Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I Couldn't Possibly Name All the Books I've Read Over the Past Few Years. Here Are a Few of My Favorites...
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Fearless Fourteen
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
On December 4, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
Today I finished "Are You Afraid of the Dark" by Sidney Sheldon. This book was about a man named Tanner Kingsley who somehow figured out how to control and manipulate weather. He owned a grant corporation filled with scientists working on various projects. The ones working on weather control all mysteriously die right before meeting with senators in Washington to tell them what Kingsley Internation Group had them working on.
The story focused on two of the wives of these individuals, Kelly and Diane. They went in search to find out why their husbands really died. The who time, being tracked down by assassins in KIG to supress what they had found out. And that's pretty much it. Tanner doesn't get away with it though. A tornado is created by the machine he made which kills him and his girlfriend, one of the senators in a plane wreck and Kelly and Diane begin their lives together without their husbands.
I really need to get away from murder mysteries. They seem to be the same old thing, no matter who writes them. It's hard though because I'm just buying one book at a time because all my books are packe in boxes. Our new house closes on December 30th though so hopefully I'll be alble to read some of the others that I can't get to right now.
Through Violet Eyes
On November 13, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
Ok, she's back to sleep. After "Murder List" I read "Through Violet Eyes" by Stephen Woodworth. Jim picked up this book at the grocery store and it was actually pretty good. There are these people called violets and they can communicate with the dead. Actually, they summon someone who is dead by using a touchstone, something the dead person has touched and they inhabit the body of the violet.
There is some sort of violet governing agency called the Corps who schools all violates and places them in jobs, usually in government where they can summons someone who has been murdered and tell a court who their killer was. A violet has a very hard life because they are always summoning people who have died brutal tragic deaths and reliving the even through the mind and thoughts of that person. Very stressful.
In this book, a certain violen is killing other violets. His name is Evan and he is doing it to save them from this horrible life of never being happy or living a normal life. They are all bald and have violet irises so they are ostricized by the public as being freaks.
Again, there is a detective who is assigned to protect a certain violet because the Corps is sure she is next on the list. This book doesn't have the happily ever after ending though. They do fall in love, she gets pregnant and he gets shot in the head. The violet is able to summns him, though, with the ultimate touchstone, their child. Not a bad book but not a great one either. I really need to get away from the murder/victim/detective books. Maybe my next one will be a little more lighthearted. I sure hope so. Sorry it took so long to catch up.
Murder List
On November 13, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
After "The Exile" I read "Murder List" by Julie Garwood. It was a good book. Another one about a detective and a murderer. This one was about a girl named Regan who is very wealthy. Her family owns a hotel chain and one of her brothers is a famouse race car driver. The murderer, I forgot his name, and his wife were in an accident and the wife lost her legs. They were in the accident with Regan's brother. Although he didn't cause it, they were furious and spent the rest of their lives seeking revenge because he was famous and untouchable. So they decided to go after his sister. Regan went to a seminar where she made a list of people the world wouold be a better place without. The killer turned this into the murder list and started killing those people.
In the end the killer is caught by Alec Buchanan, the detective assigned to protecting Regan. They fall in love and live happily ever after. Not a very deep book but it was good. Baby is awake now, I have to go.
The Exile
On November 13, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
After "The Taking" I read "The Exile" by Alan Folsom. I picked up this book at Costco. We have sold our house and moved into a rental until our new house is finished. Because we will only be here a few months, all my boods are packed. So, not having anything to read, I grabbed a few books while we were out picking up diapers and formula.
This was a very long book. 702 pages. But it was well worth the time. I was very disappointed after the last book and thought that nothing would ever measure up to "The DaVinci Code." This book was really good. I have never heard of the author but I really enjoyed this book.
It was about a detective who is trying to catch a serial murderer. There were so many stories and plots and people that it was sometimes hard to keep track. The killer escapes him in L.A. so even though the detective was kicked off the force because the guy killed his leader, the detective follows him to Europe to track him down and get his revenge. In the meantime, the criminal, I think his name is Alexander seduces the detective's sister after he had plastic surgery so he couldn't be recognized.
After the detective finds out who he is, he traps him and his new partner kills Alexander. The sister is distraught until she finds out his true identity and then lives happily ever after. Sounds stupid, I know but the author is a very good storyteller. I definitely had a hard time putting it down when it was time to go to sleep.
The Taking
On November 13, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
I'm writing today to try to start to catch up. I've read 4 books since my last entry. With a baby, it's hard to find time to dedicate to writing in this journal. She is sleeping now but I don't know how long that will last. We'll see how far I get. On August 26, 2004 I finished "The Taking" by Dean Koontz. I've read others of his books and this book is not a very good reflection of his other work. Maybe it's because it is the first book after I read after "The DaVinci Code" which is the best book ever, but I didn't like "The Taking" very much. It was an end of the world story about aliens who took over the world, fed off our planed for a while then left. It reminds me of "The Stand" how only certain people survived and were then responsible for starting the world over again.
There was one couple, I can't remember their names who's job was to find all the children and get them to a safe place. The book is mostly about their journey and all the demons and aliens they encounter. They survive in the end and meet up with others who had the same task of finding children. Not a very good book. I would definitely recommend other Dean Koontz books over this one.
The Divinci Code
On July 14, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
On 7/6/04 I finished reading "The Divinci Code" by Dan Brown. This book may be the best book I have ever read. It was a wonderful story with interesting characters and an incredible plot. The book claims that all the rituals, secret societies, etc. are all true. The story, is of course fictional, but if the latter is correct then I don't know how this book even got published. It really attacked Catholocism and even Christianity at its core. This book claims that Jesus Christ was a mortal, not some super-human-god like creature.
It also claims that the Hold Grail is actually the deceased body of Mary Magdelene. The story was about a cryptogropher and symbologist who were left a "treasure map" to the hold grail. Their quest for it was trailed by scholars and officers. This is a book that will make you question your faith. I am not a very religious person but I would am anxious to see what a devout Catholic has to say about some of the claims the author makes against the church.
I have a very dear friend Cheryl who read this book the same time I did and she is extremely religious. She has many other things going on in her life b ut it seems that the words of this book have rocked her boat a little. She doesn't like to talk about it though. I am curious as to whether DiVinci's work depicts Mary magdelene at the last supper. I'm sure all the claims in this book are one of many theories, just like the Bible or any religion for that matter. They did find the Holy Grail at the end but we never get to find out for sure what exactly it is.
Mercy
On June 5, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
Today I finished "Mercy" by Julie Garwood. She's a romance writer, which I'm not a big fan of whom I got sucked into while substitute teaching a few years ago. When all the kids were in detention, I picked up a book in the teachers desk called "For the Roses." And that was that. Needless to say, I stole the book. It was good and when I saw this book at the book fair I picked it up for a couple of bucks. What a bargain!
Mercy was about a doctor "Doctor Mike" who does emergency surgery on this guy Theo. When Theo sees Michelle, he falls in love with her and follows her to her home town. There is a club called the Sowing Club who has murdered Michelle's aunt. The aunt knew her husband, who is part of the club was into something bad and before she died, she sent Michelle copies of the club's transaction records. The club is trying to get these papers from Michelle and will stop at nothing.
The majority of the book is about Theo and Michelle dodging bullets and trying to solve the murder all while they are falling in love. It all works in the end. Theo and Michelle end up together. The murder gets solved and the members of the Sowing Clug all get killed in a big shootout at the hospital. Pretty much your basic cheezy romance novel. It was very entertaining though and very captivating.
With everything goigng on in my life, I need boods that are very easy to read and I can pick them up in 10 minute increments and not be lost. In this way "Mercy" served its purpose. It was kind of confusing tough. There were a lot of characters and it was at times difficult to figure out who was who. Other than that, it was good. I'm sure I'll read more of her books.
Me Talk Pretty One Day
On June 5, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
I know, I said I would finish writing about three books last time and I got sidetracked. Now I have two more books to catch up on. It's just so hard with our new baby to write about every book I read. Reading now has become a very special time for me. After my little angel has gone to sleep for the night, I love to sit in the jacuzzi with a glass of wine and read a chapter or two of my book. I look forward to it every day. So when I finally finish a book, the last thing I want to do is write about it. Usually, I just want to go to sleep. But I promised and so on nights like these, I just have to play catch-up on the books I haven't written about. Jim is out of town with Jocelyn. The minister who married Jim and I passed away so they went to go to the memorial service. I couldn't go because Sheila is in town visiting for the weekend. So we are having a lazy night and while I wait for Jim to call and let me know the baby went to sleep ok, I'm playing catch-up with my journal. Ok. Back to the task at hand.
Some time last month I finished "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. I believe David is writing about his own life. Like Tim Sandlin David Sedaris has an amazing sense of humor. David knew from the time he was a little boy that he was gay. He blames it on his lisp and says that since talks like a gay person, he might as well be gay. I know it sounds harsh but it's actually very funny.
He takes us through his life, everything from the guitar lessons with the midget instructor who wants him to name his guitar after a woman because if you name your instrument after a women you love then you will love playing that instrument. David names his guitar Joan because he know that's what the instructor wants to hear. But he's gay and really wants to name his guitar Jeff. Needless to say, guitar lessons were a bust and David's dads dream of starting a family band was quickly coming to an end. David really wanted to play the flute but his sister got that.
After that he finished school, went to college, wrote a couple of really bad plays, had a couple shitty jobs and the rest of the book was about when he moved to Europe with his boyfriend. THat's pretty much where it ended. I definitely was left hanging with this one so I went and bought all his books. I don't like taking chances with aughors I don't know much about but with this guy, I'm glad I did.
Honey Don't
On May 1, 2004 I wrote this in my book journal:
I finished reading "Honey Don't" by Tim Sandlin some time in March or April. I can't really remember. Now that I'm not in the book club anymore, I can read whatever I want and I like it better that way. Everytime they picked a book I wanted to read everybody groaned and then we met to discuss it and either no one read it or everyone hated it. This book is by one of my favorite authors. He has a wonderful sense of humor that it is so captivating that I find myself wondering what is real and what is in the book.
He does a great job of relating to the reader and I always want to know more about what happened to the characters after the book is finished. I have read others by this author and although this isn't my absolute favorite, I still loved it.
Honey is a girl who is having an affair with the president of the United States. Her boyfriend comes home one day and finds her and the president together in bed and while chasing him around the apartment, the president trips and hits his head on a decorative flamingo and dies. The rest of the book is about how Honey, her boyfriend, a stranger and Honey's gay football star friend dodge the police, hold the president's body hostage for randsom all the while avoiding the mob. It sounds crazy, I know, but like I said, Tim Sandlin has a way of making even the craziest plot seem like reality.
Nobody liked the president anyway and in the end a homeless man ends up with his head. Honey gets her man (not her boyfriend, he gets taken by the mob). The gay football star also gets his man and they live happily ever after.
The Lovely Bones
The Lovely Bones was about a girl who was murdered. She was young, about 13 or 14 years old if I remember correctly and she was lured into an underground fort (for lack of a better word) by a man who raped then killed her. I know it sounds very tragic and greusome and it is. The focus of the book though, is that the girl is in heaven watching her family and how they cope with her death. In heaven, you are able to watch everything until you are ready to leave it behind. She watches her family for several years. Her sister tries to catch the man who everybody knows killed her but can't prove it. This fails and the man moves far far away.
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
On August 19, 2003 I wrote this in my book journal:
Tonight I finished "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson. this was a very moving book about a woman who keeps a diary for her son. Telling him stories about how she and his father met and have such a wonderful marriage and family. Every entry into her journal is filled with words of love for her husband and her son. Suzanne has a heart condition though and one morning on her way to run an errand she has a heart attack and crashes. She didn't survive and neither did her son Nicholas who was with her. This book is mainly about her husband healing from the pain of two losses. He eventually is able to come to terms with it and shares this diary with his girlfriend.
I think this book was so moving for mr because I am pregnant and cannot bear the thought of losing my husband and child. What a terrible thing to have to endure.
My favorite quote in this book is really not a quote at all. It's a lesson that Suzanne refers to in her diary to her son several times. Life is like juggling 5 balls. The balls are work, family, health, friends and integrity. One day you finally have to understand that work is a rubber ball, it will bounce back. The other 4 are made of glass. If you drop one of these it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.
An important lesson, I think. Especially since "family" has taken on a whole new meaning for me lately. I hope that I love my baby as much as Suzanne clearly loved Nicholas. And I hope that Him and I continue to have the wonderful relationship/marriage we have after this exciting new addition is finally here.
The Sisterhood
On March 15, 2003 I wrote this in my book journal:
Today I finished "The Sisterhood" by Michael Palmer. I started reading this book a long time ago and have picked it up now and again between other books that I happen to be reading. It's not that it's not a good book. There are just usually other that I have to read. When I decided not to read this month's book for my book club, I made it a point to finishe this book.
This book is about a group of nurses who "believe in preserving the dignity of human life." They do this by assisting in suicide before they face the painful death coming to them. That's the basic premis of the book but the story is about a doctor who has been framed by the sisterhood so it looks like he murdered a lady. When he gets too close to finding out about the sisterhood, they hire a hit man to hill him. So the reas of the book is really about him and a nurse hiding from the man who's trying to kill them.
In the end everything works out and the sisterhood is dismantled and the doctor and nurse live happily ever after. Very entertaining but low on substance. No quote this time.
Animal Dreams
On February 27, 2003 I wrote this in my book journal:
Today I finished Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm really indifferent about this book. I didn't love or hate it. It was a very easy book to read but it didn't really capture me and keep me from wanting to do anything else like some books do. The story overall I think is about love and finding acceptance with the one you do love.
Codi was the main character who had grown up in a town call Grace in Arizona with her sister. They were both raised by their father after their mother died shortly after her sister, hallie was born. They moved away and lived as roommated in Tucson. Codi went to medical school and when she was almost done, decided that's not what she wants to do. Her sister was an environmentalist and went to Nicaragua to work on their deteriorating crops. Then Codi got news that her fater was ill and moves back to Grace. She meets a man Lloyd and falls in love.
Her sister is kidnapped and killed in Nicaragua and her fahter passes away from some unspecified mental condition. But her and Lloyd live happily ever after. I am more interested in the author than this particular book. She wrote another novel called "The Poinsonwood Boble." Some people say it has changed their lives so maybe I'll read that one.
The author is an environmental biologist and writes short stories and essays. One in particular about the inevitable extinction of bananas. I ought her book Small Wonder so maybe that one will shed some light on thie banana crisis. I think I'm going to start this new thing where I pick my favorite quote from each book and share it with you. My favorite quote from this book is: "what you do determines your soul." How true.
A Map of the World
On February 2, 2003 I wrote in my book journal:
I read this book because I had read another book by Jane Hamilton last year called The Book of Rugh which I thought was an inredible novel. The cover of this book states :Jane Hamilton has removed all doubt that she belongs among the major writers of our time." I'm not sure what that means. I didn't know there was any doubt. Her first book was fabulous and so was this one.
There is something about her writing style that captivates me. She develops her characters very well and the stories are not so far removed from reality that they could happen to you. This book was about Alice and her family. They lived on a farm and while babsitting her friend's daughters, one left the house and drowned in their pond. While Alice was trying to recover from the guilt of this trafedy, she was accused of sexual abuse of 4 boys who attended the school where she worked as a nurse. Clearly brought on by the fact that a neighborhood child had drowned while in her care.
While the death of her friend's daughter and the accusation were the main events in this story, the book is really about relationships and forgiveness. While in prison awaiting trial, she explores her feelings for her husband, friend and children and learns to accept them and forgive them for their flaws. She also learns to appreciate what used to irritate her about them. Her daughter's temperment, even her husband's smell. She was eventually acquitted but although her friend had forgiven her they lost touch.
I think the moral of this story is that even in tragedy, a stronger, better person evolves. Like I said before, the story was very "real" which makes it heartbreaking. The fact that it all worked out well in the end is what distinguishes is from reality.
The Great Train Robbery
On January 20, 2003 I wrote in my book journal:
I also read this book as part of my book club but when our book club met I had only read about 3/4 of it. I have since finished it and I think this is one of the most well written books I have ever read. Crichton did a wonderful job of developing the characters. So well, that even though this book is listed as non-fiction, I'm convinced it's true.
It is about a train robbery in England in the 1850's. The main character Edward Pierce masterminds the entire plan for stealing gold from a train. He planned the robbery for over a year. Working out all the details and solving any problem that presented itself. The robbery went off without a hitch. They layed low for a year and a girlfriend of one of the men involved in the robbery told the police what she knew. The men were all convicted and sentenced but Pierce and two of his accomplices escaped on the way to the prison from the courthouse. They, nor the money was ever found.
This was a good book, well written, entertaining and very clever. I only wish all the books chosen by our book club were this fun.
In the Time of the Butterflies
On December 18, 2002 I wrote in my book journal:
It is unfortunate that the first book for my new journal is one that sucks. Today I finished reading In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This book lacked any substance of a piece of literature. It was a good story or should I say, it could have been a good story but the way in which it was told made the story lose meaning. This book was about 4 Maribal sisters who lived during the time of the refolution in the Dominican Republic. They all joined an underground refolution to overthrow a dictator named Trujillo. All of them except Dede that is. They were a well-to-do family who suffered because they questioned the ways of their ruler.
What the people of the Dominican were subject to is absolutely horrible. People were arrested and excecuted for no reason. They were tortured in prison, their land, homes and belongings stolen by the government. The Mirabal sisters wanted more for their country and began to plan a revolution to assassinate Trujillo. Two of the sisters were caught though and thrown in prison for 9 months. Their husbands and the husband of a third sister were also put in prison. The two sistere were tortured and one was forced to miscarry while in jail.
When they got out, they were placed under house arrest and were only allowed to leave to visit their husbands, shop, etc. While on the way hom from visiting one day. Three of the Mirabal sisters were stopped in their vehicle, forced out, beaten to death and thrown off a cliff with their vehicle and their driver. Their family was told they were in a car wreck, but they knew better.
Trujillo had ordered them killed. Their assassins were sentenced to 20-30 years but were exiled after the revolution where Trujillo was also assasinated. This could have been a great story but I told it better in the last 4 paragraphs then the author did in her 300+ pages of nonsense. First of all, the story was told in 1st person by each sister. It was difficult to follow who was narrating. She also did not assign any physical attributes to any of the characters. The reader could only recognize them by name.
I read this book for my book club. We choose a new book every month. I hear that a movie was made by showtime of this book that came out last year sometime. I would be anxious to see this same true story told in a different way.
