Review: Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Novel

Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Novel by Will Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was damn funny! SO FUNNY! Do you really need any more kudos to make you read it? Damn, man, crack the book and laugh your bum off! And if you don't like it, well, I'm not sure what to do with that but I do know I can't help you. So good luck to ya....

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Review: The Testament

The Testament by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After the first chapter I completely lost interest and it took me some time to get back into it. I almost gave up but so many people said it was good, I trucked on. I'm so glad I stuck with it because I really liked it! The character of Nate irritated me to no end and then all of a sudden, I don't know what happened but, I loved him! I'd definitely recommend this book, especially to crime thriller/Grisham type fans everywhere.

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Review: Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's no Twilight or even House of Night but it's good. A different twist on the vampire fad that is sweeping the book nation. The brother/sister used to be husband/wife aspect is kinda creepy but it works with the story. You'll see what I mean when you read it. I'll read the rest of the series so I recommend them to you as well.

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Review: Newes from the Dead

Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story of a peasant girl who is hanged, survives and wakes up on the autopsy table. For lack of appropriate words to describe the feeling I got from reading this, I'll just say it's a great book! You get the back story from her (the hanged peasant woman) and the autopsy portion from a witness to the autopsy (the only one who notices that something isn't right). It's absolutely fabulous and intriguing, I promise. Would I lie to you?

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Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My reading life is forever changed by Stieg Larsson and this series. That he is not here to carry Millennium on is the epitome of a crying shame.

I'm sure there are people who haven't heard of this book, or sadly at least the movie - don't get me started on movies based on books, it never ends well. I can't fathom not having read this so I say, just go read it.

Yes, it's based in Sweden and some of the names are difficult but put on your grownup panties and get over it. It's worth it, trust me. There's something here for everyone. At the heart, a mystery, a missing girl. Surrounding that is murder, possibly many. Mixed in is family drama, professional ethics or lack thereof, even the slightest hint of romance - though don't go chasing rainbows, it's not that pretty a story. In fact it's brutal. It's misogyny, rape culture, submission, dominance and it's woven together in a way you've never read before.

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Review: Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three

Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was drawn to this story because it happened in Arkansas - where I'm from. I attended lectures by the forensic pathologist who autopsied the boys' bodies and by the lawyer for Jessie Misskelly. It's a very interesting story and it might just piss you off.

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Review: Forever

Forever by Pete Hamill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is it for me This is the book that I alway tell everyone about. I'm a huge reader and over the hundreds of books I have read - and let's be honest, after so many books you tend to forget them, Forever is the one I say is the one to read. It's the one that got me back to reading after I started a career and had kids, etc... Forever is the book that hooked me, threw me into a world that helped me forget the stresses of my everyday life and just let me escape. And it's not even as if the world I was escaping to was all that great, it just wasn't MY world and that felt great. Really, Forever is a really good book that starts with a story that would never in a million years make you think you'll end up where the book actually takes you... My favorite part was the beginning when he's in Ireland but the journey to NYC and his life there and beyond is the perfect backdrop to make Hamil's story fiction that feels like real life. You'll never forget this story, I promise!

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Well, Here's a Novel Idea

Amanda, I said, (because I talk to myself a lot) you should write about all the books you read. You love to read, you've been rumored to write somewhat intelligently, and since you seem to have the biggest writer's block in the history of writer's block when it comes to that other blog you had going on, why the hell not? I mean I signed on to this library gig thinking what could be better? But turns out it wasn't meant as an opportunity to knock some books off my reading list. What a buzzkill. Maybe this can turn into a new opportunity to read and write.

So what is this actually going to be? I wish I could tell you. I want to rave about Forever by Pete Hamil and The Host and rant about Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey. I want to discover unknown authors and see if I love or hate the latest "hot" books. You should all witness what two years of contemporary romances back to back does to a woman, particularly this woman. If I can't get paid to read, I can at least expand on this hobby I love.

So here goes...