Internationally acclaimed crime writer Jo Nesbø's antihero police investigator, Harry Hole, is back: in a bone-chilling thriller that will take Hole to the brink of insanity.
Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother's pink scarf.
Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he's received and the disappearance of Jonas's mother - and of perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn in an increasingly terrifying game whose rules are devised - and constantly revised - by the killer.
Fiercely suspenseful, its characters brilliantly realized, its atmosphere permeated with evil, The Snowman is the electrifying work of one of the best crime writers of our time.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Half Way to the Grave by
Product Description
Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.
In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Blue-Eyed Devil by Robert Parker
Product Description
Once, Appaloosa law was Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. Now it's Amos Callico, a vindictive, power-hungry tin star with bigger aims-and he could use Cole and Hitch on his side. This time the paid guns aren't for hire, which makes Callico a very vengeful man. But threatening Cole and Hitch ignites something just as dangerous.
First line: Law enforcement in Appaloosa had once been Virgil Cole and me.
My Thoughts: This is fourth entry in the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series. I have found this western series to be very entertaining and liked this one as much as the other three. This story, which is told mostly in dialog, moves right along, it is a quick easy read that keeps you interested. The bad guys are the kind you love to hate and the good guys might not be as good as you think. The characters have been well developed over the course of the series. I love the quirky dialog between Cole and Hitch. I was so sad to find that this popular author has passed away.
Rating: B
Excerpt:
He didn’t show it. But I knew Virgil was getting restless. It drove him crazy when people rambled on, except when it was him.
“So, I thought to myself, Lamar, here’s a chance to get some first-rate help. If you boys will agree, I’ll hire you, and if there’s trouble, you’ll take care of it.”
“How much?” Virgil said.
Speck told him.
“You don’t have anybody sitting lookout?” Virgil said.
“The police arrested my last one,” Speck said. “Turns out he was wanted in Kansas.”
“Kansas,” Virgil said, and looked at me.
“The police keep a sharp eye in Appaloosa,” I said.
“We run our own show,” Virgil said. “Post a list of rules, people obey them or they leave. People give us trouble, we shoot them.”
“Shoot?”
“You think people gonna obey the rules ’cause they like us?” Virgil said.
“Well, ah, no, of course not, I guess.”
“They obey the rules ’cause they know we’ll shoot,” Virgil says. “Which means maybe, now and then, we’ll have to.”
“Well, I . . . certainly. You know this work best.”
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon
Product Description: The Energy Bus, an international best seller by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment - at work and at home. Jon infuses this engaging story with keen insights as he provides a powerful roadmap to overcome adversity and bring out the best in yourself and your team. When you get on The Energy Bus you’ll enjoy the ride of your life!
First line: It was Monday and Mondays were never good for George.
My thoughts: After reading The No Complaining Rule last year our principal chose this book, by the same author, for our book study this year. I found it to be a quick, entertaining read. I liked that the author got his message across with this story. It seemed a little goofy (I had to roll my eyes in a couple of places) but the message is a good one. The story concentrates on work and how a leader and others can banish the negative, embrace the positive and become more productive. It helps you think about how you are living your life and how to make it better. The principles he sets down are easy to understand and apply.
Rating: BExcerpt: When you get to work you have another choice. You can catch people doing things right or you can catch them doing things wrong. Guess which of those two activities energizes people more?
Rating: B
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Persuasion by Jane Austen
First line: Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Baronetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs changed naturally into pity and contempt as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century; and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed.
My Thoughts: After reading Pride and Prejudice last year and enjoying it I thought I'd give Austen another try. I found this book at a used book store and snatched it up. I didn't enjoy it quite as much but still liked it quite a bit. This was a seemingly simple love story with a lovely ending. However it also an interesting commentary of the times as well as quite funny in places. Read it, you'll like it!
Rating: A+
The Spy by Clive Cussler
Book Discription: Detective Isaac Bell, hero of The Chase and The Wrecker, returns in the remarkable new adventure from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.
It is 1908, and international tensions are mounting as the world plunges toward war. When a brilliant American battleship gun designer dies in a sensational apparent suicide, the man's grief-stricken daughter turns to the legendary Van Dorn Detective Agency to clear her father's name. Van Dorn puts his chief investigator on the case, and Isaac Bell soon realizes that the clues point not to suicide but to murder. And when more suspicious deaths follow, it becomes clear that someone-an elusive spy-is orchestrating the destruction of America's brightest technological minds... and the murders all connect to a top- secret project called Hull 44.
But that is just the beginning. As the intrigue deepens, Bell will find himself pitted against German, Japanese, and British spies, in a mission that encompasses dreadnought battleships, Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet, Chinatown, Hell's Kitchen, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Isaac Bell has certainly faced perilous situations before, but this time it is more than the future of his country that's at stake- it's the fate of the world.
First Line: The Washington navy yard slept like an ancient city guarded by thick walls and a river.
My Thoughts: I have read more of the Dirk Pitt novels than any of Cussler's others and have enjoyed them all. This one is the second Issac Bell book for me and I enjoyed it as well. I like the WWI setting. The author does a great job giving it the feel of the time. Reading about the "modern" technology was fascinating. This was a long book but a quick, exciting read. I have to go back and pick up the middle Issac Bell book! Those of you who like action adventure books will like this one.
Rating: B+
The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker
Product Description: Two abandoned souls are on the hunt for one powerful man. Soon, their paths will cross and lead to one twisted fate.
Danny Hansen is a Bosnian immigrant who came to America with hopes of escaping haunted memories of a tragic war that took his mother's life. Now he's a priest who lives by a law of love and compassion. It is powerful men and hypocrites who abide by legal law but eschew the law of love that most incense Danny. As an avenging angel, he believes it is his duty to show them the error of their ways, at any cost.
Renee Gilmore is the frail and helpless victim of one such powerful man. Having escaped his clutches, she now lives only to satisfy justice by destroying him, regardless of whom she must become in that pursuit.
But when Danny and Renee's paths become inexorably entangled things go very, very badly and neither of them may make it out of this hunt alive.
Judge not, or you too will be judged.
First Line: "There is nothing new under the sun, now is there Renee."
My Thoughts: First let me say that I am a fan of Ted Dekker's books. With this being said, this one will not be among my favorites. I liked the premise: A vigilante priest who takes justice into his own hands and a recovering heroin addict together try to bring down evil. It started out: the first chapter that contained the history of the priest was a great set up. Then ....... The ending was not up to par compared to other Dekker books I've read. In fact it was somewhat of a let down for me. I could not get into the characters. Another thing that disappointed me in this story (by a Christian writer) was the use of more sexual situations and inappropriate language than is generally found in Christian fiction. His earlier books were not like this and were much better reads. I will continue to read this author's books but I would suggest you read some of his others first.
Rating: C
Danny Hansen is a Bosnian immigrant who came to America with hopes of escaping haunted memories of a tragic war that took his mother's life. Now he's a priest who lives by a law of love and compassion. It is powerful men and hypocrites who abide by legal law but eschew the law of love that most incense Danny. As an avenging angel, he believes it is his duty to show them the error of their ways, at any cost.
Renee Gilmore is the frail and helpless victim of one such powerful man. Having escaped his clutches, she now lives only to satisfy justice by destroying him, regardless of whom she must become in that pursuit.
But when Danny and Renee's paths become inexorably entangled things go very, very badly and neither of them may make it out of this hunt alive.
Judge not, or you too will be judged.
First Line: "There is nothing new under the sun, now is there Renee."
My Thoughts: First let me say that I am a fan of Ted Dekker's books. With this being said, this one will not be among my favorites. I liked the premise: A vigilante priest who takes justice into his own hands and a recovering heroin addict together try to bring down evil. It started out: the first chapter that contained the history of the priest was a great set up. Then ....... The ending was not up to par compared to other Dekker books I've read. In fact it was somewhat of a let down for me. I could not get into the characters. Another thing that disappointed me in this story (by a Christian writer) was the use of more sexual situations and inappropriate language than is generally found in Christian fiction. His earlier books were not like this and were much better reads. I will continue to read this author's books but I would suggest you read some of his others first.
Rating: C
Monday, August 22, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tails of Wonder and Imagination edited by Ellen Datlow
From the legendary editor ellen Datlow comes Tails of Wonder and Imagination, showcasing forty cat tales by some of today's most popular authors. With uncollected stories by Stephen King, Carol Emshwiller, Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, Elizabeth Hand, Dennis Danvers, and Theodora Goss and a previously unpublished story by Susanna Clarke, plus feline-centric fiction by Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, George R.R. Martin, Lucius Shepard, Joyce Carol Oates, Graham Joyce, Catherynne M. Valente, Michael Marshall Smith, and Many others.
Tails of wonder and Imagination features more than 200,000 words of stories in which cats are heroes and stories in which they're villains; tales of domestic cats, tigers, lions, mythical part-cat beings, people transformed into cats, cats transformed into people. And yes, even a few cute cats.
My thoughts: I chose this book of short stories for two reasons: I like stories about cats and I needed a short story collection for one of my challenges. For the most part I enjoyed this book. It was mostly fantasy with a healthy number of stories falling into dark fantasy and horror. The scariest was Cat in Glass by Nancy Etchemendy. Only two of the stories got me smiling and those were: Gordon, the Self-Made Cat by Peter S. Beagle and The Burglar Takes a Cat by Lawrence Block. One of the cat series I follow is about Midnight Louie and is written by Carole Nelson Douglas so I was happy to see a short Midnight Louie here. One of my favorites was the retelling of a Japanese fairy story called The Poet and the Inkmaker's Daughter by Elizabeth Hand.
I did not like that so many of the stories included the cats coming to some kind of harm. My recommendation will be to those of you who enjoy reading fantasy. I have to say that I love the cover!
Rating: B
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
First Line: If Patty weren't an atheist, she would thank the good Lord for school athletic programs because they basically saved her life and gave her a chance to realize herself as a person.
My thoughts: I needed a book for the Oprah Book Club portion of my personal challenge. After reading the blurbs for several of them I chose Freedom. They were glowing, telling how absolutely wonderful this book was. I hate to be critical of a book....I am not a writer and I can only imagine the work that goes into writing one, especially one as long as this one. The writing was great but the story was b.o.r.i.n.g. It droned on and on about the lives of characters who were never fleshed out. Way too many details were given about portions of their lives, especially the sections on sex. Yuck. I especially did not understand Walter, one of the main characters, who went from being patient and kind to being a hot head. He was an environmentalist who signed off on a strip mining venture with the understanding that, years from now, it would be a reserve for one species of bird. ??????? It seemed quite preachy and repetitive to me on subjects such as the environment, social issues, sex, and politics.
The second half was better than the first, the story moved on along and got more interesting. By the end the characters had been through hell, long excruciating hell, but came out the other end with some hope.
Rating: C
Quote: "Each new thing he encountered in life impelled him in a direction that fully convinced him of its rightness, but then the next new thing loomed up and impelled him in the opposite direction, which also felt right. There was no controlling narrative: he seemed to himself a purely reactive pinball in a game whose only object was to stay alive for staying alive's sake."
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