Big Boned by Meg Cabot continues the trials and tribulations of Heather Wells, a former pop star. To be fair, I had not read any of the previous Heather Wells mysteries by Meg Cabot, but this book piqued my interest and I have added the previous books to my reading list.
What I enjoyed about Big Boned was the harried pace. Our heroine is once again embroiled in a death investigation, only this time it is her boss who has been murdered. Heather tries to stay out of the murder investigation, but people keep dragging her into it. Her big heart leads her to help some of the college students that she knows and cares about deeply. Meanwhile, her father and business partner try to lure her into re-entering the world of show biz and her emotions are all over the place as she tries to decide what to do about everything.
Mixed into the chaos of the murder investigation, we are treated to a very human character. Heather thinks about food a lot and like the rest of us, finds it hard to resist desserts! She is torn between the man she loves and the man she is with, does she confess her undying love for Cooper or move on with the math prof? Does she ditch the college job she loves for the lure of show biz? Such decisions! Heather Wells does what any sane woman would do in such situations: she goes and gets herself a Dove bar!
All in all, I found this book to be fast paced and a thoroughly enjoyable read. I plan to go back to the beginning of the series and read more about Heather Wells because she was such an interesting character. I recommend Big Boned by Meg Cabot both as a stand alone book and also to those who have been reading the Heather Wells mysteries.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Review: Silent in the Sancturary by Deanna Raybourn
Silent in the Sanctuary is the sequel to Deanna Raybourn's debut novel, Silent in the Grave. Book Two picks up where we were left off in Silent in the Grave, with Lady Julia Grey living in Italy with two of her brothers.
Summoned to England, they can only assume that their father is unhappy at the news of her brother's marriage to volatile Violante, Lady Julia and her brothers head off to England in time for Christmas, bringing along an Italian Count as a house guest. Lady Julia and her entourage arrive to the family pile in Sussex, a beautiful abbey. Lady Julia is quite miffed to see none other than Nicholas Brisbane, who assisted her in the investigation of the murder of her husband in Silent in the Grave. Lady Julia Grey still carries a torch for Nicholas, who has not had any contact with her since her 6 month stay in Italy, much to Lady Julia's chagrin. Nicholas has not come to the house party alone... he has come with a fiancee in tow!
While playing a game of hide-and-seek, Lady Julia Grey hears a scream. As the guests rush into the Sanctuary of the old monastery, they see one of their guests dead on the floor. Complicating matters, Lady Julia's cousin claims credit for said murder and grabs on to the ring on the wall and asks for sanctuary.
In dealing with the horror of the death of a house guest and the onset of a heavy snow storm, the guests are snow bound and one of them is a jewel thief! At the same time, a crazy old aunt disappears and ghosts are afoot.
You'll have to read Silent in the Sanctuary to find out just who the real murderer is and why, I promise you will be shocked! What about the missing jewels? The missing crazy aunt? All will be neatly and creatively tied together at the end..and you will still be left wanting more.
Lady Julia Grey will be back in the third book in this series, Silent on the Moor. The book is yet unpublished (due out in 2009), but you can check out the author's blog here here. Ms. Raybourn's blog is just as witty as Lady Julia Grey.
Summoned to England, they can only assume that their father is unhappy at the news of her brother's marriage to volatile Violante, Lady Julia and her brothers head off to England in time for Christmas, bringing along an Italian Count as a house guest. Lady Julia and her entourage arrive to the family pile in Sussex, a beautiful abbey. Lady Julia is quite miffed to see none other than Nicholas Brisbane, who assisted her in the investigation of the murder of her husband in Silent in the Grave. Lady Julia Grey still carries a torch for Nicholas, who has not had any contact with her since her 6 month stay in Italy, much to Lady Julia's chagrin. Nicholas has not come to the house party alone... he has come with a fiancee in tow!
While playing a game of hide-and-seek, Lady Julia Grey hears a scream. As the guests rush into the Sanctuary of the old monastery, they see one of their guests dead on the floor. Complicating matters, Lady Julia's cousin claims credit for said murder and grabs on to the ring on the wall and asks for sanctuary.
In dealing with the horror of the death of a house guest and the onset of a heavy snow storm, the guests are snow bound and one of them is a jewel thief! At the same time, a crazy old aunt disappears and ghosts are afoot.
You'll have to read Silent in the Sanctuary to find out just who the real murderer is and why, I promise you will be shocked! What about the missing jewels? The missing crazy aunt? All will be neatly and creatively tied together at the end..and you will still be left wanting more.
Lady Julia Grey will be back in the third book in this series, Silent on the Moor. The book is yet unpublished (due out in 2009), but you can check out the author's blog here here. Ms. Raybourn's blog is just as witty as Lady Julia Grey.
Review: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, by Lauren Willig
As a fan of the historical romance genre, I eagerly awaited the next installment in the Pink Carnation series, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. In this sequel, we are treated to the unconventional romance story of Miss Mary Alsworthy and Sebastian, Lord Vaughn. Mary, who is getting a bit long in the tooth to be getting married, is quite put out by her sister's accidental stealing of her fiance, Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe. Mary can't help but be a bit upset (wouldn't you be?) about this and fears that her last Season will be do or die: either marry well (preferably a titled gentleman) or spinsterhood. Her parents are not financially well off, and Mary just can't stand the idea of her sister and her new brother-in-law (who was supposed to be her husband) footing the bill for her last Season.
Enter Sebastian, Lord Vaughn. As a favor to the real Pink Carnation, he approaches Mary with an offer to lure the elusive Black Tulip out of hiding. Mary's hair color and complexion are a perfect combination since the Black Tulip loves dark haired beauties, which he calls petals. Mary agrees, but on her own terms. She wants just one more Season as a last ditch effort to marry and asks for the cost of a Season in return for her foray into espionage.
Mary and Vaughn spar with words, both giving as good as they get. Sandwiched in between Mary and Vaughn's exploits, we are treated to the continuing saga of Eloise and Colin. In my opinion, this is beautifully done. As you are reading, you become so entranced in Mary and Vaughn's story that you can't wait to see what happens next, and then there's a chapter about Eloise and Colin. Colin, who is a modern day ancestor of the Pink Carnation and Purple Gentian of previous novels. After reading the chapter on Eloise and Colin, you are left wanting more and reluctantly go back to Mary and Vaughn's story. It is almost torture to wait a few more chapters for the next installment of Eloise and Colin, but sweet torture since you are enjoying Mary and Vaughn's witty repartee.
Poor Mary falls in love with Vaughn, a man she cannot have. Like poor Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, Lord Vaughn seems to have a wife that gets in the way at the most inopportune moment. Will Mary and Lord Vaughn ever find happiness in light of this revolting development? You'll have to read The Seduction of the Crimson Rose to find out. You won't be disappointed; you'll only hunger for more.
I enjoy this series a great deal and with the end of each book, I anxiously await the next. For a sneak peak into the as yet untitled Book V, please check out the author's site by clicking here.
Enter Sebastian, Lord Vaughn. As a favor to the real Pink Carnation, he approaches Mary with an offer to lure the elusive Black Tulip out of hiding. Mary's hair color and complexion are a perfect combination since the Black Tulip loves dark haired beauties, which he calls petals. Mary agrees, but on her own terms. She wants just one more Season as a last ditch effort to marry and asks for the cost of a Season in return for her foray into espionage.
Mary and Vaughn spar with words, both giving as good as they get. Sandwiched in between Mary and Vaughn's exploits, we are treated to the continuing saga of Eloise and Colin. In my opinion, this is beautifully done. As you are reading, you become so entranced in Mary and Vaughn's story that you can't wait to see what happens next, and then there's a chapter about Eloise and Colin. Colin, who is a modern day ancestor of the Pink Carnation and Purple Gentian of previous novels. After reading the chapter on Eloise and Colin, you are left wanting more and reluctantly go back to Mary and Vaughn's story. It is almost torture to wait a few more chapters for the next installment of Eloise and Colin, but sweet torture since you are enjoying Mary and Vaughn's witty repartee.
Poor Mary falls in love with Vaughn, a man she cannot have. Like poor Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, Lord Vaughn seems to have a wife that gets in the way at the most inopportune moment. Will Mary and Lord Vaughn ever find happiness in light of this revolting development? You'll have to read The Seduction of the Crimson Rose to find out. You won't be disappointed; you'll only hunger for more.
I enjoy this series a great deal and with the end of each book, I anxiously await the next. For a sneak peak into the as yet untitled Book V, please check out the author's site by clicking here.
Library fines and finishing reading books
I know what you are thinking. I, myself, find it selfish when people keep books well past their due dates just to finish them. And I am an offender, but only occasionally. As a general rule, I return my books on time, unless I am able to renew them from the comfort of my laptop computer late at night in my fuzzy pink robe.
But recently, I was caught up in the rare situation where I had placed books in the queue, only to have them come unexpectedly early and all at once. When you are quite down the list, and don't expect to get a book for a month or more, it is a surprise to get notified that your requested book has come in early.
Such as I found myself with Big Boned by Meg Cabot and The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig. Both were due Friday and well, I didn't return them. The fines really won't be too much and really, my library isn't open again until tomorrow, so I didn't keep them too long past their due date. Had I returned them, it would be months before I got them back...worth the dime a day fine in my opinion. I was able to plow through both titles this weekend and will be posting reviews soon.
But recently, I was caught up in the rare situation where I had placed books in the queue, only to have them come unexpectedly early and all at once. When you are quite down the list, and don't expect to get a book for a month or more, it is a surprise to get notified that your requested book has come in early.
Such as I found myself with Big Boned by Meg Cabot and The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig. Both were due Friday and well, I didn't return them. The fines really won't be too much and really, my library isn't open again until tomorrow, so I didn't keep them too long past their due date. Had I returned them, it would be months before I got them back...worth the dime a day fine in my opinion. I was able to plow through both titles this weekend and will be posting reviews soon.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Finally finished with An Irish Country Doctor
An Irish Country Doctor
by Patrick Taylor, M.D.
Ah, at last I have finished An Irish Country Doctor and have put some distance between me and the book so that I can give a fair assessment. I find that if I spend a short while reflecting on the book, I have a clearer picture of just what I got out of a book.
To be honest, I found An Irish Country Doctor a little hard to get involved in, it took me probably half of the book before I felt that the story started to get intensely interesting.
In the first chapter, we meet a few of the locals and are introduced to our two main characters, Doctors Barry Laverty and Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly. Barry arrives in Ballybucklebo, a quaint Irish town, to take the job as a GP's assistant. Barry is quite young, and as such, is not well tuned with the ways of the world. Sure he has book learning, but there's no life experience to make the package complete.
He first meets Fingal, just as he is tossing a patient into a bush, all due to the patient failing to give his foot a good washing before he asked the doctor to take a look at it. Barry is horrified and fears this incident is a sign that he should just turn around and never look back. But Barry ends up sticking around, meeting the quirky residents of this town. Along the way, he gains experience in how to deal with country folk and a thing or two about life, love and loss.
Many years ago, I enjoyed the All Creatures Great and Small books by James Herriott. I must confess, in my mind I superimposed Fingal for Siegfried and Barry for James. They seemed to have the same type of relationship and Fingal was just as quirky as Siegfried ever was in the novels. One thing that did bother me quite a bit was the constant spouting of quotes from literature. It was quite overdone and most of it was lost on me. Perhaps it is because I live on this side of the Pond? But some of the quotes were quite archaic and obscure in nature and it was almost like sitting through an English Lit 101 class for an entire semester.
That being said, I do think that the book is worth a read. I enjoyed the book for the most part and was very pleased with the ending. The interweaving of the characters is craftily done and well thought out. Dr. Taylor also makes good use of Irish colloquialisms and mannerisms, which does help one immerse oneself into the story.
by Patrick Taylor, M.D.
Ah, at last I have finished An Irish Country Doctor and have put some distance between me and the book so that I can give a fair assessment. I find that if I spend a short while reflecting on the book, I have a clearer picture of just what I got out of a book.
To be honest, I found An Irish Country Doctor a little hard to get involved in, it took me probably half of the book before I felt that the story started to get intensely interesting.
In the first chapter, we meet a few of the locals and are introduced to our two main characters, Doctors Barry Laverty and Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly. Barry arrives in Ballybucklebo, a quaint Irish town, to take the job as a GP's assistant. Barry is quite young, and as such, is not well tuned with the ways of the world. Sure he has book learning, but there's no life experience to make the package complete.
He first meets Fingal, just as he is tossing a patient into a bush, all due to the patient failing to give his foot a good washing before he asked the doctor to take a look at it. Barry is horrified and fears this incident is a sign that he should just turn around and never look back. But Barry ends up sticking around, meeting the quirky residents of this town. Along the way, he gains experience in how to deal with country folk and a thing or two about life, love and loss.
Many years ago, I enjoyed the All Creatures Great and Small books by James Herriott. I must confess, in my mind I superimposed Fingal for Siegfried and Barry for James. They seemed to have the same type of relationship and Fingal was just as quirky as Siegfried ever was in the novels. One thing that did bother me quite a bit was the constant spouting of quotes from literature. It was quite overdone and most of it was lost on me. Perhaps it is because I live on this side of the Pond? But some of the quotes were quite archaic and obscure in nature and it was almost like sitting through an English Lit 101 class for an entire semester.
That being said, I do think that the book is worth a read. I enjoyed the book for the most part and was very pleased with the ending. The interweaving of the characters is craftily done and well thought out. Dr. Taylor also makes good use of Irish colloquialisms and mannerisms, which does help one immerse oneself into the story.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Library notices via e-mail - The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
I don't know about you, but I love my library (except for the hours, of course). Since I live in rural VA, the nearest large library is about an hour away. However, the library system does have several satellite sites for us country bumpkins. My library is not open every day, and even then not the whole day on most of those days that they are open. This was one of the hardest aspects for me to get used to when we moved to this town. I was quite used to a library that was open 9-9 on every day of the week.
But I digress. This post was about my e-mail notice. When a requested book is available for pick up at your library, you either receive notice by mail, or if you prefer, you can receive your notice via e-mail. I signed up for notices via e-mail figuring that over the course of a year, I would surely be saving them enough to buy a few good books. So there it was, in my inbox. A notice to pick up a book that I could not possibly pick up for days because my library was not open. Talk about frustration! I have been waiting impatiently for this book for a year and now. I guess another day or two wait won't kill me. Meanwhile, I'll trudge through An Irish Country Doctor, though really, I'd rather be losing myself in a Regency Romance.
But I digress. This post was about my e-mail notice. When a requested book is available for pick up at your library, you either receive notice by mail, or if you prefer, you can receive your notice via e-mail. I signed up for notices via e-mail figuring that over the course of a year, I would surely be saving them enough to buy a few good books. So there it was, in my inbox. A notice to pick up a book that I could not possibly pick up for days because my library was not open. Talk about frustration! I have been waiting impatiently for this book for a year and now. I guess another day or two wait won't kill me. Meanwhile, I'll trudge through An Irish Country Doctor, though really, I'd rather be losing myself in a Regency Romance.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Deanna Raybourn's debut novel "Silent in the Grave"
I happened upon "Silent in the Grave" quite by accident. I had let my magazines pile up and decided I would do a quick run through before sending them to the curb. I saw an advertisement in the All You magazine and read the description. It sounded like it wouldn't be a bad read, I thought. So I logged on to my library's website and was pleasantly surprised to see that there was not a queue a mile long ahead of me to read this book.
When it came, I thought it would be a nice way to pass the time. From reading the back of the book, I felt that it would read much like an Agatha Christie novel, which was not a bad prospect at all. The novel is written in the first person, with Lady Julia Grey narrating. I knew immediately that I would not be disappointed when I read the opening line: "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor." I knew right then and there that I would be in for a jolly good read!
As the book unfolds, Lady Julia Grey investigates the murder of her husband, along with Nicholas Brisbane, a man with secrets of his own. The book is set in late 1800s England, a time when society was still concerned with proper behavior and did not tolerate the shock jock type of a society that we live in today. Her family is quirky, to say the least, but yet you come to appreciate and like them for all of their faults. As the book comes to its climax, you can't help but think that you were blind sided with the identity of the killer and the circumstances thereof. This book is no light weight in tackling sensitive societal taboos, either. It seems the March Family has a family history of having square pegs among them.
The book ended with just enough mystery left to encourage you to follow through to sequel, Silent in the Sanctuary, which I will critique at a later date. This book was skillfully written with lots of wry humor that you can't help but appreciate. I could not wait to get my hands on the sequel and waited with baited breath for it to be published. Don't miss out on a great mystery with a sleuth who does not take a backseat to any man! Lady Julia Grey has a mind of her own, and she uses it with great skill. This book has it all, mystery, humor and romance all tied up in one neat little package.
This book is currently available via Amazon. It is listed in the list in the left side bar if you are interested in purchasing the book. I encourage all of my readers to use their public libraries whenever possible. Please visit http://www.silentinthegrave.com to read an excerpt of this book.
When it came, I thought it would be a nice way to pass the time. From reading the back of the book, I felt that it would read much like an Agatha Christie novel, which was not a bad prospect at all. The novel is written in the first person, with Lady Julia Grey narrating. I knew immediately that I would not be disappointed when I read the opening line: "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor." I knew right then and there that I would be in for a jolly good read!
As the book unfolds, Lady Julia Grey investigates the murder of her husband, along with Nicholas Brisbane, a man with secrets of his own. The book is set in late 1800s England, a time when society was still concerned with proper behavior and did not tolerate the shock jock type of a society that we live in today. Her family is quirky, to say the least, but yet you come to appreciate and like them for all of their faults. As the book comes to its climax, you can't help but think that you were blind sided with the identity of the killer and the circumstances thereof. This book is no light weight in tackling sensitive societal taboos, either. It seems the March Family has a family history of having square pegs among them.
The book ended with just enough mystery left to encourage you to follow through to sequel, Silent in the Sanctuary, which I will critique at a later date. This book was skillfully written with lots of wry humor that you can't help but appreciate. I could not wait to get my hands on the sequel and waited with baited breath for it to be published. Don't miss out on a great mystery with a sleuth who does not take a backseat to any man! Lady Julia Grey has a mind of her own, and she uses it with great skill. This book has it all, mystery, humor and romance all tied up in one neat little package.
This book is currently available via Amazon. It is listed in the list in the left side bar if you are interested in purchasing the book. I encourage all of my readers to use their public libraries whenever possible. Please visit http://www.silentinthegrave.com to read an excerpt of this book.
Rapacious Reader
I know what you're thinking. Rapacious? Well, it was the closest I could get to "voracious" with available urls for Blogger. Ravenous reader? That, too, was already taken. Rapacious doesn't quite have the same synonymous meaning with voracious, but it is close enough for me. Besides, Rapacious Reader does have sort of an alliterative quality to it. So Rapacious Reader it is!
Why'd I start this blog? Simply put, I read voraciously. Insatiably at times. I secretly enjoyed writing book reports in school and when I read a good book, I want to share my experience with others so that they, too, may enjoy the adventure.
So check back soon, I have read some delicious novels of late and will be posting my reviews soon!
Why'd I start this blog? Simply put, I read voraciously. Insatiably at times. I secretly enjoyed writing book reports in school and when I read a good book, I want to share my experience with others so that they, too, may enjoy the adventure.
So check back soon, I have read some delicious novels of late and will be posting my reviews soon!
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