Recipe for Murder by Lisa Harris

Recipe for Murder by Lisa Harris


rating: 1 of 5 stars
If I had noticed that this was a Christian mystery novel, I never would have requested it from paperbackswap.com. But, as it stands, I didn't notice it and it's a shame. I don't mind a little bit of religion in novels, but I need for it to be VERY subtle. However, in this case, the author even mentions in her blurb that she sees writing as an extension of her ministry. For me, that is NOT a good thing. It was far too preachy for me and I just did not like the book. If you enjoy mysteries with a Christian theme, then you will likely love this book. If you don't enjoy that, then just steer clear and save yourself the trouble. I wish I hadn't read it. I hate leaving such a negative review for a book, but it can't be helped in this case. Sorry!

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

Vanishing Acts: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a beautifully written and crafted novel, but I did not find myself as drawn in as I should have. For some reason, I did not connect emotionally to most of the characters. However, it is such a well crafted novel that I still enjoyed myself and didn't have any trouble finishing it. There is a strong chance that I will read another novel by this author in the future, even though I did not LOVE this book like so many others.

Night of the Loving Dead by Casey Daniels

Night of the Loving Dead by Casey Daniels


rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow! I think this is my new favorite book in the series. I will admit that it was just a touch slow in the beginning and that I was worried that it wasn't going to live up to my expectations. Thankfully, I was very wrong! It quickly picked up and I soon found it difficult to put the book down. We finally get to learn a lot about Dan, which I really appreciated. I've been waiting for more of his story for way too long. :) Now I'm really looking forward to more in this series.

A TV Guide to Life by Jeff Alexander

A TV Guide to Life: How I Learned Everything I Needed to Know From Watching Television by Jeff Alexander



rating: 2 of 5 stars
I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. It wasn't bad, just not quite what I was expecting either. I've been a TWoP follower for a few years now, so I had an idea of what to expect from a writer on the site. Unfortunately, for me, the book didn't quite deliver as much as I was thought it would. It started off quite strong, but seemed to lose momentum as it progressed. There were a few laugh out loud moments though, so it definitely wasn't a total loss. I wanted to say that I loved it, but in truth, I thought it was okay. Not bad, but not great either. However, I feel the book was targeting an age range that is just a little older than I am, which could explain my slight disappointment. So if you were alive for more than just a few days of the 70's, you will likely enjoy this book more than I did. :)

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Extras by Scott Westerfeld


rating: 4 of 5 stars
First of all, I must confess how much I love this series overall. I find the series to be fast paced, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Tally's story in the first 3 installments really captured my imagination. However, I was just a little disappointed with this installment. My disappointment is really very minor. I think I had expectations about the book that worked against me. I expected that the main character would be from the same part of the world as Tally. I expected that Tally would play an important role or none at all. Of course, some of my expectations were exceeded as well. For example, I would expect a futuristic Japan to be extremely technologically advanced and the author had some interesting ideas on that. I really enjoyed that exploration. At the end of the day, here's what I think happened. The "trilogy" was extremely popular and people wanted more. So, the author finally gave in to pressure and expanded the series. He was smart and chose a new character's story to tell and found a way to keep established ideas and people in it as well. Brilliant, really. But, I wanted something either entirely different or very similar to the previous stories. I did not really want a mix of the two, which is what happened. I imagine 99% of the fan base will love that approach, but I was mildly disappointed with it. Oh well. I still liked the book a lot and I love the series enough to recommend it to young adults and older adults, as well. I am curious to see how others react to the book and what the author will do next.

Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett

rating: 4 of 5 stars
My biggest complaint about this book is that it ended very abruptly. I turned the last page fully expecting to see at least another paragraph or chapter, but that wasn't the case. Another small complaint is that I figured out who the bad guy was very early on and it was starting to get annoying that they weren't figuring it out in the book. But, overall, I really enjoyed it. I will definitely read the next book in the series, no doubt about it. I hope the characters evolve a little and that should make for a very good sequel. :)