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

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

August 2011

I did better this month than last month, but I'm still not reading as much as I could or would like to.  I read 10 books this month, for a total of 3389 pages.

1. The X-Files: Goblins by Charles Grant (8/10)
2. Lucky by Alice Sebold (10/10)
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer  (7/10)
4. Void Moon by Michael Connelly (8/10)
5. Children of the Night by Dan Simmons  (6.5/10)
6. The Face of the Deep by Jim Young (10/10)
7. The Last Child by John Hart  (9.5/10)
8. The Uncanny by Andrew Klavan (6/10)
9. The X-Men: The Last Stand by Chris Claremont (4/10)
10. The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton  (8.5/10)

There are 3 Science Fiction, 3 Fiction, 3 Thrillers and 1 Horror.  I can't remember the last time I didn't read a fantasy novel during a month.  However, I was very happy with these choices for the most part.  My To Be Read Pile is at 513 today, which is only 3 less than last month.  I have to stop getting new books.

It's a hard choice this month for favorite book, but I really think it's got to be Jim Young's.  It was just so darn good.

Favorite book of the month:  The Face of the Deep by Jim Young

The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton

Title:  The Terminal Man
Author:  Michael Crichton
Format:  PB
Pages:  261
Genre:  Science Fiction
Publisher:  Ballantine, 1998
ISBN-13:  978-0345354624
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  Obviously, nobody would ever try to build such a computer using current technology.  New methods would have to be found -- and there wasn't much doubt in McPherson's mind what the methods would be.  Living tissues.

Synopsis (Amazon):  Harry Benson suffers from violent seizures. When he becomes part of an experimental program that sends electrodes to his brain to calm him, he is in recovery. Until he discovers how to get those soothing pulses more frequently, and then escapes the hopsital--on a murderous rampage with a deadly agenda....

Review:  I love this author.  I especially love finding a book I haven't read by an author I love for sale on the ten cent table at the library.  This book takes a look at how far science could go in the area of mind control.  When I say mind control, I do not mean these doctors are trying to control Harry.  They are trying to help Harry control his seizures using a new and experimental technique.

Of course, it backfires in the most astounding fashion.  The technology was probably ahead of the times when this book was originally published in 1971.  Unfortunately, we have surpassed much of the computer related technologies described as nearly futuristic.  It didn't hurt the story one bit though.  Since I'm not a computer scientist, I could read the story for what it was -- a terrific and horrifying look at how far we might be willing to go to cure what ails humanity.

The characters are well-written.  The action is fast-paced.  The storyline is absolutely believable.  I highly recommend this story.

Rating:  8.5 / 10

X-Men: The Last Stand by Chris Claremont

Title:  X-Men: The Last Stand
Author:  Chris Claremont
Format:  PB
Pages:  336
Genre:  Science Fiction
Publisher:  Del Rey, 2006
ISBN-13:  978-0345492111
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  "We strive because we must, that is reality.  But why we strive must never be forgotten."

Synopsis (Amazon):  TAKE A STAND.

The world has acquired a lethal new weapon against X-gene mutants, whose superhuman powers separate them–for better, for worse, forever–from ordinary mortals. Now, for the first time, mutants have a choice: retain their godlike abilities, though their powers may isolate and alienate them, or surrender them and become human. The mutant antibody is called a cure, but its invention may trigger a struggle that destroys every living soul on Earth.

As Magneto declares all-out war against humanity and its dreaded cure, the U.S. president mobilizes the military. But it is Charles Xavier and the X-Men who truly must brace for the ultimate battle, for they alone are powerful enough to determine the outcome.

Lessons of the past are useless in the coming life-and-death conflict, as new players–mutants possessing unprecedented, unearthly skills– take center stage. With so many joining forces with Magneto’s evil Brotherhood, the X-Men will face their ultimate test against an enemy whose forces far outnumber their own.

Now, as the world trembles, the Phoenix slowly rises. . .

Review:  Well, the movie was much better.  But, I didn't really expect much since I realized after starting it that this was a novelization of the screenplay.  That said, it was a pleasant revisit to a story I already loved.  The characters are well-known and well-loved.  The purpose of the X-Men remains true.

I was touched in all the places I should have been and found myself drawn into the action and conflicts.  It was a super quick read.  For a bit of fluff, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.  I really don't think this was a fair judge of this author, so I will try to read something original of his one day.

Rating:  4 / 10

The Uncanny by Andrew Klavan

Title:  The Uncanny
Author:  Andrew Klavan
Format:  PB
Pages:  401
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  Island, 1998
ISBN-13:  978-0440225775
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  "I am the Everlasting Thing," he said.  "I feed on the marrow of time.  I was here before the oceans turned black with life, and when the deserts are white with death I will remain."

Synopsis (Amazon):  Richard Storm is passionate, hot-blooded, and running out of time.  Sophia Endering is cool, beautiful, and haunted by a centuries-old mystery.  Now the Hollywood filmmaker and the troubled young woman have come together in a race against the unbelievable, the unthinkable, and. . . The Uncanny.

Richard Storm reached the top of his profession producing horror films based on classic English ghost stories.  Now, with his life beginning to unravel, Richard is searching for something to believe in.  Fleeing Hollywood for London, he embarks on a desperate quest: to find evidence that the great old stories bear some truth, that the human spirit lives on after death.

What he finds is Sophia, a woman caught in a nightmare more chilling than any of his film horrors.  Propelled by a furious love, haunted by a terror he can barely confess to himself, Storm pursues Sophia through the labyrinth of her family's madness and their involvement in Nazi art thefts, down a trail formed by the classic ghost stories themselves--into the very heart of the uncanny.  .  .  .

Review:  This book is quite different than I expected.  It's not as scary as I thought it would be, but it was still quite good.  I loved the character Harper the best.  She was smart and witty.  I am still not really sure what The Uncanny is, but it didn't matter.

Much of this novel revolves around a strange take on The Holy Grail and the fact that it can give immortality.  I've certainly never read a more imaginative or original story on this subject.  It also touched on paganism, Satanism, human sacrifice, and ghosts.  This wasn't one of my favorite books, but it was well worth the read.

Rating:  6 / 10

The Last Child by John Hart

Title:  The Last Child
Author:  John Hart
Format:  PB
Pages:  419
Genre:  Fiction
Publisher:  Minotaur, 2010
ISBN-13:  978-0312642365
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  No crows, Johnny thought.  God knows.

Synopsis (Amazon):  Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he'd been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is---confident in a way that he can never fully explain.

Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene.

Then a second child goes missing . . .

Undeterred by Hunt's threats or his mother's pleas, Johnny enlists the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both boys to the limit.

Traveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom, between hopelessness and faith, The Last Child leaves all categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of unique power.

Review:  This is an incredible novel.  Issues of belief and trust are at the root of this story.  Johnny doesn't believe in much anything or trust much of anyone.  Except he believes he can find his sister.  His journey to do so forces him to confront and battle many harsh realities:  his mother's drug use, his father's disappearance, and his own lack of faith.

There was quite a bit of action.  I loved the characters, especially Detective Hunt and the escaped convict, Levi.  No one in this story is untouched or blameless, but in the end it is more about forgiveness than blame.  This is not a happily ever after type of story.  But it ended just as it should, with hope for the future.

Rating:  9.5 / 10