A Book in Review: Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go

Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go By: Les Ederton
Non-Fiction: Writing 256 pages
Book Count: 104

This book is all about writing a great beginning to a story.  It also deals with the rest of the story too, but it's main point is that a story must "hook" you from the start if you are going to read the rest of the book.  It uses a lot of examples from books, short stories, and movies.  It also asks agents and editors questions about what they look for as well as hate in stories. 

A Book in Review: The Misanthrope's Guide to Life (Go Away!)

The Misanthrope's Guide to Life (Go Away!) By: Meghan Rowland and Christ Turner-Neal
Non-fiction, humor 224 pages
Book Count: 103


This book is the ultimate guide for people who hate people.  It covers diverse topics like travel, work, love, holidays, death and more.  It is written by the creators of 2birds1blog.com . It also includes quizzes so you can find out if you are a misanthrope and what kind. 

A Book in Review: Twelve Sharp

Twelve Sharp By: Janet Evanovich
Fiction: Mystery 310 pages
Book Count: 102


The review of the last book is here.

In this book they are hiring more bounty hunters, and a new office worker, named Pickle.  Also Ranger is wanted for the kidnapping of his daughter.  Not that he did it, it only looks like it was him.

A Book in Review: Me, Myself and Why?

Me, Myself and Why?  A Modern Threesome By: Mary Janice Davidson

Fiction: Mystery 302 pages

Book Count:  101

This is the story of three sisters that work for a special division of the F.B.I.  Well, actually only the oldest sister does, but as they are all in one body the others show up from time to time.   And what makes the F.B.I. division so special is that they hire people with multiple personality disorder as well as other mental illnesses, so everyone there knows about the three of them.  Cadence, the main personality, is working on stopping the ThreeFer serial killer, who always kills in groups of three.  Her “sister” Shiro pops out whenever her life requires fighting, and to help put the clues together.  The last “sister” Adrienne is just crazy and her parts of the book are written in free form poems.  Along with working on this crime that seams in some way connected to her, Cadence is also trying to date.  (Which is hard to do when her one sister cancels dates on her.  And they both pop up during dates.) 

A Book In Review: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming By: Mike Brown

Non-fiction, science 255 pages

Book Count: 100

This book is written by the person whose discovery of an object larger then Pluto and farther away in this solar system resulted in Pluto no longer being called a planet.  It tells the story of his quest to find the 10^th planet, and everything that happened during it.  You learn a lot about modern astronomy in this book as well as the history of the 9 planets that we grew up with. 

A Book in Review: America’s Hidden History

America’s Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation By: Kenneth C. Davis

Non-fiction: history 234 pages

Book Count: 99

This book deals with stories of things that happened in America from the first Europeans the visit it to the early days of the USA that we don’t learn about in history class.  Each section has a timeline, quotes from people involved, the story of the event and then an afterwards.    Some of the events are things that most people have never heard about and some are detailed accounts of things that are mentioned in history classes, but not in great detail. 

An Audiobook in Review: The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs

The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs By: Alexander McCall Smith

Fiction: Humour



This book starts out when a German professor of language (or more exactly irregular Portuguese verbs) takes a trip to America to do a talk, where they were expecting a similarly named German professor of veterinary science. (Who is an expert in the sausage dog and dead.) From there things take many turns for the weird. A number of times it is clear what the twist is before it happens, but that does little to stop it from being funny, (although, it is more of a groaning at the event then laugh out loud funny.) In the end the story ends where it starts, with a sausage dog.



4Cds 4 hours

An Audiobook in Review: From Hell wih Love

From Hell wih Love By: Simon R. Green
Fiction, fantasy, paranormal

This book is part of the Secret Histories novels; however, it can be read alone.   In this book Eddie Drood is chasing after the mysterious Apocalypse Door, when his grandmother, the family matriarch is killed and he and his girlfriend are the prime suspects.  Also they learn about a family as old as the Droods that want to destroy them.  The Bride of Frankenstein also shows up in this book as do many other one of a kind characters.

10 CDs, 12 hours