By: Karen Maxwell,
on 6/28/2014
Here’s a link to the books I’ve read this year thus far.
I’m certain I wouldn’t have read this many books so far this year without this challenge. I like to challenge myself – I like deadlines because they (sometimes) push me to actually GET SOMETHING DONE.
Can you believe the year is half over?!?
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 3/2/2014
My Grade: C
Plot / Premise
All across London, single mothers are vanishing. Margaret Hill, mother of two, walked out of her house two months before, never seen again. A month later, Carrie-Anne Morgans takes her two-year-old son for a walk in the park and disappears leaving him alone in his stroller. Lorna McCauley leaves her London flat in the early hours of the morning to buy medicine for her sick child and disappears.
Newly promoted Detective Inspector Theophilus Blackwell is assigned the case of Lorna McCauley, which, on the outside seems to be a simple case of mid-life crisis and child abandonment. Elsewhere in London, MI5 analyst, Sophia Evans, is working undercover to catch an animal rights group responsible for targeted bombings.
As her case (and her personal life) fall to pieces, she receives a strange envelope in the mail. It contains a picture of Lorna McCauley s lifeless face along with a daunting code. Now the police and MI5 are forced to work together to stop the murders, and Sophia must find her way into the terrifying mind of a serial killer
My Thoughts
I would have given this book four stars save for one thing: the whole sub-story with Marc. What was the purpose of that? I thought it detracted from the whole story. If the author wanted to give Theo and Sophia an opportunity to meet, there would have been easier, less awkward ways of doing that. I would have preferred to see the entire Marc/bombing story deleted and a blooming interest between Theo and Sophia develop throughout the story. There would have been plenty of emotional conflict given Theo’s wife’s situation. I felt like the whole Marc story was thrown in there as an afterthought and it just didn’t add anything to the story, in my opinion. In fact, it was distracting and a bit annoying, if you want the truth.
Other than than, the story was interesting and moved along nicely.
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 12/9/2013
I can’t read enough.
According to my Goodreads.com account, I’ve read 43 books this year (so far). I’m assuming that’s correct, why would Good Reads lie to me?
Honestly, I would have guessed half that many. I really feel like I’ve dropped the reading ball this year. But right now? I can’t read enough. I’m absorbed. I CRAVE reading. I CAN’T WAIT to bury my nose in a book.
I CAN’T WAIT to get away from real life.
Not that real life is bad, per se. I have a great life. But it’s dull – wait – no it’s not. Not really. I’m not unhappy. The boys are living their lives but not causing us stress. Kevin and I are fine. Its just … I don’t know – I like to use my imagination. I love submersing myself in a really good story. I love picturing the characters and quietly inserting myself into the story somewhere – a shadowy character with no lines.
I’ve been reading a lot of ebooks – in fact, I haven’t held a real book in … months (years?) I ADORE my Kindle. It’s not a fancy one – just the no-frills, cheap, paperwhite basic Kindle that comes with ads because I was too cheap to pay the extra price to remove them. It’s no bigger than a real paperback book and I take it with me everywhere – it no longer bothers me to wait for anything, in fact, I sort of hope I HAVE to wait so I will have an excuse to pull my Kindle out and bury my nose in a book. (Or stare at a screen).
I read it on my lunch hour (actually, it’s only 30 minutes and that’s when I actually take a lunch). In fact, I often find myself going over my 30 minutes because I just need to finish this one paragraph / page / chapter.
I used this website a lot at the beginning of the year – they give away ebooks from lesser-known authors. I actually like that, it gives me a chance to read stories on the fringe of society.
But they’re not professionally edited and after a while, I just got too impatient with the misspelled words and sloppy format.
Then I discovered that my local library checked out ebooks and I’ve been in HEAVEN ever since. I haven’t paid for a book in probably two years.
However. I feel that trend is nearing the end, too. There are many books I’ve been interested in that are part of a series and the entire series is not available through my local library, so, I’ll most likely splurge and buy the ebook sequels on Amazon.
Which is why many authors like having their books being loaned out by the libraries – because then someone like me comes along and BUYS more of their work.
BONUS.
Even now, I’m thinking about the current story I’m reading and feeling antsy to get back to it. It’s not exciting and not especially easy to read, but it’s interesting in a sort of drowsy, charming way.
But only 43 books this year? I feel like I’ve failed. It should be higher. My goal is to make it higher next year.
But I feel overwhelmed sometimes – there are SO MANY good stories to read and SO LITTLE time.
I better get busy.
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 7/29/2013
My Grade: A-
Plot / Premise
Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.
But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?
Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.
Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.
Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.
And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.
My Thoughts
I’m really not that into YA, but I have been reading more of the genre lately. It’s refreshing to read about quasi-innocent characters and it often takes me back to my teenage years and reinforces how incredibly naive I was.
I can sum this story up in two words: cute and predictable.
I got this book for free – it’s one of the few I’ve downloaded free that I would have actually paid for.
The main character, Maddie (Tilly to those that love her), is absolutely adorable. She’s sweet, yet tough, wise, yet naive, smart, yet clueless, strong, yet vulnerable. She is funny (there are parts I literally chuckled at) and easy to relate to.
Like I said, there’s nothing unusual about this story – in fact, I sort of pictured a Disney movie in my head while reading it.
What I really liked about the story was the writing. And the tone. It was fresh, funny, and really well written. I felt like I was Maddie’s best friend, following her around and getting a pretty good glimpse of her personality, her issues and her thoughts. I empathized with the character and enjoyed everything about her. Ms. Wilson did an excellent job with characters, flow, tone …
It was an interesting, cute, fast read and I would definitely like to read more from Ms. Wilson.
________________________________________-
By the by: I just found out that local libraries allow members to check-out ebooks. *SQUEE!* Check out this link and see if your local library participates. Or – go to your local library website and see if it’s possible. I borrowed two ebooks today and I have two weeks to read them. GAME ON!
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 7/26/2013
My Grade: D
Plot / Premise
Born with blue in his collar instead of his veins, best-selling author Dean Cassidy chronicles his soul-scarring rise from New York’s darkest alleys to a place high atop the literary world. As difficult and unlikely as such a climb is, there’s yet another force working against Dean. He’s forever haunted by treasured memories of his long-lost teenage soul-mate. Theresa! Theresa! Theresa! She just won’t go away! Despite all Dean’s hang-ups and mental baggage, he eventually does marry another woman. And for twenty years his wife, Maddy Frances, remains so giving (and forgiving) she deserves to be canonized a living saint. Even after she finds Dean unconscious at a botched suicide attempt–a time-faded photograph of Theresa clenched in his hands-her love never wavers. But is Maddy’s loyalty enough to keep them together? Or will a force far stronger than fate alone change everything?
My Thoughts
Though I can appreciate the character working hard for his success, and the fact that he ultimately grows up and makes the right decision (which, by very definition, comes with maturity), I could not get past the preachy-bankers-and-business-type-people-are-evil segments of this book. I have no patience for characters, or authors, who can’t resist pushing their political agendas on to their readers. I know it’s hard to separate the author from the story, but at the very least, insert a counter character into the story that brings up the other side of the (author’s) issue so that the reader is not left with a bitter after taste.
Look. Life is full of hard knocks and when people work hard, make good life decisions, and finally achieve success, we should be happy for those individuals, not begrudge their hard work. Being envious is a natural feeling, but to harbor resentment and use that bitterness as a roadblock toward a better life, is counter productive. For ultimately, Dean finally achieves success from his hard work and he has every right to savor that success – should he feel guilty for that success? Should he hand his hard-earned success off to someone who hasn’t made good life decisions or who has chosen not to work as hard?
NO.
Now that he’s one of the successful people he has resented all of his life – now what? It’s suddenly okay to have money and be successful because it happened to him?
Dean was selfish, immature and a punk. Though I understand his deep love for Theresa and his regret that it didn’t work out and his guilty conscience for his role in the break up, I felt the most sorry for Maddy, she had to deal with the left overs.
I thought the character was weak in so many ways – sure, his childhood was rough, but he allowed that experience to define him instead of giving him strength and courage to grow up and move past it.
I will say, the writing was pretty good. There were some editing glitches, but for the most part, it moved the story forward and the author did a great job depicting all of Dean’s conflicting emotions.
Though I didn’t care one whit for Dean, I’d be willing to read more of this author’s work.
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 2/24/2013
HURRY! THEY WON’T BE FREE FOR VERY MUCH LONGER! (click on the book to download)
Here are the ones that caught my eye this week …
Fancy Gap
by C. David Gelly
4.4 stars on 111 reviews. Mystery, thriller,murder
The Leopard Tree
by Lisa Brochu, Tim Merriman
4.6 stars on 102 reviews. YA and Literary Fiction
Reckless Nights in Rome (A Ludlow Hall Story)
by CC MacKenzie
4.5 stars on 24 reviews. Contemporary romance
The Dead Room
by Robert Ellis
4.4 stars on 190 reviews. Mystery. Suspense
Courageous: A Novel
by Randy Alcorn
4.6 stars on 101 reviews. Contemporary fiction
Fatty Patty (A James Bay Novel)
by Kathleen Irene Paterka
4.4 stars on 38 reviews. Romance
Some Day Somebody (La Fleur de Love)
by Lori Leger
4.7 stars on 27 reviews. Women’s fiction
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 2/17/2013
HURRY! THEY WON’T BE FREE FOR VERY MUCH LONGER! (click on the book to download)
Maternal Harbor
by Marie F Martin
4.2 stars on 108 reviews. Contemporary fiction.
Dead Man’s Hand
by Luke Murphy
4.5 stars on 55 reviews. Mystery. Thriller
Chihuahua Karma
by Debby Rice
4.5 stars on 44 reviews. Contemporary fiction. Humor
BLUFF
by Lenore Skomal
4.3 stars on 101 reviews. Literary Fiction/Suspense
WICK (Wick Series)
by Michael Bunker, Chris Awalt
4.6 stars on 105 reviews. Thriller
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 9/23/2011
Ready to read? As usual, I’m trying to read more … I go through spurts where I will read two books a week and then nothing for two months. It’s terribly frustrating to ME because I want to read more, I enjoy reading, always have, but I just can’t seem to tear myself away from the computer.
I complain that the boys spend too much time on their computers, and yet, here I am setting a STELLAR example. Since I’ve vowed to be a good example for my boys, I’m going to really try and read more so they will look back on this time period and say, “Man, mom sure read a lot,” as opposed to, “Mom, you sure goofed off on the computer a lot.”
At any rate, my average reading rate is two books per month, (and when I say average, I mean average in the loosest since of the word), so I’ll keep it realistic and list six/seven books I plan on reading before December 21st. However, since I’m working full time now AND November is National Novel Writing Month and I’d like to attempt to reach that 50,000 word line, AND I’m still maintaining NINE school websites after work, AND we’ll be traveling out of town every Saturday in October for band competitions, AND we have three birthdays in November AND the normal holiday rush to get things done, I honestly don’t know how much time I’m going to have to read. But I’ll do my best.
In addition, these books will be for sale in my Amazon book store after I read them, if you’re interested.
Happy reading!
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 9/6/2011
A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press; First Edition edition (April 29, 2008)
ISBN # 0312342020
256 pages
Author Website
My Grade: B+
Plot / Premise
I’ve decided to copy and paste the plot summary from the below source. I always feel like I don’t do plot summaries justice and I’m only regurgitating what other people have said and … okay, fine. I’m lazy. I’d rather concentrate on character development and writing style.
A searing, emotional portrait of a son who wants nothing more than the love his father will not grant him, Burroughs’s latest memoir (after 2004′s Dry) is indeed powerful. Absent is the wry humor of Running with Scissors and the absurd poignancy of Burroughs’s years living with his mother’s Svengali-like psychiatrist. Instead, Burroughs focuses on the years he lived both in awe and fear of his philosophy professor father in Amherst, Mass. Despite frequent trips with his mother to escape his father’s alcoholic rages, Burroughs was determined to win his father’s affection, secretly touching the man’s wallet and cigarettes and even going so far as to make a surrogate dad with pillows and discarded clothing. Only after his father’s neglect—or cruelty—leads to the death of Burroughs’s beloved guinea pig during one of the family’s many separations does the son turn against the father. Avoiding self-pity, Burroughs paints his father with unwavering honesty, forcing the reader to confront, as he did, a man who even on his deathbed, refused his son a hint of affection.
So. I’m not crazy about autobiographies. And it’s doubly hard to critique autobiographies because how can you critique a person’s life? And let’s not forget that even though autobiographies are about the author’s life, how much of the memoir has been exaggerated?
In other words, take autobiographies with a grain of salt. A LARGE grain of salt. Because you really just never know how much is truth and how much truth has been stretched.
Remember the whole Frey fiasco? I think that episode turned a lot of people off autobiographies, myself included.
At any rate, I saw this book at the book fair and I picked it up. And I read the blurb. And I admit, I was intrigued. And it was mainly because I read Burroughs’ “Running with Scissors” in college. It was a literature class and we were instructed to read an autobiography and give an oral report on it. I thought the cover of Burroughs’ “Running with Scissors” was interesting and after delving into the book, I couldn’t put it down. And then I wish I had never picked it up.
This man has had a very disturbing life (if what he writes is indeed true. I can’t help it, I’m a cynic). He was abused, but not so much physically (though there were moments), but rather emotionally. In fact, it’s safe to say that I’m rather surprised Burroughs’ is still with us today because no human being should ever have to live with two parents who were as crazy as Burroughs’ parents.
Overall Thoughts
I’m pretty sure I frowned throughout this whole book. In fact, I caught myself frowning
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 3/22/2011
One True Thing
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (August 8, 2006)
ISBN -10: 9780812976182
320 pages
Author Website
My Grade: B-
Plot / Premise:
I’ve decided to copy and paste the plot summary from the below source. I always feel like I don’t do plot summaries justice and I’m only regurgitating what other people have said and … okay, fine. I’m lazy. I’d rather concentrate on character development and writing style.
From Barnes and Noble:
The novel begins with a deceptively hubristic prologue in which our narrator, 24-year-old Ellen Gulden, describes what it’s like to be in jail charged with killing her dying mother. Then we get the real story, every painful, ironic bit of it. Fresh out of Harvard and eager to prove herself as a journalist, Ellen is completely unprepared for her rather elusive and dismissive father’s request that she move back home and nurse her mother, who, at age 46, has suddenly become terribly ill. Ellen has always been a daddy’s girl, dismissing her homespun mother as an anachronism. Now, as she enters her mother’s world just as her mother is about to exit it, everything she’s ever assumed about her family and, indeed, life itself is challenged.
Overall Thoughts:
Dense. Beautiful prose. That’s how I would sum this book up front. This is an author that likes to take you on her character’s journey through the senses. I admire this type of writing because writing this way is HARD. It requires the writer to draw on his/her sensory experiences and I just haven’t paid that much attention to how things sound/smell/taste/feel in my lifetime so that I can regurgitate those sensory details in my own writing. When I’ve been forced to do so (creative writing classes in college), it was like pulling teeth and I remember spending HOURS, sitting at the dining room table, hunched over my laptop and agonizing over first what to write and then how to write it.
Put simply, it was hell for me.
So I can fully appreciate this kind of writing.
With that said, it’s not an easy read. Again, it’s dense. Which means the plot sort of stalls so the reader can get inside Ellen’s head and FEEL what she’s feeling before the story can move forward. This kind of writing doesn’t appeal to everyone and I confess, I have to be in the mood to read it. In fact, it took me six weeks to read the darn thing. (But to be fair, I wasn’t really trying to read it it, either. Life got in the way).
The subject matter is sensitive. It’s about a woman who, in essence, is guilted into coming home to take care of her dying mother. It’s also about her complicated relationship with her parents. I could relate to a lot of this character’s issues. And though I wouldn’t be resentful of having to put my career on hold to help my mother, I can imagine it would be hard to juggle all of those complicated feelings.
Ellen’s character was a bit too hard for me. She came off as brassy and a bit bitchy, if you want the truth. Even when she was accused of assisted suicide, she didn’t quite take it seriously. It was almost as if she wasn’t a participant in her own life. I tend to create the same kind of characters, so this was a good lesson for me to
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 3/21/2011
Ready to read? As usual, I’m trying to read more … I go through spurts where I will read two books a week and then nothing for two months. It’s terribly frustrating to ME because I want to read more, I enjoy reading, always have, but I just can’t seem to tear myself away from the computer (i.e. Twitter – darn you Twitter!!)
I complain that the boys spend too much time on their computers, and yet, here I am setting a STELLAR example. Since I’ve vowed to be a good example for my boys, I’m going to really try and read more so they will look back on this time period and say, “Man, mom sure read a lot,” as opposed to, “Man, mom sure goofed off on the computer a lot.”
At any rate, my average reading rate is two books per month, (and when I say average, I mean average in the loosest since of the word), so I’ll keep it realistic and list six/seven books I plan on reading before June 20th.
In addition, these books will be for sale in 0 Comments on Spring Reading Challenge ’11 as of 1/1/1900
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 12/6/2010
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (July 3, 2010)
ISBN # 0439023521
384 pages
Author Website
My Grade: A-
Plot / Premise:
I’ve decided to copy and paste the plot summary from the below source. I always feel like I don’t do plot summaries justice and I’m only regurgitating what other people have said and … okay, fine. I’m lazy. I’d rather concentrate on character development and writing style.
From Barnes and Noble:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survived.
Overall Thoughts
This book is awesome, gruesome and thought provoking, it’s also not for kids under 15, at least, in my opinion.
Seriously.
I will be the first to admit, this book is disturbing. It’s graphic without being off putting, but it sucks so much of your imagination that it’s very hard to put down.
In fact, Dude (my oldest son), and I read it at the same time. We had two bookmarks in the book for a while. He would read it at night before he went to sleep and I snuck in some reading time during the day while he was at school.
This was a first in our history – both reading the same book and both loving it. So in that respect alone, giving me something in common with my very quiet and withdrawn 18-year old son was worth the grade right there. So thank you, Ms. Collins, well done.
Moving on …
The Story
One of the reasons the story attracted my son’s attention was because of the premise: a post-apocalyptic world setting. He plays a lot of video games with that premise – characters that must do whatever it takes to survive in a world that has been destroyed by either man-made elements or natural disasters.
There have been many movies made with this premise and it continues to be a popular premise because it’s fascinating to watch normally mild-mannered, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly sort of people suddenly turn into savages that kill without (seemingly) a second thought. It’s a true test of character and I think we’re all just a bit fascinated about how the survival instinct develops.
So when I told Dude about this book, I could immediately tell he was interested. And I must admit, so was I.
I don’t DO horror, but I DO enjoy a good thriller and that’s how I would sum this book up. The story is compelling and Collins does a really good job making the reader care about this tough-as-nails girl who was forced to grow up and take over her household by learning to hunt and feed them but also sprinkles in moments where Katniss reveals that she’s a typical 16-year old girl with insecurities and vanity issues.
In essence, I thought Katniss was a well-rou
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 10/20/2010
So, I went to the library book sale today. I tried not to buy too many books, but as you can see, I failed.
I also tried to pick out books I thought people might be interested in. If you’re interested in any of the books listed below, just click on the link and it will take you directly to the specific page in my book store.
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Check out Karen’s Book Korner for more selections.
I’m going to go back for one more trip tomorrow. Stay tuned …
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 10/7/2010
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
I got an email from my dad yesterday, he wanted to know if we wanted to try and sell his textbooks, DVD’s and other classroom paraphernalia on my Amazon book store. (My dad used to write courses for online classes at a vocational school in New York. As a result, he was given a lot of materials so he could do his job and once he was done with them, well, he kept them. Since cleaning out our junk seems to run in the family, he thought he’d unload, er, give them to us so we could possibly make some money on them). He mentioned this might be a good opportunity for the boys to make some extra money (GREAT idea!!) so I said, “Sure! Kevin and I will be by to pick them up.” I was expecting a lot because I knew my dad had written a ton of courses over the years, so I suggested to Kevin that we drive his truck over there. We drove into their driveway and there were about ten bags sitting on the sidewalk. I was a bit surprised, I had expected more. I was also just a wee bit relieved because since we had just cleaned our garage out a few weekends ago, I knew Kevin wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to be cluttering it up again. My parents came out to greet us and when I said, “Oh. I was sort of expecting more,” followed by a relieved laugh, my mom smiled, opened the door to their house and said, “Actually, that’s not all of it.” I burst out laughing because there were about twenty MORE bags just inside the doorway. They did that on purpose! The sneaks! LOL Between the four of us, we loaded up Kevin’s truck and as you can see? We have just a FEW books to sell here:
ALL of those bags are full of books, DVD’s and various other things that my dad used to write his classes with. Though I’m excited to put them on Amazon and see what sort of monetary value they have, I’m NOT looking forward to cataloging them and storing them. But like I said, I’m going to talk to the boys about a “business opportunity” and see if they want to take care of it for me. They can sort them, I’ll help them price them (because that takes a little finesse – what are they going for, what sort of shape is the book in, etc)., and then if they sell any? They can run up to the post office, mail them off, and keep the proceeds. I hope they bite. I think it would be a GREAT business opportunity for them – it would teach them about starting, and running, their own business. I have some experience with selling textbooks and the few I have sold? Went for boo-coo bucks! Textbooks are insanely expensive, so everyone is looking to third-party vendors to try and find a deal. Let’s hope they shop mine, or the boys’, shops for those deals. I’ll let you know if the boys bite, what sort of textbooks are in those bags and where you can find them online in case you’re interested in buying any. Stay tuned! Update: At first, the boys were skeptical. After all, I’m talking about potential earnings here, nothing is guaranteed. But when I picked a random textbook from the pile you see in the picture above, inputted the information into my Amazon book store and they saw that they could possibly sell it for $70 bucks? They were suddenly INTO the idea. I told them that if they want to do all of the work, cataloging, storing, packaging, shipping (and this includes driving themselves up to the post office and mailing them), then they can have 100% of the proceeds. However, if I help, like shipping their books for them, then I get a cut. We’ll see how this pans out. We couldn’t do any catalogi
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 3/22/2010
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
 March 20 – June 20 2010 I’m on a reading kick – I read a book on Saturday, and I read a book on Sunday. So it only seemed natural to jump onto this reading wagon. And the more I read, the more I want to write. Hopefully I’ll be posting some new fiction soon. At any rate, my average reading rate is two books per month, so I’ll keep it realistic and list six books I plan on reading before June 20th.
In addition, these books will be for sale in my Amazon book store after I read them, if you’re interested. Happy reading! More from Write From Karen Filed under: Book Corner    
By: Karen Maxwell,
on 3/22/2010
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
My Grade: C - Plot / Premise: I’ve decided to copy and paste the plot summary from the below source. I always feel like I don’t do plot summaries justice and I’m only regurgitating what other people have said and … okay, fine. I’m lazy. I’d rather concentrate on character development and writing style. From Amazon:
Overall Thoughts: This was not one of my favorite Lisa Scottoline stories. It started out slow and then only got slower as the story progressed. Just when I was about to give up on it entirely, the pace picked up and it finally got interesting … sort of. I think my biggest problem with this book was that I simply didn’t care about the case that Mary became obsessed about. And quite frankly, I couldn’t figure out why Mary cared about this particular case. I suppose if it had some personal meaning to her, I could see why she would continue to put her job, and life, on the line in order to get to the bottom of it, but until one of her good friends dies and the case turns into some sort of revenge-seeking mission, I just couldn’t understand her drive. Mary herself was a rather boring character. She starts out mousy and then through a rather unrealistic epiphany suddenly develops a backbone. I found this unbelievable and tedious, quite frankly. I did end up liking her a bit more by the end of the story, but only a bit. The rest of the time I felt like she was a bumbling idiot and though she made progress throughout the story, it was more of an accidental progress – Lady Luck was on her side just a bit too much for my taste. This was one of those stories where I thought the minor characters were way more interesting than our heroine and that’s really never a good sign, in my opinion. Stuffed in between this uninteresting case she pursues obsessively throughout the story are her blind dates. Mary’s husband is dead and her well-intentioned friends are trying to get her back on the dating road again. Only these episodes felt completely out of place given the backbone of the story and they served as an irritating distraction more than anything else, though I will say, there were
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 2/11/2010
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
     
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 2/10/2010
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
My Grade: B+ Plot / Premise: I’ve decided to copy and paste the plot summary from the below source. I always feel like I don’t do plot summaries justice and I’m only regurgitating what other people have said and … okay, fine. I’m lazy. I’d rather concentrate on character development and writing style.
Overall Thoughts: If there is one author I aspire to be, it’s Jodi Picoult. I’ve always loved her writing – she seems to have perfected the art of balancing characters with plot and she seems to sense when her readers are getting restless because she will suddenly, and sometimes without warning, veer the plot off in a different direction thus leaving her reader with wide eyes and a shocked demeanor. I can appreciate her writer’s instinct. One of the biggest things I enjoy about Picoult is her talent of tackling sensitive moral issues without coming off as too preachy. This is right up my alley. I’ve ALWAYS been interested in this type of writing and my personal goal, as a writer, is to leave the reader thinking about the story and/or the issue behind the story. I’ve learned, in my 44 years on this earth, that life is definitely NOT black and white and I think all too often our media, even other people, sometimes would like us to believe that it is. But at the same time, even though those moral lines are sometimes blurred, ultimately, decisions have to be made and people have to live with those decisions. Not to mention the trickle down effect of that decision on those characters directly affected. The sensitive issues in this story? How far would you go for the person you loved? Would you kill the person you loved if it meant that person would truly be happier? Can a deep and intimate friendship morph into a romantic relationship and not feel weird? That’s exactly what happens to Emily in this story. He
0 Comments on Book Review: The Pact as of 2/10/2010 10:21:00 AM
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 12/1/2009
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
So, I stumbled on some people talking about National Novel Reading Month and after doing a little research and not finding anything “official”, I thought I would do my own little NaNoReaMo. So, here’s the dealio: I pledge to read four novels this month (which will be tough given the holidays and so forth – but come on, curling up in front of a fire and reading? What better excuse do you need than that?) I will not only read these books, I will post a review on these books AND THEN give them away to four lucky winners for Book Swap in January! And since I just finished writing 50,000 words in 30 days, I’m SO DONE with writing and SO IN THE MOOD to read for a bit. Here are the books I’ll be reading this month:
Description: I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES…
Description: A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare’s passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger’s cinematic storytelling that makes the novel’s unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.
Description: It’s about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden . . . and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder. It’s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet’s disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age—and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it—who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism—and an unexpected connection between themselves.
Description: Wedding photographer Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brother&h
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 10/31/2009
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
In the past, I’ve participated in the Buy a Friend a Book program, and though that is an excellent program and I’ll probably participate in the future, I won’t be participating as often. Why? Because I have a ton of books (a whole tub full, actually), that I need to get rid of. And that, my friends, is where you come in. If you would like one of the books listed below, please email me a mailing address (US mailing addresses only, please) and I’ll pop that in the mail. I’ll be sending it via media mail (it’s cheaper), so please allow 14 days to reach you, please.
If you have one, or more, books you’d like to swap with someone, and you’d like to pay it forward to an online friend, then please read this page. Are you participating in the Book Swap? Please put your permalink URL (the link to the actual Book Swap post, not your blog!) in the Mr. Linky script below. Thank you! Have fun!! Posted in Book Corner     
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 10/22/2009
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
Kevin and I just finished watching “Twilight.” I had actually seen it before, but he hadn’t. I wasn’t sure if he would like it, given the, um, subject matter, but to my utter surprise, he loved it. He liked how the author took an evil aspect and made something good out of it. And he likes love stories — is this man for real?! Anyway, the move reminded me of the “Twilight” book review I wrote and I thought I would re-publish it, just for kicks. Watching the movie makes me want to give more Twilight books away. Perhaps I will … closer to Christmas. This was originally published December 2008. I’m embarrassed to say, I succumbed to peer pressure. I’m not proud of this fact, but there you have it. This is especially painful for me to admit because I pride myself on not really conforming to what is generally popular; I form my own opinions, thank you very much, and if I happen to agree with the majority then it’s because I happened to agree and not because I felt the need to belong to a certain group, wanted people to like me, or I was too afraid to be different. So, to say that I succumbed to peer pressure is, well, not exactly something I will ever admit to – at least, not very often.
When the buzz first started, I wasn’t all that interested. I don’t generally read young adult stories to begin with; I think Harry Potter might have been the last time I had even picked up a YA book SINCE my young adult years. I immediately dismissed the genre – not my bag man. Not interested, thanks. But the enthusiasm for this book grew to the point that it once again caught my attention. There were enough people blogging about it that I decided to give it a closer look. And then I found out it was about vampires. Strike two. Now I REALLY wasn’t interested. I had no desire to delve into that super natural realm. None. I don’t understand how someone can be attracted to strange, inhuman beings. It sort of freaks me out, if you want the truth. That’s the biggest reason I could never swallow the fantasy genre – the thought of being romantic with an alien being just totally grosses me out. Let me reiterate: it completely turns me off. I simply don’t “get” it. It’s not my bag of tea. I would rather spend my time reading about flawed human beings who eventually live happily ever after than about forbidden love with a creature who doesn’t possess human DNA. But whatever, to each his own. So once again, I fought the curiosity. But then, I participated in this past Bloggy Giveaway. And I thought it would be fun to give something away that people obviously wanted – the Twilight Saga books. Even though I hadn’t read them, I knew other people wanted to read them, so, I bought them and set them up to give away on my blog. I had over 200 people put their name into the pot. The response caught my attention and I finally gave in to my snooty attitude and bought my own copy of “Twilight.” It took me nearly a month to finish it. Not because it was a terrible story, but because I was in the middle of NaNoWriMo. I actually had no intention of even starting the book until after the challenge was over, but I had to take my oldest son in for an orthodontist appointment so I grabbed the book to pass the time. It immediately sucked me. (Pun intended). And I’ve been sitting here wondering exactly why.
So, the fact that I ended up liking this book? Was puzzling to me. The majority of responses to this book have been positive. People loved it. But there are a few who didn’t care for it at all and the reasons they cited are certainly valid, but I think they’re missing the bigger picture here. Two of the biggest reasons were: 1. The writing was too simplistic and rife with slang. True. But the story is being told from a 17-year old girl’s point of view. And even given the fact that Bella is pretty intelligent and ends up using words that some didn’t think was appropriate for a 17-year old (for example “absurd”… I can see a teenage girl saying this, especially if she was trying to appear older than she really was) it worked for me. The writing itself was pretty good, I thought. It flowed. Meyer does a good job keeping the story moving so that I never really got bored or found myself skipping whole sections to get to the good parts. 2. They didn’t have sex. This was the biggest complaint among those that didn’t care for the story. And even though I too ended the book feeling frustrated for our heroine, I believe that was the whole point. Again, this was a YA book. What sort of moralistic message is Meyer sending if she has her characters have sex? True, it might not have been very realistic given the activities of our youth today, but really, it was the only option open to Meyer given the genre she wrote the story in. I believe she would have received a lot more flack if she had allowed them to do the deed. I’d like to point out that Meyer did an EXCELLENT job of building the sexual tension between these two. I found myself tensing up and really wanting them to give in to their desires and do the deed, and yes, I was disappointed when they didn’t, but I ended up admiring Meyer’s writing style even more because she accomplished what she set out to do – establish several levels of tension between Bella and Edward. Sex wasn’t Meyer’s goal here. She set out to tempt us into the unknown. This story was about passion, about an all-consuming love, about controlling our baser instincts and about dealing with forbidden love. Hence the very clever cover – an offering of a red, juicy apple – the forbidden fruit. I’ll be honest, I bought this story. There was something deliciously decadent about reading a story filled with darkness, seduction, temptations and dangerous attractions. I think Meyer did an excellent job balancing the various elements just mentioned with the stringent guidelines imposed upon her when deciding to write this story in the young adult genre. I think, in some ways, this story wouldn’t have been as powerful if she had chosen to write it for a different genre. The fact that she left us thirsty for more Bella and Edward is a testament to how well she succeeded in tempting our baser instincts. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. After writing this review, I stumbled on Summer’s excellent post, “Edward and Bella: True Love or True Lust?” and honestly, it’s a brilliant dissection of a rather disturbing attraction. I highly recommend reading it. I have to say, this love story, nay, this character OBSESSION makes me want to write something equally steamy. What did you think about the Twilight book or series? I haven’t read any further than the first book so please, no spoilers.      
1 Comments on Repost: Twilight Book Review, last added: 10/23/2009
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 4/9/2009
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
Congratulations Dianne F.!!
THANK YOU to everyone who visited and commented! We’ll do this again in July! Keep Reading!! IT’S TIME! Yep, it’s that time once again - time to give a book away for no good reason!
So how does this work, you ask? Here’s the short version, I’m participating in the program and would love to buy someone a book of their choice ($15 max). If you would like to put your name into the pot and win a free book, please enter your name in the comment section below. If I draw your name April 9th then I’ll buy you a book! 1. Each comment you leave in the comment section counts as one ticket. (One comment per day, please). 2. Subscribe to my feed, receive another ticket. (Please leave separate comment if subscribed). 3. Follow me on Twitter, receive another ticket. (Please leave separate comment if following). Winner will be announced on Write From Karen after 11:00 a.m. (U.S. central time) April 9th. And … if any of you are feeling generous and would like to buy ME a book, I’ve included a link to my Amazon.com wish list to make it easy for you. Easy-smeasy, right? Want to learn more? Read the long version. Please help spread the word! Copy the code below and paste it into your blog today! Banner Code:
To include this banner (130 pixels wide) in your post or sidebar, copy and paste this code:
Open to U.S. addresses only. If anyone is participating in BAFAB week, please let me know! I also love to win free books!      
1 Comments on BAFAB: Deadline April 9th, last added: 4/13/2009
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 5/19/2008
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
I just posted a new book review at Dear Reader for the following book:
This book is also available at Bookmooch.com if you would like to mooch it off of me. What’s next on my reading list? Check out my sidebar.
0 Comments on New Review at Dear Reader as of 5/19/2008 10:21:00 AM
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 1/15/2008
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
I’m desperate to get rid of some books, so I signed up and am now using a website called BookMooch to exchange books with others. I can get rid of my old books, and get new books for free in exchange. The site is commercial free and costs nothing to use. What really makes this book swap site unique is that you can drag and drop a Mooch tool in your favorites so everytime you surf amazon.com, you have the ability to check to see if anyone at Bookmooch has the book. Then you won’t have to pay for it, you’ll simply cash in a point and ask the owner to send it to you! You can also list books you want in your wishlist and if any member lists that book, you’ll automatically be notified so you can be one of the first to request the book! You can also donate your points to a library and Bookmooch will send them books! I signed up Saturday and I’ve already gotten rid of seven books!! I hope this continues because I have so many books lying around I’m having to buy storage containers for them. I love this program!! I have included a list of books I have available to give away, or exchange, in the sidebar. I’ll be updating this list all the time, so please, if you see a book you’d like to swap, sign up at bookmooch and “claim” it, or contact me and I’ll be happy to ship it to you. I’m only able to ship to people in the United States and Canada; International shipping is just too expensive for my budget right now. My apologizes to my International friends. You can check out my full inventory here: http://bookmooch.com/bio/take2max (click on the inventory link on the left-hand side of the screen). Books are moving fast over there, so don’t wait! If you want a book, sign up at Book Mooch and claim it, or contact me and I’ll ship it to you!
0 Comments on Mooch a Book, Please! as of 1/15/2008 2:48:00 AM
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By: Karen Maxwell,
on 12/27/2007
Blog: Write From Karen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Corner, Add a tag
This is a sticky note - please scroll down for current entries. Thanks! So … have you noticed? Did you get excited when you saw the BAFAB corner banner? Do you know what that means? Yep, it’s that time once again - time to give a book away for no good reason!
So how does this work, you ask? Here’s the short version, I’m participating in the program and would love to buy someone a book of their choice ($15 max). If you would like to put your name into the pot and win a free book, please enter your name in the comment section below. If I draw your name January 3rd, then I’ll buy you a book! Winner will be announced on Write From Karen after 11:00 a.m. (U.S. central time) January 3rd. And … if any of you are feeling generous and would like to buy ME a book, I’ve included a link to my Amazon.com wish list to make it easy for you. Easy-smeasy, right? Want to learn more? Read the long version. Please help spread the word! Copy the code below and paste it into your blog today! Banner Code:
To include this banner (130 pixels wide) in your post or sidebar, copy and paste this code:
5 Comments on Deadline: January 3rd, last added: 12/28/2007
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