meg reads and reads

Title: The Dark Bones Author: Loreth Anne White It is way past my bedtime, but I simply had to stay up and finish this book. It's a kind of "whodunnit" novel with lots of twists and intricacies that keep you guessing all the way through. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out how books like this will end, but I was completely shocked at the big reveal. It was nice to get a little glimpse of Olivia and Cole again, though Tori is the only one from A Dark Lure  to figure prominently into the plot of this book. However, the plot centers mostly on Rebecca, Ash, and Ricky. I started in the beginning not liking Ricky, but the more I got to know him, the more I liked him. He's just a kid who has crappy circumstances in life. I was mildly suspicious of Ash in the beginning, but I was able to quickly put those suspicions aside. During the first couple of chapters, I wasn't a huge fan of Rebecca because of her attitude toward her father, but I quickly became a h...

Title: Livia Lone Author: Barry Eisler The plot of this novel is great, by turns incredibly moving, immensely devastating, and completely horrifying. Child sex trafficking is not a easy subject to tackle, but Barry Eisler does it convincingly and without holding back. At the beginning, I felt like some of the details were only gratuitous, but as the plot advanced, I realized he had a purpose. That said, there are some issues I have. First, how many times do I have to read the phrase "he panted"? Second, what 8th grader goes to recess? Third, he talks about how the moon was out in one scene, but it was also pouring snow. Which is it? These are three examples of things that really bugged me and that were ultimately distracting while reading. If I ignore those things, it was very enjoyable. I give it three out of five stars. --------- READING PROGRESS: Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 50% The Waste Lands by Stephen King: 47% The Warriors Ser...

Title : Zero Sum Author: Barry Eisler This book is more a sequel to Graveyard of Memories than a continuation of the John Rain series. It is another glimpse into John's past which is at points endearing, but it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as Graveyard of Memories was. It felt kind of forced, and the ending was pretty anticlimactic. We do get more of an idea where he obtained some of his methods, which was nice, but all in all, this wasn't close to being one of my favorites in this series. In spite of that, I think it's good enough for four out of five stars. -------- READING PROGRESS: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: 94% The Dark Half by Stephen King: 61% Let's Dance, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz: 85% The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler: NOW STARTING

Title: The Detachment Author: Barry Eisler I'm happy to report that, even after the disappointment of the last Eisler novel I read, this one did not fail to please. I'm glad I read the first two Ben Treven books so that I would know what was going on in that storyline, because it was very important to the continuation of John Rain's story in book 7 of this series. I have no real complaints. It was a really good book, and I'm glad John, Dox, Larison, and Ben could keep from killing each other. They were certainly an interesting combination of people, and it was very fun to read. Four out of five stars. -------- READING PROGRESS: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: 73% The Dark Half by Stephen King: 51% Let's Dance, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz: 46% Graveyard of Memories by Barry Eisler: NOW STARTING

Title: Inside Out Author: Barry Eisler Eisler knows how to write a good story, and he didn't disappoint with the second Ben Treven book, Inside Out. It was good to see the potential tie-in to the John Rain novels (which I will be able to go back to now), and I have missed John dearly. To be completely honest, this book felt hurried. It's not really any shorter than any of his other books, but there are lots of distracting and careless punctuation errors that normally aren't such a huge presence in his work. Despite that, this was an enjoyable read. I really liked Paula's character, and I was super disappointed that she turned out to be the way she was. I guess the clues were there all along, though. There is also a really interesting (and not altogether inaccurate, I'd say) take on the state of the American government, and it's fascinating, because it feels particularly accurate now, and this book was published in the pre-Trump presidency world. Hort h...

Title : Fault Line Author: Barry Eisler Book Seven in the John Rain Series also says "Ben Treven Book 3," so I figured I should read the first two Ben Treven books before I moved on to the seventh John Rain. The first two thirds of this book was absolutely miserable for me. I didn't like Ben. I didn't like Alex. And I really didn't like Sarah. Also, the plot was extremely predictable up to the end. No surprise twists. I think maybe it was supposed to be a surprise, but it wasn't. I think this book was also a huge letdown, because when you read the John Rain books, John has such a strong voice and such a strong presence that you really feel like you're there in the story. This book was severely lacking in that regard. This was really almost a two-star review, but Ben became more likable by the end of the book, and that's the only thing that saved it. Hopefully, Book Two will be better. Three out of five stars. ----------- READING PROGR...

Title: Extremis Author: Barry Eisler Okay, so I know I was a bit disappointed in the last John Rain novel, but I did  say that I felt that it was building up to something fantastic. I am so happy  that I was right! Book Five has been by far the best in the series up to this point. At first, I thought that the pace was way too fast, but Eisler masterfully reined it back in about two-thirds of the way through, and so many open storylines closed just like that, with the reader's (my) jaw hanging open. Unbelievable! I'm very excited to move on to move on to Book 6. John's story is open to go almost anywhere. Five out of five stars. ------------------ READING PROGRESS: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 99% An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: 16% The Boy Who Painted the World by Melody J. Bremen: 53% The Killer Ascendant by Barry Eisler: STARTING NOW

Title: Winner Take All Author: Barry Eisler The third installment of the John Rain series kept up the momentum from the first two. It was full of action, fast-paced, and fun to read. Getting to know Dox as a character was a blast, too. I hope to see him again. I also hope to see more of Delilah. There are so many very interesting characters being thrown into the mix. I also appreciated that this book was the first to truly acknowledge John's age. The book was published in 2004, and John fought in Vietnam. That doesn't necessarily mean that he's elderly, but he's certainly not necessarily a spring chicken either. In any event, I haven't breezed through a series of books like this in a long time, so this is a really fun change of pace for me. I can't wait to start book four. Four out of five stars. ------- READING PROGRESS The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 82% The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection by Stan & Jan Berenst...