March Reads

20. Down the Darkest Road (Hoag) ~  3.25/5

21. Indigo Slam (Crais) ~ 3.75/5

22. Fallen (Slaughter) ~ 4/5

23. Quiet (Cain) ~ 4.25/5

24. So Cold the River (Koryta) ~ 2/5

25. The Ruins (Smith) ~ 1.5/5

26. Sycamore Row (Grisham) ~ 3.75/5 (good +)

Monthly - Yearly

Audiobooks:  7 - 24

Books:  0 - 0

eBooks:  0 - 2

New-to-Me Authors:  2 - 13

*Short Stories:  0 - 0

SYCAMORE ROW

Author:  John Grisham

Genre:  Legal Fiction, Jake Brigance Series #2

Published:  2013

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrator:  Book & Audiobook/
Michael Beck
Yearly Count:  26

Jake defends the will of a very wealth man.

Sycamore Row wasn't a surprise.  It was a typical John Grisham novel, which for me, is a good thing.  The first half of this book, while never boring, was definitely not exciting.  However, once the second half began, my interest deepened.  I did figure out the "why" of the book, but I still enjoyed all the details till the end.  Not quite a very good book, but better than good, nonetheless.  :)

Thoughts of Joy

THE RUINS

Author:  Scott Smith

Genre:  Sci-Fi, Standalone

Published:  2006

Personal Rating:  1.5/5 (Ugh!)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Patrick Wilson

Yearly Count:  25

A group of college kids go to Cancun for a party-filled vacation when the brother of a group member doesn't return from a mini-excursion.  They go looking for him in the jungle.

To quote the book, "... astoundingly stupid ..."  To reduce it to a one word from me, "ABSURD."

Thoughts of Joy

SO COLD THE RIVER

Author:  Michael Koryta

Genre:  Paranormal, Standalone

Published:  2010

Personal Rating:  2/5 (not enjoyable)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Robert Petkoff

Yearly Count:  24

A dejected filmmaker is asked to make a documentary about a 95-year-old billionaire.  He isn't given much to go on except a childhood location and an old bottle of water.

Oh dear.  This is NOT a genre I like - at all.  The only reason I kept listening was because I really like Robert Petkoff, and I was too busy sewing to take the time to find another audiobook.  AND, I actually kinda liked the main character . . . that is until the end.  Anything else I say would be negative, so I'll end here. 

Thoughts of Joy

QUIET

Author:  Susan Cain

Genre:  Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2012

Personal Rating:  4.25/5 (very good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Kathe Mazur

Yearly Count:  23

A study of introverts (and by default - extroverts).

There wasn't a lot of earthshaking, surprising revelations in this book; however, it was incredibly interesting, and I enjoyed how it was shared.  I did learn a thing or two (minor things) that help in understanding both types of people.

Thoughts of Joy

FALLEN

Author:  Karin Slaughter

Genre:  Thriller, Will Trent #5

Published:  2011

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/

Shannon Cochran

Yearly Count:  22

Will Trent's partner, Faith, is in need of help when she discovers her mother missing from her home and a hostage situation in her place.

Oops!  I accidentally skipped #4.  However, that didn't matter too much.  There were a few things that I didn't remember or didn't know, though.  I didn't remember Will ever talking so much, and the most interesting aspect of the storyline was the relationship between Sara Linton and Will.  I didn't remember them meeting either.  Maybe all of that was in #4 or I just don't remember.  Needless to say, this one another very good progression in the series.

Thoughts of Joy 

INDIGO SLAM

Author:  Robert Crais

Genre:  Mystery, Elvis Cole Series #7

Published:  1997

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/David Stuart

Yearly Count:  21

Elvis is hired to find the father of three siblings.

This has been on my unsure list for a very, very long time.  I wasn't sure if I read it or not being that I started this series eons ago.  I discovered that I hadn't read it and enjoyed it!  Now this completes the holes I had in the Elvis Cole series, and I am up-to-date!  

This edition was typical Elvis Cole (witty), but the storyline did contain a few surprises for me.  It had a bit too many shooting scenes, but nonetheless still an enjoyable audioread.

Thoughts of Joy

DOWN THE DARKEST ROAD

Author:  Tami Hoag

Genre:  Thriller, Oak Knoll Series #3

Published:  2011

Personal Rating:  3.25/5 (just okay +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Kirsten Potter

Yearly Count:  20

A child was abducted and never to be seen again.  The family (and police) have a clear suspect, but they don't have any hard evidence.  Each individual family member handles their grief in different ways as they seek to find peace.  

I was getting bored of the constant reference to the mom's anguish.  I can sympathize with her sorrow and suffering, but telling me over and over was redundant and annoying.  The storyline did keep me interested, but there were too many graphic s*x scenes for my liking.  My preference is no details, thank you very much.  Overall, it was an interesting story, but too much of this and that. 

Thoughts of Joy