3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E-Book, Fiction, O, RATING, Read in 2011, Review Book

2011.43 REVIEW – Untouchable by Scott O’Connor

Tara

Untouchable
by Scott O’Connor

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 374
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug 6 – Aug. 11, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 43
Format: E-Book
Source: Review Book courtesy of FSB Associates

Blurb: It is the autumn of 1999. A year has passed since Lucy Darby’s unexpected death, leaving her husband David and son Whitley to mend the gaping hole in their lives. Whitley – an 11-year-old social pariah known simply as The Kid – hasn’t spoken since his mother’s death. Instead, he communicates through a growing collection of notebooks, living in a safer world of his own silent imagining. As David continues to lose his grip on reality and The Kid’s sense of urgency grows, they begin to uncover truths that will force them to confront their deepest fears about each other and the wounded family they are trying desperately to save.

Review:  I received a copy of this e-book courtesy of Leyane Jerejian at FSB Associates. I was intrigued by the blurb of this book. If I was to explain the premise of this book in three words it would be this: everyone grieves differently. The story revolves around a husband and son who lost their wife and mother the previous year. Her death was definitely an unspoken topic in the house. For the husband, who works nights for a company that cleans up the scene after a person has died, he can’t seem to handle what really happened. He doesn’t know how to handle The Kid. You can see this through the elaborate descriptions of his time at work. I’m not sure that Lucy’s death was ever talked about by David after he told his son and co-worker, Bob, about what happened. I think he just blocked it out. At the same time, the reader also gets a peek into the life of Whitley, or The Kid, as he is known throughout the book. The Kid has made a decision to not speak again. He seems to think that by giving up this form of communication, it will bring his mother back to him. He can’t seem to grasp the reality that she is gone. He wants to really believe that she’s just on vacation and that she will be back. I think part of this stems from the fact that he can’t talk to his father about it. This book was definitely unlike anything that I’ve ever read before. But I think it would be a book that would really hit home with anyone who has lost someone close to them. For me, it was the unexpected death of my grandfather when I was 12. He was the first person really close to me that I lost. I remember being absolutely numb. There was never much discussion about it after the funeral. It wasn’t that it was avoided or taboo in my house, it was just that everything was still too raw to talk about it at the time. Fourteen years later we have wonderful memories of him and we talk fondly of him quite a bit, so it’s like I said, everyone grieves differently. This book shows that. I would definitely recommend this book.

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.

Meme, WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays – August 10, 2011

Tara

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

* What are you currently reading?

  • William and Kate: A Royal Love Story by Christopher Andersen – I picked this book up on a whim at the library. I have read two other Andersen books about the royal family and enjoyed them. This one is interesting as well. But I’m always interested in learning about the royal family 🙂
  • Untouchable by Scott O’Connor – a review e-book. It’s an interesting read. I’m not really sure where this book is going to go. It’s written in a style unlike anything I’ve ever read. Look for my review sometime in the next week.

* What did you recently finish reading?

  • Hotwire by Alex Kava. I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it, but the earlier books in this series are so much better.

*What do you think you’ll read next?

  • Well, I have two books from the library to read – Still Missing by Chevy Stevens and Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln’s Corpse by James L. Swanson. Plus I also have another review e-book, Connected by Kathryn Gayle, a book I received from Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program.
3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, Maggie O'Dell, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.41 REVIEW – Hotwire by Alex Kava

Tara

Hotwire
by Alex Kava

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 288
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug 5 – Aug. 7, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 41
Format: Print
Source: Library Book

Blurb: On a crisp fall evening in western Nebraska, what started as a group of kids filming their drug-induced party ends in an explosive light show, leaving the victims apparently electrocuted, with odd scorch marks being the only evidence. While Maggie tries to make sense of what is real and what is hallucination, she realizes that the surviving teens are being targeted and systematically eliminated. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, Army Colonel Benjamin Platt is at the scene of a deadly outbreak, desperate to identify the pathogen that has infected children at a Washington, D.C., elementary school. Despite the miles that separate them, the two cases collide as Maggie and Platt uncover secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the remote Midwest landscape.

Review: I was a little hesitant about this book since I was a little bit disappointed in the last book (Damaged). That being said I’m a little on the fence on this one overall. First of all, I should start out by saying that I really do enjoy this series, I like Maggie’s character. I especially like that we’re starting to see the possibility of some romance in her life. But this book and the previous book haven’t been as great as the other previous books were. There seems to be less profiling for Maggie (and that’s what her job description is!) and I honestly loved that aspect of the series. There were two storylines in this book that were supposed to be connected … but seriously, the connection required quite a bit of imagination if you ask me. The way that the two storylines were connected would not have been the way I would have connected them. But again, this is just my opinion. As I stated in my review for Damaged, the ending to this book felt a little rushed as well. Once again I felt the story being built up and up only to be wrapped up in 10 pages. I don’t know. Like I said, I’m a little on the fence. I enjoyed it, but if I was just picking this book up without having read the others first, it probably wouldn’t be a series I would continue with.

Mailbox Monday, Meme

Mailbox Monday, August 8, 2011

Tara

Mailbox Mondays

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with August’s location being at Life in the Thumb.

Well this week I got some older books in the mail as part of a Paperbackswap Box-of-Books trade.

 Iran has been invaded by Russia. America responds with a lightning-fast counterattack by air, by sea – and a lethal new technology that is about to redefine war both on the ground and in space. Its code name is Silver Tower – the most sophisticated and unstoppable laser defense system ever created. And it will change the balance of world power forever…

 When the National Security Agency’s invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers send shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage – not by guns or bombs, but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence. Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves.

 Five prominent biophysicists give the United States government an urgent warning: sterilization procedures for returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere. Two years later, Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes of space in order to “collect organisms and dust for study.” Then a probe satellite falls to the earth, landing in a desolate area of northeastern Arizona. In the nearby town of Piedmont, bodies lie heaped and flung across the ground, faces locked in frozen surprise. the terror has begun…

 Meet Archy McNally, a freewheeling playboy who specializes in “Discreet Inquiries” for the rich and not-so-discreet. Beneath the glaring sun of Palm Beach – and behind the lowest crimes of high society – McNally is paid to keep family skeletons in the closet. But when it comes to sex and scandal, McNally has a few secrets of his own…

Plus I received one e-book courtesy of Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program:

 The last thing Delilah Preston wanted to do was be a hero, but when she finds herself in a position to prevent an assassination, her conscience wouldn’t let her walk away. As a result, she gets caught up in an FBI investigation and the media spotlight. The problem? Delilah Preston is not who she claims to be. Seven years ago she fled from a cruel and sadistic husband, a powerful underworld figure who wants her back, dead or alive. Enter Special Agent Dominic Santiago who discovers Delilah’s true identity and realizes that after many years of dead-ends, she’s his ticket to taking down notorious crime boss Cap Grimaldi. But Cap isn’t about to let anyone threaten his family’s empire, and quickly devises a plan to not only discredit the Federal Monkey on his back, but also recover his errant wife and the fortune she took from him when she fled.

Sunday Wrap-Up

Sunday Wrap-Up, Aug. 7, 2011

Tara

Here we are at another week gone by and another week just starting. August. I would really love to know where January, February, March, April, May, June and July have gone to. I’ve blinked and missed them somehow. Oh well. This week we had a birthday dinner for Nathan’s mom and then today we have to go to his grandmother’s house for a going away party for his cousin. Two family get-togethers in one week. Shoot me. Seriously. I love my family and his family, but I can only take so much sometimes. I think I will reserve any more comment on this topic, lol.

So … what might you  have missed here at the blog? Quite a bit actually.

And one review:

So that’s it. I told you there was quite a bit of stuff that went on here this past week. Right now I’m in the middle of reading two books.. TWO! I haven’t done that in ages! I’m reading Hotwire by Alex Kava and William and Kate: A Royal Love Story by Christopher Andersen. They’re both really good and shouldn’t take long at all for me to finish and review here, so stay tuned!

Hope everyone has a great week!

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, O, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011.40 REVIEW – Closer than Blood by Gregg Olsen

Tara

Closer than Blood
by Gregg Olsen

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 412
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: July 31 – Aug. 4, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 40
Format: Print
Source: Purchased new

Blurb: The first victim was easy. No one ever suspected the victim had been murdered. The crime long buried, the dark passions guiding the killer’s hand are still alive. But the need for revenge cannot be denied. Only one person can stop the killing. Only one person can identify the killer. Only one person knows the face of death – is as close as the face in the mirror…

Review: Mr. Olsen never fails to impress me. I have read all of his fiction novels so far and have enjoyed every single one of them. The amount of evil he can come up with is amazing to me. Tori, one of the twins in this book … wow, what a character, is all I can say. The storyline was interesting and there was a very interesting twist that came out of left field for me! I simply can’t say enough good things about this book – for sure pick this one up!

Meme, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tara

Top Ten Trends You’d Like To See More of/Less of (can do a combo of both or one or the other)

Only came up with seven this week, but here’s what I’ve got:

MORE:

  • Shorter Book Series. I am a sucker for book series. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that much. However, I’m really tired of series last 20+ books. Honestly, 5-7 books is a perfect length for a series. When you start getting into the longer series it makes me feel as if the author is simply looking for another payday. Having 5-7 books allows the reader to become involved with the characters, yet there is an ending in sight. There needs to be a better balance when it comes to a series.
  • Cheaper E-Books. I received a Nook Color shortly after they were released last year. But I still can’t bring myself to pay over $7 for an e-book. If I’m going to invest that much money on a book I want to be able to have it in my hands! I want a physical copy. I don’t understand the entire publishing industry and the costs truly involved in publishing. But give me a break. You can’t tell me it’s that much to produce e-books. And trust me, I would think you would sell a lot more e-books at under $5 than you would at $11.99.
  • Book STORES. It breaks my heart to hear about book stores closing. I was heartbroken when my local Waldenbooks went out of our mall two years ago. It wasn’t very big, but I enjoyed browsing. That only leaves me with a Books-a-Million (not my favorite store) locally. Seeing all the Borders stores closing kills me. I think it’s a tragedy. I understand that e-books are taking over, but I still enjoy physical books and book stores. It bothers me to know that in just a few short years physical books will probably be a thing of the past.
  • Acceptance of personal tastes. I’m of the “to each his own” school of thought when it comes to what you read. I am a mystery/thriller/spy book lover. I read some romantic suspense. Some cozies. But I’m tired of people assuming that because I am a woman I read romance novels. And then when I explain that I really prefer murder in my books, I get the strangest looks like I’m from outer space. All because I am female and I like the so-called “sick-sh*t” type books. I don’t make fun of you for reading what you like. Don’t knock what I read.

LESS:

  • Paranormal. Sure, I’m guilty of reading a little bit of paranormal books. But it’s not my favorite. If I have to see one more brand spanking new series involving vampires, werewolves, witches, blah blah blah, I think I will puke. Seriously. Hasn’t this trend run its course yet? Now, like I said, I have dipped my toes into the paranormal book world a little bit, but it’s definitely an entire genre that I wouldn’t care if it left and never came back.
  • Stupid Women Characters. I like strong, independent women characters. I don’t want to read about women who only care about finding the perfect man or not having enough time to shop for the perfect pair of shoes. Women characters need to be believable and true to life for me to enjoy them. You know the single mother who has to work two jobs just to make ends meet for her three children? I prefer that character over the trophy wife whose only care in the world is what time to meet her friends for lunch at the country club.
  • Unbelievable YA characters. I remember high school, vividly. I’m not that far removed from it (though farther than I like to admit!). I remember it was tough. I don’t read a lot of YA fiction, but sometimes I just shake my head at some of the characters and their personalities in the YA genre. They just aren’t believable. I was a normal girl in school. I wasn’t popular but I wasn’t un-popular. I wasn’t a cheerleader, I was on the golf team one year. I wasn’t a straight-A student, but I made good grades. I dated before meeting my future husband, but I wasn’t a slut. Where are the books about those people?
Harry Potter, Read-a-Long

HP Read-a-Long Mini Challenge 1

Tara

Okay. For our first mini challenge, it only made sense for us to be sorted into our houses! I was actually surprised by the house I got sorted into, I’m not sure I really knew which house I would get, but I’m pleased with being placed in ……


Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

Your in-depth results are:

Hufflepuff – 17
Ravenclaw – 12
Gryffindor – 9
Slytherin – 7

So I haven’t officially started (re)-reading book number 1 yet. I am in the middle of another book that I have to finish up and mail it out to a friend as part of a multiple book trade I’ve got going.  I wouldn’t feel so pressured to get it finished immediately, except I received an email today from her saying that she had mailed my books today. Have to get this trade out of here! I figure it will be a couple of days before I can get into the Harry Potter book.

For those of you still interested, I’m sure there’s still plenty of time to sign up for the read-a-along!!

FYI: Read-a-Long host: Pretty Deadly Reviews