JANUARY - Blood is the Sky

  What a way to start the year, with a blistering brooding Alex McKnight mystery. I don't know what made me pick up A Cold Day in Paradise a few years ago, but I am sure glad I did. This series was intially a diversion between Kinsey Milhone / Kay Scarpetta stories, but McKnight has become a truly great character for me. This book continues the growth of the series by getting our reluctant detective involved in the life of one of his friends. The consequences are brutal. But what happens at the end... is quite nice for Alex.

FEBRUARY - 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witness

  Each year I do my very best to read the yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses for that year. The experiences are inspiring. This year the primary countries covered are South Africa, Latvia and Reunion. Greatr reading.

MARCH - S is for Silence

  

Another great book by Sue Grafton. I love having the story told by different people. This is a great change of pace for Grafton. For the first time ever I am all caught up with the Grafton series. I can't wait for "T"... though I prefer to read paperback, :)

APRIL - Survivors: An Oral History of the Armenian Genocide

  

I have always wanted to learn about the Armenian Genocide. What an amazing book. heartbreaking stories and scholarly data at the same time. Highly recommended.

MAY - ICE RUN

I finished Ice Run, another amazing Alex McKnight mystery. To be honest, I am usually more interested in the way Hamilton develops the characters than I am in the actual mystery. In fact I felt the final mystery wrapped up a little quickly and was a tad underwhelming. Still I can't wait to go on to the next McKnight mystery.

 

As a special bonus, while I was on a trip to Spain I read this book. What an amazing story! it is even more amazing because it is true! I strongly recommend this book to everyone.

JUNE - Kay Scarpetta

I don't know how I can do it, but I would like to get all caught up with the Scarpetta series pretty quickly. I will bring The Last Precint and Blow Fly to Spain.

6/5/2007 - I finished The Last Precinct on the way home from Spain. I am already into Blow Fly.

6/21/2007 - I finished Blowfly... I can appreciate Cornwell trying to reboot the series and change things, but I don't think this was the way to do it. I hope she regains a foothold in Trace.

where is this going?

JULY

I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns and plain and simple it is one of my favorite reads EVER. What a magnificent magnificent book! I am still heartbroken over it.

Patricia Cornwell has LOST her mind!!!! What happened to the great characters she created years ago? I think I will hold off on Predator until sometime next year. This is the end of an era for me. I will no longer be a Scarpetta fan.

 

AUGUST

The Kite Runner was amazing. I can only hope the upcoming film will be slightly as good. The trailer was have me a little worried though.

Yes it has taken a million years, but I finally finished Learn From the Great Teacher. Now we just need to have children of our own to read it to. ;)

 

SEPTEMBER

I have always wanted to read this book. I picked up the Definitive Edition, which has over 30% more material than the classic story that most kids read in school. I was deeply touched by the book and felt that Anne had become a friend by the end. The end was jarring because of course there was no proper ending. The Frank family was suddenly taken away and of course almost everyone in the attic died at the hands of the Nazis.

I am thrilled that I read the uncensored, definitive edition. Here Anne was not made out to be a perfect, angelic symbol of good. She is a real life flesh and blood teenage girl Even for those who have read the originally released diary, I recommend reading the Definitive Edition.

 

OCTOBER

This book was released at the 2007 Follow the Christ District Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses. (I started late on this because It took me extra time to finish Anne Frank)

 

NOVEMBER

I am still working on Come Be My Follower. It is good reading.

However I have held off the whole year in reading Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. One more time I am ready to be transported to the awful killing fields of Rwanda in 1994.

 

DECEMBER

Nearly finished with Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. I am of course haunted once again.

And as mentioned above I met Sue Grafton at a book signing in Pasadena. I read the first chapter of "T" and I can't wait to dig into it.

12/26/07 - How does she do it? Book #20 in the series and Grafton and is great and fresh as ever. "T is for Trespass" is a GREAT read. I went through it in less than a week.

Often when an author has been writing a series for years (s)he may get bored and try to change things up. When it goes badly it can be a disaster (yes Patricia Cornwell that means you!) when it goes well, the series gets a great shot in the arm.

In both "S" and now "T" Grafton has decided to tell portions of her story through eyes other than her protagonist Kinsey Milhone. She does this skillfully without gutting her series and ruining everything that makes the books great. Solana Rojas is incredible match for Kinsey. The story is timely. "T" starts slowly and builds with an ever increasing sense of dread. I wanted more.

The only BUMMER is that I now have to wait a year and a half for "U". I have never been in this position before. I have always stayed a few books behind the series. I guess from now till the series ends I will be reading hardcover and getting the book the day it comes out. I will also make it a goal to be at every Grafton book signing from now till "Z"