Book reviews by popular demand

My entire family loves to read. The first things on our packing list for vacation are books, books and more books - or in my case, my kindle. I will share almost anything with my family but my kindle is ALL MINE! Anyway, on our cruise vacation, I read several books. Some of these books were recommended by my bloggie friends and were by authors I would not usually read. I also took along some 'tried and true' personal favorites. Here are the details on some of the books I read:

I read two books by Lisa Gardner. The first one was "The Killing Hour: A Novel". Lisa Gardner is a prolific writer and she has many continuing characters. This book focused on Kimberly Quincy who is the daughter of another character. Kimberly is at FBI training camp, following in Dad's footsteps, when she finds a body in the woods. She joins forces with an agent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to try to solve the crime and puts her own career in jeopardy. Of course, Dad and his girlfriend join in the "fun". This book solved the crime in a "CSI" way. They had to take clues left at crime scenes to determine where the killer was sending them. Along the way, they enlisted the help of several nerdy scientists. If you enjoy "CSI", this is definitely a book you would enjoy. It was intense and I had a hard time putting it down.

The second book I read by Lisa Gardner was "Say Goodbye" and, once again, it focused on Kimberly Quincy. She is now an FBI Agent, married and expecting her first child. This case was of a serial killer obsessed with spiders who was killing off "ladies of the night". This case was less dependent on the science method of crime solving. Once again, the book shows a main character who struggles with who she is, decisions, etc. Kimberly isn't perfect and that just made her more enjoyable. The story also includes a couple of young boys who were snatched from their families and what happens to them. It also included a few twists and turns that I, for one, didn't expect. If you like crime/adventure, this is a book that I would recommend also. It is pretty intense.

After reading two intense books, I decided to go in a different direction and the next book, I read was total fluff. I read "Thursdays at Eight" by Debbie Macomber. This book followed 4 women who met in a journeling class and decided to meet weekly for breakfast to keep their friendships going. I have read several other series by Debbie Macomber and I knew that this would be "light" reading. I was correct. I have to say, however, I was a bit disappointed. It seemed like a remake of the Blossom Street series. The characters all seemed to be similiar to other characters and it was a bit predictable. If you love Debbie Macomber, you will probably like this book. If not, I would probably skip it.

That is it for today - come back tomorrow when I talk about Julie and Julia, The Golden Country, Chosen to Die and Good in Bed (which I started when I got home).

What good books have you read lately?

Here's to reading!