the heart tag
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I got tag by the every busy Mommy Ruby who, despite all the work she needs
to do, finds time to plurk, twitter, do memes and be a full time mom.. :)
Kudos...
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Respect of the blog authors' views is requested. Thank you.
Hello dear readers! Bookworm Lurchie has picked our book this week because I am still busy, unfortunately. I am quite excited about this weeks' book because I have actually read it for the umpteenth time (I was in grade school when I first read a translation) and I believe I can shed a few lights about the book: A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.
Lurchie suggested that she would make a review on the book turned movie in addition to the review of the book. I know it's going to be different if she is going to base her comparison to the new movie with Brendan Frasier because it's actually not an adaptation of the movie. However, I will give her the reigns and let her do the review herself and I will be happy to comment on it when she has had her say.
For a little bit of history, A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne was first published in 1864. It is quite fascinating to note that Jules Verne had written about things that didn't happen before but are now quite real. His books have been published in different language but unfortunately, according to the North American Jules Verne Society, Inc., there have been bogus translations to his work, most notably A Journey to the Center of the Earth, because it was anonymously and badly translated to English. Since it was the first ever English translation, it is still in circulation today. Fortunately, many authentic translations have already been published.
Lincoln Rhyme returns in The Cold Moon, a roller coaster of a thriller that pits Lincoln and Amelia Sachs against time itself.
On a freezing December night, with a full moon hovering in the black skies over New York City, two people are brutally murdered—their prolonged deaths marked by eerie calling-cards: moon-faced clocks ticking away the victims' last minutes on earth. More murders are planned, and Rhyme and his team have only hours to stop the icy-cold, brilliant Watchmaker, whose obsession with time drives him to plan his carnage with the precision of a fine timepiece. While the cat-and-mouse search for the killer proceeds, Amelia Sachs must balance her efforts to catch the Watchmaker with her job as lead detective on the first homicide case of her own, in which she unearths shocking revelations from the past that threaten to undermine her very relationship with Lincoln Rhyme.
An unlikely ally appears on the scene in the form of California Bureau of Investigation special agent Kathryn Dance, one of the nation's leading experts in interrogation and kinesics—body language. Despite Lincoln's skepticism about witnesses, and her distrust of physical evidence, the two form a curious alliance in the heart-stopping quest to find the Watchmaker.
The rest of the team is present too—tech-minded Mel Cooper, dogged Lon Sellitto, hip Fred Dellray, and the newest addition: rookie Ron Pulaski.
Deaver's lightning-fast prose keeps the two cases racing along in almost real time, with more plot twists and surprises than in any previous book of his, as we realize that the Watchmaker may not be simply a murderous lunatic, but a far more cunning villain than anyone could guess, and the most terrifying and mesmerizing bad guy to ever come from the mind of Jeffery Deaver.
My views:
If you are not familiar with the character of Lincoln Rhyme, here are a few details about him (taken from my good ol friend Mr. Wiki):
“Lincoln Rhyme is a character in a series of books by Jeffery Deaver. He is a retired criminalist who is a quadriplegic due to an accident during one of the crime scenes he was working on, in an underground subway. However, he can still move his left ring finger and has regained his grasping function in his right hand through NFS. He lives in a New York apartment, which overlooks Central Park. On his window sill there is a nest of peregrine falcons. In the 1999 film adaptation of The Bone Collector, he is portrayed by Denzel Washington.”
Despite Lincoln Rhyme’s disability, he is still a good, if not the best, forensic investigator. That is probably the reason why he is still hired to investigate criminal cases which other investigators deemed to be impossible. As much as I want to hate Rhyme’s pesky attitude, I could not help but feel awed by his coping with his disability. He might be weak physically, but he is a far cry from being an utterly useless person. His indifference might be his way of warning people not to take him lightly or worse feel sorry for him.
The Cold Moon is a chilling super thriller surrounding on a serial killer who is not only leaving a trail of dead bodies, but leaving dead bodies that are clearly brutally murdered that they are found in the most grotesque way possible. The serial killer, calling himself The Watchmaker, leaves behind moonfaced clocks ticking at the scene of his crimes so his victims can die slowly waiting for their lives to end while listening to the tick of the clock. He also has a partner, a sadistic rapist named Vincent, who has a history of abusing women since he was a teenager. This is by far the most ghastly murder cases I have encountered in my reading so far.
In Cold Moon, Amelia Sachs is given the chance to work on her own murder case without direct help from Lincoln Rhyme. This was an issue for Rhyme since he believes Sachs would not be able to handle two cases at the same time. Throughout her investigation she is able to uncover scandals among the police force that shook her beliefs on the force and also her father – whom she always looked up to as an excellent policeman.
A new character is introduced in the name of Kathryn Dance, a kinesics expert. Kinesics (as defined again by Mr. Wiki) is “the interpretation of body language such as facial expressions and gestures — or, more formally, non-verbal behavior related to movement, either of any part of the body or the body as a whole.” So this way of investigation is a whole new thing for Rhyme as he only revolves around the solid evidence. I really enjoyed her techniques and theories; hopefully Jeffrey Deaver will include her on his future books.
There are so many twists and turns in this book. So many different cases, suspects, crimes – old and new, and scandals among the police force that will leave you dizzy yet make you want for more. Jeffrey Deaver never ceases to amaze me. The story has so many twists and turns, it will keep you guessing until the end.
This blog Books Books Books (Books3x) is now in full swing! We are still in our 3rd assigned book but I believe the three of us are enjoying discovering new books and trying out different genres and basically, stepping out of our comfort zones.
As different at the three of us are, we have somehow come up with a common ground in books. Despite our difference in preferred genres, we have tried our best to read what each Wormie has picked for the week and try to give our ideas about the said book.
Unfortunately, I am in a bit of a pickle and am somewhat inactive when it comes to reading and sharing my thoughts on the assigned books. With that, I apologize. I hope to be back in full swing next month and I hope that you enjoyed reading our reviews.
You may have also noticed that each Wormie has also added reviews on books that she had read in the past and would like to share it with us and our readers.
This week we will be reading Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver.
I was first introduced to the works of Jeffrey Deaver by my father. He bought me a copy of The Empty Chair several years ago. From then on, I'm hooked by the works of Jeffrey Deaver, especially novels about Lincoln Rhyme. He was first introduced in the Bone Collector. I'm always a sucker for suspense; thus, a good dose of suspense and mystery would certainly perk me up.
So now I'm sharing Cold Moon to my fellow Bookworms. Hopefully they'll enjoy this as much as I'll do.
Well, this is long overdue, but I believe in being late rather than never doing anything about it. Although my friends have not yet tackled the assigned book, I would like to go on ahead and post my review. Hopefully, they will still read the book when they have the time.
If you haven't read the book yet, I advice you to skip reading so as not to spoil your fun.
When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident — in a Mercedes no less — Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed, Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?
My view(s):
I don't know about the rest of the girls, but I loved this book. The others who I have shared this good find also found it a really good read. In fact, I finished it in a couple of hours after assigning the book. And even today, I feel so giddy when I think about what transpired in the book.
Lexi, in all intents and purposes is funny. Although she comes face to face with a whole lot of embarrassing situations, she never fails to find a somewhat smoother way out of her predicament. I could not blame her. If I were in her shoes, not knowing what went on for the past three years, and more or less being thrust in a world that just does not look like the one you had, well, I think I would enroll myself in a psychiatric facility of sorts.
Eric, her husband, is... robotic. LOL. It does not hurt to think that he is rich and utterly handsome, but to give you a handbook on how to go about your marriage - and include a chapter on sex(!) - is scary. Lexi and Eric's relationship becomes somewhat strained since obviously they should be the ultimate power couple - but maybe not. On, and the Mont Blanc! ROFL. Seriously, you have to read about this one.
And the architect? He's adorable. But of course, he knows something about Lexi that Lexi does not remember. Wouldn't you panic if some guy you have no idea who knows something that could perhaps destroy you but you have no idea what? I know I would.
And then there are those heartbreaking moments... Despite the good laughs and good time I had as I read the book, I have to admit that my heart got broken. I think that was the first time I could seriously visualize and feel my heart break in two halves. Odd, yes, but it could just be my reaction.
Now, I've read a lot of Sophie Kinsella books. I actually started with Confessions of a Shopaholic, and I liked it. But for me, this book tops the Sophie Kinsella cake. :D
Even now, I really do feel giddy about the whole story. LOL.
I just finished reading Eldest – book 2 of the Inheritance Cycle and I enjoyed it as much as book 1 - Eragon. I won’t make this review a spoiler, so I would leave it to you to find out what happens next. It’s great that Paolini started the book with a prologue summarizing the important events of the previous book. Christopher Paolini shaped the events in the second book in a way that would make you want (need?) to read the next book.
Eldest follows the adventures of Eragon and Saphira as they train with the elves at Ellesmera where Eragon is to heal, learn magic, and train to become a real Rider. Eragon is much stronger and wiser this time, and he is not as arrogant as he was on Eragon. But the cockiness is still there though, it makes you love and hate him at the same time. I love how Paolini showed the readers the gradual transformation of both Eragon and Saphira during their training. The bond between them can be so touching at times.
There are several details unveiled for some characters – Arya’s true identity and her life story, the history of dragons and how the Riders came to be, Eragon's true parentage, and some very pleasant and unpleasant(?) surprises that would make the stories more interesting.
I can sense a bit of influence from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings on Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle. Avid fans of Tolkien might scrutinize the Inheritance Cycle as an imitation of Lord of the Rings while some might just get into the groove for this one (as I have). The only addition here is the detailed subject of dragons. So this is more like a Dragonheart and Lord of the Rings rolled into one.
Eldest is longer, suspenseful, and has a touch of romance here and there. I think Eldest could have been several pages shorter, if Paolini cut back some of the lengthy description of events that are of no importance to the story at all. But all in all, it’s still a good read. I’m giving this one 4 stars.
Posts
Hello dear readers! Bookworm Lurchie has picked our book this week because I am still busy, unfortunately. I am quite excited about this weeks' book because I have actually read it for the umpteenth time (I was in grade school when I first read a translation) and I believe I can shed a few lights about the book: A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.
Read more...
