"Life After Death..."

I just finished reading "Life After Death" by Damien Echols.  If anyone has heard of the "West Memphis Three," he was one of the boys convicted of murder.  A mystery remains as to whether they were guilty or not, and it's a controversial subject.

After watching all three documentaries entitled "Paradise Lost," I came to believe they were innocent and that one of the victims' stepfather is the real killer.

Damien was the only one to be put on death row, and remained there for 18 years.  Rather than going into the entire story, he was just released last year and wrote this book, which I was anxious to read.

A lot of his prose makes him sound like a true poet at heart.  It was insightful and gave the reader a glimpse into his soul and his experience in prison.

I did have a hard time swallowing some of his talks about how badly prisoners are treated, because while he may have been innocent, the higher percentage of prisoners are guilty and belong tucked away from the rest of society.

If you're interested in this case and his story, I would highly recommend it.  My ratings range from 1-5, with 5 being the highest.  I rate this one a solid 4.

"In Death....."

I'm a huge fan of the JD Robb "In Death" series.  Most of you may already know that it's Nora Roberts' alter ego.  Funny, I'm not very fond of her books under that name, as they tend to be romance novels, which aren't my cup of tea.

I'm usually not fond of the futuristic genre either, but the "In Death" series is absolutely engaging!  It's set in a not-so-distant future, where cars can float about in the air, and regular coffee is a rarity.  However, the core of each book is the same - following a tough, no-nonsense cop in New York City.  She's married to a billionaire, but the money doesn't impress her.  She doesn't wear fancy clothes or even fancies socializing.  She's amusingly awkward in social situations, but one heck of a cop!

Because each story mostly centers around her and her quirky friends and co-workers, along with a good, old-fashioned murder mystery, I was sold after the first book.  I've followed it ever since, all through the 35 books that have followed, and continue to do so.  They're full of rich characters that quickly become comfortable.

I suggest starting with the first one, "Naked in Death."  You'll thank me, because you'll be hooked as happily as I am.

You can find the entire series at the link below.  I use this site religiously, as you can search for any author and see their books in order.  Enjoy!  :)

JD ROBB SERIES

Book Review...Lisa Scottoline's latest!

I just finished another entertaining book by Lisa Scottoline.   Her latest is "Best Friends, Occasional Enemies."  It's a collection of essays written by Lisa and her daughter, Francesca.   There are mother/daughter topics and 'every day' topics that everyone can relate to.

I listened to the audio version, so I had the added benefit of listening to each of them tell their own stories.  There's something about an author reading their own book that lends itself to the authenticity for me.  Every inflection, every smile and joke comes through.

I suggest getting ALL of these books for a glimpse into the life of a best-selling author.  She has the same dilemmas as we do.  Personable and approachable, you'll hear about "Mother Mary," which is what Lisa calls her Mom.  She's a character in herself!  And "Brother Frank," her brother.

Whacky and wonderful subjects such as toenail clippings, falling trees, driving in the middle lane, and the love for their dogs (which is ALWAYS a good thing, if you ask me).

My review system goes from 1-5, and this one is definitely a 5!!

Book Review...Ryan O'Neal's book

I've just finished   "Both of Us: My Life with Farrah"   by Ryan O'Neal.

In the audiobook, he narrated himself.  While not the best narrator, tending to pause at the wrong spots in a sentence, it's still nice to hear his book in his own voice.  You can hear & feel the raw emotion.  He's seemingly very candid, and having read both of his daughter, Tatum's, books, I'm sure the truth of their relationship lies somewhere in the middle.

This leaves me with the certainty that his tumultuous love story with Farrah Fawcett outlasted time and even death  For all his faults, the love and devotion he felt for her never wavered.  It seeps through every sentence, every paragraph.

She was much more than feathery hair and a bright smile.  She had such grace and  wisdom.  Her intelligence and savvy were never fully realized to the public.  I also watched her documentary, during her last years, fighting for her life.  She had the guts to insist on filming her struggle to shine a light on the darkest side of cancer and bring it to the fore.

Ryan's story is one of the joys of eternal love laced with the pain of his loss for the one true and constant loves in his life.

In my rating system, I give it a 5 out of 5.

Book Review..."Winter Garden"

I've just completed "Winter Garden," another good book by Kristin Hannah.  Anyone who likes the massively talented Jodi Picoult might like Kristin as well.  She writes in a similar style...providing in-depth character development to the reader.

"Winter Garden" tells the story of two sisters that adore their father.  Growing up, he was their main source of love and attention, as their mother was cold and off-putting.  She was Russian born, and the only time she came alive was when she told them a fairytale about a prince and black knight.  It wasn't the kind you could find in a book, but from her imagination...or so they think.

When their father dies, he makes the mother promise to tell the WHOLE fairytale.  On his deathbed, he begs one of his daughters to hold their mother to the promise.  They're both well into adulthood.  One sister doesn't care anymore about the fairytale, as she's accepted the fact her mother never loved them.  However, the other is insistent and continues to press their mother to continue the fable.

It took me a while to get into this, but once they finally got the mother to start weaving her tale, and you realize the story is NOT a story, but rather how her life was in Leningrad during the war, I was swept up in the 'fairytale' as well.

It drew me in, so from that point on, I was hooked.  Out of my 5-star system, I give it a 3.

BOOK REVIEW: "KILLING LINCOLN"

I just finished an amazing book by Bill O'Reilly entitled  "Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever"

As he notes in the introduction, this is a departure from his other books.  He says it reads like a thriller, and it DOES.  Even though we all KNOW the ending, I still found myself hanging on every word when it got to the day of the assassination.

For those interested in history, the civil war, or President Lincoln, it doesn't disappoint.  I never had an interest in history when I was in school, but now it fascinates me.  I admit my ignorance when I say I had no idea how doggedly determined General Lee was, or how the burning of Richmond, VA by it's OWN citizens, may have been the cause of the South's defeat.

Rather than getting mired in too many details, this book focuses on major battles in dramatic fashion.  It's easy to follow and very entertaining.

John Wilkes Booth's massive, intricate plans for not only killing Lincoln, but everyone involved in the North's success at the end of the war, was mind-boggling.  The accomplices he amassed reminded me of the 9/11 hijackers, plotting furiously for attacks to take place all at the same time.

I recall visiting our capitol many years ago as a youngster.  We were at Ford's theater and even the humble home where Lincoln died.  Naturally, I didn't comprehend or appreciate it as I might today.

Out of a possible 5 stars for this book, I give it a wholehearted 5 !!  

In fact, O'Reilly is coming out with a similar book,  "Killing Kennedy"  in October.  Needless to say, I've already reserved my copy!

Book Review....I Think

I suppose this is a book review, though I'm not sure.  Perhaps it's just an observation.  I'm 2/3 of the way through "Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero" by Michael Hingson, and I'm disappointed.  I checked out Amazon's reviews, and I'm not alone in my thinking.  

As interesting as the story is, it's not as advertised.  It follows a blind man and his guide dog, who walked from the 78th floor of the World Trade Center on 9/11, after the tower was hit by an airplane.  Only that isn't really what it's about.  That's how it was portrayed, but the essence of the story is more focused on his blindness and how it never deterred him in life.  While that's a great story, I hoped for more about 9/11 and his dog.  Mostly the dog :)

I'm a dog lover, as some of you may know.  Therefore, I'm a sucker for any kind of dog story!  That's why  I'm feeling a tad so-so about this one, only because they should have described the book better.  If they had, I wouldn't have been picked it.

HUGE Thumbs Down....

Writers are voracious readers.  If they're not, they should be.  I started a new audiobook today that I couldn't wait to get my hands on.  The description sounded SO good.  Much like a movie that's over-hyped and winds up disappointing you, so does this book.

Most readers can tell whether or not they're going to like a book fairly quickly, and I'm no exception.  I can usually tell within 5 minutes.  This book is awful!  I gave myself until the end of the first full disc (out of 6), and I'm still slogging through it.  Don't ask me why, as half of Amazon's reviews warn readers not to waste their time.

Hey, everyone has their own taste in literature, and I don't begrudge them that.  What worries and maddens me is the fact that it got published when it clearly makes all the mistakes we're told NOT to make...

- Characters nobody can or want to relate to

- SHOW rather than TELL (one of the cardinal rules-this is nothing BUT show)

- Avoid not grabbing the reader as soon as possible

Snippets of some reviews go as follows: 

-"If this is really what modern experimental fiction is about, you can keep it. I found it boring beyond measure after my patience wore out at around page 75-100, and irritated for the rest of the book because the author just went further and further afield satisfying none of the mystery that was the original setup. The final pages of the book looked like there was going to be a token payoff, a central question answered, but .... No. Nothing."

-"Think about every bad characteristic of overly workshopped MFA manuscripts: "quirky" characters that don't remotely resemble human beings; ambiguity milked to an obscene degree; ridiculously tedious detail; and prose so affected and sterile that you are perpetually in a state of eye-roll. All of these are present and accounted for"

So, I say with a huge sigh, how are those of us who are trying desperately to follow every 'do' and 'don't' have a chance in hell of succeeding when things like THIS drivel grace the bookshelves?  I'm not sure if it's comforting or utterly discouraging. 

My First Book Review & Recommendation.....

My first book review & recommendation… “Four Feet Tall & Rising” by Shorty Rossi.  Available on Kindle, hardcover, and audio.  I had the pleasure of just finishing this in the audio version, read by the author.  He’s a character, for sure.

Hopefully, some of you have already heard of, and maybe watch,  his Animal Planet show, “Pit Boss.”  I certainly hope so.  If you don’t, and you love dogs, it’s a must.  This wonderful little man is a powerhouse!  His love for pitbulls is endless.  His advocacy for the breed is tireless.  He’s a ‘little person’ with a huge heart and huge personality to match.

His book is a memoir, and he lets it all hang out.  He had an unhappy childhood with a controlling, abusive father.  He started hanging out with gangs and wound up in prison for 10 years.  Upon his release, he was able to turn his life around and form a talent agency for little people in Hollywood.  In addition to that, he runs “Shorty’s Rescue,” which helps find homes for abused and neglected pitbulls. He promotes the breed as their true selves – loving and sweet.  Not the killing machines they’ve been branded.

At times emotional, others hilarious, this book is one I wholeheartedly recommend!   He is one of a kind, and I truly admire him.  I wish there were more people like him in the world who puts his money where his mouth is…he doesn’t just talk about saving the breed…he does it.  He has six of his own pitbulls, which are featured in his show.  

At the same time I recommend his book, I strongly recommend his show!!  My husband and I have been watching it since the first episode, and it’s wonderful.  Big dogs and little people, which is how the show was first pitched.  

I have my own personal spreadsheet, where I keep track of every book I’ve read and how I would rate it.  The system is 1-5, with 5 being the best.  Shorty’s book is a wholehearted 5!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW...Stacey Honowitz, Coming Soon!

I've had the pleasure of knowing a wonderful lady by the name of Stacey Honowitz.  Perhaps many of you know her, especially those of you who belong to my HLN Crime Fan Page on Facebook.  She appears regularly on several of their shows.  She's an Assistant State Attorney in Broward County, FL and happens to be a passionate advocate for children.

As a supervisor in the Sex Crimes & Child Abuse Unit, she's responsible for prosecuting cases involving child molestation and all cases of physical abuse of children. Her mission is to spread the word about sexual abuse of children. 

She's written two books, "My Privates are Private," and "Genius With a Penis, Don't Touch."  The intent behind these is to help parents and children break the ice in discussing the delicate subject matter of sexual abuse.

My interview with her will be coming soon, so don't miss it!!