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Review: Dream House by Valerie Laken

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: February 10, 2010

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

About Dream House:

What price will people pay to hold their homes and dreams together?

When Kate and Stuart Kinzler buy a run-down historic house in Ann Arbor, Michigan, they’re hoping their grand renovation project can rescue their troubled marriage. Instead, they discover that years ago their home was the scene of a terrible crime—and the revelation tips the balance of their precarious union.

When a mysterious man begins lurking around her yard, Kate, now alone, is forced to confront her home’s dangerous past. Hers is not the only life that has crumbled under this roof. This man’s family also disintegrated here, as the result of one brief act of rage that may haunt him—and this house—for years to come.

For two days now, I’ve been thinking about what to say about this book. I’m still not sure. In fact, the book is quickly fading from my memory.

I enjoyed reading it, and I can’t figure out why it didn’t make a greater impression on me.

I liked the main character, in spite of (or maybe because of) her flaws. Yes, she’s a bit self centered, and a bit obsessive, but who isn’t? (What, that’s just me? Oh, sorry!). I was amused by her husband, mired in the good ole’ days of college, not quite ready to grow up. I should be more interested in the choices they each made during the book.

The dream house of the title is almost a character in itself, with a mysterious shadowy past, slowly revealing its secrets to me.  Unfortunately, almost is the key there– to me, it just remained a house.

Perhaps there was language or atmosphere that just didn’t register with me.  I read for character and plot.  The language didn’t get in my way, the setting provided support for the story, so I was satisfied.  I can imagine others might get more from those aspects than I did.

Maybe the problem is that I’ve encountered all of these pieces before, although not assembled in quite this way. Then again, that’s true of most books I read, at some level. There aren’t that many truly unique plots or characters out there. I just felt like Dream House should have had more impact on me than it did.

I did want to call out one part that I particularly enjoyed, where the teachers at the local high school break into the gym over the summer and have a party of the sort they weren’t invited to when they were students. The concept was amusing, and the reader was able to see a side of Kate (and one of the other teachers) that doesn’t come out elsewhere in the book. The scene is used to build up events that follow, so it isn’t just a throw away.

Shrug. I don’t have any reasons you shouldn’t read Dream House. Check it out of the library. Pick it up for vacation. Read it. Then go on to something else.  I’ll suggest Folly by Laurie R. King if you want a book where a woman is taking control of her life by working on a house.  It’s been over 5 years since I read Folly, and it still has more of a place in my mind than Dream House does.

TLC Book ToursI read this book as part of a TLC Book Tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Dream House.  For more information about the book or the author, visit Valerie Laken’s website.   For other views of the book, check out the other tour stops:

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Review: Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: February 5, 2010

Knots and Crosses (Inspector Rebus, #1)My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last month, I read the most recent of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus books, Exit Music.  I enjoyed it, and decided to check out some of the earlier books.  Knots and Crosses is the beginning of the series.

From Goodreads.com:

Detective John Rebus: His city is being terrorized by a baffling series of murders…and he’s tied to a maniac by an invisible knot of blood. Once John Rebus served in Britain’s elite SAS. Now he’s an Edinburgh cop who hides from his memories, misses promotions and ignores a series of crank letters. But as the ghoulish killings mount and the tabloid headlines scream, Rebus cannot stop the feverish shrieks from within his own mind. Because he isn’t just one cop trying to catch a killer, he’s the man who’s got all the pieces to the puzzle…

I found it interesting– for the first half of the book, I thought it was more of a character study than a mystery. That was OK, I like books that are primarily about characters. In the second half of the book, many seemingly extraneous details tied in to the murder, as the character picture and the mystery filled in together.

I enjoyed the character of Inspector Rebus, even if he isn’t someone I’d like if I met him.   He was a complex character,  one that I look forward to learning more about in future books.  The secondary characters were also interesting, for the most part.  There was more depth to his colleagues in the police department than in the depictions of his family members, which I think was an intriguing deliberate choice.

The mystery worked well enough.  For most of the book, it was presented as a way to get to know Rebus.  This isn’t the sort of book where you can solve the mystery before the police– there’s too much we as readers don’t know that contributes to the resolution.

As far as I could tell, Exit Music is either the last book of the series, or it marks a significant turning point.  Starting there and moving to the beginning was a curious experience.  Rebus is recognizably the same character, but he does change as the story continues.

I’ll continue reading this series.

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My January Reading

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: February 2, 2010

My reading for 2010 is off to a good (if not outstanding) start. My reviewing is running a little behind that pace!

So far
7 paper books
4 audio books
11 books total

On paper:

In audio:

  • Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
  • Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
  • Borderline (Anna Pigeon Mysteries, #15) by Nevada Barr
  • The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Now I need to decide– am I going to review everything I read?  If so, I need to get my rear in gear.  If not, I need to figure out what criteria I use.  Obviously, I’ll write up any review books I read.   I probably want to comment on (if not review) all book club books. Beyond that, maybe it will just be my whims… What should I take into account in deciding?

Coming up, I have Love Walked In by Marisa de Los Santos (which I’m really looking forward to) for my book club L, Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (which I’m quite curious about) for my book club M, and Dream House by Valerie Laken (which really sounds intriguing) for a TLC book tour.

I hope you had a good reading month in January, and than February is even better!

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Review: In Tongues of the Dead by Brad Kelln

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: January 27, 2010

In Tongues of the DeadMy rating: 3.5  of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story of In Tongues of the Dead, but the writing style didn’t entirely work for me.

See the ECW Website for a detailed summary of the book.

In Tongues of the Dead is a book  in the same vein as The Da Vinci Code, with action and chases and puzzles and high ranking officials in the Catholic Church that will do absolutely anything to protect their secrets. The adventure was well executed, and both the action and the puzzles kept me involved in the story.

The unique twist of this book was the addition of angels and Nephilim (the result of crossbreeding of angels and humans).

As an aside, I found it odd to read this book after reading Hush, Hush and Fallen, two recent YA books featuring fallen angels, which appears to be a trendy topic in the genre. In Tongues of the Dead is a very different style of book, but I did keep flashing back to the other two simply due to the shared mythology they pulled from.

I liked the characters, and wished they’d been a little more fully realized, so that I could have gotten to know them better. I found the pieces I did have of them (past and present) to be teasers, making me want more.

The down side of this book for me was the writing. As I frequently state on this blog, what I want from writing is for it to deliver the story and stay out of my way. I kept being distracted by the words themselves, which seemed a little stilted, and kept the story from flowing cleanly.

I’ll put the same comment here as I did in my review of Tainted: There is a young child in jeopardy in this book. This may or may not be an issue for you, of course.

Overall, I still enjoyed In Tongues of the Dead, even while recognizing potential areas of improvement.

Thank you to ECW Press and their Shelf Monkey program for allowing me to participate, and providing In Tongues of the Dead for review.

As an aside, I found it odd to read this book after reading Hush, Hush and Fallen, two recent YA books featuring fallen angels, which appears to be a trendy topic in the genre. In Tongues of the Dead is a very different style of book, but I did keep flashing back to the other two simply due to the shared mythology they pulled from.
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Review: The Body Scoop for Girls by Jennifer Ashton

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: January 26, 2010

There’s nothing like reading a book about sex aimed at girls like your daughter to make you feel old!

The Body Scoop is about a lot more than sex, of course.   It covers many aspects of the life of an adolescent girl, including physical changes, nutrition, eating disorders, grooming, and so on.  I  didn’t read the whole thing, but I will before my daughter does.

I think The Body Scoop is aimed at 14 to 18 year olds, with useful content for girls  a couple of years on either side. Girls vary in their development and interests, of course. It seems to be directed a a girl that has started her period, has thoughts about hair removal (including pubic hair),  is familiar with a gynecologist and the concept of a vaginal exam, and is in a place where she’s making decisions about sex.

There is a lot of good information in The Body Scoop.  The big question is: will older teens find this book interesting and useful?

I think they need the information that is in here. In the chapters I read, the author goes into details on what is normal for periods and other associated issues. She makes a medical case for keeping your virginity until at least age 18 (she deliberately avoids the moral issues associated with that decision, which probably helps many girls keep from tuning out all of her advice on the subject). She gives details on sexually transmitted diseases and how to prevent them, and on birth control (always use two methods: a condom as well as another one).

The Body Scoop is well organized for browsing. It looks like the author has her facts straight (I’m fairly well informed, but far from an expert!).

There are times that the author’s attitude bothered me a bit. Her friendly persona seemed slightly condescending in some places, and like she was trying to hard in others. Then again, I’m old and cynical, so maybe that doesn’t come through to her intended audience. I also didn’t like her recommendation of weight loss surgery for teen girls, but that’s a personal hot button.  Many important ideas are repeated multiple times, which is slightly annoying when reading the book straight through, but is useful for a girl picking up the book and just reading certain sections.

Last night, I handed The Body Scoop to my daughter, and asked her to glance through the first few chapters and tell me what she thought.  At first she was interested.  She asked a couple of questions (from the grooming section, fairly innocuous) as she went along.  Then she handed it back to me, and asked why there was so much information on each page.  Tonight she asked if she could look at it again when I finished my review.  She asked what a gynecologist is.  She commented that the author’s office sounds really nice (it does!). Then she asked again why there was so much information on each page!

It isn’t the book I’m currently searching for, one that is what my 11 year old needs right now. I’m hanging on to this book and making it available to her, whenever she is interested.   I hope she’ll always be willing to ask me, but I think having a backup plan always a good thing. This book also will answer some questions it might not occur to her to ask, or to me to bring up.

(As a side note, for girls just showing signs (physical or emotional) of starting puberty, I’d recommend the American Girl book The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls. I recently purchased the AMA’s Girl’s Guide to Becoming a Teen for my daughter, and it looks like a good next step.)

TLC Book ToursI received The Body Scoop as part of a TLC Book Tour.  Thank you to Lisa for this opportunity.  Take a look at the other tour stops for other perspectives on the book:

The Body Scoop for Girls: A Straight-Talk Guide to a Healthy, Beautiful You by Jennifer Ashton, M.D., Ob-Gyn

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Review: Tainted by Brooke Morgan

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: January 19, 2010

Tainted by Brooke MorganTainted by Brooke Morgan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

From the TLC Book Tours site:

Holly Barrett first saw Jack Dane early one morning—tall, tan, and so heartbreakingly handsome he took her breath away. He also seemed like the last person to disrupt her quiet, uneventful days with her sensitive daughter, Katy. But the charming, enigmatic Englishman has blown into her small Cape Cod town like a brisk summer wind off the bay.

He sweeps Holly off her feet, and is soon touching the lives of everyone she deeply cares about. But is Jack the considerate, concerned gentleman he appears to be—or is there a very different creature lurking below the surface? Has a monster entered her life . . . and how far will Holly have to go to save the person she loves more than anyone else in the world?

I found Tainted an utterly engrossing book, heavy on the suspense and creepiness. While I was reading, I was completely drawn in by the characters and their actions.

I think this is a testament to the quality of the writing, which I never found obtrusive (this is probably how I’d define what I like in a writing style– effectively captures my attention while never forcing me to pay attention to the actual words).

When I stopped reading, I found myself questioning the story. Did I find Holly realistic in her reactions to the events that unfolded? (yes) Was I convinced by Jack? (that answer kept changing over the course of the book, I’m still not certain now I’m finished with the book).

These characters stayed with me, as did the secondary characters of Katy (the daughter, occasionally in danger of being more of a plot device than a person, but whose personality does come through), Henry (Holly’s grandfather and support system, a crotchety but loving father figure), Anna (Holly’s childhood best friend) and Billy (the deadbeat dad).

I liked how the book was primarily told from Holly’s point of view, but we’d get chapters that were glimpses inside other heads.

I want to give this book a Warning: Child in Jeopardy label; since I know several people that would not want to read Tainted due to that aspect of the story. I found it disturbing, but that didn’t stop me from liking the book.

TLC Book ToursI read Tainted as part of a TLC Book Tours tour. Thank you to Trish for the opportunity to read this book and to participate in this tour. Tainted will also be visiting:

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Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: January 17, 2010

Hush, Hush My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I’m guessing it’d get at least another half star from me if I was within the target audience. Sometimes, young adult books work seamlessly for me, sometimes I feel old when I read them.

From the publisher’s website:

Romance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen — and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

I couldn’t help but think of Twilight and Fallen when I read Hush, Hush. This book is missing most of the things that most annoyed me about either of those. In the end, I liked it better than Fallen, but it wasn’t quite the guilty pleasure that I found Twilight.

I really liked how the book set up the story with the brief scene in the prologe. The reader is given a framework for the mythology. When the details about angels come out later, it doesn’t come out of nowhere.

I liked the characters. I found them fairly interesting, even if their teen-ness distanced me from them. I’m never thrilled with the whole obsessive love thing, but this was actually pretty well handled. I liked the plot. It kept my interest as I tried to figure out each character’s role.

Altogether, it was readable and entertaining.

I received this book for review from the publisher. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for this opportunity.

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Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: January 13, 2010

The Elegance of the Hedgehog My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads.com:

We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With humor and intelligence she scrutinizes the lives of the building’s tenants, who for their part are barely aware of her existence.

Then there’s Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. She is the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue behaving as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter.

Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma’s trust and to see through Renée’s timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.

I found this book very odd to listen to. I mostly mean that in a good way, although there are times that I wasn’t sure.

The first half of the book kept rambling off on tangents, usually (but not always) interesting ones. I drifted along, bemused, as Renée pontificated on philosophy or stories about people she knew; or as 12 year old Paloma talked about how pointless her life was. I admit, I let it flow by at times, listening but not always absorbing what was said.

In the second part of the book, the story came together. Parts that I let slip by me became relevant. I got to know the characters much better, and finally connected with them.

The characters, particularly the main characters of Renée and Paloma are the heart of this book. Although they both interest me, I didn’t like either of them as much as I expected to, or as I think I should. Both were very smart female characters, which is often enough to make me bond with them. In both cases, I was too far into the book before I really understood why they needed to hide their intelligence from everyone around them.

I also continue to think on Ozu and Manuela, two key secondary characters. I wish both had been fleshed out more. Ozu never felt like more than a plot device to me, although a very pleasant one. Manuela was a foil for Renée. Yet, I still perked up whenever they entered.

The thing is, I’m pretty sure all of this is deliberate, that’s the way I’m supposed to feel as I make my through the book. I think everything I perceived as borderline negative when reading adds to the final understanding of the book.

This was a very intricate book, not in its plot, but in the characters and in the telling. There were many small pieces that interlocked in unexpected ways.

I’d really like to reread this book. I suspect that on a second time through, I would love this book rather than simply liking it a lot like I do now.

I think this would make an excellent book club selection, and will consider suggesting it to one of my clubs next time we select books.

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Review: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: January 7, 2010

Exit MusicMy rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the Hachette Book Group web site:

It’s late in the fall in Edinburgh and late in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he is simply trying to tie up some loose ends before his retirement, a new case lands on his desk: a dissident Russian poet has been murdered in what looks like a mugging gone wrong.

Rebus discovers that an elite delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, looking to expand its interests. And as Rebus’s investigation gains ground, someone brutally assaults a local gangster with whom he has a long history.

Has Rebus overstepped his bounds for the last time? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, controversial career, will Rebus even make it that far?

I have a friend that has been urging me to read Ian Rankin for several years now. I’ve meant to get to this series, and when I had a chance to review this book I jumped on it, even if I had to start at the end of the series.

I can see why my friend recommends the series so highly. There were a variety of interesting characters, the mystery was well plotted, and the writing was high quality.

On the other hand, I think I was missing some richness because I hadn’t read any of the early books. I think having a better understanding of where the characters came from would have made their journeys more meaningful.

It is a good book on its own, and I recommend it for those that like police procedural mysteries. I’m going to go back and fill in some of the earlier books. I think I’ve been missing out.

Thank you to Hachette books for providing this book for review!

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Book club updates

Posted by: Laura at Im Booking It on: January 6, 2010

I haven’t posted recently about my book clubs and the books we’ve discussed!

A few days ago, my Book Club M discussed Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby I reviewed it in October, and then suggested it for this group to discuss. We all enjoyed reading the book– I’d been pretty sure that most of the members would, but I was glad that the others did as well. We had a good discussion, largely stemming from the highly unreliable narrator and from the family relationships in the book.

Book Club L skipped December (my fault!) but Book Club M read and discussed Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, which is the Silicon Valley Reads book for 2010. I haven’t posted a review of this book yet, and I probably won’t. Our opinion on this book was mixed, with some people loving it, and others being not as certain. I didn’t think our discussion was particularly compelling either, but I was probably the persbn that liked the book the least. We talked about the science behind his claims and about his tone while discussing them. I think that those that liked this book best had previously read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, so that may be a better place to start.

In November, my Book Club L discussed Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, which I’d previously read, reviewed and discussed with Twitter Book Club. Olive Kitteridge made my list of top reads in 2009. Everyone thought it was a good book, but not everyone enjoyed reading it– a couple of people found Olive’s character too negative, and that interfered with their connection with her. This disagreement helped the discussion, which I think everyone enjoyed.

Also in November, Twitter Book Club discussed Tethered by Amy MacKinnon. I still hope to review it someday, although I’m not sure how likely that is at this point. I really enjoyed the book and the TBC discussion (even if I hadn’t finished the book yet). I need to recommend this for one of my other clubs, since I’d love to talk about the parts I hadn’t yet read.  I have to say, Twitter Book Club has consistently selected great books, and I’m thinking I should go back and read the two I’ve missed!

I think that catches me up on book club discussions! Hopefully, I’ll stay more up to date on my reviews this year, but  I still may post short updates when we discuss I book I’ve already read.

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Laura de Leon is Booking It

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I'm always reading, and usually on the move. I'm a mom-at-home exploring where I want to go in the world, trying to see what my next move will be. For more information, see About Me


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  • Tina: What a great start you're off to, and what a great discussion on whether and what to review. I don't have a hard and fast set of rules for myself, ot
  • Review: Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin « I'm Booking It: [...] month, I read the most recent of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus books, Exit Music.  I enjoyed it, and decided to check out some of the earl
  • mari: I am bringing this book with me on a trip this weekend - I can't wait to read it. Glad you liked it!

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