Month: October 2015

Audiobook Review – The Kill Switch by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood

~ Erika K ~ 1 Comment

The Killswitch by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood
Narrated by Scott Aiello

Tucker Wayne #1

The Kill Switch (Tucker Wayne, #1)Description from Goodreads:

Who does the U.S. government call upon when a mission requires perfect stealth, execution, and discretion? Meet the newest recruits to the expanding Sigma Force universe—former Army Ranger Tucker Wayne and his stalwart companion, Kane, a military working dog of exceptional abilities — in:

THE KILL SWITCH

The mission seems simple enough: extract a pharmaceutical magnate from Russian soil, a volatile man who holds the secret to a deadly bioweapon. But nothing is as it appears to be. A conspiracy of world-shattering scope unravels as Tucker and Kane struggle to keep one move ahead of their deadly enemies.

Genre: Thriller / Adventure
Rating: **** (4 of 5 stars)

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It’s National Chocolate Day!

~ Erika K ~ 24 Comments

National Chocolate Day - October 28

And if that isn’t enough reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is. So have a cup of  hot cocoa with your book this afternoon, add a little mocha to that coffee, or indulge in a sweet treat after dinner tonight. And if you don’t happen to have any of that on hand, here is some virtual chocolate for you to enjoy today.

ChocolateDay

What are you reading Wednesday – 10/28/15

~ Erika K ~ 6 Comments

What are you reading Wednesday – 10/28/15

whatareyoureadingwed

What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by It’s A Reading Thing. To participate, open the book you are currently reading to page 34 (or 34% in your ebook) and answer these three questions.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

Now for my answers this week…

I’m still reading a few of the books I’ve previously posted, but after yesterday’s list of cozy mysteries I felt the need to read one…

1. Cover Story by Erika Chase
Cover Story (Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery, #3)
An Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery – #3

2. She stopped by the nursing station to see if she could find out anything else about Molly’s condition but they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, add to what she already knew.

3. I wouldn’t mind living in the small southern town of Ashton Corners. For the most part, the people are agreeable, the weather is fine, they have both a bookstore and a great public library. That would be all I’d need!

Top Ten Halloween Themed Cozy Mysteries

~ Erika K ~ 29 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday they post a new Top Ten list prompt. This week’s list is a Halloween Freebie. I do enjoy reading spooky books at this time of year, but I also love to read fall themed cozies. I always have a stack of cozy mysteries on my night stand – I find them to be somewhat quick reads, and usually very enjoyable. With that said, here’s my list of the Top Ten Halloween Themed Cozy Mysteries. Let me know if you have a favorite Halloween mystery (cozy or not!) or leave a link to your top ten post in the comments.

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Thursday Quotables: Eleonora by Edgar Allan Poe

~ Erika K ~ 8 Comments

Since I had no review to post today, I decided to join Bookshelf Fantasies in the Thursday Quotables meme.

quotation-marks4

This isn’t actually from a book that I’m reading right now, but today’s #fallbookchallenge post on Instagram was a “favorite classic scary book”. I prefer gothic or atmospheric horror, so I chose Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Poe. That got me thinking about my favorite Poe stories, and this quote that I love:

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”  

~from Eleonora by Edgar Allan Poe 

 



Now be sure to visit Bookshelf Fantasies for links to more quotes!

 

 

 

What are you reading Wednesday – 10/21/15

~ Erika K ~ 3 Comments

What are you reading Wednesday – 10/21/15

whatareyoureadingwed

What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by It’s A Reading Thing. (I’ve noticed that the last post on their site is from 10/7 – hopefully it is just a temporary hiatus!) To participate, open the book you are currently reading to page 34 (or 34% in your ebook) and answer these three questions.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

Now for my answers this week…

As usual, I am reading several, but here’s one I haven’t mentioned yet…

1. The Victim by Eric Matheny
The Victim

2. Forgive me, but I don’t have the book with me right now so I can’t grab a quote! Here’s part of the Goodreads description instead, and I’ll come back later and add my sentences from page 34.

In the spring of 2003 on a desolate stretch of Arizona highway, Anton Mackey’s life was changed forever. A reckless decision to get behind the wheel when he was in no condition to drive spawned a moment that threatened to destroy everything the 21 year-old had spent his life working toward. In an instant, Anton made a decision to save himself. A decision that claimed the lives of two people.

UPDATE: Ok – finally came back to add my sentences! There’s nothing too exciting happening on page 34 though…

“She gathered a few stems in her fingers, pulled them out, creating a small bouquet. She slid the hair tie of her ponytail and used it to bind the stems.”

3. Takes place in modern day Miami – I wouldn’t mind visiting, but I can’t take the humidity so I have to say no, I wouldn’t want to live there.

Be sure to tell me what you are reading or leave a link to your post in the comments! And before I go….I just wanted to point out that today is National Reptile Awareness Day, in case you were not aware. You’re welcome. 🙂
National Reptile Awareness Day - October 21

Audiobook Review – The Hidden Child by Camilla Läckberg

~ Erika K ~ 2 Comments

The Hidden Child by Camilla Läckberg
Narrated by Simon Vance

Fjällbacka Series #5

The Hidden Child (Patrik Hedström, #5)Description from Goodreads:

Crime writer Erica Falck is shocked to discover a Nazi medal among her late mother’s possessions. Haunted by a childhood of neglect, she resolves to dig deep into her family’s past and finally uncover the reasons why.

Her enquiries lead her to the home of a retired history teacher. He was among her mother’s circle of friends during the Second World War but her questions are met with bizarre and evasive answers. Two days later he meets a violent death. Detective Patrik Hedström, Erica’s husband, is on paternity leave but soon becomes embroiled in the murder investigation. Who would kill so ruthlessly to bury secrets so old?

Genre: Mystery
Rating: **** (4 of 5 stars)

Had I realized when I picked it up that this was the 4th book in a series, I would have looked for the first book to start at the beginning. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything starting at this point in the story, however. The relationships between characters were either evident or explained well enough that you can easily read or listen to this book without having read the previous books, and not feel lost.

A lot of Swedish crime fiction has a particular melancholy feel to it, and The Hidden Child is no exception. The author did injected occasional brief moments of humor into the story that helped lighten the mood, however, and they kept it from feeling too dark.

The story is told in both in the present, and through flashbacks, in the time around WW2. It follows the police investigation into the murder of a local historian, as well as the family drama unfolding as Erica Faulk digs into her mother’s past. The two series of events turn out to be more intertwined than anyone could have imagined, and even though I could see where it was going, the story didn’t give everything away at once and I didn’t really know what had happened until the end.

Making the story even more enjoyable to listen to, Simon Vance did a great job narrating. He has a smooth, even voice that fit the story perfectly. He also either speaks Swedish or spent some quality time learning how to pronounce the Swedish names and places in the book! 🙂

If you are a fan of police procedural and / or historical mysteries, give this one a try!