Archive for the ‘Fiction’ Category

I got this book two days after it’s release and was done in less than one. This is definitely one of those books that you can read over and over and still not get bored. It’s like a whole new adventure every time. I cant decide if I should label it a “girl book” or a “boy book” since the story seems to swing back and forth. There is a lot of weapons and fighting and at the same time [...]

Goldman, Goldman! I don’t think I have a seen a book that has got as many negative reviews as this one. The author does not only manage to offend a really large group of people by his supposedly sexist comments and get himself accused of plagiarism since most of the images in the book are copied from somewhere else, but he also makes the list of the top 100 people who are screwing up America. And yes, this is actually [...]

I decided to check out this book after hearing and seeing quite a number of people raving about it. Unfortunately I can’t really say I enjoyed it. If you like David Nicholls books then yes, you will most likely enjoy this one too. I felt it to be too depressing. It is written almost as if it is a screen play. The dialogue is crisp and the scenes are described so vividly you can almost see them. Throughout the book, [...]

Ordinarily I would pass on a book about America in the south in the 50’s and 60’s since I’ve already read so much about this period I feel like there is nothing I’ve not seen. But a friend of mine recommended this book and I have to admit it did surprise me. The story is about a young white woman in the early 1960s in Mississippi who becomes interested in the plight of the African / African America maids. She [...]

I found this book to be a solid sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in fact, I may have liked it ever better than the first. In this book we learn more about Salander. Skillfully exposed throughout the course of the novel, bits and pieces of her background appear until by the end a full picture has emerged. Some satisfying, some not so satisfying. A couple points easily guessed early on. She’s a fascinating character, and the parts [...]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a masterwork of fine craftsmanship. When I reached the final page I was disappointed that there was no more to read. I did not want the story to end. The characters are too intriguing for this to be the end. Apparently this was the first novel in a trilogy by the brilliant writer, Stieg Larsson, who unfortunately died in 2004: the book contains a tribute to him and his career. I cannot wait [...]

Tarquin Hall’s new “cozy”, is a great read for those interested in India, its people, and its customs. “Died Laughing” is Hall’s second mystery, and again features Vish Puri, a 50-something detective in Delhi who bills himself as India’s “Most Private Investigator”. He’s often called on by public officials to look into crimes, as well as investigating for private clients. Puri also has a large family; wife, children, mother, and siblings as well as a large cast of “operatives”, who [...]

This book begins with The protagonist Eric Shaw at a funeral watching with the family the DVD video that he created of the deceased’s life. He was trained as a film maker but has had issues with the people he worked with. When he has to take inderal and Xanax to get though the funeral you can figure that anxiety is one of his issues. After the funeral the sister of the deceased asks him to go to her father [...]

It has been a while since I’ve encountered a horror novel of such magnitude and scope, but Justin Cronin’s hefty tome “The Passage” seems poised to announce itself as the latest true “horror epic.” It’s about time too! Ambitious and thought-provoking, but filled with propulsive action and bloodshed, “The Passage” is the thinking person’s genre thrill ride. This massive book starts in the near future with a pretty unique combination of vampiric lore meshed with science gone awry. But Cronin, [...]

I dare you to read the prologue of this book without getting totally pulled in to the story. My heart was pounding by page 2, and I think my boss might want to have a talk with Mr. Hart because I went in to work a couple of mornings on very little sleep because I couldn’t put this book down until I got to the last word. Johnny Merrimon was once a happy child. He and his twin sister, Alyssa, [...]