I found this book at the airport. I own a few books by Iris Johansen. The first one I came across was And Then You Die. It was a bit outside of my usual reading experience and at that time I didn’t really feel like branching out so I put it aside for re-reading later on. I found another few that interested me and picked them up here and there. Then, looking around in the airport I spotted Killer Dreams
Iris Johansen fully brings to life each of the characters in this book. When I read this book, I didn’t want to put it down. This could easily be a read-in-one-sitting book. Our main character is Sophie Dunston.
Sophie Dunston had a wonderful life. She was blessed with two loving parents, a husband, and a son. A brilliant doctor and chemist, Sophie was at the top of her field and was breaking ground in research for the treatment of people who suffer from night terrors – nightmares than can become life-threatening. Working at a company that fully supported her research, Sophie had developed a miracle drug for her patients to help them get past the terrifying dreams that plagued their sleep. Ever heard the phrase “Too good to be true?” Sophie discovered that her superiors wanted her research for their own nefarious purposes – and Sophie was in the way. After leaving the company, Sophie was forced to leave all of her research behind, but she moved on.
Then tragedy struck. Read the rest of this entry »

So, I finally buckled down and got a Barnes & Noble Membership. I ripped off the Band-Aid. I bit the bullet. I couldn’t beat ‘em, so I joined ‘em. I gave up the ghost. Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him. I can’t think of anymore overused lines so I’ll stop now.
Honestly, as much money as I spend in a year on books, I’ll get the fee back several times over by the time I need to renew it again. That 10% off will come in handy, especially for my book-reviewing end of things.
The price was a little scary when coupled with the number of books I purchased along with it, but I’ll survive the shock. My shopping list from that trip, minus the membership since I’ve mentioned it, is as follows:
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
The Blood Books: Volume Two by Tanya Huff
Dead Beat: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
A Year in the World by Frances Mayes
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
and…
National Geographic for October.
And yes, I will read all of these – probably in two weeks or so.
Like I said, that Barnes & Noble Membership will come in handy.

I have finished The Boleyn Inheritance!
This is by far one of the best books I’ve ever read. Each character in the book is wonderfully written and considered. Even when the events taking place were more spaced out, the book was not a dull read. The writing style was wonderful, and there was a clear sense of each character; who they were, what they thought, their motivations and aspirations and their reactions to what was going on around them. The recitations of the events were far from dry and it brought the history and reality of the deaths, plots, and scandals that surrounded the court of Henry VII.
Strangely, his character was the most flat of the characters in the book as the story focused on the women in his life and the machinations that surrounded their ascension and fall from their positions in court. Their true and heartfelt reactions to what happened to them, and the suspense of not quite being sure what would happen, or how coupled with a convincing portrayal of the characters as real, dynamic, living human beings make for one of the most compelling books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
There were parts that almost had me in tears, parts that had me wanting to laugh but unwilling because of the enormity of the situation and parts where I had to put the book down because it was frightening to read about what was happening.
I would highly recommend this book. I know I plan to pick out another book by Phillipa Gregory as soon as I can.

I have not yet finished this book, in fact I’m not even quite to the halfway point, but so far I’m finding it much more interesting and well-written than I thought it would be. I have to admit that I bought it simply because it’s on the bestseller list and I’m hoping that, by “reviewing” at least one bestseller a month or so, I can increase readership at least a little. My opinion of bestsellers lists is not very high, mainly because my opinion of critics and the rate of literacy in this country is not very high. I admit it, I’m an elitist snob that excludes other elitists snobs because they aren’t me or one of my similar-minded friends.
So, this book came as a very refreshing and pleasant surprise. It is written in journal form, but not just Anne Frank journal form, but with writing from three different women in the court of Henry the Eighth – one of the most infamous figures in history. One woman is the new Queen Anne – Anne of Cleves, the other is Jane Boleyn who thrives on life in the court of the King, and young Katherine Howard (not sure if Howard is officially a last name for her because my knowledge of both history and these characters is limited). Jane Boleyn married the brother of the late Anne Boleyn, and thrives in the court life – and on being a Boleyn if only through marriage. She prides herself on her loyalty to court, family, and in a roundabout way, King. Katherine is a young, ambitious – and promiscuous- girl who is placed in the court as a servant of Anne of Cleves, the new Queen Anne.
Anne of Cleves is one of the most interesting characters. She wants her marriage to the King of England desperately so that she may escape the torment of living as the undesired, tormented sister to the Duke of Cleves – her brother. She succeeds in the marraige, and though she knows Henry as a “wife killer” she decides that she must go through with the marriage for the sake of her escape and later on because she loves England. However, the biggest challenge she has to face is court intrigue – which consists of many open secrets that everyone but Anne seems to know, and should be told.
As I said, I’m not very far along in the book, but I am already massively interested and I think I’ll enjoy it more because of my ignorance of history. This way, I won’t be tempted to nitpick or doubt what’s going on or how the characters behave. I can just enjoy the story – and so far I am.
I would recommend this book based on what I’ve read so far. (If anyone’s a history buff, definately comment! As much as I want to look at this unbiased by reality, I still want to know more. It’s just one of those things that got glossed over in school. )

I’ve been really busy lately, and on top of that I’ve found a new addiction to take up my time: Guild Wars. I’m thinking of “reviewing” GW here on this site since I’ve been playing so much lately.
However, you have nothing to fear because my love of reading has not dissipated. I’ve finished re-reading a few things, but more importantly I’ve read two new books recently and started a third, so I’ll try to post reviews for the following soon:

The Dream-Hunter, by Sherrilyn Kenyon
A Secret Rage, by Charlaine Harris (reissue)
The Boleyn Inheritance, by Phillipa Gregory*

*I have not yet finished The Boleyn Inheritance, but from what little I’ve read it looks like it’s going to be interesting reading!

I read this book when I was in the seventh grade, and I recently purchased my very own copy so I’m very nostalgic about this book at the moment. The entire story is based on something that a lot of people wonder about…
What if you were trapped in the wilderness with just one tool with which to survive. What tool would it be? How would it help you? How would you use it? What would you eat? How and where would you live? Could you build yourself shelter?
In Hatchet, Brian, the main character has to face all of these…as a child with nothing but a hatchet that was a gift for his birthday. Not to mention the horrific aftermath of the plane crash that left him stranded – and the only survivor. I would highly recommend this book, but I would recommend that you not give it to someone under 13, because even at that age, there were some scenarios in the book that terrified me in a morbid kind of way.
There was also a sequel, later on, entitled Brian’s Winter – which I also enjoyed. I’m not entirely certain how or where to find it because I haven’t seen it since I turned it back in to the library in my junior high….
On a scale of one to ten, I give Hatchet a ten. I’ll have to re-read it so I can give a more detailed review…