The Book Thief

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that will be in movie theaters on November 15, 2013, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning aut...

This Orphans & Foster Homes give to us some advantages, like this :
1. Magnificent Story
Liesel Meminger is a Book Thief, living with a foster family in Germany during World War Two. Torn from everything she's known, her foster father shows her the power of words as the two of them share late night reading sessions of The Grave Digger's Handbook. Her love of books ties her to others, including the mayor's wife and Max, the Jew the family hides in the basement.

My own words escape me as I try to recount the beauty of this book in a short review. Rarely have I read a book as moving, as profound, as this one. Narrated by Death, this story is one that crawls under your skin and reverberates your soul with its images of Nazi Germany, friendship, and loss. The images stirred through Death's telling are so vivid, so wonderful, so tragic. Zusak has a masterful command of language and I was astounded by the way his words brought Liesel and her world to life. We follow Liesel over the years as she learns the true meaning of family through her caring new Papa and...

2. This book deserves more than 5
I am not going to tell the plot of this book yet again, Amazon and some other reviewers have done it quite well...I will tell you that this is an astounding book, a beautiful book, and a book that I know I will read again and again......

I read a lot, two to three books a week, my family makes fun that I "love" so many that I read...but in the past few years there have only been a handful of books that when I finish reading the book I sit and try to think of who I can send a copy to, who can I share this wonderful experience with. A book that when I finish, I want to go back to the beginning and start over.

I am a little sorry it is listed as a young adult book, I feel that if the bookstores put it in the young adult section, so many people will be missing out on a wonderful experience. Yet it is important that younger readers, high school readers, read this book too. When I was growing up, I remember reading Diary of Anne Frank, and the feelings I had when I...

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Different, entertaining and heart breaking
This is a story told by Death. An interesting point of view perhaps, but as it is set in Germany during World War II, perhaps it is entirely appropriate. It is also a story of a young girl, who in spite of having a life that no one would wish on anyone, still manages to have glimpses of pleasure through many small things, including the few books that she manages to acquire (or shall we say, steal).

It is interesting to see that it appears to be targeted to young adult readers - please don't be put off by this - it is very much an adult story about children who are doing their best to live a normal life in times of unspeakable horror. It would also be a good way to introduce more mature readers to the history of the times. But be warned, it is quite confrontational at times, and considering who the narrator is, very sad.

To add extra punch to the story, it appears that it is the true story of the author's grandmother. When you consider this, you realise how...
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Gone Girl: A Novel

Marriage can be a real killer.    One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.    On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beauti...

This Suspense give to us some advantages, like this :
1. Fiendishly clever mystery novel
In the first few pages of Gillian Flynn's new novel Gone Girl, I was thinking, "This is it -- one of those rare novels that's unique and totally engrossing, cleverly plotted so that each new development has me astounded and eager to find out what happens next." Then the story continued as Midwestern husband Nick began to deal with his wife Amy's sudden disappearance and some gradually revealed details that might cast doubt on his own innocence in the matter. During that time, the book dropped down from the level of extraordinary to merely somewhat intriguing. However, once I reached Part Two of Gone Girl ("Boy Meets Girl"), it was like Ms Flynn kicked it up a notch, and the book became amazing again. Without giving any spoilers, Part Two unveils some major plot twists that cast Amy's status in an entirely new light. From that point on, the story moves along in powder keg fashion: the fuse has been lit, and it's only a question of how long 'til the explosion, and how much damage...

2. Great read - apart from the ending
Amy and Nick are married for five years, but there is not much harmony left. All of a sudden, Amy is missing. And from there, a more and more surprising and devious plot develops, cleverly and elegantly put together by a very talented writer.

It is difficult to talk about the plot without risking spoilers. So let's say this: It is not a conventional thriller. There are twists and totally surprising developments, we are getting manipulated and are lied to by both protagonists. It's not only a thriller, the book is also about unconventional truths about love and marriage. Sadly, the ending is a disappointment. Best not to expect too much from it and just enjoy the reading of the novel as such.

The book is always straightforward and readable, but maybe there are a few digressions too many. I can't help but feeling that nowadays thriller writers feel the need to expand their books to 600 pages when 400 would have done just as well. That's stupid, because it...

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Great start, disappointing end
I was totally engrossed in this book in the beginning. I liked the way the story was told from both Amy and Nick's perspectives; it made it difficult to know what was really going on because I wasn't sure who to believe. In Part 2 several surprises are revealed that make the story even more engaging...until it isn't. Towards the end of Part 2 the twists and turns stopped being intriguing and just seemed over the top. The characters stopped being flawed and interesting and instead just seemed incredibly unlikeable. And the ending is just terrible. I cannot stress enough how much I hated the ending. I have never read a book before that took me from not being able to put it down to wanting to punch someone in the face out of frustration. So my advice is this: if you really want to read this book, check it out at the library. Don't do what I did and pay the Kindle price!
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The Book Case (Kindle Single)

In this compact and delightful murder mystery, New York Times bestselling suspense novelist Nelson DeMille returns to one of his most beloved characters—the hard-boiled NYPD Detective John Corey. New York City bookstore owner Otis Parker is dead, killed by a falling bookcase. A tragic accident? Corey isn’t so sure. With deadpan humor and skeptical eye, the determined detective is on the case, and everyone who has the misfortune to be connected to Parker is a suspect—the failing mystery writer in town to sign books; the beautiful young wife, and the bookstore employee who appears to be more nervous than aggrieved. In his debut Kindle Single, DeMille deftly maneuvers through the twists and turns of this fast-moving story, delivering his...

This Hard-Boiled give to us some advantages, like this :
1. Detective John Corey in his NYPD days
Since I "discovered" Nelson DeMille many years ago, he's become one of my favorite authors, and I've read everything he's written. So of course I pre-ordered "The Book Case" when I saw it listed as a Kindle Single.

The short story (or novelette, if you like) features John Corey, a recurring character in several of DeMille's novels. While I didn't care too much for Corey in his first appearance in Plum Island, he's grown on me, with his quick-witted sense of humor and his dogged determination to solve a case. The story in "The Book Case" predates Plum Island, at a time when Corey was still a detective with the NYPD. That was well before he met (and later married) FBI agent Kate Mayfield, also one of my favorite DeMille characters.

In "The Book Case," Detective Corey is investigating the death of bookstore owner Otis Parker. Was it an accident or was it murder? The evidence, or actually some missing evidence, convinces Corey that foul play was involved. It looked...

2. Wrong genre?
As a long time DeMille fan, I was thrilled that another Corey book was out. Unfortunately, that thrill was short-lived. Rather than the richly developed characters, plot and storyline DeMille presents to the reader in the rest of his novels, what we got was a poorly thought-out plot and with no development at all. The characters were flat and the plot was totally predictable. I won't even call this a poor effort...it is closer to "no effort". Perhaps DeMille should abandon the "Singles" genre and concentrate on what he does so well; novels with richly woven story lines complete with vivid characters and plot.

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Great value, unexpected bonus
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a bonus since I didn't know it was coming, and since The Panther is delayed, it bridged the time gap between The Lion and the next book. Only two hours, but it was a good price. John Cory is such a smart ass (or maybe it is the author?).
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Allegiant (Divergent Series)

What if your whole world was a lie?What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. An Amazon Best Books of the Month, October 2013: Veronica Roth had her work cut out for her, ending a trilogy that had fans rabid for the final book, and she pulled it off like a champ. Allegiant kicks off right where Insurgent ended, so if it’s been a while since you read that one you might want to re-read the last couple of chapters to orient yourself. The first surpris...

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This Science Fiction give to us some advantages, like this :
1. Read if you enjoy being depressed and disappointed
I finished this last night and afterwards I felt just dead inside. I absolutely hate when a series ends leaving me feeling unsatisfied and even, in this case, angry. I feel kind of betrayed by the author.

I loved Divergent. The book had its faults, but I really fell in love with the whole story, the characters, the romance between Tris and Four, the Factions, etc. I read and re-read Divergent probably 8-10 times. I bought the audio book version as well. I was SO PSYCHED about the movie! I bought Insurgent and devoured it as well. It didn't have quite the same magic for me that Divergent did, but I still loved it. So I was REALLY psyched to read Allegiant.

And maybe my hopes were too high.

I don't know.

That doesn't change the fact that this book utterly and completely disappointed me.

SPOILERS AHEAD

For real, SPOILERS!

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

[

**What's outside the fence?**

I...

2. Boring, repetitive and monotone
I know everyone is harping on the ending, but that isn't even the problem in this novel. I don't expect much YA novels to be Hemingway, or Rowling even, but reading Roth's monotonous and continuously stilted, short sentences for the duration of this story made me long for some artistic flare. A bit of purple prose, even.

My main problem is that Roth, for having decided to alternate POVs to both Tris and Tobias, has created no discernible tonal differences between the two. Neither develop a distinct personality and that leads to a boring read. If each chapter title did not state whether it was in Tris or Tobias' view, then I would not have been able to tell who was the narrator, aside from situationally figuring it out. Both viewpoints really do read that similarly.

Again, the very minimal diction (not to be confused with the bare style of The Road, an artistic masterpiece in simplicity) also leads to little passion. For all the kissing that Tobias and Tris...

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you've got to give them hope
Ms. Roth had a lot of opportunity with this book. But because of her huge readership, she had a lot of power and responsibility too. She needed to write a good story. I don't mean "write a happy story." I mean write a good story as in one with a coherent plotline, robust characters, and emotional tension. These are simply the qualities that readers trust to get from Ms. Roth based on the first two novels, and it is in this point that Ms. Roth completely fails with Allegiant. We can see this from the many negative reviews: If you're going to kill off a main character, it had better make sense and not strike thousands of readers as arbitrary. If you're going to write in two voices (and sacrifice the ability to deeply understand one character's psyche), make sure that the voices are different enough that readers don't get confused. If you're going to create a power hungry character in Evelyn, don't make her transition at the end seem like it's a senseless and unbelievable 180-degree...
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The Gods of Guilt (Lincoln Lawyer)

Defense attorney Mickey Haller returns with a haunting case in the gripping new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly. Mickey Haller gets the text, "Call me ASAP - 187," and the California penal code for murder immediately gets his attention. Murder cases have the highest stakes and the biggest paydays, and they always mean Haller has to be at the top of his game.When Mickey learns that the victim was his own former client, a prostitute he thought he had rescued and put on the straight and narrow path, he knows he is on the hook for this one. He soon finds out that she was back in LA and back in the life. Far from saving her, Mickey may have been the one who put her in danger.Haunted by the ghosts of his past, ...

This Legal give to us some advantages, like this :
1. The Lincoln Lawyer rides again
Criminal defence attorney Mickey Haller is back doing what he does best - running his small legal practice from the back of his Lincoln Town Car. He is still recovering from a time when switched sides to be a successful prosecutor, and he nearly became Los Angeles County District Attorney before disaster struck when a defence case went badly wrong and impacted his career and his relationship with his daughter and first wife.

Mickey is always on the lookout for cases with the highest stakes and biggest paybacks and the top of the line are murder cases. One day Andre La Cosse, an internet "pimp" who designs and manages websites for call girls, asks Mickey to defend him on a murder charge. This case is different because the victim, Gloria Dayton, was a former client, a prostitute Mickey thought he had rescued and put on a straight and narrow path - but unknown to him she was back on the game. It is also different because just before Gloria's death she had told Andre he should...

2. A solid case (maybe a few cracks)
Anyone intrigued by the blurb of the latest 'Lincoln Lawyer' novel will not be disappointed by Connelly's recent dramatically named piece The Gods of Guilt.

The story revolves around the murder of a once-time cilent of Haller's, and his determination to discover the truth of it, while defending the prime suspect. The book is a little slow burn for the first half, and then risks becoming uncomfortably dense with intrigue. Nonetheless the finale saves all and combines tension and slightly cynical fun to create a good conclusion.

I only have two beefs with this book - the link between Haller and the murder victim didn't deliver on tension. This story was promised to pass judgment on whether Haller himself was guilty or innocent, but ultimately the relationship just felt like an excuse to get Haller involved in the case, rather than a conflict generator itself.

My second (small) beef is the prose of this book. While I am a fan of 'plain-speak' and enjoy...

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Good, not great
Michael Connolly rarely puts a foot wrong and this offering is slick, fast-paced and -as ever- well written. But it lacked a little depth, particularly with regard to Mickey Haller's character. Really, he was just a name rather than a person, and was rather vague and insubstantial. The plot was ok but the killer's motive, in the end, was even thinner than the Haller persona. Enjoyable but not up there with his best.
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HOSTILE WITNESS (legal thriller, thriller) (The Witness Series,#1)

When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both."This story was inspired by a case my husband handled. As a su...

This Legal give to us some advantages, like this :
1. Absolutely riveting from start to finish
I haven't read many legal thrillers in the past few years, but I think I am going to have to add more books of this genre to my future reading list - especially those written by Rebecca Forster. Hostile Witness is just a fantastic, completely absorbing read, the kind of book that makes you hate your job because having to get up early for work means having to set the novel aside in the wee hours of the morning just so you can get a few hours of sleep. Any thriller is best judged by the number of hours' sleep you miss, and Hostile Witness is right up there with the best of them.

Usually, legal thrillers have a few passages that are dry and boring or feature cardboard characters lacking any spark of life in them. Not so with Hostile Witness. Forster has given life to some vivid, remarkably human characters - the heroic, sympathetic lawyer who puts a painful past behind her to defend a young girl accused of arson and murder; the 16-year-old defendant, a troubled teen lost...

2. An Exciting Legal Thriller
I like a good deal. You know how when you go to the grocery store and you find your favorite cereal is buy one get one free, you almost feel like you've won some sort of lottery. Now, you know the store has upped the base price of the cereal, but you still snatch it up and through it your cart. There is a great feel to a two for one deal. That's how I have always felt about a good courtroom drama. You're getting two dramas for the price of one. The first drama is outside the courtroom. The incident, the lives affected, secrets, conspiracies and so much more pepper the events leading up to a trial. Then the trial, the legal maneuverings, the back room deals, the attorneys and judges, you can't get much better than that.

Recently there has been more and more legal thrillers that forgo the courtroom. The lawyer turned detective who solves the mystery without even filing a motion. While these books are often quite entertaining, I sometimes feel like I missed something. In Hostile...

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Sometimes interesting / often absurd
It helped that this book was free on Kindle when I ordered it... I had very mixed feelings about this novel. Some of the characters and narrative were done quite well, but there were a number of places where key scenes made no sense whatsoever. During a trial, for example, the main character (defense lawyer) began asking a hostile witness detailed questions about things that happened to him at specific ages ("Isn't it true that, when you were 6, such-and-such happened?"). The lawyer had just been told some vague information about the witness by someone who was unlikely to have known even the vaguest of details, yet seemed to have gleaned all this information from a brief conversation.

The book is also in dire need of a spell-checker and proofreading to correct confusing sentence structure and peculiar punctuation.

The "bad guys" (and there were several) were all unbelievable. The protagonists, however, were sympathetically drawn.

All in all, I doubt...
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Deep Down: A Jack Reacher Story

In thriller master Lee Child’s exclusive eBook short story, Jack Reacher must track down a spy in soldier’s clothing—by matching wits with four formidable females. Three are clean—but the fourth may prove fatal.   Includes a thrilling preview of Lee Child’s hotly anticipated Jack Reacher novel, A Wanted Man!   Summoned by Military Intelligence to Washington, D.C., Reacher is sent undercover. The assignment that awaits him: The army is meeting with its Capitol Hill paymasters for classified talks on a new, state-of-the-art sniper rifle for U.S. forces. But vital details about the weapon are leaking—straight from the Capitol and probably into the hands of unidentified foreign arms dealers. The prospect of any and every terrorist...

This Suspense give to us some advantages, like this :
1. A True Dective Story
First, let's remember that this is a short story. There is not enough time to get too deeply into background, back-plot and character development. "Deep Down" is a vehicle for Lee Child to give Jack Reacher fans some insight into why he is respected in his field and how he earned some of the reputation and medals that are referenced to in the full novels.

"Deep Down" puts Reacher in Washington DC at a critical time. Things were heating up in many third world countries and covert intelligence agents were a genuine threat.
In this story we see the amazing 'detecting' skills that kept Reacher at the top of his game. We are used to seeing him in a more physical environment and in much more danger. He is assigned to a mundane scenario: attend a high-order finance committee meeting and ferret out the leak. The interesting aspect is that the four suspects are all women, and poor Reacher (who is not comfortable trolling bars) must "man-up" and play the roll.

He...

2. A young Jack Reacher in the era of pay phones and faxes
As familiar as I am with author Lee Child's name, I had never read any of his books until now. I usually read a couple of Kindle Singles a month, and when I noticed that "Deep Down" was the #1 Single even before its publication date, I preordered it. If "Deep Down" is representative of the Jack Reacher series, I'll be back for more.

The story is set in Washington, DC, in 1986. Narrated in the third-person point of view, the story concerns a new sniper rifle that could give US military forces an advantage in combat. It's become apparent that someone is leaking classified information. The "someone" appears to be one of four women officers, all West Pointers, who are giving testimony to a Congressional group and asking for funding for the new weapon. Reacher is called in to play an undercover role to ferret out the one who's leaking information.

It wasn't supposed to be a dangerous assignment: just sit in on the hearings, keep a low profile, and chat up the four...

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Deep Down
Caught off guard by this book. It ended abruptly and had me thinking I had only downloaded a sample. I like Lee Child but am sorry I paid money for this.
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