Two of the greatest villains James Patterson has ever created in one book! Minutes after soldiers evacuate a Nevada town, a bomb completely destroys it. On vacation, FBI agent Alex Cross gets the call: the blast was perpetrated by the Wolf. A supercriminal and Cross’s deadliest nemesis, the Wolf threatens to obliterate major cities, including London, Paris, and New York. Then evidence reveals the involvement of a ruthless assassin known as the Weasel. Could these two dark geniuses be working together? Now with just four days to prevent an unimaginable cataclysm, Cross is catapulted into an international chase of astonishing danger – and toward the explosive truth about the Wolf’s identity, a revelation that Cross may not survive.

Ah, the era when Patterson wrote all of his own books. This book is *so* many steps above the dreck he publishes now, yet still not the greatest. I think my problem with lies in the complexity of the evil plot.  I didn’t really buy it in this context, perhaps because the book takes itself seriously.  You could have this type of plot in an Ian Fleming or Clive Cussler novel, because it is delivered with a wink and a nod.  Here, it’s meant as a "this could really happen" scenario. There’s just too many pieces and plots for everything to be controlled by one man (or woman). That being said, I was still entertained, and it was nice to visit with Alex Cross again. I may avoid most of Patterson’s newer books, but I expect I won’t be able to avoid finishing this series.

Other reviews:

REVIEW: London Bridges « reading comes from writing

Page count: 416 | Word count: 68,987

2009: Undead and Unemployed (MaryJanice Davidson)
2008: Caught Stealing (Charlie Huston)
2007: Die Trying (Lee Child)
2006: Skinny Dip (Carl Hiaasen)
2005: The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)

Used in these Challenges: The Four Month Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010; What’s in a Name? 3 Challenge;

Ayn Rand’s classic tale of a future dark age of the great "We"–in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values–is a beautifully written, powerful novel that projects current social trends into the future, and anticipates such later Rand masterpieces as The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

Even if you don’t agree with Ayn Rand’s politics, I think this is a worthwhile read.  It’s really about the importance of individualism and the dangers of collectivism, and the idea that independence can never be eradicated. Not a surprising message from a teenager growing up in Soviet Russia. Despite being born into a society where you are only a cog in the system and must do what you are told because there is no other option, Equality 7-2521 discovers that he has desires and needs that his society can’t fulfill. If you had the desire to learn and create, could you voluntarily turn it off? It took me probably half the book to get comfortable with the words "we" and "they" referring to both one person and many, but once you can wrap your brain around that, the book is an easy read.

As a side note, I just discovered that Ayn Rand shares my birthday! (February 2nd)

Other reviews:

lifeisapatchworkquilt.com » Book Review: “Anthem” by Ayn Rand
Anthem by Ayn Rand « 1morechapter.com
Behold, the thing that reads a lot: Anthem by Ayn Rand: Thoughts
T.V And Book Addict: Anthem by Ayn Rand
Anthem by Ayn Rand | Rebecca Reads

Page count: 68 | Approximate word count: 19,500

2009: China Lake (Meg Gardiner)
2008: Triptych (Karin Slaughter)
2007: Fool Moon (Jim Butcher)
2006: Incubus Dreams (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Big Bad Wolf (James Patterson)

Used in these Challenges: The Four Month Challenge; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; E-book Reading Challenge; New Author Challenge 2010; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; TwentyTen Challenge;

A woman banished

Griffith, battle-seasoned warrior and the king’s most trusted emissary, expected to find a shallow, vain, frivolous woman at Wenthaven Castle. After all, as lady-in-waiting to the queen, lovely Lady Marian had been in a position of privilege, yet she had been banished from the court. And the rumors were that she had given birth to an illegitimate child.

An outrageous offer

When he arrived, Griffith found Lady Marian to be strong, intelligent and fiercely protective of the young baby in her custody…. and very suspicious of him. If he were smart, the knight would just deliver the message with which he had been entrusted. Instead, he longs to linger to delve into the mystery that is Marian, to discover what she so desperately fears-and why he so improperly wants her.

This wasn’t too bad, for a historical romance.  It’s set at the beginning of the reign of Henry VII, the father of the notorious Henry VIII, though none of it actually takes place at court.  However, Henry VII does play a large role. Political intrigue is the driving force behind most of the plot. The romance between Marian and Griffith could have been a little more developed — they went from lust to love very quickly — but there were things I enjoyed.  The dialogue, though not completely historically accurate, is more fitting than the speech patterns of today that are often used in historical romances. Also, I like the twisting intrigue of court. I’m liking Christina Dodd, and I’ll definitely be reading more of her books.

Page count: 384 | Word count: 105,341

2009: Kiss of the Night (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
2008: Relic (Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child)
2007: At Bertram’s Hotel (Agatha Christie)
2006: Cerulean Sins (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Hearing (John Lescroart)

Used in these Challenges: The Four Month Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; E-book Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; Year of the Historical;

last updated 3/5/10

5 Point Challenges

Read a book by an author you’ve never read before – Anthem by Ayn Rand

Read a book with a one word title – Outrageous by Christina Dodd

Read a book with an animal name in the title

Read a book with a proper name in the title

Read a fantasy

10 Point Challenges

Read an ‘Austenesque’ book

Read a book with a two word title

Read a book that is part of a series

Read a book about a real person

Read a mystery

15 Point Challenges

Read a book written in the 60’s (any century)

Read a book with a number in the title

Read a book by an author born in March, April, May or June.

Read a book with a three word title

Read a book by an author with three names

20 Point Challenges

Read a book with over 500 pages

Read a book with a four word title

Read a book by two authors – Ivory Tower Cop by George Kirkham and Leonard Territo

Read a book written in the 70s (any century)

Read a book that has been number one on the NYT Best-sellers list

Points to date: 30/250

This fast-paced psychiatric thriller is based on police efforts to capture a brutal serial rapist who held a city’s professional women in the grip of fear for months, and on the senior author’s improbable metamorphosis from a Berkeley-educated university professor to a cop.

This book was a slow starter, but it finished well. I struggled with it a bit until David finally gets through his training and begins work as a detective.  Once you get to the hunt for the rapist/killer, things get interesting.  There’s a little bit of a "let’s throw everything we can think of" quality to the rapist/killer — homosexuality, white supremacy, mental illness, religion, and more — but you can move past it because you’re interested in what David is going to do. The relationship between David and Maria is slow building and believable, and actually adds to the story since it triggers changes in both of them. The ending was a little surprising, but it worked.  All in all, not a bad read! Could have used some better cover art, though.

Page count: 394 | Approximate word count: 98,500

2009: Full Speed (Janet Evanovich)
2008: Dead Until Dark (Charlaine Harris)
2007: Flowers in the Attic (V.C. Andrews)
2006: Blue Moon (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Austere Academy (Lemony Snicket)

Used in these Challenges: Random Reading Challenge; ARC Reading Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; New Author Challenge 2010; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge; TwentyTen Challenge;

A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City’s top homicide squads. She’s hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York’s Finest. Pulitzer Prize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren’t her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.

This was a really fun read, and if you are a fan of the show Castle, I recommend it! It reminded me of the days when I would read anime fan-fiction online. The parallels between the book and the show are very obvious, right down to the cops working for Nikki Heat and Rook’s mother, but for me, it just made it more readable.  The book is fast-paced and you can almost see the movie running in your head. There are even a few unexpected twists. It’s no great work of literature, but it is exactly what it should be — a treat. I wish I knew who "Richard Castle" actually is, but apparently it’s a very well kept secret!

Other reviews:

Socrates’ Book Reviews: Heat Wave by Richard Castle

Page count: 208 | Approximate word count: 62,400

2009: College Girl (Patricia Weitz)
2008: The Paid Companion (Amanda Quick)
2007: Dark Side of the Moon (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
2006: Burnt Offerings (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: F is for Fugitive (Sue Grafton)

Used in these Challenges: Random Reading Challenge; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 1st in a Series Challenge; E-book Reading Challenge; New Author Challenge 2010; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge;

Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.

Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.

I thought this was a beautiful read.  I especially liked the dual narration of Lavinia and Belle.  Lavinia is young and often naive, so you don’t always get the full story from her point of view.  Belle gives us the darker side of the truth. Lavinia and Belle are interesting characters, but as leads, they react much as you would expect them to throughout the book.  For me, the most interesting character was Marshall, the Captain’s son.  I really felt the most sympathy for him, despite his mostly evil presence in the book. He was a young impressionable boy whose only male role models (of his color) were an abusive, violent racist and a sexually abusive authority figure because his father was more in love with the sea than with his own family. I think Marshall wanted to be good, but he just didn’t know how. I felt the Captain was actually a decent man, and things would have been much different if he’d spent more time at home. I did enjoy the slaves of the plantation and their interactions with each other, but they fit molds that one would expect.

Overall, I thought this book gave us a unique point of view of slavery and life on a plantation, and it felt authentic for the time period and location (in my part of the world, no less!). The subject of enslaved white people is one that’s not often explored, and I appreciated this deviation from the usual.

As a side note, thanks to an invitation from Jen, The Literate Housewife, I had the opportunity to meet Kathleen Grissom and hear her read and speak about her inspiration for this book. I quite enjoyed meeting her and her husband, and got an autograph to boot!  There aren’t a lot of opportunities around here for me to meet the authors of books I’ve read, so every one is special to me. Thanks to Jen for giving me a copy of the book (and for lunch, and driving to Lynchburg)!

Page count: 384 | Approximate word count: 96,000

2009: A Fistful of Charms (Kim Harrison)
2008: Sick Puppy (Carl Hiaasen)
2007: Judge & Jury (James Patterson)
2006: The Killing Dance (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Rosemary’s Baby (Ira Levin)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Pub Challenge; Historical Fiction Reading Challenge; New Author Challenge 2010; Pages Read Challenge Season 2; TwentyTen Challenge; Year of the Historical;

All her life Ellie Enderlin had been known as Lila’s sister—until the day Lila, a top math student at Stanford, was murdered, and the shape of their family changed forever. Twenty years later, Ellie is a professional coffee buyer who has never put down roots. When, in a chance meeting, she comes into possession of the notebook that Lila carried everywhere, Ellie returns home to finally discover the truth about her sister’s death—a search that will lead her to Lila’s secret lover, to the motives and fate of a man who profited from their family’s grief, and ultimately to the deepest secrets even sisters keep from each other. From the bestselling author of The Year of Fog (“Highly recommended [for fans of] authors like Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchard.”—Library Journal [starred review]), this is a riveting family drama about loss, love, and the way hope redefines our lives—a novel at once heartbreaking, provocative, and impossible to put down.

I enjoyed this, though I do confess to skimming some of the parts about math.  I may have been a math major once upon a time, but I don’t really enjoy reading about it.  Other than that, I thought Ellie and Lila’s story was quite interesting.  Ellie has 20 years of guilt that she has to deal with, and that is almost more important than figuring out who actually killed her sister. I especially enjoyed the use of setting in the story — whether Ellie was in San Francisco or Nicaragua, I felt like I was there with her.  All of Ellie’s relationships, whether they be close (like with her parents) or casual, are odd and strained, leading the reader to believe that Ellie and Lila were more alike than either of them thought. One unexpected result of reading this is that I’ll never look at a true crime novel quite the same way again.  How much of it is truth, and how much is conjecture?  How much of the story is written just to push the author’s agenda?  What was the family’s reaction to the book?  It gives you something to think about.

Other reviews:

S. Krishna’s Books: No One You Know – Michelle Richmond
Musings of a Bookish Kitty: Review: No One You Know by Michelle Richmond
Peeking Between the Pages: Book Review: No One You Know by Michelle Richmond
Book Review: No One You Know « Stone SouP
Presenting Lenore: Book Review: No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

Page count: 352 | Approximate word count: 105,600

2009: Upbound (Peter Hassebroek)
2008: Midnight Rain (Holly Lisle)
2007: Weep Not For The Vampire (William Veselik)
2006: Bloody Bones (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Mind Prey (John Sandford)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2010; ARC Reading Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; New Author Challenge 2010; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is jam-packed with secrets the restaurant industry doesn’t want you to know. For example: * Burger King doesn’t want you to know that a BK Big Fish® Sandwich and fries have a whopping 1000 calories–nearly half your daily caloric intake! (Fish is usually healthy, but not this kind. Find out why with this book.) * Pizza Hut doesn’t want you to know that a standard pizza in Italy contains 500 to 800 calories, but the same meal at Pizza Hut can top 2,100 calories! (You’d need to ride a stationary bike for more than three hours to burn off this mistake. Instead, eat all the pizza you want by making smart choices. EAT THIS, NOT THAT! shows you how.) * Macaroni Grill doesn’t want you to know that a single serving of their Grilled Teriyaki Salmon has more than three times your daily allowance of sodium! (Cut your risk of high blood pressure by making smart choices at the same restaurant. You’ll find them inside.)

If only you knew the industry secrets, you could eat at any of your favorite restaurants–or chow down on everything from the company vending machine to your kids’ Halloween buckets–and know that every decision you made was smart, healthy, and the best possible choice for you. For example, did you know: * At McDonald’s, an Egg McMuffin® is actually a healthy choice, with just 300 calories. (The Hotcakes pack more than double that amount!) * At Krispy Kreme, all you need to do is order the Very Berry Chiller instead of the Mocha Dream Chiller, and you’ll save 500 calories! (Do that once a week and you’ll drop more than 7 pounds this year–without trying!) * At Chipotle, you can cut 570 calories out of your Chicken Burrito just by ordering it as a bowl (without the tortilla) and asking them to hold the rice. (Same great taste, but with 94 fewer carb grams!) * Choosing a cinnamon roll at Au Bon Pain over Cinnabon will save you 463 calories and 20 grams of fat! * In the freezer section of your local supermarket, a turkey pot pie from Swanson’s has 610 fewer calories than a turkey pot pie from Pepperidge Farms. * In the produce aisle, you’ll get twice the vitamin C–and nine times as much vitamin A–simply by picking red bell peppers over green ones. (Who said eating healthy was difficult?)

This was a short read, but informative! There was a lot I already know, but there were also some things that surprised me, like that Chik-Fil-A has some of the healthiest sandwiches and the ranking of what restaurants are considered healthier than others. I also liked the non-restaurant specific section that covered the best options for different types of cuisine, like Mexican and Chinese.  I don’t know that making these swaps is enough alone for someone to lose 30 pounds, but it is a good starter guide for making better choices.

Page count: 304 | Approximate word count: 30,400

2009: All Night Long (Jayne Ann Krentz)
2008: Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult)
2007: The 5th Horseman (James Patterson)
2006: The Lunatic Cafe (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Miserable Mill (Lemony Snicket)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Reading From My Shelves Project; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

After getting caught turning wolf on national television, Kitty retreats to a mountain cabin to recover and write her memoirs. But this is Kitty, so trouble is never far behind, and instead of Walden Pond, she gets Evil Dead. When werewolf hunter Cormac shows up with an injured Ben O’Farrell, Kitty’s lawyer, slung over his shoulder, and a wolf-like creature with glowing red eyes starts sniffing around the cabin, Kitty wonders if any of them will get out of these woods alive…

Another great entry in the Kitty Norville series! Kitty is trying to lay low in this book, dealing with her sudden outing and wondering if she should even continue her radio show.  Then Cormac shows up, and her personal life gets… messy. I liked the direction this book took us in, and I felt like we got a little more up close and personal with Kitty.  There is one big surprise here that could have a major effect on later story lines; it’s good to shake things up! I’m looking forward to reading further in the series.

Other reviews:

Carrie Vaughn: Kitty Takes A Holiday – Book Review
Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn | Amber Stults
Booking Mama: Review: Kitty Takes a Holiday
48. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn
Darque Reviews: Kitty Takes A Holiday by Carrie Vaughn

Page count: 336 | Approximate word count: 84,000

2009: The Brass Verdict (Michael Connelly)
2008: The Bone Garden (Tess Gerritsen)
2007: Prince of Fire (Daniel Silva)
2006: L is for Lawless (Sue Grafton)
2005: The Wide Window (Lemony Snicket)

Used in these Challenges: Random Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; E-book Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;