Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Mom recommended this one - she read it for her book group and they're discussing it tonight. I had to return it. Rather than return it unread, I started reading it Saturday night. I didn't realize I would be finishing it the same night.

I enjoyed this book - the flipping between Jacob in the nursing home and Jacob in the circus. It was interesting to look at life during the Depression from the eyes of the circus - the desperation to find work and the fear of losing the work they got. But in the end, it was really a love story - man/woman, friends, and man/animal.

I'd pass this on to others and I could see reading it again - so many things to think about. But since I borrowed it, it won't be going on the shelf.

Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum is back - the epitome of summer beach reading. It's a fun read - quick. I doubt it took me 2 hours. I laughed out loud as she continued her antics. It was the usual stuff - Ranger vs. Morelli, cars exploding, Rex the hamster, and the gossip mill in the 'burg. If you have read and enjoyed the others in the series, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Brain candy - but going on the shelf with the rest. Some days, I just need to laugh.

Bite - C.J. Tosh

A fun, beach type read - chick lit. It started slow and I never really felt like I couldn't put it down. But it was fun while it lasted. It was like a soap opera as a book - lovers and work obsessions, rumors - true and false.

I'll be passing it on.

The 6th Target - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

A quick fun read - took less than 3 hours from start to finish. I like these books because they don't focus solely on one long chase. They actually cover several cases and a variety of characters come in and out of the book. Just one one case is wrapping up, another case might get started or they might go simultaneously for a while. The Women's Murder Club series has moved more and more toward this format over the course of the series and I have enjoyed it more as they have moved away from one large case.

I heard there is going to be a Women's Murder Club TV series in the fall, I hope it doesn't ruin this series.

It'll be on the shelf along with the rest of them - let me know if you want to borrow it.

The Good Guy - Dean Koontz

"A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" is the soundtrack that plays in my head when I think about the newest Koontz book. It was a return to the "someone is out to injure / kill a woman and a man gets involved trying to save her" type books that started me reading Koontz in the first place. If you know your Koontz - think Lightning. One of the aspects of these that I always enjoyed was that while some man gets involved, the woman is not the usual helpless, shrinking violet who has been waiting all their life for a man. They are normally confident, strong and intelligent. The man and woman become a pair - each one excelling at finding ways to stay a step ahead of the bad guy chasing them.

A fun book, one that will stay in the collection (as all Koontz tend to do).

Fool's Errand - Robin Hobb

In my ongoing book binge, I picked up a book I thought would get me reading back in October. Guess I was wrong. But on the other hand, I did read it in 2 days - keeping me on my average of 4 books a month - not bad considering I didn't start reading until the 22nd. (The first 3 I blogged in May I actually read in April... making April look an abysmal 0 - since the one post was about not reading for a week.)

Anyway, Fool's Errand is the first in the Tawny Man series which is a continuation of the characters from The Farseer Trilogy. I loved the first series, they are one of the few fantasy series to make it through the latest purge. They are fun and still make you think - about what makes you YOU and how the reactions of people around you influence that (or don't). I didn't even realize that Fool's Errand was going to be the same characters, so I was pleasantly surprised to get caught up on what had happened with them in the period since the last series. It was almost 200 pages of set up - rehashing the last 10 years of life away from the castle. It was like seeing an old friend and hearing all the news.

Then the characters went off on adventure, sucking me in and getting me to the end of the book just before midnight. I think I'll be picking up the rest of the series soon. Although, I do still have the great book backlog to get through.

I'll be making a home for it on the shelf.