Category: RATING

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!
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, C, Fiction, Read in 2008, T

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

Tara

The Rule of Four

by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason
Copyright: 2004
Pages: 446
Rating: 4/5
Read: Feb. 29-March 2, 2008
Challenge: Numbers Challenge
First Line: Like many of us, I think, my father spent the measure of his life piecing together a story he would never understand.
The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a Renaissance text, and Tom Sullivan have always had a love-hate relationship. This book consumed his father’s life. And during his final year at Princeton, he finds the book consuming him and his roommate, Paul Harris. As Paul tries to figure out all the pieces to the puzzle of this book, the deadline for his senior thesis hovers above him. But then, a long-lost diary is found and Paul believes he has solved it. But before he has time to finish his thesis and state his conclusions, thereby revealing the final pieces to this mysterious puzzle, he has to fight forces that are against him. With the help of Tom and their two roommates, Gil and Charlie, they embark upon a journey that might kill them all.
I really enjoyed this book. Although it does seem to lag in certain places, overall I felt myself rushing through it because it was so suspenseful! I could hardly wait to get to the end of it. I have read that some people are likening it to The Da Vinci Code, but I wouldn’t. I felt that in a way it was much better than Dan Brown’s book, whereas in other places (like the writing style) it did sort of lack what Brown’s book had. It’s hard to describe, but definitely an enjoyable read!
4/5, AUTHOR, B, Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2008

The Assassin by Andrew Britton

Tara
The Assassin
by Andrew Britton
Copyright: 2007
Pages: 586
Rating: 4/5
Read: Feb. 23-28, 2008
Challenge: Suspense & Thriller Challenge – political thriller; Triple Eight – 500+ pages category

First Line: Anita Zaid folded her arms as she glared across the cavernous lobby of the Babylon Hotel.

There is an explosion at the Babylon Hotel. A high ranking Iraqi official is critically wounded. Another attack is made on another high ranking Iraqi official. For CIA Agent Ryan Kealey, it can only mean one thing: someone is trying to take over by disposing of these people. But for Kealey, it becomes a little more personal. In his quest to find the truth, he runs across the madman who killed his fiancee the year before. The same madman, coincidentally, that everyone thought was already dead. But in order to convince his superiors, Kealey has to risk his entire career in order to catch this man once and for all and to put a stop to what could possibly be the worst attack on American soil – one that would ultimately be worse than 9/11.
WOW! This book for me was really, really good! It started out for me kind of slowly. I was a little bogged down by all of the Iraqi names and places as well as the military terminology. But once I got used to it, the book went really quickly. It was high paced and enjoyable in the last 250 pages – which is where all the action is. I would recommend this book to those who do enjoy books of this nature. This was my first time reading a spyish-type political thriller, and I highly enjoyed it.
2/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, N, Nonfiction, Read in 2008

Coroner by Thomas T. Noguchi, M.D.

Tara
Coroner
by Thomas T. Noguchi, M.D.
Copyright: 1983
Pages: 252
Rating: 2/5
Read: Feb. 23-27, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: In my memory, as I write, there is a montage of tragic scenes.

Dr. Noguchi was the “coroner to the stars.” He performed the autopsies of individuals like Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy and Janis Joplin. He was also highly controversial in some of his findings. In this book he finally reveals his true thoughts and feelings behind some of the details of his most famous autopsies.
I didn’t care for this book. It started out really good but it just seemed to be quite repetitive near the end. I was really disappointed in it. When I read the description on PBS I thought it would be a lot better and I regret using a credit to order this book. I wouldn’t recommend this book whatsoever.
2/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, H, Nonfiction, Read in 2008

Aruba by Dave Holloway

Tara
Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise
by Dave Holloway
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 203
Rating: 2/5
Read: Feb. 18-23, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight – True Crime Category
First Line: I cannot tell you how much it hurts to lose a child.
This is the story of the Natalee Holloway case from her father, Dave Holloway’s perspective. I remember following this case and watching it unfold in horror in 2005. I could not believe that such a beautiful young lady could simply vanish off an island. I was also shocked that these parents let 100+ 18-year-olds go off to Aruba with only 7 chaperons! But my feelings aside, I felt that this book was really lacking in feeling. I felt as if I was just reading a true crime book written from the perspective of a person who had no involvement in the case whatsoever. All I could feel was anger coming from Dave Holloway when he should have been writing a more heartfelt story in my opinion. I just didn’t care for this one at all.