The Hard Way by Carol Lea Benjamin

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

Dangerous by Caroline Cross

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

Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank

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

Parallel Heat by Deidre Knight

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

Buchanan's Baby by Pamela Toth

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

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser

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

Death Drop by Alina Adams

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

The Cellar by Richard Laymon

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

Fear: A Cultural History by Joanna Bourke

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

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

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

No Lights, No Sirens by Robert Cea

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

Crime Beat by Michael Connelly

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

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allen Poe

Started: 9/26/06
Finished: 9/28/06
Year: 1999 (originally written 1838)
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com
Blurb (from back cover): "A stowaway aboard the whaling ship Grampus, Arthur Gordon Pym finds himself bound on an extraordinary voyage to the high southern latitudes. Poe's remarkable novel recounts the "incredible adventures and discoveries" of Pym and his companions. There is mutiny, appalling butchery, and the "exquisite horror" of cannibalism; premature burial within an impenetrable seaborne labyrinth; a corpse-ridden ghost ship, gigantic polar bears, and uncharted islands peopled by barbarian hordes.
"It was Poe's unique genius, however, that imbued this Gothic adventure tale with such allegorical richness that readers have been fascinated ever since. In his illuminating introduction and notes to this new edition of Poe's masterpiece, Richard Kopley reveals hidden layers of meaning involving both Poe's family and biblical prophecy."
Opinion: Not one of Poe's best works but certainly still enjoyable. I've always enjoyed reading Poe's works and as Halloween nears, it's only appropriate to read one of them. There is a lot of adventures in this short novel and Poe's descriptions work like always.

Shattered Justice by John Philpin

Started: 9/23/06
Finished: 9/25/06
Year: 2006
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "The Crowes' neighbors in the peaceful middle class community in San Diego's North Country were shocked by the savagery of the crime-a young girl murdered, stabbed repeatedly in her own bed in the dead of night. The lack of any evidence of forced entry led the Escondido police to their inevitable conclusion: someone in the family was responsible for 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe's slaying. The investigation quickly zeroed in on the victim's older brother, Michael, and two teenage friends-three loners who enjoyed inhabiting dark fantasy worlds of quests and violence. Through efficient, by-the-book police work, the boys were broken down and ultimately confessed. The only problem was the detectives had gotten everything wrong...
"Shattered Justice is the riveting and disturbing true account of a horrific tragedy and the terrible crime that followed-a nightmare of four innocent lives shattered, one by a killer's blade, three by obession and twisted law."
Opinion: Not of the best true crime books that I've read but worthy none the less. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

A Secret and A Bridal Pledge by Andrea Edwards

Started: 9/19/06
Finished: 9/22/06
Year: 1995
Genre: Romance (Harlequin Special Edition)
Grade: B
Reason for reading: needed something mindless
Blurb (from back cover): "Although in a witness-protection program, Amy Warren fought to keep her independence- a battle that pitted her against U.S. Marshall Mark Miller. His protective instincts warmed Amy's heart and made her think of long-lost dreams. But Mark's steely gaze set Amy's nerves sizzling with defiance-and unleased strange memories of a past love. Somehow she felt she'd known Mark before...Would this be their chance at forever? Or would they spend the rest of their live searching...for a love that could outlast time?"
Opinion: This book started off with a great prologue but was kinda lost and then felt rushed at the end. The passion between Mark and Amy was exciting and only slightly unrealistic. But it did want I wanted it do to-make my mind not focused on the real world.

The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld

Started: 9/15/06
Finished: 9/19/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "In 1909, Sigmund Freud arrived in New York for what would be his only U.S. visit. Upon return to Vienna, he rarely spoke of the trip, but referred to Americans as "savages" for the rest of his life. What befell the great genius during his journey to these shores?"
"Inspired by this still-debated questions, Jed Rubenfeld has woven an exquisitely plotted novel already drawing international acclaim for its blend of classic crime, historical characters, and tantalizing ingredients ranging from Shakespearean puzzles to psychological mysteries."
Opinion: This was just a great fictional read about Freud's factual trip to New York City. I highly recommend this book to any fans of psychological mysteries. Jed Rubenfeld has added a different look at psychological thrillers by putting the founder of psychoanalysis into a mystery. For a complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

Long Time Gone by J. A. Jance

Started: 9/11/06
Finished: 9/15/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "A former Seattle policeman now working for the Washington State Attorney's Special Homicide Investigation Team, J.P. Beaumont has been hand-picked to lead the investigation into a half-century-old murder. And eyewitness to the crime, a middle-aged nun, has now recalled grisly, forgotten details while undergoing hypnotherapy.
"It's a case as cold as the grave, and it's running headlong into another that's tearing at Beau's heart: the vicious slaying of his former partner's ex-wife. What's worse, his rapidly unraveling friend is the prime suspect.
"Caught in the middle of a lethal conspiracy that spans two generations and a killing that hits too close to home-targeted by a vengeful adversary and tempted by a potential romance that threatens to reawaken his personal demons-Beaumont may suddenly have more on his plate than he can handle, and far too much to survive."
Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this book. It had plenty of conflict and mystery. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.

The Chosen by Edward Lee

Started: 9/4/06
Finished: 9/10/06
Year: 1993
Genre: Horror
Grade: C
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com book
Blurb (from back cover): "Restaurant manager Vera Abbot has come to The Inn to embark on the job of her dreams. But from the day she arrives, her dream turns into a harrowing nightmare. She hears strange footsteps, sees faceless figures in the dead of night...and is tormented by erotic dreams in which a hideous stranger makes love to her.
"The past never dies. It only sleeps, waiting to unleash a new cycle of bloodshed and terror. For The Inn is a breeding ground for unspeakable atrocities. And now the time has come for Vera to be initiatied into its secret world of depravity and horror-whether she wants to or not!"
Opinion: Not the best horror book that I've read. Way too much sex even though it played it's part. It was a quick paced read despite how long it took me to read it (been busy with Barnes and Noble University classes). But for a quick horror read it can be enjoyable.

One for One by Madelyn Dohrn

Started: 9/1/06
Finished: 9/3/06
Year: 1990
Genre: Romance (Silhouette Special Edition)
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "When tiny Tony was suspended from elementary school, single mom, Joanna Parker was sure the man behind the deed-principal Scott Hartman-was a monster. Who else would kick out a kindergartner?
"Breathing fire, Joanna stormed the school...where gentle, gorgeous Mr. Hartman gave the situation his undivided attention. He prompted Joanna to let him befriend Tony, generously providng a much-needed father figure. As for the mother's figure...well, virile Scott promised Joanna the kind of tutoring she'd only imagined in her wildest fantasies!
"Undone by her own heated impulses, fumbling on the quicksand beneath her every expectation, Joanna struggled to gird herself-remembering the last time she'd expected endless love...and been left with lonely loss."
Opinion: Another good romance-predictable but well written. Almost brought me to tears. A believable relationship between Joanna and Scott. Also how Tony adjusts throughout the book is almost dead on. A great quick read.

Make Me a Match by Diana Holquist

Started: 8/30/06
Finished: 9/1/06
Year: 2006
Genre: Romance
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.
Blurb (from back cover): "Cecelia Burns's To Do List
"1. Pick out wedding dress and ignore psychic sister who says I'm marrying the wrong guy.
"2. Really ignore her when she says the right guy is some stranger named Finn Concord, who's dying, and this is my last chance to experience my One True Love of a lifetime. Ever.
"3. Okay, fine. Find this Finn guy, tell him he's dying and split. Quick.
"4. Stop staring at him...even though he does look pretty good for a guy who's on his last legs. Oh god, those unforgettable eyes...those strong arms. And those kissable lips...
"5. Take a deep breath and remember that psychics lie too, just like everyone else.
"6. Then again, maybe there is something to this One True Love business after all. There's only one way to find out..."
Opinion: I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. I had fun reading this book and am looking forward to writing up my review for MyShelf. Enjoyable characters and good story line...if you believe in that type of thing.