Along Came a Spider

Title: Along Came a Spider

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 12 discs?

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the first Patterson novel with Alex Cross (It's also the first Patterson book that I've read).  Cross is an African-American detective working in the poor areas of DC.  He is pulled into a case where the son of The Secretary of the Treasury and the daughter of an American movie star are kidnapped by a deadly psychopath teacher at their private school. 

My Review: Sometimes you're just in the mood for a thriller and this story did not disappoint.  It's not a book for the fainthearted as the kidnapper is a major psychopath and doesn't hold anything back. 

Trouble in High Heels

Title: Trouble in High Heels

Author: Christina Dodd

Pages: 7 discs?

Genre: Romance

Grade: B

Synopsis:  Brandi Michaels is a young, sexy lawyer who just graduated from law school and is starting her first job at a big-name Chicago law firm.  Just a couple of days after arriving in Chicago, she finds our that her fiance has snuck off to Las Vegas to marry his pregnant girlfriend.  Brandi pawns her engagement ring and goes to a party to find somebody to help her forget about her ex-fiance.  She finds the gorgeous Italian Count Roberto Bartolini and spends the weekend in his arms...  When she arrives to her new law firm on Monday morning, she finds out that her first client is Count Bartolini who has been accused as an international jewel thief.  To make matters worse (or steamier if you prefer), the alleged jewel thief is remanded into her custody 24/7. 

My Review:  This is one of those books that I stumble across at the library when I can't find anything else to read so I close my eyes and just grab something.  The first part of the book was a little cheesy and superficial, but I found myself enjoying the latter half of the book as the plot thickened and I actually enjoyed it more than expected.

Disclaimer:  There was some language and love-making and not something I'd recommend to my kids, but everything came across as quite tasteful

Breakfast of Champions

Title: Breakfast of Champions

Author: Kurt Vonnegut

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: C+

Synopsis: Kilgore Trout is an aging writer from some of Vonnegut's other books.  Kilgore is intrigued (and slightly aghast) when he finds out that a car dealer from the Midwest believes everything that Kilgore writes is the literal truth.  Throughout the book, Vonnegut makes light of America's attitude towards sex, politics, war, etc.

My Review: I finished this book a couple of months ago and the honest truth is that I can't remember all that much about it.  This may be due to the fact that I had a hard time comprehending what was going on in the book as I was listening to it.  I looked up a few summaries that helped me understand what was going on and that helped.  The book is a satire of Vonnegut's view of the world, which he wrote as a present to himself for his 50th birthday.