Wednesday, June 30, 2010

May-June Book Count:

Number of books read: 14
Pages read: 5173
Average number of days to read a book: 4
Average number of pages read in a day: 85
Average number of books read in a month: 7
Average number of pages read in a month: 2587

A Book in Review:The Casebook of Forensic Detection

The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes By: Colin Evans
Non-fiction: science, crime, 355 pages
Book Count: 44

This case deals with the major sciences that are used to solve crimes, especially murder cases. It is divided into the major disciplines used: Ballistics, DNA typing, Psychological Profiling, Toxicology, etc. Each part starts out with a bit of info on the history and use of each science, and then list a number of cases that were solved with it starting with the earliest cases and following a chronological order. It deals with many well known cases like Sacco and Vanzetti, the Romanovs, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, the Limburg kidnapping, and the case "Fargo" was based off of. In a couple of the cases where the the court's ruling is in dispute it will point out how with the scientific evidence the jury was given it only made since that they found the defendant guilty. There is one thing that I don't like about how they set the book up. With the exclusion of three cases all cases are labeled by the guilty party's name(s). (One was investigated around 100 years after the death, one was not concern with the crime as much as identifying a family, and one was about the forged documents more then the forger.) With some of the well knows case it's logical, but I would like if it was labeled differently for the most ones, so as I read the info I don't already know who the guilty party was.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

A Book in Review: Fish out of Water

Fish out of Water By: Nary Janice Davidson
fiction: paranormal 270 pages
Book Count: 43

This is the 3rd and final book in the Fred the Mermaid series. Book two's review is the one before this and it links with the 1st book. In this book Fred is dealing with being the public face for the Underseas Folk, working on her best friend's/ boss's wedding (her boss still refuses to accept her resignation.) and her engagement to the prince of the undersea folk. Also her biological father shows up.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

A Book in Review: Swimming Without a Net

Swimming Without a Net By: Mary Janice Davidson
Fiction: Paranormal Romance 281 pages
Book Count: 42

This book is the sequel to "Sleeping with the Fishes" which we have reviewed here. This book works as a stand alone book, but is much better to read the 1st book first. In this book Fred the mermaid is called to be part of a world wide meeting of mermaids, at the request of Prince Artur, who she hasn't seen in a year, but still wants her. When there she finds that mermaid culture dictates that in order to go after a woman all suitors much have a fair chance so he has also invited Thomas, who she also has not seen in a year. Her best friend Jonas (who is still dating her boss) also joins her. At the meeting she learns more about undersea folk, as they like to be called as well as her father and is force to make major decisions both for herself and all merfolk.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

An Audio Book in Review: Abraham Lincoln : vampire hunter

Abraham Lincoln : vampire hunter By:Seth Grahame-Smith
fiction: paranormal, history

This is a book by the same person that wrote " Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". In this book we learn that Lincoln's mother was really killed by a vampire and from that time on he set out to kill them. In this book the whole civil war was really about vampires as slaves were used as food for the vampires that wanted to make America a vampire country. It was well written, but there were 2 things about it that bugged me, one which might just be do to it being an audio book. The first issue is that the story starts with the story of a writer who works at a small store. He is giving the journals of Lincoln in order to write a book about what is in them. This story fades away as the book goes on and is never picked up again. The second issue is that random sounding numbers are said a the start of different chapters, it isn't the chapter number and it doesn't seam to be noting which journal the story is from, it might be something that is easier to understand in the book format, or it could be something I missed the explanation on as I was driving while listening to it. But besides this, much like the other book by this author, if you didn't know better you would think that this was the actual story of Lincoln.


9 CD's 10 hours plus bonus documents for computer

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

A Book in Review: Encyclopedia Horrifica

Encyclopedia Horrifica - The Terrifying Truth! About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters, and More By: Joshua Gee
Non-fiction children, paranomal, 129 pages
Book Count: 41

This book is a collection of small bits of information on verious paranormal things. It includes info on historic cases of people thought to be werewolves, modren ghost hunters, Vlad the Impaler vs. vampires, government test into ESP and other facts relating to the paranormal. As you can tell by the page count it is not very encyclopedic in its scope, but it does have a lot of little intresting tidbits that would be good as a start, which as it is a childern's book would make sence.

Friday, June 11, 2010

A Note to Self: Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn By: Stephenie Meyer
fiction: YA, paranormal, 756 pages
Book Count: 40

As readers of this blog know, I have stopped reviewing the "Twilight" books.

All I have to say is "Ha,Ha! If you didn't request "Eclipse" for me it would take a while before I got it and even longer for me to get this one. Now I know what happenes and you don't! (If you didn't get that, it wasn't for you.)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

A Book in Review: The Skull of Truth

The Skull of Truth By: Bruce Coville
fiction: children's, fantasy, paranormal 195 pages
Book Count: 39

This book is part of the Magic Shop Books series. It is a read alone book, but has some of the same characters as the other's in the series. In this book Charlie happens appond the magic shop when running from bullies. In the shop he finds the skull of truth, Yorick (as in "Alas! poor Yorick. I knew him" from Hamlet.) Anyway, Yorick was cursed with only being able to tell the truth and anyone who owns him also is cursed with only being able to tell the truth. Charlie feels compeled to take the skull after looking into its eyes and asking it a question. Once he has it he wishes that he could give it back, but the magic shop has moved and the owner expects him to keep it with him until the shopkeeper comes back for it. This leads to many problems for Charlie who is a chronic lier. Also Yorick feels that there is something after them adding to Charlie's problems.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

A Book in Review: The Ape Who Guards the Balance

The Ape Who Guards the Balance By: Elizabeth Peters
Fiction: mystery, historic 542 pages
Book Count: 38

This book is part of a series which I have reviewed other book in the series here. This book is much later in the series then the other books I have reviewed. In this book they deal with the suffergette movement in England as well as trying to change female's place in Egypt in that time. There are many differnt enemies after the Peabody-Emerson family this time. And due to the ablities of the people after them they have to be on constant alert to survive.

Monday, June 07, 2010

A Book in Review: The Origin Diet

The Origin Diet by: Elizabeth Somer M.A., R.D.
Nonfiction, diet, cooking 287 pages
Book Count: 37

I got this book as the premise sounded good, things evolve slowly, and it is well documented that early farming societies were less healthy then the hunter gatherers before them. But the diet really doesn't follow the premise. Mainly she talks about why eating like a caveman is good, but the diet covers all of the major "it" diets in nutrition. 1st, it is fine with a vegetarian diet for this plan,(hunting anyone?). 2nd, it is a low fat diet. You only eat chicken, fish and wild game on this diet, because wild game doesn't contain saturated fat! It of course does. It contains less then farmed animals, but it contains less fat over all, the percent of saturated fat to total fat is about the same as any other animal. 3rd, it uses milk, which is fine for people that aren't lactose intolerant as if you aren't intolerant to lactose your body has evolved to take milk. That's why they people who can drink milk are from parts of the world that have used milk the longest. But, you only use fat-free milk, which cavemen would never have. 4th, it is crazy about soy. Soy milk is used whenever she can. Sure, some cavemen could have ate soy, but they couldn't make the types of soy in this diet; soy milk, tofu, soy sauce, etc. Also, it includes information that is incorrect on other things, which as you know makes me questions any information that I don't already know is correct.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

A Book in Review: Three to Get Deadly

Three to Get Deadly By: Janet Evanovich
fiction: mystery 300 pages
Book Count: 36

This is book three in the series that I reviewed book two of about 2-3 days ago. In this one she gets the job of bringing in an elderly man who was charged with a illegal concealed gun charge. (Which, everyone in her neighborhood considers a stupid charge as many people have guns hidden somewhere on them, and never bother to get the permit for it.) Anyway, he is also the beloved candy store owner in town. So, at first everyone that she knows is upset at her for trying to bring him in. Then she finds that he is connected with bigger crimes in the area. As the body count rises her neighbors are less mad at her picking on an old sweet man, but there are now masked men determined to stop her from finding him.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

A Note to Self: Eclipse

Eclipse By: Stephenie Meyer
Fiction: YA, paranormal 629 pages
Book count: 35

I would like to note I only read this book now because SOMEBODY insisted that I do so, going so far as to use my library account info to request it on my account. As far as storyline if you don't know what happens the movie is coming out soon.