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.

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins #62

Tara

1. Ahhhh, it’s so nice that spring is ALMOST here (with an inch of snow on the ground…).
2. One of my favorite things on my desk or bureau is one of our engagement pictures.
3. Japanese Cherry Blossom is not my favorite smell at Bath & Body Works.
4. My comfy chair is my favorite place to sit and read.
5. Peanut butter and jelly is delicious!
6. I love to watch Denzel Washington in movies.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to seeing SIU v. UNI at the MVC tourney!!, tomorrow my plans include more basketball games! and Sunday, I want to have SIU win the championship!

Booking Through Thursday

BTT – Hero/Heroine

Tara

Since I missed last week I’m going to actually answer both of the questions today.
1)Who is your favorite female lead character? And why?
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2)You should have seen this one coming … Who is your favorite Male lead character? And why?
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1) I’ll answer last week’s question first … it’s hard to narrow down my favorite female lead character. However, to answer the question ….. I like Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, and Alex Kava’s Maggie O’Dell.
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2) Now, for the male characters … this one is a little easier for me, I guess I read more where the lead characters are men. Anyways, let’s see …. Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme, Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter (!!), and P.J. Parrish’s Louis Kincaid.
It’s really funny that every character that I mentioned, male and female, are all part of a series! I realized that it turned out that way as soon as I got to Hannibal Lecter (my personal favorite!). I never realized that so much of my reading revolves around ongoing series’. Interesting. Anyways, have a good BTT everybody! (Even though I got to mine a little late tonight…)
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!
Monthly Wrap Up

February 2008 Wrap-Up

Tara
February 2008 Wrap-Up
Got 12 books in this month! Another great month of reading for me! Here’s my end of the month wrap up:
  1. Milo Speriglio, The Marilyn Conspiracy –> This book had a lot of promise, but I felt that the writing style was severely lacking. It could have been a lot better. 3/5
  2. Thomas Harris, Hannibal –> Overall, this book was enjoyable. However, the part that was set in Italy really lagged for me. Enjoyable, but not the best in this series. 4/5
  3. Tom Coffey, The Serpent Club –> I loved the plot line of this book. However, I felt that the writing that constantly switched from first to third person was very confusing. 3/5
  4. Taffy Cannon, Class Reunions are Murder –> This one actually surprised me! I’m usually not much into “cozy” mysteries, but this one was really enjoyable. 4/5
  5. Thomas Harris, Hannibal Rising –> Without a doubt, the absolute worst book in the series. I was so disappointed in this one. It held so much promise, we were finally going to be able to figure out what made Dr. Lecter into the monster that we know him as. But to me, the book just didn’t do what it was designed to do. I was really disappointed by this one. 3/5
  6. Danielle Steel, Accident –> This one surprised me a lot. I have always been pretty adament about hating romance novels, but I really enjoyed this one a lot! It was a good story and wasn’t completely full with sex. It had just the right amount of romance in all the right places. Very good read. 5/5
  7. Larry Watson, White Crosses –> This one was a surprise for me as well. It hooked me from the first page and I practically flew through it. I found myself understanding the main character in ways that I never thought I would. Highly recommended. 4/5
  8. Erica Spindler, See Jane Die –> I absolutely loved this book! I love Erica Spindler! This book is a lot like her others in that the ending is never what you think it will be. Highly recommended. 5/5
  9. Greg Iles, Blood Memory –> Greg Iles is a favorite author of mine, and this one was really enjoyable. The book focused a lot on childhood abuse which is a touchy subject for some, but I really, really enjoyed it! 5/5
  10. Dave Holloway, Aruba –> This book was a disappointment for me. I waited a few months for it on my WL on PBS and couldn’t wait to get to it when it came in the mail. But for me, it just wasn’t any good. There was almost nothing personal in this book. All I could see is that Dave Holloway is an angry man. He used almost none of the space to tell the world who Natalee really was, which would have made the book so much better. I wouldn’t waste my time with this one. 2/5
  11. Thomas T. Noguchi, M.D., Coroner –> This book was kind of boring to me. It started out really interesting, but it just slowly went down hill. I just didn’t care for it. It also wasn’t written very well, either. Not recommended. 2/5
  12. Andrew Britton, The Assassin –> WOW! This one shocked me. At times I was a little bogged down by the Iraqi information/names as well as the military terminology. But the story was really great and the last 250 pages were extremely action packed. Very good book overall. 4/5

Here are some statistics in regards to my reading:

  • Books read: 12
  • Pages read: 4,909
  • New Authors: 8
  • Fiction: 9
  • Nonfiction: 3
  • Read for Challenges: 8

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins #61

Tara

1. I’m looking forward to going to St. Louis next week.
2. I don’t handle criticism very well.
3. Fettuccine alfredo is something I could eat every day.
4. Warmth and sunlight puts me in a good mood.
5. Paducah here I come!
6. I don’t have any tattoo(s).
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Don Taco for dinner, tomorrow my plans include the final SIU home game and Sunday, I want to sleep in!
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.