Readwine
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His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
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Just finished The Sleeping Doll by Deaver. This book the second in the series of three which showcase Kathryn Dance, a member of the California Bureau of Investigation and one of the nation's leading experts in interrogation and kinesics—body language, nonverbal gestures, postures and facial expressions by which a person manifests various physical, mental or emotional states, and communicates nonverbally with others.
From Amazon:
In this book, Dance leads the case that involves the escape of psychopathic killer Daniel Pell, dubbed "Son of Manson" (as he forms a "family" by luring young runaways). When we meet Pell, he is already a convicted murderer, but he is charismatic and diabolically intelligent. Through the book, he continually eludes capture, but Dance is never more than a few suspenseful minutes behind. Dance is nicely detailed, and procedural scenes, where she uses somatic cues to ferret out liars, are fascinating. The book is a hefty tome, but it is a bottomless bag of unexpected twists and turns, keeping readers wide-eyed with surprise, and leaving them looking forward to more of the perspicacious Dance.
I must admit, Deaver again caught me thinking I knew where the plot was going. I like being caught out – gives you the impetus to keep on reading. In addition, his characterization are good and realistic. Overall, a good balanced thriller. One thing I wish Deaver would do, however, is present more of Dance’s interrogation techniques; this is what I like about the series.
I give it a 8/10.
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Just finished The Sleeping Doll by Deaver. This book the second in the series of three which showcase Kathryn Dance, a member of the California Bureau of Investigation and one of the nation's leading experts in interrogation and kinesics—body language, nonverbal gestures, postures and facial expressions by which a person manifests various physical, mental or emotional states, and communicates nonverbally with others.
From Amazon:
In this book, Dance leads the case that involves the escape of psychopathic killer Daniel Pell, dubbed "Son of Manson" (as he forms a "family" by luring young runaways). When we meet Pell, he is already a convicted murderer, but he is charismatic and diabolically intelligent. Through the book, he continually eludes capture, but Dance is never more than a few suspenseful minutes behind. Dance is nicely detailed, and procedural scenes, where she uses somatic cues to ferret out liars, are fascinating. The book is a hefty tome, but it is a bottomless bag of unexpected twists and turns, keeping readers wide-eyed with surprise, and leaving them looking forward to more of the perspicacious Dance.
I must admit, Deaver again caught me thinking I knew where the plot was going. I like being caught out – gives you the impetus to keep on reading. In addition, his characterization are good and realistic. Overall, a good balanced thriller. One thing I wish Deaver would do, however, is present more of Dance’s interrogation techniques; this is what I like about the series.
I give it a 8/10.
The third book in the Dance series is Roadside Crosses. I will be heading that way I expect though it appears to be founded on high tech crimes – not sure if that is my cup of tea. Roadside Crosses appears also to be the third book in Deaver’s High Tech Thriller series, with The Blue Nowhere and The Broken Window being the other two books. I guess they are all connected.
For those who have read Roadside Crosses: is it very high tech? Just wondering.
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Paradise - Toni Morrison
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Battlefield Earth
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Sue, this book sounds fascinating. Thank you for your review - very good I am off to Amazon I think. Do svidaniya!
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Madness. Madness! This is crazy. The men in white coats are coming for you now.
They're coming to take me away, HAHA. They are coming to take me away:eek2:
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since 2 of your 3 hated books are probably some of my favorite books I've ever read!
Peacefield, this is exactly what I mean. I heard such great things about these books (Cloud Atlas even won the British Book Award) and I found them so bad. Maybe I was just not in the "mood" to read them when I did. Or maybe I just have have really bad taste in books
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The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs by Jean Donaldson
The subtitle to this book is very misleading. Nothing revolutionary here. Donaldson
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How Green Was My Valley
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I don't think I've ever read a whole book in one sitting as I like to pour over every single word so I read relatively slowly.
I am with you, Ken. Well written books are such a treat and a pleasure. I will admit, however, that I've sat and read three books all in one sitting. Quick reads and thoroughly enjoyed them:
The Firm by Joh Grisham
The Shining by Stephen King
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
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I heard the same re: PD James as to marketing detective novels. I will admit that if I am in the mood for a crime/mystery I tend to veer towards male authors. I fell for the PD James bit and thought that the first novel I read of hers was written by a man. Teach me! I love PD. If in the mood for an "Aga Saga" I tend to go with females.
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I think that the opinion of whether a book receives our individual recommendation depends heavily on the mood we were in at the time we read the book. Of course, storyline, characterization, style, author, etc. are very important, but I think reading mood also weighs heavily on our recommendation criteria.
I, for one, HATED the following, but made myself keep reading until the end in the hope that my deep desire to "throw them in the wood-chipper" would be appeased:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
Does anyone else think "mood" is paramount in recommending a book?
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Under a Texas Moon
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Unbelievably, I got a 9/10 and I don't watch movies very often. Beginner's luck, I expect!
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causing chaos. Cirano continued carefully...
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London Fields - Martin Amis
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Dinner at eight for eight:
Stephen Fry (if he is available - his presence is required at so many parties in this thread)
Cesar Millan
Barak Obama
Ewan McEwan
Nostradamus
Gil Grissom
Darwin
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Just finished my first Jeffrey Deaver novel, The Cold Moon. Even though the book is the seventh in the Lincoln Rhyme series, I started with this one as it is the one which introduces the character of Kathryn Dance, a member of the California Bureau of Investigation and one of the nation's leading experts in interrogation and kinesics—body language, nonverbal gestures, postures and facial expressions by which a person manifests various physical, mental or emotional states, and communicates nonverbally with others. Body language fascinates me. Deaver has written two other books about Kathryn Dance, so I am heading that way.
From Amazon:
In The Cold Moon, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs square off against a criminal who calls himself "The Watchmaker," a master assassin who gives new meaning to the phrase "a riddle wrapped up in an enigma"—you will spend a lot of time trying to figure out what his game is, but to no avail. That's because this book is quintessential Deaver--just when you're patting yourself on the back for having figured everything out, the author throws you one of his trademark curveballs, keeping his heroes and his readers in a constant state of confusion and agitation right up until the very last pages of this swift paced and surprising thriller. Additionally, Rhymes colleague and lover, Amelia Sachs, is also running her own murder investigation, her first as lead detective. Although twists and turns are what Deaver has become famous for, he seems to be having more fun than usual with the canny and devious Watchmaker., an observation borne out by the unusual ending the author provides.
Though a hefty tome, 656 pages, I read the novel really fast. And the Amazon blurb is right: you think you have figured it out, but then Wham! (there is half a book left) you did not, but then maybe you were partly right – it’s a lie ! At any rate, lots of fun
Obviously, the ending was written to motivate the reader to continue reading the next in the Dance series as The Watchmaker is not actually caught, but is possibly moving to California for Kathryn Dance to catch
I give it an 8/10. -
This one is on my TBR pile and I will soon get to it as it sounds terrific: Firmin by Sam Savage
From the jacket:
In the basement of a Boston bookstore, Firmin is born in a shredded copy Finnegans Wake, nurtured on a diet of Zane Grey, Lady Chatterley
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The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
I loved this book. Very, very interesting.
From Amazon:
When the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary put out a call during the late 19th century pleading for "men of letters" to provide help with their mammoth undertaking, hundreds of responses came forth. Some helpers, like Dr. W.C. Minor, provided literally thousands of entries to the editors. But Minor, an American expatriate in England and a Civil War veteran, was actually a certified lunatic who turned in his dictionary entries from the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Simon Winchester has produced a mesmerizing coda to the deeply troubled Minor's life, a life that in one sense began with the senseless murder of an innocent British brewery worker that the deluded Minor believed was an assassin sent by one of his numerous "enemies."
Winchester also paints a rich portrait of the OED's leading light, Professor James Murray, who spent more than 40 years of his life on a project he would not see completed in his lifetime. Winchester traces the origins of the drive to create a "Big Dictionary" down through Murray and far back into the past; the result is a fascinating compact history of the English language (albeit admittedly more interesting to linguistics enthusiasts than historians or true crime buffs). That Murray and Minor, whose lives took such wildly disparate turns yet were united in their fierce love of language, were able to view one another as peers and foster a warm friendship is just one of the delicately turned subplots of this compelling book.
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Just finished my first Deaver novel, The Cold Moon. No longer a Deaver virgin.
Even though the book is the seventh in the Lincoln Rhyme series, I started with this one as it is the one which introduces the character of Kathryn Dance, a member of the California Bureau of Investigation and one of the nation's leading experts in interrogation and kinesics—body language, nonverbal gestures, postures and facial expressions by which a person manifests various physical, mental or emotional states, and communicates nonverbally with others. Body language fascinates me. Deaver has written two other books about Kathryn Dance, so I am heading that way.From Amazon:
In The Cold Moon, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs square off against a criminal who calls himself "The Watchmaker," a master assassin who gives new meaning to the phrase "a riddle wrapped up in an enigma"—you will spend a lot of time trying to figure out what his game is, but to no avail. That's because this book is quintessential Deaver--just when you're patting yourself on the back for having figured everything out, the author throws you one of his trademark curveballs, keeping his heroes and his readers in a constant state of confusion and agitation right up until the very last pages of this swift paced and surprising thriller. Additionally, Rhymes colleague and lover, Amelia Sachs, is also running her own murder investigation, her first as lead detective. Although twists and turns are what Deaver has become famous for, he seems to be having more fun than usual with the canny and devious Watchmaker., an observation borne out by the unusual ending the author provides.
Though a hefty tome, 656 pages, I read the novel really fast. And the Amazon blurb is right. You think you have figured it out, but then Wham! (there is half a book left) you did not, but then maybe you were partly right – it’s a lie ! At any rate lots of fun.
Obviously, the ending was written to motivate the reader to continue reading the next in the series as The Watchmaker is not actually caught but moving to California I suspect for Kathryn Dance to get him
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Even though I live Stateside, I get most of my books from Amazon UK because the UK publishes paperback versions of the types of books I like at least a year or so before the US does.
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My first sci-fi book was The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury.
My first fantasy book was by Ursula Le Guin but cannot remember the title ( maybe one of the Earthsea books).
My first horror book was The Omen by D. Deltzer.
I read The Omen when I was about 12 and sick in bed for a fortnight. It began a binge during my sickness: The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, something about a Rose, etc. You get the pattern. Either I was going to die of fright and horror or I was going to get well
2009: The Year So Far
in General Book Discussions
Posted
Been reading more than you could have imagined? Or has your mojo deserted you?
I am happy to report that I have been reading more this year than I ever imagined. Mostly due, really, to the BCF. It keeps my interest level up. So thank you all for posting and discussing
Found any new favourites? Been disappointed by others?
My most favourite read and biggest surprise this year was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer. What an utterly lovely book. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd as I do not read American literature that often.
Also, through BCF, I discovered Jeffrey Deaver and Jeff Lindsay. Great, quick reads for my thriller/crime moods. So thank you again.
Biggest disappointments: When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
Been sticking to your reading challenges? Or pushed them to the side in the name of being spontaneous?
My challenge was to read one book a week. I've read 28 books so far, so I pretty much on schedule which is amazing.
I began with a list of 52 books, but then decided to erase the list and just add books as I read. I hate being forced to read something when I am in the mood for another kind of something. Too much pressure
It has worked out really well.
Bought more books than you've read? (Please tell me I'm not alone in this!)
I NEED MORE BOOK SHELVES
Been spending too much time at BCF when you could otherwise be making inroads into your TBR pile? And if so, are you going to do anything about it?
Far too much, but I won't change as it keeps my mojo going.
And finally, where do you hope your reading will take you in the next 6 months?
I really hope I can complete my challenge, but work is beginning to demand more time. Oh well. I am also looking forward to discovering some really great books thanks to BFC. I have never really been a fan of historical novels, but this year I've read several and I am beginning to get hooked.