Crush by Alan Jacobson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was offered as a Free Friday Nook selection from BN, and it is no longer free. I expected to enjoy it as I often like series books from this genre, and this free book was placed to entice me to read the first book of the series and the next book. I was disappointed, and I am unlikely to read any more by this author.



My biggest disappointment is an ending that does not resolve some major questions. The author blatantly tells you to buy his next book to find out what happens next. This reader just does not care.



I don't recommend this book for there are better books in this genre.







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The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I think this was recommended in a newsletter from goodreads.com because I raved about Three Seconds by Roslund and Hellstrom, and that recommendation was right on the money for me. The prologue is exciting and then the action slows down a bit because it introduces new characters, and I have to write down the character's names because I am unfamiliar with the names and locations in this part of the world.

Soon the universal emotions start the action and I am caught up in the stories of a woman who wants to protect a child, a woman who seeks her child, and the men who would use that child.

I recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers and crime novels.





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The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Thank you Aunt Carolyn for recommending this book. Now I understand why you suggested I read it. It has many well-drawn characters who live in The Tower of London, and these are characters you want other people to know so that you can use them in conversations with specific metaphorical meaning.

I recommend this book for people who enjoy British novels about people in a community. Masterpiece Theater should take notice of this book.



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The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good by David J. Linden

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The title of this book is a synopsis of itself. Linden interprets recent findings from neuroscience research papers for the rest of us. Yet, I don't recommend this for a general audience because he is still specific about neuro transmitters, substrates,receptors, and the research done by others that some readers may lose interest. I appreciate that he read these papers on my behalf and offers his conclusions. He does not overreach with solutions for us humans when he suggests that we would be healthier if we avoided highly processed food engineered to make us crave it for only 40 days of rats eating tested diet is necessary for them to need three times more to get the same level of pleasure from eating. Forty days is about the time from our Thanksgiving feast through out New Year's celebrations.



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Discovering the Cathars, English Edition by Lucien Bely

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I bought this book as a souvenir while traveling for I wanted more information about why the Aude department of France brands itself to tourists as Cathar Country. The Cathars were condemned by the Catholic Church as heretics. In the early 13th century, a Crusade was called against these people and the Catholics who protected and tolerated them. Battles and sieges took place at these pog-topped fortifications. The author states, "When History is silent, myth takes over. And myths, are also an art form of the collective memory." The myth that wants retold draws its conflict between the ideals of Faith and Liberty.

The photographs by Jacques Jolfre are well-woth my tourist Euros. I could not visit all of the forty-seven sites, and now I have photographs of them. The text fell short of my expectations, and I don't know if the fault is with the author, Lucien Bely, or the translator, Angela Caldwell. I recommend, The Perfect Heresy: The Revolutionary Life and Death of Medieval Cathars by Stephen O'Shea for readers of English for a more academic approach to this subject, but that book has none of these photographs to capture your imagination.

I recommend this book to armchair travelers, vacation planners and keepers of souvenirs.



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Chinatown Beat by Henry Chang

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a Free Friday selection in 2010, and it introduced me to the noir writing of Henry Chang. I did have some trouble in the beginning as I was confused between Johnny and Jack for the beginning, short scenes jump quickly. Once, I got the characters firmly in mind, the story is concerned with how can this police officer bring criminals to justice in Chinatown.

This book is no longer free from Barnes and Noble. It is entertaining for readers of noir detective novels.



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I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As soon as I learned there would be another Flavia de Luce mystery, I requested it from my library. I am thoroughly entertained by this eleven-year-old girl who uses the chemistry lab to mix up birdlime to trap Father Christmas. If you are a reader of the series, you quickly find characters who inhabit her world. It is plausible that her father agrees a movie crew can film at their estate to supply money that is is needed, and this provides more people for for Flavia to be curious about. A murder occurs during a blizzard that traps many townspeople at the estate too, and the story becomes a country estate murder story that will keep you reading and guessing.

I recommend it to fans of the series, and suggest new readers start with the first,The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.



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The Affair by Lee Child

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I eagerly anticipated reading the 16th Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, and I was not disappointed with this prequel which takes us back to 1997 when Reacher is on undercover assignment for the Army.

I enjoyed the suspense which kept me turning the pages and moving from one chapter to the next. I enjoyed the introduction of characters that I recognize from books which are from a later chronological date.

I recommend it to fans of the series. It can also be a good introduction for readers who enjoy action-adventure and mystery.



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Golden: the Cathar Castles - Towering Citadels by Collective

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is an excellent souvenir for it has many beautiful photographs and well-written text that explains the history of these castles. In addition to Carcassonne and Peyrepertuse which I saw for myself, fifteen more castles are photographed and explained. This book could be used for planning a trip to this area.



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On Secret Service by John Jakes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


On Secret Service has been in my home library on the Civil War historical fiction shelf for nearly eleven years. I bought it because I like historical fiction and because I respect the work John Jakes did with his Kent Family Chronicles and the North and South Trilogy.

Remembering these series as I did probably kept this book on the shelf this long. I remember a weakness of Mr. Jakes was the similarity of the plot on which he built his story that is supported by historical facts. Too often he used rape as a plot point, and he did not use it this time. Still, the generic characters often have similar experiences from book to book: female characters are often assaulted by leering bad guys; male protagonists impulsively kiss and are overcome by passion; and villains have visible scars.

This book is recommended for readers who overlook (or enjoy) formulaic plots as long as the story keeps moving.



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