his house, and it doesn't take Corinna long to work out that she's tall, blonde, gorgeous, and up to something. Daniel is making excuses and Corinna is worried about his absences. Even more worrisome is the strange outbreak of madness that seems to be centered on Lonsdale Street.
"Can Corinna find her way through a maze of health regulations, missing boyfriends, sinister strangers, fraudulent companies and back-alley ambushes? Or will this be the end of the Earthly Delights Bakery?
Opinion: This novel appears to me to be choppy. For an Advanced Reader Copy from a puplisher that I've received several from before, there is A LOT of editing that needs to be done before the final novel comes out in America-it's already been released in Australia several years ago.

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

Started: 5/15/09
Finished: 5/18/09
Year: 2003
Pages: 331
Genre: Non-fiction, religion
Grade: B+
Blurb (from book jacket): "Jon Krakauer's literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. In Under the Banner of Heaven, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by a pair of Mormon Fundamentalist brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their blameless victims. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this crime, Krakauer constructs a multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messsianic delusion, savage violence, and unyielding faith. In the process, he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest growing religion, analyzes the abduction of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart (and her forced 'marrage' to her polygamous kidnapper), and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
"Krakauer takes readers inside isolated communities in the American West, Canada, and Mexico, where some forty thousand Mormon Fundamentalists believe that the mainstream Mormon Church went unforgivably astray when it renounced polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establisment in Salt Lake City, the leaders of these outlaw sects are zealots who answer only to God. Marrying prodigiousy and with virtual impunity (the leader of the largest fundamentalist church took seventy-five 'plural wives,' several of whom were wed to him when they were fourteen or fifteen and he was in his eighties), fundamentalist prophets exercise absolute control over the lives of their followers and preach that any day now the world will be swept clean in a hurricane of fire, sparing only their most obedient adherents.
"Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyes look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the United States' most successful homegrown faith and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism. The result is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of nonfiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behavior."
Opinion: Wow. This is the first Krakauer book I've read and I had no idea what it was about when I got it. I'm not one that believes in certain religion and didn't know much about the Mormon religion. Greatly researched and an interesting look into the history of the Mormons.

Persuader by Lee Child

Started: 5/10/09
Finished: 5/15/09
Year: 2003
Pages: 465
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Jack Reacher is the Persuader.
"An ex-military cop and the ultimate loner. No family, no possessions, no commitments, no fear, nothing-except a strong sense of justice.
"Which is why Reacher agrees to help a female agent caught in a death trap. Why Reacher must outwit and outfight a criminal army.
"Because once Reacher finds trouble, he cannot quit.
"Not once.
"Not ever."
Opinion: A great thriller. Definitely one of the better books I've read this year so far.

Milagro Lane by Jay Brandon

Started: 5/3/09
Finished: 5/10/09
Year: 2008
Pages: 241
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: "When Estela Valenzuela appears at the funeral of the scion of one of the oldest, richest families in town, she is a mystery-an apparent stranger who seems to know everyone. Gabe Grohman, the son of the deceased, is fascinated by her. Through Estela he discovers parts of the city he never knew, even a part that doesn't exist: Milagro Lane, a street of mind where one can only go in rare, fulfilling moments."
Opinion: Much of the extended blurb on the book is focused on how much the book is about San Antonio. I did not get that feel from reading it. It was a good read. For a more extended review, please check out MyShelf in the upcoming months.

The Beach House by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge

Started: 4/28/098
Finished: 5/3/09
Year: 2002
Pages: 358
Genre: mystery
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from book jacket): "Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the news comes that his brother, Peter, has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother practically grew up in the water, and that this couldn't be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead.
"But the police say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brother's last night, he confronts a maddening barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the wealthy summer residents from local workers like Peter. Motivated by a hundred forms of grief, Jack rallies his hometown friends to help him find the truth of Peter's death-no matter how rich or corrupt the people who stand in their way.
"Jack's relentless crusade puts him into a head-on collision with one of the most powerful and ruthless men in New York, a man who wipes out resistance with a snap of his fingers. As it unfolds that his brother was involved with some of the richest women and men in America-in ways Jack never imagined-his dream of justice fades. Only if he can somehow beat the rich at their own game will he be able to avenge his brother."
Opinion: One of the better Patterson books that I've read. Good story. Interesting plot. I liked how it ended-not rushed.

Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

Started: 4/16/09
Finished: 4/28/09
Year: 1932
Pages: 379
Genre: Classic Literature
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: 1001 Books you should read before you die, Booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Cherished as one of the most thrilling sea adventures ever recorded, Mutiny on the Bounty has sold millions of copies and enthralled generations of readers around the world in the seven decades since its initial publication. The novel reprises a true story-the strange, eventful, and tragive voyage of His Majestry's Ship Bounty in 1788-1789, which culminated in Fletcher Christian's mutiny against Captain Bligh-and reaches peaks of narrative excitement that mark the book indelibly as a modern classic."
Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this. It wasn't dry like other classic novels I've read. I hadn't realized that it was part of trilogy that I will now be looking to read the rest of it.

Murder of a Royal Pain by Denise Swanson

Started 4/11/09
Finished: 4/16/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 248
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "When school psychologist Skye Denison stumbles over the body of pushy Promest chairperson Annette Paine during a Halloween fund-raiser, it looks like a clear-cut case of promicide. Annette was not the only prom mom desperate to see her daughter crowned queen-and her skirt-chasing hubby is no prince either.
"Skye's anxious to investigate, but she keeps getting sidetracked by the overeager new social worker at school and also by her beau's emotional distance. Still, one question haunts her: Since Annette Paine was wearing a witch costume identical to Skye's, which witch was the intended victim? Will Skye realize too late that finding this killer is a matter of her own life or death?"
Opinion: Definitely not as good as Swanson's previous novels. Still enjoyable. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the upcoming months.

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz

Started: 4/5/09
Finished: 4/11/09
Year: 2007
Pages: 447
Genre: Thriller
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: fan of author, grabbed off the TBR pile
Blurb (from back cover): Timothy Carrier is an ordinary guy who enjoys a beer after work. But tonight is no ordinary night. The jittery man sitting beside him has mistaken Tim for someone else-and passes him an envelope stuffed with cash and the photo of a pretty woman. 'Ten thousand now. You get the rest when she's gone.'
"Now everything he thought he knew-even about himself-will be challenged. For Tim Carrier is the one man who can save an innocent life and stop a killer as relentless as evil incarnate. But first he must discover resources within himself that will transform his idea of who he is and what it takes to be..."
Opinion: Somewhat of a typical Koontz book-guy and woman trying to fight something bad. The way that it was presented was different in this book. No sidekick dog like in most Koontz books.

Ghost Stories of the Old West by Dan Asfar

Started: 4/5/09
Finished: 4/5/09
Pages: 216
Year: 2003
Genre: History/Paranormal/non-fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: booksfree book
Blurb (from back cover): "Gamblers, gold rushes and ghosts-the Old West has it all. Join Dan Asfar as he unravels the haunted histories of some of America's most infamous gunslingers, lawmen and frontiersmen, as well as the forts, prisons and saloons where the region's recklessness found its truest expression.
"The phantom rider of the Pony Express, the West's legendary mail service, races past Hollenberg Station in Kansas-the only stopover still located on its original site.
"Ordered to destroy the Alamo, Mexican soldiers are frozen in their tracks by six imposing apparitions, each armed with a flaming saber.
"In the Canadian Rockies, foolhardy prospectors search for the Lost Lemon Mine and its legendary riches.
"The spirit of a Chinese maid, who committed suicide long ago, haunts Cain House in Bodie, California-one of America's best preserved ghost towns
"Determined to find her missing children, the ghost of a sorrowful mother wanders around historic Fort Leavenworth.
"Cree warriors in Alberta refuse to heed the warning of a mysterious seer, whose vision comes true after her tragic death.
"The ghost of Seth Bullock, a prominent lawman and entrepreneur, lends a helpng hand at his historic hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota.
"Near Cripple Creek in Colorado, miners are terrifed by the voices of the ferocious creatures they call the 'Tommyknockers.'"
Opinion: This was a quick read. Enjoyable pits of history but not a lot about the ghost sitings or what has been investigated. Wish that it had more of that.

Never Say Sty by Linda O. Johnston

Started: 3/30/09
Finished: 4/5/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 295
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf
Blurb (from back cover): Wealthy dreamboat and pet-supply magnate Dante DeFrancisco thinks Kendra's the cat's pajamas. So one of his conditions-before he signs on as producer of her new reality show, Animal Auditions-is that she dine with him. The meal is delicious, the kiss is steamy...so why does Kendra have a hunch Dante's up to something?
"Meanwhile, on Animal Auditions: Potbellied pigs are to be judged by a panel. But things screech to a halt when a nasty judge is found strangled to death by a pig harness. The suspects include Kendra's cop friend, Ned, his sister...and Dante. For their sake-and that of the show-Kendra must work like a dog to clear their names. If only Dante didn't make such a sexy suspect..."
Opinion: Not as strong as previous Johnston novels but still entertaining. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf in the upcoming months.

The Call of the Wild/White Fang by Jack London

Started: 3/25/09
Finished: 3/30/09
Years: 1903, 1906
Pages: 288
Genre: Classic
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from book jacket): "The Call of the Wild centers on Buck, a dog bred for a life of ease on a California estate, who is kidnapped and sold to Klondike gold hunters. To survive the biting cold and his ruthless masters, Buck must listen to the Call and learn the ways of the wolf-ancestors who guide him from within.
"White Fang tells the story of a half-wolf, half-dog nearly destroyed by the vicious cruelty of mankind. Brought to the very brink of his existance, White Fang is lucky enough to experience the one thing that can save him-human love. Slowly, the ferocious White Fang grows into a creature capable of selfless bravery, undying loyalty, and affection.
Opinion: A couple of some good classic stories.

Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

Started: 3/22/09
Finished: 3/25/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 361
Genre: General Literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Knitting and life. They're both about beginnings-and endings. That's why it makes sense for Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn on Seattle's Blossom Streeet, to offer a class called Knit to Quit. It's for people who want to quit something-or someone!-and start a new phase of their lives.
"First to join is Phoebe Rylander. She recently ended her engagement to a man who doesn't know the meaning of faithful, and she's trying to get over him. Then there's Alix Turner. She and her husband, Jordan, want a baby, which means she has to quit smoking. And Bryan Hutchinson joins the class because he needs a way to deal with stress of running his family's business-not to mention the lawsuit brought against him by an unscruptulous lawyer.
"Life can be as complicated as a knitting pattern. Just ask Anne Marie Roche. She and her adopted daughter, Ellen, finally have the happiness they wished for. And then a stranger comes to her bookstore asking questions.
"Or ask Lydia herself. Not only is she coping with her increasingly frail mother, but she and Brad have unexpectedly become foster parents to an angry, defiant twelve-year-old.
"But as Lydia already knows, when life gets difficult and your stitches are snarled, your friends can always help!"
Opinion: Another delightful read by Debbie Macomber. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the coming months.

Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts

Started: 3/15/09
Finished: 3/22/09
Year: 2006
Pages: 440
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from inside page): "Reena Hale's destiny was shaped in the destructive-yet fascinatingly beautiful-fire that leveled her family's pizzeria when she was young. Now an arson investigator, she finds her strength and wits constantly tested-although sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. But she can't always blame the men. After all, a soot-caked woman barking orders and smelling of smoke isn't the biggest turn-on in the world. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different. He's been trying to find Reena ever since the long-ago night when he glimpsed her from afar. And now that she's close enough to touch, he has no intention of letting go.
"Nor does the man who has begun to haunt Reena's life-with taunting phone calls and a string of horrifying crimes. And as Reena tries desperately to trace the origins-of the calls, the fires, the hatred aimed in her direction-she will step into the worst inferno she has ever faced..."
Opinion: The beginning dragged a little but Nora Roberts has a way to draw in readers and keep them with the book. The romance wasn't completely overwhelming and had the right mix of suspense and romance.

Spiral Hunt by Margaret Ronald

Started: 3/7/09
Finished: 3/15/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 310
Genre: fantasy
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "They call her 'Hound,' and with her unique supernatural sense Evie can track nearly anything-lost keys, vanished family heirlooms...even missing people. And though she knows to stay out of the magical undercurrent that runs beneath Boston's historic streets, a midnight phone call from a long-vanished lover will destroy the careful boundaries she has drawn. Now, to pay a years-old debt, Evie must venture into the shadowy world that lies between myth and reality, where she will find betrayal, conspiracies, and revelations that will shatter all she believes about herself and the city she claims as home."
Opinion: I'm not a big fan of fantasy novels. This book is unique in the type of supernatural powers people have in it and how it is set in a realistic city. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the future months.

Obsession by Jonathan Kellerman

Started: 2/24/09
Finished: 3/7/09
Year: 2007
Pages: 445
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from back cover): "Tanya Bigelow was a solemn little girl when Dr. Alex Delaware successfully treated her obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Now, at nineteen, Tanya returns with a curious request: that Delaware investigate her aunt's deathbed confession of murder. While Delaware doubts that Patty Bigelow was capable of such a horrific act, he agrees to look into the matter. Armed with only the vaguest details, Delaware and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis retrace Patty's and Tanya's nomadic and increasingly puzzling life. Then a very real murder tears open a terrifying tunnel into the past, where secrets-and bodies-are buried. As the tension mounts, Delaware and Sturgis uncover a tangled history of desperation, vengeance, and death-a legacy of evil that refuses to die."
Opinion: This was a long book. Probably a little too long. Typical Kellerman with twists and turns. Decent plotline.

What Time Devours by A. J. Hartley

Started: 2/16/09
Finished: 2/24/09
Year: 2009
Pages: 402
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "The moment Thomas Knight saw the strange, vacant eyes pressed to his kitchen window, he knew she was dead. What he had yet to learn was the woman had recently claimed to be in possession of a long-lost-and now priceless-literary treasure: Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Won.
"The police aren't interested in old plays, especially one many scholars don't believe ever existed. But Thomas is convinced that the play is real, tht it is out there-somewhere-and that it somehow holds the key to the woman's death...and perhaps other, stranger secrets as well.
"His pursuit of the truth takes him to ancient sites a continent away, through the rarefied air of academia, and deeper into intrigue and danger. To uncover that lies at the heart of the mystery, Thomas will have to enter a story that drags loss and death after it like a Shakespearean tragedy-a story bound to time and all it devours."
Opinion: An interest look at academia and Shakespeare. For a more complete review, please check out Myshelf in the upcoming months.

Breakheart Hill by Thomas H. Cook

Started: 2/12/09
Finished: 2/16/09
Year: 1995
Pages: 264
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: Library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "'This is the darkest story that I ever heard...'
"So begins Thomas H. Cook's haunting tale of love and its aftermath, of the price a whole town paid for a single moment of passionate betrayal.
"The town was Choctaw, Alabama. The place was Breakheart Hill. The girl was Kelli Troy. But the story of what really happened to her there on an August afternoon in 1962 is known by only one man, Ben Wade, the boy who loved her then and who must tell her story now.
"The violence that rocked Breakheart Hill on that summer afternoon did not end on its wooded slope. At least not for Ben Wade, now the town's doctor and one of its most revered citizens. Perhaps it never ended for anyone in Choctaw.
"A tale both of doom and of redeption, Breakheart Hill is the work of a gifted writer at the very peak of his power. Profoundly moving, beautifully written, elegiac in tone yet thrillingly suspenseful, it is a mystery of love remembered that touches on the mystery of life.
Opinion: Another fantastic book. I'm really wondering why I have not heard of this author before recently. Fantastic read.

Menage by Emma Holly

Started: 2/9/09
Finished: 2/12/09
Year: 1998
Pages: 270
Genre: Erotica
Grade: C
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "When two handsome young grad students move into Kate Winthrop's Philadeplhia townhouse she's thrilled to think she'll be sharing her living space with a couple of potential admirers. Then she comes home from work one day to find them in bed...with each other.
"Joe-a sensitive composer-is motified. Sean-an irrepressible bad boy-asks her to join in. So begins a complex three-way adventure that is destined to be fraught with confusion."
Opinion: An okay book-different that what I've been reading lately. Plot was weak but scenes were good.

Instruments of Night by Thomas H. Cook

Started: 2/6/09
Finished: 2/9/09
Year: 1998
Pages: 293
Genre: mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "Paul Graves knows evil to the bone. He confronted it first as a boy, when he survived the torture-murder of his sister. As a man, he has made its exploration his life's work, tirelessly writing mysteries set in gaslight New York, a world of mists and shadows, of voices pleading in the fog, footsteps racing over rain-swept cobblestones...a world colored by the ache of Graves's own past, its still-rememberd screams.
"It is a far cry from Riverwood, the artists' community in upstate New York where Graves is invited to spend the summer. And yet, for all its splendor and grand isolation, Riverwood was once touched by crime-the murder of Faye Harrison, a teenage girl who'd lived on the estate fifty years before. Faye's mother is now dying, but uneasily still tormented by the unanswered questions about her daughter's death. Graves has been summoned by Allison Davies, Faye's girlhood friend and now Riverwood's owner, and asked to explore this long-past crime, apply the art of mystery fiction to a murder that was real, then write a story that will answer those very questions that keep Faye's mother from a peaceful death.
Opinion: Another decent book by Cook. Not as good as the first one that I had read. Cook has an amazing way of intertwining the past with the present. Highly recommend.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Started: 1/27/09
Finished: 2/5/09
Year: 2006
Pages: 387
Genre: Fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: possible bookclub read
Blurb (from book jacket): "Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic sort of a hypochondriac. He's what's known as a Beta Male: the kind of fellow who makes his way through life by being careful and constant-you know, the one who's always there to pick up the pieces when the girl gets dumped by the bigger/taller/stronger Alpha Male.
"But Charlie's been lucky. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a secondhand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child.
"Yes, Charlie's doing okay for a Beta. That is, until the day his daughter, Sophie, is born. Just as Charlie-exhausted from the birth-turns to go home, he sees a strange man in the mint-green golf wear at Rachel's hospital bedside, a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But sees him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird...
"People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yup, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job , an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death. It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's got to do it."
Opinion: This was my first Moore book and I will not be rushing to read another one. I probably will read one but just no time soon.

One in a Million by Kimberla Lawson Roby

Started: 1/24/09
Finished: 1/27/09
Year: 2008
Pages: 183
Genre: African-American Literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "Kennedi Mason thinks she's the luckiest woman on earth. She loves her job, she has a wonderful best friend, and she's been married for ten years to her soul mate. There's nothing she can think of that could make her life any better.
"Then one fateful day Kennedi receives a piece of news that will turn her world upside down. She's excited about it, and she knows that her husband, Blake, will be over the moon. He has always dreamed of this one thing happening, and she can't wait until he comes home so she can tell him.
"But when she sees Blake that evening, he has a special announcement of his own. It shocks Kennedi into silence and wipes the admission she was planning to make right out her mind. In an instant, her life and her marriage have changed, but not at all in the way that she had expected.
"A poignant and satisfying story of hope, Kimberla Lawson Roby's One in a Million beautifully shows us the difference between what we think we want and what we actually need to be truly happy."
Opinion: I've read other books by this same other and have enjoyed them just as much as I've enjoyed this one. Touched a little to close to home due to my history but definitely well worth the read.

Snakehead by Peter May

Started: 1/18/09
Finished: 1/24/09
Year: 2009 (in the USA)
Pages: 300
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "In the fourth of Peter May's acclaimed China Thrillers, American pathologist Margaret Campbell finds herself back on home soil, confronted by a truck full of dead Chinese and an unavoidable confrontation with her past.
"Beijing detective Li Yan, now based at the Chinese embassy in Washington, is dispatched to find out how his fellow countrymen suffocated in a sealed refrigeration unit in southern Texas-only to find himself face-to-face with the woman who walked out of China, and his life.
"Li Yan and Margaret Campbell are tasked to work together again to find out who is behind the $100 million trade in illegal Chinese immigrants which led to the tragedy in Texas. They soon discover that these immigrants were unwitting carriers of a deadly cargo.
"Still wrestling with the demons of their pasts, Li and Margaret find themselves racing against time to defuse a biological timebomb that threatens to wipe out not only their future, but that of humankind."
Opinion: I've read other Peter May books and wasn't a big fan. This one, originally written in 2002 is probably the best one of his that I've read. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the future months.

The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver

Started: 1/9/09
Finished: 1/18/09
Year: 2008
Pages: 415
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Grade: A
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "Lincoln Rhyme and partner/paramour Amelia Sachs return to face a criminal whose ingenious staging of crimes is enabled by a terrifying access to informtion...
"When Lincoln's estranged cousin Arthur Rhyme is arrested on murder charges, the case is perfect-too perfect. Forensic evidence from Arthur's home is found all over the scene of the crime, and it looks like the fate of Lincoln's relative is sealed.
"At the behest of Arthur's wife, Judy, Lincoln grudgingly agrees to investigate the case. Soon Lincoln and Amelia uncover a string of similar murders and rapes with perpetrators claiming innocence and ignorance-despite ironclad evidence at the scenes of the crime. Rhyme's team realizes this 'perfect' evidence may actually be the result of masterful identity theft and manipulation.
"An information service company-the huge data miner Strategic Systems Datacorp-seems to have all the answers but is reluctant to help the police. Still, Rhyme and Sachs and their assembled team begin uncovering a chilling pattern of vicious crimes and cover-ups, and their investigation points to one master criminal, whom they dub '522.'
"When '522' learns the identities of the crime-fighting team, the hunters become the hunted. Full of Deaver's trademark plot twists, The Broken Window will put the parnership of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to the ultimate test."
Opinion: Another great book by Deaver. Lots of little twists and turns that kept me guessing. I highly recommend.

Hide by Lisa Gardner

Started: 1/3/09
Finished: 1/9/09
Year: 2007
Pages: 451
Genre: Mystery/suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
BLurb (from back cover): "It was the case that nearly killed him. Now a gruesome discovery in an underground chamber is about to resurrect his worst nightmare. And Massachusetts State Police detective Bobby Dodge has only one lead: a young girl who's been in hiding for as long as she can remember.
"Her childhood was a blur of new cities and assumed identities. But from who-or what-was Annabelle Granger's family hiding? To find out, Dodge must team up with former lover and partner D.D. Warren from the Boston P.D. to track a woman from Bobby's past who's every bit as dangerous as the new killer. The trail will lead them to chilling place where there's no one to trust...and no place left to hide."
Opinion: A great page turner. Once a big piece of information was released, I had predicted something and was correct but that didn't take away from the great ending. I highly recommend.

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach

Started: 12/31/08
Finished: 1/3/08
Year: 2005
Pages: 298
Genre: Science/Afterlife
Grade: A
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "What happens when we die? Does the light just go out and that's that-the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness, persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my laptop?" In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach, brings her tireless curiousity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers, scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. She begins the journey in rural India with a reincarnation researcher and ends up in a University of Virginia operating room where cardiologists have installed equipment near the ceiling to study out-of-body near-death experiences. Along the way, she enrolls in an English medium school, gets electromagnetically haunted at a university in Ontario, and visits a Duke University professor with a plan to weigh the consciousness of a leech. Her historical wanderings unearth soul-seeking philosophers who rummaged through cadavers and calves' heads, an North Carolina lawsuit that established legal precedence for ghosts, and the last surviving sample of 'ectoplasm' in a Cambridge University archive."
Opinion: A fascinating and scientific look at the afterlife. I've already recommended this book to others and will continue to do so. Mary Roach has a great sense of humor and it is incorporated throughout the book so one does not get "bored" with all of the scientific information. I really enjoyed this one.

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

Started: 12/13/08
Finished: 12/31/08
Year: 1987
Pages: 685
Genre: Fiction
Grade: D
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books that you should read before you die
Blurb: There is no printed blurb on the book. Basically a Wall Street person got arrested for a crime in the Bronx
Opinion: What a horrible way to end 2008. I did not like this book at all. The only reason why it got a D was because I finished it. Definitely not one of the books I think is worthy to be on the 1001 books list.

Historic Photos of Raleigh-Durham by Dusty Wescott and Kenneth E. Peters

Started: 12/19/08
Finished: 12/19/08
Year: 2007
Pages: 205
Genre: Picture Coffee Table Book
Grade: A
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "By the late nineteenth century, the city of Raleigh-Durham was a vibrant cultural center of the East. Through changing fortunes, Raleigh-Durham has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong, independent culture of its citizens.
"Historic Photos of Raleigh-Durham captures this journey through still photography selected from the finest archives. From the first tobacco factory to the retail district along Fayetteville Street, the construction of Duke University to the opening of Camp Butner, Historic Photos of Raleigh-Durham follows life, government, education, and events throughout the city's history.
"This volume captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of hundreds of historic photographs. Published in striking black and white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city."
Opinion: A great look at the history of Raleigh and Durham, NC. The pictures are in great quality. A great coffee table book.

Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook

Started: 12/6/08
Finished: 12/13/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 367
Genre: mystery
Grade: A
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "'I was badly shaped by my good fortune and so failed to see the darkness and the things that darkness hides.' So begins the tale of Jack Branch, who has returned to his father's Delta estate, Great Oaks, to perform an act of noblesse oblige by teaching at the local high school. Conducting a class on historical evil, Jack is shocked to discover that his unassuming student Eddie is the son of the Coed Killer, a notorious local murderer. Jack feels compelled to mentor the boy, encouraging Eddie to examine his father's crime and using his own good name to open the doors that Eddie's lineage can't. But when Eddie's investigation leads him to Great Oaks and a friendship with Jack's own father, Jack finds himself questioning Eddie's motives-and his own.
"As the deadly consequences of Jack's actions fall inescapably into place, Thomas H. Cook masterfully reveals the darker truths that lurk in the recesses of small-town lives and in the hearts of even well-intentioned men."
Opinion: I really enjoyed how this novel was written. It gives readers bits and pieces to what eventually happens in the story both current and in flashbacks. I highly recommend and I will be reading other books by this author.

God of Luck by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

Started: 11/29/08
Finished: 12/6/08
Year: 2207
Pages: 239
Genre: General Fiction
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Ah Lung and his beloved wife, Bo See, are separated by cruel fate when, like thousands of other Chinese men in the 19th century, he is kidnapped, enslaved, and shipped to the deadly quano mines of the coast of Peru. Praying to the God of Luck and using their own wits, they seek to be reunited.
Opinion: A powerful story with an ending that is a disappointment when compared to the rest of the novel. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Started: 11/27/08
Finished: 11/29/08
Year: 2004
Pages: 288
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: library book
Blurb (from book jacket): "Dexter Morgan isn't exactly the kind of man you'd bring home to Mom. Though he's playful and has a wonderfully ironic sense of humor. Dexter's one character flaw (his proclivity for murder) can be off-putting. But at heart Dexter is the perfect gentleman, supportive of his sister, Deb, a Miami cop, and interested only in doing away with people who really deserve his special visit. Dex is quite good-looking but totally indifferent to (and, frankly, a bit puzzled by) the attentions paid to him by women. Despite the fact that he can't stand the sight of blood, he works as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police department, a job that allows him to keep tabs on the latest crimes and keep an eye open for his next quarry.
"Dexter's well-organized life is suddenly disrupted when a second, much more visible serial killer appears in Miami. Dex is intrigued, even delighted, by the fact that the other killer appears to have a style reminiscent of his own. Yet he can't help but feel that the mysterious new arrival is not merely invading his turf but reaching out to him as well. This new killer seems to be doing more than copying Dexter-he seems to be saying, 'Come out and play.' Dexter's secret life makes for alonely existance...even a lovable monster can be intrigued by the prospect of finding a friend."
Opinion: A very good debut novel and bringing Dexter to the masses. The television series is very similar to this novel but with enough plot differences to make it its own

Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass

Started: 11/16/08
Finished: 11/27/08
Year: 2007
Pages: 337
Genre: Mystery/suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR pile
Blurb (from back cover): "Anthropologost Dr. Bill Brockton founded Tennessee's world famous Body Farm-a small piece of land where corpses are left to decay in order to gain important forensic information. Now, in the wake of a shocking crime in nearby Chattanooga, he's called upon by Jess Carter-the rising star of the state's medical examiners-to help her unravel a murderous puzzle. But after re-creating the death scene at the Body Farm, Brockton discovers his career, reputation, and life are in dire jeopardy when a second, unexplained corpse appears in the grisly setting.
"Accused of a horrific crime-transformed overnight from a respected profesor to a hated and feared pariah-Bill Brockton will need every ounce of his formidable forensic skills to escape the ingeniously woven net that's tightening around him...and to prove the seemingly impossible: his own innocence."
Opinion: This is one of the better books in the Body Farm series that I've read. Even though I had guessed the murderer, it was still entertaining and I wasn't sure until the last chapter. I will be continuing to read the series.

Dying for Daddy: The True Story of Family Killer Jack Barron by Carlton Smith

Started: 11/10/08
Finished: 11/16/08
Year: 1998
Pages: 261
Genre: True Crime
Grade: C
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com, fan of the genre
Blurb (from back cover): "On a picturesque street in Sacramento County, California, three healthy saplings stand side by side. But what they symbolize are the deaths of three innocent people-two of them children. And the man who took their lives, then eerily planted trees in their honor...was their own husband and father.
"Hearts went out to Jack Barron when his wife, Irene, died mysteriously in her sleep. Soon after, when his two young children were also found dead in the their beds, suspicions were aroused about Barron. Then, when his fifty-two-year-old mother died, also of asphyxiation in her sleep, the four deaths seemed too coincidental to ignore.
"Was this 'devoted' husband and father really a cold-blooded murderer who smothered his loved ones while they slept? Was he the victim of a bizarre syndrome, whereby a parent kills a child to gain sympathy and attention? With first-hand interviews and exclusive inside information, bestselling author Carlton Smith paints a chilling and compelling portrait of a man driven beyond his control to commit the most unspeakable of acts."
Opinion: Not one of the best true crime novels that I've read. It seems that it was rushly written in order to get the book out. No lengthy court involvement and barely any police involvement. Mostly the story of what happened to the victims. It is still an interesting story.

Love Begins with Truth by Marsha Jones

Started: 11/4/08
Finished: 11/10/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 203
Genre: romance
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: the author is a friend of mine, review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Guyanese-American Meredith Johnson is on the career fast track and believes she has achieved the American dream-two adorable daughters, a loving husband, Michael, and a high profile job a public relations professional for Partners in Parenting in Rochester, New York. Her life is comfortable, but hectic. As a working mother, she has made some sacrifices to reach her dreams, but at what price?
"On her way to a business meeting, she learns of the 9/11 tragedies and Meredith decides it's time to re-examine her life and priorities. Meredith discovers that some changes need to be made.
"Meredith's childhood friend, Phillip Rampersaud has a near fatal accident, while driving on the Atlanta highway. Phillip, who also is Guyanese, decides to reveal his love for Meredith that he has kept secret from her for more than 16 years. Phillip hasn't seen Meredith in years; he has two children and a wife, but his love for Meredith has deepened over the years despite the distance between them.
"Now Meredith and Phillip must learn to cope with their feelings and 'new truths,' which may destroy their friendship or cement their love forever. Through months of poignant and heartbreaking e-mails, Meredith and Phillip realize everything isn't always what it seems.
"On the eve of her 40th birthday, Meredith brings her family to Atlanta for Guyana's Berbice Reunion where things really 'heat up' as more scerts are revealed. Now Meredith and Phillip must make tough choices. Can they keep their promise of friendship to each other?"
Opinion: Overall, the story is good. There are some glaring editorial mistakes in the book. Marsha Jones definitely has a story to tell and it's a good story. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com

Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods

Started: 10/29/08
Finished: 11/4/08
Year: 2006
Pages: 294
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR pile
Blurb (from book jacket): "In Dark Harbor, Maine, Stone Barrington discovers a picturesque town where the shocking deaths of three people have cast a long shadow over this island haven-a locale as mysterious as it is exclusive.
"Stone Barrington hasn't heard from his cousin, Dick Stone, in years-though he has fond memories of a teenage summer spent at his house in Maine. But then the CIA's Lance Cabot interrupts an otherwise pleasant meal at Elaine's with news of Dick's death-apparently by his own hand. It seems that Dick Stone, a quiet family man who doubled as a CIA agent, methodically executed his wife, daughter, and then himself-or did he?
"With the help of his ex-partner, Dino, and his friend Holly Barker, Stone must piece together the elusive facts of his cousin's life and death as a CIA operative. Dark Harbor offers us the perfect mix of sexy intrique and swift suspense that legions of fans have come to expect from master storyteller Stuart Woods."
Opinion: This was a very quick read. Overall smoothly done but I had guessed the suspect from the beginning. No real surprises.

Seduced by Madness by Carol Pogash

Started: 10/14/08
Finished: 10/29/08
Year: 2008
Pages: 407
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "In October 2002, Susan Polk, the soft-spoken mother of three teenage boys, was arrested for stabbing her husband and former therapist, Dr. Felix Polk, to death. Three years later she was tried for first degree murder, choosing to act as her own attorney in a trial that rapidly devolved into one of the most outrageous media circuses in modern history. To a crowded courtroom, Susan Polk, presented her defense-a bizarre story of unethical therapies, abuse, repressed memories, and satanic rituals-and, in doing so, exposed her madness. Carol Pogash was there.
" Seduced by Madness is the remarkably compelling, profoundly disturbing true story of the severe dysfunction of an affluent American family, as told by the leading journalist who worked the case. It is a spellbinding re-creation of a troubled life, a marriage, a murder, and a terrifying, inexorable descent into madness."
Opinion: It is obvious that the author was there throughout the whole trial and gotten key interviews with several of the people involved. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

Started: 10/11/08
Finished: 10/14/08
Year: 2007
Pages: 303
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: library book and I enjoy the TV series
Blurb (from book jacket): "In his work as a Miami crime scene investigator, Dexter Morgan is accustomed to seeing evil deeds...particulary because, on occasion, he rather enjoys committing them himself. Guided by his Dark Passenger (the reptilian voice inside him), he lives his outwardly normal life adhering to one simple rule: he kills only very bad people. Dexter slides through life undetected, working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, helping his fiancee raise her two adorable (if somewhat...unique) children, and always planning his next jaunt as Dexter the Dark Avenger under the light of the full moon.
"But then everything changes. Dexter is called to a crime scene that seems routine: a gruesome double homicide at the university campus, which Dexter would normally investigate with gusto, before enjoying a savory lunch. And yet this scene feels terribly wrong. Dexter's Dark Passenger senses something he recognizes, something utterly chilling, and the Passenger-mastermind of Dexter's homicidal prowess-promptly goes into hiding.
"With his Passenger on the run, Dexter is left to face this case all alone-not to mention his demanding sister (Sergeant Deborah), his frantic fiancee (Rita), and the most frightening wedding caterer ever to plan a menu. Equally unsettling, Dexter begins to realize that somethng very dark and very powerful has its sights set on him. Dexter is left in the dark, but he must summon his sharpest investigative instincts not only to pursue his enemy but to locate and truly understand his Dark Passenger. To find him, Dexter has to research the questions he's never dared ask: Who is the Dark Passenger, and where does he come from? It is nothing less than a search for Dexter's own dark soul..fueled by a steady suppluy of fresh doughnuts."
Opinion: I didn't enjoy it as much as the second book in the series. It took a kind of science fiction twist to it. I feel that it is still worth the read.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Started: 10/2/08
Finished: 10/11/08
Year: 1988
Pages: 348
Genre: Literary Fiction
Grade: C-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books you should read before you die
Blurb (from back cover): "In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs-yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty-one years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again."
Opinion: Well, I didn't stop reading this book as I did one of this author's other books. This was also one of Oprah's bookclub books. I didn't think it was all that. I probably will not read another one of this author's books.

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