I fell in love with Mr. Barclay's work when I read his first book in a cozy mystery series surrounding a goofy dad who worked as a comic book author and have enjoyed his books ever since. I have been dying to read Fear the Worst since I first learned it was coming out and was so happy to finally pick it up from the library. It was another great book by Mr. Barclay, and I give it an A-.
Inside cover:
Tim is an average guy. He sells cars. He has an ex-wife who's moved in with a man whose moody son spends more time online than he should. Tim's girlfriend is turning out to be a bit of a flake. It's not a life without hassles, but nothing will prepare him for the nightmare that's about to begin.
His daughter, Sydney, has vanished into thin air. At the hotel where she supposedly worked, no one has ever heard of her. Even her closest friends seem to be at a loss. Now, as the days pass without word, Tim must face the fact that not only is Sydney missing, but that he may not have known his daughter as well as he thought.
As he retraces Sydney's steps, Tim discovers that the suburban Connecticut town he always thought of as idyllic is anything but. What he doesn't know is that his every move is being watched. There are others who want to find Sydney as much as Tim does.
But they're not planning a welcome home party.
The closer Tim comes to the truth, the closer he comes to every parent's worst nightmare- and the kind of evil only a parent's love has a chance in hell of stopping.
Mr. Barclay does such a great job writing books that are fast-paced, suspenseful, and have a touch of humor in them. Though the book's topic is heart-wrenching and the suspense is at top speed, there are little parts here and there that entice a chuckle or small smile out of you. I loved Tim and thought he was a wonderful character. A dad who loves his daughter and will do anything for her, but isn't so blind with his love that he doesn't see the stupid things that all teenagers do. I can't recommend Linwood Barclay books enough, and if you haven't checked one out from him, I highly suggest you run and get one! The reason for the A- and not an A is because of one little aspect of the story that seemed just a bit too unbelieveable for me and one that I really thought didn't have to be added to the story.
I am not sure what I am going to read next. I still have some library books, including a biography that I would like to get to, but I really need to start reading some of my own books for the RYOB challenge. I can't believe August is almost over already! The job still stinks, and I am absolutely dreading going, but I am not going to let it ruin my evenings when I am home and can relax with a good book like I did yesterday. I am going to hop in the shower right now and sneak in a few chapters of one of my own books before bed time. Happy Reading everyone!
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, July 25, 2008
Nightlife by Thomas Perry
Thomas Perry is a new-to-me author that I discovered when I went hunting at the local library. It had a very interesting premise and I decided to pick it up. I am glad I did, as I give it a B+.
From Amazon:
Thomas Perry’s novels of suspense have been celebrated for their “dazzling ingenuity” (The New York Times Book Review) and for writing that is “as sharp as a sushi knife” (Los Angeles Times). By turns horrifying and erotic, Perry’s new thriller takes us on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that pits two women against each other: a beautiful serial killer and the detective who is determined to stop her.When the cousin of Los Angeles underworld figure Hugo Poole is found shot to death in his Portland, Oregon, home, police find nothing at the scene of the crime except several long strands of blond hair hinting that a second victim may have been involved. Hotel security tapes from the victim’s last vacation reveal an out-of-focus picture of a young blond woman entering and leaving his room. Could she also be a murder victim?Portland homicide detective Catherine Hobbes is determined to solve the case and locate the missing blonde, but her feelings, and the investigation, are complicated when Hugo hires private detective Joe Pitt to perform a parallel investigation. As the Joe and Catherine form an uneasy alliance, the murder count rises–and both realize that the pretty young woman in the security tapes is not a victim at all. As Catherine follows the evidence, she finds herself in a deadly contest with an unpredictable adversary capable of changing her appearance and identity at will. Catherine must use everything she knows, as a homicide detective and as a woman, to stop a murderer who kills on impulse and with ease, and who becomes more efficient and elusive with each crime.
This book was a bit spooky. I love when authors allow the reader to get inside the mind of psychopathic murdered, and Mr. Perry does an excellent job with that in Nightlife. The murderer is amazing with what she is able to do and convince people off, and I am not even sure what her real name was in the end of the book. I felt like everything in the book happened for a reason and lately it seems with longer books that is not always true. It took me awhile to read this, but that was because of being busy with work and other stuff. I noticed that Mr. Perry has a long backlist, and I will be sure to check out more of his books.
Work is going well, though I have been keeping very busy. These kids need a ton of help and I have so much to teach them in three and a half weeks. I gave them a pretest and no one had a score above 50%. I have been getting some positive feedback from the kids, though, saying that they are understanding things that they didn't get from their other teachers. They also seem to like a lot of the shortcuts I am teaching them that makes it easier for them. I hope they take the post-test serious though, because that reflects on my succees and I feel like some of them may not take it that serious. However, last night I made up index cards of problems we worked on this week and the students actually liked it and said we should do it everyday! I was floored!
I am to ten books for the month and am hoping to get at least one read this weekend. I think my next one is going to be the other Diana Diamond book I have from the library. I still have three other books from the library and two more just came in that I have to pick up this afternoon. I hope everyone else is reading some excellent books and having a good week! Happy Reading!
From Amazon:
Thomas Perry’s novels of suspense have been celebrated for their “dazzling ingenuity” (The New York Times Book Review) and for writing that is “as sharp as a sushi knife” (Los Angeles Times). By turns horrifying and erotic, Perry’s new thriller takes us on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that pits two women against each other: a beautiful serial killer and the detective who is determined to stop her.When the cousin of Los Angeles underworld figure Hugo Poole is found shot to death in his Portland, Oregon, home, police find nothing at the scene of the crime except several long strands of blond hair hinting that a second victim may have been involved. Hotel security tapes from the victim’s last vacation reveal an out-of-focus picture of a young blond woman entering and leaving his room. Could she also be a murder victim?Portland homicide detective Catherine Hobbes is determined to solve the case and locate the missing blonde, but her feelings, and the investigation, are complicated when Hugo hires private detective Joe Pitt to perform a parallel investigation. As the Joe and Catherine form an uneasy alliance, the murder count rises–and both realize that the pretty young woman in the security tapes is not a victim at all. As Catherine follows the evidence, she finds herself in a deadly contest with an unpredictable adversary capable of changing her appearance and identity at will. Catherine must use everything she knows, as a homicide detective and as a woman, to stop a murderer who kills on impulse and with ease, and who becomes more efficient and elusive with each crime.
This book was a bit spooky. I love when authors allow the reader to get inside the mind of psychopathic murdered, and Mr. Perry does an excellent job with that in Nightlife. The murderer is amazing with what she is able to do and convince people off, and I am not even sure what her real name was in the end of the book. I felt like everything in the book happened for a reason and lately it seems with longer books that is not always true. It took me awhile to read this, but that was because of being busy with work and other stuff. I noticed that Mr. Perry has a long backlist, and I will be sure to check out more of his books.
Work is going well, though I have been keeping very busy. These kids need a ton of help and I have so much to teach them in three and a half weeks. I gave them a pretest and no one had a score above 50%. I have been getting some positive feedback from the kids, though, saying that they are understanding things that they didn't get from their other teachers. They also seem to like a lot of the shortcuts I am teaching them that makes it easier for them. I hope they take the post-test serious though, because that reflects on my succees and I feel like some of them may not take it that serious. However, last night I made up index cards of problems we worked on this week and the students actually liked it and said we should do it everyday! I was floored!
I am to ten books for the month and am hoping to get at least one read this weekend. I think my next one is going to be the other Diana Diamond book I have from the library. I still have three other books from the library and two more just came in that I have to pick up this afternoon. I hope everyone else is reading some excellent books and having a good week! Happy Reading!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Got Your Number by Stephanie Bond
Finally finished a book! I was reading another book and was about 100 pages in, but wasn't that into it and really wanted to spend the little time I had to read on something fun. Turning to Stephanie Bond, who always puts a smile on my face was a good idea. Got Your Number was a B read.
Gutsy Roxann Beadleman, a volunteer for an underground organization that helps abused wives escape from their husbands, needs to be rescued herself. She's being hunted by Frank Cape, a smarmy PI who wants his wife and child back, and by Joe Capistrano, a rugged police detective whose partner was shot by Cape. Joe intends to find Melissa, Cape's wife, and have her testify against her husband, but Roxann refuses to cooperate, fearful that the police won't be able to protect Melissa. When Roxann receives an invitation to her cousin Angora's wedding, she seizes the opportunity to flee town. Unfortunately, her cousin is jilted at the altar and, against her better judgment, Roxann agrees to accompany Angora to their college reunion in South Bend, Ind. En route, the former roommates have an unnerving run-in with Cape, but Joe steps in just in time. Although Roxann insists that she doesn't need his help or his affection, she quickly changes her mind when she and Angora are accused of murdering their theology professor.
This was a fun read. While not as funny as some of her others, especially Our Husband, I did like it and was looking forward to reading it whenever I had a free moment. I think the light hearted tone of the book really helped me get into it and it was fun. The mystery was kind of light and I had it figured out early on, but I still enjoyed it.
I really miss reading! Books that I have had on hold forever are coming in and I am having to return them unread because I don't have the time. I am not sure if things are going to start to slow down soon, but I do know that I have one month left. I have a ton of stuff to get done, but I think it is really less than I think. This weekend is dedicated to printing things out and preparing my portfolio so once I can see it organized and together, I won't stress as much. This stress is causing problems physically and I am losing a ton of hair and other womanly problems. I am somewhat scared too because I have been in school for so long and I don't know what to do with my time! Wait, I know... catch up on my reading! Yay!
Anyways, I hope everyone else is reading great and fun books. I do have a library book I started called Unnatural Causes by Leah Ruth Robinson. I have only read 24 pages and am on the fence about it. I decided I will probably give books 75 pages to capture my attention and if it doesn't, then it is on to the next one.
Happy reading and a have a great weekend!
Gutsy Roxann Beadleman, a volunteer for an underground organization that helps abused wives escape from their husbands, needs to be rescued herself. She's being hunted by Frank Cape, a smarmy PI who wants his wife and child back, and by Joe Capistrano, a rugged police detective whose partner was shot by Cape. Joe intends to find Melissa, Cape's wife, and have her testify against her husband, but Roxann refuses to cooperate, fearful that the police won't be able to protect Melissa. When Roxann receives an invitation to her cousin Angora's wedding, she seizes the opportunity to flee town. Unfortunately, her cousin is jilted at the altar and, against her better judgment, Roxann agrees to accompany Angora to their college reunion in South Bend, Ind. En route, the former roommates have an unnerving run-in with Cape, but Joe steps in just in time. Although Roxann insists that she doesn't need his help or his affection, she quickly changes her mind when she and Angora are accused of murdering their theology professor.
This was a fun read. While not as funny as some of her others, especially Our Husband, I did like it and was looking forward to reading it whenever I had a free moment. I think the light hearted tone of the book really helped me get into it and it was fun. The mystery was kind of light and I had it figured out early on, but I still enjoyed it.
I really miss reading! Books that I have had on hold forever are coming in and I am having to return them unread because I don't have the time. I am not sure if things are going to start to slow down soon, but I do know that I have one month left. I have a ton of stuff to get done, but I think it is really less than I think. This weekend is dedicated to printing things out and preparing my portfolio so once I can see it organized and together, I won't stress as much. This stress is causing problems physically and I am losing a ton of hair and other womanly problems. I am somewhat scared too because I have been in school for so long and I don't know what to do with my time! Wait, I know... catch up on my reading! Yay!
Anyways, I hope everyone else is reading great and fun books. I do have a library book I started called Unnatural Causes by Leah Ruth Robinson. I have only read 24 pages and am on the fence about it. I decided I will probably give books 75 pages to capture my attention and if it doesn't, then it is on to the next one.
Happy reading and a have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
Boy it has been forever since I posted. Things have been crazy busy with school and trying to get ready for graduation, so my reading has almost ceased. Anyways, I have been reading No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay for awhile and finally finished it. I enjoyed the book and give it a B.
From Amazon:
Barclay (Bad Guys) tugs hard on the heartstrings with the tragic tale of Cynthia Bigge, whose parents and brother vanished without a trace the day after she had a tempestuous teenage argument with her father. Twenty-five years later, raising a daughter with her husband, Terrence Archer, in Milford, Conn., but still haunted by her family's disappearance, Cynthia goes on TV to talk about what happened and plead for clues. A mysterious phone call leads her to believe her father, at least, may still be alive, but as her excitement grows, so do Terrence's worries. It soon appears that someone is playing a unexpectedly vicious game with Cynthia's emotions, and that her family held secrets she never suspected.
I was a bit disappointed by this book. I have loved all of Mr. Barclay's books and this is his first stand-alone. Everywhere I read they said it was such a great suspense, and to me it was all right, but nothing Earth-shattering. Maybe because it took me so long to read broke up the suspense, but I didn't find it to live up to the reviews. Not to say that it wasn't a great book, I was just a little underwhelmed. I also really didn't care for Cynthia, the main character's wife. She had been through a lot, but to me seemed like she was a little too intense and took somethings out on her husband that she shouldn't have. Actually, the more I think about it, that is kind of the case in all of Mr. Barclay's books. I always enjoy the main character, but the wife seems to come across as too brash. Anyways, it is a good book and I recommend it.
Not sure what I am going to read next or how long it will take me. I really miss reading, but I leave the house at 6:30, get home around 4:30 and then am doing work for school, checking papers, etc. If I didn't have to do so much for graduation, I know I would have more time. I am really enjoying school and am going to miss everyone when I leave in December. I won't be missing college though. I look forward to taking a little bit of time off until I start my Masters. Anyways, I hope everyone else is reading some good books and I expect that when I have time to do more bloghopping, I will have a ton of books to look out for. Happy Reading everyone and have a great weekend!
From Amazon:
Barclay (Bad Guys) tugs hard on the heartstrings with the tragic tale of Cynthia Bigge, whose parents and brother vanished without a trace the day after she had a tempestuous teenage argument with her father. Twenty-five years later, raising a daughter with her husband, Terrence Archer, in Milford, Conn., but still haunted by her family's disappearance, Cynthia goes on TV to talk about what happened and plead for clues. A mysterious phone call leads her to believe her father, at least, may still be alive, but as her excitement grows, so do Terrence's worries. It soon appears that someone is playing a unexpectedly vicious game with Cynthia's emotions, and that her family held secrets she never suspected.
I was a bit disappointed by this book. I have loved all of Mr. Barclay's books and this is his first stand-alone. Everywhere I read they said it was such a great suspense, and to me it was all right, but nothing Earth-shattering. Maybe because it took me so long to read broke up the suspense, but I didn't find it to live up to the reviews. Not to say that it wasn't a great book, I was just a little underwhelmed. I also really didn't care for Cynthia, the main character's wife. She had been through a lot, but to me seemed like she was a little too intense and took somethings out on her husband that she shouldn't have. Actually, the more I think about it, that is kind of the case in all of Mr. Barclay's books. I always enjoy the main character, but the wife seems to come across as too brash. Anyways, it is a good book and I recommend it.
Not sure what I am going to read next or how long it will take me. I really miss reading, but I leave the house at 6:30, get home around 4:30 and then am doing work for school, checking papers, etc. If I didn't have to do so much for graduation, I know I would have more time. I am really enjoying school and am going to miss everyone when I leave in December. I won't be missing college though. I look forward to taking a little bit of time off until I start my Masters. Anyways, I hope everyone else is reading some good books and I expect that when I have time to do more bloghopping, I will have a ton of books to look out for. Happy Reading everyone and have a great weekend!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
New Books
Well it has been awhile since I last posted. I am still reading Sunstroke and trying to get through it. The way the book is written is different from my usual style, but I am enjoying it. The main reason why it is taking me so long is because of school and work. I have been called in to sub everyday, which I love, and then trying to keep up with school. This was supposed to be an easy semster, my last until student teaching, but oh well. April isn't that far away right?
I picked up three new books today at my local Kmart. (I know that I have promised myself no more new books, but... well I am sure you all now how that goes). Two or Next books that I got due to reviews on Blog Happy. Slightly Psychic and Why is Murder on the Menu. Both sound good and easy reads, just what I need between the TONS of reading I am doing for school. The other was just one I found on the shelf titled Little Town Lies which sounds great. I love stories that take place in small towns, and as the title hints towards, this is one that takes place.
I have also added a picture of me on the side. I love to see what others look like so decided to add one of me. It is a horrible picture, one taken at a food bank that I went to volunteer for through school. I am extremely tired and it was FREEZING, but it was the only one I have on my computer.
Well hope everyone's reading is more successful than mine!
I picked up three new books today at my local Kmart. (I know that I have promised myself no more new books, but... well I am sure you all now how that goes). Two or Next books that I got due to reviews on Blog Happy. Slightly Psychic and Why is Murder on the Menu. Both sound good and easy reads, just what I need between the TONS of reading I am doing for school. The other was just one I found on the shelf titled Little Town Lies which sounds great. I love stories that take place in small towns, and as the title hints towards, this is one that takes place.
I have also added a picture of me on the side. I love to see what others look like so decided to add one of me. It is a horrible picture, one taken at a food bank that I went to volunteer for through school. I am extremely tired and it was FREEZING, but it was the only one I have on my computer.
Well hope everyone's reading is more successful than mine!
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