Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Odd Thomas is definitely added to my list of favorite characters. He is a very unusual guy. Start with his quirky sense of humor. Add in his ability to see ghosts and that he has a ghost dog as a companion. Finally, who can resist a quirky character with supernatural abilities that saves the world from certain destruction?

Odd Thomas had an unusual start to life when his parents named him Todd but a mistake on the birth certificate pronounced him as Odd. His parents never bothered to change it and he has been Odd ever since. Odd is a fry cook that drifts from one job to another as the need arises. Odd Hours finds him working for an OCD millionaire in a beach front mansion. Odd takes a walk on a pier and meets a mysterious girl and somehow gets entangled in a murderous plot to take over the world. As you think the story gets a little predictable, an unimagined twist takes over and leaves you gasping to see what will happen next.

Dean Koontz has created a memorable character in Odd Thomas. Although I started with the fourth Odd novel, I am sure I will go back and read the other three. Dean Koontz leaves you wanting more.


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Certain Girls

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cannie, from Good in Bed, is back and her daughter Joy is now 12 years old. Cannie can't understand what is going on with the daughter that used to be so happy and to enjoy her mother's company. Not only does Joy have to deal with the usual trials and tribulations of growing up but now she learns that her classmates have read the bestseller that her mom wrote years ago. Joy is horrified to learn that the book was about her mother's breakup with Joy's real dad, Bruce. How much of the story is fiction - and how much is real? As Joy prepares for her own bat mitzvah, she pushes her mother away as she delves into family secrets. Joy and Cannie are on an emotional rollercoaster.

Although I would put Certain Girls in the Chic Lit category, Jennifer Weiner doesn't waste your time talking about the latest Prada fashions. She examines complex family issues and makes you aware of many sides of a matter. She makes you think. Although a bit trite, I would say that she makes me laugh; she makes me cry. I will read Jennifer Weiner again and again.

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Dedication by Emma McLaughlin

Dedication by Emma McLaughlin


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I listened to this audio book on the way to and from work. I have to say - don't bother unless you have nothing else to do. When the story begins, you really have a lot of emphathy for the main character - Kate. She was dumped by her boyfriend in her senior year of high school. The boyfriend leaves town without telling her that he is leaving, and subsequently becomes a famous rock star. Kate needs to resolve her feelings for him. The storyline goes down from there.

I don't want to give away too much of the storyline but Kate strays so far from the way she feels about him and what he did to her emotionally that I was really disappointed in the turn the story takes. Save this book for snow days when you have run out of reading material, or hurricane days as we have in the south.

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Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you need a quick read with a good storyline, pick up a Sophie Kinsella. Although I liked the book, Remember Me? did not have all the humor that the Shopaholic books contained. As the story begins, Lexi Smart is out clubbing with her friends. The next thing you know she is in the hospital three years later and has no idea what has happened in her life since that night three years ago. She doesn't remember marrying a multimillionaire. She doesn't remember becoming the boss of the company that she works for. She doesn't remember attending her father's funeral.

I won't spoil the story for you but take my word for it - the subjects covered are a little heavier than her previous books.

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The Likeness by Tana French

The Likeness: A Novel by Tana French


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Likeness is as well written as In the Woods. Tana French takes a long time building up to the story. The slow build up is completely worth the wait. The action builds and builds until you are rushing at breakneck speed, and on the edge of your seat. I would definitely recommend The Likeness.

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"Dead" Series by Charlaine Harris

I was not prepared to like this series, which lead to the HBO True Blood series on television. A friend got me started on them and, once I started, I couldn't put them down. I have read eight of the nine in the series and each one makes you jump right into the next. I don't believe I have ever seen humor, mystery, romance, vampire fiction, and a southern setting thrown in together in such a successful way. (Southern Bible Belt Baptists might want to steer clear.)

Of course, the mystery involves an awful lot of murders. I fact so many people meet their deaths, it does make you remember that this is definitely fiction. I think about half the people in Sookie's little Southern town have been either murdered or accused of murder by now.

This series is light reading and good fun.

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

I kept looking for the humor but this book was just down right depressing. There is a glimmer of hope in the end but not enough to redeem the whole book. This girl had a train wreck of a life.