September #5 - STITCHES

Title: Stitches

Author: David Small

Publisher: Norton & Co.

Copyright: 2009

ISBN: 978-0-393-06857-3

Type of book: Biographical graphic novel

Setting: Detroit, MI

1st Sentence:

I was six.

Comments: A biographical account of the author's off-kilter upbringing.

Why I chose this book: I don't read enough graphic novels because they bore me but every once in awhile, I come across a book that just needs to be reviewed.

Why I read it to the end: To finish it.

My rating: 3/5

September #4 - WICKED APPETITE

Title: Wicked appetite

Author: Janet Evanovich

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-312-65291-3

Type of book: Mystery

Setting: Salem, Massachusetts

1st Sentence:

My name is Elizabeth Tucker.

Comments: This is kind of a spin off of Evanovich's between the numbers series with Diesel. In this book, Diesel pairs up with Betsy to find four charms that make up one of the seven stones of power, each said to represent one each of the seven deadly sins.

Why I chose this book: Even though it's not a Stephanie Plum book, I have read every published Evanovich book.

Why I read it to the end: Nothing better to do. I still prefer the Stephanie Plum books but I think this series has potential for a fun gateway while waiting for the next Stephanie/Joe/Ranger book.

My rating: 3/5

September #3 - NEVER WAVE GOODBYE

/>

Title: Never wave goodbye

Author: Doug Magee

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4391-5398-7

Type of book: Suspense

Setting: Pelham, NY

1st Sentence:

It wasn't a routine event, something so normal and habitual that she was lulled to sleep by dozens of previous repetitions.

Comments: Sarah was on her way to camp for two weeks and Lena had just put her on the van. Thirty minutes later the real van came to pick up her daughter and the nightmare begins. This is author Doug Magee's first book.

Why I chose this book: Just because it sounded good.

Why I read it to the end: To see if I was right about the kidnapper.

Who I would recommend this book to: Fans of Mary Higgins Clark and Lisa Gardner.

My rating: 3.5/5

September #2 - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Title: Neighborhood watch

Author: Cammie McGovern

Publisher: Viking

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-670-02203-8

Type of book: Suspense

Setting: Milford, CT

1st Sentence:

Violence in the suburbs is not accompanied by the sounds we associate it within the cities.

Comments: Betsy Treading is released after serving twelve years in prison for murder. DNA proved she didn't do it. Freedom, however, is a harsh reality for her. Although exonerated, she is not completely trusted, so she sets out to solve the case and find the real killer.

Why I chose this book: Because Betsy was a librarian.

Why I read it to the end: It held my attention to the end. I found it quick paced and I would certainly look for other books by this author.

My rating: 3.75/5

September 2010 #1 - THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Title: The girl with the dragon tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson

Publisher: Vintage Books

Copyright: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-307-45454-6

Type of book: Scandinavian mystery

Setting: Hedestad, Sweden

1st Sentence:

Prologue
A Friday in November it happened every year, was almost a ritual.

Comments: #1 in a trilogy by Swedish author, now deceased. It made a huge splash on the charts, although I'm really not sure why, IMO. Blomkvist is hired by Henrick Vanger to find his niece Harriet who went missing forty years prior with the help of Lisbeth Salander, a tattooed hacker.
I thought it was quite graphic in parts, and much too wordy. My assistant loved the entire series and tore through them, I was more 'eh.' Different strokes and all that.

Why I chose this book: Because even two years after it was published, it was getting HUGE reviews and I felt like I should read it so that I could honestly talk about it with my patrons.

Why I read it to the end: I did end up liking Lisbeth, but not enough to continue reading the series. I do, however, want to see the movies.

To whom would I recommend this: People delving into the Scandinavian books who may not have read them.

My rating: 3.5/5

August #4 - THE EARTH, MY BUTT AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS

Title: The Earth, my butt and other big round things

Author: Carolyn Mackler

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Copyright: 2003

ISBN: 978-0-7636-1958-2

Type of book: YA

Setting: New York City & Walla Walla, WA

1st Sentence:

Froggy Welsh the Fourth is trying to get up my shirt.

Comments: Virginia is fifteen and fat with an inferiority complex. Of course it doesn't help that her very best friend is living 3000 miles away, her family is nuts and she just wants to French kiss. A cute story and relateable to anyone who is different or struggling with teen angst issues.

Why I chose this book: The title made me laugh.

Why I read it to the end: To see how the book resolved and find out if Virginia gets everything she wants.

My rating: 4/5

August #3 - A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY

Title: A bad day for pretty

Author: Sophie Littlefield

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-312-55975-5

Type of book: Mystery

Setting: Prosper, MO

1st Sentence:

Prologue
June 1966
Mama was already down in the cellar with Gracellen and Patches.

Comments: Stella Hardesty Rocks! That's all I got to say about that.

Why I chose this book: Because I loved the first book in the series. Stella Hardesty is such a refreshing and different from the mainstream character. Flawed even.

Why I read it to the end: I wanted to see what kind of trouble Stella got into. Littlefield is now writing YA books as well. I haven't checked any of them out yet, but plan to in the near future.

My favorite passage from the book (p. 93) that made me snort and chortle: She didn't have any particular ill feelings for Simmons, but it was clear that the woman wasn't all that smart if she'd missed out on the number one rule of getting on in the workplace: make friends from the bottom up.

My rating: 3.5/5

August #2 - PRIVATE

Title: Private

Author: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-316-09615-7

Type of book: Suspense

Setting: Los Angeles, CA

1st Sentence:

Prologue
"You're dead, Jack."

Comments: Jack Morgan owns and runs Private, an investigation company with branches in New York, LA, London and Paris. In this book, Jack is trying to find the killer of his best friend's wife, nail down an NFL gambling scandal and stay a step ahead of the mob. Apparently, there will be one book for each city Jack has an office in. I don't know if I'll read them all.

Why I chose this book: Because Patterson's books are quick to read and usually entertaining.

Why I read it to the end: It was short. I didn't really care much about the characters or the story but I could finish it quickly, so I did.

My rating: 2.5/5

August 2010 #1 - BROKEN

Title: Broken

Author: Karin Slaughter

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-385-34197-4

Type of book: Suspense

Setting: Grant County, Georgia

1st Sentence:

Allison Spooner wanted to leave town for the holiday, but there was nowhere to go.

Comments: Sara Linton has the GBI called in and Will is sent when an inmate in custody kills himself. Cover-ups and corruption litter this book. I really enjoy the crossovers with Will, Sara and Faith. This is the 2nd of the crossovers. And, I didn't expect the killer which doesn't happen often.

Why I chose this book: Because I've read everything by her.

Why I read it to the end: Because it was a good book; the pages kept turning. And I wanted to see if anything happened between Will and Sara.

My rating: 4/5

July #5 - LIVE TO TELL

Title: Live to tell

Author: Lisa Gardner

Publisher: Bantam Books

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-553-80724-0

Type of book: Suspense

Setting: Boston, MA

1st Sentence:

Danielle
I don't remember that night much anymore.

Comments: Told from multiple perspectives of three women who are all somehow related to the cases cropping up around town. Entire families are being annihilated. DD is the head detective, Victoria is the mother of Evan, a highly disturbed eight-year-old and Danielle is a psych nurse at the hospital's psych ward who has seen somebody from each of the families in question with secrets of her own.

Why I chose this book: Big surprise -- #4 in the DD Warren series.

Why I read it to the end: Yikes! Scary children in this one. Kept me flipping the pages.

My rating: 4/5