From the first chapter, Jason Kramon creates a carefully crafted suspense story. I really enjoyed it and was impressed with the way he created characters, and setting, and let them tell a good story.
You've probably read that this is a story centered around Julia, a college freshman, with a big secret in her past. She starts a relationship with a fellow student, Marcus, that she breaks off when complications arise. Complications in the form of Sam, an older guy she meets off-campus.
What Jason does in the story is to take a familiar plot line and turn it into something a little more dark, a lot more creepy, and filled with more moments of holding your breath while you wait for the suspense to end-and it doesn't.
Family relationships are examined, a few stereotypes exposed, and scenarios shifted just enough to make you wonder.
I really enjoyed the book and was thrilled when I got a copy in exchange for an honest review. I am glad I can give a positive one.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Best of 2012
Here are my favorites for 2012.
They appear in the order I read them-not necessarily how well I liked them or which was the absolute favorite. I hope you have a chance to check some of them out.
They appear in the order I read them-not necessarily how well I liked them or which was the absolute favorite. I hope you have a chance to check some of them out.
Winter
Garden by Kristen
Hannah
Wanna Get
Lucky by Deborah
Coonts
So Damn
Lucky by Deborah
Coonts
Night
Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Rainshadow
Road by Lisa Kleypas
The Book
of Lost Fragrances by
M.J. Rose
A Wish and
a Prayer by Beverly
Jenkins
Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel
The Other
Woman by Hank
Phillippi Ryan
Jack:1939 by Francine Matthews
A Trick of
the Light by Louise
Penny
Mr.
Churchill’s Secretary
by Susan Elizabeth McNeal
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards
The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma
Publish date: March 21, 2013
A debut novel from a new author (ok, novelist-he has had articles published in several literary magazines) that is outstanding. The book is about a novelist who loses and re-writes the same novel over the course of several years and almost as many locations.
It is a great story but one that ebbs and flows through the narrative. I loved it and I was at one point, a bit out of patience with it. It is that moving.
The main character, whose real name is never mentioned in the book, always seems to find someone else's life more fitting than his own. Perhaps that is what makes him an interesting character. Perhaps it is because he is telling the story and you don't need to know what his real name is, he just is. He falls in love easily but leaves the girls almost as easily.
Our story teller has a counterpart, Jeffrey Oakes, who has a best selling novel. Jeffrey is the narrator's friend and nemesis throughout the book. A great exaggeration of a writer; egotistical, manic, addictive personality, and generally unhealthy-Jeffrey is quite interesting and a lovely foil to the narrator.
Of course, there is the one girl who got away, a fairy tale princess who is the third angle of the triangle of Jeffrey and the narrator's youth.
I loved the way the story started with a young boy reading from Kipling's "Just So Stories" and ends in almost the same place. Lovely way to round out the conclusion of the story.
And I liked the way the story made me feel good to read it. It is literary fiction, something I read but not regulary.
Really quite good.
An advance readers copy was provided by Viking for review, no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.
Publish date: March 21, 2013
A debut novel from a new author (ok, novelist-he has had articles published in several literary magazines) that is outstanding. The book is about a novelist who loses and re-writes the same novel over the course of several years and almost as many locations.
It is a great story but one that ebbs and flows through the narrative. I loved it and I was at one point, a bit out of patience with it. It is that moving.
The main character, whose real name is never mentioned in the book, always seems to find someone else's life more fitting than his own. Perhaps that is what makes him an interesting character. Perhaps it is because he is telling the story and you don't need to know what his real name is, he just is. He falls in love easily but leaves the girls almost as easily.
Our story teller has a counterpart, Jeffrey Oakes, who has a best selling novel. Jeffrey is the narrator's friend and nemesis throughout the book. A great exaggeration of a writer; egotistical, manic, addictive personality, and generally unhealthy-Jeffrey is quite interesting and a lovely foil to the narrator.
Of course, there is the one girl who got away, a fairy tale princess who is the third angle of the triangle of Jeffrey and the narrator's youth.
I loved the way the story started with a young boy reading from Kipling's "Just So Stories" and ends in almost the same place. Lovely way to round out the conclusion of the story.
And I liked the way the story made me feel good to read it. It is literary fiction, something I read but not regulary.
Really quite good.
An advance readers copy was provided by Viking for review, no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Other Woman
The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan
This was an amazing book! I read alot and was enthralled by the plot twists that just kept coming.
It's the story of Jane Ryland, a reporter, who has been forced by circumstances to switch from TV to newspapers. She catches what should be a routine story but all of a sudden, turns into the political story of the year. Maybe not all of a sudden. Jane has good instincts and alot of perseverence-qualities that make a good reporter. Like Hank Phillippi Ryan- still an award winning journalist in Boston.
I won't say much more about it- too many spoliers possible but once you start this, you will be hard pressed to put it down. I can't wait to see what happens next in "The Wrong Girl"
This was an amazing book! I read alot and was enthralled by the plot twists that just kept coming.
It's the story of Jane Ryland, a reporter, who has been forced by circumstances to switch from TV to newspapers. She catches what should be a routine story but all of a sudden, turns into the political story of the year. Maybe not all of a sudden. Jane has good instincts and alot of perseverence-qualities that make a good reporter. Like Hank Phillippi Ryan- still an award winning journalist in Boston.
I won't say much more about it- too many spoliers possible but once you start this, you will be hard pressed to put it down. I can't wait to see what happens next in "The Wrong Girl"
Friday, August 3, 2012
Summer Nights by Susan Mallery
I loved the story of Annabelle, the feisty librarian and Shane,the horse whisperer.
In fact, I have loved all the Fool's Gold books.
Fools Gold is a town in California that is run by women because there has been a man shortage for a long time. The town is working on that and the quality of the men that have been moving in is quite impressive. Not to say that there haven't been a few hiccups-but that is what makes thing interesting.
Take Shane Stryker-the hero of this story. He comes off as a bit of a jerk in the beginning because he has been hurt before and really doesn't want to let another woman make a fool out of him-or break his heart.
So when Annabelle enters his radar, he can tell she is trouble. Which is funny because everyone KNOWS how mild mannered and untempermental librarians are, right? Well, speaking as a member of the profession, no. We are all different and Annabelle is no exception. Warm, funny, smart, and endeared to the town by her willingness to get involved, she is an outstanding person.
But will Shane figure that out?
You'll have to read the book to find out- I wouldn't want to spoil the ending-even if it means you miss out on the opportunity of fantasizing about Shane (big, buff, handsome Stryker brother) clad only in a loin cloth at the end...
In fact, I have loved all the Fool's Gold books.
Fools Gold is a town in California that is run by women because there has been a man shortage for a long time. The town is working on that and the quality of the men that have been moving in is quite impressive. Not to say that there haven't been a few hiccups-but that is what makes thing interesting.
Take Shane Stryker-the hero of this story. He comes off as a bit of a jerk in the beginning because he has been hurt before and really doesn't want to let another woman make a fool out of him-or break his heart.
So when Annabelle enters his radar, he can tell she is trouble. Which is funny because everyone KNOWS how mild mannered and untempermental librarians are, right? Well, speaking as a member of the profession, no. We are all different and Annabelle is no exception. Warm, funny, smart, and endeared to the town by her willingness to get involved, she is an outstanding person.
But will Shane figure that out?
You'll have to read the book to find out- I wouldn't want to spoil the ending-even if it means you miss out on the opportunity of fantasizing about Shane (big, buff, handsome Stryker brother) clad only in a loin cloth at the end...
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Book of Lost Frangrances by M.J. Rose
I LOVED this book. I found it easy to read (I had difficulty with her earlier works) and very well researched.The Book of Lost Fragrances refers to Cleopatra's famous book of perfumes. Apparently, Cleopatra loved scent and had the formulas all in one place. One of the scents created was supposed to make reincarnation a possibility.
This is the center of the story of Jac and Robbie E'Toile, the latest generation of the House of E'toile, Perfumers. Lots of adventure in the story with the Chinese Mafia in Paris trying to get a hold of the pottery shards that have been in the E'toile family for generations. Robbie wants to give the shards to the Dali Lama who is in Paris, visiting. There is a Chinese national who is in Paris for an art show who is also planning on escaping his handlers to be with the Dali Lama. And chases through the underground catacombs of Paris. There is also a psychiatrist who is trying to get his hands on the pottery shards for his own purposes. And a love story between Jac, Robbie's sister and her old flame who risks his life for her.
It almost sounds like too many htreads to make a neatly patterned story but Ms. Rose does an effortless job of presenting it as a lovely whole tapestry of past lives and current endevours. The characters are engaging and the story is such that I hated to put it down.A really good read.
This is the center of the story of Jac and Robbie E'Toile, the latest generation of the House of E'toile, Perfumers. Lots of adventure in the story with the Chinese Mafia in Paris trying to get a hold of the pottery shards that have been in the E'toile family for generations. Robbie wants to give the shards to the Dali Lama who is in Paris, visiting. There is a Chinese national who is in Paris for an art show who is also planning on escaping his handlers to be with the Dali Lama. And chases through the underground catacombs of Paris. There is also a psychiatrist who is trying to get his hands on the pottery shards for his own purposes. And a love story between Jac, Robbie's sister and her old flame who risks his life for her.
It almost sounds like too many htreads to make a neatly patterned story but Ms. Rose does an effortless job of presenting it as a lovely whole tapestry of past lives and current endevours. The characters are engaging and the story is such that I hated to put it down.A really good read.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Childhood Re-visited
I just finsihed an e-galley of Mr. Poppers Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater. And I remember why it is one of my favorite childhood books. Not just because Miss Jasper read it aloud to us in 3rd grade (Thank you, Miss Jasper) but because it is so well written.
Easy to understand-full imagination in flight- I can just see those penguins sliding down the basement stairs- but just lovely sounding passages.
Yes, Mr. Popper and Mrs. Popper are a bit old fashioned (apparently neither of them has a first name) but they seems to get along well enough. And it was written in the 1930's. I have not seen the recent movie adaptation. Hard to guess what Jim Carey will bring to the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Media (http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/richard-and-florence-atwater.aspx) for the chance to re-visit a time when things were a lot easier and Admiral Drake was the biggest guy in the room (at least, per the illustration.) This book deserves a re-read or a first read.
Easy to understand-full imagination in flight- I can just see those penguins sliding down the basement stairs- but just lovely sounding passages.
Yes, Mr. Popper and Mrs. Popper are a bit old fashioned (apparently neither of them has a first name) but they seems to get along well enough. And it was written in the 1930's. I have not seen the recent movie adaptation. Hard to guess what Jim Carey will bring to the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Media (http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/richard-and-florence-atwater.aspx) for the chance to re-visit a time when things were a lot easier and Admiral Drake was the biggest guy in the room (at least, per the illustration.) This book deserves a re-read or a first read.
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