THE READ-A-THONE ENDS; 206 BONES & THE SURROGATE THIEF

Well, the Mystery Read-a-Thon is, for me at least, over.
I had planned a very quiet weekend with lots of time for reading. It didn't quite work out that way. The aftermath of our week without water took up far more of my time than I had anticipated and resulted in my reading being a lot more interrupted than I would have liked. But, in the end, I did manage to find 12 hours for reading. And here are the statistics for this weekend:
Time spend reading; Approximately 12 hours
Books started: 2
Books finished: 2
* 206 BONES by Kathy Reichs
* THE SURROGATE THIEF by Archer Mayor
Pages read: 547.
Underneath I will write some more about the Read-a-Thon experience and my thoughts on the two books.

TITLE: 206 BONES

AUTHOR: KATHY REICHS

Pages: 303

Date: 17/01/2010
Grade: 5
Details: no. 12 Temperance Brennan Series
Own

The first book I started and finished during this weekend's Mystery Read-a-Thon. And I have to say it was great to dedicate twelve hours to just reading, I enjoyed every single minute of it. The fact that I'd picked two great mysteries for this weekend definitely helped in providing that enjoyment.
I've read every book in the Temperance Brennan series, and I don't think I've ever been disappointed by any one of them. This book was no exception.
In this book things get very personal and potentially lethal for Tempe.
When the book starts we find Brennan waking up in a pitch black, cold place, her hands and feet tied up and not know how or why she ended up wherever she is. As she starts her fight for freedom, safety and life, the reader learns about the events leading up to her ending up in the trouble she is in.
It all starts when Brennan is accused of having made a crucial mistake in the autopsy of a heiress. She is able to proof that she didn't, but is unable to find out who made the accusation.
Back in Montreal, she and Ryan are involved in the investigation of the murders of several elderly women. Murders that appear to be connected to each other and to the death of the heiress. But who or what links them them remains as unclear as the future of her future with Ryan.
Meanwhile Brennan appears to be making mistake after mistake in her work, while at the same time the atmosphere in her workplace grows ever more toxic. Is Brennan really losing it, or is something more sinister going on.

As always, Reichs delivered a well written and plotted mystery with just the right mix of technical detail and page turning tension. Brennan and Ryan's relationship remains interesting and believable. A good book that left me wanting more, and resenting the fact that I will probably have to wait at least a year before the next one will be available.

TITLE: THE SURROGATE THIEF

AUTHOR: ARCHER MAYOR

Pages: 220

Date: 17/01/2010

Grade: 5

Details: no. 15 Joe Gunther Mystery

Library

And now for the second book I finished this weekend, and another great read. I have to say, I picked my books well.
It's been a few years since I last read a book in this series, and against my principles I skipped about 6 books in this series in order to read this one. But, I haven't been able to get my hands on the other books, and I like this series too much to be able to ignore a title when I do find it, even if that means reading it out of order.
The story begins with a domestic hostage situation going horribly wrong when someone is shot and killed. The gun used turns out to be connected to an 32 year old, unsolved murder case. A case Joe Gunther investigated at the time, while his much loved wife was dying from cancer.
At the time he had a likely suspect, who disappeared before Joe could get his hands on him, and hasn't been seen since.
Now that the gun has been found, Joe reopens the investigation, but with it the painful memories and doubts about his handling of the original case also surface.
And when the investigation of the past leads to murders in the present, the case gains a new urgency.
A very well written and plausible mystery. Gunther is a likable, recognizable, flawed and utterly human main character. I really hope that I'll stumble across more books in this series, soon.

READ-A-THONE; AN UPDATE

It is Sunday morning in Ireland, and I have started my second day of this Read-a-Thon just over an hour ago. So, I thought it was about time for an update.
Yesterday I started reading 206 BONES by Kathy Reichs and managed to read 244 pages in about 5 1/2 hours. Which means that I have another 61/2 hours of reading ahead of me today.
I spend the first of those remaining hours this morning finishing the Reichs book which brings my page total up to 303. My thoughts on this book will follow in a later blog to be written after I've finished my 12 hours of reading.

I'm now about to start reading THE SURROGATE THIEF by Archer Mayor. This is a return to a series in which I haven't read a book in years because I couldn't get my hands on any of the titles I hadn't read yet. It's nice to now be able to return to Brattleboro for a visit, and hopefully a good mystery.

Yesterday, unfortunately, wasn't a quiet day with lots of time for undisturbed reading. There was just too much going on and too much that needed doing. Hopefully today will know less interruptions and more quality reading time.

MYSTERY READ-A-THON, AFTER ONE HOUR

The first hour of the third Mystery Read-a-Thon is behind me, and I've settled nicely into my reading. It's going to be a bit of a disjointed reading weekend for me though, since we have visitors coming tonight from about 8, and since they were wonderful to us during our week without water I do owe them some of my time and attention. But, not to worry, since we've got two days to read for 12 hours, there should be more than enough time left.
First the details of my first hour:
I've started reading 206 BONES by Kathy Reichs and got to page 49 when the hour was up. As soon as I finish the post, I'll be diving straight back in.
Now for the questions:

1) Give us five fun-facts about you. (Things that are so trivial you wouldn't think of them right away, but that might make others smile.)
Hmm, this question is harder than it seems:
* I used to be a swimming teacher
* I own an adorable but not very clever dog names Sparky who is currently playing outside with another dog about 10 sizes smaller than she is.
* While I have about 200 unread books sitting on my shelves, I can't stop myself from bringing books home from the library where I work.
* I recently had the opportunity to discover exactly how much water we use even if we can't have showers, do laundry or flush the toilet. It amazed me.
* I'm happy to report I'm clean again...

2) What is on your TBR stack for the next two days?

I've just started my first book and have two other books lined up, although I doubt I'll get to both of them. They are:

* THE SURROGATE THIEF by Archer Mayor

* INNOCENT BLOOD by Graham Masterton.

3) Do you have any specific hopes and plans for this read-a-thon?

None, except to enjoy the almost uninterupted reading.

4) Did you participate in the Mystery Read-A-Thon in the past?

This is my third one.

5) If you already participated, can you give the new participants any tips on what to do and what not to do?

My only tip would be to enjoy yourself. There are no goals to be reached other than to read 12 hours. It doesn't matter how many books or pages you manage to read.

Maybe another tip would be to try and not spend too much time on the computer. Keeping an eye on the blog posts can really eat into your reading time. I've decided to check in about once an hour when I can and leave it at that.

And that is my update for this hour. I should be back at around 3, local (Irish) time. Actually, it will be a bit later before I'm  back with my next mail. It's now an hour after I started this blog post, and the computer is just too slow for me to go back to it often. I could spend all my reading time trying to post, and still not get anywhere. I'll try again later and see if the situation has improved.

BLACK HILLS

TITLE: BLACK HILLS

AUTHOR: NORA ROBERTS
Pages: 538
Date: 13/01/2010
Grade: 4.5

Sometimes I wonder why I enjoy Nora Robert's books so much. I've been known to not finish books if I feel they are predictable. And Robert's books are nothing if not predictable. The reader knows exactly what to expect and how the story is going to develop and end. Yet, it works for me. Whenever I need a comfortable read, a bit of brain candy, I turn to Roberts, safe in the knowledge that I'll get exactly what I'm looking for, and that I'm rarely disappointed. And I wasn't disappointed this time either.
When Lil Chance first meets Cooper Sullivan  she is 11 and he is a sulking teenager, unhappy to be on his grandparents farm in South Dakota, away from everything he knows and loves in New York City. But during that summer the two kids turn into friends. A friendship that deepens into more during the subsequent visits from Coop.
When Coop suddenly ends their relationship when they're both in their twenties, he breaks Lil's heart.
Twelve years later, Coop is back on his grandparents farm and this time to stay. A little distance away, Lil has fulfilled her childhood ambition and opened a wildlife refuge.
Still hurting from the past rejection, Lil is reluctant to let Coop back into her life and her heart. But, with someone hiding in the mountains, committing murders and determined to kill Lil and destroy everything she loves, Lil has to work with Coop and trust him if she's going to survive.
The ending (and I don't mean the romantic conclusion) was very predictable, but that didn't lessen the enjoyment I got out of this book.

THE SENATOR'S WIFE

TITLE: THE SENATOR'S WIFE

AUTHOR: SUE MILLER

Pages: 306

Date: 09/01/2010

Grade: 4-
Details: Reading Group January book.

This is the story of two women, Meri and Delia.
Meri is 36 when she marries Nathan and very unsure about what she wants from life and expects from marriage. When she and Nathan buy a house they are told that their neighbours will be Senator Tom Naughton and his wife, Delia. A fact that really excites Nathan, who is a huge fan of the now retired Tom. However, they soon discover that Tom never spends any time with his wife in the house next door.
Meri soon strikes up a somewhat unlikely friendship with Delia. Where Meri is 36, a bit of a tomboy and uncertain about life, Delia is in her seventies, sophisticated and apparently very sure of her place in the world.
Despite those differences the two women grow close, although Delia seems to always be holding parts of herself back.
In a story told in turn by either Meri or Delia, we see the friendship grow, watch Meri abuse the trust placed in her and are helpless as events move towards a, for me rather predictable, painful climax.
This book left me mostly feeling indifferent. I didn't get to like either of the women enough to really care about how their story would unfold. I didn't understand either Meri or Delia's motives or actions and felt so removed from the story that I didn't want to try and understand them either.
The reasons the book appears to be giving for the way the two women are, a not ideal childhood, having been born to a certain generation and set of morals and love, seemed like nothing but stereotypes to me.
All of this didn't make this a hard to read book though. Sue Miller is a good enough writer to keep me turning the pages of a story, even when the characters leave me cold. But, I won't be rushing out to pick up another book by Sue Miller any time soon.

THE SHIMMER

TITLE: THE SHIMMER

AUTHOR: DAVID MORRELL
Pages: 326

Date: 06/01/2010

Grade: 5

Library

WOW!
This is a great thriller. It is a fast paced story, with good characters and some fascinating supernatural events, without ever slipping into Sci-Fi territory. Throughout the whole reading experience I had the feeling that these events or something like them might be happening somewhere, with the possible exception of the very explosive climax. And my feeling turned out to be right. . The phenomena as described in this book as well as a large part of the story turned out to be based on real events. Which goes to show that there really is more between heaven and earth than we can explain. It also made the story even more fascinating.
The book starts with police officer Dan Page coming home after a traumatic day to find his wife, Tori, gone without a word of explanation or any indication where she may have gone.
When he catches up with her near Rostov, a small town in Texas, she is sitting in the dark staring at the horizon where she claims she can see lights. At first Dan can't see anything, but after a while he too sees the beautiful and enthralling lights which appear to be dancing in the air, changing colour and shimmering into each other.
As more spectators arrive it becomes clear that not everybody can see them.
The peaceful watching of the lights is brutally disturbed when a man starts shooting, first aiming at the lights and then at those watching them, with devastating results.
In the aftermath of the massacre, the media descend on Rostov and the story of the lights, as do masses of spectators. Also arriving in Rostov are others who's motives are obscure and not peaceful.
In order to save his marriage and his wife, Dan Page needs to discover the secret of the lights. With the lights becoming ever more volatile and people seeking to use them in a deadly way, far more is at stake than Dan could ever guess.
I'll say it again: WOW!

Also have a look at: http://www.shimmerbook.com/ and/or google "Marfa".

LOVE ALL

TITLE: LOVE ALL

AUTHOR: ELIZABETH JANE HOWARD

Pages: 454

Date: 03/01/2010
Grade: 4

Library

I can't help wondering if the author was being cynical when she decided on the title for this story. A title like "Love All" would lead me to expect a story in which love plays a big part with some sort of happy ending. And although love, the feelings we mistake for love, the things we do for love and the lack there off is very much the subject of this story, a happy ending is nowhere to be found.
Another problem with this book was that it had more characters and therefore more story lines than it needed in my opinion. As a result some of those story lines were underdeveloped and unresolved or only partly resolved by the end of the book.
There are main characters though, and although I wasn't happy with the way the book ended for any of them, their stories are well developed and engrossing.
Set in the 1960's this book opens with Percy deciding to accompany her aunt Floy on a gardening assignment in Melton. Percy's life is pretty much on hold since she's resigned her job and her affair with a married man ended, so a change of scenery seems to be just what she needs.
In Melton the two women work for Jack, a very rich and socially somewhat inept man.
Also in Melton are Thomas and his sister Mary. Mary has been looking after Thomas and his young daughter Hatty for some years now, ever since Thomas' wife Celia died leaving him devastated. Also sharing their household is Francis, Celia's brother.
With the exception of Floy, all these characters are at a point where they have to make decisions about their futures, what they want from life and where their priorities and loyalties lie. Ties are severed, hearts are broken, love is found and lost and losses endured.
But by the end of the book it's hard to see how any of the characters is better off then he or she was when the story started except maybe for Percy who appears to have at least grown up some.
It is of course possible that that was the message of this book to begin with and that just because I wanted a fairy tale doesn't mean that I will receive one.
Mostly the characters in this story and their actions frustrated me, and made me want to slap some sense into them. But then, the fact that the book made me react so strongly towards the characters only goes to prove how well written and engaging it was.
Definitely a book that left me with mixed feelings when I turned the final page; I had finished a story that fascinated me from start to finish and had left me unsatisfied as far as the ending was concerned.