About Me

About Me

When I was teen, I was on a heavy Stephen King and Peter Straub reading jag. I couldn’t get enough of these authors. Today I still have my collection of these books residing on a shelf of my bookcase. Sometime in my early twenties I became less enamored with King’s readings. I don’t know if my taste just changed or I had burned out on his style. I have to say though that The Shining by King was the first novel I read of his and my favorite out of all his books.

I then started leaning more toward suspense and thrillers and less of horror. Some of the authors I followed were Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson. My favorite Patterson novels were The Beach House and When the Wind Blows. They were other suspense authors peppered into the mix, but this is the one genre where I mostly stuck to favorite authors.

When my children were in grade school, the Harry Potter craze was all the rage, and I was just as engrossed in reading the books as they were. I found out at that time how much I enjoyed fantasy and many young adult novels. It seemed that YA authors were more creative in many ways than most adult novel authors. My sister-in-law is a YA librarian at a high school, so she would advise or buy certain books for me to read. For young adult reads I didn’t really stick to one author, but would go off recommendations and reviews for great YA books. Yes I devoured the Twilight series, but I can’t say this was my favorite YA read. The best young adult novels I have read are Jellico Road by Melina Marchetta and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

I still enjoy reading suspense and thrillers as well as many young adult books, but in the last few years, I have also started reading many gentle reads that pull at the heart strings. Again there is no specific author that I stick to, but mostly go off recommendations and reviews to select reads from this genre. Some of my favorites in this category are: Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards.

I am not much of a non-fiction reader unless I’m forced to read it. In addition, I a little romance goes a long way in a book, so I’m not a big romance novel reader.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

How do I find a book to read?

Mostly it has been by word-of-mouth from friends and family.  I also use Goodreads to find reviews (some of which my friends have provided on there).  I also look for reviews on Amazon and read-a-likes on that site.  I have not had a chance to use many of the tools that have been recommended in my MLS courses because I have not had much time for leisurely reading since I started the program.  However, it will be a great toolbox that will come in handy was I complete the program.
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Prompt Response 1

1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next!

The next book in the series is The Lunatic Café by Hamilton, Laurell K.
#4 of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series 

Publisher: 2002 Berkley Pub Group
Format: 384 pages.
ISBN: 9780515134520

2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though.

Searching for Caleb by Anne Tyler
Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (August 27, 1996)
Format: 336 pages
ISBN: 9780449911747

Author Anne Tyler focus in on her characters and language.  Although this book is character based, with the search for the missing brother who disappeared sixty years ago, this read looks to be at a faster pace than Kingsolver due to the added mystery of looking for a missing person.


3. I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!

Shogun

by Clavell, James #2 of the Asian Saga 
Publisher: 1993 Random House
Format: 1152 pages
ISBN: 9780440178002

This is an historical adventure set in 17th century Japan.  Clavell is known for his detailed stories and thorough setting descriptions. 

4. I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

A Share in Death

Publisher: 1993 Scribner
Format: 276 pages
ISBN: 9780060534387

Crombie is similar to George in that she is also an American writer whose stories take place in Scotland Yard.  Crombie’s series of murder mysteries center around Scotland Yard’s Superintendent Kincaid and his assistant Sergeant James.  Unlike Sandford this series sticks to a mystery story line and excludes much of thriller aspects which may be more appealing.

5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

Dawn of the Dead
By George  A. Romero
Publisher
Simon and Schuster, 2015
Format 320 pages
ISBN: 9781476791838


Dawn of the Dead is very similar to The Walking Dead and World War Z defined as a horror novel.
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Friday, January 29, 2016

Thriller Annotation: Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan


Honeymoon
By
James Patterson and Howard Roughan

Synopsis

Nora Sinclair is a successful interior designer with the beauty of a goddess.  Although she is highly desired by men and envied by women, she leaves an ominous trail of wealthy husbands and lovers who one by one mysteriously end up dead.   Large sums of money are disappearing from her deceased husbands’ accounts, and FBI agent John O’Hara is assigned to follow her every move.  John takes on various aliases as he pursues Nora in this cat and mouse chase.  With many unexpected twists and turns, James Patterson and Howard Roughan have created this fast-paced, page-turning thriller of the ultimate black widow who entangles her victims with her charm leading down a road of demise.


Elements of a Thriller

Pacing –This novel is fast-paced with very short chapters consisting of mostly dialogue among the characters.

Characterization – The characters’ physical appearance is described, and there are moments when a character’s thoughts are revealed; however, these thoughts are only used to boost the plot.  Therefore, the book is not character based where the reader develops an attachment to the protagonist.

Story line – Multiple plot lines are going on during this action packed story that twist and turn but all come together for a resolved ending. 

Frame/Tone – The back and forth chase between John O’Hara and Nora Sinclair provides a menacing and suspenseful tone to the story line.   Conversations are gritty with language that is straight-forward without any elegance and peppered with swearing.

Style – This book is complex with many plots occurring at the same time along with characters taking on aliases.  Some of the relationships among the characters are not understood until the end of the story.  


Read-A-Likes

Bad Games by Jeff Menapace

IMMORTAL FEAR: A Medical Thriller (A Dr. Powers Mystery) by H.S. Clark

Second Honeymoon by James Patterson



















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