One Page At A Time

October 1st- Redirect to New Blogger Site

2005-10-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

Hi all:
I guess I owe everyone who follows me a heads-up as to why I am no longer blogging here. Truth be told, what with starting up my two online shops, I have little time to read these days :-(
I really do miss it, and I want to thank all who visited me here. I do have a new blog
"Rocky Coast Holidays" http://www.rockycoastholidays.blogspot.com
and if you like my style of writing, perhaps you'll join me there!
It will describe new products in my two stores, one about Maine photography, and the other about the Holiday season, but I will also give personal commentaries on life, and share stories about holidays traditions in the U.S and abroad and holiday recipes, books, games, crafts, whatever I can to make it more interesting.
If you'd like to check out my stores, please visit my website: rockycoastphotos.com
Thanks for the memories, and as always, happy reading.... sniff

Sept. 6, 2005 About Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-06T21:10:00.000-04:00

Hi all:
Sorry I haven't been posting, but I've been riveted to the news watching the damage and peril caused by Hurricane Katrina. It is hard to believe that the scenes are from our own country. It seems like something we would watch about a country far away. My heart goes out to the people who suffered from heat, thirst, hunger and exhaustion, only to be left uncertain and separated from family and friends in other unknown cities. Please keep these people in your thoughts and if you are able to spare a bit, send to the American Red Cross, or Habitat for Humanity, or Noah's Wish, or Feed the Children or the Salvation Army. Every little bit adds up to a lot.

In my online store, http://www.cafepress.com/rockycoastmaine, we have "We Care, New Orleans" products added, and 100% of the profits over base go the Red Cross. Or visit our website, rockycoastphotos.com for information. We have a registered RC banner on our site and Cafepress, the company that powers our store site, is going to be donating money while showing designs created specifically for this cause. Please visit: http://www.cafepress.com in the near future to view the Hurricane Relief Portal called "Community Cares". Thousands may die if the babies and elderly contract diseases or fall ill from unsanitary conditions, stress, malnourishment, exposure. Thank you for listening to this.

It seems wrong to talk about what I am reading right now after this, and I'm afraid I haven't even finished a book yet. Between doing work on my website and store, watching hurricane coverage, starting to pack for moving and having to put my 17 year old cat to sleep, I have had a full plate. I know the small amount of people who read my blog do so to find out about books, well, I still plan to do that more often.

Remember I mentioned a spotlight on a good suspense author, Kevin O'Brien? Yesterday I was in the city so I picked up his newest paperback, The Last Victim, which hopefully I will start soon. I am now reading "Cold Truth" by Mariah Stewart, who just finished a series with Dead Wrong, Dead Certain, Dead Even and Dead End.
I read the first three and didn't know about Dead End, but apparently it came out in August in hardcover, the rest are paperback. I thought the series was over, but I guess I have to finish up with that one, or wait until it is in paperback. This new series, starts with Cold Truth, then Hard Truth (9/05), Dark Truth (10/05) and Final Truth in hardcover (5/06). I guess she releases the beginning books in her series in paperback, then finishes with a hardcover. That seems to be the trend I see here. I had read books by her in the past, notably Voices Carry and Brown-Eyed Girl, among others. Her previous books were stand-alones loosely pulled together by a few recurring characters playing minor roles in the stories. These you now should read in order to fully understand what is happening.

Cold Truth by: Mariah Stewart * * * * stars so far, 1/2 done
(373 pages) c. 2005 Ballantine Books paperback (Random House)
A short blurb to see if you are interested, since truthfully I haven't finished it yet, though I am enjoying it...
From the front cover: "She slipped through the killer's fingers, but evil just wouldn't let go."
From the back: "Truth has deadly consequences." and "In matters of crime, there are many versions of the truth."
My short tease:
Cassie Burke is a homicide cop in a small seashore town in New Jersey. Her whole family was killed by a serial killer 26 years ago, but she survived. More people were also murdered during that time frame. Now murders eerily similar to those done back so long ago are being recreated again. Is it a copycat, or did the wrong man die in prison for all those crimes? Cassie has FBI agent Rick Cisco to help her deal with her recurring memories while working the case to find the killer. Together they must put together the pieces before the killer has a chance to hit close to home.
I can review this whole book when I finish, or maybe you can go by what I have told you so far to know if it is your type of book. Ms. Stewart writes romantic suspense stories, but the plots move along well and characters are fully developed. The mystery never takes a backseat to the romance, so if you are mostly interested in steamy romance scenes, look elsewhere. This is the type of book I am in the mood for this week. Maybe next week I will be in the mood for Mr. O'Brien's newest paperback and I'll share with all of you.

As always, happy reading...

August 26, 2005 Another Patricia MacDonald Book

2005-08-26T19:16:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone--
Finally settling down to get out another book review for you. It's been awhile, sorry, but I've been busy, busy, busy. The 2x a week schedule is getting a bit hard to stick to, but I will try my best :-)
I tried out two books this week, a contemporary womens story and a romantic suspense, but I just couldn't get into either one, and I certainly have too much on my mind right now for a heavy read. Everything is piling up on the homefront... Thus another Patricica MacDonald novel of suspense, and this one was pretty enjoyable. Give it a try!

The Girl Next Door by: Patricia MacDonald * * * *
(356 pages) Pocket Books paperback c. 2004

Another offering from Ms. MacDonald after I recently reviewed Suspicious Origin earlier this month. This paperback I picked up new, recognizing the author name after reading the other book. This was a bit more involved and moved quicker right from the start, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Nina Avery is a teen in a middle-class suburban New Jersey neighborhood when tragedy hits her family. On the fabulous day that she lands a date with a dreamboat guy from school and her older brother gets accepted into a prestigious university, her mother is found brutally murdered. The suspicion immediately falls upon her physician dad, due to information revealed after her death about their arguing, her drinking and his secret affairs. He is found guilty and sent off to prison for first degree murder.

Now fifteen years have passed for the Averys. Nina is a struggling actress in New York, one of her brothers is a respected business exec and her other brother is a recovered addict still living with the family that took him in when they became "orphaned" by circumstance. To their utter surprise, Duncan Avery is granted parole and is allowed to move in with his daughter. His sons want nothing to do with him because they don't believe in his innocence. Nina has always stood behind him though.

There is another major crisis that happens in the middle of the book but I won't give it away because that would make the first half anti-climatic for you. After the turning point, the rest of the story deals with Nina trying to follow several cold trails from the past to prove her father's innocence. These involve her brother (the recovered addict's) drug dealing friend, his mother the prostitute, her successful brother's wealthy girlfriend from high school and his geeky friend from the past that he winds up marrying on the rebound. Nina becomes friends with the prison doctor who was kind to her father during his sentence and he wants to help clear her father's name also.

This sounds like a soap opera, but it plays out smoothly, and will hold your attention. Not difficult to read, but not a fluff book like the other two I could not get interested in. Ms. MacDonald is in that genre of Mary Higgins Clark and Wendy Corsi Staub, modern suspense tales that rely on character development, set in average middle-class neighorhoods with topics the reader can relate to, with a smattering of PG rated romance. You will want to try to unravel the clues along with the main character and will not be turned off by excessive violence.
A decent read, worth your time if you like these sorts of stories, probably available in second-hand book stores by now.

Correction from a previous post: Ms. MacDonald's new release in December 2005 called The Unforgiven, is not a new book but actually a reprint of her first work of suspense fiction. I just found this out in the back of this paperback. This seems to be a growing trend among at least the genre of authors whose works I read the most. Lisa Jackson supposedly released two novels recently that were reprints of older tales, brought up to date and re-released. Sandra Brown has done it. A couple of others whose names escape me right now. This is not only confusing, it seems unfair, especially when the book is given a new cover and touted as a new release. I know I read so many books that sometimes I go by the copyright date or if it is promoted as new to figure out that I didn't read it yet and I have been tricked before for not looking closer. Let's face it; a lot of authors churn out similar stories, having their own M.O. so you can't be positive if it was something you read years ago or not. So, check those copyright pages carefully, and if one of your favorite authors now writes, or used to write under a pseudonym, oh boy, you really need to pay attention! Take care for now.

Fiction coming to paperback in August:

I Am Charlotte Simmons- Tom Wolfe--8/30
Shopaholic and Sister- Sophie Kinsella--8/30
The Falls- Joyce Carol Oates--8/2
Firestorm- Iris Johansen--8/30

As always, happy reading...

A Note of Explanation

2005-08-21T22:46:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to touch base with anyone who reads my posts and let you know that I have not given up on this site, but I have been incredibly busy so I need to take a week or two off from reviewing. Recently I found out I will be a grandmother again (yeah!) due next spring. Also, we have a possible offer on our house (besides everything else going on, our house is on the market). I am preparing to homeschool my children again within a few weeks.

I have been incredibly busy working on my online store. Getting the store up and running before the holiday online shopping season has been my first priority. The store features my original photography and artwork, personally designed on merchandise for sale. We have beautiful coastal scenes, wooded scenes, and flowers. Also, many photo gifts of dogs and cats, and even a preview of holiday merchandise.

Please take a moment to stop by and browse, if you can! "From the Rocky Coast of Maine Unique Gifts" http://www.cafepress.com/rockycoastmaine Thanks!!

I will return within the week with some more reviews, and thank you again for your patience!

as always, happy reading...

August 11, 2005- Laura Lippman

2005-08-11T12:47:00.000-04:00

Hi all!
I'm now going to give each post a name besides the date so people can skim the archives better and pick only what they are interested in. Today's review will be the only one I am doing since I have been busy working lately and this book deserves a second glance.

Review: "Everything Secret Thing" * * * * 1/2
by Laura Lippman (suspense, mytery, crime writer)
(410 pages) HarperCollins Publ. paperback issued Sept. 2003

Ms. Lippman is the author of the Tess Monaghan series which is set in Baltimore where Ms. Lippman lives and works. This novel and her newest one are stand-alone suspense/crime stories, but she will continue her Tess series indefinitely. There are 8 Tess books published at present.

This novel, Everything Secret Thing, is my first Lippman book, and was purchased strictly on the cover while browsing through a local bookstore. The front proclaims: Novel of Suspense, and reviewers on the back use words like "disturbing", "spine-tingler", "dark and powerful". The cover art is a creepy wooded area with a small shack in the distance. So, based on my gut feeling that this was a winner, and having seen Ms. Lippman's name on her newest hardcover propped in the front display of the store, I took a chance.

Did I get what I thought I was getting? No. Did I enjoy it anyway? Yes. It is not what some like me would surmise by the story blurb on the back. You are told the main point of the story immediately; two 11 year old girls find a baby left alone in a stroller, and now the story will start when they are 18 and leaving the juvenile penitentiary. What secrets were left untold about that tragic day seven long years ago? How has the girls' families, public defenders and detectives who were involved so long ago been affected by what happened, and what will happen now that they are free?

Okay-- first off, there is not a gruesome scene in this whole book. There are absolutely no shocking, jump-out-of-your-seat moments anywhere. Yet this story is about a shocking, gruesome deed. Ms. Lippman is determined to present this as an in-depth character study of all the major players, and not give cheap thrills with horrifying passages. The story starts off with a prologue describing 2 little girls kicked out of a children's pool party who wander through a strange neighborhood. You are told in bare bones disclosure what has happened, but not really told. You surmise from a few well-placed phrases.

Next, the story opens with Cynthia, the mother of the dead child seven years later. It will also introduce Nancy- the cop who found the baby's body, Mira- the newspaper reporter, Sharon- the public defender, Helen- Alice's single mother, and the girls Alice and Ronnie themselves, as they are separately released from prison. This story begs for the facts to be pulled out slowly like taffy, though you sometimes wish she would hurry the plot along so you can gain insight into the girls' frame of mind. It keeps your attention because you really care about what happened, which is to Ms.Lippman's credit, since sometimes the pace slows to a plod, then she throws you a bone again, so you sit up straight and pay close attention again.

You will not know why the crime was committed until the last chapter, though you may think you do. Until then, you will have to keep bits and pieces of clues straight in your mind. Okay, she said this, then she did that to her... You might need a scorecard to keep track of the main characters, of which there are quite many, almost all female and called by their first names only. I had to keep flipping back in the beginning to recall which name belonged to which woman. The fact that a story of such realistic detail (Ms. Lippman is a former newspaper journalist with the Baltimore Sun) can keep you engrossed despite its depressing premise is a testament to her writing skills. It is not a who-dun-it; it is a why-was-it-done? You know the beginning and the end of the story, but now you have to piece together everything in between the girls leaving the party and the conclusion. It can be tricky because you are dealing with 2 troubled teens who are remembering things that happened in their own fashion, whether or not it is the absolute truth, parents who cannot cope with the life they have been dealt by their daughters and all the people on the perimeter of their lives who are involved against their will.

The story winds in a sub-plot when halfway through when another similar crime is committed, and you have to detect whether one of the girls was involved or is it just coincidence and manipulating by detectives and journalists.

Give this book a try if you have the time to devote to paying close attention to a fascinating story. This is not a breezy, light summer read, though you will enjoy it in the way you enjoy watching true crime stories on Dateline and all. Not pleasant, but somehow satisfying when concluded. Best to read several chapters at a time, than in quick spurts.

New Release by Laura Lippman:

"To the Power of Three"
(448 pages) hardcover, published by William Morrow July 1, 2005
--a stand-alone suspense story--

As always, happy reading...

August 8, 2005: Author Spotlight

2005-08-08T11:10:00.000-04:00

Hi all:
Today I'm doing an author spotlight on someone you might want to check out in the genre of suspense, Kevin O'Brien. I also have a long list of pre-order books you may or may not be interested in, in case you are one who buys a book by author alone or have been waiting for it to be published. Here's your chance to find out.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT:
KEVIN O'BRIEN (SUSPENSE/THRILLERS)

Mr. O'Brien was born in Chicago, and was fascinated with horror and suspense movies and books ever since he saw "Psycho". He attended Marquette University, and took a creative writing class, in which he was encouraged to pursue writing. When he moved to Seattle, he took another creative writing class and started his first novel there, not suspense but contemporary romantic fiction, "Actors". He met an agent through a friend in class, and his career would slowly take off from there.
He next wrote a mainstream fiction, "Only Son" about a man who kidnaps a baby boy and loves him and treats him very well, only to have the boy bump into his biological mother when he is a young teen. The story is told from the boy's, the "father's" and the mother's point of view. Finally his agent encouraged him to switch to suspense fiction, which is very bankable, but wanted him to start a series with a continuing character. Since Mr. O'Brien did not want to have to write about an expert (doctor, lawyer, forensic scientist), but just plain ordinary folks who meet up with evil, he started out on his stand-alone suspense books writing career, and has number 5 coming out this year.

Books in order of publication date:

"Actors" St. Martins Press, reprint July 1987, available through specialty booksellers, used book sellers

"Only Son" Kensington Publ. (352 pages) paperback reprint July 1, 1998
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUSPENSE:

"The Next to Die" Kensington Publ. (413 pages) paperback May 2001
4 stars

"Make Them Cry" Pinnacle Books (412 pages) paperback April 1, 2002
3 stars

"Watch Them Die" Pinnacle Books (416 pages) paperback May 2003
5 stars

"Left for Dead" Pinnacle Books (432 pages) paperback 2004
5 stars

"The Last Victim" Pinnacle Books (416 pages) papeback Sept. 1, 2005-- coming release

comments:

I have read all but the first hard to find book, "Actors". I must admit I did not finish "Only Son"; I was expecting a different book than what I had.

My (2) favorites are (tied for first):

#1 "Left for Dead": a fast moving tale about Claire Shaw, who wakes in a Seattle hospital to be told she was the only survivor of serial killer "Rembrandt", but has amnesia and can't remember details. As a sideline, her teenaged son has run away while she was in a coma, and her new husband doesn't seem to be too concerned about it since they didn't get along. She feels her memory returning, but realizes, as Rembrandt strikes again, that her life may be in danger if the killer knows she can remember that night. A taut, well-written suspense story you will probably stay up late reading!

#2 "Watch Them Die": a tale of single mother Hannah Doyle and her small child, who flee to Seattle to escape a brutal estranged husband, and lands a job in Emerald City Video. The whole storyline revolves around movies, as the killer reenacts some murders from famous thrillers. What is really scary is that he wants Hannah to know, so he places the videos where she can find them, such as her purse or mailbox, then after she sees what movie it is, she finds out that a similar crime has been copied from the film. She starts to distrust everyone, and the off-center employees and customers at the video store make this a "fun" type of scary story you will definitely enjoy.

UPCOMING BOOKS TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THIS YEAR, OR PRE-ORDER:*

"Polar Shift" Clive Cussler, hardcover Aug. 30
"Slow Burn" Julie Garwood, hardcover Aug. 30
"Blue Smoke" Nora Roberts, hardcover Oct. 4
The Colorado Kid-Hard Case Crime" Stephen King, paperback Oct. 4
"Complete Calvin and Hobbes" Hardcover Set Oct. 5
"At First Sight" Nicholas Sparks, hardcover Oct. 18
"Predator" Patricia Cornwell, hardcover )ct. 25
"Light From Heaven" Jan Karon (Mitford Years Series), hardcover Nov. 8
"Forever Odd" Dean Koontz, hardcover Nov. 29
"S is for Silence" Sue Grafton, hardcover Dec. 6

*(these are not books I will necessarily buy or review; I just include this for other folks who have a more varied reading style than me :-)

As always, happy reading...

August 4, 2005: Dog Days of Summer

2005-08-03T19:14:00.000-04:00

"Every dog must have its day."- Jonathan Swift

A bit of interesting trivia for those who like that kind of thing. Speaking of the dog days of summer, I found this on the internet today, the origin of the name for the hottest part of the year. "Dog days is the name of the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to August 11th. Named in early days by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun. In the latitude of the Mediterranean region this period coincided with hot days that were plagued with disease and discomfort."- direct quote, from http://www.infoplease.com

I have two reviews today, both of which I recommend but are not top-notch 5 star choices.
They are fine for the "dog days" of summer when you are too busy, or too hot and bothered, to want to delve into a complicated storyline. These are both romantic suspenses written by romance authors who are branching out into the currently marketable romantic suspense genre. I had never heard of either the books or authors before, but I was willing to give it a shot. Carry them on the boat, in your beach bag, on the bus, or just out to the back deck. They will pass the time nicely for you!

Review: Romantic Suspense
"The Perfect Family" by Carla Cassidy * * * 1/2
(362 pages) Signet Eclipse Books, paperback issued 2005
Previous romantic suspense--"Promise Him Anything" 2004
Ms. Cassidy was known as a prolific romance writer prior to this

"If he can't have her, no one can..." so promises the front cover of Ms. Cassidy's new book. I stumbled across this one in the romance section of the bookstore, but the edgy front graphic and the back cover inferred this was a romantic suspense. I don't usually read strictly romance books, so I was willing to give this one a try. While I was happy enough with my choice, I was not kept to the edge of my seat, or staying up past midnight to finish it. It was decent enough reading when I had the chance, but I had no driving urge to finish it up quickly.

Marissa Jamison lost her firefighter husband a year ago, and lives in St. Louis with her two small children while running her own gift shop, started with the insurance money from her departed's insurance. Life seems good, until out of the blue, a young woman is killed and her murder is traced back to Marissa. The woman had had an argument with Marissa in the parking lot and the next day was found dead with her neck sliced and a red bow on her forehead. A gift card under the bow said "To Marissa, love Blake". An anonymous caller phoned and told her "you're welcome" that night after the body was found. The murderer is hypothesized to be a secret admirer of Marissa's who watches her every move and knows her routine and likes and dislikes. Suddenly Marissa and her children are in danger, as the stalker moves in closer and none of her acquaintances can be trusted anymore. A long-lost boyfriend enters on the scene and she is not sure if she can trust his affection. Meanwhile the two detectives, Nick and Sarah, who seem to be a mismatched pair on the case, feel an attraction and try to fight it as they struggle over the case.

Though Ms. Cassidy did the typical red herring trick of throwing out several possible male suspects who might be the stalker, I made the correct guess about halfway through. The murderer was revealed about 3/4 of the way through as the main characters struggle to a climactic ending. I found the first 1/3 a bit slow moving in the suspense category, more of a contemporary women story, but then it picked up and got interesting as more crimes were committed. The ending was satisfactory and made up for the slow start. All in all, worth picking up if you like romance with your suspense or light reading that you can pick up and put down without guilt.

Review: "Finding Mary Blaine" by Jodi Thomas * * *
(384 pages) Mira Books, paperback issued 2004
Ms. Thomas is known for romance books that take place in Texas

Blaine Anderson is married to a successful attorney in Austin Texas, who is contemplating running for public office. Blaine is wealthy and has a good life, but she and her husband have emotionally drifted apart, and the story opens with Blaine thinking she might accidentally have become pregnant, and knowing her husband has never really wanted children until years down the road, she needs to confirm the pregnancy and then decide what to do about it. Blaine goes to a free clinic in a less affluent part of town so no one will know who she is, but while there, the clinic is bombed and all chaos breaks out. People die, she is injured, and the building demolished. Stunned, in shock and hurting, she comes to and starts to make her way to her husband's office nearby, when she overhears Mark's boss talking to an employee about whether he had taken care of Mrs. Anderson, and what it would do to Mark's political career. Blaine tries to reach Mark, but everytime the evil boss answers her husband's phone, and he soon realizes she is still alive and sends the employee after her again.

A nurse was holding Blaine's coat with her wedding rings in the pocket at the time of the explosion, so her husband Mark unwittingly declares the burned body as hers and she is pronounced dead. Blaine take on her first and middle name as her full name and becomes Mary Blaine, a homeless woman who hangs out at public shelters. She feels she cannot trust anybody from her old life and befriends some street people who are good to her and show her the ropes of living on the streets. She realizes she is indeed pregnant, and will do anything in her power to stay alive to save her baby.The story will keep your interest simply by being original-- not too many romantic suspenses out there about homeless people. I found some of the situations a bit far-fetched, but if you can suspend belief that Blaine cannot get to her husband without the company and the boss intervening, you will enjoy this quick and unusual read.

As always, happy reading...

August 1, 2005

2005-08-01T13:37:00.000-04:00

Today, since I have been so busy that I fell behind on my reading, I will devote to lists (book lists that is). It's interesting to see what books consistently show up on book lists as the most popular in the U.S. at any given time.
For instance, here are three different sources of best-selling book lists, and then some books I am looking forward to buying, none of which made the lists!

The New York Times Bestsellers List for July 31, 2005
Hardcover fiction (in order top 5):

1. Lifeguard- James Patterson, Andrew Gould
2. The Interruption of Everything- Terry McMillan
3. The Historian- Elizabeth Kostova
4. Until I Find You- John Irving
5. The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown

Hardcover Non-fiction (in order top 5):

1. 1776- David McCullough
2. 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America- Bernard Goldberg
3. The World is Flat- Thomas L. Friedman
4. Freakonomics- Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
5. Confessions of a Video Vixen- Karrine Steffans

Paperback Fiction (in order, top 5):

1. Trace- Patricia Cornwell
2. White Hot- Sandra Brown
3. The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini
4. The Rule of Four- Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason
5. Night Tales: Night Shift, Night, Shadow- Nora Roberts

Paperback Non-Fiction (in order top 5):

1. The Tipping Point- Malcolm Gladwell
2. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim- David Sedaris
3. Guns, Germs, and Steel- Jared Diamond
4. The Devil in the White City- Erik Larson
5. Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom

Amazon Top 10 Selling (in order)- August 1, 2005

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- J.K. Rowling
2. Freakonomics
3. The World is Flat
4. 1776
5. The FairTax Book- Neil Bortz, Jon Lender
6. The Kite Runner
7. Eldest, Book2- Christopher Paolini
8. Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About- Kevin Trudeau
9. The Historian
10. 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
------------------------------------------------------
Barnes and Noble Top 10 Selling (in order)- August 1, 2005

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About
3. Lifeguard
4. 1776
5. Eldest, Book 2
6. The Kite Runner
7. The World is Flat
8. Freakonomics
9. The Undomestic Goddess- Sophie Kinsella
10. The Pampered Chef- Doris Christopher
---------------------------------------------------------

My List of 12 Hardcovers that I would like to buy, but are waiting for paperback issue, or more money (!) (in no order):

The Memory Keeper's Daughter- Kim Edwards
Cover the Butter- Carrie Kabak
The Breakdown Lane- Jacquelyn Mitchard
To the Power of Three- Laura Lippman
The Innocent- Harlan Coben
Killing Time- Linda Howard
Alone- Lisa Gardner
Killer Takes All- Erica Spindler
Vanish- Tess Gerritsen
Unraveled- Maria Housden
Absent Friends- S.J. Rozan
Ice Queen- Alice Hoffman
----------------------------------------------------------

As always, happy reading...

Want to Mention Coupons

2005-07-28T08:13:00.000-04:00

I guess this is obvious to most readers, but still worth mentioning. I sign up for every newsletter that any bookstore chain offers, such as Borders/Waldenbooks (they are asociated, but send separate emails). I also did it in Barnes and Noble, but I have a discount card and I don't remember if you have to have the card to receive bonuses.
Anyway, today for instance, I received an email from Borders and also Waldenbooks with a printable coupon for 30% off any paperback until July 31. Catch is you have to actually shop at the store, but if you live nearby, why not? You can sign up online.
My point: I receive emails from Borders, Waldenbooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and my local location bookseller approximately 2x a month, and some of these sellers send notice about new releases but more importantly coupons. I think it is 15-50% off, but mostly 30% off. If not interested, hit delete, nothing lost.
So, if you live near Borders/Waldenbooks, sign up today and start getting those coupons now!

July 28, 2005

2005-07-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today I am going to do something a bit different: I am going to review a novella written by self-published author, Vitae Bergman. Mr. Bergman asked me to read one of his books, and he sent me a copy of this one so that I could read and review it.
His website is: http://www.vitaebergman.com
He has several published books for sale by Burkeshire Press from Lulu.com. I was sent "Take Sylvia's Case", which is not quite the genre of books that I usually read, but was nonetheless interesting. I need to branch out more, but human nature being what it is, I gravitate toward my tried and true books.

"Take Sylvia's Case" by Vitae Bergman *** stars
(134 pages) Burkeshire Press c. 2005

This novella goes into infrequently traveled territory, being told almost exclusively from the main character' s point of view as Sylvia's musings are related to an unseen and unnamed counselor.

The text is like reading from Sylvia's personal journal, so you feel compelled to keep reading and find out what happened to bring her to this place in her life. She is disfigured from a war-related attack, confused about whether to continue her career as an international correspondent and searching for her soulmate.

The premise of the tale is how Sylvia examines her life to see where she has been and where she is going in every sense of the word. She realizes the impact her friend Helen had on her, and even though Helen is passed on, she still feels Helen is with her, guiding her along.
This book might not be for everyone, but for its target audience of those who look beyond the accepted mode of society and question how (and why), this tale will be enjoyed!

Suspense Review:
"Deep Freeze" by Lisa Jackson **** stars
( 507 pages) Zebra Books, issued Mar. 2005

Lisa Jackson shows why she is such a popular and prolific author, with this suspense thriller released in paperback this year. "Deep Freeze" is set in Oregon during one of the coldest stretches of ice, snow and low temperatures in recorded history. I purposely picked this one, so we can pretend we are chilly in this heat wave!

Jenna Hughes is a retired actress who is hiding out with her two kids in an isolated cabin on acreage by a raging gorge in the hills. She has recently been divorced and lost her sister, and she needs time to unwind and think about what she wants to do in the future. For the time being, she is just being a parent and doing volunteer work for the local town community theater group. Then items of hers are stolen, it appears someone is stalking her, a few women go missing, and everyone she meets just might be the one who wants to make her the next victim. Who can she trust? Can she even trust the local sheriff whom she is attracted to? There are some slightly gruesome scenes related to the disturbed criminal's fascination with the actress, but they weren't bad enough for me to turn away.

Ms. Jackson has written a very suspenseful and fast-paced story, but she does tend to throw out multiple red herrings to fool the reader. This can be fun, but can be distracting when you start to eliminate suspectsin your mind because they are too obvious, and also because they are not obvious enough! Just keep reading and you will be satisfied with the way things turn out, though I doubt you will correctly guess the who and why of the murders. The only complaint that I know will come up with readers is that this is part 1 of a two part series and the ending is not the final word on the case. You will just have to wait until next year for closure on this story, which will shift in locale to San Francisco, with several of the book's characters returning.
I, for one, will pick it up!

Sequel:
"Fatal Burn" coming March of 2006, sequel to "Deep Freeze"

New Release for the author:
"Final Scream" by Lisa Jackson
(544 pages) Zebra Books issued July 26, 2005
http://www.lisajackson.com

Keep cool, and as always, happy reading...

July 25, 2005

2005-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I had a really hectic week, so I literally just finished reading the book I'm going to review and had to take a few minutes to collect my thoughts. I really enjoyed it and felt I should finish it now so I could talk about it today.

Hope everyone is keeping cool in this heat. I live in New England which isn't exactly tropical, but we are having a heatwave, more importantly a humid heatwave. I have been reading in the living room instead of out back since I wouldn't be able to settle in for the long haul, and this book kept me turning the pages! Pick it up and find a cool spot to relax with it this week...

"Remembering Sarah" by Chris Mooney ***** stars
(406 pages) Pocket Star Books, paperback issued April 2005

Mooney, author of "Deviant Ways" and "World Without End" has written a super-charged emotional book that will appeal to both men and women. I have not read his other books and only found out about this one from an online book site that recommended it. Am I glad that I happened upon it when I was in my local bookstore last week, without actively looking for it!
I finished up my other book, then started this one, and was done within a day and a half. It was that interesting for me!

This book is told from the point-of-view of Mike Sullivan, a hard-working building contractor in a town near Boston, who is living a typical middle-class life with his high school sweetheart wife and their beloved 6 year old daughter, Sarah. After several miscarriages, the Sullivan are lucky to have their little girl, who is petite for her age and wears strong eyeglasses for poor vision. Things are going smoothly until one late winter afternoon, gloomy and snowing, when Mike takes his girl sledding against Jess' wishes, who believes it is too dangerous for her. "The Hill" is a popular congested park area in town where families go for sledding. The problem is: Sarah goes up the hill with her older friend to slide, but never comes back down. She disappears seemingly into thin air, leaving behind her sled and her glasses in the snow. Mike and Jess are inconsolable and their lives, personally and financially, fall apart.

The story jumps five years later, and Sarah would now be eleven if she is still alive. Mike and Jess have separated and Mike is serving probation for beating up a possible suspect in the kidnapping while drunk. He is now sober and going for anger-management therapy, and still lives with the torment that he feels he was responsible for Sarah going missing. His mother left him when he was young, and he is estranged from his father since marrying, so he feels he is alone with his grief, save for his work partner pal, Bill. He feels the police have bungled the job so he keeps searching on his own for whatever clues he can find that might implicate the man he feels is responsible for Sarah's disappearance. You see, living in their community is a defrocked Catholic priest who is dying from a terminal illness, but who is suspected in the murders of two little girls from nearby states. He was once accused of molesting a child, but charges were dropped and he was sent to the Boston area. Circumstantial evidence points towards him, but the cops cannot make an arrest and Mike is afraid Father Jonah will die and take his secrets with him.

Throw in an attorney who is a past girlfriend of Mike's, a cocky lady P.I, and his arrogant, violent father who dabbles in organized crime and you've got a tale filled with interesting and believable secondary characters. Mike has never given up hope though everyone else around him wants him to move on, and the emotional roller-coaster journey towards accepting his daughter's disappearance is realistic and well-written. Along the way he starts to doubt all his memories of the past, while discovering things he didn't really want to know about his ex-wife, his father and even his mother, who abandoned him when he was nine and left a trail of lies behind.

This multi-layered story is not full of red herrings like some mysteries are, and you won't feel tricked by the ending, though it takes an unexpected twist. You, the reader, learn the facts of the case as Mike does and you won't be able to solve the mystery until the very end. This story takes on a familiar subject from the news but puts an original spin on it. There is no violence, no description of child abuse, no sensational bashing of the church, no predictable good characters/evil characters. It makes a decent story a very good one to pass the afternoon with!

Also worth mentioning: the other book I read this past week--

"Suspicious Origin" by Patricia MacDonald *** 1/2 stars
(416 pages) Pocket Books, paperback issued April 2004

Ms. MacDonald, author of such well-known suspense as "Stranger in the House", "Not Guilty" and "The Girl Next Door", has delivered again in typical fashion in this paperback sure to please fans of her, Wendy Corsi Staub, and Mary Higgins Clark. In this one, Britt Anderson, a tv producer in Boston, learns that her estranged older sister Greta has died in a house fire. Britt takes a leave of absence from her job, where her boss is her ex-lover and she doesn't have the gumption to find new employment yet. She travels to Vermont, and meets for the first time her middle-school aged niece Zoe and her surly brother-in-law Alec. Instead of leaving after the funeral she finds herself entangled in the lives of her new-found relatives and pondering how her sister really died. The detectives have ruled her death as arson, not accidental, so Britt uses her skills as a news reporter to track down clues as to what happened to Greta. She accuses Alec and looks for evidence to support her idea to give the local police department. But slowly she starts to wonder if maybe someone else is actually guilty of murder, and uses a local young tv reporter to help her solve the mystery. Britt comes across as a bit slow to learn, and is put in peril more than one time, but the story is a fun easy read, and you won't be able to guess until at least 2/3 of the way through what really happened to poor Greta, and why. Don't worry; all the loose ends are wrapped up and there is a happy ending.

No violence, no steamy romance, just a decent contemporary suspense that will suit your need when you don't have time to read for more than a couple of chapters at a time. Keep this one on your nightstand or in your tote, and grab a few pages when you can. You won't be blown away, but if you picked it up used or borrowed it, it is certainly worth a try. Recommended as a light read for a change of pace from more complicated stories.

*On another note altogether, I have opened an online gift store:
http://www.cafepress.com/rockycoastmaine
From the Rocky Coast of Maine Unique Gifts
quality photo images presented on gifts such as framed prints, posters, mugs, shirts, calendars,
magnets, note cards, etc. Thank you if you have a moment to check it out. It's for nature lovers, no matter where you live!

As always, happy reading...

My Peaceful Summer Reading Spot!

2005-07-21T11:13:00.000-04:00

This is where I prefer to
read in the warm weather!

Where's yours???
Happy Reading...

July 21, 2005

2005-07-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hi all, I'm back after a few days off to think about what direction to take with this blog. I decided to keep things pretty similar, however, I may not post on the exact days listed in my description, and I'll be more flexible with my content. I just can't keep up the fast pace of my reading at this point; I have outside commitments to slow me down (namely my house is on the market and I'm homeschooling one of my kids). But I do still read every day. I just might take a bit longer to finish a book so I might talk about something else associated with reading. After all, if you are reading this now you must enjoy reading as much as I do! So, here we go and thanks for visiting!

"I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?"--John Lennon (not talking about reading, but doesn't it fit right in with the subject of fiction!?)

I've decided that when I do review a book that I will give it an arbitrary rating code so that I am clear about exactly how the book affected me. Of course your mileage may vary, but if you like the types of books I do, maybe my opinion will count for something!

Rating Code:

* star Could not finish it, or didn't care for it. Don't waste your time!

** stars It was just okay, take it or leave it. Pick it up at a yard sale!

*** stars Generally good, perhaps uneven. Worth checking out of a library!

**** stars Very good, worth a try. Buy it at a used book store or order online

***** stars Wow- Recommended whole-heartedly! Buy it at your local bookstore without delay!

A Word About Fiction Series:

As I was browsing my local bookstore recently, I was thinking about series with recurring characters, and how I have stopped reading a few good authors because I wasn't enjoying their series anymore. I have listed a few that I have lost touch with in the past year or so...

Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware for one. I missed buying a new release, then another, and now it is out of sight, out of mind. How will I know if he gets back together with the lovely Robin?

Then there is another Alex, Alex Cross from the James Patterson series. The graphic violence towards women and children got to be a bit depressing for me.

Also I stopped reading Iris Johansen's books about the strong Eve Duncan. They started to feel too similar for me.

Good ol' Kay Scarpetta from Patricia Cornwell. Geez, I've read and passed around so many "Kays" but that wolfman theme was getting old. I most enjoyed the first several, then I found the stories getting repetitious and sometimes far-fetched. I do miss the series, but not enough to buy another right now. And the police series she did, well, I couldn't get into it.

And finally, the Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles series from Tess Gerritsen. I have read all but the last two from Ms. Gerritsen, and I do love her books, but I don't feel a connection to this duo. I enjoy her stand-alone books much more! (I met Ms. Gerritsen in person and she is a fabulous speaker!)

Incidentally, I am not author-bashing here! I really enjoy the writing styles of these folks, just don't have much interest in their main characters anymore. Sorry if you might disagree.
One series I am debating whether to start is the J.A. Jance mystery series.
Actually she has two series that I know of: J.P. Beaumont, and Joanna Brady. If I do invest the time in one of these series, I will have to order up her back-list, since she started these awhile ago.

Now for a review of a book that I hope will become a series:

"The Nanny Murders" by Merry Jones ***** stars
(336 pages) hardcover
Thomas Dunne Books c. May 2005

This mystery was a pleasant surprise for me, not what I had been expecting! Without a friend's recommendation or prior publicity on tv, I was taking a shot in the dark to pick this up, but I am glad I did! Its main character is a very believable Zoe Hayes, around thirtyish, divorced and a single adoptive parent of Molly. One day Molly is playing in the snow outside their Philadelphia brownstone and discovers a preserved finger from a female hand. Is it from a missing nanny? You see, in this neighborhood, which is a bit down at the heels and bordering a wealthier area, nannies and au pairs are disappearing left and right, and one is presumed dead. The finger brings Det. Nick Stiles on the scene, to solve the mystery and to win over Zoe's heart. But can Nick, with his troubled past, be trusted?

And what about the other characters on Zoe's radar: her manic-depressive attorney friend who alternates between compulsive baking and pouting, her tough-as-nails babysitter who knows self-defense, the psychologist who wants to sink her nails into Det. Nick, the eccentric old man who spies on all the passersby on the block, the mentally challenged patients at the facility where Zoe is an art therapist, the gymnastics mommy-clique at the gym,or her ex-husband who is practically stalking her to get her to return a family heirloom ring that he wants for his young fiancee?

This is a fun read, sometimes amusing, sometimes serious, never graphic-- despite that finger, and worth a trip to your local bookseller to pick up for your summer vacation!

What I am reading tonight:
"Suspicious Origin" by Patricia MacDonald (mystery in the Mary Higgins Clark genre)
Good so far, will let you know.

Well, my to-read pile is starting to multiply thanks to a trip to Borders and my local bookseller,
so my son could get "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and my husband got "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, and I just had to 'sample the wares'. It's like going to a bakery and just looking! Hey, books and cinnamon buns, a great combination!

As always, happy reading...

Short Hiatus

2005-07-13T16:16:00.000-04:00

HI- I am going on a short hiatus to re-evaluate what I am doing here. I will be back shortly--can't promise what day, so if I have not posted on this Thursday or next Monday, it doesn't mean that I won't at all. take care, Riann

July 11, 2005

2005-07-11T08:24:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone--
In the week of the new Harry Potter making its debut, all you Harry fans will finally get your hands on the new copy and hopefully be satisfied with how our boy is shaping up. I will be taking my teen to the bookstore the first day (not the night before at midnight!) basically because it will be 25% off in the beginning, and since we are going to buy it anyway, why not save some $$? But my real reason for making a big deal about the Harry Potter series is not because I think it is that great (though many would beg to disagree) but because it gets kids/young adults talking about books and reading. Maybe a trip to the bookstore with all the Harry hoopla will be seen as a fun outing for those who don't show much interest in reading yet. Hopefully those boys going to buy Harry will see other types of books that they want to read too, and start a new interest besides tv and video games. I used to work in a school and it was gratifying to see young kids, especially boys, clutching the huge hardcover in their arms in the hallway, and seeing them sitting on a swing at recess reading!! I am not targeting boys to pick on (in my family my son is the big reader) but (I have heard) that young boys traditionally don't read for pleasure as much as girls. One thing I can say definitively: parents should read to their kids or at least read at home to show a good example. It will benefit their kids in the long run.

My new picks this week are two mysteries by Kate Pepper, pen name of Katia Spiegelman Lief. She is a writer and a teacher in NY, and has had a couple of books printed by a small publisher years before, but these two books mark her foray into mysteries. She also has a third book, still untitled, due out next summer. After reading these two, I will be eagerly awaiting it!

Top Pick:

"Five Days in Summer" by Kate Pepper (mystery writer)
(304 pages) Onyx Books c. 2004

I stumbled upon this book quite by accident. I was walking up and down the new fiction paperback aisle at Barnes and Noble, and the employees had stacked a few piles of books on the floor in front of the shelves, apparently yet to be newly shelved. I was keeping my eyes on the book spines and almost tripped over the pile ( I wear bifocals and have to tilt my head up to read close-up). So I literally stumbled over a previously unknown author (to me) that I will now put on my must-read list!

"Five Days in Summer" is Ms. Pepper's first entry into mysteries, and it is definitely worth a read! She writes in a way that makes you feel a part of the action; you are there sitting at the Parkers' kitchen table while the distracted father feeds the kids and is thinking about what action he will take next to find his missing wife. The story takes place on Cape Cod around Labor Day, and the story is so descriptive in its beach scenes that you can almost smell the salt air and hear the sea gulls cry. Emily Parker is wrapping up a family vacation trip with her three kids while her husband stays in NYC to keep working. They have been staying at her newly widowed mother's beachfront home and now Emily wants to make one more trip to the supermarket to get sandwiches and snacks for the long drive home. But Emily never makes it home that day. Emily's mother, Sarah, and husband, Will, must deal with the small town police department to launch a search. They know that Emily did not run away and something is very wrong. Will runs into a retired FBI profiler who is now living in town, and is convinced to recruit his help to solve the mystery of Emily's disappearance. Meanwhile, Emily's kids are bearing the brunt of a missing mother and understandable neglect from distracted relatives, and the oldest boy is intent of finding his mother himself.

When clues at the supermarket lead the new female detective and the retired FBI Special Agent on a lukewarm, confusing path toward Mrs. Parker there are red herrings galore, and you will change your opinion as to who took her hostage several times before the ending. There are more quirky characters than not, and you will have to read carefully to keep track. The retired special agent is able to link Emily's disappearance with a serial abductor/murdererer, whose M.O. is to kidnap a mother, then a couple of days later, kidnap her young son, and then within five days, release the mother and leave a body part of the boy somewhere to be discovered. He takes exactly five days from start to finish for his gruesome deeds, and Emily's family and the police are racing against the clock to find out who took her. You will stay tuned from Day 1 to Day 5 in this tale, and when you figure out who is the guilty party, the only complaint you might have is: would a troubled past really trigger a seemingly average peson to go to all this effort every seven years to carry out these kidnappings and murders? Is this too far-fetched? Well, unfortunately from what we read in the news, there are individuals out there who blend in with society, but harbor deep, troubling thoughts and plan unspeakable acts.
So, yes, this could happen, and you will be pleased with the way that the loose ends are wrapped up by the conclusion. Worth a read-- no overt violence except the discussion of the past murders, no sex scenes, no swearing, just a good old fashioned whodunit.

New review:

"Seven Minutes to Noon"
(307 pages) Signet Books c. May 2005

This is the second stand-alone mystery from Kate Pepper ( a third one will be published next summer). It starts with Alice Halpern, a pregnant, mid-thirties mother of two who is waiting in a Brooklyn park across from the kids' school, expecting her also pregnant friend, Lauren, to appear. She is left still clutching her friend's lukewarm latte, because Lauren is a no-show. Alice takes Lauren's son home with her and contacts her friend's husband, Tim, who is out of town on business. She also involves Maggie, her British pal who is co-owner of her upscale shoe store, and who is the third member of the "three sisters". Kate, Maggie and their husbands and kids, are two-thirds of the closely-knit extended group; that is, they share their lives as if they are family. Lauren's husband is naturally devastated, but Alice, who is six months pregnant with twins, is also suffering, from insomnia and delusions about someone stalking her. And how about her creepy landlord who is trying to evict her while she is dealing with Lauren's absence and her warm-weather pregnancy? Why is Alice's husband spending so much time at work when she needs his support, and what happened to her new real estate agent with whom she is frantically searching for a new home?

News resurfaces about another pregnant woman from the neighborhood who had gone missing
a few years back, and that her case might be linked with Lauren's disappearance. Alice hooks up with Frannie, a local police detective, to offer as much insight as she can into her friend's past few months to solve the mystery in time to save the baby girl Lauren is carrying. Now all of Lauren's friends and family are under suspicion, and no one knows who to trust anymore. As the police get closer to discovering the truth, Alice realizes her own life, and that of her unborn babies, may be in danger. A good solid story with several twists and turns to the plot, it will hold your interest. A big part of the story's appeal is the setting--a gentrified Brooklyn brownstone neighborhood near the bridge. It is part of New York City, but also has qualities of a small town. Ms. Pepper lives in Brooklyn and knows what she speaks of, which makes it that much more realistic. The characters are kept in the claustrophic setting of a small patch of the neighborhood area and it makes the story of an average mother: your neighbor, your friend, your student's parent, your customer, hit home hard. This book is worth your attention, and is a decent mystery read. You will be curious to find out what happened to the missing pregnant ladies, and how Lauren's disappearance affects everyone around her, particularly Alice. I personally preferred the other book "Five Days in Summer" a bit more, but this one certainly did not disappoint me, and I think you will not be disappointed by picking this one up. Ms. Pepper has done it again!

Books currently in my to-read pile:

"Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn" by Hannah Holmes (fun non-fiction ecology book)
"Lethal Lies" by Laurie Breton (new author for me, mystery that looks intriguing)
"The Things We Do For Love" by Kristin Hannah (for when I'm in the mood for something light)
"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown (okay, I'm late on the bandwagon with this one!)

Maybe I will be reviewing one of these shortly, or maybe whatever I pick up from the bookstore in the near future---as always, happy reading!!

July 7, 2005

2005-07-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hi! I had a good time earlier this week browsing through Barnes and Noble for a couple of hours. My husband started off in Home Depot so he wouldn't have to rush me. I hate to have anyone follow me around while I look at books! Since I have just seen the movie "War of the Worlds", I picked up a book that said on its review page in front that it was "Dean Koontz's modern-day The War of the Worlds". That intrigued me since I found the movie intense, so even though I do not read sci-fi or fantasy thrillers as a rule anymore, I picked up Dean Koontz's "The Taking", new in paperback.

To be honest, I have read Dean Koontz before several times, but not recently and I have not enjoyed one of his books in a long time. I used to really enjoy his old books: "Watchers", "Strangers", "Lightning", "Twilight Eyes" and a couple of others from that time frame. I also read one last year about a disabled man who can't go out in the light-- sorry, forgot the title. But between the before-mentioned books and the newer one, I read maybe four that I just did not like. Too weird, too much sadistic violence- especially toward women, too out-there. Why did I try "The Taking"? Because in a perverse way, I wanted to make myself ponder that end-of-the-world scenario I had just experienced in the movies. (And to see if the reason I didn't read his books anymore was only that my tastes had changed from years ago.)

Featured Author: Dean Koontz
former pen name: Leigh Nichols
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Koontz got interested in writing when he won a magazine fiction competition while a senior in college. However, he went on to work with troubled youths and then became an English teacher. His wife, Gerda, issued him a challenge: she would support him for five years to see if he could make it as an author; if he did not, he would go back to teaching. Koontz made it and moved to Southern California where he lives with his wife and his Golden Retriever, Trixie. Dogs are a favorite of Mr. Koontz, and he frequently adds them to his storylines.
He is the author of 45 books, give or take, and is one of only a dozen or so authors to ever have ten #1 best-selling hardcovers on the NY Times Bestsellers List. He has also had 12 best-selling paperbacks. His newest hardcover release out now is "Velocity", released May 2005.

Featured Review: "The Taking" by Dean Koontz
(410 pages) Bantam Books, paperback issued April 2005

"A few minutes past one o'clock in the morning, a hard rain fell without warning ..."
So begins another thriller from the master of chills, Dean Koontz. He is a renowned author of more than 45 books, many #1 best-sellers and a legion of fans. Critics usually bestow him with words of praise and books are translated and sold all over the world. So, why am I hesitant to give this book a rave review? Is it me, as I previously stated, who has changed her taste in books over the years? Or is it Mr. Koontz who has hit a sour note with this story? I would have to say yes...and maybe. I realized that since this is only the second Koontz book I've picked up in the last five years, my tastes must have gone in another path since the days when I would scoop up a book solely on his name alone, and then pass it along to my relatives.

So, what is "The Taking" about anyway? According to the back cover, the story begins on the morning that marks the end of the world as we know it. It is a take on "The War of the Worlds", no doubt, but it spins off in a definitive Koontz-style. He has made dogs heroic guardians in the war against invaders, and he suffuses his tale with religious overtones. A couple of the characters are clergymen, and there is much quoting of verse from the Bible and poet T.S. Eliot. The theme is the standard good versus evil.But his trademark monsters are no little green men with big eyes. These are the creatures that small children imagine hide under their bed during a thunderstorm. These are insects, dragons, and the devil all rolled into one. Oh and by the way, did you connect the endless rain with Noah's Ark, and God's wrath with the way the world is turning out?

Molly and her husband Neil are awoken one morning in September (9/11?) by torrential rain illuminated with an eerie glimmer. Molly finds coyotes huddled on her porch, seemingly more afraid of the woods than of humans. The garage is teeming with timid mice. Neil gets a telepathic message that something is hovering overhead, ready to crush them. Watching tv confirms their suspicions that something is very wrong all across the world and that they need to seek a place to hunker down and await whatever is coming. They head out to town to find neighbors who can band together with them and fight whatever is going to attack. Along the way she encounters her father, who has escaped from an institution for the criminally insane in the chaos and is looking for revenge against her, the child whose testimony put him away. There is the puzzle to consider: why are the children not being targeted by the Evil? And oh yes, there are heads without corpses moaning and threatening along the way.

The ending is pretty decent I think, and should satisfy the reader. I won't say if it ends well for Molly and Neil and our society ing general, only that the way it ends fits the story. As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed the first two chapters and the last two chapters. It was the uneven middle that had me struggling a bit to keep engaged. A bit too bizarre for me, too R.L. Stine.

Of course maybe I am the wrong person to be reviewing this book since I have admitted that I don't read Mr. Koontz much anymore. To get a reality check, I did something I don't do when writing my blog. I checked with various online book review sites (after I read the book and wrote the above draft), and was surprised that so many readers slammed the book. The majority of the reviews I read were by Koontz fans who did not favor this story. So, what do you think? If you are a Koontz fan, you might still enjoy this read, especially if you check it out of the library or buy it second-hand. It has a lot of potential, but in my opinion, I wish the body of the story had been written better. It was a good change from romantic suspense, but I think it will be a while before I purchase a new Koontz book again.

Future Releases By Popular Authors To Look Out For:

"The Interruption of Everything" by Terry McMillan-- July 12, 2005, hardcover
"The Undomestic Goddess" by Sophie Kinsella--July 19, 2005, hardcover
"At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks--Sept. 13, 2005, hardcover
"Forever Odd" by Dean Koontz--Nov. 29, 2005, hardcover
"S is for Silence", by Sue Grafton--Dec. 6, 2005, hardcover

As always, happy reading!

A Problem with my other blog- Life in the Doghouse

2005-07-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Just want to let anyone know who also follows my other blog about my pets, "Life in the Doghouse", that I had to delete it completely after I crashed it. So, sorry, but that blog is no
longer available, but maybe I will start it up with a new title, and I will post that info here if I do.
If you never read my other blog, too bad; I did have some really cute animal photos and anecdotes.
"One Page At A Time" will be back here Thursday as usual. Thanks--Riann, a blogging novice

July 4, 2005

2005-07-02T19:33:00.000-04:00

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves".-- Anna Quindlen, 1991

Hi! To fellow folks in the U.S.--Happy 4th! Wish I had some exciting, blockbuster-action books to share to fit the mood... but I don't. I actually have 2 low-key non-fiction books; both revolving around children, girls to be exact. They don't have anything else in common, but they are both recommended for a change of pace, both worth reading when you are in a serious or thoughtful mood.

Top Pick: "Learning Joy From Dogs Without Collars: A Memoir " by Lauralee Summer (non-fiction writer)
(351 pages) Simon and Schuster Paperback, issued 2004

"...we have learned patience
from statues in a thousand parks
and joy from dogs without collars"--anonymous, a homeless youth

The premise for this true tale might be familiar to people who heard about Ms. Summer on the news or in the papers back a few years ago. She is the teen that was dubbed "the girl who went from homeless to Harvard". Ms. Summer writes a compelling, thought-provoking first book about what it was like to live a nomadic childhood, living below the poverty line, frequently homeless, always uprooted by her mother. Ms. Summer was born to a woman who had just lost custody of her three children to her ex-husband because of neglect, and had a casual affair resulting in her fourth pregnancy. Her lover wanted nothing to do with her or a child, so she foolishly accepted $4,000 from him to buy himself out of any future responsibility. Ms. Summer does not spell out exactly what hindered her mother from keeping a job and home for her and her young daughter, but it is hinted through telling passages that she had some sort of mental illness that complicated their existence. Lauralee Summer does not try to win pity or make excuses for their unusual lifestyle, rather she is very matter-of-fact when describing the sub-standard conditions she grew up in. She seems to be able to find a silver lining in many of their rough situations, but whether she felt that way at the time or only now in hindsight is hard for me to differentiate.

What helped Ms. Summer keep her wits about her and push herself to succeed and rise above her background was being a gifted child who was reading adult books by the time she started school. Her mother did not enforce attendance to school, but she did enrich her daughter's life with a multitude of all kinds of books: beloved children's books, non-fiction, nature books and the classics. Most of her free time was spent reading, daydreaming, or playing school. She and her mother have a very close relationship to this day, and she does not blame her for dragging her around the country. Rather she commends her mother for doing the best job she could with limited resources and the bad breaks they got.

Lauralee's life starts to look up when she finds a teacher/mentor in high school who encourages her to just be herself. She tries harder in her academics,takes better care of her body, joins the boys' wrestling team and wins a scholarship to Harvard. The teacher games she played as a child were a foreshadowing of her career: Ms. Summer is now a high-school teacher in an inner-city school in the Boston area.

This story will keep y0ur interest, even though you know from the start that she will survive her situation and overcome her problems. You keep reading to find out not if she succeeds, but how she does it. Ms. Summer is obviously an extremely gifted writer with an impressive vocabulary and flair for details, but my only complaint was the unevenness to her chronological order. She might start describing something she did at one age, then skip forward, then back to that age again, instead of strictly telling her lifestory as it unfolded. However, this book is worth a read if you have time to settle in with it and give it the attention it deserves. (Also recommended for high school students who need a biography or non-fiction book for a school assignment; I think it would be appropriate for them).

Quick Review:
"Hannah's Gift: Lessons From a Life Fully Lived" by Maria Housden (non-fiction)
(240 pages) Bantam Books paperback issued July 1 , 2003

Get out the Kleenex for this one! Another true tale about a girl-- this one is little Hannah, who is diagnosed with cancer around the time of her third birthday. Her mother, Maria, writes a wonderful tribute to one of her four children, who never got a chance to fully live her life, but lived what time she had to the fullest. This remarkable child had an active part in her medical treatment and understood that she would not grow up, but she was able to enjoy her days as best as possible, thanks in part to her mother, and in part to the "village" who helped her: her doctors, medical personnel, her pastor, her family members, her family's friends and neighbors, etc. The cover of the book shows the epitome of Hannah's short life: a pair of sparkly red Mary Jane shoes. She wanted to wear them whenever she went to the hospital because she thought they were beautiful and that she looked beautiful in them. This little thing brought her great comfort. A quick-moving read that should touch anyone's heart, not just those of parents.

New Release: "Unraveled: The True Story of A Woman Who Dared To Become A Different Kind of Mother" By Maria Housden (sequel to Hannah's Gift)
(288 pages) Harmony Books, hardcover c. May 3, 2005

*Future Releases to be on the look-out for:

"Always Time to Die" by Elizabeth Lowell: July 5, 2005, hardcover
"Origin in Death" by J.D. Robb: July 12, 2005, hardcover
"Breaking Point: A Novel" by Suzanne Brockmann: July 12, 2005, hardcover
"Dancing in the Dark" by Mary Jane Clark: July 12, 2005, hardcover
"Frankenstein, Book Two: City of Night" by Dean Koontz: July 26, 2005, paperback

*Clarification: Future Releases are listed to appeal to any people with all different tastes--I am not saying I will read any or all, or review them in the future, just trying to help readers!

Happy reading!

Thursday Picks

2005-06-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hi-welcome back! I've just finished the two following books and am ready to share my opinion with you. If you have not read my blog before, I have to admit that I will only read what catches my interest; I have some authors that I buy automatically, and other times I really do judge a book by its cover! I do not have an interest in westerns, war stories, erotica, sci-fi or fantasy, so I will not be reviewing them (although I might include something from these categories in the Future Release section). For now I am going through my pile of unread tried-and-true favorite genres: suspense, mysteries, contemporary women's, romantic suspense, medical or legal thrillers, and some non-fiction such as human interest, nature, biographies, etc.

Top Pick:
"The 37th Hour" by Jodi Compton (mystery writer)
(352 pages) Dell Paperback issued January 2005

"Every cop has at least one story about the day the job found them".
Thus starts Jodi Compton's debut mystery, "The 37th Hour". Sarah Pribek is a county Sheriff's Office Detective in Minnesota, in the early months of marriage to Mike Shilo, a Minneapolis Police Detective. At first glance they seem content in marriage, work and life in general. But they soon realize that they are both harboring troubling secrets from the past. Things come to a head when Shilo is to leave for a 4 month training course with the FBI in Quantico. Sarah goes to visit her partner who is out on leave following a family tragedy and upon returning home, she is hit with the disturbing news that Shilo never made it to his training. Sarah decides to single-handedly investigate her husband's disappearance because she knows that after the 36th hour of a missing person, the trail is said to go cold. She finds more than she bargained for about her husband's strange upbringing and secrets he has kept from her, while she also finds herself involved with emotionally supporting her grieving partner and helping her deal with a murderer on the loose.

This story is not the usual type of mystery read I am accustomed to; first off, there is no romantic component to it; Sarah and Shilo's relationship seem anything but romantic. It is full of flashbacks, characters' ruminations, and setting the stage for future books in this series. There is little emphasis on sex, violence or action, and more on letting information trickle out through repeated flashbacks. I enjoyed the sub-plot of Genevieve, her partner, even more than Sarah's story, though all the characters become entwined through the story.

Though I was a bit disappointed by the ending, I realized there was a sequel (see below) to pick up the loose ends. After finishing the book, I have to say I did enjoy it. Maybe more for the decidedly different, almost depressing, mood of this tale. There is a seriousness to Ms. Compton's style that will keep you involved enough to ride along with it. There are no wisecracks, no quick hops into bed, no quirky pals to lighten the moment. I sense that Ms. Compton perhaps is saying: "This is how life is; deal with it". Even with my mixed feelings about this story I am more than willing to give the sequel a try. Let's just say that I am intrigued enough to want to see what happens next with Shilo's career and Sarah's marriage.

*New Release: "Sympathy Between Humans" by Jodi Compton*
(384 pages) Delacorte Press, hardcover c. March 2005

Review: "Between Sisters" by Kristin Hannah (c0ntemporary women's writer)
(428 pages) Ballantine Books, paperback c. 2003
This is the fourth book that I have read by Ms. Hannah. This was a perfect choice for reading while out on my deck in the late morning sipping iced tea. A foil to the heavy air of the Compton book that I read at night. The story starts out strong with half-sisters Claire and Meghann, who were separated as children, talking about having lost the close bond they used to share. They barely even talk on the phone anymore. Ms. Hannah does not reveal right away why the girls were separated and what caused them to grow into adults with completely different values and lifestyles. Meghann used to play more of a parenting role to her little sister Claire than their frequently absent actress mother or her parade of step-fathers and boyfriends. Meghann is now a high-powered divorce attorney who verbally spars with her therapist and picks up one-night stands to fill the void of no male figure in her life. Claire is a single parent, poor but content with her life, until she meets a dream man. Will her dreams really come true, or is he too good to be true? Will Meghann meet a man who can stand toe to toe with her, and make her learn to trust again? All in all, this is worth picking up, especially if you are looking for something light to read on the commute home, or to grab a chapter between rotating your body for an even tan on the beach. Unless you are in the market for a deep, thought-provoking novel right now, this book should fit the bill for a decent summer read!

Future Releases to be on the look-out for:
"Lifeguard: A Novel" by James Patterson, release date: July 11, 2005
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling, release date: July 16, 2005
"Body Double" by Tess Gerritsen, release date in paperback: July 26, 2005
"Outlander Saga: A Breath of Snow and Ashes" by Diana Gabaldon, release date: Sept. 27, 2005

As always, happy reading...

Monday Picks

2005-06-27T09:14:00.000-04:00

Hi- welcome! Books are the great equalizer--all different types of people can read and enjoy the same book. Though we also take from it our own personal message. I admit that I feel this site will appeal mostly to women, though I apologize for the stereotype. FYI, I tend to enjoy popular authors' best sellers, suspense, contemporary romantic suspense, medical or legal thrillers, and human interest/humorous/nature/current event non-fiction. I promise not to give away spoilers, only plot descriptions that are described on the cover or happens right away in the story. I'll never tell you the ending, don't worry! Hope you enjoy...

Author Profile: Harlan Coben (mystery/suspense author)
Multi Award-Winning Writer, author of the Myron Bolitar series, has scored in recent years with stand-alone novels of suspense. "Tell No One", "Gone for Good", "No Second Chance", and "Just One Look" are out in paperback from Dell. His website is http://harlancoben.com
He was born, raised and lives in New Jersey, and I believe all his books take place in the NY/NJ area. I have not read his Bolitar series, but I have read the above-listed books. Trivia: His real-life wife works for Covenant House, an organization in NY to help homeless street kids, and Coben mentions it in a couple of his books as a place for his character to work or visit.

Top Pick: "Tell No One" by Harlan Coben
(370 pages) Dell Paperback, c. 2001
Dr. David Beck and Elizabeth grew up together and have been connected ever since that first kiss at age 12. In later years they marry, but Elizabeth is kidnapped and murdered. David still grieves, until 8 years later when he receives a mysterious email stating a specific phrase that only his beloved wife could know...

Direct Quote from "Tell No One" by Harlan Coben
"The phones kept ringing. I tuned them out and drummed my fingers. Under ten minutes now. Okay, if there was going to be a change in the hyperlink, it would have probably happened by now. I put my hand on the mouse and took a deep breath.
My beeper went off.
I wasn't on call tonight. That meant it was either a mistake--something made far too often by the emergency. I looked at the display.
It was a call from Sheriff Lowell. It was marked Urgent.
Eight minutes."

Review:
I loved this book! His style of writing grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. This was the first Coben book I read and it remains my favorite, though all of them are really good. I have no problem finishing his books up quickly, sneaking a minute in here and there, because I just have to know what happens! He lays out many characters and sub-plots throughout, but near the end all the loose ends are tied up and everything falls into place. You find yourself saying, "Oh, yeah, that's why he did such-and-such!" There is a certain amount of violent scenes sprinkled throughout his books, but not graphic enough to offend me. Great beach read or to read huddled under the sheets in bed! If you like fast-moving suspense, give this a try!

New Release:
"The Innocent" by Harlan Coben, released April 26, 2005 by Dutton Books, hardcover

New Release Review:
"Lullaby and Goodnight" by Wendy Corsi Staub (contemporary suspense writer)
(383 pages) Pinnacle Books, paperback, c. 2005

For fans of the Mary Higgins Clark genre, an easy-to-devour suspense story that never ventures out of PG-13 territory, the 8th contemporary suspense tale from Ms. Corsi Staub.
She has her formula down pat--the strong, modern career woman in peril from a seemingly benign stalker, secret admirer, or friendly neighborhood psychopath. Interesting supporting characters keep the storyline flowing. In this new outing, a 40ish single career woman in NYC decides she cannot wait for Mr. Right, so will have a baby on her own. Unfortunately, something is not quite right with her high-class fertility clinic, her singles pregnancy support group and oh yes, an ex-fiance and a neighbor who keeps trying to insinuate himself into her life. Why? Who can Peyton trust, now that her pregnant confidante is missing? Breezy novel about modern-day dilemmas. Great for the beach or lying in the backyard hammock!

Oldie But Goodie Review:
"Years" by LaVyrle Spencer (contemporary and historical romance writer)
(496 pages) Jove paperback, re-issued May 1995

For those who enjoy a sweet romantic story with plenty of character development and descriptive passages. Ms. Spencer is known and loved by many, and since she retired several years ago, readers will go back and re-read their favorites. "Years" takes place in North Dakota in 1917. A young woman arrives in a strange midwest town to start her new job as the schoolteacher. the sponsor family she will live with is an older man, his teenaged son and his mother. Teddy is old=fashioned and gruff, but Linnea's impulsive and friendly spirit gets to him and he gives in to his hidden feelings. I've enjoyed a few Spencer titles in the past, but they were her contemporary romances. I was willing to give this a try, and was pleasantly surprised!

Non-Fiction Review:
"Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale" by Dan Dye
(256 pages) Workman Publishing, c. March 2003

Anyone who loves dog stories will love this true story written by a co-founder of the 3 Dog Bakery. Dye adopts an albino Great Dane pup that turns out to be blind and deaf. He names her Gracie and watches how she turns his life around. Her disdain for commercial dog food inspires him to give up his job and start a new business as a gourmet dog food baker. Gracie might be a time-consuming handful, but she returns his love 110%. An endearing man and his dog story, a tale of two best friends. I recommend this as it has the unusual twist of also describing the process of starting a unique business and using Gracie as its mascot.

That's all for now. Please visit on Thursday! Happy reading...

Here We Go

2005-06-26T14:31:00.000-04:00

Hi!
This site will be up and running on Monday June 27, 2005. I will be posting on every Monday and Thursday of the week. Sorry I can't post everyday here, but I just don't have enough time to read that fast, and would soon run out of previously read books. I will try to keep it mixed up: new releases, older books, different topics, but I am only human and I will gravitate toward my own taste in reading. If you don't enjoy my reviews, or agree with them, that's fine. At least we are still talking books, and that is my favorite subject!
So grab a cup of coffee (or tea), sit down, read my posts and think about getting a new book for tonight, the weekend or vacation.
Happy days, and happy reading!
"A book is a gift you can open again and again."- Garrison Keillor