Age Level: Adult
Format: Book
Warning: this book contains strong language. Stephanie Plum is at it again, this time tracking down what happened to her ex-husband Dickie Orr. After a shouting match at his law office, Stephanie becomes the prime suspect in her ex's disappearance. To make matters worse, Stephanie's nemesis Joyce Barnhardt feels Stephanie is responsible for Dickie's disappearance and will stop at nothing to make Stephanie pay. Meanwhile, Stephanie has to make a living and puts her bounty hunting "skills" to work tracking down FTAs, including a taxidermist with the art of booby trapping stuffed animals. With her whacky sidekicks, Stephanie cannot waste too much time finding the answers to the disappearance before she becomes the next victim.
Evanovich writes a mystery series that is so funny with the strangest/whackiest characters imaginable that I really read her Stephanie Plum series for the punch lines and the characters rather than the mystery. Lean Mean Thirteen, in my opinion, was not the funniest Plum mystery, but there were moments of laugh-out-loud humor. Anytime Grandma Mazur is in a scene, watch out! As I stated above, there is a lot of strong language in this book, as in others in the series. For those who do not like reading the strong language, do not pick up this series. Evanovich's books are very fast reads - I am a slower reader, and I can finish her books in one evening. I do not want to put the books down until I am finished!!
I recommend starting the series with the first book, One For the Money. This way, readers are introduced to the main characters and grow with the characters throughout each book. Each book also introduces new characters who have recurring roles in subsequent books.
If you are looking for a book that provides laugh-out-loud fun, look no further than Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.
Reviewed by Jessica
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Still as Death by Sarah Stewat Taylor
Age Level: Adult
Format: Book
This fourth installment in the Sweeney St. George mystery series finds Sweeney getting ready to open her exhibition on funerary art at Boston's Hapner Museum of Art. While putting together her exhibtion, Sweeney, an art historian, discovers paperwork for a piece of Egyptian jewlery that she desires. However, no one can find the jewelry. Meanwhile, Sweeney learns of a robbery that took place in the museum in 1979, which sheds some light on the jewlery's disappearance.
On opening night of the exhibition, tragedy strikes when one of the museum's staff members is found murdered in the museum's basement. Sweeney feels there is a connection between the present day murder and the robbery from 1979. With the help of her friend Detective Timothy Quinn, she tries to find the answers before someone else gets hurt. Mystery, lies, cover-ups and romance bring together a mystery that is enjoyable.
Those who love to read about art and art history will enjoy this mystery series. A former co-worker recommended the first in this series, O' Artful Death, a few years ago, and I absolutely loved it. To me, the plot lines are rich and unique with twists that combine past crimes/situations with contemporary or modern day happenings. A main character who works with funerary art seems so original and yet so fitting for a mystery. Readers will find that Sweeney has a very complicated life: she is the daughter of a famous artist who committed suicide when she was young; Her fiance was killed a few years ago in a terrorist attack in London; and, her current boyfriend wants her to move to London with him, though she has feelings for her friend Detective Quinn. Taylor combines all of these to make a character who generates sympathy and interest.
For those who like very unique characters, I would also recommend the genealogical series by Fiona Mountain, the fist titled Pale as the Dead. Set in England, this series follows Natasha Blake, a genealogist, as she solves genealogical mysteries and mysteries of modern day. Again, Mountain ties a modern day problem/mystery with a mystery of the past. Anyone who likes Sarah Stewart Taylor's series should try Fiona Mountain's genealogical series.
Reviewed by Jessica
Format: Book
This fourth installment in the Sweeney St. George mystery series finds Sweeney getting ready to open her exhibition on funerary art at Boston's Hapner Museum of Art. While putting together her exhibtion, Sweeney, an art historian, discovers paperwork for a piece of Egyptian jewlery that she desires. However, no one can find the jewelry. Meanwhile, Sweeney learns of a robbery that took place in the museum in 1979, which sheds some light on the jewlery's disappearance.
On opening night of the exhibition, tragedy strikes when one of the museum's staff members is found murdered in the museum's basement. Sweeney feels there is a connection between the present day murder and the robbery from 1979. With the help of her friend Detective Timothy Quinn, she tries to find the answers before someone else gets hurt. Mystery, lies, cover-ups and romance bring together a mystery that is enjoyable.
Those who love to read about art and art history will enjoy this mystery series. A former co-worker recommended the first in this series, O' Artful Death, a few years ago, and I absolutely loved it. To me, the plot lines are rich and unique with twists that combine past crimes/situations with contemporary or modern day happenings. A main character who works with funerary art seems so original and yet so fitting for a mystery. Readers will find that Sweeney has a very complicated life: she is the daughter of a famous artist who committed suicide when she was young; Her fiance was killed a few years ago in a terrorist attack in London; and, her current boyfriend wants her to move to London with him, though she has feelings for her friend Detective Quinn. Taylor combines all of these to make a character who generates sympathy and interest.
For those who like very unique characters, I would also recommend the genealogical series by Fiona Mountain, the fist titled Pale as the Dead. Set in England, this series follows Natasha Blake, a genealogist, as she solves genealogical mysteries and mysteries of modern day. Again, Mountain ties a modern day problem/mystery with a mystery of the past. Anyone who likes Sarah Stewart Taylor's series should try Fiona Mountain's genealogical series.
Reviewed by Jessica
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Age Level: Teen
Format: Book
Faeries do exist.
Keenan, the Summer King has wooed many girls in the past, searching for his queen. Keenan must find the Summer Queen, because only after he has found her and she has agreed to be his queen can he defeat the Winter Queen (Keenen’s mother) who has been slowly overtaking fairyland with her cold.
Aislinn is Keenan’s next target. He dreams of her, and, as he has believed with countless girls in the past, he believes that she is destined to be his queen.
But, Aislinn is different. She can see faeries and knows not to trust them. She lives by three rules . . . Don’t stare at faeries; Don’t talk to faeries; and definitely do not attract their attention. But now, Aislinn has been marked. There's nothing she can do about that - and her rules cannot protect her any more.
This book was highly enjoyable. I have not read such a great opening scene in a very long time. From the first paragraph, the reader is sucked into Keenan’s world and his need to find the Summer Queen to save his world. The difference between the faerie and mortal world is clearly described.
**For parents out there, there is one intimate scene in the novel between Aislinn and another character. The descriptions are vague enough that the reader inputs their own version of what happened during that evening. But, that scene is there.**
If you’re looking for a story with a strong female character, don’t mind love triangles and evil faeries, then this is the book for you!
Reviewed by Sara.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
Age Level: Adult
Format: Book
What if a reference to an undiscovered William Shakespeare play is found in a seventeenth-century letter used in the binding of a book? For the two lead characters, Albert Crosetti, an aspiring filmmaker, and Jake Mishkin, an intellectual property lawyer, life changes forever. The discovery of the letter, written in Old English and cryptically by a seventeenth-century soldier who claims to have knowledge of the exact location of a Shakespeare play, is only the beginning of a novel steeped in mystery and intrigue. Further speculation arises as news of an English professor, known for his work on Shakespeare studies, is found dead. As the mystery surrounding the letter unfolds, Crosetti and Mishkin face Russian thugs and danger as they sift through truth and fiction. Failure to find the undiscovered Shakespeare play could leave them and their families dead. With a storyline that could be compared to The Da Vinci Code, The Book of Air and Shadows will keep the reader guessing until the very end.
Gruber tells the story in three voices: through the soldier Richard Bracegirdle's letter; through the third person voice following Crosetti; and through the first person voice of Mishkin. The letters, written in seventeenth-century English, will slow the pace of readers, making reading at times quite complicated and frustrating. The storyline of the characters may also get in the way of readers' enjoyment - there is quite a discussion of Mishkin's lustful desire for women, for example.
If you did not like The Da Vinci Code, chances are you may not like this book. There is some discussion of religion in this novel, though it does not play as huge a part in the overall story as it does in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.
To me, The Book of Air and Shadows is thrilling and compelling. I did enjoy reading it, even with the Old English! I love Shakespeare, and after reading the synopsis on the jacket of the book, I was hooked. I found myself staying up late at night trying to find out what would happen next. Will they discover the play? Does the play even exist? Why is Carolyn Rolly so secretive? How far would some people go to get their hands on an authentic Shakespeare play?
Reviewed by Jessica
Format: Book
What if a reference to an undiscovered William Shakespeare play is found in a seventeenth-century letter used in the binding of a book? For the two lead characters, Albert Crosetti, an aspiring filmmaker, and Jake Mishkin, an intellectual property lawyer, life changes forever. The discovery of the letter, written in Old English and cryptically by a seventeenth-century soldier who claims to have knowledge of the exact location of a Shakespeare play, is only the beginning of a novel steeped in mystery and intrigue. Further speculation arises as news of an English professor, known for his work on Shakespeare studies, is found dead. As the mystery surrounding the letter unfolds, Crosetti and Mishkin face Russian thugs and danger as they sift through truth and fiction. Failure to find the undiscovered Shakespeare play could leave them and their families dead. With a storyline that could be compared to The Da Vinci Code, The Book of Air and Shadows will keep the reader guessing until the very end.
Gruber tells the story in three voices: through the soldier Richard Bracegirdle's letter; through the third person voice following Crosetti; and through the first person voice of Mishkin. The letters, written in seventeenth-century English, will slow the pace of readers, making reading at times quite complicated and frustrating. The storyline of the characters may also get in the way of readers' enjoyment - there is quite a discussion of Mishkin's lustful desire for women, for example.
If you did not like The Da Vinci Code, chances are you may not like this book. There is some discussion of religion in this novel, though it does not play as huge a part in the overall story as it does in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.
To me, The Book of Air and Shadows is thrilling and compelling. I did enjoy reading it, even with the Old English! I love Shakespeare, and after reading the synopsis on the jacket of the book, I was hooked. I found myself staying up late at night trying to find out what would happen next. Will they discover the play? Does the play even exist? Why is Carolyn Rolly so secretive? How far would some people go to get their hands on an authentic Shakespeare play?
Reviewed by Jessica
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Age Level: Teen
Format: Book
"How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?" - Simón Bolívar (last words)
Sixteen-year-old Miles "Pudge" Halter, who is obsessed with people's last words, has left his parent's house in Florida to attend the same boarding school in Alabama that his father attended when he was a teenager. There, Miles rooms with Chip, otherwise known as the Colonel and meets Alaska, the brainy and beautiful head of the group of prankster misfits that welcomes Miles into their group. They're an unlikely but close group - smoking, drinking, going to class and pranking the 'Weekday Warriors' together. As the school year progresses, Miles' crush on Alaska intensifies and it becomes evident that Alaska's troubled past can cause her to be self destructive and that something bad is going to happen...
The first half of the book is Before . . . before the event that will change Miles, the Colonel, and the school they attend. In the before time, the reader gets a glimpse into the dynamics of the school. Not much happens to move the plot along, other than the group getting into mischief, getting busted for smoking or drinking, sneaking out after curfew . . . harmless pranks with harmless consequences. Then comes After. The event that happened, that changed the school and Miles, are carefully chronicled through his eyes. The reader experiences the struggle to understand the age old question of Why? along with Miles and his friends. Was it an accident? Was it on purpose? Could it have been stopped? It was all their fault. Will life ever be the same?
Sadness, anger, trust, renewal . . . all the signs of grief and healing are carefully chronicled within this powerful novel. It is full of quiet incidents that seem small when looked at separately, but when looked at as a whole are large and significant. I highly recommend and enjoyed this novel.
"It's very beautiful over there." - Thomas Edison (last words)
Reviewed by Sara.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Age Level: Teen
Format: Book
Format: Book
Jane has been forced by her parents to move from her hip home in Metro City to Surburbia and thinks that her life is over. But, surprisingly, in the lunch room, at the reject table, she finds her "tribe". Sitting together are three other girls named Jane and it's now up to Main Jane to convince the other girls to form a secret club called P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art in Neighborhoods). In fact, P.L.A.I.N. comes to be known as "art terrorists".
This book may turn some people off because it is in graphic format, but in my mind, the graphic format just enhances the story. I found myself flipping back and forth, looking at the pictures to get more of the feelings that the characters were dealing with. In itself, the story is very real. There was a bombing in Metro City, Jane was caught in the bombing and therefore her parents became worried and overprotective, so they moved the family away from the city. They moved to a place that they believed would be a safe place for Jane to grow up at. The story is grounded in a reality that all teenagers face today - an uncertain world, high school, and friendships. I believe it is a good, quick read for everyone.
Reviewed by Sara.
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