Enemy (Jack Reacher #8) - Lee Child **1/2~Soldier's son investigates conspiracy involving bigwigs~
(Library book) I thought it was strange that Nancy Pearl recommended to
readers to start with book 8 of the Jack Reacher series, but--ever obedient--I ignored 1-7 and plunged into book 8. Book 8 takes us back in time to the very early 80's and is chock full of "period" details that no one who actually wrote books in the 80's included, primarily--one assumes--because they didn't know that the details would become so antiquated, so stereotypical of the times. But it makes for fun reading later for us here in the 21st century! A good action/adventure read (I still prefer Vince Flynn, but I'll have to check out Lee Child's other books to see what makes this flashback book so significant). (Fiction, Action/Adventure>IYLRMO Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, Brad Thor)Never Tell a Lie - Hallie Ephron **1/2
~Jealous past classmate haunts surburban couple~
(Library book) Aches to be a beach read--if only I had a beach! A book to
borrow from the library, but not to buy. Kind of reads like a cross of a Desperate Housewives episode (I've only ever seen the pilot, but it deals with suburbia, female relationships, intrigue/mystery, neighborhoods and everything too, right?) and a Mary Higgins Clark book. A good read-before-bed book, I'm thinking. (Fiction, Suspense, Modern>IYLRMO Harlan Coben, female-style)Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson *
~Woman crosses paths with childhood imaginary friend~
(Library book) There are a few authors out there of whom I've read
their books, but I can't really say I'm actually familiar with their body of work, their style. That's because I've only ever read the books they've written where they've strayed from their norms--namely, David Baldacci (I've read Wish You Well, and The Christmas Train, but his books are usually much more in the Brad Thor vein) and James Patterson (I've read Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, Sam's Letters to Jennifer, and a bit of The Jester). I was in the mood for Patterson's first foray into the softer side of the publishing world (Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas), but it's gone downhill since there. Wow, I just kept hoping this book would get better. SDfN seemed to be a more thoughtful, original piece by the author, but Sunday's at Tiffany's tries too hard to be ChickLit, and the ridiculous plot and the insipid characters do not redeem the overreaching, the addition of a female co-author (Gabrielle Charbonnet) notwithstanding. (Fiction, Modern w/Guardian Angels>IYLRMO Nicholas Sparks)Belong to Me - Marisa de los Santos (mp3) ****
~Citydwellers in brave new world--suburbia~
Read this book just to follow the storyline of newly-
introduced Piper Truitt, reigning Queen of the Neighborhood. I love Cornelia and Teo, but I was always disappointed when we stopped following Piper's thread to go to another character's story arc. I listened to this book mostly while running--or, rather, I intended to listen to this book only while running. It lasted through the 16-miler to Eagle River (thanks for the ride home, Bethany!) and many other jaunts, but I found that I couldn't (actually, wouldn't/was too lazy to/etc.) only treat myself to this tale just while exercising. I ended up with an earbud attached to me while cleaning my room, driving to work, and while walking to the grocery store on my lunch break. Really wonderful three dimensional characters, captivating conversational prose and, seriously, is this a great cover or what? (Fiction, Modern>IYLRMO Chris Bohjalian)Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) - Suzanne Collins****
~Back the arena--break the cycle?~
A little gloating must ensue: I got to read this book MONTHS
early by finding it in a stack of Advance Reader books that get sent to B&N. No one else noticed it, so voila! Of course, Ms. Collins leaves this book teetering on a cliffhanger that had me shouting, "WHAT? Are you KIDDING me?" Thus the early exposure makes the wait for #3 seem even longer. Even though I'm typing this in the last days of August, the book still isn't out yet, so I can't say anything more except hurry up and write me some more, Suzanne! (Fiction, Teen, Fantasy>IYLRMO Cinda Chima, The Alliance--Gerald N. Lund)A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby **
~Four suicidal jumpers improbably band together~
(Library book) I really should say nothing here at all except that this book was
Not To My Taste, Not My Cup Of Tea. In Mr. Hornby's excellent column in The Believer, wherein he publishes witty thoughts and such about literature, the act and art of reading, reviews, etc., he never writes negatively. One can only assume this takes a massive amount of willpower, because it can be great fun to be scathing and cutting when putting pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboards. The plot was original, the characters unique, but, frankly, the sheer quantity of foul language in this book so distracted me that I couldn't at all appreciate any of the book's finer attributes. Can't think of why I even finished reading it, really. (Fiction, Modern>IYLRMO Then We Came to the End, the movie Joe vs. the Volcano (but not funny like that one))Housekeeping vs. the Dirt - Nick Hornby ****
~Avid reader continues chronicling purchases/reads~
Disheartened by A Long Way Down, I immediately
turned to another of Nick Hornby's books--a collection I had only briefly paged through before. Again, much like The Polysyllabic Spree and Shakespeare Wrote for Money, I was treated to some prime entertainment by a kindred soul in the literary world. Basically, if you're reading these words I'm typing, then you will really enjoy this trilogy of column collections. Reading The Polysyllabic Spree is what made me want to start chronicling my own reading adventures. Blame him! (Nonfiction, Literary Theory>IYLRMO A. J. Jacobs' The Know-It-All)The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein *****
~Dog wants thumbs, happiness for all~
This book is narrated by a dog. There! I said it.
Man, have I been reading a bunch of animal books of late. An unlikely mix of zen, autoracing, dogs believing in reincarnation, family love/tension, custody battles, false assault charges, all told from the canine perspective. Shortly after Chandra read Dog On It, she called and asked me to guess what book she was currently reading. She was somewhat astounded when I immediately guessed The Art of Racing in the Rain. Well, really, how many books for adults are there out there that are narrated by dogs? So it wasn't as impressive as if first seemed, darn it. Through her persuasion (now, isn't that a turning of the tables?) I picked up this book and was quickly immersed by this wise narrator with his intelligent observations and humorous insights. I have NEVER been interested in anything autoracing before, but seen from the perspective of a dog? What a ride. The car goes where the eyes go. So true. P.S. I just got Amber to read it as well and she was quite a fan, tears and all! (Fiction, Modern>IYLRMO Dog On It, Shadow of the Wind)The Underneath - Kathi Appelt *****
~Dog, cats bond in Southern Bayous~
As I was growing up (didn't grow too high, though, you notice) family, friends, even neighbors knew immediately when
I had been in the vicinity of a Crocodile Dundee VHS. I sauntered around for quite too long with a generously thick accent from "Down Under" everytime I viewed the fluffy flick. I'm easily influenced by rhythm, or by unusual and unfamiliar speech patterns. To this day, it's easy to tell if my sisters or I have been near Tyler Clark. After getting a few pages of this book I was pulled into the slow and lyrical rhythm of the South and started echoing the unique speech style in my mind. Simply swept away. Do not, do not, oh do not miss this book. (Fiction, Young Reader>IYLRMO Where the Red Fern Grows, Mildred Taylor, Brer Rabbit, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane)A Long Way From Home - Tom Brokaw ****
~Newscaster details roots, raised by WWIIers~
As if I didn't respect Tom Brokaw enough before this book (despite
my limited exposure to all things News), this book cements my high regard for this straightforward, industrious, honorable man. The best example of the most admirable qualities taught to the Baby Boomers and the pre-Baby Boomers by the members of "The Greatest Generation". Well-written by a well-spoken gentleman. (Nonfiction, Memoir, History>IYLRMO Crow Lake, Peace Like a River)City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) - Cassandra Clare ****1/2
~Mother disappears, Clary needs Shadowhunters' help~
City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2) - Cassandra Clare ****1/2
~Downworlders dying, Valentine not so sweet~
City of Glass (Mortal Instruments #3) - Cassandra Clare ****1/2
~Enter Glass City to save Mom~
During a break at B&N, I found that I wasn't quite in the mood to delve back into The Greatest Generation and looked for something lighter. I'd passed this series all the time in the store, kids at the school loved it, but I never really considered it for myself before. I'm so
glad that I picked it up! Such an enjoyable weekend of reading. My plan was to take books two and three with me on vacation to Oregon/Utah, but you know what they say about making plans. Mine, too, went awry. I couldn't stop reading--read straight through in two or three days. Humorous characters, deep friendships, good plot pacing, chemistry between the main characters--just a great series. I immediately thrust it upon my niece, my sister, and my friends. In fact, Chandra greeted me on the phone one day with the declaration that I was evil, because she had started one of the books at 11pm and couldn't put it down, and WHY did I put all three books on hold for her at the library at the same
time? Apparently, I crippled her work productivity. "But," I reasoned, "Isn't it better to get them all at once rather than waiting as number 114 on the list to find out what happened next?" She reluctantly agreed. Another convert--mwah ha ha! (Fiction, Teen, real world mixed with fantasy elements>IYLRMO Stephenie Meyer but better, Suzanne Collins)The Things We Do For Love - Kristin Hannah ***
~Couple yearns for their own children~
(Library book) I missed my plane in the airport. Really, this hasn't happened
to me all that often in my life, just lately, is all. At 2AM I settled down sadly onto those "cozy" airport chairs to sleep until my next flight, which was scheduled for a 7AM potential takeoff. Stupidly, I pulled this book from my carry-on to read for "a few minutes". Boy, did I not get a lot of sleep that night. A great vacation book--just a story about some everyday people with everyday concerns, who you hope things work out best for. SPOILER ALERT! I'm glad that the author didn't finish the book with an obvious ending. I mean, all signs pointed to her attaining the Happily Ever After she wished for from the beginning of the book, but instead she grew emotionally and received a much better ending, bound to make her happier than she ever thought. (Fiction, Modern>IYLRMO Maeve Binchy)The Alchemyst - Michael Scott **
~Twins help Flamel protect magical secrets~
I struggled through this book while in vacation in Oregon.
So little interest. So little sympathy for the characters. SO LITTLE INTEREST. What are so many people attracted to? I mean, it's a popular book (I know, I sell plenty of them), but why? I'm slightly interested to see what happens next, but I'd rather someone summarized it into (at most) three sentences, rather than slog through the next book. Hmmm . . . I'll be looking online for any future revelations of what happens to these twins. Maybe. (Fiction, Teen, real world mixed with fantasy elements>IYLRMO Fablehaven)***** READ IT RIGHT NOW!
**** Would definitely pass it on to others--highly recommended
*** Better than most
**1/2 ~shrug~ Not bad, not great
** If you're stuck on a deserted island and cloud-watching isn't your thing
* BURN in a fire if you're stuck on a deserted island (even if it's a hot, tropical island)
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