By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz was a fast paced thrill ride. As Koontz so often does, he delivered another novel that is a page turner and keeps the readers heart rate accelerated. I found myself, as I often do with his books, looking several paragraphs ahead to see what was going to happen because the book was so suspenseful.
The novel started off slow for me. Dean Koontz has a tendency to over-describe, if that is even a word, and he does it with great consistency. That made this book a little difficult to start. It is kind of like he uses a thesaurus for every third word and decides that he must use alliteration, analogies and/or metaphors every third sentence. If you can get past that though, you are in for one heck of a ride. Once past the mass of description, you are thrown into a ride so wild that you have no choice but to be all consumed by the book.
The adventure in this book begins with a set of brothers, one who suffers from autism, the other his faithful caregiver; a strong young woman self described as a "Southwest Amazon"; and, a crazy doctor who injects the aforementioned characters with some "stuff" that he says will do exceptional and amazing things to them. In addition, he tells them that they better run, because now that they have this "stuff" coursing through their veins, others will be out to kill them. The ensuing adventure is thrilling, scary and heart pumping.
Most of his books are written to take place over short periods of time. This book was no exception, lasting a mere 18 hours or so from start to finish. Maybe that is why he fills it with such description, because to not do so would leave him with a short story instead of a novel. Whatever the reason, he definitely makes the world around you disappear and his fictitious world replace it. You feel like you are there, with his characters on their terrifying and exhilarating journey. Around every corner is another turn that you don't expect. Add to the fast paced adventure the fact that the characters in this book are so lovable that you want to know them in your own life, and the result is a really good read. Dean Koontz rarely disappoints in this department!
Happy Reading!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Nosy Neighbor
The Nosy Neighbor by Fern Michaels was, quite simply, not worth my time. This book is the reason I don't like most romance novels. But I am one of those people that can't put down a book without finishing it. This novel was like a bad movie that sucks you in and you just feel like you have to find out where it is possibly going to go and what is going to happen, even though you could care less about the characters or the plot, then at the end you realize that you will never get that wasted time back.
I am not going to waste any time describing it. I will simply say that I found the author inconsistent. Her characters were inconsistent and the details were inconsistent, and I don't think the author researched anything for this novel. I found myself wondering how this novel got published and if the author/publisher maybe just think their readers are stupid. And that just pisses me off, frankly. But I guess I only have myself to blame, since I could have put it down at any point!
Not worth your time, don't even bother with this one.
Happy Reading!
I am not going to waste any time describing it. I will simply say that I found the author inconsistent. Her characters were inconsistent and the details were inconsistent, and I don't think the author researched anything for this novel. I found myself wondering how this novel got published and if the author/publisher maybe just think their readers are stupid. And that just pisses me off, frankly. But I guess I only have myself to blame, since I could have put it down at any point!
Not worth your time, don't even bother with this one.
Happy Reading!
Firefly Lane
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah is one of the best books I have ever read. It breaks your heart in the first few pages, keeps you emotionally involved through the entire novel, and delivers a very powerful, emotional ending. Fantastic read that makes you laugh, remember your youth and cry out loud (downright sob, in my case).
Firefly Lane is about two girls who are very different from each other, but find their way to becoming best friends. The novel starts when they are grade school age in the 70s and takes you through their college years together and on through careers, relationships, marriage and kids. It is a novel about friendship at is core, but it is also about the relationship between girls and their moms, husbands and wives, and later about the relationship between moms and their girls. It gives insight into how our familial background shapes who we become as adults, and how our choices, even early on in life change the course of our lives.
The novel became very personal for me at the end. I found myself seeing the situations as a mother of a little girl who is the most precious thing to me, and also as a daughter of a mother with whom I have unresolved issues and very limited time to resolve them. I also found the model of the mother I hope to be in this novel. The passage of time in this book is marked by the fashions and music of the different eras and that was fun to relive.
It is a remarkable work that will remain with me for a very long time, and has become one of my favorite books. The characters and situations will not be easily forgotten. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this book was. I will be recommending it to all of my friends who also love to read. I borrowed it from a friend, but I will probably buy it so that I can add it to my collection and share it with my daughter when she is older.
Happy Reading!
Firefly Lane is about two girls who are very different from each other, but find their way to becoming best friends. The novel starts when they are grade school age in the 70s and takes you through their college years together and on through careers, relationships, marriage and kids. It is a novel about friendship at is core, but it is also about the relationship between girls and their moms, husbands and wives, and later about the relationship between moms and their girls. It gives insight into how our familial background shapes who we become as adults, and how our choices, even early on in life change the course of our lives.
The novel became very personal for me at the end. I found myself seeing the situations as a mother of a little girl who is the most precious thing to me, and also as a daughter of a mother with whom I have unresolved issues and very limited time to resolve them. I also found the model of the mother I hope to be in this novel. The passage of time in this book is marked by the fashions and music of the different eras and that was fun to relive.
It is a remarkable work that will remain with me for a very long time, and has become one of my favorite books. The characters and situations will not be easily forgotten. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this book was. I will be recommending it to all of my friends who also love to read. I borrowed it from a friend, but I will probably buy it so that I can add it to my collection and share it with my daughter when she is older.
Happy Reading!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Plum Spooky
Plum Spooky is a "between the numbers" novel in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. This book is one more of Stephanie's misadventures in the bounty hunter business. It is hilarious, laugh out loud funny. The cast of characters in these novels doesn't get any better. From Stephanie herself, to Diesel the uber bounty hunter with special powers, to her side-kick Lula, to the pet monkey she is babysitting, to her parents and grandmother, the people that surround Stephanie are quite the cast of characters.
This novel literally had me laughing out loud, and reading parts out loud to my husband. It is the kind of novel that has to be shared! The ridiculousness of the situations and characters, and the comedy behind the dialogue keep you laughing and entertained until the last page. Janet Evanovich just keeps getting better. I highly recommend this book and this entire series.
Happy Reading!
This novel literally had me laughing out loud, and reading parts out loud to my husband. It is the kind of novel that has to be shared! The ridiculousness of the situations and characters, and the comedy behind the dialogue keep you laughing and entertained until the last page. Janet Evanovich just keeps getting better. I highly recommend this book and this entire series.
Happy Reading!
The Expected One
The Expected One by Kathleen McGowan is a novel that makes you think. It makes you think about what you believe about Christianity. It makes you think about your own faith. It makes you think about "what if."
This book is about Maureen Paschal's journey to find the gospel of Mary Magdalene. Maureen Paschal is a professor and an author. She believes that the history that we have all been taught is not the truth, that those who were responsible for capturing that history changed it based on their own biases and politics. Along her journey she learns about secret societies, blood lines, and her own family's history. There are secrets buried at every turn and behind every painting. It is a fascinating look at the constant search for some sort of proof of what really happened in biblical times. It is reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, but without the action.
Part of the book then becomes the gospel of Mary Magdalene. You read about her life, the life of Jesus and the influential people that surrounded him and his disciples, all from her perspective. It was very interesting, and this part of the book was just as much of a page turner as the rest.
There are people that may say this book made them question what they believed or shook their faith. I did not find myself in that position. However, I did think a lot about what I was reading. It was an entertaining book, that makes you wonder, "what if." What if history really happened differently than historians have noted in history books? What if some of the key players in the gospels, as we know them, really acted differently? What if we their true intentions were different than what we believe them to be? What if a gospel written by Mary Magdalene really existed, or one by Jesus himself? What if the life of Jesus was lived a little differently than we have all been taught?
Kathleen McGowen's second book in this "Magdalene" series came out this month - The Book of Love. It is a search for the gospel written by Jesus himself. I have that on my list of books I want to read. And I would recommend The Expected One.
Happy Reading!
This book is about Maureen Paschal's journey to find the gospel of Mary Magdalene. Maureen Paschal is a professor and an author. She believes that the history that we have all been taught is not the truth, that those who were responsible for capturing that history changed it based on their own biases and politics. Along her journey she learns about secret societies, blood lines, and her own family's history. There are secrets buried at every turn and behind every painting. It is a fascinating look at the constant search for some sort of proof of what really happened in biblical times. It is reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, but without the action.
Part of the book then becomes the gospel of Mary Magdalene. You read about her life, the life of Jesus and the influential people that surrounded him and his disciples, all from her perspective. It was very interesting, and this part of the book was just as much of a page turner as the rest.
There are people that may say this book made them question what they believed or shook their faith. I did not find myself in that position. However, I did think a lot about what I was reading. It was an entertaining book, that makes you wonder, "what if." What if history really happened differently than historians have noted in history books? What if some of the key players in the gospels, as we know them, really acted differently? What if we their true intentions were different than what we believe them to be? What if a gospel written by Mary Magdalene really existed, or one by Jesus himself? What if the life of Jesus was lived a little differently than we have all been taught?
Kathleen McGowen's second book in this "Magdalene" series came out this month - The Book of Love. It is a search for the gospel written by Jesus himself. I have that on my list of books I want to read. And I would recommend The Expected One.
Happy Reading!
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