Saying Goodbye to 2010

Here is a list of books I've read this year. You may or may not find them interesting...I'll give a comment on some of them.  I've had a great time the last six months on this little lame book blog. I've read some great books and have been introduced to some new writers thanks to book bloggers that I have found on Twitter.  Amazingly, some of these great people allow me to follow their Twitter feed and some are even following me back. (total pressure...I still have yet to perfect my tweeting skills. One day I'll master it, I'm sure.)

BOOKS FOR 2010

1. The Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd

 JR WARD
2. Dark Lover #1
3. Lover Eternal #2
4. Lover Awakened #3
5. Lover Revealed #4
6. Lover Unbound #5
7. Lover Enshrined #6
8. Lover Avenged #7
9. Lover Mine #8
10. Black Dagger Brotherhood Insiders Guide

~This series will be on my reading list each year. Yes...they are that good.  At work we refer to them as vampire porn.  It's a great story about a group of vampire warriors known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  These warriors are fighting to save the extinction of their race.  They live in Caldwell, NY- and I have to admit that I was tempted to search out their mansion when I was in NY for that Lee Child book signing this year.  Every night when I would see a flash of light in the NY skyline, I knew the brothers were out slaying Lessers.  This series comes complete with a glossary and....an Insiders Guide.

CHARLAINE HARRIS
11. Dead Until Dark
12. Living Dead in Dallas
13. Club Dead
14. Dead to the World
15. Dead as a Doornail
16. Definitely Dead
17. All Together Dead
18. From Dead to Worse
19. Dead and Gone
20. Dead in the Family

~If I have to tell you anything about this series...something is wrong with ya! I started this set after I finished the BDB series. My coworker had received the series as a gift and I was just starting my love affair with reading.  Did you know Charlaine Harris will be at Bouchercon 2011 next year in St. Louis? If you want to know more about Bouchercon and find out what you need to do to attend, you can find information about it here.

ANNE RICE
21. Interview with a Vampire #1
22. The Vampire Lestat #2
23. Queen of the Damned #3
24. The Tale of the Body Thief #4
25. Memnoch the Devil #5
26. The Vampire Armond #6
27. Merrick #7
28. Blood and Gold #8
29. Blackwood Farm #9
30. Blood Canticle #10
31. Pandora #11
32. Vittorio the Vampire #12

~I know, I know. I was on a vampire kick...who hasn't been at one time or another?  Actually, I borrowed these books from my friend, Vicki and fell in love with the series.  Anne Rice is the only author I know that can write three entire pages about the desert and not make me fall asleep.  In fact, her characters are so well developed that I know they actually exist.  They have to be real! Every once in awhile, you'll find me referencing them on-line in a comment somewhere.  For example, I left this comment when I was trying to win an e-book:

My heart and soul belong to the crime writing community, but...I read just about anything that sounds interesting minus sci-fi. Ya, if I can't pronounce the name of the planet or the moon in some ones world, I pass on the book. I also have a soft spot for vampires. (Marius, did you find the scattered notes I left for you in New York?) See...vampires are real, right?

In all honesty, I love books that have characters I can relate to with story lines that keep me so entertained that I don't mind missing a meal or two. I haven't come across a book I haven't liked but once, and even then, it was probably my own mood that killed it for me. (I won the book!)

DEAN KOONTZ
33. Frankenstein Series
34. Mr. Murder
35. Dark Rivers of the Heart
36. The Husband
37. Intensity
38. The Face

39. Lightland- Kenny Kemp
~this was a great book...until the end when every other page was missing.  Uh-did you find a cure for that virus or not???

40. At First Sight- Nicholas Sparks
41. The Last Song- Nicholas Sparks
42. A Bend in The Road- Nicholas Sparks

43. Change of Heart- Jodi Picoult

44. Love The One You’re With- Emily Giffin

45. Prayers For Sale- Sandra Dallas

46. CRASHERS- Dana Haynes

47. Vanished- Joseph Finder

~I'm in love with Nick Heller...just in case Mr. Finder has any doubts.  Bring on the former flame in the next book. I'm totally ready for her.

48. The Betrayed- David Hosp

JEAN JOHNSON
49. The Sword #1
50. The Wolf #2
51. The Master #3
52. The Song #4
53. The Cat #5
54. The Storm #6
55. The Fire #7
56. The Mage #8
~read these for a friend to see if they were worth reading...they aren't!

ANDREW GRANT
57. EVEN (2)
58. Die Twice

~I have a super soft spot for Mr. Grant and the David Trevellyan series.  The longevity of this series and Mr. Grant's happiness is extremely important to me.  If you buy the series and are not satisfied...contact me at sabrinaogden@gmail.com. I'll refund your money.  The series is that GOOD!

59. Dracula- Bram Stoker

LEE CHILD
60. Killing Floor #1 
61. Die Trying #2
62. Tripwire #3
63. Running Blind #4
64. Echo Burning #5
65. Without Fail #6
66. Persuader #7
67. The Enemy #8
68. One Shot #9
69. The Hard Way #10
70. Bad Luck & Trouble #11
71. Nothing to Lose #12
72. Gone Tomorrow #13
73. 61 Hours #14
74. Worthy Dying For #15

~With this series came my Reacher Worthy Status Chart...the chart where I measure my Reacher worthiness...I might be developing a new chart when I complete the series...just starting book #15, and only having it return when a new book is available.  At this point, in all honesty, I'm not sure if I'm in love with Jack Reacher or Lee Child. 

75. Farm Fresh Murder- Paige Shelton

~I met Paige Shelton at a book signing here in Salt Lake.  I wanted to make sure I was supporting authors that live in my area. We've since become friends and enjoy regular lunch dates.  My review of Farm Fresh Murder-my very first "review"-was so liked by my readers, they actually told me to do more. Go figure!

SUZANNE COLLINS
76. The Hunger Games
77. Catching Fire
78. Mockingjay

79. How To Grow Up and Rule the World- Vordak the Incomprehensible
80. Opposing Energies- J.W. Collier

81. The Great Bridge- David McCullough

82. Terminal Damage- Do Some Damage Gang
83. Eight Pounds- Chris F. Holm

~I lumped these two collections of short stories together because this was my first introduction to short stories. I had no idea people wrote short stories and had them published and available for readers.  I'm not sure why this was so amazing to me, but my readers fell in love with the idea just as much as I did. The idea of being able to pick up a book and read a complete story in a short amount of time was priceless for many of my blog followers that have no free time.  I plan to introduce them to more of these options next year. Oh...I also met a new bad boy that I fell in love with. Yes, Oscar...I'm talking about you!

84. The Stupidest Angel- Christopher Moore

85. A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens

There ya have it! My end of the year post complete with really weird commentary.  Thanks for reading my blog and I look forward to visiting with you next year...which by the way, is going to ROCK!

Die Twice by Andrew Grant

Andrew Grant, like David Trevellyan, the main character in his novels Even and Die Twice, does not worry too much about finesse. His writing beats the reader over the head, delivers a swift kick to the jugular, and leaves him gasping for air. Okay, that may be putting it a bit too strong; however, the point is that Grant’s books go from exploit to exploit, fight to fight, without a whole lot of let up. Which, of course, is what you want if you are reading a crime thriller in the first place. 

In Die Twice Trevellyan travels from New York, the scene of Even, to Chicago to take down a rogue British agent who is trying to sell highly toxic gas to terrorists. He searches for the rogue agent, and then for the gas, and in the process covers just about all of downtown Chicago. The rogue agent is actually working for terrorists from a small African nation who want to use the gas to poison their whole country, for reasons that are not entirely clear. Luckily, Trevellyan finds the terrorists and some of the gas. Unfortunately, there is more gas, (“dun dun dun”), and it falls into even worse hands, to be used for even more nefarious purposes. What could possibly be worse than wiping out a small African nation? You’ll have to read the book to find out, though you may wonder which is worse. Of course, to save the day Trevellyan has to break a lot of noses, shoot a lot of people, and bust down a lot of doors. If this sounds a lot like Even, it’s because it is. Not in a bad way, but rather in a, “if you liked the original, you’ll love the sequel” way.

As I read Die Twice I wondered how close to being a rogue agent Trevellyan is himself; he doesn’t ever worry about back-up or following procedure and regularly takes justice into his own hands. His justification for killing is often that the people are bad (they are) and they deserve to die (they do); however, I was often left wondering what it would take for him to go off the rails and decide that someone who isn’t bad deserves to die and then just do it. He does seem to have gone a little bit more on edge in Die Twice than he was in Even and a little closer to that point. Maybe that kind of edge is good in a fictional action hero, but…I just can’t help wondering if he couldn’t do with a little more sense of principle. He is British after all. Wondering what Trevellyan will do next, and whether he’s going to eventually go nuts, will keep me reading the next installment. Which is probably the point anyway.

You can read more about Andrew Grant and the David Trevellyan series at http://andrewgrantbooks.com/.

Review written by The Senator

EVEN by Andrew Grant review by The Senator

In a crime thriller, telling the story is everything, otherwise there’s nothing to read. The pulps and noir novels of the early twentieth century are the parents of today’s crime thrillers. Like their parents, the plot, characters, and story lines of modern crime thrillers run essentially the same; thus the distinction between a good and bad thriller is the telling of the story, the narrative flow, and the likability of your characters.

Andrew Grant has released two novels in the David Trevellyan series. Although his newness shows through in several respects, his books also show great promise because he knows how to tell a good story. Throughout the book Mr. Grant gives appropriate detail to surroundings and events so that the reader is able to develop a sense of the place without getting bogged down in the details. Also, the pace of the storytelling is just about right for a crime thriller; I felt like I was carried along fast enough to be able to keep reading, without feeling rushed.

Even is the first novel in the Trevellyan series and it starts out engagingly enough. Our hero sees a body in an alley and stops to investigate. From there he is framed for murder and gets caught up in a local criminal syndicate’s plans to skim millions in Social Security payments and kill an FBI agent. After taking care of the syndicate’s boss (or so we think), Trevellyan decides to help the FBI track down a body part smuggler who also happens to be an international terrorist (with no connection to the criminal syndicate). It goes without saying that Even keeps up a pretty frenetic pace. While the pace is enjoyable, I found it a little difficult to wrap my mind around two separate plots running in what amounted to two separate novels written together as one. Additionally, because Grant had to tell two separate stories in one novel, I ended up wanting to know more about each. For example, although we get the picture that the female leader of the unidentified criminal syndicate is evil (and I mean EVVILLL), we never really get to know her; she has the proper credentials to be a thriller novel bad girl (sadistic, cruel, rules with an iron fist, etc.) but beyond that we never learn anything else. Once the bad girl was finally dispatched by Trevellyan I didn’t get as much joy at her demise as I might have had if I had gotten to know her a little better. The same goes for the other antagonists in Even. Maybe I sound a little like a psychologist, (“Yeah, I know you’re evil, but how does that make you feel?”) but if I’m going to feel good about someone getting whacked, I want to know more about them than just their evilness. The scant attention paid to the antagonists is probably a product of how tightly packed Even is, since it is really two novels in one.

Trevellyan has some of the same problems as the rest of the characters; we don’t get to know him very well in Even (though we do somewhat in the next book in the series, Die Twice). About all we learn about him throughout the novel is that he wants to do the right thing, has really tough fists, and is handy in a tight spot. Although these are really the prerequisites for an action hero; the best ones always have something else, a part of their character that makes us want them to win their fights with evil. Every chapter in Even starts with an excerpt from Trevellyan’s past life, either his childhood or military training, that attempts to shed light on him. Although the excerpts do help the reader to see how he became the action hero he is now, they don’t tell us who he is. Why does Trevellyan love truth, justice, and the Queen (he is British after all)? If I knew a little bit more about him, I would find it even easier to root for him throughout the novel.

Notwithstanding its shortcomings, Even is a great start for a new author. As Mr. Grant expands the world of David Trevellyan I expect he will only get better, which means I will have better reasons to: like David Trevellyan, hate the various bad guys, and read another installment in the series.

THE SENATOR-
I am not really a senator, in fact “The Senator” was my poker nickname back when I played poker. I don’t have any idea where the nickname came from, or why it stuck. I can only suppose that: 1) I took a really long time making up my mind on whether to bet, 2) I talked a lot, or 3) I was a conniver. As anyone who knows me can attest, any of these possibilities could easily have been the motive behind the nickname.

All my political aspirations having come to naught, I am now a law student at the esteemed S.J. Quinney College of Law, studying to someday become an attorney. Having realized, however, the law being much less prestigious than it once was, I am branching out into other fields of endeavor, such as book reviews. I also work as a law clerk at the Salt Lake County D.A.’s Office. Although my literary tastes run on somewhat different channels than Kate’s, I am excited to be a contributor to her blog.

EVEN in the Pasta Aisle

I was recently asked if I had a favorite book or author that has somehow changed my life...this was my answer.  The book is Even by Andrew Grant. 

It was the third Saturday in May 2010.  I had gone through my weekend chore list and was headed to the credit union, the post office, and the grocery store.  It would be the same locations, in the same order just like every Saturday before, minus weekends when I would be on vacation.  Nothing unusual at the credit union, nothing unusual at the post office, but there was something strange at the grocery store.

After pulling the grocery list from my purse I started shopping.  I was half way through my list when I realized the grocery list had a date from two weeks prior.  I dug through my purse and found the new list and stood in shock and confusion when I realized the new list was exactly like the old list.  It had the exact same items.  Worse, the items were in the exact same order as the list from two weeks ago.  There was no difference between the two. 

At that moment the grocery list became more than just a list of shopping items, it became a symbol of all that was wrong with me. I saw the disaster of my childhood, the constant struggle for order in my early twenties, and the difficulties that I had never expected to encounter once I found my prince charming.  Here I was, two months into my fortieth year standing in a grocery store acknowledging my inability to have children, embracing the reality that I'm dying from a disease that will more than likely never have a cure during my lifetime, and confronting the truth that in my attempt to protect myself from everything around me, I had forgotten to live.  

I was so busy processing the meaning of that grocery list that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings.  I took a wrong turn and ended up in the wrong aisle.  Before I could turn and back out, the entrance became crowded and I found myself forced to move forward.  MOVE FORWARD?  Tell me that isn't symbolic!  I pushed along with my cart and then noticed something odd.  I found a book nestled next to a package of spaghetti in the pasta aisle.  When I took it from the shelf my intention was to return it to the book section, but I have a tendency to get sidetracked when I hold a paperback book.  Once they're in my hands, they go straight to my nose.  For some ridiculous reason I have to smell them.  Once my smelling time is over I like to hold them close to my face and fan the pages so I can feel the breeze against my cheek.  At that point, I always go for the first sentence in the book.  I knew when I read the first sentence that I was taking the book home with me. I had an instant connection to David Trevellyan.  I've never come across a dead body in an alley on the streets of New York, but I do know where some bodies are buried.  It doesn't matter how much I don't want to get involved, like David Trevellyan, I'm always compelled by my own morals to do the right thing.

Long story short-found it, read it, loved it, kept it. I loved the book so much I started it from the beginning the same day I finished it.  I carried it in my purse like a treasure I couldn't live without.  When I finished it the second time I ordered the second book, and while waiting for the second book to arrive, I researched the author.  There was something about his reason for writing that truly sparked an interest in me.  I liked how he was doing something that made him happy.  He set out to do something that he truly loved and in the process his entire life had changed.  It was amazing to me and, well, it made me happy! 

It isn't that I wasn't happy before.  I think I was just grateful that out of all the things this man could be doing, he chose to write a book.  He wrote a book that sold me on crime fiction, and his personal story for writing a book made me look at why I was doing the things I was doing in my life.  I guess you could say I reevaluated my surroundings.  I pulled out that long forgotten list of goals I had written way back when, and realized with great disappointment that there really wasn't anything on my list that I really wanted to do.  They were things that I felt I was expected to do or things that I knew would please others.  Some were items that I had seen on my friends list and thought they would look good on mine.  In the end, I did the only thing I knew how to do; I threw the list away and started over.  I actually have three lists now.  I have a list of Things I Want to do and Love, People I want to Meet and Thank, and a list of Places I want to See and Explore. 

Yes, I was happy before I read EVEN by Andrew Grant,  but I can honestly say that I'm happier now and I'm having a lot of fun marking items, people, and places off my lists.  Thanks to Mr. Grant I have this book blog, a Twitter account, more activity on my Facebook page, many friends reading his books, an incredible love for crime fiction, and a hotel room in St. Louis with my name on it for Bouchercon 2011.  I've listed Mr. Grant as my most favorite author not because I'm secretly in love with the guy, but because his happiness is infectious and truly changed my life.  Well, I know I'll be forever thankful for the person who disposed of his book in the pasta aisle at the grocery store, but are there any authors or books that have changed your life?

This week I'll be introducing a friend that has accepted my offer to do reviews on my blog.  I can't wait to introduce you to him.  Yep, it's a he!  I'd make him some business cards with his name on them, but something tells me the female lying on the sofa reading a book thing might look a little odd with a boys name on the card!  And just in case you're wondering, he'll be reviewing the David Trevellyan series by Andrew Grant!

ALL GOOD THINGS COME IN 3'S

Good Thing #1:    Okay- for those of you that don't have Facebook; this is for you.  On the day I entered that dreaded writing contest (that I didn't win!) I was sitting quietly at my desk working on a homicide file when an e-mail from Andrew Grant popped up on my screen.  Andrew?  Why is he sending me an e-mail.  Did I do the unthinkable again and send him another message?  According to the message he sent; I did.  My friends really need to watch me more carefully.  Andrew was being as kind as he always is with me and thanking me for telling people about his books.  I didn't just send him an e-mail bragging about my contributions to his fame-I forwarded a message from a friend that had read his books and was passing the word along to her father.  It's all about word of mouth these days, right?  Just doing my part to keep this guy happy!

But wait!  That isn't all that happened on the day I entered that dreaded writing contest.  Did I tell you I didn't win?  I didn't win. 

Good Thing #2:   About an hour later when I signed in to check my Twitter account, (yes, I have a twitter account) I noticed I had a new follower.  A new follower...I know!  Totally shocking!  This would allow me to bring my world wide tweets to 4 people.  That's right...one, two, three, four!  Any guesses as to who my new follower is?  That's right, people-it's Andrew Grant!  Imagine, he actually thinks my tweets might be valuable.  I've only sent a total of six since I've started tweeting, but I am soooooooo ready get serious about it!

My day ended with me overly exhausted thanks to all the excitement in my day.  First there was the writing contest that I didn't win-but I was posted and congratulated for making it to the comment board.  That's good enough for me!  I couldn't hold my lunch in my over anxious belly because of it, but this truly was a good experience for me.  I might try another one in a few weeks.  I want to make sure Janet Reid has time to forget who I am.  And for all my curious friends- she is still allowing me to follow her on Twitter.  (I pray she continues this kindness.  I'd be lost in the reader world without her.)  Then of course the next major shocks to my system was the e-mail from Andrew and finding him following me on Twitter.  Such a scary thought. Does this mean I have to put more thought into my blogging?  Ugh-I really hope not!

Good Thing #3:   My package of goods didn't end there.  While preparing dinner for my super funny hubby, he hollered at me to come to the computer.  He pulled up my Facebook page and showed me the most unimaginable good news...Andrew Grant accepted my friendship request!  I am so happy my husband understands my need to be a true supporter of this man.  Andrew changed my life.  He really did!  When the time is right and my thoughts are finally in order; I'll tell you all about it.  It's a tear-jerker of a story.  I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it.  All good stuff though-promise.

Well, this is my post for today; only because I'm not quite ready to talk about Farm Fresh Murder, by Paige Shelton and I don't want any e-mails complaining about me putting my new found writing career before my blog. 

Oh!  I almost forgot.  Andrew left me a message on Facebook today! 

This week ROCKS!

"He Called Me Kate"

Hi Sabrina - or if you'd be prepared to count me among your friends, Kate!

It was great to hear from you. Thanks very much for getting in touch, and for the kind words of encouragement about David and his adventures. Leaving the world of telecommunications was the best thing that ever happened to me, too, so I'm delighted that the outcome has been good from your point of view. Writing the Trevellyan novels is fun, but there's nothing better than hearing that they're also fun to read!

Here's hoping that our paths do indeed cross soon - be it at a ballgame, a restaurant, or a bookstore...

With all best wishes,
Andrew.

My Dearest Andrew~

So, I was thinking that if I wanted to go see Andrew Grant at a book appearance it might be best for me to try to get to know him before hand. You know, develop some on-line friendship between us so when the book tour gets started it won't be so awkward for any of us when we actually meet. The following letter is my attempt to persuade Andrew into a friendship. I'll let you know if he responds. Something tells me he won't-but I think it's worth a try.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Look, I’m totally going out on a limb in writing this e-mail. My husband already thinks I’ve turned into a book freak and he almost bit his tongue off when I told him we would be planning next year’s vacations around at least two of Andrew Grant’s book appearances. The only reason why he’s agreeing to it is because I’m hoping that you’ll be kind and schedule your US book tour during baseball season. Heck, I might even be able to convince him to head to England since we have friends in Sheffield that we’ve been meaning to stop by and visit for about 10 years now. I like to think I’m good at rationalizing things-and so far…I’m impressing myself.

On a more serious note…I think you’re great! Love the books and I totally think David T. is H-O-T…HOT!

Honestly, I just want to be the friendly face in the crowd that shows up to encourage you and tell you how amazing your work is. I tell my friends that you moving on from the world of telecommunications is one of the best things that could have happened to me. You see, I took some time off from reading and when I picked up a book again it totally changed me for the better. (Don’t tell your brother but I didn’t even know who Lee Child was until I read your first book) I’m happy and I just want to support those wonderfully gifted individuals that are helping me become so excited about life. So, if you’re interested, my husband and I would be more than happy to take you to a game during one of your scheduled stops in the US next year. That’s if you like baseball-if not, dinner out will work for us too!

Here’s to wishing you the best in your new career and much, much happiness-

Sabrina E. Ogden (my friends call me Kate)
Salt Lake City