Tricky Twenty Two

There is nothing like a Stephanie Plum novel if you want to be amused . But there is a trick to reading them.  I don't actually read them.  I listen to them on CD.  The same actor reads all of the books in this series and she has developed great voices for all the main characters.  My favorites: Stephanie, the crazy Lula, Vinny's secretary Connie and Ranger.  When Ranger calls Stephanie "Babe" I just can't help but laugh.

Stephanie is kind of a ditz. When I think of her character, I think of Lisa Kudrow and her character Phoebe from friends.  Katherine Heigl just didn't seem right for the part when they made the movie. In fact the majority of the cast just didn't seem right.  I guess it is because I formed very specific ideas of the characters in my head which did not match what Hollywood picked.

There is nothing really different about this particular book.  All of them follow the same pattern.  Stephanie is a bounty hunter and not necessarily a good one.  However, she has Ranger who just happens to be ex-military.  He is a lean mean fighting machine. He has a security company and occasionally he hires her to do a gig with him.  There relationship is not strictly business.  Sometimes they work on the "friendship"  part of the relationship.  Work buddies with benefits.

There is also Morelli who is more or less her boyfriend.  In some of the books he is more of a boyfriend and some not so much.  In this book, after having hot passionate sex, he tells her they should cool it for awhile.  That did not go well.

The characters she goes after are quirky.  In this book she is going after a college kid Gobbles and a guy name Billy Bacon. She seems to be able to find them but has a difficult time holding on to them.

If you need a laugh listen to this book on CD.

Bingo for Books

While I was browsing amazon.com I found what they were calling Book Bingo. It is a bingo card that I think is a great tool to help you mix it up a little when you are choosing books.  I read a lot of fiction but lately I have been more open to other reading possibilities.

That is why I love this form.  It is like a challenge.  I am up to the task.  I have attached the link for all of you so you can join me as I fill in all the boxes or at least some of the boxes.  Happy reading.

He's a Little Bit Country

This book qualifies as a romance novel and although it is not February anymore I thought I would continue my romance quest.

Danielle Steele wrote the book.  I haven't read a book by her in years.  According to the book jacket she has sold 650 million books.  So a lot of people like her books.

Stephanie is in a loveless marriage.  It hadn't started out that way.  But then her husband cheated on her,  things were never the same.  Every year she and her husband and two other couples would go skiing for a weekend.  Just adults, no kids.

It was on their yearly ski trip that her husband dropped dead on the slopes.  While there marriage frankly stunk it did give her life meaning,  Now she no longer had her role of wife and her kids were pretty much grown up.

Along comes a hunky country super star.  But is she willing to be his music groupie and follow him around? You will just have to read the book.

One of the themes that Steele tries to convey in this book  is that a woman should have her own identity.  She should be comfortable in her skin. I would say she did a so so job getting the point across.  But that is just my opinion.

If you are a Danielle Steele fan you will probably like this book.   Happy reading.

A Man Called Ove

The only time Ove was spontaneous was the day he met his wife.  He was finishing his shift on the train he worked on when he glanced out the window and saw her.  He stayed on that train and rode with her to her stop and he did that every day until there first date.

They were as different as night and day.  He was a rule follower.  He saw everything in black and white.  She saw everything in color.  He was quiet.  She was talkative and bubbly.  They say opposites attract.  This is definitely an example of that.

According to him, his life began on the day he met her.  Likewise, in his mind it ended when she died.  He figures the only way to move on is to join her so he meticulously plans his demise.  But fate does not allow this to happen. And so the reader is slowly introduced to Ove and his wife Sonja.

Lately I have been choosing books that have not necessarily appeared on the bestseller list.  I have really enjoyed them.  In all of them, I have loved how the author has developed the characters.  That for me is as important as a good story line.  Ove is on odd bird, an anti-social  curmudgeon and yet one can't help but become attached to him.

This book also strikes me on a personal level.  I met my husband on a train.  He was the outgoing friendly type and I was the reserved and quiet one.  We got on the train in New York City.  In Philadelphia he changed his seat to sit next to me and we were married four months later.  We are as different as night and day. But it works.

So give this book a try A Man Called Ove.  Add it to your reading list and add The Kitchens of the Great Midwest and The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend.

Prince of Tides

Pat Conroy passed away on Friday.  He was 70. The cause, Pancreatic cancer.  So, we have lost another great author.

I think my favorite book written by him is Prince of Tides. I will never forget the characters, brother and sister Tom and Savannah Wingo. He so vividly described  their turbulent lives and how they struggled to overcome their demons.  It is a novel that if you have not read you must put it on your must read list.