Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

I started reading this one at the end of June - right after finishing Blood Song... Finished it on 7/14/11, it's taken me some time to get to writing this blog. A little over 2 weeks to read, is really good for me (typical books take 3-4 weeks).

Richard attends a dinner with an old professor Reg, his boss Gordon gets murdered, an Electric Monk believes the Door is the Way and Dirk Gently throws himself into the middle of it all!

This book jumps around a lot, which was confusing at first, but made so much sense once more information was given toward the end (can't tell you without spoiling the story of course!). I have not read his Hitch Hickers Guide series yet, although it is on my "list" to read. So my opinions of this book are based solely on this book alone. It was a very good storyline, however it was hard to follow at first. Now that I know the end, I may re-read it and see if the parts that made absolutely no sense the first time around will make sense now!

Douglas Adams is a classic science fiction author... if you enjoy science fiction books, his name should definitely be on your list!

Overbite: by Meg Cabot

This book is the sequel to Insatiable (an excellent read, I might add). Overbite continues the story of Meena Harper, a psychic who can predict when and how people are going to die. At the end of Insatiable Meena is hired by the Palatine Guard- a powerful, secret demon hunting unit of the Vatican. Now we see her using her powers to help prevent the deaths of the brave men and women who put their lives at risk to hunt and kill demons. Not to mention, all this access to tons of information she would never have normall had, is helping Meena to prove her theory: just because demons have lost their souls, doesn't mean they've lost the good inside of them.
However, not all is as well as Meena had hoped it would be. Her now ex-boyfriend Lucien Antonescu (aka Dracula, aka Prince of Darkness) shows up again when he saves her life from an unexpected attack. Meena's emotions are already mixed up enough, but seeing him again makes things so much worse. Not to mention Lucien seems more vulnerable than ever; but in reality he is more determined than ever to take control of his conflicting emotions about what he is, and finally make Meena his.
After the attempt on her life, Meena is put under constant surveillance. In other words Alaric Wulf, her crazy-about-hunting-and-killing-demons partner, is now at her side 24/7. A nuisance, but one that Meena discovers she doesn't mind so much, since they've recently discovered that a large number of tourists have gone missing.
In light of this, the Palatine has brought in Father Henrique (or Padre Caliente, as Alaric likes to refer to him as). Soon, Meena and Alaric are thrown into a situation they never could have predicted, and Lucien is the only one who can save them.
Unfortunately I did not like this book as much as the first book (and let me tell you, I loved the first book). There was so much humor in Insatiable that was missing from Overbite. None of the characters are the same either, and I feel like the author didn't do a good enough job leading me to understand why they had changed so much. However, there are some great plot twists in the book that I could have never guessed, and that is what kept me intrigued.

The Art of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan

Marissa and Julia have been friends since they were teens. Marissa is the submissive one in the friendship. Julia has always been more out-going and often tries to run Julia's life - including 'making' her break up with her boyfriend Nathan years ago. Today the friends both live in NYC. Marissa is doing well as a senior editor at a magazine (although she is a little tired of all the weight-loss articles that have to be done month after month). Julia is in the ballet. Although they no longer share an apartment, they stay in very close contact. One night Marissa has left work on time to make it the restaurant where she is meeting Julia. But of course Julia is late - as always. Marissa is irritated by this rudeness and fantasizes about leaving when she sees the familiar face headed towards her. That is when the taxi hits Julia. Julia survives the accident but she suffers a brain injury. I learned a bit about how the brain reacts to a trauma and a lot about what a friendship means. It was a good read and I didn't need any Kleenex to get through it!

The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache

Summer must be the season of sentimental books. This is the story of a neighborhood and the women who live there. They vary in ages and background. What they all have in common is their relationship to Paisley. Throughout the book we learn of secrets and how Paisley has affected the lives of each of these women. In order to get back to her tennis game Paisley is having some elective foot surgery. At the clinic it is Paisley's neighbor Julianne doing the pre-op check-in for her. When Julianne touches Paisley she knows immediately that something is wrong - her psychic ability tells her it is serious. With a diagnosis of pancreatic and liver cancer Paisley doesn't have long to live. During the next three months this group of women will try to give back to Paisley some of which she gave to them. Touching and heart-breaking.

One Summer by David Baldacci

Baldacci writes great mysteries. He also knows how to step out of that role and delivery something completely different. (Skipping Christmas was a great book!). This time he gives us a tear-jerker. Jack is married to the love of his life. As he served his country in the Middle East, Lizzie raised their two sons and one daughter. When he came back he started a construction company and life is good. You know what is coming next, don't you! Yes, Jack is diagnosed with a terminal illness. His goal is to make it through Christmas. He spends his waning strength writing letters to Lizzie so that she will know how much he loves her. Are you tearing up yet? By page 25 there is a tragic accident......... If you feel like a good cry then check out this book!

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

I read Ms. Stevens' debut novel and really liked it. This one I loved!!! Sara was adopted as a baby. Her parents then had two daughters "of their own". It didn't seem to make much difference to her mom that she wasn't a biological daughter, but dad didn't always treat her nicely. Still Sara has grown up to be a rather normal and fairly lucky woman. She has a 6 yr.old daughter and is engaged to a really nice guy. She has always wondered about her biological parents, and when she has a chance to open her adoption record she is anxious to do so. She finds out her bio-mom's name and contacts her. The phone call is not well received. Sara can't let it go so she does some more sleuthing. She finds out that her bio-mom is not living under her real name. She was the one victim that got away from a serial killer. When Sara investigates on the internet, she realizes that she is most likely the daughter of that serial killer - and he is still out there. Oh yeah, this book was really on-the-edge-of-your-seat good! The characters were believable and interesting - if not always likable! If you like crime books you have to read this one!

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

I listened to the audio book which was excellent. However, if you are reading the book, please read the end of the book where Ms. Simon explains where she got the idea for this book. It is a story that spans for decades. Lynnie is a special needs child back in the day when people were encouraged to send such children to institutions. And that is what happened to her. It is a terrible place to live. The one shining spot is when she meets an African American deaf man, Homan, and they fall in love. The book opens in 1968. Homan and Lynnie have run away and during a rainstorm land on the front porch of Martha - widow and retired schoolteacher. She brings the couple into the house and realizes that Lynnie has a newborn baby. Martha sends them upstairs to change into dry clothes. The authorities from the "School" are banging on Martha's door and she has no choice but to let them in. Homan is able to escape but Lynnie is caught. The authorities have no idea that there is a baby lying upstairs. As Lynnie is taken away she is able to communicate two words to Martha - Hide her. It was a fascinating story - but also heart-wrenching to know that people were living in such conditions. Read or listen to it - I don't think you will be disappointed.

Best Staged Plans by Claire Cook

"Okay, so I accidentally wrapped my reading glasses in one of the packages I mailed." Thus begins this book. Do you find this statement to be unbelievable or just an ordinary event? If it is the latter, then this book is for you. The story is actually about home stager Sandy who is trying to light a fire under her husband to help her get their own house cleared out so that they can downsize. This includes getting her grown-up son out of their basement (or the "bat cave"). It is not going well. So when she has a chance to go work on a hotel in Atlanta and stay with her newly married daughter, she decides to take it. The storyline is okay. What I loved in this book was the writing - almost every page found me laughing out loud or at least brought a smile to my face. The part where she is going through sentimental things in the cupboards is priceless. She calls her daughter Shannon to see if she would be interested in the Danish modern stainless trays (wedding gift!). Shannon's reply : "I don't know. would you want me to have them if I were a client? Or is it purely sentimental, and you just don't want to be the one to dump them?". There were many relatable moments. I think this is a book I will want to reread in a couple of years!

The Coffins of Little Hope

In The Coffins of Little Hope by Timothy Schaffert, 83-year-old Essie Myles is the obituary writer for her family’s small-town newspaper, run by her grandson Doc. Essie and Doc find themselves in the biggest story of their lives when a local girl is kidnapped by a traveling aeriel photographer. Or is it a hoax made up by Daisy, the missing girl’s lonely mother?

As Essie tries to get the real story from Daisy, another big story rocks the town when it’s discovered that Doc’s printing press is secretly printing the final book in the wildly popular gothic YA series (think Series of Unfortunate Events).

When Daisy begins reading chapters of the much anticipated (and unreleased) book over a CB radio every night, Doc and Essie must find a way to get the book back. Or is it really a bootlegged copy or just something Daisy has made up?

Yet the real pleasure in reading The Coffins of Little Hope is not in solving these mysteries but in enjoying the narrative voice of Essie. Eccentric and a bit of a curmudgeon, she is interesting and engaging and one of the best characters I've read in years. The supporting characters are also enjoyable, especially Essie's great-granddaughter Tiffany. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to those looking for a well-written character story.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

The sisters in this story are Tess and Bee. Tess, the younger, is a free-spirited artist living in London. Bee is much more conservative. She left London and is living in the U.S. with her fiance. When their mother calls Bee to alert her that Tess is missing, Bee immediately returns home to look for her sister. When Tess's body is found the police say it is suicide. She had drugs in her and she had given birth to a baby who died. Tess had planned to be in London for the birth of the baby who wasn't due for another three weeks. Tess refuses to accept this pronouncement of suicide and begins her own investigation. One thing I really liked about the book is the way it is written. It is told in the voice of Bee speaking directly to her dead sister. I enjoyed it.

Twenty Thirty by Albert Brooks

In the 60's I read the book 1984. I remember being disturbed a bit that life might change so much in 20 years. Mostly I thought it was just the rambling thoughts of someone with a vivid imagination. This book really, really scared me - because the way things are going in this country, I could see most of this actually happening. Cancer has been cured. That's great Medicines have been developed that make the "elderly" feel better than they did twenty years before. That's great. The problem now is that everyone is living a long, long time. If someone becomes incapacitated he is put on life-support forever unless it is determined that there is no brain activity. Why? It is immoral to "kill" anyone. And besides, there are companies who are making a lot of money keeping those machines going. ( I am sure that is only a secondary consideration.) Who is paying for all of this? Not the government, who can barely afford to pay our national interest. It is the young. Yes the young, who will never know the American dream because they can barely make it - all that 'health' care for the old ones is expensive. They are mad and some of them aren't taking it anymore! Throw in the "big one" hitting L.A. and you have a lot of action going on. It was definitely thought provoking - an interesting book.