Friday Morning Bookclub

October 13, 2011

Do You Remember “The Snakes”?

Filed under: James Patterson,Literary Tidbits — susanbright @ 9:21 am
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 It is all coming back to me. The reason I STOPPED reading James Patterson’s books! 

I read about Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series on one of the book blogs I follow.  It was actually listed under best mystery series, so I decided to do it right and start with the first book, Sworn To Silence. The Protagonist, Kate Burkholder grew up in a Amish family in the small town of Painters Mill, Ohio.  Unlike most of the people she grew up with, Kate chose to leave the Amish community, only to return years later as the new Chief of Police.

I popped in the first disk and began to listen. The prologue tells of a 21-year-old girl, arms bound, hoarse from screaming, lying naked on a cold concrete floor, waiting for “the monster’s return”.   I resisted the urge to turn it off. After all, it got such good reviews and I hadn’t even gotten to chapter one!  Next she started to talk about the knife the monster used on her, and then the electrical prod. I should have turned it off right then and there, but no, surely it would get better. One more disk, I told myself. At the beginning of disk 2, when  the coroner uttered the words “lubricated condom”, I pushed the stop button for good. I don’t care how good the mystery series was, it was not for me.

I was reminded of why I stopped reading James Patterson’s books so many years ago. There was a time when I couldn’t wait to read one of Patterson’s Alex Cross books. Then I read Kiss The Girls. Although it has to have been at least 15 years since I read that book, I will never forget the horrible snake scene.  I cannot believe that anyone who read Kiss The Girls, could ever forget that scene where a young women was tied up, sexually molested and tortured using snakes among other things.  I was haunted by that book for years. I avoided murder mysteries and turned to historical fiction, biographies and romances. Anything but gruesome murder mysteries.

James Patterson’s book, Kiss the Girls was a best seller and was made into a movie. Perhaps Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series is equally as good, but I for one am not about to find out! Do you remember the snake scene?

October 4, 2011

Ice Cold By Tess Gerritsen

Filed under: Audio books,Book Recomendations,Ice Cold — susanbright @ 11:51 am
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I have been in a mystery mood and have been listening to one after another. This time I picked up Ice Cold, a Rizzoli & Isles novel. Maura Isles is a Boston medical examiner and is in a  serious relationship with Daniel, who just happens to be a Catholic Priest. Although Maura is deeply in love with Daniel, she is tired of sneaking around and is constantly questioning whether their relationship has a future.

While attending a Medical Examiner’s conference in Wyoming, Maura is approached by Doug, an old college friend. Maura and Doug catch up over a casual dinner and when Doug invites her to join him, along with his 13-year-old daughter and another couple on a spur of the moment ski trip, Maura says yes. For once in her life she is going to be spontaneous and Maura leaves with the group without telling her  boy friend the Priest where she is going. After all, the last time she called him, he was too busy to talk to her as he was at a church meeting.

Equipped with a GPS and a map the group still managed to find themselves lost and stranded on a snow-covered road  with no cell phone service. Knowing that they had to find shelter or they will freeze they set out to find someplace to spend the night. How relieved they were to come upon Kingdom Come, a small village with twelve identical houses! The Village appeared to be abandoned and they were surprised to find the front door of the first house they approached unlocked.  Although there was no electricity, they were able to light a fire in the fireplace and there was ample food in the pantry.

While exploring the houses in the village, they begin to notice one strange thing after another. Why were all of the front doors unlocked and the windows open in the middle of winter? What would make a family leave their house so quickly that they would leave their dinners on the table and their pets alone to die? Who was the man in the framed picture which hung on a wall in every house and most of all, where did all the people go?

When Maura did not arrive home on her scheduled flight and Daniel realized that he had not talked to her in days, he was concerned and contacted her good friend Jane Rizzoli, a homicide detective. Something was terribly wrong. Together Daniel and Jane, along with Jane’s husband Gabriel Dean, a FBI agent  headed to Wyoming, determined to find out what had happened to their friend.

Ice Cold is the 8th book in the Rizzoli & Isles series. This action packed book was entertaining and full of twists and turns. Once I started listening to it, I was hooked! It was a great audio book and the Playaway made it so convenient that I was able to take it with me wherever I went   If you are looking for sheer entertainment check out Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles novels!

http://www.amazon.com/Rizzoli-and-Isles-Books/lm/R24IDYQ20VZYR9

I had no idea that Rizzili and Isles was also a tv series! Has anyone seen it? Is it as good as the books?

http://www.tnt.tv/series/rizzoliandisles/

October 1, 2011

Playaways Are The Best!

Filed under: Audio books,Literary Tidbits — susanbright @ 10:48 am
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I have been enjoying listening to audio books for a while now. In fact, I can’t bear to get in the car without one.  I never even turn on my car radio anymore. Now I am really in trouble! Someone introduced me to Playaways! These little contraptions, which are available at the public library are a great invention. Pop in a battery, plug in your own head phones and you are ready to go. They are so easy to use and do not go back to the beginning of the book every time you push stop (which is so frustrating!)  as so many of the portable CD players I have tried do.

 Now I can listen to my book all day long! I stick the Playaway which is smaller than my cell phone in my pocket and  I am hands free.  Yesterday, while preparing dinner, I listened to my book.  While making my bed and straightening up, I listened to my book. On the drive to the store, I listened to my book. I was tempted to take it in with me to the grocery store, but decided that perhaps that was going a little too far. It is bad enough when you see people walking around the grocery store, ear piece in place talking into their invisible phone. I can only imagine what people would think of me walking around the store wearing my little pink ear buds as I do my shopping.

I think I may be  out of control, but this story is just so exciting  that I don’t want to turn it off.   I sure wish that I had picked up a couple more Playaways!  There are so many good ones to choose from. You have got to give one a try!

http://library.playaway.com/

September 19, 2011

Room By Emma Donoghue

Filed under: Audio books,Book Recomendations,Room — susanbright @ 9:31 am
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Room was one of those books that I actually resisted reading for quite some time. I did not think that I wanted to read a book about a child  who was locked up in a 11 x 11 room. The thought was just too troublesome. When I saw the audio book sitting on the shelf in the library I decided to give it a try.This was an amazing audio  book and I question whether I would have felt the same had I been reading it.

 Room is told from 5-year-old Jack’s perspective. The story is read by four different people who did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life.  Jack’s mother had  been kidnapped by “old Nick” at the age of 19 and locked in the windowless room for the past 7 years.  Jack was born in the 11 x 11 Room and it was all that he knew.  Old Nick was the “bringer”. He brought food and took away the trash. At night, Ma would put Jack to sleep inside ‘wardrobe” so he could not see or be seen by Old Nick. Here he would lie awake waiting for the beep beep which would signal  that Old Nick had arrived. Each night he would listen to Old Nick climb into his mother’s bed and count the squeaks of the bed as well as the teeth in his mouth as he tried to fall asleep or as Jack would say “turn off”. The next morning Jack would wake up in Ma’s bed and Old Nick would be gone.

During the day Ma would keep Jack busy making toys out of toilet paper rolls or snakes out of egg shells. They would read the same books over and over again. Everyday they would climb on top of the table, beneath the sky light and scream as loud as they could. To Jack this was a game and he had no idea that they were being held captive and that his mother had never given up hope that someday they would be heard and rescued.

 Room was Jack’s whole world and he had no idea that there was anyone or anything outside of his world. Everything he saw on tv was pretend. Ice cream was pretend, after all he saw it on tv but had never tasted it. Ma was an amazing mother and tried her best to make a life for the two of them under these horrific circumstances until she realized that she was running out of time.

Once I started listening to this story, I did not want to stop. I did not find it upsetting as I had expected, instead I found it to be an intriguing read. Imagine never having seen the outside. never having seen the sun or the grass. Never having seen another child or tasted an ice cream cone.  Room was a thought-provoking story and would be  an excellent selection for any book  club. I recommend giving the audio book a try!

August 24, 2011

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt By Beth Hoffman

Filed under: Book Recomendations,Saving CeeCee Honeycutt,The Help — susanbright @ 2:30 pm
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 The other day I ran into the library to pick up an audio book. I was going to be doing a lot driving  so why not get a book in! I only had a few minutes so I headed directly to the new audio book section and looked for a familiar title. I thought that I had remembered reading something about  Saving CeeCee Honeycutt so without even reading the back, I grabbed it and proceeded to the self check out. I had no idea what it was about. I later realized that the book I was actually thinking of  was The Secret Life of Ceecee Wilkes, a very different book! At least I had the Ceecee part!  I am not sure if I would have picked this book had I known what it was about however it was a heart warming story. Laugh out loud funny at times and sad at others.

Twelve year old Cecilia Rose (CeeCee) is wise beyond her years.  Unfortunately her mother suffered from mental illness and it often fell upon CeeCee to take care of her. It was not unusual to spot CeeCee’s mothers parading around town in a prom dress and tiara which she had purchased at the local Good Will Store. Although the year was 1967 and she lived in Ohio, in her mother’s mind it was 1951 and she was still the Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia.  She was an unhappy, troubled soul and although she loved CeeCee very much she was in no condition to be a mother. Poor CeeCee never knew what to expect from her mother and was constantly embarrassed by her mother’s actions. CeeCee’s father was rarely home and the only one she had to turn to was  Ms. O’Dell, a sweet elderly neighbor.

When CeeCee’s mother is hit and killed by an ice cream truck one day on the way back from the Goodwill Store, CeeCee is sent to live with her Great Aunt Tootie in Savannah. Tootie is a cheerful, loving southern lady  and according to the author is actually based on her Great Aunt Mildred.  Tootie’s African-American cook/housekeeper Oletta Jones who has worked for her for years is tough on the outside yet warm and kind on the inside. Together Tootie and Oletta strive to give CeeCee the love and security she so desperately needed and to help her cope with the loss of her mother. 

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a touching story about mothers and daughters, as well as friendship and love. It  also tackles the more serious topics of mental illness and racism. The story is told in the words of CeeCee although it is hard to imagine a twelve-year-old being quite  this insightful. I enjoyed listening to the southern accents, however after listening to all of the controversy over the dialect  in The Help and all of the concern as to the stereotypical characters in The Help,  I can’t ” help” but wonder if this is more of the same.

http://bethhoffman.net/the-book

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