Category: Read in 2008

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008

The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard

Tara
The Virgin of Small Plains
by Nancy Pickard
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 336
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 29-31, 2008
Challenge: Eponymous Challenge

First Line: Abby Reynolds braked her truck on the icy highway, startled by what she imagined she saw off to the side of the road.

For nearly twenty years, a rural Kansas town has tended to the grave of an unknown teenage girl who has become known as “The Virgin.” The discovery of her body changed the lives of teens Mitch Newquist, Abby Reynolds, and Rex Shellenberger. For Mitch, he inexplicably left town the day after she was found, leaving his girlfriend, Abby and best friend, Rex, behind without a reason. But nearly twenty years later, Mitch will return to the small town of Small Plains in order to finally put a name on the Virgin’s grave and in the process will change the entire town forever.
This book was awesome! There were so many twists and turns. And the ending was a complete shocker to me! I loved it!! Highly recommended!
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Eve Dallas, R, Read in 2008, SERIES

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

Tara
Naked in Death
J.D. Robb
Copyright: 1995
Pages: 306
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 23-27, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight – 1st in a Series; Suspense & Thriller Challenge – romance thriller

First Line: She woke in the dark.

New York City police Lieutenant Eve Dallas thinks she’s seen it all in her 10 years on the force. But when the case of a murder of a Senator’s granddaughter comes across her desk, she experiences something she’s never thought about – being seduced by a possible suspect in the murder case. Even though every ounce in her body tells her to ignore the millionaire Roarke’s advances, she finds herself falling more and more. And before long, she realizes that she will need his help and resources in order to solve this murder.
Overall, I really liked this book. However, I felt a slight disappointment with it. I guess I had myself pumped up for a little more solidness to it. This book is set in the future, like the 2050s, but there was no real explanation for any of the technological advances when I felt like they were a little necessary. I’m sure I’m going to continue with this series, but I felt that this book could have been more solid.
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

2nd Chance by James Patterson

Tara
2nd Chance
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 400
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 21-22, 2008
Challenge: Numbers Challenge

First Line: Aaron Winslow would never forget the next few minutes.

The Women’s Murder Club returns in this second installment of the series! This time, they are up against a brilliant murderer who is seemingly killing people at random. But Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is under the impression that the killings are somehow related and that there is a serial killer on the loose. But in order to convince her boss and co-workers, she has to enlist the help of her girls in the Club. And what they find out will rock the city to it’s core.

This was another great one from James Patterson! This one read so incredibly fast and was a great read!! I still do not know why I waited so long to start this series, but am definitely glad that I’m reading them now!!

Finishing this book also completes the Numbers Challenge. (My first finished challenge! Yay! – I’ll post a end-of-challenge round-up post shortly).

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, Read in 2008

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Tara
Odd Thomas
by Dean Koontz
Copyright: 2003
Pages: 446
Rating: 3/5
Read: March 18-21, 2008
Challenge: Eponymous Challenge

First Line: My name is Odd Thomas, though in this age when fame is the altar at which most people worship, I am not sure why you should care who I am or that I exist.

Odd Thomas is a young man with a gift. He uses this gift in order to get justice for those who cannot help themselves. But when a strange man comes into the diner where Odd works as a short order cook, he’s never encountered anyone as evil before. With the help of his soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn, they must stop this strange man before he can wreak havoc on their little community.
I’m going to be honest … this book was weird. And usually I like weird books, but this one was not really wonderful. It definitely had it’s great parts, but overall I was a little bored throughout the book. I found myself struggling to pay attention to it. I am not sure I will continue this series, although I have the next one. It will be a while before I will want to pick up the second one.
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2008, S

The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve

Tara
The Pilot’s Wife
by Anita Shreve
Copyright: 1998
Pages: 293
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 16-17, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: She heard a knocking, and then a dog barking.

For a pilot’s wife, that middle of the night knock at the door is part of life. But when that knock comes on Kathryn Lyon’s door, she is not only unprepared to hear of her husband’s death, but also of the damning circumstances surrounding the explosion that took out his plane and 103 other people on board. But she can’t really give up – she realizes that she must find out who her husband really was, regardless of what the results will do to her heart.
This was a really good book. It read extremely quickly for me. I had trouble putting it down. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t believe the twists and turns that occurred throughout the book. The ending is not at all what I expected, and I really enjoyed this book!
5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Tara
The Pact
by Jodi Picoult

Copyright: 1998
Pages: 496
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 14-16, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: There was nothing left to say.

Chris Harte and Emily Gold have been joined at the hip since birth. They had no choice, with their mothers being best friends, they were always together. So it was no surprise to anyone when their friendship turned into a romantic relationship. However, when Emily is found dead in the arms of Chris, dead of a supposed suicide pact, no one can comprehend what could have happened. Emily’s death will rock their little town, change their parents’ life forever and possibly be the end of Chris’ life as he knows it.
This book was great! After hearing many great things about Jodi Picoult, this book was the only one that I could find available on paperbackswap.com and decided to give it a shot. I read it in three days and was absolutely entranced by it the entire time. The way that Picoult weaves her story is amazing. The characters came to life, I could feel the feelings that the characters were feeling. It was just a great book all around. Highly recommended.
5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, G, Read in 2008

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Tara
The Other Boleyn Girl
by Philippa Gregory

Copyright: 2001
Pages: 735
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 11-14, 2008
Challenge: Back to History
First Line: I could hear a roll of muffled drums.
Mary Boleyn is a young girl serving at the court of King Henry of England. When her sister, Anne, comes back from France, the sibling rivalry begins once again. However, when Mary finds herself in the favor of the King, Anne and the rest of the family is doing nothing but pushing Mary toward the king. After giving birth to two of his children, one girl and one boy, Mary finds herself being pushed out of the favor of the king. Instead, she finds her sister Anne being the king’s favorite. But Anne will not stand by and simply be the mistress to the king; she wants to be queen. With the help of the entire family, Anne finds her way into the favor of the king and subsequently talks him into divorcing Queen Katherine. Although Anne gets what she wants, that ambition will ultimately be the end of her.
Oh my goodness! This book was sooooooooo good! I could not hardly stand to put it down. It was a little slow to start, but after about 100 pages into it, it picked up pace and never backed off! This was really my first time reading anything about this time period and I really enjoyed it! I will probably be looking for more of her books. I love that she made the story readable to a person who knows little to nothing about this time period. Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommended!!!
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.
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, J, Read in 2008

Firestorm by Iris Johansen

Tara
Firestorm
by Iris Johansen

Copyright: 2004
Pages: 339
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 6-9, 2008
Challenge: What’s in a Name – Weather Event Category

First Line: She couldn’t breathe!

Kerry Murphy’s life is seemingly consumed by fire; from a fire that took life the of her mother as a young girl to the present. Along with her dog Sam, she is an arson investigator. However, when a mysterious man by the name of Silver invades her life and practically forces Kerry to join in him in stopping a psychopath with a love for starting fires. Her decision to help Silver might destroy Kerry and the people closest to her.

Like any other Iris Johansen book that I’ve read, I enjoyed this one. It wasn’t one of her better ones, but it was still pretty good. I enjoyed it. I would recommend this one to anyone.

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

1st to Die by James Patterson

Tara
1st to Die
by James Patterson
Copyright: 2001
Pages: 462
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 2-4, 2008
Challenge: Celebrate the Author; Triple Eight – From my TBR Shelf & 1st in a Series; Numbers Challenge
First Line: It is an unusually warm night in July, but I’m shivering badly as I stand on the substantial gray stone terrace outside my apartment.
In the first installment of the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay (homicide detective), Claire (medical examiner), Jill (assistant DA) and Cindy (crime reporter) form their club in the wake of a possible serial killer in San Francisco. Targeting couples on the night of their wedding, the bride and groom killer is rocking the city. With few clues at the crime scene, Lindsay decides to form the group in order to catch the killer before he takes the lives on anymore newlyweds.
I loved this book! I’m not sure why it sat on my shelf for so long before I ever picked it up, but I absolutely adored it!!! It was such a quick and enjoyable read. I even found myself crying a little at the end. Excellent book … I can’t wait to get to the second one!