David Baldacci
329 pages

As Divine Justice begins we find Oliver Stone planning a covert getaway after assassinating two high-ranking government officials. While he is in the process of making his escape he encounters Danny Riker. Because of Danny, Oliver ends up altering his plans and finds himself in the middle of Divine, Virginia where suspicious things are happening.

I enjoy military-type suspense occasionally if the language isn’t too foul and there isn’t too much gore. I was very pleased with this book in that regard. I wasn’t sure what to expect since this is my first Baldacci novel but I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Oliver Stone and the rest of the Camel Club. Since this is the fourth novel in the series there is a lot of back story that I am missing. I don’t feel that the missing information ruined anything for me since enough information was given to keep up with the current storyline but I want to know more about the characters because I liked them. I plan on reading more by David Baldacci. (4/5)

Pam Jenoff

360 pages

Earlier this fall, I read The Kommandant’s Girl, which is the story of Emma Bau, a young newlywed who belongs to the Polish resistance during World War II. The Diplomat’s Wife is a companion book that is told from the perspective of Marta Nedermann who is friend and fellow resistance member to Emma. As The Kommandant’s Girl ends we believe that Marta is dead. She is not, however, and The Diplomat’s Wife is the story of the direction of Marta’s life at the end of the war and beyond.

I found The Diplomat’s Wife to be every bit as engaging as The Kommandant’s Girl.  I was drawn to these books because of their World War II setting but this book takes place mainly after World War II during the turbulent rise of Communism in Eastern Europe. Initially, I was disappointed about this but in the end, it really didn’t lessen my enjoyment at all.

My only complaint would be that I found the romance between Paul and Marta a bit predictable. However, I enjoyed it nonetheless. (4.5/5)

405 pgs

Four passenger planes have been shot down. Hundreds of innocent lives are lost and the world is clamoring for answers.

Marie Petersson is a reporter who specializes in writing for the trade magazines of the airline industry. She is tough and quick to pick up on what is happening around her. She is sent to investigate what has happened with the planes. In the course of her investigation she ends up crossing paths with Julian Granot, a retired Israeli operative who understands the world political scene and specifically the Middle East like no one else and Morgan Ensley, an FBI agent prone to doing things his own way.

Together they uncover a connection between the plane crashes and a sinister plot to cause even more loss of life by detonating a nuclear bomb near New York City.

Red Sea by E. A. Benedek reads like it was snatched from the headlines. I’m sure everyone remembers hearing, shortly after 9/11, the dangers posed to this country by our government’s inability to control and check the cargo of every vessel entering U.S. seaports. We also heard about the chaos that would ensue if our communications via phone, internet, etc. were interrupted. Red Sea takes us on a fictional behind-the-scenes tour of how events could play out in a situation like this.

Because of the fact that there are many different characters introduced in the beginning of this novel and because I am no where near well-versed in world politics, Middle Eastern culture, and terrorism, the first part of this book dragged for me. I had difficulty keeping all the names straight and there were a few things that were unfamiliar to me. However, the second half of the book picks up the pace quite a bit and I had a hard time putting it down. I recommend this one if political thrillers are your cup of tea.(3.5/5)

This book is part of a book tour that is hosted by TLC Book Tours.

The book tour has previously made stops at these sites:

Jenn’s Bookshelf

Rough Edges

Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books

Michele - Only One ‘L’

Right Truth

Dark Party Review

And these sites have upcoming stops on the blog tour:

Wednesday, November 12th: The Tome Traveller

Thursday, November 13th: Should Be Reading

Monday, November 17th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

If you would like to know more about E.A. Benedek and her book Red Sea please her website.

221 pages

Ok, I readily admit that I was supposed to be reading the books that I have listed in my sidebar. But I made a trip to the library and got waylaid by this particular title.  I had heard about it and I was interested in it but I didn’t expect that my library would get it in so fast when I placed the hold. Oh darn, I have an amazing library system. Cursed, I know.

A couple of years ago(before I had a blog) I read Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. While I learned a lot from that book and I enjoyed Ehrenreich’s sense of humor quite a bit, I was left feeling sad and a little irritated at the premise that the American Dream is dead.

Apparently, I am not the only one who felt this way because Scratch Beginnings is in Adam Shepard’s own words:

Socioeconomically speaking, my story is a rebuttal to Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, the books that speak to the death of the American Dream. With investigative projects of her own, Ehrenreich attempted to establish that working stiffs are doomed to live in the same disgraceful conditions forever. I resent that theory, and my story is a search to evaluate if hard work and discipline provide any payoff whatsoever or if they are, as Eherenreich suggests, futile pursuits.

- Scratch Beginnings pg XV, Introduction

Adam Shepard’s story begins after he has graduated college. He is frustrated by what he sees around him: lack of initiative, whining, entitlement mentality, and reminiscing about the “good ole days”. So he decides to do a test. Armed with only $25, an 8′X10′ tarp, an empty gym bag and the clothes he is wearing he travels to a random city(name drawn from a hat) by train. He is not allowed to use his college education or personal contacts to advance himself in any way and he a goal for himself. Within a year, he must move from homelessness into a productive member of society as defined by: having an operable vehicle, a furnished apartment, $2500 in cash and be in a position to continue improving his position either by going to college or starting his own business.

There are a lot of things to be learned both from Ehrenreich’s book and Scratch Beginnings. For someone like me who grew up in a stable, suburban home, both Nickel and Dimed and The Invisible Poor by David K. Shipler can go a long way toward educating us about the difficulties that are out there. The playing field is definitely not level: that is to say that not everyone starts out with the same advantages. But Scratch Beginnings reminds us that no matter where you start out, there comes a time when you must accept responsibility for your own life. As stated by Leo, one of the guys that Adam meets during his 70 day stay in the homeless shelter:

Some of the people in the lower class start out behind. We all have the same freedoms, true, but those of us born into poverty don’t necessarily have the guidance.

But I’ll tell you this. There comes a time for everybody that it’s time to grow up. I mean, look at me. I came from a broken home. Mama’s got six kids. No daddy. Maybe the lights will turn on today; maybe not. Eatin’ mayonnaise and pickle sandwiches. I started out less fortunate than most people, and I lived my life accordingly. Streets, drugs, violence…all that. But then I turned twenty and realized that it was time to shape up or dead just like everybody else I knew.

- Scratch Beginnings, pgs 102-103

I highly recommend reading Nickel and Dimed and The Invisible Poor to compliment this book. They offer more information on the adversities but they are less hopeful.

For that reason, I loved Scratch Beginnings. I think it presents a balanced perspective between understanding the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves and the adversities that must be overcome, understanding personal responsibility and holding out hope that hard work and perseverance are not vain pursuits. (5/5)

Michael Connelly

422 pages

There is a reason that Michael Connelly has become one of my favorite authors after having only read three of his novels. He writes fast-paced crime novels that draw you in and hold your attention all the way through.

In The Brass Verdict, Micky Haller is thrust back into law practice literally overnight after his recovery from being shot, becoming addicted to pain-killers and going through rehab. It seems a colleague named Jerry Vincent has been murdered and he has named Micky as the attorney who will take over in the event that Jerry is unable to carry on.

Micky inherits thirty-one cases, one which is very high-profile and involves a Hollywood producer and the murder of his wife and her lover. It is this case that consumes his attention and sets the pace for the The Brass Verdict.

This was my first Connelly novel that included Harry Bosch. Previously I have read The Poet and Blood Work. I do recognize the character of Jack McEvoy, a reporter from The Poet as he makes an appearance in The Brass Verdict.

I feel like I am missing part of the story on Harry and Micky from previous books but since this was a review copy sent to me by Miriam from Hachette Books, I didn’t want to take time to catch up on Harry’s history. I look forward to reading the Bosch books at some point.

This was a twisty and entertaining criminal case story. I enjoyed it and recommend it to mystery lovers and Connelly fans alike. (4/5)

370 pages

Tess Gerritsen

Trying to recover from a divorce, Julia Hamill has bought a 130-year-old home in Massachusetts. She wants to fix it up, work in the garden and feel like she has done something all on her own. While digging in the garden, she unearths a skeleton that is found to be that of a woman who was murdered. Julia ends up feeling haunted by the woman and the time frame that she came from and the reader discovers much about the history of the surrounding area and is taken back in time via letters written(fictitiously) by none other than Oliver Wendell Holmes.

This is my third Tess Gerritsen book and I chose it because of the fact that it alternated between the past and the present. There is quite a bit of medical jargon, mystery and history in this story which qualifies it perfectly for The Medical Mystery Madness Challenge. I would classify this as my favorite book by Gerritsen so far. I was captivated by the characters of Rose Connolly and Norris Marshall and I also liked the fact that I didn’t find the mystery predictable. I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t want to put this one down. (4/5)

BTW, I have completed he Medical Mystery Madness Challenge. Go HERE to see what I read!

Susan Beth Pfeffer
321 pages

The Dead and the Gone is the companion book to Life As We Knew It which I read earlier this year.  I am particularly fond of disaster and dystopian stories which is why I joined Becky’s End of the World Challenge. I’m not sure what that says about me but I enjoy it none the less.

The disaster in this book is the same as in Life As We Knew It. An asteroid has hit the moon and knocked it closer to earth which affects the tides, volcanoes, rainfall and various other things. The neat thing about these two books is that while Life tells the perspective from a female protagonist situated in a more rural area, The Dead and the Gone tells the story from the perspective of a male protagonist in New York City. At first, I was skeptical that the two experiences could be different enough for the characters that a second story to be interesting. Happily, I was wrong.

When the story begins Alex is working in a pizza parlor, thinking about school rivalries and getting into Georgetown. During the course of the story he is forced to step in and take care of his sisters and discover how life can change in an instant, how the unlikeliest people can become our allies in times of need and ultimately the things in life that are truly important.

I enjoyed The Dead and the Gone every bit as much as Life As We Knew It and I recommend it if you enjoy disaster or dystopian stories. (4/5)

I have finished the Non-Fiction Five Challenge. Of course, I don’t have links for any of my reviews anymore but I did finish and I really enjoyed it. Non-Fiction is one of my favorite genres. Here’s what I read:

1. When Answers Aren’t Enough - Matt Rogers
2. Mayada, Daughter of Iraq - Jean Sasson
3. The Working Poor: Invisible in America - David K. Shipler
4. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver
5. The Millionaire Next Door - Stanley and Danko

Thanks to Joy from “Thoughts of Joy” for hosting!

Rachel Hauck

307 pages

Macy Moore is a high powered business woman. She has everything. Her dream career, a boyfriend, a beautiful condo in Florida,  a Beemer and other expensive possesions. Then in one day she loses it all. She is displaced in her job due to corporate restructuring(which is really just a nudge out the door), and she catches her boyfriend on a date with another woman. What follows through the rest of the book is Macy’s struggle to find her place and purpose.

Macy struggles because she wants to seek God’s will for her life which is something that she knows she wasn’t doing before. Her struggles seem genuine too. She prays but she gets no “lightning bolt” answers. She asks God to speak to her but she doesn’t hear his audible voice. She really has to seek and wait.

During her wait, she turns to the  SSS(Single Saved Sisters), a group of single women who meet through church and who continue to gather weekly. Some of the interactions between the women in the group  were hilarious. However, I also felt that it was unrealistic at times and came off a little bit trite. Maybe I am just cynical but friends are human and they let us down, sometimes repeatedly.  Macy’s friends, however, never let her down. They always show up at just the right time, call at just the right time or have just the right answer.

I am glad I participated in the Chick-Lit challenge and I liked this book OK. (3/5)

Hope Lyda

334 pages

Libby Hawthorne works for the PR firm of Reed & Dunson. She has worked there for five years and she has been a model employee with hopes of advancing up the corporate ladder. However when her firm undergoes a merger everything is turned upside down and she is forced to re-evaluate what her goals are and the lengths she is willing to go to achieve success.

This was a fun and fast Christian chick-lit read with substance. As Libby begins to learn about the people around her she begins to put her own life in perspective and figure out that the things that she always thought she wanted may not be her heart’s desire after all.

There were a few times when I thought that this storyline went just a little too neat and tidy but Libby and most of the other characters are very likable and I decided to overlook that because I wanted everything to end well for them. I would definitely be interested in reading another book by Hope Lyda. (3.5/5)