James Toseland Autobiography

Didn't know whether to list this one in the book log since it's not fiction... but it's still a book and I read it so what they hey... Although with it being an autobiography there's not much to say really, lol.

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James Toseland; two time World Superbike Champion and current MotoGP rider with Tech 3 Yamaha, tells us about his early life and how he came to be a motorbike racer, classically trained pianist and general all round good guy (and he is really a genuinely nice guy!). This guy is so dedicated to winning and being the best it's untrue. I think that whatever he chose to have done with his life, he would have been good at it. He just seems to be one of those people who knows exactly what he wants, sets his sights on it, and goes and gets it - letting nothing stand in his way. So with that in mind you'd think he would be an arrogant and cocky guy, right? Well, amazingly he's not. All the time while reading his book it struck me how down to earth and grounded he is; a highly commendable achievement in an environment where I imagine it would be pretty easy to start lording your status over everyone.

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But Toseland simply comes across as the guy next door who just happens to race motorbikes at an international level for a living. It would be pretty easy to take this character credit away from him and assume that he's only coming across in the way he wants to appear as he's the one writing the book. Fair point - and I admit I'm a big fan of his anyway. But, I seriously think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with a truly bad word to say about him (apart from rivals he's beaten on track of course!). As I say, he is a genuinely nice guy, period. I think anyone who reads this, fan or not, will be surprised at how dedicated to his sport, and how humble in success he is.

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If you want a lesson in how to be a winner, then this is the book you need.

Panic - Jeff Abbott

To be honest I couldn't really get into this book at all. It seemed to take me ages to read (which is odd as it's not complicated) and I didn't find that it flowed all that well either - it seemed to be very bitty, and just all over the place. Having said that, when I did eventually get to the end I would say that I did enjoy the actually story. Maybe it was just me not being in the mood to read...

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General plot: Evan Casher is a normal guy who makes documentary films for a living. One day he gets an urgent call from his mum asking his to come home. When he arrives she is lying dead on the kitchen floor, with the attackers still in the house... As it turns out Evan's parents are not who he thought they were... and his girlfriend Carrie, is not who he thought she was either. They are all spies working for the KGB/CIA (whatever) and certain people need them dead, others want them alive. And now they are after Evan. Who does Evan trust? (cue dramatic music...)

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I think some of the characters and relationships could have been developed a bit more. After reading the authors note afterwards and discovering that he wanted to bring forth the core of Carrie and Evan's relationship, I'm not sure how successfully he managed it to be honest. It was there, just under the surface... but it felt like that it needed a little more just to bring it more into the spot-light. The scenes with just the two of them could have done with a little more to emphasise it I think. And even though Dezz is a totally evil character in the book, I found his character to be the most complex and interesting of all of them; his child-like behavior, having a dad as a spy and jockeying for respect, being in love with Carrie but being emotionally unable to show it, his loose-cannon behaviour coupled with his need to constantly chew caramels! I would like to have seen a bit more character development on his side... to get inside Dezz's head. But then, the story wasn't about him really so I can understand why Abbott didn't take him further - but personally I found him to be the most intriguing of them all.

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Also Evan's transformation from yuppie-about-town to fugitive-on-the-run was a little hard to swallow... it all seemed a bit too easy. Like you or I could just suddenly pitch ourselves against the experienced and battle-hardened (not to mention combat-trained) bad guys and come out on top and save the day.... hmmm. Amazingly his schemes to foil the bad guys actually work.

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So generally a good book to read if you're in the mood, but I think there was the potential for it to be a whole lot more rounded. More character development too other than just plot focus would have given it the punch it needed... I think anyway :)

The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve

After reading Fortunes Rocks and loving so much I felt compelled to read some of Shreve's other novels to see if they were just as good. And since The Pilot's Wife is probably one of the most well known of her works (thanks to Oprah) it seemed like a good place to start. And as it turns out, it's a pretty good book too: athough I didn't enjoy it as much as Fotunes Rocks and it is written in a slightly different style. It's a great story in how you don't always know someone as well as you like to think you do - especially those that you love.

Kathyrn is married to Jack who is a pilot with Vision Airlines. Together they have a daughter; Matigan, and the family run their routine around Jack's flight schedule since he is away a few days at a time. As in Fortunes Rocks, the ages of the Kathryn and Jack are different since there is a fifteen year age gap between them, although you'll have to see for yourself whether this is significant to the story or not. Kathryn and Jack live in what she considers to be a normal marriage, and she views their decline in intimacy as the result of his long periods away and the natural ebb and flow of a marriage in it's 10th year.

But when Jack's plane goes down in the Atlantic just off the coast of Ireland leaving no survivors, Kathryn and Mattie's world comes crashing down around around them amidst much media speculation on why the plane exploded and crashed. As Kathryn tries to deal with the emotion surrounding her husbands death she is faced with accusations that he may have been a terrorist and may have used the plane to commit suicide: taking all 103 innocent passengers with him. But while she tries to unravel the mystery, convinced that she knew Jack well enough to know he would never do something like that, she uncovers and even greater secret he has kept from her. A secret that shatters the memories of their life together much more than an exploding plane ever could.

Once again Shreve does a great job with the writing. She leads you through the story but still leaves you to figure out what isn't being said just as much as what is. Kathryn and Jack's relationship is significant in the way they are with each other, although I don't think I managed to fully appreciate the intensity of their relationship. You get the idea of Jack being the central pivot in everything, who wields a power they are all unaware of. You also end up feeling sorry for Kathryn although she manages to rally herself and survive okay on her own. There is a suggestion that Jack didn't really love Kathryn as much as she thought; that it was his relationship with his daughter that keeps him in the marriage. And when Kathryn travels to London and comes face to face with Jack's other life, you can feel the love and trust that she held for him slipping away through her hands which Shreve manages to write beautifully. Her subsequent breakdown at the knowledge is handled with care but Kathryn is a real heroine and does the right thing by Mattie. You know in the end that she'll be okay - eventually. Another great story which is brillantly and sesitively written. Shreve explores boundries of what a character might do when truly faced with their worst reality.

Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult

I've had this book on my shelf for a while and I was really looking forward to reading it. After enjoying The Tenth Circle so much I really wanted to get my teeth into this one. The blurb on the back sounded too intriguing to resist. But I was a little disappointed I have to admit. But that doesn't mean it was bad... I just didn't think it was as good as the others I've read.

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The story follows the lives of four characters; Delia, Eric, Fitz, Andrew and Elsie. Delia and her father Andrew have lived in the state of New Hampshire ever since Delia was 4 (I think, or there abouts) and has only ever been the two of them since Delia's mother Elise, died in a car crash. She grew up with the lads next door on both sides, Fritz and Eric, and the three of them have a seemingly endless friendship and closeness. Eric and Delia are engaged and have a daughter, Sophie. However, one evening Delia discovers that the mother she thought was dead is not actually dead at all, but instead living a live in Arizona. As it turns out her father kidnapped her, changed their names and lived a life of lies. Andrew is hauled off to trial in Arizona and Delia coerces her Fiance Eric, into acting as his lawyer because she trusts him and he knows them both. Fritz also tags along because the paper he works for wants in to write regular and in depth articles on the proceedings.

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Eric's mother was an alcoholic, as is Eric... as, it turns out, was/is Delia's mother - hence the reason we are led to believe Andrew spirited Delia (real name Bethany) away from the incapable care of her mother. However, during the trial when the prosecution goads Andrew into a rage of fury, he suddenly and shockingly reveals that the reason he took Delia away from her mother was because her then boyfriend, who is now her husband, was sexually abusing Delia. Knowing back then that the courts would never believe him without proof or grant him full custody, especially with a prior conviction however minor, he takes her away to begin a new life.

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So it sounds like a pretty good story huh? And it should be. But it just wasn't for me and I can't put my finger on why. When Picoult writes she throws up these really interesting questions that you have to stop and consider, and ask yourself. But in this case I just felt like she was asking questions for questions sake - they were relevant... but they were questions that you knew the answers too, or that were too easy to answer. There's this whole native Indian/Hopi sub-plot going on too and I couldn't figure out why it was relevant the main story or what it was supposed to help highlight and bring to the fore. I suppose it was something to do with knowing who you are rather that what you were or something like that but I know I didn't completely get it.

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With regards the whole Eric/Delia/Fritz triangle this is also complicated. They both love Delia and she loves them - all in different ways, but still love none-the-less. The reason Delia and Eric have not married yet is because Eric is still dealing with his drink demons. Delia sleeps with Fritz during the story and they discover they should be together. Eric is okay with this... but then he knows somehow that him and Delia will get back together. The idea being that all three of them are interchangeable. So basically it's a giant witches cauldron full of love, toil, trouble, betrayal and trust. Simply add a pinch of understanding, and stir...

The Rosary Girls - Richard Montanari

I am definitely in the midst of a full-on reading phase at the moment. Five books this month, five books last month... I wonder how long it will last before (what I like to term) 'book fatigue' sets in, lol. Still when it does, I can get on with writing my own. That's the trouble, I like reading so much it leaves little time for getting down to doing some writing of my own... but I guess it can be seen as creative-writing research. I'm getting some good ideas on how to write and the ideas for story lines are being honed... so one day! I realise now how easy it is to sit back and judge someone else's work. How will I feel when/if I am the one being judged? Anyway, I digress...
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The plot of The Rosary Girls is as follows: There is a serial killer on the loose who is targeting teenage girls. When they are found they are all posed in a similar manner - kneeled with their hands bolted together as in prayer complete with rosary beads. Their murderer does a good job of taunting the police too. Within the hands of each victim is a clue to where the next will be found... if only Philadelphia detectives rookie Jessica Balzano and veteran Kevin Byrne can figure out the puzzle in time. The killing spree begins the week before Easter Sunday and time is running out. Add to this Byrne's need to prove himself after previously harassing an innocent suspect and pushing him to suicide, and single-mum Balzano's professional need to prove herself among the boys club and you get yourself a pretty good story.
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If you're like me when reading a detective book like this you'll be looking to figure out who the killer is right from page one. I'm not going to give it away though :) Needless to say Monanari is clever in his use of information and details - feeding you the right things at just the right time. The guy I was convinced it was right from the start actually wasn't at all, even though part of me knew it couldn't be that easy. And as it turns out -it's not. I got reeled in good and proper. Montanari does a clever job of feeding you information on each of the characters so, probably no matter which one you suspect you'll be convinced you've got the right one. But trust me... you won't get this one until the last few chapters. And if you do? Well, you're a shrewder reader than I am.
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The Rosary Girls is a great story. It's a who-dunnit, detective, thriller novel and is one of those books I couldn't put down. It occurs to me that many of the books I have read are by women, hardly any by men. This isn't intentional. I don't have a preference either way. But Richard Montanari manages to flirt around the edges of emotions in this book. A difficult thing to do, especially with a story cast full of yank cops. But Montanari does well to try and diminish the stereotype. There are a couple of sub plots within the story though that didn't seem to go anywhere. Most notably when Byrne is set up in an alley-way gang killing. He does his best to hide the evidence and seemingly manages to do so (confirmation comes later in the book). But I wasn't sure where this fitted into the main story or what we as readers were supposed to take from it. Except maybe that he's capable of bending the rules and covering up things he doesn't want known. But even so this doesn't really fit. Montanari plans to write, or has already written, other stories with Balzano and Byrne as the main characters. So maybe this sub plot will come back to haunt Byrne in another book.
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There were also one or two nice surprises - but mostly only if you're British. I've not done any research on Montanari, but I'll go out on a limb and hazard a guess that he's spent some time in England? This is the first story I have ever read by an American writer who mentions the chocolate brand name of Cadbury's within the text. Surely the best chocolate in the world next to Gylian (sorry, but I've tasted Hershey's and it doesn't even come close). There are a couple of other British references too, and one of the support characters also comes from Northumberland which is cool. Nora Roberts also gets a mention too. Life is full of coincidences.

Hard Landing - Stephen Leather

This wasn’t a bad book. Pretty entertaining, didn’t drag and didn’t get massively caught up on details you don’t need to know. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt though. It wasn’t like there were any loose ends that needed tying up but it felt like it needed just one last chapter to give some closure on the support characters. But all in all it’s a good read.
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Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd is an undercover police officer who finds himself on remand in prison after the armed robbery operation he’s working on is busted by the local police. Having to remain in character as Bob McDonald as he is worked through the system he finds himself placed within Shelton’s prison. Eventually he is briefed and told that his new objective is to get close to a known drug dealer named Gerald Carpenter. He is also on remand but is currently doing all he can to collapse the case against him by having witness killed and evidence destroyed – something he can only do with the help of corrupt prison officers inside the prison walls. Therefore not only must Shepherd stay in character 24/7, he must also fight to survive amongst some of the most hardened and dangerous criminals the justice system has to offer. However, Carpenter has many contacts and eventually Shepherd’s cover is blown. Using Shepard’s skills to his advantage, Carpenter forces him to break him out of prison using Shepherd’s son on the outside as a suitable incentive…
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Like I say, it’s a pretty good read, the story is a good one and Leather tells it well. Shepherd’s character is full and well thought out, and finding things out about his background makes us care about him. There is one situation in the book that could have been developed a little more. Whilst inside, Shepherd’s wife is involved in a fatal car accident and it would have been nice to get a little more character development of Shepherd because of this. Obviously he can’t do much to show it inside but the funeral is pretty much glossed over – but then I guess this isn’t really instrumental to the plot, it’s probably just the woman in me wanting to know details about emotions and stuff, lol. And at the end I would have liked him to have given Carpenter the good and proper beating he rightly deserved… but unfortunately he only gets shot, which is a bit of a bummer.
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One final word is that the proof readers over at Hodder and Stoughton should have been shot along with Carpenter. The amount of words missing in the text as you read is crazy and at other times extra words are added in. However, my personal favourite appears on page 330:
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....Morrisons eyes were tightly shut, and his whole body was trembling. 'Have they gone?' he whispered.
....'Yeah, it's over'
....Morrison opened his ears. Tears ran down his cheeks.
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Quality, lol. But seriously, don’t let the dodgy proof reading put you off – it’s definitely worth a read if you like the whole thriller, espionage, cops and robber genre. I liked it :)

The Charmer - Mandasue Heller

I'm not going to waste too much time on this one. It says on the front of the book "if you like Martina Cole you'll love Mandasue Heller". Not a great start since I wouldn't say I like Martina, lol.

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Basic plot: Maria is 21 and has been brought up through the care system for the past ten years since her single-mother was killed in an accident on her way home from work. On her 21st birthday, whilst living in a rented bedsit in Devon with not even two pennies to rub together, she receives a letter from a solicitor informing her that she has inherited a substantial amount of money and a humongous house in Manchester. So off she trots to reluctantly (eh?!) claim her inheritance. Apparently she's none to happy to discover that she had a relative who knew all about her while she grew up being shifted from care home to care home - understandable. And therefore she is suspicious of the money and house she has been left and doesn't really want it - totally not understandable.

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Whilst in Manchester she meets Joel in a bar, a fella so good looking he charms her into bed and her credit card out of her bag. Joel is heavily into the drug scene and has some rather unsavoury characters after him but doesn't let any of this slip to Maria obviously. Therefore, even though he's only just met her, he somehow manages to convince Maria to let him stay with her for just a couple of weeks (she's smitten apparently) so he can hide-out (without her knowing of course). And during this time Maria manages to completely alienate her friends, and hand over control of all her money to Joel - a man she's just met. Hmmm. Anyway, she's now completely loved up with Joel, without a clue that he's dealing drugs and shagging anything with a pulse behind her back, or that there are nasties after him.

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Once Joel's hiding place is rumbled he convinces her that he loves her so much that they (by this I mean Maria) should buy a flat for them both. But then, as Joel begins to start snorting more crack than he sells, Maria discovers his secret and turns to the estate-rat friends she knew whilst growing up in Manchester to help her out (characters who actually have some well-needed depth to them I might ad). She also discovers that according to paperwork held by her solicitor, Joel has been moving her money into his own account when her investments have been maturing - how this is possible without her signature, or without her being present at the bank is beyond me. Anyway, we find out eventually that Joel isn't stealing the money, one of her solicitors associates is (same discrepancies over signature apply)... but all we know about him is that he seems to get away with it.

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And that's pretty much it. I really didn't enjoy it at all. How the publisher can put this type of writing in a class with Martina Cole is beyond me. Ok, I might not be a Martina fan, but at least her characters are well rounded and their actions are consistent with their personalities. Maria totally isn't. You'd think that if she grew up in a care home and is pretty much penniless when we meet her she'd snatch up her inheritance... but the way she doesn't seem to want any of it is highly annoying. And then when she finally does accept it, she hands over all control of it to a man she barely knows... when she's got a lovely friendly solicitor to help her look after it! Because, well yeah, you'd do that wouldn't you! Crazy. As for Joel, we know hardly anything about him at all. We don't get given any clues as to why he's a drug dealer, why he treats people the way he does, or anything that gives us much insight into he personality. His character is not consistent with a hardened criminal, or with the kind who wants to be boss of the drugs world. He doesn't even have any rough minions to help him and his place within the drugs world is not very clear. It seems he thinks he's a big fish, but again this isn't consistent with what (little) we know about him. And as for the other characters, they are completely one dimensional.

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And therefore it was very difficult to invest any kind of emotional attachment to the characters or manage to care either way what happens to them. The plot is fine, and probably would have been a pretty good book if the characters had had some substance to them. So, needless to say I didn't enjoy it at all, sorry. Maybe this gangs/drugs kind of genre just isn't my kind of book :)