Reading 2011 (February)

#8) The Girl Who Kick the Hornets Nest by Steig Larsson - Finished

This is the third book in the series, with a very interesting plot. Although I noted that the author rehashed the same points in the story, with the same words from chapter-to-chapter, by the second half of the both I was LOVING this storyline. By the end of the story, I was yearning for more works to read by this author. It's an incredible tragedy that this was the last of his series.

 #9) The King of Lies by John Hart

I read this book over the weekend before Valentine's Day and my heart was hurting by all of the story lines of unfilled love. The book is a mystery set in North Carolina focused on an overbearing father, who went missing the same evening his wife was found dead. 18 months later the father's body is found, a victim of a murder, and questions arise as to who are suspects. Moreover, the notions of family loyalties are explored between blood relations, lovers, marriages, and friendships and defining what relationship trumps something else.

#11) The Last Child by John Hart

As my Indian Friends would say, I liked this book too much. It's a story about a child whose twin sister was kidnapped. In the wake of the kidnapping, the cop following the case becomes a little too obsessed; his mother loses her grip on reality and consequently falls under the control of a rich-pill pushing, small-town power monger who does all he can to humiliate her. It's certainly a suspense thriller that kept me interested throughout the read.

#12)  Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

I read last year another of J. Lancaster's books while I was in Peru last year. I found the book to be quite light hearted, and I appreciated the cynicism of her perspective. In this earlier book, she chronicles her nearly two years of being unemployed post-dot-com, post-9/11 in Chicago. She lays out the excesses of her overly paid corporate job to her fail to desperateness and having to sell her prized possessions (Prada purses, designer-custom shades, and other designer goods). This is a light read. One that would be better suited on the beach, than being read a conference. Nonetheless, it's a good reminder that the stuff that clutters our lives is never as important as the people we love, and the dreams that sustain us.

#13) Color of Family - No Progress since January

This book is about the color lines. It's told from the perspective of the twin sister of the possible baby daddy of a famous musician. This is only important because the child, who was raised by his white mother, was told that his bio dad was also white. Yet, the child had always had inclinations (e.g., slightly kinky hair) that something about his genetic profile didn't add up to being 100% white.