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Posts on ‘December 4th, 2007’

Winter Reading Challenge 2008

Dec 4th, 2007
by Wendy.
6 comments

December 1, 2007 – February 29, 2008

February 29, 2008 – CHALLENGE COMPLETED!

I stayed up late on the last day of this challenge to complete my final book – Cat’s Eye, by Margaret Atwood. The books I read for this challenge were all great, except for Wilder’s Pulitzer winner which I found rather dull. My favorite read of the challenge was A Thousand Splendid Suns. I thoroughly enjoyed participating. Thank you to Kathleen who hosted!

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I loved this button so much I just had to join (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!). Kathleen at Rock Creek Rumblings is hosting the Winter Reading Challenge. It’s simple – pick as many books as you want and read them from December 1st through the end of February.

Here’s my list:
1. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini (Completed December 8, 2007; rated 5/5; read my review)
2. The Emperor’s Children, by Claire Messud (Completed December 13, 2007; rated 4/5; read my review)
3. Candide, by Voltaire (Completed December 30, 2007; rated 4.5/5; read my review)
4. Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee (Completed December 14, 2007; rated 4.5/5; read my review)
5. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thorton Wilder (Completed December 23, 2007; rated 3/5; read my review)
6. Cat’s Eye, by Margaret Atwood (Completed February 29, 2008; rated 4.5/5; read my review)

Fatal Voyage – Book Review

Dec 4th, 2007
by Wendy.
Comments are off for this post

Kathy Reichs has written a tight, scientifically based, edge of your seat novel which kept me up late into the night reading. This was my fourth Reich’s book (others were: Grave Secrets; Monday Mourning; and Deja Dead – also gripping thrillers) and it didn’t disappoint me.

Tempe Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who is called out as part of the emergency response team when an airplane crashes. As she combs through the wreckage and begins cataloging the remains of the passengers, she discovers a severed leg that doesn’t seem to belong to any passenger on board. Her desire to uncover the mystery gets the wrong kind of attention from the state’s lieutenant governor and Brennan finds herself on the other side of the investigation and fighting for her professional life.

For those readers who have read Reich’s previous novels, you won’t be surprised to see some characters return to this one – most notably the handsome Andrew Ryan and Brennan’s ex-husband, Pete, along with a new, endearing addition – Pete’s chow-mix, Boyd.

Reichs has amazing attention to detail – explaining the science and technology behind airplane investigations, soil analysis and body identification. The plot in Fatal Voyage is fast paced and spellbinding. Reichs’ ability to create tension is wonderful. As one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Reichs knows her stuff and it shows.

For those readers who love thrillers and suspense, I can highly recommend Fatal Voyage. I will be adding the rest of Reich’s novels to my reading list soon.