You may or may not know from previous blog entries that I'm getting
married this weekend!!! I'll be off work starting tomorrow (August 28
until September 17). So I'm taking a vacation from blogging as well as I
prepare for the wedding, have the ceremony, reception and go on my
honeymoon. Hang in there my readers and I do hope and trust you'll have a
lot to keep you busy and entertained until I return to writing entries
after the wedding. I seriously doubt anyone's sole life is reading my
blogs.
I will be reading during the honeymoon...well maybe I will ;) so I might have a few books ready to blog about after I return to work.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Book 221 Full dark, no stars by Stephen King
Full Dark, No Stars
Full Dark, No Stars - kindle edition
779 books to go!
Summary:
These are four short stories by Stephen King. The first story is about a man who kills his wife to inherit some land she has, the second story is about an writer who gets some bloody revenge after she lives through a horrible event while on her way home from speaking to some fans, the third story is about a cancer patient who exchanges his disease and takes away his best friend's great life in the process and the fourth story is about how a woman handles some dark knowledge she's discovered about her husband.
Opinion:
This work was very good. I enjoy reading Stephen King and hopefully will be able to read most of his work in time.
Why I chose to read this:
This was one of the many books Shawn obtained for my kindle.
Book 220 Forsaking all others by Loretta Schwartz Nobel
Forsaking All Others: The Real Betty Broderick Story
780 books to go!
Summary:
This is the story of Betty Broderick. She married Daniel Broderick, after many years of suffering abuse at Daniel's hand, he left her for a woman he was having an affair with and kept her from gaining custody of her children. When she finally had enough Betty shot Dan and his new wife while they were in bed.
Opinion:
This was a weird book. After reading it I wasn't sure who I should side with. I don't think Daniel Broderick was right in his behavior but I don't think Betty should have shot him either. I think she shouldn't have harassed him as much as she did. It's really hard when you are losing the family you dreamed of but at the same time you have to move on with your life and get an identity for yourself as hard as it is to do. I know I would be devastated if Shawn decided he didn't want to be with me anymore and as crippled as that would make me I most certainly wouldn't harass him, eventually after a long time of crying in bed I'd dig myself out of a despairing hole to move on again...or at least I hope I would.
Why I chose to read this:
I found it at work while weeding some biographies and wanted to read it.
Book 219 Castles of New York by Scott Barry
Castles of New York (Excelsior Editions)
781 books to go!
Summary:
This book gives a brief description of some castles located in New York. The locations range from the city, to Long Island to upstate NY.
Opinion:
I didn't like this book much at all. The photography is decent, but the writing just isn't all that great. Sort of similar to the entries I seem to be doing because my brain is already on vacation. Along with some history of the castle, the author decided to throw in some anecdotes about his experience shooting photography for each castle or meeting the castle care takers in order to get entry into the castle. Honestly I really didn't care, maybe some of my readers feel this way about my rambling blog entries too. I'm kind of ashamed if I'm the one who ordered this book for the library. It's nifty if you want to know some locations of castles in New York and you want to see some pictures but that's all that it really amounts to in worth.
Why I chose to read this:
I was grabbing some books on architecture for a lecture and this piqued my curiosity.
Book 218 Kill you twice by Chelsea Cain
Kill You Twice (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell Novel)
Kill You Twice (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell) - kindle edtion
782 books to go!
Summary:
Another deranged serial killer is on the loose and he has a close tie to Gretchen Lowell. As the mystery surrounding Gretchen continues to dissolve, Archie is on the hunt for this killer in order to stop him.
Opinion:
Enjoyed this read. I loved finding out even more about Gretchen and who she really might be.
Why I chose to read this:
I fell in love with the Sheridan Lowell series when my sister gave me heartsick to read. Since then I've been keeping my eye out for new books in the series.
Book 217 The Baby Swap Conspiracy by Loretta Schwartz Nobel
The Baby Swap Conspiracy: The Shocking Truth Behind the Florida Case of Two Babies Switched at Birth
783 books to go!Summary:
This book is about the case of Kimberly Mays and Arlena Twigg. Both girls were switched at birth when they were born in the late 1970s. The author believes the girls were switched because the Twiggs already had about 6 other healthy children, and Barbara Mays' relatives were very influential in the community the girls were born in. The author believes the Mays were given the healthy child because of political influence, and that they purposely sent Barbara's sick child home with the Twiggs.
Opinion:
This book was pretty interesting. I like true crime and this case fascinated me when I was a little girl and saw the made for TV movie. I believe the author's theory is true as to why Kimberly and Arlena were switched at birth. It's an older book but still a good read for a true crime buff.
Why I chose to read this:
I found out about this book when I was weeding some biographies at work, and came across another book by this author which I read too.
Book 216 A brew to kill by Cleo Coyle
A Brew to a Kill (Coffee House Mystery)
A Brew to a Kill - kindle edition
784 books to go!Summary:
This is the latest book in my beloved coffee house mystery series. After a shocking hit and run goes down in front of the Village Blend Clare must solve the mystery of who did it, while at the same time battling a cupcake food truck that has waged war with her. In the meantime her and Matt discover crack in a new shipment of coffee beans and need to prove their innocence. The ending wraps up nicely, except for leaving Clare and Mike Quinn separated by distance for a little while.
Opinion:
I absolutely love these books, around Christmas time there's another holiday one being written that I can't wait to read. I have nothing bad to say about these mysteries and would recommend them to anyone.
Why I chose to read this:
Found out about the release and requested it through the library to read right away!
Book 215 The zen of listening by M.A. Rebecca Z. Shafir CCC
The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction
785 books to go!
Summary:
This is a helpful guide on how to listen to someone. It's full of advice on how you can get yourself into the mindset to listen to a person, and what you can do to learn how to be a better listener.
Opinion:
This book wasn't bad, it was written by a speech pathologist. The advice was valuable and I look forward to trying to use the techniques I remember to listen to someone.
Why I chose to read this:
This book was recommended to us while we were in pre cana by one of the other couples taking pre cana with us. I have to check it out again when I get back from the honeymoon in case Shawn wants to read it.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Book 213 We were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
We Were the Mulvaneys (Oprah's Book Club)
We Were the Mulvaneys - Kindle Edition
787 books to go!
Summary:
This story is a before and after story about the rape of a young girl and the effects it has on her and her family.
Opinion:
I didn't really like this book all that much. I'm starting to think I might not be a Joyce Carol Oates fan in general, which semi disappoints me because I was really excited about reading her works. She is a good writer, I like that the stories I've read by her so far seem to have a before and after the horrific event aspect, but I don't really find them all that exciting, I find them to be boring and overly detailed. It's great how she gets into the head of every character as events happen, and gets into their thoughts after the event, but the overly detailed style and the ordinary painstaking events that go on for most of the book isn't my style.
Why I chose to read this:
My friend Kate gave me this book a long time ago when she was cleaning out her book shelves. I intended to pass it on to my sister but for reasons of lightening my load because I don't have a car again right now I passed it to a co-worker when I was finished reading it because I had bought it on the train with me and finished it during a break.
Book 212 In the eye of the beholder by Sharon E. Cathcart
788 books to go!
Since this is a phantom related book, you can see my less informal review about it in my phantom of the opera blog.
Since this is a phantom related book, you can see my less informal review about it in my phantom of the opera blog.
Book 211 The Librarian by Larry Beinhart
The Librarian: A Novel
The Librarian: A Novel - Kindle Edition
789 books to go!
So maybe by the end of 2012 I can plow through at least 89 more books, giving me a total of 700 to go...we'll see. Taking the train is helpful in that regard.
Summary:
University Librarian David Goldberg is on the run for his life in this action packed novel, after the man he's working for Alan Stowe, mistakenly assumes David has learned something he wasn't supposed to about the current presidential election.
Opinion:
This book was pretty good, it was amusing, featured some action, contained some intrigue, definitely one of those all around reads with lots of good stuff inside of it.
Why I chose to read it:
I picked it up because I noticed the title.
Book 210 The Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O'Connor
The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer [Deckle Edge]
The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer
790 books to go!
Summary:
This book is about the history of one of Gustav Klimt's works, the model for this work was Adele Bloch-Bauer. This non fiction story follows the painting at the start of it's creation, and it's journey hereafter, including where it ended up in a war torn Vienna during the Holocaust, to it's final destination to a private owner, purchasing the piece during an auction.
Opinion:
At first I couldn't get into this book but then I started to find it very interesting. The author writes the piece like quasi historical fiction. The story touched me emotionally, Klimt is also another artist I like so I did enjoy reading in depth about this particular piece.
Why I chose to read it:
I found out about it at work when a few people asked for it so I decided to check it out and read it too.
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