Reading for Me

I have intended to post about book 23 for several weeks. I even had an outline in my planner. When I finished book 24 and started the next, I knew I had to simply sit down and write! Sorry about the format…..but here's a “two-in-one” post.

#23: 99 Days (Katie Cotugno). This young adult novel was not on my radar at all. I found myself on a Thanksgiving week flight with nothing to read and Bush International had limited offerings. I swallowed my pride, grabbed the paperback, and settled in for my boring layover and flight.

The plot is fairly typical. Molly dated Patrick in high school and fell in love. Everything was great for them until she cheated with Patrick's brother. After confiding in her Mom about the affair, Molly was horrified to realize that her infidelity had become the inspiration for Mom's latest bestseller….and the entire community figured it out as well! To escape the taunts and accusing eyes, Molly enrolled at a boarding school to finish high school and move on with life. Now she finds herself back in her mother's home for 99 days of summer before beginning college in Boston. Her summer will demand that she faces the past and learn to live with her mistakes.

This was not one of my favorite books. Honestly, I finished it as a matter of duty rather than for enjoyment's sake. I found it filled with unnecessarily vulgar language while minimizing the importance of faithfulness in relationships. I felt that the entire book diminished the fact that actions have consequences and essentially undermined the role of parental advice in the life of a young woman. In my opinion, what was presented was an underwhelming novel that is not appropriate for any teen girl who wants to mature with self-respect for herself and her future mate. Overall, 99 Days was a huge disappointment.

#24: Remember (Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley). Book 2 of the Redemption series featuring the Baxter family was another hit. While Kari's story continues, the focus this time is on Ashley. As she deals with her own guilt after her failed experiences in Paris, she learns much about love while working in a senior adult care facility. Against the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Remember addresses the importance of family while considering the impact that tragedy — both personal and national — can have on one's faith. Now that I'm falling in love with this family of characters, I can't wait to get my hands on the next volume and continue the saga with them.

I needed some fluff in my life as the Thanksgiving holiday approached, so I returned to Patterson's series. I must admit that I quite enjoyed 7th Heaven. I'm not sure if I had grown weary of the Women's Murder Club or if this novel was actually more cohesive. I was enthralled with the intertwined plots featuring teenage arsonists, a creepy journalist, and the mysterious missing boy — the son of the former governor that suffers from a rare heart condition and is now presumed dead after visiting a prostitute.

In typical Patterson fashion, the reader is quickly drawn into each of the storylines. Through an unexpected series of events, the separate stories become one and we are taken on an emotional roller coaster. While we “know” how things will end, the final chapter of 7th Heaven still catches us by surprise.

I'm looking forward to getting back to my Library Shelf project when I return to Plainview, but the detour back to the Women's Murder series was a welcome distraction.

Last weekend, I finished the 6th installment of James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series. After reading this volume, both Mom and I think we are going to take a break from the series for a bit. I’m not sure if this novel seemed inferior to the others or if I’m just finding them to be rather predictable now, but I didn’t enjoy The 6th Target as much as the other books I’ve read thus far.

One of my major complaints with this installment was that the storyline was simply too intense for one book. With a serial killer on the loose who claims to be innocent by reason of insanity in the court proceedings following his capture, the central plot is riveting on its own. When you add the horror of child kidnappings that are leading to the enslavement of young girls in sex trafficking to the mix, you have far too much for the reader to handle. Our heroine, Lindsey, also experiences several ups and downs personally as well. Her break-up with Joe followed by a short tryst with her handsome partner was acceptable. However, when Joe returns to Lindsey’s life a few short chapters later and now declares his love and proposes marriage, the character development seems rushed and forced. By this point in the series, the readers are invested in Lindsey’s story and deserve a better treatment than what was presented in The 6th Target.

Now I’m ready to head back to the library this afternoon to pick up another novel in hopes that my faith in the craft will be restored and I’ll find a new read to thoroughly enjoy.

The seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter saga was nothing less than enthralling. Harry faces mortal danger as Voldemort rises to power until the two come face to face at the Battle of Hogwarts. Just when readers think the ending is clear, Rowling masterfully twists her plot and keeps us on the edge of our seat until the final page.

As our heroes mature, so do the topics in the novel. Discussions of death are prevalent. More characters we have fondly followed throughout the series die in heartbreaking episodes. Harry, Ron, and Hermione explore the physical aspects of love in a manner suitable to their ages.

Simply put, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows is a fitting conclusion to a marvelous story. I am glad to say that I finally read the series and will look forward to returning to Hogwarts in the future!

I’m continuing to work my way through the Women’s Murder Club series and loving every minute of it. These novels are fast-paced, full of twists and turns, and quite entertaining. It also doesn’t hurt that Mom began reading the series this summer, so it’s just something else for us to talk about.

The 5th Horseman was a bit more frightening than the preceding novels in the series. Of course, you have the standard set of murders that have everyone puzzled — this time young women are being murdered and then positioned in cars around the city — but it’s the secondary story that I found most frightening.

The ladies uncover a serial killer operating in the city’s major hospital. Patients enter through the ER before they are ultimately moved to a room for observation. Their prognosis is always good just before they die mysteriously. To make matters worse, the victims are discovered by hospital staff with bronze buttons on their eyes that are embossed with a caduceus, the symbol of the medical profession. Suspicions center on the Director of the Emergency Services — a creepy man for sure, but is he the murderer?

I just picked up the next volume of this series as well as the final Harry Potter today. Hoping to get a little more reading done before the semester becomes insanely busy in a few short weeks.

My journey through the world of Harry Potter continued with the 6th installment of the beloved series and things have definitely become much darker and more mature. In this novel, Harry excels in his Potions class thanks to a borrowed textbook that contains sideline notes from the Half-Blood Prince, a former Hogwarts’ student. During his 6th year, Harry also works personally with Professor Dumbledore to explore the collected memories of various people in order to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s past in their continuing search for the best way to defeat the evil villain.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince finds our beloved characters nearing their 17th birthdays. Therefore, they begin to deal with issues that are typical of these teens. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all deal with issues related to love interests; Ron especially is portrayed as a victim of his uncontrollable hormones. Battle scenes are much more vicious and graphic. Many favorite characters are severely injured, some forever marred by their encounters with evil.

Probably most worrisome for parents of children who might read the book is the presence of death throughout Half-Blood Prince. Harry and Tonks continue to deal with the recent death of Sirius Black. Their grief and depression is evident to the reader. Harry and Dumbledore discuss the gruesome murders of members of Tom Riddle’s family as well as continuing to explore Harry’s own feelings about the deaths of his own parents at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Most disturbing for the reader, however, is the tragic death of Dumbledore at the novel’s climax. While this murder is not particularly gruesome, its impact on Harry, Ron, and Hermione as well as the rest of the Hogwarts community is painful and may be difficult for young readers who are not properly equipped to deal with issues related to the loss of a trusted companion and, in many ways, the man who functioned as a parent to Harry.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was challenging to get started, but was ultimately just as rewarding as the other books in the series. I am anxious to read the final chapter in this saga to see how Rowling handles Harry’s continued pursuit of Voldemort in light of Dumbledore’s death. I’m certain I won’t be disappointed at all.