Book 6 of 2012

The Litigators by John Grisham
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Easy read and lighter than I would generally like my legal thrillers. Guess it really wasn't a thriller, just a legal novel. I'd like to expect more from Grisham and certainly I used to. I'm beginning to read more new authors since most of my old standbys seem to be letting me down with books that seem to be just re-hashing of old themes.

David Zinc works inhuman hours for a mega law firm until one day he has a break, spends the day in a bar and winds up drunk at the law offices of Finley & Figg. What ensues teeters between serious law and comic tragedy. First, Wally Figg comes across what seems to be an open and shut case of a drug gone wrong and a huge settlement from an evil drug company. This turns into a national class action suit run by some major tort firms. Rather quickly it turns into a dog. During the time it takes for this sure thing to turn into a nightmare, David comes across some Burmese immigrants who have been treated unfairly by an unscrupulous employer and in settling their case finds a child who has been grievously harmed by lead tainted fake teeth. On the quiet he works to find the importer of these teeth and engineer a settlement for this family. Wrapped into the story is David and his wife's pregnancy and birth, senior partner Oscar Finely's divorce, Wally's decline back into his alcoholism, and the ever saucy secretary Rochelle.

The inner workings of tort law doesn't really seem like an interesting setting for a novel, but it was. The bumbling, ignorant lawyer is overdone in legal fiction. I'm tired of reading about him.



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Book 5 of 2012

The Search by Nora Roberts
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

this one wasn't one of my favorites by Nora Roberts, but it was ok for what it was. Fiona is a dog trainer who survived a serial killer several years ago. He is in prison, but the killings have started back. Is it a copy cat or his protege? The dog trainer aspect was interesting and I enjoyed it, the search and rescue part was also pretty interesting. The serial killer part was just meh. I guess this book was more romance than suspense and I like a little more suspense than romance in my romantic suspense books!


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Book 4 of 2012

The Red Church by Scott Nicholson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a freebie that I downloaded via the epic kindle giveaway. It was creepy. A little too something  for my tastes. I tend to like horror stories that make sense to me. Things that could actually happen. This was too far off the realm of possibility for me. There seems to be a couple other books in a series. Not sure if I'll try to read them though since I have a bunch of stuff on my Kindle waiting to be read.
So, while this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, it was worth my time to read it.


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Worst books of 2011

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - Worst book this year by far. Would have given it a big fat 0 stars if Goodreads allowed 0 stars.

Smoking Seventeen by Janet Evanovich  -  I was seriously disappointed in this one. I probably won't read anymore of this series. These books have become just a big recycle.

10th Anniversary by James Patterson - Another series I'm done with. The mysteries were too shallow and wrapped up to easily. I need more meat!

I was also disappointed with James Lee Burke's latest Dave Robicheaux offering, but it wasn't quite as bad as these.

Book 2 of 2012 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can't wait for the next book in this new series. I don't remember where the recommendation for this one came from, but I'm glad I followed up on it and read it. This was YA fantasy at it's best . The world that Laini Taylor has created is new and interesting. The two species of characters are intriguing. The heroine is a smart, creative, pretty, flawed young lady. And I love her. The romance is just enough. And the heartache makes the story just right. I want to know more! This book set up the back story and told it perfectly. 


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Book 3 of 2012 The Dead Man by Joel Goldman

The Dead Man by Joel Goldman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a free download from the Kindle store and it was well worth my time. It's the second in a series and while I've not read the first, the author did a good job of filling in the back story. I'm sure I missed out on some of the nuances and didn't have the full story, I was still able to follow the characters and get the gist.
A serial killer seems to be targeting the participants in a dream study. Jack Davis, a retired FBI agent (who left under a cloud of suspicion) is hired by the billionaire who is funding the research to find out what's really going on. There are some interesting secondary characters that are sure to become primary in future books.
I enjoyed this one enough that I'll be on the lookout for others in the series.


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Top Reads of 2011

So I started thinking about my top reads of the year and thought I should probably do a blog entry. I'm sure most bloggers who read do something like this. So here it is. These are my favorite reads of the 2011 in no particular order:

The Girl with...Trilogy by Stieg Larsson - While the first book took some time to get into, the trilogy is a must read for all. I recommend it to any mystery/thriller/crime buff.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - Another trilogy. YA novel that is just hard to beat. Recommended for 7th graders and up depending on level of maturity. Adults shouldn't skip this book because it was written for teens. It's Amazing! Incredible!

The Affair by Lee Child.- What's not to love about another Jack Reacher novel? Over the course of 2011, I've given up on a couple of my stand by series. Not this one. It just keeps getting better!

Room by Emma Donoghue  -  This is perhaps, the most disturbing book I read in 2011. A different type story than I'm used to, I'm not sure if you can say you 'liked' a book with this subject matter, but I did like the book.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin  -  Southern fiction at it's best. Characters that I loved, story that was sweet and tragic. Go read it.

Those are the books that I loved in 2011. In a couple of days, I'll do a post with the most disappointing books of 2011.

Book #1 of 2012 The Drop by Michael Connelly

The Drop by Michael Connelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love Harry Bosch and really enjoyed both the cases in this one.
Case #1 Harry is asked by the powers that be to investigate the apparent suicide of Irvin Irving's son George. Was it suicide or was it murder related to his job as an attorney/lobbyist. Was there impropriety attached to his handling of a cab company's bid for a new locale 'lease'? While this mystery was apparently solved in this installment, there is still an angle that Harry may explore further in the next.
Case #2 an Open Unsolved case with some odd DNA evidence that leads to an undiscovered serial killer. This case had an unsatisfying end for me. I'd have liked to seen more investigation into the crimes of Chill.
Case #2 also brought a new lady into Harry's life. Might the romance continue? I'd also like to see more of Harry's daughter in subsequent books. I'm also liking Harry's partner Chu and interested in how Harry's relationship with Kiz goes forward. Unlike some of my favorite  characters and series, this one continues to hold my attention and I'll definitely be reading #17 when it's published. Thanks to Michael Connelly for continuing to write good books with characters and story lines I care about!


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Book 73 of 2011

R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I always enjoy going back these. Fun stuff.


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