Award and Reading Update

J. Kaye awarded me with another great award that really brightened my day!

I really appreciated it since today I have been feeling kinda down. I want to pass this along to some other bloggers.

Barbara from Heidi's Books.

Kris from Not Enough Books

Holly from What Were You Expecting?

These are three bloggers who I love to read and have made me feel so welcome (not excluding the lovely J.Kaye) so I just wanted to extend the love.

An update on my reading... since I finished my last book, I have read maybe 40 pages out of a book. I finally finished my training last night, though I worked this morning and have to go to my other job in a little. We are supposed to get walloped with a huge snow storm tonight with 10 inches, so I am assuming it will be a snow day for me tomorrow. I plan on reading and maybe wrapping some presents. That's it... I want to read!

Dead Game by James Neal Harvey

This is an older book that has been on my shelves for awhile. Last time I was looking for a book I pulled this one off along with another book. This was a good book, and I enjoyed it. I give it a B.

From Amazon:
A murderer who's been discharged from a hospital for the criminally insane rapes and kills a young woman in her Manhattan apartment, leaving behind clues that point to NYPD detective Ben Tolliver as the killer. To Ben's horror, he realizes that he knows the victim, and thinks he may know the identity of the murderer as well. What he does not realize is that he's the target of a twisted genius.

This book was a good example of what a psychological suspense novel should be. The reader knows who the killer is in the first pages, though it doesn't take away from the suspense. The killer is truly a psychopath who has a lot of problems yet isn't stupid. The way he is able to trick and decieve so many different people is frightening in it's own right as you wonder how many people can "trick" the system. The only problem I had with the book was the ending was a bit fast and the author could have given the reader a bit more. This was part of a series, but I definetly did not feel like I missed out on anything. If you ever come across this author at a used book sale or the library and enjoy a good psychological suspense, I would urge you to pick it up.

I am not sure what I am going to read next, but I do know that I have a busy couple of weeks coming up. Work is going to be crazy this week and I still have Christmas shopping left to do. I was so ahead of the game at Thanksgiving and I stopped, so now I will be scrambling. I hope everyone else is getting ready to relax and enjoy the holidays and not running around like me! Take a minute to enjoy a nice warm drink (this morning it was 50, when I left for lunch it was 18!) and a great book! Happy Reading!

A Soul To Take by C.N. Bean and Book Buying Meme

I have been without the internet since Wednesday morning and it has been driving me nuts. I finally got it fixed this morning and have a ton to get caught up with, so this review is going to be short. I give this book a B-.

From Amazon:
Milwaukee homicide detective Rita Trible races against time to find a brutal serial killer stalking young boys only to uncover the secret life of a Catholic priest that the Church will do anything to hide and discover that her own child may be targeted by the murderer.

This book had so much promise. I thought that the premise was so interesting and could have had a good look into the inside of the Catholic Church scandals. However, I was left so disappointed. First of all, the main character, Rita, was so incredibly unlikeable. She is the head of the department and all of the staff disliked her and it wasn't difficult to see why. I couldn't stand her and would have hated to work for her. She didn't trust anyone and was the type of person who had to do everything herself. I hated the relationship she had with her son, who had lost so much. The writing wasn't that good either. Everything was just told to you instead of allowing the reader to see what happened. For example, the questioning of suspects doesn't take place and the author just tells you what happened. The book was almost 400 pages, so there was plenty of time and space to show the reader. Also, the time period just jumped all over the place without allowing the reader to see it. You would be reading along and all of a sudden, the author would mention that 5 weeks had passed since the last paragraph! The reason why I ranked it higher was because there was so much promise with the whole story idea.

J. Kaye tagged me a couple of days ago for a book buying meme. I just now saw it, so I will answer it real quickly. The question was if you plan on buying books for the holidays, how do you pick them out.

I do buy a few people books for the holidays. I have two young nephews and I like to give them books as part of their gifts. I just pick out whatever I think looks real cute for them. It may be something that I have read to a class that I have subbed for or what I have seen around. I am somewhat selfish, though, and tend to pick books that I would like. I always get my mom a couple of books for her stocking stuffers and when I do, I pick out something by an author I enjoy or would enjoy as we have a lot of the same reading interests. For another person I buy books for is on topics they like. Sometimes I hate buying books for others because I end up buying books for myself and then I am spending money on myself when I shouldn't be. I won't tag anyone, but if you want to play along, let me know!

I have so much going on right now and my head feels like it is going to explode! I am starting another job which I have to do training for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night on top of working all day. I was so far ahead on my Christmas shopping and even had everything wrapped but I haven't done any since Thanksgiving and have to get a move on. It doesn't help that DH's bday is 5 days before Christmas. Oh well, I know everyone is a bit busier during this time of the year, so I don't want to spend too much time complaining and whining. Happy Reading!

Valentine by Tom Savage

This is an older book that I must have picked up from the used book store or a library used book sale. The back cover is all bent and there are some loose pages. I decided to pick it up and give it a try and it was all right. I give it a B.

Back book cover:
Jillian Talbot has it all: a beautiful home in New York's Greenwich Village, a string of bestselling suspense novels, a handsome and adoring lover.
She has something else too. A silent stalker. A secret admirer who sends her pink, heart-shaped messages- with an unmistakable warning in blood-red letters.
A killer has invaded her privileged sanctuary. He will imprison her in a nightmare ore real than the fiction she creates. And, as the price mounts ever higher for a crime Jill once committed but only her nemesis can remember, he will meet her at last at the hour of his triumph. Her judgement day.

This book was just o.k. At times it was a bit predictible, but the ending was a bit surprising. I think part of it was just the main character, Jill, was a bit unlikeable and kind of full of herself. She was constantly rolling her eyes and getting frustrated (before someone was stalking her) at fans and their interest in her and her writing. That just drives me crazy. If you don't want fans, then don't pick a job in the public eye. It is the same with celebrities. Besides that, Jill receives one card in the mail and starts freaking out right away. It was just a little bit too much to swallow. I did like the opportunity the reader has to get inside the head of the killer and to learn how and why he was doing the things he was doing. That always adds to the suspense and understanding of everything. I also was suprised that the author was a man... the voice of the book seemed definitely female to me.

I am not sure what I am going to read next. I may ask my hubby to go select a few books for me to choose from. Even though I have over 600 books to read, every time I go to look I swear I can't decide on anything. It has been so cold here that all I feel like doing is laying on the couch wrapped up warm reading something. I am so ready for warmer temps already and it isn't even officially winter yet! Ugh! Happy Reading!

Sleep No More by Greg Isles

This was my first book by Mr. Iles, though I do have several more sitting on my TBR shelves. I have been meaning to read one of his books and decided to grab this one off of the shelves. The premise sounded so interesting, though I was just a bit disappointed. I give it a B+.

From Amazon:
In Sleep No More, Greg Iles returns to the territory of some of his best-loved works, the steamy and hypnotic small town Mississippi where Iles himself grew up. John Waters is a husband and father happy with his lot in life, though he has not always felt that way. Years earlier he escaped an obsessive love affair, which he feared might consume him. The woman in question disappeared after Waters married, and later he heard that she was killed in New Orleans. But now, Waters has an uneasy feeling that she has resurfaced to trouble him - and entice him - once again. A woman he meets casually stuns him with a smile and a secret only this former lover would know. But when this alluring stranger is suddenly murdered, Waters's quiet life is enveloped in a whirlwind of guilt and suspicion, revealing the shadowy sides of love and friendship, and the terror that can result when passion becomes obsession.

The description sounds just like my favorite type of psychological suspense. A psycho coming to wreak havoc on the seemingly "perfect" little family. The depths that someone would go to in the name of love. Unfortunely, the book also contains one little aspect that I could have done without... the supernatural. I am not sure why, but I just really do not like books that deal with supernatural, unless it is psychics. I know it is popular in fiction today, however, it just isn't my cup of tea. That being said, however, the writing was excellent and I was throughly enthralled with the book. I have been working a lot this week, so while it took me a couple of days to read it, last night when I had some free time I read over 200 pages and finished the book. I really recommend trying out Mr. Iles books, and know that another one of his books is in my near reading future!

I am not sure what I am going to read next. However, I went to a local B. Dalton bookstore in our mall for a gift and they were going out of business. Everything was 20% off and I didn't buy anything! I am sticking to my ban of buying any new books. I was quite proud with myself and just had to share it with you. Happy Reading!

The Lost Girls by Lin Hendler

I got The Lost Girls from one of the library book sales I went to earlier this year. It sounded interesting and I grabbed it off of my shelves when I was looking for something to read, however, I was pretty disappointed. I give it a C.

From Amazon:
For anyone who's ever felt lost in an angst-filled world, The Lost Girls offers a moving account of several young women estranged from the society around them. Ranging from urban Los Angeles to small-town America to England, the book follows the adolescence of Hannah and Becky, two best friends who must discover themselves amidst high school pressure, drugs, and confusion. The book also chronicles the travails of Laurel and Alexis, two girls who have opulent homes and an upscale high school but still submit to the drug culture that can't be separated from their lives.

I am not sure what to say about this book. If it was any longer, I wouldn't have finished it but it was only 142 pages long so I felt compelled to finish it. I was so confused when reading it, though. It jumped between characters and it was hard to find connections between chapters and I was constantly looking back to determine who was who. It was just a very confusing read and I guess I was just expecting more. I was looking forward to reading it but was very disappointed. I am not even sure how to classify this book.

I am not sure what I am going to read next but I think it will be a good suspense. Happy Reading everyone!

November Wrap-Up

I decided to do monthly wrap-ups for mainly myself, though I do enjoy reading others in case I missed a review. Without further ado...

I read 11 books in November, bringing my yearly total to 118. (I have beat my yearly goal of 115 books... yay!)

They were:
The Final Victim by Stephen Cannell
Schooled by Anisha Lakhani
Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek
Secret Weekend by Thom Racina
Missing Pieces by Joy Fielding
The Stingray Shuffle by Tim Dorsey
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay
Blood Lies by Daniel Kalla
Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

My highest ranking were Tomato Girl, Missing Pieces and Too Close to Home, though I would probably say Missing Pieces was my favorite. My least favorite was The Stingray Shuffle.

Total number of pages: 3,956
Yearly total number of pages: 44,335