Saturday, April 28, 2007

Unseen by Mari Jungstedt

The island of Gotland is about to be full of tourists for the celebration of Midsummer, the Swedish Fourth of July when a woman is found murdered along with her dog. The panties of the woman are stuffed in her mouth. This crime keeps the police force very busy. Will Johann Berg, a journalist, be able to help Inspector Anders Knutas in his case or will he be brushed aside?

Ms. Jungstedt is a new author to me and unfortunately this is the only book of hers that is translated into English that I could find. I was pulled in by it being a Swedish author because I have Swedish ancestry and was curious to see how she would write and weave her story. I found it dark and sinister but wanting turn the next page to find out what was going to happen. The translator Tiina Nunnally did a very good job in keeping the suspense building. I was thoroughly impressed.


Johann Berg came off as arrogant. But once you were able to see through that you realized that he just wanted people to be safe. He finds love in the oddest of places yet he is still astonished by it. Inspector Knutas is a man with a mission. He really wants to prove himself to other people. He already has done so to his wife and so keeps plugging on. The other minor characters were wonderfully written and they all had their place.

The twist at the end surprised me once you found out the link to all the victims. You got glimpses of it throughout the entire story but it never made sense to me till the very end. I usually do not have sympathy for the killer but this is one time where I truly did and didn’t condone his killing but could see why he would lash out. This is one book I highly recommend and I hope to find more of her work translated very soon.
243 pages/mystery

I just started Blood Price by Tanya Huff which the TV series Blood Ties is based off of. :) After that I am not sure what I will read. :)

Monday, April 23, 2007

The Bone Thief

Lt. John W. Driscoll is having a tough time with the latest case. All the victims are brutally murdered and their bones are taken out. There is no connection that anyone can see. It all seems puzzling to him and he has people pestering him to solve this case since all of New York City is living in fear wondering who will be the next victim. He still has to deal with the tragedy in his own life and needs all the help he can get. Can he figure it out in time or will The Bone Thief get away?

Thomas O’Callaghan gives you vivid details and descriptions that will make your blood run cold. I was shocked at how vivid it was and had to not read the book while I was eating. That someone can have the imagination to write this just boggles my mind. It was a gripping story and I had to keep turning the pages to find out if the killer would ever get caught.

Lt. Driscoll is a flawed man and I really felt for him. He was trying to put together his own life while trying to solve the horrible crimes. Overloaded and wiped out, he was really doing his best work. He had a lot of help from other people and even a young girl. She was one bright thing and her name is Moira. I was thoroughly impressed with how much knowledge she had and how much she taught Lt. Driscoll. There was a lot of drama.

I was impressed with how the killer was able to keep his identity a secret. It was not easy but he was very intelligent. Mr. O’Callaghan is an ingenious writer who really knows how to write a page-turner. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series to review. I give this one a 4/5 and it had a nice ending that gave a great segue way into the next story.

377 pages/Mystery

Now off to read another romance. Yay! LOL

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Hide by Lisa Gardner

Annabelle Granger is used to packing light and being on the run. She has been hidden for so long until an underground grave is found with six bodies in it. The problem is that one of them has a locket she got as a child so they are claiming she is dead. Annabelle knows otherwise but is she willing to come out of hiding to help solve a case? Bobby Dodge now works for the state police in Massachusetts. He needs to figure out who killed the six girls but the only person he has to help him is Annabelle. Not only is that tough but he has to team up again with D.D. Warren who he used to be lovers with. Can everything work or is someone in danger?

Lisa Gardner does it again! I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. I had to find out what was going to happen. Ms. Gardner knows how to suck you into a story till the very last sentence. Once the whole plot was laid out, I was frustrated that I had no clue that had done it. No unnecessary words were used but the time it took to figure out things seemed very real. That is one of the most important things I like about this author, she knows how to keep things looking real to me. It takes forever to get something researched but that is how it is in real life.

When I started this book, I had a feeling of deja vu. But then I realized I knew some of the characters because I read the book Alone. Once I figured that out, I felt like I had come home again. I loved these characters and it was great to read how things had changed for them and how they were moving on. Annabelle was my favorite. She really was trying to rebuild her life but circumstances beyond her control were keeping her back. Bobby Dodge was a man who still wrestled with things. But that is one of the best things about him; he really wanted to make sure he knew what he was doing. Other times, instinct kicked him and he just moved as fast as he possibly could. D.D. was her old stubborn self but it was nice to see that she had not let anything go to hear head.

You have to read Alone first because there is a ton of referencing back to it but it was a great book! I give it a 5/5 because this author never ceases to disappoint me. I was very impressed and I can’t wait to get through her other books. I highly recommend this one even though it is gruesome.

Now off to try to read 2 romance novels! AHHHHHHHH!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Earthly Joys by Phillipa Gregory

John Tradescat is a gardener for Sir Robert Cecil who is the advisor for King James I. He is given free rein on what he can put in his garden. He travels around and brings back rareities for England. He ends up marrying the woman he is betrothed to Elizabeth. Their relationship is a complex one because he feels so duty bound to his master. With all that is going on around them, they need to figure out their life together to make things grow and blossom.

Phillipa Gregory is an amazing author. This is the second book that I have read by her. This one seemed to drag a little more because there was so much more going on during the time of 1603-1625 in England. It was well described and sometimes too well with a lot of words I found unnecessary. The characters stuck to their beliefs but I think that they took some things too far. The picture was interesting and the relationship John had with someone in the book completely shocked me! I knew it was part of that time but didn’t expect it to involve the main character.

As I said before the characters were very belief oriented. With King Charles marrying Henrietta Marie from France and the battle between the Catholics and the Protestants was very interesting. John really became a man of some one else and not so much for his family until he was faced with some tough decisions. I disliked him through out the book and was furious with how he treated his family. But by the end of the book, he finally saw what was important but bowed to the nobility when it was needed.

Liberties were taken with history but the main things that were going on had to be true. I had a tough time getting through a lot of it because so much was happening in my life. I look forward to reading the sequel Virgin Earth to see what happens to John’s son John in Virginia and to find out the outcome when he returns to England. I give it a 5/5 because it really did captivate me but at times was slow.
440 pages/Fiction

Now off to reading Hide by Lisa Gardner and then two romance stories. :)

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Prime Cut by Diane Mott Davidson

Goldy is at it again but this time her world really seems to be falling apart. She got a contractor to work on her kitchen but it was left in a mess. There is a second caterer in town that seems to be getting all her work and her hubby is at it again being a jerk behind bars. The only person that seems to be able to help her is her old teacher André. Will she be able to make things work because not much money is coming in or will she lose her business after all her hard work?

Diane Mott Davidson does it again with book 8 in the series. I love all the jokes and watching Goldy’s son Arch grow up. There were a lot of recurring characters and I felt like I was being with my family again. I love looking at the recipes she comes up with. She certainly knows how to keep your attention to find out who committed the crime in each book.

Goldy forever surprises me as a woman with resources. She certainly knows how to keep things afloat in times of trouble. Goldy figures things out faster than I can and I am always surprised at who the dangerous person turns out to be. I liked seeing Arch and boy is that kid growing up. Tom Schultz was back and he is my favorite cop. He doesn’t seem to mind pressure and somehow keeps Goldy in line. This time even his head is on the chopping block. Poor guy.

I am sad that I only have 5 books left in the series but this is one I truly enjoyed and loved the recipes! I can’t wait to see how the cliffhanger at the end of the book turns out. I give it a 5/5! This is one series that has grabbed me and I enjoy every book I read.
305 pages/Mystery

Now off to read two more romances and then I hope to squeeze in Eartlhy Joys by Phillpa Gregory. :)

Monday, April 09, 2007

Book Winners and Hard Core Diaries by Mick Foley

I am going to start out the post by telling who the winners are:
Kris- I'll mail you out Madonna's of Leningrad maybe tomorrow. :)
Amanda- At Long Last Love is yours. :)
Booklogged- Exile is yours as well.
So would Amanda and Booklogged email me off my blog for your snail mail addy. :)
As for Herself it is still up for grabs so the first person to respond to this email who has not already won, I will mail it out to you. :)

Here is the review for Mick Foley's book:
Mick chronicles his most recent experience with the WWE from 2005-2006. The storylines that happened and how it all came to take place. His ideas, working with the creative team and Vince, and how he wanted to show the fans what he does besides wrestling when it comes to charities and his family.

I was thoroughly impressed with the writing. It was not anything fancy but then Mick does best when he keeps things simple and straightforward. All the different events he did and all the people he met really surprised me. I am not saying I didn’t know how in demand he is but more than anything I had no idea how much he gives back to the community. Yeah, he broke records with a lot of his matches but he would rather spend time with impaired children and help them feel better than anything else. He is proud of his wrestling, as he should be, but he has a full heart and loves to help others.

I had no idea he had written children’s books and will most likely see if I can find his Wrescal Lane book. I wish I had a way to contact him because this was a good read and I was laughing and crying. Some of the trips he took to Iraq and the medical facilities for the wounded soldiers really left me in awe. I know other WWE wrestlers and Divas do the most they can in giving back. They do show some of that on the show but getting a behind the scenes look was fun to see. I even enjoyed this book more than Bishoff’s because it came across as down to earth and not so much of a namedropper. It was truly Mick’s experience and this is the third one so now I may go back and read the other two. If you are a wrestling fan, this one is for you. Or if you want to get a better idea of what they do and have kids that are fans, please pick this book up. I give it a 5/5 because I learned a lot more and truly enjoyed it all! Well except for the porn star bit but then I am sure there are a lot of guys out there that are jealous that he met the woman.
371 pages

Well off to read some romance novels. :)

Thursday, April 05, 2007

My March Reads and The Witches by Ronald Dahl

Here is my review:
A little boy visits his grandma in Norway, but once his parents die in a car crash she has full custody of him. So he has to go back to England where he goes to school and she tells him more about Witches and how to tell who is a Witch. They go on a short holiday to the coast and spend some time there. And he goes off to train his two mice but finds himself in the Witches’ convention. Will he make it out and if he does can he get rid of them?

Ronald Dahl is an imaginative writer. I first was appalled by the way Witches were described and how they wanted to get rid of children. It was a little over the top and scary as well. That part that cracked me up the most was the way the Most Grand Witch wanted to do in order to wipe out all the children of England. I just rolled my eyes. The story followed very well but the one thing I would have liked was to have a name for the narrator.

The little boy who told the story was very sweet. He really truly loved his grandma and she wanted the best for him even though it meant leaving her home country. The grandma was very wonderful and told interesting stories. I found it intriguing how she knew what she told but I’ll leave that up to you to find out.

I give this story a 4/5. It is my first banned book in a long time. I can see why people would challenge it because of the spells and the way that witches are portrayed in it. They are seen as evil and want to take your children away. I found it fun and enjoyable once I was able to get a clear picture of Dahl’s portrayal of Witches. I definitely want to read more by this author and very soon too I hope.

208 pages/Banned Book

I hope to get another one or two done this month and then maybe I'll read more. lol

Here is my stats and books read for this month. It took me awhile cause I had the number of pages messed up.
Most Likely To Die by Lisa Jackson, Wendy Corsi Staub, and Beverly Barton 3-01-07 through 03-02-07 A+
Dear John by Nicolas Sparks 03-02-07 through 03-03-07 C
The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer 3-03-07 through 3-06-07 B
A Much Younger Man by Veronica Wilde 3-06-07 A
A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber 03-06-07 through 03-07-07 A+
Lying with Strangers by James Grippando 03-07-07 through 3-08-07 A+
In the Wash by Rebecca Benston 03-08-07 A
Trouble by Jesse Kellerman 03-08-07 through 03-09-07 C
Savannah’s Hero by Diana Bold 03-10-07 through 03-11-07 A
Beguiled by Shannon Drake 3-11-07 A+
The Ghost and the Wolf by MC Scout 03-12-07 through 03-13-07 A
Slightly Psychic by Sandra Steffen 3-13-07 through 3-14-07 A
My Angel by Denise Shelton (178) 3-14-07 through 3-15-07 A
Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland 3-15-07 through 3-16-07 A+
Bogeyman by Gayle Wilson 3-16-07 through 3-17-07 A
The Enemy Stalks by Betty Sullivan La Pierre (TBR Challenge) 3-18-07 A+
Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne 3-18-07 A
Castle in Spain by Kate Hofman 3-19-07 A
True Evil by Greg Iles 3-20-07 through 3-22-07 A
The Defense by Stacey Lynn Schlegl 3-22-07 A
Second Glance by Jodi Picoult 3-23-07 through 3-25-07 A+
Calamity Claresta by Irene Estep 3-26-07 A
Nettleflower by Teri Beckett and Chris Power 3-26-07 A
The Will by Reed Arvin 3-27-07 through 3-30-07 B
Not Another Dateless Valentine’s Day by Veronica Tower 3-30-07 A
Bewitching The Bachelor by Suzanne Marie Calvin 3-30-07 A
Blood Rite by Melanie Atkins 3-31-07 A

My stats:
Total Books read: 27
New Authors this Month: 22
Non-Fiction read this month:0
Fiction:26
Chunksters: 6
From the Stacks:2
TBR:1
Fresh New Books I bought: 5
Fresh New books sent to me:1
Pages read:7,647

Well off to get some writing done and maybe some reading too. :)

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Judas Coyne is a man who collects odd things. Things most people wouldn’t collect. When his manager Danny tells him about a ghost for sale, Judas can’t resist. Little does he know that the ghost is after him to kill him. The ghost doesn’t want the past to come out. And before he knows it, the ghost is everywhere in his house and follows him wherever he goes. Judas wants to live and wants his girlfriend Mary Beth to live. But what lengths will he have to take to make sure that happens or as the book puts it the dead claims its own?

Joe Hill is an amazingly twisted writer. The idea of a ghost following Judas around had me pretty freaked out. I have read other paranormal novels before this but this one had me freaked out because the descriptions were so vivid. Joe Hill is the pen name of the son of Stephen King. I have to say that I was very impressed with this book. I have yet to read a Stephen King novel but if it is half as scary as this well I’ll really be freaked out. The whole idea of this book of buying a ghost just blew my mind.

Judas had a real attitude of not caring about anything. He had lost his wife; he had tossed his last girlfriend aside, and was about to do that to his current girlfriend. I could understand why he didn’t want to attach himself to anyone for very long but it didn’t seem to help in the long run. Mary Beth was a very strong woman who refused to leave even though she knew she might not live to see anything come of it. I couldn’t believe how perverted Craddock was once we saw his whole past revealed. He was one very sick man as well as scary. I really felt sorry for Anna, Judas’ past girlfriend who we see in a lot of flashbacks. She was a sweet woman but had no way out once she went home.

Creepy but good is how I would describe this book. I give it a 5/5 because it was exceptionally written and had me turning pages as fast as I could read them. I don’t normally like being as scared as I was while reading it but it was so fascinating I had to find out if Judas and Mary Beth would survive or die. There were a lot of secrets in Anna’s family or as Judas calls her Florida. Yet through it all she is the one who ends up helping them the most. This is a great book and one I recommend but don’t read it before going to bed. You may not get much sleep.


374 pages 5/5

Well off to read a much needed romance as well as watching American Idol and the results show for Dancing with the Stars. :)

Monday, April 02, 2007

Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day

Riley Dawson is a woman of many talents. She is a social worker doing her best to save one child at a time. Little does she know the mind connection she shares with her sister Quinn is actually something that the people of Atlantis share with each other only. Prince Conlan comes out of the water to get back Poseidon’s Trident, he feels a connection to Riley unlike he has ever known. Will they be able to figure out what is going on between them while finding the Trident or will their worlds cease?


Alyssa Day is an amazing author for writing what I consider a fantasy romance. You have shape shifters, vampires, and people from Atlantis. This book is my first by this author and I was very impressed. The passion and the heat were off the charts but then that is a romance. The thing that impressed me the most was the honesty and caring that they had for each other. It was wonderful to see and watch it grow.

Prince Conlan is not just a hot guy but he is someone who is willing to risk it all for love. But the thing is, he truly wanted to be with Riley and spend the rest of their lives together however long that was going to be. Poor Riley just couldn’t believe that she could share that kind of connection with anyone. It is not easily found but when it is, it is worth it. I really loved those two most of all. I also liked Alaric. Even though he was the high priest, he had his faults. He wanted to fight right away and jump into things without really thinking about them. Yet Conlan constantly had to pull rank. I didn’t like it but I could tell it was needed.

Good characters are in every book but these to me were exceptional. I love fantasy and the paranormal. This book kept me turning pages to find out what was going to happen and if Conlan and Riley were going to end up together as husband and wife. That is what they both wanted but because of the rules Conlan had to follow, it was not very likely that it would happen. This book rates a 4/5 for me because I couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait for the next story in the series, which unfortunately doesn’t come out till November. But I think I can wait till then. Please go look this up because it will be worth it!

280 pages

Now off to do a load of laundry and figure out my stats for last month. :) The page numbers got a little off. Yay fun!

Give a Friend A book WEEK

I saw this over at Booklogged's site and I loved it so now I am going to do it. I have 4 books to give away cause 2 of them are ARC's and two other ones I recieved for Reviews.

They are:
The Madonna's of Leningrad by Debra Dean. I want to keep this one but I jus don't have the room. It is really good about a woman's memory journey in Germany ikn 1941. It was a wonderful book.

At Long Last Love by Judy Bagshaw. This book is 7 short stories about BBW women overcoming challenges and finding love. They are really sweet.

Herself by Leslie Carroll. Another romance but this woman goes back to Ireland to find herself and finds so much more. It is beautiful but I just cannot keep it cause I don't think I'll ever read it again. lol

Exile by Richard North Patterson. It takes you on a thrill ride to Jerusalem and back to Washington D.C. I also enjoyed this one and you can find my review on this site.

Please note in your comments which one you want and I will draw names on the 9th. That way you have a week. :) Okay back to reading!