Review: Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda

Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda by Robert Wallace

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



You would think that a book that details super-secret spy stuff would be exciting! And thrilling! And nail-biting!

Yeah. No.

I tried really hard to like this book, but it was so dry that I found myself falling asleep.



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Review: The Sisters Brothers

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



I selected this book for a book club challenge (read a Man Booker Prize winner or nominee) because I loved the cover and the description. Sadly, I did not love the story. At 1/4 of the way through, I found that I wasn't paying attention and decided to flounce.



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My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

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New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness. 

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate—a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. 

Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.
My Sister’s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child’s life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.


That is so NOT how I expected this story to end; I am absolutely heartbroken and I can't stop crying.

Jodi Picoult is really knows how to weave a story and draw you in to her characters' lives.

I am going to be a blubbering mess for the rest of the evening.

Purple Heart, by Patricia McCormick

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When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.

There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.

Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad—Justin, Wolf, and Charlene—the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. 

But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.

National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.


Can you feel that, Private?

Patricia McCormick's book starts off with a boom.

Or rather, the after-effects of a boom.

I don't read a lot of war-inspired novels, mostly because I'm a pacifist, but also because it makes me heartsick: children are killed in war-ravaged countries every day.

And not just citizens. But the men and women who risk their own lives defending their own countries; those who just happen to be deployed in a war zone.

This book is a heart-wrenching look at how a soldier tries to remember--and come to terms with--a bombing that nearly cost him his life. 

The Dead and Buried, by Kim Harrington

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A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?



The Dead and Buried started out as a four-star book, but I ultimately had to give it two stars.

I should know better than to read ghost stories.  I have an over-active imagination and freak myself out over the smallest things.  :: shudder ::

This is not, however, a book that will scare me and keep me up at night.  It's a quick read à la R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike: enjoyable, but without a whole lot of depth.  This book is marketed to the Young Adult crowd, but I would recommend it for the middle grades.  It has a much younger feel to it than what I usually read in YA.

There are a few things that jumped out at me when reading this book:

1. I'm tempted to take away another star for these comments alone:

I felt guilty for my snap judgement earlier about his behavior in the office.  He wasn't a jerk.  He was just . . .broken.

and

He was broken.  Maybe beyond repair.  I had to accept it and move on.

I am SO.TIRED. of the "broken" generalization.  It's over-used and seems like such a "crutch" description in the YA genre.  Don't know how to portray a character?  Call him broken and get your point across without having to do any work!  This rant isn't necessarily directed at The Dead and Buried (it's the whole genre, really), but the moment I came across this phrase, I groaned aloud.

2. Do five-year-olds play with Star Wars figurines and watch the movies?  I can't imagine letting my son watch something that violent.  Not a criticism, just something I wondered about while reading.

3. Incorrect usage of number vs. amount.  A person does not have an amount of shirts.  A person has a number of shirts.  It really bugs me when editors miss such glaring grammatical errors.

If I hadn't received this as a review copy, I would have given up.  Thankfully, it didn't take too much time to read.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Erebos, by Ursula Poznanski

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An intelligent computer game with a disturbing agenda.

When 16-year-old Nick receives a package containing the mysterious computer game Erebos, he wonders if it will explain the behavior of his classmates, who have been secretive lately. Players of the game must obey strict rules: always play alone, never talk about the game, and never tell anyone your nickname.

Curious, Nick joins the game and quickly becomes addicted. But Erebos knows a lot about the players and begins to manipulate their lives. When it sends Nick on a deadly assignment, he refuses and is banished from the game.

Now unable to play, Nick turns to a friend for help in finding out who controls the game. The two set off on a dangerous mission in which the border between reality and the virtual world begins to blur.

This utterly convincing and suspenseful thriller originated in Germany, where it has become a runaway bestseller.


What happens when the coolest, most secretive, most desired role-playing video game turns out to be something else?

I love the world that Poznanski created -- both the "real" world and the virtual. Gamers will recognize the importance of selecting a on-line self's characteristics. Those of us who aren't all that interested in video games, however, might not think it's terribly interesting.

This is an excellent book for pre-teen and young teen gamers. My husband would have loved this when he was a kid; he may even love it now. One thing's for sure: I can't wait to buy it for my nearly-13-year-old godson.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Book of Blood and Shadow

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



I couldn't even get through a fifth of this book. It was such a slow-moving story. I love the premise, so I'm just going to read the spoilers to find out what happened.



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