I absolutely LOVE the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. My best friend got me started on the series by giving me the first book, "One For The Money", several years ago and I've been hooked ever since. My latest Stephanie Plum read was my 14th book of the year, "High Five", you guessed it, the fifth in the series. I'm pretty sure this one was my favorite so far. All of the books have made me laugh, but this one was especially funny.
Stephanie is on the case of her missing uncle, assigned by her mother and grandmother. Of course, she gets into her usual trouble (How many cars have blown up now? I lose track.) and has her usual romantic issues with Morelli. Finally in "High Five" things get a little hotter between her and Ranger. I've been waiting for this for four books now!! The cliff-hanger at the end was groan-inducing for me: who does she invite over for a night of passion? Morelli? Ranger? Someone new? I can't wait to get my hands on number six to find out!
A couple of scenes that had me cracking up were Grandma Mazur testing Stephanie's stun gun and Stephanie and Lula trying to apprehend a particularly feisty "Failure to Appear." If that doesn't tempt you, I don't know what will!
In light of the fact that a Stephanie Plum movie is in the works, I recommend starting this series before the movie comes out if you haven't already. In my opinion, movies are usually lacking something that the book had. I'm anxious to see who will be playing Ranger and Lula in the movie, because they are the characters that I have the clearest picture of in my mind. I plan on watching the movie as soon as it comes out and hope they do the books justice.
Book #14 for the year was a blast! How is your reading going for the year?
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Romance Is In The Air with Book #13
The book I read right before leaving for vacation was "Manhunt" by Janet Evanovich. I don't typically read romance novels, but this was a gift from a friend who knows I enjoy Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I have put off reading it, but I needed a quick, light read to squeeze in before I went on vacation. This was the perfect choice.
**********SPOILER ALERT**********
Like most romance novels, the plot was pretty predictable. Alexandra (Alex) Scott moves to Alaska to find a husband. Her new neighbor is the hunky Michael Casey (Casey). They are attracted to each other, don't want to fall for each other, then, before you know it, they're in love. No surprises here.
The author was very vague in the descriptions of the sex scenes, so no need to worry about reading semi-porn with this book. It was fun and fast to read. As long as you realize what you're in for with this book, it's pretty good. In fact, I think I'll pick up some of her other romance novels to have on hand when I need a little break from some of my more intense reads.
**********SPOILER ALERT**********
Like most romance novels, the plot was pretty predictable. Alexandra (Alex) Scott moves to Alaska to find a husband. Her new neighbor is the hunky Michael Casey (Casey). They are attracted to each other, don't want to fall for each other, then, before you know it, they're in love. No surprises here.
The author was very vague in the descriptions of the sex scenes, so no need to worry about reading semi-porn with this book. It was fun and fast to read. As long as you realize what you're in for with this book, it's pretty good. In fact, I think I'll pick up some of her other romance novels to have on hand when I need a little break from some of my more intense reads.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Book #12: A Not-So-Cuddly Pet
My twelfth book of 2010 was "Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me" by Jenny Gardiner. The title of this book is a little misleading, though. Although there are several chapters that focus on Graycie, the African Gray parrot that the Gardiner family lives with, this book is really about Jenny Gardiner's entire family and the ups and downs that come along with three kids and more than a handful of pets.
There are many stories told-some funny, some touching-most of which make me think this woman is a glutton for punishment! She and her family seem to take everything in stride though. She never takes her commitments lightly and she is able to admit her mistakes, sometimes wondering if she has added to the problems unintentionally.
The book was a quick, light read that I found quite enjoyable. I'm not a person who would ever own a bird (they kind of freak me out) but it was interesting to observe this creature from the outside. Even if you're not a "bird person", this is a fun book to read. Big thanks once again to my Twitter friends @BlueberryCat and @KayakGal for sending me this book!
There are many stories told-some funny, some touching-most of which make me think this woman is a glutton for punishment! She and her family seem to take everything in stride though. She never takes her commitments lightly and she is able to admit her mistakes, sometimes wondering if she has added to the problems unintentionally.
The book was a quick, light read that I found quite enjoyable. I'm not a person who would ever own a bird (they kind of freak me out) but it was interesting to observe this creature from the outside. Even if you're not a "bird person", this is a fun book to read. Big thanks once again to my Twitter friends @BlueberryCat and @KayakGal for sending me this book!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Very Useful Travel Guide
My eleventh book for the year was a travel guide for an upcoming trip. The book is "Boston" from Eyewitness Travel with the main contributors being Tom Bross, Patricia Harris and David Lyon.
This was a very different travel guide than what I am used to reading. I buy a new one before every trip we take to Boston, hoping to find some gem inside that we have yet to discover. This book gave me several new ideas, plus a great layout that was easy to read and understand where everything is located.
First off, this was a very visual book. It is color-coded by area of town, with the city broken down into five sections. Each section has a short blurb about it, then is followed by a street-by-street guide. This section has an illustration of an interesting part of that section, complete with streets, buildings and landmarks. Following that is a listing of sights in that section of town. This includes information about the sights, location, nearby public transportation, hours and web addresses where applicable. Also, the major sights have dedicated pages with detailed illustrations and points of interest within the sights themselves. There is a section titled "Farther Afield" that does the same thing for towns outside of the city of Boston, but within a reasonable distance that you could visit while vacationing in Boston.
There is a section that describes three possible walks you can take in the Boston area. One of these walks is along the Freedom Trail, which is generally covered in Boston travel guides. There are two other walks described that are different from anything I have read about or done while I was in Boston. One is a walk on the MIT Campus and the other is a walk in South Boston. All of the walks are mapped out with important sights pointed out that you can visit along the way.
There are, of course, sections that briefly cover Boston's history and that give basic travel information. The "Travelers' Needs" section was quite helpful for me. It lists hotels, shopping and entertainment activities as you would expect. The list of restaurants was particularly good, I thought. There were several places listed (by section) that I have not been to that I have made note of to try when I am there. The descriptions are very thorough, yet succinct.
At the end of the book is a "Survival Guide" which seems to be directed toward foreign visitors. It covers health care, safety, currency and communications.
I felt that this book and its visual qualities would be more helpful to me than other travel guides. In fact, while reading it I discovered that in one particular part of town my directions have always been turned around. It is also thinner than other guides I have purchased in the past and the pages, instead of being paper, have a laminated feel to them, making the book better to stuff in a bag while I'm on the go.
I will definitely be taking this book with me on my trip and using it throughout my stay.
This was a very different travel guide than what I am used to reading. I buy a new one before every trip we take to Boston, hoping to find some gem inside that we have yet to discover. This book gave me several new ideas, plus a great layout that was easy to read and understand where everything is located.
First off, this was a very visual book. It is color-coded by area of town, with the city broken down into five sections. Each section has a short blurb about it, then is followed by a street-by-street guide. This section has an illustration of an interesting part of that section, complete with streets, buildings and landmarks. Following that is a listing of sights in that section of town. This includes information about the sights, location, nearby public transportation, hours and web addresses where applicable. Also, the major sights have dedicated pages with detailed illustrations and points of interest within the sights themselves. There is a section titled "Farther Afield" that does the same thing for towns outside of the city of Boston, but within a reasonable distance that you could visit while vacationing in Boston.
There is a section that describes three possible walks you can take in the Boston area. One of these walks is along the Freedom Trail, which is generally covered in Boston travel guides. There are two other walks described that are different from anything I have read about or done while I was in Boston. One is a walk on the MIT Campus and the other is a walk in South Boston. All of the walks are mapped out with important sights pointed out that you can visit along the way.
There are, of course, sections that briefly cover Boston's history and that give basic travel information. The "Travelers' Needs" section was quite helpful for me. It lists hotels, shopping and entertainment activities as you would expect. The list of restaurants was particularly good, I thought. There were several places listed (by section) that I have not been to that I have made note of to try when I am there. The descriptions are very thorough, yet succinct.
At the end of the book is a "Survival Guide" which seems to be directed toward foreign visitors. It covers health care, safety, currency and communications.
I felt that this book and its visual qualities would be more helpful to me than other travel guides. In fact, while reading it I discovered that in one particular part of town my directions have always been turned around. It is also thinner than other guides I have purchased in the past and the pages, instead of being paper, have a laminated feel to them, making the book better to stuff in a bag while I'm on the go.
I will definitely be taking this book with me on my trip and using it throughout my stay.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Something More Scientific
My tenth book of the year was "Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior" by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson. This was a book sent to me by my Twitter friend @BlueberryCat, who knows I am an animal lover.
"Animals in Translation" looks at the similarities between animals and autistic people. Temple Grandin is able to give examples of how her life with autism parallels certain animal behavior. She has many interesting theories based on her observances, however I'm not sure if I can completely believe in everything she says until studies have been conducted backing her up. She has clearly done extensive research in the field of animal behavior and has had much success. She has worked with other scientists and the book has a very thorough bibliography. There are also footnotes throughout the book citing her various sources. I believe her to be very well educated and think that even if some of her theories prove to be wrong, the time she puts into study of them will be quite beneficial.
One thing I must note about the book is that even though there is a co-author, Catherine Johnson, the book seems very much to be written with Temple Grandin's voice. That being said, it can be very "staccato". Also, she can go from using very technical, scientific terms right to using elementary phrases to describe an animal or its behavior. I found this to be a bit jarring as I was reading; it seemed to interrupt the flow of the text when it happened.
The book focuses primarily on livestock rather than house pets, so be aware of that if you are hoping for some insight regarding your kitty cat. That is not where the author's specialty lies and she doesn't try to pretend that it does. I did take exception to her discussion of certain types of dog breeds. I think she focused a bit much on Rottweilers, among others, and their "aggressive nature". I am a big believer that most of the time, with the proper training, these breeds of dogs can be trusted completely. This is where she and I disagree.
It took me quite a long while to finish this book. It was slow reading and could be quite repetitive. I also felt at times she went off on tangents by telling a story that didn't quite pertain at the moment. I had been wanting to read Temple Grandin's books because I find her to be very fascinating. This was the first one I read and will not be the last. However, I will go into the next one understanding that there will be little entertainment value and I may have to struggle through it like I did this one.
"Animals in Translation" looks at the similarities between animals and autistic people. Temple Grandin is able to give examples of how her life with autism parallels certain animal behavior. She has many interesting theories based on her observances, however I'm not sure if I can completely believe in everything she says until studies have been conducted backing her up. She has clearly done extensive research in the field of animal behavior and has had much success. She has worked with other scientists and the book has a very thorough bibliography. There are also footnotes throughout the book citing her various sources. I believe her to be very well educated and think that even if some of her theories prove to be wrong, the time she puts into study of them will be quite beneficial.
One thing I must note about the book is that even though there is a co-author, Catherine Johnson, the book seems very much to be written with Temple Grandin's voice. That being said, it can be very "staccato". Also, she can go from using very technical, scientific terms right to using elementary phrases to describe an animal or its behavior. I found this to be a bit jarring as I was reading; it seemed to interrupt the flow of the text when it happened.
The book focuses primarily on livestock rather than house pets, so be aware of that if you are hoping for some insight regarding your kitty cat. That is not where the author's specialty lies and she doesn't try to pretend that it does. I did take exception to her discussion of certain types of dog breeds. I think she focused a bit much on Rottweilers, among others, and their "aggressive nature". I am a big believer that most of the time, with the proper training, these breeds of dogs can be trusted completely. This is where she and I disagree.
It took me quite a long while to finish this book. It was slow reading and could be quite repetitive. I also felt at times she went off on tangents by telling a story that didn't quite pertain at the moment. I had been wanting to read Temple Grandin's books because I find her to be very fascinating. This was the first one I read and will not be the last. However, I will go into the next one understanding that there will be little entertainment value and I may have to struggle through it like I did this one.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Catwalk: A Feline Odyssey-Book #9 for 2010
This was another book that I read as part of the book club I am part of on Facebook. I must say, it was infinitely better than the other one I read! I enjoyed reading it and looked forward to continuing the story every time I had to put it down.
It is "Catwalk: A Feline Odyssey" by Kathie Freeman. The book is her first published work and had been the book I voted for every month since joining the club. It is a story about a cat who wanders around, moving from home to homeless and back to home again. We see the cat go through many changes as she grows and matures. She receives several different names from the numerous people she encounters along the way and always appreciates the kindness bestowed upon her.
The book is self-published by the author, but don't let that turn you off. Although you may find errors in the printing and the cover is a little plain, it is a wonderful story and well worth picking up. I hope that Ms. Freeman continues to write because she seems to be an expert story teller.
I highly recommend this book to young adults and cat lovers. It was a pleasant reminder that unknown authors deserve to be noticed. Give this book a chance and spread the word, I think you'll be glad you did!
It is "Catwalk: A Feline Odyssey" by Kathie Freeman. The book is her first published work and had been the book I voted for every month since joining the club. It is a story about a cat who wanders around, moving from home to homeless and back to home again. We see the cat go through many changes as she grows and matures. She receives several different names from the numerous people she encounters along the way and always appreciates the kindness bestowed upon her.
The book is self-published by the author, but don't let that turn you off. Although you may find errors in the printing and the cover is a little plain, it is a wonderful story and well worth picking up. I hope that Ms. Freeman continues to write because she seems to be an expert story teller.
I highly recommend this book to young adults and cat lovers. It was a pleasant reminder that unknown authors deserve to be noticed. Give this book a chance and spread the word, I think you'll be glad you did!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Magical, Idiotic 2004 Red Sox Season
Book number 8 was "Now I Can Die In Peace: How ESPN's Sports Guy Found Salvation, With a Little Help From Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank and the 2004 Red Sox" by Bill Simmons. This book is a reprinting of articles the author wrote, with the addition of footnotes that sometimes explain a reference or express his feelings about writing a particular segment. It was worth reading for two reasons: 1) It's about the Boston Red Sox winning their first World Series after an 86 year drought in 2004 and 2)It's incredibly humorous.
If you're a Red Sox fan, you know the story of 2004 and what led up to it. The book goes back over the details starting in October 1998. It was fun to look back and remember the instances Bill Simmons is writing about. It felt wonderful to remember Pedro as the guy that was a guaranteed win, Nomar as the guy you could count on to hit and El Guapo for being known as El Guapo. It was reassuring to read that I wasn't the only person who called Everett "Crazy Carl" or that I thought no city Clemens played for really respected him after he turned his back on them. It's also great to read about the things I didn't know about or couldn't understand since I'm a long-distance Red Sox fan and don't get the daily barrage of the Boston media scene.
The humor is not just in how Mr. Simmons writes about the team, but the references he adds to his articles. He mentions Rocky IV, the New England Patriots, old Italian superstitions, and of course, Shawshank Redemption. And it makes complete sense when he does it!
He is also able to capture the pain of being a Red Sox fan. He describes the heart-wrenching 1986 World Series from the perspective of a kid. He brought back painful memories of Game Seven of the 2003 ALCS. For me, it was like it was happening all over again: How could Grady leave Pedro in there?? Then the Aaron Boone homerun off of Wakefield. It played in my mind so easily as I read about it and it hurt just as much as it did back then.
Mr. Simmons is definitely a regular "sports guy" and it creates a natural connection with the reader. It was like he was talking to me, telling me the stories of how everything happened and how he felt about it as it occurred. I never felt talked down to or that he was claiming to be an "expert". He is simple a fan, just like me.
If you're a Red Sox fan, you know the story of 2004 and what led up to it. The book goes back over the details starting in October 1998. It was fun to look back and remember the instances Bill Simmons is writing about. It felt wonderful to remember Pedro as the guy that was a guaranteed win, Nomar as the guy you could count on to hit and El Guapo for being known as El Guapo. It was reassuring to read that I wasn't the only person who called Everett "Crazy Carl" or that I thought no city Clemens played for really respected him after he turned his back on them. It's also great to read about the things I didn't know about or couldn't understand since I'm a long-distance Red Sox fan and don't get the daily barrage of the Boston media scene.
The humor is not just in how Mr. Simmons writes about the team, but the references he adds to his articles. He mentions Rocky IV, the New England Patriots, old Italian superstitions, and of course, Shawshank Redemption. And it makes complete sense when he does it!
He is also able to capture the pain of being a Red Sox fan. He describes the heart-wrenching 1986 World Series from the perspective of a kid. He brought back painful memories of Game Seven of the 2003 ALCS. For me, it was like it was happening all over again: How could Grady leave Pedro in there?? Then the Aaron Boone homerun off of Wakefield. It played in my mind so easily as I read about it and it hurt just as much as it did back then.
Mr. Simmons is definitely a regular "sports guy" and it creates a natural connection with the reader. It was like he was talking to me, telling me the stories of how everything happened and how he felt about it as it occurred. I never felt talked down to or that he was claiming to be an "expert". He is simple a fan, just like me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)