Hot Six

Hot Six

Janet Evanovich

3 out of 5


It seems as if only every other book in this series capture my attention. But at least we do know who was knocking on Stephanie's door.

In this sixth outing, Stephanie is hot on the trail of a guy that killed his wife and has a general dislike for all woman; and since Stephanie does seem to be of the girl variety, this makes for quite an interesting adventure. If only Ranger was available, but unfortunately Ranger has a couple problems of his own. Most importantly, Ranger has skipped on his own bail and now has two amateurs looking for him in addition to the infamous Joyce.

This comedy of errors only intensifies when Grandma Mazur decides to move in with Stephanie and Ranger makes a surprise visit.

The Spare Room

The Spare Room

Helen Gardner

4 out of 5

I almost gave up on this book. Just could not handle one more “friend with cancer” book. But when I gave this book one more chance, I realized that this book of fiction reads more like a memoir – from the point of view that sometimes when a person is battling for their life, it can really annoy the crap out of you. And that’s ok.

We meet Helen as she is preparing her spare room for a friend that is coming to town to undergo three weeks of cancer treatment. How hard could that be, just provide some support and comfort and then Nicola will go home to be with her family. As Helen accompanies Nicola to the Theodore Institute she realizes that her friend of 15 years is being swindled by charlatans. How do you convince a friend that she is being harmed when she herself feels that if she just holds on a little longer a miracle will happen?

Helen must now make the choice between her personal opinion and supporting her friend. How do you hold yourself in check and watch your friend make a truly life threatening decision? Told in a soul searching and at times very funny way, Helen helps her friend live her life and prepare for her death. And to learn that sometimes you can’t make choices for others and you just have to hang on and cherish what little part of themselves that they are willing to share with you.

A Single Thread

A Single Thread

Marie Bostwick

3 Out of 5

This book became quite repetitious after awhile. Your typical friend with cancer and someone has a secret type of book.

Fifty-something Evelyn is devastated when her husband of twenty-five plus years suddenly asks for a divorce, with no direction, Evelyn decides to take off to Connecticut and check out the leaves. Since she is from Texas this seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Upon arriving in the quaint town of New Bern – she suddenly feels like she is home.

Evelyn has always dreamed of owning a quilt shop and low and behold, after turning down an out of the way alley she stumbles into the store front of her dreams. No one believes that it will work, but she is ready for the next step of her life. That is after she has a quick mammogram and since they have always come back normal before, why should this time be different.

The day before Evelyn is to host a Breast Cancer Quilt-a-thon she receives the inevitable bad news. And thus the story begins.

Four new friends are brought together, one has a secret, one has to build a new life, one has to get over the death of her mother and one is recently diagnosed with cancer. As Evelyn battles for her life, the friends form a Friday night quilt group and in time take over the shop and help Evelyn to build the business.

Apparently, this is the first in a series, I just hope that the next books won’t play off all of the same old clichés and take the characters in a new less predictable direction.

Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark

Charlaine Harris

4 Out of 5

Most vampire stories tend to fall into the same rut, but surprisingly, this one stands on its own feet. Not falling into the same clichés these funny and unique characters will keep you turning the pages.

Sookie Stackhouse is a naïve goodhearted southern girl minding her own business in Bon Temps, Lousiana when the vampires starting moving in. Being the south I guess that doesn’t raise too many eyebrows, but when girls that start dating vampires, affectionately called fang-bangers are murdered, Sookie can’t help getting involved.

Then Sookie meets Bill and even she has to question a vampire named Bill, shouldn’t they have more exotic names, and life gets even more interesting. See Bill’s one of the only people that Sookie can’t read. She calls it a disability; the ability to read other peoples minds, but how refreshing to actually find someone that isn’t an open book to her. OK, Bill might only be a mid-level vampire, but she can work with that.

Sookie’s innocence really is what makes this book funny, well, that and having Elvis as a bodyguard, but over all, this is a very good vampire series. Good action, good dialogue and not your usual been there done that vampire thing.