Category: A

A, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2013, Review Book

2013.6 REVIEW – Death Has Its Benefits by Ronald Aiken

Tara

Death Has Its Benefits
by Ronald Aiken

Copyright: 2012
Pages: 271
Read: Jan. 23 – 27, 2013
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 6
Format: Print
Source: Author

Death Has its BenefitsBlurb:  What would you do if your best friend told you his boss was going to kill him? Try to save his life because he once saved yours? Well if you’re Tony Benson, and your best friend is a prankster like Leo Radigan, you’d do nothing, just laugh it off and say, “That’s a novel approach to work-force reduction.” If only it was that simple.

Leo’s boss, the mysterious Hike Meurtens, is an influential businessman and philanthropist, but Leo insists he’s not the man he appears to be. “With this guy you gotta give an arm to keep a leg,” he insists.

At first, Tony believes Leo’s ever increasing paranoia is fueled by problems at home – a bad marriage, spoiled kids and rising debt. After all, why would a man of Muertens’ stature commit murder? But as Tony tries to help his friend through his personal crisis, he finds himself being drawn into Leo’s paranoid world, and begins to wonder if there might be something to his crazy tales, after all.

As paranoia becomes reality, Tony’s darker side emerges and he must successfully navigate his way through the state’s mental health and criminal justice system to save his own life.

Review: I received this book via the author after being contacted by his PR rep.

Do you want a non-stop, thrill ride, edge-of-your-seat-suspense thriller? Then this is the book for you! The book starts and really never let me go, I was hooked from the very beginning. With the short chapters this book was very easy to get sucked into 50 pages before I knew what had happened.

I thought that the storyline was interesting – your boss wants to kill you? I don’t think that’s a storyline I’ve ever encountered! Definitely a nice thing to happen after reading so many mystery/thriller novels!

I think what I liked so much about this book was the real feel to it. The dialogue felt real, not forced. The characters felt real, the storyline never dragged – overall a very good read.

I am amazed that this is a debut – I can only look forward to seeing Mr. Aiken’s books in the future. Highly recommended.

3.5/5, A, AUTHOR, Book Review, Nonfiction, RATING, Read in 2011

2011.42 REVIEW – William and Kate: A Royal Love Story by Christopher Andersen

Tara

William and Kate: A Royal Love Story
by Christopher Andersen

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 301
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug 6 – Aug. 10, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 42
Format: Print
Source: Library Book

Blurb: Theirs was destined from the start to be one of the most celebrated unions of the twenty-first century: he, the charismatic prince who would someday be crowned king of England; she, the stunningly beautiful commoner who won his heart. Prince William and Kate Middleton defied all odds to forge a storybook romance amid the scandals, power struggles, tragedies, and general dysfunction that are the hallmarks of Britain’s Royal Family. In the process, they became the most written about, gossiped about, admired, and envied young couple of their generation. Yet for most of their nearly decade-long affair, William and Kate have remained famously quiet and kept their royal relationship a tantalizing mystery. For many, William and Kate’s union represents an opportunity to recapture the magic – the compelling and complicated legacy – of his beloved mother Diana, Princess of Wales. Part glittering fairy tale, part searing family drama, part political potboiler, part heart-stopping cliff-hanger, theirs is, above all else, an affair to remember.

Review: I got this one from the library on a whim. I have read two previous Christopher Andersen books about the royal family – After Diana and Diana’s Boys. To be completely honest, I was a little disappointed with this book. First of all, it started out great. I loved reading a little bit of background about William and Kate as they grew up. As the book continued on to the part where they met at St. Andrew’s the book continued to fascinate me. Then there was a very long section that goes into detail about William and Harry’s military careers. I understand that to a degree this is an important part of the story – but it was a little on the boring side. I found myself wanting to skip over entire paragraphs, actually the entire chapter. The actual information about the engagement announcement was whittled down to a few pages. There was no mention about the wedding itself. And then I found out that this book had actually come out before the wedding!  That explained a lot of things, why the ending was rushed, why there was so much build up with very little fanfare at the end. Most of the information that was in the first three-quarters of the book could have been written 3 years ago with a small chapter about the engagement coming right on the heels of the official announcement. I don’t know that this is how it happened, but after reading the book and realizing what the publication date was, it made me wonder. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t really what I was looking for, I suppose.

5/5, A, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011.31 REVIEW – Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Tara

Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 288
Rating: 5/5
Read: June 21 – June 22, 2011
Challenge:  Take a Chance 3 Challenge; TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 31
Format: Print

First Line: “Sir?” she repeats. “How soon do you want it to get there?”

Blurb: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and crush – who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah’s pain, and learns the truth about himself – a truth he never wanted to face.

Review: I waited for what seemed like forever waiting on the wishlist over at PaperBackSwap for this book. To put it the best way I can think of: this book was worth the wait. For real. This book was so haunting. Some points really resonated with me. Not being that far removed from high school (okay, well, 8 years), I know what those years were like. I remember them. Vividly. I was in Hannah Baker’s shoes when I got stood up at the movies (although technically her date showed up, eventually). I was somewhat of an outcast my junior year. I lost almost all my friends that year. Over something really stupid that I still can’t really put my finger on … but boy, do I still remember the one person who was at the center of the whole debacle. Ugh. I have my own Valentine Day memory like Hannah had hers, although mine wasn’t over a survey – although we did have those surveys! So I really related to Hannah’s character. Although I myself never considered suicide, I can understand the pain that this character went through when no one else was even aware. I was there. I felt some of that pain. I think that this book should be required reading for all young adults. High school can be brutal, and people suffer. A lot of the time others aren’t even aware of the pain and suffering that some people are going through. To read this book in a classroom I think could really open up some great discussions. I wish our high school had had a Peer Communications class like this fictional high school had. That would have been a wonderful class to experience. Overall, I simply cannot say enough good things about this book. I read it as quickly as I could. It sucked me in immediately.

4/5, A, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010

REVIEW: Shall We Tell the President? by Jeffrey Archer

Tara

Shall We Tell the President?
by Jeffrey Archer

Copyright: 1977, 1985
Pages: 322
Rating: 4/5
Read: Jan. 23-26, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense 2010
Yearly Count: 4

First Line: “I, Florentyna Kane, do solemnly swear…”

Florentyna Kane has finally achieved everything that she hoped to – she has been elected as President of the United States of America. She hopes that her legacy will be in her Gun Control bill that she is pushing through Congress. But there are a lot of people who are opposed to the legislation – even people who want to kill Florentyna in order to kill the bill. FBI agent Mark Andrews knows that there is going to be a presidential assassination, but he doesn’t know the who, when, where, or how. He only has six days to figure out who wants the President killed. He doesn’t know who he can trust. He doesn’t know anything except that he must divert this possible assassination.

I’ve only read one other Jeffrey Archer book, False Impression, and I really enjoyed it. This one was almost as enjoyable. As I tend to do with older books, I found some of the things a little dated (hello! Cell phone Mr. FBI Agent! Oh wait – they don’t exist yet.) And this one had a few slow spots that had some slightly unnecessary information. Overall though, the book was quite enjoyable. It was really interesting to see everything unfold for Mark Andrews, and how he had to determine who was behind the possible assassination plot. I think I will look for more Archer books in the future.

4/5, A, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: Denial by Keith Ablow

Tara

Denial
by Keith Ablow

Copyright: 1997
Pages: 358
Rating:4/5
Read: Nov. 24-28, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 62

First Line: I shot up, sweat dripping down my face.

Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist with more than a few problems. Problems with drugs, intimacy, childhood abuse, and professional mistakes have made him who he is today. And that is exactly what makes him so good at his job. But this latest case is one that he needs in order to get back into the good graces of his employers. A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated. But when Frank goes to the morgue he is shocked to find that he knows the woman lying on the table. She is a good friend of his girlfriend. The main suspect is a schizophrenic homeless man. But Frank isn’t convinced that he committed the murder. When more evidence and more bodies begin to stack up, it is Frank who must race agains the clock to find the murderer to end the killings. But what he finds will terrify him.

This is the first in a series. (Like I need any more of those!) Either way, this is not a book for everyone. This book has all the elements of what I like to call “sick sh*t”. I’m not offended or turned off easily, but some people may be. If that is the case for you, then do not read this book. However, I felt like it was an interesting read. I always like to read fiction novels with psychological elements in them. This one definitely has that. There were certain times when I did want to just knock Frank upside the head and knock some sense into him. But I think the ending sure did sober him up. I personally liked how Mr. Ablow created a character who was addicted to cocaine rather than the standard alcohol (how many books have main characters with alcohol problems these days?) I felt like it gave the book a different angle. I think he eventually found himself in this book in a very unconventional way. Now how this series continues will be very interesting in my opinion. So I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next one.

A, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2009

Capital Offense by Kathleen Antrim

Tara

Capital Offense
by Kathleen Antrim

Copyright: 2001
Pages: 385
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 22-30, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 21

First Line: “What’s deadlier to a country than war?” a low, gravelly voice slurred.

A successful woman in her own right, Carolyn Alden Lane, wife of Senator Warner Lane from Missouri, Carolyn will do seemingly anything to put her husband in the White House – it’s her goal as well. But after a shocking confession to her husband, he becomes cold and distant. Their marriage is essentially over. But they can’t divorce. If they divorce Warner’s career is over. So Carolyn decides to take matters into her own hands and really manipulates everyone she comes into contact with just so she can be in the White House. But her real motive? Not only does she want to be First Lady – she also wants to be Vice President!

I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing. I thought that it was really good actually! Carolyn came across as a really heartless woman at times, but her original intentions were good. I thought that Antrim did a good job showing the kind of power that most people in Washington have (as well as outside of Washington) and what people will really do to become President or Vice President.

4/5, A, AUTHOR, Book Review, Nonfiction, Read in 2008

Diana’s Boys by Christopher Andersen

Tara
Diana’s Boys: William and Harry and the Mother They Loved
by Christopher Andersen

Copyright: 2001, 2002
Pages: 365
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 4-10, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight – Bio/Autobio category; Eponymous Challenge

First Line: That the beautiful, complicated Princess of Wales — arguably the most celebrated woman of the twentieth century — died so violently, so senselessly, and so young at age thirty-six was tragic.

Such a great book! Andersen makes the story of these two boys flow so easily. He really goes into a lot of detail about what life was like for them growing up not only as royals but also as children who had to watch their parents quarrel almost constantly. It’s really amazing how they got away with quite a bit, but both of their parents were always keeping them in line (although Diana was more likely to let them have a little fun than Charles). Andersen also spends a lot of time explaining how their parents’ problems and subsequent divorce as well as the tragic death of their mother effected their lives. Great read.
5/5, A, AUTHOR, Book Review, Nonfiction, Read in 2008

After Diana by Christopher Andersen

Tara
After Diana: William, Harry, Charles, and the Royal House of Windsor
by Christopher Andersen
Copyright: 2007
Pages: 301
Rating: 5/5
Read: Jan. 10-16, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight Challenge, Biography/Autobiography Category
First Line: He took a few steps toward the body, gasped, then reeled back as if struck by an unseen hand.
Christopher Andersen delves into the private lives of the Royal Family since the tragic “accident” that took Princess Diana’s life. He not only details the comings and goings of Princes William and Harry, but also the actions of Prince Charles and his mistress (and now wife) Camilla.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve only read one other Diana book and this one was much better. I’m fascinated by the Royal Family. I’m also fascinated by Princess Diana’s untimely death. This book does a wonderful job of telling the stories of the young Princes’ lives after their mother’s death.