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Monthly Archives: June 2010

Review: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

30 Jun

I made it! I cut it close for the end of the Sookie Stackhouse reading challenge (ending 6/30/2010), but here I am. Over the last year, I’ve read and posted reviews of the first 8 Sookie Stackhouse books.  This is my review of the 9th book. The collection of short stories and the tenth book (published a month or so ago), were not included in the challenge.  I’ll get to them at some time, but probably not immediately.

Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, #9)

So, on to my review of Dead and Gone.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

For Sookie Stackhouse, the day to day activities of the vampire and were communities in and around Bon Temps, Louisiana, are of vital interest, She’s blood-bound to the leader of the vamps, a friend to the local were pack, works for a man who is shifter, and has a brother who is a were-panther…

But for most of the humans in Bon Temps, the vamps are mysterious seductive creatures-and they don’t even know about the weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world.

At first it seems to go well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found in the parking lot of the bar where Sookie works. The victim is someone she knows, so she feels compelled to discover who-human or otherwise-did the deed.

But what she doesn’t realize is that there is a far greater danger than the killer threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings–older, more powerful and far more secretive than vampires or werewolves– is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too human pawn in their battle…

This will be a quick jotting down of my thoughts.

I liked Sookie in Dead and Gone.   She’s growing up a bit, she’s trying to think proactively, and is actively working to figure out what her place in the world is.

Of course, the world isn’t cooperating.

As always, vampire leader Eric has his own view of the situation.  The blood bond they share makes for a compelling argument, and he’s got some good logic and a really hot body on his side.

Her family relationships are getting more complicated by the day.  Her brother set her up into a very unpleasant situation, and doesn’t understand why she won’t forgive and forget.  She’s not willing to go that far, but she will work to prove his innocence when he may be implicated in a murder.  Her newly discovered great-grandfather has inadvertently put her in the middle of a faery war.

And so on.

There’s a lot of big action here, and less of it involves the weres than I would have though, given that they’ve now revealed themselves to the human world.  In the end, I enjoyed Dead & Gone for the smaller moments between the characters.

Audio Notes

I’ve listened to all but one of these books.  7 were available as downloads through my library.  I bought one of the missing books in paperback, and I bought this one from Audible.com.

Narrator: Johanna Parker.  I really like her voice, and I think it brings the southern feel of the book home for me.

Audio vs. print? I liked these on audio because they have a comfortable feel that keeps me company as I go through my day.  I’m not sure that the audio version added to my appreciation of the series , but it did fit better in my day.  Pick whatever way fits better in yours.

 
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Posted by on June 30, 2010 in books, reviews

 

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Review: The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews

29 Jun

After her boss in a high-powered Washington public relations firm is caught in a political scandal, fledgling lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew is left almost broke, unemployed, and homeless. Out of options, she reluctantly accepts her father’s offer to help refurbish Birdsong, the old family place he recently inherited in Guthrie, Georgia. All it will take, he tells her, is a little paint and some TLC to turn the fading Victorian mansion into a real-estate cash cow.

The Fixer Upper is the sort of chick lit that I enjoy.

The main character is an adult, in action (at least some of the time) as well as calendar age. She isn’t perfect, but is making her way through a situation as best she can. She gets involved in a romantic situation, but it isn’t her primary focus. In general, the book is character focused, with the plot giving the character an opportunity to grow.

As a rule, these books have a happy ending.

I’ve mentioned before I can go with almost any premise. A book just has to be consistent within the rules that are laid out in its world. The question I found myself contemplating was whether need for a happy ending is one of these rules.

I don’t think I’m going into spoiler territory by saying this book had a happy ending. I was enjoying it up until I got to that ending. I felt that the situation was stretched a little too far in search of that ending.

So the question is, should I just accept that as being part of the world of this book? Whatever is needed for a happy ending must happen, because that’s the way things are? I don’t know.

The book brings you into it’s world, and it’s very easy and pleasant to float along reading it.  It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s got a few moments where it’s a bit steamy.  My only issues with the book occurred while thinking about it after I put it down.  While reading it, I was happy to accept everything.

I liked Dempsey, the main character. She’d fallen into a bad situation due to her cluelessness, as opposed to the corruption she’s being accused of. She was a smart woman without the best judgement. As the book goes on, I discovered more about her character, good and bad.   Even better, as the book continues, she learns more about herself, and uses this knowledge to change some of the less positive aspects of her character.

The book explores many kinds of family: a flaky mom; a dad that  she really wants to imress, and who has a very different relationship with his new family than he ever had with her; an unknown uncle who left his house to some of the only family he had left, even though they were virtually unknown to each other; a remote cousin that resents her presence in town and her existence in general.  Some of these relationships grow and change, others don’t over the course of the book.

I liked the path all the subplots took up until the end.  I’m still deciding if an ending this happy is a requirement of the genre that I should simply accept.  Either way, I’m looking forward to reading more books by Mary Kay Andrews.

I read this book as part of a TLC book Tour. Thank you to Trish for inviting me to participate and arranging for me to receive a copy of The Fixer Upper to review.

For more information about Mary Kay Andrews, follow her on Twitter (@mkayandrews), friend her on Facebook, and check out her website.

TLC Book Tours

For other views of this book, check out the other tour stops:

 
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Posted by on June 29, 2010 in books, reviews, tour

 

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Mailbox Monday

27 Jun

My Mailbox looks a little like this one.I’m participating in Mailbox Monday from Marcia at The Printed Page.  Head over to her blog to see what appeared last week in the mailboxes of bookish people all over the net.

I have mixed feelings about this week’s list of books.

I’m thrilled about each and every book that arrived.

However, I don’t read this many books in a week.  And I already have a backlog.

This is a problem.  A good problem, but a problem none the less.

Anyway, on to the arrivals:

One Season of SunshineOne Season of Sunshine by Julia London

Back of the book description via Amazon.com:

Should some questions be left unanswered?

Adopted as an infant, Jane Aaron longs to know the identity of her birth mother and why she gave her up. Her only clue is the name of the small Texas town where she was born, so she’s come to Cedar Springs for answers.

Handsome ad executive Asher Price lost his wife, the beautiful, mysterious Susanna, in a terrible car crash eighteen months ago. When he hires Jane as the nanny for his two children, sparks fly. Jane finds herself falling in love with both Asher and his children, but begins to suspect that Susanna was not the perfect mother and wife the family portrays her to have been.

As Jane gets closer and closer to finding out the truth about both her own and Susanna’s past, devastating secrets begin to emerge that may be more than anyone can bear. Will the truth bring Jane and Asher closer together or tear them apart forever?

Thank you to Pocket Books for this review copy of One Season of Sunshine.

Red Hook RoadRed Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman

Back of the book via goodreads.com

Set on the coast of Maine over the course of four summers, Red Hook Road tells the story of two families, the Tetherlys and the Copakens, and of the ways in which their lives are unraveled and stitched together by misfortune, by good intentions and failure, and by love and calamity.

I think I requested this via the Shelf Awareness Newsletter. Thank you to Doubleday for sending me a review copy of Red Hook Road.

Grace Under Pressure (A Manor of Murder Mystery)Grace Under Pressure (A Manor of Murder Mystery) by Julie Hyzy

Description via GoodReads.com:

Everyone wants a piece of millionaire Bennett Marshfield, owner of Marshfield Manor, but now it’s up to a new curator Grace Wheaton and handsome groundskeeper Jack Embers to protect dear old Marshfield. But to do this, they’ll have to investigate a botched Ponzi scheme, some torrid Wheaton family secrets-and sour grapes out for revenge.

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me this review copy of Grace Under Pressure..

Life After Yes: A NovelLife After Yesl by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Back of the book description via Goodreads.com

This is the story of Quinn—born Prudence Quinn O’Malley—a confused young Manhattan attorney who loses her father on that tragic September morning that changed everything. Now, at an existential crossroads in her life, Quinn must confront impossible questions about commitment and career, love and loss. Her idealistic beau desperately wants a wedding, and whisks her away to Paris just to propose. But then Quinn has a dream featuring judges and handcuffs and Nietzsche and Britney . . . and far too many grooms. Suddenly, her future isn’t so clear. Quinn’s world has become a minefield of men—some living, some gone, and traversing it safely is going to take a lot more than numerous glasses of pinot grigio.

Thank you to Little Bird Publicity for sending me this review copy of Life After Yes!.

Major Pettigrew's Last StandMajor Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Book flap description via Goodreads.com:

You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson’s wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.

The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother’s death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

Thank you to Random House for this review copy of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.

It’s a great collection of books. What kind of mood am I in today?

 
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Posted by on June 27, 2010 in books, meme

 

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Review: The Liar’s Lullaby by Meg Gardiner

27 Jun

The Liar's Lullaby My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

It may be a 4 star book, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for.

The book delivers on the thrills, the mystery, the twists and turns of the plot. The issues I had with the book could be plusses for someone else.

Tasia McFarland is a washed-up country-pop singer desperate for the break that will get her back atop the charts. She’s also the President’s ex. So when Tasia writes a song with politically charged lyrics, people take notice and her star begins to rise anew. In the spectacle-driven opener of her comeback tour, she flies down a zip line above her adoring fans, fake-firing a Colt .45 at the fireworks-filled stage. Tasia is riding high.

Until she’s killed by a bullet to the neck, in front of a shocked crowd of forty thousand.

When video and ballistics can’t prove the shot came from Tasia’s Colt .45, the police call in forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett to perform a psychological autopsy and help avert a political disaster. But as Jo sifts through the facts, she only finds more questions: Did Tasia kill herself in one last cry for attention? Were those lyrics the ranting of a paranoid woman losing her grip? Or warnings from a woman afraid and in danger? And most disturbing of all: Just what does Tasia’s death mean for a president—and in fact a nation—teetering on the brink of catastrophe?

The first problem is that this is the third book featuring Jo Beckett. There’s no confusion over events missed in the previous books– plot-wise, this novel stands alone. My issue was that I never had a chance to get to know Dr. Beckett. The character showed growth during the book, but I wasn’t invested enough to care. I think this might have been different if I’d read the previous two books.

The second problem is that this was a political thriller with layer after layer of conspiracy theory. These were woven together well (although there is one place where I felt the author tricked the reader), and made a thrilling, textured adventure that wasn’t quite my style.

The book was well written enough that I didn’t notice the writing– which is exactly how I like it!

I’ve put the first book in the series, The Dirty Secrets Club, on my list of books I’d like to read.

I received this book for review while touring Penguin Books, thanks to the Book Blogger Convention.  Thank you to Dutton Books for the opportunity to read it on the plan on my way home.

Tasia McFarland is a washed-up country-pop singer desperate for the break that will get her back atop the charts. She’s also the President’s ex. So when Tasia writes a song with politically charged lyrics, people take notice and her star begins to rise anew. In the spectacle-driven opener of her comeback tour, she flies down a zip line above her adoring fans, fake-firing a Colt .45 at the fireworks-filled stage. Tasia is riding high.

Until she’s killed by a bullet to the neck, in front of a shocked crowd of forty thousand.

When video and ballistics can’t prove the shot came from Tasia’s Colt .45, the police call in forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett to perform a psychological autopsy and help avert a political disaster. But as Jo sifts through the facts, she only finds more questions: Did Tasia kill herself in one last cry for attention? Were those lyrics the ranting of a paranoid woman losing her grip? Or warnings from a woman afraid and in danger? And most disturbing of all: Just what does Tasia’s death mean for a president—and in fact a nation—teetering on the brink of catastrophe?

 
1 Comment

Posted by on June 27, 2010 in books, reviews

 

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Book club book selections

26 Jun

I showed you my Book Club L nominations.  After the members of the club voted, here’s what we picked:

We went beyond our usual ~6 months of books so that I wouldn’t have to coordinate new book choices in November/December, we’ll deal with it next January/February.

I’ve read half of these books (the ones where I list reviews, plus The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).  I have mixed feelings about this.  I know they are good books, and I think they’ll lead to interesting discussion, but I’ll have to reread them (I have a lousy memory), and there’s so many other books I want to read!

The one’s I’m looking forward to most (for reading and discussion) are Cutting For Stone and The Unit.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on June 26, 2010 in Book Club, L

 

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Audio Review: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

25 Jun

Unaccustomed EarthMy rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Wonderful!

From the back of the book, via Goodreads:

These eight stories by beloved and bestselling author Jhumpa Lahiri take us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand, as they explore the secrets at the heart of family life. Here they enter the worlds of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, friends and lovers. Rich with the signature gifts that have established Jhumpa Lahiri as one of our most essential writers, Unaccustomed Earth exquisitely renders the most intricate workings of the heart and mind.

Unaccustomed Earth is a collection of beautifully written stories about an interesting collection of characters. Some of them come and go in just one story, others come back throughout the book.

I was amazed at how well I could get to know the people in the space of one story, probably because they were so character-centric.

All of the stories look at the experience of people of Indian descent– usually featuring the children of immigrants, balancing the traditions of their parents with the current reality of their life in America. There is also a recurring theme of infidelity and broken marriage and the end of relationships, looked at from many different angles. There is the more general question of growing up and breaking away from your family (or having them break from you).

The themes are universal, and the biggest problem with the book was leaving behind each set of characters.

Audio Notes

Narrators: Sarita Choudhury, Ajay Naidu.  Both did a good job with the stories they read. I preferred the voice of the female reader, but had no problems with either of them.

Production: It was nice when the narrators switched, giving a clear indication that I’d moved on to a new story.  Overall a well done production.

Audio vs. Paper: I don’t think you can go wrong any way you read Unaccustomed Earth.  This is a wonderful book.

Book Club Notes

I read Unaccustomed Earth for my Book Club L.

Six of us met to discuss it.  Five of us thought the book was wonderful.

The remaining person really loved the first story, and kept waiting for those characters to return.  They never did, and this got in the way of her enjoyment of the rest of the book.  I suggested she read The Namesake, Lahiri’s equally good novel, where you spend the entire book on one story and one set of charaters.

We enjoyed talking about the themes common to the stories, the characters and situations we identified with, and discussed what we would have done if we were in Sudha’s shoes.

Several people were worried about trying to discuss a book of short stories, but I really don’t think it was a problem.  I recommend Unaccustomed Earth for book clubs.

 
8 Comments

Posted by on June 25, 2010 in Book Club, books, L, reviews

 

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Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

24 Jun

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, #3) My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A word of warning– the Millennium Series isn’t one you want to read out of order, and you may not want to read this review if you haven’t read the earlier books. The very existence of this book is a minor spoiler for the second in the series.

I’m going to miss these characters, now that I’ve finished this book, the last in the series.

For some reason, this book got off to a slow start for me, which didn’t happen with the previous books. I didn’t dislike it, but it didn’t compel me to keep going as much as I expected.

I think not having an unknown bad guy and Salander being out of  action due to her injuries from the end of the previous book weighed the story down– it felt more like logistics (interesting ones) than a mystery.

As the book progressed, the plots deepened, Salander got back in the game in spite of being arrested, isolated, and having a hole in her head,  I got pulled back into the lives of all the characters, and the story became as compelling as ever.

Hornet’s Nest has a somewhat different flavor from the previous two books. There’s international intrigue which was introduced in the second book, but grows deeper and more political here, and there’s the added dimension of a courtroom drama.

On the other hand, there’s still the hunt for the big news story, lots of excitement, drama, violence, and the computer hacking that played a part in the previous books.

Mikael Blomkvist still gets on my nerves at times, particularly when all the women in the book are falling in love with him, but it isn’t a big problem, and the other characters (and most of the other aspects of Blomkvist) are interesting and well put together.

If you’ve read the other books, you’ll want to continue with this one.

Audio notes

I’ve listened to the audio version of all 3  books in this series.

Narrator: Simon Vance does an excellent job with the narration, as with the previous books.

Audio vs. Paper:  I don’t think anything is lost in the translation to audio, but I’m not sure anything is added either.  Go with whatever version works best in your schedule.

 
6 Comments

Posted by on June 24, 2010 in books, reviews

 

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Review: To Surrender To a Rogue by Cara Elliott

23 Jun

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I did enjoy this book. I just had my expectations too high from the previous book, To Sin With A Scoundrel, which could have been written to order for me. This one seemed much more ordinary. I don’t think there was anything wrong with it, but it wasn’t quite my style and nothing jumped out as being particularly special, either.

I wish we’d had more of the Circle of Sinners, and that Alessandra had confided her predicament to them. They only were present in this book enough to remind me of how interesting they all were before, and to set up the character of Kate for the next book.

I never really felt Jack was more than a stereotype of a romance hero. He’s tough! He has a bad reputation! His brothers used to beat him up! But underneath it all is the soul of an artist, which no one knew until this book began!

Lady Alessandra was a little more complex, but I’ve never been fond of the I hate him! He’s terrible! He’s so attractive! I can’t help myself, I must have sex with him! I still hate him! We’ll have sex again! Now I know he’s trustworthy and the love of my life! angle. This is very common in romance novels, so I can’t count this as an objective flaw, but it is one for me.

The book was well written, so I won’t count the author out in the future, and this still may be the right book for you. It just wasn’t one of my favorites, although it was still a fun, quick read.  There’s no need to read the first book before picking this one up. There are a few references to characters and event that take place there, but nothing that’s necessary to understand what’s going on.

If you want more information on Cara Elliot and her books, you can check her website, the Word Wenches blog, her Facebook Page, or follow @CaraElliott_1 on Twitter.

If you think this book sounds like a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or an evening (I thought it was), enter the giveaway that Hachette Books is allowing me to host.  Click to enter to win a copy of To Surrender To A Rogue by Cara Elliot!

Both this review and the giveaway are part of a blog tour.  Thank you to Hachette Books/Forever Romance for providing me with a review copy and allowing me to participate.    Check out the other tour stops!

 
3 Comments

Posted by on June 23, 2010 in reviews

 

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Giveaway: To Surrender To a Rogue by Cara Elliott

23 Jun

Hachette Books is allowing me to host a giveaway for 5 copies of To Surrender To a Rogue, which I reviewed today.

Having an address (not a PO Box) in the US or Canada is a requirement. I’ll pick the winners on the evening of July 7.

So:

  1. Leave a comment to enter.  I’ll get your e-mail address if you are on WordPress or you enter it where requested.  Make sure it is valid!  This is all you need to do.
  2. If you have additional entries (see below), you can leave them in the same comment.
  3. For an additional entry, let me know if you subscribe to my blog via RSS or e-mail, or if you follow me on Twitter. Thank you to my current subscribers, Welcome if you are new to my blog.
  4. One more entry if you let other people know about this giveaway! On your blog, on Twitter, another social site. Just leave a note.
  5. As a bonus (for an additional entry) tell me which you prefer in fiction (not real life!):  When the hero and the heroine get to know each other and then fall in love, when it is love/lust at first site, or when it is fireworks at first site– first arguing, then other kinds.

Good luck!

Both this giveaway and my review are part of a blog tour.  Thank you to Hachette Books/Forever Romance for providing me with a review copy and allowing me to participate.    Check out the other tour stops!

 
19 Comments

Posted by on June 23, 2010 in books, giveaway

 

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Audiobook meme

22 Jun

I’m participating in Audiobook Week at Devourer of Books, in honor of Audiobook Month.  Today’s post is an audiobook meme.

Audiobook are you currently reading/you read most recently: I just finished Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, narrated by Sarita Choudhury and Ajay Naidu.  I’m planning to start reading Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich, narrated by Lorilei King.

Impressions?: Unaccustomed Earth was wonderful.    I have high hopes for Sizzling Sixteen, although in a completely different way.

How long you’ve been listening to audiobooks: I downloaded my first audiobook from audible on 8/5/2005 and haven’t really looked back since.  My listening has definitely increased since then!

First audiobook you ever listened to: The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King (narrated by Jenny Sterlin).  I’ve been hooked on the series and on audiobooks ever since.

Favorite audiobook title: I’m either going to have to go with the above mentioned The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (which I’ve now listened to many, many times) or copy Jen’s answer of The Help (my top overall book of last year).

Favorite narrator: Sorry, I’m going to have to pass on this.  As long as a narrator has a pleasant voice and is a competent reader, they probably will be fine with me.

How do you choose what to listen to versus read? I have a huge backlog of paper books to read.  I have a very, very small backlog of audio books.  When I want or need to read a specific book (a recommendation or for book club) I check if it is available in audio, If so, I’ll probably listen to it.  When I’m done with a book, I see if there is something in my stash I feel like reading, and if not, I’m off to search my libraries downloadable titles.

 
10 Comments

Posted by on June 22, 2010 in books, meme

 

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