Lightening, Dean Koontz

This is a Dean Koontz novel. I started listening to it on Sunday 9/16. It really grabbed me. So--in order to keep listening I had to start sorting through my mom's boxes of photos to divide them up. (I've had these since she passed away 5 years ago). The main character in this book has a "guardian" who begins work the day she was born--preventing an inibreated doctor from delivering her. The story continue through her life in foster care and into adulthood. I don't want to spoil the book.

This genre is a realy popular one among adults as well as young adults. For years I avoided Koontz thinking it was another "Stephen King" kind of predictable horror. Koontz is much more sophisticated. I think the writing is of slightly better quality. He make the main characters interesting and probably more complex than most popular thrillers. I can see using this to let my 8-12 graders enjoy something with "mass popularity." It also reinforces the value of fiction in exploring the world and other people's lives.

Set in California it will also appeal to our "western" oriented students. For so many years it seemed as if writers only lived on the east coast (okay--big generalization--I know Steinbeck, Fisher, etc.).It makes me a little nervous saying I like this with as many English majors as we have in the class. Where do you all stand on Koontz?Finished. I give this a moderate review. Good for doing housework and gardening, but not something that I'm going to necessarily recommend.

Dark of the Moon, John Sanford

I read every Sanford book as it comes out. Having grown up 3 hours south of Minneapolis this is regional fiction for me. These are adult books--I would let HS students know that I read them, but probably not use them in class or recommend them. I read this sort of popular fiction to relieve stress. As my stress level rises the quality of my reading declines. The way I'm feeling this week (still with vertigo and conference and newsletter deadlines looming) I'm probably going to have to try some romance (just kidding!!). I'm hoping the libarary with call me with my hold for the next Stephanie Myers book. That would be a good read for me right now.

By the Light of the Moon, Dean Koontz

I'm amazed by the different characters Koontz is able to dream up and flesh out. In this book a mad scientist type injects our 3 heroes (including an autistic man) with nanobots that give each extraordinary powers. One of the heroes is a radio talk show host who interviews lots of "crazies." Good read (by the way, the main character is an artist).

Killer Weekend, Ridley Pearson

I got to seen Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson speak at NCTE (my New York trip). They were great. I found their discussion of the writing process amazing. Anyway--this is Pearson's first mystery set in Idaho. He does have a vacation home in Sun Valley. He usually sets his novels in Seattle, but this is a nice alternative. I hope he writes a second book. He is a meticulous researcher. Barry told a very funny annecdote about the differences in their writing style, particularly their planning. Barry sort of doesn't plan, in fact he admits that there often isn't a theme to be found. Meanwhile he claims Pearson works from a spreadsheet over his desk which is taller that Pearson (bigger than 6 feet). In each row, column, and cell he tracks what every character in his book does each hour of the novel. He does this even when the character is not in the plot at the moment.

Chill of Fear, Kay Hooper

Author: Lee Dubert
Posted Date: December 4, 2007 9:54 AMLast Modified Date: December 8, 2007 9:38 PMStatus: Published
I listened to this while traveling. My new smart phone lets me down load audio books from the public library site. Cool!!! Hooper is sort of a Iris Johansen "knock off." I don't know if this is part of a series. The main character is part of an FBI unit that uses detectives with extrasensory abilities to research crimes. I'll listen to another when I can't find something better, but Johansen does it better!

Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Marta Acosta

I'm a vampire reader from way back. I bought Interview with the Vampire in it's first edition and have read all of Anne Rice except for her most recent book. I have looked at Happy Hour several times and finally purchased it. I'm going out this afternoon to purchase the next. It isn't great literature (hmmm--I hate to condemn a book like that, but I think others would agree with me), but it is lots of fun and exactly what I need at this point in the semester. It reminds me of Janet Evanovich but with a Latina heroine and set in California instead of Jersey.

Is it readable by teens--yes. There is "sex" but nothing particularly graphic. Some drinking but no drugs. Two elements that I like--Milagro (the main character) is a graduate of a "fancy university" and has lots of strong female friends. They also have some flaws so unrealistic expectations aren't raised. An aspect that is a little more perplexing is the portrayal of a "goth" teen who ends up the willing victim of a "bad" vampire and ends up running away to Las Vegas and training to become a card dealer.

Overall--It was just what I needed Saturday after a really long, hard, stressful week. Look out book store, here I come for the next title.

Disturbing the Dead, Sandra Parshall

This is Parshall's second book. The main character is a veterinarian (female). There is a bit of a jump in the story line from the first book to the second that I wish was a bit smoother. However, I enjoyed both books. It does give you a picture of the beltway and Virginia, especially the Appalachian mountain areas.