The Shattered World by Michael Reaves

First sentence:

"He was running, had always been running."

Description:

"A millennium ago, the Necromancer unleashed cataclysm upon the world. Shattered into a thousand pieces, the fragmented planet is held together only by the great spells of the ancient sorcerers. But in a thousand years even spells grow old. . .

Beorn, a shape changer who is half man, half bear, has fallen into the sinister clutches of Ardatha the sorceress, whose mission requires his skills as a master thief. Her goal: to make Earth whole again. And she will stop at nothing--even the resurrection of the Necromancer--to fulfill her destiny. . ." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

Normally, quest fantasies have the characters trying to save the village or region or their world. With multiple worlds orbiting each other, I found this fantasy novel that much more compelling. I look forward to reading the sequel, The Burning Realm.

Date read: 3/29/2011
Book #: 15
Series: Shattered World, #1
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0708881718
ISBN-13: 9780708881712
Publisher: Futura
Year: 1984
# of pages: 413
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Restless Dead by Hugh B. Cave

First sentence:

"Aboard Barracuda II, inbound off the east coast of Florida, a small white man with a pimply face thrusts his head up from the boat's engine room and says in a whine, 'Joe--jeez--I can't find out what's wrong with this thing!'"


Description:

"A curse lingers over the Everol mansion--a voodoo curse, born of evil, steeped in blood. The tormented family who lives in this house of horrors is beset by insanity, visions. . .and death. They have shut themselves off from the world, allowing no one to trespass on their blighted property. No one except Jeff Gordon, a university professor with a special knowledge of voodoo and the occult. Reluctantly, in desperation, the Everol family has permitted Gordon to enter the mansion. But all Gordon's experience could never prepare him for the unearthly creatures that await him thee--or the ultimate terror of the mysterious caves beneath the house." -- from the back cover


My thoughts:

I liked this voodoo horror story. I especially liked how Jeff helped the Everol family get rid of the creatures that were haunting there home.

Date read: 3/26/2011
Book #: 14
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Horror

ISBN-10: 0843950832X
ISBN-13: 9780843950823
Publisher: Leisure Books
Year: 2003
# of pages: 339
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Desperate Measures by Robert Tine

First sentence:

"They didn't come along all that often but this was one of those stories that the news directors of television stations just loved to get their hooks into--one of those stories that had just about everything, a story tailor-made for television news."

Description:


"Desperate: 1. Rash or violent out of despair. 2. Almost hopeless, grave. 3. Overpowering, intense.

Frank Connor's nine-year-old son has a rare form of leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant, he will die--and time is running out. After no suitable donors are found, Frank risks his career as a San Francisco cop by illegally hacking into a Federal law enforcement computer. But he finds what he is looking for...

His name is Pete McCabe, a murderer incarcerated in America's toughest prison. His DNA is the closest match. If Frank can get him to do the transplant, his son's life will be saved--and he has a plan to get McCabe to do just that.

But McCabe also is no ordinary killer. He is a pure sociopath with a genius IQ who has spent too many years behind bars. And he has a plan of his own..." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this "cat-and-mouse" thriller with both the cop and con manipulating each other. After I read the book, I saw the movie that the book was based on. I noticed that some scenes that were briefly described in the book was shown in the movie, and that the book had a few extra scenes the movie didn't have.

Date read: March 18, 2011
Book #: 13
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 1572973498
ISBN-13: 9781572973497
Publisher: Boulevard Books
Year: 1997
# of pages: 213
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Fisherman's Son by Michael Koepf

First sentence:

"In a life raft, in the night, pushed by wind, Neil Kruger drifts on."

Description:

"Drifting in a life raft off the northern California coast after a horrifying shipwreck, Neil Kruger retreats from his fear by recalling scenes from his childhood as the son of a commercial fisherman out of Half Moon Bay. Lost at sea, he finds his truest self in his vivid memories: his powerful attachment to his father, a man who can predict storms by looking at the stars; his painful estrangement from his mother, who works at the local cannery; his fascination with the hard lives and warm wit of a host of fellow fishermen. From its arresting first paragraphs to its shattering ending, this enthralling tale combines the lyrical storytelling of The English Patient with the muscular excitement of The Perfect Storm, Michael Koepf has created a triumphant novel about our lifelines to childhood and the pull of the sea." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a gripping book about family and self-discovery. I liked how Neil learned that while his father had flaws, he still had important lessons to impart.

Date read: 3/17/2011
Book #: 12
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0767902440
ISBN-13: 9780767902441
Publisher: Broadway Books
Year: 1998
# of pages: 289
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder

First sentence:

"One name recorded here, in these scrolls that make up my history of Krynn, has become a byword for corruption and monumental evil throughout the continent of Ansalon: Lord Soth of Dargaard Keep."

Description:

"On the fabled world of Krynn, Lord Soth finally learns that there is a price to pay for his long history of evil deeds, a price even an undead warrior might find horrifying.

Dark powers transport Soth to Barovia, and there the death knight must face the dread minions of Count Strahd Von Zarovich, the vampire lord of the nightmare land. But with only a captive Vistani woman and an untrustworthy ghost for allies, Lord Soth soon discovers that he may have to join forces with the powerful vampire if he is ever to escape the realm of terror." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this dark fantasy in which even the evil Lord Soth can, at times, have some redeeming qualities. I look forward to reading the next book, The Spectre of the Dark Rose.


Date read: 3/6/2011
Book #: 11
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Series: Terror of Lord Soth, #1
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Dark Fantasy

ISBN-10: 1560761563ISBN-13: 9781560761563
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Year: 1991
# of pages: 313
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Murder in E Minor by Robert Goldsborough

First sentence:
"Nero Wolfe and I have argued for years about whether the client who makes his first visit to us before or after noon is more likely to provide an interesting--and lucrative--case."

Description:

"When a maestro is murdered, Archie is flabbergasted when the gargantuan gourmet detective lifts himself out of retirement, amid a juicy public scandal. Wolfe and Archie feast on suspects yet starve for facts--until the scanty clues finally arrange themselves like notes on a score, and Wolfe recognizes a dark melody that only a murder virtuoso could perform." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was my first Nero Wolfe read, and it won't be the last. I enjoyed how Wolfe and Archie gradually solved the case and confronted the real killer.

Date read: 3/6/2011
Book #: 10
Series: Nero Wolfe, #48
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Mystery

ISBN-10: 0553261207

ISBN-13: 9780553261202

Publisher: Bantam Books
Year: 1986
# of pages: 196

Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Dewey Decimal Challenge 2011

Dewey Decimal Challenge

When: January 1 - December 31, 2011
What: Read at least one nonfiction book to reach the following levels:

Dilettante--Read 1 non-fiction book.
Explorer--Read 2
Seeker--Read 3
Master--Read 4

I'll add my books as I read them. Who know what level I'll reach?

Deborah Wearing. Forever Today -- finished 1/25/2011
Matthew Battles. Library: An Unquiet History -- finished 3/3/2011

Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles

First sentence:

"When I first went to work in Harvard's Widener Library, I immediately made my first mistake: I tried to read the books."

Description:

"Throughout the ages, libraries have not only accumulated and preserved but also shaped, inspired, and obliterated knowledge. Matthew Battles, a rare books librarian and a gift narrator, 'entertainingly traces the evolution of the library through the centuries,' [New York Times Book Review] from Boston to Baghdad, from classical scriptoria to medieval monasteries, from the Vatican to the British library, from socialist reading rooms and rural home libraries to the Information Age." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this engaging book about libraries, books, writing and knowledge. I liked learning about how writing on bamboo stalks influenced the look of Asian writing and how Antonio Panizzi changed the card catalog "...from an inventory to an instrument of discovery" [p. 130].

Date read: 3/3/2011

Book #: 9

Challenge: Dewey Decimal Challenge 2011

Rating: 3*/5 = good

Genre: nonfiction

ISBN-10: 093325644

ISBN-13: 9780393325645

Publisher: W.W. Norton

Year: 2003

# of pages: 214
Binding: Trade Paperback

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Dark of the Eye by Douglas Clegg

First sentence:

"He had never killed a child before."

Description:

"A tragi accident left eleven-year-old Hope Stewart with an extraordinay power that is both blessing and curse. Her touch alone can heal those suffering from horrifying afflictions. . .or subject them to an unspeakable fate. Now, a once-innocent child has become the prey in a monstrous hunt. Her scientist father is determined to exploit her frightening gift, a relentless government agent is out to kill her--and a damaged soul called Monkey vows to deliver her to the mercies of the fiendish forces he serves. . . ." - from the back cover

My thoughts:

This book was more than a typical horror tale of monsters. Every character had reasons for their actions, even if I did not always agree with them.

Date read: 3/2/2011
Book #: 8
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Horror

ISBN-10: 067173539X
ISBN-13: 9780671735395
Publisher: Pocket Books
Year: 1994
# of pages: 325
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Die Trying by Lee Child

First sentence:

Nathan Rubin died because he got brave.

Description:

"Jack Reacher is an innocent bystander -- in the wrong place at the wrong time -- when a woman is kidnapped. Now he's at the mercy of a group of men demanding an impossible ransom, for this mysterious woman is worth far more than Reacher ever suspected. And though she doesn't ask for his help, he's going to give it to her....

Because ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a hero. He's used to saving lives. But this time he's going to take a few before he's through." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a good suspenseful thriller. I liked the interaction between Reacher and Holly Johnson as they both try to escape and figure out who captured them and why. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Tripwire.

Date read: 3/1/2011
Book #: 7
Series: Jack Reacher, #2
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0515125024
ISBN-13: 9780515125023
Publisher: Jove
Year: 1999
# of pages: 422
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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