Thursday, October 6, 2011

Books - and a little review!

I said this blog would be about books, too, remember? (not just knitting and food!)  I love, Love, LOVE to read.  Maybe even a little more than knitting.(gasp!)  I have lots of different book interests but mostly I like murder mystery/action/thriller books.  My current favorite author is Lee Child and his recurring character, Jack Reacher.   Can't wait to read The Affair ( The Affair: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher) ), which is a prequel to the other Jack Reacher books.   Loved the Dennis Lehane books.  I will also often read what is out there that is popular -- The Help, for example. (Loved it.)  I tried reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. ( The Girl with the Dragon TattooMystery Books))  Got bored.  Might try again another time (could have been my mood - for 200 pages...).

I just finished Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich and it was great.  I have read every book in this series, starting with One for the Money, and can't wait for #18.   And so you get a series review:

Stephanie Plum, the recurring main character, is an amateur bounty hunter with lots of quirks and vulnerabilities.  She has a gun, but keeps it at home in the cookie jar, not with her when she's apprehending a "skip".   Her family has it's quirks too, including her hot-to-trot grandmother, whose favorite thing to do is go to viewings at the local funeral home.  Then there is Lula, Stephanie's self-appointed sidekick, who is hilarious in everything she does.   And finally, Morelli and Ranger, the two men in Stephanie's love life, between whom she cannot choose.  And the reader can't either!  Each book has a certain mystery that unfolds as Stephanie goes about her work as a bounty hunter.  She invariably gets caught up in trying to "help" solve the mystery.  These books are laugh-out-loud funny, but also have touching moments, and they are always exciting as Stephanie's adventures unfold. 

Try them!  You do not need to start with the first book since each one basically catches you up, however starting at the beginning gives you a sense of Stephanie's progression over time as a bounty hunter, as well as why she can't choose between Ranger and Morelli.

If you'd like to purchase Smokin Seventeen or any of these books, you can find them for a good price on Amazon here:
Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum NovelWomen Sleuths Books)  or:



I'm currently reading a book that one of the blogs I follow said I HAVE to read.  I'm determining if, in fact, that is true and if I can pass along the same enthusiasm to you.  Not telling which blog and what book yet.  Stay tuned...

3 comments:

  1. Don't forget, Liz: Stephanie's grandmother ALSO CARRIES A GUN !!! LOL. What a character :). And, like you said, the mysteries are like "mystery thrillers" with humor woven in and out - can't help the humor, given all the bonko personalities LOL!!!

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  2. Hated The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, so I wouldn't bother giving it another try. Do you think it's better to read the Jack Reacher books in the order they were written??

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  3. I didn't read the Jack Reacher books in order (haven't read them all yet) and I don't think I missed anything. The books fill in his history as needed.

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