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.