tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22656591080015593512024-02-19T00:13:07.583-08:00Readers DelightPeople are always asking what I am reading and what I recommend, so I started this blog...diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-67242705707531743672012-06-08T17:02:00.001-07:002012-06-08T17:02:55.745-07:00Catching upI just now realized how incredibly behind I am with posting on here. I will do my best to catch up on reviews here this evening-no promises on how much detail I'll remember though<br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-89026652882794038222012-02-22T10:27:00.001-08:002012-02-22T10:27:45.707-08:00Defending Jacob by William Landay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHtLnu-x0SJysuUYXJl8UDsV6RtVrDT0kWmZ_by2K0t_9x0xq_jT4GhXpp5hhAg-FnKwuX1QlObQ6yhjUpGZRrGBWK2oP6OtgeGRE835gWx37W8Muy7DdAamYQ8ojMVGn4BIr2KpKRrk/s1600/jacob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHtLnu-x0SJysuUYXJl8UDsV6RtVrDT0kWmZ_by2K0t_9x0xq_jT4GhXpp5hhAg-FnKwuX1QlObQ6yhjUpGZRrGBWK2oP6OtgeGRE835gWx37W8Muy7DdAamYQ8ojMVGn4BIr2KpKRrk/s1600/jacob.jpg" /></a></div>
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.<br /><br />Holy crap! This book was awesome. Two big huge monstrous twists at the end that had me yelling out loud. Must read.<br />
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5 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-53338946248214858742012-02-16T20:25:00.000-08:002012-02-16T20:25:45.364-08:00Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNai5Otl-xrLuC0QDoYNqF8zsNkZfMlW4UhC5mXluiy7YTg1jk7LqYyjgNZViHm1ZZtXjrA8AQWZOWacgpm-YBvAovC1MzeRPjP0-WhyphenhyphenHd5w89m0ZgnpVqvQexS-tp8fNrGp2MRjlkz3I/s1600/elaic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNai5Otl-xrLuC0QDoYNqF8zsNkZfMlW4UhC5mXluiy7YTg1jk7LqYyjgNZViHm1ZZtXjrA8AQWZOWacgpm-YBvAovC1MzeRPjP0-WhyphenhyphenHd5w89m0ZgnpVqvQexS-tp8fNrGp2MRjlkz3I/s1600/elaic.jpg" /></a></div>
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Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His
goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to
his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of
September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into
contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often
hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.<br />
<br />
I'm not a big fan of books that try to use real life tragedies to make their fiction outstanding. With that being said, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Oskar broke me heart, the people he met were interesting and it brought me to tears, which is no small feat; I'm not a crier. Absolutely amazing.<br />
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5 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-80284698833741373232012-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:002012-01-26T19:14:09.259-08:00The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders by Anthony Flacco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrstVXTtWalnZ2FjszfBRi_06yHfxVckhjTOtQCFxFy5kwSHh2LyODbK5RpGIve2Z2OEVfA6g_3LXhdJzbityAV4ZX3OeIZDsqeXsiIKVw5woNgfDBTpKTr0QfMN5ib7z2PJEksOjiYeA/s1600/road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrstVXTtWalnZ2FjszfBRi_06yHfxVckhjTOtQCFxFy5kwSHh2LyODbK5RpGIve2Z2OEVfA6g_3LXhdJzbityAV4ZX3OeIZDsqeXsiIKVw5woNgfDBTpKTr0QfMN5ib7z2PJEksOjiYeA/s1600/road.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="ugc">
<br />
From
1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least twenty
murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford
Clark, was held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, and was the sole
surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, acclaimed crime writer
Anthony Flacco-using never-before-heard information from Sanford’s son
Jerry Clark-tells the real story behind the case that riveted the
nation. Forced by Northcott to take part in the murders, Sanford
carried tremendous guilt all his life. Yet, despite his youth and the
trauma, he helped gain some justice for the dead and their families by
testifying at Northcott’s trial–which led to his conviction and
execution. It was a shocking story, but perhaps the most shocking part
of all is the extraordinarily ordinary life Clark went on to live as a
decorated WWII vet, a devoted husband of 55 years, a loving father, and a
productive citizen. In dramatizing one of the darkest cases in American
crime, Flacco constructs a riveting psychological drama about how
Sanford was able to detoxify himself from the evil he’d encountered,
offering the ultimately redemptive story one man’s remarkable ability to
survive a nightmare and emerge intact.<br />
<br />
This book was amazing. It
reads like a novel, and the story is unbelievable, especially for its
time. What Sanford went through, and came out of, is totally beyond
belief. Even if you don't like true crime, this is an excellent book.<br />
<br />
4 stars <br />
</div>diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-76530243621371964542012-01-11T11:03:00.001-08:002012-01-11T11:03:00.979-08:00The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/01/11/1721.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/01/11/s_1721.jpg' border='0' width='186' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Set in the future, 2 children from each of the 12 Districts of Panem must compete in the yearly Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen is sent from District 12, along with Peeta Mallarky, a boy who made a small gesture of kindness to her when they were kids that she still feels the need to repay. They at led by their mentor and former winner of the Hunger Games, Haymitch, along with an entourage of stylists. But all the preparation in the world could not prepare them for what they are about to encounter. A cruel game, designed by the Capitol, as a punishment for their uprising years ago, in which all 24 players are dropped into an arena of unknown circumstances and climate and are forced to fight to the death. Will Katniss and Peeta survive, should they align their forces, and what else keeps pulling them together?
I was shocked that this was a YA book. It is brutal, but fascinating. Toward the end I was rooting out loud for people. Very fascinating, but unlike most people I know that read it, not fascinating enough to keep me up all night. I think I would have enjoyed more scenes with how Haymitch and Katniss' stylist Cinna and their reactions to what was playing out in the arena. That's my only complaint though.
4 stars
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-26687666316289103762011-12-25T20:32:00.000-08:002011-12-25T20:32:06.243-08:00Serial Killers and Mass Murderers by Nigel Cawthorne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq7TfOSKr4y2sxwyYMEFFUDlUIuXrv_w1tDfeHzNKrDB7YnqfFg0yYD_HdqANv_uOD0fmt24NGlxYqfrO0iNq4s-1ZNoiNOLKQq085jjcHcMjbBnZxzdjvq1l5rFyOctSxHYA6F3ZceI/s1600/serial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq7TfOSKr4y2sxwyYMEFFUDlUIuXrv_w1tDfeHzNKrDB7YnqfFg0yYD_HdqANv_uOD0fmt24NGlxYqfrO0iNq4s-1ZNoiNOLKQq085jjcHcMjbBnZxzdjvq1l5rFyOctSxHYA6F3ZceI/s1600/serial.jpg" /></a></div>
Tis the season to read about some freaky and disturbing people! This is a collection of the most notorious, although in some cases obscure to me, serial killers and mass murderers. People like Jeffrey Dahmer, the Zodiac, The Night Stalker, and over a dozen more. All of them were interesting. The only one that freaked me out was The Night Stalker. My only problem was for every person profiled, I had to read about what a horrible childhood they had. Not everyone that has a horrible childhood turns into a monster and vice versa. Some people are just plain evil.<br />
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4 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-15302403273633426172011-12-17T15:25:00.000-08:002011-12-17T15:25:37.060-08:00The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bKjwQEMk7Z63wOe0HIW-UT-EidxKS4ZKfZ6kUFu7dW7zIWwDM6OEBmPnGkMZSJgMLzPMg23MgBR_aI_uNKhzcir-3l8KVw3E_kFvdqgrhuXM8kQ2RGMfAR8iK2mPC6NaWWV205y7LlM/s1600/lottery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bKjwQEMk7Z63wOe0HIW-UT-EidxKS4ZKfZ6kUFu7dW7zIWwDM6OEBmPnGkMZSJgMLzPMg23MgBR_aI_uNKhzcir-3l8KVw3E_kFvdqgrhuXM8kQ2RGMfAR8iK2mPC6NaWWV205y7LlM/s1600/lottery.jpg" /></a></div>
The Lottery , one of the most terrifying stories written in this
century, created a sensation when it was first published in The New
Yorker . "Powerful and haunting," and "nights of unrest" were typical
reader responses. This collection, the only one to appear during Shirley
Jackson's lifetime, unites "The Lottery:" with twenty-four equally
unusual stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable
range--from the hilarious to the truly horrible--and power as a
storyteller.<br />
<br />
I bought this just so I could read The Lottery. I wasn't too impressed by it. The story that really bothered me was The Daemon Lover. It was really sad to me. I had a hard time getting with the writing, and most of the stories I just didn't see the point of. I guess this is meant for someone far more intelligent than I, because after finishing most of them I thought "What?"<br />
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2 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-53596875839378194492011-12-17T15:18:00.000-08:002011-12-17T15:21:43.202-08:00We Have Always Lived in the Castle By Shirley Jackson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QEuP0JZFbjRnbw2qy8cpLuQZTC-wNtehyphenhyphenJhWe83fpcYGMRkiOMqhCYmkYaTzLezL9wFHH48Czr834dAw2oRutEM0jraitqHGhR_sn02QCwEdcwp0jJWbpHFJREIUDLCsN24AHwhPV-M/s1600/we.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QEuP0JZFbjRnbw2qy8cpLuQZTC-wNtehyphenhyphenJhWe83fpcYGMRkiOMqhCYmkYaTzLezL9wFHH48Czr834dAw2oRutEM0jraitqHGhR_sn02QCwEdcwp0jJWbpHFJREIUDLCsN24AHwhPV-M/s1600/we.jpg" /></a></div>
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always
Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a
perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle
that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.<br />
<br />
This may be one of the top 5 creepiest families I have ever read about. I wasn't really into the book and kept waiting for the big reveal but I was kind of disappointed. I can see that, for it's time, it was maybe considered sensational, but I was so creeped out by the family I didn't really get into it.<br />
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2 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-35333587189496397692011-12-12T20:26:00.000-08:002011-12-13T21:36:50.263-08:00Best Books of 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7r0-VJ9T9Dbfm4qfvo68ToxbBQMFWXVV0FvBAHDhBM0aqYJl8K9ON8mvE9ZJkRFZQ4pnLFL-HsnFJkkI4Y9IUHwI-Z4Y0BzbR2WAY9tQ_FSJpAwHeo45oNGyKQRXzdwHOebdZJ0ubIU/s1600/bestof1-430x302.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7r0-VJ9T9Dbfm4qfvo68ToxbBQMFWXVV0FvBAHDhBM0aqYJl8K9ON8mvE9ZJkRFZQ4pnLFL-HsnFJkkI4Y9IUHwI-Z4Y0BzbR2WAY9tQ_FSJpAwHeo45oNGyKQRXzdwHOebdZJ0ubIU/s320/bestof1-430x302.png" width="320" /></a></div>
1. Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King<br />
2. Last Nocturne by Marjorie Eccles<br />
3. The Restorer by Amanda Stevens<br />
4. Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum<br />
5. Iron House by John Hart<br />
6. The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes<br />
7. Back Roads by Tawni Odell<br />
8. Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice<br />
9. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Burberry<br />
10. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty<br />
<br />
Best Debut - Good Neighbors by Ryan David Jahn<br />
Best Series - The Graveyard Queen by Amanda Stevens<br />
Best Classic - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson<br />
Best Book to Lose Yourself In - Back Roads by Tawni Odell<br />
Best Nonfiction - Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum<br />
Biggest Disappointment - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs<br />
Best Suspense - Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King<br />
Best Historical Fiction - The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen<br />
Best Vacation Book - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtydiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-72342152014401585772011-12-04T23:45:00.001-08:002011-12-04T23:47:51.946-08:00The Moonlit Mind by Dean Koontz<div class="ugc">
In this chilling original stand-alone novella,
available exclusively as an eBook, #1 New York Times bestselling
author Dean Koontz offers a taste of what’s to come in his new novel,
77 Shadow Street , with a mesmerizing tale of a homeless boy at large in
a city fraught with threats . . . both human and otherwise.
Twelve-year-old Crispin has lived on the streets since he was nine—with
only his wits and his daring to sustain him, and only his silent dog,
Harley, to call his friend. He is always on the move, never lingering in
any one place long enough to risk being discovered. Still, there are
certain places he returns to. In the midst of the tumultuous city, they
are havens of solitude: like the hushed environs of St. Mary Salome
Cemetery, a place where Crispin can feel at peace—safe, at least for a
while, from the fearsome memories that plague him . . . and seep into
his darkest nightmares. But not only his dreams are haunted. The city he
roams with Harley has secrets and mysteries, things unexplainable and
maybe unimaginable. Crispin has seen ghosts in the dead of night, and
sensed dimensions beyond reason in broad daylight. Hints of things
disturbing and strange nibble at the edges of his existence, even as
dangers wholly natural and earthbound cast their shadows across his
path. Alone, drifting, and scavenging to survive is no life for a boy.
But the life Crispin has left behind, and is still running scared from,
is an unspeakable alternative . . . that may yet catch up with him.
There is more to Crispin’s world, and its darkest corners yet to be
encountered, in this eBook’s special bonus: a spine-tingling excerpt
from Dean Koontz’s forthcoming novel, 77 Shadow Street .<br />
</div>
<br />
<br />
Nice and short but very boring. Not even a little bit chilling. Reminded a little of Neil Gaiman's writing, but without the enjoyment Gaiman gives me. Will not be reading 77 Shadow Street.<br />
<br />
1 star <br />
<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-24132932865441921502011-12-03T22:41:00.001-08:002011-12-03T22:50:45.425-08:00Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger . . ."
writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting
confession that makes up "1922," the first in this pitch-black quartet
of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is
awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family
homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of
murder and madness.<br />
<br />
In "Big Driver," a cozy-mystery writer named
Tess encounters the stranger along a back road in Massachusetts when she
takes a shortcut home after a book-club engagement. Raped and left
for dead, Tess plots a revenge that will bring her face-to-face with
another stranger: the one inside herself.<br />
<br />
"Fair Extension," the
shortest of these tales, is perhaps the nastiest and certainly the
funniest. Making a deal with the devil not only saves Dave Streeter from
a fatal cancer but provides rich recompense for a lifetime of
resentment.<br />
<br />
In "A Good Marriage" when her husband of more than twenty years is away on
one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the
garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she
discovers the stranger inside her husband. It’s a horrifying discovery,
rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitively ends a good
marriage.<br />
<br />
King's novels bore me to tears, with the exception of The Long Walk. His endless narrative almost puts me into a coma. However, I have always loved his short story compilations. The theme in all of these stories is a revenge of some kind. And for the most part it is an every day kind of revenge, due to a horrible every day circumstance. "1922" left me with feeling nothing; "Fair Extension" was kind of predictable, and "A Good Marriage" was pretty predictable too. The only reason this book gets 4 stars is for the story "Big Driver". Disturbing, hard to read, and all too possible, this one story pushed the rating up from a 2 to a 4. You feel everything Tess is feeling, and can't help but go along on this horrible ride with her. I was up till 7 in the morning reading it because I had to find out what happened and had knots in my stomach by the time I had finished it.It really makes you think about what you would do if you were in a similar situation; contact the authorities or take matters into your own hands to save yourself embarrassment and get true justice for what you had to endure. King proves in this story alone, that all of his books don't have to have the supernatural elements, because every day life and circumstances beyond our control are way more terrifying, and he is the perfect person to write about them. Read this for Big Driver alone, you won't be disappointed, but you will be left disturbed.<br />
<br />
4 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-52133295677497256642011-12-03T22:35:00.001-08:002011-12-03T22:40:08.657-08:00Don't Blink by James Patterson and Howard RoughanNew York's Lombardo's Steak House is famous for three reasons--the menu,
the clientele, and now, the gruesome murder of an infamous mob lawyer.
Effortlessly, the assassin slips through the police's fingers, and his
absence sparks a blaze of accusations about who ordered the hit.
Seated at a nearby table, reporter Nick Daniels is conducting a
once-in-a-lifetime interview with a legendary baseball bad-boy. Shocked
and shaken, he doesn't realize that he's accidentally captured a key
piece of evidence. Ensnared in the city's most sensational crime in
years, Nick investigates for a story of his own. Back off-- or die-- is
the clear message as he closes in on the facts. Heedless, and perhaps in
love, Nick endures humiliation, threats, violence, and worse in a
thriller that overturns every expectation and finishes with the kind of
flourish only James Patterson knows.<br />
<br />
I keep getting more and more disheartened by Patterson's books and I'm not sure why I keep reading them besides the fact that they are a quick read. I was hoping for a good, quick mob story. What I got was a story with tons of characters that I had no feelings for either way. The whole thing bordered on absurd, the baseball "bad boy" tie in was ridiculous and seemed like it was just thrown in as a way to tie things together, and once again each and every chapter is peppered with unnecessary and overused exclamation points. I was thinking, same as I did with Now You See Her, how much crap happens to one person? I mean really.<br />
<br />
2 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-73922586115729742042011-11-28T07:33:00.001-08:002011-11-28T07:37:43.913-08:00The Abandoned by Amanda StevensThere are rules for dealing with ghosts. Too bad Ree Hutchins doesn't know them.<br />
<br />
When
her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away,
psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman's death. But
more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is
shadowing her. Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is
being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as The Graveyard
Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn't
understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned
souls to rest—before she is locked away forever....<br />
<br />
This is the prequel to the new Graveyard Queen series. It doesn't have much to do with the first book, The Restorer, but it was a nice quick read. It was only 64 pages on my e reader, so there isn't much character development, but still entertaining. <br />
<br />
3 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-83762578867838038682011-11-27T08:56:00.001-08:002011-11-27T09:04:12.849-08:00Last Nocturne by Marjorie EcclesWhat could make a successful, happily married man take a gun and shoot
himself? What made a young artist on the brink of fame throw himself to
his death? These are the questions facing Chief Inspector Lamb and his
assistant, Detective Sergeant Cogan. Neither victim left a note behind
to explain what drove him to take his own life, and it appears that
nothing untoward had occurred in the weeks preceding their deaths.
Having briefly met both victims, Lamb struggles to connect the
impression he gained of the men with their final actions, and his close
attention pays off when a postmortem reveals some surprising results.
With one case now looking like a suspicious death, Lamb looks for links
between the two men. All paths seem to lead to the enigmatic figure of
Mrs. Isobel Amberley and a mysterious event that took place one winter’s
night in Vienna. Beautifully written and highly evocative of the
bustling streets of London and Vienna in the early twentieth century,
Last Nocturne is an intriguingly complex mystery of passion and the
devastating repercussions of a single action.<br />
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I was very impressed with this. I loved that it was a mystery set in the art world. Even though I know absolutely nothing about art, I feel that books in this setting make for the most interesting characters. It was well paced and kept you guessing as to what was really going on. There are a lot of characters, but written in a way that is not confusing at all.<br />
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4 stars<br />
<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-38663672349116547032011-10-31T04:37:00.000-07:002011-10-31T04:37:30.234-07:00Now You See Her by James Patterson and Michael LedwidgeA successful lawyer and loving mother, Nina Bloom would do anything to protect the life she's built in New York--including lying to everyone, even her daughter, about her past. But when an innocent man is framed for murder, she knows that she can't let him pay for the real killer's crimes. <br />
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Nina's secret life began 18 years ago. She had looks to die for, a handsome police-officer husband, and a carefree life in Key West. When she learned she was pregnant with their first child, her happiness was almost overwhelming. But Nina's world is shattered when she unearths a terrible secret that causes her to run for her life and change her identity. Now, years later, Nina risks everything she's earned to return to Florida and confront the murderous evil she fled. <br />
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This book is exactly the reason I stopped reading James Patterson. While they are light, easy and quick reads, the plot and storyline is just unbearable and ridiculous. Without spoiling anything, how many things can happen to one person? The things that happened to Nina were so absurd I actually said "Give me a break" out loud. No big climax in my opinion and the whole story was so unbelievable it wasn't even remotely entertaining. <br />
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1 stardiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-11178916266399643772011-10-28T17:58:00.000-07:002011-10-28T17:58:26.438-07:00The Ghosts of Varner Creek by Michael WeemsIn the summer of 1909, Solomon Mayfield awoke to find his mother and
sister had disappeared. Left with his alcoholic and abusive father, Sol
lived his life believing the story he'd been told, the story all the
people of Varner Creek believed about what happened that summer. But in
a plot of twists and family secrets that will leave the reader reaching
for their jaw upon the floor, Sol is taken back to his childhood by the
spirits he knew in life when he passes away so many years later . . .
it is only then he learns what secrets The Ghosts of Varner Creek have
been keeping so many years.<br />
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Very engaging book. As I slowly found out what had happened it really bothered me, which usually doesn't happen with books. I really loved the way Sol ended up finding out the truth; it was very original. Very well written, keeps you reading long into the night. Looking forward to more by this author.<br />
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4 starsdiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-53040040609580100792011-10-23T17:20:00.000-07:002011-10-23T17:20:39.969-07:00A House Divided by Deborah LeBlancKeith Lafleur, Louisiana's largest and greediest building contractor, thinks he's cut the deal of a lifetime. The huge old two-story clapboard house is his for the taking as long as he can move it to a new location. Its too big to move as is, but Lafleur's solution is simple:divide it in half. He has no idea, though, that by splitting the house he'll be dividing a family.....one long dead.<br />
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Not for anyone with a weak stomach. Some parts made me a little nauseous, but a good enough story. Not creepy or anything even though I think it was meant to be, but it was fun to read. I was hoping for more of the Louisiana flavor, but that is the one thing I did find it lacking. However the character to Tawana makes it all worth while.<br />
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3 stars <br />
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<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-16047658602447254032011-10-16T05:15:00.001-07:002011-10-16T05:43:52.663-07:00The Restorer by Amanda StevensAmelia has seen ghosts since she was a child. The first time she was with her father, a cemetery caretaker and restorer, who she found out he could also see them. He gave her a very specific set of rules to follow, because once the door has opened between the living and the dead, something comes through, and it can never go back. <br />
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Now in her 20's, Amelia works as a cemetery restorer, working in old and long forgotten cemeteries, cleaning them up and restoring the headstones and the cemeteries themselves to their original state. <br />
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She is working at Oak Grove cemetery in the south when she's approached one might by Detective John Devlin, a man haunted by his own ghosts who she develops a strong attraction to, the likes of which she has never felt before. A body has been found in Oak Grove, only it is not one of those buried there. A young girl who was murdered in a brutal way was buried recently in an already occupied grave. Amelia is called in as a consultant to make sure nothing is disturbed or ruined during the investigation. As she works closely with Devlin, more bodies are discovered. Trying to figure out who the killer is, she is drawn inexplicably to Devlin and his ghosts, and breaks one of her fathers rules: stay away from those who are haunted. <br />
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I'm not a big fan of books that are a part of a series but I can't wait for the next book to come out. If you are looking for horror this isn't it, but it is definitely creepy enough. Amelia is a very likable character and I may have a fictional crush on the haunted detective, John Devlin and I think any woman with a pulse who reads this will agree. The book manages to solve the case of the murders while bringing a few things up throughout that makes you want to read the next book to see what's going to happen. This was a very pleasant surprise. <br />
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4 stars<br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />
<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-33314075172406370232011-10-08T21:33:00.000-07:002011-10-09T02:25:19.808-07:00The Turn of the Screw by Henry JamesSPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER________________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />Told in the point of view of a governess sent to a pleasant country home to care for 2 orphaned children, the tale turns dark by the appearance of 2 ghosts. These ghosts, who are said to belong to the prior governess and a common man whom she carried on an affair with, both of whom died under curious circumstances, are seen by the governess, who believes the children can also see them. The kids come off charming at first, but ended up creeping me out as the story went on. Then there is the question of are there really ghosts at all, or is the house playing tricks on the governess? And if they really are there, why are they always staring intently at the children when they appear?<br />
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I can't write a description of this at all because I have no idea what the hell I just read. For a short book, this took forever for me to finish. I always have trouble with reading books written during this time period and this is no exception. The sentences carry on so long, and with so much punctuation, by the time I get to the period I don't remember what I just read. The whole story is very elusive, or was in my opinion. Probably a story for people a lot smarter than myself.<br />
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1 star <br />
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<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-88175761734992846772011-10-05T19:26:00.000-07:002011-10-06T19:50:41.744-07:00The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonHill House has stood empty for years, being the backdrop to many stories that go around the town where it stands. But the townspeople stay away from Hill House, because whatever walks there, walks alone. Dr. Montague organizes a small group of sensitives to stay in Hill House for the summer and record what, if any, paranormal things occur. The guests are Luke, who is the young heir to Hill House, Theodora, an antique store owner who jumps at the chance to spend the summer at Hill House after a fight with her lover, and Eleanor Vance, a 32 year old woman who experienced a poltergeist phenomena as a child and who's mother, that she took care of full time, just passed away. Within their first week there, things are happening that no one can explain, Theodora and Eleanor have become friends but compete for the attention of Luke, and everyone is on edge. All of this culminated into an ending you will never see coming.<br /><br />Unless you are like me and saw the movie The Haunting when it was in theaters. I had a hard time getting into it because I kept thinking about the movie and waiting for the same things to happen. I know the book and the movie are never the same, but I couldn't stop comparing the two. I think what really makes this creepy is there are no answers, no resolutions. The reader is left with their own thoughts and impressions about what really happened. It would be a great book for a book club to read because I think it would spark a lot of discussion and it would be interesting to see what other people took from it.<br /><br />4 stars<br /><br /><br /><br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-55501533562576415412011-10-03T22:44:00.000-07:002011-10-06T19:50:06.921-07:00Top Ten Shocking Book EndingsI saw this on another blog and thought it was a god idea. Since I can't sleep tonight to save me, I am going to try to come up with my top ten book endings that shocked me:<br /><br />1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen<br />2. Blood and Circumstance by Frank Turner Hollon<br />3. Come Closer by Sara Gran <br />4. The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder<br />5. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides<br />6. Back Roads by Tawni Odell <br />7. Standoff by Sandra Brown<br />8. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult<br />9. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells<br />10. Family History by Dani Shapiro<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2011/10/top-ten-book-endings-that-left-me-with.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FJywQY+%28The+Broke+and+the+Bookish%29">http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2011/10/top-ten-book-endings-that-left-me-with.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FJywQY+%28The+Broke+and+the+Bookish%29</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-56181371574995348842011-09-28T18:06:00.000-07:002011-09-28T18:32:46.544-07:00The Girl She Used To Be by David CristofanoMelody McCarthy and her family were forced to enter the Witness Protection Program when she was 6 years old after accidentally walking in on a mafia murder. She spent the next 20 years of her life, running from town to town, identity to identity, constantly looking over her shoulder as she tries to live her life to the fullest she can. That is until the day a man walks up to her and calls her by the name she left behind years ago, and she is forced to face her past.<br /><br />I can't say too much about this without giving anything away. The writing at the beginning and the end was wonderful, bordering on beautiful and poetic, but the story in between really bored me. Melody annoyed the hell out of me and I just didn't really care what happened to her, but that wonderful writing in the beginning kept me reading just in case it came back.<br /><br />2 stars<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-59924782492793816572011-09-23T04:48:00.001-07:002011-09-23T04:54:22.003-07:00The Plantation by Chris KuzneskiThe first to disappear is a ski instructor, out for a morning jog in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Hours later, a pregnant woman is abducted from a crowded hospital and smuggled past security without a hitch. Two places, two incidents, a single motive. And so it begins. . . . One by one, in cities across America, people of all ages are being taken from their homes, their cars, their lives. But these aren't random kidnappings. They're crimes of passion, planned and researched several months in advance, then executed with a singular objective in mind. Revenge. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ariane</span> Walker is one of the victims, dragged from her apartment with no obvious signs of a struggle. The cops said there is little they can do for her. There isn't enough evidence to go on. Not enough time has passed. But that isn't good enough for Jonathon Payne. He loves <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ariane</span> and isn't about to sit around while her trail runs cold. Using the skills that they learned in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">MANIACs</span>, a special branch of the U.S. military, Payne and his best friend, David Jones, give chase, trekking to New Orleans on little more than a whim, hoping that Payne's gut instinct pays off. It does. With the help of several locals, the duo slowly begin to uncover the mystery of Walker's abduction and the shocking truth behind Louisiana's best-kept secret: THE PLANTATION.<br /><br />Wow, that makes it sound so promising. I have been dragging though this book for a week now. I finally just skimmed the last 50 pages so I could finish it. The interaction between Payne and Jones seemed a lot like a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Scooby</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Doo</span> episode, if you are paying attention, everything is pretty much given away half way through the book and like me you will just want it to end., and quickly.<br /><br />1 stardiamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-76997896512475076902011-09-18T18:08:00.000-07:002011-09-18T19:13:49.538-07:00A Stolen Life by Jaycee DugardThe story of the abduction of Jaycee <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Dugard</span> at the age of 11 by a sex offender and his wife, her life in captivity, and her rescue 18 years later. I work for the prosecutor's office and have been there 9 years and have seen things most people wouldn't even believe and have become quite desensitized. I had to actually stop reading this twice because it was too much for me. Incredibly graphic and disturbing. It made me sick at times. I can't imagine going through that myself. While I appreciate her courage to tell her story, I think she wrote this a little too soon. The writing jumps all over the place, sometimes I didn't know what she was talking about and had to reread the same paragraph over and over and sometimes I still didn't know what she was talking about. I hate to rate this low, because what she went through is completely horrifying, but I think if she would have let herself heal a little more before she took to putting her story out there, it would have been easier to read and the flow of the narrative would have been better. I have gone through therapy myself, for different reasons, and one of the things they had me do was write a letter to everyone I was upset with, but you never send it; when you are finished you burn it. It provides a lot of closure and helps you move past things you thought you would never have been able to move past. So while I understand this is part of the healing process, I still think it was too soon to put it out there.<br /><br />2 stars<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2265659108001559351.post-4553297498861062572011-09-12T05:28:00.001-07:002011-09-18T19:13:36.091-07:00Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom RiggsAfter witnessing his grandfather's murder, Jacob is given a message from the dying man that leads Jacob and his father to the island where his grandfather spent most of his childhood after fleeing the Nazis. At Miss <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Peregrine's</span> Home for Peculiar Children, everyone has their own strange talent; one person can levitate, one is invisible, and so on. Jacob had heard these stories as a child and saw his grandfather's pictures but never believed any of it was real. That is until he finds the house on the island and discovers a secret world there that he play a key role in preserving.<br /><br /><br />I didn't think this book was ever going to end. The story was boring, the characters were boring, the pictures scattered throughout were about the only amusing thing in the whole book. It was just ridiculous all the way around and I wish I wouldn't have wasted my time reading it.<br /><br />1 star<br />diamondgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152725368937346078noreply@blogger.com0