Tag: Review

Young widower Gabriel McQueen has just arrived back to his childhood town on military leave to see his young son and his father the sheriff.  Gabriel had hardly put a foot in the door when his father informs him of an incoming ice storm.  In Maine, this is dangerous news and he is quick to do as his father tasks.

The task:  To go deep up into the mountains and bring back long time resident Lorelei Helton to safety.  Gabriel know Lorelei (Lolly) all to well and she was rather a pain in his back side back in High school and basically there is no love lost between them.  Begrudgingly he heads up into the mountains to bring her to safety before the storm hits and leaves her stranded.

After abandoning his truck when the roads get too bad and taking the last mile on foot, Gabriel finds Lolly being held captive in her home by a couple of strangers hell-bent on keeping her or killing her, it didn’t matter which… and now Gabriel unarmed has more to deal with then just the enraging Lolly.

Well now…. *clears throat*… its been a while since I have brought out the bag of snarky.  Ok actually that’s new… I thought of it when I was planning this review, but I am keeping it.. in the case I need to pull it out again. 

My one previous experience with Linda Howard was in 2001 when our very small book club at the time read Mr. Perfect.  I loved it.  I thought it was hilarious and a bit scandalous… (in 2001 I was not much of an adventurous reader…), I have always meant to read her again… but alas, it never happened.

Then recently at my library I seen this audio… the synopsis sounded good… ice storm, bad people, a mountain top rescue and a sheriff’s son… good enough for Sheila! 

But wait… lets start with the cover.  In my defense… the audio book I checked out from the library had a big Kitchigami Library sticker over that picture, or I can tell you if I would have seen that cover I never would have chosen this book.

Why not?

Yes, yes, you in the back waving your arm wildly – that’s right… I don’t like romance books.  And honestly I would have read the synopsis, looked at the cover, looked at the synopsis again, and said “huh?”  It doesn’t make sense to me….

and now to dig into that bag of snarky…. hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride…

Right from the start there is an exceptionally LLLLOOOONNNNNGGGGG description of how Gabriel would rather rescue anyone than Lolly.  How she bugged him so much in school and he just found her irritating.  I think I groaned out loud…. right then you knew it was going to be love.

And now if you are thinking, “Sheila, you are spoiling the book!” …. nope… trust me, within the first 5 minutes you get this scene and many more like it.  Honestly with this kind of writing throughout the book time and again… hinting of what is to come… I am not spoiling the book… the book is spoiling the book.  😯

The people in Lolly’s house are not scary, they are laughable… but I don’t think they were meant to be… they are just so dumb…. and in the end… ugh…. don’t get me started…. I seriously think I rolled my eyes… hello?  Who ordered the clichés?  Would you like to super size that?

Finally I thought this book must be Linda Howard’s early writing as it just isn’t well-developed…. imagine my surprise when I noticed it was released in 2009!

My advice is do not buy this book… if you are curious or think it sounds like a good read, I recommend picking it up from your local library.  Save a tree.

My choice of theme songs for Gabriel and Lolly:

Myron Bolitar is a Sports Agent heading for the big time.  So is Christian Steele, a rookie Quarterback and Myron’s prized client.  When Christian gets a phone call from a girl he had given his heart too and had disappeared over a year ago, things get a little odd.  This missing girl is Kathy Culver and she has been believed to be dead.  She also is Myron’s true love Jessica’s sister.

Trying to figure out the truth behind Kathy’s disappearance, keep Christian on the straight and narrow, and once again find himself immersed in Jessica’s presence in his life… Myron finds himself up against the dark side of his business.  Secrets and lies woven into a family, where image and talent can make you rich – but the truth can make you dead.

This is the first of the Myron Bolitar series, where Myron began to be developed from the witty brain that is Harlan Coben.  On audio, narrated by Johnathon Marosz, the book is true wit and mystery and at times “snort worthy”  (snort worthy:  that embarrassing sound when you laugh and it comes out a short noise that comes through your nose instead of your mouth).

This being my second dip into the Bolitar books I have come to appreciate the surrounding players…. his best friend Winston Horne Lockwood III (or “Win” to his friends) and his assistant Esperanza Diaz. 

The constant twist and turns – unraveling of a mystery and funny FUNNY wit moments, so hard to explain, but if you have experienced this world of Myron’s, and I hope that you do…. you will know what I mean.  Yes, a book can at once be a mystery and funny.  Think the Stephanie Plum stories, but an ex basketball player instead of a New Jersey girl, and Myron is not ditsy… he is smart and gets his man….errr…. woman…. errr…. well – you know.

It was fun to listen to this first book of the birth of a great character.  While I do not plan to listen to all the Bolitar books one after another…. I would not be disappointed if our paths did cross again.

Who would like this book?  If you like smart and witty humor, two good-looking guys solving a crime, and funny scenarios as they do so…. this book would be for you.

*Note:  This particular book has a character with a huge fowl mouth….  frequent language is used the last fourth of the book, something I did not notice when I listened to One False Move last week.

 

Myron Bolitar stands at 6 foot 4 inches and is a renowned Basketball Player and owner of MB Sports Reps.The MB standing for Myron Bolitar, and yes, he hates to brag, but he did think of the name himself.  Women find him handsome.

Brenda Slaughter plays women’s basketball.  She is smart and she is beautiful and she is no damsel in distress.  And that’s good, because Myron is no bodyguard.  Yet Myron has agreed to keep an eye out for Brenda and by doing so finds himself entangled in the tragic web of deceit that is her life.

Twenty years earlier Brenda’s mom had abandoned her.  And just as Brenda’s career is taking off, her father disappears too, much in the same way her mother did.  As Myron tries to dig through the deceit and the lies that people are dying to keep, and others are killing to protect…

Harlan Coben.  A long long time ago I was first a Stephen King fan.  As I grew out of my teen years and into my early twenties I moved on to Dean Koontz, not as over the top creepy as King could be, but still spooktacular (my word) writing.  Then after I had devoured everything I could get my hands on by Koontz, Harlan Coben hit my radar.  Coben wrote a good mystery but had something that King had little of, Koontz dabbled in it, but Coben hit a home run with it…. quick wit.  I do love good funny not, stupid funny and not unnecessary funny but a smart comment placed in the right spot is golden in my eyes. 

I remember one of the earlier books I read of Coben’s.  I can not recall the book but I do recall the story line.  The protagonist is in his kitchen eating a cereal bar when someone busts into the kitchen and shoots him.  In this tense moment, as the protagonist is falling to the floor before he loses consciousness, he tried to recall if the cereal bar was blueberry or cherry….  maybe it’s just me, but I think that is when I knew Harlan Coben and I would be friends forever. 😛

Now – while I have read most of Harlan Coben’s books, I have avoided this series of books surrounding his character Myron Bolitar.  Why?  Because 1.  I could see the books went way back and I did not want to back track to older titles and 2.  I was not sure if I would like Myron.

I am getting to a point here… really I am.  I listened to this book on audio mainly due to the fact that I was out of audio in-house, and my library supply has been thoroughly picked over by me and now I am reviewing titles I have previously passed on.  Enter Myron Bolitar into my life.

This is where I grovel.  It did not take long to be listening to this audio until I was once again smiling over Harlan’s great sense of humor and amazing story telling.  Myron is at once funny, witty, and interesting and I wanted to know what happened to Brenda’s family and why was her life such a big cover up.

If you like smart, fun, and engaging reading, I suggest you spend some time with Harlan Coben AND while I don’t think I will listen to the entire Myron Bolitar books, this one was fun and I admit I am listening to a second one with Myron right now. 

Borrowed from my library

November 22, 1963.  A date that is well know in the history books.  The day that President Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.

But what if there was a way that this moment could be changed?  What if there was a way that you could go back in time and have a do-over of that day or that time… and by placing yourself in the right place at the right time… you could change it all…

That is what happens to thirty-five year old Jake Epping.  Jake is a High School English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine by day, and frequents a local diner at night owned by his friend Al.  One night Al, shares a secret with Jake, there is a porthole in his storage room that takes you back to 1958.  Skeptical (who wouldn’t be?), Jake decides to humor his friend and goes into the storage room…

and comes out in 1958.

Astounded.  Excited.  Jake returns to present time and the diner where Al fills him in on how he discovered the porthole, and what he had done in the past.  Al, who is sick and knows his time is short wants to pass the ultimate mission to Jake… to go back in time and stop President Kennedy from being killed.

Jake agrees and begins the adventure of a lifetime, going back to 1958 under the name of George Amberson and living within the vicinity of Lee Harvey Oswald from 1958 to 1963.  Jake (AKA George) takes a teaching job, enjoys the peacefulness of a laid back pre-internet society, and the 1958 prices, buying his time until the day would come to save Kennedy.

What he did not count on was meeting the lovely Sadie Dunhill… or the fact that the past does not want to change and will fight to make sure it does not.

I was  not a girl who enjoyed History back in school.  For me it hit right up there with math class.  BLAH.  Boring.  Yet years later I find I like to know more and more about the past… and when I discovered Historical Fiction, I found a happy Sheila… a mix of two things I found I enjoyed.

Now when you read this book title and then the synopsis you may be scratching your head.  Stephen King?  Where is the murderous gore?  A pet Cemetery?  Possessed car?  A spooky clown?  (well, actually the clown is mentioned in this book in a brilliant way….)

But no.  No gore.  No horror.  A new more user-friendly version of King that I feel will reap new readers.

In its place, is a fascinating story of “what if”.  Mixed facts (the place, the Oswald’s, Kennedy) with fiction.  The result?  Brilliance.

I listened to this on audio…. yes 30+ hours long and probably the longest audio I have ever listened to.  Narrator Craig Wasson nailed it.  I loved it from the start.  There was no warm up session here… from the very beginning I was sold.  Great narration and great writing can do that.

Interestingly enough, King had first thought about this book in 1972, 9 years after the assassination, and right before the release of his first novel, Carrie.  He decided to put that thought on the back burner as it would require too much research while he was teaching full-time.  Initially King thought it would be titles Split Track.

11-22-63 is such a powerful book.  Stephen King did an amazing job smoothly traveling back and forth between 2011 and 1958, switching between cell phones and twenty-five cent burgers.  The walk back in time was real enough for me to feel that I was walking along those streets of 1958 – 1963, scoping out a very real and very dangerous Lee Harvey Oswald.  Even listening to the climax of this book made the hairs on my neck stand on end…. perhaps, it felt a little to real to the actual event?

At the end of the audio, do not miss out of Stephen Kings own words about the book, the research and his recommendation of books to read to learn more about the assassination. A couple of the titles I managed to write down:

Marina and Lee by Priscilla Johnson

Case Closed by Gerald Posner

Oswald’s Tale by Norman Mailer

For me I can not stress enough that you must take time to read or listen to this book.  Audio lovers, you are in for a treat – Craig Wasson was fantastic… and that even does not seem like a strong enough word.  I loved listening to this and I will miss it now that it is over.  Easily the best audio I have listened to this year.

Visit me in the Spoiler chat room to talk about this book in spoiler detail and to see a list of the awesome book references hiding within the pages of 11-22-63:

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

 

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 30 hours and 44 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Audible.com Release Date: November 8, 2011

 

I downloaded this audiobook from audible.com

Frances world in one filled with strict tradition (and not the fun Fiddler on the Roof kind….).  Although she is 17 and her and her mother live in a one bedroom apartment in San Francisco, you would swear that they still live in China.  Frances’s mother has had a hard life… after moving to the States, Frances’s father soon left the family.  The easier thing to do would have been to return to China, but Frances’s mother instead works two jobs to maintain her household.  She also holds her daughter to some pretty strict rules:

1. No extra curricular activities or socializing …. free time is to be used for studying
2. Frances WILL get better grades than her cousin and Frances WILL be a doctor and support her mother
3. Frances owns nothing… everything is her mothers
4. No boys. 

On top of the rules, Frances is constantly being told that her size 8 body is fat, her face chunky, no boy will ever give her a second look, she is lazy and unhelpful to her mom, and her straight A’s in school are still not as good as her cousins GPA, so apparently she is a little stupid too.  She is also constantly reminded how much time and money has been put into her schooling.

When Francis mistakenly shows up in a Speech class instead of her assigned calculus, she is amazed at her knack for speaking, and so is the teacher.  When Frances tries to correct the class mishap, the teacher encourages her to continue with speech and enter competitions, where Frances soon discovers she has a gift she was unaware of.

Of course to Frances’ mom, this is a huge waste of time until she thinks Frances may be able to be famous and on tv… then once again, Frances is told what to eat to lose weight, and what she needs to do to become who her mother expects her to become.

As the pressure continues to build and a boy starts to pay attention to her Frances is about to put tradition to a rest… but at what cost?

Ok…. first off.  If you have this book in book format that is wonderful.  Now…. put it down.  Keep it, you want it… you really do, but if you have a chance to pick this one up on audio, I encourage you to go that route.

Why audio?

Nancy Wu is a narrator to be savored.  She masterfully and distinctly manages to narrate through the different voices of Frances, her mother, Theresa, her aunt, the teacher and even the boy interest so well I always knew who was talking.  With Nancy’s own heritage, the book reads authentic and I adored it when Chinese words were used and explained.  This book was an absolute joy to listen to.

So why hang on to the book then?

My only grumble about audio is I can not flip a page back to look at a word I am unfamiliar with, practice it, look up the definition, and then let it roll off my own tongue.  In this case, when a Chinese phrase was used it was beautifully said and while driving I would repeat it to myself, but as the audio went on and I had no way to write down what I had just heard, it gets lost.  (With the book, which I have, I was able to go back and try those words again…. )

Bitter Melon is a book that will rock you emotionally.  In the synopsis you can see that Frances’ mom is not an easy-going mother who has a plate of cookies on the table when you come home and flips excitedly through college brochures with you.  Nope.  Instead, this woman is strict beyond strict.  (Have you ever seen the movie Mommy Dearest?) And while I wanted to take this woman aside and give her a taste of her own medicine… as the book goes on you will see that as much as Frances hates the way her mother controls her, Frances does the same thing to her cousin…. and then…. I am frustrated with her too.

Imagine having all your choices made for you… where you will attend college…. what you will be when you grow up, where you will live, how you will act, and who you will marry.  Imagine that this is normal in your culture.  Family comes above all else and you always obey and never come up with your own opinions.

This audio really is incredible.  It is hard to put into words how this one made me feel.  The story line was enjoyable and I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  In the end… I was pleased… and then saddened… and in the end… I think Frances was too.

Looking for a book/audio that is a cultural experience?  I would recommend this one.  I finished this audio and zipped to Amazon to see if there was another book centered around these characters…. sadly there is not and no sign that there will be…. but the way it ends… I can see where there could be.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

I picked up this audio from my lovely local library…

At Fairfield High School, right on the outskirts of Chicago, it’s well-known that the south siders and the north siders do not mix.  Picture…. um…. west side story 😛 .  Alex Fuentes knows this well, he is from the south side, and part of a feared gang.  Life has never been easy for Alex and his family but thanks to his ties to the gang, he is able to protect them… just like his father did.  So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis becomes his chemistry partner, the results are like dynamite! 

Alex pictures life for Brittany picture perfect.  She has the designer clothes that he will never afford, she lives in a house that his own home would fit into seven times over.  She is exactly what is wrong with this world.  When Brittany looks at Alex, she sees a gang member, he is scary, strong, and from the wrong side of the tracks…. yet she can’t help but notice he is also strong, tall, and behind the hardness, something kind lays behind his eyes.

Can each break through the stereo types, their family beliefs of right and wrong, and their friends opinions?  Is there more to their chemistry than a class assignment and a grade?

Go back in time with me.  It is May 2010, and this Minnesota girl has found herself doing something she has never done before.  I had hopped a plane, and went to New York to BEA and I was at an author event for new YA authors.  For me?  This was book heaven.  😀 

At an event on my first night there with Reagan (Miss Remmer’s Reviews) I met Simone Elkeles, author of Perfect Chemistry.  She was bold, she was funny, and she was talking about her first book.

Flash forward to 2012.  Last year I had bought Simone’s book, I have always meant to read it…. but it went on the shelf waiting for me.  Then more recently I found it on audio at my library and decided more than enough time has passed while I waited to experience this book.

So what did I think?

At first, honestly, I didn’t know if I would like it.  When the audio starts, Alex has a thick Latino accent and I thought, too much… too stereo type…. bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks… perfect girl with everything…. too over done (think Pretty in Pink….Grease ) but author Simone Elkeles surprises me…

As the story unfolds, you learn that all is not as it seems…. Alex’s life is hard yes, but there is a reason he lives the way he does… and Brittany’s world behind the perfect front… is not so perfect at all…. in fact, these two have way more in common than you would have thought.

It didn’t take much time for me to really like Alex and what he stood for… and while Brittany took a little longer for me to warm too… I did… and wound up liking both protagonists very much.

In the end the only thing that took away from this read was the fact the last part of it seems to go good to great to bad, repeat…. good, to great, to bad… repeat. 

And maybe… as I type this…. it had to.  Alex and Brittany were so different…. it had to be difficult. 

Rules of Attraction is the conclusion of this story.  I will probably check it out as I feel I am invested in the love story that is Alex and Brittany.