Who doesn’t like a big juicy steak from a world-famous restaurant such as New York’s Lombardo Steak House. The place is famous for their menu, the clientele…. and now the gruesome murder of a mob lawyer.
In the restaurant at the time of the murder is reporter Nick Daniels, conducting the interview of a lifetime with a legendary bad boy of baseball. Nick is shocked and shaken as the hit-man slips through all the activity without a hint of who he may be. When Nick realizes he actually has a key piece of evidence on his recorder, he proceeds to investigate the case himself despite dangerous warnings for him to back off.
New York’s Lombardo’s Steak House is famous for three reasons–the menu, the clientele, and now, the gruesome murder of an infamous mob lawyer. Effortlessly, the assassin slips through the police’s fingers, and his absence sparks a blaze of accusations about who ordered the hit.
As Nick continues to get closer to the truth… the truth becomes closer to him as well… first with his friends… and then even closer when they go after his family.
Chapter 2,489 ….. ha ha…. a little inside Patterson humor…. 😉
It is nothing new to hear me rave about a James Patterson audio. I have enjoyed many of his audio books immensely, especially the Mike Bennett Series he writes with Michael Ledwidge: Step On A Crack, Run For Your Life, Worst Case,and most recently Tick Tock. These books are filled with action, amazing narration, and honestly not gruesome as some of writing can be.
For all of the above reasons… I was excited to get my hands on Don’t Blink. And then…. I dont know what happened. I must have blinked.
The story line was kind of all over. I never felt I knew enough about Nick Daniels to care about him. He may as well have been named Joe Blow. He goes after a case that causes many (MANY) people to get killed. Friends, people trying to help him… suddenly it feels as though I am just read leaping from one attack to another… he barely gets out of one jam and then there is another and then anaother… and then when you think “whew… it’s over!”…
there is another.
In the end for me it was all a little too much…. enough plot here for two books. I didn’t really feel any connections to anyone and it actually became work to follow what was going on and who was after him now…
maybe I did blink and somehow missed the point, but that is my take on this one. Not a hate… just not a love. 😀
October. As the leaves are quickly separating from the trees, and the nights are starting to release the chill of pending fall… I find myself, like many of you, thinking of a little something spooky to cuddle up with in the evenings.
What scares you?
Here are a few that I would love to get the opportunity to read:
In 1987, Bohjalian purchased a Victorian house, only to discover a mysterious sealed door in the basement. But it wasn’t until 2009, when pilot Sully Sullenberger was forced to (successfully) land his plane on the Hudson River, that Bohjalian had the second thread he needed for The Night Strangers’ terrifying plot. His protagonist, Chip Linton, is a pilot who lives to tell the tale of his emergency landing on Lake Champlain. But Flight 1611 ends up with 39 casualties among the 40-odd passengers and crew. Thirty-nine just happens to be the same number of bolts that seal shut a hidden door in the basement of the new house Chip and his lawyer wife Emily move to with their twin daughters Garnet and Hallie. This retreat to the mountains of northern New Hampshire is an attempt by Chip to come to terms with the crash. However, peace doesn’t come easily.
While Chip goes about refurbishing the house (discovering the boarded-up door and random weapons hidden in nooks and crannies in the process), Emily and the twins realize this small White Mountain village is populated with numerous greenhouses and self-proclaimed herbalists. As Chip’s grief slowly descends into a type of madness, Emily begins to question why the town is so obsessed with teaching her daughters the tricks of the plants.
The basic premise, that of an amnesia victim suffering from debilitating short-term memory loss, has been thoroughly mined in print (James Hilton’s Random Harvest, G.H. Ephron’s Amnesia) and cinema (50 First Dates, Memento). Where Watson diverges from the formula is in his exhaustive exploration of one woman’s spiral into paranoia. Does Christine have a happy marriage, or is it a total sham? Does she have a son, and if so, did he die in Iraq, or is that just a figment of her overworked imagination? And what’s up with her doctor, anyway? From early on, it is clear that her husband is not being entirely truthful with her, but to what end—Christine’s well-being or something darker? On the sly, Christine begins keeping a journal, documenting the inconsistencies in the stories she is told by those she thought she could trust, leading to a showdown of epic proportions.
My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.
It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims—lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.
For 10-year-old Beau Jackson, the annual late August trek from his home in Richmond, Virginia, to his grandmother’s ancestral property on a Georgia peninsula known as Gull Island is a dismal one. For two weeks, Beau will have to deal with his constantly arguing parents as well as his alcoholic aunt and uncle, swarms of mosquitoes, unbearable humidity—and his weird cousin Sumter Monroe.
But this summer proves to be different from past vacations. Sumter, always a little strange, is downright disturbing. Obsessed with a decrepit shack at the edge of the property, Sumter makes it his own personal clubhouse and names it Neverland, a place where grown-ups are forbidden and an old human skull is worshipped as a destroying god. Compelled to Neverland to escape the dysfunction and alcohol-fueled fights inside Grammy Weenie’s house (ironically called The Retreat), Beau and his older twin sisters Missy and Nonie enter Sumter’s dark sanctuary and become entangled in a web of evil that includes thievery, animal sacrifices, blood drinking, demon worship and, quite possibly, facilitating the beginning of the end of the world.
Thank you to Book Page and Goodreads for these suggestions
That’s just to name a few. How about you? Any “scare-awesome” reads coming up?DO any of these appeal to you or do you have others on your radar? Or maybe you skip the spooky all together…
Banned Book Week is a week I look forward to every year. If you are not familiar with this week, there was a time I was not either… but chances are – you have read a banned book. Here is a little taste of books that are on the list:
To Kill A Mockingbird
Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret
The Bible
Twilight
Hunger Games
The Color Purple
Farenheight 451
The Handmaid’s Tale
Blubber
The Lorax (yes, Dr. Suess)
All Harry Potter Books…
Last year I read and reviewed only banned books during the Banned Book week and it was a lot of fun and informative too!
This year, now that I am a seasoned banned book reader 😉 , I want to do more. I will be hosting some giveaways here and am asking for book bloggers to assist me, by either a) reading and reviewing a banned book during this week, and/or b) sharing your thoughts on a banned book you have already read. I need a minimum of seven participants – one for each day of Banned Books Week.
If you are interested, please fill out the form below and I will be in contact with you. This is going to be a lot of fun.
**Note update to this post on 9/20/11: I have filled the seven (turned out to be eight) blogger daily posts for the contest, however I would love to still have additional Banned Book related posts – such as book reviews, Banned Book Discussions, and giveaways. I have updated the form to show this. I would love to have YOU on the Banned Wagon. 😛
😀
You can find our more about Banned Book Week and the history behind it by visiting The American Library Association site.
In the early 1960’s, Jackson Mississippi was a community of white women who ran charity events, and ran their help. The “help” were their African-American maids who cooked and cleaned and raised the white children so the white women of Jackson could play bridge, have coat drives, and complain about their heavy word load.
Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a young woman fresh out of college comes home to Jackson to live with her mom who is sick and her father. Skeeter attends the bridge meetings and hangs with what is considered Jackson’s elite, especially Hilly, leader of the pack – and the coalition for every home in Jackson to have a separate bathroom installed for “the help” as after all as Hilly would say, “they carry different diseases than us, and we must protect our children!”
Skeeter, is appalled by the way the black women are treated and decided to write a book giving the maids (Help’s) perspective on how they feel they are treated, from raising the kids (who will later become their boss), to wages, and what they think is unfair.
Needless to say – none of the black women jump at the chance to speak first.
Enter the wonderful Abilene, she cooks, she cleans, she has raised many a white child… and finally she has something to say. As Skeeter and Abilene have secret meetings at Abilene’s home were Abiline talks ad Skeeter writes, eventually the feisty and hilarious Minnie joins in with her stories.
The result is an incredible story about faith, trust, and blowing up a small town. 😛
Skeeter.... making a few changes....
I am believing that if you have not read the book or seen the movie – you at least have heard about the phenomenon that is “The Help”. Currently at the movie theaters (I have seen it twice!) I would suggest you run – don’t walk, to get your ticket!
I read this book in late 2009 and wanted the refresher of the audio with the movie coming out. I had heard some buzzing about the fact that the movie was different from the book and from my foggy recollection I was thinking of very few differences but of course, this recent listen of the audio has now refreshed my memory…. HOWEVER – both…. are awesome… yes there are some differences, but I still feel it held true to the main story.
If you enjoy good audio – you must listen to The Help… (yes, Laurel…. maybe even you 😉 ). The narrators are fantastic! The woman who reads the part of Minnie… also plays her in the movie! Seriously great stuff! I can not rave this one up enough!
The Help is so good that I do not care how you get it in (book, audio, movie) – but you must!!!
BBAW. Book Blogger Appreciation Week is September 12 through 16. But there’s an important deadline coming up much sooner. Nominations for awards are due by August 13. The details of how to nominate your favorite blogs are on this page: The 2011 Awards Process.
BBAW is a fantastic way to appreciate the book blogs and the bloggers “behind the blogs” 😀
Yes…. I admit it. I have been intrigued by Pottermore and what it may entail. Having been a HUGE JK Rowling fan and of course due to the Harry Potter books… I have followed much Potter activity through the years. Pottermore is no exception.
Give me a little challenge and a mystery behind it (what is Pottermore?) (Why do I want to be in it early?) and I am IN. At least I will try….
Only 7 days to enter and I come in under the wire on day 6. Every time I went on the site, day or night… registration was always closed. CLOSED.
GAH.
Then this morning I thought I would check it out and the clue was there… I had a chance!!!! And then I knew the answer and entered it like 8 times…. and…
nothing.
I thought I was doing it wrong. I re-read the clues, knowing full well that gate may close any time… ANYTIME!!! I was doing it right, but maybe due to heavy activity it would not let me in…
and then…
it did.
I am in.
Totally Harry Potter geaked out.
Life…
is grand.
😛
Your Pottermore account
Welcome and thank you for registering for Pottermore by J.K. Rowling – the magical new online experience based around the Harry Potter books.
A million registrants are going to be granted early entry into Pottermore to help give it the finishing touches, and the exciting news is that if you validate your account quickly, you could be one of the lucky few selected. Please be quick because places are going to be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis*.
This is the last day to get in on the pre- group for Pottermore. I have no idea what I am getting into… but it sounds like fun! 😀
The following are the most popular book club books during June based on votes from readers and leaders of more than 30,000 book clubs registered at Bookmovement.com:
1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett 2. Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue 3. Cutting for Stone: A Novel by Abraham Verghese 4. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand 5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 6. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel by Jamie Ford 7. The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain 8. Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave 9. Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen 10. Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
Top two risers:
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin (New at #24) Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (New at #30)
[Many thanks to Bookmovement.com!]
I have read on my own #1 and #5. With my book club I have read: #2, #3, #6, #8, and #9.
How about you? Have you or your book group read any of these books? Do you have a favorite out of this group?
It is the winter of 1990 and Helen Hansen has a secret. It is one that rips her apart from the inside out to keep… but along with her husband Elliott, they decide at least for now… this is the way it will be.
Within a year the Hansens’s are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, and they do so a luxury hotel in New Hampshire, going all out by inviting friends and neighbors who have been there along the way. Meanwhile, 18-year-old daughter Abby has also been kept in the dark. Little does she know , she is not the only one. Abbie knows something is up and is resentful that she has not been in the know. Seeking solace, she finds it in a cute waiter named Alex, and the rest of the summer staff .
While the champagne flows, guests dance around the elephant in the room…
The hard copy cover - I personally like the paperback cover of the book I own... I think its softer and speaks to the story more
Whoa. *Deep breath here*
Emily Chenoweth comes out of the shoot with this debut novel with a whirlwind of activity, at times heart wrenching, at times sweet, but always breath-taking.
The topic of this book is a hard one. We are dealing with a family and an illness. And at times, you can even wonder if the family itself is part of the illness by not necessarily making healthy decisions. At the same time, you come to realize that the decisions that are made, are made out of love – and that really becomes the heartbeat of the book.
If I seem like I am talking in code here… I am. This is a book that is easy to give away key plots in the excitement of the review and I am walking a fine line trying not to do that, instead leaving the beauty and the mystery of this book unravel itself to each reader.
Abbie really captivates me as you can imagine how an 18-year-old girl would struggle with what is going on with her family, as well as where she stands in the midst of life. When the storyline shifts her way, I could almost feel that struggle, even in the story shift.
While this book could easily have tipped the scale by being considered heavy – it never does. Handled with a well written prose, instead it is graceful, and real… as you watch a family enjoy the last dances of life together.
On Monday, July 18th, our local library hosted author Laurie Hertzel to discuss her latest book, News To Me, Adventures Of An Accidental Journalist. *you can see more details about this event on the Morning Meandering post*
Laurie Hertzel always knew she wanted to be a writer. She grew up knowing books, and knowing they were important and valued. With nine siblings, Laurie had said, her dad would occasionally take whoever was around at the time and load them all into the van and they would go into the book store and each be able to pick out whatever book they wanted.
Laurie who is the Senior Book Editor for the Minneapolis Star and Tribune says she receives around 1,000 books a month for review. They arrive in shopping cart loads and it is up to her to sort through them. She says on a good week she can get 6 reviews in the paper – one on Monday, occasionally one on Wednesday and four in the Sunday paper. It is not easy to choose she says but what she says this is what she looks for:
Obviously the big read – like Freedom by Johnathon Franzen (she says people expect these to be reviewed)
Regional Reads
Human Interest
Non Fiction or a poetry read
Small Presses
Her job is not sitting at a desk reading. During office hours she is writing reviews, answering calls and emails. Her reading comes after hours. She loves her job and says it is really more like a 24 hours a day job.
For anyone who has an interest in journalism this is Laurie’s advice:
Keep practicing your craft… in other words write whenever and wherever you can
Dont become political as in choosing sides, you need to stay responsible and neutral
Be nimble… learn to use pics, video, twitter, Facebook… report across platform
As far as Laurie’s book goes… she is hilarious. She read aloud the chapter about making coffee being part of her job at a newspaper office. She was told that the pot was never to be empty. Laurie doesn’t drink coffee and the only faucet that had enough space to put the coffee carafe under it to fill with water, was the one in the mens bathroom. She learned quickly that by making really bad tasting coffee, and then responding, “What? Oh does it not taste good? I don’t know what it should take like as I do not drink coffee”, soon caused that task to be removed from her list of duties.
The book itself takes us through Laurie’s careers from the library to the news room… and um… back to the library. She speaks well, she is fun and funny to listen too. She also has some amazing chapters in the book such as when in the mid 80’s she went as a reporter to Russia with a group of people from Duluth Minnesota who wanted to make one of the Russian towns their sister city, and when letters requesting such were ignored, they decided to go in person. Laurie pretty much sold out of her books at this event.
I am currently reading News To Me and I will have a review of this book up in the next couple of days.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! D This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited. **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.
**New books added today to the Reading Cafe giveaway!
I am really excited about this weeks meme! Mainly because as of this afternoon I completed a hard and busy two weeks of projects that had left me with minimal time to visit what you are reading, let alone read much myself. Here is what I did manage to finish this week:
Oh and I forgot to post a picture to go with my Candy Freak post… the review explains what is happening in this pic… and the result…;)
mmm hmmm.... I kind of get into my reviews. Click pick to go to story
Another strong audio week which really is a sign of summer…. I can listen to audio while grilling, cleaning, mowing the lawn, when on the go – this is a great way to still get your “reads in”. 😛
That said… here is what I have happening now and on going through this week…
Those parts of Medium Raw–more of a collection of essays than a streamlined narrative–that seemed to grow out of that celebrity, such as Bourdain’s feuds with food critics and celebrity chefs, impressed reviewers the least. But they still found much to savor, particularly Bourdain’s biting personality, his own humorous self-deprecation, his ability to bring out the unknown elements of the restaurant industry, particularly the kitchen and service staff who might otherwise be ignored, and, not least of all, the well-written (if often vulgar) and compelling stories.
I seen a couple of episodes of Bourdain’s tv show a while back and was fascinated by his travel and food experiences. Yes, he is rough around the edges and that is even more apparent in this audio that I am about an hour into, but if you can over look the roughness – there is an interesting tale underneath. At least so far.
Even on their wedding day, John and Irene sensed that they were about to make a mistake. Years later, divorced, dating other people, and living in different parts of the country, they seem to have nothing in common—nothing except the most important person in each of their lives: Sadie, their spirited eighteen-year-old daughter. Feeling smothered by Irene and distanced from John, Sadie is growing more and more attached to her new boyfriend, Ron. When tragedy strikes, Irene and John come together to support the daughter they love so dearly. What takes longer is to remember how they really feel about each other.
I had started this book a while ago… sat it down… renewed it at the library… and now have picked it up again and am sailing along. 😀
The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows — her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield — and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family’s past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness — and a demon shape-shifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.
He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human — even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together, because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.
Yes…. my reading and audio is all over the grid this week. 😛 This audio was one I picked up through Blackstone audio at BEA and thought I could give it a try. So far…. hmmm…. it is… a love story… and really, not so bad. Does anyone else think this dude on the audio cover looks like a young Timothy Hutton? Anyone? Anyone?
When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she isn’t prepared for how much her life will change.
Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents. It’s a place where times are tough and debts run deep, but friendship, community, and compassion run deeper. As the story hurdles along-featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident, a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, Arbutus, and the rest of the town teach Madeline more about life, love, and goodwill than she’s learned in a lifetime.
Late! Late tour review. Last weeks CRAZINESS caused me a miss on this one and gah… catching up 😀
That’s whats on the barbie.. I am still finishing the Harry Potter Books, and listening to the second in the series Bloody Jack audio too.
I have requested and received all the Mondays in July off from work! WOO HOO!!! This is a much-needed break from life happenings and with busy weekends, Monday is a great recoup day. It also means I will have more time to explore what all of you are reading and for the first time in weeks I am going to get around and see you and what is trending through the book blogs! 😀
Be sure to add your What Are You Reading post link below where it says click here, so I as well as others can find their way to you! 😀
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