SEPTEMBER READS

104. Clara's War (Kramer)

* My Brother's Keeper (Hale)

105. Deadline (Crutcher)

106. Catching Fire (Collins)

107. Rizzo's War (Manfredo)

108. The Juror (Green)

109. Fade Away (Coben)

110. The Maze Runner (Dashner)

* The Flashlight Game (Hansen-Young)

111. Home Safe (Berg)

112. Abandoned (McFadyen)

113. The Gargoyle (Davidson)

114. The Brutal Telling (Penny)

* Mom is My Co-Counsel (Levine)

* Quality of Mercy (Lundin)

* The Mother (Martinez)

* Short Story (not counted)

BOLD titles made my Best Reads List

Clicking on a title will link you to "Thoughts of Joy...".

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Monthly - Yearly Genre Stats:

Chick-Lit: 0 - 5

Classic: 0 - 1

Fiction: 2 - 28

Memoir: 1 - 5

Mystery: 3 - 17

Non-Fiction: 0 - 1

Non-Fiction Graphic Novel: 0 - 1

Short Story Collection: 0 - 3

Thriller: 2 - 21

True Crime: 0 - 2

YA Classic: 0 - 1

YA Fiction: 1 - 13

YA Graphic Novel: 0 - 4

YA Non-Fiction: 0 - 1

YA Science Fiction: 2 - 6

Children's Historical Fiction: 0 - 1

Children's Thriller: 0 - 1

Children's Sci-Fi/Fantasy: 0 - 3

Short Stories: 5 - 38

Audiobooks: 6 - 66

Books: 5 - 48

Total: 11 - 114

Best Reads: 1 - 16

Series: 6 - 45

DNF: 0 - 4

THE MOTHER (13 of 22)

Author: Michele Martinez - Edited by Linda Fairstein

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: The Prosecution Rests, 2009

Personal Rating: 3.75/5 (better than good)

(ss) Yearly Count: 38

Prosecutor Melanie Vargas (the main character in Martinez's series) is trying a murder case. On behalf of the state, she is requesting the death penalty.

This is another case when the thoughts traveling through your mind are difficult to juggle. The more I read these stories, the more I sympathize with attorneys. Your heart can tell you one thing, but the law is the law.

QUALITY OF MERCY (12 of 22)

Author: Leigh Lundin - Edited by Linda Fairstein

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: The Prosecution Rests, 2009

Personal Rating: 4/5 (very good)

(ss) Yearly Count: 37

A prosecutor is trying a case regarding mercy killing.

This one is a devastatingly, thoughtful story. One that you hope you never experience or have to judge.

MOM IS MY CO-COUNSEL (11 of 22)

Author: Paul Levine - Edited by Linda Fairstein

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: The Prosecution Rests, 2009

Personal Rating: 3.75/5 (better than good)

(ss) Yearly Count: 36

A district attorney is preparing his case for the following morning and his articulate mother sheds some light on the case.

This was very good until the very end. It wasn't a bad conclusion; I just think it was the easy way out.

THE BRUTAL TELLING

Author: Louise Penny

Genre: Mystery, Series #5

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)

Yearly Count: 114

Please Note: While being thankful for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC, I feel the need to post the blurb from its cover. However, in my opinion there is usually too much disclosed. Read at your own discretion.

From Louise Penny's Website:

Chaos is coming, old son.

With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and children say goodbye to summer, a stranger is found murdered in the village bistro and antiques store. Once again, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in to strip back layers of lies, exposing both treasures and rancid secrets buried in the wilderness.

No one admits to knowing the murdered man, but as secrets are revealed, chaos begins to close in on the beloved bistro owner, Olivier. How did he make such a spectacular success of his business? What past did he leave behind and why has he buried himself in this tiny village? And why does every lead in the investigation find its way back to him?

As Olivier grows more frantic, a trail of clues and treasures from first editions of Charlotte’s Web and Jane Eyre to a spider web with the word “WOE” woven in it lead the Chief Inspector deep into the woods and across the continent in search of the truth, and finally back to Three Pines as the little village braces for the truth and the final, brutal telling.

This series has such a distinct atmosphere. On the surface it has a low-key feeling, but underneath it has high emotions that run deep. In this 5th book of the series, the story line stays close to home, so we find out a little bit more about the people that reside in the village.

Even though I'm a huge fan of Louise Penny's, I found this plot to have less draw than the others. For me, there just wasn't enough mystery there that compelled me to want to read until dawn. However, the characters still kept me interested. I feel like I know them and was so excited to visit with them again. Gamache had a few subtle comments that made me grin as usual, and I enjoyed hunting for clues along with the team. It was good, but not great.

Thank you Minotaur Books for sending me this ARC.

THE GARGOYLE

Author: Andrew Davidson

Genre: Fiction, Standalone

Published: 2008

Personal Rating: 1.5/5 (ugh)

Yearly Count: 113

An unnamed man survives a terrible car accident; however, he is left with a body that is burned beyond recognition. During the excruciating pain, and while his thoughts are not revolving around thankfulness, a schizophrenic woman named Marianne Engel appears at his bedside. She claims that they knew each other during medieval times and proceeds to tell him stories of those times.

Oh boy. I didn't follow my gut instinct to discontinue listening to this book and suffered through most of 16 CDs. It would have been so much better to release the book and give it a DNF rating. What was I thinking?! I was thinking that the modern times story was very interesting; well, the burns component was interesting. I didn't care for the occupation of the unnamed narrator, but thought that would pass. Once the medieval stories began I was hoping they would quickly pass, too. They did not - they actually overwhelmed the present day. By the end, I didn't even care much for the present day. Wasted: 19.5 hours of listening time. Lesson: Listen to your gut.

ABANDONED

Author: Cody McFadyen

Genre: Thriller, Series #4

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 4/5 (very good)

Yearly Count: 112

Please Note: While being thankful for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC, I feel the need to post its description. However, in my opinion there is usually too much disclosed. Read at your own discretion.

Product Description:

He doesn’t kill for thrills, for sex, or even for power.
It’s far more twisted than that….

Cody McFadyen, acclaimed author of The Darker Side, The Face of Death, and Shadow Man, delivers this shocking new thriller that brings to light a psychopath unlike any we’ve ever seen—a killer who thrives in absolute darkness and doesn’t derive pleasure from the kill. And only one woman has the ability to see him coming…even if it’s already too late to stop her own murder.

For FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett, the wedding of one of their own was cause for celebration. Until a woman staggered down the aisle, incoherent, emaciated, head shaved, and wearing only a white nightgown.

No one knows who she is or where she’s come from—or why she’s chosen to appear in a church filled with law enforcement agents. Then a fingerprint check determines that the woman has been missing for nearly eight years—that once she was someone’s wife, someone’s mother…and a cop. Imprisoning her in a dark cell, depriving her of any contact with the outside world, her enigmatic captor was a man she didn’t know and who seldom spoke, who punished her only when she failed to follow his most basic instructions designed to keep her alive.

Cold, businesslike, seemingly indifferent to his victims, he’s a predator with an M.O. as terrifyingly inscrutable as any Smoky has ever encountered. As she fits together the pieces of what remains of his victim’s fractured life, a chilling picture emerges of a killer every bit as calculating, masterful, and professional as Smoky and the team she leads—a professional psychopath who doesn’t take murder personally and never makes a mistake.

There’s a reason he let one of his victims go free. And by the time Smoky pierces the darkness of his twisted mind, it may cost her more than she can bear to lose to escape. For a trap snapped closed the moment she took this case too much to heart.

I exploded with delight when I realized that the package in my hands contained the latest ARC from one of my favorite authors! I literally jumped up and down and squealed like a little girl. What fun! I even set a book aside, so I could get to it immediately.

In general, it was very good. However . . . I had a huge problem with a portion of the book that caused me to feel offended. Whether warranted or not, I felt that way, and it put a damper on my reading for a short time. While I did get back on track, a distasteful feeling lingered. I understand that it is viewed as a good thing when an author can evoke deep emotions from a reader. They, in essence, have done their job. Unfortunately, the feelings I had converted into dislike. I know very well that Cody's style is very bold and can make my skin crawl, but I never felt this way before. Who knows, maybe I just added another feather to his cap. :)

On a better note, the plot in and of itself was complex and therefore a difficult one to solve. I enjoyed hanging with Smoky and the team as they dug their heels in to make some sense out of their present case. Despite my uncomfortable feelings, I think I would read anything written by this man. Even in the most shocking or scary scenes, he has a way with words that keep me on the edge of my seat or just plain glued to the page. This one was no different, but not a favorite. (It's the first one that didn't make my Best Reads list.) However, that has not kept me from waiting with bated breathe for #5.

My thanks go to Cody and Bantam Dell Publishing Group for sending me the ARC! It will be released on October 27, 2009.

(This was not posted until October 23 at the publisher's request. I put it back in the order in which I read it.)

HOME SAFE

Author: Elizabeth Berg

Genre: Fiction, Standalone

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)

Yearly Count: 111

The death of Dan, Helen's husband, has left her unable to write or cope with general living. As she's trying to get her feet under her, she discovers a shocking detail regarding their joint bank account. Dan had withdrawn a substantial amount several months prior to his death.

This was a gentle, light book. I appreciate it for its calm nature, but I need a little more action and/or friction. There were some moments that produced a grin, nod or a sense of sympathy, but nothing too powerful. All in all, it was a pleasant read.

THE FLASHLIGHT GAME (10 of 22)

Author: Diana Hansen-Young - Edited by Linda Fairstein

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: The Prosecution Rests, 2009

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)

(ss) Yearly Count: 35

While a father helps his daughter study for the bar exam, he acquires a lot of legal information, then becomes somewhat obsessed with it.

This short story started out interesting and picked up a little bit as it went on, but then it just hit a plateau and didn't go any further. So - just an okay story.

THE MAZE RUNNER

Author: James Dashner

Genre: YA Science Fiction, Trilogy #1

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 3.25/5 (better than just okay)

Yearly Count: 110

Please Note: While being thankful for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC, I feel the need to post the blurb from its cover. However, in my opinion there is usually too much disclosed. Read at your own discretion.

From the ARC cover:

When Thomas wakes up in the life, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is blank.

But he's not alone. When the life's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as they can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the life. And no one ants to be stuck in the maze after dark.

The Gladers were expecting Thomas's arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up - the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home . . . wherever that may be. But it's looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable.

And something about the girl's arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling his that he just might have some answers - if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

I can see this trilogy going BIG. The thrill that the book creates in its suspense is enticing and one that I think people will thoroughly enjoy. I, however, have reservations about continuing. Unfortunately, both the fact that it's a YA book and that the plot emphasized science fiction significantly affected my pleasure in reading.

By nature, I'm not a fan of science fiction; however, I have been swayed a time or two. And, there were parts that I loved, but others . . . well, let's just say they were prime examples of why I don't like science fiction. Collectively - it fell under the radar for me.

The YA books I have read in the recent past have not made me feel like I was reading YA - this one did. The childish nature of using made-up words put me off the first time one of those words were uttered and continued throughout. I had a difficult time putting those aside and they actually ended up being a huge spoiling point.

The good news - there was a tremendous amount of suspense and intrigue that kept me coming back for more. I absolutely loved ending a chapter with a big event or shocker. My bookmark saved me many times from accidently reading ahead. Props to Dashner for creating such excitement and curiosity in me.

FYI - Technically there isn't any swearing, but the violence steadily increases as the book progresses.

Thank you, Teen Random House for providing me with this ARC. It is scheduled to be released on October 6, 2009.

FADE AWAY

Author: Harlan Coben

Genre: Mystery, Series #3

Published: 1996

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)

Yearly Count: 109

Myron Bolitar is a sports agent that is asked to return to professional basketball - the sport that he was abruptly dismissed from due to a knee injury 10 years earlier. He quickly discovers that the invitation is not for his basketball skills, but to go undercover to locate a player that has disappeared.

I thoroughly enjoy Myron and his sidekick Win. Together their wit brings about smiles or grins, but Myron's personality can stand on its own. His sarcastic comments add flavor to the story and is what I like most about him. However, the plot in this book (#3) has allowed us to get to know Myron on more of a personal level, and I liked that side of him, too.

The series at this point is dated, but the references are fun and entertaining. Coben came out with the 9th book in March, 2009. It should prove to be interesting to move along in time with the books as I try to catch up.

THE JUROR

Author: George Dawes Green

Genre: Thriller, Standalone

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 2/5 (not enjoyable)

Yearly Count: 108

Please Note: While being thankful for the opportunity to receive and listen to this audiobook, I feel the need to post the blurb from its cover. However, in my opinion there is usually too much disclosed. Read at your own discretion.

From the audiobook box cover:

Annie Laird is Juror 224, a sculptor struggling to raise a son on her own. Summoned to what looks like a routine tour of civic duty. Annie soon discovers that this is no ordinary trial. It is a mob case whose outcome has been meticulously orchestrated by a cold, calculating mastermind. Known only as The Teacher, he promises Annie that her child will be safe, her career will flourish, and her friends will remain alive - if she says two words: not guilty. But as she is stalked, seduced, and terrorized by this man of insidious power and deadly precision. Annie will be driven to make a shocking decision - one that may cost her everything . . ..

I discovered that this audiobook was an abridged version after accepting the offer; therefore, my thoughts are abridged and unfair to the novel and author.

I was very interested in the beginning and enjoyed the trial. The major conflict in the story was intriguing, as well; however, the abridged narration made a seemingly good plot come off like a group of people who thought they were tough and wanted to play gangsters. In general, I felt like all I got was the outsides of an Oreo - just the cookie with no stuff in the middle to hold the pieces together. All that missing stuff is vital to making the read/listen a full experience. That's why it was written in the first place. Needless to say, it was disappointing and has reassured me in my decision to not listen to abridged audiobooks. No fault of the author - I don't think I would be pleased if someone chopped up my writing.

Thank you, Anna, from Hachette Audio for providing me with this audiobook.

RIZZO'S WAR

Author: Lou Manfredo

Genre: Police Procedural, Series #1

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 4/5 (very good)

Yearly Count: 107

Please Note: While being thankful for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC, I feel the need to post the blurb from its cover. However, in my opinion there is usually too much disclosed. Read at your own discretion.

From the ARC cover:

On the force, there's the good, the bad, and Rizzo . . .

He makes his own rules but plays the game carefully, and just when you think you've figured him out, think again. Veteran NYPD cop Joe Rizzo's not a good cop, he's a great cop, and after a year of riding together as detectives in the 62nd Precinct in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, his younger counterpart Mike McQueen knows it. They've worked on many cases, some big, some small, but the lesson is always the same according to Rizzo: "There's no wrong. There's no right. There just is."

Rizzo's War contains some of my favorite attributes: a gritty setting; smart, likable, good, but flawed (like the rest of us) cops; and most of all - a mentoring relationship.

Unfortunately, I did become overwhelmed with numbers. Yes, the setting is NY and the street names are numbers, but did every single turn or destination have to include the street name? Ugh. And, I was annoyed with a repetitive line. Rizzo smokes, so almost every time he was in the car with his partner McQueen, he would blow the smoke out the passenger window. I got it - he smokes. He smokes a lot and tries to spare his partner the secondhand smoke. Grrr.

Putting the above aside, I really liked Manfredo's style. He allowed us into the heads and hearts of both Rizzo and McQueen while moving the story line along, so I feel like I know these two cops, and I really like them both. They have different personalities, mainly due to their experience level, but they blend and compliment one another nicely. Also, shining light on the ambiguity of the job and working a variety of cases added a very realistic feel.

I prefer a strong sense of suspense and a little humor every now and then to make a book an "excellent" read, but I'm very pleased with Manfredo's debut and look forward to my next encounter with these two detectives.

My thanks go to LibraryThing Early Reviews program and Minotaur Books for sending me this ARC. It is scheduled to be released on September 29, 2009.

CATCHING FIRE

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: YA Science Fiction, Trilogy #2

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)

Yearly Count: 106

The story of Katniss continues right where The Hunger Games left off.

Overall, I was disappointed in the story line in Catching Fire. It was too repetitious, consequently, leaving the suspense by the wayside. My other complaint would be Katniss. She was not the Katniss I remembered - I missed the strength in her character.

However, I was impressed with the creativity of the world in which Katniss lives. Collins has a gift for making the oddest ideas seem realistic. Catching Fire did have some twists and turns that kept the book interesting, but I was not riveted like I was for The Hunger Games. Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I am looking forward to the conclusion. Hopefully it'll be fresh and exciting.

DEADLINE

Author: Chris Crutcher

Genre: YA Fiction, Standalone

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 2.75/5 (better than eh)

Yearly Count: 105

High school senior Ben Wolf is diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and chooses to keep the news to himself and live his remaining time as "normal" as possible.

Deadline is not necessarily a sad, sappy novel. I believe its intent is to have some deep meaning or profound affect upon your thoughts of living your last days, but it did not reach that level for me. I liked Ben, the surrounding cast of characters and the writing - a lot, so I would like to read another Crutcher book, but this story line just didn't do anything for me. I'm clearly in the minority though - it's highly rated on Amazon.

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER (9 of 22)

Author: Daniel J. Hale - Edited by Linda Fairstein

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: The Prosecution Rests, 2009

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)

(ss) Yearly Count: 34

A man is in jail - apparently for the murder of his ex-wife. His brother, a former criminal lawyer, is promptly informed.

Family dynamics play an important role in this drama. The relationships between different family members tell the story, and we are let in on more than one secret from the past. Those secrets are what help determine why the ex-wife was found dead.

CLARA'S WAR

Author: Clara Kramer

Genre: Biography, Standalone

Published: 2009

Personal Rating: 4.5/5 (excellent)

Yearly Count: 104

Please Note: While being thankful for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC, I feel the need to post the blurb from its cover. However, in my opinion there is usually too much disclosed. Read at your own discretion.

From the ARC cover:

Clara Kramer was a typical Polish Jewish teenager from a small town at the outbreak of the Second World War. When the Germans invaded, Clara's family was taken in by the Becks, a Volksdeutsch (ethnically German) family from their town. Mr. Beck was known to be an alcoholic, a womanizer, and a vocal anti-Semite. His wife had worked as Clara's family's housekeeper. But on hearing that Jewish families were being led into the woods and shot, Beck sheltered the Kramers and two other Jewish families.

Eighteen people in all lived in a bunker dug out of Beck's basement. Fifteen-year-old Clara kept a diary during the twenty terrifying months she spent in hiding, writing down details of their unpredictable life, from the hous's catching fire to Beck's affair with Clara's cousin, from the nightly SS drinking sessions in the room above to the small pleasure of a shared Christmas carp.

Against all odds, Clara lived to tell her story, and her diary is now part of the permanent collection of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

As always, when I read a book from a foreign country that contains unfamiliar names and places, I am temporarily thrown off, and it takes some time to get adjusted. Unfortunately with Clara's War, I experienced the same uneasiness. Thankfully it didn't last long, and I was drawn in.

Every Holocaust survivor story, even though they have their similarities, are totally unique. Clara's story shows the depth in which one will reach to remain alive and even amongst the horrors of war, the depth of humanity. The deplorable conditions, lack of food, and the entrapment of the bunker didn't kill the spirit of Clara and the group. However, their survival could not have been accomplished without the help of the German family. It was remarkable to see (and vicariously feel) the love and compassion of this family when it would have been easier and to their benefit to not harbor Jews (understatement, of course).

I was bothered by a variety of errors in this ARC. Hopefully, it has been tweaked and polished up for the final publication. I would hate for the strength of this book to be diminished due to editing errors. I'm curious as to whether there are pictures in the published version. I need to check that out!

Thank you Kyle, from Harper Collins Publishers, for sending me this ARC.