sweetheart

sweetheart
gretchen lowell series #2
chelsea cain
thriller/suspense
minotaur books
published 2008

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can't be one of Gretchen's—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman's identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can't focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison. Archie hadn't seen her in two months; he'd moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he's relieved. He knows he's the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

When I picture Gretchen in this series I picture Alice from Luther except with blonde hair instead of Alice's red.  She's beautiful and dangerous, yet it's more than beauty that draws you to her.  She's intelligent and wicked.  She is the perfect killer.  She's abhorrently vicious, admitting to having killed at least one child.

Secrets are thrown out into the open in Sweetheart.  Archie has promised his ex-wife Debbie that he will stop visiting Gretchen in jail, but he is no longer cut out for a normal life.  He yearns for any kind of contact and when she escapes from jail he begins planning.

Susan also returns in this installment.  She's working on a huge story of corruption and sex scandals, but when her co-worker and mentor turns up dead everything starts spiraling out of control.

Cain doesn't disappoint with the shocking twists and turns as well as the stomach churning moments of terror.  I'm glad I picked up the other books in the series because I have got to find out what happens next...now.

the search

the search
nora roberts
romance/suspense
putnam adult
published 2010

Talented search and rescue dog trainer Fiona Bristow escaped the clutches of a serial killer several years before, but not before he murdered her fiance and her beloved dog. She has retreated to a cabin in the wilderness and is wary of forming bonds with anyone, but handsome newcomer and talented carpenter Simon has an unruly puppy to train and soon man and dog charm their way into Fiona's life. But just when she starts to relax, it becomes clear a copycat murderer is on the loose, and making his way closer and closer towards her with unfinished business on his mind ...

This book, while it still follows Nora Roberts usual style was just a tad different.  I noticed the shift when I read Chasing Fire.  Fiona is a little more self aware.  There really doesn't seem to be a self conscious bone in her body.  She admits to being afraid when she should be afraid and she gets it when her anger is misdirected.  She does what needs to be done and she's pretty calm and cool about it.

Simon is pretty much a grumpy old man without the old.  And seriously, that's about it for that guy.  She doesn't delve into his head as much as she has her other male characters in the past.

The bad guys are kind of boring and when it all ends I wonder how they'll stop Perry from doing the same thing again.  I doubt she's setting up for a sequel.  The only time we see multiple books come out of her is when she's set up the characters beforehand quite obviously in the first books.

It was a good read.  The research was exceptional as usual.  Learning about training dogs for home & search and rescue was interesting, but nope....still don't want a dog.

new york to dallas

new york to dallas
jd robb (aka) nora roberts
fiction/futuristic/detective/suspense/romance
putnam adult
published 2011

From Shelfari: 

Twelve years ago, Eve Dallas was just a rookie NY cop when her instincts led her to the apartment of Isaac McQueen, a man she discovered to be a sick murderer and pedophile, who was keeping young girls in cages.  Now a homicide Lieutenant, Eve is one of the most distinguished officers in the city - and then she learns that McQueen has escaped from jail. Bent on revenge against Eve, and with a need to punish more 'bad girls', McQueen heads to Dallas, Texas - the place where Eve was found as a child. The place where she killed her own abusive monster when she was only eight years old. With Eve and Roarke in pursuit of McQueen, everything is on the line and secrets from Eve's past are about to be shockingly revealed.

**********spoilers**********

This one was both a relief and an eye roller for me.  A relief because I'm hoping from here on out there won't be this shadow of Eve's childhood hanging over the books.  

We all know that Eve was brutally raped, beaten, starved and routinely tortured by her own father until she killed him when she was eight.  We knew that she had no name and we knew that she made something of herself afterwards despite having all the odds stacked against her.  The one thing we didn't know was what happened to her mother.  She knew that her mother left, left her with that monster.  We also knew that she had fleeting memories of a woman who exuded hate towards her, beat her just like her father did.  But we didn't know what had become of her.

Now we do.  She moved on and was still a horrible human being.  And she teamed up with Isaac McQueen somewhere along the way.  To me, it was just a little too easy.  Eve and her team assumed that McQueen knew what happened to her in Dallas, Texas and that's why he brought the hunt from New York to Dallas, but they don't know for sure and he never talks about it.  It would have been interesting if he knew and sought out Eve's mother to partner up with, but of course even that would be a stretch.  I felt like it was a little too easy for her to find her mother after all these years, by coincidence.

That being said, this was still a good book.  Still follows the pattern and still delivers a nail biting (though maybe a little predictable), sexy, dark story.  Now I'm just waiting for the book where she gets preggers!

kisscut

kisscut
karin slaughter
grant county series #2
fiction/suspense/crime
harper
published 2002

From Shelfari:  Saturday night dates at the skating rink have been a tradition in the small southern town of Heartsdale for as long as anyone can remember, but when a teenage quarrel explodes into a deadly shoot-out, Sara Linton -- the town's pediatrician and medical examiner -- finds herself entangled in a terrible tragedy. What seemed at first to be a horrific but individual catastrophe proves to have wider implications. The autopsy reveals evidence of long-term abuse, of ritualistic self -mutilation, but when Sara and police chief Jeffrey Tolliver start to investigate, they are frustrated at every turn. The children surrounding the victim close ranks. The families turn their backs. Then a young girl is abducted, and it becomes clear that the first death is linked to an even more brutal crime, one far more shocking than anyone could have imagined. Meanwhile, detective Lena Adams, still recovering from her sister's death and her own brutal attack, finds herself drawn to a young man who might hold the answers. But unless Lena, Sara, and Jeffrey can uncover the deadly secrets the children hide, it's going to happen again...

This book is not for the faint of heart.  Karin Slaughter returns us to Grant County and it's citizens both troubled and not so much.  Sara Linton is probably the most centered character of the bunch.  She struggles with the choices she's made, the biggest being dating her ex-husband who had cheated on her and who also happens to be the chief of police Jeffrey Tolliver.  And out on a date at the skating rink Jeffrey makes a decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

That decision sets into motion an investigation that uncovers things that just should never happen.  Ever.

At the same time Lena is still struggling with her feelings leftover from her abduction and rape.  It's almost a separate story.  What Lena is going through seems set apart from the main plot.  Lena is a hard character to like.  She was even before the events in the first book.

The story is interesting, keeps you reading and on your toes....but in the end you are left feeling dissatisfied.  There is no 'happy ending'.  I wonder if this story will continue someday in another Grant County book.

heat wave

heat wave
richard castle
nikki heat series #1
fiction/suspense/crime/romance/tv
hyperion
published 2001

From Shelfari:  A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light. Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. PulitzerPrize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.

From me:  This book sucked.  I really wanted to like it because I love Castle, but I just couldn't.  The writing sucked, the story sucked, the characters' names sucked....it just sucked.  The only reason why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is because since the characters were based on the TV show characters it did make me nostalgic for the show, but other than that I almost wish I could've given it 0 stars.

amy & isabelle

amy & isabelle
elizabeth strout
fiction
vintage publishing
published 2000

From Shelfari:  Amy Goodrow, a shy high school student in a small mill town, falls in love with her math teacher, and together, they cross the line between fantasy and reality. When discovered, this emotional and physical trespass brings disgrace to Amy's mother, Isabelle, and intensifies the shame she feels about her own past. The two retreat into silence. This conflict is surrounded by other large and small dramas in the small town. And with Amy and Isabella as her main focus, Stroud attends to them all.

At first I didn't like anyone.  Actually, for the first two thirds of the book I hated both Amy & Isabelle.  To me, Amy seemed like the biggest brat in the world and Isabelle was completely unyielding and harsh.  There didn't seem to be a loving bone in that woman's body. 

I started to understand Isabelle.  She was lonely.  She had, at one time, big plans for her life.  She put those plans aside and changed the course of things.  She ended up in this small town and began to make new big plans for her life.  Now, sixteen years later she realizes that none of those big plans have come true and she has been sitting there waiting...for something.

Now something has happened and even though it's not the thing that she wanted to happen it's something.  Something that has once again altered the course of her life and forced her to choose to do something.  And from this awful moment she has finally made a life for herself.

As I got to the end of the book I didn't care for Amy anymore than I had in the beginning.  She was still a selfish, delusional little brat.  But afterwards, I wondered, aren't all teens?  Or at least the majority of them?  It got me thinking....have I crossed that line?  That line in adulthood where you can no longer easily relate to teenagers anymore.  Quite possibly I have become that adult.  *sigh*

Anyhoo, that book was tough.  Barrel through it if you can.  There are some truly magical moments near the end if you can make it there.  And Fat Bev is awesome.  I loved Fat Bev. 

dissecting the games, ch 7 thru 9

Remember....don't read these posts if you haven't read The Hunger Games!

There's a lot going on in now.  The Games are getting closer and closer and now it's time to show the Gamekeepers what they're all about.  It's also the chance for tributes to see each other up close & personal before they start killing each other.

• Peeta's mother is even more of a bitch than originally thought
• Peeta & Katniss fight over how great he thinks she is
• Haymitch, waaaaay smarter than we thought??
• we meet Rue - kind of
• two of my favorite quotes
• maybe Effie isn't as horrible as we thought?
• Katniss beats Peeta
• And it makes him feel bad?
• Gale makes life happier
• Katniss is like a dead slug
• Cinna makes Katniss real
• Katniss turns herself into a girl
• Peeta's big reveal

The training begins.  We find out just how truly awful Peeta's mother is when he reveals that during their 'goodbye time' she says that maybe District 12 will have a winner again - and she doesn't mean Peeta.  Haymitch wants the two to stick together like their friends.  Keep up appearances as best they can.  Does he already know Peeta loves Katniss?  Was his plan in place before or after Cinna had them hold hands during the opening ceremonies?  At this point, it's clear that Peeta knows he will die in the Games, but he's determined to make sure Katniss doesn't.

There's a point where they're trying to keep conversation going and Katniss tells Peeta about the time she was chased by a bear.  He laughs, looks engaged and she thinks he's better at this (faking business) than she is, but I think he is actually interested in what she has to say.

We get to see the steel in Katniss's spine when she goes in for her private training session and shoots 'at' the Gamemakers' table hitting the apple in the roasted pig's mouth.  Then she concludes with 'Thank you for your consideration.'

Lovely.

Of course, afterwards she freaks out 'cause she's pretty sure something bad will come of that.  And when she finally comes out of her room to join the others for dinner we finally get to see a side to Effie that shows she's not as idiotic/awful/useless as we thought.  But everyone is surprised and rewarded by Katniss's number and even Peeta's number is better than expected.

After this scene Katniss runs through how she met Gale.  They were both so young, but already heads of their households.  She says how being out in the woods with Gale she was sometimes actually happy.  And of course she was!  This was the only time she not only felt that she was doing something, but she also got to do it with someone who knew how she felt and she could be herself with.  She didn't ever have to be strong for Gale.  She just had to be herself.

So in the wake of their number shockers Peeta tells Haymitch that he wants to train separately.  Katniss's first feeling is betrayal, but she doesn't believe that feeling because how can you be betrayed by someone you never trusted.  Dun-dun-duuuuunnnnn....

A bit of comedic relief is injected as Katiss gets a charm school lesson from Effie and leaves in a huff holding her dress up to her thighs.

Then back down to business as Haymitch and Katniss try to determine how she's portray herself to the masses.  Well, Haymitch tries to decide while Katniss fumes.  My favorite line is here where Haymitch says they want to know about her....'But I don't want them to!  They're already taking my future!  They can't have the things that mattered to me in the past!'

After all this gets them nowhere Katniss holes up in her room where she throws a full on tantrum.  One of the things I just don't like about her.  Don't get me wrong, I can't imagine what she must feel like.  Basically, she knows she's going to die.  It IS unfair and all these lessons and training are annoying, but dang it girl, suck it up.  This is my dilemma with Katniss.  Yes, I admire her.  Her strength and determination to keep her family from starving.  Her honesty and her grudges.  Yes, I admire her.  But I don't like her.  And I know it's not fair.

And then Cinna tells her to be herself.  During her three minute interview with Caesar it's as if she becomes the person she would have been had her father not died.  If all the responsibilities of life on the Seam hadn't rested on her shoulders.  She answers honestly still, but she revels in her beauty, in the dress & the attention.  She giggles and all of a sudden you see Katniss as a girl, not as a provider or a fighter or the daughter of a dead coal miner.  To me, it is truly one of the best scenes in the book.

Now it's Peeta's turn and he has everyone rolling in the aisles until....Caesar asks him if he has a girl back home and he tells everyone in Panem that the girl he's in love with he's going to have to kill.

And then it's onto the Games.

dissecting the games, ch 5 & 6

And on we go.  Remember if you haven't read the books, don't read this post!

Stuff in chapters 5 & 6:

• Cinna is awesome
• Peeta & Katniss have their first real moment together
• Katniss becomes The Girl of Fire
• Katniss gives Peeta a kiss on the cheek - for strategic purposes?
• Effie is an idiot
• Katniss meets an Avox and the room stands still
• Peeta comes to Katniss's rescue

After quickly meeting Katniss's styling team we begin to wonder if everyone in the Capitol has fluff for brains, but then we meet Cinna.  Katniss notices right away that he's different.  He talks differently, dresses differently and acts differently than everyone else she's met so far.  We learn that this is Cinna's first games and that he requested District 12.  It makes me wonder....is Cinna's part in the revolution something he was already a part of or was he a part of it because of Katniss?  hmmmmm

We all know that Peeta loves Katniss, but mostly because we already read the books.  Katniss has no idea because she isn't thinking like that.  She's thinks that Peeta is just trying to keep her off balance so it will be easier to kill her later.  They have their first real moment together while laughing at Haymitch during the opening ceremonies.  It's during these moments where I wish she would just let go and trust, but to be honest, would you?  I can't even imagine the insanity she's a part of at this moment.

So yeah, Effie is an idiot.  And she's power hungry, or at least image hungry.  She's been irritated to be saddled with the poorest district with the most pathetic victor ever.  When she begins to see a glimmer of hope that maybe these aren't the weakest tributes yet she gets a little more interested.  I'm not sure if her helping them is solely for her own gain or because she cares about them.  There are moments when you think her care is genuine, but those moments are few and far between.

And then there's the Avox.  Someone convicted of a great crime gets their tongue cut off and is then a servant to the Capitol.  The movie doesn't really go into this at all.  Katniss makes a comment to Peeta about how they'll cut off their tongues, but it doesn't sound like she's serious, like it's a real punishment.  When Katniss recognizes the Avox serving them dinner the adults in the room (Haymitch, Effie, Cinna & Portia) all freeze.  Haymitch and Effie insist there's no way she could know the Avox and Peeta jumps in with the name of a girl who Katniss must've been thinking about (who looks nothing like the girl here).  They both know he just covered for her, but it does the trick and the adults back off.  Katniss later tells Peeta how she and Gale saw that girl and another boy outside the fence.  She saw the girl get sucked up by a hovercraft & the boy get speared.  While the whole thing is brief and seemingly unimportant, as a whole in hindsight it has more bearing on the story.

Coming soon.....training!

dissecting the games, ch 3 & 4

I can't keep up with the twitter business.  Yeah, I suck.  Oh well.  I'm still reading the tweets Lauren posts & reading along so I guess maybe I don't suck that bad?

Remember, if you haven't read the books, don't read this post.  If you don't want to read the books (cause you're crazy) but do want to see the movies, don't read this post.

Anyhoo....let's move on to chapters 3 & 4.  Here's what we know:

• Katniss is already preparing for the games - no crying
• despite her bitterness she loves her mother
• doesn't really trust her to take care of Prim
• Peeta's father is much better than his mother
• the mockingjay pin comes from Madge
• Gale's goodbye was the worst - made me cry - again
• District 12 is in the Appalachians
• the Capitol is in Colorado
• Madge starts the revolution?
• Katniss's birthday is May 8th
• she's named for a plant
• Haymitch might not be as useless as thought

 So the names have been called and Katniss & Peeta are whisked away to the fancy(er than they're used to) rooms where they'll say goodbye to family & friends.  Katniss wastes no time in instructing her mother & Prim how to take care of themselves while she's gone.  And despite her inner monologue insisting that she's not going to return to District 12 she begins taking steps to fight, like making sure she doesn't cry so cameras can't catch it and people think she's weak.

Peeta's father comes to her and gives her a bag of cookies and tells her that he will make sure that Prim is taken care of.  Madge arrives to give Katniss the mockingjay pin.  And finally, Gale.  He does what Katniss did to her mother & Prim, his best to make sure she can survive the games.  And he too promises that her family doesn't starve.

On the train ride to the Capitol we learn that the Capitol is somewhere in the Rocky Mountains and District 12 is in the Appalachian Mountains.  While the Appalachians span from eastern Canada through 18 US states we can assume from the fact that District 12 supplies coal that they're somewhere in the Coal Region of Northern Pennsylvania.

Katniss studies Madge's mockingjay pin for the first time and realizes that the pin is sort of a slap in the face to the Capitol.  Does this mean that it was Madge, not Katniss who really starts the revolution?  And maybe even more so as it seems to be deliberate whereas Katniss seemed to stumble upon rebellion?

We learn a lot more about Katniss's father here and the sting of losing him is harsh.  She recounts the months after he died again and the moments after Peeta's offer where it seemed hope had finally taken flight.  She finds katniss, the plant she's named after, growing in a pond and remembers her father's joke 'As long as you find yourself, you'll never starve.'

Finally, Haymitch starts to become the mentor he is supposed to be for Katniss & Peeta.  He makes them a deal after the a quick fight at the breakfast table.  If they don't interfere with his drinking he will stay sober enough to help them.  There's some 'controversy' about Haymitch in the movie when it comes to his drinking.  Though I believe Woody Harrelson did a great job as Haymitch, he did seem to get - and stay - sober really quickly.  There wasn't much discussion and it didn't seem like he was the alcoholic in the movie that he was in the book.  I'm not sure I necessarily agree with this.  Though there are certain points where it's mentioned that he takes a swig out of his flask after the vomiting on the train incident he seems to keep everything under control.

And there we are at the end of Chapter 4...

dissecting the games

I mentioned here that I was going to be rereading The Hunger Games with Busy Bee Lauren.  I've actually even tweeted....twice I think.  I thought about writing as I went along here, but wasn't making any promises.  I'll try though....it's mostly going to be a lot of comparison to the movie, but also just trying to recapture that feeling from the first time I read it.  It's been long enough since the last read that everything starts to feel a little new again....if you haven't read the books (first of all, you're nuts - go out and get thee to a library please) then you should skip over these posts for I'll be holding nothing back.

There's so much information in chapters one and two that never really made it to the big screen.  Already at the end of chapter two we know these things:

• Katniss loves Prim fiercely
• She pretty much despises her mother
• Her mother came from 'wealth'
• And is pretty much useless 
• Katniss is hard, bitter & older than her years
• We know what tesserae is (and it's not a tile)
• Katniss's father died in the mines
• There was a revolution
• District 13 existed and was obliterated
• The Capitol sucks
• Gale is important
• Gale is more vocally passionate about his hatred for the Capitol
• Peeta basically saved Katniss & her family's life
• Peeta's mom is an asshole
• Peeta loves Katniss

That's really a lot of info for 33 pages.  And think of how much of that wasn't really in the movie.  Big stuff too like District 13.  I guess that it will be talked about in the next movie??  I mean, you can't leave them out, right?  But really, they were a big part of the first revolution so you'd think they'd get a mention.  Did they even really explain the reason for the Hunger Games in the movie?  I don't even remember.

Little things, like Haymitch groping Effie and falling off the stage.  It's small, but it was part of a portrait.  Katniss doesn't find the mockingjay pin at The Hob.  She sells strawberries to Madge.  Little things....

It doesn't matter how many times I read it I am still hopeful that another name gets pulled out of that glass ball.  How silly is that?  Rereading just reminds me of what a talented writer Suzanne Collins is. There are so many things I love so quickly.  The crowd going silent while Effie is trying to illicit applause for Katniss's volunteering.  The three fingered salute that begins the revolution though no one really knows it at the time.  Peeta taking a blow to the head to feed Katniss.  Despite her grudge against her mother, the hopeful little girl in her comes out for a moment when she sees the dress her mother has laid out for her for The Reaping.

I want so badly to love Katniss, but it's hard.  I respect her.  She's smart, resourceful, tough and honest, but she is not loveable.  And I guess that's the way it should be.  Not that there weren't moments that I didn't get glimpses of the person underneath all that hardness.  I did, but in the book so far we haven't gotten there yet.

heartsick

Every month I get four emails from the library.  It's their list of suggested books based on genre.  So I get one for YA, one for Horror, one for general fiction and one for Thrillers/Suspense.  I never read them, but I save the emails for a time when I feel like I might need a new author to read.

Three days ago I got the Thriller/Suspense email so I thought, hey, I'm not loving anything I'm reading right now so let's take a gander at what my good friend the library suggests for me.  The first book was by Chelsea Cain and it was called Kill You Twice.  The first sentence of the description said something like 'In this fifth installment of the series featuring Archie Sheridan (and serial killer Gretchen Lowell)....'  Basically, they had me at 'serial killer Gretchen Lowell'.  A female serial killer?  I'm in.

Of course, you know me, I have to start at the beginning.  So I went to the library and picked up Heartsick.

I read it in about 3 hours. 

Totally worth it.  Of course, you don't read about female serial killers too often.  Everyone knows who Aileen Wournos is and if you do hear about a female SK she poisoned her victims or like in Wournos's case claim self defense.  Rarely, do you hear of a female who tortures her victims and that's where Gretchen Lowell comes in.  

The only part of the book that bugs me is Archie Sheridan.  Yes, female SKs are rare, but burned out, addicted, broken detectives are not.  Granted, Sheridan's reasons for being broken are way different, still I didn't fall in love with him.  Didn't really feel sorry for him.  He was my means of getting to Gretchen.

There are basically two stories here.  One is the present day story.  Someone is kidnapping teenage girls and dumping their bodies along the river in Portland, Oregon.  The mayor wants a task force convened and he wants Archie to head it.  Why?  Because Archie is the hero cop who broke the case of the Beauty Killer.  Albeit, he broke it when she kidnapped and tortured him for ten days, but nonetheless, he survived and she went to jail.  Barely functioning he knows he needs to get his shit together to find out who is killing these girls.

The second story comes and goes.  It's the ten days of torture that Archie suffered at the hands of Gretchen.  And here is where you start to understand why he is the way he is and more importantly, who Gretchen is.  

I've read some reviews in which people said that the present day story was pale in comparison to learning Gretchen and Archie's past, but I disagree.  Though at first, there doesn't seem to be anything truly shocking about The After School Killer (stupid name) there are ties that bind both stories together.

Cain doesn't spend a lot of time on other characters.  There's Susan, the writer from The Herald who is sent to profile Archie.  Susan is damaged goods so it seems she recognizes in Archie more than the people who love him do.  Susan's role is a little coincidental, but everything seems to come full circle.

Seriously good read.  It's when you read a book like this that you realize how crappy some of the authors out there really are.  The authors that grace the NYT Bestsellers list twice a year with their manufactured books with no grip, no hook, you buy the book because you've been buying their books forever.  I'm not saying their books are total crap (*coughJamesPattersoncough*), but how is it that everyone raves about them and yet I had never heard of Chelsea Cain?  It's a travesty I tell you.

what am i reading now?

I'll give you one guess.

The other day I was feel nostalgic for books that I have read multiple times and loved every second of reading them.  I'm trying to slog through the books that have been sitting on my tbr shelf, but I'm just not feeling it.  I did pick up a book by a new (to me) author and so far am loving it, but everything else just isn't exciting so far.

Yesterday I decided that I was going to reread The Hunger Games.  Then I picked up this new book (Heartsick by Chelsea Cain) and got into that so I put it off.

Then today Ms. Lauren over at Busy Bee Lauren wrote this post about rereading The Hunger Games together so I thought it must be meant to be.  If you want to join in the reading happiness you can participate in the tweeting madness that will occur starting tonight.  I'm @knowitnotsomuch and Lauren is tweeting specifically about the book here @TheLaurenGames Of course, you can follow me on twitter, but I'll warn you that my previous attempts to keep up with that junk have been grossly unsuccessful.  For this group reading thing it's best if you follow Lauren.

Maybe I'll post about each chapter as I go along, but I'm not making any promises 'cause I pretty much suck at bloggie follow through.  *sigh*

So get your books out and your favorite HG bookmark & let's get to reading!

the affair

Quite simply this Jack Reacher story is about both beginnings and endings.

It's 1997 and Reacher is sent out to Carter Crossing, Mississippi to investigate undercover.  A woman has been found, throat cut and suspicion has fallen on the local base.  Only, it can't.  The Army can't afford to have the spot light on this base and they can't afford for an investigation to prove what they already have an inkling about.  So Garber sends Reacher in to find out what's really going on and how best to protect the Army.

Of course, Reacher isn't going to assist in some kind of cover up.  He's too good for that and maybe that's why Garber sends him.  But this story, even though it takes place almost 15 years ago, shows a much more decisive Reacher. 

Here and there you'll find little Easter egg facts inserted for those who have read the series in its entirety.  Neagley makes an appearance and the story certainly does set up the events that will happen in the first Reacher novel, The Killing Floor.

This book doesn't disappoint and in fact, I'm slightly sad that certain characters never show up in the series, but then that's not surprising considering Lee Child's style.  The book answers a lot of questions about Reacher and why he really mustered out.  I let the book lead me along the whole way and kept changing my mind at every single turn.

He's still my favorite book hero.

shock wave

Virgil is sent out to a small Minnesota river town after to find out who is trying to stop megastore Pyemart from moving in.  So far two bombs and two people have been killed and Virgil is tasked with stopping the bomber from killing any more innocent people.

I just really enjoy Virgil Flowers.  Almost more than Lucas Davenport.  He's hilarious.  Easy going and smart, but not afraid to throw a punch when it's needed.  The difference between Lucas and Virgil is that while Lucas does step outsides the lines of the law quite often, Virgil doesn't so much but he still feels like he's not so straight laced.  He also tends to be more down to earth and uses the community to help him find answers.

Pyemart is basically a WalMart and the small town of Butternut just can't sustain a huge superstore like that and support its local mom and pop businesses.  Then there's the possible pollution into the river that runs through the town and brings trout fisherman from all over.  So there's plenty of people who don't want PyeMart to move in and plenty who believe that the city council was bribed.  Plenty of mad people in this town, which means plenty of suspects for Virgil to wade through when the bombing start.

Great series, great book.  You don't necessarily have to read these in order, but there are references to characters from previous books.  Either way, this is one not to miss.

hell's corner

Hell's Corner refers to the jurisdiction that is Lafayette Square of President's Park.  The park is patrolled by Park Police, Pennsylvania Avenue is DC Metro's responsibility and the sidewalks fall under the protection of the Secret Service.  Suffice it to say, crimes that happen in that area are more susceptible to bureaucratic red tape.

Such is the case in David Baldacci's Hell's Corner.  John Carr is a wanted man.  After his escapades in the previous novel he knows that sooner or later they will come for him.  And they do.  Only it's not for the reasons he suspected.  The President tells him that the drug market is no longer in the hands of Mexican cartels, but the Russians.  And since John was active during the Cold War the President needs John's expertise to find the proof.

He literally has no choice but to accept this mission.  Contemplating the ramifications of his predicament he strolls through Lafayette Park only to witness the detonation of a bomb right next to the White House.  In the meantime, the Camel Club is trying to figure out why John (Oliver to them) is working for the same people who ruined his life years ago and they're determined to do whatever it takes to help him, even if it means one of them will die.




Out of all the Camel Club books I've got to say that this one is my least favorite.  I felt like Oliver (John) was a defeated man throughout the entire book.  He was still a bad ass, kicking butt and not even worrying about taking names, but he was so over it he barely had any fight left in him.


Throughout the book, I felt as if I was missing a book in between.  When did Annabelle get so weepy and hysterical?  She seemed to cry for everyone in the story.  The book took awhile to get going too.  The Camel Club was sort of way far back, tucked away while John/Oliver went about his business with his new 'partner.


Don't get me wrong, still a good book.  I just like a fiery John Carr, not this sad, old man who already seems to have one foot in the grave.