Rescue by Anita Shreve

** spoiler alert **
This was a book by an author I have heard a lot of wonderful things about however this particular book had mixed reviews.  That being said, I was a little mixed myself.  I enjoyed the EMT portions of the main character's thought processes in rescue situations. I don't think I could ever do that sort of job.  At the same time, I didn't view Webster as a strong character, or even as someone I would like in real life.   He allowed this woman, Sheila, to pretty much do whatever she wanted to and turned a blind eye from the get-go.  Part of it, I'm sure is that I've never experienced a pull so strong to someone that I did not know that would cause me to basically stalk them and then have sex with them on the second time we met...unprotected.   Granted I don't need to actually go through everything in a book to relate or understand, but maybe because it's a situation I would NEVER want to be in, it was a little bit of a turn off.  I don't believe in promiscuous sex, etc. 
Fast forward to after they were married, I understand, definitely, that there are the things we do for love, but to me, I feel like there was more he could have done in the process of helping Sheila with her problem and he just kind of took it all in stride.  Everything was so calculated and less emotional. Perhaps dealing with those awful rescue situations made him deal with EVERY situation as a "process" but by doing so, you get a feeling of disconnect with the character, making him harder to relate to.  It's like he was just saying how much he loved her, not necessarily feeling it.
Sheila was a typical alcoholic, in every sense of the word, and in her case, could not be helped until she helped herself. If I were Webster, after sending her away, I would have followed up with her sooner than when Rowan was 18. I mean, it was clear that she was a fantastic mother when she was sober.  Then again, I don't know what I would do in a situation like this.
I think the writing was great, so that wasn't a problem. I just couldn't relate to the characters as much as I would have liked to, which makes me sad.

Rating: 4

The Black Stiletto by Raymond Benson

I received this from the author, autographed and hardcover (thank you!!!).   I loved the cover of it...it's gorgeous.

Rating: 4

I actually really like the book and the premise behind it. The idea that this old lady, riddled with Alzheimer's could be someone as notorious as the Black Stiletto...WOW! I love the way this book was written and typically I don't like the switching back and forth between past and present but in this case, it still flowed well.  I love the fact that there is a woman bad-a$$ character...because there aren't many books with "comic book" females that are awesome--fighting crimes and mob bosses.  WOO HOO!

The ONLY thing I couldn't get past, that in my opinion, is a little far fetched is the fact that when I write a journal entry, I don't quote people...so I have a hard time believing that a journal would be written this way as to incorporate quotations from a couple years prior. My memory is not that good but I'm sure other people DO write journals like this, I just don't see a lot of them.

I also hated that the author doesn't get into what ever came of the son's father. Who was he? I hope that there is a second part of this with more action as well as a little more backstory. I also didn't like the way the main character lost his job--I feel like it was rushed through and didn't become a part of the story/explanation, as I feel the author had intended it to be!

Overall, fantastic start--needs at least a couple other books to wrap up a few things.  Good job!

One Day by David Nicholls

I think that this book was a depressing love story that had me crying and hating a lot about it for a little while last night.  I hate books that make me feel so much...but I can completely relate to the relationship between the two main characters.  I think that's why I was so emotional.  *I'm such a girl.* 
How horrible/hard is it to watch the person you love more than anything go in an opposite direction?  So many times they missed each other but they never gave up on each other.  It was heart wrenching seeing them needing each other so much and not being able to get it together.  It's such a relateable story. 

I HATED the ending.  Without spoilers--just saying.  I cried and cried in sadness and happiness.

Rating: 4

The Bourne Identity



I have been meaning to read this book for a while because my husband loves the movies so much. When I found out it was a bestseller from the year I was born, I went for it. I have to say, overall I loved it and there were some parts I didn't want to put the book down, and other parts were really confusing and hard to follow.
I did NOT however, like the way the romance was written between Marie and Jason. It didn't seem real to me...because typically, people don't speak or act that way. I remind myself that this was written a long time ago, but sometimes it had me shaking my head and saying "yeah right!"

I have not seen the movie yet but I intend to, just to maybe put some faces with the names and characters in the book--adding another dimension.

Overall, very nice. I will be reading the second and third installment eventually.

 

Rating: 4

 

Game of Thrones-G.R.R. Martin

Finally, after a battle of inner ear infection--I was able to finish this book. WOW. It's hard not to get entertwined in the characters to the point where you experience such love or hate for them. It was a bit on the long side and it's not a novel you can read quickly because you miss so much if you try to skim--but it's worth it because the story is amazing. I can't wait to get to the next novel, but I think I'm going to read something light and fluffy before getting into that! I love the character building and writing in this, and normally I wouldn't waste time on a novel like this, but once again, I picked up something out of the ordinary and it was completely worth it. 
My friend Julie over at Book Hooked Blog raised questions regarding morals and such in this book.  I have to say, it got me thinking about so many different things.  The quest for power, not knowing who to trust, the cavalier way that some of the characters dealt with life and death...the way that sex was discussed and how powerful it was...and how women were treated like objects rather than humans.  I don't think I could have lived in a time like that, knowing what I know now.

The only disclaimer I have is that this book is not for the faint of heart.  It is bloody, gory and things that you would never expect to happen...HAPPENS. 

Rating: 5

Loose Gravel by David Holmes

** spoiler alert ** I am sure you can get a synopsis from Amazon, so I will spare you...but here's the thing. I wasn't incredibly impressed with this book. I am not a prude by any means, but some of the language and situations in this book were cringe-worthy. I think the best way to do this is to start listing the things that stood out to me as being unrealistic or bothersome.

1. The detective had NO resolve for his physical appearance. There is no way that a person like that would be allowed to work as a detective. At some point, you would think that someone would put him on leave or something until he got that straightened out...or perhaps even recommended counseling or therapy to get through all the baggage he was carrying around. I get that his past was awful and horrible, but it seemed like his problems stemmed from more than that and someone from the team (even though he was disgusting and hard to get along with) would have stepped up and made him get help.
2. I HATED "Yo Yo" Brown. A cop that is also a prostitute? Really? And she wasn't fired or let go...last time I checked prostitution was illegal.  And her mouth and the fact that she jumped into the shower the FIRST DAY she met Harold to clean him was a little unrealistic.  I understand that she had the mind of a prostitute and it didn't bother her, but this was her career on the line.  Her language was HEINOUS too. 
3. The thought that Harold based all his theories and was driven by a woman's shaved vagina had me rolling my eyes. Seriously...you think she's innocent because she shaves her private parts? Who are these people??
4. The sex between mother and daughter made me shutter...seriously...that's gross...and I know some people are sick like that...so it's not far fetched, and I am SO glad that he didn't go into too many details on this part, but it was still sickening.
5. The constant switching of the name Amy/Amanda in the same paragraph...choose one and stick with it because it's confusing.
6. I think there were two many twists and turns to make sense. I am certain that Mr. Holmes has the potential to be a great writer...but this book was not one of my favorites, by far. I just couldn't get into the characters enough to care what happened to them.

I HATE writing bad reviews but this book had my head spinning because I saw so much more than this when I read the synopsis. I am so sorry. I was not impressed.

Rating: 2 (and I'm being generous)

Long Time

I know it has been a long time since posting a book review.  Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling well, so I've been unable to read.   You can imagine how much it has killed me!!!  I am starting to get back into the swing of things, so hopefully, I will be able to do another review soon. 

Love you guys!

Kat