Review: Ten Big Ones — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 30, 2010 | No Comments
There is no big FTA to capture in Ten Big Ones, but after accidentally witnessing a robbery with Lula, Stephanie lands herself on a gang hit list. During the robbery, Lula shoots out the Red Devil Robber’s motorcycle tire and Stephanie’s Ford Escape is fire bombed to bits.
Ranger’s out of town and Morelli could end up in serious danger if Stephanie stays with him, which leaves her one option…The Bat Cave. Well, what she thinks could be the Bat Cave, anyway.
Stephanie Plum is in way over head in this installment, in more ways than one. This is a bit of a change from the usual Plum storylines and it’s refreshing in its differences and finally some forward movement for the characters we’ve grown to know and love.
Car Death
- Ford Escape – Fire bombed by Red Devil Robber
- $200 Lincoln Town Car – Sprayed with graffiti and shot to bits by The Slayers.
Review: Magical Thinking — Augusten Burroughs
Posted on | July 30, 2010 | No Comments
After reading Swallows of Kabul and then Lucky back-to-back, I needed something a little less heavy to read. I decided I would try Magical Thinking on for size. USA Today calls it “compelling” and “screamingly funny.” I was hoping it would deliver.
The first page defines Magical Thinking as “A schizotypal personality disorder attributing to one’s own actions something that had nothing to do with him or her and thus assuming that one has greater influence over events than is actually the case.” It is apparent throughout every story that Burroughs suffers from this personality disorder.
About the first half of this books had me laughing out loud. Some of it was indeed “screamingly funny.” The book starts off very strong with a story about Burroughs acting debut as a child, then blows through his adolescence and onto adulthood. This book did serve as a decent pick-me-up, but around the middle Burroughs started to lose me. Somewhere around the time he tried, through three examples, to explain why he believes that priests give the best blow jobs, is where I wasn’t laughing so much. The book sort of slowly leads up to the more graphic encounters he describes, and I found that one story to be the most visual. It was just too close to reading pornography for me to enjoy the “humorous” parts, I guess.
As I continued reading though, Burroughs pulled me back in and by the end I was laughing out loud about old ladies and Dr. Pepper enemas. This book is definitely only good for those with a twisted sense of humor who can laugh at damn near anything. Burroughs vivid descriptions can make you laugh out loud or turn your stomach, depending on how you look at the world.
Originally written in 2007 and posted on my old Vox blog.
Review: To the Nines — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 30, 2010 | No Comments
To The Nines is one of the most fast paced, packed full of action novels in this series. Stephanie has to track down Samuel Singh, a computer nerd for whom Vinnie wrote a visa bond. The bond was highly publicized and Vinnie stands to lose a lot (of face) if word gets out to the media. Singh has skipped town and Stephanie tracks him all the way to Las Vegas with some aid from Rangeman, Lula, and Connie.
Singh worked at TriBro, a company owned by brothers Andrew, Bart, and Clyde Cone. When Singh’s body is discovered in the airport in Las Vegas, Stephanie heads back to Vegas where her investigation ends up right back where it began — at TriBro.
She’s being protected by the men in her life because she is receiving creepy emails, roses and carnations and no one seems to know who they could be from. Stephanie’s sister, Valerie, gives birth and Stephanie ends up needing some medical attention herself while at the hospital (so does one of Ranger’s men who’s been guarding Stephanie when Morelli can’t).
Car Death
None!!
Review: Hard Eight — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 29, 2010 | No Comments
Hard Eight is far less humorous and more introspective than other Stephanie Plum novels. Stephanie takes on a missing person case for her parents’ neighbor, Mabel. Mabel is a friend of Grandma Mazul’s. Though Stephanie isn’t keen on taking a case for free, especially with the drought at Vinnie’s, when Mabel cries, Stephanie can’t stand it, so she takes the case. Mabel’s daughter, Evelyn, and granddaughter have gone missing. Evelyn had a child custody bond (not through Vinnie) that was taken out to ensure that she nor her ex-husband could take off with their daughter. Mabel’s house was used as collateral and because the two girls disappeared, Mabel is at risk of losing her home.
During her search, Stephanie finds that Evelyn skipped town with good reason. She ends up with a perpetually annoying, dough boy of a lawyer (whose office is next to a laundromat) tagging along with her, finds a dead guy on her couch (“death cooties!” — an ongoing funny spot in this darker novel), and begins to learn to use her gun as more than a cookie-jar filler.
Stephanie’s confusion over her love triangle continues. It appears she won’t be making a choice about her relationships for a long, long time.
Car Death
1.Honda CR-V – Fire bombed by a rabbit
2.Honda CR-V – Doused with lighter fluid and lit up with a match
3.Ranger’s Truck – Set on fire when a package was thrown in the bed
Review: Seven Up — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 29, 2010 | No Comments
Seven Up seems to be everyone’s favorite Stephanie Plum novel. It’s my second favorite. In this novel, Stephanie sets out to bring in Eddie DeChooch. DeChooch is house-bound, depressed, almost blind and hard of hearing, but he still manages to escape Stephanie. DeChooch was caught with cigarettes crossing state lines and skips out on his court hearing. Mooner and his friend Dougie and somehow they end up with DeChooch’s cigarettes and a cooler with something very special inside.
Mooner and Dougie disappear and Stephanie has to ask Ranger for help finding them. In return, she makes a deal with Ranger to spend a night with him.
Stephanie’s sister Valerie’s perfect life has fallen apart. She divorced her husband and moved in with Stephanie’s parents, her two daughters in tow. Stephanie’s mom might be menopausal and the house feels smaller every minute. Stephanie rides a Harley, mud wrestles with the aid of Lula, and gets fitted for a wedding dress.
Car death
Her CR-V gets accordioned by a Cadillac, p. 184.
Review: Hot Six — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 28, 2010 | 1 Comment
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Unlike previous novels in the Stephanie Plum series, Hot Six begins where High Five left off. We find out which man Stephanie invited to her apartment: Ranger or Morelli. Stephanie calls in a favor to get her friend Carol Zabo not to jump off a bridge and ends up with a new pet. Carol repays her later by helping her shake Joyce Barnhardt…tying Joyce to a tree, naked.
Grandma Mazur moves in, putting a serious dent in Stephanie’s relationship, but she is hilarious as usual. A stoner, Mooner, shows up to hang around Stephanie’s house and eat Grandma Mazur’s cooking.
Stephanie is being followed by two crazy guys and pulls the old flaming-dog-poo-in-a-bag trick with Lula’s help. She drives a far-out Rollswagon for part of the novel.
Ranger is FTA and Stephanie begins looking for him, not to collect, but to help. Problem is that Stephanie is far from the only person looking for Ranger and it appears that he may have killed someone and stolen a lot of money.
This was not my favorite book in the series, but it’s a great one. One of my favorites parts is Joyce getting jumped and tied to the tree.
Car deaths
This is a list of cars destroyed or abandoned by Stephanie Plum during the course of the novel.
1. Honda civic, burned up by reefer from Mooner
2. Rollswagon, not dead, just abandoned for being junk
3. Lincoln Town Car, hit by Moris Munson driving like crazy
4. Carpet Car, set on fire by flaming dog poop bag
Review: High Five — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 28, 2010 | No Comments
High Five is one of my favorites. Stephanie takes on the search for her Uncle Fred, who everyone seems to think probably just wandered off. After talking with her aunt (who isn’t too upset by her husband’s disappearance), she is presented with photographs of body parts in a garbage bag. Apparently her uncle was the photographer.
Stephanie spends a good portion of the novel trying to take FTA Randy Briggs into custody. Briggs is a little person. Evanovich’s descriptions of Randy Briggs’ evasive maneuvers are hilarious. She takes her first gig working for Rangeman (Ranger’s business) picking up a teenage (snotty) sheik from the airport. He steals her car, but proves useful later on.
Benito Ramirez is released from prison and has put Stephanie at the top of his hit list.
Car Death
1. Porsche Boxster – Side swiped by garbage truck. Garbage truck tips over onto Porsche, burst into flames
2. Garbage Truck – Blown up when parked next to Porsche
3. BMW – Stolen, but the thief left the plates and registration number
Review: Four to Score — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 27, 2010 | No Comments
Four to Score is my favorite book so far in the Stephanie Plum series. A scene takes place in a casino in Atlantic City where Stephanie, Grandma Mazur (80-something who once shot a plate and the dining room table with Stephanie’s gun), Lula (former hooker turned file clerk/bounty hunter assistant), and Sally Sweet — a new character (Glam rocker/drag queen and Stephanie’s cryptographer) are dressed in “disguise” to try to find someone. It is, IMO, the funniest part in the series so far (I just finished Ten Big Ones).
The book begins with Stephanie storming into Vinnie’s office after she found out that her arch enemy, Joyce Barnhardt, has been hired by Vinnie to skip trace. Stephanie once walked in on Joyce and her ex-husband doing the deed on their dining room table. Joyce is the reason that Stephanie divorced her husband.
In this book, Stephanie is looking for Maxine Mowicki. She’s a waitress who took her ex-boyfriend’s car and, to upset her, he reported it stolen. Joyce –dressed up in Ranger-esque style– is getting in Stephanie’s way. Someone’s scorned lover is trying to kill Stephanie and she thinks it could be a “friend” of Morelli’s.
So much more happens in this book than in the previous (and many succeeding) novels in the series. I laughed out loud many times while reading it. I would recommend this one to just about anyone looking to read an interesting, hilarious book.
One thing about the Stephanie Plum books is that, even though they’re a numbered series, there is always enough explanation, background, and character introductions in each book that you could pick up any one of them and read it on its own. When reading them back to back, this can get redundant and annoying, but if it’s been a while between books or if you just want to read a few of them, it’s nice to know you don’t necessarily need to read them in order to understand and enjoy.
Car Death
- CRX – Soaked in gasoline, and lit up by discarded cigarette butt from Mrs. Nowicki.
- Lula’s Firebird – Parked by Stephanie’s car and blown up with it
Review: Three to get Deadly — Janet Evanovich
Posted on | July 27, 2010 | No Comments
In Three to Get Deadly, Stephanie Plum is tasked with picking up Uncle Mo, everyone’s favorite candy store owner/local sweet, old man. He was ticketed by a newbie cop with carrying concealed and doesn’t show up in court. Tracking Mo down proves to be next to impossible because popular opinion in the Burg is that “Mo would never do anything wrong.” During her search for Mo, she gets knocked out (and wakes up next to a dead body), stumbles on four other dead bodies, and beings to realize that Uncle Mo may have turned vigilante to drive drug dealers out of the neighborhood.
Car Death
- Baby Nissan Pickup, shot by a rocket launcher
Review: My War: Killing Time in Iraq — Colby Buzzell
Posted on | July 27, 2010 | No Comments
I never heard of Colby Buzzell’s blog “My War” back in 2004 when he started blogging from Mosul. He was there with the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3/2 from Ft. Lewis. I did however receive a phone call from my boyfriend (now my husband) from Mosul in 2004. It wasn’t the longest call ever and he wasn’t my boyfriend at the time. We said the things you say to someone you care about, but haven’t spoken to in years and the things you say when you know it could be the last time you get to say them. I didn’t have much insight at the time into what his life was like. I watch and read news, but no one can fully understand anything they haven’t live. I firmly believe that.
Enter: Colby Buzzell’s “My War-Killing Time in Iraq.”
The book came out in 2005. I (oblivious to many things) didn’t hear about it until I watched some TV program about war writers. It was speckled with commentary by Vietnam Vets/authors, but primarily focused on soldiers who served and wrote in Iraq. It didn’t delve into the now numerous soldier blogs, but Buzzell’s book had its own segment and after hearing the commentary and finding out he had been in my boyfriend’s battalion’s sister battalion, I knew I had to check it out.
Three days ago I started reading this book and never wanted to put it down. Its primarily a narrative, but there are exact blog entries included as well as copies of the Army’s nifty little note-cards and official “handouts.” I actually found most of those pretty much hilarious. If you have nothing to do with the military in any way, you might miss the humor.
Buzzell starts by giving us a good snapshot of what his life was like as a mid-20s California boy with no plans in life. He gives a comical play-by-play of his encounter with a Marine recruiter, then an Army recruiter. We read a little about basic, then his FNG time at Ft. Lewis and JRTC. The bulk of the book (and the birth of his blog) take place during his 12 month deployment in Iraq (primarily Mosul).
His writing is smart, vivid and sharp. He doesn’t pull punches, but this also isn’t some glorified “Look what I did” war story. He had journaled for years and started blogging after reading an article about it. He saw it as his online journal where he could be anonymous and still gain feedback.
This is a fairly fast paced read. It isn’t heavy or consuming. I found his descriptions of firefights incredible. He really sticks true to his own pov and doesn’t give us any heady, birds-eye-views or confusing descriptions.
He explains almost all “Army talk” but without insulting the reader’s intelligence, which I think is fantastic. I imagine the editors can take some credit there. Any person can read and understand this book. No one will find the descriptions obnoxious or excessive…even when you already know what he’s talking about.
Buzzell gives the average person a clear picture of what war is like for a grunt in Iraq. I think this should be required reading for citizens in this country. Not because it’s somehow shocking and I don’t think it will cause anyone to have any kind of huge revelation or awakening about war, but because it will definitely breed a level of understanding that seems impossible for most people right now.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. Go, buy, read.
Originally reviewed in 2007 on my old blog.
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