Ice Cold Grave, Charlaine Harris

Qucik Review: Poor, Good, Great, Fantastic

Synopsis
        Hired to find a boy gene missing in Doraville, North Carolina, Harper Connelly and her brother Tolliver head there, only to discover that the boy was the only one left of several who had disappeared over the previous five years. All of them teenagers. All unlikely runaways.
        All calling for Harper.
        Harper soon finds them—eight victims, buried in the half-frozen ground, all come to an unspeakable end. Afterward, what she most wants to do is collect her fee and get out of town ahead of the media storm that's soon to descend. But when she's attacked and prevented from leaving, she reluctantly becomes a part of the investigation as she learns more than she cares to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of Doraville—knowledge that makes her the next person likely to rest in an ice-cold grave.

Themes
Family Relations
Serial Killer
Paranormal

Content
Mild lanuage, sexual content, violence

Review
Well Ms. Harris, I am a HUGE fan!! I really love the way she writes and portrays her characters. Again, this is at the end of a series and I have read the previous books. They have all been excellent and I was really looking forward to this one. I was not let down. It was an attention grabber and I can't wait to read the next one!

(Picture and synopsis taken from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ice-cold-grave-charlaine-harris/1100255730?ean=9780425224243)

Into the Flame, Christina Dodd

Quick Review: Poor, Good, Great, Fantastic

Synopsis
Meet Doug Black—the Wilder brother who’s been missing for centuries. With no idea of where he’s from, he’s become an angry young cop with the ability to transform into a cougar. in search of others like him, he comes across a beautiful woman who may hold the secret to his destiny...



Themes
Romance
Family Relations
Paranormal Persons
Shape Shifters

Content
Mild language, sexual content, violence

Review
So Good!! I didn't realize that this was the last of the series of 4, so I would recommend that you read the previous books first. However, this was excellent. There was some sexual content and if that is something that bothers you I would recommend that you skip that part. Overall, the story was really interesting and very captivating. The characters were compelling and I couldn't put this story down until I was done. Great Read!
(Picture and synopsis from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-the-flame-christina-dodd/1100359136?ean=9780451224668&format=paperback)

Copper Beach, Amanda Quick

Synopsis
A rare book. An ancient code. An all-new novel from the New York Times-bestselling master of passion and the paranormal.
Within the pages of very rare books some centuries old lie the secrets of the paranormal. Abby Radwell's unusual psychic talent has made her an expert in such volumes-and sometimes taken her into dangerous territory. After a deadly incident in the private library of an obsessive collector, Abby receives a blackmail threat, and rumors swirl that an old alchemical text known as The Key has reappeared on the black market.

Themes
Paranormal powers
Romance
Mystery

Content
This book contains mild violence, mild language and sexual content.

Review
This book was a pleasant surprise. It was fun to read and the story was interesting. I found the characters likeable. I was expecting a book about vampires or something, but this one is about people who have special paranormal powers.
At first I thought this book was not the first of the series. I felt like I was missing something when the story began because the book referenced things that I was clueless about. However, it is the first of the series. It took some time to understand some of the references, but overall ,it was interesting and enjoyable.
(picture and synopsis from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/copper-beach-jayne-ann-krentz/1100238076?ean=9780399157875)

Bound By Night, Amanda Ashley

Synopsis
A Vampire's Kiss Is Forever. . .

     Once featured in a horror movie, the crumbling Wolfram estate is said to be haunted by ghosts, witches, and worse. But Elena doesn't believe a word of it—until she spends the night and wakes up in the arms of a compelling stranger. . .
     Tall, dark, and disturbingly handsome, Drake is the most beautiful man Elena has ever seen. For centuries, he has lived alone, and Elena is the first woman to enter his lair—and survive. And Drake is the first man to touch her heart and soul. By the time she discovers who he really is—and what he craves—it's too late. Blood lust has turned to love, and Elena is deeply under Drake's spell. But forever comes at a price for each of them. . .

Themes
Vampires
Romance
Family Relationships

Content
This book contain very mild language and some graphic descriptions. There is some sexual content.

Review
I've read a ton of vampire books, from extreme to mild. This would range in the medium category. The story line was interesting, but it wasn't very well written. The author uses the same phrases and words repeated (I think the word "preternaturally" was said about 72 times! But, I wasn't counting.) The author also uses cliche's often enough that they are distracting. Was the book horrible? No. Was it great? No. It wasn't a real attention grabber, but it was a quick and easy read and the story line brought a couple of new ideas to the vampire genre that I haven't read before. Overall, 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

(Picture and synopsis from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bound-by-night-amanda-ashley/1028045600?ean=9781420104455)

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

SYNOPSIS
Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life-the oh-so-handsome shape shifter Quinn- but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for a takeover. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

THEMES
Murder
Vampires
Relationships
Prejudice
Hate Crime


CONTENT
Knowing that this book is about vampires, don't be surprised by some blood and gore and sexuality. There is some language as well.

REVIEW
This is book #7 in the Southern Vampire Series. I have read the previous books and I won't give anything away. However, I will say that so far, I think this is the best one. It was quick and intense. The only negative, the ending was a little weak for me. If you watch the HBO series True Blood, you will have an idea what this series is about. However, compared to the show, the book has much less gore, language or sexuality. I actually like the books better for it. I really like the character Quinn and I think that Ms. Harris could write an entire series just about him and his culture. A word of advice though, read these in order. It is important to the chronology of the story. I am so excited to read the next one I put book #8 and #9 on hold at the library before I wrote this review. I've really enjoyed this series.

(picture and synopsis from http://serach.barnesandnoble.come/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781429533706)

Books and Movies

There are so many movies that have derived from books. The question always seems to be should I watch the movie first or read the book first? In my opinion, you should ALWAYS see the movie first. That way when you read the book it is like you are getting the extended version of what you originally got.

Tell me about a book you read that was made into a movie. Did you like the book or movie better?

Here are some movies that were surprisingly a book first:

All the pretty horses
American psycho
Amityville horror
Apollo 13
Around the world in 80 days
The basketball diaries
Be cool
A beautiful mind
Blade runner (Book Title: Do Android Dream of electric sheep?)
The boogyman
Brokeback mountain
Casino royale
Chocolat
A Christmas story (book title: In God we trust, all others pay cash)
Clueless (Book Title: Emma)
The count of monte cristo
The curious case of Benjamin Button
Die hard
Ella enchanted
The English patient
Father of the bride
Haunted
Mean Girls (Book Title: Queen Bees & wanna bes)
Romancing the stone

(info taken from www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/movies/movie.cfm?browse=Z)

The Painted Veil

SYNOPSIS
Kitty Fane is lovely but shallow, and when her bacteriologist husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic hoping that she will die. Bitterly unhappy, Kitty is compelled both by the desolation around her and by her awakening conscience to re-assess her life, past and present. Slowly and painfully she learns how to love; tragically, she learns too late.

THEMES
Adultery
Relationships
Epidemic/Death

CONTENT
Though the content speaks about an adulterous affair, it doesn't include any graphic information

REVIEW
What a sad story. It was hard for me to even get through this book and it was brief. This is one of those where I saw the movie first (a couple of years ago when it came out) and now read the book. It was interesting, but very sad.

(Picture and synopsis taken from www.amazon.com/painted-veil-w-somerset-maugham/dp/0307277771#reader_0307277771)