May #5 - STUFFED

Title: Stuffed

Author: Eric Walters

Publisher: Orca Book Publishing

Copyright: 2006

ISBN: 978-1-55143-500-8

Type of book: YA

Setting: New York

1st Sentence:

The credits started rolling up the screen.

Comments:

15-year-old Ian Cheevers sends out a mass email to get people to boycott eating at a local fast food restaurant for just one day after watching a documentary called "STUFFED" about the chain in question. This book is about that and the ensuing results of that action.

To whom would I recommend this: Any tween looking for a book about choices and decisions, my green scene kids

My rating: 3/5

May #4 - ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER

Title: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Author: Seth Grahame-Smith

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-446-56308-6

Setting:Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Washington D.C

1st Sentence:

Facts
1. For over 250 years, between 1607 and 1865, vampires thrived in the shadows of America.

Comments:

So, this is the first book that I ever read that made me want to read more about our 16th President, or any President for that matter. And I looked up stuff as I went along. Most of the text is factual - except for the vampire hunting part. It chronicles the life of Abe Lincoln, from his early life, through the Civil War, his presidency and his assassination.

My rating: 5/5

May #3 - LISTEN

Title: Listen

Author: Rene Gutteridge

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4143-2433-3

Setting: Marlo

1st Sentence:

Prologue
Meredith sat quietly in the center of her room on the carpet that had been freshly steam cleaned for the party.

Comments:

A website pops up called Listen to Yourself and what is being posted is private conversations between Marlo residents. This has fights breaking out and is stirring up a lot of emotions. Damien writes for the newspaper and is in the middle. His best friend Frank is a police officer; he is too. This book was a quick read and for being classified as Christian Fiction, it wasn't too preachy until the very end.

To whom would I recommend this: Patrons looking for a clean mystery with a faith based story

My rating: 3.5/5

May #2 - this world we live in

Title: this world we live in

Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer

Publisher: Harcourt

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-547-24804-2

Series or stand-alone: #3

Setting: Howell, PA

1st Sentence:

April 25
I'm shivering, and I can't tell if it's because something strange is going on or because of the dream I had or just because I'm in the kitchen, away from the warmth of the woodstove.

Comments:

The characters of the first and second books meet in book 3 nearly a year after the moon is knocked closer to Earth and Miranda is trying to keep it together, despite her growing feelings for Alex.

My favorite line: Page 197
Librarians! Librarians always know how to find out things. That was their job before the Internet.

My rating: 4/5

May #1 - THE BLIND SIDE: EVOLUTION OF A GAME

Title: The blind side: Evolution of a game

Author: Michael Lewis

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.

Copyright: 2006

ISBN: 978-00-393-06123-9

Book type: Non-fiction

Setting: Memphis, TN

1st Sentence:

Back Story
From the snap of the ball to the snap of the first bone is closer to four seconds than to five.

Comments:

Of course the only reason I read this book was because I saw the movie and loved it! Football only holds my interest at playoffs and Super Bowl time. And the book was okay but I have to admit that I liked the movie better only because the book was filled with so much football stuff and there were times when my eyes would glaze over. I did, however, learn a whole lot more about the game, so that's a plus.

To whom would I recommend this: Football fans, readers of feel good stories who don't mind some sports stuff thrown in, people who rave about the movie
My rating: 4/5

April #5 - THE TIME OF MY LIFE

Title: The time of my life

Author: Patrick Swayze & Lisa Niemi

Publisher: Atria Books

Copyright: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4391-5858-6

Series or stand-alone: Memoir

Setting: California, New York

1st Sentence:

Prologue
In late December 2007, life was looking pretty good.

Comments:

This memoir was written by Patrick and his wife Lisa before his death, but it was published posthumously. Patrick Swayze led a really interesting life and I was surprised at a few of things that I read: He was a formally trained ballet dancer (working for the Harkness Ballet in New York City & Disney on Parade), he was a carpenter, he showed Arabian horses and had a ranch called Rancho Bizarro. He survived serious knee injuries from his football days, depression, trouble with alcohol, but in the end pancreatic cancer got him. He died September 14, 2009.

To whom would I recommend this:
Dirty Dancing fans, people who like to read autobiographies of stars
My rating: 3/5 - The story was interesting; the writing and editing could have been tighter.

April #4 - HOUSE RULES

Title: House rules

Author: Jodi Picoult

Publisher: Atria Books

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-7432-9643-4

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Setting: Townsend, VT

1st Sentence:

Case 1: Sleep tight
At first glance, she looked like a saint: Dorothea Puente rented out rooms to the elderly and disabled in Sacramento, California, in the 1980s.

Comments:

I loved it! Jacob has Asperger's syndrome and he's very much into forensic science. When his social skills coach disappears and is found dead, all clues point toward Jacob. But did he do it? This book, like many of Picoult's others, is written in multiple points of view.

To whom would I recommend this: People who enjoy fantastic family fiction.

My rating: 5/5

April #3 - HERO AT LARGE

Title: Hero at large

Author: Janet Evanovich

Publisher: Harper

Copyright: 1987, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-06-198594-2

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Setting: Fairfax, VA

1st Sentence:

Chris Nelson muttered an indiscernible oath and expelled a cloud of frost into the bone-chilling early-morning air.

Comments:

This is the last of her early romance re-releases. If you've read the last 11, you've read this one but with different characters. I so prefer the Stephanie Plum books to these, but I'll read anything Evanovich writes; I just won't necessarily pay for it (I'm a librarian, what do you expect?). She's found a forever fan in me.

To whom would I recommend this: Evanovich fans and fans of light romances.

My rating: 3/5

April #2 - THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN

Title: The Spellmans strike again

Author: Lisa Lutz

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4165-9340-9

Series or stand-alone: #4

Setting: San Francisco, CA

1st Sentence:

Prologue
Phone call from the edge #28
Morty: What's new, Izzele?

Comments:

Izzy's agreed to take over the family business and the family is as nuts as ever.

To whom would I recommend this: I recommend it to fans of Janet Evanovich. Some like them, some don't.

My rating: 3.5/5

April #1 - WORST CASE

I'm back. I make no promises. The two deaths in my family this year really took a toll on me and my priorities kind of shifted. This blog is still very important to me as I've been keeping it for five years now. However, once I got behind, it just didn't seem that important to catch up, you know. But, something clicked and I said that I had to so here I am. I will do my best to stay on top of it, but like I said, no promises. Thanks for hanging in.


Title: Worst Case

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.

Copyright: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-316-03622-1

Series or stand-alone: #3 in Mike Bennett Series

Setting: New York City, NY

1st Sentence:

The stocky man with the salt-and-pepper hair felt light-headed as he crossed beneath the marble arch into Washington Square Park.

Comments:

This book, I thought, was typical Patterson. Quick moving, 1-2 page chapters, not a lot of depth but enough action to keep me flipping the pages. I did however, have a patron who came in saying she was downright disgusted by this book and upset that Patterson would "stoop to this level". She was talking about the killing of kids, something that I don't have a problem with but apparently she was outraged. When Patterson's latest book came out I asked if she'd read it and she said, "Nope, and don't think I'm gonna." Did Patterson go to far? I don't know. I'll continue to read his books just because I need a little brain candy now and again.

To whom would I recommend this: Patterson fans, most of them anyways.
On a side note, it seems that I read so many books set in NY that I have a hard time finding a new link for the travel section up above, but I try.

My rating: 3/5