WHERE THE RIVER ENDS

Author:  Charles Martin

Genre:  Women's Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Mark Deakins

Yearly Count:  57

A wife is dying of cancer and her husband attempts to make her "Bucket List" come true.

I had absolutely no idea what this book was about.  Had I known, I probably wouldn't have listened to or read it.  It's just not my thing.  The writing was fine, but I'm not a fan of the Nicholas Spark-esque books.  Although, there was one thing I did not like for sure . . . there were no warnings that the timeframe was going to change.  One paragraph just led into another one.  Ugh.  So, not a great audioread for me.

Thoughts of Joy

  

CITY OF THE SUN

Author:  David Levien

Genre:  Mystery, Frank Behr Series #1

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Scott Brick

Yearly Count:  30

A 12-year-old boy doesn't return home from his morning paper route.  Since the police don't seem to be making any progress on the case, the parents hire PI Frank Behr to find their son.

This book was an okay listen . . . nothing memorable either way.

Thoughts of Joy

THE FIFTH FLOOR

Author:  Michael Harvey

Genre:  Crime Fiction, Michael Kelly Series #2

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3.25/5 (just okay +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Stephen Hoye

Yearly Count:  1


Michael Kelly is approached by his ex-girlfriend to look into her husband's coming and goings.  While doing so, Michael stumbles upon a dead body.  

This one was filled with too much political and historical nonsense for my liking; however, I still have interest in continuing with the series.  I've listened to #1 and #3, so I have now filled the gap with #2. 

Thoughts of Joy

    

AYA AT YOP CITY

Author:  Marguerite Abouet

Genre: YA Graphic Novel, Aya Series #2

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  83


The saga continues of Aya and her community.

The many storylines seem like a soap opera.  However, I like the idea of reading a graphic novel for variety, and this series has kept my attention.

Thoughts of Joy

THE OFF SEASON

Author:  Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Genre:  YA Fiction, Dairy Queen Sequel

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Natalie Moore

Yearly Count:  73


Eleventh grader, DJ, experiences realistic high school and family angst.

I did not buy into the family angst at all!  Actually, I believed the event, but not how it was handled, so it was hard to like the book.

Thoughts of Joy

THE INVISIBLE MAN

Author:  Rick Geary (H. G. Wells)

Genre:  Classics Illustrated Graphic Novel Series #2, Sci-Fi

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  84

A brilliant scientist experiments on himself and becomes invisible.

I never read this story by H. G. Wells and to do so in this graphic form was a true delight.  I love Geary's artistic ability and his way with words.  He illustrates with great detail, but gets right to the point with the dialog.  Wish I had a collection of all his work.  It's worth keeping.

TWISTED

Author:  Andrea Kane

Genre:  Romantic Suspense, FBI Series #1

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format:  Audiobook

Yearly Count:  1


Former FBI agent and hostage negotiator Sloan Burbank currently works as a consultant due to a hand injury.  Receiving no success elsewhere and wanting a fresh look at their cold case, her childhood friend's parents call her to ask for assistance in finding their daughter who has been missing for a year.

Ugh!  I didn't know this was a "romantic suspense" series.  I don't mind a little hanky-panky in my books, but there was too much for me in this one.  My purpose for reading suspense/thrillers is for the excitement in solving the crime (chase) - not the excitement in the bedroom.  Needless to say, I most likely will not continue with this series.  We'll see.

In relationship to the plot, I was disappointed with that, too.  It was without a doubt . . . unoriginal.  I felt like I had read this scenario a million times (probably have!), but I still wanted to know the ending.  Ultimately, it was good, but too familiar.




  

STALKING SUSAN

Author:  Julie Kramer

Genre:  Mystery, Riley Spartz Series #1

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/

Bernadette Dunne

Yearly Count:  88

Riley Spartz is a TV reporter who gets tips from retired police officer, Nick Garnett.  This time around Riley finds herself investigating decade old cases regarding murdered women named Susan.

I stumbled upon this series as I was browsing Amazon books and discovered that my library had the audio version, so I decided to give it a try.  It didn't have much suspense or intriguing characters, but it still was a good audioread by giving us an inside peak into the world of a TV reporter.  As in other books I have encountered, Riley and Nick play a game with movie lines - guessing the movie and year of the quoted one-liners.  The game didn't woo me, but I can see how others might get a kick out of it.  Ultimately, I thought it was a good debut (there are 5 in the series now) and plan to listen to more.

SHATTER

Author:  Michael Robotham

Genre:  Psychological Thriller,

Joseph O'Loughlin Series #3

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format:  Audiobook

Yearly Count:  58

Joe O'Loughlin, a clinical psychologist/professor, is called to a scene in which a woman is compelled to jump off a bridge.  Joe finds her behavior odd in comparison to others who commit suicide and decides to look into the case with a bit more scrutiny, especially when another oddity occurs.

I really enjoyed the psychology in this book.  The reasoning behind behaviors and understanding how the mind works under pressure was fascinating to me -- not necessarily new, but fascinating anyway.  There was one part that did not work for me, and it was a major event.  Therefore, it really weakened the whole story and caused me to not like the book as much.  Thankfully my curiosity remained intact.  Both #1 & 2 in the series were BB (Before Blogging), so it's been a while getting back to Joe, but I'm glad I did.  The latest, Bleed For Me (#4), came out this past February, and I'm looking forward to it.

THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE

Author:  David Wroblewski

Genre: Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  2.5/5 (eh)

Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count:  49

Edgar Sawtelle, born mute, lives on a dog breeding farm in Wisconsin with his mother and father.  When catastrophe strikes, Edgar makes a bold move.

There certainly were some good points to this book, but I'm sad to say that it ultimately landed below a just okay read for me.  I did love some of the language, but that language also dragged on and on.  I didn't find Edgar and the dogs to have some amazing relationship, but they were okay.  The few incidents of paranormal activity and personification added to my dislike as I am not a fan of either.  Thankfully, the second half of the book was much more interesting, but the ending . . . useless.    There were so many unanswered questions in my mind when I finished it, but now I just wonder what was the point of the book?



  

      

CHASING WINDMILLS

Author:  Catherine Ryan Hyde

Genre:  YA Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format:  Audiobook

Yearly Count:  9

A woman who lives with the father of her two children cross paths with a teenager during a time when they are both struggling with their personal relationships at home.

One of my first thoughts while reading this book was "desperate people do desperate things," and that theme somewhat continued throughout the book.  Unfortunately, I felt like the plot wasn't as believable as it should have been, but I did enjoy the characters and the writing.  Even though I didn't buy into it 100%, I will definitely read/listen to another book by Catherine Ryan Hyde.  

WHAT LANGUAGE IS THAT? (3 of 5)

Author: Uwem Akpan

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: Say You're One of Them, 2008

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)
Format:  Audiobook

(ss) Yearly Count: 48

Religious differences cause the parents of two girlfriends to deny them their friendship.

This was okay. It was a simple story, but not simple in its meaning.

IN MY PARENT'S BEDROOM (2 of 5)

Author: Uwem Akpan

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: Say You're One of Them, 2008

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)
Format:  Audiobook

(ss) Yearly Count: 47

A nine-year-old is in the middle of a war zone in her own home.

Told from a nine-year-old's point-of-view makes this story a bit perplexing, which is what I imagine it would feel like in real life, along with fear and heartbreak.

STALKED

Author: Brian Freeman

Genre:  Thriller, Jonathan Stride Series #3

Published:  2008

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)

Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count:  99

Maggie, Jonathan Stride's former partner, reports the murder of her husband.  Her behavior is questionable and she becomes the prime suspect.  At the same time, there is a blackmailer, a missing woman, and a serial killer all smothered in a shroud of s*x.  

OMGoodness!  I didn't like the second one in this series because of all its nasty talk, but decided to go ahead with this after a friend said it wasn't that bad.  Well, it wasn't, but I still don't like reading about these types of clubs and even though I rated this one higher than the second in the series, I think this is my last.  The author apparently isn't moving away from his favorite topic, so I'll be doing the moving (moving on, that is).  It's too bad because I liked Jonathan Stride.

  

THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET

Author: Karen White

Genre: Ghost Mystery,
Melanie Middleton Series #1

Published: 2008

Personal Rating: 2.75/5 (eh +)

Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count:  90

Melanie Middleton, a psychic realtor, inherits a historic home in Charleston, NC. She is required to live in the house for a year and restore it before she can sell it. During her stay, she's interested in solving a mystery involving the previous owner and has the help of a journalist that is drawn to her.

This was not my type of book. I didn't like the ghost aspect of it at all. I knew after the second sighting that it wasn't going to work for me, but decided to plod on hoping that I could overlook it. That didn't happen. I did like the budding relationship between Melanie and Jack, the journalist, but not enough to overpower the ghost gunk. I will not be continuing with the series.

LIVING DEAD GIRL

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Genre: YA Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2008

Personal Rating: 4.25/5 (very good +)

Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count: 71

A 15-year-old girl describes her life living with her abductor in the present and the past with flashbacks.

What a terrifying story!  Right from the start I was engaged and a bit anxious throughout. I think Scott did an excellent job of relaying the level of fear and angst. I truly felt it.  Unfortunately it has bits of truth from real life embedded in it.  

This was published as a YA book, and I think it's too scary and advanced for the young. Also, it's a short book, but has a long-lasting effect. Chilling.

THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG

Author:  Muriel Barbery

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  2/5 (not enjoyable)

Format:  Audiobook

Yearly Count:  68


A 54-year-old French woman, the concierge of an affluent building, and a precocious 12-year-old girl who lives in the building give their take on life in an alternating fashion.  

Oh my.  I decided to finally give this book another try due to the fact that the movie is coming out in a couple of days.  I did finish it, but it was not an enjoyable read (listen).  In the beginning, I had a very difficult time getting into it (slow and boring), but thankfully (at almost the half way point, though) another character was introduced and that changed the book for me.  It did become more interesting, and I had hope.  Unfortunately though, even with the added character and some thought-provoking philosophical topics, I just didn't enjoy it.  I will not be seeing the movie.

J. EDGAR HOOVER

Author: Rick Geary

Genre: Graphic Biography, Series

Published: 2008

Personal Rating: 4/5 (very good)

Format: Book

Yearly Count:  37

The life of J. Edgar Hoover (creator of the FBI) is explored in detail.

Geary delivered what I had hoped for in the last graphic biography; however, I was a bit more interested in this person.  I could relate to and easily understand everything that was going on, as well as, learn a few historical facts. What was most interesting was that there was mention of The Freedom Riders, and I just learned about them a couple of weeks ago on Oprah, so I knew what was being referred to.  (It's incredible to me how much I do not know!)  Yay for Geary!

CHASING DARKNESS

Author: Robert Crais

Genre: Mystery, Elvis Cole Series #11

Published: 2008
Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)
Format: Audiobook

Yearly Count: 33

During a fire evacuation, a body is found with evidence that indicates he may have murdered many women. The concern is that Cole knows him. He helped prove his innocence in a past murder charge. Now Cole has to deal with the fact that he may have been duped.

I probably would have rated this higher had I read it, because the audiobook narrator was incredibly boring and lacked enthusiasm. Cole didn't sound like Cole, and Pike didn't sound like Pike. That's not good. In the beginning it threw me off, which is okay, if you can get back on. Unfortunately, that never fully happened. Also, the relationship between Cole and Pike didn't seem its usual self, so maybe it wasn't just the narrator. I did like the plot and was interested throughout, but I was a little disappointed overall.

LOCAL

Author: Brian Wood

Genre: Graphic Novel, Standalone

Published: 2008

Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)

Format: Book

Yearly Count: 30

In 12 short stories, Megan McKeenan takes on the world for about 10 years. She travels from one major city to another and has one major experience after another in the process of discovering herself.

As usual, some stories were better than others, but in general I enjoyed getting back to a graphic novel. While many components of the stories seemed realistic, I continued to see Megan as a character, so ultimately I didn't believe. Still - a good read.