Thursday, April 14, 2011

Let's Take the Long Way Home

Author: Gail Caldwell
Year: 2010
Publisher: Random House

"It's an old, old story: I had a friend and we shared everything, and then she died and so we shared that, too." 

So, I never quote parts of books but that one opening sentence convinced me that not only did I have to read this book but that it was going to touch a special cord with me. It made me instantly think of a friend that means the world to me. Gail Caldwell calls this book "a memoir of friendship" and so it is. It's the story of Gail and her friend, Caroline, who became friends because of their shared love for their dogs and who came to mean the world to each other. Caroline gets cancer and dies and it becomes the story of how Gail survives her friend's death. 

I loved this story. It was a beautiful testament to the author's friend and to friendship period. I bawled my eyes out. Not because the story was so sad but because a part of me fears the day that I have to live through the death of one of my friends.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Walking Dead: Volume 1: Days Gone Bye

Author: Robert Kirkman
Year: 2007
Publisher: Image Comics

This is the first volume of the comic series that the AMC TV show is based on. I haven't watched any of the TV show but it's been getting pretty good reviews; so, I decided to read the graphic novels. In this volume, Rick is a police officer that gets shot in the line of duty. He ends up in a coma. When he wakes up, something has happened and there are zombies all over the country. Rick works his way down to Atlanta where he hopes to find his family. I was very surprised at how quickly I got into this story. I read almost no zombie stories and, in truth, they don't interest me but it was very easy to identify with Rick and cheer for the characters. I'm curious to see how things are explained and find out exactly what it was that caused the zombie outbreak.

The Necromancer: The Secretars of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Author: Michael Scott
Year:  2010
Publisher: Delacorte Books

This is the fourth book in Michael Scott's "Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" series. I continued to love these books. In this book, the Flamels, Sophie and Josh return to San Francisco. Scatty and Joan are still missing. Everybody is still planning for a big battle. These books are quick paced and hard to put down once you start reading them. Now that I've caught up on these books, I guess I have to wait for the next one to come out in May. At least I shouldn't have any problems coming up with something to read between now and then.

Ice Cold

Author: Tess Gerritsen
Year: 2010
Narrator: Tanya Eby

This is the latest in the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series by Tess Gerritsen. At first, the book failed to interest me but then a little over halfway through, I didn't want to turn it off or get out of the car. This story took Rizzoli and Isles out of their normal setting . Maura was stranded in a snowstorm in Wyoming and there was an odd cult involved. The narrator was above average. Ice Cold ended up being a decent addition to the Rizzoli and Isles series.