March Reads

I read 6 books in March and 2 of them for the Decades Challenge:

12. For One More Day by Mitch Albom - Rating: 6

13. Eragon: Inheritance, Book I by Christopher Paolini - Rating: 7

14. The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls - Rating: 9 [Decades Challenge]

15. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich - Rating: 4

16. The Loop by Nicholas Evans - Rating: 5 [Decades Challende]

17. Velocity by Dean Koontz - Rating: 4

New Authors Read: 3

Male Authors: 4

Female Authors: 2

Velocity

Velocity by Dean Koontz

Finished March 31st, 2007

Rating: 4/10

I was really excited to read this book as I am a Dean Koontz fan and the premise behind the book sounded like a winner however I ended up being disappointed with this book.

The main character, Billy finds a note on his car that reads:

If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours.

This note sets off a number of difficult decisions that Billy will need to make as he tries to figure out who is behind these notes.

I was disappointed in the lack of development of the main character as I have found in past Koontz novels that the characters are interesting and you really care about them however I just never connected with Billy.

The book lacked suspense for me and I can't in good conscience recommend this book to others as there are much better Koontz books out there.

The Loop

The Loop by Nicholas Evans
Finished March 27th, 2007
Rating: 5/10
Decades Challenge Book #2 (1990s)





I am not really sure what to say about this book as it didn't invoke a feeling of like or dislike in me, it was completely average.

The book takes place in Montana where a pack of wolves have been attacking the cattle of the ranchers in the area and it pits the ranchers against a biologist who has come to save them. The book started off pretty slow for me and didn't pick up until about the last 100 pages. There are some touching moments in the book for those animal lovers out there as the story is sometimes told from the perspective of the wolves.

I read the Horse Whisperer about 10 years ago and really liked that book but this book just wasn't up to the same standards as the Horse Whisperer.

One for the Money

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Finished March 20th, 2007

Rating: 4/10

I have never read any books by Janet Evanovich and wanted a lighter read so decided to give this book a try. This is the first book in a series of books featuring the character Stephanie Plum.

Stephanie's character plays a down on her luck woman and ends up working for her cousin as a Bounty hunter, a job which she is not particularly very good at.

I had heard a lot of great things about this series of books but I didn't care much for the character and didn't find her to be funny and instead found her to be quite irritating.

I may give this author another shot and try to read the second book in the series as I am hoping that perhaps the series gets better and the character develops.

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Finished March 17th, 2007

Rating: 9/10

Decades Challenge Book #1 (2000s)

The first thing that struck me when I began reading this book was how easily the words flowed together, it was effortless. There was never a point in the story where I lost interest.

The writer is Jeannette Walls who tells the true story of being raised along with her siblings by her dysfunctional and eccentric parents. Their father has grand money-making ideas yet never acts on them and has trouble holding a job for any period of time while their mother refuses to take on the responsibility of raising her children and pursues her dreams of becoming an artist at the expense of her children.

The writer recalls her childhood without judgement or resentment and lets the reader decide for themselves what to think about the story.

This book will make you angry and sad as the parents prove to be neglectful from refusing medical care for their children to letting their children rummage through garbage cans for food to never having enough money for water or electricity and you are left wondering why these people had children in the first place.

At the same time it will touch your heart as you root for these children as they go through their struggles and strive to succeed in making something out of their lives.

Eragon

Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Finished March 11th, 2007
Rating: 7/10

It took me about 250 pages to really get into this book (it is a whopping 500 pages although the print is on the large side so don't be frightened by the length) but once that happened I had a hard time putting it down. Think Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings. There is magic, legends, dragons, elves, dwarfs, humans and of course the battles between good and evil, everything you need for a good fantasy book.

A map of Alagaesia was provided where the adventures take place which really helped me to visualize and connect with the story better.

I believe there is a movie coming out based on this book and I am excited to see the story come to life.

Although at times the plot proves to be unoriginal, I still enjoyed it and would still recommend this book to those that enjoyed the Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring books, I will be running out to pick up the sequel to this book called Eldest.

For One More Day

For One More Day by Mitch Albom
Finished March 2nd, 2007
Literary Fiction
Rating: 6/10






While I enjoyed this book I did not enjoy it as much as "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". The overall concept of the book entails getting to spend “one more day” with a lost loved one and the unconditional love a mother has for a child. This book teaches you the importance of making the most of every moment with the people you love.

It broke my heart when I read the last moment that Chick spent with his mother and that he was in such a hurry to leave he didn't take a moment to give her a kiss or tell her that he loved her before he left to fulfill his father's dream. This is an important lesson to take to heart and realize that we should take the time to focus on saying goodbye properly every time you leave a loved one.

I still have not read "Tuesdays with Morries" but I will be adding it to me To Be Read list.

New Auntie

I am a proud new Auntie, my sister gave birth to Avery Grace on Feb. 28th. I was lucky enough to be in the delivery room to witness her entrance into the world. I thought I would be a little queasy during the delivery however I wasn't at all. I was overwhelmed with emotion when Avery was born and I can't wait to spoil her rotten.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Twisted by Jonathan Kellerman

A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

Next by Michael Crichton