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Messages 11 - 20 of 1932
Handle with Care ..Picoult
This lady surely is able to crank these out....and does it well.
This is about a trial...A child with major disabilities is born and the trial and the story is how this impacts on the 2 families.
Picoult does her homework and asks such a lot questions that leaves the readers always wondering what would I have done..
This is about a trial...A child with major disabilities is born and the trial and the story is how this impacts on the 2 families.
Picoult does her homework and asks such a lot questions that leaves the readers always wondering what would I have done..
Mind Game
This is #2 in a Series by Christine Feehan. The characters have been experimented upon by a scientist trying to enhance their psychic abilities. First with little girls, then with two groups of military. In this book, Lily, one of the little girls is grown and the scientist, whom she thought was her father, has died. She inherits everything including his lab and all the records and finds video tapes of her and the other girls when they were children. She is working on tracking one of them down and finds one who can manipulate energy. She sends in her team - being one of the military groups who call themselves and her Ghost Walkers. The leader goes in advance and arrives just as her home is being attacked and foils an attempt at assasinating her. Her "handler" is kidnapped and her "nurses" are killed. Thus begins the rescue attempt and the search for who is trying to kill her so they can get her back to Lily and safety. In the process, love blooms.
A Beautiful Place To Die by Malla Nunn
From Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Set in South Africa in 1952, Australian filmmaker Nunn's stellar debut explores a divided society through the frame of a classic murder mystery. When Det. Sgt. Emmanuel Cooper, Nunns tortured sleuth, investigates white suspects in the fatal shooting of Afrikaner police captain Willem Pretorius, he immediately encounters resistance from the victims family. Before long, brutal investigators from the Security Branch offer a politically expedient solution. Cooper must fend off their threats as he pursues a link between the murder and an open Peeping Tom case that Pretorius had been probing. The detective finds no shortage of people who might have had a motive for killing the captain. Fans of Charles Todds Inspector Rutledge series (A Matter of Justice, etc.) will note some parallels, in particular Coopers being haunted by the spirit of his old sergeant-major. Smooth prose and a deft plot make this novel a welcome addition to crime fiction set in South Africa."
Good debut.
"Starred Review. Set in South Africa in 1952, Australian filmmaker Nunn's stellar debut explores a divided society through the frame of a classic murder mystery. When Det. Sgt. Emmanuel Cooper, Nunns tortured sleuth, investigates white suspects in the fatal shooting of Afrikaner police captain Willem Pretorius, he immediately encounters resistance from the victims family. Before long, brutal investigators from the Security Branch offer a politically expedient solution. Cooper must fend off their threats as he pursues a link between the murder and an open Peeping Tom case that Pretorius had been probing. The detective finds no shortage of people who might have had a motive for killing the captain. Fans of Charles Todds Inspector Rutledge series (A Matter of Justice, etc.) will note some parallels, in particular Coopers being haunted by the spirit of his old sergeant-major. Smooth prose and a deft plot make this novel a welcome addition to crime fiction set in South Africa."
Good debut.
A Kiss of Shadows
This is the first in a series by Laurell K. Hamilton. The main character is Meredith Gentry, a princess of the high court of Faerie. She is posing as a human, working in a detective agency that specializes in supernatural crime. Suddenly she finds herself back in the land of Faerie and the politics of her aunt's court. It is full of intrigue, dangers and lustful desires. I see many parallels to her Anita Blake series. Strong female lead, courageous and able to take care of herself, and with little morals in her personal life. The only difference is, here, there are faeries instead of vampires.
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
Amazon Best of the Month, October 2009: An investigation into a cold-blooded murder introduces Detective Harry Bosch to a Chinese underworld lurking in the dark recesses of the City of Angels. Its tentacles are far reaching, yet it remains shrouded in secrecy due to time-honored cultural traditions that keep the exploited from speaking out. To the victim's family, Bosch promises revenge, but when his own daughter suddenly becomes a target, he promises blood. However, working a case with leads on both sides of the Pacific provides little room (or time) for error. 9 Dragons is a gritty, coffee-and-cigarettes crime thriller full of smart twists and generous helpings of suspense. Fans of Michael Connelly can expect another exceptional thrill ride, while newcomers will be immediately engaged by the tortured and unrelenting Bosch. "He knew one day it would come to this, that the darkness would find [his daughter] and that she would be used to get him," writes Connelly. "That day was now."
It is good as usual.
It is good as usual.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic – September 1, 2009
"After a fantastic start with THE HUNGER GAMES, can Suzanne Collins keep the excitement going in CATCHING FIRE? Ummm, that would be a yes!
Katniss is having a difficult time adjusting to life in Victory Village. She misses the time when she could spend her days hunting in the woods behind her simple home in the Seam with Gale by her side. Now, with Gale working in the coal mines, her daily routine consists of hunting by herself in order to provide food for Gale’s family and going by the Hob to spread around some of her new wealth to the merchants at the Black Market.
Katniss’ bold move at the end of THE HUNGER GAMES has put her and everyone she loves in a dangerous situation. Witnessing Katniss and Peeta’s defiance has sparked rebellion in some of the districts and the President of Panem is not happy. He makes it clear that it is Katniss’ responsibility to put a stop to the unrest in the districts by proving her defiance was a result of her love for Peeta and not done to overthrow the government.
Katniss must face some of her toughest challenges yet in CATCHING FIRE. Challenges of conscience. Challenges of love. Challenges of survival.
CATCHING FIRE is just as addicting as THE HUNGER GAMES. Suzanne Collins has done a fantastic job of taking us back to the complicated world of Panem. There were definite surprises throughout the story. I didn’t expect Katniss to have to go through the things she did.
You’ll be breathless by the time you get to the end of CATCHING FIRE and cursing that you don’t have the third and final book in this fantastic trilogy."
I will be waiting for it.
"After a fantastic start with THE HUNGER GAMES, can Suzanne Collins keep the excitement going in CATCHING FIRE? Ummm, that would be a yes!
Katniss is having a difficult time adjusting to life in Victory Village. She misses the time when she could spend her days hunting in the woods behind her simple home in the Seam with Gale by her side. Now, with Gale working in the coal mines, her daily routine consists of hunting by herself in order to provide food for Gale’s family and going by the Hob to spread around some of her new wealth to the merchants at the Black Market.
Katniss’ bold move at the end of THE HUNGER GAMES has put her and everyone she loves in a dangerous situation. Witnessing Katniss and Peeta’s defiance has sparked rebellion in some of the districts and the President of Panem is not happy. He makes it clear that it is Katniss’ responsibility to put a stop to the unrest in the districts by proving her defiance was a result of her love for Peeta and not done to overthrow the government.
Katniss must face some of her toughest challenges yet in CATCHING FIRE. Challenges of conscience. Challenges of love. Challenges of survival.
CATCHING FIRE is just as addicting as THE HUNGER GAMES. Suzanne Collins has done a fantastic job of taking us back to the complicated world of Panem. There were definite surprises throughout the story. I didn’t expect Katniss to have to go through the things she did.
You’ll be breathless by the time you get to the end of CATCHING FIRE and cursing that you don’t have the third and final book in this fantastic trilogy."
I will be waiting for it.
The Associate by John Grisham
Wow, what a barn burner. I haven't read a Grisham in a few years as I felt he had become a bit formalistic, but this book is gripping.
Began it Thursday evening and just finished it this evening. It taught me, it tantalized me and it kept me turning the pages and carrying it with me everywhere I went today. Is it legal, is it moral, is it ethical, why do they let themselves be treated that way. I loved it.
Now I have to go back and see how many good reads I have missed of his since I stopped reading every book he put out. Looking at the list of novels he has written it looks as though I have read about half. Let it snow, I have things to read !
Began it Thursday evening and just finished it this evening. It taught me, it tantalized me and it kept me turning the pages and carrying it with me everywhere I went today. Is it legal, is it moral, is it ethical, why do they let themselves be treated that way. I loved it.
Now I have to go back and see how many good reads I have missed of his since I stopped reading every book he put out. Looking at the list of novels he has written it looks as though I have read about half. Let it snow, I have things to read !
Prayers For Rain
This is a new author for me - Dennis Lehane. This was a really good book. It may have sat on my shelf for the next 3 years before I got to it, but my niece wants it so I decided to read it over the weekend and send it to her. This is the last in a series featuring Private Investigator Patrick Kensie and his former partner Angela Gennaro. In this book a sadistic stalker targets a young woman and methodically drives her to her death. Kenzie wants to make things right, as he forgot to return her call a few months earlier and wonders if he could have stopped this from happening. He ends up fighting a mind twisting batter against this psychopath. The title - can't figure out what it has to do with the story, but it's a really good story and I'm sorry to see he does not have a current one so I'm going to read back to some of the earlier ones.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
“The Hunger Games” is set in a dystopian future/alternate present(?) of the United States. Instead of the country with which we are familiar, now all that is left is Capitol City and 13 districts surrounding it. Oh, except that District 13 was annihilated when the districts attempted to revolt against the Capitol as a show of the Capitol’s power.
After the ill-fated rebellion, the Capitol instituted the Hunger Games to remind the districts of their power on a yearly basis. Each year, one girl and one boy are selected from each district to participate, with the odds of being chosen ‘favoring’ older kids from poorer families. Kat’s family is certainly poor since her father, a miner, died, but she never imagined that her younger sister would be selected as a representative, a ‘tribute’ in the games. When Prim is selected, Kat volunteers to take her place without even thinking and is thrust into the world of the games, an arena in which 24 teenagers compete to survive and to kill off their competition, to be the last person standing and be the champion, all televised for the enjoyment/subjugation of the populace.. Think Survivor meets The Running Man meets The Most Dangerous Game.
Against her better judgment, Kat ends up in an alliance with Peeta, the boy tribute from her district, playing at being star-crossed lovers to win the approval of the audience and a greater possibility of sponsors and gifts that will help her survive. As her feelings for Peeta become more complicated, so too does the thought of her possibly having to kill him in order to survive and win the games.
I knew all along that I was enjoying the book, although I didn’t really pick up on just how much I was enjoying it until it ended (the fact that I read the whole thing in 24 hours during the work week should have clued me in). I suppose I was too caught up in it to even realize that I was so caught up in it. When Collins left me with her cliffhanger ending, I wanted to yell “no!” and curse the fact that the sequel, “Catching Fire,” won’t be out until September. “Catching Fire” isn’t even in my library’s system yet, so I’m currently checking every day, waiting for it to be added so I can get at the front of the holds list. However, I’m actually tempted to go ahead and preorder “Catching Fire” from Amazon, something I’ve only ever done with the last Harry Potter book, because I just want that badly to read it. (Okay, since I wrote this, “Catching Fire” DID become available at my library, I’m the 8th hold on 5 copies, although I’m still tempted to preorder this, Harry Potter 7-style).
“The Hunger Games” is a young adult book, but with enough depth, character development, and excitement for adults. I’d tell you to go read it now, but perhaps you should put it off until September, when you can jump straight from “The Hunger Games” to “Catching Fire".
I really enjoyed this book and am jumping straight to Catching Fire.
After the ill-fated rebellion, the Capitol instituted the Hunger Games to remind the districts of their power on a yearly basis. Each year, one girl and one boy are selected from each district to participate, with the odds of being chosen ‘favoring’ older kids from poorer families. Kat’s family is certainly poor since her father, a miner, died, but she never imagined that her younger sister would be selected as a representative, a ‘tribute’ in the games. When Prim is selected, Kat volunteers to take her place without even thinking and is thrust into the world of the games, an arena in which 24 teenagers compete to survive and to kill off their competition, to be the last person standing and be the champion, all televised for the enjoyment/subjugation of the populace.. Think Survivor meets The Running Man meets The Most Dangerous Game.
Against her better judgment, Kat ends up in an alliance with Peeta, the boy tribute from her district, playing at being star-crossed lovers to win the approval of the audience and a greater possibility of sponsors and gifts that will help her survive. As her feelings for Peeta become more complicated, so too does the thought of her possibly having to kill him in order to survive and win the games.
I knew all along that I was enjoying the book, although I didn’t really pick up on just how much I was enjoying it until it ended (the fact that I read the whole thing in 24 hours during the work week should have clued me in). I suppose I was too caught up in it to even realize that I was so caught up in it. When Collins left me with her cliffhanger ending, I wanted to yell “no!” and curse the fact that the sequel, “Catching Fire,” won’t be out until September. “Catching Fire” isn’t even in my library’s system yet, so I’m currently checking every day, waiting for it to be added so I can get at the front of the holds list. However, I’m actually tempted to go ahead and preorder “Catching Fire” from Amazon, something I’ve only ever done with the last Harry Potter book, because I just want that badly to read it. (Okay, since I wrote this, “Catching Fire” DID become available at my library, I’m the 8th hold on 5 copies, although I’m still tempted to preorder this, Harry Potter 7-style).
“The Hunger Games” is a young adult book, but with enough depth, character development, and excitement for adults. I’d tell you to go read it now, but perhaps you should put it off until September, when you can jump straight from “The Hunger Games” to “Catching Fire".
I really enjoyed this book and am jumping straight to Catching Fire.
Hide and Seek
By Fern Michaels
This is one of the sisterhood novels and as always it was a good read. I read the one that comes after first by mistake, and did not feel like I had really missed anything, so they don't have to be read in order for the most part. What might change is the relationships, but that was not the case for this one. Here the ladies are taking out an FBI who becomes director right at the last minute because of an accident. He's trying to use false information to ruin the lives of a few of their friends as well as others to make himself look good. They've lost and added people throughout the series, including some gentlemen who are involved as of a few books back. Of course, the original group leader is still there; he was a secret agent in England and orchestrates their "stings". They are now getting offers from more than one country to work for different agencies. They're pretty much professionals at this point. As always, they may break the law but they always work for justice.
This is one of the sisterhood novels and as always it was a good read. I read the one that comes after first by mistake, and did not feel like I had really missed anything, so they don't have to be read in order for the most part. What might change is the relationships, but that was not the case for this one. Here the ladies are taking out an FBI who becomes director right at the last minute because of an accident. He's trying to use false information to ruin the lives of a few of their friends as well as others to make himself look good. They've lost and added people throughout the series, including some gentlemen who are involved as of a few books back. Of course, the original group leader is still there; he was a secret agent in England and orchestrates their "stings". They are now getting offers from more than one country to work for different agencies. They're pretty much professionals at this point. As always, they may break the law but they always work for justice.
Messages 11 - 20 of 1932



