Kiss Me, Kill Me

Kiss Me, Kill Me by Allison Brennan

My rating:

3 stars—I liked it.

My thoughts:

This was the second book in the Lucy Kincaid series. I really enjoyed the first. This one was good too, I liked the mystery but not as much the characters.

Not sure if I’ll continue the series or not…

Description from Goodreads.com:

“Lucy Kincaid has firsthand experience dealing with deadly criminal predators, and she’s fully prepared to share her many talents with the FBI. But when her career plans are derailed, her boyfriend, security expert Sean Rogan, asks for help on his latest private investigation. Using her well-honed cyber-hunting skills, Lucy is soon on the trail of a missing teenage girl with a penchant for disappearing—and a shocking secret life.

FBI Agent Suzanne Madeaux is also tracking someone: a serial killer on the loose in New York City. Dubbed by the press the Cinderella Strangler, he cruises seamy underground sex parties, where drug-fueled women make for easy pickings. As Lucy and Sean’s desperate search collides with the FBI’s hunt, Lucy isn’t about to step aside. Haunted by painful memories of her own harrowing encounters with evil, she’s determined to keep any more innocents from meeting the fate she so narrowly escaped. Delving deep into the twisted psyche of a remorseless killer, Lucy must confront her own fears—even if it means risking a future job with the FBI and future happiness with Sean.”

Life at the Bottom

Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass by Theodore Dalrymple

My rating:

2 stars—It was okay.

My thoughts:

Dalrymple has a quite depressing view of the world.

Description from Goodreads.com:

“… Theodore Dalrymple, a British psychiatrist who treats the poor in a slum hospital and a prison in England, has seemingly seen it all. Yet in listening to and observing his patients, he is continually astonished by the latest twist of depravity that exceeds even his own considerable experience. Dalrymple's key insight in Life at the Bottom is that long-term poverty is caused not by economics but by a dysfunctional set of values, one that is continually reinforced by an elite culture searching for victims. This culture persuades those at the bottom that they have no responsibility for their actions and are not the molders of their own lives. Drawn from the pages of the cutting-edge political and cultural quarterly City Journal, Dalrymple's book draws upon scores of eye-opening, true-life vignettes that are by turns hilariously funny, chillingly horrifying, and all too revealing-sometimes all at once. And Dalrymple writes in prose that transcends journalism and achieves the quality of literature.”

The Guns of August

The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman

My rating:

4 stars—I really liked it.

My thoughts:

I have read heavily about WWII, but not as much about WWI. This is a good history of that period. I learned many things about how this war began and was able to stay engaged through the end.

Description from Goodreads.com:

“The Pulitzer Prize-winning classic about the outbreak of World War I

Historian & Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Tuchman has brought to life again the people and events that led up to WWI. With attention to fascinating detail, and an intense knowledge of her subject and its characters, she reveals just how the war started, why, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't. A classic historical survey of a time and a people we all need to know more about, THE GUNS OF AUGUST will not be forgotten.”

The Well-Spoken Woman

The Well-Spoken Woman: Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best by Christine Jahnke

My rating:

3 stars—I liked it.

My thoughts:

Good advice for public speaking. I took bits and pieces and some good reminders.

Description from Goodreads.com:

“Sheryl Sandberg advises women to "lean in" to realize their full potential. To do so successfully, women need effective communication skills and a confident presentation style. In this must-have guide, one of the nation’s premier speech coaches shares tested techniques from twenty years of coaching women on what works and what doesn’t. The author details the practices and techniques of successful women to help all women improve their presentation and public speaking skills. With access to her expertise, you’ll learn strategies that will help you present your best self in forums from PTA meetings to TV studios, conferences to classrooms, boardrooms to YouTube.

The author has advised First Lady Michelle Obama for her International Olympic Committee speech, provided speaker training to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and coached corporate CEOs and more women elected officials than any other trainer. Every woman can benefit from studying the polished speaking skills of such powerful women.

Strategic advice on everything from messaging to hair and hemlines will allow you to come across as polished and prepared. The author includes easy-to-follow exercises so you can try out techniques immediately, from the use of sound bites and secrets to establishing eye contact to what not to do with your hands.

Filled with behind-the-scenes advice, this book is for every woman who wants to present herself well, express her ideas with confidence, and earn the respect of any audience.”

Choosing Mercy

Choosing Mercy: A Mother of Murder Victims Pleads to End the Death Penalty by Antoinette Bosco

My rating:

2 stars—It was okay.

My thoughts:

While Bosco’s viewpoint is interesting, the book wasn’t well laid out. It was a struggle to get through.

Description from Goodreads.com:

“Antoinette Bosco's heart was crushed when Shadow Clark murdered her son John and his wife Nancy. In time her grief transformed into forgiveness. Toni felt that to want one more unnatural death would be wrong. "I could say that the 18-year -old who ended the lives of my children with an 8mm semiautomatic must be punished for life but I could not say, kill this killer". Toni chose mercy over vengeance, and again her life changed forever.Today she is widely known as an opponent of capital punishment in this the only modern Western nation that retains executions. In telling her dramatic journey she presents compelling arguments why the death penalty does not work and is morally wrong. She also shares unforgettable true stories form parents such as Dominick Dunne who suffered through similar experiences but also learned to choose love over fear.”

Monday!

Monday Recommendation List

Random list of 10 books Monday! I have read and enjoyed each of these enough to flag for a potential personal library purchase.

Be bold and just choose randomly, stick to your normal genre...or step outside of your normal reading zone and try something you usually wouldn’t. You can look up the descriptions at Amazon.com, or search my blog for old posts by entering the title in the little search box in the top left-hand corner and clicking the magnifying glass.

This week-- 10 recommendations (in no particular order):

1. The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge by John Leonard
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
3. Sail by James Patterson
4. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
5. The Informant by James Grippando
6. Genesis by Bernard Beckett
7. Columbine by Dave Cullen
8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
9. Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins
10. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson