Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50 Book Challenge 2012/What I've Read in 2012

The King's Mistress - Gillian Bagwell

I found a section of cheap ebooks on my Nexus and decided to give this one a go. I have to admit that there are certain advantages to reading on the Nexus as opposed to the Kindle. I do appreciate a nice full colour book cover for one. That's something I do miss on the Kindle. I also liked that it was a touch screen and the page turning feature.

The book itself however....Jane Lane - a young noblewoman who risked death by aiding the fugitive Prince Charles to escape Oliver Cromwell - was obviously an extraordinary woman for her times and her story is one of amazing courage and excitement. Not only did she aid Charles in escape to France but when she returned home and learned that her part in the plot had been discovered she simply walked out of her home to the nearest port and found her way alone to Charles' French court in exile.

Sadly, the book gave me no sense of what an astonishing adventure this was. It wasn't badly written, but there was just some spark missing, so that it never truly engaged me. The real story read on Wiki was much more enthralling than this ever got.

LabRat

#36 Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

This was a companion piece to "Something Blue". Each book tells the story from a different character's POV.

Joan

Mystic River - Dennis Lehane

I've been meaning to get to this one for a time. Not just because it's by one of my favourite authors, but because I've seen the movie and was curious to compare the two.

As it turns out, the movie stuck close to the plot. What we got from the book was a lot more detail about the characters lives, motivations and thoughts. Plus there were two plot points which I couldn't recall, so I enjoyed catching up with those.

Really enjoyable.

LabRat :-)

#37 Crossed by Ally Condie (Part of the Matched Trilogy]

I really enjoyed the first book in this series (Matched) about a girl in an oppresive futuristic society. The second one was a bit disappointing. There's potential for interesting revelations in the third installments, but nothing super exciting revealed in this book.

Joan

Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane

I had a similar curiosity here as with Mystic River, maybe more so because, although I enjoyed the movie, I found the central premise ludicrous, which is not something I often find with this author.

Again, the plot of book and movie were pretty well matched and I still found it ridiculous that the characters would embark on such a plan while knowing - as they repeatedly tell us - that this man is prone to excessive violence.

For all that, I did enjoy it. I preferred the more complex final scene from the movie though, with its more layered nuances, than as it was portrayed in the book.

So not bad but definitely not my favourite tale from Lehane.

LabRat

John Connolly is in my top three favourite thriller authors list (along with Lee Child and Robert Crais), so I've been looking forward to reading the next two in his Charlie Parker series for some time.

The Whisperers

A worthy addition to the series with lots of Connolly's trademark spookiness. I understand there's been a lot of debate among readers as to whether his books should be classed as thrillers or horror. I say both. Creepy as any horror novel with a generous dose of maverick detective/thriller and witty dialogue thrown in. As a mix it works for me and I don't see the need to pigeonhole it.

My only twin disappointments with this one were that Parker's cohorts, the retired hitman Louis and his partner the ex-thief Angel were barely to be seen (I miss them) and a villain death cribbed almost wholesale from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Just started the next in the series - The Burning Soul which has had an intriguing start....

LabRat

Wow...I'm really, really behind and need to catch up!!

5. "Pretties" by Mark Westerfield

6. "Specials" by Mark Westerfield

7. "Extras" by Mark Westerfield

8. "Lover Reborn" by J. R. Ward

9. "Best of Edgar Allan Poe"

10. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

In my own defense, I was out of work for seven months and did very little but look for a job. I haven't even been writing <gasp > when I should have since I had all that extra time!!!

My daughter just finished this series and absolutely loved it. She's trying to get me to read it. I've liked some of this author's other works.

How did you like it?

Joan

I loved it!! I've actually read all four books three times now. You should take your daughter's advice...lol

The Burning Soul - John Connolly

I enjoyed this one even more than the last. Creepiness. An intriguing mystery. Lots of twists. Several plot strands coming together. And laugh out loud dialogue. Classic Connolly.

LaRat :-)

Gone Tomorrow - Lee Child (Reread)
61 Hours - Lee Child
Worth Dying For - Lee Child

Technically, I shouldn't enjoy Child's novels. The plots hinge on too many co-incidences and incredible luck. Just the kind of thing I usually hate. But - and it's a huge but - it's Jack Reacher. <g> And you just gotta love the man. I'd forgive Jack just about anything. So, as usual, I just buckled on up and thoroughly enjoyed the mayhem.

LabRat :-)

11. "The Colorado Kid" by Stephen King

12. "The Weird Sisters" by Eleanor Brown

#38 The Stand by Stephen King This was one of the very first apocalyptic books I ever read. I haven't re-read it since the eighties when I picked up the thousand page + completed version. I wanted to see if it held up well over time. It did.

Joan

Actually, this was the first -- and only -- SK book I've ever read. I liked the mini-series so much I wanted to read the book. I wasn't disappointed. I figure the rest of his stuff is too for me.

You might be right on that. He does go for gross and scary. His earlier works (The Shinning, Salem's Lot, Night Shift) tend to be better than the later stuff (Cell, Duma Key Point, Dream Catcher). He comes up with interesting premises but they don't get resolved well.

Joan

13. "39 Clues, Book 4: Beyond the Grave" by Jude Watson

From The Dead - Mark Billingham

It's been a time since I checked in with Billingham's grumpy London detective, Tom Thorne, but he hasn't lost any of his curmudgeonly charm.

LabRat :-)

#39 The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

Second of the trilogy. Not as good as the first book but I'll read the next one.

Joan

Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King

Over the years, I've been one of King's greatest fans and fiercest critics. I think the last book of his I truly enjoyed was way back with Dolores Claiborne. And I definitely didn't enjoy the last short story collection he produced.

So I approached this one with some degree of trepidation. But, to my delight, within a few pages of the first story, I was absorbed. And I enjoyed every one of the four novellas/shorts in this collection. It seemed like a real callback to better days.

Under The Dome - Stephen King

2009 seems to have been a good year for King, because he also wrote this and, once again, it seemed like the old King resurfaced. There wasn't much that was new about the plot - King himself has revisited this one before, as did Star Trek in part in the sixties - but that didn't matter. Here was King doing what he does best - producing a set of characters so real, so complicated, who don't always do the right or smart or logical thing, that you are immediately invested in their fate and want to see them win out against the evil hounding them.

LabRat

Based on your recommendation, I might have to try those out. King does tend to vary quite a lot in quality. I've heard that 11/22/63 is supposed to be good too.

Joan