Copycat July 30, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Copycat, Erica Spindler
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—3.5—
Erica Spindler’s newest novel, Copycat is about Kitt Lundgren and M.C. Riggio, two cops in the violent crimes department in Rockford, IL. Riggio is the young, new detective, Lundgren the seasoned veteran. Five years prior to this story, the Sleeping Angel Killer strangled 3 ten-year old girls and dressed them in fluffy dresses — and the trying to solve this case destroyed Lundgren’s career. Now it appears he is back, and Lundgren is getting her second chance to catch him. But the crimes are different, and it appears that a copycat is at work. The two detectives are forced to work together in order to solve the crime and save the lives of those they love, and each other.
Copycat is a good novel, fast-paced, smart, and refreshing in that the two main characters are women, a rarity in crime novels. The story was unpredictable, and the crimes creepy. Writing style was just average, but good enough to do the job.
3.5/5
New York Times Bestsellers 7.25.06 July 25, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.add a comment
HARDCOVER FICTION
Top 5
1. ANGELS FALL, by Nora Roberts
2. TWELVE SHARP, by Janet Evanovich
3. COMING OUT, by Danielle Steel
4. CAN’T WAIT TO GET TO HEAVEN, by Fannie Flagg
5. BREAK NO BONES, by Kathy Reichs
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5
1. MARLEY & ME, by John Grogan
2. CONSERVATIVES WITHOUT CONSCIENCE, by John W. Dean
3. THE ONE PERCENT DOCTRINE, by Ron Suskind
4. THE WORLD IS FLAT, by Thomas L. Friedman
5. GODLESS, by Ann Coulter
Two Little Girls in Blue July 25, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Mary Higgins Clark, Two Little Girls in Blue
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—2.5—
Mary Higgins Clark’s newest novel is the story of kidnapped 3 year old twins and the nonverbal/telepathic-like communication between them that plays a role in the investigation. It’s decent. One wants the girls to be okay. But, as anyone who’s folled Mary Higgins Clark’s work, its pretty formulaic, and a lot like everything else. If I hadn’t read a lot of her novels already, I’d probably consider this a good book.
2.5/5
P.S. pet peeve/usually a bad sign: Author’s name is bigger than the title on the cover
Cleopatra’s Needle July 25, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Cleopatra's Needle, Steven Siebert
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Dispatches from the Edge July 12, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, Nonfiction.Tags: Anderson Cooper, Dispatches from the Edge
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—3.5—
I saw Anderson Cooper’s interview on Oprah and she raved about his book, Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters and Survival. And Oprah is never wrong, right? Well, opinions on Oprah aside, she wasn’t wrong about this book. It was very good. It is the CNN anchor’s memoir of the tragedies he’s covered– Katrina, Somalia, Bosnia, Sarajevo– and the tragedies in his life– his father’s death, his brother’s suicide, and growing up as the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, American Royalty. The book is not too cumbersome and is insightful and interesting. Worth the time, definately.
3.5/5
Best Sellers 7.12.06 July 12, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.add a comment
HARDCOVER FICTION
Top 5
1. TWELVE SHARP, by Janet Evanovich
2. DENSE MACABRE, by Laurell K. Hamilton
3. COMING OUT, by Danielle Steel
4. BEACH ROAD, by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge
5. THE HUSBAND, by Dean Koontz
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5
1. MARLEY & ME, by John Grogan
2. GODLESS, by Ann Coulter
3. THE ONE PERCENT DOCTRINE, by Ron Suskind
4. DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE, by Anderson Cooper
5. WISDOM OF OUR FATHERS, by Tim Russert
Spook July 5, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Nonfiction.Tags: Mary Roach, Spook
1 comment so far
—3—
I was a little disappointed with Mary Roach’s Spook, considering how much I loved her previous work, titled Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Some parts were interesting, and it the concept was excellent. She researched different ways that were historically employed to find out what happens after death, as well as current research being done. And some of her ideas were very smart: talking to an expert on reincarnation, mediums who claim to contact the dead, and those with near death experiences. However, unlike her last book, Roach cannot quite make science a large part of these studies, although the book is described as “science tackles the afterlife”. It just doesn’t work. The book, however, is decent, and worth the read if you liked Stiff. But try Stiff first. It is laugh out loud funny, without being disrespectful. It is not gruesome or overly morbid, just funny and interesting–quite an accomplishment I think for discussing what physically happens to the body after death. So yay for Stiff, and take it or leave it for Spook.
3/5
(Stiff: 4.5/5)
The Illuminator July 5, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Brenda Rickman Vantrease, The Illuminator
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—3.5—
The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease is the story of Lady Katherine, a landowner in the 14th century, who opens her home to Finn, an illuminator, and his daughter. Finn not only illustrates works for the church, but also for translators that are making an English translation of the Bible, which at the time can be punished by death. The story is fairly simple, the plot moves quickly, the characters are interesting, the love story sweet but not overly sappy, and the time period is interesting. It is a good read, not Earth shattering, but well worth a couple summer days for those who like historical fiction and are not looking for something too heavy or deep.
3.5/5
Exciting Stuff July 25, 2006
Posted by sadiejean in Current Read Comments.add a comment
My book Immune Response came into the library today! The main character is a Physician Assistant, plus it’s a murder mystery/thriller. I’m excited.
OH! And in Copy Cat, the main character’s dead daughter is named Sadie. How freaky is that?