january, february, march reads

I didn't stop reading but I stopped taking notes and I stop blogging about what I had read. But, decided that I really like having a record of what I have read and when. Then I tried to remember what I have read in the last 3 months and had a hard time reconstructing a list. I know there are others and maybe I will remember them later.

• Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell......Scarpetta is one of my favorite characters of all time. She is a no nonsense woman that is strong and smart. In my eyes she is a very attractive woman who has a difficult time with relationships and the people she loves the most are a most dysfunctional bunch. In past books there had been events that blew apart some of these relationships and this book tried in a very awkward way to bring them back together. Even though I morned those losses (yep, after a dozen books over a dozen years, you feel like you know them), I think they should have let by-gones be by-gones and stayed gone.
• World Without End by Ken Follett......The follow up to Pillars of the Earth. Although it was a sequel it took place a couple hundred years after Pillars so there were no characters in common. Surprisingly, I really liked this one too. Surprisingly, because I usually like my reads to take place in modern day rather than in the 1300's. This one was a little more pessimistic and a couple times I was wishing really hard that good would come to those who I thought needed it. I really like it because there are years and years of character and plot development. You seriously feel the life they were living. Here's hoping that Follet writes another one.
• Rough Weather by Robert b. Parker......Again a murder mystery starring Spenser. I found a quote on Book Review site when I was looking for the cover picture that said "The books are meant to be read on an evening when it’s too dark or too cold or too wet to go outside." Isn't that a wonderful picture. Curled up with a blanket on the couch enjoying a great story.
• Dark Summer by Iris Johansen.....I keep trying to like Iris Johansen but I need to learn my lesson that her plots always have too much of the super natural for me. This one was no different....characters were members of a "family" that over generations had produced members with special powers including being healers. Yeah, yeah, I know....lesson learned, maybe.
• Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich.....pure fluff that is always great reading for being a bum whether at the beach like this time or at the lake or at the pool. I love that there will be a part or something said that will make me laugh out loud. Nothing about these are inspiring or thought provoking. It will not expand my vocabulary, in fact I think they are probably written on a 4th grade reading level. It will not teach me about history or science. But they are fun! And, I like it like that!
• Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner.....I have liked several of Gardner's previous books but I didn't really like this one. The background included lots of child abduction and abuse and that is just too much for me. And, oh yeah, there were LOTS of spiders. Not ready to mark her off my list yet but hopefully future reads will be more like a previous one Hide that I really enjoyed.
• Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett....an author that I have seen many recommendations for. I was in my used bookstore and saw this one so I picked it up without even reading the back. Once I picked it up out of my stack to read it, I realized that it was a true story about the relationship of the author and her friend, Lucy. I enjoyed the book - the story and writing and will have to pick up another by Patchett. I also want to read the memoirs of Patchett's friend titled Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy that is referenced numerous times in the book.