Janet Evanovich's and Lee Goldberg's The Job is the latest in the series with FBI agent Kate O'Hare and con man Nick Fox. It is another fast paced, high stakes, fun romp with these two misfits.
In The Job, Kate and Nick must figure out who is impersonating him while pulling off art thefts across Europe. When they discover the perpetrator, the real fun begins in their plan to take down one of the most dangerous and elusive criminals known internationally. As with the other novels in this series, the plot is elaborate and unique. This one fell a little short for me, though. I thought the con job was thrown at the reader quickly and found holes I wanted the authors to fill. It wasn't as funny as the other novels in the series either. While you get glimpses of the cast of characters that readers are growing to love, it just wasn't enough. I felt like Janet's voice in this was overshadowed, as the book lacked the romantic tension and humor felt in her other works.
I still recommend it if you love the adventures of Kate, Nick and their band of assistants. It just isn't my favorite in the series.
Happy Reading!
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Up From the Grave / Bound by Flames
I devoured these two novels by Jeaniene Frost, both continuations of two series. Up From the Grave is the seventh book in the Night Huntress series, featuring Cat and Bones. Bound by Flames is the third in the Night Prince series, featuring Vlad and Leila. These novels did not disappoint, and if you are a fan of the series I recommend them. They are both action packed, with plenty of gore, revenge, battles and romance. If you are not a fan of the series, but enjoy paranormal romance with grit or vampire lore then I highly recommend this series to you. Observing the growth of these characters throughout the series has been fun. If you visit Jeaniene Frost's website, you can obtain the reading order for these two series and another spin off or two.
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
Monday, April 13, 2015
It Ain't All About the Cookin'
Paula Deen's memoir, It Ain't All About the Cookin', was a fascinating look into the private family and business life of the Southern restaurant and cooking show queen. This book was very personal, from getting her period, having sex, race relations in the South, mistakes she made as a mother...and that's all within the first 20 pages! It was also honest, and a page turner to the end.
Paula leaves nothing out and the reader feels as if she is simply sitting at Paula's kitchen table having a cup of coffee and a chat. One can hear Paula's Southern twang while reading all about her childhood, growing up during the civil rights movement, her close knit family, her difficult first marriage, the death of her parents and subsequent agoraphobia issues, raising her boys, taking risks to start her first business, all the way through the huge success she has become and finding her true love. Through it all the importance of family shines through, and her love of Southern food and cooking. Interspersed through the book there are personal recipes that hold a special significance, some of which have never been shared before.
I truly enjoyed reading this memoir, and it made me more interested in the genre. I was a little sad when the book was over, because it meant that personal time with Paula was over. If you have ever enjoyed her cooking shows or smiled when she says "butta" in her Southern drawl, I think you would enjoy this intimate look into her life and what makes Paula Deen the queen of Southern cooking.
Happy Reading, y'all!
Paula leaves nothing out and the reader feels as if she is simply sitting at Paula's kitchen table having a cup of coffee and a chat. One can hear Paula's Southern twang while reading all about her childhood, growing up during the civil rights movement, her close knit family, her difficult first marriage, the death of her parents and subsequent agoraphobia issues, raising her boys, taking risks to start her first business, all the way through the huge success she has become and finding her true love. Through it all the importance of family shines through, and her love of Southern food and cooking. Interspersed through the book there are personal recipes that hold a special significance, some of which have never been shared before.
I truly enjoyed reading this memoir, and it made me more interested in the genre. I was a little sad when the book was over, because it meant that personal time with Paula was over. If you have ever enjoyed her cooking shows or smiled when she says "butta" in her Southern drawl, I think you would enjoy this intimate look into her life and what makes Paula Deen the queen of Southern cooking.
Happy Reading, y'all!
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Defending Jacob
William Landay's Defending Jacob is a courtroom drama that includes family dynamics, murder and mystery. It will hook you right away and keep you tuned in until the last page, and even then doesn't let go.
Andy Barber is an Assistant District Attorney. He is at the top of his game, head of the class and loving his life with his beautiful wife and teenage son, Jacob. Then one day, with one case, his world starts to fall apart. One of Jacob's classmates is murdered and, as the title indicates, Jacob is charged with the murder. Suddenly, Andy is on the other side of the courtroom trying to keep his son out of prison. The book asks, "How far would you go to protect your child?" The decisions that Jacob's parents make throughout the book and the ways that they try to keep their family together engage the reader in a series of "what would I do?" moments.
Through a few flash-forward moments in the book, the reader begins to realize they are reading a story that is not just about this one murder. The story continues beyond the trial, even though the reader doesn't know how that trial will conclude just yet. Something else is coming. William Landay effectively makes the reader think that critical moment has arrived, but oh no, Dear Reader, he isn't finished with you yet.
This story left me shaken at the end. As a parent, as a mother, it affected me wholly. Defending Jacob is one of those books that when you close the back cover, you need to take a reader's break before opening up whatever is next up in you queue.
This was my first Landay read, and I will absolutely look for his other works. Highly recommend!
(My copy of Defending Jacob had an interview with William Landay included at the end of the book which was very interesting, as well.)
Happy Reading!
Andy Barber is an Assistant District Attorney. He is at the top of his game, head of the class and loving his life with his beautiful wife and teenage son, Jacob. Then one day, with one case, his world starts to fall apart. One of Jacob's classmates is murdered and, as the title indicates, Jacob is charged with the murder. Suddenly, Andy is on the other side of the courtroom trying to keep his son out of prison. The book asks, "How far would you go to protect your child?" The decisions that Jacob's parents make throughout the book and the ways that they try to keep their family together engage the reader in a series of "what would I do?" moments.
Through a few flash-forward moments in the book, the reader begins to realize they are reading a story that is not just about this one murder. The story continues beyond the trial, even though the reader doesn't know how that trial will conclude just yet. Something else is coming. William Landay effectively makes the reader think that critical moment has arrived, but oh no, Dear Reader, he isn't finished with you yet.
This story left me shaken at the end. As a parent, as a mother, it affected me wholly. Defending Jacob is one of those books that when you close the back cover, you need to take a reader's break before opening up whatever is next up in you queue.
This was my first Landay read, and I will absolutely look for his other works. Highly recommend!
(My copy of Defending Jacob had an interview with William Landay included at the end of the book which was very interesting, as well.)
Happy Reading!
Monday, February 16, 2015
A Discovery of Witches
Deborah Harkness's first entry in the All Souls Trilogy, A Discovery of Witches is one of my book club's picks. This novel, set in modern times between Oxford, France and New England, is an intriguing story of witches, vampires and daemons. Unlike many other supernatural tales of wizardry and vampires, this one is rooted in science, history, alchemy and ancient texts.
Diana Bishop, descendant of some of the most powerful witches, has hidden from her otherworldly talents for most of her life. Refusing to use them except on very rare occasions, she has built a solid reputation as a scholar of historical alchemy texts. On a research mission for her latest speaking engagement, she discovers an ancient tome that is enchanted. This particular manuscript is highly sought after in the world of wizards, vampires and daemons. Once it is learned that Diana has called this text, her life is suddenly in danger. One of the creatures most interested in the book is Matthew Clairmont, an ancient vampire. But soon his interest covers more than just the ancient text, and his life becomes about protecting that which is most important to him.
Fantastical, smart, scholarly, exciting, a bit gruesome at times...this novel has it all. Adventure and romance, but not of the trashy sort. This is one our book club unanimously enjoyed. The reader will fall in love with Diana and Matthew and the host of characters that surround them. I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy.
Happy Reading!
Diana Bishop, descendant of some of the most powerful witches, has hidden from her otherworldly talents for most of her life. Refusing to use them except on very rare occasions, she has built a solid reputation as a scholar of historical alchemy texts. On a research mission for her latest speaking engagement, she discovers an ancient tome that is enchanted. This particular manuscript is highly sought after in the world of wizards, vampires and daemons. Once it is learned that Diana has called this text, her life is suddenly in danger. One of the creatures most interested in the book is Matthew Clairmont, an ancient vampire. But soon his interest covers more than just the ancient text, and his life becomes about protecting that which is most important to him.
Fantastical, smart, scholarly, exciting, a bit gruesome at times...this novel has it all. Adventure and romance, but not of the trashy sort. This is one our book club unanimously enjoyed. The reader will fall in love with Diana and Matthew and the host of characters that surround them. I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy.
Happy Reading!
Monday, January 19, 2015
The Giver
I just closed the back cover on The Giver, by Lois Lowry. Late to the game, again, I know. My 12 year old son read it for school this year and he wanted me to read it. Anyway, normally I don't feel the need to blog about a book as soon as I finish it, but this book left me feeling the need to get to my computer right away.
The Giver is an engrossing story that is written beautifully. As much as I would love to be a writer, and as many ideas as I have for constructing a novel, it is books like this one that give me pause. I know that I could never write as beautifully as this.
This is another dystopian young adult novel in a sea of them, it seems. But this one was written over 20 years ago and has stood the test of time, becoming a required reading novel in middle schools. The novel grabs you right away. Jonas, the main character, is likable almost instantly and the reader is curious about him immediately. Jonas lives in a world of sameness where everyone is satisfied and there are very clear rules that all people obey. He is approaching his 12th year, a pivotal year in which he will be given his life assignment. But when that happens, he is assigned a special role in the community, a role that is highly respected but others know very little about. This sets Jonas on a journey that makes him different in the world of sameness and ultimately has him breaking the rules to save someone that he loves.
I would highly recommend the book. Low on action, but high on beauty, feeling and intelligence. I have yet to see the movie; the rest of my family watched it but knowing that I was going to read the book I chose to wait. After finishing the novel, I am not sure I want to see the movie. The novel is quite ambiguous at its end. I am left feeling unsatisfied in a way. I needed to go talk to my boys, who both read the book for school, to get their opinions and feelings on what they think the ending meant. There are three other books in this quartet, but they tell me that they are about other characters, not Jonas (although my oldest tells me that Jonas makes an appearance in one of the other novels). So my questions will go unanswered it seems and the author has left it up to me to determine what happened to my beloved Jonas. I wish I could have spent more time with him.
Happy Reading!
The Giver is an engrossing story that is written beautifully. As much as I would love to be a writer, and as many ideas as I have for constructing a novel, it is books like this one that give me pause. I know that I could never write as beautifully as this.
This is another dystopian young adult novel in a sea of them, it seems. But this one was written over 20 years ago and has stood the test of time, becoming a required reading novel in middle schools. The novel grabs you right away. Jonas, the main character, is likable almost instantly and the reader is curious about him immediately. Jonas lives in a world of sameness where everyone is satisfied and there are very clear rules that all people obey. He is approaching his 12th year, a pivotal year in which he will be given his life assignment. But when that happens, he is assigned a special role in the community, a role that is highly respected but others know very little about. This sets Jonas on a journey that makes him different in the world of sameness and ultimately has him breaking the rules to save someone that he loves.
I would highly recommend the book. Low on action, but high on beauty, feeling and intelligence. I have yet to see the movie; the rest of my family watched it but knowing that I was going to read the book I chose to wait. After finishing the novel, I am not sure I want to see the movie. The novel is quite ambiguous at its end. I am left feeling unsatisfied in a way. I needed to go talk to my boys, who both read the book for school, to get their opinions and feelings on what they think the ending meant. There are three other books in this quartet, but they tell me that they are about other characters, not Jonas (although my oldest tells me that Jonas makes an appearance in one of the other novels). So my questions will go unanswered it seems and the author has left it up to me to determine what happened to my beloved Jonas. I wish I could have spent more time with him.
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
2014 Wrap-up
I fell off the blogging wagon this year and did not keep up with blogging about the books I was reading. I didn't even keep very good track of the books that I did read. After the last post here, I didn't log the books I read anywhere so I had to go back and try to remember. As a result, all of the books I read this year are not listed below. But here is is anyway...the books that I remember reading this year. The list totals only 25 books. While I did not have as much time to read this year and am sure I did not hit 40 like last year, I am sure I read more than 25, and the Outlander series books (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, which is included here, and An Echo in the Bone, which will be on 2015s list because I finished it after the new year where both over 1,200 pages and took the last three months of the year to read). Ah well, maybe this year I can track them better.
Highlights included the Outlander series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, which was so good I had to start the next in the series as soon as I finished it (An Echo in the Bone which I just finished after the start of the new year). The Fault in our Stars was excellent and the Divergent series was very enjoyable. The 5th Wave was also very good and I look forward to reading the rest of that series. Jodi Piccoult's Lone Wolf was also an excellent read.
Happy Reading!
Highlights included the Outlander series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, which was so good I had to start the next in the series as soon as I finished it (An Echo in the Bone which I just finished after the start of the new year). The Fault in our Stars was excellent and the Divergent series was very enjoyable. The 5th Wave was also very good and I look forward to reading the rest of that series. Jodi Piccoult's Lone Wolf was also an excellent read.
Happy Reading!
- Exclusively Yours
- On the Street Where You Live
- Code Blue
- The Room-Mating Season
- A World I Never Made
- Executive Decision
- Prior Bad Acts
- Snatched
- The Front Porch Prophet
- The Compound
- The Tycoon and the Texan
- A Perfect Day
- Father of the Bride
- Ash Wednesday
- The Fallout
- Divergent
- Insurgent
- Allegiant
- The 5th Wave
- The Fault in our Stars
- The Chase
- Big Boned
- Size 14 Isn't Fat Either
- Size 12 Is Not Fat
- A Breath of Snow and Ashes
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