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leekyle
I'm not only an avid reader i am also an happily married father of two!! Aside from reading whatever i can get my hands on and spending time on Booklikes, I also am a huge fan of professional wrestlin
The Diary of a Young Girl [Anne Frank]
Well I'll probably catch heck from a few people with this review however aside from the braveity, tolerance, restraint that that young girl had I wasn't overly impressed with this book and found it a tad dull. Remarkable..for sure as I personally couldnt see myself in her shoes shacked up for almost 3 years in living quarters basically the size of a closet, living in fear with 7 other tenants, me myself would've been somewhat suicidal by the end of the first month! For those of you who havent read this book, we get to spend the 3 years with Anne in the Secret Annexe, Anne's name for their hiding place in her father's place of business in Holland around Amsterdam. It was right after Anne's 13th birthday, when after recieving a document from the German government declaring that Anne's older sister was to be 'sent up' to work in one of the German camps, that her father Frank packed up what little belongings of dire importance that they could carry and relocated the family to his warehouse in Amsterdam.
From there we read day by day (actually she has quite a few where she doesnt write) on her personal feelings of the other members of the household, her feelings about the young lad also living with them Peter, who Anne falls in love with, Most of all about just dealing in general with things as they stood back in 1943-45. I was interested in some parts but just felt bored through a majority of it (Now i know it couldn't of gotten very exciting considering the circumstances and where they were) I feel terrible for saying this but it is in fact the truth. Don't know what i was expecting however orginally selecting this classic to read but needless to say it wasn't my cup of tea.
On thing i am glad for was that this diary didn't go missing when the secret annexxe was finally found and the German gestapo ushered the 8 residents to their impending dooms. This diary is meant to be read in order to teach todays children the utter harshness that young Anne had to endure in hope of teaching them that when they think they have it bad, think again also how tragic and scary war is expecially the holocaust.
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Shadow Prey
Ok after reading the first book in Sandford's Lucas Davenport 'Prey' series 'Rules Of The Prey" I was actually loooking forward to reading the next instalment. However when starting this book, i read the opening segment and found out Sandofrd has actually meant for this book to be a political statement on the treatment on North American indians. That alone should've sent up enough red flags in my mind not to continue. I started reading on anyhow, willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the book. Boring with a capital B!! I do not like when i pick up a book and only after a few chapters in i cannot stand it any longer and decide to put it down. Although i will say that this doesn't happen to me much as i am very careful in the books i select, only chancing on new authors after extensive research on their books by reading reviews, book synopsis etc. Therefore eliminating this sort of thing happening all the time.
I'll end this not so good review with a question?? Will i say 'bug it' and read book #3 in the Prey series? Time will tell, but i will say this much, i am not a one strike and you're out kind of reader, that being said lets just hope 'Eyes Of Prey' will be better as i actually like the Lucas Davenport charector enough to try it again.
Now You See Her
Wow! At just about 8-10 books in James Patterson's collection i am now wondering if this guy actually has a bad book in him? Just finished Now You See Her and it was yet another fantastic thriller of a page turner! Loads of plot twists much like his other writing projects! Nina Bloom is a sucessfull lawyer with a crazy tumultuous past like no other. 18 years or so ago she meets the love of her a Floridian police officer, things are all roses and kisses till she finds out she is expecting his child. Upon a tip from an Fbi agent she finds out he is not the man she thinks he is. Finding out about his past leads her to flee the Florida Keys and head north to New York where she takes on a whole new persona. After taking the bar exam and passing and actually doing very well as an young upstart lawyer she learns yet once again that the past can sometimes rear it's ugly head!
Like i said this is a fantastic read from cover to cover!
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Run for Your Life
Fantastic gripping book, page by page! Although having read all of Patterson's books featuring Nypd supercop Michael Bennett, I'd have to say Run For Your Life was the best of the lot! Also have to note if their was one book that they should make a major motion picture of, it would have to be this one as well.
After the outcome of the crimes of the first book in this series Step On A Crack were said and done it didn't mean that Nypd cop Mike Bennett could simply live life with his brood of a family of 10 and live happily ever after...no unfortunatly for Bennett, he finds himself after trying to desperatly try to lure a whacked out druglord out of his family's apartment, and holding his own entire family hostage he is now trying to track down who i will refer to as the most vicious killer in Patterson's books yet who simply calls himself 'The Teacher'.
The teacher is coldly and caliculatingly going from one 'rich' business to another mowing down a bunch of snobby rich elite citizens of New York who have wronged him in the past. Aside from dealing at home with not one but all of the Bennett children suffering from a flue epidemic that has gripped The Bennett household, Mike has to once again go to rescue and be the supercop of the Nypd that he is known for putting his own family at stake! So for this book all Ny residents must remember their manners or be prepared to face the wrath of The Teacher!
A fantastic page turner from the beginning to end..sadly now that i have read the whole Bennett series i lie in await for Patterson to write the next chapter in the Bennett saga!
Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport, No. 1)
Well I gave my usuall trip down James Patterson's Books lane a rest for a book as since giving Patterson a chance and liking him so much i was impressed and somewhat intrigued by the posts and reviews i have read on Sandford's Prey series featuring Minneapolis cop Lucas Davenport. This book although sometimes feeling a little bit draggy, was well thought out as Sandford seems to connect all the dots perfectly making for a more beliveable murder mystery. So many authors i have read in the same genre constantly leave out the 'small but important stuff' but this doesnt seem to occure in this story.
Not as many twists and turns in this as i would like however the main charector Davenport is a very cool detective which made for a quick page turner. He is a tough no-nonsense type cop who is constantly pushing his boundaries in order to egt the job done and get his man. The killer in this named by the police and the associated press as the Maddog who after a few victims gets assigned to Davenport a cop who is also under the gun with his own squad. Davenport has to deal with catching this crazy of a killer aside from all the women in his life on top of all this he is a game maker.
After finishing 'Rules' i immediatly went to Sandford's website and found out it is indded the first in a long series of novels that are dedicated to the Lucas Davenport charector. I already have the second one on reserve at my local library! A good read!
Step On a Crack
The first of the series pertaining to top Nypd detective Michael Bennett. I had read Tick Tock prior to this and found out whilst reading the inner book cover that it was the latest in a series featuring Bennett. I'm so glad i took a chance with purchasing my first Patterson novel 'Toys' as this guy is now in my list of top fave authors. I wonder in amazement how this guy can bang out as many books as he does and they are all so freakin good? Step On A Crack is no different as i was on the edge of my seat throughout this very intriguing page turner. Top Nypd detective Michael Bennett is introduced here along with his ailing wife Maeve who is hospitalized due to termanal cancer and their 10 adopted children from various nationalities. The Christmas hilidays are here and as all the citizens of N.Y. rush home with their gifts and prepare for their indivdual festivities, the Bennetts are struggling to keep happy faces as their mother is in hospital with not very much time to live. Michael whilst dealing with this personal trauma gets pulled into a hijacking/hostage scenerio as some very bad individuals during the first lady's funeral take over St Patrick's Cathedral that is packed with the whose who of the weathiest of people from all forms of employment. Actors, politicians and various other wealthy individuals. We watch as Bennett who has been name the chief negotiator to this case can balance all this and his home life without blowing everything.
A great page turner that i accomplished in no less then 3 days as i usually do with all of Patterson's reads. Even though his works are immense i am now working my way rapidly through the collection and cannot wait till the next read.>>>
Worst Case
I gave all the Patterson books i have read 5 stars as they were all worth that much. Worst Case i found the storyline to be so so. Being a huge fan of the show Criminal Minds is probably why i like the Michael Bennett series so much and that being said their was a few Criminal Minds episodes that were so so too so thats ok. In Worst Case we once again find super detective Michael Bennett still doing his bet to be super dad to his 10 adopted children now that he is a widower and still maintain his supercop status with the NYPD. Enter the un-sub who decides he is fed up with the world's evil ways and attempts to issue a little payback to the wealthiest of the jet set by kidnapping their children. Upon capturing the kids it's not money this unsub is looking for its to give them a test, a test if the wrong answers are given their is no second chances. He has help in this one though in the form of a pretty little FBI profiler named Emily Parker. Emily is also a child's abduction specialist and lends a very smart and helping hand to the case. A good read however but i guess i expected a little more when the climax arrived (thats what she said...ohhhhh!)
1st to Die (The Women's Murder Club)
Like i had said in my other reviews of my first series of books that i read that Patterson currently has out i only had one left to read in the Michael Bennett series and that is run for your life which i plan to read shortly. Looking through his list of books, i read the synopsis for The Woman's Murder Club. Nothing against female detectives or anything i was leery starting 1st To Die as i thought it was going to be a little too girly for my liking. I was wrong. 1st To Die is indeed about 4 BFF's employed in different aspects of the crime fighting world however it doesnt just pertain to anyone member of any sex.
Enter SFPD detective Lindsay Boxer a divorcee who lives alone with her faithful best freind and dog Sweet Martha. Not only does she have to deal with the fact that she is currently suffering from a very serious blood condition she is also trying to solve as to why some individual or un-sub if you will is presently stalking out newly married bride and grooms and viciously slaughtering them.
With the help of 3 other women, who like i said are employed in various other aspects of crime such as the press, D.A's office and the city morgue, they band together, usually over coctails at a watering hole of their choosing and attempt to put all their knowledge of their own respective fields together to solve this horrendous crime. Something that is looked down upon by all their bosses which in turn could very well lead to their instant dismissals if ever detected.
That just adds to all the fun and edge of your seatness that this book #1 brings to Patterson's loyal fans. Like i had said earlier in this review that i was mistaken in thinking this was more suited for female fans of Patterson's crime/mystery themed books, it turns out it is just for anyone who much like myself, like to sit back and relax with a good who dunnit from one of the best authors out there who loves to send us one way in our thinking paths then when we least of all expect it throws us a 100mph curveball throwing us in a totally opposite direction and that my freinds is why i will never get sick of reading Patterson's materials!
Tick Tock
Another fantastic read from James Patterson! For any fans of crime shows such as Criminal Minds or CSI. Top NYC crime detective Michael Bennett is hot on the trsil this time of a unibomber/serial killer you name it this un-sub does it! He is also a copycat killer of some of the most prolific murderers ever to cast a darken cloud over New York City. Bennett a father of 10 adopted multi national born children has their family summer vacation at Breezy Point disturbed to get this bad dude, he enlists the help of a female Fbi agent as they both try and sift through all the not so encriminating evidence to bring this new threat to N.Y. down. Loads of plot twists and turns all leading to an action packed and shocking ending! A must read
Toys
My first Patterson read (and it wont be my last!!!) I have read alot of posts on James Patterson's works and according to alot of fans of his who had read Toys the verdict was that with this novel he was slipping away from his usual murder mystery genre. For a first time reader, i was very impressed!! I like his style of writing, very cool charectors that are easy to get behind. I also like that his chapters are very short (not too sure if he follows suit in all his books, although i sure hope so!) And the man knows how to write an action book!! I was on the edge of my seat throughout this read from chapter 1 to the finish.
The cover of this great novel promises that the main charector Hays Baker puts both the Jason Bourne and James Bond charectors to sleep. I thought as i picked this up last sunday, that was a pretty bold statement to make as i realy like both Ludlum's and Flemming's work. If you are a fan of spy action/adventure stories then this will be right up your alley so to speak. Hays Baker is an elite who works for the agency, he has all the things a guy could wish for, hot wife, two beautiful children, money and a great job. His world as he knows it goes horribly wrong as he is soon to find out he was living a lie. The year in this novel is 2061 after the president (who rivals the likes of Hitler and other dictators of the past) declared humans to be the scum of the earth pushes the war button on exterminating every last one of them. President Jacklyn is an elite as well, super humans that are now being cloned and are perfect in everyway who are taught basically from birth that humans are dirty, lowlifes and are also taught how to fight against them.
Hays Baker quickly figures out that he is now on the side of the humans, those who he was trained to hate as he goes through this action pack story using toys that would boggle the great 007's mind.
super cool cars that pilot themselves also offering to massage their driver whilst doing so. With Hay's elite strength, agility and speed he with a band of assorted rebels move on to bring down the elite empire and look to take down the evil president.
Like i said earlier within this review, a fantastic book start to finish and i am highly anticipating and researching my next read...which you better believe will be another Of Patterson's!
The Scarecrow
My first novel on the Jack McEvoy charector. Although apparently i shouldve read The Poet first cause in storyline The Scarecrow was McEvoy's second case. I was introduced to author Michael Connelly when i picked up three of the four books he wrote using another one of his charectors Mickey Haller. Although being a life long fan of John Saul's and always reading his books only over any others i now can safely say that Connelly ranks right up there. His knowledge on journalism and the McEvoy charector is expansive as he was once a journalist himself. Connelly is very thourough in his knowledge of any topic he writes about which makes his reads all the better. Now i have put The Poet on my must read list
Shadows
I'm finished with Shadows: Reading through Saul's books that I have yet to read i decided this time on Shadows. The one thing i majorally like about John Saul's books is that no one idea is the same and he always has a fresh new story to tell. Shadows is definatly one of the more original storylines i have read. I enjoyed this alot and hope he may write a sequel to this certain story some time in the near future.
The Reversal (Lincoln Lawyer Novels)
Took me a bit to get through this although I have taken into consideration i wasnt reading 1 book but 3. The Lincoln Lawyer, The Brass Verdict and finally The Reversal. I am a fan of court trial themed films but had never actually read any books on the subject. Well I glad that author Michael Connelly was my first. Doing some of my own investigations into what sites contain info on this author on the web. I shockingly found out Mr. Connelly was never a man who practiced law himself let alone ever being a lawyer. You read any of his Mickey Haller books and you would never know this. The man impressed me on many levels with his knowldege of the court system and goings on within. The Lincoln Lawyer also inspired me to see the film and well...i'll just stick to the books from here on in. All 3 books contained within this huge read where excellent so i would have to say my favorite was last book of the three The Reversal. I dont think there was any part of the book that didnt have me on the edge of my seat wanting more. You know it's an above average read if you get dissapointed when you arrive at the final chapters knowing it will be over. These books also introduced me to another of Connelly's awesome charectors as in Detective Harry Bosch. Looking over Connelly's vast other books I see that he has made 20 or so totally dedicated to this charector...Guess I had better head back to my fave bookstore and start from the beginning! For any fan of cool charectors, murder mysteries or court room thrillers!
 - Michael Connelly)
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3)
After reading a few reviews on here at Booklikes I was a little apprehensive about starting the final book to The Hunger Games trilogy. More bad reviews then good, it seems alot of the readers were disspointed in how it all ends. Of course i finished the book as i was not going to read the other 2 and not see for myself how it all turns out for the capitol of Panem. I was only a little dissapointed on the ending as I would've written it a little differently, but the fact is I didn't Suzanne Collins did and her ending was satisfactory and at times shocking. Overall I loved the books and the story and all of the charectors she chose. Now I patiently sit and wait for the upcoming big screen adaptation when the series finally comes to alive next spring.
The Edge of Human
For those of you that saw the Ridley Scott film and have always wished for a sequel...Here it is in printed form. I was journeying through books to read and came across some of Jeter's work and low and behold saw he had two more sequels to the original "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep" which is the book that was adapted to the big screen in Bladerunner starring Harrison Ford. All kinds of questions that were left unanswered in the original get answered here with a lot more to add to the Rick Deckard story. This was another hard to put down read for myself as i look forward to reading his next in the series
Cry for the Strangers
As I read through Saul's huge list of books, I decided to pick this one next his 3rd i believe? Not bad although I have definatly read better of his. I find Saul one of the easiest to read of all my fave authors and finish his books pretty quick. In one week i read both this and Suffer The Children. This one's about 2 families who decide to move beach side into the little town of Clark's Harbour. A town which the people who reside there do ok that's if they have lived there for more then 20yrs. The newbies??....Not so good! The villain this time around is the sheriff Harlen Whalen who makes life for these two families...let's just say not the easiest. A good read but not Saul's best.
