Promises in Death by JD Robb

Another excellent adventure featuring Eve Dallas, Lieutenant in the NYPSD in 2060 New York. Every since I picked up Holiday in Death, I have loved this series. I have read all of the books more than once. I love that it has the same characters from book to book. It keeps it interesting to have more than just the main characters get developed over the series.

In this installment, Eve is chasing a cop killer. Unfortunately for Eve, its her friend and Chief Medical Examiner Morris’ love interest that is the victim. So, in addition to having to solve the murder of Detective Coltraine, she has to deal with Morris on a personal level. For those of you who have read the In Death series before, you know Eve doesn’t like to do personal, even when it comes to people she cares about.

There are some twists and turns that keep you guessing almost right up to the final confession by the murderer. As usual, there are plot points that weave in and out from previous books. One of the many things that the author does well is to offer explanations about prior books without boring the experienced reader but yet offering enough explanation so that a new reader doesn’t get lost.

One thing that I have noticed is that some plot points regarding Eve’s family background continue to get brought up, but necessarily in a new and intriguing way. It seems as though the author has gone over the nature vs. nurture argument for Eve turning out the way she did several times and the answer to the question is very similar.

All in all, a great book and a fun read. I can’t put her books down until they are read.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips

I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble in the bargain fiction section. A hardcover book for $6 is a great deal and a great way to find new authors, including this one.

The main character is a PhD candidate, who is working on her dissertation on a courtesan in lived in 17th century Venice. She ends up chaperoning a 13 year old girl on a trip to Venice so that she can attend a conference. At this conference is another person writing a book about the very topic she is writing her dissertation on.

While I enjoyed this book, it didn’t grab me in a “must read” way. I think maybe because I got some mixed signals. On one hand, it read as historical fiction, on the other, it seemed to want to be a romance. The two concepts weren’t blended well for me.

The author did the historical fiction very well. I also commend her for being able to switch from 17th century Venice to modern day Venice, without jarring the reader. She seemed to know exactly when to cut back and forth.

As for the romance part, I just wasn’t sure it was supposed to be there. At times it seemed as though I only thought the main character had a romantic interest in 2 of the other characters.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Charmed and Enchanted by Nora Roberts

I love, love, love Nora Roberts. She is my favorite author. I can’t think of a single book of hers that I haven’t liked. Charmed and Enchanted is no exception. It is actually a book with 2 stories in it, which apparently I liked so much I bought it twice. I found an older copy when I was organizing my books the other day.

This book has 2 stories, one about Anatasia and the other about Liam. Both center around the main character finding love. The catch is the Anatasia and Liam are both witches. Somehow Ms. Roberts is able to make the reader believe that fact from page one.

While romance novels do tend to get a bit formulaic, I find that Ms. Roberts can shake things up enough to keep it interesting.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Taken

G and I went to this movie for Valentine’s Day. It isn’t your typical romantic V day flick, but we both loved it.

I haven’t seen many of Liam Neeson’s movies, but he blew me away with Taken. I didn’t know he could be such a cool bad a**. The most recent movie I have seen with him in it was Love Actually, which is to say the least, different from Taken.

This is definitely an action movie. There are a few funny parts. The story line really made me think about those who would buy and sell other human beings. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who might read this, so I won’t go into detail about my favorite parts. The part that sticks most in my mind is the one with the French cop and his wife. There was also a part towards the end that I was glad to see some realism added to it. This was the part where Liam is running towards the boat.

I only have three complaints. First, the part that they show in the previews where he is talking to the kidnappers on the phone seemed really slow to me. Like Liam said his lines really slow, which I suppose could be interpreted as him speaking very forcefully and deliberately, but it just didn’t read that way to me. I think the scene demanded a bit more urgency. Second, I think there could have been a bit more background music during the fights. Maybe this is just conditioning from watching other action movies, but sometimes the lack of music seemed to distract from the action, instead of adding to it. Its almost like the fight scenes weren’t important enough to be highlighted with action music. Third, some of the fight scenes happened so fast, I couldn’t tell what was going on. I would have appreciated some parts to be filmed in slow motion so I could see who was hitting who.

I would say if you like action movies, then go see this one.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is off to help the Lousiana vampires by using her special gift of reading minds. It seems that a Dallas vampire has gone missing and Bill and Sookie are off to find out where he went. It turns out that not everyone is happy that vampires have come out of the coffin. Meanwhile, back at home, someone has killed one of the cooks that works with Sookie, so once she gets back from Dallas, she helps solve that crime as well.

While I find these books intriguing enough to finish in almost one sitting and I will continue to read the series, there is still something missing. I think it all centers around plot development. In this book, the murder of Sookie’s coworker is introduced almost immediately, but then Sookie is off to Dallas to figure out the case of the missing vampire. I find it somewhat bothersome that a storyline is introduced early on, but then isn’t advanced until the very end of the book. The author could almost have left that whole storyline out and just concentrated on the missing Dallas vampire.
I am also struck by some of the violent happenings in the books. These parts I think the author does well, as they aren’t so gory that you don’t want to read them, but you are still impressed with the violence of the situation.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Books I Did Not Like

Here are some of the books that I have read and not liked, just for perspective.

I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe - I forced myself to finish it but it never did seem to have much of a point. I just couldn't care about the main character. She never seemed to grow a backbone, and it annoyed me.

Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell - I didn't even finish this one. The book has nothing on the movie. The book seems to be just a collection of 1 page entries about dating, which never seem to be woven together into a story line. Kudos to the visionary who saw that this book could be a movie.

Splinter Cell by Tom Clancy - I really wanted to like this one because I was hoping it was similar to Vince Flynn books. I was sorely dissapointed. The author kept changing from 1st to 3rd person and it was odd to read. It was very jarring to the senses and I had to keep reminding myself who was the speaker.

The King of Torts by John Grisham

The King of Torts by John Grisham

Clay Carter is a public defender in Washington DC. He is low paid, under appreciated and over worked. This is not where he thought graduating from Georgetown Law School would get him. Enter Max Pace. Max helps him start his own law firm and drops a case worth millions in his lap. Soon, Clay is living the high life of a mass tort lawyer, jetting around the country in his private jet, making millions in fees.

This was my second read of this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is something about Grisham’s matter of fact writing style that speaks to me. He makes the legal world seem quite interesting and understandable. His characters are believable. I also am able to start caring about the main character and what happens to them, which to me is the sign of a great book.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

After a night of partying, Lexi wakes up in a hospital and she can’t remember the last three years. She can’t even remember her husband. Hilarity ensues as she tries to resume her life, but its quite different. She has a new job, new husband and a new life, with the clothes, body and face to match.

This was my second read of this book. It was enjoyable enough both times, but not as laugh out loud funny as the Shopaholic series and the Undomestic Goddess. I can quite put my finger on why. Perhaps because I couldn’t identify with the main character as much. Granted, I know I have wished for a different life once or twice, but I have never actually gotten my wish, as Lexi appears to have done.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

25 things about me

Got this from facebook and since I can't get on facebook at work, I decided to post it here.
1. I have no patience. Secretly, I think its because I am lazy. I know if I don’t hurry up and do whatever it is that I need to do, it might not get done at all.
2. I love to read and I read fast. I finished HP 7 in somewhere around 8 hours.
3. I passed the CPA exam on the first try. I studied for 4 months, which is probably more studying than I have ever done in my life.
4. I gave birth to my 2 children with no drugs. Believe or not, the breathing actually helps. That isn’t to say I didn’t consider it at the time, but still, drug free labors. But, getting the IV in my arm made me cry.
5. Caffeine, in the form of pop, is my addiction. I would take a Mt Dew over alcohol any day.
6. I like to scrapbook, but I don’t think I am any good at it.
7. I never dated anyone other than my husband.
8. I am not sure I believe in God.
9. I like the idea of the outdoors, but would much rather stay inside where there are no bugs.
10. I am scared of the dark.
11. I only like to listen to loud music when I am alone in my car. Otherwise, I find loud music annoying.
12. I love Louisville, KY and if I was going to move somewhere other than Minnesota, Louisville would be high on my list of places to move.
13. I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers, which seems like a lot to other people, but not really to me.
14. I love the county fair and I wish I was still a kid so I could be in 4H again.
15. I hate the idea of watering my lawn in the summer, but sometimes I am embarrassed that my lawn looks like crap. I keep telling myself, “Its only grass.”
16. I wonder how life would be different if I had gotten a degree other than in Accounting or followed a different career path.
17. I sometimes wish I could be a stay at home mom, but I really don’t know if I could handle it.
18. I like dogs and cats but I don’t want one of my own.
19. I love making spreadsheets for tracking things, such as vacations, my household budget, taxes, etc. Yes, I am a nerd.
20. I find it hard to make friends. I never know what to talk about with people.
21. I worry about my kids a lot. Mainly that they are going to get hurt or lose an arm or a finger or fall down the stairs and break their necks.
22. I don’t like to be touched by anyone other than my kids or my husband. Hugs give me the creepy crawlies. A handshake is fine, thanks. Even my own hair brushing my neck makes my skin crawl. Receiving lines at weddings and funerals are my idea of torture.
23. I have lots of wall space in my house, but I am afraid to hang anything up. I am afraid it will look stupid.
24. I used to “hate” onions, green peppers and country music. One year, my resolution was to just try them and it turns out I like all three. However, I have tried eating fish and I still don’t really care for it.
25. I love the beach, but I find the sand annoying. Its hard to walk in and it clings to everything.
26. I had a really hard time coming up with 25 things and here I am adding a 26th. 

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse can read minds and she wants to meet a vampire. All of this is discovered within the first 5 pages of the book. What wasn’t clear is why she wants to meet a vampire. Indeed, it is very unclear as to why vampires are roaming around unchecked. As it turns out, vampires have “come out of closet,” since the Japanese developed synthetic blood. If the reader can get past the initial confusion than this book is quite enjoyable.

I felt the author could have developed the story in the beginning a little better. I felt throw into the story and I was very unsure of even what time frame the book was supposed to be in. I have not seen the series on HBO. I ended up calling my sister-in-law, who had already read the books, so that she could get me up to speed. Otherwise, I was so confused that I almost stopped reading the book completely.

I also felt that there were a few other plot points that weren’t developed well. Sookie’s relationship with her parents was confusing, as at one point it appeared that she had had a good relationship with them, but then other news comes to light that appears contradictory.

I would call this book a more adult version of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I enjoyed Ms. Meyer’s version of vampires more, more than likely because her vampires seemed less dark. I do believe I will continue to read the series though.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars