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.

Middlesex

Title: Middlesex

Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

Pages: 18 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: The story follows the family line of Cal Stephanides grandparents in Greece through her birth and re-birth into a young man once he discovers that he was a hermaphrodite. The story re-traces the path made by a single mutated gene that his grandparents carried with them across the ocean from Greece in the 1920's. When Cal (born Calliope) discovers the truth about his body, he runs away as he tries to figure out his place in the world.

My Review: This book was long enough and the stories (from Greece in the 1920's to the modern-day) were diverse enough that it felt like I was reading a couple of different books. However, I enjoyed really getting to know the Stephanides family from the grandparents and parents to Cal himself.

Disclaimer: As you can imagine, a book about a hermaphrodite discovering their sexuality requires some short graphic descriptions. However, I felt that everything was done in a tasteful way.

Lone Survivor

Title: Lone Survivor - The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10

Authors: Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson

Pages: 386

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the account of Operation Redwing, a counter-insurgent mission that took place in Afghanistan in 2005. 4 Navy SEALs were inserted high on a mountain with the intention of capturing or killing a Taliban leader. They are caught in a massive firefight which kills three of the SEALs. The rescue helicopter with additional SEALs is shot down by the Taliban killing an additional 16 members of the US Armed Forces.

My Review: This book is very powerful because half of the book isn't even focused on the failed mission, but on the training and boot camp that the Navy SEALs go through. This book details why the SEALs are the United States strongest fighting forces and why they are used most often in special missions where much is at stake (see the killing of Osama Bin Laden on May 2, 2011). The training regimen that the SEALs are put through is amazing. By the time one has trained to be a SEAL, there isn't anything that they can't do. The author of this book and the lone survivor, due to miraculous circumstances, places much of the blame for the bad decisions made by the SEALs on the mountain on the fear of retribution by the "liberal media" back in the States. This was an incredible look into the training and pressures that these heroes are faced with.

Disclaimer: As is typical with most books about military procedures, there is some foul language, but Luttrell makes an effort to limit the poor language to specific quotes or examples.

From the Book: "(p. 88) The SEALs place a premium on brute strength, but there's an even bigger premium on speed. That's speed through the water, speed over the ground, and speed of thought. There's no prizes for gleaming a set of well-oiled muscles in Coronado. Bulk just makes you slow, especially in soft sand, and that's what we had to tackle every day of our lives, mile after mile."

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

Title: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know

Author: Meg Meeker, M.D.

Pages: 288

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Drawing upon decades of experience counseling girls, Dr. Meeker makes the case that the most important individual in a girl's life is her father, for better or worse. The book is well-structured and discusses why fathers need to be heroes, strong communicators and examples that their daughters can follow.

My Review: There were a lot of things that I really liked about this book and a few things that I didn't. This is the type of book where the real benefit is in taking the advice that is applicable to your situation and doing your best to apply it in your life. This book has earned a unique spot on my shelves as I would like to re-read it every five years or so in order to glean what is important for me and my girls during each stage of life. I enjoyed the applicability of this book as I have two daughters (turning 5 and 3 in July) and one on the way!

Ella Enchanted

Title: Ella Enchanted

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Pages: 232

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is a new look at one of the world's oldest fairy tales. Young Ella is happy as a lark until her father ends up marrying a mean step-mother with two daughters after her mother's death.

My Review: First off, I didn't realize that this book was taken from one of the most popular fairy tales until after I had finished the book. The Newbery Honor book was a fun, quick read in just a couple of hours.

Keys to the Demon Prison

Title: Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

Author: Brandon Mull

Pages: 593

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This is the fifth and final book of the Fablehaven series. The Sphinx is on the verge of obtaining all five of the magical artifacts necessary to open the demon prison Zzyzx, which houses most of the most dangerous servants of darkness and evil, including the demon king Gorgrog. It is once again up to Kendra, Seth and the Knights of the Dawn to unite all creatures of light in order to defeat those who want the demon prison opened.

My Review: I'll be honest, I really like the Fablehaven series. It was a little juvenile, but I thought the series was well-written and unique. Although this book was almost 600 pages, I felt that the author was rushing through much of the story in order to squeeze everything that he wanted into the single book.

Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 390

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the third and final book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Young Katniss Everdeen remains the face of those who oppose the Capitol and the Capitol has declared an all-out war on the residents of District 12 and those throughout the remaining districts who are loyal to the opposition.

My Review: My personal favorite book of the trilogy was the first one. However, I thought this book took the most unexpected turns. Just like the others, it was a fun read and a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 391

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is the second in The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss and Peeta somehow made it through their first Hunger Games, but now they are the poster boy and girl for a rebellion that they never meant to lead.

My Review: Once again this is a book that is hard to put down. It's quick-paced and full of unexpected twists. The book does, unfortunately, feel a little bit like it's the filler between the first and third books, but it's not one that you'd want to skip.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 374

Genre: Thriller

Grade: A-

Synopsis: The Hunger Games take place in the nation of Panem, which is located on the North American continent, long after the United Stated and other nations in the area have fallen. Panem is ruled by a capitol with 12 outlying districts spanning the continent. As punishment for previous uprisings against the Capitol, each year, each district must send 1 boy and 1 girl to fight to the death in an arena for the Capitol's entertainment. Katniss Everdeen's younger sister is chosen as District 12's girl, and Katniss steps forward to take her place, realizing that it is a death sentence.

My Review: This is the book/series that everybody has been talking about. While the general premise of the book is disturbing (kids killing other kids and fighting to be the last one standing), the book is well written and certainly manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. After reading this book (the first of a trilogy) it was hard not to dive right into the second book.

The Likeability Factor

Title: The Likeability Factor

Author: Tim Sanders

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help

Grade: B

Synopsis: Being likeable is a critical component to having good relationships with you family, at work and in other areas of life. This book explores how anybody can increase their likeability factor by boosting their friendliness, relevance, empathy and realness with those around you.

My Review: I enjoyed listening to this book and learned a great deal. It was interesting to think about the factors discussed and how I could apply them in my life.

The ABC Murders

Title: The ABC Murders

Author: Agatha Christie

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: When Alice Ascher from Andover is murdered and an ABC railway guide is placed next to the body, nobody thinks that this would be the beginning of a string of murders.

My Review: I was in the mood for a short Agatha Christie mystery and this book did not fail to deliver. I enjoyed the story and was surprised by the ending (although that's nothing new. Whenever I hear that people knew who was the bad guy all along, I'm afraid to admit that I'm usually clueless up until the very end).

The Real Life of Eva Peron

Title: The Real Life of Eva Peron

Authors: Nicholas Fraser & Marysa Navarro

Pages: 198

Genre: Biography

Grade: B

Synopsis: Eva Duarte is born out of wedlock to her mother and fights her way out of the poverty she was born into in the Argentine pampas. She makes her way to the capitol city by the time she is fifteen where eventually she is working as an actress voicing soap operas on the radio. She becomes romantically involved with Colonel Peron, before marrying him and becoming Argentina's first lady after he is elected president. Evita is loved, worshiped and adored by millions while simultaneously being hated, feared and despised by millions. After her death so young, her body is hidden for decades because the Argentine government feared the demonstrations and protests that would have inevitably taken place at her grave by the Peronists.

My Review: I added this book to my 'to read' list after Alison and I were able to watch Evita at Pioneer Theater in spring 2004. I finally got to it and enjoyed the book quite a bit. The biography is very academic and did not feel to be written as the type of book that would appeal to the masses. It was very apparent that the book took great pains to clarify the known facts from the unknown facts and assumptions. Evita was such an icon and loved and hated by so many that there are numerous conflicts in her life's story depending upon who's telling it.

The Swan Thieves

Title: The Swan Thieves

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Pages: 16 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Andrew Marlowe is a single psychiatrist, satisfied with his life working at a full-time care center. He is devoted to painting and intrigued when the renowned painter Robert Oliver is entrusted into his care after he attacks a painting with a knife in the National Gallery. As Dr. Marlowe begins to try and unravel the mystery of Oliver's illness he crosses his own ethical boundaries in his search for more information about the obsessions of Robert Oliver.

My Review: As you may know, Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel, The Historian, is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book, her second novel. The Swan Thieves dives deep into painting, 100-year-old love letters and French Impressionism with Dr. Marlowe trying to unravel the mystery between them and it never really caught my fancy. I felt that the plot was fairly weak and the story slow as I found myself daydreaming quite often while I was listening to the book. That being said, from reading other reviews online, there are quite a number of people with whom the book really resonated.