Monday, March 31, 2014

PRINCEPS' FURY / Jim Butcher, read by Kate Reading / 400 Pages

The 5th title in his 'Codex Alera' series, PRINCEPS' FURY by Jim Butcher,
continues the story of Tavi, now revealed as Princeps Giaus Octavian, heir to the First Lord of Alera.

Following the events of Captain's Fury, Tavi and his legions are escorting the Canim invaders back to their homeland, only to find Carnea has been decimated by the dread Vord. Enemies must join together and fight side by side if they are to have any hope of surviving, much less escape.

Back home, the First Lord and the people of Alera are struggling to recover from the ravages resulting from the revolt of High Lord Kalare. Then word comes of more destruction and death in the south - the Vord have come to Alera and learned how to use fury craft.

Kate Reading engages the listener's attention with her distinct voicing of each character, including deep bass Canim and emotionless Vord queens.

For those who enjoy intricately plotted, fast-paced, epic fantasy.

HOW TO ENTICE AN EARL / Miranda Collins / 324 Pages

HOW TO ENTICE AN EARL is the third in Miranda Collins' 'Ugly Ducklings' series, following How to Dance With a Duke and How to Romance a Rake.

Christian Monteith, the new Earl of Gresham, is investigating an espionage plot which may involve the outspoken Lady Madeline Essex's brother and isn't too happy when she shows up at the same gaming house doing research for a novel. A dead body, a mysterious madman, and a scandalous kiss bring these two old family 'friends' closer than they ever thought possible, providing readers with a fast-paced and witty historical romance.

Fans of romance series which follow interconnected families should enjoy Collins' sexy, thrilling love story.

RAteam Reading for March 2014 / Biography-Autobiography

6 - Readers
6 - Books
2,484 - Total Pages

Red Rising/Pierce Brown/382 pgs.

This is Hunger Games meets Divergent--yet more on an adult level. This dystopian society is comprised of a caste system depicted by one's color. Darrow, the main character, is a "Red," a member of the lowest group in the system. Initially, he believes that he and the other Reds are making Mars habitable for future generations. Through various means and personal loss, Darrow discovers that he and his kind have been duped. He becomes a revolutionary, and ultimately hopes to infiltrate the highest order of the caste system--the Golds, and somehow bring about freedom and justice for all. This is the first in a projected trilogy, and it's quite thought provoking. It took me about 50 pages to really get into the book, but it was worth it. I'm looking forward to the next installment, Golden Son. I highly recommend this book!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

A Circle of Wives / Alice LaPlante / 311 pages / 6 Geese-a-Laying Challenge

A most unlikely detective is charged with investigating a most unusual case.  Young Sam Adams (Samantha) took the detective exam after working campus security. Her first major case involves the death of a prominent physician at a luxury hotel.  Evidence indicates the death was not natural.  His heart attack was caused by an injection of potassium.  Sam discovers that Dr. John Taylor had multiple wives.  Did one of them kill him?  All have seemingly airtight alibis...  This page-turner deals with the complexities of love, relationships, and marriage and was a most intriguing read.

The Weight of Blood / Laura McHigh / 306 pages / 5 Gold Rings & 6 Geese-a-Laying Challenge

When one of her friends, Cheri, is found murdered after being missing for one year, Lucy Dane decides to investigate.  With the help of fellow high schooler and workmate, Daniel, she finds a necklace she had given Cheri, which she always wore, in an abandoned trailer on her uncle's farm.  She determines that while she is investigating one disappearance, she will also ask questions about her own mother's disappearance years ago.  Lucy discovers "there were plenty of other things to hide, so many secrets burrowing down into the dark like roots knotted deep in the earth."  Set in the Ozarks near Branson, this is a gripping story of family, depravity, and wickedness masquerading as respectability.


"The smart thing's not always right."

4th of July / James Patterson/ 471 pages / USA Today Bestseller November Challenge

Detective Lindsay Boxer is living a nightmare.  She is being sued for wrongful death when she is forced to shoot a teenager in self defense after the teenage had shot Lindsay.  The girl died and her brother was seriously injured.  Her partner was also critically injured during the shootout.  Taking time off from the hectic badgering of reporters, Lindsay retires to the picturesque town of Half Moon Bay where she is immediately swept into the investigation of a series of recent brutal slayings...and the slayings match the MO of Lindsay's first case which is as yet unsolved.  This is a gripping read.  The reader totally empathizes with the heroine.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Storm Front / Jim Butcher / 322 p.

Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard.   He sells his services in Chicago as the only openly practicing wizard in the world. Because of this and the unfortunate event in his early life that resulted in the death of his mentor, Harry is looked at with skepticism by most; with antagonism by the "White Council."

Harry has a strong sense of right and wrong and does his best to break no laws--both human and magical.  But it is very difficult when he is trying to assist the police in figuring out horrific murders of unworldly origin.

I listened to the audio version and just LOVED the narration by actor James Marsters. This is the first of the series and great for those who want some light reading in the supernatural genre.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Camel Bookmobile/ Masha Hamilton/ 308 pages

This is the story of Fiona who volunteers to work the Camel Bookmobile in Africa for several months.  I thought it was going to be more the story of the Librarian and her experiences traveling to Africa.  But, it was not--it was mostly the story of a village and how all the people's lives connect to each other and how the influence of the library is affecting them.  We read this for book club and everyone loved it.  Thought provoking and good read.

The Fault In Our Stars / John Green / 318 pages

Listening to Fault In Our Stars was a wonderful experience.  Once again John Green gets the story, the characters and the plot just right.  His books do a fantastic job of making us think, feel, and consider what his characters are experiencing and how their lives impact our own lives and thoughts.  Green manages to make being a teen, in love and living with terminal cancer touching without being maudlin and even uplifting.  You want to know what it feels like to be dying from cancer...read this book.  Kate Rudd's reading of the enhanced the book...especially pronunciation of those Dutch names and places!  The audio includes a very thoughtful and insightful interview with John Green so keep listening after the story ends!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Bruiser / Neal Shusterma / 328 pages

     This Truman nominee book was one that I didn't want to finish, but I couldn't turn away.  Brewster, or Bruiser, is an empath.  He takes on other people's emotions and other people's actual physical injuries.  Luckily it only works with people he cares about.  He is a loner with no friends when Bronte decides to befriend him and make him a boyfriend.  Her twin brother Tennyson also becomes a friend. 
     The conflict revolves around Brewster, his abusive uncle, his younger brother Cody, and his secret.  Awful things happen in his home life.  His uncle is a sick, twisted individual who tries to keep Brewster isolated from all others while using him for his own ends.
     Bronte tries to help him make friends and become a part of school life with unintended consequences.  Her brother also helps Brewster, but finds himself using him for his own ends.  The whole book has to come to a resolution for Brewster or he will not be able to survive.
     The character could be compared to the Appalachian "sin eater" or even to a Christ figure taking on "sins" of others.  There is much that could be discussed in a group in this book.  It is not black and white or at all clear cut.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Will Grayson, Will Grayson / John Green & David Levithan / 310 pages

Two superstar authors team up to write a mind-blowing book about two boys named Will Grayson.  Fate brings the two boys together and helps them to understand about life, love, and friendship.  The book is packed with characters who will make you laugh and cry, plot lines that build to a rousing conclusion, and messages that will leave you nodding.  You will never forget Tiny Cooper the football player who is really, really gay, Will Grayson who is afraid to care, and will grayson a severely depressed boy.  If you are a teen, it would be hard NOT to like all of the books by John Green and David Levithan. They get it right.  High School.

The Dead in their Vaulted Arches / Alan Bradley / 310 pages

Once you have read a Flavia de Luce novel, you are a Flavia de Luce fan through and through forever.  In this addition to the series, the precocious Flavia must deal with the return and burial of her mother's body which has been recovered from the ice years after she died.  In her usual style, Flavia uncovers the truth about her mother's death and discovers a secret about her family that effects her future.  The mixture of science, family, history, and secrets will keep you up turning the pages until you can't keep your eyes open.

Will in Scarlet / Matthew Cody / 260 pages

Matthew Cody presents readers with a wonderful historical adventure set in the late 12th century.  Will, the son of nobility, is ousted from his family's castle when King John hears that Richard, his brother the true King, is homeward bound from the crusades.  John decides to dethrone Richard and grab land and power.  This adventure tells the story of how Will, the sheltered boy on the run, joins forces with the drunken outlaw Rob who becomes the Robin Hood of legend...stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.  Grades 4-7

Curtsies & Conspiracies / Gail Carriger / 310 pages

This is the 2nd book in the Finishing School series in which Sophronia is a student in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies which is a school for spies located in a dirigible.  This book has plenty of intrigue, suspense, steampunk, supernatural, and girl issues to keep you amused and reading on to discover how the clever Sophronia proves herself to be a standout student at the school.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Death of a Policeman/M.C. Beaton/264 pages/2 December Challenges Met

Hamish Macbeth knows that his police station in his perfect little town of Lochdubh is in danger of being closed down. Detective Chief Inspector Blair would like nothing better than to get rid of Hamish who has a way of solving the murder cases that come his way and making Blair look foolish in the process. When the undercover policeman that Blair sends down to spy on Hamish gets murdered, Hamish first has to prove he didn't do it and then find who did. The trail leads back to a restaurant where both Blair and his boss, Superintendent Daviot dine regularly. Is there a connection? Meanwhile, Hamish's fellow police officer and housemate finds himself attracted to more than one lady but suffers nothing but heartbreak trying to catch one lady between engagements and another one before she leaves his life for good.

Another fine Beaton mystery.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age / W. Bernard Carlson / 500 p.

This book is for the TRUE science geek. It is interesting to learn about society's fascination with science at the end of the 19th century. Electricity was an exciting thing! Quite a few scientists were competing to find the ways to harness and use electricity for power and for communication. And there is no doubt that Tesla was a genius. But for most of us, the endless pages of intricate descriptions of exactly how all of this works meant lots of scanning and that detracted from the biography of the man. And, unfortunately, despite Tesla's genius he left much undone because of some quirks in his personality. This is why the name Edison has always overshadowed Tesla.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker / Jennifer Chiaverini / 352 p.

Elizabeth Keckley was much more than just Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker. As a frequent visitor to the White House, Elizabeth became a close friend to the First Lady as well as a witness to such an historic time in our history. Much of this book is based on the original autobiography that Elizabeth wrote a few years after the President's assassination. I very much enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book and getting to know Mrs. Lincoln through the eyes of Elizabeth Keckley. I know this was fictionalized, but I think it truly reflects the events and personalities of the time.

I Left My Heart/Debbie Macomber/379 pgs./Twelve Days of Christmas Challenge (5 Golden Rings)

This is two of Macomber's earlier novels, A Friend or Two, and No Competition, under one cover with a new title. Both stories are set in San Francisco, involve strong attraction between the main characters, misunderstandings, and the requisite happy ending. It's fluff, but entertaining!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Betrayal/Gregg Olsen/273 pages

When Olivia Grant, a foreign exchange student from the U.K., is stabbed to death in her new BFF's bedroom during a unsupervised Halloween party, the whole town of Port Gamble is shocked. Accusations start flying about both her BFF Brianna and her exchange sponsor, Beth. Twins Taylor and Hayley Ryan want to help their friend Beth and find out what really happened to Olivia. Taylor and Hayley's secret talent for seeing what others can't will help them find the truth. Their involuntary involvement from a long ago town tragedy will put them in danger.


The newest in the Empty Coffin series, this novel is based on the Amanda Knox case which is still making headlines. Even though this is a YA novel, I would recommend it for anyone. The characters of Taylor and Hayley are particularly interesting to me. The details of their lives and their parent's lives are coming out bit by bit in each novel, and that makes me just want more. I'm looking forward to his next novel.

Standup Guy/Stuart Woods/312 pages

Stone Barrington, who is now worth a bazillion dollars, offers legal advice to a man who has just come into several million dollars. Since the money is probably the proceeds from a robbery committed over 20 years ago, the legal standing is uncertain at best. Stone gives the man his best legal counsel and sends him on his way. Stone then has to deal with the accomplices who want the money for themselves. Oh, and he hobnobs with the President and First Lady. All in a day's work.


Monday, March 17, 2014

In the Blood/Lisa Unger/352 pgs.

I read the ARC version of the book, and was drawn in from the first page.  It is told in Lana Granger's voice, a psychology student in a small, private college in upstate New York.  She has experienced a troubled childhood, and takes the job as a babysitter for Luke Kahn, a very disturbed youngster, whom she feels she will be able to help. Luke is not just disturbed, he has psychopathic tendencies. Then, one of Lana's roommate's goes missing, and more of Lana's secrets surface as she becomes the focus of a police investigation. There are twists, turns, suspense--you name it, this book has it! It's a psychological suspense mystery of the first degree. Recommended!

Compound Fractures/Stephen White/438 pgs.

This concludes Stephen White's Dr. Alan Gregory series. Having followed this series from start to finish, I was anxious to see how Stephen White was going to wrap it up. How was he going handle a murder that happened years ago, in which Alan Gregory was involved? Was Alan's wife's murder truly an accident? On the whole, I was satisfied with the series' conclusion, and am curious where Stephen White will go from here!

Poisoner's Handbook / Deborah Blum 545 p.

The subtitle, Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, tells concisely what the book is about.  CSI, NCIS, and even Perry Mason, would be nowhere without the efforts of  toxicologists and medical examiners, specifically, Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler.  Together these two elevated forensic science in this country.  Nowadays, it is expected that the medical examiner be a trained professional.  Dr. Norris was Manhattan's first trained medical examiner and Dr. Gettler, its first toxicologist.  In the 1900's, poisons were everywhere and readily available to everyone, chloroform, arsenic, and cyanide.  They were used in patent medicines, face creams, and rat poisons.  These two worked to establish the science.  For Dr. Gettler this meant not only finding the poison but also working out just how much was absorbed, how much was needed, and developing the tests to find the poisons.  Such was his research that his papers are still quoted today.

Drs. Norris and Gettler feared the predicted deaths would increase when Prohibition was enacted.  And they were correct.  The movies made speak-easies of prohibition, to be fun places.  In truth, these were dispensers of poison.  Death rose during prohibition. The federal government sought to ever increase the poisons in alcohols, while the bootleggers sought to remove the poisons; but they were never 100% effective.  Poisons were always left behind.  Patrons of speak-easies flirted with death.

Blum's style was fast-paced and read like a suspense novel.

Hesitant Heart / Carla Kelly 281 p.

In The Hesitant Heart, Carla Kelly sets up a romance in the west at an army garrison just at the time of the Sioux Wars.  Susanna Hopkins has divorced her abusive husband and forced to leave behind her son.  She doesn't have enough money to get her to her new life as a teacher of officers' children at a Western army fort.  Luckily, her cousin has asked a favor of Major Joseph Randolph--to give her a ride to the fort.  Her cousin, to help her be more accepted, tells a lie.  It is quickly found out and spreads through the fort.  The Major becomes her supporter and friend.  He, too, carries a loss equal to her own.

Kelly creates realistic yet sympathetic characters that stay with you.

A possible read-alike for Mary Balogh without the sensual nature of Balogh's books.

Let Sleeping Rogues Lie / Sabrina Jeffries 374 p.

Jeffries presents her fourth book in her School for Heiresses series.  Anthony Dalton, Viscount Norcourt, needs to prove he is an excellent guardian for his orphan niece by enrolling her in the prestigious school.  He finds himself giving instructions to the senior girls on how to identify and avoid the rakes as they go out into the marriage mart.  He is drawn to the very sensible teacher, Madeline Prescot.  Madeline has a hidden agenda for meeting with Anthony.  She wants to meet Sir Humphrey Davy, expert with nitrous oxide.  Sir Humphrey's expertise will clear her physician father's reputation.  Very hot chemistry between Madeline and Anthony makes this a very sensuous romance.

"Q" is for Quarry / Sue Grafton 385 p. USA Today Bestseller

Kinsey Millhone returns for this 17th in the series.  She joins forces with Lieutenant Con Doyle to raise the spirits of his 73-old mentor Stacey Oliphant, cancer victim.  Stacey is still concerned about a young unidentified female found 18 years before near a quarry off California's Highway 1.  The victim was stabbed multiple times with her wrists bound with wire.  There was so little to go on that the detectives had to abandon the case after a few months.  Doyle and Oliphant want Kinsey to find the killer.  She reviews the police reports.  Grafton skillfully turns up clues that make it a real chase for the killer.  The characterizations of the two old policemen, Doyle and Oliphant make this a fun and interesting read.


Friday, March 14, 2014

The Big Book Challenge: March's Reading Challenge


So, remember when you were in school and it always felt like the English Teacher had it in for you when they assigned you to read that 1,000 page book?!  

Well guess what folks, the powers that be (AKA. The MO Book Challenge), have decided that the "Wild Card" category in this year's State Challenge is to see which team reads the most books that are more than 700 pages.  

So, to boost our numbers I will give you "5" bonus points for every book you read that is over 700 pages.

 Let's show everyone that there are worthy books out there that just happen to be long.   That Long does NOT equal Boring!!! 

(btw: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is 759 pgs. long - just saying)

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Anyone but you / Jennifer Crusie / 224 pages

     Thankfully I listened to this on cd as it did not come close to a page-turner.
Definitely set in the 1990's, the plot revolves around Nina, newly divorced, forty, and the proud mother of a part basset that she saves from "death row" at a shelter.  She, of course, is not interested in another marriage, but meets a man who, of course, is a doctor.  The sticking point is that she is 10 years older than he is.  All this sounded good in the book proposal, but becomes tedious as the plot continues to go around and around before she finally gets the insight she needs and all ends well.
    Usually, the author is more amusing than in this book.  It was dated, but not historical, had male/female stereotypes while trying to break them.  Meh.

Monday, March 10, 2014

The Longest Date: life as a wife/Cindy Chupack/212 pgs.

I was unfamiliar with this author prior to reading her book. I think it was the title of the book that lured me in! This is Cindy Chupack's account of going from a bachelorette, to a wife--at the end of her 30's. There is humor and sadness (especially her struggles to become a mom). She's very straight forward with her feelings, and doesn't try to sugarcoat anything. It was worth reading!

Blackberry Pie Murder/Joanne Fluke/357 pages

Hannah Swenson's life isn't usually quiet and calm, but everything seems to be going pretty well these days. Her biggest problem is trying to get her mother to commit to some wedding plans for her upcoming nuptials to Doc. Her life takes a sudden turn when she accidentally hits a pedestrian while trying to avoid a downed tree branch during a raging thunderstorm. Her subsequent arrest for murder affects all those around her.


Not everything is tied up in neat little knots at the end of the book, but it is still a satisfying mystery loaded with great sounding recipes.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Firebrand / Antony John / 293 pages / 8 Maids-a-Milking December Challenge

"When John White returned to Roanoke Island from England, where he had gone to replenish supplies for the colony, he discovered that the youngest children had developed the ability to control the elements." White was amazed but "he suspected the other colonists had left because they were afraid of the elementals.  He was afraid his crew would accuse the children of witchcraft...and drown them or burn them at the stake, as was the custom.  So White lied to the members of the expedition; he said he'd found no one on the island.  The crew returned home and a legend known as The Lost Colony was born."  Now centuries later, the descendants of the original elementals are fractured and decimated.  After their colony was struck by a hurricane and attacked by pirates, the survivors sought shelter in the colony at Fort Sumter.  What happens next could be humankind's last chance at survival.  Rats and plague could wipe out all life. This outstanding YA read is a riveting paranormal, rapid fire adventure with a cliffhanger ending sure to be a hit.  I love the historical impetus for the tale.

The Last Secret of the Temple / Paul Sussman / 416 pages / 5 Gold Rings December Challenge

What a timely find!  This book alternates between Egypt and Israel, with a critical side trip to Germany.  I have traveled to Egypt and just returned from Israel so many of the sites referred to in the book were quite familiar to me and really made the book come alive.  Investigating an old murder case, Inspector Yusuf Ezz el-Din Khalifa discovers that his love of history and antiquities is invaluable as he links a new death - that of Piet Jansen - to the cold case.  It appears that Jansen had been on the trail of a holy relic from the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, just before its destruction at the hands of the Romans.  Arieh is a washed-up detective in Israel and is called upon to follow various leads in the case in his homeland.  He has taken to drink after the death of his recently proposed to fiancée.  This book deals with so much history!...Israel's, Egypt's, Nazi Germany's, present day Palestinian/Israeli conflict...and is almost impossible to put down.


"Always go towards what you fear, and always seek what you don't understand, because that is how you grow and become a better person."


"God makes the world new every single day."

One Came Home / Amy Timberlake / 257 pages / 8 Maids-a-Milking December Challenge

Georgie Burkhardt's big sister, Agatha, left with pigeoners. The sheriff went to find her and brought back a body in Agatha's dress.  The face and both hands were missing, so Georgie refuses to accept the identification.  She determines to go to Dog Hollow to discover the truth.  Georgie is accompanied by one of her sister's beaus, Billy McCabe.  Georgie's story begins with an account of the largest passenger pigeon nesting in Wisconsin, in 1871.  Her odyssey to find her sister sees her dealing with a cantankerous old mule, a ferocious cougar, counterfeiters, and murderers.  This is a riveting, fascinating story of one young girl's determination, love of family, and attempt to understand an at times difficult world - a true heroine.

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing / Sheila Turnage / 352 pages

"Few people know it, but waitressing is like deep cover - with tips."  Miss Moses LoBeau, rising sixth grader and co-founder of the Desperado Detective Agency, works the café with her family of choice - Miss Lana and the Colonel.  When the countryside around the town of Tupelo is plastered with signs announcing the auction of the ancient Tupelo Inn on the outskirts of town, rumors abound about its closing October 22, 1938.  Was murder involved?  When Miss Lana and Grandmother Miss Lacy Thornton buy the Inn to keep it out of the hands of bad neighbors, Mo and Dale kick their investigations up a notch.  This is a most enjoyable second installment in the investigations of the DDA.


"It's never too late to make a better decision."

Enders / Lissa Price / 273 pages

"I'm telling you if there's one thing I learned from this whole body bank mess, it's that looks are overrated.  It's about being you.  Because looks come and go.  But nobody else can be you."  So says Callie Woodland in this sequel to Starters.  This is an excellent, gripping read.  This dystopian novel follows Callie and her friends, Michael and Hyden, as they attempt to halt the tactics of the diabolical owner of Prime Destinations.  Recommended by Dean Koontz and Kami Garcia, this book has been touted as the next must read after the Hunger Games.

Blood Safari / Deon Meyer and K. L. Seegers / 334 pages

Emma Le Roux hires Martin Fitzroy Lemmer as a bodyguard.  What she really needs is a combination detective/bodyguard.  Her house was recently breached by several men wearing balaclavas.  They broke down her front door, pursued her out the back, and only desisted when her neighbor fired his shotgun at them,  She needs Lemmer to protect her and help her discover the fate of her missing, presumed dead, older brother.

Bear Is Broken / Lachlan Smith / 241 pages

Monkey Boy's family was shattered when he was ten and his brother, Teddy, was twenty-two.  His mother was murdered and his father was incarcerated for the deed.  His brother has become one of the most sought after criminal defense lawyers in northern California and Leo Maxwell himself has just gotten his law degree,  His brother, Teddy, is shot in the head in a local restaurant while Leo watches in horror.  His brother is in a coma and has a very slim chance of recovery.  Leo takes over Teddy's pending cases, while investigating the assault on his brother.  Is it possible that the attack relates to his mother's slaying years ago?  This engaging read has multiple twists and turns in both plot and characters, and ends realistically.

Summer Sisters / Judy Blume / 400 pages / USA Today Bestseller

This Judy Blume book was a complete surprise to me!  It is catalogued as adult fiction and rightfully so.  I would hate for a younger fan of Judy Blume to ever get their hands on this.  It is the story of two summer sisters, Victoria and Caitlin.  They seem to be opposites.  Vix is shy, working class, and a bit plain,  Caitlin is wild, rich, and beautiful.  The friendship begins when Caitlin invites Vix to join her family on Martha's Vineyard for the summer.  The two discover boys, sex, and secrets over the next six summers.  The two friends grow apart as friends sometimes do and are brought back together as Caitlin marries...

Friday, March 7, 2014

Once a Gentleman / Candice Hern 373 p.

Nicholas Parrish has no intentions of getting married.  He certainly would not chose Prudence.  He is political.  He has a desire to effect changes in England for the workers.  Marriage is not on his horizon.  When Prudence, an employee of The Ladies' Fashionable Cabinet, the magazine he and his sister run from their house, falls asleep at her desk.  Her father comes demanding marriage.  He does the gentlemanly thing and marries Prudence.   He plans a marriage in name only, that is until, Prudence becomes his wife.

A possible read-alike for Mary Balogh.

Perfect Rake / Anne Gracie 360 p.

Prudence made a promise to her mother before she died to take care of her sisters.   The orphan sisters are placed with their grandfather who is physically and verbally very abusive to them.  When he is laid up with an injury, Prudence puts her escape plan for the five of them into action.  They travel to London to stay with an uncle.  Her dreams of happy marriages for them are thwarted when their uncle wants Prudence, the plain one, to be wed before the beauties.  She claims a long secret engagement to a duke. When she arrives at the duke's home, she mistakes Gideon, Lord Carradice, for the duke.  He is a rake who can make women swoon.  He is attracted to Prudence.  When the duke and her uncle appear on the scene, Prudence spins ever more tales.  Gideon is so charmed by Prudence he is willing to play the game.  And the romances, yes, there are more than one, begin.

This author's works may appeal to readers of Mary Balogh's works.

Arrangement / Mary Balogh 380 p.

With The Arrangement, Mary Balogh continues her septet-series Survivors' Club with the telling of war-blinded Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh.  Vincent finds himself preferring the company of other Napoleonic War survivors.  They each have life changing post war issues.  His sisters' plot to get him married.  There is a need for an heir.  When the sisters' choice admits she is willing to martyr herself and marry him, he flees to a remote country village.  Even there another marital trap is set.  When Sophia Fry's intervenes to prevent the trap, she is tossed out of her stingy aunt's house immediately.  When the minister tells Vincent that Sophia spent the night in the church, he acts.  His offer of marriage is turned down.  He is drawn to Sophia because she treats him like a man; not an invalid.  He finally convinces her that he needs a wife of his own choosing and she needs his protection from abject poverty.  Will this arrangement end up working for both of them?  Balogh shows thoughtfulness as she presents a romance where the characters are both damaged.

Lord of the Silent / Elizabeth Peters 404 p.

Amelia Peabody Emerson returns in this 15th book in the series.  Amelia and her family return to Cairo, Egypt to research in the archaeological digs during World War I.  To keep her son Ramses out of the spy business that endangered her son in the past, Amelia sends him and his wife to check on old digs.   Tomb robbers are busy at work; dead bodies pile up; and, an old adversary is back.  Finally, the family and friends unite to solve the mysteries.Told with wit and a bit of romance, Peters interweaves British 20th century society, Egyptology, with murder mysteries delightfully.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Innocence / Dean Koontz / 338 pages

I don't know how Dean Koontz does it.  He is so prolific, writes all of his own books (thank you very much) and gives us beautifully written stories that make us think.  Innocence is disturbing in a number of ways.  He tells a great story with some horror elements but the scary part of the story is what happens (is happening?) to mankind.  Are we afraid to see the truth of what we are becoming?  If you could choose a contemporary author to meet...a good choice might be Dean Koontz.

Don't Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from my Grandmothers / Adriana Trigiani / 198 pages

Trigiani shares the story of her two, very different, grandmothers and how they shaped her life and her writing.  The book is liberally sprinkled with family photos and is a joy to read.  If you've ever read any of Trigiani's fiction titles, you will definitely recognize how she has used the stories of her grandmothers in her books.  This would be a fabulous book discussion club book in which all of the participants could share some of the ways their grandmothers made an impact on their lives.  Entertaining, touching, inspiring, and highly readable.  Great book...so read it and think about your grandma or the impact you might be having on your own grandchildren!

Night Film / Marisha Pessl / 592 pages

I suppose you might call this a literary mystery.  Certainly the book dwells more on the characters who are seeking answers to what happened to the daughter of the eccentric and elusive horror film director Cordova.  This is a story that has twists, turns, plots within plots, until you think you might be going mad just like some of the characters who begin questioning their own beliefs.  The author uses inserts of online articles, photos, and other techy touches to draw the reader into the story.  Well-written and intriguing. 

Looking for Alaska / John Green / 221 pages

I listened to this book on CD and found it totally amazing and enthralling.  John Green writes for teens...not adults who might like to read teen books...and I can see why teens love his books.  Looking for Alaska is a fantastic book for high school readers.  Green captures the emotions, thoughts, feelings of his teen characters and shares important ways of looking at things that happen to each of us.  The adult reader may feel a bit uncomfortable but I'm pretty sure you will recognize your "teen self" in some of the characters.

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon / Alexander McCall Smith / 242 pages

Each time I read a No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novel, I feel good, calm, and re-balanced.  The traditionally built Precious Ramotswe and her quirky 97% "associate" Grace Makutsi are entertaining and likable characters.  They conduct the business of their private detective agency with a common sense attitude and make the right decisions for their clients.  Their history, families, coworkers and friends provide humor and pathos to convey great lessons about life, love and friendship.   If this is a little piece of the culture of Botswana, we should all go there and discover the "old ways."

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

The Eye of Minds / James Dashner / 310 pages

The Virtnet is a gamer's paradise. It "offers total mind and body immersion. It's addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without chance of death, or just hang around with virtual friends." Michael is the ultimate gamer and he and his friends, Bryson and Sarah, are the Terrible Trio, the Trifecta to Dissect-ya, the Burn-and-Pillage-y-Trilogy. But when Michael enters a game to talk a girl out of suicide for experience points, she declares that she is finished playing games. She has been trapped by a cyber terrorist, Kaine, and his Kill Sims. Michael is enlisted by the Virtnet Security to find Kaine and his Mortality Doctrine. Kaine is aware of their scrutiny and threatens their real and virtual existence if they continue.  Fans of Maze Runner should love this new one by James Dashner.

Sleepyhead / Mark Billingham / 310 pages

Mark Billingham has twice received the Theakton's Old Peculiar Award for the Best Crime Novel of the Year and has won a Sherlock Award for the Best Detective Created by a British writer. Each of the novels featuring Detective Tom Thorne has been a Sunday Times Bestseller, and the first has been made into a hit TV series. In this installment, Detective Thorne must figure out who is enticing young women and then murdering them. "The victims suffer death due to constriction of the basilar artery. Some maniac was targeting women...pumping them full of drugs, and giving them strokes." One of them, Alison, survives the attack and now manifests the Locked-In Syndrome.  Is it possible that this was what the perpetrator intended? Obviously the murderer has medical knowledge and skill. Detective Thorne suspects Dr. Jeremy Bishop and he is determined to get him. Haunted by ghosts from the past, Thorne's relentless pursuit, dogged determination, romantic interests, and co-worker dynamics make for a great mystery, even if you do figure out the culprit before he does.

Three Times Lucky / Sheila Turnage / 312 pages

Miss Moses Lobeau, a 6th grader, is three times lucky. "Lucky once when her upstream mother tied [her] to a makeshift raft and sent [her] downstream to safety. (It was during a hurricane.) Lucky twice when the Colonel crashed his car and stumbled to the creek just in time to snatch [her] from the flood. Lucky three times when Miss Lana took [her] in like [she] was her own and kept [her]. " She now lives with the Colonel and Miss Lana who are like a family to her and is on a quest to find her birth mother. She sends notes in bottles with various townspeople when they go out of town, hoping that her birth mother will find one and respond. She is researching for her autobiography and has filled 5 notebooks. She and her best friend, Dale, are the Desperado Detectives and have a murder, a missing person, and a much-too-close-to-home kidnapping to solve.  This book was a Newbery Award Honor book, rightfully so.

"We can't change the past. We can only be grateful for the life of a new day, and move on."

Takedown Twenty / Janet Evanovich / 337 pages / USA Today Bestseller Challenge

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum thinks it might just be time to become engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Joe Morrelli, one of Trenton's finest. She won a slow cooker and purchases a vacuum. What more does she need? Stephanie and Lula are in search of Joe's godfather, mobster Salvatore "Uncle Sunny" Sunucchi. He has jumped bond after being charged with murder for running over a guy twice. Stephanie is also helping Ranger investigate the Dumpster Murders of Bingo-playing senior citizens. Add Grandma Mazor's amores, Stephanie's family's penchant for matchmaking, a giraffe named Kevin...and once again you have a hilarious tale of murder, romance, wrecked and stolen cars, etc.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Someday, Someday, Maybe/Lauren Graham/344 pages

Franny Banks is an aspiring actress. She's on the last six months of her self-imposed three-year deadline to became a working actress on Broadway doing important roles. If she doesn't make it, then she'll move to Chicago with her long-time sorta boyfriend where he is finishing up law school. They'll start a life together, and she'll be done with acting forever. So, this last six months makes all the difference in her life.


Written by Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood fame, this is an inside look at how the entertainment industry works and how the people in it deal with the rejection and the strangeness of it all. For those Gilmore Girls fans, I don't know if Amy Sherman-Palladino wrote Lorelei's dialogue after meeting Lauren Graham or if Lauren Graham is duplicating Sherman-Palladino's style, but Franny sure sounds like Lorelei.

Monday, March 3, 2014

The Alchemist/Paulo Coelho/197 pgs.

One of the book club ladies made me promise to read this before our next meeting, and I'm so glad I did! On the surface, it's a story about an Andalusian shepherd boy, Santiago, who loves to travel, and is in search of a special treasure--however, he's uncertain what the "treasure" is that he is seeking. Santiago learns many life lessons along the way, and makes the reader re-evaluate his/her own journey on this earth. It's inspirational in a non-preachy way, and highly recommended! I would especially recommend it to readers who like Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven.