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Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. Jennifer of Mrs. Q Book Addict is hosting MM for the month of July.
I received only one book, thanks to the author:
Firefly Beach by Meira Pentermann:
When Beth LaMonte rents a cottage on the coast of Maine, she wishes only to withdraw and paint. A mysterious ball of light disturbs her peace and leads her to a secret beach where she finds the diary of a girl who disappeared in 1975. Now Beth is on a mission, not only to bury her own past, but to put to rest the spirit of Firefly Beach.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book
I finished reading:
Arctic Fire by Paul Byers
Firefly Beach by Meira Petermann
I am in the midst of reading:
The Virgin Journals by Travis Laurence Naught (poetry)
I posted review of:
Murder In The Ashram by Kathleen McCaul
All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard
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When you’re stuck for a book to read next, what do you do?
I stand in front of my book shelves and pick up books which call out to me. It is THAT simple!!
I read 74 books in 2012. Much less than my target of 100+
January (5)
1) Love Returned by Mildred Colvin
2) Return of the Runway Bride by Donna Fasano
3) The Passionate Italian by Diana Fraser
4) Of Novel Birth by Brenda Novak
5) Wild Angel by Miriam Minger
February (2)......(7)
1) Gods and Fathers by James LePore
2) The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
March (2).....9
1) The Litigators by John Grisham
2) The Book Of Lost Fragrances by M J Rose
April (2).....11
1) Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard
2) The Minefields by Steven C. Eisner
May (3).....14
1) Good Father by Diane Chamberlain
2) Love Thy Neighbor by Mark Gilleo
3) In the Bag by Kate Kilse
June (20)........(34)
1) All I Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard
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| The trees are trying to embrace each other while the tea garden looks on |
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| Workers waiting for the bus to take them to the tea factory |
Title: All He Saw Was The Girl
Author: Peter Leonard
ISBN: 9780571255740
Publisher: Faber and Faber/2011
Pages: 304
After reading Voices Of The Dead by Peter Leonard, I decided that I was going to pick all his books. So when I was offered to review All He Saw Was the Girl, I was thrilled. I was notdisappointed at all!
I had a roller coaster ride throughout the novel. It has the ingredients of an action movie. Drug Mafia, kidnapping, car chasing, and a love story. And all that happens in Italy, that too due to a misunderstanding! One American exchange student is kidnapped by mistake and ransom is paid for him. He feels bad about that and decides to get back the money. Without any help from anyone, he takes on the kidnappers and gets involved with the drug mafia, all by himself.
What appealed to me most was the sarcastic way of thinking by the various characters. That alone makes the novel very delightful!! I am going to read all of Peter Leonard's novels!!
Margaret of BooksPlease asks:
Who taught you to read?
My mom taught to read the alphabets, dad used to get me kiddie story books. My brothers read them aloud for me. And when I started to all on my own, I do not really remember. The above too, I have told by my dad. I do recall my dad telling us stories from the Hindu Scriptures. Till date, I can recall each and everything he narrated to us. I did read the scriptures at a later date.
From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday. The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review. (or any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.
Today I showcase The Noah's Ark Quest by Boyd Morrison (UK), which I received from Hachette India. This novel is titled The Ark for US editions.
When brilliant archaeologist Dilara Kenner is contacted by Sam Watson, an old family friend who says that he has crucial information about her missing father, Dilara abandons her Peruvian dig and rushes to Los Angeles to meet him. But at the airport, Sam speaks instead of Noah's Ark—the artifact her father had long been searching for—and the possible death of billions. Before Sam can explain, he collapses. With his dying breath, he urges Dilara to find Tyler Locke—a man she's never heard of.
Two days later Dilara manages to track down former combat engineer Tyler Locke on an oil rig off Newfoundland. Her helicopter transport goes down well short of the oil rig's landing pad and Dilara and those aboard nearly drown. After Tyler accomplishes a daring rescue, Dilara convinces him that the crash was no accident. Tyler agrees to help her unearth the mystery behind Noah's Ark and, more importantly, her father's disappearance.
Their investigation soon reveals that a group of religious fanatics has recovered a weapon from the Ark that will let them recreate effects of the biblical flood and recreate humanity according to their leader's twisted vision. Now Tyler and Dilara have just seven days to find the Ark and the secret hidden inside before it's used to wipe out civilization again.
Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!
"But for now it would wait till tomorrow's funeral. We'd bury Stephen in peace, without a father, the way he was born."
~~~~Page 185
Title: Murder in the Ashram
Author: Kathleen McCaul
ISBN: 9780749953638
Publisher: Piatkus/2011
Pages: 320
Stephen Newby's body is found in River Yamuna. His best friend and flatmate, Ruby Jones cannot understand the reasons. She goes sleuthing on her own to find out. As the title suggest, it is supposed to be murder mystery, which should keep the reader in tenterhooks. But no such thing happens. Ruby Jones, who aspires to be an international news journalist, is not interesting enough. Her musings do not do anything for the suspense element which should have been there.
As ashrams go, this shows the dark side of a well known one. Stephen and Ruby were regulars there, both in love with a wannabe Guru, Rani. Stephen was in search for his unknown father. The reader can make out, who is his father right from the beginning.
I live in Delhi, and the geographical descriptions left much to be desired. There are major discrepancies. Wazirabad bridge is no where near Dakshinpuri. Mckaul did not do much research in that arena. This fact alone made me want to shout!!
One can read it as a travelogue if one is so interested, but I say don't waste your time. I am not going to pick any other book by this author. EVER. Unless you pay me million dollars!
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. Marie at Burton Book Reviewis hosting MM for June starting today.
I received two print books and two e-books, thanks to the authors/publicists:
Broken Spirit by Charles L. Fields: Charles Stone, Boston lawyer and sculptor, travels to Hawaii for a much needed vacation after performing two life threatening assignments for Franklin life Insurance Company. What is thought as paradise becomes a tropical hell and once again Franklin life has to call on this experienced investigative attorney for help. Stone is woven through a tapestry of racial discontent to confronting a radical movement trying to secede as the 50th state. He finds the cultural melting pot boiling over, threatening tourism and other island businesses and encounters violence and tragedy.
Tainted Dish by Charles L. Fields: Charles Stone, Boston investigative lawyer and sculptor, takes on the case of a personal friend and recent widow. She’s battling an unscrupulous business partner and is desperately trying to save the company, Unitreq from financial collapse. Stone becomes involved in military industrial espionage, several murders and a bounty hunt that takes him and his sidekick Army Special Forces Sergeant, Bo Jackson, on a chase through the Maritime Provinces of Canada, as well as Ireland and Europe. Stone receives much needed assistance from his law partners and Franklin Life Insurance Company’s security team, a little known Department of Defense agency known as DARPA, WikieLeaks.org and Interpol. The use of combined forces helps bring an end to several diabolical plots.
Following are the digital copies:
Murder In Silence by Gary Kassay: When two police officers are found with their throats ripped open with surgical precision, there are no witnesses to the crime and no connections between the dead officers. Left with two clues that make no sense, Inspector Duke Becker is about to face a diabolical killer whose rampage has just begun. The tenacious Becker, head of the NYPD's Special Investigations Unit's Homicide Division, is proud of his impeccable record for solving unusual or high profile murders. But the bulldog detective may be facing the most challenging case of his career as he desperately searches to either find some connection between the two murdered cops or deal with the less than desirable alternative-that someone is randomly killing cops for no reason whatsoever. With only bizarre clues to follow, Becker and his squad immerse themselves in a deadly race to stop a killer before another police officer's throat is brutally slashed and the city of New York is thrown into turmoil.
Dead End Deal by Allen Wyler: World renowned neurosurgeon Jon Ritter is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that will change the world. His groundbreaking surgical treatment, using transplanted non-human stem cells, is set to eradicate the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease and give hope to millions. But when the procedure is slated for testing, it all comes to an abrupt and terrifying halt. Ritter’s colleague is gunned down and Ritter himself is threatened by a radical anti-abortion group that not only claims responsibility, but promises more of the same. Faced with a dangerous reality but determined to succeed, Ritter turns to his long-time colleague, corporate biotech CEO Richard Stillman, for help. Together, they conspire to conduct a clandestine clinical trial in Seoul, Korea. But the danger is more determined, and more lethal, than Ritter could have imagined. After successful surgical trials, Ritter and his allies are thrown into a horrifying nightmare scenario: The trial patients have been murdered and Ritter is the number one suspect. Aided by his beautiful lab assistant, Yeonhee, Ritter flees the country, now the target of an international manhunt involving Interpol, the FBI, zealous fanatics and a coldly efficient assassin.
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book
I finished reading:
The Devil All The Time by Donald Ray Pollock
Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton
The Accused by John Grisham
I am in the midst of reading:
Arctic Fire by Paul Byers
The Virgin Journals by Travis Laurence Naught (poetry)
I posted review of:
Real Courage by Michael Meyerhofer (poetry)
I have scheduled reviews of:
1) The Devil All The Time by Donald Ray Pollock
2) All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard
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Do you set goals for yourself, while reading? For example, “I want to get this book finished this weekend“, or “I will read __ pages today“, etc. Why, or why not?
Sometimes I do set goals and finish it well in time. But when I a was undergoing a reading block, the goals were unrealistic. All I wished for was to, read. Just read.
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.
