The Dead In Their Vaulted Arches - Alan Bradley

This was a wonderful addition to the story of Flavia de Luce. The child detective and chemist is growing up and this is the perfect book to transition her (and the series) to the next stage of her life. It concluded a lot of open ended questions from the first 5 books in the series and opened up Flavia's world to all sorts of new adventures. As always the writing is fantastic and the story a page turner that I couldn't bear to put down. A fantastic addition to any library.   (See here for my review of the first part of the series)

Sex, Lies and Online Dating - Rachel Gibson

one sentence summary
A romance author doing research for her upcoming novel sets up an internet date with an undercover cop looking for a serial killer... sparks fly

review
This was a cute read, the main characters were all likeable (if not totally believable) and the story kept a good pace so was easy to jump back into for short bouts (I read it on my lunch breaks). Apparently this is book 1 in  a series and it was well written enough that I will pick up the other books in the series and give them a go at some point. I recommend this for people looking for a romantic pick me up.

7/10

A Simple Winter - Rosalind Lauer

one sentence summary
an outsider falls in love with an Amish man and his family.

review
Really well written, with a setting that makes you want to give up all the modern day conveniences, characters you want to befriend and a story line that, though predictable, draws you in and takes you on a journey. Every single character, no mater how short their time in the story, became a distinct and drawn out person (I have no idea how Lauer pulled it off). The romance really bites into you and you can't pull yourself back out of it, you just have to ride with it until the final choices are made. It is a great book, perfect for a snowy afternoon.

8/10

Wit's End - Karen Joy Fowler

one sentence summary:
everything has gone wrong in Rima's life and she has moved into her eccentric godmother's house.

review
the writing was good but the story was fragmented, there were entire side stories that could have (and probably should have) been removed by the editor. The characters all felt only half developed but they all had much potential, I guess it felt rushed, like if only Fowler had taken a bit more time with it it could have been fantastic. The plot was great and the ideas were all really well plotted out.To me it feels like she had an idea playing in her head for years and then her publisher put her on a way to short time line to finish it. Still good enough I don't regret reading it

5/10

Fangland - John Marks

one sentence summary
 A reporter travels to Transylvania following a story and disappears, her source shows up in New York and strange things start happening.

review
This is a well written story with an original idea pushing it. The characters are well developed and deal with the situations they are thrown into in a realistic way, which is nice. The dialogue is a bit stilted from time to time and the action is a bit off (but I can't quite put my finger on why). All in all it is a moderately well done modern Dracula story.

7/10

Grim Reaper: End of Days - Steve Alten

one sentence summary:
Injured war vet has to save the world, or at least his family.

review:
Fast paced this novel starts of fast and gains momentum as it goes along. With the right mix of point of view characters you get to see everyone perspective, from the crazy person who starts the end to the people trying to stop it from different angles. The writing is well executed and the plot is well thought out. All in all for a suspenseful thriller I would call this one a success.

7/10

Out of Body (Court of Angels) - Stella Cameron

one sentence summary:
a psychic woman from a family of people with "special abilities" falls in love while helping solve a serial killers killing spree.

review:
written to the typical standards of trashy romance stories, this is a good one. The characters are all lovable, especially the back ground characters (you can tell who Stella Cameron is going to focus on in the sequels). The writing is not great but there are no grammatical errors so it did have a better than average editor. I recommend it for plane or train reading.

6/10 

Blood Lite - ed. Kevin J Anderson

one sentence summary
a collection of short, often witty, paranormal stories.

review
these stories range in quality from "why the hell did I waste my time reading that" to "wow, listen to this..." with the majority being in the first category. I was disappointed by most of the stories but Butcher's was really good and Snell's was interesting (if not particularly well executed) but that was pretty much it for good writing. The more I know the author the more disappointed I was in their story.

2/10

Next - Michael Chricton

One Sentence Summary:
 in an era of genetic manipulation what happens to the "miraculously" cured?

review:
I thought this was a hilarious, over the top look at a genre I enjoy, near-future sci-fi. An eccentric wealthy evil scientist sends a bounty hunter matching all the stereotypes after a humble scientist you cured his own disease by testing on himself, there is also an intelligent talking parrot.  And the list or over the top tropes goes on and on. That said there is truth in stereotypes and the corporations portrayed in the novel make you think and become a bit paranoid. If you enjoy sci-fi and have the ability to see the humour in over the top characterizations I recommend this for you. This received mixed reviews both from the bloggers and the pros.

7/10

Bleak House - Charles Dickens

one sentence summary:
Possibly the best look at Victorian England a modern reader can take.

review:
like all of Dickens work (god, I am starting to feel like a parrot with this string of reviews on the classics), the characters are all brilliantly developed, the plot is clever and the prose and language alone make it worth reading. I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a wonderful novel with beautiful language unlike anything that is written now a days.

7/10

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

one sentence summary:
a little girl finds an alternate world that is exactly like her own, but is completely different.

review:
A really well written story with a strong, independent female protagonist aimed at kids old enough to know the difference between reality and make believe. I can guarantee I will be reading this to my niece and grandniece given the opportunity. Gaiman does a fantastic job of describing the world through the eyes of a child. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially young girls who feel misunderstood by the world.

8/10

The Ali Reynolds Series - J A Jance

one sentence summary:
Ali Reynolds was a reporter, now she investigates the murders/mysteries she keeps finding herself at the centre of.

review:
This series is well written, highly entertaining, easy reads. Ali is a really awesome protagonist and she is much more realistic than most female mystery solvers. The writing is fast and you will not be bored when you are reading it. I recommend this to anyone who likes mystery series with a dash of romance ( a very small dash ).

6/10

Catherine Ling Series - Iris Johansen

one sentence summary:
In a spin off from the Eve Duncan Series we are introduced to Catherine Ling, she is a trained assassin, raised on the streets and recruited by the CIA.

review:
Johansen has created another strong female protagonist that you can't help but enjoy reading about. The first novel is a true cross over, counting as both book one in this new series and a book in the Eve Duncan series as well. easy to get into action adventure stories with just a dash of mystery and family drama. I recommend these for beach/plane reading.

6/10

Krewe of Hunters Series - Heather Graham

one sentence summary:
The government has allowed the leading expert in paranormal investigations to pull together his own rag tag crew of agents, all of whom see the world a little differently.

review:
Heather Graham will never win a Pulitzer but she will make a ton of money if she keeps writing like this. All easy reads full of adventure, intrigue and romance. Great beach reading. You could read one as a stand alone or the series in order, the back story from each previous book isn't necessary but it is neat to see characters reappear occasionally. I enjoyed this series.

6/10
8/10

 

House Rules - Jodi Picoult

*post #2 for today, just so you don't think everything by Picoult is awful*

One Sentence Summary:
The next Sherlock Holmes is a boy with Asperger Syndrome, or is he the next Moriarty... (dun dun duuuun)

Review:
This was a well written look at the world with a teenage boy with Asperger's as our central focus. Picoult did a brilliant job of putting an autistic child at the forefront without it becoming too much of a gimmick, she makes it clear just what kind of an impact a special needs child has on his whole family and the community around them. A lot of the plot is implausible and ridiculous but if you can ignore that it is a really interesting study of a struggling family. I did not approve of the debate about vaccination that was threaded through the novel. VACCINATE YOUR KIDS! I recommend this if you enjoy family dramas / soap operas.

7/10

The Frankenstein Series - Dean Koontz

one sentence summary:
What if the story of Frankenstein was true, a man was really created hundreds of years ago, and survived.

review:
This series has an interesting premise which is what made me pick up the second book (which was the best of the three) but the writing is mostly lack lustre. Most for the characters rely heavily on stereotype and, for an author who has written as much crime as Koontz, to procedural bits were truly awful. the core characters are all well developed though. The dialogues are really the strongest aspect of the series, and the interactions between the character are really well thought out plot devices, apparently this project was started as a tv script, and from the writing that makes sense. Light on the descriptive prose (and what is there feels out of place) but well thought out on the character interactions. I am not sure I would actually recommend this series but it is entertaining enough.

6/10
I have only read the first three books in the series and am not sure I will ever continue with the series.

Eve Duncan Series - Iris Johansen

one sentence summary:
Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor she gives faces to forgotten bones.
review:
This is a decently written entertaining series. Eve Duncan, the protagonist is a very strong character but there are many other notable ones as well. Some of the books Even takes centre stage and in others she doesn't and that is what makes the series so interesting. The writing and settings are pretty standard for the genre, the plot of each novel is interesting as a stand alone with an over arching mystery covering much of the series. Well worth the read if you like that sort of thing.
6/10

Check out: Tami Hoag, J A Jance, Lisa Gardner 

Lincoln Rhyme Series - Jeffery Deaver

one sentence summary:
an interesting take on the cop drama, one partner a paraplegic the other on the trail of the criminals

Review:
Well written (for this genre) with an interesting idea at the core of it all. Strong characters create really rather interesting situations and interpersonal issues that add a lot to the typical crime solving suspense. Each novel seems to have a plot twist that is actually a twist. You relate to the protagonists and really worry for them in dangerous situations. I recommend these to anyone who really enjoys suspense type stories.

6/10
*i have only read the first 5 books in this series, in fact i didn't know there were more.*

if you enjoyed this series check out James Patterson, Lisa Gardner, Michael Connelly and the like

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

one sentence summary;
there was a lot of death during WWII

review:
This is a beautifully written, terribly depressing story. This is geared to young adults, but I would say adults might get more out of it. A fascinating look at WWII told by an ingenious narrator showing us a side of the war we don't often see. I highly recommend this book to everyone, keeping in mind that it is not a quick read.

8/10