Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Witch and Wizard is another hit by James Patterson. Is it possible that he can produce something with his name on it and it NOT be a hit?

Wisty and Whit, witch and wizard, find themselves kidnapped by a new government and have no idea why. They are unaware of their magical powers because their parents never mentioned it to them. Follow them thru their ordeal of imprisonment, escape and helping of others in this fast-paced novel.

There's nothing like leaving the reader hanging on--especially when the last words of the book are To be continued....

I cannot wait to see what happens next.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

I know it's been forever since I've posted. I have read some things, but I'm a little out of the reading mode I've been in for the last 5 years. This book, though, is worth a review.

I watched The Scarlet Pimpernel in my freshman French class in high school and loved the movie. At that time I had no idea it was actually a book. When the leader of our classics book discussion group chose this, I was very excited.

From the moment I picked the book up I couldn't put it down. Sir Percy and Lady Margeurite Blakeney are a couple that shares so many misunderstandings, yet there is still an underlying love for each other.

The story is set in the 1790's in France and England. The French are killing off many of the aristocrats and someone, The Scarlet Pimpernel, is finding ways to enter France and rescue many of them before they meet their fate at the guillotine. No one knows who he is, but he is very popular among the ladies because of his mysterious ways. Throughout the book many daring rescues happen while the French are striving to uncover and expose this elusive man.

While all of this is going on, Lady Margeurite is trying to figure out why her husband has changed so much since they were married and is often caught up in the scheming ways of Chauvelin, a Frenchman. She is shocked when she learns certain truths after she has been forced to help Chauvelin in order to save her brother's life.

I definitely recommend this book. After reading it, I was able to watch the movie again and loved it all over again. It doesn't follow the book exactly, but it is a wonderful movie.

Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson

WOW! I can finally say that as much as I always enjoy reading James Patterson's books that Alex Cross's Trial has to be the best one he's ever written.

This book is about the racism that existed in this country a hundred years ago. It still exists today, but my hope is that everyday it shrinks into the background, and we all realize that everyone is created equally regardless of skin color.

Alex Cross writes this story about a distant relative and the pain and suffering his family endured during the early 1900s in the South. So many people of that time were set against the intermingling of the African-Americans into their society unless they were working for them. This book points out the many problems that existed. The white man was very fearful of the black man taking jobs away from them and looked down on them as second class citizens for many, many years.

Not all white men felt this way though. The lawyer in this book took it upon himself to defend black men and their families. He went south from D.C. to his home town to experience the horrors first hand of the beatings and lynchings. He was appalled by the fact that these were the people he had grown up with, and they were the ones responsible for so many unspeakable acts.

Patterson really hit on a topic this time. I feel like today we, as a society, still struggle with the whole race issue at times, but we have made great strides in alleviating the problem. We still have a long way to go, but I think as each generation becomes more and more tolerant we will achieve the goal of acceptance for everyone.

Undone by Karin Slaughter

Let me start with saying that after I read the last book in the Grant County series of Karin Slaughter's I was ready to come UNDONE! My friend suggested this series a few years ago and ever since I've been reading them there has been something that just makes me want to scream. After finishing Beyond Reach late one night I almost called her up to just scream---WHY????????

Ok, so now I will go on. Undone has a page at the beginning that says "To my readers.....thank you for trusting me." Hmmm....trusting you--she drives me crazy, but in a way that always keeps me coming back., but at least everything was settled from the last book in the first few pages.

I really liked this one much better. Sara is in a good place. Characters from previous Atlanta series books are combined with the Grant County ones and it goes quite well.

Event though I'm always getting frustrated when I read her books; she does it so well. I keep coming back for more and if you start the series you will too. You can't wait to find out what twist will appear in the pages to come!

Great book!

Cherry Bomb by J.A. Konrath

Happy! Happy! Happy! How else can I describe how I felt when Cherry Bomb finally arrived in our interlibrary loan delivery. I, and probably many others out there who read J.A. Konrath's Jack Daniels series, have been anxiously awaiting a long YEAR to find out who died at the end of the last book. Talk about a cliffhanger!

Thank goodness, he didn't make us wait too long to find out. Cherry Bomb opens at the cemetery and I guess that's all I can tell you now. It would be so wrong to let you know on here. Suffice it to say that the evil serial killer Alex is still around and ready to murder again and as many people as she feels necessary until she gets to her true target!

I pretty much read the book straight thru and stayed up until I was done. It was totally worth it! Get ready for murder, monkeys and madness! Let me know what you think. I LOVE these books! Now I wait again......

Border Music by Robert James Waller

As I was browsing thru the stacks in our library I found a Robert James Waller book that I had not read--Border Music. He is the author of Bridges of Madison County and High Plains Tango. I loved those books and thought why not try this one. I was not disappointed, plus this is a definite case of you can't judge a book by it's cover. This one is not appealing to me in the least and I must admit, covers play a big factor in what I pick up to read.

Border Music is about a man who drifts thru life and happens upon a woman who he immediately falls for. They start to make a life together and then his past comes back to haunt their future.

I'm not sure how to describe it, but Waller has a way of writing that gets me everytime. It's like I "know" what he is writing about.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich has done it again! Finger Lickin' Fifteen is another hit for her. The humor she is able to put into the pages of her books is unbelievable. I was sitting on my front porch reading and laughing out loud as people driving by were looking at me strangely. Stephanie, Morelli, RANGER (Whom I love), Lula, and Grandma Mazur combine to make a comedy you will totally enjoy!