Obsessed by Ted Dekker

Synopsis: A deadly tale of ultimate obsession.

Stephen Friedman is making a good living in good times. He's just an ordinary guy. Or so he thinks. But one day an extraordinary piece of information tells him differently. It's a clue from the grave of a Holocaust survivor. A clue that makes him heir to an incredible fortune...a clue that only he and one other man can possibly understand. That man is Roth Braun, a serial killer who has been waiting for Stephen for thirty years. Roth was stopped once before. This time nothing will get in his way.

Specs: Adult fiction, thriller, published in 2004, 496 pgs.

Obsessed is AMAZING. I can't decide which Dekker book is better: Obsessed or Three. It took a while for me to get into it, but once I did I was hooked. The last 250 pages I just could not put the book down. It was physically impossible for me to get up off the couch and stop reading.

When orphan Stephen learns his supposed Jewish mom has just died, he becomes obsessed with learning about her history and getting into her house because he believes the Stones of David are hidden there. But it's difficult because now the house is owned by the son of a German Hitler-like sadist. So Stephen devises multiple and increasingly hilarious ways of gaining entrance to the house's basement.

I liked how every few chapters, the narrative switched back to his mother and her time in a Jewish concentration camp. It was horrific to experience these things with her and her friends, but it was even more horrific because it actually happened. What's amazing is that people are now saying this never happened, especially considering that there is physical proof. I know it's a bit lengthy, but this is a really good quote from Eisenhower Memorial Commission:

"During the camp inspections with his top commanders Eisenhower said that the atrocities were “beyond the American mind to comprehend.” He ordered that every citizen of the town of Gotha personally tour the camp and, after having done so, the mayor and his wife went home and hanged themselves. Later on Ike wrote to Mamie, “I never dreamed that such cruelty, bestiality, and savagery could really exist in this world.” He cabled General Marshall to suggest that he come to Germany and see these camps for himself. He encouraged Marshall to bring Congressmen and journalists with him. It would be many months before the world would know the full scope of the Holocaust — many months before they knew that the Nazi murder apparatus that was being discovered at Buchenwald and dozens of other death camps had slaughtered millions of innocent people.General Eisenhower understood that many people would be unable to comprehend the full scope of this horror. He also understood that any human deeds that were so utterly evil might eventually be challenged or even denied as being literally unbelievable. For these reasons he ordered that all the civilian news media and military combat camera units be required to visit the camps and record their observations in print, pictures and film. As he explained to General Marshall, “I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to ‘propaganda.’”(http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/stories/death-camps.htm)

Blink of an Eye by Ted Dekker

Synopsis: The future changes in the BLINK of an eye...or does it?

Seth Borders isn't your average graduate student. For starters, he has one of the world's highest IQs. Now he's suddenly struck by an incredible power--the ability to see multiple potential futures.

Still reeling from this inexplicable gift, Seth stumbles upon a beautiful woman named Miriam. Unknown to Seth, Miriam is a Saudi Arabian princess who has fled her veiled existence to escape a forced marriage of unimaginable consequences. Cultures collide as they're thrown together and forced to run from an unstoppable force determined to kidnap or kill Miriam.

Seth's mysterious ability helps them avoid capture once, then twice. But with no sleep, a fugitive princess by his side, hit men a heartbeat away, and a massive manhunt steadily closing in, evasion becomes impossible.

An intoxicating tale set amidst the shifting sands of the Middle East and the back roads of America, Blink engages issues as ancient as the earth itself...and as current as today's headlines.

Specs: Adult fiction, thriller, published in 2002, 400 pgs.

There's actually two of these books: Blink and Blink of an Eye. They're the same book, but with slightly different changes. When I ordered the library book, I happened to get Blink of an Eye.

Dekker definitely delivers the heart-pumping, eyes-open-wide thriller in Blink of an Eye, which I really liked. There's barely a dull moment with the car chases, and running for their lives across the country. And I have to say "barely" because some of the Muslim scenes between the leaders (I can't for the life of me remember their names since they all sound the same) was dragging.

For personal and patriotic reasons, I felt the Muslim cult throughout this book was disturbing to say the least. I was especially confused by Miriam's view on her Muslim culture. She talked about love and how her god is a loving god, but yet she was a devout Muslim. That does not make sense because Muslims are hateful toward anyone who is not a Muslim, and the Koran tells them to kill those people who aren't a part of their cult.

Reivew: Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis: After her only cousin, Hadley, is murdered by one of the undead, Sookie travels to New Orleans to close out the young woman's apartment and collect her things. The unsavory job gets complicated quickly; Hadley was the "honeybun" of the bisexual vampire Queen of Louisiana, the seemingly ageless bloodsucker Sophie-Anne Leclerq. The queen has recently married another powerful sovereign in an attempt to forge a formidable alliance, and tensions in the supernatural community are running high. But when Sookie and her new love interest, a were-tiger named Quinn, are inexplicably kidnapped, the mind-reading waitress must unravel the mysterious circumstances of her cousin's murder before she ends up dead as well.

Specs: Adult fiction, fantasy/mystery, published in 2006, 324 pgs, Sookie Stackhouse #6.

The series is going a little downhill for me. I don't know if it's because Bill and Sookie aren't together anymore or the plot lines in the recent books I've read don't interest me as much as the first books, or maybe it's both.

I don't think the vampire monarchy aspect is interesting either, so this book wasn't a whole bunch of fun, that's for sure. I'm not looking forward to the next book where all the vampires get together for their meeting.

But I'll still keep reading to see if Bill and Sookie patch things up, and no one tell me what happens in the books I haven't read yet!

Rant post about giveaways

This past year I've been crazy about entering online giveaways, but lately I've slowed down because life caught up with me. So naturally, I won a lot of those giveaways. But, strange enough, I haven't received a lot of the prizes. In my email account, I keep track of my wins and which ones I've not received, so I know for sure which ones haven't arrived. So far, I'm waiting on 25 to arrive from MONTHS ago, the earliest being in May.

What is going on with bloggers and their sponsors not sending out the prizes? Are they just setting up the giveaways to get more followers and not planning from the first to award the winner?

I (and others) have invested a lot of time in entering online giveaways, so the least these people can do is actually DO what they said they would do: host a legitimate giveaway, choose a winner, and (a few weeks later) the prize appears in the mailbox. I don't live in some far off island where mail takes 6 months to get to me. I live in the United States and most of the bloggers live here too.

I have emailed (sometimes more than once) the blogger about it not arriving, and in every instance they said they would check up on it. More times than not I have not heard back from the blogger. And at other times they've said that they can't get in touch with the sender of the prize. I've done all I could and still nothing.

Thoughts? Opinions? Has this happened to anyone else?

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis: When Sookie sees her brother Jason's eyes start to change, she knows he's about to turn into a werepanther for the first time - a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she's known. But her concern for her brother becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population - and Jason's new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter.

Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who's behind the attacks - unless the killer decides to find her first.

Specs: Adult fiction, fantasy/mystery, Southern Vampires #5, published in 2005, 295 pgs.

Better than the last one I read, for sure. The Jason-to-werepanther twist I liked. Now Sookie doesn't have to read every perverted thought that passes through her brother's mind! lol

Contrary to the cover, Bill is still not involved in the book as much as I would've liked (but more so than #4). I'm definitely Team Bill rather than Eric (or Alcide or Sam)!

It seems that whenever Sookie lets go of a guy, another one shows up...in this case a very tall, very big guy - Quinn. So I assume the next book explores Quinn and Sookie's relationship, while Sookie continues to be a little jealous of Bill's new relationship with a human.

The series continues to interest me, with the mysteries in Sookie's life, the fast-paced and quirky Southern writing, and the many love interests. I also like how Harris introduces a lot of new people in every book, yet still hosting the regulars. It beats having the same old characters and letting the series grow stale.

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis: When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It's Eric the vampire--but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

Specs: Adult fiction, published in 2004, Southern Vampires #4, 291 pgs.

While I have to correct the synopsis on the back that the man was not naked, only half, the rest of it is right.

This is my least favorite of the Southern Vampires series. I actually had to convince myself to keep reading it to get to the end, when usually I'm drooling to get the next book. The plot didn't interest me, even though a plot that includes even more supes (witches this time) you would think would make it more eye-addicting.

And a very low point: Vampire Bill is hardly in it! Yeah, they sorta broke up, but Bill is a main reason why I read these books! So that sucked.

New McCafferty book: Bumped

I just heard about a new Megan McCafferty book from The Story Siren: Bumped! It seems like forever since I devoured the last Jessica Darling book. And while I didn't like the last three as well as the first two in the series, they were still superb and filled with wordsmith writing. And despite the fact that McCafferty makes her liberal views known at times in her books, the series is worth it.

And that's why I will read this:




Synopsis: When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Doesn't sound like the typical McCafferty book, but I'm all for authors switching genres. Comes out April 26, 2011.