Monday, September 24, 2007

A Little Slow

Okay I have seriously neglected my blog. I am now working 30-32 hours a week. I hope to post some tomorrow. If not today. I just thought I would let you know. :)

Friday, September 14, 2007

The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax

Feliu Aníbal Delargo Domenech was named wrong. He should have been named Feliz. So from then on he works on being who he is named. The gift of a Spanish bow from his dead father sets things in motion. He is able to learn to play the cello with the help of getting lessons. But it means he will have to leave the small town of Campo Seco to get the help he really needs. Yet it seems like one thing or another always gets in his way. He gets a break under the tutelage of Alberto Mendizábal. It is hard work but he is finally getting somewhere. He joins a school under Don José and that is where his life begins. He goes many places and has many experiences. But the man who changed his life Justo Al-Cerraz is in and out. Feliu goes through many things as he looks back on his life. Yet he seems to be able to survive the all. He has a completely different outlook on it but one that is worth telling.

Ms. Romano-Lax creates a world from history that captivates you. There are a lot of details and it takes time to get through them all. I was impressed with her story telling and to see things through Feliu’s eyes. It is quite the journey.

I really felt for Feliu. He never seemed to understand what was going on but he worked through it. It took a lot of soul searching and figuring out what he truly wanted. But it did seem like he got there. Aviva was quite the love interest and I really enjoyed her as a character. She had some hard times she had gone though. But once she met up with Al-Cerraz and Feliu, things seemed to go better for her.

There is a lot I don’t want to give away but it is a wonderfully told story. I cannot say enough at how much I was impressed. You get to see history through the eyes of a man who does not want to go home. It is quite the long book but well worth it if you love historical novels with some romance and drama thrown in for good measure. This is a book I do recommend and hope that someone else enjoys it as much as I did.

Andromeda Romano-Lax/Historical/ 4 out of 5/ 554 pages

Working as many hours as I do now. My book reading will come to a little bit of a halt. But I will post as often as I can but will not be able to go look at other's blogs as much as I would like. I hope all will understand.

Monday, September 10, 2007

The Mongoose Deception by Robert Greer

I read this book awhile back and waited closer to publication date to put the review up. SO here you go!

CJ Floyd is at it again. This time though he is trying to solve a 50-year-old case of the assassination of JFK. But the thing is that it is more complicated than he could ever imagine. Cornelius McPherson is confused when he finds the well-preserved arm of a fellow worker in the wall of a tunnel. He remembers that this man whispered that he might know who assassinated Kennedy. CJ feels like he needs to figure out what is going on because a dead body and part of a dead body that are linked is too much of a coincidence. But it is not until he realizes that there are two prior attempts on Kennedy’s life. Now it is not only a race for time to be able to find out what really happened.

Mr. Greer truly knows his stuff. I was impressed with the intricate details he put in this story. I am not a fan of the mafia or such things but I could see how it could be true how they could still have power because of past influences in our society. The characters often have to make split second decisions and that was very realistic. Mr. Greer truly lets you see the whole picture even though it is only in pieces. But he does a very good job of wrapping it up all in the end.

CJ was a complex character. I did not always understand his motives but he seemed to look for the good in things. He was one to help out his friends. He also will do anything he can to get to the bottom of things. He seeks the help of Mario Santini who used to be involved in the mob to help get him names of key people. It could not hurt anything that is his thinking. He also has the help of his partner Flora Jean. Even though he is told to keep out of it.

The comings and goings in this book were numerous. Mr. Greer keeps you busy but everything is easy to follow. There is a chain of command and it is very present in this book. But also the consequences of not keeping quiet were very prevalent. I found the book interesting and the theories in this story about the assassination of JFK were something to think about. I enjoyed this book a lot and would be interested to read the rest of this series eventually.

Robert Greer/ Mystery/ JFK/ 432 pages/ Chunkster/ 3 out of 5

Sunday, September 02, 2007

The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwedge

Lauren Stillwell’s heart stopped when she saw her husband Paul kissing another woman. She decided to even up the score with a man who has been eyeing her for a long time. But nothing turns out the way she wants. She ends up looking out the window only to see her one time lover get killed in front of her. That secret threatens to not only pull apart her marriage but her career as well.

Mr. Patterson and Mr. Ledwedge have written another great book. There were surprises in this book that I never have seen coming. It was a very suspenseful book that had me guessing some things till the very end. They both are able to create an amazing world.

Lauren had a lot of things to process. She knew that her and her husband Paul had problems but could never imagine to what degree. I felt awful that they were not able to have children. Yet that was just the tip of their problems and only where it began. Careers were important but it seemed to be their focus because of the other underlying problems. I wanted them to work out their issues. But it certainly would not be an easy time of things. Mike is Lauren’s partner at the police force. He is a good guy and helps look out for her. He is something she can look for to talk to about anything and he will make sure it stays between just the two of them. He truly is a good friend.

This is one book that I found difficult to put down. I kept wondering if Lauren would be able to keep things worked out or not. She was in some surprises that would change her life forever. When they were finally revealed, I then wonder how she would handle things. It was a good suspense book and I can’t wait to read more by both authors together and separately.

James Patterson and Michael Ledwedge/Suspense/ 357 pages/ 4 out of 5 stars

I finished this book last night and got busy doing other things. :)

August Reads and Stats

Books I read:
U-43A by Bernadette Gardner 08-01-07 B
Dancer’s Delight by Anny Cook 08-01-07 through 08-02-07 B
Mademoiselle Victorine by Debra Finerman 08-02-07 through 08-03-07 A
Runner’s Moon: Jebaral by Linda Mooney 08-03-07 through 08-04-07 B
Too Big to Miss by Sue Ann Jaffarian 08-04-07 A
The Debutante’s Second Chance by Liz Flaherty 08-04-07 through 08-05-07 A
The Curse of the Holy Pail by Sue Ann jaffarian 08-05-07 through 08-06-07 A
High Noon by Nora Roberts 08-06-07 through 08-08-07 A+
The Dead Room by Heather Graham 08-08-07 through 08-09-07 A+
Canyon Wolf Bride by Alisha Page 08-09-07 A
Beyond the Night by Sharon Long 08-09-07 through 08-10-07 A
Forgive Me By Amanda Eyre Ward 08-10-07 through 8-11-07 A+
Hooked by Jane May 08-11-07 through 08-12-07 A
Thistle and Twigg by Mary Saums 08-12-07 through 8-14-07 A+
Samson and Delilah by Megan Rose 08-14-07 A
Second Sight by Debbie Mumford 08-14-07 through 8-15-07 A
Embraced by Darkness by Keri Arthur 8-15-07 through 8-16-07 A
The Mongoose Deception by Robert Greer 8-16-07 through 8-21-07 C
Too Much Hennessy by T.T. Henderson 8-21-07 through 8-22-07 B+
Too Good To Be True by Marie-Nicole Ryan 8-22-07 through 8-23-07 A
Judgement by Fire by Lydia 8-23-07 A
XIII by D.K. Gaston 8-23-07 through 8-28-07 B
The Devil’s Labyrinth by John Saul 8-27-07 through 8-29-07 A
Forbidden Passion by Dee Dawning 8-29-07 A
Don’t Close Your Eyes by Mary Eason 8-29-07 through 8-30-07 A
Lady Irina by Josh Lockwood 8-30-07 through 8-31-07 A+

My stats:
Total Books Read: 26
New Authors: 22
Fiction: 25
Non-Fiction:1
Chunksters:1
TBR:0
Books Reviewed: 19
From the Stacks: 0
Books I Bought: 0
Total Pages Read: 7.055 pages

There you go!