September 30, 2011

September 2011

This was a dismal month for my reading.  I moved, lost internet access, had my computer get fried by lightning, and generally had more stress than I knew what to do with.  I read three books, for a total of 1747 pages. 

1. The Passage by Justin Cronin (8/10)
2. The Magic Circle by Katherine Neville (3/10)
3. Jury of One by David Ellis (8.5/10)

I finished one horror and two thrillers.  There's really not much competition this month for best book, but I liked the last one a lot.

Favorite book for the month:  Jury of One by David Ellis

Jury of One by David Ellis

Title:  Jury of One
Author:  David Ellis
Format:  PB
Pages:  421
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  Berkley, 2005
ISBN-13:  978-0425201459
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  But in her three-plus decades on this earth, she was relatively sure that she had never seen a human being move so quickly as Paul Riley raised his hand and called for the check.

Synopsis (PBS):  Children's rights advocate Shelly Trotter is out of her depth in criminal court, defending a teenager accused of killing a cop. And when she discovers that he may be her own son, nothing--not legal ethics, not political pressure--will stop her from keeping him off of death row....

Review:  This book was a fast read.  Two days and done.  It was exciting and had twists and turns that I never saw coming.  I love finding a really good new author.

Rating:  8.5 / 10

September 27, 2011

The Magic Circle by Katherine Neville

Title:  The Magic Circle
Author:  Katherine Neville
Format:  PB
Pages:  552
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  Ballantine, 1999
ISBN-13:  978-0345423139
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  Maybe the mystery is the ancient wisdom, how to use earth's natural rhythms and energies to support us, instead of damming up rivers that are her arteries, ripping merals out of her belly, cutting down trees that are her breath, building walls to confine all life to allotted spaces.

Synopsis (PBS):  When her cousin is slain by an unknown assassin, Ariel Behn becomes the sole heir to a family legacy: a sinister cache of manuscripts that thrusts her into the deadly center of international intrigue--and an age-old enigma that spans the centuries. Whoever assembles and interprets the cryptic clues of this ancient mystery will possess the power to control the fate of the world.

What strange powers lie hidden within the manuscripts? Splashed against a lavish backdrop that sweeps from the rise of the Roman Empire to the fall of the Berlin Wall, THE MAGIC CIRCLE finds one woman standing at the center of it all: Ariel Behn. As she races across continents to reveal the dark secrets buried in her family's past, she begins to unlock the chilling truth of the coming millennium. . . .

Review:  This was the strangest book.  It had some thrills, although too few for my tastes.  It was more of a historical fiction, mixed with a philosophy text.  It was pretty dry and boring in many parts. 

It skipped between the times of Jesus and Hitler, returning to present time rather suddenly.

I kept reading, hoping it would get better, but I was pretty disappointed, especially since the ending told me very little about the big secret the main characters were looking for during the other 500+ pages.

Rating:  3 / 10

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Title:  The Passage
Author:  Justin Cronin
Format:  PB
Pages:  774
Genre:  Horror
Publisher:  Ballantine, 2011
ISBN-13:  978-0345504975
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  I am Babcock.  One of Twelve.

Synopsis (PBS):  An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy–abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl—and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

Review:  Unfortunately, I've lost internet connection at my home.  I read this book at least 2 weeks ago.  I know it was a great story, but my review is going to be really short since I really can't remember what I wanted to say.

This book was recommended to me by the librarian at the local library.  She was right.  I did like it, very much.

Rating:  8 / 10
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