Giveaways

In the Spirit of the Holidays: A Giveaway

Tara

Okay, so I have three books that I am going to offer as a giveaway. I am going to be drawing names for each book separately, but you may sign up for all three books if you want. Just let me know in the comment section your email address and which book(s) you would like to be entered in the drawing for. Here’s the three selections:

          

When No One is Watching by Joseph Hayes

The Alexandria Letter by George R. Honig

City in Shadow by Evan Marshall

Clicking on the above links will take you to my review of the book.

I will be closing this giveaway for participants on Thursday, Dec. 16th at 6:00pm central time. I will contact the winners through e-mail shortly thereafter. Thanks for entering and good luck!

Challenge Wrap-Up, READING CHALLENGES 2010

FINISHED CHALLENGE: Finish The Series Challenge 2010

Tara

Well, I finally finished this challenge. It was a much needed challenge for me. And although I read quite a few books that are part of a series this year, I was only able to get caught up on 3 challenges (which was my original goal). Here’s what I finished:

 So overall, I’m very pleased with where I’m at. Because in addition to these series that I was able to catch up with, I was able to read 12 books in the Kay Scarpetta series and 4 in the Alex Cross series.

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, L, Michael Bennett, P, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Worst Case by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

Worst Case
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 356
Rang: 5/5
Read: Dec. 4-6, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 63
Format: Print

First Line: The stocky man with the salt-and-pepper hair felt light-headed as he crossed beneath the marble arch into Washington Square Park.

The son of one of New York’s wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. But this kidnapper isn’t demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury … and wrong answers are fatal. Detective Michael Bennett heads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can’t understand what could lead someone to target anyone’s children. When another student from a powerful family disappears, the FBI sends in its top abduction specialist: Agent Emily Parker. Bennett’s job and love life suddenly get even more complicated. Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI’s intrusion on his case, the killer mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet – one that could bring cataclysmic ruin to every inch of New York City.

This is the third in the Michael Bennett series, and it is the most current one until the fourth is due to release in 2011. Personally, I felt like this was the best book in the series so far. I had been a little unsure about Bennett’s character (partly because he simply isn’t Alex Cross, my all-time favorite series character), but in this book I really started to like him. I enjoyed the storyline of the book, the villain was original. There’s starting to be a little bit of romance in Bennett’s life for the first time since his wife’s death in the first book. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this series to anyone.

READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011 Challenge: Criminal Plots Reading Challenge

Tara

One more, and then I think I’m done (unless something else really comes along and catches my eye and I can’t resist). I’m going to join the Criminal Plots Reading Challenge. It involves reading in the crime genre (again, my favorite!) Here are the rules:

So, what’s involved in this challenge you ask? It isn’t too difficult. It involves reading six books throughout 2011 (January 1 through December 31, 2011). One book should be read that fits into each of the following categories:

  1. A book by a new to you author who’s blurbed a book you enjoyed. So check out the cover of a crime fiction book you’ve enjoyed and see who blurbed that book and is also an author you’ve never read before.
  2. A book that has been made into a movie. It doesn’t have to be a movie you’ve seen but it can be. The book, however, should be one you haven’t read before. (Examples: MYSTIC RIVER, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, LONDON BOULEVARD, HOSTAGE, etc.)
  3. A book with a protagonist opposite your own gender. So if you’re female, the protagonist should be male; if you’re male the protagonist should be female.
  4. A book set outside the country in which you live.
  5. A book that’s the first in a new-to-you series.
  6. A book by a 2011 debut author.

Other Important Details:

  • You can read the books in any format you choose: print, audio, e-book, etc.
  • You can read books from any sub-genre of crime fiction: hardboiled, P.I., police procedural, cozy, thriller, etc.
  • You do not need to have a blog to participate.
  • You can use the books for other challenges but one book cannot count for more than one category in THIS challenge.
  • Books do not need to be pre-determined. You can choose them at any time throughout the year. And you can read them in whatever order you choose.
  • At the conclusion, each participant that completes the challenge will be entered for a chance at one of three prize packs.

So there it is. I’m joining. I hope this one will be fun because it sure sounds like it!

  1. New author who’s blurbed a book you enjoyed:
  2. Book made into a movie: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
  3. Book with a protagonist opposite your own gender: Double Cross by James Patterson
  4. Book set outside the country in which you live: A World I Never Made by James LePore
  5. Book that’s the first in a new-to-you series: Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
  6. Book by a 2011 debut author: Lonely Deceptions by D.R. Willis
READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011 Challenge: Mystery & Suspense Challenge

Tara

I’m going to be doing this challenge in 2011 again! This is my absolute favorite genre of books, so it’s a given that I LOVE this challenge! Here’s what Book Chick City writes:

  • Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 – 31 Dec 2011
  • Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)
  • You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
  • You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.
  • At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews. There will be a monthly prize too courtesy of the lovely Simon & Schuster – you must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw.
Now, there are many different sub-genres of mystery and suspense – you can choose from the numerous sub-genres, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I’m sure this challenge will have something for everyone! 🙂
To help you figure out and decide, I have updated a sub-genre list – to view this list go HERE.
That’s it! I’m so ready to start this challenge again 🙂 Looking forward to 2011 already!!
  1. Double Cross by James Patterson (Police Procedural)
  2. Judas Kiss by J.T. Ellison (Police Procedural)
  3. Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark (Psychological Mystery)
  4. Cross Country by James Patterson (Police Procedural)
  5. Divine Justice by David Baldacci
  6. Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson (Cozy Mystery)
  7. Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson (Cozy Mystery)
  8. The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson (Cozy Mystery)
  9. The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer (Legal Thriller)
  10. Blood of My Brother by James LePore
  11. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (Police Procedural)
  12. Supreme Justice by Phillip Margolin
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, Review Book

REVIEW: When No One is Watching by Joseph Hayes

Tara

When No One is Watching
by Joseph Hayes

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 313
Rang: 4/5
Read: Dec. 1-4, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 62
Format: Print

First Line: “I love this ride, Dano!” Blair Van Howe yelled exuberantly to his partner, who was passed out cold in the passenger seat.

On the eve of announcing his run for Congress, a charismatic Chicago politician causes a deadly accident. Panicked, he frames his best friend, a good-hearted alcoholic, and flees the scene. As one man tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered life, the other embarks on a meteoric rise to political stardom. But when a dogged detective digs deeper into the case, the political superstar must decide just how far he is willing to go to keep his dark secret.

I received this book for review courtesy of Megan at Phenix & Phenix Publicists. Overall, I enjoyed this story. There was actually two storylines throughout the book – one followed the path of Danny, the “driver” of the deadly car crash and the other followed Blair, the rising political superstar. The book itself moves at a very rapid pace, it spans 10 years in a short 313 pages. And what seems so strange when reading it is the fact that it feels as if Blair’s story is moving so much more rapidly than Danny’s story is, but I assume that it’s supposed to feel that way based on the two different storylines and the choices that the individual characters make. As the reader, we get to see Danny bring himself up from rock bottom – he goes to prison, he settles with the grieving wife, he cleans himself up and gets involved in AA, and then in the end nothing can save him. In alternating chapter, we also get to witness Blair’s rise to political stardom, from Congressman to Presidential candidate. And along the way, we see him falter and eventually crash and burn himself. Chapter 35 was especially poignant to me because Danny actually runs into the son of the man that was killed in the car crash – through AA. And from there we get to see what happened to the family that was torn apart because of the accident. This entire book is a really good testament to what can happen based on the choices that we make every day of our lives. Some people choose to take the high path, while others end up going in an entirely different direction. This book really illustrates what those choices could mean for you in the long run. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, it’s a really good read.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, C, E-Book, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010

MINI REVIEW: Damaged by Pamela Callow

Tara

Damaged by Pamela Callow

Haunted by the death of her sister and wounded by her ex-fiancé’s accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm. When the grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it’s just another custody case. But then the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn’t only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl’s death. Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm’s charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career, for her reputation—and for redemption. Unwilling to live with the damage she may have caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling facts. Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy. Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically skilled hands of the Body Butcher.

I read this book as an e-book and unfortunately I’m behind on my reviews, so this is only getting a mini-review. I enjoyed this book, it was a fast-paced and overall good read. But I had my issues with the main character, Kate. How stupid can one woman be? Seriously? First she gives practically a stranger the key to her house so that her dog can get walked while she is at work. Then she actually breaks into a funeral home in order to find evidence to support her theory. Really? Now, that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the book, because I did, I just had some issues with Kate as a character. I already have the second Kate Lange book loaded onto my Nook ready to read. I’m interested to see where she goes from here.

Rating: 4/5

READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011 Challenge: The TBR Dare

Tara

*Clicking on the link will take you to the challenge sign-up page.

Runs: January 1 – April 1, 2011

I don’t intend to sign up for a lot of challenges in 2011, but this one immediately caught my eye. I have a unbelievably large TBR pile. It’s embarrassing, actually. So this is absolutely perfect for me. I am going to do my best to make it to the end of the dare – April 1st. I plan on making a list (I love lists, hehe!) of books that I would really like to read in 2011 and I’m going to do my best to work from that list (although it’s only a rough guideline).

  1. Double Cross by James Patterson
  2. Judas Kiss by J.T. Ellison
  3. Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark
  4. Cross Country by James Patterson
  5. Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson
  6. Divine Justice by David Baldacci
  7. Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
  8. Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson
  9. The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson
  10. The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
  11. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
  12. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
  13. Supreme Justice by Phillip Margolin
  14. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
  15. The Vig by John Lescroart
  16. The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry
  17. Killing Her Softly by Beverly Barton
SERIES

Status on Series Reading, Dec. 2010

Tara

Well, anyone who follows my blog probably knows that I am a huge fan of reading books that are part of a series. I love getting to know the characters. Sometimes it feels as if I’m with friends when I pick up a good series. Anyways, I wanted to sit down and evaluate where I am in regards to my series reading before the end of the year. I had said in late 2009 that 2010 would be the year that I would really focus on getting caught up with some of the series that I had started. I am pleased as to the progress that I have made this year. I really stepped back from challenges and focused on reading the books that I wanted to read. I didn’t accept as many review books as was pitched to me because I wanted to only read what appealed to me the most. I might not have read as many books as I would have liked this year, but I am very happy with what I have read. Anyways, back to book series:

Series that I started this year:

  • Body Farm by Jefferson Bass
    • Carved in Bone
  • Camel Club by David Baldacci
    • The Camel Club
    • The Collectors
  • Thomas Pitt by Anne Perry
    • The Cater Street Hangman
  • Dirk Pitt by Clive Cussler
    • Pacific Vortex!

Series that I caught up with this year:

  • Maggie O’Dell by Alex Kava
    • Exposed
    • Black Friday
    • Damaged
  • Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles by Tess Gerritsen
    • The Apprentice
    • The Sinner
    • Body Double
    • The Mephisto Club
    • The Keepsake
    • Ice Cold
  • Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson
    • The 9th Judgment
  • Hailey Dean by Nancy Grace
    • Death on the D-List

Series that I worked on this year:

  • Alex Cross by James Patterson
    • Four Blind Mice
    • The Big Bad Wolf
    • London Bridges
    • Cross
  • Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell
    • Body of Evidence
    • All That Remains
    • Cruel and Unusual
    • The Body Farm
    • From Potter’s Field
    • Cause of Death
    • Unnatural Exposure
    • Point of Origin
    • Black Notice
    • The Last Precinct
    • Blow Fly
    • Predator
  • Alex Delaware by Jonathan Kellerman
    • Blood Test
  • Lincoln Rhyme by Jeffery Deaver
    • The Coffin Dancer
  • Michael Bennett by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
    • Step on a Crack
    • Run For Your Life
  • Tom Kirk by James Twining
    • The Black Sun
  • Taylor Jackson by J.T. Ellison
    • 14

Books that I read that are part of a series, but picked up in the middle of the series:

  • The President’s Assassin by Brian Haig (Sean Drummond) 
  • City in Shadow by Evan Marshall (Anna Winthrop) 

So the first thing that catches my eye about the list is the fact that I was able to catch up on as many series that I started, that’s a great thing in my opinion. I also am happy with where I am on the Kay Scarpetta series – although it has definitely gone downhill as it progressed, I’m still interested in it (although I have trouble understanding how Kay can seemingly have a new job in a new city in practically every book…). I’m a little disappointed that I have only read one Kellerman book and one Deaver book, I had wanted to get a little bit farther on those two series than I did this year, but overall I’m very pleased as to where I stand in regards to my series reading.

 

Announcements

Yep, I Got One :)

Tara

I am pleased to announce that I am the very proud owner of the new Nook Color!!! My parents gave this to me for Christmas and they let me have it early 🙂 Mom got one too, so we have linked our Nooks to the same B&N account so that we can share books without having to use the Lend Me feature. I have already finished one book on my Nook and am working on my second book. I was able to sign up with netgalley.com and I can request e-Books to review from there. I am such a lucky gal. I was on the fence about an e-reader for a really long time, and I was probably a little premature simply because I have GAZILLIONS of books on my TBR shelves. But I’m pleased with my gift and look forward to many, many future hours reading with it 🙂