Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath

Genre:  Murder Mystery/ Fiction
Date of Publication: February 4th, 2013                                                                            
Memorable Quotation: "Life, she said, "isn't a race that can be won.  The end is the same for all of us- we die...it's not about winning the race, Jacqueine. It's about how well you run." (pg. 227-228)
Similar Titles: Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath and The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson

Lasting Impression:  Although Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is as sensational as ever, the title “Bloody Mary” certainly lives up to it’s name by having an unnecessary amount gore and violence that may turn a lot of readers away.

Storyline: B-
Pace: A
Characters: A+
Ending: C-
Overall: B  

*NOTE:* Even though this review received a B, this novel’s negatives outway the positives. The only reason this novel received such a high grade was because I liked the story; it was a comment the author said that really made the novel worse but I will explain that in a minute.

Let’s start with the storyline, which was great, especially because the characters were the same one’s from Konrath’s first novel, Whiskey Sour. The story opens with Lieutenant Daniels working on another spine tingling case, with a killer leaving random body parts with a piece of Daniels’ belongings in various places around the Chicago area. You find out early that this time, the murderer is a fellow cop and things get even more complicated when the cop blames his poor actions on a brain tumor that was recently found, but Daniel’s gut tells her otherwise.  As she tries to prove the truth, things become messier as the corrupted cop comes after her with a bloodthirsty vengeance, which means Daniels must dig deep to fight off not only the killer but also her personal demons that could lead her to her demise.

Konrath’s characters are painfully realistic and the dual narratives between the cop and the killer, once again, give the novel a great, full bodied feel. BUT, as I said before, the negatives REALLY outway the positives in this one.  

It’s always a bad sign when you turn the page toward the end of a novel and realize the book is over, and you think, “That’s it? That’s the ending?” Similar to The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson, the ending is rushed and sloppy; no closure brought to anything, including the whereabouts of the characters or an idea of what will occur in the novel to come.  Now usually, a novel that has a poor ending can get away with a good rating, but this novel has a bigger problem. 

I’m not a big fan of gore, but I can deal with it better in novels than I can in film. I say this because in the introduction of this novel, Konrath writes, “…a word on graphic violence. These books have none. Though Jack chases some very nasty villains, the violence happens off the page. It’s horrible, but not gratuitous. So if you think the books are too descriptive, it’s actually your imagination filling in the nasty parts.” So as a reader, I take that as fair warning that there may be references to the killings, and I appreciate the forewarning.  

So, I go on to reading and soon see that Konrath was WRONG.  The scene that I learned how deceitful Konrath was is on pg. 41. Please, dear reader, please let me know if this scene sounds like a piece of graphic violence that “happens off the page." 

The killer had taken an escort into his private "plastic" room and described how, "Severing her head is harder than he'd have guessed.  He has to prop his knee up against her back for leverage, and then use a sawing motion with the garrote to get through the spine."

HOW CAN YOU JUST ‘IMAGINE’ THAT?! Those are some pretty DIRECT images, and even though I know I would have been disturbed by them either way, I am even more disturbed at the fact that the Konrath says that he is not putting those images into his reader’s heads; their IMAGINATION is! 

It pains me to give Bloody Mary such a bad review when I liked Whiskey Sour so much more, but it isn’t the novel’s fault; the characters did what they were told.  Konrath needs to get back on his game and stop giving false evidence of what his books contain, or else his readers are going to start dropping like the poor victim’s of his killers.

-Shelly-Beans

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Genre: Mystery/Literature

Date of Publication: August 20th, 2013

Memorable Quote: "...Cordova could no more be held responsible for Any Andrews gruesome death than the beef industry giving Americans fate heart attacks.  As much as some people would like to believe, for their own peace of mind that the appearance of evil in this world had a clean cause, the truth was never that simple." (pg. 29)

If you liked these, you'll like this: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Lasting Impression:  Pessl displays an emotion in her writing and characters that is so life like, so easy to connect with, that by the end I swore I had seen all of Cordova's films and he was a real director. 

Storyline: A+

Pace: A

Characters: A+

Ending: A
Overall: A

This is the most visual novel I have ever read. Literally! The evidence, articles, and pictures Pessl displays through the story gives the book a credibility that really made me second guess if this was a work of fiction or not.

The story is centered around Scott McGrath, an interrogative reporter who questions the sudden suicide of cult film director Stanislas Cordova's daughter, Ashley.  With two unlikely companions, McGrath scours New York City for answers but as things get out of control, he realizes that some mysteries are best left unsolved.

Scott's first person narrative was very easy to follow and even though every character was fantastic, Scott McGrath was extremely interesting because of the transformation he makes through the events that happen over the course of the book.  You could say that about any "coming of age" story, but the richness in detail and the way Scott's perspective and narrative changes as the story progresses is quite an accomplishment.

The only problem I had with the story was that all of the evidence McGrath and his comrades find is never collectively put together; like jigsaw pieces that never fit altogether perfectly to display the whole picture.

Besides that small piece of negativity, I am truly amazed with what Pessl has created, especially with the creativity behind creating Cordova and his beautiful yet horrifying films that can only be properly described by "Cordovites" as sovereign. deadly. perfect.

-Shelly-Beans

Calling You by Otsuichi

Genre: Short Stories/Japanese Fiction

Date of Publication: May 31, 2001

Memorable Quotation: “Hello?” “Please don’t hang up. I swear this isn’t a prank call…” For some reason, the idea of a prank call on an imaginary phone amused me.” (pg.20)

If you liked these, you’ll like this: Twentieth Century Ghosts by Joe Hill.

Lasting Impression: The three stories story in this wonderful collection are touching in their own way; each exploring the power of human relationships and what it means to feel love in its purest form.

Storyline: A+

Pace: A

Characters: A

Ending: A

Overall: A

Unlike Otsuichi’s other short story collections that include more gruesome, graphic detail, the three stories in Calling You are more lighthearted, although death is a reoccurring theme in them too. When you think about the title of this collection (which is also the title of the 1^st short story), I not only think of Celine Dion’s Song “Calling You” but also the image and emotions I feel.  I can imagine someone calling  to a lover or a friend either in happiness or in shock, the syllables of the name never sounding like poetry until that moment, and to have a title make me emotionally invested into the book before reading it is pretty good reason to think this will be a home run.

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The first short story is Calling You, which was my favorite one.  Ryo is a quiet girl who is so lonely that she creates a cell phone in her mind, wishing she had friends to call. After a while, she can see the phone clearly in her mind, as if it is real.  One day, she hears a phone ringing, and it turns out it is her imaginary one.  The caller is a boy around her age, Shinya, who doesn’t have any friends and made an imaginary phone too. 

The way they find each other and help each other cope in a world that initially rejected them is beautiful, and although the ending is heartbreaking, the twists that come out of such a short story is incredible.

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The second short story is Kiz/Kids.  The narrator, who we never learn the name of, belongs to the “special” class in school because of violent outbursts and while there, he meets a boy names Asato who has a very special gift; he takes scars, bruises, burns, and injuries from people and puts them on his so they won’t feel pain.  He is used for his gift, unfortunately, and it nearly kills him. As this happens, the young narrator gets a first hand look at why it is rare that the pure do not stay that way forever.

At first I thought it was just a “cute” story but as the characters develop and back stories come to light, I realized this was a much deeper, more painful, plot than I had first realized. I was very impressed with the story overall, especially with the ending, and how the two boys learned that with love comes sacrifice and with sacrifice comes a bond that is unbreakable.

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The final story is called The Flower Song.  The story centers around a man who was in a horrible train accident (which is only mentioned) and how he is in a hospital, recovering from emotional scarring from losing his lover in the crash.  As he wanders the hospital grounds, he comes across a clearing and sees a giant tree has fallen. Underneath it is a flower that appears to be humming.  The rest of the story centers around the narrator and his relationship to the flower.  What the narrator learns about family and reincarnation is extremely profound, and the imagery Otsuichi gives the reader when it came to the flower is amazing.

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All of Otsuichi’s stories in this collection are based around family, love, and the pain that comes when we open our hearts to love.  What makes his stories so exceptional is that he takes the pain that love can bring and transforms it into personal growth through his characters.

~Shelly-Beans

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Genre: Inspirational/Non Fiction

Date of Publication: 1997 (No specific date could be found.)

Memorable Quotation: “I don’t want to leave the world in a state of fright. I want to know what’s happening, accept it, get to a peaceful place, and let go. Do you understand?”  I nodded. Don’t let go yet, I added quickly.  Morrie forced a smile. “No. Not yet. We still have work to do.” (pg. 107)

If you liked these, you’ll like this: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Lasting Impression: Flavia Weedn once said, “The world knows little of it’s greatest heroes,” and in the case of Mitch Albom’s college professor/friend Morrie Schwartz, that’s exactly what he is: a hero; a man with a message about life, love, and death that should be required reading to fully understand the human experience.

Subject: A+

Delivery: A+

Pace: A+

Ending: A+

Overall: A+

NOTE:  I just realized this is the first Non-Fiction book I will be reviewing! (I’m not talking about a guide or a collection of work; I mean a true story.)  SO, my rating system will be different.  Here are the explanations for the two new rating criteria:

Subject: Was the person or event the book is about interesting?

Delivery: Was it written in a conversational tone? Was the author/subject relatable?

Thank you and enjoy the review!

If everyone could be so lucky to have such a beautiful memoir written about them, the world may be a different place.  Fortunately, Best-Selling Author/Sports Journalist Mitch Albom was able to record the legacy of Morrie, a man who continues to inspire hope even after his death.  Morrie was diagnosed with ALS in his late seventies and through his strong spirit and high hopes against the merciless disease, Mitch wind up learning about Morrie’s condition and began visiting every Tuesday; where the two talked about some of life’s most important subjects, including marriage, emotions, death, etc.

I have always been a fan of Mitch Albom but this book made me love him and his work even more because on every page, I could feel the love and admiration he had for his old professor; describing Morrie in such a way that everyone feels they had known him as long as Albom did. 

The more I read about Morrie, the more I wished I could have hugged him, thanked him for such inspirational words, told him that I wanted to be a better person because of him.  

I can almost guarantee that I will read this book again and again; when I need my faith restored in humanity or just a little hope about life, and when that time comes, Morrie will come back to life for a little longer and he will repeat to Mitch, to me, the lessons that will help us create better tomorrow for ourselves.

~Shelly-Beans

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox

Genre: Business/Fiction

Date of Publication: 1984 (No specific date could be found.)

Memorable quotation:  “If I were to just tell you the answers I know, all you would get is an earful of advice.  But if you discover the answers for yourself, then you own those answers.  They’ll be yours to keep, and you’ll believe in them so much more because you found them yourself.” (pg. 269)                                

If you liked these, you’ll like this: Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield                                          

Lasting Impression:  This is a must read for anyone interested in/involved with economics, business, or management for the business strategies that are discussed. For everyone else, the growth and problems of Al Rogo are things that anyone can relate to.

Storyline: A

Pace of Story: B+

Characters: A

Ending: A+

Overall Grade: A

   

I recently changed careers and started a new job, in advertising (Hooray!) so my new boss recommended I read this novel to understand more about the business and how to succeed, so although this wouldn’t have been my first choice of a novel, I definitely gained perspective from it.

Here’s the premise: What would you do if your manager told you one morning that your division of a manufacturing plant has not been making money for so long time that if things didn’t pick up in three months time, your division will be shut down?  This is the situation Al Rogo is faced with, and if that isn’t hard enough to deal with, his marriage is crumbling as well.  With the help of his old physics teacher, Jonah, Rogo begins a journey of not only a re-evaluation of everything he thought he knew about business but also how to manage his time better with his family.

The book focuses on the ideas of throughput, bottlenecks, and ROI (just to name a few) and for those who feel daunted by those terms (like I did), Goldratt writes in a way that is easy to understand, even though at times I was bored by the amount of business terminology used in certain scenarios.

What annoyed me the most about the novel was how it was described on the jacket. It was stated that this would be a “thriller” and it was a “compulsive” read. For a reader like me, these words made me think of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (maybe for business people, this is a thriller) but when I read it, I had to push myself at times to get through the sections that went deep into the ethics of business.

When I was done with the book, my boss asked me what I got out of it, and I told him some of the terms I remembered and how the goal of The Goal is to make money. He nodded in agreement with everything I said but stated when I was done, “Einstein.  Albert Einstein said a very important quotation that Rogo followed unknowingly and I want you to remember it. If you do, you will be successful here.  The quote is, ‘I don’t need to know everything; I just to know where to find it when I need it.’ ” 

That's exactly what Rogo did; when he didn’t know the answer, he went to Jonah for help and soon realized that the goal of any business is what the book said, to make money, but it really is more than that. The goal is to admit you can't know everything so it is important to have the resources that can lead you to the answer.