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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Suspense and Drama

This past week was a good reading week.  I read two books that have been on my TBR list for a long time and I am also in the middle of re-reading the Harry Potter series.  I had read the first three and then decided to go ahead and read the Deathly Hallows because I want to prepare myself for the movie in July.  After I finish it, I'm going to go back and pick up on Book 4.  Also, Clint is watching the movies with me, so I'm getting excited about it again.  So here's what I got this week:

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

From Amazon:
  Mickey Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, traveling between the far-flung courthouses of Los Angeles to defend clients of every kind. Bikers, con artists, drunk drivers, drug dealers - they're all on Mickey Haller's client list. For him, the law is rarely about guilt or innocence, it's about negotiation and manipulation. Sometimes it's even about justice.

A Beverly Hills playboy arrested for attacking a woman he picked up in a bar chooses Haller to defend him, and Mickey has his first high-paying client in years. It is a defense attorney's dream, what they call a franchise case. And as the evidence stacks up, Haller comes to believe this may be the easiest case of his career. Then someone close to him is murdered and Haller discovers that his search for innocence has brought him face-to-face with evil as pure as a flame. To escape without being burned, he must deploy every tactic, feint, and instinct in his arsenal - this time to save his own life.
What I thought:

First of all, I didn't realize there was a movie about this (yes, I'm behind the times I guess) when I saw that it was continually on the best seller list on Amazon.com.  I got it for my Kindle and kept putting off reading it until now.  I was plesantly surprised at how quick and easy it was to read.  The writing was good and the story line was great.  I was glad that the imperfect justice system was brought to light.  I loved that Mickey turned out to be "human."  So many issues were ones that we face every day.  Parents that are work-a-holics.  Having to decipher right from wrong.  Having to defend wrong even though you know it's wrong.  Putting your job on the line for something that's right.  Having our lives threatened.  Everything was something I could connect with and I appreciated the story.  PLUS, Connelly didn't give away all of his secrets through the novel, so we were able to get sucked into the plot twists and turns that led us to the unexpected. 
Awesome read!

Rating: 4


Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

From Goodreads:
What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
What I thought:

This was a great novel through the eyes of a typical high schooler.  What I loved about this book was that it touched on subjects that most high schoolers go through that would make parents cringe.  The high schoolers here are getting drunk, doing drugs, being VERY sexually active, being bullies to those "less popular" and less cool, having affairs...everything that "only grown-ups" are supposed to experience.  I have to say, it scares me a little knowing that my daughter is going to have to deal with all of this peer pressure at some point in her life, and I'm sure by the time she's in high school, it could be worse.  I hate that learning is only second place to all the other things that go on in what's supposed to be a learning environment but I am not naive enough to think that these situations aren't happening everyday and everywhere.  This is real life.

Samantha goes through all of these issues and when she faces death, she realizes that it's time to stop and smell the roses and finds that she has missed so much in her life.  She is able to build a relationship with her sister, right a few of her wrongs, and change someone's life.  It was amazing watching her develop into a character I loved.  I loved that she learned what her mistakes were even if it took her a while to figure it all out.  Very well written and I couldn't put the book down. I read it in 4 hours. 

Rating: 5

1 comment:

  1. Hi, I'm a follower. I like your review of The Lincoln Lawyer I will have to check it out. You can find and follow me back if you would like at www.bendingthespine.blogspot.com
    ~Rebecca

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