160 - Ghosts Among Us; James Van Praagh

I have never watched the author's show "The Ghost Whisper", but I recall enjoying his earlier book: "Talking To Heaven", when it came out in 1997.
I waited several months to get this book from the library, as the holds list was rather lengthy, but finally it got to read it.

There were parts of this book that I really really loved, and parts that I was uninterested in, such as when the author talks about other galaxies etc. Parts of this book were very comforting. What I found so interesting was the descriptions of the types of ghosts, spirits and angels that walk among us and how to recognize and protect ourselves from those ghosts who do not have our best interests in mind. He spends time teaching us the practice of meditation and offers several meditations we can use to protect us and keep us safe.

There was a section when Van Praagh talks about how spirits try to let us know they are close by, and things to look for. I have had a few experiences when I felt that my parents, who died over 20 years ago were right in the house with me. One incident was on All Souls Day, a portrait of my parents that had hung on the wall for several years, just fell off the wall for no reason ( I was in another room, and no one else was around or home at the time). Other incidents of the television going on and off for no reason. These incidents did not scare me, but made me feel comforted.

In summary, this book was enjoyable, however, there was nothing scientific to substantiate some of what the author stated. I want to believe some of what he says is true, but only time will tell.

RATING - 4/5 - COMPLETED - 10/9/08

159 - Goldengrove; Francine Prose

I love coming of age stories, so when I heard about Goldengrove, I could not wait to read it. Francine Prose is also an author who is new to me, and I am always anxious to try new authors.

Goldengrove begins at a lake with two sisters, Nico and Margaret out in a row boat. The first few pages give the reader some foreshadowing with what is about to happen. The older sister Margaret who is in high school, dives into the lake and drowns. Nico, age 13 is left to narrates Goldengrove, this coming of age story, by sharing with the reader the events that transpired one tragic summer. As Nico's parents begin to grow apart after the tragedy, Nico is sad, confused, and soon she is sought out by her dead sister's boyfriend, Aaron, who is also mourning the loss of Margaret.

While the writing is just beautiful in this book, and I enjoyed the story a lot, I have a few complaints. The tragedy happens right away, but the story took a while to get going. Because the writing was so beautiful, this was only a minor complaint. The bigger issue for me was that the narrator, 13-y/old Nico, never sounded like a 13-y/old. This was unfortunate! For example, on page 42, Nico says: " every empty second was an invitation to gaze into the abyss and think how sweet it would be to jump". ---This was just one of many age-inappropriate examples.

Despite this, I am happy that I read this book, and I hope to read more books by this author.

RATING - 4/5 - COMPLETED - 10/7/08

158 - Hot Mahogany; Stuart Woods

I have been a Stuart Woods fan for years, especially the Stone Barrington series. In his most recent release: HOT MAHOGANY (as in HOT reproductions of antiques), this book drifts from NYC to the New England countryside. This book has a little bit of everything: old familiar characters, a few new ones, add a touch of amnesia and some undercover work looking for valuable reproductions and there you have it...HOT MAHOGANY. Honestly, this book left me flat.

I long for the good old Stone Barrington of days gone by.


RATING - 3/5 - COMPLETED - 10/6/08

157 - Fractured; Karin Slaughter

This is a first Karin Slaughter book for me, and only after I finished it did I realize that this was book #2 in a series (Triptych being the 1st). Honestly, I do not think it matters much whether you've read the first book. This one, alone, was enjoyable. The audio book reader was good.

The story starts out in an upper class neighborhood, a girl has been savagely murdered. In the hallway, her horrified mother stands in shattered glass, having just killed her daughter's attacker. But all is not as it appears on the surface. The body count mounting and the local community is in terror, as the killer is proving almost impossible to track down.

This book kept my interest and had some unexpected twists along the way. I plan to read more books by Slaughter in the future.

RATING - 4/5 - COMPLETED - 10/4/08

156 - Perfect Family; Pam Lewis

I enjoyed Pam Lewis' first book, Speak Softly, She Can Hear You, so I was excited to see she had a new book recently released.


In this novel, Perfect Family , 24- year old Pony telephones her oldest brother William, to the family lake house in Vermont. The two siblings have a disagreement and William leaves. Later Pony is found dead, drowned in the lake, with her infant left nearby. Pony's father assumes it was an accident, but William is not so sure, and he sets out to find out what really happened.

The author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep your interest. I did figure out how the story would end, but despite that, I'm still glad I read the book.

RATING - 4/5 - COMPLETED - 10/3/08

155 - The Numerati; Stephen Baker

Be afraid, be very afraid. In this informative book we are introduced to a new breed of mathematicians, "the numerati", who are responsible for gathering loads of private information individuals provide when they use a credit card, donate to a cause, surf the Internet, or even make a phone call. The book's chapters include:  

1. Intro
2. The Worker
3. The Shopper
4. The Voter
5. The Blogger
6. The Terrorist
7. The Patient
8. The Lover
9. Conclusion

This book is so so interesting. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Shoppers and Bloggers. One firm in New York analyzes data from web searches, and gathers some 20 billion behavioral clues on internet users each day. I also learned about an interesting Blog search engine, how political consultants target particular voters, and so much more. This non fiction book is highly recommended. RATING - 5/5 - COMPLETED - 10/1/08

My October Stack

It's hard to believe October is here already. This month's stack should be interesting. I've been looking forward to reading all of the books pictured, (and a few others). Many are for my challenges, so hopefully, this month will accomplish two goals, (pleasure and purpose)......always a bonus. I know I will not finish all of these, but I can dream :)

1. Ghosts Among Us; Van Praagh - (R.I.P. III) - 4/5
   
2. Fractured; Slaughter - (R.I.P. III Challenge) and (Fall Into Reading Challenge) - 4/5
   
3. Every Dead Thing; Connolly (R.I.P. III Challenge)
4. Exit Wounds; JA Jance
   
5. (not shown) Grace; Evans
   
6. Perfect Family; Lewis - (Unknown Authors Challenge) - 4/5
   
7. Goldengrove; Prose - (Fall Into Reading Challenge) - 4/5
   
8. Death Angel - (Fall Into Reading Challenge)
   
9. The Necklace; Jarvis - (Fall Into Reading Challenge) - 4/5
   
10. House and Home; McCleary
11. The Bible Salesman; Edgerton - (Fall Into Reading Challenge)
    
12. Dewy: The Library Cat Who Touched the World; Myron (What An Animal Challenge)
13. The Association; Little (R.I.P. III Challenge)
14. (not shown) - Do Dead People Watch You Shower?; Bertoldi - 5/5
    
15. (not shown)-The Numerati; Baker - (Fall Into Reading Challenge) - 5/5
    
16. Black Swan Green; Mitchell (What an Animal Challenge)
17. (not shown) - Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (What An Animal Challenge)
18. Fleece Navidad; Sefton - (Fall Into Reading Challenge)
19. The Seamstress; Peebles
20. A Country Called Home; Barnes
    
21. In Hovering Flight; Hinnenfeld
22. Death With Interruptions; Saramago
    
23. Virgin River; Carr (A-Z Challenge) and (Unknown Authors Challenge)
24. (not shown) - Hot Mahogany; Stuart Woods - 3/5
    
25. (not shown) - Purple Hibiscus; Adichie