Hater by David Moody

As great as some people's reviews were for this book, I found it very predictable and unoriginal. I liked the book, but it seemed like the author took ideas from other people's books and movies, and made them into his own story. As you read the book, I always felt like "this reminds me of something I've read, or seen, or heard about." I still enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and kept me interested, though no shocker. I am interested, since this is the first in a trilogy, how the next two will compare. Hopefully they will be more original.

The Burning Girl by Mark Billingham

I had never heard of this book or author before, so I jumped into book four of this series. It was nothing like I had predicted it would be! I expected your predictable detective chases serial killer, in this case over burning bodies, and then the detective becomes victim at the end and ends up a hero blah blah blah... that is so typical of detective series books. I was in for a treat. It did not matter if I had ever read a book in this series, the main detective was just one of many characters that this story revolved around. There were several sub-plots that went on in the story...were they linked? Or how many? And did this book have to do with serial killers burning girls at all? Thats what I probably liked best, I was completely proved wrong about so many things and kept guessing and coming up with new theories that I couldn't put the book down.

Ghost Trackers: The Unreal World of Ghosts, Ghost-Hunting, and the Paranormal… by Chris Gudgeon

This book is geared for children from ages 9-12. It is informative, well written, and covers a variety of topics, ranging from historical ghost stories to how to carry out your own “ghost-hunting” (even though no kid in the world would have the equipment to do this). I liked the fact that it gave both a scientific basis and other...possibility for what possibly may be a paranormal experience. It also gave excellent definitions and examples that were appropriate for a child between the ages of 9-12 to understand. It was engaging and quite fun to read. I actually had my 9 year old check it out around Halloween with her friends to see what they thought of it. I was a little nervous that it might be a little scary, but it the writing was humorous at times and interesting, that it took any “scare” out of ghosts and paranormal away. We were actually able to have some interesting conversations about haunted houses, possible ghost sightings (I grew up in Boston and lots of people's houses are “haunted”...or are they?), and visiting some of the places mentioned in the book that were nearby. She and her friends carried that book around for a good couple of weeks before I could get it back from her to actually review it myself. If a book can engage a nine year old girl in to science of any type (who has no interest in science what so ever), then there has to be something good about it. As a former teacher, I think these types of books are great. They are not to long, they are appealing to children, and they are not to complected to read so that a “non-science” person is bored. They also encourage conversation between parents and children about belief systems, experiences, and who knows, maybe exploring new places together.

When Doctors Kill: Who, Why, and How- by Joshua Perper and Stephen J. Cina

I was very excited to read this book. From reading about the authors, I thought it was great to have a book about some of the well known reasons and theories of why doctors kill. Having a professional background in psychology, and post-graduate studies in forensic psychology and law, I am always looking for new material to recommend to friends who teach college courses, or to keep in mind, should I decide to teach a course in the future. This book had the potential to be informative and controversial, both assets to any classroom discussion.

I was impressed with about the first 100 pages. It was reader friendly, informative, and added a bit of humor on an otherwise dark subject. Many important subjects were covered, such as: doctors trying to make advancements in medicine, serial killers, doctors with a “God” complex-who liked to have the power of life and death, government medical trials on human subjects, and Nazi “medical experiments” during WWII. Several specific and important cases were cited, and overall, I thought that part was well written.

And then came part four, the authors included another approximately forty (which seemed like another 100) pages on terrorism and politics. Other than the fact that the politicians and terrorist who committed atrocious acts while in positions of power. Other than the fact that they had obtained a medical degree at some point in their lives was irrelevant. They were killing people, and training people to kill as their role as a leader (of a country, a terrorist organization, etc...), not as a medical doctor. Therefore, it should not have been included in the book because they were not “Doctors who Kill” technically. They were, as the title of the section in the book was titled “Politicians” or “Terrorists” that kill.

Part five of the book started of nicely, and I began to regain hope for this book. It discussed the issues of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia. Again, a great topic for debate, and a couple of noteworthy cases were presented. Cutting out section four, and ending with euthanasia, the book just should have ended. Or, could have included, a whole area not even mentioned, the statistics on doctors who kill their families and spouses, which is not that uncommon.

Instead, there is the real ending that I felt completely went off topic again, and was written based more on opinion. I agree with them, but it didn't seem like the appropriate place to bring up those medical dilemmas because once again, it does not stay on the topic of “Why Doctors Kill.” The book goes on about the public's view of TV doctors, once again, information that probably could have been left out. They gave definitions of different types of non-medical treatment options and some of the fatal outcomes. Once again, information I felt irrelevant because these were treatment choices that the patient made. They then brought up the issue of over-prescribing medication, and the dilemma doctors have to treat pain, and the savvyness of patients to make up symptoms to get medications and addiction. Which lead into “Doctors to the Stars” who over prescribe medication to -which the authors even state that killing them would be ridiculous because they make large sums of cash and do not have to deal with insurance companies. Ending with the evil issue of malpractice, and make a convincing defense of why most doctors don't want to kill.

Umm...now I am confused. I read this book because I wanted to know “Why Doctors Kill,” not how they are over stressed, over worked, and live in constant fear of malpractice suits...unless you are setting up a defense for why they kill. But that was not given as any motive.

Damaged...but Good!

Damaged- by Josephine Hart

This was a very well written book, capturing what greed, lust, and love, can drive even what may seem the most “normal” people to do. The writing style seemed almost like a play, taking place in the early twentieth century, but actually the story took place in modern times, and no play could capture the intense feelings and thoughts of the main character. The father of a prominent, upstanding, wealthy English family, has gotten himself into quite a predicament. Some may call it a mid-life crisis of sorts, but he has crossed the line over to the ultimate betrayal that will destroy his family. This father had everything going for him. He was a successful doctor, politician, husband, and father of two grown children, about to start new lives on their own. Although looks can be deceiving, and he was not truly satisfied with his life, all of this changed when he met Anna. The passion and lust he felt for Anna was so eloquently written, along with the anger and hatred he felt at times towards himself, and others who came between Anna. This erotic and dangerous affair that began with Anna consumed the father and his relationships with his family members because Anna was going to be his daughter-in-law. This story was full of emotion, the feelings of the characters were well captured and beautifully written, and the twists and turns of the story kept it interesting to read.

Dirty Little Angles-Chris Tusa

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa This was a book about a dysfunctional family from New Orleans, based on the point of view from Hailey, the fifteen year-old daughter. I have to admit, I had higher expectations for this book. I was expecting something something more gritty, violent, raw...Maybe because I have worked with so many kids who are considered “high-risk,” as Hailey would definitely be considered in that category, nothing in the book seemed at all shocking. That is the way of life for many kids like “Hailey.” Don't get me wrong, I liked the story and thought it was interesting, but it was like reading a case file or meeting with a client. Everyone has their story.

Children in the BORING

Children in the Morning-Anne Emery

Well, I had some difficulty reading this book for a couple of different reasons. First, it did not convert well over to my e-reader and I had to read it in very small print and it was very straining on my eyes or on my lap-top, which also gave me similar issues. It also took me some timeto get used to the writing style. It was written in narritive form from the perspective of a father and his nine year old daughter. Once, I was able to adjust to reading small font and the “back and forth” between father and daughter, I was able to focus on the actual story itself. Unfortunatly it took about five or six chapters for this to happen. Basically this book is a legal drama, where one high profile defense attorney (Monty) is defending another high profile defense attorney (Beau) for the murder of his wife. Monty's daughter Normie befirends two of Beau's ten children and begins to have nightmares that Monty feels may be relevant to his client's case. Nothing in this story was overly surprising, lets just leave it at that. It is probably a lot easier to read in print, but that would not change the need to acclimate to the writing style, which would have been cool and could have worked if the story had not been so predictable, and if Monty and Normie had been a more exciting characters.

20th Century Dud

20^th Century Ghost-Joe Hill

I'm not quite sure what to say here. Well,I take that back, there is a lot I want to say about this book. First of all, Joe Hill, what happened? I expected a book full of “ghost” stories, or at least “scary” stories, but what I ended up reading was a few good scary stories, and a bunch of stuff to fill pages in a book. I tried to give you some credit, being a Boston author, and throwing in some Boston humor, but even that couldn't componsate for the majority of the stories that, I'm not quite sure,had anything to do with a ghost story.

I will give credit to the truly scary “ghost” stories as being really good. Unfortunatly, they were outnumbered by stories that could have been written by fifth graders given a creative writing assignment. A couple of stories could have been written by college freshman who have not learned that it is quality that makes a story, not quanitiy of pages. I was bored out of my mind at stories that wouldn't end, and left scratching my head, wondering why some of the stories were even in the book. Overall, it was pretty dissapointing, because there was some good stuff in it...buried.  

I predict...best-seller?

The Diviner's Tale-by Bradford Morrow

Let me first start off by saying, this review is unlike most of my reviews. It is more, for lack of better words, “mushy,” maybe. This is because, very rarely do I come across a book I read that I see a great future for. When I chose this book, a mystery-suspense novel, I thought that was exactly what I was going to get. Maybe a story about a woman who helps solves crimes or something with her psychic abilities, not exactly original material, but could be a good read. But, I was in for quite a shocker. Since I rarely use words of this type to describe a book, I am feeling a bit out of my realm. OK so I guess this is where I start to get mushy. Yes this book was about some paranormal talents held by the main character Cassandra. And it had mystery and suspense, but what this book was really about what is the bonds between family and friends. It's about how tragedy effects a families and how a families cope with greif and loss and how one particular family is able to form amazing relationships between one another, and pass on traditions, through generations. It is also about love and friendship. The main charachter, Cassandra, is such a talented, wise "divine" person, who has been so well created, I could not help but be intriqued and facinated with her. This book has all of the elements of what a best-seller is made of.  

I Suspect...

The Inheritance- by Simon Tolkien

This was another history-mystery book, with the addition of courtroom drama. I have to say, I liked the book, it was faced paced, and well written. I learned about how the English Court system worked in the 1950s during death penalty cases. I actually find that very interesting. I found out what a “barrister” was. It's “English” for lawyer! I was actually quite curious what a “barrister” was when reading the authors bio before starting to read the book, because that was his former profession. Though the history-mystery storyline is starting to get a “unoriginal,” to me...or maybe that I have just ended up reading a bunch of them over the past couple of months and I'm looking for something that stands out, the courtroom aspect added something extra. The story itself was a fun, fast read and kept reminding me of playing Parker Brother's “Clue.” There was a body in a room of a manor, and the more you read, the more clues you figured out to eliminate people who were in the home that night. I just kept picturing a big giant game of “Clue,” and it turns out “I suspected” right. I guess it was like “History-Mystery Clue” for those interested in also the Criminal Justice System.

Mirror Image-by Dennis Palumbo

Mirror Image-by Dennis Palumbo

Well I have to say, this has been by far the best book I have read this summer! It is full of plot twists and turns, mystery and suspense, and enough of a great story to keep you guessing how the story really comes togeather until the very end. It is very well written and entertaining, mixing psychology and mystery. I like the fact that the only predictable part of the story was who the main character was going to sleep with. I liked the fact that the story elluded to “good' characters in the story as possibly being “bad” making me second guess. I rarely get to read a book that sucks me in and gets me to think beyond just reading words on a page.

The Hypnotist-by M.J. Rose

The Hypnotist-by M.J. Rose

To sum up this book, I could use the old saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. I think the subject matter was very interesting: hypnosis, re-incarnation, and art. It had a lot of promise, using mystery/crime and tying it in with real world places. Where it failed, was in the multitude of characters. There were so many random unnecessary characters with minor subplots that I felt it tended to distract me from the main story itself. It kind of reminded me of a screen-play writer writing bit parts in a movie so their friends could each have a line or two and qualify for a SAG card. It took about ten chapters before I could remotely get interested in the story, but was then able to stay interested after that. All in all, the main story itself was good, and the idea and thought put into the story was interesting and thought provoking, but it would have been much better with less characters.

The Canal -By Daniel Morris

The Canal -By Daniel Morris

This has been one of the most descriptive books I have read in a long time. The Canal, is one of those books that is like a guilty pleasure; There are so many “wrong” things going on in the story, but you can not help yourself from putting the book down. It is definatly not a book for the person with a weak stomach (some of the writing was some of the most disgusting stuff I have read in quite sometime. Since I am not one of those, I found the story enjoyable. I was quite impressed with the amount of detail written about the characters so I felt as if I could picture them and form an opinion about them. Normally, I don't get that invested in the characters but this time I really did...for the most part I couldn't stand them, yet at the same time I couldn't get enough of them. At some times the story could get a little confusing, but it was when they were dealing with confused people and it took a few paragraphs to “catch on.” Other than that, the story was enjoyable and I would recommend it to those who like horror, gore, and dysfunctional people.

Permanent Obscurity-by Richard Perez

I enjoyed Permanent Obscurity, a story about two girls in their early twenties (I'm guessing), who are struggling with issues of sexual identity and drug abuse. It is written in a style that is gritty, yet can be funny an entertaining at the same time, with the predicaments that Sabrina and Deloris get themselves in to trying to make money. Unfortunately, their attempts to make money to pay for drugs end up in disaster every time. The book also contains graphic sexual content-as warned on their website (which the author and publishing company did an excellent job giving proper warning for those who might be offended). For the most part, the book kept me engaged, and was fast paced reading. There was a point at towards the end of Part I and the beginning of Part II, that had me questioning the condition of one of the characters who had been diagnosed with a condition which she would have had obvious symptoms at that point, with or without treatment, and the book just went on about partying. Eventually after about maybe fifty pages, her condition was mentioned again, answering my question. The story in some ways, reminded me of the movie “Kids” (1995); mainly, it was because of the reckless and irresponsible behavior of the characters. I think this would make an interesting independent film

Gemma-by Meg Tilly

Gemma-by Meg Tilly

This book was one of the more graphic, revolting, yet well written books that tells an all to familiar story about the reality of what is really goes in society. As someone who has worked as a child/adolescent therapist, and worked in the Juvenile Court system, Tilly did an excellent job capturing the mindset of both how some pedophiles operate and how the mindset of a twelve year old girl might operate. Being able to make the characters believable was key to making the story work. Though this was a work of fiction, it brings to light the reality that there are lots of “Gemma's” and “Hazen's” out there.   

A World Invisible -by Joanna O'Neill

A World Invisible -by Joanna O'Neill

This was a very interesting story based on a secret being kept in a family for over one hundred years. It involves solving a puzzle of sorts all hidden in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and how three cousins have to use their unique talents to find the pieces of the puzzle to solve the family secret. The story itself is a fantasy story, but the premise is a very interesting theory none the less. I also enjoyed reading about all of the art history that was involved in the cousins' search for clues to solving the puzzle. The book was very enjoyable to read, and it would be great if there were a second book...I'd love to know what happened next!

A Butterfly in Flame-by Nicholas Kilmer

A Butterfly in Flame-by Nicholas Kilmer

Being a native Bostonian, I am always eager to read books that take place in Massachusetts. I always like to look for accuracy and proper portrayal of the area (fictional or non-fictional). I was eager to read A Butterfly in Flame, which took place in the fictional town of “Stillton, MA.” Right away, I was impressed with the author's portrayal of the small coastal town, which was basically consisted of Art Academy, it's students, and faculty, which is very similar to real towns in Massachusetts. I was impressed with the two story lines that were going on throughout the story and the fact that the author did an excellent job not making the story too complex or confusing. I also found the art component very interesting. Furthermore, I enjoyed the Boston humor thrown in there, although I have never heard of the State Police referred to as “State Cops”...the only non-curse related term I have ever heard for them I have heard was the term “Stateys” (spelling on that is unclear). This book was fun to read, an interesting page turner, and one that actually kept me up wanting to read more and more until I fell asleep well after 2 am. That being said from me, is pretty impressive, since I have a 1 year old who's idea of fun is waking up at 5am.  

Buried Tales of Pinebox Texas- edited by Matt M. McElroy

Buried Tales of Pinebox Texas- edited by Matt M. McElroy

This was an extremely well written book of short stories by twelve talented authors, comprised of stories that could be compared to the Twilight Zone,meets Alfred Hitchcock,and of course, meets Edgar Allen Poein the 21^st century. There are stories to appeal to everyone's horror taste. Even if you are not a fan of certain types of horror genre, the dark humor and the fact that all of the stories are so unique made all of the stories enjoyable to read. There was gore, ghosts, monsters, and the unexplained, making the variety of stories well rounded. The book is well laid out, starting out with a transcript from a journalist interviewing members from the community of Pinebox as a way to acclimate the reader to the town, before diving in to the twelve stories. And the book also ends, with newspaper clippings that coincide with some of the stories told, which I also thought was a great way to finish off the book. 

Let The Right One In-by John Ajvide Lindqvist 10/9/2009

Let the Right One In -by John Ajvide Lindqvist 

This story differs from the usual girl next door bookin many ways. First, the book is a horror book, but interestingly enough, it is also about struggling as a preeteen, a love story, and about the bonds of friendship. The author has created several sub-plots within the story and characters who are all struggling with their own issues. The author does an excellent job switching between plots at a fast pace which keeps things interesting, yet does not confuse the reader. He (the author) does a wonderful job of meshing the different stories togeather in the end, again without confusion. The horro raspect of the book focuses on murder and vampires.  I was a bit skeptical at first before reading this book, because I am not a fan of vampire stories. The author did a great job of keeping the book not too vampire-ish,and it had enough mystrery and gore, and interesting storyline to keep me interested (it took me only a few days to read). My only complaint, which is not with the book, is with the title. Let the Right One In just does not grab my attention, and if I saw it somewhere, it might not get my interest. Maybe the cover would, but not the title. The book is translated into English from Sweedish and I think that something is lost in the title. I understand why it might be titled that, but I think someone in America could have come up with a catchier title. I hope people read this book and enjoy it as much as I did (and overlook the title).