Review: The Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson

Rebecka’s recovery has not been easy.  The events of Sun Storm left her drained and barely able to function.  She’s not even really working for her law firm as she’s been put on leave until she is fit to work again, but she’s been asked to travel with a senior partner to a small village for business.  A small village only miles from Kiruna, where the madness began.  

Now another priest has been murdered and Rebecka can’t stop herself from being pulled in.

This time we’re meeting a very different Rebecka.  In her last book, she was strong and defiant in the presence of those who would destroy her, but in this tale, we find her very different.  By stripping away her strength, which she used as armor, our heroine has been damaged in a very fundamental way. 

This stark contrast could be off putting, but Larsson handles it very deftly.  Instead of portraying our girl as helpless, the author stresses the fear that now resides inside Rebecka.  It’s so palpable that when the heroine does locate a hidden reserve of courage, I found myself pulling her even more.  Maybe she’s not as broken as she seems. 

Highly recommended for fans of Scandinavian crime fiction or anyone who likes their mysteries on the dark side.

Review: 1984 by George Orwell

Warning: This review contains spoilers.  If you have not read this, I suggest waiting until another time to read my review.

Now that business is out of the way, I'll get on with my review. 

Beyond the political statements it makes, this is a story about Winston, a man wants to find a purpose in the most bland monotonous existence imaginable, but for Winston the stakes are higher.  Because to differentiate himself from the others can be fatal and someone is always watching. 

I was surprised at 1984.  I've read Ayn Rand, Brave New World, Farenheit 451, etc. While I appreciated the societal observations, they do get a bit preachy and then they lose me.  The same thing happened with Orwell, until O'Brien's revelations - Winston had not been caught, he had been set up - a plan that was years in the making.  He was foolishly tricked into believing he had some sort of free will and that he would be allowed to nuture it, when no such thing ever even existed.

My blood ran cold.  The idea that the government's control of it's citizens was so great, that it was able to infiltrate so throughly Winston's life was unimaginable.  Their desire and abilty to break the souls of their people was terrifying and I realized no matter how hard Winston fought he would not win.  To see him destroyed, almost killed me.  It turned a work of literary fiction into a psychological thriller akin to Harvest Home or The Stepford Wives. 

But the truly frightening thing, is that we are already there.  Someone is always watching us - my keystrokes are being recored and stored.  There are records of my phone calls and texts.  The internet tracks my movements in order to collect marketing data.  Who knows what other inferences it makes. 

How long until someone makes use of all this information?  Will there be a day when someone becomes Big Brother?

Why did they change the book to make the movie?

Flavorwire did a great article on some authors feel about the movie adaptations of their books.  My personal favorite is:

Richard Matheson on 2007′s I Am Legend, the third film adaptation to be made in his lifetime, and the third that he didn’t like:

“I don’t know why Hollywood is fascinated by my book when they never care to film it as I wrote it.”
 

Love it!!!!!!

 

Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Charlie does not want to be popular or fashionable.  He doesn't want to be on his high school team or be even be well-liked.  All Charlie wants to do is find his place in the world - a group of people who will accept him for who he.  But when you are starting high school, that's a lot to ask for. 

Perks is one of my absolute all time favorite books, so I really wanted the movie to be everything the book was.  It exceeded all my expectations.  Actor, Logan Lerman, did amazing job bringing Charlie's fragile sense of self to life.  He was able to capture the tentativeness and the vulnerabilty of the character's every moment in a way that I have never seen even grown actors able to portray. 

Emma Watson as Sam was breathtaking.  Even though the story is told through Charlie's eyes, making Sam the perfect manic pixie dream girl, Watson's portrayal of her grounded the character.  Yes, we still had the teenager that stood in the tunnel with the wind blowing through her hair, but we also felt the weight of how Sam's past decisions were determining her choices in friends and her relationship with Charlie.

Finally, I loved the setting - Pittsburg, PA in the 1990s.  Usually, when I watch movies, they tell you the date, but Perks is supposed to be of the times.  Everything is conveyed by sight - the hair, the plaid, the angsty emo rock music, the old cordless phones and baggy clothes.  For people like me, who were there, it was like going back in time.  It was genuine.

I could go on and on about this movie - how much I loved Patrick and Paul Rudd, but I will spare you.  It's amazing and everyone should see it. 

Review: A Vision of Murder by Victoria Laurie

Abby took the month of January to relax and get settled into her new home.  Nice try!  Nothing is ever relaxing for our girl.  Her injured boyfriend needs care and she just bought a haunted home to flip.  WAIT!  WHAT?  HAUNTED!!!!!!!!!

All in day's work, right Abby?

I won't gush about Victoria Laurie's books as I usually do, because everyone knows how much I love these characters.   (See my other reviews if you feel the need to see my praise) 

What was kinda fun, was releazing that the The Ghost Hunterd series was spun off from the Abby Cooper.  Small world, right? 

Anyways, go out and get some Victoria, so she'll keep wiriting!

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Park wanted nothing to do with Eleanor.  She started school a month late and her clothes were strange as her curly red hair.  Unfortunately, there were no other seats on the bus, so Eleanor sat down next to Park. 

Little by little, they both begin opening up to one another.  From a tentative smile or sharing a comic book, the two begin to forge a bond that neither of them ever expected to find.

There are so many books out there where clumsy, shy, or combative teenage girls fall in love with a teenage boy who then becomes the hero that saves her, draws her out or fights back.  Then they fall in love, but Eleanor & Park is such a different tale.

Rowell has created characters who are so guarded that watching their walls slowly come down is like seeing a series of tiny miracles that only Eleanor and Park share.  She captures the wonder of a brush of his hand or touching her hair for the first time, while also conveying fragility of that feeling - how scared a teenager can be that anything could shatter that the budding romance - without the drama that can occur in a typical teen love story. 

It was as beautiful as it was heartbreaking and by the time the book ended, I was not ready to let either of them go. 

This book is highly, highly reccomended for fans of:

• The Wind Blows Backwards by Mary Downing Hahn
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Sarah Dessen

Review: NOwHOre District by Bianca Da Silva

Tigra has problems.  She followed her American boyfriend from Hungary to Los Angeles on a student visa and now he has broken up with her.  With no money and no place to stay, Tigra has one summer to devise a way to stay in the US by getting money for college tuition or finding a husband.  A man it is! 

The book started out with a solid idea - to combine a fish out of water tale (European girl alone in LA) with a coming of age story (must figure out how to get her life in order, so she can stay in the US).  It’s a good story that’s worked before, but the writing style really prevented me from relating to the character.   

The author chose to break the story in bit size installments written from Tigra’s perspective either about her opinions on life or about an incident that happened to her.  These anecdotes could have been endearing, but because Tigra is young and/or experiencing culture shock, everything seemed completely random.  Instead of getting a unique perspective on American culture from an outsider, I got a couple pages on how farting in front of someone you are dating will eventually destroy your marriage. 

Not what I the perspective I was hoping for.

Review: Bared to You by Sylvia Day.

While she misses Southern California, Eva is excited to start her new life in Manhattan.  Fresh out of college, new apartment and a advertising job all lined up.  New York couldn't be better and then she catches the eye of playboy billionaire, Gideon Cross. 

Eva does not want to be attracted to him.  Gideon triggers too many memories and emotions, that she's locked away, but Gideon won't take no for an answer....

After my 50 Shades debacle, I was really hesitant to read Bared to You, but my mood dictates what I read. So I dedcided to give this trilogy a whirl and I was pleasently surprised. 

The plot was laid out well enough that I was able to concentrate on the story and while I found Eva's trust issues a bit tedious at times, she was developed enough that I could understand her motivation - at first.  However, by the time Eva stormed out of Gideon's life for the 20th, I was getting bored with the book.  If Day could have edited out a couple of these scenes, it might have receive 4 stars rather than just 3 stars. 

Do I feel compelled to read the reast of the Crossfire trilogy?  Not particularly, but I did enjoy my time with Gideon and Eva.

An Interview with Inigo Montoya on NPR

Sigh.  I never get tired of The Princess Bride.  My copies of the book (each with a different cover) are worn out and in one case the cover even fell off.  Both the book and the movie contain some of the most treasured memories of my childhood.

So today, when I heard this interview on NPR Mandy Patinkin, aka, Inigo Montoya, I was suddenly 10 years old again reliving scenes from one of my favorite movies and I had to share it with everyone. 

Please enjoy!

PS.  Don't forget to listen to the section about Andre the Giant further down the page.  It's fabulous!!!!

Review: Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance

Maxie and Devon have the perfect lives.  

Maxie runs a fictional version of Burberry, while her husband is a member of Parliament and they are on the verge of adopting a baby girl.  

Devon is Britain's sexier version of Martha Stewart and married to one of the top footballers in country.

Everything in their lives is picture perfect until her youngest sister Deeley arrives home from Hollywood, where she was just "dumped" by her in the closet boyfriend.  Trying to make a new a little money for her new life, Deeley gives an interview where she hints at her poor childhood and suddenly all the carefully constructed walls Devon and Maxie had erected, begin to crumble.

God bless Rebecca Chance!  Her books are always the right amount of glamour, sass and sex.  Chance encounters, hands brushing, hot kisses, all building up to perfect moment for her characters to finally...connect.  

Ladies, if you are looking for fun and sexy, this is definitely the book for you!  

PS. I should note that Chance's books are UK imports, so if you are looking for one in the city of Houston, you'll have to contact my favorite store, Murder by the Book.  You might even see me there when I pick the this Chance's latest book.  

Review: Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie

For covering for her while she was recovering from injuries, Abby Cooper owes fellow psychic Kendall a big favor, so when he asks her to assist him at tarot reading for a wedding, Abby can't say no - even though it's the first night she'll see her boyfriend in 2 months.  The gig goes well until our heroine realizes that she is not just at a regular wedding - the bride is the daughter of a major crime boss, who happens to be very interested in psychics.

Now that Abby has his attention, he'll make her an offer she can't refuse.

Not only is Abby a wonderful heroine, but I love the cast of characters that she comes with - the overachiever sister, her affable handyman and the super sexy boyfriend.  Not only do they further the plot, but Abby's relationships with them add depth to her story that makes the books even more enjoyable. 

I can totally see myself devouring the rest of the books in the series and constantly rereading them as I wait for the next book.

Review: The Trinity Game by Sean Chercover

Daniel Byrne is not a typical investigator.  He is priest who investigates miracles for the Vatican and in over 700 cases Father Daniel has not certified any miracles.  And then he gets his new case.  A con artist/televangelist, named Tim Trinity seems to be predicting the future and it's Daniel's mission to prove that it's another con.  

The closer he gets to the truth, the more everything begins to unravel and Daniel realizes that he can't prove anything if he and Trinity are dead.  

This book was a great ride.  Chercover kept up the pace up by breaking each chapter into relatively short digestible chunks that some times left me curious and at other times, breathless.  

Recommended for anyone who enjoyed Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code series.  

Banned Books Week!

Hey Everyone!  It's Banned Book Week.  I plan on reading 1984.  What are you doing to celebrate? 

For more information go to http://bannedbooksweek.org/

Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Everyone has grown up in Sorry-in-the-Vale, has heard the whispered legends of the revered and feared Lynburn family dynasty and even though the family left the town a generation ago, their affects on the town can still be felt.

Enter Kami Glass, a determined high school newspaper reporter, who has a secret - she's a in love with Jared, a boy she's never met, but speaks to through a telekinetic connection they share.  Imagine how she feels when finally sees him for the first time and he's a Lynburn.

I picked this up based on the entusiatic reviews seen on blogs, Amazon and Goodreads, but I must say I was very disappointed.  Everything that I saw lead me to believe that this was a well written, well crafted plot with elements of the supernatural.  What I found was a book about wandering and teenage angst. 

There is a considerable amount of time spent describing the characters walks to one spot to the next.  Our heroine Kami, spends quite a bit of the journeying through the woods, to the Lynburn Estate or Monkshood Abbey.  While the cast needed to get to these places, the book would have been just as effective if Brennan had cut some of the sections. 

And the angst.  While I love some good teenage angst (John Hughes films, The Wind Blows Backwards by Mary Downing Hahn), this seemed tedious.  When they weren't walking, Kami and Jared were trying to discern their feelings for one another as well as how to behave.  It lead to a series of frustratingly repetative sequences of tiffs followed by apologies a few pages later.  While I understood the complexities of the situation, I just got tired of cycle and it took me from a plot story and also detracted from some of the other characters, who could have been fleshed out more.

I was expecting the caliber of storytelling, I received in The Hunger Games series and Mara Dyer trilogy, and I found myself very disappointed. 

Reading & Drinking - Two of My Favorite Activities

Like many women, I love grabbing a drink with friends, but I never thought of pairing them with my books.  Thank God Flavorwire did!  They published this piece on 10 classic novels and the cocktails to drink with them.  Sounds like a great idea for a new book club.

Bottoms up!!!!

Retro Review: Pet Sematary by Stephen King

In honor of Stephen King's birthday, I'm republishing this retro review of one of my favorite books from my tumblr blog.

Would I call myself a fan of Stephen King? I’m not sure. Some his works are absolute genius and others…well there are a couple that I almost didn’t finish. But, man, tonight as I watched the movie, Pet Semetary, I remembered why I loved that book so much.

Growing up, my mother had a wonderful network of great aunts and uncles that she was very close to, but as she grew older, so did they. By time I was born, her loved ones already had begun to pass away and as a family we always attended their funerals.

My Grandpa

I tell you this not to be macabre, but to let you know that even as a child I knew a little more about death than most kids did. Unfortunately, it still didn’t prepare me for the loss of a beloved family pet, my mentor or the most painful one - my grandfather.

That’s why Pet Semetary hit me so hard. There’s very little I wouldn’t give up to spend one more day with Grandpa, but unlike Louis in the book, I understand that memory is a better way to keep someone alive.

Review: Bad Glass by Richard E. Gropp

Dean is stuck in a rut.  He hates his major, but father won't pay for college if he becomes a photography major.  Instead Dean takes the last of his tuition money and heads for Spokane, Washington, a city under quarantine.

His goal is to sneak into the city to document it's slow decline, but Dean has no idea what awaits him.  He doesn't know about the madness that has consumed the population and that there's no way of escaping it....

So, I have discovered that it's not wise for me to read too much into the copy on the for the novels I am reading.  Of course they are going to compare it to one of my favorite books.  They want me to read it and I fall prey to it every time. 

For the record, this book was compared House of Leaves, one of the most terrifying and enjoyable books I've ever read, so much expectations were on the high side.  While there were elements of creepy and unexplained that I desired, the book felt anti-climatic.  Maybe there were too many people disappearing and weird monsters...I'm not sure.  It just didn't do it for me, but again then again I was expecting to be as intense as House of Leaves.

And so little can achieve that level of fear. 

The Right to Publish and Inform

So I wanted to talk a little about the Kate Middleton photos. There was piece on NPR about it as I was driving home from the gym last night and here is a portion of it:

 

VICKI BARKER (Narrator): "...even as the duke and duchess' lawyers were preparing their case against Closer, its Italian sister magazine, Chi, was rushing out a special edition showing even more of the photos. Both are owned by Silvio Berlusconi. As prime minister, Berlusconi frequently invoked Italy's privacy laws to keep his colorful personal life out of the papers. British royals, he seems to believe, don't require the same protection. And Italian criminal lawyer Maurizio Bellacosa says it's not yet clear if Italian laws were broken.

MAURIZIO BELLACOSA (quoted on the radio): "It is difficult to say because we really are on the borderline between the right to inform and publish, and on the other side the protection of the privacy."

The right to publish and inform? Um...I wasn't aware that I needed to be informed about Kate Middleton's breasts.

Do You Remember Book It!?

This article in Mental Floss, reminded me what a big deal Book It! was when I was growing up. 

As kid, getting me to read was not a challenge, so when Pizza Hut started the Book It! program, in which students were rewarded with Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizzas coupons for reading, I became a machine.  I had to get that pizza, because if I did I could take all my family members on pizza date. 

For some reason the big deal, was always with the one with my dad.  I'm not sure why it mattered to me so much.  Maybe it was because time between Dad and I wasn't as readily available as it was with my mom, so the couple hours I got him all to myself was huge for me. 

Looking back on it, now I think the whole thing is kinda funny and cute all at the same time.  Here I am so proud that I earned this and basically I'm eating the pizza myself, while Papa paid for his meal and my drink.  I would say that he got the raw end of the deal, but he didn't.

Book It! started a tradition between my father and I - the Pizza Date.  Even today, we'll go see a movie or watch our beloved Ohio University Bobcats play a game and at some point we'll grab a pie to split.  The only difference now is that sometimes we order beer instead of Cokes and once in a while, I pay for the whole thing - not just my little pizza! 

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

I have a bit of a problem when the movie comes out for a book I love - when I see it, I'm always a bit disappointed.  Although there have been some failures over the years (see Tom Hanks hair in The da Vinci Code), rarely does this feeling come from the film itself.  For me the book is so special, that my expectations for the film are so high they are almost impossible to fulfill.  So it was no surprise that I was disappointed in The Hunger Games when I saw it in theaters, but watching it last night on DVD, was a revelation. 

This movie is perfect.  While there have been some changes and adaptations made (the expansion of Caesar Flickerman's role and the addition of the Gamemaker, Seneca Crane) in order to convert the novel to film, there is very little changed about the story.  What changes are made remain true to the book and the characters that began this phenomenon.  

If you've read the book, you will be thrilled with the wverything about the film and if you haven't, well I can't imagine not wanting read the book the moment the credits roled.

Highly recommeneded.

More on the Jack Reacher movie!!!!

While I'm still skeptical about Tom Cruise playing Jack Reacher, I will admit they got one thing right - the desk sergeant! 

Reognize him???  It's Lee Child!!!  How nice of them to give Jack's creator a cameo in the film. 

Literary Insults

Want to criticize someone as well as dazzle others with your superior intelligence?  Well look no further, because Flavorwire did a great piece on the best literary insults.  It's totally made my day.

I may even have to add a few of my own personal favorites....

NPR's Best Loved Young Adult Novels

This summer had readers vote and nominate their favorite Young Adult Novels and Series.  The results were released today and while there were a few trilogies, etc. that I didn't finish, I at least finished the book or a book in the series listed for a total of 38 books

How many have you read?

More of Mara Dyer!

If you haven't had your fill of Mara and you've read at least the first book, check out this piece from Michelle Hodkin.  It's Noah's perspective on first meeting our heroine.  Kinda fun!

Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved the Evolution of Mara Dyer, but if you haven't read the first book, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, please wait until you have read the volume one before reading this review.  Thanks!

When last we left Mara she had seen Jude, her ex-boyfriend who had supposedly died when the asylum crashed, but when she tries warn everyone about it, she's put under psychiatric watch and eventually an outpatient therapy program.  Her condition is considered PTSD from the building collapse and Jude's attempted rape and if Mara can keep smiling, she can convince the world that she doesn't need therapy.  Then she can find out why Jude is there.

As the walls keep closing in on Mara - inexplicable notes appear in her backpack, a childhood doll moves around her home, sleepwalking - Noah is her only saving grace, but how long can she keep pretending?

This was a good sequel.  It gets a little slow in the center, but Hodkin builds to a fantastic cliffhanger, that left me breatheless.  Evolution doesn't come out for over a month and I am already clamoring for the final volume in this series.

High reccommended!!!!!

Retro Review: The Affair by Lee Child

In honor of the new Jack Reacher book being out today, I thought I'd post the review from my old tumblr blog of last year's release, The Affair, which is now in paper back.  Enjoy!

For those of you who are not familiar with the leading character, Jack Reacher is a loner, carrying nothing more than is his toothbrush and wallet at any given time. He drifts from town and during his stay, he inevitably walks into trouble. And because Jack does not like a bully, he always sets things right before he leaves.

This book is little different though.

Lee Child does not often take his on trips to memory lane. We spend most of our time with Jack Reacher as a his is now - a retired military man who wanders across the United States. In this novel, I was delighted to see Child take me back to the beginning. The Affair, his 16th novel ends where The Killing Floor, the first book in the series begins.

It was excellent to say the least. The thing I loved most about this book was that it was written in first person from Jack’s point of view, but not in a traditional way. This was not written as it happened, but as man looking back almost 15 years at a very critical point in his life. Reacher conveys to the reader how different the world was pre-September 11th, but also how different he was before he left the army.

That type of story telling is very rare in a series. Most of the time, when an author delves into character history, it is just that - how the character came to be where he/she is now. They are not prone to reflect on prior events in their lives as people frequently do. By allowing Reacher to do so, Child makes him adds another element of realism to him - further solidifying his relationship with the reader.

Good Job Lee Child!!!! I look forward to reading the next one.

Retro Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I just started the sequel to this fabulous book and I thought I would post my review for book #1, which I read in 2011.  Enjoy!!!

What if one day you woke up only to find out:What if one day you woke up only to find out: What if one day you woke up only to find out:

What if one day you woke up only to find out:

 

•  The condemned asylum, that you & your 3 friends were in, collapsed.

•  Since then, you have been in a coma.

•  The only survivor is you.

•  You have no memory of how it happened.

 

That alone would be difficult to recover from, but then PTSD hallucinations begin. As the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, you begin to wonder, what really happened that night and…if you were the one who killed your friends.

 

Buy this book now! It will keep you up at night, wondering what actually happened to Mara.

 

PS You should know that this book is the first in a series, so we have more to look forward to from Michelle Hodkin.

What if one day you woke up only to find out:   •The condemned asylum, that you and your 3 friends were in, collapsed. •Since then, you have been in a coma. •The only survivor is you. •You have no memory of how it happened. That alone would be difficult to recover from, but then PTSD hallucinations begin. As the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, you begin to wonder, what really happened that night and…if you were the one who killed your friends.   Buy this book now! It will keep you up at n...mo

Review: The White Forest by Adam McOmber

On the outskirts of lives, Jane Silverlake, a young woman living a quiet existence who loves nothing more than spending time with her two best friends, Maddy and Nathan. Things are perfect between them - laughing, sharing secrets and exploring the wild heath in Jane's estate.  

One day Nathan goes missing and Jane has to confront the secret she shared with them - the one that allows Jane to hear the soul of an object. The secret Maddy has done her best to ignore and now they must work together to bring Nathan home.  

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It was purported to be similar to Erin Morgenstern's The Circus, which was one of my top 10 from 2011, but sadly it was not. It's possible that my expectations were too high, but I just found myself bored with the main character. There was nothing that allowed me to connect with her, so instead of sympathizing with how she struggled with her strange powers, I found her to whiney.  Rather than rooting for her to find Nathan, I really just wanted the book to end, so I wouldn’t have to listen to how isolated her magic made her feel.   

For me, this was not a good read, but I also grew impatient with Frodo in the Lord of Rings trilogy for a similar reason – he couldn’t stop talking about how hard it was to carry the ring.  

Just something else to consider….

. 

Retro Review: I Suck at Girls by Justin Hapern

To say I feel neurotic when I’m dating is an understatement. I worry so much. Does he like me? Could he be the one? What if he is the one and I screw it up? This thoughts get me so stressed out that I often consider becoming the crazy dog lady and never leaving my apartment again. Reading I Suck at Girls by Justin Halpern reminded me that this happens to everyone. In this book, he chronicles every failure and triumph he experienced with women up until he proposed to his girlfriend. Justin’s datin...moreREpoReposted from my tumblr blog. To say I feel neurotic when I’m dating is an understatement. I worry so much. Does he like me? Could he be the one? What if he is the one and I screw it up? These thoughts get me so stressed out that I often consider becoming the crazy dog lady and never leaving my apartment again. Reading I Suck at Girls by Justin Halpern reminded me that this happens to everyone. In this book, he chronicles every failure and triumph he experienced with women up until he proposed to his girlfriend. Justin’s dating life has been no more or less glamourous than my own, but between his writing and his father’s always crass yet, direct advice, I realized that we all having our dating follies. Some are meant to be laughed at and others a little more painful, but they take us to where we are today. It may be safer for me to stay indoors with my dog all the time, but then what would I have to talk about with my friends? Anyways if you need a little bit of levity about dating or if you want to laugh your butt off, then read I Suck at Girls. I promise you’ll feel better. Note: The language in this book is not the greatest, so if you’re afraid of being offended, ask some to read it aloud to you and ditch the language.

 

News: An Honest Look at Love from Justin Halpern

Justin Halpern, the author of Shi*t My Dad Says, released another book this past May about his journey to find love, I Suck at Girls.  Both books are wonderful! 

While I'm posting the retro review from my old blog, take a look at this great interview with him on Match.com.

Review: Sun Storm by Asa Larson

Rebecka Martinsson has put her past behind her. The disillusioned small town girl has been replaced by cynical tax attorney at one of the most highly regard law firms in Stockholm, but Rebecka's is stunned when she sees that Viktor, brother of childhood friend and a religious figure at a prominent church, has been murdered.  Her world is shattered when Sanna, Viktor’s sister, calls her moments later to ask for help.   

Now Rebecka must return to her childhood home to face the demons she thought she had left behind long ago. 

So I realize the plot on this sounds rather trite, but instead of sticking to the formula for this type of story – stress of going home, proving to people you’ve changed – Åsa Larsson’s paints a portrait of a woman who goes home without letting it intimidate her.   

Usually the character must stay with a parent/relative and shrinks into the child she or he was, but rather quake in fear when confronted by old foes, Rebecka stays true to the woman she has become.  She does not bend to their will, because our heroine is not there to prove how much she has changed.  Rebecka has moved beyond her small town childhood and is simply there to help a friend.   

I should warn you though, that this series is totally addicting.  Larsson’s work builds into pulse pounding conclusions with only a few pages of resolutions afterwards, resulting in some major cliff hangers.  If handle it, by all means, read on! 

Highly recommended for fans for Scandinavian crime fiction!!!

Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Do you remember 1999?  We were worried about Y2K, the internet was just starting to take hold in our lives and e-mail was just entering the workplace. 

Enter Lincoln O'Neil.  His job at the Courier newspaper is read e-mails and warn anyone who is using inappropriate language or improper topics of discussion.  It's not difficult and while he's bored out of his mind, Lincoln is good at his job.  Until he begins to read the messages between copy editor, Jennifer, and Beth, the movie reviewer. 

They don't care that anyone is reading their mail and their conversations are so interesting that Lincoln can't bring himself to issue the warnings.  The more he reads, the more he likes these women until one day Lincoln realizes that he's in love with Beth.

This book was wonderful, because although it was a love story, it was more a coming of age tale.  Rainbow Rowel paints a beautiful portrait of a boy living in his mother's basement and growing into a man.  Lincoln's account is painfully honest with many failures and small victories that eventually amount into something more. 

Highly reccomended for fans of Jennifer Weiner or Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close.

Review: Carrie by Stephen King

As far as I can recall, Carrie was my forray into the world of Stephen King and it left a definite impression on me.  I understood the social isolation, the way people would stop talking or look at you funny when you came near them, because, in grade school, I was Carrie.  The social pariah was me. 

No sympathy please.  It happened over 20 years ago and while it left some emotional scars, they have long since healed.  The only reason I mention it now, is to give you some context on why I connect on such a deep level to this book. 

Here we have a girl, Carrie, who wants nothing more than to belong.  Unfortunately for her, small town life has a way of preventing that.  On her first day of school she branded a weird girl for kneeling down to pray before she ate her lunch and years later, while not everybody may have remembered why the cruelty started, that single act made Carrietta White, the weird girl.  Anything else - her funny style of clothing (black skirt, white blouse), her plain looks, etc. just became fodder for their harsh actions and remarks, what hurt the most was when she finally found an in road, her classmates destroyed her for it. 

How dare she rise above her station, so she paid them back in kind.  She destroyed the kids, her school and her town, all of which were so uncaring towards her, before for she finally succumbed to her own death. 

On my initial reading of it, there was quite a large piece of me who relished in the pain Carrie doles out, because I never really fought back.  In grade school, I had learned that it defending myself just lead to more attacks and it was just easier to accept my outsider status.  So I kept moving forward, but even when I did collect friends, I kept them at a distance.  That way I could avoid any taunts or jabs they may have wanted to inflict.

It made things a little lonely, but it got me through. 

It wasn't until I became an adult that I realize how truly sad Carrie is.  Unlike me, our heroine never got the pleasure of getting away from everyone, forging a new life for herself, developing her own sense of style or even meeting and befriending other outcasts like herself.  Carrie never got to realize how small high school really is, how it little it matters who you were as a child, like I did.

To gain that perspective you need to become an adult and our girl will never get that chance.  

Review: The Asylum Interviews: Trixie by Jocelynn Drake

Things seem to be going well for Gage, his tattoo business is booming and his old girlfriend, Jo, is back in Low Town to ask a favor of him - Jo's friend, Trixie, is a tattoo artist in need of a job. 

Gage, agrees to look at Trixie's portfolio, but things quickly when he finds out that his interviewee is less interested in landing a job, than she is in getting Jo out of her own sticky situation. 

I'm not familiar with Drake's work, but I thought this was a great introduction for her new series The Asylum Tales, which will be about Gage's tattoo parlor.  It peaked my interest and I am looking forward to finding out what the book has instore for me.  Lucky for me, I've already got it to review!

Recommeded for fans of Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series and Charlaine Harris. 

Review: In a Fix by Linda Grimes

 

What if you could avoid meeting your future mother-in-law, by simply hiring someone to stand in for you - not just stand in; be you.  Well if you have enough money, you can hire a facilitator like Ciel Halligan, whose natural ability allows her to take on another person's aura in orde to become them. 

It's a good business, until Ciel finds out her latest client is involved with an FBI investigaton, being run by her sexy best friend Billy and her long time crush Mark.  Now that Ciel must stay alive long enough to help the boys finish the investigation while trying not to fall in love with either one of them.

This book was a very quick read.  The plot is engaging, but I struggled to really relate to the lead character.  She was your typical headstrong female, but I found Ciel frustrating in a couple aspects:

• She was always disobeying Mark's orders and then falling into enemy hands.  If it had happened once or twice, it would have been alright, but it seemed every time Ciel was told not to do something, she chose to ignore it.  This plot device got very old, very fast.
• My other issue with this book was Mark and Billy.  While I liked the characters, Ciel bounced back and forth between them as if she was in a pinball machine.  One minute, she was getting hot and bothered about Mark and then she kissing Billy.  I would have enjoyed the book more, if the author had picked one relationship to flesh out rather than convoluting the plot with two.

Was it fun?  Yes, aspects of it were and frankly, it could have been too disappointing - I read it in less than 24 hours. 

Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Imagine a world where people no longer had to interact with one another in person.  How would yo feel if going to work was a matter plugging in your laptop and putting on a visor that completely immerses you into a computer world?  What if your World of Warcraft avatar became your representative to the world, because he/she was the one who went to school or work in this virtual reality world? 

Welcome to the world of 2044, where gaming software OASIS has become the standard for living around the world everything from ordering food to attending school can be done through OASIS and the strongest currency is gaming credits.

Now imagine that when OASIS designer James Halliday passes away that he reveals that his fortune is hidden within his virtual creation and the person who finds it will inherit everything.  The game is on.

My God this book was incredible, but what drove it was the world Ernest Cline created.  Let's face it - virtual reality existence is not that far fetched.  We can already got to college, attend business meetings and have every service delivered to us by just sitting at the computer.  Placing on some glasses and gloves that allow to engage in an online reality was not that crazy.  In fact, I wondered what it would be like and I'm not a gamer. 

The other thing that turned me on were the 80s references.  James Halliday was obsessed the topic, because that's when he was a teenager.  Now I admit, I was born early in the decade, so I didn't experience it the same way he would have, but being in on a lot of the references made me feel very special.

Highly recommended!!!

Review: Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs

The 15th book in the Tempe Brennan series takes us back to Montreal, where the good doctor is brought in to consult on the death of an infant, but a further search of the scene finds 2 additional infants in the apartment.  Appalled, Tempe and Detective Ryan pursue mother of the children, only to find stumble themselves in the middle of a crime, they didn't even know existed. 

I liked this one.  Tempe is always a good character and while I was a bit surprised that she didn't focus on the forensics as much, she did have some interesting reasearch on the region, etc.

Nice job, Kathy Reichs.  You keep writing them and I'll keep reading them. 

Review: Stranger in the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams

Keye Street is just trying to pay her bills.  After alcoholism ruined her career as an FBI profiler, Street turned to private investigation to keep things afloat and after a lot of hard work, she just wants the weekend alone with her boyfriend. 

Unfortunately, fate has a way of derailing these things.  This time it comes in the shape of a murder her boyfriend, Dectective Aaron Rauser, must solve...a series of death threats to Keye's cousin Miki and a crematory business in North Georgia that may not be what it seems. 

As Keye wraps completes the crematory case, she begins to realize that Aaron's case and Miki's threats may not be so independent of one another and that she has now attracted the attention of this murderer.

I must say I really enjoyed this book.  Williams has a great way of juggling all these plot lines without letting any one of them fall to the wayside while managing to weave them all into one cohesive story.

Reccomended for anyone who enjoys who loves a good mystery. 

News: Robert Crais on NPR

I'm so excited to share with you that Robert Crais, a favorite author and creator of the Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series, will be featured on NPR's Special Series Crime in the City. The segment will be broadcast on Morning Edition on the morning of 20 August 2012 and Crais will discuss why he chose L.A. as his setting for the books as well as his fabulous characters.
Other authors who have been highlighted include Karin Slaughter and Janet Evanovich. You can find more information about the previous contributors on NPR's Crime in the City page and you can find out more about Robert Crais on his website. 
The photo above is from the 2011 signing for The Sentry that took place at my favorite Houston indie book store, Murder By the Book.  My sister is on the right and I am on the left with Robert Crais in the center. 

Here's the link to the story on NPR.

My Favorite Quote about the Twilight Saga

"Let me get this straight; the vampire impregnates the girl who always looks pissed and then the werewolf wants her baby? I miss John Hughes."

- Zach Braff

Quote: Food for Thought

"A person who publishes a book willfully appears before the populace with his pants down. If it is a good book nothing can hurt him. If it is a bad book nothing can help him."
        - Edna St. Vincent Millay 

I guess the authors who lash out to bloggers, etc. over bad reviews, haven't really considered this....

Review: The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris

When I picked up Deadlocked in this past May, I was really excited.  What's not to like - an intelligent female heroine, sexy vampires (Hello Eric Northman!) and enteraining cast of characters.  They are quick enjoyable reads that always make me happy, but this time it was a little different. 

It had been so long since I'd read any of them (over a year ago when Dead Reckoning was released) that I couldn't remember who any of the more recent characters or storylines.  Who's Michelle?  Tara's married and pregnant?  Eric's day time man?  WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE AND WHAT IS GOING ON?  It was confusing at first, but I was able to bypass my feelings of frustration by vowing to reread the series after I finished the new book.

I am happy to state that I'm on book 11, Dead Reckoning, and I'm enjoying every word of this series.  Even when I had already read the book, I still found myself reading long into the night or blowing off chores just to find out what Sookie would do next. 

So yes, this series stands the test of time and comes as highly reccommeded as my first read back in 2006.

Review: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie

Abby Cooper has a tough life - her best friend/business partner is moving to California, she can barely keep up with the repairs she is making to her home and her new man, Dutch, doesn't believe in psychics.  As if that wasn't bad enough, Dectective Dutch also suspects her of murder.  No big deal!  

Dear Lord, this book was adorable.  Our heroine is so smart, sassy and sarcastic that Victoria Laurie is able to hold her reader's interest no matter what Abby is doing - from getting dressed in the morning to solving a murder.  I loved it!

Highly recommended for fans of Charlaine Harris, Jennifer Crusie or anyone who loves a good cozy mystery. 

Review: Dare Me by Megan Abbott

For years, it's always been Beth Cassidy - grade school, middle school, cheer camp, high school and now the varsity cheerleading squad.  Beth has always been the captain with second, Addy Hanlon by her side, but junior year is different.  There is a new cheerleading coach - hard, dedicated and all the girls find themselves inexplicably drawn to her. 

Suddenly Beth is not on top and the Addy knows there will be consequences.  Coach doesn't believe that Beth has that much power, but Addy knows better....

This book is as amazing as it is sinister.  There are no innocents, because everyone is played or being played.  What really took me aback was the prose.  

In this type of novel, I expect the writing to have a certain flintiness to it, but I did not expect how lyrical it would be.  Abbott has this magic ability to express the cruelty and competitiveness that occurs between teenage girls in almost poetic way.  She described the flipping, turning and twirling in a way that made, even me - a woman in her 30s, long to be part of that elite squad - depsite the fact the politics and back stabbing felt like it could get a girl killed. 

Highly reccommended for fans of Gillian Flynn!!!!!

Review: The Absent One by Jussi Alder-Olsen

 At Department Q, a division of the Denmark police, they only review cold cases, so why the file for an over 20 year murder case with a conviction lands on desk for Carl Mørck, the head of the department, is unknown. With his curiosity peaked, Carl begins his investigation only to find that when some of the most wealthy and powerful men in the country commit crimes, many times there are no consequences.

What our hero doesn’t realize is that vengeance is coming for these men in the form of someone they once knew – a woman named Kimmie.  After living on the streets for years, she has decided to face her demons and destroy those who have hurt her, just as long as they don’t find her first.

The story then becomes a race who will find whom and how many of them will live to tell the tale. 

I was first introduced to Carl Mørck and Department Q by Anne at Murder by the Book last year and it has been a roller coaster of a ride.  Alder-Olsen has the really intense of giving the reader enough background on the story to hold their attention and peppering in little shocks throughout the book until the pulse pounding climax. 

Excellent for reading when you have plenty of time, but reading in bed will make it impossible to sleep at night as readers will be up until all hours trying to finish the book. 

Highly recommended for fans of Tana French or Scandinavian mysteries!

July 31st Releases

Hello Readers! 

Today is a great day, not only because it's new relase day, but also because I've reviewed several things coming out today. 

So check out my reviews of:

• Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis - A very cute romance!
• The Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by Fanny Merkin (AKA Andrew Schaffer) - Hilarious parody of Fifty Shades of Grey
• Miss Me When I'm Gone by Emily Arsenault - A beautiful litereay mystery

Happy Reading!!!

The Book Girl (AKA SandraDeeC)

Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

I will begin by stating that fans of the Fifty Shades Trilogy will really enjoy this book.  The characters, the story trajectory, etc. will definitely remind you of why you fell in love with Ana and Christian. 

But then again, I didn't enjoy the time I spent with Ms. Steele and Mr. Grey, so Beautiful Disaster is not something I would recommend.  

For me this book was tedious, because I found myself continually frustrated with Abby for not leaving a man who was borderline abusive.  I understand that some women find the idea of rescuing the tortured man romantic, but Travis?  Really?  Every time we turned around, he was either going off the deep end by beating someone up or manipulating Abby back into his arms.  

The only bright spot in the plot that could have been expanded on really to change the way the book turned out was the a brief section about where Abby must confront her past.  Suddenly we understand why she’s fighting so hard against him, but instead of eliciting a feeling of empathy for our heroine, I just became more angry when she went back to her creepy, jealous and overly possessive boyfriend.

Again, if you are a fan of Fifty Shades, you will love it, but if you shied away from their story I suggest you stay away from this one too.