I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (audio)

Published on February 2, 2010February 2, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

You can’t run.

Detective Alex Cross is pulled out of a family celebration and given the awful news that a beloved relative has been found brutally murdered. Alex vows to hunt down the killer, and soon learns that she was mixed up in one of Washington’s wildest scenes. And she was not this killer’s only victim.

You can’t hide.

The hunt for her murderer leads Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, to a place where every fantasy is possible, if you have the credentials to get in. Alex and Bree are soon facing down some very important, very protected, very dangerous people in levels of society where only one thing is certain–they will do anything to keep their secrets safe.

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I have over the past 6 months become a real fan of James Pattersons’s work. Mainly through the audio books I have received for review from Hachette Audio Group. I have found his stories to be brilliantly expressed and have flown through his reads anticipating what is next.

The only experience I have had with James Patterson’s Alex Cross series was the movie Kiss The Girls which I had seen a long time ago and really enjoyed this spine tingling thriller. I jump ahead now many years to the recent audio I listened to where I once again came in contact with the great Alex Cross.

Let me say – I love Alex Cross. I love the way this character handles himself and love his deep passion for family. That said, the audio was a bit extreme for my taste. The chapters that featured the killer were gruesome and foul. The sexual content of this audio was for lack of a better word – vivid.

So why continue listening? Alex Cross. Alex’s role in this audio was fantastic as I can only be lead to believe he is in all the books that feature him and that is what makes him such a wonderful character that keep people coming back for more. If I had read the book I could have skimmed over the harsh parts but in an audio that is hard to do.

I am not sure if all the Alex Cross books are at this degree of content as I had stated above, I have not read them all. I would not judge all the Alex Cross books by this one experience and I am willing to give him a second try again – because I like Alex.

How do I rate this? It wasn’t a fit for my personal taste but it was well done. I hope that makes sense. It is hard for me to put down a book/audio that wasn’t an exact hit for the genre I enjoy, so I wont.

Have you read or listened to any of the Alex Cross books? I would love to hear some other opinions.

My Amazon Review

I received my review copy from Hachette Audio

Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J Lark Betrand

Published on February 1, 2010February 2, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)25 Comments

In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her… Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston’s wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.

Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything. As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?

If you’d like to read the first chapter of , go HERE

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This was such a good story line! I really liked the main character Rylee Monroe. She immediately came across as sweet and likable. As the story quickly unfolds, Rylee finds herself as the main suspect in a string of crimes that all seem to be centered around homes where she is the dogwalker.

The book is fun and witty. The suspense twist was a nice addition to this read and it was fun to see these two authors connect with two very different writing styles and put together this read that I was quite impressed with. From my understanding, Deeanne is more the fun, quirky, witty writer and Mark writes suspense, both complimented each other nicely in this book.

I was laughing by page 20! A quick read that was perfect for a late afternoon.

Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called “I Did It!® Productions” and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.

J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.

I received my review copy of this book from Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

The Mercy Seller by Brenda Ruchman Vantrease

Published on January 31, 2010July 7, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

In the fifteenth century, with religious intolerance spreading like wildfire across Europe, Englishwoman Anna Bookman and her grandfather, Finn, earn a living in Prague by illuminating precious books–including forbidden translations of the Bible. As their secret trade grows ever more hazardous, Finn urges Anna to seek sanctuary in England. Her passage abroad, however, will be anything but easy.

Meanwhile, a priest in London, Brother Gabriel, dutifully obeys church doctrine by granting pardons . . . for a small fee. But when he is sent to France in disguise to find the source of the banned manuscripts finding their way to England, he meets Anna, who has set up a temporary stall as a bookseller. She has no way of knowing that the rich merchant frequenting her stall is actually a priest–just as he does not know that he has met the woman for whom he will renounce his church.

It is only in England, which is far from the safe harbor once imagined, that their dangerous secrets will be revealed.

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As I read this book I thought it is funny how often I take things at face value and don’t dig deeper. As this book is about the attempts to be rid of the Wycliffe Bible (the Wycliffe Bible is the translation of the Bible into different languages so the whole world can have access to God’s word in their own language). While I have known about the Wycliffe Bibles for years, supported their cause, and been to their benefits to raise funds when they have been in our area, I had no idea there was such controversy over the Bibles.

And at this point I really ask myself why did I not see that? Of course there had to be controversy – and if at this point you are thinking, “but uhhh….. Sheila, wasn’t the book you read fiction”? You would be right.

However – it gave me cause to dig. Certainly John Wycliffe’s journey had not been without its bumps and bangs? And with very little digging at all I found this:

The conspiracy theorists who believe that [Wycliffe] is a simple front for the CIA will find little support for their views […] It is true, however, that [Wycliffe] has influential ties to capitalist enterprise, politicians, and military figures in the United States and in the developing countries in which it works. [Wycliffe] is not an “empire” per se, but foreign missions such as [Wycliffe] are part of the larger political process in which powerful nations export political, economic, social, and ideological patterns to the relatively weaker and poorer regions of the world. Today, people in many developing countries are debating whether some aspects of this process should be limited or controlled.

I digress. Set in 1410, the book is filled with wonderfully vivid images and characters that are thrust deep into the book and into me. They are colorful and real. Anna is hit left and right in this book with the reality of what happens to those who go against the laws. Her belief in the Bible puts her in real danger. Then we have Friar Gabriel who is set upon a mission to disguise himself in order to search out the Bibles that are considered unlawful. It is interesting to find myself in the center of this religious intolerance of the Roman Church of the 15th century.

As Anna and Gabriel find themselves entwined in the depth of this book, Gabriel is put through what I would call his own crisis of faith. Their story is really – the story and what pulls all the pieces of The Mercy Seller together.

In the beginning the book is heavy with details bringing us up to the story. I at times felt a bit overloaded with data. Yet as the pages turn Brenda Rickman Vantrease sorts through the background and pulls us into the real heart of what I would describe as an adventure I am glad I embarked on.

Wycliffe Bible Translators is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making a translation of the Bible in every living language in the world, especially for cultures with little existing Christian influence. Wycliffe was founded in 1942 by William Cameron Townsend. There are currently branches in over 50 countries.^[1] The organization is named after John Wycliffe, who was responsible for the first complete English translation of the whole Bible into Middle English.^[2]

Wycliffe bases its philosophy on Townsend’s Protestantism which regards the intercultural and multilinguistic spread of Christianity as a divine command. This type of Protestantism adheres to the principle of sola scriptura and regards Biblical texts as the authoritative and infallible word of God.

In a Wycliffe mission, Wycliffe senior workers first request permission from the government in charge of a region. After the organization receives permission to operate, several small teams research a region’s linguistic populations. Based on this data, teams are sent to each linguistic group.

The team introduces itself to a group, usually with the aid of bilingual helpers. The team lives on site, and attempts to speak the language. Formal recordings, word lists and grammars are kept, usually on computers, backed up periodically to the national mission.

When the phonology is understood, the team develops a scientific writing system similar to those in use by related, regional, or national languages, or according to standards set by the government. At some point, the team begins to translate short portions of the Bible into the native language. The translation is tested and corrected with native speakers, as well as the existing lexicographies and grammars. Once the Bible is translated, printings are arranged, often through one of the United Bible Societies. The length of the entire process varies depending on the portion of the Bible being translated; it can take longer than twenty years.

My Amazon review

I read this book as part of the Social Justice Challenge. January’s theme was Religious Freedom. Looking through the books that were suggested for this challenge there were several that I had read before:

In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham (memoir–Christian) (Pre Blogging)

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

A book I am still hoping to read was special ordered for me by our library but as of this date is not in yet:

Between Two Tigers: Testimonies of Vietnamese Christians by Tom White

As part of the Social Justice Challenge we are encouraged, as we feel called to, to take action steps towards these issues. While we do not have to take these steps for each of the months, January’s theme of Religious Freedom spoke to me. If you would like, here are a list of action steps one can take. I am looking into writing letters to prisoners and am working on this yet this afternoon.

A Black Tie Affair by Sherill Bodine

Published on January 29, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her hands on the Clayworth family’s couture collection for her exhibit. So she’s thrilled when she’s called in to authenticate the gowns…until she falls ill while examining them and wakes up face-to-face with notorious Chicago bachelor Drew Clayworth.

Drew doesn’t trust Athena one bit. He still believes she betrayed him years ago. So when his family’s gowns go missing and Athena offers her help in exchange for the dresses, he reluctantly accepts. But they’re both taken off guard by the barely restrained passion that’s still between them…and the memories that are both bitter and sweet. As they work together to find the dresses, can they resist the sparks between them?

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:
Sherrill Bodine has been writing stories since junior high, when she won a pair of silver skates in a state-wide essay contest. While moving twenty-two times back and forth across America and rearing her four children, she published fifteen award-winning novels under two pseudoynyms (Lynn Leslie/Leslie Lynn). Now she’s decided to be herself and write about the people, parties, and high-life in the city she knows best: Chicago. When she’s not in the Windy City with her husband, family, and Newfoundland and pug dogs, she’s fulfilling her passion to travel to exotic locales around the world.

A light romantic read that was just simply fun. This book for me was a little jolt of the theme on “the one who got away”. I liked the quirky idea that Athene is thrown into a project that puts her working alongside the before mentioned “the one who got away” Drew. A second chance perhaps? Well, nothing like solving a mystery together to see if that is a possibility! While the plot is not strong and the characters are not ones I would find myself hanging out with, Sherill has woven together a tale that did hold my attention.

A light afternoon read curled up in a chair or sitting at the beach. This is one that will bring a smile to your face and perhaps bring up a memory or two…

Don’t forget – I have a giveaway of 5 copies of this book!

Enter Here

I received my review copy from Hachette Book Group

Becca By The Book by Laura Jensen Walker

Published on January 28, 2010January 28, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Sales clerk, barista, telemarketer, sign waver…

At twenty-five, free-spirited Becca Daniels is still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. What Becca doesn’t want to be is bored. She craves the rush of a new experience, whether it’s an extreme sport, a shocking hair color, or a new guy. That’s why she quit her bookstore job, used her last bit of credit to go skydiving, and broke her leg.

And that’s why, grounded and grumpy, Becca bristles when teased by friends for being commitment-phobic. In response, Becca issues an outrageous wager—that she can sustain a three-month or twenty-five date relationship with the next guy who asks her out. When the guy turns out to be “churchy” Ben—definitely not Becca’s type—she gamely embarks on a hilarious series of dates that plunge her purple-haired, free-speaking, commitment-phobic self into the alien world of church potlucks and prayer meetings.

This irrepressible Getaway Girl will have you cheering her on as she “suffers” through her dates, gains perspective on her life’s purpose, and ultimately begins her greatest adventure of all.

Book store jobs? Book Clubs? Well this is a book right up my alley! This is my first Laura Jensen Walker read, this book is third in the series but I did not need the first two books to follow the story. I enjoyed the characters and the turn that Laura Jensen Walker takes while making her main character, Becca a non Christian in a Christian book. While Becca starts out as not always likeable…. a little rough around the edges, I found myself cheering her on as the book goes on.

Truth is – I like Becca. This character has a free spirit and a sense of adventure that is attractive. A light read that was humorous…. and I enjoyed getting into this book.

If you’d like to read the first chapter of Becca By The Book, go HERE

I received my review copy of this book from Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

War Child by Emmanuel Jal

Published on January 27, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

A Child Soldier’s Story

As a young kid barely able to carry a gun, Jal, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, witnessed and perpetrated unspeakable brutality in his country’s civil war, but he has not only found refuge in the U.S. but also become an international rap star for peace. His violent memories are graphically relayed in this powerful autobiography. At age 9, he smashed faces with machetes as his friend plunged a bayonet into an enemy’s stomach. What is amazing in this story is how Jal has been able to let go of his rage. His family gone, he was adopted by a British aid worker, who took him to Kenya, where he struggled in school. But eventually, inspired by Gandhi, King, and Mandela, he turned to music and the idea of rapping for peace (“no tribalism, nepotism, and racism in my motherland”). And his songs climbed the charts. With the intense personal story, Jal also brings in political issues not confronted in other books about the Sudanese War, including the crucial role of oil (“black gold”) in the ethnic conflict.

Every rare once in awhile a book comes along that blows you right out of the pages. This is that book. Emmanuel’s true story of being a soldier of war at the age of seven is enough to send chills through your body. If that was all you knew about this book it would be enough to stay with you for a long time to come. Yet Emmanuel’s story is more. Much more.

Born in Southern Sudan, Emmanuel lives with his mother, his father is an official in the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). The sounds of bombing and war become a regular occurrence for Emmanuel. Emmanuel lays out pages of detailed memories of what the war was like as his mom tried to constantly keep them moving towards safety, at times stripping themselves naked to mingle in with the villagers as they made their way through towns to perhaps a day or two of safety before the war followed.

Graphic… real…. sometimes painfully so, Emmanuel lays it all out of what survival was like for him as a child. Having minutes to eat oatmeal in the mornings, so hot it scalded, Emmanuel tells of ways they learned to eat quickly as that was the only change for food all day.

This book is not only one of great trials…. but also of great triumph. Through the book you feel Emmanuel’s spirit, his drive for more – to learn more – to be more. Emmanuel’s hardships bring him to roads that lead him to being a Christian, and these roads let him to a career in music. Today, he is a musician – a rapper who’s music speaks of peace.

“Life is hard in Africa, and my story was only a drop in an ocean made up of a million tears”.

Currently Emmanuel Jal has been on a fast for over a year to raise money for GUA Africa. Learn more about this incredible cause here.

This book was one that spoke to me deeply. Emmanuel’s story is one of survival. It caused at times, my heart to ache… and at times my heart to rejoice. I recommend this book highly. It is not just a book to be read – it is a bookto be experienced.

WARNING: The following Video has pictures of children at war:

Here is a sample of Emmanuel’s Music:

My Amazon Review

This book is a part of the following Challenges:

100+ Reading Challenge

Support Your Local Library Challenge

This book was borrowed from our local Library

The Fruit Of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina

Published on January 26, 2010January 26, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

New Yorker Gillian Chang starts her second term at posh SpencerAcademy boarding school in San Francisco prepared to focus on her studies, her faith, and her friends. She plays a dozen musical instruments and can recite the periodic table of the elements backward. She’s totally prepared for everything–except love!
She’s falling hard for Lucas Hayes, who isn’t even a senior yet and is already aiming at a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford. The problem is, she never seems to be able to measure up and be the girlfriend he wants. He’s under a lot of pressure from his parents to achieve–maybe that’s why he’s short-tempered sometimes. But even a thick-skinned girl like Gillian can only take so much.
With her heart on the line, Gillian conceals more and more from her friends. So when she’s accused of selling exam answer sheets, even her girlfriends, Lissa Mansfield and Carly Aragon, wonder if it can be true. Gillian will need the power of honesty–with herself and with Lucas–to show what she’s really made of.

This book was nominated for the 2009 Christy Award. I chose this book for that reason as part of the Christy Award Challenge. As I read the book I found it to be nicely written, well-rounded characters with a lite Christian theme. The girls were in a boarding school and there is a romance brewing between Gillian and Lucas that is pretty standard YA. I wasn’t feeling the hardiness behind the book – what I would be expecting from a book, any book, up for an award.

And that is about the time that in my opinion author Shelley Adina hits a home run in this book with a twist to the plot – so perfectly woven throughout the books happenings that I didn’t see it coming. Shelly takes this book to a higher level and through all my previous thoughts on the book out the door when she blind sides me as the reader, with a topic very important to young girls, abuse.

I am trying hard not to give away too much of the book here yet this is such an important part of my review. When the abuse – not only physical but also verbal is presented I actually had to pause in my reading to consider what I had read – and how it was there, and I hadn’t seen it. And that is where the brilliance of this book comes in. How often do young women go about what they think is a normal relationship and not see it in the correct light? Sometimes it takes a friend to show us the way. And as I write this I am reminded that it is not only the young that can be caught by this … but women of all ages.

Overall, I am impressed, Faith and Friendships flow generously through this well written book.

♥My Amazon Review♥

This book qualifies for the following challenges:

Christy Awards Challenge

2010 YA reading Challenge

Support Your Local Library reading Challenge

2010 100+ Reading Challenge

I borrowed this book from out Local Library

* My first library book read in about 20 years

Hasta la Vista, Lola! by Misa Rameriz

Published on January 26, 2010January 26, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)45 Comments

Book Description:

When Lola comes home to her parents’ house to find a horde of relatives mourning her death, no one is more surprised than she is. The news had reported that one Lola Cruz, PI was found murdered in an alley, causing great alarm in the Cruz family. Before Lola can say “boo,” a cop comes to the house. It turns out the dead woman had a driver’s license with Lola’s information. Between avoiding an unsavory ex-boyfriend, sorting out mixed signals from the very interested but not yet committed Jack Callaghan, and filling in as a waitress at her parents’ Mexican restaurant, Lola tries to find out who the woman was and why she stole her identity. Was the woman hiding from someone who meant her harm, or is there someone out there who wants Lola dead?

This follow-up to Ramirez’s debut novel, Living the Vida Lola, is a red-hot, fun-filled mystery. Lola, a black belt in kung fu who loves to salsa dance, makes for a sexy, unique, and vivacious detective.

About Misa Ramirez

Misa Ramirez is the author of the Lola Cruz mystery series: Living the Vida Lola (January ’09) and Hasta la Vista, Lola! (2010) from St. Martin’s Press Minotaur. A former middle and high school teacher, and current CEO and CFO for La Familia Ramirez, this blonde-haired, green-eyed, proud to be Latina-by-Marriage girl loves following Lola on her many adventures. Whether it’s contemplating belly button piercings or visiting nudist resorts, she’s always up for the challenge. Misa is hard at work on a new women’s fiction novel, is published in Woman’s World Magazine and Romance Writers Report, and has a children’s book published.

Visit my web sites:

http://misaramirez.com l

http://chasingheroes.com l

http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com l

http://parentadvocatesforargyleschools.edublogs.org

Oh and I cant forget to tell you – One lucky commenter today will receive a copy of Hasta La Vista Lola! How super cool is that!!!!

I was on blog tour for this book but the book did not come in time for my review post so I am posting the information about this book instead. Doesn’t it sound wonderful?

This books is coming from Latino Book Tours

Collision Of Evil by John J. Le Beau

Published on January 23, 2010January 23, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

As evening falls against the majestic backdrop of the Bavarian Alps, Charles Hirter, an American tourist, is savagely murdered. In the peace, quiet and pastoral splendor of this magnificent setting, Charles Hirter draws his last breath. Was Charles simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? Kommissar Franz Waldbaer, the German detective in charge of the case, faces an investigation that yields neither clues nor suspects nor motives. A gruff, go-it alone detective, Waldbaer is dismayed by the arrival of Robert Hirter, the victim’s brother, who insists on joining the investigation. But there is more to Robert than meets the eye. As Robert and the Kommissar uncover a nefarious nexus of evil past and evil present, they find themselves probing dark, long-forgotten episodes from the Third Reich in order to identify the present threat. Thrust into a violent world of fanatic passions, malevolent intentions and excruciating urgency, Robert Hirter and Kommissar Waldbaer must race against the clock to stop a sophisticated, covert, and deadly plot.

Yes, this book falls slightly outside my “comfort genre zone”. However – always in for stretching myself I wanted to give this book a read. Why this book? Well, I do love a good mystery – and even a good thriller. The stretch comes in the international espionage type books that just can’t hold my attention. An international spy I will never be. The hook for me was actually in the author, John J. Le Beau. I like to read books where the authors really have a background in what they are talking about and John does have that. He served as an operations officer in the CIA for over 25 years and now serves as a Professor of National Security Studies. I have always heard that you should write what you know…. and John does just that.

I enjoyed the fact that the person going after Charles murderer was his brother Robert. That made the story real to me… not so over the top that I couldn’t keep up. By uncovering the pieces to Charles murder, Robert starts to bring in the reality that what has happened has a larger impact on the world then he could have ever anticipated.

A fast paced – and plenty of action read, John does deliver the book I believe he sat out to write. I have to say that while this would normally not be a book for me, I found that John was able to write this style of book without overloading it with so many complications and twists that it left readers like myself in the dust. I was pleasantly surprised.

My Amazon Review

I received my review copy of this book from Omnimystery

American Rust by Philipp Meyer w/ Giveaway

Published on January 21, 2010January 22, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)47 Comments

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Set in a beautiful but economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town, American Rust is a novel of the lost American dream and the desperation—as well as the acts of friendship, loyalty, and love—that arise from its loss. From local bars to trainyards to prison, it is the story of two young men, bound to the town by family, responsibility, inertia, and the beauty around them, who dream of a future beyond the factories and abandoned homes.

Left alone to care for his aging father after his mother commits suicide and his sister escapes to Yale, Isaac English longs for a life beyond his hometown. But when he finally sets out to leave for good, accompanied by his temperamental best friend, former high school football star Billy Poe, they are caught up in a terrible act of violence that changes their lives forever.

Evoking John Steinbeck’s novels of restless lives during the Great Depression, American Rust takes us into the contemporary American heartland at a moment of profound unrest and uncertainty about the future. It is a dark but lucid vision, a moving novel about the bleak realities that battle our desire for transcendence and the power of love and friendship to redeem us.

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Phillipp Meyer takes up right into the restlessness of the book from the first page, the first sentence even. We are introduced to Isaac, who’s mom has been dead for five years and he can not stop thinking about her. He has stayed home, passing on college to take care of his paraplegic father but stirs for something more… this is the passion that starts American Rust rolling page by page into what was meant to be an adventure and turned into something much more.

Isaac likes to do things, lets say the adventurous way not necessarily the easy way, or in many cases even the right way. Along with his friend Poe, they find themselves deep into a murder that becomes quite interesting due to twists and turns such as the Police Chief is having an affair with Poe’s mom. And this is just one example of how the plot of American Rust ripples through the small town.

It took me a while to get into the rhythm in which this book flows. Phillipp has a way with words and a certain method to his writing that I found at times harsh (the strong language was not a plus for me) and at other times refreshing ( for a first time author, heck for any author, Phillipp really can paint an intriguing picture using words that brought me into the action).

I agree when they say this book evokes the restlessness of John Steinbeck’s novels of restless lives during the depression. Restless is a great word to use to describe the characters that bring this book to life and I would expect this book to make its way into the Classics of tomorrow.

Philipp Meyer grew up in Baltimore, dropped out of high school, and got his GED when he was sixteen. After spending several years volunteering at a trauma center in downtown Baltimore, he attended Cornell University, where he studied English. Since graduating, Meyer has worked as a derivatives trader at UBS, a construction worker, and an EMT, among other jobs. His writing has been published in McSweeney’s, The Iowa Review, Salon.com, and New Stories from the South. From 2005 to 2008 Meyer was a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers in Austin, Texas. He splits his time between Texas and upstate New York.