Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Reviews

The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles, #3)


Great end to the trilogy but I didn't like how the love triangle ended up.


Toil and Trouble (Jolie Wilkins, #2)


Hard to put down.  The love triangle kept going back and forth.  I didn't expect the plot twist.


House Rules (Chicagoland Vampires, #7)


It was a good transition book of what everything that is going on with the GP and what I think it's hinting for the next books in the series.


Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)


Love this series more than the mortal instruments.

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2)


Love triangle got kind of annoying.  Can't wait for the next book.


Falling Under (Falling Under, #1)


This book was OK.  It was kinda predictable and the story wasn't developed as well as it could have been.


Rapture (Fallen, #4)


Good finish to the series.  I didn't expect the plot twist.


Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society, #3)


IT wasn't like all the other books in the series but still good.


The Selection (The Selection, #1)


Awesome series; first book.


The Elite (The Selection, #2)


It wasn't as good as the first book.  The main character became annoying.


The Husband List


Nice quick historical romance book.


Catch of the Day


Not as good as her other books.  The main character was sometimes annoying.


Unclean Spirits (The Black Sun's Daughter, #1)


Awesome first book in an urban fantasy series.


Simply Irresistible (Chinooks Hockey Team, #1)


Nice quick romance book.


Fair Game (Alpha & Omega, #3)



Awesome book in the Alpha and Omega series.  The ending left a huge cliffhanger in what will happen in this series and the Mercedes Thompson series.


City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4)


I liked that more of the story lines of the secondary characters were added but it wasn't a good transition book in the series.  I didn't like the obvious references to the Infernal Devices series.


Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)


I like the wit and humor in this book.


The Opal Deception  (Artemis Fowl, #4)


I like how these books seem to come together at the end.  Sad that a main character dies though.


Uglies (Uglies, #1)


I like the different set up for this series.



The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5)


This book started out slow but had a good ending with different possibilities for the next book.


The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization


The author appears to aspire to draw contrasts between globalization (personified by the Lexus) and traditional cultural values (the Olive Tree).  Sadly that presumed objective is not achieved in the work. 
The bulk of the work deals with the effects of communication and technological advancement for advancing and accelerating the process of globalization.  Of course, modern pride dismisses the effects of the industrial revolution, improved shipping of goods and materials, improvements in political harmony, and colonialism as precursors.  That said, the author makes a good case, and has done an excellent job of looking forward.  I am pleased that I did not read this work when published, as it is much more interesting as a backward facing review.
The attempts of the author to characterize interaction between globalization and traditional cultural value systems falls far short.  Perhaps an anthropologist would have been better able to advance that cause; this reviewer's training does not allow a firm judgment to that end.
The balance of the work deals with the author's recommendations to support and advance globalization.  Some of the recommendations appear to be well thought out; others betray the author's day job as an associate with the highly liberal New York Times.
This somewhat dated work is interesting as to the prophetical powers of the author which are startling.  I recommend this work as an interesting read, presuming that the reader not take recommendations of the author with great seriousness.

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins, #1)


Funny.  Great start to a series.

If You Ask Me

If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)



I listened to the audiobook read by her.  She tells stories from her life.

At Home on Ladybug Farm

At Home on Ladybug Farm


Pleasant Tale of three retired friends trying to renovate, and making a living, from a late 1800's Virginian Farm.

Love Letters from Ladybug Farm

Love Letters from Ladybug Farm


Third in a series of the life of three women working to restore an 1800's Virginian Plantation.

Wither

Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1)


No stars!  Ugh.  I wish YA books had a rating like TV.  I wouldn't let my daughter read this.

Odd Apocalypse

Odd Apocalypse (Odd Thomas, #5)


Another book in Koontz's "Odd Thomas" stories.  This book is full of the action, suspense, and humor of a typical Koontz book.  However, for me, there was just a little too much violence and weirdness.  Still a page turner, but not my favorite.

The Hammer of God

The Hammer Of God


What can be done when a giant asteroid is on a direct course to hit earth?

Rama II

Rama II (Rama, #2)


The second Raman ship enters the solar system and ends up on a collision course with Earth.  What should mankind do?

Rendezvous with Rama

Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)


Classic science fiction - an "oldie but goodie".  A huge spacecraft is headed for our solar system: mankind's first extra-terrestrial encounter.

The Racketeer

The Racketeer


Another great Grisham book!  How does he keep coming up with this stuff?  This book kept me guessing until the end.  I thought I had it figured out, but oh no!  A real "page turner"!

Leota's Garden

Leota's Garden


Great book, wonderful story with a great message.

Mockingjay

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)


Katniss joins the rebels fighting against the capitol while being torn between the two men in her life.  Worst book of the three in the series, but good overall trilogy.

Saving Faith

Saving Faith



Faith Lockhart is coming to a FBI safe house to tell what she knows about a powerful lobbyist.  An attack on her forces her to run.  A man named Lee Adams helps her find out what's behind the attacks on her life.

Red Scarf Girl

Red Scarf Girl


"Red Scarf Girl" chronicles the author's life from ages twelve to fourteen growing up in the cultural revolution. It's a very intriguing read and is quite insightful to an event that is overlooked in America.

The New Thought Police

The New Thought Police: Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds


This book examines how the Left stifles free speech and expression through "political correctness" and bully tactics.  While interesting, it felt like the author should've been on Ritalin as she could rarely keep a consistent thought.

Redeeming Love

Redeeming Love


Great book!  Hard to put down.

A Hologram for the King

A Hologram for the King


Dave Eggers has written an account of a middle-aged businessman who is struggling to find success in an increasingly globalized economy.  This would be a good book for a discussion group.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle


Even more interesting than watching the British TV series "Downton Abbey" is reading about the real life family upon which the series is based, Lady Amina and the 5th Earl of Carnarvon.  The author describes the family's involvement in WWI, then proceeds to tell about the discovery for which the Earl of Carnarvon (along with Harold Carter) becomes famous: King Tutankhaun's tomb.  A fun read.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)



Boy wizard, Harry Potter, returns to Hogwarts in spite of numerous warnings not to.  There he encounters incredible danger as the Chamber of Secrets reopens and Muggle-borns are attacked.  It's simply a brilliant book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)


Orphan Harry Potter is startled to discover he's a wizard and will be attending Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.  There Harry makes friends, finds a home, and saves the wizarding world.  You know, the usual.

Starting Now

Starting Now (Blossom Street, #9)



Libby was an attorney at a firm she was wanting to be a partner in.  Unexpectedly, she was let go.  She started working out at a gym, rocking babies at the hospital, befriending a pregnant 13 year old, and knitting again.  She meets, and falls in love, with Phillip, a doctor at the hospital.  She starts to realize what is important in life.  Love, family, and friends.  Ava has her baby, Libby gets rehired at the law firm and is made partner. She and Phillip get married and at the end of the book, are expecting their first child.

Mad River

Mad River (Virgil Flowers, #6)


"Mad River" is a thrilling detective story by John Sandford in the Virgil Flowers series.  It's not really a murder mystery because the reader knows from the beginning who the murderers are, but it is a thriller as Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Flowers attempts to find them before too many additional murders are committed.  This is the first novel in which I have seen the word "defenestration" used.  There is one discontinuity in this book.  On one page Virgil gets out of his 4runner and takes his cooler with him.  A page or so later he goes back to his truck to get a diet coke out of the cooler.

Murder at the National Cathedral

Murder at the National Cathedral (Capital Crimes, #10)



"Murder at the National Cathedral" is an exciting murder mystery in which the murder takes place at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. The author, Margaret Truman takes the reader on a tour of the National Cathedral and parts of Washington D.C. The reader gets to enjoy a thrilling murder mystery while learning a lot about the National Cathedral.

Murder at the Opera

Murder at the Opera (Capital Crimes, #22)


"Murder at the Opera" is an exciting murder mystery in which the murder takes place of the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington DC, the home of the Washington National Opera.  The author Margaret Truman, delights in taking the reader on a tour of Washington DC, the reader in addition to getting caught up in the murder mystery will learn a great deal about opera including the fact that the opera stage is called the deck and why.

The Wedding

The Wedding


Excellent!  5 stars.

Paradox

Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics


"Paradox" is a discussion of and in most cases resolutions of the nine greatest enigmas in physics.  The author, Jim Al-Khalili a quantum physicist at the University of Surrey and the recipient of the Royal Society, Michael Farady Prize and the Institute of Physics Kelvin Medal, starts with what at first appear to be paradoxes in probability and covers paradoxes in motion, relativity, time travel, Schroedinger's cat, and others.  The book is written but probably at too low a level for readers with a background in physics.

Devil's Rose

The Devil's Rose


This book is awesome!  It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way!

Emily the Strange

The Lost Days (Emily the Strange Novels, #1)


Fun read!  Some of the parts didn't connect with the rest of the story but overall it had a fun exciting mystery.

The Help

The Help


Really interesting book, although there is one inappropriate and unnecessary part in it.