Friday, December 16, 2016

OUTFOXED by David Rosenfelt [Book recommendation]


Book obtained from: Library new book, audio book [2016]

Description: The newest [book 14] in the Andy Carpenter series.  Andy is a criminal defense attorney and independently wealthy.  He prefers being “retired” and working with his charitable Tara Foundation, rescuing dogs.  But when someone he knows is charged with a crime, he takes the case.

Plot:  An inmate, Brian Atkins, works with the dogs of the Tara Foundation, training them to make them more adoptable.  One day he uses one of the dogs to escape from prison.  Shortly thereafter, the man whose testimony put him in prison is found murdered.  Andy tracks the dog and the police track Andy and arrest Brian, who swears he didn't do the killing.  Andy believes him and agrees to represent him.

Characterization:  Most of the characters are well-rounded and have individual personalities.  Even the dogs in the story have individual personalities. Andy is sarcastic and wise-cracking, which makes the books fun to read.

Setting:  Paterson New Jersey.  Reasonably well described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by Grover Gardner and he definitely adds to the characterization of all of the characters.

Overall:  I enjoyed this newest addition to the Andy Carpenter series.

Grade: A-

Friday, December 9, 2016

MOO by Sharon Creech [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library ebook [2016]

Description: Two children move from a big city, not named but reminded me of NYC, to rural Maine.  They experience culture shock, and meet new friends and a new neighbor with a heavy accent and a farm full of animals.

Plot:  Reena, age 12, and her younger brother Luke meet their new neighbor Mrs. Falala, and agree to help her take care of her animals including an ornery cow which Reena trains to show at a fair.

Characterization:  The main characters are well-rounded and have individual personalities.  Even the animals [especially the cow] have individual personalities.  The kids' relationship with the neighbor is very well done and funny.

Setting:  Rural Maine.  Reasonably well described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  Culture shock scenes are really funny.

Overall:  This is a cute middle grade book.  The ebook includes several fonts and creative formatting which made for a fast read.

Grade: B+

Friday, December 2, 2016

PUSHING UP DAISIES by MC Beaton [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library, new books shelf, audio book [2016]

Description: This is #27 in the Agatha Raisin mystery series.  In this book, Agatha [a private detective] is hired by a murdered man's son to find the killer.

Plot:  Agatha is hired by a murdered man's son to find the killer.  Lots of suspects.  Rather convoluted investigation.

Characterization:  I know the characters so well from previous books that I can't really say they are, or are not, well-rounded.  The new characters in this book aren't really that developed though.

Setting:  England, Cotswalds.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by Penelope Keith and she did a reasonably nice job.  One thing that really stood out to me, were the inconsistencies.  For example, Mrs. Bloxby's first name ends up being different than it was in previous books, and Charles is a different age than he is in previous books.  Apparently the author and even the publisher didn't do any fact-checking or review for consistency or whatever you call that.  I've seen this happen with other “major” authors who have written a lot of books in a series [Janet Evanovich comes to mind, with several inconsistencies in her later books].

Overall:  I forgot most of what happened in this book almost immediately after I finished reading it.  It was enjoyable while I read it, but nothing really stood out to me.

Grade: B-

Friday, November 18, 2016

A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman [Book recommendation]

Translated from Swedish by Henning Koch
Book obtained from: Library audio book [2012]

Description: Ove [pronounced Oova or Uva] is a cranky old man who lives in a block of row houses.  He is rigid with his “rules”, and after his wife dies he just wants to be left alone.  New neighbors move in across from him and turn his life upside down.

Plot:  The book starts out slowly and there really isn't a burning question [like whodunnit or will the earth be destroyed] to pull the reader thru the book.  But little questions crop up every now and then, causing the reader to want to know the answers.  There is a main story line in the present, with the new neighbors and how they turn Ove's life upside down, and a flashback story line that let's the reader know how Ove got to be such a cranky old man. The book alternated between making me laugh out loud and causing me to get all teared up, sometimes within the space of less than five minutes.

Characterization:  Most of the characters are well-rounded and have individual personalities.  The cat isn't all that believable because it is portrayed more like a dog, but if you can get around that, it does add to the story.  It's also a little odd that random folks seem to want to be friends with Ove and ask him for favors, even tho he's not a friendly guy.  He's not evil, just not friendly.  Also, Ove is 59 years old, but acts more like he's at least 10 years older.  Maybe living where it snows so much adds years to a life?

Setting:  Sweden in fall/winter.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by George Newbern and he definitely added to the characterization of all of the characters.

Overall:  If you can get past the first 50 pages or so, the book is definitely worth the read.  It's a rare book that makes me laugh and cry in the same chapter.

Grade: B+
 

Friday, November 4, 2016

HOUNDED by David Rosenfelt [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library audio book [2014]

Description: This is #12 in the Andy Carpenter mystery series [I've read this one and one other].  In this book, Andy's friend, police captain Pete Stanton, is accused of killing an informant who he has befriended.

Plot:  A police informant who Captain Stanton has befriended is killed, leaving his 8yo son and basset hound behind.  Pete calls Andy [defense attorney] and Laurie [investigator and former police officer, and Andy's girlfriend] to take custody of the boy and the dog so they don't end up “in the system”.  Andy prepares for Pete's defense while searching for the real killer.  The sub-plot with the drugs was somewhat odd and a little distracting.  It did figure into the main plot and was required for the resolution, but I'm not sure it was entirely believable.

Characterization:  Andy Carpenter is really sarcastic and funny.  The other characters have their own individual personalities and are well done.

Setting:  New Jersey.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by Grover Gardner and he is awesome as narrator for this series.

Overall:  I figured out whodunnit at exactly the same time as Andy did, which was odd but satisfying in a way.

Grade: B+
 

Friday, October 28, 2016

DEADER HOMES AND GARDENS by Joan Hess [book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library audio book [2012]

Description: This is #18 in the Claire Malloy mystery series [I've read this one and one other].  In this book, Claire has recently married and is searching for a new home.  She finds the perfect house, which of course is implicated in a murder.

Plot:  Claire falls in love with “the perfect house,” but while the real estate agent is showing it to her, the agent disappears.  Claire goes in search of the owner, and discovers the house is the subject of a family feud.  If she wants to buy the house, she'll have to solve the feud.

Characterization:  The characters are well-rounded and have individual personalities.  Claire and her daughter Caron are many times whiny, which is understandable for Caron since she's 17.  Not so much for Claire.

Setting:  Arkansas.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by Rachael Warren and she did a nice job.

Overall:  I think this book went on a little too long.  Cutting 2-3 chapters would have been an improvement.  I did figure out whodunnit about half-way thru the book, and it did seem to drag thereafter.

Grade: B-

Friday, October 21, 2016

COUNTING BY 7S by Holly Goldberg Sloan [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library e-book [2014]

Description: Willow Chance is a 12yo child genius, trying to make her way in the world.  When her adoptive parents die in a car crash, she is once again orphaned, with an uncertain future.

Plot:  Willow finished a state test in 17 minutes and achieved a perfect score, which everyone believed was because she cheated.  She is therefore sent to the school counselor, who isn't able to do much for her because of his own personal issues.  Later, her adoptive parents both die, and Willow is taken in by the single mother of a new friend.  Together, they keep one step ahead of social services and try to make a new life for all of them.

Characterization:  The characters are well developed for a middle grade novel, with individual personalities.

Setting:  Bakersfield California.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  This is a middle grade novel.  Very diverse.  I liked how each character was unique, which doesn't always happen, especially with middle grade books.

Overall:  This book has a literary feel, and despite the sad beginning, it is positive and uplifting.

Grade: B+
 

Friday, October 14, 2016

MURDER AS A SECOND LANGUAGE by Joan Hess [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library audio book [2013]

Description: This is #19 in the Claire Malloy mystery series.  In this book, Claire decides to volunteer as a tutor at the literacy center, helping adults who are learning English.  Unfortunately, one of the more abrasive students is killed.

Plot:  Claire tries to sign up as a tutor for adults learning English, but misses the mandatory training meeting.  Instead, she's conscripted to serve on the board of directors, where she learns of some questionable activities regarding the Literacy Center, and stumbles upon a murder.  I didn't figure out whodunnit until almost the very end of the book.

Characterization:  The characters are well-rounded and have individual personalities.  Claire can be a little whiny.  Her daughter Caron, a high school senior, is really obnoxious and if she was my daughter, I would definitely have a problem co-existing with her.

Setting:  Arkansas.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by Meredith Mitchell and she did a nice job.

Overall:  This is the first book of this series that I have read.

Grade: B+
 

Friday, October 7, 2016

UNLEASHED by David Rosenfelt [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library audio book [2014]

Description: Defense attorney Andy Carpenter's accountant Sam receives a call from a high school friend Barry, who needs help.  Sam is delayed in getting to his friend's house, and Barry leaves on a private plane without him.  The plane crashes, Barry's wife is accused of murdering him, and Andy takes the case.

Plot:  Andy defends Barry's wife.  Things don't look so good, but a twist takes the case in a new direction.  There is a sub-plot that becomes related to the main plot later in the story.  The sub-plot was a little distracting at first, because listening on audio didn't give me any visual clues that a new chapter was addressing the sub-plot.  At first the two plots seem unrelated and when a sub-plot chapter began, it took me a few seconds to realize it was the sub-plot.

Characterization:  Andy Carpenter is wise-cracking and really funny.  I think I laughed at least 2-3 times in each chapter.  He has a very dry sense of humor.  The other characters all have individual personalities and add quite a bit to the story.

Setting:  New Jersey.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by Grover Gardner and he definitely added to Andy's characterization.  Great narrator!

Overall:  This is the eleventh book in this series.  All have a dog in them.  Even the dogs have individual, well-developed personalities.

Grade: A-
 

Friday, September 30, 2016

SKELLIG by David Almond [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library e-book [2000]

Description:  This is a middle-grade book.  Michael is 10 years old.  His family just moved into a dilapidated house that they want to restore.  His baby sister is very ill and in the hospital.  He sneaks into the abandoned garage and finds an alien.

Plot:  Michael finds an alien trying to survive in his dilapidated garage.  The only person he trusts with this information is his neighbor Mina.  Together they try to keep the alien from dying, while Michael's baby sister is in the hospital.

Characterization:  Michael and Mina and the alien [Skellig] are somewhat developed.  Would have liked to see a bit more of it tho.

Setting:  Not sure.  Semi-rural, with dilapidated houses, owls and other wildlife.

Other:  This book has a literary feel and tone.  Somewhat dark/gothic.

Overall:  I enjoyed this story but I would have liked it to have more character development.  Maybe because it's a middle grade book?

Grade: B

Friday, September 23, 2016

LENDING A PAW by Laurie Cass [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library e-book [2013]

Description: Minerva “Minnie” Hamilton and Eddie, the cat that followed her home one day and wouldn't leave, drive a bookmobile and solve a murder.

Plot:  Eddie sneaks aboard the bookmobile on its first day of service, delighting the patrons.  At their last stop of the day, he leads Minnie to a body.  Unfortunately, Minnie knows the victim, and it appears many of her friends are suspected of killing him.  So Minnie “helps” investigate the crime.

Characterization:  The characters could have been more developed.  I had a sense of who they were, but none of the “jumped out at me”, except for Eddie who was cute and funny and well-done.  Sometimes I lost track of who was who, but oddly it didn't seem to matter much.  I still enjoyed the story.

Setting:  Southwestern Michigan.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The main character pondered the clues so much, and gave their specific significance, that there were none that the reader could miss.

Overall:  This was a cute cozy mystery, very good for readers who don't really want to think too much, they just want a cute story with a well-stated conclusion.

Grade: B

Friday, September 16, 2016

NYPD RED 4 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp [Book recommendation]



Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description: This is book #4 in this series by James Patterson and Marshall Karp.  This specialized unit of the NYPD is an elite task force which investigates cases involving the rich and famous.

Plot:  A famous actress is murdered at her movie premiere.  Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald, the NYPD Red team, must find the killer, without upsetting other famous people or NY politicians in the process.  There are several subplots, including a series of thefts at hospitals which must be solved but also kept “quiet” and the personal lives of the two main characters, all of which are interesting in their own right.

Characterization: All the characters are reasonably well-developed, and they were portrayed as real people with real personalities.  The point of view switches between the main characters and is done well.

Setting:  New York City.  Nicely described.

Other:  This book was narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and he did an excellent job, definitely added to the characterization and the story.

Overall:  Good story.  Sub-plots were interesting and I thought they added to the story.

Grade: A-

Friday, September 9, 2016

THE CROSSING by Michael Connelly [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description: Author Michael Connelly has both of his main characters, Harry Bosch [LAPD detective] and Mickey Haller [criminal defense attorney], together in this book.  Most of the chapters are in Bosch's POV but some are in the POV of the “bad guys”.  The book starts with the bad guys so the reader knows up front who they are.

Plot:  Bosch has retired from the LAPD.  His half-brother, Mickey Haller, asks for Bosch's help with investigating a case for his client, a former gang member who has gone straight but is charged with the particularly brutal murder of an assistant city manager.  As Bosch gets closer to the truth, the bad guys go after him.

Characterization:  There really isn't much character development in this book, possibly because these characters are reasonably well-known to most readers.  But if I hadn't read any of the previous books, the characters would have felt kind of flat to me.  The personal story line had a good start, but really didn't go anywhere.

Setting:  Los Angeles.  Nicely described.

Other:  This is a very good police procedural, even tho Bosch is no longer an active police detective.  The story details his thought processes in the investigation.  Michael Connelly is also VERY GOOD at dramatizing an attorney cross-examining a witness at trial.  There are two places where this occurs, one at the beginning and one at the end.  Both excellent.

Overall:  I really enjoyed this story, probably because I know these characters from previous books, and I am an attorney who frequently works in Los Angeles.  For new readers tho, there wasn't enough character development.  The book is narrated by Titus Welliver who also plays Bosch in the new series from Amazon Studios.

Grade: A-

Friday, August 19, 2016

IN THE CLEARING by Robert Dugoni [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description: Detective Tracy Crosswhite helps a friend investigate the suspicious suicide of a high school senior 40 years ago.

Plot:  Tracy investigates the alleged suicide of a Native American girl.  The book has chapters in the present day, and occasionally a chapter set 40 years ago when the incident occurred.  The townspeople seemed to accept that this girl killed herself, and didn't want someone stirring the waters 40 years later, because they were unwilling to learn the truth.

Characterization: All the characters are reasonably well-developed.  At about the 3/4 mark, there was a scene where I didn't remember who someone was, and it took several paragraphs before I remembered.  Otherwise I was able to keep everyone differentiated.

Setting:  Klickitat County, Washington.  Nicely described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The author did a little too much telling and exposition, explaining things instead of dramatizing them.  The book was narrated by Emily Sutton-Smith and she did a very nice job.

Overall:  The book switched to 1976 and back to 2016 easily.  Interesting story.

Grade: B+

Friday, August 12, 2016

EL DEAFO by Cece Bell [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library, e-book

Description:  This is a middle grade memoir in graphic novel format.  The author, Cece, lost her hearing at age 4 from meningitis.  The book describes her efforts to fit in and find friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid.

Plot:  At age 4, Cece has meningitis and loses her hearing.  In kindergarten, she attends a school where all the students have hearing loss.  Then in first grade, she is mainstreamed into a regular school where she reads lips and uses a bulky but effective hearing aid.  She tries to keep up with her studies and make friends.

Characterization: All the characters are drawn as rabbits, which made me think of the series Arthur by Marc Brown.  Arthur is an aardvark, but these rabbits were similar.  I was somewhat disappointed in that the characters weren't as developed as I would have preferred.  I'm not sure whether this is a function of the graphic novel format or not, because this is the only graphic novel I've read.  But I did think the plot moved a bit too fast, it didn't give much time for development.

Setting:  Roanoke Virginia.  Not much description in the text, but it is a graphic novel, so scenes were drawn.

Other:  Newbery Honor Book.  Gives kids an insight into the thoughts of other children who are living with a disability.

Overall:  I enjoyed this story, even tho I'm not the intended demographic.

Grade: B

Friday, August 5, 2016

Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn by Ace Atkins [Book recommendation]


Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description:  The previous year, a fire at a boarded-up Catholic church killed three firefighters.  Now, at the one-year anniversary, a surviving firefighter not satisfied with the official conclusion asks Boston PI Spenser to investigate.

Plot:  Spenser investigates the church fire at the same time as a series of arson fires plagues the city.  As Spenser gets closer to the truth, the arson fires increase in number and intensity.  The author includes several chapters in the villain's POV, so the reader knows the answer, but it is still interesting to learn how Spenser figures it out.

Characterization:  This appears to be a book written by an author using the characters and setting created by an original author who is now deceased.  Amazon indicates it is book 44 in the series.  There were a few places where characters were not well-developed, like the author expected the reader to know who these people were because they had read previous books.  I haven't read any previous books in this series, so in those places it took a few pages before I figured out what was going on.  Readers who have read the original author's books will presumably know these characters from the previous books.

Setting:  Boston.  Nicely described.

Other:  There was quite a bit of foul language in this book, some of which I don't believe was necessary to the story.  The book was narrated by Joe Mantegna and he was really good.

Overall:  Good story.  It's always interesting when the reader knows who the “bad guys” are, to learn how the main character figures it out.

Grade: B+


Friday, July 29, 2016

THE STEEL KISS by Jeffery Deaver [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description: This is book #13 in the Lincoln Rhyme series.  Rhyme is a quadriplegic forensic criminalist.  He works with Amelia Sachs, a NYPD detective.  In this book, he is retired and working on a civil case.  He discovers his civil case is related to the criminal case currently being investigated by Sachs.

Plot:  An escalator malfunctions, causing a death.  Rhyme works with the attorney hired by the victim's family, to build a case against the escalator manufacturer and others.  Meanwhile, Sachs is trying to discover the identity of a brilliant serial killer who uses common everyday objects as murder weapons.  Rhyme and Sachs learn the same person is responsible for both cases.  Quite a few plot twists. Several sub-plots, at least one of which really didn't add much to the story.

Characterization: All the characters are reasonably well-developed, altho this is the 13th book in the series so they aren't as fully developed as they could have been.  Most readers will know these characters from previous books.

Setting:  New York City.  Nicely described.

Other:  This author is really good at taking current events and headlines and turning them into excellent stories.  This book was narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and he did an excellent job, definitely added to the characterization and the story.

Overall:  Good story.  I thought one of the plot twists was a bit too unrealistic and seemed like a cheat.  If the author had given at least one well-concealed hint of this possibility earlier in the story, it wouldn't have come over so much as a cheat.  Also, it seemed there was one too many sub-plots.

Grade: B+

Friday, July 22, 2016

GONE AGAIN by James Grippando [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description: This is book #12 in the Jack Swyteck series.  Jack is a criminal defense attorney in Miami Florida.  In this book, he is working with the Freedom Institute, representing a death row inmate who insists he is not guilty of killing the victim.

Plot:  Sashi Burgette, the 17yo victim, disappears on her way to school.  Her body is never found.  The next day, Dylan Reeves is found with her underwear in his car.  He is convicted and sentenced to death.  With his execution only days away, Sashi's mother contacts Jack Swyteck and tells him “Sashi called me.”  The book details Jack's attempts at getting Dylan off death row.

Characterization: Dylan Reeves is very well developed and realistic.  The victim's parents and siblings are well done.  Jack isn't quite as well done as the others, but I was still able to get a good feel for who he was as a person.  One thing that was really well done, is the “bad people” [term used to avoid spoilers] had reasonable and understandable motivations for their actions, they were not stereotypes.  The resolution of the story was very believable, and the reader was left with the question of whether sometimes a killer really may have been justified.

Setting:  Miami and other locations in Florida.  Nicely described.

Other:  This story reminded me so much of my days as a law clerk in the county Public Defender's office.  The dedication of the defense attorney and his team is well-done, even defending people who most of society wouldn't care about.  Dylan Reeves isn't a saint by any means, but Jack treated him with respect, and fought for the proposition that if he didn't kill Sashi, the death penalty would not be appropriate.  The book was narrated by Jonathan Davis and his voice was well-suited to the characters and the tone.

Overall:  An excellent story.  Realistic.  Gave the reader something to think about – murder is sometimes not easily categorized, and people who do bad things are real people and not just “bad”.  I really liked the way it left the question open – is a killing sometimes justified?

Grade: A

Friday, July 15, 2016

SLADE HOUSE by David Mitchell

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description:  This is a haunted house story spanning five decades.  Every nine years, in an alley near a British working-class pub, a narrow iron door appears in a brick wall.  A stranger emerges through the door and invites a carefully selected passerby through the door and into Slade House.  Once inside, no one ever leaves.

Plot:  The book tells the story of five such nine-year appearances of the iron door, the five people who enter through the door and into Slade House, and what happens to them.  With each person, the reader learns more about the house, the occupants, and the reason for the appearance of the door.  By the fifth person, it was getting a little tedious, so I guess it ended right where it should have.

Characterization: The occupants of the house, and each of the five persons who subsequently enter the house through the iron door, are reasonably developed and distinct.  The occupants are anti-heroes, the reader doesn't necessarily like them too much, but does end up rooting for them [at least I did].  Near the end I wasn't sure whether I wanted them to succeed or fail.

Setting: British working-class neighborhood and pub.  Nicely described.  Very creepy.

Other:  This isn't a genre I usually read, but I found the book entertaining.  It's supposed to be a side excursion in the same world as this author's book The Bone Clocks.  I haven't read that book, but I was still able to enjoy this story.

Overall:  A very good story for those who enjoy supernatural and/or haunted house stories, and horror stories like Stephen King writes.  This book was read by Thomas Judd and Tania Rodrigues and I thought the voices were perfect.

Grade: B+

Friday, July 8, 2016

THE FINE ART OF MURDER by Emily Barnes [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book

Description: Widowed police chief Katherine Sullivan turned in her badge and is now pursuing an interest in art in Taos New Mexico. She returns temporarily to her hometown in Minnesota to support her recently-divorced daughter and her two grandchildren. While there, she is drawn in to a murder investigation.

Plot: While back in Minnesota, Sullivan visits an art museum. The next day, the employee she spoke with at the museum is found murdered. Prior to retirement, she was the chief of police, and certain current officers ask her to help with the investigation. She teams up with another retired officer, butts heads with the current chief, and solves the mystery.

Characterization: Katherine Sullivan is well developed and very grandmotherly to her daughter and two grandchildren. However, she does NOT strike me as a very competent police officer. She shuns back-up and puts herself into potentially dangerous situations without much concern for her own safety. I don't see a real former police officer doing that. Her grandchildren were a teen boy with Asperger Syndrome [I have one of those, the characterization was well-done] and a girl who is portrayed as a typical cell-phone-dependent teen, although I don't think she protested nearly as much as she should have, when subjected to having her phone confiscated. The other retired officer was nicely characterized.

Setting: Minneapolis MN. Well described.

Other: The mystery was good, and I enjoyed reading a main character who is older than the norm, but it's hard to get past the notion that Sullivan acted so far outside what I would think a typical police officer would do, endangering her safety etc. Just because a person retires, I'm sure all the previous training is not forgotten or discarded.

Overall: This is a nice cozy mystery, if you can get past the character problem. The book is narrated by Carrington MacDuffie and she did a great job.

Grade: B-


Friday, July 1, 2016

THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, audio book
This review is of the book.  I have not seen the movie.

Description: Mark Watney, the junior member of a Mars mission, is injured in a severe dust storm.  The other astronauts believe he died, so they abandon the mission, retreat to their ship, and set out to return to Earth.  Except Watney didn't die.  He has to figure out how to survive until NASA can send another ship to rescue him.

Plot:  More than half of the book is how Watney survives on Mars.  The author is a real engineer/techno-geek and these descriptions were VERY detailed [with exact numbers] and sometimes tedious.  At first I tried to follow along with the details, but after a while I gave up and just listened to the story.  Some chapters are NASA folks figuring out what happened and how to retrieve him.  Other chapters are Watney's crew members learning he didn't die and what they do to retrieve him.

Characterization: Watney isn't as well developed as I would have liked.  He rarely, if ever, muses on memories from his past, friends he missed, things like that.  He only occasionally thinks about his parents, etc.  The story would have been that much better if there were instances of these memories.  He is, however, hysterically sarcastic and definitely someone I'd like to be stranded with somewhere, if I ever have that unfortunate circumstance.  Most of the secondary characters were at least somewhat developed, with their own distinct personalities.  I liked the fact the author included a lot of diversity in his character choices.

Setting: Mars.  Some scenes at NASA facilities and inside the ship containing Watney's crew members.  Descriptions were very good.

Other:  There were a few scenes, usually related to count-downs of rescue missions, where the author ramped up the suspense very well.  I also laughed quite a few times during this book, I would say at least once every half-hour.  Watney's sarcasm is really funny.

Overall:  An excellent story.  This author really knows his science, altho it did get tedious at times.  I actually tried to read this in book form, but put the book aside after about 50 pages because I couldn't get through the details.  Then I tried the audio book.  Listening on audio was much better.

Grade: A-

Friday, June 24, 2016

HOLES by Louis Sachar [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library e-book

Description: Stanley Yelnats [palindrome name], a boy from a family with more than its share of bad luck, is accused unjustly of stealing some shoes.  He's sent to a boy's detention center out in the desert where the warden's idea of building the boys' character is having them dig holes all day, every day.

Plot:  As Stanley and the other boys dig holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep, Stanley realizes the warden is actually looking for something buried out there in the desert.  He works on figuring it out, in the process building his character and finally ridding his family of its bad luck curse.

Characterization: Stanley is well developed.  Two of the other boys are sufficiently differentiated, but I lost track of who was who with the others.

Setting: Fictional Camp Green Lake, which is located in the desert of western Texas.  Good descriptions.

Other:  This is a middle grade book that kept my interest, even tho I'm not that demographic.  I liked how the multiple story lines, spanning three different time periods, eventually wound together.

Overall: An interesting story.

Grade: B+


Friday, June 17, 2016

BLOOD ON SNOW by Jo Nesbo [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, Audio book

Description: Olav is a man who “fixes” problems for his boss as a contract killer in Oslo [Norway].

Plot:  Olav is asked by his boss to “fix” his boss's wife.  If he fixes her, he'll be next because he knows too much.  If he refuses, he'll be next because he refused.  To complicate matters, while he's watching her to decide what to do, he falls in love with her.  There are some rather violent scenes, but also several surprising plot twists.

Characterization: Olav is very well developed.  He's a sensitive guy in all areas except for the people he “fixes”.  He's dyslexic, not very good at much except being a contract killer, and longs to learn what it means to love and be loved.  The other characters are not as well developed as Olav.

Setting: Oslo, Norway.  This is the first book I've ever read that's set in that country.  The descriptions were good, I was able to picture every scene without it being over-described.

Other:  This is a rather short [225 pages] stand-alone book by this author, who is more well-known for his Harry Hole series.  The book is translated from Norwegian.  The audio book is read by Patti Smith, who reads this book in a monotone, which adds to the characterization, possibly unintentionally.  I wouldn't care for this style of narration if it didn't match the personality of the main character.

Overall: A very introspective, literary crime novel.

Grade: B

Friday, June 10, 2016

THE JOB by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, Audio book

Description: Kate O'Hare is an FBI agent.  Nick Fox is a con man and #7 on the FBI's most wanted list.  They team up to capture criminals who are beyond capture by legal means.  This is the third book in the series.

Plot: In this book, Nick and Kate go after a drug lord with a taste for fine chocolate and a love of art and other treasures.  They concoct an elaborate con using a ridiculous amount of money, which does strain credibility at times, but if you can get past that, it does makes sense and there's a lot of humor.

Characterization: The characters are reasonably well developed and had their own personalities.  Some of the secondary characters are wild and crazy [an actor who takes his roles much too seriously, a lady who loves driving/racing anything with a motor, a Somali pirate, Kate's father who loves explosives a little too much, etc], adding much color and humor to the story.

Setting: Nashville, Portugal, Istanbul, France, England. The descriptions were good, I was able to picture every scene without it being over-described.

Other:  The con does strain credibility.

Overall: A good, light mystery/thriller. Funny.  The audio book is read by Scott Brick and he's awesome, a unique and appropriate voice for each character, including foreign accents.

Grade: B

Friday, June 3, 2016

BURIED IN A BOG by Sheila Connolly [Book recommendation]



Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, Audio book 

Description: Maura Donovan, a 20-something from Boston, was raised by her grandmother.  She visits Ireland after her grandmother's death to fulfill a promise and to learn more about her family. While there, her life is threatened as she searches for answers for first one, then another, murder.

Plot: Maura promised her grandmother she would visit the small town of Leap, in County Cork, Ireland.  She travels there after her grandmother's death, meets the locals, talks to friends of her grandmother, learns about Irish history and her family, and stumbles upon two murders.  When she is the subject of several seemingly-random attacks, she sets about to solve the murders before she is next.

Characterization: The characters are reasonably well developed and had their own personalities.  I did like Maura altho she was sometimes a bit whiny.

Setting: Small towns in Ireland. The descriptions were very good, I was able to vividly picture every scene without it being over-described.  The book also gives some history of Ireland, presented in an interesting way and keeping within the story, which I enjoyed.

Other:  This book was slow in places, but still interesting.

Overall: A good, light mystery, with some history.  Very good, vivid descriptions.  The audio book is read by Amy Rubinate, who read it well with different voices for the different characters altho some voices did sound similar.

Grade: A-

Friday, May 27, 2016

MURDER IS BINDING by Lorna Barrett [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, Audio book

Description: Tricia Miles, a city slicker, moves to a small town and opens a book store selling mystery books.  The town is a tourist stop for book lovers, with a LOT of specialty bookstores.  This is the first book in a series.

Plot:  Tricia has landlord troubles, sister troubles, and love life troubles.  One day Tricia finds Doris, her business neighbor and the resident curmudgeon, dead in her cook book store.  The Sheriff believes Tricia killed Doris and that she's the town jinx.  Tricia has to clear her good name.

Characterization: Some of the minor characters were a little flat, but the major characters [Tricia, her sister, and her employees] were reasonably well developed and had their own personalities.

Setting: Stoneham, New Hampshire. This is the first book I've ever read from that area of the country.  The descriptions were good, I was able to picture every scene without it being over-described.

Other:  The who-done-it kept me guessing, and guessing wrong, until the end.  Very well done.

Overall: A good, light mystery.  The audio book is read by Cassandra Campbell, who read it well with different voices for the different characters altho some did sound very similar.

Grade: B+


Friday, May 20, 2016

TRICKY TWENTY-TWO by Janet Evanovich [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library New Books shelf, Audio book

Description: Stephanie Plum, the protagonist, is an inept but very lucky bounty-hunter. She also moonlights for her friend Ranger, a security expert and also bounty-hunter. In this 22nd book in the series, she's searching for a fraternity member who was arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College, and missed his court date.

Plot: Stephanie is searching for a fraternity brother, who is apparently “the supreme exalted zookeeper” [leader] of an Animal House type fraternity. A secondary story line intersects, with a terrorism angle.  The plot is somewhat improbable, but it does hang together.  One of the things I really like about Janet Evanovich is she can weave together several seemingly-unrelated plots which all come together at the end.

Characterization: The characters are reasonably well developed and had their own personalities.  Stephanie is still inept, extremely lucky, and very funny.  She really hasn't changed over 22 books, which is disappointing to many readers but I still find her funny.  The two main male characters, Morelli and Ranger, don't have much role in this book.  Lula and Stephanie's mother have larger roles, which is a nice change.

Setting: Trenton, New Jersey. The descriptions were good, I was able to picture every scene without it being over-described.

Other: There are several “facts” in this book which are inconsistent with “facts” from previous books [like the description of Ranger's headquarters], which makes me wonder if Evanovich either didn't write this book, or is having memory issues.  They don't detract from the story if you haven't read others in the series, but for fans like me who have read all the books, it did throw me out of the story, which was disappointing.  Some of the scenes are almost identical to scenes from previous books, just a few changes but definitely recognizable.  For example, this is at least the second book which begins with a lady threatening to jump from a high location.


Overall: A good, light mystery. Funny.  The audio book is read by Lorelei King and she's awesome, a unique and appropriate voice for each character. 
This book is significantly shorter than the other books in this series.
 
Grade: B-


Monday, May 9, 2016

A to Z Challenge 2016 Reflections

Today is the day we report on our A to Z experience.
Last year, I signed up approximately 3 days before the challenge started, and I wrote my posts as they came due [this was nightmare-ish].  This year I signed up in January and wrote my posts in advance.  They were finished in March.  This made my experience MUCH easier, altho I still didn't have as much time as I wanted for visiting the other A to Z bloggers.

Here's a list of the blogs I enjoyed the most for this challenge:

KD James wrote a 40,000 word story, and it's awesome

John Frain wrote amazing 6-sentence stories

Colin Smith wrote 100-word flash stories based on Paul McCartney songs

Julie Weathers wrote information on the Civil War and included excerpts of her novel-in-progress

Kate Larkindale with New Zealand Films

K.Ridwyn with Lessons from God's Metaphors, complete with needlework

EM Goldsmith with Musings and Short Stories

Life in Dogs wrote on the A to Z of Dog Rescue

Insecure Writer's Support Group wrote on Writing Resources

Stats from my own blog:

Letters with more than 50 views:
B, E, F, G, N

Countries with the most views:
USA, Russia, Australia

Themes:
2015  Legal Definitions
2016  Military Definitions
2017  ??  [If you have a suggestion, please post it in the comments]

Thank you all for visiting, and congratulations to all my fellow A to Z Challenge bloggers!



Monday, May 2, 2016

A pause to rest


The AtoZ Challenge for the month of April is over!  I hope you enjoyed reading my military definitions.

Congrats to all of my AtoZ co-laborers.  We made it!

My AtoZ Reflections will be posted on Monday May 9.

This blog will resume its regularly scheduled programming on May 16.

Thanks for your patience.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Military Definitions - Z

A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS.


Z – Zulu
morse code – dash dash dot dot


Zero point - the location of the center of a nuclear detonation. The zero point may be in the air, or on or beneath the surface of land or water, depending on the type of burst.  Thus dit is distinguished from ground zero, which is the point on the surface of the earth either at, below, or above the nuclear detonation.

Zulu time – also called universal time and Greenwich Mean Time.  For current Zulu time - click here 

Thank you for sharing this AtoZ Blogging Challenge with me and for reading my blog.

And for all of you also participating this year in AtoZ Blogging Challenge, CONGRATULATIONS for finishing!
  
We are all entitled to a nap =)

Friday, April 29, 2016

Military Definitions - Y

A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS. 


Y – Yankee
morse code – dash dot dash dash


Yaw — the rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis.

Yeoman - an enlisted person within the US Navy who performs administrative and clerical work - protocol, naval instructions, enlisted evaluations, commissioned officer fitness reports, naval messages, visitors, telephone calls and mail. They organize files, operate office equipment, order and distribute office supplies, type letters, notices, directives, forms and reports.
 

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Military Definitions - X

A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS.


X – Xray
morse code – dash dot dot dash


[I'm cheating a little on this one.  I found no interesting X so I'm using EX]

Exercise — a military maneuver or simulated wartime operation involving planning, preparation, and execution, for the purpose of training and evaluation.

Exfiltration — the removal of personnel from areas under enemy control by stealth, deception, surprise, or clandestine means.

Expedition — a military operation conducted by an armed force to accomplish a specific objective in a foreign country.

Explosive ordnance disposal — the detection, identification, evaluation, rendering safe, recovery, and final disposal of unexploded explosive ordnance.  Also called EOD.  At one point my son applied for this job.  Mommy was NOT happy.

Extra Military Instruction - EMI. A supposed learning opportunity for a serviceman to better learn some military instruction. Usually a non-judicial punishment consisting of some menial task like running in place with arms outstretched from the chest while holding a rifle (Army) or changing into every uniform once an hour for inspection (a "Fashion Show") (Navy).

 

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Military Definitions - W

A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS.


W – Whiskey
morse code – dot dash dash


War - sustained use of armed force between nations or organized groups within a nation.  A series of connected battles and campaigns to achieve vital national objectives. War may be limited, or it may be general with the total resources of a nation or nations employed and the national survival of a belligerent at stake.

War reserves — stocks of materiel accumulated in peacetime to meet the increase in military requirements upon an outbreak of war.

Weapons of mass destruction — weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or to destroy large numbers of people, including explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological weapons.
 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – WTF?

 

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Military Definitions - V

A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS.


V – Victor
morse code – dot dot dot dash


Valuable cargo — cargo which may be of value during a later stage of the war. Personally, I like to think my son is included in this definition.

Very high -  a height above fifty thousand feet.  Yep, that's very high.

Very low - a height below five hundred feet.  Doesn't seem that low to me, unless it refers to actually flying that low.

Veteran - a person who has served or is serving in the armed forces. Those veterans who have had direct exposure to military conflict may also be referred to as war veterans.

Voice in the Sky – military base announcements broadcast over speakers.

Voluntold – an assignment that is technically voluntary but understood to be mandatory. My son tells me frequently about his voluntold assignments.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Military Definitions - U

A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS.
U – Uniform
morse code – dot dot dash
Underwater demolition — the destruction of underwater obstacles such as mines.

Uniformed services — the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Public Health Services.

United States Armed Forces — used collectively to refer to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

Unlimited war — Not to be used. Use general war.  For some reason, I like that “unlimited war” is a term we aren't supposed to use.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Military Definitions - T

A to Z Blogging Challenge.  My topic is MILITARY DEFINITIONS.


T Tango
morse code - dash

Tare weight the weight of a container.  The gross weight [weight of the entire filled container] minus the tare weight [weight of the container itself] equals the net weight [weight of the contents].

Terrorism the intentional use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to cause fear; to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.

Treason betrayal of one's country.

Troops - a military sub-subunit.  Members of the military collectively, as in "the troops".

Tropical storm a tropical cyclone with a surface wind speed at least 34, but not more than 63 knots.