fear nothing

fear nothing
dd warren #7
lisa gardner
mystery/thriller
dutton adult
published 2014

The last thing Boston Detective D. D. Warren remembers is walking the crime scene after dark.  Then, a creaking floorboard, a low voice crooning in her ear....She is later told her managed to discharge her weapon three times.  All she knows is that she is seriously injured, unable to move her left arm, unable to return to work.

Six weeks later, a second woman is discovered murdered in her own bed, her room containing the same calling cards from the first: a bottle of champagne and a single red rose.  The only person who may have seen the killer: Detective D. D. Warren, who still can't lift her child, load her gun, or recall a single detail from the night that may have cost her everything.

I'm still slightly bummed at the way this book ended!

I really enjoyed the characters, good and bad, and found the backstory of Adeline and her illness incredibly fascinating.  There was quite a bit of injustice all around here so it was a tough pill to swallow at times, but it made for some good reading and finding sympathetic characters where I wasn't expecting them.

There were times when D. D. got to be a bit annoying, but I feel like she is in every book.  She has a harder time getting over herself here and that's got a lot to do with her feelings of helplessness after her injury.  I found the parts with Adeline and Shana to be the most interesting to read.  I probably could have skipped over D. D.'s parts!

food: a love story

food: a love story
jim gaffigan
nonfiction/comedy
crown archetype
published 2014

Bacon. McDonalds. Cinnabon. Hot Pockets. Kale. Stand-up comedian and author Jim Gaffigan has made his career rhapsodizing over the most treasured dishes of the American diet and decrying the worst offenders.  Fans flocked to his New York Times bestselling book Dad is Fat to hear him riff on fatherhood but now, in his second book, he will give them what they really crave - hundreds of pages of this thoughts on all things culinary(ish).  Insights such as: why he believes coconut water was invented to get people to stop drinking coconut water, why pretzel bread is #3 on his most important inventions of humankind (behind the wheel and the computer), and the answer to the age-old question "which animal is more delicious: the pig, the cow, or the bacon cheeseburger.

Though very funny, this is mostly just a rehash of his stand up performances so if you've seen them and are very familiar with them this might be a bit boring for you.  There are some laugh out loud moments nonetheless and stuff I hadn't heard before so I was still, thoroughly entertained.  Beware, this book will make you hungry for everything you should not be eating.

deadline

deadline
virgil flowers #8
john sandford
fiction/mystery/suspense
putnam adult
published 2014

In Southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end.  The board chairman announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to personnel issues.  "Issues" is correct.  The proposal up for a vote before them is whether to authorize the killing of a local reporter.  The vote is four to one in favor.  Meanwhile, not far away, Virgil Flowers is helping out a friend by looking into a dognapping, which seems to be turning into something much bigger and uglier - a team of dognappers supplying medical labs - when he gets a call from Lucas Davenport.  A murdered body has been found - and the victim is a local reporter.

Now I'm not saying that Deadline is going to keep you at the edge of your seat.  Or that you'll be stunned by the ingenious ways of the bad guys.  There is just something about Virgil that keeps me highly entertained.  He's funny for one, but most of all, the stories seem so real.  The characters are not caricatures of people, they are almost real life people.  Flawed, sometimes ditzy, sometimes cunning, simple, complex, nice, greedy, and real.  The conversations Virgil has with people is almost mundane, but somehow it's fascinating.

And really, let's be honest, Jenkins and Shrake should really have their own series by now.

batgirl: wanted

batgirl: wanted 
collects issues #19-25 +Ventriloquist #1
gail simone & marguerite bennett, daniel sampere & fernando pasarin, jonathan glapion & marc deering
batgirl: deadline
collects issues #26-32
gail simone, fernando pasarin & jonathan glapion
graphics/superhero
dc comics
published 2013-2014

Batgirl struggles to continue fighting crime after being emotionally drained by the death of her brother, James, Jr.  With her relationships with Batman and her father strained, Batgirl faces one of Batman's most ruthless villains, The Ventriloquist, alone.

I am basically reviewing issues 19-34, plus Batgirl Annual #2 and Batgirl; Future's End #1.  Since I subscribe I read by issue, I don't want until the trade comes out, although that seemed to work out here for Volume 4!

I was really starting to get into this storyline.  All the stuff that was going on in Barbara's family life and dating life were moving along nicely.  I feel like Simone finally hit her stride.  While the Ventriloquist was creepy, like other villains she didn't get her chance in the spotlight and I think that's because of the crossovers that aren't listed here (so not really Simone's fault).  This is why the other day I mentioned the comic book black hole.  You find that the series you're reading crossing into another series so you think you'll just buy that issue in that other series, but then what if that series is really good will you feel like you're missing something if you just jump in?  Of course you will!  So you start buying comics left and right and it's a neverending black hole.

But the Knightfall storyline has been going on almost since the beginning, just before Death of the Family and it gets wrapped up rather nicely here before we switch over to the Veronica Mars edition of Batgirl.  (but more on that at another time)

I feel like there was still a lot more story to be told by Simone, but unfortunately, DC didn't see it that way.  At least we got an ending.

The #2 Annual was also great (I love Poison Ivy) but again, I knew I needed to pick up the New 52 Birds of Prey so that really set me back a bit.

Future's End was ..... interesting.

In the end I really did grow to love Simone's Batgirl and I wish she got to spend some more time delving into that character.  I'm continuing on with Fletcher and Stewart's Batgirl so we'll see how that goes.

the good girl

the good girl
mary kubica
mystery/fiction
harlequin mira
published 2014

Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher.  One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend.  But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger.  With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand.  But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.

A story told by several different point of views, The Good Girl is an intriguing mystery.  We get bits and pieces of the story told in the Before (the kidnapping) and the After (the kidnapping) from Mia's mother Eve, the investigator Gabe and the kidnapper Colin.  We don't hear anything from Mia's point of view until the end and I have some issues with that.

There are key points in the book that give away too much, which I don't think Kubica was trying to do, or at least I don't.  It felt like the ending was supposed to be a surprise, a twist, but I wasn't surprised.  In fact, I was slightly disappointed although it made for some good discussion fodder if you were to read this book with your book group.

Concerning the twist I have several issues, what doesn't make sense to me.  Looking back on those bits of the story being told there are things that don't make sense now having all the answers.  But it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the book.  Not that there is a happily ever after ending.  In fact, the ending left me feeling sad and a little lost.

I'd definitely recommend this to someone.  So that I can discuss it with them afterward!

weird audiobook addiction

is everyone hanging out without me (and other concerns)
mindy kaling
read by mindy kaling


bossypants
tina fey
read by tina fey


official book club selection
kathy griffin
read by kathy griffin


dad is fat
jim gaffigan
read by jim gaffigan


a little bit wicked
kristin chenoweth
read by kristin chenoweth


dirty daddy
bob saget
read by bob saget


bedwetter: stories of courage, redemption and pee
sarah silverman
read by sarah silverman

I have tried audiobooks a few times.  I couldn't get into them very much.  The reading was painfully slow to me.  I kept thinking 'I could read this much faster than this guy'.  I would find myself tuning it out and then realizing I missed an entire chapter.  Not good when reading a book with a plot.  A friend recently mentioned to me that Jim Butcher's series is read by James Marsters and he does a fantastic job.  Since I'm only on the second book in the series I thought I'd try it out and while I do like James Marsters's voice the same complaints I have about audiobooks remained.

But while I was searching the library for the audiobook of Fool Moon I saw Bossypants by Tina Fey and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling.  Both books, by the way, that I own but have yet to read.  So I checked those out as well and thought I'd try it out.

What I discovered, which should have been obvious is that I can listen to an autobiography much better than a fiction novel.  I say it should come as no surprise because when I was a kid my mom would play Bill Cosby's stand up on tape for us and I took that everywhere with me.  When I had my lasik I stocked up on Dane Cook and other comedians' albums to listen to for the time I had to keep my eyes closed after the surgery.  I've listened to thousands of hours of Kevin Smith and Co. wax poetic about Hitler and gay sex.  So really, an autobiographical audiobook should have been a no brainer.

I started with Mindy Kaling and Tina Fey's books.  Eerily similar, they both discussed how awesome Amy Poehler is, working on SNL, photo shoots and how they make them uncomfortable and awkward dating moments.  Tina Fey goes into being a working mother and if I didn't already like her I would have after her discussion on breastfeeding.  Thank you, Tina Fey.

Mindy Kaling and Tina Fey both read in a chatty, easy way although I found myself more engaged in Fey's storytelling than Kaling's. Tina Fey seemed like she was telling you a story while Mindy Kaling sounded as if she was reading you one.  Either way, they were both good and I did laugh out loud a couple of times.

I dragged through Bob Saget and Sarah Silverman.  I'll admit, I'm not really a fan of either.  I just thought, hey maybe they'll be super funny and I'll become a big fan.  Everyone seems to love Sarah Silverman so maybe after listening to this, I'll love her too.

Not the case.

I just found her story to be kind of boring and pointless.  She seems like kind of a sweet person.  After offending an Asian guy, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears she wrote them emails apologizing.  But really there was nothing interesting in any of her stories.  She portrays herself as this cute chick with big boobs who is just one of the guys but also hopelessly naive that you should think she's even cuter.  Blech.  Mostly, she really wants people to know she likes fart jokes.  And ohmygod her voice.  She has - hands down - the worst audiobook voice on the face of the planet.  And when she imitates her father, get those earbuds out of your ears because you will cry.  It's horrible.

I'd read an article after Bob Saget's book came out mentioning how he dishes on the wildly crazy and inappropriate things he, John Stamos and Dave Coulier did while filming Full House and how incredibly funny the book was.

Also, not the case.

His book was incredibly sad.  Having lost most of his family so early in their lives was so, so sad.  His visiting Larry Fine as a teenager and listening to stories of how terrible everything was for Mr. Fine and his wife's nearly dying while giving birth to their first child.  When he finally got to his Full House days his wild and crazy antics were getting not high on Redi Whip.  He says 'to this day' a lot.  Maybe four or five times a chapter.  And every celebrity he talks about he prefaces their introduction with the title, 'my friend'.  He does joke about that though.  When it came down to it, he never really talks about anything, reveals anything about himself except for his fondness of his balls and poop jokes.  He and Sarah Silverman would make a really good team.

Now Kristin Chenoweth is not a comedian, but being a big fan of hers, Wicked and Pushing Daisies it was a no-brainer that I check this one out.  There was much more religious talk than I am used to, but it wasn't like she was trying to convert you, she just wanted to express how important Christianity is to her.  Listening to her book made me nostalgic for Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip and Pushing Daisies, two brilliant shows that were cancelled well before their time.  Despite what you think, her voice was pleasant to listen to and while it was obvious she was reading it still came across very natural.

I love Kathy Griffin.  And I loved her book.  I laughed at her self-deprecating humor, her honesty and brashness and I cried when she spoke of David Strickland and Phil Hartman (full disclosure, I cry whenever someone talks about Phil Hartman).  She talks about her time with The Groundlings and Suddenly Susan.  Bad comedic choices she made and her successes as well.  Her parents feature largely and she even speaks of her brother that she suspected was a pedophile.  And not in a funny way.  She is both at times brutally honest and serious and then brutally honest and hilarious.  She reads the book as if she's chatting along with you and I have a hard time believing that the book was written before the audiobook.  It felt like they took this recording and transcribed it into a book.

But I laughed the most listening to Jim Gaffigan's Dad is Fat.  Oh man, did I laugh.  Instead of being an autobiography, Dad Is Fat is simply his observations and experiences being a father of 5 kids under 8.  He is spot on about everything and I swear there were times I had to stop whatever I was doing because I was laughing so hard.  Highly recommend.

All in all I can definitely listen to audiobooks....as long as they're funny.