by John Locke
Sam Case is having the best morning of his life: he finally gets the beautiful Karen into bed and she has no idea he is married. Until, of course, Sam learns that Karen has been kidnapped. And so has his wife, Rachel. And Sam must choose which one to save.
This book started off really well. I was intrigued by the idea. But about two-thirds of the way through, when the book switches to the point of view of Donovan Creed, it lost me. Because no one is who they appear to be and the whole point of the book - who will Sam choose? - is swept under the rug in favor of all the other drama. Most of which seemed a bit far-fetched to me.
I have since learned that this is the 3rd book of the Donovan Creed series. I would try one of the others to see if they are all like this or if they are more to my liking. This book was 99 cents on Amazon for Kindle, so if there were others for this price, I would give them a try. But I wouldn't pay much more than that.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Jenny Pox
by JL Bryan
Jenny is a high school student with a big secret - even bigger than most high school girls' secrets. Her touch can kill people. Her father has helped her adjust to life without touching anyone and even though she is lonely, she knows this is what she has to do. When she meets a boy who is immune to her poison, she sees hopes for her future for the first time. But there's one big problem: Seth is the boyfriend of Jenny's longtime nemesis, Ashleigh. Then Jenny discovers that Ashleigh has a big secret too, and Jenny must use her power to destroy Ashleigh.
This was a good read. Jenny, even with her pox, is relatable to any high school student who ever felt left out. But her discovery of Seth and Ashleigh's powers changes everything. I had thought this was a young adult book, but there are a couple of pretty intense sex scenes that lead me to believe otherwise. "Jenny Pox" ends in such a way that it could be over, or there could be a sequel. I'm hoping for a sequel.
I got this on Amazon for Kindle for $2.99.
Jenny is a high school student with a big secret - even bigger than most high school girls' secrets. Her touch can kill people. Her father has helped her adjust to life without touching anyone and even though she is lonely, she knows this is what she has to do. When she meets a boy who is immune to her poison, she sees hopes for her future for the first time. But there's one big problem: Seth is the boyfriend of Jenny's longtime nemesis, Ashleigh. Then Jenny discovers that Ashleigh has a big secret too, and Jenny must use her power to destroy Ashleigh.
This was a good read. Jenny, even with her pox, is relatable to any high school student who ever felt left out. But her discovery of Seth and Ashleigh's powers changes everything. I had thought this was a young adult book, but there are a couple of pretty intense sex scenes that lead me to believe otherwise. "Jenny Pox" ends in such a way that it could be over, or there could be a sequel. I'm hoping for a sequel.
I got this on Amazon for Kindle for $2.99.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
The children who grow up at Hailsham, an elite school in the English countryside, are special. So special that they are kept isolated from the outside world and spend their days learning and creating art that is taken away to a gallery by a woman known only as Madame. Years later, Kathy recounts her days at Hailsham and the reason she and her fellow students are so special.
This was a very interesting book. It's hard for me to describe this book without spoiling it. Kathy and her friends grow up being "told but not told" what their future holds and what is expected of them. Is there any way to change the path of their lives? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is the kind of book that strikes you later. It has just enough in it to make you wonder if this could someday be a true story. Kathy and her friends, especially Tommy and Ruth, are teenagers like any others, with dreams and loves and conflicts. But they are not like other teenagers, and will not grow up to be like other adults.
I see that there's a movie about this book and I'm curious to see how this translated to the big screen. Almost all of this book is told from Kathy's point of view, and there's so much that she doesn't understand.
(Amazon Kindle, $5.00)
The children who grow up at Hailsham, an elite school in the English countryside, are special. So special that they are kept isolated from the outside world and spend their days learning and creating art that is taken away to a gallery by a woman known only as Madame. Years later, Kathy recounts her days at Hailsham and the reason she and her fellow students are so special.
This was a very interesting book. It's hard for me to describe this book without spoiling it. Kathy and her friends grow up being "told but not told" what their future holds and what is expected of them. Is there any way to change the path of their lives? Maybe, but maybe not.
This is the kind of book that strikes you later. It has just enough in it to make you wonder if this could someday be a true story. Kathy and her friends, especially Tommy and Ruth, are teenagers like any others, with dreams and loves and conflicts. But they are not like other teenagers, and will not grow up to be like other adults.
I see that there's a movie about this book and I'm curious to see how this translated to the big screen. Almost all of this book is told from Kathy's point of view, and there's so much that she doesn't understand.
(Amazon Kindle, $5.00)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Leaving Home: Short Pieces
by Jodi Picoult
A collection of three short pieces by Jodi Picoult, two fictional and one a letter Picoult wrote to her own son as he was leaving for college. The pieces all fit together with the theme of leaving home.
The first story, "Weights and Measures", is a sad little piece about a couple coping with the loss of their daughter. The second is the letter to her son. The third piece, "Ritz", is a story of a mother who takes a vacation.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite writers and if you haven't read anything by her yet, you need to remedy that post haste. Her stories are always relate-able and honest and her characters are real people you can understand. These three short pieces are a nice dose of Picoult if you, like me, have read everything else she's written and are just waiting for her newest book to be released ("Sing You Home" on March 1).
Amazon has started this "Kindle Singles" series, a variety of short pieces all priced under $3. Check them all out.
A collection of three short pieces by Jodi Picoult, two fictional and one a letter Picoult wrote to her own son as he was leaving for college. The pieces all fit together with the theme of leaving home.
The first story, "Weights and Measures", is a sad little piece about a couple coping with the loss of their daughter. The second is the letter to her son. The third piece, "Ritz", is a story of a mother who takes a vacation.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite writers and if you haven't read anything by her yet, you need to remedy that post haste. Her stories are always relate-able and honest and her characters are real people you can understand. These three short pieces are a nice dose of Picoult if you, like me, have read everything else she's written and are just waiting for her newest book to be released ("Sing You Home" on March 1).
Amazon has started this "Kindle Singles" series, a variety of short pieces all priced under $3. Check them all out.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford
Henry is 12 years old in the early 1940s, being raised in Chinatown in Seattle. His father is obsessed with the war and having Henry grow up American. He attends a white school, where he is mostly ignored by the other kids there. Until Keiko arrives, a Japanese American girl who feels just as out of place as Henry. The two form a fast bond, and when Keiko and her family are evacuated to the internment camps. Henry manages to visit Keiko, but soon the two lose touch. Forty years later, Henry watches as the Panama Hotel, the gateway to Seattle's Japantown, discovers the belongings of all those evacuated Japanese families in its basement. And soon Henry is caught up in his memories of Keiko and his need to find her belongings in that basement.
This book has been on my list for a long time. I am so glad I finally got around to reading it because - wow. It was amazing. The reader is caught up in two mysteries: What will happen to young Henry and Keiko? and Will older Henry find Keiko? I won't give anything away, because I'm not all spoilery like that, but you NEED to read this book. It's a great story of a young boy trying to find out where he belongs in his school, his neighborhood, even his own family. Even forty years later, Henry is still trying to find his place, determined to be a different type of father for his own son, but not really knowing how to do that. The opening of the Panama Hotel helps Henry to open up his own life.
This is really an amazing book. I got mine for Kindle on Amazon for $5.
Henry is 12 years old in the early 1940s, being raised in Chinatown in Seattle. His father is obsessed with the war and having Henry grow up American. He attends a white school, where he is mostly ignored by the other kids there. Until Keiko arrives, a Japanese American girl who feels just as out of place as Henry. The two form a fast bond, and when Keiko and her family are evacuated to the internment camps. Henry manages to visit Keiko, but soon the two lose touch. Forty years later, Henry watches as the Panama Hotel, the gateway to Seattle's Japantown, discovers the belongings of all those evacuated Japanese families in its basement. And soon Henry is caught up in his memories of Keiko and his need to find her belongings in that basement.
This book has been on my list for a long time. I am so glad I finally got around to reading it because - wow. It was amazing. The reader is caught up in two mysteries: What will happen to young Henry and Keiko? and Will older Henry find Keiko? I won't give anything away, because I'm not all spoilery like that, but you NEED to read this book. It's a great story of a young boy trying to find out where he belongs in his school, his neighborhood, even his own family. Even forty years later, Henry is still trying to find his place, determined to be a different type of father for his own son, but not really knowing how to do that. The opening of the Panama Hotel helps Henry to open up his own life.
This is really an amazing book. I got mine for Kindle on Amazon for $5.
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