bethany725 Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 Thanks for the reviews, Kelly. These Charlaine Harris books look really good.. I'm going to steal from you yet again and add her to my list. Quote
lexiepiper Posted March 31, 2009 Author Posted March 31, 2009 I think it is the covers for 'True Blood', the series that is based on the sookie books Yeah I notice they had the True Blood thing on the bottom of the cover, did you watch the show? I thought it was pretty good, but too much unnecessary nudity Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 4, 2009 Author Posted April 4, 2009 An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris No. of pages: 280 Rating: 5/5 Series: Harper Connelly (Book 3) Synopsis: In her third case, Harper and Tolliver, her stepbrother, are hired to find a missing grandson. But the truth is far worse than a single dead child, for numerous teenage boys, all unlikely runaways, have disappeared from Doraville, North Carolina. Harper soon finds the eight bodies, buried in the half-frozen ground, but then, still reeling from coming into contact with her first serial killer, she is attacked and injured. Now she and Tolliver have no choice but to stay in Doraville while she recovers, and as she reluctantly becomes part of the investigation, she learns more than she cares to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of the town: knowledge that makes her the most likely person to be next to end up in an ice-cold grave. Review: I really enjoyed the third installment of the Harper series, and think this is definitely the best so far. Harper is hired to search for a missing grandson that is feared dead, but when she finds him, along with 7 other young boys, she realises she has stumbled into her first serial killer case. When she is attacked as they're about to leave town, she realises someone in this town is playing deadly games, and they've set their sights on her... This book has the best storyline in this series yet, and it kept me gripped throughout. With regards to the murder aspect of the book, it's much darker and quite horrific to read, but it's still written so well. I thought the relationship developments within the story were interesting, although pretty obvious from what was said in Grave Surprise. Charlaine Harris really knows how to weave a story around you and keep you captivated until the very last page, her writing is fantastic and I'll definitely be looking into her other books. Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 4, 2009 Author Posted April 4, 2009 Whisper Of Evil by Kay Hooper No. of pages: 392 Rating: 4/5 Series: Evil Trilogy (Book 2) Special Crimes Unit (Book 5) Synopsis: If you hear it, it's already too late.... Someone is stalking the little town of Silence. Three victims have fallen to a killer’s savage vengeance. Each of the dead men was a successful and respected member of the community—yet each also harbored a dark secret discovered only after his murder. Were their deaths the ultimate punishment for those secrets? Or something even more sinister? Nell Gallagher has come home to Silence more than a decade after leaving one dark night with her own painful secrets. Forced now by family duty to return, she has also come home to settle with the past. But past and present tangle in a murderer’s vicious attacks, and to find the answers she needs, Nell must call on the psychic skills that drove her away years before. She must risk her own life and sanity, and regain the trust of the man she left behind so long ago. For the killer she seeks is seeking her, watching her every move, preying upon her every vulnerability—and already so close she’ll never see death coming . . . Review: The second book in the Evil trilogy, Whisper of Evil isn't quite as good as its predecessor, but still a great story to read. Nell Gallagher goes home to Silence, after running away without a word 12 years previously, to settle her father's estate after his death. When she gets there, the whole town is talking about the murdered men...and the dark secrets they kept whilst alive. So Nell teams up with the man she left behind, Max Tanner, and together they're determined to find the killer. But with Nell's psychic power constantly causing her to blackout, will they be able to find the killer before the killer finds them? I enjoyed how this story progressed as the book went on, with so many secrets coming out, you're kept wondering what's around the next corner, and with the suspicion on everyone in the town, you're constantly looking for clues to who the killer could be. I didn't see the end twist coming at all, although it made sense one it had been revealed and I thought back on what I had read. The psychic visions aspect of it was interesting, it adds a nice touch to the storyline, and the romantic reconnection between Max and Nell softens it, so it's not so harsh. If you enjoy these kinds of books then Kay Hooper's Special Crimes Unit series is a good one for you to try, her books have slight connections, but can be read independently from each other with no problems. Quote
Charm Posted April 7, 2009 Posted April 7, 2009 I totally agree with you Lexie about An Ice Cold Grave. I thought it was the best of the series so far, much darker too which I really liked. Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 7, 2009 Author Posted April 7, 2009 Yeah me too, I hope the next one is as dark, have to admit I'm really looking forward to it being released! Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 8, 2009 Author Posted April 8, 2009 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson No. of pages: 533 Rating: 3.5/5 Series: Millenium Trilogy (Book 1) Synopsis: Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves. Review: I have mixed feelings about this book, some aspects of the story were really good and kept me gripped, others made me want to put it down and never pick it up again. When Mikael Blomkvist is sued for libel, he needs to get away from his life for a while, so he accepts a job offer from Henrik Vanger to find out what happened to his great-niece Harriet Vanger when she disappeared 20 years earlier. He is positive she was murdered and wants to know how, but doesn't hold out much hope of anything after so long. So when Mikael actually stumbles across a new lead, Henrik is very surprised, and as Mikael starts to get closer to what happened to Harriet, it's clear someone will do anything to stop him finding out. The beginning of the book starts with a lot of talk about financial journalism, of which I have no interest whatsoever, and I thought it was just plain boring to read about. I put the book aside, not sure whether I'd pick it up again, but I decided to give it another go in the hopes when I pushed past the financial section of the story it would pick up, and it did. Once it got to the start of the Harriet investigation it was enjoyable to read, there are lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing who it may have been that killed Harriet. The twist at the end of the Harriet section took me by surprise, and I really enjoyed finding out the truth of what happened. I loved the character of Lisbeth Salander, I thought the way she was portrayed was amazing, and she fast became my favourite of the story. With so many family members being talked about, most with the same surname, it can get a little confusing at times, but it's not too hard to keep the main group of characters straight. I wish they'd kept the Swedish title of Men Who Hate Women, I think it's more appropriate to the storyline, rather than The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, being that there is one very brief mention of said tattoo, and it's nothing to do with the book really. If they had cut everything about Wennerstr Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 15, 2009 Author Posted April 15, 2009 Just seen that my review for Grave Sight has been used on a blog for the Sookie Stackhouse series to promote the reading of the Harper Connelly series, I'm really chuffed! Quote
pipread Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Just seen that my review for Grave Sight has been used on a blog for the Sookie Stackhouse series to promote the reading of the Harper Connelly series, I'm really chuffed! Well done - you`re entitled to feel chuffed! Quote
Charm Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Just seen that my review for Grave Sight has been used on a blog for the Sookie Stackhouse series to promote the reading of the Harper Connelly series, I'm really chuffed! Well done Lexiepiper! Good fer you! Quote
bethany725 Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Yey, Kelly!! Good for you! We're all proud of you Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 15, 2009 Author Posted April 15, 2009 Thanks In other news I'm still reading Moab Is My Washpot, which I'm really enjoying, but it feels like I've been reading it forever I'm hoping to have it mostly done by tonight so I can definitely finish it by tomorrow Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 25, 2009 Author Posted April 25, 2009 Just finished re-reading the Twilight saga, will be going back to Moab Is My Washpot to see if I can finish it! Quote
Mac Posted April 25, 2009 Posted April 25, 2009 Hiya. It never ceases to amaze me how differing people's opinions can be. I really, really, reeeeeaaaallly enjoyed The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I hope the fact that you were a little underwhelmed by it doesn't put you off reading the second book. I thought it was even better! I'm almost near incapacitation with excitement about the third and final instalment! It's blooming great news that your reviews are being used in promotional material! How'd you manage that!?! Well done, mate! Quote
Weave Posted April 25, 2009 Posted April 25, 2009 That's great Lexie! ~ spreading the word of the fair Harper!, well done Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 25, 2009 Author Posted April 25, 2009 Hiya. It never ceases to amaze me how differing people's opinions can be. I really, really, reeeeeaaaallly enjoyed The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I hope the fact that you were a little underwhelmed by it doesn't put you off reading the second book. I thought it was even better! I'm almost near incapacitation with excitement about the third and final instalment! It's blooming great news that your reviews are being used in promotional material! How'd you manage that!?! Well done, mate! I do actually want to read the second, I've seen it's mainly about Salander and she was my favourite character from the first one, so I'll try and see if I can nab it at the library next week. Do you know when the third is released and what it'll be about? Must admit, I'm kind of curious. And I don't have a clue! I just saw that she had commented with the link to where it had been posted, so I assume she stumbled across it somehow Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 Moab Is My Washpot by Stephen Fry No. of pages: 434 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: 'Stephen Fry is one of the great originals. This autobiography of his first twenty years is a pleasure to read, mixing outrageous acts with sensible opinions in bewildering confusion. That so much outward charm, self-awareness and intellect should exist alongside behaviour that threatened to ruin the lives of innocent victims, noble parents and Fry himself, gives the book a tragic grandeur and lifts it to classic status.' - Financial Times Review: Moab Is My Washpot follows Stephen Fry through his first 20 years of life. Mostly focusing on his life at boarding school, then following him as he gets himself into deeper and deeper trouble, ending with how he managed to turn his life around and become the well known and adored actor he is now. Written in a very intelligent manner as you'd expect from such an intelligent man, this book gives you a huge insight into his past and what made him the man he is today. I didn't know much about Stephen Fry's past before reading this, and was quite surprised to see how frank he had been about everything that happened to him. There is a lot about his struggling sexuality, his need to steal and his love of knowledge, but you can also feel the confusion of a teenage boy trying to figure out where he belongs in the world. It was incredibly interesting to read, and it took me quite a while to finish as there's just so much to take in from the book. There's a fair amount of sexual references which might bother some people, but I didn't mind it. I'm glad to have caught a small insight into Stephen Fry's life, and it's just made me love him all that much more. Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 Beauty by Robin McKinley No. of pages: 271 Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: Beauty has always been embarrassed by her nickname - she is plain and awkward compared to her two elder sisters, Hope and Grace. But what she lacks in beauty she can perhaps make up for in courage. When their merchant father returns from a failed business trip to the city where they once lived, he tells his daughters a strange tale: how on his way home he lost himself in a winter storm, and stumbled out of it into the summer garden of a magical castle. Innocently he picks a rose, and a fearsome Beast roars at him that his life is forfeit . . . unless one of his daughters will take his place. He will not hear of it when Beauty declares that she will return to the castle in his stead, but she is determined to go. 'He cannot be so bad if he loves roses so much', she says. 'Cannot a Beast be tamed?' This is a captivating retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast. Review: A beautifully written take on the classic story Beauty and the Beast. When Beauty's dad gets lost in a storm, he stumbles upon a grand castle that gives him shelter, but as he leaves the next morning, he can't help but pick a beautiful rose for his daughter. A furious Beast confronts him, and tells him his life is now forfeit, but as the elderly man begs for his life, the Beast tells him he can sacrifice one of his daughters in his stead if he so wishes. Beauty insists upon being the one to go to the castle, but doesn't expect what is waiting for her there. Can the Beast really be tamed? I was really looking forward to reading this as Beauty and the Beast has been a love of mine since childhood, but it exceeded even my expectations. The language is which it was written perfectly suited the tale, and the 'modern' aspect kept filmly inline with the original story. Some aspects were changed, but it only made the story more interesting and realistic, rather than so fairytale like. It was all around a fantastic book, I didn't dislike one thing about it, so if you're a fan of Beauty and the Beast, then this is definitely something you will enjoy. Quote
lexiepiper Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 Bad Things by Michael Marshall No. of pages: 454 Rating: 4.5/5 Synopsis: A heart-stopping tale of secrets, lies and our culpability in our own misfortunes. On a beautiful summer's afternoon four-year-old Scott Henderson walked out onto a jetty over a lake in Black Ridge, Washington State. He never came back. John Henderson's world ended that day, but three years later he's still alive. Living a life, of sorts. Getting by. Until one night he receives an email from a stranger who claims to know what happened to his little boy. Against his better judgement Henderson returns to Black Ridge, unleashing a terrifying sequence of events that threatens to destroy what remains of everything he once held dear. Bad things don't just happen to other people -- they're waiting round the corner for you too. And when they start to make their way in through the cracks in your life, you won't know until it's far too late... Review: A gripping storyline that kept me from putting the book down until I had finished it. The day his son Scott went out on to the jetty changed John Henderson's life forever. He manages to get continue with some semblence of a life, but really he's just walking the walk. Until the day someone tells him they know what happened to his son. There starts a nightmare John never could have imagined. Keeping you gripped the entire way through and surprising you with the unravelling story every step of the way, John comes to find out the terrible truth behind Black Ridge and its residents. I enjoyed how this story had three parallel threads that start seperately, but all end up all entwining together, which means the story is fast paced throughout. The main character was lovable, and it was easy to become very attached to him, as well as having good secondary characters too. All were very well written and each aspect of their personalities is slowly revealed through the book, so you understand them more as each situation arises. The story itself was very interesting, and didn't go in the direction I thought it would at all. I changed my guesses on who the bad guy behind it all was throughout, but was surprised when it was finally revealed in the ending. It's a great book to read if you like fast paced thrillers. Quote
anisia Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Moab Is My Washpot by Stephen Fry I read this a while back and I absolutely loved it Quote
lexiepiper Posted May 2, 2009 Author Posted May 2, 2009 Things I Want My Daughters To Know by Elizabeth Noble No. of pages: 454 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: 'My beautiful girls. If you've read this, you'll know it contains some - not all, but some - of the things I want my daughters to know. And the greatest of these is love ...' How would you say goodbye to those you love most in the world? Barbara must say a final farewell to her four daughters. But how can she find the words? And how can she leave them when they each have so much growing up to do? There's commitment-phobic Lisa. Brittle, unhappily married Jennifer. Free-spirited traveller Amanda. And teenage Hannah, stumbling her way towards adulthood. Barbara's answer is to write each daughter a letter, finally expressing the hopes, fears, dreams and secrets she couldn't always voice. These words will touch the girls in different - sometimes shocking - ways, unlocking emotions and passions to set them on their own journey of discovery through life. Review: A well told story about life after death. When Barbara dies, she leaves each of her daughters a letter, hoping it will help them to figure out and move on with their lives. Each daughter has a slightly different problem but it all comes down to love and acceptance. For her husband Mark, he has to cope with losing his beloved wife and helping the four girls through it too. The book chronicles the months after her death, as each tries to move forward. Very sad, but incredibly well told and enjoyable to read. I enjoyed how it changed narrative between each of the girls and Mark, and also the letters and journal entries from Barbara. The stories were developed well for each girl, showing how different each was from the others. It was very easy to read and the story flowed well. The ending was a little predictable, but it was a good ending despite that. I will be sure to keep my eyes open for other books by this author. Quote
Weave Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Great review Lexie, I have a lump in my throat reading it Quote
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