April Books and Movies

#16 The Spellman Files
Lisa Lutz
2007
342
Fiction
2 out of 5
Where did it come from: Barbara

Izzy Spellman is a 20 something totally dysfunctional Private Investigator that still lives at home with her equally dysfunctional family. Could be a good premise for a book, but this one just grew to be boring and redundant. This book never went forward and the outcome of the "final investigator" was just stupid. What should be pivotal points arrive abruptly and then just fizzle. The first book that I actually wrote a review for at Amazon.

#17 What's a Ghoul to do?
Victoria Laurie
2007
281
Cozy Mystery
4 out of 5
TBR

First book in her new series. Introducing M.J. Holliday a psychic that specializes in ridding homes of Ghosts and Demons. This is much like her Psychic Eye Series including funny moments and a sexy man. The whole time I was reading this book I couldn't stop thinking about the Scooby-Do series. The only difference is that Scooby is a parrot named Doc. **Amazon Review

#18 The Road
Cormac McCarthy
2006
241
Fiction
5+ out of 5
Library

After reading the first page I was ready to put the book away. The writing style didn't grab me. But after that I got into the books flow and was swept away with it. The tone is haunting and mesmerizing. The subject matter depressing. But it will stay with me as one of the most intense books I have ever read. Post apocalyptical journey of a man and boy across America to the West Coast. **Amazon Review

#19 All Will Be Revealed
Robert Anthony Siegel
2007
282
Fiction
2 out of 5
Library

If all was revealed then I missed it. At the turn of the century in New York, Augustus thinks that he is a man of importance in the same vein as Carnegie or Vanderbilt. The problem is his self importance is in the field of erotic photography. In comes the pseudo psychic; but the part that made me want to wall bang this book was the "psychic bear". Quite a forgettable book. **Amazon Review

DNF One Coffee With
Margaret Maron
Cozy Mystery
TBR

When it comes to books, my number one pet peeve is when an author dumps all the characters in your lap in the first chapter and you spend the rest of the book looking back over the beginning of the book to remind yourself on who everyone was. A group of annoying college professors, one is murdered when someone slips poison into their morning coffee. Was it the professor that the killer was after or did he get the wrong guy by accident. After half the book I just couldn't find a character that I cared enough about to even attempt to finish or care who did it.

#20 Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet
M. C. Beaton
2004
184
Cozy Mystery
4 out of 5
TBR

#2 in the series. I love Agatha Raisin. This is a no holds barred woman that says what she thinks and lets the pieces fall where they may. Once again Agatha has found a murder where no one else sees one. She is still after James Lacey and Bill Wong is still a step behind. The new Carsley vet is found dead in a stable, but there seems to be too many women that wanted to see him gone so where do you begin. It is up to Agatha and her cats to save the day. **Amazon Review

#21 Through the Grinder
Cleo Coyle
2004
279
Cozy Mystery
4 out of 5
TBR
I actually liked this one better than the first. Except for her over use of "as" and "like". The female customers of the Village Blend are being murdered and Clare and Matteo set out to find the killer even though Quinn is convinced that it is the new boyfriend - the very desirable Bruce Bowman. **Amazon Review

#22 Uglies
Scott Westerfield
2005
425
YA - Sci Fi
4 out of 5
PBS

Book 1 of the Trilogy. This book takes about 100 pages to get going, but once it does, it's quite good. Tally, an "Ugly", can't wait until her 16th birthday when she will become a "Pretty". That's how it is done now to stop all the name calling and bullying. All children at 16 have a surgery to become beautiful, they all look the same, party together, think the same, and have no cares in the world. That is until she meets Shay an "ugly" that tells her about a place called the Smoke where you can live without having to have the surgery. Where people like you for who you are and how you think. Tally will have to make a decision that may take her way from what she has always wanted. ** Amazon Review

#23 The Killings at Badger's Drift
Caroline Graham
1987
211
Cozy Mystery
3 out of 5
Library

It's amazing how naughty the inhabitants of a small village can be. This is the first book in Graham's Barnaby series. Barnaby is called out when a neighbor doesn't think that her friend’s death was an accident after all. Then all the towns mysteries start to unravel with all their secrets revealed. I'm sure that others will rate this book higher since you don't see the ending coming, but I just don't do heavy British mysteries easily. The slang usually has me confused and their round about way of telling a story frustrates me. You have to go down every garden path and enter everyone's back gate before you can get to the meat of the story.

#7 Movie: Vera Drake
4 out of 5
Netflix

Vera is a very mild mannered wife and mother in 1950's England. Unbeknownst to her family, she spends her afternoons helping young women end their pregnancies. What's different about this movie for me was that it seemed to end when the movie was just taking off. There were so many questions that weren't answered, but then again that was probably the point.

#8 Movie: Big Love, Season 1 Disk 5
4 out of 5
Netflix

Season one ends with the Hendrickson family being found out.