Nineteen Minutes

I placed Nineteen Minutes on hold at the library after reading a review on someone's blog. I am not sure who, but I know they had received an ARC and it sounded so good I decided to try it out. I am so glad I did, and this book for me was a 4.5 out of 5.

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by the dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five... In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world or you can jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge...

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenager daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.

I just absolutely adored this book. It was truly a page turner and I feel Ms. Picoult really did a great job of recovering emotions that all of those involved in the tragedy go through. I loved the way the book kept going back in time, whether it be 18 years ago or the day before the tragedy occurred. I felt so torn between the different characters in the story and it was just so well written. The author wrote it so well and I almost gave it a five out of five except for the ending, which kind of made me disappointed. I almost felt like it was a little rushed, but it could have been me who was just flying through the pages. This book had me up late at night, late for meeting my family for dinner, and putting off homework. I loved it!

I have only read one of Ms. Picoult's other novels, The Pact. If anyone has any of hers to recommend, I look forward to hearing from you.

Up next is a non-fiction book, We The Jury, which is written by some of the jurors of the Scott Peterson trial. That case had me memorized and I have read all of the books written. Happy reading!

Bad Guys by Linwood Barclay

After reading Bad Move a couple of weeks ago and really enjoying it, I picked up the next in the series at the library. I was really glad I did, since I really enjoyed this one as well. 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Zack is back, and much to his family's relief, the work-at-home science-fiction writer has left the house to take a job as a features writer for the city paper. But now that Zack's incessant plotting can no longer be hatched from the comforts of his own home, he must be ever more vigilant to outwit the evil at large, whether in the suburbs, the city, or his own imagination. Zack is ready... or so he thinks.

While researching his first feature article, Zack stumbles upon a real-life crime scene, but what seems like an ordinary hit-and-run may actually be a homicide linked to a gang that's been burglarizing Crandall's high end shops. Suddenly Zack finds himself at the center of a violent crime wave and destined for a confrontation with Barbie Bullock, an unsettling figure infamous in the crime syndicate for his ruthless business tactics and peculiar proclivity for collecting dolls.

And all is not quiet on the home front either. Zack's protective instincts launch into overdrive when he discovers that his daughter's rejected suitor has been tracing her every step and may harbor a much more ominous motivation than winning a Saturday night date. Nor does his son's strange behavior and recent friendship with a creepy computer recluse inspire joy in a father's heart.

As worlds begin to collide and boundaries between family and foe blur, Zack goes on the attack, and heaven help the bad guys when this resourceful father comes to make good on a deal gone bad.

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to upcoming books in this series. Zack is a really likeable character and I find his antics and over-protectivness attitude. There is always laugh out loud moments and the suspense is pretty good too. While most of the books I read have the point of view of a woman, it is nice to see it from a man's point of view. This book is a very quick read (though it did take me almost a week to read... but that was because of school and work) but you really get to know the characters and their motivation. My library does not have the next book in the series, so I will be on the lookout the next time I make it to the bookstore. There is also a fourth one coming out in May, so I have that to look forward to! I also saw that Mr. Barclay has a stand alone book coming out towards the end of the year, so I will be counting on that. I hope Mr. Barclay continues his his voice and humor in the upcoming books! He is a wonderful new find in the new year!

The only reason why I didn't give this book five stars is because I feel that five stars has to be something that I would love to read over and over and couldn't part with. Since I really do not re-read books (hence the reason why I get so many books from the library), I don't think there will be too many fives out of me.

Up next... not sure! I think whatever catches my fancy... but I think it might be one of the new books I got from the Next line through Harlequin. I stopped at the UBS yesterday on my way to class and got two more of them! (I know I said no more new books, but I had time to kill...)

Hope everyone's reading is going well and more successful than mine has.

Breath of Scandal

I picked up Breath of Scandal by Sandra Brown at a local thrift store for $0.20. It sounded intriguing, and after giving up on Deadly Housewives, this one was the nearest book in reach so I grabbed it. I am glad I did. This one was wonderful and filled with emotions. I would give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

On a rainy Saturday night, Jade Sperry endured a young woman's worst nightmare at the hands of three local hell-raisers. Robbed of her youthful ideals and at the center of scandal and tragedyu, Jade ran as far and as fast as she could. But she never forgot the sleepy "company town" where every man, woman, and child was dependent on one wealthy family. And she never forgot their spoiled son, who, with his two friends, changed her life forever. Someday, somehow, she'd return, exact a just revenge- and free herself from fear, and the powerful family that could destroy her.

I am having a hard time on what to say about this book. It is told over a period of time, about 20 years, I believe, and tells the story on many of the side characters. While there are quite a few characters mentioned in the story, it is not so complicated that I had to keep looking back and reminding who everyone was. The romance was late to develop, but once it did, it was beautiful. I got a great sense of the characters thoughts and motivations, and it was so touching. Also, Jade reminded me of Faith from the Linda Howard I just read, that really overcomes a lot of problems and obstacles that I have a feeling most people would use as crutches. While I tend to read romantic suspense, this was low on the suspense but just a wonderful read. I know I have read or heard other Brown books (on CD, which I always have in my car) but am not sure of which ones. All I know is if they are all as good as this one was, then I plan on checking some others out. I would love any opinions you all may have. The only reason why I took away a half of a point was because I am not sure it will stay with me as long as some other "perfect" reads have.

I subbed yesterday, all day, for kindergarteners, and when I got home, I was exhausted. I did little reading and went to bed early after staying up late to watch the horrible, disgusting, Wings' game the night before. I had about 150 pages left of this book and read it in about an hour today because I was so engrossed. My next book will be one of the selections from the library, probably the Robb. Happy reading and have a great weekend!