Power Play

I have read and blogged about many of Catherine  Coulter's books and none of them have been a disappointment.  Her books are generally fast paced and have a little of everything.  I liked the story lines in this book.  She usually has multiple story lines that ultimately cross.  In this book she brings back Blessed from the book Knockout.  If you haven't read that book it is a good story.  A young girl telepathically contacts Savitch about her father's crazy family burying people.  Her Uncle happens to be Blessed and he is more dangerous than the others. If you missed this one give it a try.

Blessed wants Shelock and Savitch dead.  Meanwhile they are working on a case regarding the US Ambassador to Great Britain.  She and her daughter are being targeted.  Agent Sullivan is assigned to guard and protect along.  It's another fun read by this author



 

Tantric Coconuts

I don't usually pick a book because of the title but I found the title very interesting.  Coconut really has several meanings.  One refers to the seed of the coconut palm.  The other meaning is more of a slang term gently saying the person is a little crazy.  For instance that person is coconuts.  It doesn't necessarily mean they are bad crazy just a little different .  The synopsis of the book also was interesting. 

Unfortunately, the synopsis read a little better than the book.  I always try to read at least fifty pages before I put the book down. I gave this book a few more pages thinking maybe the story would get better but  I really couldn't finish the book.  To be fair it just wasn't my type of book.   


"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Sharks Swallowed whole

The ocean is a beautiful wonder of the earth.  As a child and an adult I have spent many summers at the beach.  Waking up early and taking a stroll on the beach and watching the sunrise is something I like to do.  And yet I have problems with the ocean.   I have nightmares about the ocean.  I am not sure when it started but I think seeing a man after a shark attack was just the beginning.  He was a mess. The movie The Poseidon  Adventure did not help matters. 

I am not sure what bothers me the most, the depth, the intensity of the waves or the powerful and often deadly sea creatures such as sharks.  I absolutely will not take a vacation on a cruise ship.  I can't bear the thought of being out on the vast ocean with no land in sight.  Up until now I thought sharks where really the biggest problem.  Turns out Grouper can be scary as well.  I was watching the news when they showed this Grouper swallowing a Shark WHOLE!  The shark was small but still who would have thought a shark would be eaten WHOLE!

Alas Grouper has now been added to my What to fear when in the ocean list.  If you haven't seen the grouper/shark thing I have attached a link.

To my friends that dive, please be careful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y27LSPcbeB4

Sunday Notes on Monday

This past Sunday I went to play my little game.  You know the one where I go to the Washington Post and see how many of the top ten books either hardback or paperback I have read.  Well this week it was hard covers and I usually don't do well with that list.  As expected I hadn't read a single book.  Here is the worst part, I am in a reading slump.  It doesn't happen often but I just haven't been in the mood to read. Even my stack of books that I usually find tempting has dwindled. And the bestseller lists have provided me with no inspiration at all.  So I was thinking maybe I need to concentrate on finding older books that are great but that I missed. It is important that I get a reading list together since the dark days of winter are rapidly approaching.  That means that I will be more motivated to spend evening in the house and theoretically there will be more time for reading. And I don't know about you but I try to have a dozen books on my list at all time and at least two or three on my nightstand or on my kindle.

 So I am on the hunt for good books.  If any of you out there have suggestions I am all ears.   

The Beekeeper Ball

This book is the second in a series.  The first was the Apple Orchard which is about two women, Tess and Isabel, who discover they are half sisters. The book focuses on Tess so you pretty much know the author has plans for a second book that will focus on Isabel and that is exactly who is one of the main characters in the book. You can check out my post from July 23, 2013 for more info on The Apple Orchard.

The nice thing about both of these books is that they are stand alone reads.  You don't have to read the first book to understand what is going on in the second.  The author introduces all the characters again but you don't have all the information on Tess and the developing relationship between her and Isabel.  While you don't really need this background info it makes the second story richer.

What is also interesting in this second book is the development of the characters Mangus and Eva who is the girls' grandfather and grandmother.  The author goes into great detail on this story line which takes you across the ocean to Denmark during World War II.  Many books have been written about the Nazis in Germany, Austria, Hungary etc. but I rarely have seen a book cover the effects on Denmark.

Of course the book has a romance develop between Isabel and this writer who has been invited to write a book on the life of her grandfather.  You have to have a little romance don't you? 

The two books are good beach reads so add them to your list.

How to Say I love you

I saw this little video that I thought I would share with you.  It is how to say I love you in different Languages.  It is refreshing to hear these words.

http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=2&from=en-us_msnhp#/video/a6b14353-8d5e-42dd-93b5-dcf137a1bfce

The Accident

Reading this book was no accident.  I was given the opportunity by Random House when they sent me the book.  Since the book revolves around the publication of a book it sparked my interest.  I am fascinated by the publishing world, even more so now that there is all this controversy surrounding Amazon and Hachette. I do have to admit Amazon is making me a little mad right now.  If you are a company that is suppose to be selling books, sell books. Don't play games.  I will not say anything else on the subject.

I am always a little hesitant when a "new author" publishes their second book especially when I like the first one.  I guess I am afraid of being disappointed. That is how I felt when I saw that Chris Pavone had written his second novel.  I really enjoyed his first novel The Expat. Would the next book be as good? Yes it most certainly was!

The story surrounds a book written by an author that wishes to stay anonymous due to the subject matter of the book.  Right from the beginning you can feel the tension and it only heightens as the book progresses.  The reader is carried into a dangerous world on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. There is the CIA agent Hayden, the literary agent Isabel,the author Anonymous  and some characters from The Expat just to name a few. Each of these characters has their reasons for either publishing or not publishing this revealing novel. 

Pavone does a great job weaving and connecting the characters and then bringing the story to a climax and ultimate conclusion. His writing style is smart, descriptive and filled with intrigue. All I can say is I hope he writes another book.  This time there will be no hesitation to read it. 

And if you read and enjoy this book and have not read The Expats consider reading it.  See my post June 23, 2012.


"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."