Review: The Siege by Stephen White

Book Info:

The Siege by Stephen White
Hardcover: 416 pages

Publisher: Dutton Adult (August 4, 2009)

ISBN-13: 9780525951223
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Source: My Shelves
Rating: 3.5/5

In The Siege, Gregory's longtime friend Sam Purdy takes center stage in a story that feels ripped from tomorrow's headlines. As a lovely weekend approaches on the Yale campus it appears that a number of students -- including the sons of both the Secretary of the Army and newest Supreme Court justice -- may have gone missing. Kidnapping? Terrorism? The authorities aren't sure. But the high-profile disappearances draw the attention of the CIA and the FBI's vaunted Hostage Rescue Team.

I recently participated in a series reading challenge on Paperback Swap. The goal of the challenge was to get caught up on some of the series that I seem to be forever behind on. I didn't start any new series but did get caught up on 3-4 of my existing series.

I had recently read Dead Time (review) and took the opportunity of the challenge to rush out and purchase The Siege, which was listed as the next book in the Alan Gregory series. Dead Time ended with some marital strife between Alan and Lauren and I was looking forward to continuing with this story line. If I'd paid a little more attention, I'd have noticed that The Siege didn't focus on Alan. In fact, Alan made a 2 page appearance at the end of the book and that was it.

While I was disappointed that The Siege was a true Alan Gregory book, The Siege was very good. It was one of those books that makes you wonder if the situation in the book could really be carried out. The Siege is a solid mystery, but I wish it hadn't been listed as a Gregory book. While Purdy is familiar to series readers he could have been replaced by anyone and the story wouldn't be any different. 3.5 stars

Booking Through Thursday...Weeding

When’s the last time you weeded out your library? Do you regularly keep it pared down to your reading essentials? Or does it blossom into something out of control the minute you turn your back, like a garden after a Spring rain?

Or do you simply not get rid of books? At all? (This would have described me for most of my life, by the way.)

And–when you DO weed out books from your collection (assuming that you do) …what do you do with them? Throw them away (gasp)? Donate them to a charity or used bookstore? SELL them to a used bookstore? Trade them on Paperback Book Swap or some other exchange program?

I used to keep a lot of my books, but now I rarely re-read anything, and because of this I have a hard time having them just sit around. I have about 15 boxes of books that I've read and no longer want, but I haven't bothered to sort through them since my last move 3 years ago.

I try to weed my shelves on a regular basis because I am always running out of room. Currently I have 3 bookshelves, double-stacked, full of unread books. There is no way that I will ever read all these, let alone all the books constantly arrive. And, since I have no more room in my house for more shelves all my books must fit on these shelves.

When I do weed out books I try to get rid of those that I won't read soon, or that I can easily get from the library. Usually this means about 10-15 books at a time that are sorted out. Most of these books get donated to the library just because I have an excess of credits at both Paperback Swap and Bookmooch.

Do you weed out your bookshelves?

Review: Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy

Book Info:
Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth

by Jenny McCarthy

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 12, 2005)
ISBN-13: 978-0738210070

Genre: Parenting, Non-Fiction

Source: My shelves

Rating: 2.5/5

Oh, the joys of pregnancy! There's the gassiness, constipation, queasiness, and exhaustion, the forgetfulness, crankiness, and the constant worry. Of course, no woman is spared the discomforts and humiliations of pregnancy, but most are too polite to complain or too embarrassed to talk about them. Not Jenny McCarthy!

After reading the massive Admission (review), I was in the mood for something short and sweet. And, since I am over halfway through my pregnancy I thought I'd better read a pregnancy book before I had the baby...Unfortunately, my feelings on Belly Laughs can be summed up in one word. Meh.

Was it terrible? No. Belly Laughs is a quick read (about an hour), but I was expecting something a little more. Something that someone hadn't mentioned before. Or more embarrassing stories. Or more humor. Just something.

Since I have at least McCarthy's second, if not third book, I'll probably read them. But if you don't have these already I'd recommend borrowing them from the library or a friend. 2.5 stars

Review: Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Book Info:
Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; (April 13, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780446540704
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: LibraryThing/Publisher for review
Rating: 4/5

For years, 38-year-old Portia Nathan has avoided the past, hiding behind her busy (and sometimes punishing) career as a Princeton University admissions officer and her dependable domestic life. Her reluctance to confront the truth is suddenly overwhelmed by the resurfacing of a life-altering decision, and Portia is faced with an extraordinary test. Just as thousands of the nation's brightest students await her decision regarding their academic admission, so too must Portia decide whether to make her own ultimate admission.

I received Admission from LibraryThing's Early Review program and was excited about reading it based on some very good reviews I'd read on other blogs. Once it arrived, though, it fell to the same unfortunate fate as so many books and languished on my shelf for way too long. Once I picked it up I got into the story quickly, and wished I'd started it sooner.

I never gave much thought to the college admission procedure, but I loved reading about it. The process is complex and wonderfully interesting. The admission officers have a tough, but very rewarding job, and I found the behind the scenes information fascinating.

Portia has her history with an old boyfriend hanging over her head, and this is hinted at throughout the book. The situation isn't revealed until about 3/4 of the way through the book, and I found it to be a little unneeded. At this point in the book I was already invested in the characters and happy with where the story was going without this 'twist'.

Overall, Admission is a fascinating story, if a little wordy. For me, the book could have been shorted considerably and not lost any of its appeal. The same arguments about which students should get into Princeton popped up multiple times, and I could have done without the third or fourth rehashing of this issue. But, even with the length, I would still recommend Admission. 4 stars

Booking Through Thursday...Would You Lie?

Since I missed answering this question last week and there isn't a new one up, I'm going to go back and get caught up.

Suggested by Monibo:
Saw this article (from March) and thought it would make a good BTT confessional question: Two-thirds of Brits have lied about reading books they haven’t. Have you? Why? What book?




I am going to assume that the article isn't referring to required school reading and lying about reading those books....

The fact the two-thirds of Brits have lied about reading a book doesn't surprise me. I would expect to see similar results for the US as well. Also, the fact that most people lie about reading the classics doesn't surprise me either. For most people, me included, the classics seem to be books that you read in school because you have too. I am slowly trying to get caught up on reading those I missed.

I haven't ever lied about reading a book, but there are lots of books I wish I'd already read so I could discuss them with others. Sometimes I feel like I'm the last person in the world to read a book, but I don't see any benefit to lying about it.

Have you ever lied about reading a book?

Challenge: Books To Read Before I Die - 2010

I am always looking for ways to reduce my TBR pile. I have well over 1,000 books in my house that I still haven't picked up, and unless I prioritize them, who knows if I ever will. Don't get me wrong, these are all books I picked out, and books I want to read, but it always seems like there is a new, must-read book on its way to me, and some of the books on my shelf get neglected.

So, this challenge, being hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea, is perfect for me.

Here are the guideline for the challenge:
-Between now and December 31, 2009, make a list of between 10 and 20 Books to Read Before You Die. (depending on interest, this may be an annual event challenge).
-The books on your list can come from your stacks or the library, and be in print or audio format.
-Next, make a tentative list and and post it on your blog. Finalize your titles by December 31, 2009. (No changes to the list after that date).
NOTE: If you don't have a blog, you can still sign up and join in the fun.
-Once you've created your post with tentative titles, THEN sign up using Mr. Linky, by pasting the link to your post, along with your name/blog name. This is how you will be registered.
-All bloggers who complete the challenge will be entered in giveaway to win an Amazon Gift Card.

My Titles:

1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

4. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

6. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

7. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

8. The Birth House by Ami Mckay

9. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

10. Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres

11. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

12. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Review: The Promised World by Lisa Tucker

Book Info:
The Promised World by Lisa Tucker

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Atria (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-416575382

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Source: Publisher/Blog Tour

Rating: 4/5

On a March afternoon, while Lila Cole is working in her quiet office, her twin brother Billy points an unloaded rifle out of a hotel window, closing down a city block. "Suicide by police" was obviously Billy's intended result, but the aftermath of his death brings shock after shock for Lila when she discovers that her brilliant but troubled twin -- the person she revered and was closer to than anyone in the world -- was not only estranged from his wife, but also charged with endangering the life of his middle child and namesake, eight-year-old William.

As Lila struggles to figure out what was truth and what was fiction in her brother's complicated past, her job, her marriage, and even her sanity will be put at risk. And when the hidden meaning behind Billy's stories comes to light, she will have to act before Billy's children are destroyed by the same heartbreaking reality that shattered her protector and twin more than twenty years ago.




I first heard Lisa Tucker's name mentioned on a Paperback Swap forum post a few years ago. The thread focused on highlighting authors you loved, but who weren't terribly well known. Lisa Tucker's name was new to me, but her books immediately caught my eye. I read The Song Reader right away and was thrilled to participate in this blog tour so that I could read her newest book.

The Promised World has a confusing feel to it. It's not that the writing is hard to understand or follow, but that Lila has huge gaps in what she can remember about her childhood. The details are revealed to Lila and the reader at the same time and disjointed telling

I didn't really like Lila too much as a character. I thought she came across as weak and passive. While it's obvious from the beginning of the book that something happened in her childhood, I had a hard time with her acceptance of her history being handed to her, with no questions asked.

Even though I didn't really click with Lila it didn't slow the story down at all. The story moved along very fast and I found The Promised World very hard to put down. I will definitely continue to read Lisa Tucker's back list. 4 stars

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and be sure to check out the other tour stops.