Wednesday, July 4, 2018

The Eye of Minds

Title:  The Eye of Minds 
Series:  The Mortality Doctrine
Author:  James Dashner 
Genre:  Young Adult, Science Fiction
Length: 310 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  Battle Scenes
Rating:  4 out of 5

Michael is in the VirtNet (the Sleep), virtual world not the real one, trying to save an individual from committing suicide, which has an impact on her body and mind in the real world.  After he is unsuccessful at saving her, he reaches out to his two best friends, Sarah and Bryson, to talk through what happened.  They meet up at their favorite virtual spot.

The next morning, Michael has a hard time getting out of bed (in the Wake), but eventually does so as he knows he needs to go to school.  As his parents have been traveling, his nanny Helga is taking care of him.  He eats breakfast and leaves for school.  He's side tracked, or kidnapped might be better, by the VNS.  The VirtNet is under attack by Kaine and they need Michael's help, along with his friends.

Michael meets back up with his friends and explains the situation.  At first, they opt not to help.  After their VirtNet access is cut off, they agree to help and are off on a journey of their lifetimes.

While this book is classified as science fiction, at times it is a mystery, action, and adventure all rolled into one.  No detail is trivial.  Everything matters.  It all weaves together into the big reveal moment. 

There were a few areas where it was a little difficult to believe.  Michael, Sarah, and Bryson were introduced as smart kids, some of the best at cracking code.  However, they appear to follow VNS with no knowledge of what they are getting themselves into.  There were also aspects of the book that I felt were too strong for a youth audience (e.g., Adults Only game).

However, there were several things within the book that I enjoyed.  First, Michael, Sarah and Bryson are there for each other no matter what.  They have a friendship that goes beyond just trying to accomplish a mission.  Also, Kaine was a very likeable antagonist, not appearing weak or easy to overcome.  Yet, we are able to see that he has a long term plan in place.

The ending plot twist was very good and I honestly didn't see it coming.  As far as reading the other books in this series, it's a tossup.  My oldest said he might and my youngest isn't interested.  If the book is available at the library or comes into the house, I will read it.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Book of the Month



I was introduced to the Book of the Month club a few years ago.  Each month I have the option to select one of five books or I can easily skip that month.  I've selected several books that I wouldn't have been exposed to as they are outside of the genres I normally read.

How does it work?  At the beginning of each month you select from one of five books as part of your subscription.  You can easily add another book if you want for a small fee.  If you don't see titles that you would like, you can skip the month.

What's one of my favorite things?  They love to feature new authors!  Oh, and from time to time a something little extra is included.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

High Stakes

  
 
Title:  High Stakes
Author:  Dick Francis
Genre:  Mystery, Crime
Length: 223 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  Love Scenes
Rating:  4 out of 5

Set mostly in and around London, we are introduced to the conflict immediately between Steven Scott and Jody Leeds.  Steven is an inventor turned race horse owner and Jody is his trainer.  The opening lines of the book are the discussion, or should I say argument, that the two men are having.

The lines are clearly drawn.  Steven is a young and wealthy newcomer to the racetrack.  He has basically no knowledge about buying, training, and racing the horses he owns.  Jody is an overly ambitious trainer that is taking advantage of Steven's good nature and inexperience.

After Steven fires Jody, he places his horses with three other trainers as quickly as possible.  He has staked his reputation on Energise, a young black hurdler.  When he goes to visit the horse for the first time after the argument, he is certain there is something wrong...he doesn't believe it's the same horse...his horse.

We find Steven making friends who are willing to help him along the way as he tries to uncover this mystery.  He also picks up a love interest early on in the book who is from the States.

Reading this book was like stepping back in time as it was first published in 1975.  I enjoyed the nostalgia of the phone ringing and people stopping by unannounced to check on each other.  So many mysteries today have one individual trying to figure it all out with maybe a love interest thrown in who is helping.  I enjoyed the comradery of the friends that Steven made and that he was never alone on his path to solving his problem.  The book was fast paced and a very easy read. 

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Gregor the Overlander: The Underland Chronicles

 
 

Author:  Suzanne Collins
Genre:  Fantasy, Adventure,
Youth
Length: 308 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  Some Battles 
Rating:  4 out of 5


Gregor is not your typical New York City tween.  He is spending his summer at home taking care of his grandma and baby sister Boots while his mom is at work and his middle sister is at camp.  Gregor understands his need to help his family ever since his father disappeared about two years ago.

When a family friend stops by to sit with his grandma, Gregor takes Boots to the laundry room as he had promised his mom that he would complete that task before she returned home from work.  Gregor and Boots are playing with a "bouncy ball" while he is taking care of the laundry.  He realizes Boots has been quiet for some time and sees that she's near an air vent.  He chases after her as she goes through and they begin to fall.

Once they land, Gregor realizes that they are someplace else.  Cockroaches, extremely large cockroaches, find Gregor and Boots.  They decide to take them somewhere, but Gregor doesn't know where.  They end up in an arena of sorts where humans and bats, again large bats, are playing a game.  The cockroaches negotiate Gregor and Boots' release to the humans, which is agreed upon.

Gregor and Boots are taken to the Underland city of Regalia where he is trying to determine if he is a guest or a prisoner.  After an attempt at escape, he learns that several believe he is The Warrior as told in The Prophecy of the Gray.  It is decided that Gregor must fulfill this prophecy, even if he doesn't believe it.

My boys recommended this book to me after both of them read it.  As a book targeted towards middle school, I found that it kept the pace that is needed for my boys to continue to be engaged and want to go back to the book after it's been set down.  The characters are appropriately developed and act their age based on the responsibilities that are required of them.  I enjoyed Gregor's dedication to his family, especially his baby sister.  I also felt that he grew as a character where in the end he shared that he wanted to help find peaceful solutions and have war be the last resort.

I'm certain that I will read the other books in this series as they are brought home. 

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Future Discovered: Host Saga Book 1

 


Title:  Future Discovered
Series: Host Saga
Genre:  Science Fiction,
Action & Adventure
Length: 273 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  Combat Scenes
Rating:  2 out of 5


Van Childs is hiking in an area north of Flagstaff (Arizona) when he comes across an area that would be perfect for his retirement cabin.  As he inspects the site closer, it looks as if the foundation was just laid.  This is odd as he wasn't expecting any signs of settlement.  He comes across a metal bar, which opens an entrance to a cave.

As Van explores the care, he is introduced to an artificial intelligence (AI) that was placed on Earth around 200 years ago.  The Galactic Hosts were an intelligent yet peaceful race.  They eventually found themselves in a battle against the Arkons.  When the Hosts left Earth, they left the site so that someone on Earth could potentially learn from their knowledge, eventually being able to defend Earth from the Arkons if they return.  Van happens to meet the requirements left behind by the Hosts.

Van agrees to go along with the AI's plan for learning about this technology in exchange for being able to introduce it to the world in a way that he sees fit, which will benefit the entire Earth, not just one nation.  One of the main reasons he agrees to this is that he has ALS and the AI has promised to "cure" him after the one year trial period.

Van and Harry (his name for the AI) begin to introduce a medical scanner to the world.  Upon doing so, there is one individual who wants to get his hands on this technology...and so the rest of the story begins to unfold.

It was clear that the author's history in the navy is integrated throughout the book, almost too much for my taste.  I must say that the more detailed he got in the strategy and attack sections, the more I skimmed the book.  While I like the thought of advanced technology from another race being introduced to us to the betterment of the world, I struggled with the book.  The story itself was ok.

Unfortunately, I do not plan to read the additional books in this series. 

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Last Seen: A Dr. Pepper Hunt Mystery

 

Title:  Last Seen
Author:  J.L. Doucette
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Length: 330 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  Some Graphic Crime Scenes 
Rating:  3 out of 5


Set in rural Sweetwater County, Wyoming, we are introduced to Dr. Pepper Hunt, a psychiatrist whose patient (Kimi) has recently gone missing.  Dr. Hunt is a transplant to the area and feels that she truly belongs.  She's also battling her own personal trauma, which she managed to leave behind with the migration from the city to rural setting. 

The Sheriff visits Dr. Hunt's office, asking questions and letting Dr. Hunt know that Kimi is missing.  Kimi has been disassociating, letting Dr. Hunt know that she's awoken in places that she didn't even know she was at.  The initial thought is this could be one of her episodes, but the longer she's gone, the more people believe she's missing.  Another theory is that it could be the serial rapist as she was covering that story for the local paper.

The Sheriff assigns the case to Detective Antelope, who just happens to be Kimi's cousin.  The Sheriff is focusing on Kimi's husband Kevin while the Detective is focusing on Kimi's brother Diego.  Given the number of sex offenders in town, a high percentage for a population of this size, it is decided that they need to try to eliminate suspects.  Another thought is that Cedric Yee, her peer at the paper who idolizes her, could be a suspect.

Who did it?  I was kept guessing until almost the end.

As far as the mystery part of the book, I felt that it held my interested as I didn't figure out "who did it" immediately.  For the thriller part, there wasn't a sense of urgency.  Kimi's husband is more upset that he's alone on Christmas than the fact that his wife is missing.  Dr. Hunt doesn't seem to realize that Kimi might actually be in danger until halfway through the book. 

The book is positioned as the first in a series of Dr. Pepper Hunt mysteries.  If that wasn't on the cover, I would have assumed the series would be positioned as Detective Antelope.  One last item, the book needed a bit more editing.  At points it was confusing as there wasn't a clear delineation of POV, specifically at the end of the book.

Friday, June 8, 2018

Lethal



Title:  Lethal
Author:  Sandra Brown
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Length: 465 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  Some Language, 
Detailed Sex Scenes 
Rating:  5 out of 5


Lethal follows Honor Gillette, her four year old daughter Emily and Lee Coburn through coastal Louisiana.  These three are thrown together when Emily finds Coburn in their front yard.  Coburn is accused of murdering seven men the night before.  Armed and dangerous, he ransacks Honor’s house looking for something, but not certain what he’s looking for.

While Lee is holding Honor and Emily hostage, the local police department and Honor’s father in law are searching for Coburn.  They are confused as to how he was able to get away and stay hiding for so long.  The FBI is brought in to assist with the search.

The next morning, Coburn has disappeared.  The Hawkins twins, Honor’s late husband’s best friends, believe that Coburn has made it to Honor’s house.  Fred Hawkins goes to Honor’s house.  As he’s drawing a weapon to shoot Honor, Coburn has returned and shoots Fred first.

We learn who Coburn is (won’t spoil it for you) and that he’s after someone called The Bookkeeper.  Honor must decide what she wants to do, believe Coburn and flee with him or risk going to the authorities who just tried to kill her.

I cannot share more without giving away spoilers!

I truly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down.  It was well written, including little details that made the story come to life off of the pages.  I laughed out loud and actually cried (while on an airplane!).  I had no idea who The Bookkeeper was and was totally taken back when it was revealed, but it made sense.  

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

A Thousand Splendid Suns

  
Genre:  Fiction, Family Life, War
Length: 420 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  Sexual, Abuse, Killing 
Rating:  3 out of 5

A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in Afghanistan and tells the story of Mariam over the course of 30 years.  The viewpoint throughout the book is mostly Mariam's, but other characters are heard as well, specifically Laila.

Mariam is a harami, born out of wedlock, and lives with her mother in a remote house, really a hut.  Her father Jalil visits her once a week.  Mariam's mother has lived a hard live and wants to protect her daughter, but Mariam views it as her mother keeping her from her father.  When Mariam runs off to find her father's house, she ultimately returns to her mother having committed suicide.

Jalil's wives do not want Mariam in the house.  She is quickly wed to Rasheed and moved to Kabul.  Rasheed is much older than Mariam and has traditional expectations of what a wife should be...not seen or heard.  When Mariam is unable to carry a baby to term, Rasheed is frustrated.

Laila is much younger than Mariam, young enough to be her daughter.  We are introduced to her as a child.  When a bomb goes off in the neighborhood, Rasheed finds Laila barely alive.  They nurse her back to health.  Rasheed sees this as his opportunity to have a young wife and children, Laila sees this as an opportunity for a husband as she has found that she's pregnant, Mariam sees this as someone taking over her life.

Life in the house is difficult for the women until one night.  The baby girl reaches out to Mariam, the women begin to bond and truly become family.  Laila shares with Mariam that Aziza is a harami as well and that she's been stealing money from Rasheed so that they can leave.  When the women try, they are turned over to local authorities.  Ultimately they resign to their lives, always hoping for a better future.

I enjoyed how the book was broken into parts so it was easier for me to read a section and then set it down as I needed.  The story is told with great detail and truly brings you into the world of Mariam and Laila.  While portions of the ending saddened me, I felt that it was accurate to the situation at the time.  Overall an enjoyable book, but not for the light reader.
 

Saturday, June 2, 2018

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town

 
 
Author:  John Grisham
Genre:  Mystery, Crime, Nonfiction
Length: 435 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  None
Rating:  3 out of 5

The Innocent Man is a non-fiction story of two men who were wrongly convicted of rape and murder in Oklahoma.

Ron Williamson was the youngest child and only son of his loving Christian family in Ada, Oklahoma.  He grew up playing street ball and became a star on his high school baseball team.  He played for several minor professional league teams hoping to make it to the majors, ultimately the Yankees.  A few injuries and health problems crumbled those dreams.  By his mid-20s Ron began showing signs of mental illness which was compounded by his heavy drinking and drug usage.

In 1982 Debbie Carter was brutally raped and murdered in her apartment in Ada.  The local police missed several items when conducting the investigation, including the individual who had been harassing Debbie the night of her murder.

While there was no credible physical evidence against Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, they were arrested and charged with the rape and murder of Debbie Carter.  The case was built on jailhouse snitches, who had be coached by Bill Peterson, the prosecutor.  Dennis was sentenced to life in prison and Ron was sentenced to the death penalty.

Grisham details Ron's years on death row.  His mother and sisters never gave up on his innocence.  His lawyers filed appeal after appeal.  By the time of the final case, Ron was severely mentally ill as well as depressed by his wrongful conviction.  To add to this, the guards liked to torment the inmates, especially Ron.

Years after being in prison, DNA evidence showed that the two men were innocent.  Ron and Dennis were released from prison, but those who convicted them refused to apologize.  In fact the prosecution continued to believe that the two men were still suspects and might be retired if more evidence presented itself.

Reading this book caused me to go through a series of emotions.  It was frustrating to see some of the major misses of the police department.  I was angry that the prosecution continued to focus on two innocent men while the actual killer was completely missed.  I was sad for what Ron, Dennis and others had experienced.

While I enjoyed this book, it was long in places as Grisham went into a lot of detail about Ron's early life, baseball, injuries, horrible years on death row, etc.  While some of these items were needed to help tell the story, it caused me to skip pages here and there. 

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Fallout: A V.I. Warshawski Novel

 
Author:  Sara Paretsky
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Length: 438 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  None
Rating:  4 out of 5


Fallout is told from the point of view of VI “Vic” Warshawski, private detective. The setting begins in her hometown of Chicago, where we are introduced to Angela and Bernie who ask VI to find Angela’s missing cousin August, a film student/videographer.

The case quickly becomes more than it appears as that August and Emerald Ferring, former film star, have traveled to Lawrence, Kansas to film Emerald’s live story…but no one back in Chicago has heard from them. Vic takes on the case and travels to Lawrence to find the missing pair.

Vic quickly learns that she is an outsider in a small community; everyone knows everything that is happening in town. The town is still racially split. African American and whites to not venture to each other’s area of the city and very rarely mingle. It is difficult for Vic to gain the trust of the African-American residents as she is a white woman looking for two African Americans who have been accused of several crimes.

We also see a strong military presence due to the missile silo on the outskirts of town which remains from the Cold War era. What is happening on the base? Why does it appear that there is more personnel there than would be needed?

Some of the city’s residents, including local law enforcement, begin to trust Vic. They begin to see that while she appears to be causing trouble, her heart is in the right place. However, with the city still so divided, many people continue to keep their guard up.

One of the family’s that continues to distrust her is the Kiel family. Dr. Kiel is a researcher at KU. He and his wife Shirley have three adult children. The two boys left town as soon as they were able to due to their parents’ relationship. The youngest, daughter Sonia, remains in town but as been labeled as an alcoholic, drug addict, and mentally ill. Sonia’s parents do not visit her or even wish to discuss her with Vic.

With each answer that Vic finds, she encounters even more questions. Where are Emerald and August? Who did what? Who is related to who? Who can she trust? Who is tailing her? Tensions continue to rise as she had become involved in more than just her original missing persons case.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t read any of the VI Warshawski novels and felt that I was able to pick up this book as a stand-alone and have only a few pieces of history missing. There were many characters in the book and I felt that I was able to manage who was who the majority of the time. What makes this book so special? I truly didn’t know what direction everything was going. It kept me guessing until the end, like a good mystery should.


Note: The version I received was an Advanced Readers Copy so the content might vary slightly from the final publication.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Singing Fire

 
 
Title:  Singing Fire
Author:  TL Martin
Genre:  Science Fiction/Fantasy
Length: 296 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  None
Rating:  3 out of 5



The story takes place in Bandon, Oregon where we are introduced to Charlotte, whose life is about to change forever.

Charlie is discovering that the stories are true as she is learning about witches, demons, vampires and her role within that world. She has led a bit of a recluse life and is immediately put into a circle of individuals. It is a bit hard to believe that she suddenly goes from being a loner, apart from her aunt and neighbor, to someone who is willing to put herself in unnecessary danger to protect those she just met.

At the beginning of the book it points out that Charlie has three birthmarks behind her neck, which can only be seen when her hair is up. This is never mentioned again in the book, so I’m assuming it will be in the next novel. Also, how is it that she became such a key player in this world that she’s now entered.

The ending was a twist that took me by surprise, but also left me hanging.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Savannah Sleuth: First Book in the Vigilantes for Justice Series

 
 
Title:  Savannah Sleuth
Series:  Vigilantes for Justice
Author:  Alan Chaput
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Length: 271 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content:  A couple sultry scenes
Rating:  4 out of 5



Savannah Sleuth is told from mostly the viewpoint of Patricia (Patsy to a few) Falcon.  We are introduced to Patricia, and her three closest girlfriends Judy, Meredith and Alisa, as they are assisting a women who is caught in a bad marriage leave her home.

Just a few days later, Patricia’s mother Henrietta dies unexpectedly.  Her doctor, who happens to be Judy’s husband, says that she was in perfect health.  All is assumed natural until Isabel, her mother’s lawyer, determines that her mother died penniless and the money just recently disappeared.  The plot grows thicker as Meredith, a local bank executive, finds the money went to Hong Kong and then disappeared in Hilton Head Island when it came back to the US.  To top things off, Henrietta’s account has gone missing!


Patricia asks her husband Trey and the Cotton Coalition, a secret society keeping Savannah safe for generations, to look into what happened.  She and her four girlfriends decide that they should also investigate.  Top it off with a priest acting on behalf of the Vatican trying to determine what happened!  Who did it?  Was it the Russian mob who wanted some of Henrietta’s real estate?  The accountant Sonny who is missing?  The noisy newspaper reporter who popped back up?


People start getting shot, others dying.  Trey orders in-home protection for Patricia and eventually moves them to Paris where…spoiler.


Savannah Sleuth is a well written cozy mystery.  I enjoyed that they author brought to life some of the small details of Southern charm (cold pitchers of sweet ice team) as well as the smells; azaleas, honeysuckles and lavender to name just a few.  Patricia was well rounded with her concerns being that of any daughter, wife and mother. 


While the book was an easy read, finished it in about 5 hours, I was able to figure out “who done it” about a quarter of the way through and the majority of the “how it was done” three quarters of the way through.  I do look forward to reading the next book in the series as there were a few items from building the characters that I’d like to see how that information is incorporated into the ongoing story. 

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Welcome!


Over the last couple of years I have volunteered, and even been asked, to review some newer released books.  While virtual, I have also joined my first book club!  In doing these things, I have returned to one of my very first loves, diving into other worlds even if just for a short period of time.


As I am now sitting in bleachers more often for the kiddos’ activities, I have found that I always have a book or two in my bag to keep me company.  This has been a great way to start conversations at kiddos’ events or even some of the business meetings I attend.
 

My hope for this blog is to simply share my opinion on the books that I’m reading…both new releases and some good old favorites!  From time to time I might even hold a contest or two to pass along a newly released book from a newly published author.