It Sucked and then I cried & Look Again

It Sucked and Then I Cried by Heather B. Armstrong So this is one of those titles where I’m reading the book and I pause to wonder why am I reading this book? Do I have anything in common with the author? Well, yes……we both gave birth to a child, she is of the female gender, she is married and has parents and that’s about it.

Actually I read this book because I read a review of it and it looked interesting. It is interesting if you want to know what suffering from depression and having a baby have in common. Perhaps it would have been more enjoyable if I was the same age as the author and currently going through some of the same experiences. Is that being too biased?

I actually visited the author’s award-winning blog and saw first-hand the photographs and her current day-to-day ramblings. She does have a way with words—I’ll grant her that and if my own pregnancy was less than a life-time away, I’d more than likely gravitate toward her quips and quibbles.

However, I would be remiss if I just tossed it aside and spouted it wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on because it very well could be a book not to be missed by those of you who are more in line with what the author has happening in her life. AND please check out her blog dooce.com. It’s very current.


Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

A single newspaper reporter falls in love with a very ill baby and decides to adopt him.
The unmarried parents of the baby boy sign off and the reporter’s lawyer processes the adoption. When the story opens, the boy is about three years old and the reporter is raising him alone with the help of a nanny.

One day the reporter comes home from work and discovers a pamphlet in her mailbox which has several pictures on it of missing children. She gives it a cursory glance at first but something continues to nag at her and she takes a closer look. One of the photos shows an uncanny resemblance to her adopted son.

Through a series of thorough searches, the reporter decides to look up the parents of the missing child. The story takes an interesting turn at this point and it has a surprise ending.

I’m sure I’ve read some of Ms. Scottoline’s previous books. I would classify this as a fairly light mystery.

Ladybookbug!

Long Lost by Harlan Coben and Until It's Over by Nicci French

And so, in an effort to clean up my database and get you to read more titles, I will be reviewing two at a time for a few weeks.

The first for this week is by one of my favorite authors. The second is by a husband and wife team of authors.

Long Lost by Harlan CobenLet me begin by saying “I’ve changed my mind” about Coben’s Myron Bolitar. I have read most of Mr. Coben’s books and up to this point in time was not particularly impressed with one of his early “Myron Bolitar” books. However, after reading Long Lost, I’m really ready to go back and read them all.

This story is about frozen embryos, terrorists, a “long lost” love affair, friendship, good police work and an interesting plot. The setting is New York, Paris and London and some very mysterious places in between.

Myron receives a phone call from a previous lover asking him to come to Paris. When he arrives he discovers her ex has been murdered under mysterious circumstances and some DNA discovered at the scene indicates a connection with an offspring who died in a car accident many years before.

As is usual in this author’s style, this story is fast-paced. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and encourages you to read it to the end. To me, this is what great writing is all about. When you come to the end of the story and discover what all the threads lead to, the story becomes plausible and scary at the same time.

Although initially disappointed that this was not a “stand alone” mystery but a revisiting of Bolitar, I was far from unhappy once I got into it. If you’ve liked his previous books such as “Promise Me”, “Hold Tight” and “The Woods”, you must add this to the list.

Ladybookbug!

Until It’s Over by Nicci French

Another new author for me, this was an okay title. The author is actually a husband and wife writing team. This book is in two parts. The first part is all about the crimes that were committed beginning in a tight-knit community on Maitland Road. As time goes by, the police are able to determine a common denominator and the reader thinks they have found the perpetrator.

The story continues in part two being related by the perpetrator of the crimes who fills in all the blank spaces.

I was a bit put off by some of the English “slang” in the book. Having read my share of English mysteries, I was able to figure out what they were talking about for the most part.

I might read another one of the books by this author, but then again maybe not.

Ladybookbug!

Sworn to Silence & A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy

Just back from a week's vacation. The plan was to read about 25 books by various authors and write blogs about each. The plan flopped. It was just too darn hot to read so... I skimmed over some, tossed some back into the collection and came away with two reviews.

I'll start with Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo. A well-read patron recommended this title. It's the author's first but I'm certain it is not her last. The story takes place in Amish Country in the state of Ohio. The main character is Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, who is incidentally a former member of the Amish community.

A heinous crime has been committed and the Chief (after discovering several more) embarks on an intensive mission to solve the murders. She is aided in her investigation by John Tomasetti, a member of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. This is a well-written thriller. Honestly it was not until three-quarters of the way through that I was able to identify the perpetrator.

The second title, A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy by Charlotte Greig was a total disappointment. I found it to be trashy (a kind word for something much more distasteful). This was also a first entry into the field of writing novels. A quote on the cover indicates that it "......is profoundly funny and beautifully written". I disagree on both counts. Perhaps I tend to me melancholy and that is the reason why I never laughed. The writing was okay but I would not say it was beautifully written. This is the second novel of this type that I have read over the past year and both left me feeling sorry I spent the time reading them. In an effort to be diplomatic, I will admit that it is possible this is an age thing. Perhaps a younger person might find this funny. (I hope not!) The predicament that Susannah lands herself in is the result of immature and selfish motives. Her redeeming quality is that she presses on toward her goal of completing her dissertation.

Ladybookbug!

First Family by David Baldacci

One of the great things about this title is that it is two great mysteries in one. The first is about the First Family and begins with the trusty duo of Michelle and Sean being contacted by the First Lady. The second involves Michelle directly and her personal family.

Mr. Baldacci leads the reader on a winding road through both mysteries, keeping the reader interested and eager to find out what is going to happen. This is a large book 454 pages but it is not daunting in the least.

If you like reading about Washington DC, add this suspenseful mystery to your list.

Lady Bookbug!

Food Matters by Mark Bittman

Okay, so I picked up this book because I liked the title. It’s written by a New York Times Columnist and cookbook author. The subtitle is “A Guide to Conscious Eating”.
It’s filled with interesting facts about food consumption such as how much energy is expended to produce meat and how we are moving toward higher consumption of fat and processed food.

In addition to the variety of statistical information provided, there are also numerous recipes in the back of the book. The recipes offer fish and poultry or just plain vegan ingredients. I haven’t tried any of them yet, but I plan to.

As someone who already limits her diet to non-processed foods, my plan is to drastically reduce the amount of meat I consume as well. For me it’s not so much about losing weight (although that’s just what this author did) but more about feeling better about myself and the planet.

If you’d like to take a closer look at your diet and how you might change for the better, check out this book.

Ladybookbug!