The Printed Page

Archive for the ‘Pondering the pages’ Category

Title: The Tourist
Author/website(s): Olen Steinhauer
408 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: March ‘09
Genre: Spy thriller/espionage
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: DNF’d @ pg. 128
Would I read more from this author: Don’t think so
Journal notes: Me, its all me. The Tourist is a very readable book. Easy and fast to get into even with re-reading some parts. I was almost a hundred pages in before I realized I was that far. It didn’t seem like I’d read a 100 pages. My problem was I had trouble keeping the players straight. Its a spy/espionage story which leads to code names and cryptic story lines such as who’s following who, feeding information on what to which agent, double-crossing and possibly spying on their own people, being ‘handled’ by the other side, etc. You get the picture but I didn’t. At least not very well. Not enough to follow what was happening. By the time I’d gotten to pg. 128 and re-read the same paragraph five times without the slightest bit of comprehension I knew it time to call it a day and DNF this one. A small point for me – it starts with action then the action dies out and it simply become complicated game playing.

Milo Weaver used to be a “tourist” for the CIA—an undercover agent with no home, no identity—but he’s since retired from the field to become a middle-level manager at the CIA’s New York headquarters. He’s acquired a wife, a daughter, and a brownstone in Brooklyn, and he’s tried to leave his old life of secrets and lies behind.

But when the arrest of a long-sought-after assassin sets off an investigation into one of Milo’s oldest colleagues and exposes new layers of intrigue in his old cases, he has no choice but to go back undercover and find out who’s holding the strings once and for all.

The Tourist was provided to me by a publicist at Minotaur Books (unsolicited request). I was not paid and this book is looking for a new home. If you’d like my copy leave a comment. )

Title: Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scott Story
Author/website(s): The Dread Scott Story
430 pages
Publisher: Valor Publishing Group
Publication date: November ‘09
Genre: Historical fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: Yes
Would I read more from this author: Most likely though it would depend on the subject matter
Journal notes: Am I Not A Man? is very readable and enjoyable mix of Dred Scott’s story and national history. Its the story of a man determined to right a wrong and a young country at a crossroads that threatens the very values it was built on. Mr. Shurtleff weaves together Dred’s story with a wonderful narrative of the political tensions of the time. He starts with some of our country’s founding fathers who were tortured men regarding the issue of slavery. These men were slave owners who knew that the system was inherently wrong but found themselves unable to reach resolution to such a intensively sensitive topic. He continues to provide insightful background material that helps the reader understand the significance of Dred’s struggle for freedom up to the ratification of the 14th amendment. I found Am I Not A Man? a very interesting book leaving me wondering why I put off reading it for so long.

An illiterate slave, Dred Scott trusted in an all-white, slave-owning jury to declare him free. But after briefly experiencing the glory of freedom and manhood, a new state Supreme Court ordered the cold steel of the shackles to be closed again around his wrists and ankles. Falling to his knees, Dred cried, “Ain’t I a man?” Dred answered his own question by rising and taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dred ultimately lost his epic battle when the Chief Justice declared that a black man was so inferior that he had “no rights a white man was bound to respect.”

Dred died not knowing that his undying courage led directly to the election of President Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation.

Dred Scott’s inspiring and compelling true story of adventure, courage, love, hatred, and friendship parallels the history of this nation from the long night of slavery to the narrow crack in the door that would ultimately lead to freedom and equality for all men.

Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scott Story was provided to me by Tristi at Valor Publishing Group. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )

Title: Winter Garden
Author/website(s): Kristin Hannah
391 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: February ‘10
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: No; favorite/auto-buy author
Would I recommend this book: Undecided
Would I read more from this author: Yes
Journal notes: As much as I enjoyed Firefly Lane and True Colors I was disappointed by her newest Winter Garden. Just as Meredith and Nina found their mother cold and remote that how’s the storytelling felt to me. I thought it was missing the usual heart and soul Ms. Hannah puts into her stories. Reading this particular KH novel took a lot of patience for me. I almost DNF’d it.

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

Winter Garden was provided to me by Nicole at Authors on the Web. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )

Title: The Cold Room
Author/website(s): J.T. Ellison
401 pages
Publisher: Mira
Publication date: March ‘10
Genre: Police procedural
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: No
Would I recommend this book: Definitely
Would I read more from this author: Eagerly anticipating book #5 and book #4 isn’t even available until March of this year.
Journal notes: I’m pretty sure it isn’t fair to classify The Cold Room as a review book because J.T. Ellison’s Taylor Jackson series has quickly become a favorite of mine and hits the auto-buy authors list. Now that isn’t to say the relationship has been this way from the start (All The Pretty Girls) because I was a bit unsure at first. While I enjoyed All The Pretty Girls I wasn’t raving about it. When the opportunity came along to get The Cold Room as a review copy I thought ‘why not?’. I’d enjoyed All The Pretty Girls enough to give Ms. Ellison’s work another try. But first I needed to read 14 and The Judas Kiss as I have this little hangup about reading series in order. I did read 14 and The Judas Kiss and with each book my love of Ms. Ellison’s Taylor Jackson series was quickly growing into a long-term relationship. Taylor Jackson is a strong female lead character. Taylor reminds me a lot of Eva Dallas in J.D. Robb’s In Death series. There are several similarities in both Taylor’s and Eva’s professional and personal lives. Because I’ve been of the fan of the In Death series from the first book I wasn’t surprised by Taylor getting her hooks into me (reading wise that is). There is never a dull moment in this series. If you’re a fan of police procedurals check out The Cold Room. It kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning.

He Can Only Truly Love Her Once Her Heart Stops

Homicide Detective Taylor Jackson thinks she’s seen it all in Nashville—from the Southern Strangler to the Snow White Killer. But she’s never seen anything as perverse as the Conductor. Once his victim is captured, he contains her in a glass coffin, slowly starving her to death. Only then does he give in to his attraction.

When he’s finished, he creatively disposes of the body by reenacting scenes from famous paintings. And it seems similar macabre works are being displayed in Europe. Taylor teams up with her fiancé, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, and a New Scotland Yard detective named James “Memphis” Highsmythe, a haunted man who only has eyes for Taylor, to put an end to the Conductor’s art collection.

Has the killer gone international with his craft? Or are there dueling artists, competing to create the ultimate masterpiece?

(The Cold Room was provided to me by TJ at Planned Television Arts. I was not paid. This book doesn’t have a home yet so the first reader to tell me they want it can have it )

Title: The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
Author/website(s): C.W. Gortner (redesigned site which I like)
397 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: May ‘10
Genre: Historical fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: No
Would I recommend this book: Yes; another great book from this author
Would I read more from this author: Yes
Journal notes: Another book about Catherine de Medici. Was I courting trouble requesting a review copy of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici? I hadn’t finished reading other books about this queen I’d picked up and put down leading me to ponder: a queen I wasn’t interested in or storytelling styles that couldn’t capture my attention? After turning the last page of Confessions I’d say subject matter wasn’t the issue. In the talented storytelling style of Mr. Gortner I found her to be a very compelling individual. Mr. Gortner brings to life Catherine’s struggles to save her family and her kingdom during times of great religious strife. Of all the queens I’ve read about her story is by far the most fascinating. If you enjoyed The Last Queen, as I did, you won’t be disappointed with The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. I’m already looking forward to reading Mr. Gortner’s 2011 release of Princess Isabella, about the rise of the famous Spanish queen and the early years of her reign.

At the age of fourteen, Catherine de Medici, last legitimate descendant of the Medici blood, finds herself betrothed to the King Francois I’s son, Henri. Sent from her native Florence to France, humiliated and overshadowed by her husband’s life-long devotion to his mistress, when tragedy strikes her family Catherine rises from obscurity to become one of 16th century Europe’s most powerful women.

Patroness of Nostradamus and a seer in her own right, accused of witchcraft and murder by her foes, Catherine fights to save France and her children from savage religious conflict, unaware that her own fate looms before her — a fate that will demand the sacrifice of her ideals, her reputation, and passion of her own embattled heart.

From the splendors of the Loire palaces to the blood-soaked battles of the Wars of Religion and haunted halls of the Louvre, this is the story of Catherine’s dramatic life, told by the queen herself.

(The Confessions of Catherine de Medici was provided to me by Quinne at Ballantine Books, a division of Random House. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )

Title: Roses
Author/website(s): Leila Meacham
609 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: January ‘10
Genre: Fiction; family saga
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: Definitely
Would I read more from this author: Yes
Journal notes: Loved it! Absolutely loved it. I love big, soaring family sagas and Ms. Meacham has written a winner. Roses has been hailed by others as the next Gone With The Wind. Now GWTW is my all time favorite book so its hard for me say that Roses is another GWTW. I can see the comparisons and understand why they both would be mentioned in the same breath but for me it wasn’t quite there. Almost but not quite. Its missing the ‘wow’ factor of Scarlett and Rhett. Percy and Mary’s doomed love doesn’t quite reach the heights of Scarlett and Rhett for me but Roses is still one of the best family sagas I’ve read in years. I devoured its 609 pages two days reading every spare minute I could find. It is another of my favorite books this month and will definitely be on my favorites list for 2010.

Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town’s founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been–not just for themselves but for their children, and children’s children.

(Roses was provided to me by Miriam at Hachette Book Group. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )

Title: The Sheen on the Silk
Author/website(s): Anne Perry
514 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: March ‘10
Genre: Historical fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: Definitely
Would I read more from this author: Yes
Journal notes: Loved it! It is an incredibly wonderful HF novel. I was totally immersed in Byzantine culture for the three days I spent reading this novel. The sights, the sounds, the people and the lifestyle are vividly portrayed in The Sheen on the Silk. I was Anna’s shadow as she searched for the truth. This story is filled with political and religious intrigue. I found some of the religious intrigue to be a bit complex simply because this is a historical period I have little familiarity with. And for those of you who read Ms. Perry’s mystery novels there is a murder mystery within these pages. It is one of my favorite books this month and will most likely make the favorites list for 2010.

Arriving in the ancient Byzantine city in the year 1273, Anna Zarides has only one mission: to prove the innocence of her twin brother, Justinian, who has been exiled to the desert for conspiring to kill Bessarion, a nobleman.

Disguising herself as a eunuch named Anastasius, Anna moves freely about in society, using her skills as a physician to manoeuver close to the key players involved in her brother’s fate. With her medical practice thriving, Anna crosses paths with Zoe Chrysaphes, a devious noblewoman with her own hidden agenda, and Giuiliano Dandolo, a ship’s captain conflicted not only by his mixed Venetian-Byzantine heritage but by his growing feelings for Anastasius.

Trying to clear her brother’s name, Anna learns more about Justinian’s life and reputation—including his peculiar ties to Bessarion’s beautiful widow and his possible role in a plot to overthrow the emperor. This leaves Anna with more questions than answer, and time is running out. For an even greater threat lies on the horizon: Another Crusade to capture the Holy Land is brewing, and leaders in Rome and Venice have set their sights on Constantinople for what is sure to be a brutal invasion. Anna’s discoveries draw her inextricably closer to the dangers of the emperor’s treacherous court—where it seems that no one is exactly who he or she appears to be.

(The Sheen on the Silk was provided to me by Katie at Ballantine Books, a division of Random House. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )

Title: Burn
Author/website(s): Ted Dekker & Erin Healy
368 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication date: January ‘10
Genre: Suspense, faith-based
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes & no (Ted – no; Erin – yes)
Would I recommend this book: You betcha
Would I read more from this author: The Bride Collector is sitting on the bookcase shelf right now. And sitting there it will be until my April tour date.
Journal notes: First off let me say if you don’t usually read faith-based fiction but love great suspense novels you need to read Burn. When faith is mentioned it is true to the story line and doesn’t stand out. Burn is one very, very good suspense story. I was first introduced to Mr. Dekker’s novels last year when I read The BoneMan’s Daughters. At that time I added Mr. Dekker to my auto-buy & favorite authors list. And reading Burn only confirmed that I’d made a smart decision. Burn was bit different due to a paranormal aspect but very interesting in concept. Mr. Dekker and Ms. Healy collaborated on Kiss which will soon be joining my Kindle library.

The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes.

Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend–at serious risk to her own life–or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered . . .

But the past is quickly coming back to haunt her. Both the best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There’s a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there’s an even greater debt she must face–and if the chaff isn’t burned from her own heart, it will consume her.

(Burn was provided to me by Amy at Phenix Publicity. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )

Title: The Day The Falls Stood Still: A Novel
Author/website(s): Cathy Marie Buchanan
298 pages
Publisher: Voice
Publication date: August ‘09
Genre: Fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: DNF’d @ pg. 148
Would I read more from this author: Depending on subject matter/topic
Journal notes: Simply a story that didn’t appeal to me once I started reading.

Set against the backdrop of WWI and Niagara Falls, this debut tells the story of young Bess Heath and her struggle to navigate a quickly modernizing world. A child of privilege, Bess sees her fortunes change when her father loses his job. Cast into poverty, her family disgraced, Bess tries to hold things together while her sister slips into depression, her father drinks and her mother withdraws. After another tragedy strikes, Bess finds comfort in the love of Tom Cole, a river man with a mysterious connection to the falls. Overcoming the deep privation of the war and their own limited means, the two begin building a life together and renew their commitment to each other and their family. Based loosely on the history of Niagara river man William Red Hill, the book incorporates mock newspaper articles with limited success, but does integrate some detailed depictions of domestic life and fascinating natural history into an otherwise uneventful romance.

(The Day The Falls Stood Still was provided to me through a banner ad at Shelf Awareness. I was not paid and this book is being passed along to the another book blogger through Read It Forward )

Title: The Apple: Based on the Herman Rosenblat Holocaust Love Story
Author/website(s): Penelope Holt & Herman Rosenblat (Wikipedia link) / The Apple
200 pages
Publisher: York House Press
Publication date: August ‘09
Genre: Non-fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Review book
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: I would
Would I read more from this author: Depending on subject matter/topic
Journal notes: Come the end of this year you will find The Apple on my favorite books list for 2010. I was vaugely aware of the controversy surrounding Mr. Rosenblat’s memoir. I had seen some headlines but frankly paid little or no attention to the details. After reading The Apple it matters little to me whether Mr. Rosenblat’s story is pure fact, fiction or a some combination thereof. It was a story that touched me. There is a love story there just not the one most readers believed they’d find. It is story of deep, profound love – parent for child, sibling for sibling. Until I can walk the path of Mr. Rosenblat’s life I have no right to judge.

Oprah called the tale of love in a concentration camp that lies at the heart of holocaust survivor, Herman Rosenblat’s controversial memoir, “The greatest love story every told.” But when his story is attacked and his memoir cancelled, Rosenblat must defend his narrative. The Apple first tells the story of his struggle to survive the camps and the girl he says helped him by tossing apples over the fence. It then uncovers the story behind the story: Why did an old man weave real love with a dream of love into an account that touched and inspired many, but also ignited a firestorm of criticism.

(The Apple was provided to me by May at York House Press. I was not paid and this pdf file has been deleted from my Kindle.