A Hopping Re-Introduction

 


Yes I'm doing the hop today. And yes it is a bit of a reintroduction. I have cut back my blogging intensely, but I do miss the chatter and connecting with fellow book lovers. Now, I'm not saying I'll be back blogging 4 or 5 times a week, but maybe more like 4 or 5 times a month instead of the 2 or three I've been doing. I can't get a real feel for whats new and great out in books without being involved, so I'll dip my toe back in and maybe go hhmmm say to my calves ; )

I see the hop has been somewhat modified since I did this last, it seems much more streamlined and not quite as tedious.  Kinda cool.

I have a question, what book has really moved you?  I am looking for something that is going to really make me stop as I'm reading and say, man! Ya ever have to do that as you read, pause to let it sink in and reflect on what just took place?  I just finished Sarah's Key for my book club and it was great, and it did move me.  I'm not sure what it is I'm looking for exactly. Does that even exist?  Let me know :)

Bodies Left Behind - Review

The Bodies Left Behind
Jeffrey Deaver










Amazon blurb -

When a 911 call from a secluded Wisconsin vacation house is cut short, off-duty deputy Brynn McKenzie leaves her husband and son at the dinner table and drives up to Lake Mondac to investigate—and walks right into a nightmare when she stumbles upon the scene of an atrocious, gruesome murder. Brynn realizes that the perpetrator hasn’t left the crime scene yet, but it’s already too late to call for backup—dense woods surround the house, and there is nowhere for her to run but into the hostile Wisconsin wilderness.




The Bodies Left Behind is filled with Deaver’s signature twists and turns, where nothing is what it seems, and death lingers just around the next curve on a deserted path deep in the midnight forest.
*****


Brynn McKenzie is called out to check on a 911 call made from an upscale vacation home with only one word said - This. The chief feels that whoever called was going to say this is an emergency before getting cut off so he asks her to check it out even though she is already off duty. She goes, leaving her husband, son, and mother to eat spaghetti dinner without her expecting to be back within a couple of hours.

What ensues is a night of terror-filled cat and mouse with twists and turns that will have you saying "Holy Crap!!". I could not believe this book, it was just fantastic. This is the first time I'm reading Deaver and it was great. The only reason I can't give it 5 cannolis is I just didn't really warm up to Brynn. I loved the story but for me she was just an ok character. She was tough and not over the top or unbelievable, but I just felt something was missing. Her parenting skills miffed me a bit and I found that addition to the story very interesting. I liked her husband and really felt for the man.

I highly recommend this book, it is the second book for my Serial Killers Reading Challenge.

4 cannolis

Whispers - Review

Whispers
By Lisa Jackson













Amazon Blurb -

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delivers the suspenseful story of a woman with shocking secrets who is drawn into a journalist's web...and an obsession that could destroy her. In the chill of an Oregon Night, a man plunges to his death. Another vanishes without a trace. A third drowns in the murky waters of a quiet lake. Alone in the dark, a ruthless killer is certain that every loose end has been cut, every enemy silenced...except one. It's been sixteen years since Claire St. John fled in terror from her family's home on Lake Arrowhead. Sixteen years since her fiance's tragic death and the shocking secret she promised never to reveal to anyone. But that was before journalist Kane Moran began probing the mystery of that horrible night, turning a light on the darkest corners of Claire's life, exposing her once again to a cold-blooded murderer's vicious fury. Now, as Claire returns home to face a past she's tried to forget, another body is unearthed, revealing the twisted nature of a killer who is ready at last to make Claire pay the ultimate price!
*****

A murderer is doing in some of the residents of Lake Arrowhead.  The common bond between all three killed is Taggert Industries, the local lumber company.  One was the owner's son Harley, the other two employees.  Claire Holland has been gone for sixteen years, her fiance was Harley Taggert and she and her two sisters, Miranda and Tessa did something on that fateful night that her father Dutch feels will ruin his bid for Governor of Oregon.

He hires a P.I. to investigate Claire, Miranda, and Tessa to try and get to the bottom of this once and for all. In the meantime resident Kane Moran, the town bad boy turned war vet and now reporter is writing an expose on this fateful night as well.  Kane's problem?  He loves Claire desperately, as she does him, though they never were able to act on it while they were young.  Him being from the wrong side of the tracks, her with her engagement to Harley.

Each sister has major issues bottled up inside stemming from  this one night, all these years keeping it inside has not made it any better.  Who really is the killer was a bit of a surprise that kept me guessing right till it was revealed in an action filled end.

I found it just ok, not the best thriller I've read though not knowing who was going to be the killer was a plus for me.  It was a romantic thriller as well and that part was just eh.  Kind of an upscale Hatfield and the McCoy's with the two rivaling families.

This was book one for the Serial Killer Challenge I am participating in. Click on the button in my sidebar for more info!


2 1/2 cannolis

Year In Review

Another year is coming to an end and it never ceases to amaze me now fast it goes by. Did any of you have some pleasant surprises in your reading? I did, belonging to a book club has afforded me some unexpected ones as well as some I found on my own.

There were some I was just not looking forward to and wound up so engrossed in, like Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton and One Thousand White Woman by Jim Fergus . There is nothing better than losing yourself in a great book. There were some let downs, Fifty Shades Darker by EL James was a bit of a disappointment for me after the first, About Grace by Anthony Doerr was just horrific, Little Bee by Chris Cleave just didn't do it for me either. Very depressing both. Loved the Fever conclusion with Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning, gosh that Jerricho!

I was sad to see Charlaine Harris' series with Harper Connelly end with only four books in it.  I found them really good, Harper and Tolliver were great characters.   Two books I found through review buzz that I thought were great - Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire and Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard.  Beautiful Disaster shocked the crumbs outta me because it is YA, and I vowed never to read YA again after the Twilight Saga, but this one was fantastic I have an enormous weakness for major alphas and don't really care how abrasive or rough they can be, you can read my quasi review and thoughts  *HERE*.  Same with Gabriel's Inferno.  Just loved the characters, Gabriel was very sexy.  My review is *HERE*

 I didn't meet any horrid baddies this year, read the latest in Chelsea Cain's series with Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell, she really is my all time favorite psycho, I recommend this series highly, the last(so far) being The Night Season.  Did you hear that January Jones has been cast as Gretchen?

What book moved me the most and was my absolute fave of the year?  The Help by Kathryn Stockett!!  Read, read, READ this book!  It was just wonderful.  My book club read this in January and then in August we went as a group to see the movie and it was just fantastic!  My review is *HERE* every character was just so awesome.  This book was incredible.

What book made me uncomfortable, yet I couldn't put down, intrigued me yet angered me, made me feel things that I don't like to feel?  Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James.  I love Christian, I don't like Ana.  This is a very rough subject, but like a bad accident I couldn't look away, he and it just pulled me in.  So dark yet consuming...my thoughts *HERE*

I made some changes this year, I no longer will review every single book I read, just those I find so emotionally charged for me either with joy, anger, or disgust that I find I just need to share with you all, and that I don't need to post four or five times a week.  My life is full with so many other things that I love, I can't let blogging consume me to the point of not having time for them as well.  One thing you will always find here is my absolute honest opinion on the books I've read and what they made me feel.  I don't always go with the "crowd", if a book rots I say it!  You can always click on the book title to go to amazon and read the summary or the reviews.  I am not linked to their affiliate program, I just put it there so a fellow blogger can see what it's all about on their own whether I loved the book or not. I have another blog, you can get to it right on the side bar there, Mia Sogni Dolci, which is about me and mine, my crafting, cooking and family.  You'll find a bit more on that one so feel free to pop in to see what I might have baked or crafted or sounded off on.  I've posted what I baked and some family pics on it so check it out.

I have several I want to read in the new year, Discovery of Witches, The Night Circus to name just two that are at the top of my list and are sitting on my bookshelf.  Another that has been there for a couple of years now is Kushiel's Dart, I don't know if I can get into it yet, but I should just bite the bullet and give it a go.  I joined a great Serial Killers Challenge hosted my Marce over at Tea Time With Marce, just click her blog title to check it out.


Of course my TBR pile is just as giant as always, I don't think I can get that sucker down if I tried, there are just so many books and so little time....; )

November Wrap Up

I feel like I just finished October!!  Wow this month just flew by.  Thanksgiving was wonderful filled with yummy food and family.  A very nice day.  Was hobbled since I blew my knee out and will be having surgery on the 9th, but the Dr. said I have to be up and around right away.  No going crazy, it take 6 wks for recovery, but after a few I can exercise, I won't feel good doing it, and he said we'll talk about running in time.  That bad meniscus just popped on me and it hurt like a b*tch!!!!

Got some reading done.  Read the latest in Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series,  Deeper Than Midnight.  This was Hunter's book, the Gen One creation of bad guy Drago.  Not bad, I'll keep going.  For my book club we read One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus.  Let me tell you the reviews were so bad I was dreading this, but I just loved it!  Great great book, and I recommend it.  It made me sad for some of the things that happened, but a wonderful story.  Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire was really good too!  You can read my review *HERE*.  Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard was another really good book for me.  My *REVIEW*.  Still don't know if the author is male or female. 

Just got done with Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank. I liked it, not too corny, I'll keep going on this one too.  # 4is Damien, the vampire, so I want to at least get to that one, and I think Noah's as well.  Not sure what direction I'll take next.  I'm in a thriller challenge, but I still feel like lovey  books with rough tough alpha males so we'll see.

For my book club we all had to come up with a list of possibles for the new year, here is my list -

Gods In Alabama is one I've been wanting to read for a while now.  Gargoyle's premise sounds real good, I hope it reads that way too!  Her Fearful Symmetry is another that has a good plot.  Of course Jodi Picoult tugs the heartstrings big time with Handle With Care and I think it makes for great book club discussion!  I'll let you know if we choose any of these books.













I have most definitely cut down in my reading these past couple of months, but that's ok, I've been real busy and will stay that way till the New Year.  I'm not missing the constant reviewing of every book I read, just one's that I feel really moved me.  Yes, I'm keeping track of what I read, not the pages, just what books.  I lose too many brain cells a minute to not do it, I don't like forgetting what I read.  I came across a blog post by Reading With Tequila about bloggers who brag about the goodies (freebies) they get.  Who cares what they do?  Who cares how many followers they have?  Is this a popularity contest to see who's liked the most?  There's a life to live out there folks, homes to take care of, children who need us, the gorgeous out doors to walk and enjoy in, time goes way to fast to waste it blogging for 6 to 10 hours a day!  Live people, read good books share about it, but get away from the puters and live!!!!

Till next time....

Awesome Challenge!

This is a challenge I just couldn't resist!  I love serial killers, love love love em!  Yes maybe I am a bit odd, but the nuttier the better.  While I haven't read my friend Marce's fave Silence of The Lambs, my oh my that movie was off the hook fantastic!

For those of you who haven't familiarized yourself with Gretchen Lowell from Chelsea Cain's fantastic series you should, she is about my most fave killer.  I look forward to discovering some unknown psycho's for me to get acquainted with in 2012!

Just go over to Marce's blog - Tea Time With Marce to sign up for this deliciously wicked challenge ;)

Beautiful Disaster

Amazon Blurb-

**For mature readers. Contains sexual situations and strong language**

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.


Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs--and wants--to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis' apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
*****

I liked this book. It's the first YA I've read since Twilight and I am not sorry. This really could be adult fiction as I said in my monthly wrap up post since it dealt with a bit of a heavier storyline. I didn't find it tedious or childish at all.

Abby Abernathy is trying to escape her past in a new town going to college where no one knows who she is. Her best friend America, who's family has somewhat adopted her, comes with her so that she isn't alone. Starting fresh she wants to steer clear of anyone or thing that is remotely like her past. Well into her life struts, or I should say punches, Travis Maddox the college hottie/bad boy/everyone wants to be with/ guy.

Travis Maddox, he is something. Oh yes he is most certainly the school bad boy. He makes his money by being in a Fight Club. That's all I'm gonna say about that cuz everyone knows the first rule of Fight Club is you DO NOT talk about Fight Club. He is brash, full of himself, covered in tats, drinks like a fish, smokes, has a rockin body, oh and happens to be a straight A student...my adoration for the bad boy doesn't show too much does it ;)

Abby is a smart pretty confident girl. Such a nice change from mousey clumsy plain Jane who wonders how the stud could possibly like her. She's a hustler in the gambling sense, she's a card shark and I love that!! The opportunity of a bet just gets her going, and this is where one of my criticisms comes in but I'll touch on that in a minute. Try as she might to avoid her feelings for Travis, it becomes impossible especially when she lives with him after the loss of her bet. Its not that she feels he's not a good person or not good enough for her. Quite the contrary, she keeps telling him how good he is. Its the lifestyle she wants to avoid, it being the rough and tumble fly by the seat of your pants adrenaline rush of an existence.

The struggles the two contend with as they move from being friends, and they truly are friends, to becoming lovers is sometimes very painful to read. They love each other very much but they are so volatile together. He is uber alpha literally beating the crap out of any guy who he perceives as wanting his Pidge. Her dorm mate Kara asks "don't you think its a bit unhealthy that he is so dependent on you." And here is where some will agree or disagree.

I don't think Travis is obsessed with Abby. Yes McGuire rides the cusp here big time. He is possessive of her, he adores her, and he is miserable without her. The two are very intense and passionate. Their love is very special and not many have relationships on that deep of a level so it may be hard to comprehend especially since the two are so young. Abby is not afraid of Travis. He never threatens her nor abuses her at all. He was fine on his own he's just learned that life with Abby makes him even better. She "completes" him :p I couldn't resist, heehee. True he his a tough mofo, but she's no wallflower herself. Obsessive love is no love at all. Telling someone I won't live without you or let you live is sick, telling someone you can do whatever you want just don't ever leave me is sick. That is not the case here in my opinion.

My criticisms - I would have liked to see the supporting characters fleshed out more and gotten to know them better. I liked America, Shepley, and Finch. I couldn't understand the reason for not revealing her past till so deep in. It isn't a story spoiler, the fact that her father is a piece of crap just would have added to it. That she loved the thrill of the bet yet wanted to escape her past was a bit of a contradiction. One would think she'd avoid all things that were remotely like her childhood. That just may be me though.  The ending seemed like a cop out on McGuire's part. It didn't ruin the book for me but it just didn't mesh with the rest of the story.   I was not happy with the ending.

This probably would make a great book club book just for the shear amount of discussion one could have over this subject matter. I'm sure I haven't touched on every point to be made but I've gone on long enough :)

The author is writing a book from Travis' pov which she says is not a sequel but will have a great epilogue so you get a glimpse of their future, and she is doing a B.D. spinoff on his brother Trent

All in all, if you like extreme alphas, don't mind some serious a$$ kicking read this book you'll enjoy it.

4 cannolis