"Tenth of December" by George Saunders (audio book)

This audio book is a collection of short stories read by the author. I think that is pretty cool. He does a great job! The three main stories are very good, especially the Tenth of December (the last one). The other two main stories are pretty good too, especially the first one, "Victory Lap"! The other stories I did not like so much. The language at times is rough, which I didn't care for. Overall though, based on the strength of "Tenth of December" I give it four stars.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Predator" by Terri Blackstock

Predator by Terri Blackstock is a contemporary fiction page-turner about online security.  When Krista’s 14-yr-old younger sister, Ella, is murdered, Krista is horrified to find discover that Ella gave up-to-the-minute details about her whereabouts on the social media GrapeVyne (similar to Facebook).  Krista is determined to find her killer and warn others about posting so much personal stuff online, especially one’s whereabouts.  The killer continues going after more girls and the suspense builds as Krista becomes his next target. 

I enjoyed this book because it moved along and addressed an important issue in an interesting way.  The ending wasn’t very believable but overall it is a good read.  It shows the importance of not posting things on-line that you wouldn’t want a predator to see.  Don’t think only your friends see what you post!  

(Karen's review 2/26/13)

Predator by Terri Blackstock should serve as a warning to people, especially young girls who put way too much information online.  Bad guys are out there and this book tells the story of one of them.  This book is a real page turner.  You can quickly identify with all the characters in the story.  The writing is very good and there are a lot of interesting twists and turns.  It goes fast--a very good read!
(Gerard's review 6/19/10)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Fifth Assassin" by Brad Meltzer

The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer is on the "Best Sellers" list for a reason--it is that good!  Someone is re-creating down to the last detail the four assassinations of the four presidents that were in office.  Now, there is going to be a fifth one.  The question is who is doing this and will the fifth attempt be successful?  It is hard to know the bad guys from the good guys in this one and the plot twists are eye popping!

At 654 pages (large print) this is no light read.  The book took four years to finish and it shows.  This one kept me turning pages and the ending is the best of all!  I loved it and recommend it! 
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers: "Predator" and "The Fifth Assassin"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser.   

Karen's

The killer had access to this information, and he was somewhere here, hidden among her GrapeVyne friends. Krista clicked on Ella's Friends and saw a list with pictures of over eleven hundred people.

From page 20 of Predator by Terri Blackstock.

Gerard's

Almost on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Looking down, President Wallace pulled it out just enough to read the newest text onscreen:
How's my funeral going? Dr. Stewart Palmiotti asked.

From page 5 of The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer.

Happy Reading!

"In Need of a Good Wife" by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Light and Entertaining

In Need of a Good Wife by Kelly O'Connor McNees is a post-civil war historical fiction novel about mail-order brides seeking a new start. When Clara sees an ad for wives needed in Nebraska, she sees it as a business opportunity and becomes matchmaker for women in Manhattan who want a new start and are willing to go to Nebraska. She contacts the mayor of the Nebraska town, Destination, and when the gentlemen seeking wives write, she tells the women about them and they correspond for months before their trip. The story focuses on Clara, Elsa, an older lady who was a laundress most of her life who never married and Rowena, the prettiest in town who is a broke widow with a father in an asylum in need of money to take care of him.

I loved this book because it is unpredictable and filled with interesting characters. Some of the marriages panned out nicely while others did not, but the plot thickens when Clara was unable to deliver what she promised and the gentlemen without brides want their money back and charge her with fraud! My favorite character was Elsa. This one has discussion questions in the back and would make for a good book club selection.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!