New reviewing guidelines

I will be instituting new ratings guidelines for the books I read in 2011. Each book will be rated on a 1 - 10 scale in the following categories.

- Storyline - Is it believable/interesting/inspiring/etc. --/10

- Coherence - Logical connections and relationships/ease of understanding/etc. --/10

- Syntactic Structure - Use of grammar/sentence structure/etc.. --/10

- Character Development - Do the characters have a good background/interact well/etc. --/10

- Overall Score - Total of points out of 40

I need some good recommendations

I've realize that it's been nearly 9 months since I have made a worthy post, but I just haven't been in the mood. Lots has been going on in my life and I just haven't the time for book reviews. Besides, no one reads them anyway.

Though I haven't yet decided if I'm going to get back into the reviewing mood, I am looking for some reading recommendations. My "Waiting Line" is getting a bit shorter, and I don't like the looks of that. I've just put up four new bookshelves at home, and I would really like to fill them up so that I can build more :)

Post Mortem - Patricia Cornwell

Coming soon...

Killjoy - Julie Garwood

MY THOUGHTS: This one actually was rather suspenseful and intriguing, and the character relationships were astonishing. A great read, through and through.

FROM THE BACK COVER: "Avery Delaney's razor-sharp mind and ability to decipher evidence have made her an expert crime analyst for the FBI. Now she will have to use her skills on a case that hits painfully close to home.

Avery's beloved aunt Carolyn was on her way to a posh spa in the Colorado mountains, but she never arrived. With scant clues and fewer resources, Avery must now track Carolyn down - and outmaneuver a brilliant killer named Monk, who is part of an elaborate plot of madness and lethal vengeance."

EXCERPT: from page 43

"Avery had forgotten much of her childhood, but she remembered that phone call clearly. She had just celebrated Carrie's birthday, a belated event since Avery had been in the hospital on the actual date, and was helping the housekeeper put the vegetables on the table before they all sat down to dinner. Avery had placed the mashed potatoes next to Uncle Tony's plate when Aunt Carrie answered the phone. A funeral director was calling to tell her that Jilly had been cremated in a fiery car crash, but there were enough of her remains left to put in an urn. He wanted to know what Carrie wanted done with the ashes and the personal effects, which included a charred driver's license. Avery was standing in front of the bay window staring out at some frantic hummingbirds when she overheard Carrie tell the man to throw them into the nearest dumpster. She could recall every second of that moment."

MY RATING: 8/10

As one of the reviews states, "she [Garwood] has mastered the art of creating characters who live and breathe in compelling, page-turning stories." For once, a review that I will one hundred percent agree with. The character development was brilliant. I felt as if I knew each thought of each of the characters, but yet, they could still surprise me.

The Third Victim - Lisa Gardner

MY THOUGHTS: Gun violence, school shootings and the ability to manipulate the minds of our nation's youth lay the foundation for this novel by this New York Times bestselling author. "Riveting, hold-your-breath suspense" is what is written on the cover, and I would almost agree. The element of suspense is definitely present, and I must admit, I was quite enthralled. Once getting past the initial shock of a story about a school shooting in the wake of our nation's problems, the story sucked me in and I was hooked.

FROM THE BACK COVER: "An unspeakable act has ripped apart the idyllic town of Bakersville, Oregon, and its once-peaceful residents are demanding quick justice But though a boy has confessed to the horrific crime, evidence shows he may not be guilty. Officer Rainie Conner, leading her first homicide investigation, stands at the center of the controversy. It's hitting too close to home, bringing back her worst nightmares, threatening to expose her secret sins. But with the boy's life at stake, she won't let anything stop her from finding the real killer.

With the help of FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, Rainie comes closer to a deadly truth than she can imagine. Because out there in the shadows a man watches her and plots his next move. He knows her secrets. He kills for sport. He's already brought death to Bakersville and forever shattered the community. But what he has really come for is Rainie - and he won't leave until he has destroyed her...."

EXCERPT: from page 41

"Danny didn't move. His gaze swung wildly from side to side, and Rainie could nearly smell the panic rolling off his skin. He was dressed in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and white running shoes. She couldn't see any more weapons on him, but it was hard to be sure. He came from a house loaded with firearms, and she knew Shep had taken him hunting from the time he could walk."

MY RATING: 8/10

To read a novel based upon school shootings in the wake of the recent disasters in our grade schools up to our colleges is quite surreal. At first I didn't even want to read the story because of it's nature, but I pressed on and was surprised at the emotions I felt. It wasn't so much sadness that came over me, but a sense of understanding at how the shooters must feel, and the manipulation they must endure in order to commit such wild acts of violence. A good story for a reader with a strong stomach.