Politics, paranoia, and country music

~ Tell us the title: The Liar's Lullaby

~ Who penned this work?: Meg Gardiner

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: Library Convention

~ Number of pages: 388

~ Time passed from start to finish?: About 3 days

~ Describe the cover: Black background with orange and white text, a cut off image of a woman's face and the city in the background.

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Fiction, Murder Mystery, Thriller

~ Summary of the basic plot: From the back: Forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett is called upon to investigate a celebrity's shocking death in hopes of averting a national catastrophe.

~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): It was another page-turning story by Ms. Gardiner.  The plot line in this book was a little less interesting than her first two books with Jo Beckett, but was still a good read.  There were less dramatic twists, which I was pleased about, and instead the twists were completely unexpected. 

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: In this book, President McFarland (President of the US) is from Montana.  About dang time!

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? Dr. Beckett is the same as in previous reviews.  President McFarland is probably Bill Pullman, and for crazy Tasia I think of Heidi Montag.

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: "Her guardian angel shot her a salute and said, Good luck with that, honey.  You're on your own."  I just thought it was funny.

~ Choose your rating:
          - Changed. My. Life.
          - I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
          - A definite page-turner
          - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
          - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
          - A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page: "Mark."

Slick

~ Tell us the title: THE MEMORY COLLECTOR

~ Who penned this work?: MEG GARDINER

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: LIBRARY CONVENTION

~ Number of pages: 354

~ Time passed from start to finish?: 2 OR 3 DAYS

~ Describe the cover: BRIGHT PRIMARY YELLOW WITH BLACK CAPS TEXT AND A FAINT OUTLINE IMAGE OF THE CITY

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: THRILLER, MURDER MYSTERY, FICTION

~ Summary of the basic plot: JO BECKETT, THE CHARACTER ALSO FROM THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB, IS CALLED IN TO ASSIST WITH AN AIRLINE PASSENGER GONE CRAZY. HE APPEARS TO BE SUFFERING FROM SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS, BUT THE REASONS TURN OUT TO BE QUITE SINISTER.

~ Background information on the story/author: THIS IS THE SECOND IN A 'SERIES' IF YOU WILL FEATURING THE CHARACTER JO BECKETT. EACH BOOK INVOLVES A DIFFERENT STORY LINE, BUT A CONSISTENT SMALL CAST OF CHARACTERS.

~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): IT WAS GOOD, A VERY INTERESTING PLOT LINE. THE CHARACTERS WEREN'T QUITE AS ENGAGING AS IN HER LAST BOOK, AND ALTHOUGH YOU NEED NOT HAVE READ THE FIRST, IT CERTAINLY HELPED TO KNOW WHO THE MAIN CHARACTERS WERE GOING INTO IT. AGAIN, THERE WERE A LOT OF TWISTS IN THE STORY LINE, A LITTLE TOO MANY FOR MY TASTE, BUT THEY DEFINITELY WEREN'T PREDICTABLE.

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? SEE POST ON 'THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB'

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: I DIDN'T NOTE ANY QUOTES AS I READ. THE STORY ISN'T REALLY A STOP-AND-THINK STORY QUITE AS MUCH AS IT IS A CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN SORT OF TALE. I READ IT VERY FAST AND IT WENT BY SMOOTHLY WHICH SAYS GOOD THINGS ABOUT HER WRITING STYLE (SINCE THAT'S THE AIM FOR THIS TYPE OF BOOK, NO?).

~ Choose your rating:

- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
- A DEFINITE PAGE-TURNER
- Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page: "BUT IF THIS CHECKPOINT HAD BEEN A PERSON, IT WOULD HAVE OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER."

Welcome to the Dirty Secrets Club

~ Tell us the title:
The Dirty Secrets Club

~ Who penned this work?:
Meg Gardiner

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?:
Library Convention

~ Number of pages:
394

~ Time passed from start to finish?:
2 days

~ Describe the cover:
Shiny deep red with bold black letters

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?:
Fiction, thriller, murder mystery

~ Summary of the basic plot:
Forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett is hired by the SFPD to help solve a string of mysterious deaths.

~ Background information on the story/author:
This is the first in a series of novels involving Jo Beckett.

~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it):
It was a nice quick read, definitely unique in the world of 'thriller' stories. The main characters were fleshed out pretty well, and all really likable. There were a LOT of twists, especially at the end, and to be honest it felt like one too many. A few is a pleasant surprise, but by the end of the story I kept saying 'seriously??? Another one?' It was also nice to read a story with current references (Ms. Gardiner is younger than the typical thriller writer), but they also went a little too far and it felt like she was emphasizing them just a touch too much. All in all an enjoyable read, though.

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?
Jo Beckett would be played by Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen. Yes, she's a dutch soap opera star, and I just googled brown curly hair actress and she popped up, but she actually looks exactly like I imagine that the character does.

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why:
The author really likes to use ridiculous analogies, which I kind of enjoyed. For example "He was so clean and so sober that you could scrub him against a brick wall and scrape off graffiti."

~ Choose your rating:

- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
- A definite page-turner
- Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page.
"Bodies, clothing, jewelry, lives -- all went horribly awry in the milliseconds of impact."

"The Book That Petrified The President"

~ Tell us the title: The Cobra Event
~ Who penned this work?: Richard Preston
~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: I found it in a huge used bookstore in North Carolina back in October. I think it cost a dollar.
~ Number of pages: 432
~ Time passed from start to finish?: About four days
~ Describe the cover: I giant picture of a creepy looking eye. It makes sense if you read the story :)
~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: In the fiction section or possibly a science section if there is one.
~ Summary of the basic plot: A crazy man has created a new biological weapon (A recombinant virus consisting of a butterfly virus, smallpox, and something causing Lesch-Nyhan-like symptoms, if that's interesting to you) and is planning to release it into New York City. Several government agencies discover the virus when he tests it on individuals, and it's a race against time to find the man and stop him before he launches his weapon.
~ Background information on the story/author: Richard Preston also wrote The Hot Zone (about Ebola) and Demon in the Freezer (about smallpox). These were nonfiction stories, but The Cobra Event is fiction. He is well known for writing exciting nonfiction about diseases. He has a PhD in English. I'm not sure what his qualifications are for writing about science, but he is quite accurate.
~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): It was interesting, and alarming. What he presented seemed quite realistic and plausible. He provided background info throughout about bioweapons, that actually is nonfiction in nature. It was an interesting format for the book. I can't decide if it helped or slowed the whole thing down, however. (On a side note, if you don't know what Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is, look it up. It's a horribly horribly sad genetic disease, that hardly anyone knows about. It's research needs more funding.)
~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: Yeah...this isn't really that type of book.
~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?: Alice Austen would be Natalie Portman. Ashton Kutcher (think serious Ashton, not Punk'd Ashton) is Will Hopkins. Tommy Lee Jones would play Frank Masaccio. Beyond that, I'm not sure. Maybe Bill Pullman would be Mark Littleberry.
~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: Again, this wasn't really that kind of book, but I can use a quoted quote from within. "...hope is an expensive commodity. It makes better sense to be prepared." I know a lot of people may want to disagree with such a notion, but from the standpoint of bioweapons, it makes an awful lot of sense.
~ Choose your rating:
- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
- A definite page-turner
- Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere
~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page: The other half of the monkeys lived, and remained healthy.