Book #30 – I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason – the end
Cece Caruso has some problems. She’s working on a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner but has a major case of writers block. Her daughter has just announced she’s splitting up with her perfect-for-her husband. And she just can’t get rid of those darn slugs in her front yard. What Cece needs is a distraction. What better than to look into a case that was brought to ESG, but he never took on? The fact that it’s a murder case just makes it all that more interesting.
So…what to say about I Dreamed of Perry Mason by Susan Kandel. Overall, I can say that it was okay. The plot did have a couple good twists in it and I did want to see how all the different facts came together (even if some of them were a stretch). However, I wasn’t too fond of Cece. I found I liked her much more when I pictured Lauren Graham playing her. She’s the only person I could think of who could really pull this off – yup, I think she could bring a lot to the role.
Back to the book. It would probably make a good beach read. It’s light, it has some fun parts, and it doesn’t make you think too hard. But unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll continue on with the series. Which is really too bad because all the titles are so catchy and the covers are wonderful, they make a very enticing package.
My rating: 6/10
Book #30 – I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason
Another day, another book.
Earlier this week I started I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason by Susan Kandel. It’s the first book the Cece Caruso Mysteries series, which I heard of from Anastasia. The series focusses on Cece Caruso, a former beauty queen from New Jersey who now lives in LA and writes biographies of mystery writers. She’s run into a bit of writer’s block while working on her most recent piece: a biography on Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason. To fight it (or distract herself from it) she’s decided to do a little investigatory work herself and starts looking into a case that ESG seemed to have given up on. A murder case that happened 45 years ago.
So far the book is okay. It’s light & fluffy with a bit of intrigue mixed in.
Book #28 – Hot Six – the end
That’s right, no updates for this one, just straight to the end.
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is at it again. Inadvertently caught in the middle of a mob dispute, she does what only Stephanie can do: climbs trees, tampers with crime scenes, and causes a riot at a Trekkie convention. All without losing any volume in her super-teased hair.
Hot Six is yet another laugh-out-loud installment of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. And yes, I did laugh out loud to the point that I was getting interesting looks from people around me. It’s been quite a few months since the last book I read in the series, and this one definitely did not let me down.
All the familiar characters come out to play: Grandma Mazur (Stephanie’s grandma who seems to think she’s actually Stephanie’s younger sister), Joe Morelli (local cop/sometimes bf), Ranger (bounty hunting mentor), and Lula (Stephanie’s parter in crime, er, I mean crime fighting). They’re joined by some fun new characters who make the story all that much more enjoyable. Mobsters Mitchell and Habib are an entertaining duo, as are the stoner stolen goods dealers, Mooner & Dougie.
The only complaint I have about Hot Six is that the ending seemed rushed. At the time I was okay with the quick ending because I had some fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies waiting for me. But now that the brownies have been digested and I’ve had time to think about the book, I’m kind of disappointed by how everything wrapped up. The plot moved at a good pace throughout the book, picked up a bit near the end, and then Evanovich hit the brakes and in about 5 pages it was all over.
My final impression is that Hot Six was like that chocolate bar you treat yourself to now and then: It’s thoroughly enjoyable, but before you know it, it’s all gone and you’re left wanting more. Now I have to use some self control so I don’t devour 9 more of them.
My rating: 8/10
Book #28 – Hot Six
As much as I loved Jane Eyre, I’m ready for a new book. Preferably something light and funny. So, it’s a good thing that up next is Hot Six, the sixth book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.
The Stephanie Plum series is an outright guilty pleasure of mine. The books are completely fluffy, slightly trashy, somewhat formulaic, but oh so much fun.
I first came across this series last summer. I didn’t like the first book (One For The Money) and the only reason I kept reading was because the copy I had borrowed from the library contained books 1-3. However, once I got into book #2 (Two For The Dough) I was hooked.
The books are about Stephanie Plum, NJ bounty hunter, who I would describe as a gutsy coward. She puts up a tough front, but underneath it all she’s terrified of most of the people she goes after (and her gun, which she hides in the cookie jar).
I have no idea what Hot Six is about, but I’m sure it’ll be entertaining.
Book #25 – Dead Until Dark – the end
After I had read the first few chapters of Dead Until Dark, I said to my husband: Why is Twilight so popular when this series is around? I got one answer to that question shortly after. Twilight is Young Adult to the core, while the Southern Vampire Mysteries are definitely more adult.
The main characters are Sookie, telepathic waitress, and Bill, first vampire in town. Despite being beat up a couple times, I liked that Sookie was used to facing things by herself and could stand her own ground. I also like that, at least at first, she wasn’t swayed by Bill’s “glamor” and didn’t immediately fall for him. That part reminded me of the episode of Friends when Joey’s trying to woo his new roommate (Janine played by Elle Machpherson) and when he pulls out his no-fail line “How you doin’?” she just says, “Oh, I’m okay.” However, it doesn’t take all that long for Sookie to jump into bed with Bill, and then they never really get out.
The story was pretty entertaining and I liked the extra flavour the local town’s people added to the book. I also liked the inclusion of the other vampires, especially the ones at the vampire club, and am looking forward to seeing how they are incorporated into the rest of the series.
I’ll most likely continue reading the Southern Vampire Mysteries since I’m a sucker for series. After reading stand-alone books, I often wonder what happens to the characters when the current story ends, how do their lives continue, what other troubles find them, how do they defeat new obstacles? Or do they live happily ever after? And if so, what does that happily ever after look like for them? I love that series answer some of these questions and let me look into the characters lives a bit more.
As for my rating for Dead Until Dark, I’m going to hand out another 7.8. It was definitely Pretty Good, and was getting close enough to Very Interesting that I read it in under a week. However, that could have also been because it’s an easy read.
Next up: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. Woot!
Book #25 – Dead Until Dark – update 1
Once there was a girl who didn’t really fit in with the people around her and always felt she was on the outskirts of normal society. Then she meets a handsome vampire who she falls madly in love with and he with her because she is different. Girl also has an old friend who, once vampire is in the picture, realizes that he too is in love with Girl. But he is a shapeshifter, mortal enemy of vampire, so Girl can’t have both in her life.
Sound familiar?
I’ve only read one other vampire series before in my life (Twilight), so I’m not quite sure, but is this a common, basic plot line in all vampire stories?
Anyway, apart from that (and a couple other flaws I will get into in my next post) and I’m still enjoying Dead Until Dark, and really want to start watching the TV show True Blood when I’m done.
Book #25 – Dead Until Dark
I’ve decided on Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris as my next book. It was recommended by another blogger who has already read an insane amount of books this year, so I feel she has a pretty good handle on popular fiction.
Dead Until Dark is the first book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series, which the HBO series True Blood is based on. The book tells the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in Louisiana who can read minds. In Sookie’s world vampires have been out of hiding, and in the news, for a few years and she has been eagerly waiting to meet one herself. Then one night a real, live (dead?) vampire walks into the bar she works at and sits down at one of her tables…
