The Soul Catcher, Alex Kava

I'm seeing a theme with references to the local Bargain Bookstore. I found Alex there along with her kick ass FBI agent character, Ms. Maggie O'Dell. I think I found Split Second there, which was still a really great book, I was not entirely sure why it was in the store, but who cares, I found a phenomenal series to dive into.

The Soul Catcher was already on my shelf, it has been for years. And it has already been read two or three times. By far my favorite Maggie book thus far. So why did I pull it off, dust it off, and read it over again? I was wandering Borders shortly after my aunt returned from England and in the New Paperback section: all of her already published books. So I hunted her down in the mystery section, she had a new paperback that I did not currently own, that I recently bought, and is waiting to be devoured. When I did find the new paperback a couple weeks ago, I found a new hardcover as well... voila... Maggie!! she's written two books in between the Soul Catcher and this new one, the first was great, the new one I have no doubt will be as well. Alas, why I am reading it again.

The test of a really great book though? Even though I know the ending and have read it 3 or 4 times, when I get to that cataclysmic ending, I can still gasp in shock. Or get angry at Tully and Gwen, root for Racine with Kathleen, and sit on the edge of my seat with Maggie in that last scene. Whatever it is that invokes some kind of emotional reaction that includes shock. This is what makes this book so readable to me. Not all of Kava's books have this effect on me. Though I don't remember if I've really read the rest of them as much as this one. Like I said, my favorite, hands down, no questions asked.

A thought occured to me during reading this once more. That it was taking me longer than normal to read. I was still enjoying every moment. Still getting a little more out of her hints than normal. But I started it in the end crunch of the semmester. My concluding thought: that at the end of every semmester, I should read a great book that I have already read. I will not have the urge to get to the end, I already know it. I will not be lost if I put it aside for awhile to write a paper, I have the story already in my head. I can take my time a read it during breakfast if I so please, and then go back to homework.

I am sometimes perplexed at why I adore Maggie so darn much. She's not exactly the most uplifting character in the world. Actually, she's quite depressing with her alcoholic tendencies. It is not the case of watching a train wreck. I think it might be that she is admirable. Although she has less desirable traits in your heroine, she is a brilliant individual... who doesn't seem to care if she's brilliant or not. Tully is a great counterpart to her sarcasm.

I'm not going to describe it in one word this time. I don't think I could. I would come up with a different word each time that I read it. How about a phrase?

Love at first read.


:)

You Could Do Better, Stephanie Lehman

Bargain bookstore buy. But it was more towards the middle of my 10 point scale. I pulled this out of my pile of books started but not finished. It was placed in the pile not because it was boring me, or irritating me, or I just wasn't in the mood... but because it was the book I had at Fashion Bug that I read on my breaks. I cleaned out my box when I quit my job there, shoved it all in a medium size bag from the Bug, and threw it in the back seat of my car. It sat in that bag with my dishes that I had used at work for two months when I cleaned my car and found it (thank god I cleaned the dishes after use :P ). It was then moved to my bedroom floor for another two months... and then, to the infamous pile. I picked it back up... well, I think I needed that quirky fun romance, or what the cover percieves to be a quirky fun romance.

I did enjoy the quirky nature of Daphne and her ever present problem of, "I love my boyfriend, but we've dated so long that he's lost what I loved about him, and he's blind to my needs anyway." Sex out of obligation... never fun. I loved when she looked up sex tips online, and then tried to get the fiance to do the same to recieve the great oral she had given him returned to her. I thought it was hilarious that her biggest reservation with settling down and moving to the burbs was that she didn't know how to drive. Living in NYC will do that to you apparently.

Love the best friend. Taffy is BFF of champions and everyone needs to find their Taffy.

Of course finding a wealthy, famous, television producer to sweep you off to the Hamptons and off your feet... far fetched, but cute. The story was more about her doubts with the fiance and her crazy ex-model sister than a quirky romance with a television producer. But she did have that personality that I look for in the quirky romance... and it sufficed the mood I was in at the moment.

Not phenominal, but if you want a quick easy read with a girl who would rather stare at a tv screen than her man with a few quirks inbetween, Daphne Wells is your kind of girl.

Summery available in a closed captioned one word answer: fun

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evie, Marianne Stillings

Living on the assumption that you get what you pay for has never led me astray. My ex bought milk at Dollar General once and wondered why it went bad so rapidly. See first line. Okay, so I never expect greatness out of books from the bargain bookstore. I love it. I found Laurell K. Hamilton at the bargain bookstore. Not her best novel, but I found her there. This is possibly the same case

Midnight is not the best romance novel I've read. Not the worse, but I did struggle through it. It was long and agonizing and not what I expected. Judging from the back cover blurb, I was hoping for a witty, cute romance that sent me smiling after putting it down. What I seem to have gotten was a cheesy, medeocre-ly written bad romance story with some mystery to boot that left me going, duh.

I not only predicted the killer from the get go, but also guess that Evie's father was not Thomas, but was definately the butler.

My aunt and I have these moments where we discuss our readings and authors we love. I was telling her my frustration with the book and she said it is not one of Marianne's better novels. She had assumed that I had grabbed the book off her shelf. Low and behold, the book is sitting in my living room and has been since I moved in. Her collection never ceases to amaze me. She said that her writing does mature and this being her first book, we decided we forgive Ms. Stillings for the falling short :). I will probably pick up the next in her little "series" and dive into that as well.

I suppose if you want cheesy romance, and cut too short "love" scenes Midnight is the book for you otherwise....

Remember it cause you'll be screaming it later: amateur

Featured Author: Phillipa Gregory

My discovery of Gregory was not through the novel to film transition of The Other Boleyn Girl. I was visiting my aunt's once upon a time and we were talking about history. I have had a strange facination with Henry VIII for the longest time, begining with me reading the Dear America series that was incredibly popular when I was younger. They had a princess spin off of the series and Elizabeth was one of the first that I read. I was intregued with the idea of a man so powerful that he could be feared by all, because he could kill all at the drop of a dime.

Anyway...

We were discussing it, and she mentioned that I might like this novel. I didn't borrow it. But about a year later, I stumbled across it in a book store and decided to give it a shot. I think I was like fifteen and it took me about a year to complete it. I admit it! It was subject to being placed to the side and not read for a period of time. But any other book by her has not had this treatment.

It is not frequent that I indulge in buying one of her books. I tend to budget myself in my trips to the book store, and her books are usually a decent chunk of my budget. But when I do go in that direction, I am rarely disappointed. She is a great author to fall back on if you have little to read.

And imagine my excitement when I heard they were doing a movie, on her best book in my opinion. And then add that it had two of my favorite actresses, who played both parts exceptionally... *film-gasm*

I can see someone finding Phillipa a little less appealing. Historical. Fiction. Draaaaaaaag, right? No, never. Phillipa always has scandal and intreigue. I recommend her to anyone who wants some scandal & intreigue as mentioned before, but also a love story. Because there is generally one hiding somewhere in her novels, and many of them are touching.

Favorite Book thus far: The Boleyn Inheritance (not her best book, but my favorite)

""Jane," I said quietly. She opened her eyes, she had been far away in prayer.
"Yes, Mary? Forgive me, I was praying." "If you go on flirting with the king
with those sickly little smiles, one of us Boleyns is going to scratch your eyes
out."" — Philippa
Gregory (The Other
Boleyn Girl)